The investigation into the conspirator continues! Gwin continues to struggle with her decision to stay behind when Theoden and his Riders went to fight Saruman, and the citizens of Edoras prepare to leave for Dunharrow. Enjoy!

Chapter 134

The next day had us subtly asking questions around the city to see if anyone had information on the possible fourth conspirator. While some of the information was conflicting, a picture began to form regarding this person's appearance. A suspicious-looking man had been spotted in a few places around town, either just about to cause trouble or in the middle of it. One woman spotted him fleeing after having clearly slashed open sacks of grain, while another noticed him crouched next to a wagon filled with other foodstuffs, untying the bindings keeping the goods in place. If it was the same person, they were depicted as having a generic Rohirric appearance of long, blonde hair and a matching beard, but the defining feature was the signature red brooch upon their neck, which had been referenced in the letters found in Grima's office.

"A red gemstone in the shape of an eye is not a common adornment among our people," Eowyn mused, after hearing our reports. "If they have the stupidity to still wear it, this is how we will find the treacherous snake." She pursed her lips. "We cannot afford further delays, and we must find this perpetrator before they can cause more harm to my people."

"If they are still within the city, we will find them, my lady," Candaith said peaceably. "While they may be familiar with the ways of your own people, they have little knowledge of the Dunedain. We will keep to the shadows and carefully watch. Hopefully we can catch this person unawares."

"We are plenty capable of tracking this man," Horn said, a little offended.

"Who invited this guy?" Calenglad whispered next to me, rolling his eyes. I was thinking the same thing; why was he involved in this? Yes, he was a Rohir, but practically a stranger to Eowyn who arrived on suspicious circumstances. I could tell the princess did not quite trust him. He had also been found wandering nearby; what was he doing there, and was he the man we were looking for?

Candaith, for his part, remained calm and said lightly, "I am sure you are, Horn. We only wish to help by using the skills of which we have been trained in since childhood." He looked toward Eowyn and added, "If the lady does not object."

"I welcome any aid," Eowyn said. "I only ask you to be careful; we do not know how dangerous this man is, and he may be even more so out of desperation. He may also have already fled Edoras, but to where, I do not know." She also turned to eye Horn, who shifted uncomfortably, but I saw no evidence of guilt on his face.

"Perhaps scouts whom you trust could be sent to the neighboring townships around Edoras?" Corunir interjected, having wandered over. "Maybe the guards of those places could have seen something suspicious."

"I am not certain we have the time to wait," Eowyn replied, clearly frustrated. "If this person is allied with the orcs or Uruk-hai, he could tip them off to whatever information he knows of Edoras, specifically our plan to evacuate."

Everyone was silent for a few moments considering what should be done. I personally agreed with Corunir's plan, but the scouts would need to be swift, as Eowyn's concerns were valid. From what I understood, Dunharrow was a fairly defensible location, but if hordes of the enemy came down upon it to try and end the line of Eorl and exterminate Rohan, it was unlikely they would survive the onslaught. I shuddered as I unwillingly envisioned the slaughter of the innocent in my mind's eye, and distantly felt Candaith's hand squeezing mine tightly.

Eventually Eowyn proclaimed, "I will send the scouts, North to Middlemead and Stoke, South to Underharrow, and East to Aldburg." She frowned and sighed. "I hope they are closer than Aldburg, for it is not a short journey, but it is a larger city where it would be easy to hide. It is also the old capital of our lands, and would be a good place to start a rebellion."

"It would also further spread the word of evacuation to Dunharrow, which could potentially save more of your people as they flee the forces of the enemy," I mused. "Although some would have far to travel, through much peril."

The decision made, Eowyn's scouts quickly departed on their fastest steeds, which the investigation continued in Edoras. At the same time, the flurry of preparations continued with haste, the townspeople feeling a greater sense of urgency as rumors of the traitor spread. Nona, at my suggestion, kept a close eye on Horn. My instincts were telling me the man was innocent, but it didn't hurt to have him carefully monitored.

I had to admit I was feeling restless. Over much of my life, my duty was to fight to save the innocent, yet I was here among them instead. I knew my blades and bow would have proved useful in the defense of Rohan among King Theoden's company, and I felt like a coward by staying behind. Yes, it would do well of me to be here to defend the citizens of Edoras as they made their way to Dunharrow, and it was a noble mission, but I couldn't help but worry for those I loved who had gone with the king to fight the forces of Isengard. Would they meet in open battle? Aragorn had mentioned the Hornburg as a defensible fortress; the forces of Saruman were vast, and I had my doubts the Rohirrim would be able to defeat them without a secure location to fight from. Having the added defense of such a stronghold would aid them. Yet I had no knowledge of their movements, nor their fates. If I had just ridden with them-

"I can hear your thoughts running around in circles," Candaith murmured. I blinked and noticed I had been standing still in the middle of the road, and people were eyeing me curiously. He gently pulled me toward a few empty, wooden crates, and I sat down heavily. "Eowyn tells me they will be ready to depart on the morrow."

"What of the scouts?" I asked anxiously. "Has she heard from them?"

At this, Candaith looked grim. "There was evidence of this man in Stoke, which is a town to the North of Edoras. He masqueraded as a guard and, when his treachery was discovered, he killed the man he was impersonating and fled to the West, towards a place called the Stonedeans."

"I know of that place," another voice interjected, and Nona settled on my other side. "Horn told me of it." I found this curious but did not ask for details of why they were speaking much to each other in the first place. "Within this region is a town of both Dunlendings and Eorlings called Woodhurst, and until recently, they lived in peace amongst each other. However, another tribe came in large numbers and took the town by force. My guess is that the traitor goes to rendezvous with this enemy tribe and enlist them to Saruman's cause. The cities of Rohan in between Edoras and Woodhurst would not expect to be assailed from that direction, and may be caught unawares." Nona looked very upset, and I knew it was because she hated how some of her people had chosen evil over good.

"What of the scout? Did they simply return to Edoras, or did they pursue this man?" I asked, pushing down my growing anxiety.

"He came back here, and the Thane of Stoke sent soldiers after the traitor, in hopes of overtaking him before he can get behind the walls of Woodhurst," Candaith said. "Now that Eowyn knows where this man has gone, she can at least be relieved that he is nowhere nearby. Perhaps the citizens will be safely in Dunharrow before any enemies from the Stonedeans could reach here."

"I doubt she will feel much relief knowing her people are in danger," I replied sadly. "At least she can get the people of Edoras to safety, and we will travel with them to provide protection." My thoughts were again drawn to Elladan, Elrohir, and all the others I held dear who rode with Theoden, but I pushed them aside with difficulty. I had a job to do. "Let us finish our tasks and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long, busy day."

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I felt far from rested when I woke from reverie, but dragged myself out of bed despite Candaith's protests of "just five more minutes". I smiled and shivered as I knew it would be much longer than five minutes if he got his hands on me again. Washing and dressing quickly, I made sure we had everything packed before we made our way up to Meduseld to speak with Eowyn. I was grateful for my cloak in the misty, predawn air.

Eowyn looked grim but determined as she stood at the top of the stairs, gazing out on her homeland with a sense of purpose. She nodded as we approached, and after a few more moments she said, "I love these lands fiercely. The thought of the enemy overtaking them makes my skin crawl and anger burn in my heart." Her hand twitched toward the hilt of the sword on her hip. "I will fight till my last breath to defend it."

"I feel the same for the lands of my own people," I replied softly. "It is difficult to be away from them, knowing they fight the forces of Dol Guldur without me." Eowyn seemed unsure how to respond to that. "Yet, I will protect your people as if they are my own, if you will have me."

A shadow of a smile flashed across Eowyn's face, so rapidly that I thought I had imagined it. "I certainly will never say no to a willing heart, and I know you to be a strong warrior by reputation. If we should be in battle together, I would be honored to fight at your side." After that shared moment, Eowyn focused on the current task. "Let us finish our preparations and gather the people together. It will be a difficult and tiring day."

I was pleased to see Nona walking down the road in the early morning light, and raised an eyebrow as I noticed Horn engage her in conversation. It was a little awkward, but I was glad the two of them were making an effort to get along. I knew Horn was insistent on joining the remaining Rohirric soldiers in protecting the citizens on the journey, and Nona had nowhere to go except with us. It was too dangerous to be wandering by herself, as she should have known before leaving Tur Morva, but I was glad she was here. We had gone through much together, and I admired her tenacity. It was good to have another friend by my side. I was also a little suspicious of Horn, and I knew Nona would keep an eye on him. I had questions about why Nona thought she should come here, but I determined we could speak on it further as we traveled.

Lunchtime had come and gone before all of the citizens and refugees in Edoras were gathered and somewhat organized into a group ready to travel. It would be slow-going with the carts of belongings, as well as the children and elderly, but I knew they were determined to reach the relative safety of Dunharrow as soon as possible. I could see the nerves and fear on their faces, but Edoras was too large a city to protect with the small number of soldiers left behind when Theoden rode out.

"Dunharrow is a clifftop overlooking Harrowdale, the valley of the River Snowbourn," Eowyn explained. "The path climbs upwards in a series of switch-backs from Underharrow to Dunharrow, known as the Stair of the Hold. It will be a safe place to gather until we hear more from the King and of the success of the battle against Saruman and his ilk." She seemed sure of her belief that Theoden would not fail, but I wondered if it was more of a front to encourage her people than what she really thought.

"Will it be difficult to pull the wagons up the path?" Candaith wondered. "Is it very steep?"

Eowyn shook her head. "The switchbacks make it so the incline is doable with carts and horses. However, it is somewhat narrow, which makes it more defensible. We will need to take care in how many abreast we walk." She turned and looked back at her people, and nodded her head. "We are ready."

She mounted up and turned her horse around to face the Rohirrim. "My sisters and brothers, we ride to Dunharrow out of necessity, and not fear. We must be strong and unite as a people so we can survive to meet those who have gone out to meet the enemy at the King's side. They are counting on us to succeed, and we will not disappoint them. Ride now, not for glory, but for Rohan and the continuation of our people, for generations to come!" Some cheers went up, but they were half-hearted at best. I knew the nerves were getting to them, for the journey would not be without danger.

"Will we all survive this?" I whispered in Sindarin, giving Candaith a concerned look. "It seems like a perilous journey through open lands. We will be very exposed."

He squeezed my hand, smiling encouragingly, "It is the only option, meleth. As has been discussed, they are too vulnerable here. Were the city to be surrounded, they would not be able to outlast the enemy in a siege for very long. We will get them there safely, I know it."

I sighed, "I keep telling myself those very things, but I have seen too many well-laid plans go awry, leading to bad consequences. It sounds like we have far to go, and not very many soldiers to protect those who cannot defend themselves."

"We must do our best," Candaith replied firmly, wrapping an arm around my waist. "If it helps, send a prayer the Valar's way. Sometimes it seems like they listen to you."

I smiled humorlessly, "And sometimes it is as if they are deaf to my prayers." I had clear evidence they knew about me and were somewhat invested in my fate, but the hell I had gone through in my life seemed to contradict any sort of protection or care. "Perhaps I am just a means to an end, a tool they can use to accomplish their aims." I shivered, feeling guilty for saying such things, but it was the honest truth.

"Hey," Candaith said with a frown, turning me to face him and making eye contact, "Whatever the case may be, you are brave, and the strongest person I have ever met." He quirked a smile, "And certainly the loveliest."

I blushed despite my poor mood, and let him give me a gentle kiss. "I will try to be more optimistic."

"That's the spirit," a cheeky Calenglad interjected, and I rolled my eyes. The whole conversation had been in Sindarin, and I could see the curiosity and confusion on the faces of the nearby Rohirrim. I gave them my best smile, and faced forward. Eowyn gave a signal, and the entourage began to slowly make their way towards and out of the gates of Edoras.

The traitor has eluded the grasp of Eowyn's scouts; will he be back to trouble the people of Edoras, or is he a problem for others in Rohan to solve? We shall see! Thanks for reading, and leave a review!