A/N: Well, I have through ch 16 written (though I'm still tweaking - but then I do that even after I post them). Some of you are pretty good at guessing certain elements of the storyline. Unfortunately, I won't be more specific than that!
The Adventures of Theodred, Son of Eomer
Chapter 14 (begins March, 45 IV)
"Well, at least I suppose we may assume they have resolved their differences," Freahelm commented, biting into some toast at breakfast.
Arawine and Theodred had disappeared into Arawine's room at the King's House after their reunion in the street the previous day, and not been seen since. Servants had taken them supper, but Theodred had not returned to the Steward's house, and Freahelm was willing to bet the two had stayed up all night talking. He had considered taking some fresh clothing to his friend, but he had known the twins too long to think Theodred wouldn't just turn up wearing something of Arawine's, so he didn't bother with it.
Faramir glanced up at the comment and smiled. "Yes, I think that much is true, and I am very pleased to see it. Boromir and I were that close, and I know what anguish it would have brought me to be at odds with him for so long a time."
As Freahelm excused himself from the table, Eowyn teased, "You did not eat very much."
The young man grinned. "Perhaps I will seek more later!"
Eowyn let out a hearty laugh, knowing full well exactly what he had in mind. "Well, if you do, give my regards to Gimilzor and Belwen!"
Freahelm tossed off a salute of affirmation and jauntily strolled from the room to the sound of the Steward's chuckles. Once outside, he paused briefly to breathe deeply of the spring air, then turned eagerly toward the gate to the lower levels and a certain bakery of which he was particularly fond.
Freahelm's assessment had been accurate – the twins had stayed up most of the night talking and clearing the air between them. In the wee hours, they had at last fallen asleep, not to awaken until late morning, when they finally washed and ventured forth. As it was really almost dinnertime anyway, they decided to combine both breakfast and dinner into one meal, and since Theodred was eager to introduce Arawine to Esgalmir, he suggested taking her to dinner with them.
Because he had slept in his own clothes, which were also rather stale, he borrowed something from Arawine and the two set out for the Fourth Level and Anbarad's stationery shop. Elbragol greeted them as they entered, but knew that Theodred preferred conducting business with Esgalmir and summoned her from the back.
Whenever he was in the shop, Esgalmir always maintained a very reserved manner with him, which Theodred was careful to emulate, so he couched the invitation to dinner in formal terms. "Lady Esgalmir, as our business yesterday was interrupted by the arrival of my nephew, I was wondering if you might be available to discuss matters further over dinner today? I will be leaving the city to travel to Edoras soon, so I am rather short on time."
She paused ever so slightly, then nodded. "Of course, my lord. Reaching behind the counter for a tablet of paper and pencil, she moved to get her cloak, though Theodred hastened to assist her with it, and offered his arm as they made their way to the door which Arawine was holding. Glancing back, Esgalmir said, "Elbragol, I may be a little longer than usual over dinner, depending on how much time our business takes to conclude."
He nodded his understanding as the trio departed the shop.
Once they were in the street, Esgalmir glanced up at Arawine with a smile and asked, "So, you are the infamous 'twin', I take it?"
Arawine threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Whatever he has told you, believe only half of it! I am not nearly so bad as he would claim!" Then leaning closer, he chuckled, "And I demand equal time for storytelling!"
Tugging firmly at her hand to draw her along, Theodred commented, "None of that, nephew! The lady is not interested in any of your lies about me! And just remember, I have not told your pretty little bride-to-be even the tiniest part of what I know about you…yet! You might wish to give me reason to keep my mouth shut!"
Esgalmir could not restrain her laughter at the two. "I am very pleased to meet you Arawine. I can see why the two of you are called twins, for indeed you are very much alike – and you are both quite adorable! Now then, stop your silly little game of trying to outdo one another and feed me! I am famished." It surprised her how easy she felt with the two of them, but Theodred had never been difficult to talk openly with, and his relationship with Arawine was such that she felt free to jest with them.
Arawine raised an eyebrow in astonishment, then turned to his uncle and exclaimed, "But she looks so refined! Wherever do you find these women, Theo? First Kata, and now Esgalmir! You do have a talent for discovering the most intriguing women!"
Theodred shrugged modestly. "It is a gift, what more can I say? Still, we had best do as she says. Even intriguing women get cranky when they are hungry."
Laughing together, the three made their way into The Seven Bells and found a secluded table, where they whiled away almost an hour talking and enjoying one another's company. They would have remained longer, but a messenger found them there, sent by Eldarion from the Citadel, to inform them that the party from Dale was arriving at the docks this very afternoon, and should be there shortly. Instantly, Arawine was on his feet and moving toward the door, almost forgetting his companions in his anxiousness to see Kata again.
Theodred shook his head in mock dismay. "The boy is hopelessly lost! Such a shocking display of ill manners!"
"Hush! He is in love! Leave him alone," Esgalmir chastized, to Theodred's delight.
He paused a moment, then wheedled, "I do not suppose you have time to come to the docks with us, to meet the boat? There is, after all, still much business that we never got around to discussing over dinner..."
Esgalmir hesitated. She knew she should get back to work, though it was an inviting offer to sneak away for part of the afternoon. On the other hand, she could not walk or ride that far, and there was no real reason to be going.
Almost as if he guessed her warring thoughts, Theodred argued in favor of her going. "We will be taking carriages down as it is too far to walk, and there will be those in the party that need conveying back. And we will not be gone that long, only an hour or so. Plus, I do wish to speak with you about a few matters before I leave the city. That was no pretense. Please come with us. I would very much like for you to meet Kata, and it is a beautiful day for an outing."
For once in her life, she gave in to a whim and said yes.
Eldarion had already organized the carriages, sending them down toward the docks, and one had been instructed to keep an eye out for Arawine and Theodred along the way. It met them just as they left the tavern, which spared Esgalmir having to walk very far.
Arawine's excitement was almost tangible, and Theodred teased him relentlessly about perhaps preferring to get out and run since the carriage was moving so slowly through the streets. He looked very surprised when Esgalmir reached over and gave his leg an extremely hard pinch, and for an instant she blushed, fearing she had overstepped the bounds of propriety, but he just grinned sheepishly at her, and instantly she knew he had taken it in the spirit it was intended.
Once they reached the Harlond, Arawine was out of the carriage, and off in search of his beloved, despite every evidence that the boat had not yet docked. While he paced agitatedly about, Theodred guided Esgalmir to a scenic spot in the shade, and they settled on a bench to wait.
"May I ask you something?" Esgalmir queried, gazing out over the water, and soaking up the sights around her.
"Certainly," Theodred responded readily.
"Most gentlemen offer their right arm to a lady, presumably because they are right-handed and wear their sword on their left hip." Theodred nodded his agreement to this assessment, and she continued, "But you always offer your left arm to me. Why is that? I have seen you offer your right to others."
He grinned. "I thought it was obvious. You favor your right leg, so I assumed you would wish me on your right side to give you something secure to hold onto there."
She blushed and lowered her eyes, murmuring with embarrassment, "Most people are not so observant."
He shrugged, explaining, "My eldest brother, Arawine's father, lost his hand in an accident when he was about my age. I grew up being expected to be observant, and to act accordingly so as to help him function normally. There are some things he cannot do for himself, but most things he has found other ways of accomplishing, and we take little notice of his missing hand most of the time."
She found herself staring at him, wondering what it must be like to have a family such as that, who focused on what you could do rather than on what you could not, as hers did. Even her parents had made her feel 'damaged' and 'less' because of her imperfect foot and leg. She had a feeling that had she grown up in Theodred's family, she might never have truly noticed she was different.
He did not miss the sadness in her eyes, and his jaw tightened. He had met her brother, and seen the lack of regard shown her. He could guess that she was not accorded the same sort of courtesy at home that Elfwine had enjoyed.
Changing the subject abruptly, she asked, "When will you be returning to Minas Tirith?"
"I am not certain how long I will stay at home. It will be good to see my family again, and I may take the opportunity to do some interviewing there while I can."
She gave a small laugh. "I shall have to be sure to read your book when it is finished so I may learn about Rohan, and all these other places and people of which you write."
He chuckled, and observed, "You may well be the only person interested in reading my stories!"
"How else may I see these places?" she asked quietly, almost of herself, and he was drawn up short by the question for which he had no answer.
"Have you never traveled...at all?" he queried.
"I have never been outside the city gates, until today," she confessed. Then giving him a too bright smile, added, "See, there is a first time for everything!" She was relieved by a shout from Arawine indicating the boat was sighted, and they turned their attention to watching it pull into the mooring, but Theodred was to discover this conversation would stay with him a very long time.
Since Esgalmir had never been to the docks before, they moved closer so she could better observe the boat coming in and being unloaded. There were few passengers other than the visitors from Dale. King Darf was accompanying his daughter again, as was Gird, but once more Fritha had chosen to remain behind. She was now betrothed to the young nobleman from Lake-town, and was eagerly planning her wedding for later in the summer.
It took a while for Arawine to finish his enthusiastic greeting and allow Kata to take notice of anyone else. Introductions were made to Esgalmir, and then Kata was face to face with Theodred, eyeing him cautiously. That he was here with Arawine, and seeming as though nothing had ever happened must be considered a good sign, but she still was at a loss to know what to say or how to react to him.
Wanting to put her at ease, he made the first overture. Stepping forward, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her head, whispering, "I am so very sorry for hurting you, Kata. But I do wish you every happiness with Arawine. Please forgive me my foolishness."
She clung tightly to him, answering fervently, "Of course! You know I will always adore you, dearest Theodred!"
Arawine gave them a few moments, then shoved his face in between theirs and whispered loudly, "You two are not getting ideas about changing your minds again, are you?"
The three of them broke up laughing, and Theodred questioned Kata, "Why exactly was it you preferred him over me, if I may ask?"
xxxxx
The large party set out for Edoras in early April. Theodred was pleased that Freahelm had been able to clear Scildan of the breeding schedule so that he could use him for the trip home. He had not been looking forward to another mount for the journey, too accustomed to his familiar friend beneath him. Freahelm was remaining in the city, with mixed emotions. While he was pleased to stay with Belwen, and had responsibilities helping in the bakery and handling the breeding to Pyttewan, he was sorry to miss the opportunity to see his family.
One thing he did do, however, was make Theodred promise to stop in and check on Hyrde, Fetige and the children along the way, something Theodred was not at all reluctant to do, eager to see them again himself. And when the visit was actually made, Theodred could only shake his head with disbelief. It turned out his soft-hearted friend had seen to it that far more than a few goods to see the family through the winter made their way to the cottage door.
Freahelm had served in an eored in the Eastmark before embarking on these travels with Theodred, so he was well acquainted with quite a number of soldiers in various eoreds in that part of the country, including the one stationed at Aldburg. When the pair had returned there last November to pick up a few things, along with the sword, Freahelm had enlisted his friends to keep an eye on Hyrde's family, and had asked them to occasionally take needed items by to them, keeping a tally of any expenses and he would reimburse them the cost when next he saw them. Now it appeared the family had practically been adopted by the entire eored, who stopped by to check on them regularly and visit, bringing a deer on occasion, or a sack of flour, helping out where needed, and in general making it well known that they would be very displeased if any harm came to their friends. It was very unlikely Freahelm would ever be handed a tally of expenses for reimbursement. The lot of them were as tender-hearted as Freahelm was! And Theodred wrote the whole thing down before they moved on the next day.
Ah, but it was good to be home, truly home this time. A home where there was peace, and he was not at odds with his dearest friend. But oddly enough, this time, home felt different. Maybe he had changed after everything that had happened. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, this difference, but still, he was not quite so content here as he had always been before. It seemed there was more he had to do; there were places he needed to go – out there. In a strange sort of way, he almost felt as if he was back where he started two years ago, when he and Freahelm first rode out to have a look at Middle-earth. His life was still rather unsettled, though he supposed he had a little more direction to it now. He had thought he had found love, but discovered he had a lot of growing to do in that area. He had seen Middle-earth, but now he was realizing he hadn't really seen it very well at all, and needed to take a closer look. Nothing was the same, and nothing was as he had expected, and he had no idea where he was going, still.
But he did have a few definite ideas of what he wanted. He did want to tell these stories, even if only a few people heard them. He did want to write them, so they were not lost, even if no one read them. He did want to share his awe of history and people with others, and he would find some way to do that, whatever it took.
And he wanted...to find a way to free Esgalmir. She had helped him so very much, likely more than she knew, and he could never repay that. There was one thing he could think of that might – might – be something, but how to go about it without offending, or being inappropriate. Gondor society was so much trickier than here in Rohan. One could not simply do something nice for a friend, especially with her brother around. But he would have to find a way to make it work. She deserved his best effort, and now that he was home he had the perfect opportunity.
There was a rustle of fabric and he looked up, smiling at his mother. Lothiriel came to sit beside him, staring at the sunset from the bench in her garden. "It is good to have you home, dearest, and at peace."
He slid an arm around her waist and laid his head against hers. "It is wonderful, on both counts." For a moment, the two sat silently, and then he confided, "Mother, there is a woman in Gondor. Her name is Esgalmir and we became friends early on. I had occasion to tell her about the situation with Arawine and Kata. It was her – she did not tell me anything different than what you did, but somehow it made a difference all the same."
"Then I am glad you met her and told her your problem and, someday, I should like to meet her. Now, it is time for supper, and we are all eager to hear your tales of Gondor." Rising, they went inside, arm in arm.
TBC
6-21-06