Chapter 4: Emyn Arnen

Ethuniel spent an uncomfortable night, but she was awake early the next morning to see her father, brother, and cousin depart for Minas Tirith with Legolas and Eoric. Faramir assured his wife that they would be home by the next day, but Ethuniel nevertheless saw the concern her mother was not entirely successful in hiding. After all, where there was one band of Haradrim raiders intent on a fight, there would surely be more.

Ethuniel was also present with her mother to see Geirdur and his men return to the rest of the eored in the field later that morning. Bardur, like the other men, bade her farewell with only a slight bow which she met with a nod of her own. She thought he might have studied her for a moment while his father was cordially thanking Eowyn for her hospitality, but the intensity in his look was gone as quickly as she had noticed it, leaving her to wonder whether she had been imagining things. At any rate he would find little to observe; her dreams had been unpleasant and her sleep restless, but in the light of day she had already begun to feel that she would be able to meet another such situation with equanimity if she had the need.

"A good man, Geirdur," Eowyn commented to her daughter as they watched the Rohirrim ride from their gates. "I have not met him many times, but he has always been very kind." She draped a long arm over her daughter's shoulders and turned them both back toward the house.

"He remembered seeing me last winter in Meduseld," Ethuniel said.

"You must have been a bit of a shock for him yesterday afternoon," her mother replied with a smile.

"Rather worse of one for his son, I think. I was at his back through most of the fighting, and I think he feared the responsibility would have been his had I come to harm."

"Your uncle might certainly have acted first and asked questions later," Eowyn laughed. "But if he did not, he would not be your uncle, would he?"

On their doorstep Eowyn turned and looked off over the horizon toward Minas Tirith, which was just far enough to be invisible on all but the clearest days. Her eyes narrowed into the fog that lay over the fields, and she was silent long enough that her daughter laid a hand on her shoulder and drew her inside.

"They will be safe, Mother," Ethuniel said gently.

"I know." Eowyn paused in the doorway and cast another long glance over the landscape to the west. "I only feel as though – as though a shadow that has been steadily lifting for years now hovers on the brink again, waiting . . ."

"The Haradrim are only Men," Ethuniel said almost in a whisper. "Whatever happens, it cannot be so dark as the times you remember. There is no Lord of evil anymore."

"No," Eowyn said quietly, but her eyes did not waver although her body was turned into the house.

"There is no power in the East," Ethuniel said again, ignoring the cold chill that ran down her spine as she spoke the words. "None but a mortal one, and Men can be overcome."

When her mother's eyes finally met Ethuniel's, they were veiled and absent. "Yes, they can be," Eowyn said. "And we are Men as well."

True to their word, the men returned from Minas Tirith late the next afternoon. They all looked weary as they filed into the house, and Faramir almost immediately raised a hand to forestall his wife's questions. "Into the study, I think," he said, kissing Eowyn's forehead and drawing her arm into his. "We shall tell you all."

"I think I must ask you to extend your hospitality for a short while, Aunt Eowyn," Elfwine said. "King Elessar has asked that the eored remain where it is until we have a reply from my father."

"Elessar thinks it best to ask our friends to remain on alert, as so many of our own men are being divided between Osgiliath and Emyn Arnen on patrol," Faramir explained. "We of course wait on my brother's word as to whether they will return home to defend Rohan, or remain here as part of a united strategy."

"Strategy?" Eowyn echoed. They had all begun to follow Faramir down the darkening hall to the door of his study. Legolas, who had not yet said a word except in greeting, fell back to bring up the rear with Ethuniel.

Once everyone had found a chair within the small but comfortable room on the western side of the house, Ethuniel's father continued with his news. "We await word from Eomer, but we hope that the King and a measure of his counsellors will depart for Edoras within the week. I will certainly be among them, along with my uncle and Elboron." His eyes met his wife's from across the room. "I leave it to you whether you will wish to accompany us, although I feel certain you will."

"Of course," Eowyn said without hesitation. "I would wish to be with you and my brother."

"I think Ethuniel may make the journey if she chooses," Faramir continued. "She has been in our counsel, and indeed she is quicker than many of the men I could bring with us." Ethuniel, who was rather startled, saw that he seemed to be awaiting a response and she nodded out of reflex. "Good. For Aelwen and the boys, however –" his eyes darted back to his wife's face "– I do not think I should like to risk it. I think Aelwen for one ought to be left safely in the Queen's hands in Minas Tirith, and she would be easier if her brothers were with her."

"I agree entirely," Eowyn said. "At any rate then Theomir may not feel so tempted to think he ought to fight, as he certainly would if we brought him into the thick of things in Rohan."

Ethuniel privately agreed, although she wondered whether even leaving him behind would keep her brother altogether out of trouble. At sixteen, Theomir had not so much a lust for battle as a great pull toward his duty, and an equally great difficulty accepting that he must remain safely at home while his brother and his friends who were of age rode out on patrol. Ethuniel could well imagine that he would be near unmanageable if real war were to break out and he were left behind. Trusting him to the calm guidance of Queen Arwen was likely to be the best decision possible, but Theomir's resentment was predictable nonetheless.

On the sixth day after their council, a courier arrived riding hot from Minas Tirith with a message for Faramir. It was a letter from the King, and folded within it was a characteristically pithy message from Eomer of Rohan. Faramir passed it immediately to his wife over the breakfast table and left to her the task of transliterating her brother's hasty scrawl.

"Not all of this is runic, you know," Eowyn said with a faint smile for her husband as she held the message close to her eyes. "His message to Aragorn – which you must admit he has written in something very like your Southern script – is that he appreciates the consultation, and his orders for the time being will be to have Geirdur's eored escort the King's party to Rohan. The bit at the bottom I assume is intended for us: 'I look forward of course to welcoming my brother and my nephew, along with any other members of my sister's household as she may choose.' That's brotherly devotion, isn't it?"

"Are we all to go to Rohan, Mother?" Theomir asked. Conversation paused as his parents and elder siblings suddenly became very intent on their breakfasts. Ethuniel took a moment to be grateful that only their cousin Elfwine, and not Legolas, was with them at breakfast to see what might happen.

Before the silence could grow too obvious, Faramir said calmly, "Your mother and I journey to consult with your uncle. We will ask you and Aldhelm to watch over your sister in Minas Tirith until we return."

"Am I to stay with Queen Arwen?" Aelwen asked. She sounded delighted at the prospect, but Theomir spoke before anyone could answer her.

"So Elboron travels with you to Edoras?" His challenging gaze fell quickly on his elder sister at the other end of the table. "And you, Ethuniel, do you stay safe in Minas Tirith, or are you to ride to Rohan as well?"

Seeing that no help was to come her way from her parents or Elboron, who were all watching as though frozen, Ethuniel said slowly, "I have been in our cousin's counsel here in Ithilien, and I go to assist in talking matters over with Uncle. That is all."

"But I can –"

"I go not to battle the enemy, Theo," she said, allowing a note of warning into her voice.

Her brother looked to his parents for assistance, his face beginning to flush in anger. "So I must be stored safely at home while Ethuniel travels with you although she's a g–"

"Theomir, I cannot imagine that you truly wish to finish that sentence," his mother said, holding his angry eyes steadily in her gaze. It took a moment, but eventually Theomir flinched.

"Anyway," Elboron interjected now that it was hardly necessary, "you would not have us all ride off and leave Aelwen alone in the city, would you?"

The combination of stony anger and hot embarrassment had not faded from their brother's face, but he glanced hastily at his little sister and forced himself to shake his head in the negative.

"Good boy," Eowyn said, finally releasing her son from her stare. "You know full well that when you are of age you will be brought into your father's counsel – indeed you may do any foolish thing you like – but for now your task is to mind what you're told and watch over your sister."

"Do you expect to be gone long?"

Although he was sitting next to her, Ethuniel had nearly forgotten that her youngest brother was at the table. Eowyn's face softened considerably as she turned to her third son, and Faramir was visibly relieved to have the attention diverted from Theomir as well.

"We plan to go only to form a strategy, and then we should return," Faramir answered. "But none of us can say how long that may take."

"Will there be war in Gondor?" Aldhelm asked bluntly.

Everyone's eyes, including Theomir's, darted in Aelwen's direction and just as quickly looked away again. The little girl watched her father intently, awaiting his reply.

"If there is further fighting in Rohan, Gondor will go to her aid," Faramir said carefully. "More than that I do not know."

Theomir excused himself from breakfast quickly, leaving the rest of them to fill the meal with nervous chatter designed to distract their young sister from thoughts of war. Ethuniel finally found herself wandering from the hall with Aldhelm in tow, watching him tug thoughtfully on the ends of his hair.

"You know," he said after a silence that lasted until they had reached the front hall, "I am as eager to – to defend Ithilien, as Theomir. But –"

"I know you are," Ethuniel replied, turning to face him and laying a hand on his arm. "You are not so rash nor so quick to anger as he, and so you accept your duty as it is given to you. No one thinks you lacking in anything."

"Theomir does," Aldhelm said, calmly but earnestly. "He wishes I would fight more for him, for both of us."

"Maybe he wishes for your assistance in pressing his case," Ethuniel said, "but he cannot think you lack the will to fight. In fact I know he does not think so."

"Perhaps."

"There is no 'perhaps,'" Ethuniel said with a small laugh. "There is only, 'Why yes, Ethuniel, you're quite right. I never thought of that – how stupid of me.'"

Her brother laughed as she had wanted him to do, and she added, "I know you will be a formidable soldier in your turn, Aldhelm, but like Mother and Father I selfishly want to keep you safe until you're of age – longer if possible, but knowing you I do not imagine it will be possible. No one wants to see their little brother ride out to danger, no matter how skilled – no matter even that he might be twice the size of his 'big' sister." She smiled at him and said, "But you know, Geirdur asked me to tell you that you would be welcome in his eored if you ever decided to make your home in the Mark."

"Did he say that?"

The look in her brother's eyes was definitely interest. "Yes, he did. Should you like it, do you think?"

"I might." Aldhelm's look had gone distant, and he turned as if to head up the hall again. "Excuse me, Ethuniel – if you are all going to Rohan soon, I wish to write a letter to my cousins to send with you."

Ethuniel was still smiling as she watched him leave, pondering which of their Rohirric cousins he was in such a hurry to write to – he seemed to receive a great many letters from their pretty cousin Theodhild, who was exactly his age – when she saw her other younger brother sitting by himself out in the garden. She made as little noise as possible on her way out to meet him, but he lifted his head anyway at her approach and twisted around to see who was coming.

"Ethuniel." He ducked his head in embarrassment as she came closer, and she saw that the angry color had faded from his face. "I'm – I didn't mean what I said, you know. Or rather – what I didn't say. I don't think you're any less – well, you know."

She sat beside him on the bench, primly tucking her skirts around her ankles. "Even if I can't beat you anymore, I took down a few Haradrim last week that could tell you how a girl can fight."

"Did you really?"

"No." She faced him with a deadpan look until against his will, Theomir began to laugh. "Truly, I was pleased enough to keep hold of my sword," she said, laughing with him. "I now owe my life to . . . at last count, four Riders of Rohan. Perhaps Aldhelm will join the eored after all and pay my debt."

"The eored?" She didn't answer, watching him think. "That would be interesting for him, wouldn't it?"

"Yes." She laid a gentle hand on her brother's shoulder. "He thinks you're disappointed in him, Theo."

"For what?"

"For not arguing with Father, I suppose."

"That's ridiculous!" He met her eyes and amended, "All right, it isn't. I do wish he would fight a little sometimes – but that isn't to say I don't know he can fight when it matters. He just isn't . . . well . . ."

"As tightly strung as you are?" Before he could give full rein to his outrage she laughed and jumped off the bench out of his reach. "Peace, baby brother – you would not have a war right here in our garden, would you?"

Suddenly serious, he asked, "But will we have one in our backyard?"

"I hope not," she replied softly. "In fact I hope you never have a chance to ride against the Haradrim."

"Are Father and Mother worried?"

Ethuniel hesitated only for a moment. "Yes, they are."

Theomir nodded. "Where's Aldhelm?"

"Gone to write to our cousins."

He rolled his eyes. "To Theodhild, you mean. At least none of the rest of us will ever have to worry about uniting Rohan and Gondor for the next generation."

"Don't you tease him."

"I won't," he promised, and she saw that he was serious. "Will you excuse me?" He was gone into the house almost before she replied.

They took an awkward direction from Emyn Arnen when the entire party finally rode out, heading first north to meet the eored before riding west to Minas Tirith. The ride was not terribly long and so Aelwen was allowed to travel on her quiet gelding between Elboron and Ethuniel, instead of in one of the carriages as she would have done had they travelled much further. In a basket in one of the carriages, however, rode Aelwen's special charge – Ethuniel's cats, entrusted to her sister rather than to the servants in Emyn Arnen. It had been a simple matter to convince Aelwen that the two young housecats, which Ethuniel had raised from tiny kittens, would be lonely without any of the family at home, and Ethuniel was likewise reassured that her little sister would be more comfortable with the cats for company and the duty of their care to occupy her mind. Aelwen had sworn almost comically to give them special treats and ensure that they did not get loose in the city, and to keep them out of trouble in the Queen's house.

The eored stood ready to meet them in riding formation as they came over the rise from which Ethuniel had first seen the attack of the Haradrim, and the men saluted first their prince, then the Prince of Ithilien, then their own king's sister, until finally many of them raised a subtle hand in greeting to Ethuniel herself where she rode behind her father's left shoulder. The men of Rohan surrounded the smaller guard they had brought from Emyn Arnen, with both Almgeir and Bardur, difficult to recognize under their helmets, appearing at Ethuniel's left as the party turned for Minas Tirith. Ethuniel was not maudlin enough to look over her shoulder toward her home as they rode for the White City, but Aelwen did – staring behind as though she might not see Emyn Arnen again. It was only a moment, however, and then she was turning back to Ethuniel and chattering about how the young princesses would almost certainly like to help her look after the cats. Elboron smiled at Ethuniel over their sister's head, and then they both turned to watch the capital come into view.

To be continued. Thanks so much for all the reviews!