Hebo Estel

Chapter Eleven: Sparring by Starlight

A/N: Well, folks, here it is! The long awaited eleventh chapter! Lol... Well, I'd like to send a loving and thankful shout-out to LothirielofRohan, who really knows what she's talking about! Also, I'd like to thank Intothewakingdawn for being my newest reviewer, and for encouraging me. What you have to say means a lot to me, and I really hope you keep reading and reviewing! Ha, I sound like I am accepting an award. Well, read on, people, and please remember to give me a review, even if it's just to let me know you've read this story!

"My lady? Lady Delyth?" said Eothed, reaching behind to shake her sleeping frame gently. Delyth woke feeling oddly uncomfortable. Then she realized that she was on a horse, and she had fallen asleep against a strange man's back.

"Huh? Oh! Oh, I am sorry for falling asleep like that, it's just that I haven't practiced with my sword in so long, and-"

Eothed let out a booming laugh. "It is fine, my lady, I assure you. I don't mind in the least. I understand you have come very far already, and it is perfectly natural to be weary. I would have let you continue to sleep, but I thought you might like to take a break and eat some dinner."

Delyth rubbed the sleep from her eyes and answered, "No. No, thank you. I am not very hungry; I just want to catch up with Lord Boromir."

Eothed turned around and gave her an inquisitive look. "But, my lady, you must be hungry! You need to rest. I see a stream a little farther up the way; we can stop there and have some food."

Delyth looked up at him defiantly. "No," she said firmly. "I have already come miles and miles from Minas Tirith in less than desirable conditions, and I am not about to slow down. Now, if you please, tell your bloody horse to get a move on! I want to reach Lord Boromir as soon as possible!"

"Forgive me, lady," chuckled Eothed. "I will do my best to get you to Lord Boromir tomorrow evening, if I can." He whispered softly to his horse, and suddenly they were off again, racing the wind.

They rode late into the night. When it got so dark that they could not see where they were going, they decided to stop for the night. Eothed took care of his horse while Delyth started a fire and prepared a meager meal for the two of them.

"I am sorry to use your own rations, Eothed," Delyth said quietly when he came to sit across the fire from her.

"Think nothing of it, my lady. We are heading towards Edoras. I can replenish my rations there."

While Eothed was distracted with his food, Delyth studied him closer. He was certainly young; not too much older than her. He had golden hair that reached almost to his shoulders, and was pulled away from his face. He had a small, short beard, and his eyes were a very warm brown. His eyebrows were light colored and were almost invisible in the flickering firelight. All in all, he was very handsome.

He happened to look up from his broth and see Delyth staring at him. He smiled, and she blushed. "I'm sorry, my lord," she said. "It's just that you are so young."

Again, Eothed smiled. "I suppose I am young, but any man who can wield a sword will be soon needed, I think. It does not matter how old one his, just how well they can fight."

"I think the sex of a person should not matter, either," Delyth added softly.

Eothed put down his bowl and stood up. "I heard that you and your sisters know how to use both the sword and the bow. Show me."

Startled, Delyth stood up, also. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning, my lord."

"Show me your skills. Try to hit that tree over there with an arrow," Eothed said, pointing.

Delyth squinted in the darkness at the tree she was supposed to hit. "But, my lord, it's too dark to aim properly."

Eothed shook his head. "Nonsense. You can hit that tree, I know it."

Delyth sighed and took out her bow and an arrow. "Then why must I show you if you already know I can do it?" She took aim and held her breath, trying to keep her bow steady. She counted to three and let go, and watched as the arrow soared into the night and hit the tree with a soft thud.

Eothed ran over to the tree to retrieve the arrow. "Very good," he said, handing the arrow back to her. "Just barely off center. Now show me your skills with the blade." As he spoke, he drew his sword and pointed it at her.

Delyth was shocked, but drew her sword, also. "I don't know how well I will fight, because my body is still sore and a bit weary, but I will do my best."

Eothed grinned slyly. "That is all I can ask." He thrust his sword at her, and she parried furiously. For the next fifteen minutes, they sparred with fierce intensity.

After Eothed managed to disarm Delyth for the second time, she plopped to the ground with exhaustion. "I am so sore!" she moaned, rubbing her arms and wincing.

Eothed laughed and sat down next to her. "You are very skilled with the blade. Who taught you all of this?"

"My mother."

"Your mother?" Eothed asked, incredulous.

Delyth nodded and tossed a twig into the roaring fire. "Yes. Her father was a soldier, and he taught her all he knew. He thought that women should learn how to defend themselves, also."

"Your grandfather was a smart man. Many people here in Rohan would agree with him. Even the White Lady knows how to wield a sword."

"The White Lady? Who is she?"

Eothed grinned. "She is Eowyn, Eomer's sister, and Theodred's cousin. She is more beautiful than the sunrise, and beloved by us all. She gives us courage, hope, and strength."

Delyth looked at Eothed in awe. "She sounds amazing. I hope I get to meet her!"

"You will. She would want to meet any woman who could rival her skill with a weapon, as well as her beauty."

Delyth stared at Eothed in surprise, and then looked away. There was an uncomfortable silence for many minutes, which was only broken when Eothed spoke. "I hope I have not offended you, my lady. Sometimes I lose control of my tongue."

Delyth shook her head. "You did not offend me, I was only surprised. Please, don't be so formal with me. Call me Delyth. I am no lady; I am but a mere servant."

Eothed furrowed his brow and looked up from the fire at her. "A servant? You can't possibly be a servant!"

Delyth chuckled. "Well, I am. My father is the cook for the steward, and we serve his meals, and help in the kitchen as well. Surely you must have guessed by my horrid appearance?"

Eothed frowned and looked into the fire once more. "I just owed your appearance to all the traveling, and the fighting. I thought that you were too pretty to be a servant."

Delyth blushed. "Well, yes, thank you. My sisters and I are all servants."

"So, if you are a servant, why have you traveled so far to find the son of the Steward?"

Once again, Delyth blushed. "That, I'm afraid, is between Lord Boromir and I."

Eothed didn't say anything immediately, but stood up. "You love him, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I don't really feel comfortable talking about this with you. Let's talk of something else."

Eothed nodded and moved to sit on the other side of the fire, across from her. He threw another log on the fire and chewed thoughtfully on a piece of grass. "Tell me about your life in Gondor. Tell me about your family, and what you do everyday."

Delyth was a little startled and nervously ran a hand through her tangled dark hair. "Why are you so interested?"

"I just like to learn about different places, different cultures," Eothed shrugged, looking innocently at her over the flames.

"Well, I have six sisters and two brothers," Delyth began. "I am the second eldest. My older sister, Eirien, is the woman who is betrothed to Beregond. My next youngest sister is Dera, who was bold enough to speak up to Theodred. She's like that; very bold and headstrong. Stubborn, too. At first, it was just us three girls. We are very close, my sisters and I. My mother taught the three of us warfare, and healing, which she learned from her own mother. But then, my father was made head cook in the kitchens, and my mother was pregnant again, so she had no time for us anymore. She had three more girls: Dywn, Eira, and Eiriol. After Eiriol, my mother swore she wouldn't bear any more children, because she was getting old, and it was hard enough to look after the six daughters she already had. But she conceived once more, and this time, she bore twin sons, Eidoel and Eidyll. They'll be four years old soon. She—she died while birthing them. She was just too weak, I suppose." Delyth swallowed to stop the tears from flowing. She closed her eyes and drew her knees up to her chest.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, gripping it comfortingly. She opened her eyes and looked up. Eothed was looking kneeling close behind her, gazing into the fire. In the firelight, Delyth could see how his eyes glistened with tears.

He coughed and looked at her. "I can share in your pain, Delyth. My wife died while birthing our daughter, Lithliriel. That was only two years ago, and I am only just getting over the horrible grief and pain. My beautiful wife has gone on, I know that, but I still have my little girl, and she brightens my life very much. Lord Theodred has been especially kind to me. He was there for me while I grieved, and has helped me through all of my most difficult times. He has become one of my closest companions, and I owe him much."

He slowly removed his hand to wipe away a stray tear that had worked its way out of his brown eyes. "I'm really sorry about all of this, Delyth. I was only supposed to take you to Edoras, but now look at us. We're pouring our hearts out to each other."

Delyth laughed, and wiped away a few of her own tears with the heel of her wrist. "It hurts to talk about her, you know, but somehow it also makes me feel better," she said softly, stretching her legs out.

Eothed smiled sadly and stood up. "I know," he said as he walked to the other side of the fire and unrolled his blanket. "Now, let's get a few hours of sleep in before we ride again. If we make good time tomorrow, we could even reach Lord Boromir and Lord Eomer before they arrive in Edoras."

Delyth smiled and lay down. The moment her head hit her cloak, which she was using as a pillow, she was surprised at how tired and sore she really was. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky. The stars were unusually bright, and there seemed to be more of them. She thought of how she would be seeing Boromir soon, and the mere notion of it made her warm and happy. She thought about him; the way he looked, the way he spoke, the way he kissed, the way he tasted. As she drifted off, however, her last thoughts were of brown eyes and golden hair.

A/N: Dun Dun Dunnnn... Oooooo! What's going on with Delyth, you ask? Well, you'll just have to keep reading AND reviewing to find out!

Teehee. Actually, to tell you the truth, I have no idea what's going on with her, either. I just sit down and type, and see what happens. I honestly have no idea what's going on with this story, but I think things are gonna get interesting! (laughs maniacally)

And on a completely different note, I just launched my very own Xanga, which can be found under my homepage. I encourage you all to read it, and if you happen to have a Xanga and would like me to read it, send me the link to it and I will! Cheers and love!