Calen stormed frantically down the hallway. She was in one of her blinding moods, when she couldn't focus on anything other than her captive rage. Her only desire was to escape, from both the physical and the mental turmoil of her life. She was so worked up that she didn't hear the heavy footsteps behind her.

"That's it," she thought to herself. "I'm gone, I cant take this anymore. I never asked to be born into this world of royalty and responsibility. I shouldn't even be here..."

The door to her room came up on her left. She hesitated when she came to it, then shook her head and continued on stubbornly. Her uncle didn't really need to talk to her, she decided. And one of the few remedies for her foul mood was a good long spar with Eomer, who was likely to be returning soon from his morning outing.

Only then did she hear the heavy footsteps behind her. They picked up the pace as soon as she passed her door. Calen turned around just as Hama reached out and seized her elbow.

"Calen, you heard your uncle," he warned.

"Yes, and apparently you did too. That doesn't change the fact that I'm not completely under his authority," she retorted.

"I had rather hoped this would go smoothly," Hama sighed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Against my personal will, I have been ordered to see to it that you remain in your room as told," the guard explained.

Calen's shoulders drooped.

"Then it's against my will as well. I would hate to argue with you. But why should you care?" Her temper was taking over her mouth again.

"I have a daughter a few years younger than you. It pains me to see you, her idol, in such distress. A lot of people are quite devoted to you, Calen, though you may not see it."

Calen looked down at the ground, trying to think of something to say.

"I have to go," she said finally. "Please don't make this any harder for me than it already is."

"I would ask the same of you," Hama replied. "Whether by word or by force, it is my duty to see that you remain inside your room until My Lord arrives."

"Someone clearly doesn't trust me..." Calen muttered and slowly resumed her walk.

"Calen..." Hama cautioned.

She broke into a mad dash for the back doors, but Hama had anticipated her movements and lunged for her, catching her around the waist and easily lifting her trivial weight.

"Let me go! I command you to release me," she cried.

Hama grunted as she flailed wildly, setting his teeth and wishing he could have been assigned a different duty. Calen shouted only loud enough to distress Hama, not daring to scream lest she attract more guards.

"Please let me go! I'm not a child-I don't need you to look after me! Let me go!"

Hama ignored her and struggled to heave her backwards to her door. As she stood struggling, he dug in her pocket and pulled out her key, then unlocked the door.

"Fiend!" Calen cried viciously. "How dare you!"

Hama simply gave her a quick, pleading look as he opened her door. Calen was about to land a violent blow on his shins when he shoved her in. He had not meant to be rough, but the combined efforts of his strength and her struggle had caused her to all but fly through the doorway.

Surprised by the throw, Calen somersaulted over her head onto the floor. Behind her, she heard the lock click into place.

"Calen, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and my deeds. If it had been my will, I would have let you go," Hama's voice sounded through the door. "Perhaps someday we shall be able to meet on better terms, but for as long as I serve My Lord his will is my duty. Forgive me."

His heavy, armored footsteps retreated down the hall.

"Hey, wait! Wait! Give me my key! Hama!"

Calen cursed herself for not having a spare. The problem with these doors is that they could be locked from both the inside and the outside; and now she had no key.

Her mind filled with miscellaneous emotions. She felt no anger or poison towards Hama; she knew that as a guard he was bound to do the King's will. But the King himself was a different story altogether. He had trusted her for all of her life up to this point, why the sudden suspicion? As far as she was concerned, she had done nothing that constituted a change in policy. Since when was the service of a babysitter in the form of a guard required?

She was about to ram herself into the door to see if it would open when she got a separate idea.

'Forget it,' she thought angrily. 'If they don't want me to be around, I wont be!'

She grabbed a bag off the ground and threw some clothes into it, then strapped her sword around her waist. Last of all, she lifted her mattress and pulled a long coil of sturdy rope. It was obvious she had been planning this for a while.

Looking around, she made sure she hadn't missed anything in her fury. Then she threw open the doors to her private balcony and tied the rope securely around the railing. Then, taking a last glance at her room, she vaulted over and put her feet on the wall.

At that moment, there was a soft click and the door to her room opened. Calen heard footsteps and hastily tried to climb down, but her heavy pack was cumbersome.

"That will not be necessary, Calen," said a voice.

Calen looked up and saw Theoden smiling down at her. She frowned at him.

"I figured if you don't want me around, I wont stick around," she said flatly.

Theoden sighed and looked at his hands. Calen lowered herself another foot.

"Wait! Calen, please. I have a suggestion."

Calen paused in her decent and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What kind of suggestion?" she asked suspiciously.

"I believe it will be of great interest to you," her uncle said.

"Tell me," she replied stiffly.

He reached his hand down to her. Calen hesitated, then let him pull her up.