A/N: Yay! Reviews and you're enjoying it! Kareswen may get a bit "Mary Sue-ish", but hopefully I kept it to a minimum and made her human. Let me know your thoughts on the characterizations. I'm not sure I think this story is as good as the other two LOTR stories I did, but it does have some nice moments, and I think Kareswen is a fairly interesting character. Keep in mind, she is a woman travelling alone in wild country, with lots of nasties about- part of her "distrust" of others is purely self-preservation, but you will learn more about her eventually.
The Truest Friends
Chapter 3
As they gathered around the fire, eating their morning meal, Gimli commented, "Now comes the hard part - getting Eomer on a horse."
"It will not be difficult," Kareswen replied, cryptically. Though the others eyed her questioningly, none asked what she meant. No doubt they would find out soon enough.
They finished striking the camp and Kareswen moved to the cave entrance to call her horse, who she had turned out earlier to graze. He followed her into the cave and, at a command, lay down beside Eomer. Understanding came to him of her intention, and Eomer easily settled on the horse's back. Aragorn moved forward to help steady him as the horse rose and the matter of mounting was resolved.
They made their way out of the cave to where the Rangers were gathered, ready to depart. Suddenly it occurred to Aragorn that they were a horse short, with Eomer riding her mount. "Kareswen, please ride with me. Or take my horse and I shall walk," he offered.
She shook her head, "I will walk. I have been too long without exercise."
After a moment's thought, Aragorn dismounted and moved alongside her, "Then I shall keep you company. Certainly I can do with some exercise as well."
She nodded, "Then walk on the other side of Leander so you can help steady Eomer if he has difficulty." Aragorn fell in step on the right side of her horse, and they followed Legolas toward the Edoras road. The Rangers fanned out around them to keep watch for any dangers.
Aragorn took note of the riding pad she used in place of a saddle and the bridle with no bit to it. He wondered if she preferred those items or whether she had no money for proper equipment. They had discovered very little about her during the time spent waiting for Eomer to be able to travel. Beyond what they had initially found out, the only other appreciable bit of information was that she was half-Elf. Gimli had spotted her slightly pointed ears when she had combed out and rebraided her long hair. Until then it had covered her ears. Beyond saying she was half-Elf and half-mortal, she offered nothing more in the way of her history, where she came from or who her family was.
After an hour's travel, she called a halt to let Eomer rest and stretch out on the ground. He was clearly grateful to do so and fell asleep almost immediately. They settled down to wait, and he slept for nearly two hours before awaking and indicating he was ready to proceed. This process was repeated several more times during the course of the day until they finally made camp in the late afternoon, judging they wouldn't get much further before nightfall.
While dinner was being made, Kareswen went to check on Eomer, sprawled on blankets with his eyes closed. When he felt her hand on his face, his eyes blinked open and he smiled. "I never thought I would find riding a horse to be so disagreeable," he told her. "But Leander has an easy gait. I am grateful for that."
She merely smiled as she checked his wounds and treated them as necessary. The corbeloth had done the trick and the shoulder wound was finally beginning to heal over. The blade cut in his side was also healing nicely, though still a little tender to the touch. Only time would resolve the broken bones and the discomfort they afforded.
xxxxx
The first day's journey had taken more of a toll than expected, and the rest stops were longer the second day out. Then matters got even worse when they came face to face with a party of some fifty Orcs shortly after remounting from a rest. The Rangers closed ranks around Eomer as one of the Orcs stepped forward a bit, but keeping his distance. Apparently they thought they outnumbered the Men sufficiently to be intimidating, and he demanded, "We want our prize back, now!" He looked meaningfully at Eomer.
Before Aragorn could respond, Kareswen stepped forward and looked the Orc in the eye, "You will not have him! I will die first!"
The Orc began to laugh, and started to tell her, "I don't mind that..."
But before he finished the sentence, she called out, "Leander! Go!" Immediately the horse swung off to the right, away from their group, and eased into a canter.
The movement drew the Orcs' eyes in that direction and when they turned back, she had already notched an arrow. Before the leader could move or say a word, she let it fly. Within seconds, she had downed four more of them, and the rest broke ranks in confusion, hastily preparing to attack. The Rangers had been uncertain whether to ride after Eomer or stand and fight, but the choice was taken from them as the battle began. In short order, most of the Orcs were killed and only a handful bolted off back into the woods from which they had come.
Kareswen began retrieving her arrows from the dead Orcs and examining them for damage before returning them to her quiver. Gimli said what most everyone else was thinking, "Well, we won the fight, but now we've lost Eomer! For all we know, he's fallen off and injured himself again, or been recaptured by other Orcs! And we'll have to track him down again!" He looked accusingly at the woman, who continued with her arrows and ignored him.
"Dog, get Leander." She didn't look up as she said it, and the dog took off full speed in the direction the horse had gone. With the tall grass, he was lost to sight in seconds, before any of the Rangers could even think to follow.
Aragorn watched her uncertainly, but decided to trust her judgement. He did not think she would be so nonchalant about this if she thought Eomer to be in danger.
Once she had collected her arrows, Kareswen returned to walking along the road, in the direction they had been heading when the fight ensued. The Rangers turned to Aragorn for guidance, and when he fell in behind her, they followed suit. Less than five minutes later, the dog, horse and Eomer could be seen further ahead, waiting alongside the road they traveled. Aragorn suppressed a grin and merely shook his head in amusement.
They made camp earlier than usual due to the day's activities. Aragorn spotted Kareswen off by herself shortly after they settled in, but he could not tell what was occupying her attention. As he moved closer, he realized she was treating an injury. Though she had taken no notice of his approach, she did not appear startled when he asked, "Can I help?"
"I am fine," was her response, without looking at him.
He moved around to face her and saw her shirt was raised and she had an angry slash across her belly, which fortunately did not appear to be deep. She was dabbing ointment on it with one hand while holding her shirt out of the way with the other, and he stepped forward, "Allow me." He took the ointment from her and continued the application. He looked around and saw a long strip of cloth nearby that clearly she had been intending to use to bind the injury. He wrapped it around her and secured it in place.
"Thank you," she said, lowering her shirt.
"Why didn't you tell me you were injured sooner?" he asked, noting the bloody cloth she had apparently been using to cover it until they stopped.
She didn't answer his question, but responded with one of her own, "Where did you learn Elvish healing? That is not common among Men."
He had stooped down and was wiping his hands clean of the ointment as he told her, "From Lord Elrond, of Rivendell." In his peripheral vision, he saw her head jerk up at his answer, but she made no comment. Pretending not to notice her reaction, he asked, "Have you heard of him?"
"Yes. I have heard of him. If you paid attention at all, your healing knowledge must be considerable." She offered no explanation for her statement or her awareness of Elrond, and Aragorn suspected questioning her would be pointless, so he let the matter drop. Still, he couldn't help wonder at her reaction. It was the only time since he had met her that she had appeared truly startled.
She gathered up the supplies from the ground and moved back toward the camp, and Aragorn followed slowly.
xxxxx
Luckily, the remainder of the trip proved uneventful. Eomer gained some strength and was able to travel for longer periods between stops, so they covered more ground. Even so, the trip to Edoras took nearly a week from its onset.
As they approached the gates to the city in the late afternoon, Aragorn watched Kareswen but found no indication in her manner whether she had ever been here before. Indeed, the past few days, she had seemed to withdraw further into herself and he wondered if something was troubling her.
Despite the presence of his friends, Eomer had tended to seek her assistance for anything he needed and to rely on her for his care. Aragorn wondered if perhaps the young king had developed feelings for this woman, and rather hoped he had not. He suspected she would not tarry long once she turned Eomer over to the healers of Edoras and his sister. Perhaps her behavior indicated her effort to sever any ties that had formed between them. She seemed content with the companionship of the dog and horse.
When they arrived at the steps to Meduseld, Kareswen urged Leander up and Aragorn realized she was saving Eomer having to make the climb. Once they reached the outer porch, she and Aragorn helped Eomer off the horse. Gimli provided the crutch for Eomer, and he and Legolas flanked his slow progress into the main hall.
One of the Rangers had followed them to take Leander to the stable with the other horses, but he had refused to move and Kareswen told them, "Leave him where he is. I will tend to him."
The dog trailed them toward the entranceway, but a guard stepped foward, "The dog will have to stay outside."
"The dog remains with me," Kareswen responded, and the guard hesitated, but looked prepared to argue the matter.
Aragorn intervened, "She is a friend of the King. He will allow the dog in. I will take responsibility for it." The guard had recognized King Elessar, and so reluctantly nodded his agreement.
Were it not for the crutch, Aragorn suspected Eowyn might have bowled her brother over launching herself into his arms. As it was, she restrained herself and settled for coming to greet him by placing her hands on each side of his face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she told him emotionally, "Welcome home, brother!" Eomer eased his good arm off the crutch while Legolas steadied him, and then he pulled Eowyn into a gingerly hug. She sensed his reticence to squeeze her tightly and so responded in kind.
They stood in each other's arms for several minutes, until finally Eowyn pulled back, "Let's get you to bed." They helped him recover the crutch and everyone made a slow procession toward Eomer's quarters.
Kareswen followed along at the back of the group, silently taking in the proceedings. Satisfied that Eomer would be taken care of, she slipped away unnoticed and returned back the way she had come. Everyone was so focused on getting Eomer to bed and telling of the events of the past few weeks, that her absence was not readily noted. When he was settled in bed, Eomer told his sister, "You must meet Kareswen. She is largely responsible for seeing me safely home!"
Only then did the party become aware that she was not to be found. Legolas told them, "I will go find her. Perhaps she has gone to tend her horse." But when he returned a few moments later, he suspected he was the bearer of bad tidings. "She is gone. The guard said she rode out about ten minutes ago. Apparently she felt Eomer was in good hands."
Aragorn was worried by the look on Eomer's face, and quickly cleared the room, suggesting that Eomer needed to rest. As soon as they were gone, Eomer asked, "Why did she leave? She didn't even say goodbye."
Aragorn moved to a chair near his bed where Eomer lay staring at the ceiling. "Probably she thought it best. She does things in her own way - you know that. It was inevitable she would leave when you were safe."
Eomer's jaw was clenched, then he said, "Go after her, Aragorn! Bring her back! I must speak with her."
"You know as well as I do how far she could go and how easily she could disappear in ten minutes time, even longer now. And I cannot force her to return if she does not wish it, Eomer." He could see the frustration and knew Eomer would have been on a horse and riding out himself if he felt able.
"You found her once. You could find her again. If I wrote a letter, would you take it to her? And try to persuade her to return - of her own free will?"
Aragorn considered the matter. He had long been away from home and was anxious to return, but he could not refuse his friend. He offered, "I will look for her for a fortnight. If I do not find her, I will continue on home and send you a letter advising of my success or failure. If I find her, I will deliver your letter and do all I can to convince her to come speak with you. But the choice will be hers."
Eomer nodded acceptingly, "That is all I can ask. Thank you, my friend. I know I am asking much of you, particularly after all you have given."
"Not at all. It is the least I can do for a friend. I will leave in the morning." Aragorn rose and quietly left the room to apprise the Rangers and his companions of the new plan.
When he reached the Golden Hall, he found Eowyn, Faramir, Legolas and Gimli awaiting him. Eowyn hurried forward at the sight of him, concern etched on her face, "What is going on, Aragorn? Why did this woman leave before I could thank her, and why is my brother so upset by it?"
He took her hands and led her over to a nearby bench. "I do not know that I can explain everything to you. The woman is...unique. She does things on her own terms. Perhaps she was not comfortable with the attention she thought might be coming. As to why Eomer is so upset by her departure, I can only speculate. It is not uncommon for someone to develop feelings for a caregiver. Usually it is only a transient thing and they get over it when they are recovered and back to their daily activities."
He had chosen his words carefully, but Eowyn's eyes narrowed anyway. "He may believe himself in love with her?" she asked.
Aragorn nodded, "It is possible. He has asked me to go after her. He will write a letter for me to take to her and he wants me to attempt to persuade her to return and speak with him."
Eowyn looked worriedly at Faramir, "And are you going to honor his request?"
"I am. We'll leave in the morning. I told him I would search for a fortnight before abandoning the hunt. She is adept at hiding her trail - we were lucky to have found her the first time." He rose, "And, now, I need to get the Rangers taken care of for the night, get a meal in me and get some sleep before morning."
"Of course," Eowyn said, signaling to Gamling who waited off to the side. "Gamling will assist, as before." She voiced none of her concerns, but from the look on her face Aragorn had little doubt she had many.