A/N: Seeing as how Freahelm isn't really in the next two chapters, and Tracey was rather put out with me for losing…er, misplacing him, I thought I ought to assure the rest of you that he is safe and well in Minas Tirith, and that Belwen is taking tender loving care of our dear boy! So there! (He will reappear.)
And in case you are desperately interested, Adventures of Theodred has become my longest posted story, beating out one of my Harry Potter stories for that distinction. (The HP story has more chapters but they are shorter.) Looks like this "story" will have 19 chapters before it "ends", and then it will become like the other Chronicles and have occasional references made as separate chronicles that use these characters. (Some are already in the works.) Chapters 17 and 18 are written; 19 is pending but should be ready very soon. This certainly turned into far more of an epic than I ever imagined or intended it to be…
The Adventures of Theodred, Son of Eomer
Chapter 17 (begins Aug, 45 IV)
He was watching her again. Kata had noticed Theodred's eyes upon her a great deal since they had departed Minas Tirith. At first, it had made her uneasy, and she had begun to wonder if he was truly reconciled to her love for Arawine, but as time went on, it was evident to her that he was not jealous of their love for one another. Something else was going on, and she began to observe him in return to determine what it might be.
Theodred had always been a young man given to much thought and contemplation, and so it was now. The question was, what occupied his thoughts so fully? Though he pursued his work and interviewed artisans, townspeople, her family and anyone else he could get to speak with him in Dale, still he watched her. What was he looking for? She began to think he struggled with something within himself, and was seeking answers to some question, but how she figured into it, she was not certain.
The longer they were in Dale, the more restless Theodred seemed to grow. He was not at peace here as he had been in the past. Whatever had caused him to make the sudden decision to join them on the journey north, he now appeared to regret. Even the satisfaction of his work could not appease him. She knew Arawine was aware of his twin's unease, but he seemed reluctant to intrude on his thoughts for some reason, perhaps thinking he no longer had the right. At length, Kata prevailed upon him to set aside his misgivings and trust his heart in the matter. Theodred needed a friend now.
"Hard at work, I see!"
Arawine's voice penetrated Theodred's reverie and he blinked, coming out of his fog. He was sitting in the gazebo, looking out over the valley in Dale, though he wasn't sure how long he had been lost in contemplation.
He gave his nephew a weak smile. "All work begins with thought, does it not?"
Arawine raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Nice try! Am I supposed to believe that?"
Theodred shrugged, and turned his head to stare over the valley once more, giving a sigh.
Taking a seat beside his uncle, Arawine was silent a moment, then nudged Theodred's shoulder with his own. "Talk to me, Theo. I am still your twin. That has not changed, you know."
Theodred shook his head slightly, uncertain what to say or how to begin, but Arawine knew to just wait. Finally he ventured, "I thought it was the same, that I was making the same mistakes, and I did not want to do that to her. It would be so much worse this time. But it is not the same. Much as I enjoyed being with Kata, it was never like this. What I am feeling...it hurts to be away from her. When I am with her, I can scarce breathe it is so wondrous. When she touches me, I am calm and sure and confident. When she is with me, I know I can do anything." He turned to look penetratingly at Arawine. "Is that love?"
Arawine nodded, tears filling his eyes. "Yes."
Theodred grinned, a new understanding dawning on his face.
"Esgalmir?"
Theodred's head jerked in surprise at the question, then he laughed. "Yes. That obvious?"
"Yes!"
A solemn look fell on Theodred's face. "May I borrow an escort back to Minas Tirith? I think I am ready to tell her how I feel." He met his nephew's eyes steadily.
Arawine nodded. "Name the date and they will be ready to ride. And, Theo – do not worry. I very much suspect the lady will be agreeable to the idea!"
Theodred returned his grin, but he was not so assured as he seemed. Esgalmir had always been friendly and kind, but he was not so certain her regard went deeper than that. It was possible she might accept his suit for purely practical reasons, without loving him, though he would wish for her love. He shoved the thought aside. He could only wait and see what her response was, and hope for the best.
xx
The White Tower of Ecthelion gleamed in the September sunlight. For several moments, Theodred just sat staring at it.
"Sir?" the head of the escort inquired, uncertain why they were pausing.
Pulling himself from his reverie, Theodred nodded. "Ride on."
He still was not sure what to say to her, or how to say it, but he would have to find a way, and no matter what, he was going to give her that mare and teach her to ride, so that she would have some freedom. Even if she did not want him, she deserved more than the caged existence to which her brother wanted to relegate her.
Once they had entered the city, Theodred saw that Arawine's men were quartered until his nephew arrived from Dale, and then headed for the Steward's residence. None of the family or Freahelm was there when he put in appearance, so he indulged in a hot bath to wash off the dust of the road.
Afterwards, he found himself restless and unable to light in one place for any length of time. He couldn't decide if he wanted someone to come home so he could talk to them, or wished to avoid conversation. Abruptly, his jaw set, he carefully dressed in some of his finer clothing and struck out for the fourth level. From the street, he could see through the window that Anbarad was in the shop today – a rare occurrence. Perhaps all the better.
Striding purposefully inside, he greeted Esgalmir cheerfully, "Lady Esgalmir! So good to see you."
"Lord Theodred! Welcome back! How was your visit to Dale?" Though her words were cordial and polite, her eyes were warm and pleased to see him.
Rather rudely, Anbarad interrupted, "Lord Theodred! Welcome! What can we do for you today?"
Barely sparing him a glance, Theodred returned his attention to Esgalmir. "Oh, I am certain Esgalmir knows how to take care of me. She is always most particular in seeing to my needs."
The warmth in his voice elicted a hint of blush in her cheeks, and Esgalmir turned quickly away before her brother noticed. Hastily retrieving a box of paper and some pens, she set them on the counter, flitting a glance at Theodred then away as she asked, "Will there be anything else today, my lord?"
"Yes," he said, stepping to the counter, and laying a hand on top of hers. "I wish you to come riding with me. Can you spare an hour or so tomorrow morning?"
"Riding! Do not be ridiculous!" Anbarad exclaimed. "My sister cannot ride. She is a cripple!"
Theodred turned with a glare, as Esgalmir's face flamed. "Are you always so ill-mannered, sir?"
Anbarad was at a complete loss for words, to be spoken to so, but considering this was the son of a king, he was not about to argue. "Forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to be so." he said stiffly.
Turning his back on Anbarad, Theodred focused on Esgalmir once more and said gently, "I have a special mare I brought from Rohan just for you. I assure you that you will be quite safe. You can ride, Esgalmir. Your leg will not be an impediment. Please come with me. Your brother does not mind, do you, Anbarad?" He turned a challenging eye on the other man, making it plain he expected the correct answer.
"No, of course not, my lord."
"Excellent. I will come by the house for you at eight. If you do not have a split skirt, then wear the fullest skirt you do have. I will see you then." With that, he raised her hand, kissed it tenderly, picked up his purchases and left. Both Anbarad and Esgalmir were quite stunned by what had just happened, though for very different reasons.
Finally, Anbarad stammered, "What was that all about?" He stared demandingly at his sister.
Recovering her composure, Esgalmir busied herself straightening the display shelves. Mildly she responded, "You must understand, Anbarad, the Rohirrim put great store in their horses to cure all ills. I am sure Lord Theodred believes he is being very kind with this gesture. I would not wish to offend him with a refusal. Let us go along with it for a while. In time, perhaps he will see that it is hopeless and not be so insistent."
Her brother eyed her back speculatively, but apparently accepted her explanation of the matter. "Very well. Just do not do anything to embarrass me," he reiterated.
"I would not dream of it," she answered, disguising the sarcastic tone in her voice.
Turning on his heel, he was quickly out the door, and she was left to her own thoughts and her own roiling emotions about what had just taken place. Theodred had never behaved so with her before, at least never so publicly. True, he was that easy with her when they were somewhat alone, such as at dinner, but to do so in the shop and in front of her brother was most unusual. She could not imagine what had gotten into him. Well, perhaps she would find out tomorrow morning. At the very least, it had been amusing to see her brother set down a notch!
xx
True to his word, Theodred put in appearance directly at eight, and though Anbarad would have ensnared him with conversation, he wasted no time in whisking Esgalmir away, claiming he wished to get started before the day got warm. They strolled in companionable silence toward the sixth level, but Esgalmir was on edge. Though she was certain he meant well by this, horses made her nervous. Their size was intimidating, and she did not move quickly enough to feel safe around them.
Subconsciously, her arm tightened its grip on Theodred's as they drew near the stables, and he glanced down at her. Seeming to sense her tension, he came to a stop and turned to face her, taking both her hands in his and looking straight into her eyes. "Trust me, Esgalmir. I will not let you get hurt. Rohirric horses are different than others, and this mare has been especially trained just for you by my brother. Once you have learned to ride, then you will not be so restricted in where you may go and what you may do. And you will not be confined by these city walls," he murmured.
She inhaled slightly at his words, surprised that he remembered her comment of months ago. Hesitantly, she replied, "I do trust you, Theodred."
Before she could say more, he grinned and tucked her hand around his arm again, moving them into the barn. "Good! Then come meet Aenlic!"
The stable was dark compared to the bright morning sunlight, and full of smells that Esgalmir did not recognize. Theodred led her confidently down the center corridor, and other than mild glances of curiosity, the stable hands paid her little mind.
Near the end, a pretty light gray mare poked her head over the stall door and whickered a greeting at them, apparently recognizing Theodred. Nervously, Esgalmir eyed the creature, relieved that she was much smaller than many of the horses she had seen previously, and appeared to be quite tame.
"This is Aenlic," Theodred introduced, reaching to rub behind the mare's ears and being rewarded with her leaning appreciatively into his hand.
Trying to quell her nerves, Esgalmir asked, "Aenlic – does that mean something?"
"Yes, it means 'unique'. And she is, like her new owner," he informed her with a grin, engendering a blush. "Further, you may well be one of the very few people who may say you have a horse especially trained for you by the heir to the throne of Rohan!"
Esgalmir's brow knit in consternation, and she asked, "Surely you do not mean…"
"Yes, my brother, Elfwine, trained her. I am good with horses, but nothing like he is."
"Theodred, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and it was very kind of your brother to do this but, truly, I think you expect too much. My leg will not allow me to ride a horse."
"Your leg allows you to walk, so it will allow you to ride. There should be no difference. Aenlic will adjust to any stiffness, and learn to work with you. Trust me, Esgalmir. This is possible."
"But my foot turns inward. It will dig into her side and–"
"And she will get used to it. If it is too pronounced, we can fix a stirrup to help prevent it from bothering her. Do not worry. I will not let this fail."
His hand came up and, for just an instant, she thought he was going to stroke her head but, instead, he let it rest on her shoulder. Then, turning her, he took her right hand and stretched it out to Aenlic's neck. Though he could feel the tension in her arm, he persisted, whispering, "Relax. She will not hurt you. She is gentle as a lamb."
Leaning back into him, she let him guide her at will, and he moved her hand to the mare's neck. Slowly he steered her palm in strokes along the length of it. She was surprised at the silky softness of it. After a moment, he pressed her forward a step so she was slightly closer, and her hand slid back and up along the withers, toward the dip of the mare's back, then down along her side. Apparently it tickled slightly for the horse's skin twitched, and Esgalmir recoiled quickly in surprise, but when nothing else happened, she giggled nervously and allowed Theodred to return her hand to the exploration. Back along the horse's flank and down the haunches to the hock; then he had her grasp the rough fibers of the tail and her brow knit as she rubbed it between her fingers in fascination.
Moving her back to the front of the stall as Aenlic stood patiently on three legs, with the fourth cocked casually, Theodred led Esgalmir to look in the mare's eyes. "Hold out your hand, palm up."
Esgalmir tensed again, but Theodred slid his own hand along her arm to cup her hand with his own. "Do not be afraid. With most horses, you should be careful not to get your fingers near their mouths as they may confuse them with food. Rohirric horses are smarter than that, and they know the difference. They will only bite you if they have good reason to, not because they are confused."
As he spoke, Aenlic was moving her muzzle lightly over Esgalmir's palm, tickling it slightly, and then she began to lick it slowly.
With a giggle, Esgalmir tried to draw her hand away, but Theodred held it in place. "It is all right. She is just tasting the salt on your hand."
After a moment more, he wiped her hand dry on his breeches, then brushed her hand against Aenlic's nose, and Esgalmir gave a gasp. "It is so soft!"
"Yes. It is the softest part on her. Ladies seem to be quite fond of stroking their horse's noses for just that reason." As Esgalmir continued to do just that, he asked, "Are you beginning to feel more comfortable with her now?"
"I am," she admitted. "She is not nearly so fearsome as I imagined."
Without warning, he caught her by the waist and swung her up on Aenlic's bare back. The mare never moved, but Esgalmir let out a small shriek, and grabbed frantically for the horse's mane. "Theodred! What are you doing?"
Moving in close by her left leg, and keeping a firm grip on her, he said, "I did not want to give you time to think of all the reasons why you could not or should not do this. See, it is not so hard a thing. She has barely noticed you are there. You have not fallen immediately off. Your leg has not caused her to become alarmed and throw you."
"Yes," she replied tersely, "but we have not moved, either."
He grinned reassuringly at her. "We will save that for another day, but it will not matter. You are safe with Aenlic, and with me, Esgalmir. And soon you will know the freedom that riding affords."
"May I get down now?" she asked nervously.
"No," he laughed. "If I let you down, you will just want to go work in the shop. As long as I keep you up there, you are my captive, and I get to spend time with you!"
Aenlic was becoming curious as to what these two were about, and turned to investigate, mouthing at Esgalmir's skirt. With a gasp, Esgalmir tried to pull away from her, but was afraid to move very much for fear of falling off.
"Sit still. She will not hurt you. She is just being inquisitive. She is trying to figure out what you are doing. Just give her a pat on the neck to reassure her."
Hesitantly Esgalmir followed his instructions, and Aenlic accepted the gesture, then began to turn slowly around. Esgalmir let out another gasp, but Theodred just kept a firm hand on her waist and said quietly, "Be calm. She is just going to her hayrack. Grip lightly with your legs, and hold on to her mane. And I have hold of you, also. You will not fall."
Sure enough, the turn was safely negotiated, as the mare moved to the hay. Though it was lost on Esgalmir, Theodred knew Aenlic had moved carefully, likely sensing her rider was unsteady and would be unseated by any sudden motions.
After a few more minutes, as Theodred finally felt Esgalmir relaxing under his hand, he lifted her down, and smoothed her dress. "Was that truly so terrible?" he asked gently.
"No, I suppose not," she confessed. Without thinking about it, she leaned back against the mare. Lowering her eyes, she asked, "When will we come again?"
"Day after tomorrow. I am not sure I should press my luck with your brother. Now then, it has not been nearly long enough, and I know a bakery that makes wonderful cinnamon rolls, so I think I should treat you to one before I take you home to wash. No doubt your brother will not want you working in the shop smelling of horses!"
TBC
6-28-06