AN: Thank you everyone for the response to the first chapter! Happy New Year!
Without further ado, here is Chapter 2. Apologies for the short length, but these first few chapters will be inevitably short. Longer chaps are definitely on the way! Enjoy.
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Laughter echoed across the wind-blown plains of Rohan.
With glee an eleven-year-old scrambled up the grassy slope to escape his "fiendish" seven-year-old sister. He looked around in mock-horror, pretending to be lost and despairing, and finally dived behind the stables when he heard her giggle approaching.
"Where are you, you devilish creature?" she cried tauntingly, barely keeping a straight face. "My entire eored has surrounded this stable and destroyed the rest of your host. You will ravage these lands no more!"
It was a common game among the children of the Rohirrim—eored and orc. But of course the orc was always alone and supposed to act cowardly, hiding where the eored would ambush him.
"Come out, come out, Eomer Orc!" she called as she circled the area cautiously, holding out a small woody stick as she advanced in the wrong direction.
Eomer couldn't help it. A giggle escaped his lips.
His sisters spun around with a laugh and a smile and ran towards the pile of hay behind the stables. Jabbing into the hay with the stick, she uncovered human hair and a laughing face. "I win again!" she cried victoriously.
But Eomer didn't let her off so easily. Still laughing hysterically, he leapt up out of the way and tackled her to the ground, throwing bits of hay all over dirty face and hair. She spat out bits and stuck out her tongue. "I still win."
"Not if you can't catch me!" declared Eomer as he jumped up and began to run towards the plains. His sister cried in indignation, but in a moment was up and following, running swiftly among the tall grasses and laughing with glee through the golden plains of Rohan.
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From high on the hill above, a mother watched the two tiny figures with a gentle smile upon her face. So perfect, as every brother and sister should be. Loving, caring, always the older watching out for the younger… She could scarcely remember a time when there wasn't another golden head bobbing behind Eomer's. But surely they had been separate once…
She shook off the strange dark memories, and she was fondly reminded of her own childhood with Theoden. Her older brother always took special care for his youngest sister. She glanced in the direction of Meduseld in the distance, where he would be listening to the drone of countless advisors and no doubt wishing only for a long free ride upon Snowmane across the plain. Theodwyn laughed at the thought, shaking her head with fondness of her older brother.
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Yet a thousand miles away, events were happening which would change their very lives. A Ring was found. A Ranger was on patrol. A Wizard was worried. A Darkness was brewing.
A Battle had ended. An Enemy was victorious. And a Message was coming that would shatter their idyllic lives.
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AN: For your information, the year is currently 3002. The setting is Aldburg in the East-mark of Rohan. If this means nothing to you, that's fine, but some obsessive people (like me lol) may be able to put two and two together with this information lol. ;)
Sorry I can't do personal Review Responses today. Will do next time! As for pairings, I have no idea if there will even be one. For now, I am focusing on the core plot and we'll see where it goes. Thank you so much and please review!
-Calli-chan
P.S. If you're interested, please check out my other LotR/SM fics: "The Gathering Starlight" and "Niirer en Ithil'Quessir". Maybe I'll start doing previews for them here or for this fic there. Hmm… Thanks!