Chapter 20; Nation of Rohan
"I fear that I might have misjudged the hospitality of Rohan!" Gimli said with a mouth full of fowl. "Their fires are warm, their ale smooth, and so far good company!" I laughed as I took a drink of water from my glass. After we watched Wormtongue flee the city, they gave back our weapons and permitted us to re-enter the hall; after that, King Théoden and Gandalf left to see the king's son who had died. They had been at the grave for some time when Gimli and I grew hungry for something other than lembas. Lucky for us, Théoden was a generous king and would not leave his guests unattended to; we were given bread, ale, fruit, and bird to eat and we ate them gladly before a roaring fire as Aragorn and Legolas stood by.
"I was also unsure, I suppose." I said to Gimli as he took a massive bite of meat. "Seeing Théoden so crooked and his hall so dark made me doubt."
"Saruman has an ability for spreading such fear and doubt in peoples minds." Legolas said, "That is his advantage over many, for it can ultimately be their downfall." I nodded and took another drink from my glass as Aragorn said in response,
"Perhaps, but there is much courage left in the hearts of men."
"You're right, Aragorn;" I said with a nod, "I'll keep my faith in the people of Middle Earth. But before I give all my heart to them, I remember that the true fight is not here in these halls but far in the distance with Frodo and Sam." I sighed then added, "I miss them both. I never got to say good bye."
"As do I," said Aragorn, "If only we could have some tiding of them I would be contented." I looked to the fire silently. I drank once more from my glass then stood from the table. Gimli asked as I stood:
"Where are you going Laura?"
"I just need some fresh air." I answered, "I'll be back soon." I walked outside and looked out over the city. It was a wondrous view that looked out over the mountains and plains. Outside the gates I saw a man in white and a second man wearing darker clothes standing near many white dotted mounds. It was Gandalf and Théoden at the grave of Théodred; in that moment, I felt a sense of understanding and saw the humanity remaining in Middle Earth. It was not all mystical rings, wizards, spells, and evil; there was still emotion and heart here. How different could this land be from the land on Earth? Besides the fact that there are no mystical rings, wizards, or spells… Beside me I heard the muffled sound of cloth blowing in the wind. I looked to the side and saw a tall, golden haired woman on the other end of the platform.
"Finally he is able to grieve." She said quietly.
"Pardon?" I asked politely. She turned to me and I saw that tears streamed down her pale cheeks. The wind blew her hair across her face as it did mine and she continued,
"I had told him the moment Théodred died, but he was not moved. He did not mourn, but now he is free and this news now dampens his spirit more than ever." She was obviously looking on Gandalf and Théoden also. I didn't know how to reply; she looked to the floor, then back out over the fields. "At least now he is free to breathe the air and mourn openly. I do not know how I, or my people will be able to thank you for giving our king back to us." She then came to me and took my hand gently. "Thank you so much for giving my Uncle back to me."
"No, it was not me who freed-" I began to explain but before I could finish she embraced me. I hugged her too and patted her back understandingly. "You're welcome." I said as she let go of our hug. She wiped her tears from her cheeks and asked me,
"What is your name?"
"Laura, Laura Barnes." I answered with a smile, "I traveled with Gandalf and the others." She looked at me in amazement as I told her this.
She said then with a smiling face, "My name is Èowyn." I looked in surprise at her and said,
"So you are the Lady Èowyn!" she looked at me and asked,
"Have you heard of me?" I smiled and said,
"Yes, you could say that! It really is an honor to meet you."
"The honor is mine." She replied, "Would you please come inside with me, friend?"
"Of course." I answered and walked beside her into the hall. Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn were in the hall no longer and the table where we sat was cleared. We sat at the table and spoke for a long while. It had been so long since I spoke with a woman, who was not a man or an elf or a dwarf, and I was excited to speak with her. She asked about my family and my home, which was awkward, and I asked her about herself and Rohan. The conversation finally turned to my travels and what I had done. I told her about Moria and Lothlórien and Fangorn and she listened intently the entire time.
"I mean no offense I saying this, but I am amazed that one your age has seen and done so many things!" she said to me and I replied with a sigh,
"Well, most of it really wasn't easy, and a lot of it wasn't enjoyable."
"But, you were out in the world." She said in a confused voice. "You were free, you traveled and saw many amazing things. How is it you speak of your travels so sadly?" I looked down at the floor.
"There is no freedom without sacrifice." I said in a sad voice.
"What do you mean?" she asked. I then slowly lifted up my shirt on my left side so that she could see the scar that crawled across my waist from the Orc sword in Moria. She gasped when she saw the length of the scar and asked, "Laura what happened? What is this?"
"A sacrifice." I answered slowly then dropped my shirt. "I know it seems terrible but really, when I look upon it, I realize that it was worth the sacrifice. Nothing is easy after all, and this scar is proof to me. I realize now that because of these experiences, because of scars, I have grown." Èowyn's face suddenly became full of understanding as she said,
"I have never heard people of your age talk with such maturity, and I admire you for it. May I call you sister, Laura?" I smiled as I answered,
"Of course, only if I may call you my friend in return." With this we hugged each other and laughed. At that moment, the doors to the hall burst open; we turned immediately and saw Gandalf, Théoden, and Aragorn enter through the doors. In the arms of Théoden's guards were two children, a small boy and girl both quiet and not moving. From somewhere in the hall Legolas appeared and so did some servants.
"Quickly, take these children to a bed where they can rest." Théoden commanded and his servants took the children and rushed them out of the hall.
I laid my furs down carefully in the room where we were all to sleep. It was a large room built alongside Meduseld, and like the great hall had what seemed like a deck that looked out over the city and some of the mountains and plains. I was asked to leave the hall once the children had awakened, so I wandered about outside; however, Èowyn was called into the hall so I was alone. After rearranging my furs about twenty times, I left the room and walked out upon the platform that surrounded the hall and most of its extensions. It was dark now and the sky was dotted with tiny white stars and I could see the silhouette of the mountains in the distance. An unseemly cold breeze blew past me so I clutched my cloak around me tightly; as I did I heard a quiet rustling of paper from inside my cloak. I looked and saw Janine's letter tucked under my belt. I pulled it out and tried to smooth it as best I could before reading it one more time. When I was finished, I dropped the letter.
I still don't understand what happened…"What the hell do you think you doing Laura?"… She wasn't herself… Then she did something terrible… so awful I think I'm going to be terrified for the rest of my life… my best friend stabbed me with a steak knife… They had to put her in an asylum… I went to visit her the other day and she was in a straight jacket… The doctors are scared to go near her now… I don't know what happened to her, I don't know what the fuck went wrong here, but I only want my best friend back! The words in her letter stood out like neon signs in my mind, reminding me how complex things were now. As I thought more on it, I wondered why I said 'no' to Gandalf, what was the hope that I grasped onto? It was a mistake, another stupid mistake I made, and now it was too late to turn back. I sighed then looked at the mountains. The weather here reminded me of Colorado during Christmas time. It was always cold and windy, but if we were lucky then we would get a few flurries on Christmas morning. On Christmas morning, mom would always make a fruit salad, and then we would open our stockings, and then our presents under the tree. While dad was still alive, he would make biscuits and open his presents first, "I bought most of them anyways! Why the hell shouldn't I open mine first?" He would ask if anyone questioned him and we would all laugh. After that I would sit down at our piano to play and sing that old Joni Mitchell song, "River." The first Christmas after he died mom tried to make the biscuits but they just weren't the same; later I sat down to play that song and I couldn't even get through the first line of music. I spent the rest of my Christmas crying and missing my father so much I couldn't breathe. After that Christmas morning, mom gave up on trying to make dad's biscuits and I hadn't touched the keys of my piano since. I looked up to the sky and said with a smile,
"Dad, I love you." I turned to walk back into the room but something kept me from walking, I turned back around and began to sing the Christmas song one last time, for him.
It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees/ they're putting up reindeer and singin' songs of joy and peace/ Oh I wish I had a river, I could skate away on.
It don't snow here, it stays pretty green / I'm going to make a lot of money then I'm going to quit this crazy scene/ Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on.
I wish I had a river so long/ I could teach my feet to fly! / Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on. / I made my baby cry.
You tried to help me/ you know, you put me at ease/ you loved me so naughty you made me weak in the knees/ Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on.
I'm so hard to handle/ I'm selfish and I'm sad/ now I've gone and lost the best baby that I've ever had/ Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on.
I wish I had a river so long/ I could teach my feet to fly! / Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on. / I made my baby say 'goodbye.'
It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees/ they're putting up reindeer and singin' songs of joy and peace/ Oh I wish I had a river, I could skate away on. By the time I came to the last verse tears rushed down my cheeks and my voice cracked as I fought back sobs. When I finished the last words of the song I fell to my knees with my head in my hands and my tears flowing freely. "Dad," I said silently, "Oh Dad I miss you so much. I miss you! I'm so sorry Dad but I miss you too much." I cried hard then I started to remember things about him; remembered how he smelled, how he would hug me when I got great grades and when I was accepted to Pepperdine. How he talked to me over the phone when my son of a bitch boyfriend cheated on me. "I swear Laura," he said, "I swear I will fly back out to California and beat the shit out of that bastard!" I remembered…how he died. "Oh Daddy, I miss you so God damn much, and look where I'm at now." I sobbed one last time. After this I took a deep breath and tried to stop crying; I took my head out of my hands as I placed them on both sides of me. I had stopped sobbing but I still cried.
"Who was it you sang about?" a gentle voice asked. I looked up to my left and there stood Legolas, looking at me; his eyes were full of sympathy. I looked away and wiped my eyes as I answered as if surprised,
"Oh! Legolas! Has the meeting with the king ended?" I tried to hastily recompose myself although my eyes still felt strained from crying so hard.
"Yes, it is. Who was it you sang about?" he asked once more.
"The song? Umm, no one in particular." I answered quickly as I stood and began to walk away from Legolas. I pretended to yawn as I said, "Well, I am tired. I think I will retire. Good night!" I wiped away the remaining tears in my eyes with the back of my fist.
"Laura, is something wrong?" he asked. I couldn't listen to him and if I faced him, I'd break down. I needed to be alone; I stopped walking and stood up straight as I answered with my back to him.
"No! No! Nothing's the matter! Goodnight!" I began to walk again and Legolas did not reply; I could not even hear him anymore. I saw the door that lead to our room though I did not think twice on entering. I went to the front of the hall and hurried down the steps into the dirt street; as I passed the wooden houses I saw random horses and people scattered about the street as the torches created dancing shadows on the ground. I finally came to the gates and with a nod from the guards I passed through them, outside of the city. I walked without looking behind me to the burial grounds of Meduseld where within moments I was surrounded by white dotted mounds. I sat on the side of the narrow path in the grass and flowers; I was alone, and glad of the lack of company. Now I was morose, I was sad that I was here and not with my mom and my sister, frustrated that I was taken so selfishly from my reality, and angry that my father was taken from us in some unknown way and all my family had was an American Flag and an apology letter from the government. I put my hand over my mouth as I began to cry again. I looked up from the ground and saw something out of the corner of my eye; it was Legolas standing on the road looking at me sympathetically.
"I am so sorry," I said as my voice cracked with tears, "I lost my father. He meant the world to me and for some reason, tonight of all nights, I-" choked on my words. I saw him take a few steps forward and stand beside me.
"I feel for your loss." He said softly. "I can understand it hard to loose one close to you." I nodded and wiped my tears.
"Thank you, Legolas." I said as I gained my composure. I took a deep breath and asked, "So has the king decided?" Legolas exhaled before he said,
"The king does will not impose open war upon his people; he feels that it will only them bring more death."
"Well…that is certainly a feat; to avoid open war when you are already involved in it." I said and Legolas replied.
"Aragorn said so as well, but Théoden remains blind." There was a short silence between us till I said in a kindly voice,
"Well, he only wants his people to be safe. He was under Saruman's control for who knows how long and because of it his people suffered."
"Perhaps it is his fear of losing his people's faith that made him decide to empty the city." I looked to Legolas in surprise as he continued, "He has ordered all of them to flee to Helm's Deep. He is a fool to lead his people into the mountains; there is no way out of that ravine. What he thinks will secure safety will only give him a massacre."
"What a mess." I said. There was silence as a breeze teased the white flowers around us. "Listen," I finally said, "I know…at first, you and I didn't get along well, but I want to tell you that I do consider you a friend." I looked up at him for a moment, waiting for his reply when I saw a faint smile on his face. He held out his hand to me and replied,
"As do I." I smiled as I took his hand and he said, "Here my friend, allow me to accompany you to Meduseld."
"Very well." I replied as we began to walk up the path back to the gates. "I wasn't at first," I told him, "but now I'm glad you followed me here." He nodded and replied quietly,
"I would not leave a friend alone through their troubles." I smiled and we walked back to the gates Edoras; we walked to Meduseld and parted and I went to bed.
Chapter 19 Review RepliesTriGemini: I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter! Really, I kind of use you as a barometer of sorts to determine the overall quality of the chapter…I felt that I had to let you know that!
IsilAri: The romance won't come actually until a few chapters from now…sorry about the wait!
Ms. Unknown: yeah, last chapter didn't change much, but this one did!
Midnight Ocean: Hey! Thank you! I'm so glad to hear from a new reviewer!
Eamane-Elf: well, I'm glad to hear from you and glad you liked my criticism. I have actually been looking for a quality Beta-reader as I know that I need one!
Isabel: Hey! I'm really happy to have you back! All your reviews are awesome and I love to hear from you!
Sapphire2988: yeah…I thought that this chapter would be a risk, but I really felt right in making that choice.
Bebopcowgirl26: yeah, I kinda went easy on the detail in this chapter because I felt that they would only take away from the events of the chapter…you know?
