Spoil of Rohan
Eomer entered his room, Ciara was still stretched out across one of his many chairs and nearly fell off when he came in. Eomer didn't say anything to Ciara but headed right into his bathing room and closed the door behind him.
Ciara looked at the closed door, what was she supposed to do now? She sat up in the chair and placed the book next to her. Perhaps she should put the book away? No, what else was there for her to do in this room? Nothing.
Hallas had not yet brought Ciara's bed or clothes for her.
Finally Eomer emerged from the bathing room, his hair wet from the bowl of water that he had used to quickly wash himself before dinner. He had just a towel wrapped around his muscular waist and he dug through his wardrobe trying to find clean clothes. He found a pair, though they didn't match. Eomer dressed quickly in the privacy behind the dressing screen.
"That doesn't match." Ciara pointed out as Eomer walked out and stood in front of the mirror.
"Really?" Eomer didn't even turn to look at her.
"No, you should have worn the darker brown with those leggings." Ciara suggested.
Eomer looked back in his wardrobe, the clothes were dripping out of in and were strewn strategically over the floor. He spotted the dark brown tunic Ciara was talking about, "Fine then." Eomer nodded.
He quickly switched tunics and turned back to the mirror. He shook his long sun-kissed hair as dry as he could manage and didn't bother to run a comb through it, just rub it down with the towel from his waist and it was soon a messy dry.
Eomer slipped on his boots and headed towards the door.
"What am I supposed to do?" Ciara asked indignantly.
"Stay here." Eomer answered and left.
"Great, because I have so much else to do." Ciara grumbled to herself as Eomer left the room. Only seconds later though Hallas finally came with bedding and clothing for her.
"Sorry it took so long but their was a crisis in the kitchen." Hallas apologized, "My, you are pretty."
"Oh, thanks." The compliment had caught Ciara off guard, in this place she hadn't expected any.
"I will set everything up for you." Hallas made up a cushioned bed for Ciara and hung the items of clothing he had brought for her in a small wardrobe for her, "Come with me to the kitchens."
"I have to stay here, he said." Ciara wanted to leave but didn't want to make her new 'master' angry with her on the first day.
"Do you want food?"
"Well, yes."
"Then you'd better come with me. He'll understand." Hallas reassured Ciara.
The two made their way down to the kitchen where quite a few other servants were sitting around eating, though Ciara noticed they were all male.
"Who is this pretty little one?" A servant smiled up at Ciara as she entered.
"This is Eomer's new servant, Moriana, be nice to her." Hallas introduced Ciara.
"A woman? That is odd." Another servant mentioned.
"Why is that odd?" Ciara asked.
"We don't have any women servants here anymore." Another servant answered that question.
"No women servants? But what about the lady of the house? She has no ladies to take care of her?"
"There is no lady of the house and Eowyn won't allow any women to look after her."
"Eowyn, who is that?" Ciara thought the named sounded strangely familiar.
"Lady Eowyn, niece to King Theoden and cousin to Theodred." Hallas motioned for Ciara to sit down next to him.
"Eowyn." Ciara thought for a moment, "Does she have a brother?" Ciara asked after a moment.
"Yes, your master, Eomer, is her brother." Hallas smiled as if Ciara were some slow child just coming to a realization.
"Oh!" Ciara gasped, suddenly it all came back to her. She knew Eomer and Eowyn! Eomer had been her friend so many years ago. How could she have forgotten! "I know Eomer!" Ciara burst out.
No one quite understood what she meant and many of them broke out in laughter, "I sure hope so if you are his servant!" One laughed.
"No, no, not that. I knew him a long time ago. He was just a little boy!" Ciara clarified what she had meant. Suddenly the room went quiet. Everyone looked at Ciara sadly.
"Milady, if we could bring back the Eomer you knew many years ago we gladly would, but he is a very different, very changed man now. He is not the little boy he once was. Hard times have hardened his once soft heart." Baran, Hallas's brother said very somberly.
"But, what if I made him remember me? I could go home!" Ciara smiled hopefully.
"Milady, please listen just a moment. Eomer is not what you remember. He is a man of war and power now, his heart has been corrupted like many of the other people here. You can't trust him any longer. Your best bet is to forget about the old Eomer." Hallas suggested.
Ciara sat in silence, it could really be as bad as they are saying. She would talk to him later this evening, she had to!
Hallas and Baran led Ciara back to Eomer's room after dinner.
"Moriana, please, I know you want to talk to him but for your own sake I ask you not to." Hallas took Ciara's hands and stared deep into her eyes.
"I-"Ciara couldn't bring herself to lie to the two brothers who had been so nice to her so far, "I can't promise. I will try not to but, you must understand how hard it will be for me." Ciara pleaded.
"I know. We know but, I can promise you won't like the outcome of it. There is not even the slightest chance that things could go the way you wanted. Give us this much, don't say anything to him tonight. Wait and observe for just a few days and then decide. Can you do that?" Baran asked.
"Yes."
Hallas dropped Ciara's hand quickly as Eomer appeared in the doorway.
Hallas and Baran bowed in respect before both giving Ciara a quick glance as they left to their own sleeping rooms.
"What is your name again?" Eomer asked as he closed the door behind him.
Ciara suddenly felt very strange, standing alone in a room with a man that she didn't really know, "Moriana."
"Well, Moriana, you will know be my personal servant. Tomorrow morning I expect a bath drawn for me and clothes set out by the time the sun has fully risen." Eomer instructed and headed to his wardrobe to toss his dinner clothes in before briefly washing his face and preparing for bed.
"Night." Moriana sighed as she headed towards her own room.
"Leave your door open at all times." Eomer added as he crawled into his own bed. Ciara tried her hardest not to look at his now barely clad body.
"Okay."
"Yes, my lord." Eomer stared at Ciara.
"Yes, my lord." Ciara replied with a little contempt creeping into her voice.
"I expect the utmost respect from you. I saved you from rotting away in the dungeon, for that you should be ever grateful."
Ciara narrowed her eyes, if they was one thing that she was never good at it was being told how to act and what to feel. Boromir and Faramir had known this very well and had always teased her about. It had been years since anyone had dared to tell her how to act.
"Yes, my lord." Ciara said, straining to sound as pleasant as possible but Eomer had caught her strained tone.
"Remember, you belong to me now." Eomer smiled wickedly and blew the candle beside his bed out emerging the room into sudden darkness. Ciara was left to fund her way to her bed and undress in the dark.
Ciara woke the next morning, the sun just peeking over the eastern sky. Ciara flew out of bed and rushed into Eomer's bathing room to see if their was any water in the tub. Of course, there wasn't. Ciara cursed under her breath and ran from the bathing room and into the hall, right into Hallas who was carrying water along with Baran to Eomer's room.
"Oh, I need water. Fast!" Ciara whispered.
"We are bringing Eomer his water." Hallas smiled knowingly.
"Okay, clothes!" Ciara ran back into the room and flung open Eomer's wardrobe doors to search for clothes. She had no idea what to pick out. What was he doing today?
"Something he can practice weapon training in." Baran whispered as he passed by.
Ciara mouthed a thank you and picked out the appropriate attire. Ciara then rushed back into the bathing room to check and see how the bath was coming along. Everything was set.
Ciara emerged from the bathing room to see Eomer sitting, with a haughty smile, on his bed.
"Everything ready?" Eomer asked lazily.
"Yes," Ciara sighed, "Yes, my lord."
"Good." Eomer smiled and rested his head back on his headboard, "I think I will sleep in today." Eomer readjusted himself underneath his covers.
Ciara let out an annoyed sigh and cursed Eomer a million times over in her mind as she headed back to her own bed.
Eomer entered his room, Ciara was still stretched out across one of his many chairs and nearly fell off when he came in. Eomer didn't say anything to Ciara but headed right into his bathing room and closed the door behind him.
Ciara looked at the closed door, what was she supposed to do now? She sat up in the chair and placed the book next to her. Perhaps she should put the book away? No, what else was there for her to do in this room? Nothing.
Hallas had not yet brought Ciara's bed or clothes for her.
Finally Eomer emerged from the bathing room, his hair wet from the bowl of water that he had used to quickly wash himself before dinner. He had just a towel wrapped around his muscular waist and he dug through his wardrobe trying to find clean clothes. He found a pair, though they didn't match. Eomer dressed quickly in the privacy behind the dressing screen.
"That doesn't match." Ciara pointed out as Eomer walked out and stood in front of the mirror.
"Really?" Eomer didn't even turn to look at her.
"No, you should have worn the darker brown with those leggings." Ciara suggested.
Eomer looked back in his wardrobe, the clothes were dripping out of in and were strewn strategically over the floor. He spotted the dark brown tunic Ciara was talking about, "Fine then." Eomer nodded.
He quickly switched tunics and turned back to the mirror. He shook his long sun-kissed hair as dry as he could manage and didn't bother to run a comb through it, just rub it down with the towel from his waist and it was soon a messy dry.
Eomer slipped on his boots and headed towards the door.
"What am I supposed to do?" Ciara asked indignantly.
"Stay here." Eomer answered and left.
"Great, because I have so much else to do." Ciara grumbled to herself as Eomer left the room. Only seconds later though Hallas finally came with bedding and clothing for her.
"Sorry it took so long but their was a crisis in the kitchen." Hallas apologized, "My, you are pretty."
"Oh, thanks." The compliment had caught Ciara off guard, in this place she hadn't expected any.
"I will set everything up for you." Hallas made up a cushioned bed for Ciara and hung the items of clothing he had brought for her in a small wardrobe for her, "Come with me to the kitchens."
"I have to stay here, he said." Ciara wanted to leave but didn't want to make her new 'master' angry with her on the first day.
"Do you want food?"
"Well, yes."
"Then you'd better come with me. He'll understand." Hallas reassured Ciara.
The two made their way down to the kitchen where quite a few other servants were sitting around eating, though Ciara noticed they were all male.
"Who is this pretty little one?" A servant smiled up at Ciara as she entered.
"This is Eomer's new servant, Moriana, be nice to her." Hallas introduced Ciara.
"A woman? That is odd." Another servant mentioned.
"Why is that odd?" Ciara asked.
"We don't have any women servants here anymore." Another servant answered that question.
"No women servants? But what about the lady of the house? She has no ladies to take care of her?"
"There is no lady of the house and Eowyn won't allow any women to look after her."
"Eowyn, who is that?" Ciara thought the named sounded strangely familiar.
"Lady Eowyn, niece to King Theoden and cousin to Theodred." Hallas motioned for Ciara to sit down next to him.
"Eowyn." Ciara thought for a moment, "Does she have a brother?" Ciara asked after a moment.
"Yes, your master, Eomer, is her brother." Hallas smiled as if Ciara were some slow child just coming to a realization.
"Oh!" Ciara gasped, suddenly it all came back to her. She knew Eomer and Eowyn! Eomer had been her friend so many years ago. How could she have forgotten! "I know Eomer!" Ciara burst out.
No one quite understood what she meant and many of them broke out in laughter, "I sure hope so if you are his servant!" One laughed.
"No, no, not that. I knew him a long time ago. He was just a little boy!" Ciara clarified what she had meant. Suddenly the room went quiet. Everyone looked at Ciara sadly.
"Milady, if we could bring back the Eomer you knew many years ago we gladly would, but he is a very different, very changed man now. He is not the little boy he once was. Hard times have hardened his once soft heart." Baran, Hallas's brother said very somberly.
"But, what if I made him remember me? I could go home!" Ciara smiled hopefully.
"Milady, please listen just a moment. Eomer is not what you remember. He is a man of war and power now, his heart has been corrupted like many of the other people here. You can't trust him any longer. Your best bet is to forget about the old Eomer." Hallas suggested.
Ciara sat in silence, it could really be as bad as they are saying. She would talk to him later this evening, she had to!
Hallas and Baran led Ciara back to Eomer's room after dinner.
"Moriana, please, I know you want to talk to him but for your own sake I ask you not to." Hallas took Ciara's hands and stared deep into her eyes.
"I-"Ciara couldn't bring herself to lie to the two brothers who had been so nice to her so far, "I can't promise. I will try not to but, you must understand how hard it will be for me." Ciara pleaded.
"I know. We know but, I can promise you won't like the outcome of it. There is not even the slightest chance that things could go the way you wanted. Give us this much, don't say anything to him tonight. Wait and observe for just a few days and then decide. Can you do that?" Baran asked.
"Yes."
Hallas dropped Ciara's hand quickly as Eomer appeared in the doorway.
Hallas and Baran bowed in respect before both giving Ciara a quick glance as they left to their own sleeping rooms.
"What is your name again?" Eomer asked as he closed the door behind him.
Ciara suddenly felt very strange, standing alone in a room with a man that she didn't really know, "Moriana."
"Well, Moriana, you will know be my personal servant. Tomorrow morning I expect a bath drawn for me and clothes set out by the time the sun has fully risen." Eomer instructed and headed to his wardrobe to toss his dinner clothes in before briefly washing his face and preparing for bed.
"Night." Moriana sighed as she headed towards her own room.
"Leave your door open at all times." Eomer added as he crawled into his own bed. Ciara tried her hardest not to look at his now barely clad body.
"Okay."
"Yes, my lord." Eomer stared at Ciara.
"Yes, my lord." Ciara replied with a little contempt creeping into her voice.
"I expect the utmost respect from you. I saved you from rotting away in the dungeon, for that you should be ever grateful."
Ciara narrowed her eyes, if they was one thing that she was never good at it was being told how to act and what to feel. Boromir and Faramir had known this very well and had always teased her about. It had been years since anyone had dared to tell her how to act.
"Yes, my lord." Ciara said, straining to sound as pleasant as possible but Eomer had caught her strained tone.
"Remember, you belong to me now." Eomer smiled wickedly and blew the candle beside his bed out emerging the room into sudden darkness. Ciara was left to fund her way to her bed and undress in the dark.
Ciara woke the next morning, the sun just peeking over the eastern sky. Ciara flew out of bed and rushed into Eomer's bathing room to see if their was any water in the tub. Of course, there wasn't. Ciara cursed under her breath and ran from the bathing room and into the hall, right into Hallas who was carrying water along with Baran to Eomer's room.
"Oh, I need water. Fast!" Ciara whispered.
"We are bringing Eomer his water." Hallas smiled knowingly.
"Okay, clothes!" Ciara ran back into the room and flung open Eomer's wardrobe doors to search for clothes. She had no idea what to pick out. What was he doing today?
"Something he can practice weapon training in." Baran whispered as he passed by.
Ciara mouthed a thank you and picked out the appropriate attire. Ciara then rushed back into the bathing room to check and see how the bath was coming along. Everything was set.
Ciara emerged from the bathing room to see Eomer sitting, with a haughty smile, on his bed.
"Everything ready?" Eomer asked lazily.
"Yes," Ciara sighed, "Yes, my lord."
"Good." Eomer smiled and rested his head back on his headboard, "I think I will sleep in today." Eomer readjusted himself underneath his covers.
Ciara let out an annoyed sigh and cursed Eomer a million times over in her mind as she headed back to her own bed.