Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for full disclaimers.

Diola lle, my friends!

Evenstar Elanor… How many chapters left? This is it, bella!

Pasha ToH… Thank you for the applause!

Utsuri… Glad this warranted a happy dance for you!

Mercury Gray… (little Theoden coos back. He likes his Auntie Mercury!)

Thank you to all four of you for being such consistent reviewers for this story. I really appreciate the feedback!

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Epilogue

It was the winter of his life, and Gamling knew he was dying. Each snow season had grown harder and despite Carly's healing herbal teas, she ultimately could not halt time. If anyone had told him when he wed Carly that they would be married for nearly 30 years, he would have called them a fool or drunk, or both. He now had four children and had served two kings. It had been a long and good life.

"Gamling?" Carly stroked his hair. She was 48 years old now, and grey peppered her dark hair. Her waistline had thickened, but bearing children would do that to a woman. Her smile, however, never changed. It still spread all the way up to her eyes and made them sparkle when she laughed.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

"No." He patted her hand. "I'm fine." Her last dose of tea had eased his breathing and he was comfortable for now. As she made herself busy in the house, Gamling ran his fingers over the blanket. There was small lumpy section where a rip had been sewn together. He smiled to himself. His wife was skilled with her herbs and her cooking, but she was probably the worst seamstress he'd ever seen. That, however, only made him adore her more because she tried so hard. Carly was under no illusions about her talent; she frequently bartered her herb teas for new cloaks and trousers for her husband.

Finally, Gamling shut his eyes and dozed off. He snored lightly for a moment and Carly came to stand by the bed. His hair and beard were white, no longer the rusty red dusted with grey they'd been when Carly first married him. She looked down at him fondly. His face was more wrinkled, but he was still the same Gamling.

About an hour later there was a knock at the door and Carly sighed. Despite his improvement, Carly knew that her husband was weaker than he let on. She'd called their children home so they could be with their father.

"Theoden."

Her eldest son hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. That was all he had time to do before his own daughter buried her face in Carly's skirts.

"Grandmother!"

Carly picked the little girl up and hugged her. "Theowyn! You're getting so big."

"How is he?" Theoden asked.

"Comfortable, but I… I don't think he will see many more mornings." Her lip trembled and Theoden hugged her again. "Come in," she said after a moment. "He's sleeping now but he'll be awake again soon, I think."

By the time Gamling woke from his nap, both of his sons were there. He talked to Theoden and Osric for a little while and played a quiet game with Theowyn. The boys were the oldest of his four children with Carly. His daughters – Edona and Reidun – arrived shortly before dinner and spent the time fussing with their father. He had doted on his girls when they were little and between his efforts and Carly's shrewd negotiating, they'd both married good men.

That night, after Carly found places for all of their children to sleep, she slipped into bed with Gamling. He stirred and opened his eyes.

"Finally getting to bed?" His voice was very soft and talking seemed to tire him.

"Shh. It's been a while since we had four extra people sleeping in this house. Theoden and Osric are splitting a bedroll. Theowyn is sleeping with her aunts and she thinks that's just delightful."

Gamling chuckled. "That one will keep Theoden very busy, I think." He closed his eyes. "Good night, love," he whispered and drifted off to sleep.

"Good night," answered Carly. "I love you." A little while later, Carly fell soundly asleep, too. In the wee early ours of the morning, however, she woke with a start. She reached over and put her hand on Gamling's chest. The soft rise and fall of his breathing reassured her and she moved her hand further so she could feel his heart beneath her palm. She didn't know how long she lay in the dark, listening to him sleep, and soon the barest blushes of pink came up over the mountains. It would be dawn soon and time to make breakfast.

Then there was a flutter, a beat that didn't match the others and Carly froze. She felt Gamling's heart beat two more times and then it stilled. She shook her head, denying the truth, tears filling her eyes and spilling hotly down her cheeks. She had known this was coming; Gamling was an old man and his health had been failing. But to actually have it happen… She called for him.

"Gamling? Gamling! Husband!"

Her cries and tears woke everyone in the house and soon the room was crowded with the others. Edona comforted her mother while Reidun held the sobbing Theowyn. After mastering their sorrow, Theoden and Osric went to bring news of Gamling's passing to Eomer-King.

Gamling had been the King's Man to two kings and he was buried with high honor in a cairn outside the walls of Edoras. Eomer himself was one of the four warriors who bore Gamling's body to its final resting place. As his widow, Carly sang him into the next life, knowing in her heart that his spirit had already reached the Halls of his Fathers.

For the remainder of her years, Carly went to Gamling's cairn at each turn of the moon and laid a bundle of simbelmyrne before the door until the year came that her daughters took up the tradition, only now they laid two bundles by the grey stone door.

One for Gamling.

And one for Carly.

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Well, that's it for this story. Hope you liked it. I know Carly was a little on the "perfect" side in this short story, but she's the first real "domestic goddess" that I've written. Please review the last chapter and let me know what you think!