I cannot merely say that I grew in my feelings for the Rohirric King without explaining. I found myself to admire him more than any man of my acquaintance, though he had not the regal air of the King of Gondor or the gentle learnedness of the Prince of Ithilien. In him I found a likeness of mind and purpose. He was one not highly educated or well brought up so as to distance him from me, but one with whom I could relate. While I often felt tongue-tied or provincial in the presence of the other men, with him I was relaxed, at home.

I was uncertain at this time of his feelings for me. The mere fact that he had rushed his journey from Hobbitton and come straight to see me before seeing his sister was not enough reason to start hemming dishtowels, and so like any gentle lady of my time I remained aloof. I had not quite mastered the subtle art of flirting that some of the more leisurely girls of my acquaintance did so well, so our interaction was based more on honestly. Not everything we did was a ride or picnic. We found time to discuss deep subjects such as politics and government. Our most interesting discussion was one of religion.

I had been endeavoring to read a book of history that Faramir had recommended to me when Éomer found me and invited me to walk with him. Only too glad to stop puzzling over the archaic language I pocketed the book and fell in stride with him. For the first few moments there was silence, which I broke by commenting on the weather. He gave me a startled look as if he had forgotten that I was nearby and stuttered some mundane reply. I laughed and commented that I was glad to hear his voice, and that I had been afraid that somehow the air had stolen him of his ability to speak. We then were able to converse freely and our topic became serious when I questioned the religious beliefs of his people.

"They are rather… nebulous. We are not certain entirely what we believe. There is good deal of legend surrounding the creation of our world, and we know that there is a right and a wrong, but who exactly dictates this? There is always dispute." He then told me many of the legends and lore of the gods and their servants. There seemed to be a common theme, though, of one god who ruled over the lesser gods, enough of a commonality that I felt comfortable in comparing it my own beliefs. He was enthralled. "Created, in seven days by one God?"

"Yes," I answered, and watched with joy his child-like response. "What a wonderful story. You must share this with Faramir." I promised to do so and as a result spent the next several nights telling many stories from the Bible. Deborah was a favorite of Éowyn while Éomer preferred the swashbuckling adventures of David and Faramir the studious reflections of Daniel. "He'll be trying to sleep with lions now, I hope you know." Éowyn whispered to me, loud enough that her husband was sure to hear. "He's always having these delusions of grandeur.