Chapter 2 (early Dec, 26 IV)
As the morning meal ended, Theodwyn excused herself and began to rise when her mother stayed her. "Wait a moment, Theodwyn. I would speak with you."
Though her mother's voice didn't indicate disapproval of anything, she sensed this discussion was to be of a serious nature. She slowly sat back down and looked at her mother expectantly.
Lothiriel pushed back her plate and folded her arms on the table in front of her, choosing her words. At length, she looked up and dismissed the other children, but to Theodwyn's surprise, her father remained seated also.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked with concern.
"No," her mother smiled reassuringly, "but we have something we must tell you." A tilt of her head included Eomer in the matter.
Her parents' eyes met briefly, and then Lothiriel turned to Theodwyn again, "I have made arrangements for you to go and live with Lissa for the next two months. For the most part, Faleth will be away with his eored, and you will be given complete charge of her home. You will cook, clean, do mending, care for the children – everything. Lissa will be there to instruct you and for you to ask questions if you need to, but all of the work will fall on your shoulders."
"But...why?" Theodwyn asked in confusion.
"I am certain you have heard the comments Haman has been making about Freawine's situation in life, and I am equally certain you have dismissed it all as pure nonsense. But it is not all nonsense, dearest. As Freawine's wife, your life will be very different than what you are used to here at Meduseld. He often will not be there to help you, nor will you have servants doing all the work for you and waiting upon your every need. This will give you a small taste of what your life will be like – and thus you may see whether or not you truly wish to marry into such a situation. It is not fair to Freawine for you to assume it is not a problem, and then discover some months into your marriage that you do not like to live that way and want to change your mind."
"But...I love him! I would be willing to work hard and care for him and our home!" Theodwyn exclaimed.
"You say that now, but it is spoken in ignorance. You do not fully understand what it will be like. At the end of the two months, I think you will have a much better idea of what to expect, and then if you still desire it...well, know that Freawine does not want you to be unhappy. He understands far better than you do what it will be like for you. When you tell him you do not mind the life he can give you, you need to know for certain in your heart that you mean it. This will make that possible."
Theodwyn sat staring at both of her parents, completely at a loss for words. She was inclined to argue that this was all unnecessary and she knew full well what she was doing, but she also knew such an argument would fall on deaf ears. Clearly her mother was adamant about this, and presumably her father as well. Looking up, she squared her shoulders with determination. "Very well. I will do this and prove to you that I mean what I say!"
Her mother's face softened, and she reached out a hand to stroke her daughter's cheek. "We do not doubt you, dearest. But you will find this is much harder than you think. I promised you that I would help prepare you for marriage and this is part of it. If you cannot last this short time doing it now, you will not have a happy marriage. And I do not wish to see that."
Theodwyn suppressed the tears that sprang to her eyes and nodded. "When do I begin?" she asked quietly.
"Right now. We will go and gather some of your things and I will walk down to their cottage with you to get you settled," Lothiriel answered.
Slowly Theodwyn rose, but before she could follow her mother from the room, her father caught her arm and pulled her into an embrace. As he held her, he whispered, "This is not a punishment, dearest. It truly is for the best. We want you to be happy."
She squeezed him tightly and nodded her understanding, but could not find her voice to speak. Finally, he released her, and as she followed her mother to her bedchamber, she realized that life as she had always known it was about to change forever.
xxxxx
Lothiriel smiled at Lissa as the girl settled into a chair near her. "So, how is my daughter surviving life in the world?" she asked nervously.
Theodwyn had been staying with Lissa for a little over a week now, and Lothiriel was anxious to hear a report. Lissa smiled reassuringly. "She struggles, but she is managing. It is clear she had no idea how much work is involved in running a household, and the boys can be very taxing with their energy and bickering. At least she has siblings of her own, so that has given her some idea of how to deal with children. I just regret I cannot let her suckle Beorn so I do not have to get up in the middle of the night to feed him!"
Lothiriel laughed along with her, then smiled gratefully. "I do so very much appreciate your doing this. Your situation is very similar to what hers will be, but in particular I wanted her to see that a woman could have joy living in such a way. There are many women who do it because they must, but I know that you and Faleth are quite happy together, despite the hardships."
Lissa blushed, but nodded. "We are. I was very fortunate to find such a man and have him love me as I love him. I truly hope Theodwyn is blessed with that also." She added with a laugh, "And the children, I think, are learning a greater appreciation for their mother!"
Lothiriel raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and Lissa continued, "I believe the boys thought they could get away with anything around Theodwyn, so they were not happy that I made it clear they were to do what she said and if they failed to do so she had my complete permission to punish them however she saw fit! Sometimes I think she is being a little tougher on them than necessary, but that comes with inexperience and she will get better over time. Fegennes still isn't quite sure what to make of it all, and still wants to turn to me. I have tried spending as much time as possible away from the cottage to force the children to rely on her and they have gradually warmed to the idea. Despite the strange situation, they like Theodwyn a great deal. And Beorn is such a cuddler, he welcomes any arms that will hold him close. Fortunately for her, she has experience with Theodred to draw upon and does not feel awkward with an infant."
She paused, then asked, "So, would you like to come visit and see for yourself? Surely you would do so if she were already married and this was her own home. There is no reason you have to be completely cut off from her, is there?"
Lothiriel considered this, then shook her head, "No. There is no reason for that, and in fact I think it would be a good thing. I do not want her to feel like she has been abandoned by her family. If this were her own circumstance, I would want her to know we are still here to help her in any way that we can, and that we still love her. I just did not want to make this 'test' too easy for her. The outcome is far too important."
The two women talked a while longer and then, since it was nearly time for the noonday meal, they made their way to Lissa's cottage. Opening the door, Lissa called out, "Theodwyn? I have brought a friend for dinner. I hope you do not mind."
An instant later, Theodwyn stood in the doorway to the bedroom, an undiapered baby wailing in her arms and the three-year-old, Fegennes, clutching her leg and crying to be picked up. She looked so piteous, Lothiriel's heart almost broke, but then her daughter straightened and said, "No, I do not mind. Please have a seat and I will be with you in a moment."
As she started to turn away to finish with the baby, Lissa took pity on her and said, "May we play with your daughter while you tend the baby?"
Theodwyn hesitated, glancing at her mother to see if that was allowed, but her mother gave her an impassive look and left it to her judgement. The undiapered infant chose that moment to relieve himself, and she hastily covered up his fountain with her apron, saying to Fegennes, "Why do you not go visit with Mama for a few moments, Fegennes. I will be right back to feed you." She nudged the toddler in the direction of her mother, and Fegennes needed no further encouragement to happily make her way into Lissa's arms.
When Theodwyn had disappeared, Lissa confessed, "I do hope she enjoys motherhood as much as I do. To tell you the truth, I miss not caring for my children, and dislike letting someone else be responsible for feeding and cuddling them." She snuggled Fegennes close, enjoying the chubby arms hugging her neck.
Lothiriel smiled understandingly. "I know what you mean. My duties as queen sometimes interfered but, for the most part, I preferred to care for my own children. I wanted to be the one to tend their injuries, tell them stories, listen to their thoughts and hopes. I did not want someone else replacing me in their hearts. The truth is, I could be quite happy if Eomer was still just a soldier and I was nothing more than his wife and the mother of his children." She looked over her shoulder toward the bedroom, saying, "Hopefully I was able to instill that in my shieldmaiden daughter. I do not believe there is any greater joy than my husband and my children."
A moment later, Theodwyn returned, baby diapered and a fresh apron covering her dress. "Lady Lothiriel, would you like to visit with Beorn while I prepare the meal?" she asked politely.
Hiding her amusement, Lothiriel responded in kind, "Oh, may I? Thank you!" She took the wriggling infant, whose tears had subsided once he was clean and dry, and settled him on her lap.
Though she was entertaining the baby and talking with Lissa, Lothiriel kept a surreptitious eye on Theodwyn to observe her working in the kitchen. She was not the most efficient at preparing a meal, but she did an admirable job of it and quickly had food laid out for them. Moving to the door, she opened it and called out, "Theor! Dreng! Come home!" She stood waiting and listening until she heard their voices drawing nearer, and then returned to the table.
The two boys, ages ten and seven, charged into the cottage, slamming the door behind them and fought for a single chair at the table. "Boys!" Theodwyn said sternly, and they stopped to look at her. "Wash your hands and then, Dreng, you sit in that chair, and Theor will sit next to me."
Dreng gave his brother a triumphant smirk as they elbowed their way over to the wash bowl to clean their hands. When they returned, Theodwyn instructed, "Let me see." Both held up their hands for inspection, and when she nodded, they quickly sat down.
Theor grabbed for the loaf of bread, but found his wrist held in a strong handclasp. "We have guests, and I expect you to act like gentlemen. Theor, you may offer the bread to the ladies before you and your brother take some."
"Awwww!" Theor exclaimed, looking to his mother for support in not heeding Theodwyn's words, but she gave him a look that made it clear Theodwyn was the boss. With a sigh, he picked up the bread plate and offered it to his mother.
Theodwyn directed, "Lady Lothiriel is our guest. Your mother is family. We should always serve our guests first, Theor."
The boy blushed slightly and moved the plate in the other direction. "Sorry," he mumbled.
It took some doing, but they finally made it successfully through the meal and the boys were soon out the door again to return to their play. The baby had begun to fuss for his own meal and Lissa took him from Lothiriel to suckle him, while Theodwyn began clearing away the food and dishes. Lothiriel and Lissa continued to chat together and with Theodwyn while she worked, and then Lothiriel rose.
"I really should be on my way. Thank you for a lovely meal, Theodwyn," she said politely.
"It was my pleasure, my lady," Theodwyn said, bobbing a slight curtsy.
Her mother smiled and moved to pull her into a warm embrace. Holding her close, she said softly, "Well done, dearest. I am very proud of you. I will come visit again in a week or so and, if you have the time, do not think you are not allowed to come visit us." Pulling back, she kissed her daughter's brow and smiled at her, not missing the teary eyes that were full of pride and self-confidence. With one last stroke of Theodwyn's head, she bid them good day and departed, very pleased with her daughter's progress.
xxxxx (early Dec, 26 IV - early Feb, 27 IV)
Theodwyn's change of residence did not go unnoticed in Edoras, and it added further fuel to rumormongers' tales, even though no one had supplied any explanation for the change. Gossipers were quite willing to fabricate reasons in the absence of such details, and did so with great enthusiasm during those two months.
Haman, of course, insisted Theodwyn's parents were showing their displeasure with her choice of husband and trying to convince her to change her mind.
Some of the girls who were jealous of Theodwyn for a variety of reasons, elected to claim that she was frantically trying to learn how to be a wife so Freawine wouldn't change his mind.
Eomer was beginning to get quite annoyed by it all, but felt restrained as king from taking any direct action. People had the right to say whatever they wanted so long as it wasn't treasonous, but if Haman thought he was helping his petition he was sorely mistaken.
The next meeting with his council, doorward and head of the king's guard found him a bit distracted. Though he managed to force himself to pay attention, he was more than ready to end the session.
"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Eomer inquired.
Eothain caught his attention, and spoke, "As you know, Frealaf is stepping down at the end of March and will need to be replaced. Do you wish to select someone?"
Eomer considered this, then shook his head. "I see no reason for me to be involved. Choose whomever you think suitable for the task. I trust your judgement."
Eothain nodded. "The Captains will send their recommendations for anyone they may want me to consider. I will let you know when I have found someone."
With that, the meeting adjourned. For a few moments, while the other men were saying their farewells and slowly making their way out, Eothain eyed his sovereign speculatively. At length, he turned away and departed. He would take his friend at his word and choose the person he thought most suitable, regardless of who it was.
He had previously notified the Captains and directed them to choose no more than two men who would be interested in joining the king's guard. They needed to be willing to relocate to Edoras and have proven themselves valiant and trustworthy in every respect. By early February, the men began arriving in Edoras to speak with Eothain, so he could meet them and get a feel for them personally. Many he already knew, but he believed the king's guard needed someone who would fit well with the other men so he wanted to see them interacting together.
Generally he spoke with the candidates during the morning, had them participate in sparring practice and watched them at meals. Though the men all knew the reason for their being there, they did not know how they were being judged or by whom. As head of the king's guard, they could guess that Eothain was one of the ones making the decision, but they did not know who else might be involved or what criteria was sought, so it was difficult to prepare in any way.
Garod had sent Freawine and Alric as his representatives. Though he would hate to lose either of them, he knew both of them had reasons they would wish to be permanently stationed at Edoras. Freawine was to marry there and Alric had an ailing mother that would welcome him closer to her. Because there were over twenty-five men vying for the post, no one got their hopes up too high, though it would be a great honor to be chosen. And none told anyone of their candidacy lest it in some way jinx the outcome.
xxxxx
While shopping in town one brisk February day, near the end of her two month test, Theodwyn happened to overhear three girls cattily discussing her, asserting Freawine couldn't possibly love someone like that and surely was only marrying her for the status of being the King's son-in-law. Additionally, they mocked, how could he possibly want her for a wife when she knew nothing about running a household? They considered her efforts living with Lissa as laughable and doomed to failure for someone so hopeless as Theodwyn.
Theodwyn stumbled away from them, blinded by her tears. Did everyone think she was that hopeless? Was she truly unsuitable as a wife for Freawine and he deserved someone better?
With a sob, she hurried back toward Lissa's cottage, but when nearly there, could not face going in and answering questions or dealing with the household. She moved quickly away toward Meduseld, running into the garden from the lower entrance.
Unbeknownst to her, Eomer had been in one of the lower paddocks and saw her enter the garden. As he moved in that direction, two riders approached the garden gate and one hopped down to race in after the king's daughter. After a moment, Eomer realized it was Freawine, though he wasn't sure why he was in Edoras just now. What he did know was that the two of them were unchaperoned and he strode quickly after the couple.
Just before he reached the gate, giving a nod to Alric, the rider who had been with Freawine and was holding his horse, he was intercepted by Elfwine. "Father, I must speak with you."
"In a moment, Elfwine. I have to go separate Theodwyn from her betrothed…" Eomer started to push past his son, but Elfwine caught his arm and stopped him.
"No, Father. Let them be."
Eomer turned to look curiously at his son, awaiting an explanation. Elfwine's eyes flicked toward Alric and then he guided his father a short distance away before telling him in a low voice, "She needs to be with Freawine just now, Father. She…overheard some cruel comments said about her in town. She did not know I was there, and she ran off before I could attempt to console her. But, since Freawine is here, I think he can be more reassuring than we could in this matter."
"What were these cruel comments?" Eomer asked tightly, barely suppressing his anger.
Reluctantly, Elfwine passed along what had been said. "They are only jealous, Father, but Theodwyn is trying so hard right now. She did not need that kind of attack."
For several moments, Eomer simply stared into space, his rage consuming him. Finally, his jaw tightened with decisiveness, "This has gone on long enough. I will not tolerate it further." Turning on his heel, he strode quickly toward Meduseld's entrance, and Elfwine curiously watched him depart. It would be interesting to see what his father did about the situation, but whatever it was, Elfwine fully intended to support him.
Meanwhile, in the garden, it was simple enough for Freawine to locate Theodwyn by the sound of her sobbing. As he saw her collapsed on the ground beneath a tree, he realized it was the same tree where he had found her once before, and in a similar state. His jaw tightened; he hoped the cause was not the same as it had been then.
Kneeling beside her, Freawine gently pulled Theodwyn into his arms. At first she resisted, until she saw who it was, and then she buried her face in his shoulder. Slowly the tears eased, and as they did he asked softly, "What has happened, beloved? Why do you weep?"
She pulled away from him, avoiding his eyes – not a good sign, he thought. "Tell me," he urged.
Hiccuping, and scrubbing at her face, she replied, "I cannot..." Still she looked away.
"Theodwyn, you can tell me anything. Please, dearest. I do not like to see you in such pain. It hurts me as well." He reached for her and reluctantly she let him turn her to face him.
"I...I heard some girls talking in town." She fell silent, a lump in her throat.
"And?"
"And...and they say that you deserve someone better than me. That you deserve a girl who knows how to be a wife and a mother and run a household, and that my pitiful attempts will never be enough!" she ended with a wail, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks.
His face twisted in pain and anger, Freawine reached out a hand to gently stroke her head. When he regained control over the fury swelling within him, he told her firmly, "I do not care what they think. YOU are the only girl I want, and your attempts on my behalf will always be sufficient! If I must, I will clean the house, raise the children and run the household myself, but I will do it with you as my wife – and no one else!"
Theodwyn's weeping ended with a gasp at his declaration, and she stared at him in trepidation. Yet she could see nothing in his eyes but truth. Suddenly she flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly about the neck. "I love you!" she exclaimed.
Freawine pulled her snugly against him and kissed her head. "As I love you, dearest. Do not listen to their jealous words. Hear only what I say. The only reason I would accept for not having you as my wife is if you would not have me."
"Never!" she declared fervently, and with great purpose, she pulled him into a kiss.
For several moments, the world around them disappeared, but at length Freawine broke their embrace. "However, if your father catches us alone and kissing like this, he may revoke his approval! I think we should...go inside now." He stood and pulled her up with him. "Much as I enjoy seeing – and kissing – you, I am actually here on business and Alric is waiting for me."
She nodded her understanding, drying her face as best she could.
A/N: Family groups/ages for reference (in year 26 of IV age, at beginning of story):
Eomer 54, Lothiriel 46, Elfwine 24, Theodwyn 17 (turns 18 in Nov that year), Theomund 15, Morwen 11, Theodred 2
Gamling 56, Eadnes 54, Freawine 25, Denulf 23, Ethelstan 19
Faleth 33, Lissa 33, Theor 10, Dreng 7, Fegennes 3, Beorn 5 mos.
Kialmar 45, Miren 43
Eothain 53