Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. Don't bother suing me as my bank account is fairly low just now.


Chapter Six

Rohan.

Home of the Horse Lords.

Also where Bella and I were likely to be spending the next several months whilst Gandalf went gallivanting off after the rest of the fellowship.


We arrived at the Golden Hall of Meuslad, where Theoden sat as King of Rohan. I was introduced in a private audience and we somehow managed to pass Bella off as my cousin, which was admittedly far more believable than sister or daughter. Turns out an eighteen year old girl would generally be married with at least one child by then. Stupid, if you asked me, I don't plan on marrying for several years yet.

Gandalf managed to talk his way into being given a choice of any horse from the stables. Something along the lines of 'Take any horse you wish, but begone ere tomorrow is old!'
He chose Shadowfax, one of the Meras and Lord of horses. Very few of the Rohirrim were happy with these events. I didn't blame them; Shadowfax was quite the horse.

So, after the wizard went chasing after Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn, Bella and I were put under the charge of Lady Eowyn. Eowyn turned out to be a very interesting person so I quite liked these arrangements. The only thing I didn't like was that as an un-married female I was considered an acceptable match for any number of Theoden's warriors, who seemed to think that they were doing me a favour with their attentions!

None of them seemed to grasp the concept that if I wanted their interests, I would say so. As I had not, it should have been obvious that I would prefer to be left alone.

I suppose that I might appear pretty enough to them, as my dark hair was a strange contrast in a nation that was largely blond, my hands were not roughened by hard outdoor work and my skin not too roughened by the elements.
I suppose I should be flattered by that opinion, but if any of them try anything, I shall hit them with a large, heavy object.

That was another two reasons I was glad of Eowyn's friendship and companionship. Her presence diminished the number of people who followed me around and, what with that annoying worm Grima, she could sympathize with my plight.

It was good to have another female to talk to. Nothing against the fellowship, but Males and Females think differently and see things in a different way. One of the reasons 'Girl Talk' is named as such.
Besides, can you really imagine any of the fellowship sitting around giggling over who has the cutest backside or the nicest eyes?

It took me nearly ten minutes to stop laughing last time I tried, then another fifteen to calm Eowyn down after I explained what I thought was so amusing. In my defence, she did ask and I did warn her.
Our friendship blossomed quickly, as it seemed Eowyn had few women to talk to who did not defer to her rank or think her odd for choosing the path of the Shield maiden. She also took an immediate liking to Bella and we spent many hours laughing over various things that the children in the centre came up with.

Which was what we were currently doing.

"So this girl, Louise, got the notion that she and Mark – a boy in the place I work – were going to get married. Mark is absolutely panicked at the idea and is denying everything. But that just makes her even more determined and she goes up to him and tells him that 'we are getting married whether you like it or not. Now stop arguing with me!' The woman I work with and I are just laughing then five minutes later we find Mark hiding in a corner to escape Louise. It may not be very nice to find amusement at the expense of others but it was just so funny!"

Eowyn snickered, "I must admit that sometimes telling them point blank and cutting off any arguments seems to be the only way to make men wake up and see what is right in front of them." She paused, "It does paint a very amusing picture, however."

I smiled back, "It becomes even more amusing when you take into account that both of them are under six years of age."

Eowyn stared at me for a moment before breaking into full-fledged laughter. I smiled again; I seem to be doing that more often lately. Mission: 'Get Eowyn to smile' was accomplished. Theodred, her cousin, had died recently and she needed something to take her mind off the grief.

I bit my lip slightly, wondering whether or not to ask Eowyn a favour I had been considering for a few days now. Oh well, not like I had anything to loose by asking.

I waited until she had her laughter under control again. "Eowyn?"
She looked at me, her face becoming serious. "Yes? Is something wrong?"
I took a breath, "Will you teach me to defend myself?"
My friend raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to learn? It will take a lot of time and effort. Learning to fight is to be taken seriously."
I nodded. "As I am sure you have noticed, war is coming. I do not want to be defenceless. Also, Bella is in my care and I need to know enough to keep the both of us alive." Eowyn seemed almost convinced, so I added, "Besides, it gives you an excuse to practice without being told off for acting in a manner so inappropriate for a lady of Rohan."

Eowyn smiled, a light of challenge blossoming in her eyes, "Very well then, let's go find somewhere to practice!"

We collected Bella from the corner where she was playing with one of Eowyn's old toys and left for the practice fields, Bella trailing behind us.


I stumbled back from Eowyn's sword thrust and barely avoided landing on my rear.
Near by, Bella giggled. I shot a look in her direction and noticed something in the pattern of others who were sparring. There was a pattern and a rhythm to their steps. It was a dance; a fairly lethal one, but still a dance.

Dance. Graceful pattern of movement to music or rhythm I could do that.

Eowyn seemed pleasantly surprised when I managed to parry the next blow and smooth out my pattern of movement. We went back over the pattern fight she had been teaching me and I was pleased to discover that it was much easier and more effective this way.

Finally a bell rang for the midday meal. Eowyn and I quickly changed out of our sparring clothes and into the ones we had been wearing before: Eowyn in a white dress with a gold belt and me borrowing another of her dresses, this one a muted shade of green.

We headed for the golden hall, still talking about the lesson.
"Where did that come from? At the end, I mean. What happened to bring about the sudden change?"
My eyes shone, "It is a dance, Eowyn. I realized that and everything just fell into place."
We continued to discuss various ways of defence throughout lunch and all the way back to Eowyn's room.

Later on, we had another run-in with Grima Wormtongue. I have to hand it to him; he does have a way with words. Anyway, veiled taunts about the death of Prince Theodred and Eowyn's reaction to the loss soon had both of us making our way out of the room (the alternative of killing Grima was tempting, but unwise at the time) and to the threshold of the Hall.

From there, we saw a group of riders approaching. I recognized them as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.

I was not sure if Eowyn should see the first part of this particular encounter and I had a sleeping four-year-old to check on. I urged my friend back inside, "Come on. Will you help me check on Bella? She would like to see you."

The sorrow that lingered in Eowyn's eyes lessened, "I might be persuaded to do so. It depends."
I could not resist a comment as we headed back inside, "I think you could be persuaded to do most things if someone tells you that the desired result is either not possible or not appropriate for a lady of Rohan."
Eowyn laughed at that. "That might even be true. You have a refreshing perspective at times, Natasha."


It turned out that Bella had woken from her nap and wandered off while we had been out. Next time I will need to specify that Bella stay where we left her if we are not back when she awakens.
So, the next quarter hour was spent searching for an elusive child who seemed to have been everywhere in the compound in the five minutes between her waking and our return.
I didn't know it was physically possible to move that fast.

Our search eventually led us to the Main Hall and we managed to walk in just as Gandalf was restoring King Theoden's mind. Sadly, Saruman did not seem to be giving up without a fight, and the expulsion of his spirit looked to be intensely painful.
Eowyn loved her uncle, and naturally panicked. She ran forward just as I spotted Bella. I saw Aragorn restrain her out of the corner of my eye just as I swept Bella out of the path of a retreating Grima Wormtongue. I felt a considerable amount of satisfaction as Gimli put an abrupt halt to that plan by sitting on the councillor.

Bella and I rejoined Eowyn as Grima was thrown out of the hall and fled. I saw a faint smirk followed by a flash of disappointment on Eowyn's face as Grima escaped severe physical damage at the hands of the King.

We went back inside just as King Theoden asked the whereabouts of his son. I don't think either of us wished to be the bearer of that news.


A/N – Another Chapter done, what do people think?
I lost my copy of 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' so I apologize for any spelling mistakes.

Reviews make me post faster!
Nathalia Potter.