So I know that I chose the book to base this story out of, but I just couldn't help myself with the scene where Eomer finds Eowyn on the battlefield from the extended edition of the films. That 15 second scene has a direct line to my heart strings, as does Pippin going in search of Merry. So I do apologize, this chapter is largely inspired by and uses events from the film rather than the book.


Slowly but surely, the sounds of battle beyond the walls began to dissipate and rumors had already begun to spread that a King had returned to the White City. Lothiriel was shocked, but she put her questions aside to focus on her duties. It was long and exhausting work, but the worst part was when someone was brought to her who was beyond care. All she could do was make them as comfortable as possible for their journey into the world beyond this one. Fear haunted the eyes of young men who had seen too much, and their sobs and screams would torment her. But she forced herself to remember that some of them would recover. Some of them would return home to their families - they would live, and that thought drove her to continue.

"Lothiriel!"

She was washing her hands after binding particularly gruesome cut and praying it wouldn't catch infection - if it did, the man's arm would have to be taken off - when she heard Pippin's voice calling her name. His eyes were wild with something - excitement, fear, she wasn't sure. "What are you doing here Pippin?" she asked, immediately scanning him for injuries. But he just shook his head. "Rohan came! They came, and Merry was with them when I left him, and he would refuse to be left behind when everyone went to fight. I need to find him, I need help to find him." the words tumbled out of his mouth so fast she barely caught all of them.

"I could find someone to he-" she began, but he shook his head.

"Will you help me, Lothiriel?" he asked, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "You're my friend, and I.. am terrified of what I might find." his voice dropped to barely more than a whisper. Lothiriel's heart broke for him, and she nodded.

"Of course. Let's go."

Pippin was quiet during their walk to the gate which now lay in shattered pieces around the courtyard. When they reached the archway, he slowly came to a stop. Gazing out over the destruction, he swallowed hard. Lothiriel knelt down so she was eye level with him. "It's going to be okay. We'll find Merry, I promise." she said with a smile. "You two will have so much to tell one another when we do." He stared back at her and for the first time since she had met him, there was no light of humor in his eyes. "What if we don't find him? Or worse.. What if we do, and he didn't survive?" he asked quietly. Lothiriel grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "We will find him, one way or another. He will be okay. And if he is not… I will be there with you." Pippin blinked back tears and nodded. She gave him one more reassuring squeeze before turning and beginning their search.

Hours passed, and they had found nothing. Others were searching among the warriors for survivors as well, but they were few and far between and no one was really paying attention to a healer and a hobbit picking their way through the wreckage. Every so often, Pippin would shout Merry's name and wait silently for an answer before deflating again and continuing to search. They worked their way slowly across the field, and Lothiriel was starting to feel the effects of her exhaustion when it happened. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, then pinched herself to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but nothing changed. There in front of her, just steps away, was the woman from her dream.


Even though he had been a pivotal part of the battle, Eomer couldn't quite believe his eyes as they worked through the carnage in search of survivors. The bodies seemed to go on for as far as the eye could see, and he felt a pang of sadness and guilt each time they found yet another of their companions lifeless on the field of a foreign land. He had known to expect it, of course, but it didn't lessen the blow. They were his people now, his responsibility.

King.

The word sat heavy on his chest. "I was never prepared for this." he thought grimly as he stepped over yet another orc and continued to search the faces of the fallen. "Surely this is all some sort of terrible dream.." but his thoughts were interrupted when his eyes fell on the body of a warrior a few paces ahead of him.

He knew her face better than anything on this sorrowful Arda; beautiful but fierce, and more peaceful now in death than he had ever seen it in life. He lurched forward, unceremoniously throwing his helmet and sword and falling at her side. It took a few moments to register that the anguished wail in his ears was his own. Sobs wracked his body as he cradled hers, cursing all the gods that are or were or will be. "She's gone… Joined Uncle and Theodred in the halls of our ancestors. Bema save me, for now… Now I am truly alone."

"Eomer!" shouted a voice. He barely perceived his own name, and could not bear to tear himself away from her yet. He could hear footsteps as someone ran towards him, eventually stopping at his side. A hand fell on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth kneeling beside him. The Prince's bright grey eyes fell to Eowyn, and a small cry of joy burst from his lips. "It is not time to despair, my friend. She's still alive." The prince pulled out a dagger and held it below her lips. Very faintly, Eomer could see traces of breath upon steel; tears stung his eyes once more, but this time out of pure relief. Imrahil called for someone out of his vision, and two people came running with a bier that Eowyn was lifted onto and borne away towards the city. Eomer watched after her, knowing that his duty as king was to stay, but his duty as a brother was to go. "How does anyone do this." he wondered, his heart feeling torn in two.

"Go with her, my friend." murmured Imrahil, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We can handle this." Eomer turned, and saw the faces of Eothain and Aragorn, who nodded in agreement. "She needs you now more than we do."


Lothiriel could hardly believe her eyes. The woman from her dreams lay before her, exactly as she had seen her. Not a single detail was out of place. Her head was reeling as she stumbled forward, and then it happened. From her right, she heard it. That piercing, anguished wail that haunted her so mercilessly. She turned sharply towards the source of the sound that she had searched for so many times in the darkness, and finally she found it.

Running at a dead sprint towards the woman on the ground was a tall Rohirric man. His armor was rich red and brown leather, and the white horsehair helmet that he carried at his side was carelessly cast aside as he ran. His long golden hair was a mess, sticking to his face and chaotically flying about in every direction. He collapsed next to the woman, picking her up and cradling her in his arms as sobs wracked his body. His head fell back and he howled at the sky.

She stayed to the side, watching the man cradling the woman whose face she knew so well, unable to move or speak. Her feet felt rooted to the ground. She watched his world seemingly fall apart, watched her father run in and show the man that she was still alive, and watched as the woman was placed onto a stretcher and carried towards the city while the man followed behind, and finally she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Lothiriel!" She whirled around and saw her father calling out to her. Her heart soared and she ran to him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Father! I'm so happy you're safe, I was so worried!" He smiled down at her. "Of course you were. But I am fine, and your brothers are too." She felt a weight roll off her shoulders at the mention of her brothers. "What are you doing out here?!" His tone was a bit scolding, but mostly curious and concerned.

She quickly filled him in on the events that lead to that strange moment, her friendship with Pippin and his plea for help which lead to her finding the woman from her nightmares instead.

"You dreamed of her?"

Lothiriel nodded. "For the past few weeks. It was always the same, and I heard that man's scream. I could barely believe it." She said quietly. Her father gazed at her for a few moments, but what was going on in his head was her guess. "Who are they? You seemed to know them."

Imrahil nodded. "The woman is Eowyn, the slayer of the Witch King." Her eyes widened as he continued. "The man you saw with her is her brother Eomer, King of Rohan." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She didn't know what she had expected to hear, but it certainly wasn't that.

"I would like to discuss this with you further father, but first I have to return to Pippin. He needs me now. I'll find you later?"

Imrahil nodded, wrapping her once again in a hug that she happily returned. "Be safe." He reminded her as she made her way back towards the hobbit still searching the field. As she helped him look, her mind kept returning to the woman from the dream, and the cry that had haunted her that belonged to a King.

Hours passed, and still there was no sign of Merry. Pippin's voice was growing hoarse from calling his name, and though Lothiriel would never admit it to him she felt her hope fading each time there was no response, each time they turned another face that didn't belong to his friend. But Pippin refused to give up, and she refused to leave him to finish this alone. She would be there with him at the end of this errand no matter the outcome, and so she soldiered on.

"He was always there for me." said Pippin after some silence. "I was the troublemaker, always getting us into some mischief or another. What a fool I was! But Merry was always there with me. He always went along with my shenanigans. He got us out of trouble more times than I could count. And if I can't find him…" his voice wobbled just a bit. "It means that I can't do the same." Tears spilled over his eyes and he cast his face downward. Lothiriel kneeled beside him and put an arm about his shoulders. But after a few moments, his sniffles stopped and he stood impossibly still with his gaze fixed upon an object on the ground. Lothiriel turned and searched the ground, and her eyes landed on a green grey cloak fastened with a leaf broach that matched the one Pippin wore.

"Pippin.." she said quietly as he staggered forward and clasped the cloth tightly. "Merry!" He shouted with renewed strength, and he was off again. Lothiriel followed closely behind him, shouting and calling for Merry as well. A large shadow loomed ahead of them, and Lothiriel squinted in the growing darkness trying to discern what it could be. As they approached it, she realized it was a felled Mumakil. "I never thought I would see one in my lifetime.. Even if it is dead. It's astonishing anyone could bring down something so large." she thought in awe.

"Merry!" Pippin screamed again, and after a pause there was a rustling from the base of the animal's body. Their heads snapped towards the sound, and Pippin took off running. "Oh Elbereth, please." breathed Lothiriel as she followed. She helped him push the body of a Haradrim soldier, and beneath there lay another hobbit. He looked remarkably like Pippin with his curls and short stature, but his face was hollow and his breathing shallow. "Merry!" cried Pippin, shaking him. His eyes fluttered open, and a small smile came to his face.

"I knew you'd find me."

Pippin was crying too much to answer.

"Are you going to leave me?" he asked quietly.

"No. I've brought someone to help you. You'll get to meet her properly when you're all better, but for now you need rest. You're safe Merry." he said through tears. Merry smiled at him once more, and closed his eyes again.

Lothiriel wiped her own tears from her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. "We have to bring him back to the city." she said. "There's nothing here I could use to make a stretcher, and it would be rather awkward anyway given our height difference and I couldn't drag it with all the obstacles.." she was speaking out loud but mostly to herself as she worked out the best course of action. She glanced down at him again, and back across the field. "It would be too dark by the time I got back to bring a party back out tonight, and I'm not confident I could find you again without light. I don't want to leave you out here until morning.. We could all stay here, but that would leave us in the same position come sunrise and Merry would be left without medical attention for longer. If we make a straight shot, we could make it back in a couple hours or so. I can carry him, I believe. It will be slow, but it will still be our fastest option." she concluded, turning to Pippin. He looked up at her, tears still in his eyes. "Thank you, Lothiriel." he said quietly.

Once they had situated Merry on her back, they began their slow journey back towards the gates of the city. In the end, it took them nearly four hours. Hobbits, as it turned out, are heavier than they look. But Lothiriel was determined, and though she had to rest quite a bit she pushed through. They walked in companionable silence, each taking comfort in the simple presence of the other. When they finally reached the gates, they were greeted by guards who brought a stretcher and whisked Merry away towards the Houses of Healing.

"I am coming with you." said Pippin stubbornly. Lothiriel once again knelt before him and clasped his hand in hers. "They will do everything that they can for Merry, and I will go assist them. You have everything you can possibly do for him, and you're no use to any of us if you can barely stand." He blinked at her slowly and wobbled just a bit, as if proving her point. "Get some rest. I promise I will send for you immediately if we need you." she reassured him. He gazed after Merry once more, before nodding slowly. He began to turn away before glancing over his shoulder. "Immediately?" he asked. "Immediately." she promised, before running after the stretcher.


When they returned to the Houses of Healing, they were directed to bring Merry to a cot in an adjoining room. Lothiriel followed the men carrying the hobbit and stopped dead in her tracks. There were two occupied cots in the room. Faramir inhabited the one furthest from her against the far wall, and in the middle was Eowyn. She stood agape in the doorway. There again was the woman from her dream, but no longer was she seemingly dead on a battlefield. Her breath came in short gasps, but she was alive! Lothiriel was still trying desperately to figure out what any of this could possibly mean when a voice spoke from behind her.

"Excuse me, my lady."

She turned and saw a still battle worn man with dark hair standing behind her. Behind him were a tall blond elf clad in green, and a gruff dwarf with kind eyes. "Apologies, my lord." she said and stood to the side. The man simply smiled at her as he passed, and as they entered she realized each of them was clad in the same grey green cloaks that Pippin and Merry had worn.

"My lord, I don't mean to overstep but your cloaks.. Are you part of the company that the hobbits Merry and Pippin travelled with?" she asked. The trio turned to gaze at her curiously. The man looked long at her before answering. "You seem to know them well." She shook her head. "Just Pippin. He came here with Mithrandir, which I am sure you already know if you are who I suspect. Our paths crossed by chance and he is a good friend. I helped him find Merry, lord. I simply wish to know if you are who I believe you to be so I may inform him you are here. He has spoken very highly of all of you and I am sure it would lift his spirits to know you are all well, and perhaps to see you."

The three companions laughed.

"Hobbits! What marvelous creatures." said the man. "We are indeed! I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Legolas, and Gimli."

"It's a pleasure, my lords. I am Lothiriel, daughter of Imrahil."

"Prince Imrahil? I did not think to look for a princess searching the battlefield or here with the sick." said Gimli, eyeing her curiously. "I'm just doing my part, my lord. I believe this was an all hands on deck situation." she replied, and Gimli laughed.

"I like ya, lass!"

"I would like the opportunity to speak further with you, Princess Lothiriel, but I have urgent matters to attend to with these three. When you see Pippin, please give him our regards and inform him we will see him when we can." said Aragorn, and Lothiriel nodded. "Of course."

"Oh, and one more thing." called Gimli as she opened the door. "There's a rather large Rohirric man out there who may be raving about our patient here. He's quite distraught, you see. If you see him, please keep him occupied and give him a check up. Allow our friend here to work in peace for a few moments!"

She smiled back at him. "Of course, Master Gimli." she said with a smile. Before she left, she caught a glimpse of Aragorn crushing some kind of herb and a sweet smelling scent filled the room. "Athelas." she realized when she shut the door. She had read about it in her studies, but very few used it anymore because it was most powerful in the hands of a king.

For the third time that day, Lothiriel was dumbstruck. "The hands of a healer." she whispered, and realized she had just met the lost King of Gondor. Lost in thought and trying to rationalize what had just transpired, she rounded a corner and ran straight into another person, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Are you alright?" came a deep voice. She nodded, and reached for the hand extended to help her up. "This was not how I thought this day was going to go." she thought as she stood and came face to face with the King of Rohan.