Kat continued removing her clothing. "I have bandages, and I will live." She turned towards Eowyn. The blonde woman saw the dark blood seeping through the linen shirt of the elf maids abdomen. The wound was more serious than the woman said, Eowyn knew this.
"There is a bath drawn for you through that door. Go clean yourself; take care of your wound. I shall lay you out some clothing so we can clean and mend those. Tonight we celebrate our first victory."
Eowyn had found her a gown of green, soft fabric, with silver embroidery. Kat made her way around the room drinking ale along side everyone else. She stopped to speak with Gandalf trying to avoid the table with Eomer, still angered at his attitude towards women warriors.
"Kat, you almost look the lady!" Tanzier yelled with laughter at seeing the warrior in a dress. In truth she was stunning. He was seated at a table with some of the men.
"I would keep that thought to yourself friend. Looks are oft deceiving." she grinned patting the dagger at her waist.
Several of the men had questioned the two newcomers, wanting to know about their world, anything other than think of the future war. Currently Legolas, Gimli, Eomer, Hama, and Haldir were listening. Theodan and Aragorn were nearby listening as well. The two men, who were quite into their tankards at this point kept interrupting each other, and were quite entertaining.
"So there we were on the outskirts of the small village, Andrinor ran into the town and had drawn his crossbow. I was making my way around all the fires that were raging." Tanzier described to his captivated audience. "Kat and Grimval, a member of our group who went his separate way, were on the outside of the fire. Anyway, Andy was having two face six of the nasty wizards, so instead of going around and leaving Andy in the way of danger she..."
Andrinor broke in excitedly, "She came through the flames. Just strode right through as you please. She was quite singed in the end, but she's a fighter. Don't get me wrong, I could have taken them…" he bragged and then burst out laughing.
"You said there was another in your party, why did this man leave you?"
The men exchanged a glance. "He wasn't quite a team player." Andrinor started.
"Yes, he argued with Kat constantly. And it wasn't the friendly arguing that Andrinor and I do. He was very disparaging of elves, insulting. The first time they met he challenged her. You see Grimval was part orc. The man was huge. He towered over Kat." Tanzier said raising his hand several inches over his head. "We're talking taller, stronger, more muscular."
"Broke at least five of my arrows!" Andrinor burst in hotly.
"So what happened?" Gimli asked.
"She dropped him in. He ran towards her, and she took him down. It didn't even look like it challenged her." Tanzier said. "But that's our Kat. Haven't met anything yet that can beat her. Which gives us a perfect record."
"And there was the time a cleric of Loviatar, a nasty God really, believes in pain and suffering, anyway, he'd enslaved children, killed some of them, and sent the others to their deaths."
"Well, we took care of that problem right enough." Tanzier said in a particularly pleased voice.
"After killing him, we inherited the farmland, and we divided it four ways."
"So what happened to the children?" Legolas asked.
"Well, we were fine with just setting them free, however, Kat had other ideas."
"What did she sell them?" Eomer said with some sarcasm. In truth he knew he was not fair to the woman, but something about her chafed with him.
"Oh, no." Andrinor shook his head quite forcefully. "She gave them jobs. They live on her farmland, work the farm, cook and clean. All of the money they make, they keep. She even gave them part of her gold from a dragon hoard we got."
"Ah, but that benefits her."
"How is that my lord?" Tanzier asked.
"Well, the farm will be productive when she goes back to it and retires."
"Retires? On a farm? Kat?" Andrinor choked on his ale. Both men started laughing hysterically. The group looked over to see the woman in questions showing a teenage boy how to hold the dagger in order to do the most damage. Andrinor calmed himself first, as Tanzier kept snorting into his glass. "Um, Kat will only return to that farm to make sure those children, and their children have what they need. Retire, ah, that's funny."
The men looked over to see Kat had moved and was sitting on the floor with small children laughing around her. Every once in a while she would reach into the magic bag she carried, and pull out some small item. Then she would give the item to a child. Some of the items they looked at in awe, and returned, some she told them to keep.
"Watch this." Tanzier said snickering quietly. "Kat, what do you plan on doing when you retire?"
Kat looked over at the table of men, her head tilted to the side in curiosity. "Retire? There will not be a chance for me to retire." she laughed as if he'd made a joke. "I am a warrior, and some day I will come across the thing which even I cannot defeat. When that day comes I shall die, but I shall die as a warrior should. Bravely in battle with my sword sweeping one last blow." she said proudly. Both elves, men, and dwarf, sat quietly reflecting on the words which were spoken with such belief. These people were so different from their own people, and this woman… so much more than a mere elf maiden.
The next day Kat, Andrinor, and Tanzier sat in the courtyard. Really Andrinor and Tanzier sat while Kat swung her newly cleaned sword. The men of Middle Earth were inside arguing about something called Gondor. Eowyn had returned her breeches to her, but she was still mending the linen tunic. Currently she was in a set of older leather armor that she'd been holding onto for a while. It was more decorative than anything else, the pants riding low on her hips, the top cut above her navel, and in a vee on her chest.
Eomer strode out of the great hall right over to where Kat was, he held something white in his hands. "What is the meaning of this?" he yelled angrily.
She stopped swinging and looked at him blankly. In his hands was her freshly laundered shirt. "Meaning?"
"You were injured yesterday, are still injured, yet instead of taking healing, you chose to have it used on others!" He'd seen the ragged wound on her abdomen which as scabbed over, but still looked vicious.
Kat's eyes narrowed. "Dromlar has only so much healing he can do per day. If I chose that the healing be used for the people of Rohan, that is my choice."
"And if you had died?" rage moved like fire in his eyes.
"Then I would have died. I am a fighter, I know the risks of war. Did those children? Those children who were the sons of Tailors, Blacksmiths, and Farmers. The children fighting for their king, and could barely hold a sword? Nay, they did not. So if I am willing to die so that those children may live, so be it." she yelled back. Kat turned quickly, brushing past Gandalf and into the Great Hall.
Eomer stalked off to the other side of the courtyard. Eowyn went to him quickly, "What has happened brother? Why is there such anger in you?"
"I know not." he whispered. "When I realized what the woman had done. This woman who is described as death and destruction, cold and unmoving…. I know not what happened to me. Since I have first seen her I've heard she sang for our cousin, she saved an ally, healed our Uncle, and instead of taking healing she saved our children. The thought of her death, it brought physical pain to my body." he looked at Eowyn. "I know not what ails me."
Days passed without word from Gandalf. Kat stood in the chamber she'd been sleeping in, staring out along the great wall of Helm's Deep.
"Lady Kat?"
She turned to find Eomer in the doorway. "Lady? I am just Kat."
Eomer entered. "Are you well? Your friends said you were staying up here."
"Anxious." she gave a half smile. "I am not one accustomed to waiting for a fight."
"I sense that we will hear soon." he told her, stepping closer to her. "Lady, I…"
She looked at the man who seemed at a loss for words. "Why do you call me Lady?"
He stepped closer and ran his finger down her soft cheek. "To me you are a Lady. One of both beauty, intelligence, and skill." He leaned closer to her, and when she didn't pull away, placed his lips to hers.
Kat was startled that the man who'd seemed to have issue with her was kissing her now, and saying such things. His lips tasted so sweet, and she deepened the kiss. Their passion knew no bounds and they found themselves naked and joining on the soft bed in the room. Afterward, Eomer pulled Kat close and held her to his body.
"I know you will leave when this is done." he whispered, they both lay staring at the flickering of flames on the ceiling. "We go to the final battle soon, and before we do I must tell you I love you."
She gasped in surprise.
"I know I have not known you for long, but I have known you long enough to know what I feel. When you leave to go back to your home I hope you remember me always."
They got the news that same day that they would go to Gondor's aid. They left Helm's Deep and made their way picking up armies on the way. Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn left them to follow a path that was their own to take. Kat stayed with her two friends, preparing for the battle to come, leaving Eomer to his people. For the people of Middle Earth it was the battle that would free them and keep them free. For the people of Faerun it was just one more battle against an unspeakable evil. It was also their hope for home.