A/N: I'm taking liberties with the books and the movies to make this work to my advantage in telling this story. So I'm cherry picking details from both. Just wanted to clarify.

Chapter 10

"I like to pretend that everything's alright. Because when everyone else thinks you're fine, sometimes you forget for awhile that you're not." - Unknown

Eomer followed his sister back through the main doors of the hall as Vanesse and I corralled the orphans through a different entrance, supplied with food, water, and cots for sleeping. We managed to find seven in a corner for our rather large group. Vanesse went to the supplies to gather a reasonable dinner for us. While I was hungry the children seemed to be vamished as they scarfed down their food. Only Lia seemed to pick at her meal. I looked down at my own portion. Raw carrots, some kind of cold game, hard bread, and a handful of cherry tomatoes and grapes. Man, I could have made one hell of a stew for the kids if I had a pot. I felt terrible that the only thing they had eaten in days was cold and dried travel provisions. They needed a hot meal.

Fion practically tore his appart when Vanesse handed it to him. "Careful. You'll give yourself a stomach ache," I said.

"I'll be fine," he said through a mouth of carrot and tomato.

"Will you go see Lord Eomer?' Vanesse asked, sitting down beside me.

"He said he would find me. I'll wait for him here."

"I think Mallory likes Lord Eomer," Mariel said, taking a bite of the game.

"Maybe he likes you enough to Let you ride on his horse tomorrow instead of walk," Tara said. "Riding would be much nicer than walking."

I didn't know what to say. They were just kids, after all.

"Hush, the both of you," Vanesse said. "Fill your stomachs while you can."

I nodded thanks to her and she smiled, starting on her own plate of food.

My portion left me full, but unsatisfied. No doubt the kids were feeling the same way. I thought they would want some playtime before bed, but they were too tired. Everyone but Lia finished their food and almost immediately crawled into their cots and drifted off to sleep. Lia continued to eat her food slowly and pulled out her knitting when finished, as usual. "Who taught you to knit?" I asked her, sitting down beside her on her cot.

"My grandmother," she said. "My mama was always off with the eoreds. Grandmother died a few weeks before Mama. She was out tending to chickens and got a pain in her chest. She was gone the next morning."

The way she talked about it was strange. Her knitting never stopped, her tiny fingers moving through the yarn and wooden needles like clockwork.

"Do you miss them?"

"Yes, but they are with Bema now. That is what my uncle told me. He is a rider, like Mama. He couldn't take care of me, though. He was taken to Theodred Prince's eored to help fight the Orcs"

"It's alright to be sad about it," I said, echoing what I had said to Eomer moments ago.

"About what?" she asked.

"Everything. Your grandmother, your mama, even your uncle living so far away."

"You are very sad, Mallory," she said, never looking up from her needles. "Arton, Tara, and Mariel notice. Fion and I notice. Even Vanesse notices. And you are not happy. What good is being sad all of the time if I look like you do?"

Damn, that hurt. It hadn't even occurred to me that the children noticed anything about me. I didn't know how to respond to this perceptive, quiet girl. So I just patted her shoulder. "You should get to bed. The next few days will be full of more travel. You'll need your strength."

"I have strength, Mallory. My mama gave it to me."

Eomer never came. By the time Lia and Vanesse were asleep with the rest of the group, the whole of the room was in their cots with their eyes closed all around me. I wanted desperately to join them. I was exhausted. My feet ached from walking thirty miles over two days in these archless boots. But I wanted to see Eomer. I had so many questions about what was going on that I couldn't ask Elfhelm on the road. But more importantly, I wanted to make sure he was okay. Everyone in this world was so used to death. I had learned that the hard way after Eothain's passing and now I was learning that through Lia and Eomer. But that didn't mean he wasn't hurting. That he wasn't' in pain. He was there for me when I was mourning and I wanted to be there for him.

Someone had left a door ajar on the other side of the room. I could see a staircase from the light of a torch through the doorway. I wondered if it would lead me to him.

I tiptoed over the sleeping mothers and children and made my way over to that staircase. It was lit all the way to the top with small torches and eventually reached a door. I expected it to be locked, like most of the doors in Aldburg's barracks, but it wasn't. I creaked loudly open and led into a hallway. I shut it behind me and continued my stroll. It became apparent quickly that Meduseld was very, very big. Bigger than I was expecting. There were dozens of doors that led to who knows where. At least it was consistently well lit. I decided to attempt to make my way to the front door. That was the last place I had seen Eomer. It seemed like a good place to start.

It never occurred to me that I might get caught doing something I wasn't supposed to. I clearly wasn't a prisoner. And if anything did happen, I'm sure Eomer would be made aware and would vouch for me.

Eventually I reached a large door that was cracked, a large amount of torchlight coming out of the room into my hallway. I walked up to the door and peeked in.

It looked like what I imagined a throne room would look like. There was a large, wooden chair with a smaller one beside it, elevated by a small set of stairs. The larger one was cushioned in red plush and painted gold. There were large iron chandeliers hung by chains from the rafters in the ceiling, the candles they held all still lit though it was so late at night. The green and white banners of Rohan hung in abundance. Tapestries depicting events I had no clue of decorated every inch of the wooden walls. The large room was supported by giant, grand decorated pillars with horses carved into the wood. It was spectacular and by far, the most grand structure I had seen since arriving in this land.

There was some commotion. A group of men stood around a table in the center of the room and it was the strangest group I had ever seen.

The first man was old. Like really old. His stark white beard hung as long as his hair, past his waist. His face was wrinkled in years and years of life. Even from this crack in the door, I could see his bright blue eyes twinkling. They were kind, but also hard. These eyes had seen things I could never even imagine.

The one dressed mostly in black had hair and a beard just as dark as his clothes. A sword was strung at his hip and I could also see a knife strapped to the same belt. His clothes seemed light, made for easy travel. Nothing like the heavy Rohirric armor I had become so accustomed to.

One had hair almost as long as the old man. But while the old man's was white, this hair seemed to shine like silver. In fact, the whole of this creature seemed to shine with some kind of aura. And I say creature because he wasn't a man. I could see his ears, pointed sharply at their tips. This was and Elf.

The shortest was just that, short. A large ax was strapped to the back of his stout body. His head, covered in thick auburn hair and beard, came just up to the Elf's waist.

Eomer was there, but beside him, there was an older Rohir, with the same blond hair and hard features these people shared. But standing beside Eomer, I was able to place who this man could be. He had to have been Eomer's uncle, King Theoden. They shared the same green eyes, bold nose, and hard jawline. Eomer had told me his uncle was in poor health and was quite frail. But this man was not. He was strong.

"The men of Dunland attack fiercely across the borders," Theoden was saying. "Saruman's Orcs break the Gap too easily. This retreat is necessary to prevent further death to my people."

"I worry about the travel," the man in black said. "Three thousand Rohirrim crossing the plains on foot. And that is before they even reach Helm's Dike. Most of them women and children. Many elders."

"Last I checked," the king said. "Theoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan. I know my people. I know their strengths. Their willingness and determination. I do not need a Ranger from the North giving me instruction on how to lead them. Behind the Deeping Wall of the Hornburg, we will outlast Saruman's attacks."

"You have already been fooled by Saruman once, my lord," the old man dressed in white said. "If this is what you deem necessary, then we will support your measures. I only ask you do not underestimate him a second time."

"What are you doing here?" a voice whispered behind me.

It took everything I had not to scream out loud. I jumped away from the door and nearly out of my skin, clutching my chest.

"Eowyn?" I asked, doing my best to slow my breathing.

She didn't respond. She just grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the door, back down the hallway I had come from. "You are supposed to be in the lowest level of Meduseld," she snapped.

"I was looking for Eomer."

"He is occupied. Surely you must have known he would be busy."

She looked pissed. Her beautiful hair was tied behind her in braids and she wore a light sleeping gown. Like Eomer, she also looked like she hadn't slept in weeks, and her grey eyes were poking daggers right into my own.

"I should get back downstairs," I muttered, lifting my skirt and turning around, but she stopped me, grabbing my arm and pulling me back toward her.

"There are rules here," she said. "Rules you must follow outside of your safe haven of Aldburg. Eomer doesn't need you temping him during this time of war. Your little games will have to until this war is over."

"Little games? You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, don't I?" she said, her voice rising. "A lost abandoned traveler on the plains seeking refuge and shelter. And who better to provide than the king's nephew himself while you pour over his maps, eat his food, and sleep in his barracks?"

"Eomer took me in only after the woman who agreed to house me went back on that kindness. You think I want to be here? I would be happy to go back to my home, but if you know as much about me as you say you do, then I think we both know it's not that simple."

"Oh yes. A home far from this land. Perhaps not even of this land. Such things do not exist. You may have fooled Eomer with your doe-eyes and helpless nature, but I am no fool, Mallory Gilmore."

"I don't think you're a fool, Lady Eowyn. But in meeting you now, I do know one thing. You are scared. Probably more scared than me. And why that would be when you've been safe here inside this palace is unclear to me, but-,"

"How dare you," she said, her tall form towering over me. "You know nothing of what this war has done to me. The vileness I have suffered personally by the hands of Saruman and his henchman. Nothing you would ever have to experience with Eomer protecting you in Aldburg."

"Eowyn!" a voice shouted from down the hall.

"Eomer," she said, backing away from me. "Your friend left the guest quarters-"

"I was looking for you," I said, cutting her off before she said something to taint me. "I wasn't doing anything wrong."

"This council was going late into the night. I thought you would fall asleep. I planned to find you in the morning."

"Uncle has only just been freed from Saruman's hold," Eowyn said. "Anyone roaming his halls in the dead of night is suspicious."

"Do you really think I would let Mallory sleep in my home if I thought she was capable of something so evil, Eowyn? Come, Mallory. I will walk you back to the lower level. It is late, Eowyn. I wish for you to be awake in the morning to farewell you when we depart."

"Eomer-"

"To bed, Eowyn. Leave this for the morning, I beg you."

And with that, she left us alone.

"I didn't mean to cause suspicion," I said quickly. "I was just worried when you didn't show up."

"This war occupies most of my time, I'm afraid," he said as he began leading me through the halls. "But I'm afraid Eowyn is right. Wandering Meduseld at night is not the wisest of choices at this time. My sister is right to be cautious."

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Most, I'm afraid. We could hear her in the throne room. I left to see what was going on."

"I can find my own way back if you need to be there," I said.

He shook his head. "I would much rather help you than be back there."

"Who were those people?" I asked "They're not Rohirrim."

"Three of them form a band of travelers. The Dwarf, the Elf, and the Ranger. I met them a few days prior on the road looking for their lost friends. I believe them to be trustworthy and assets to Rohan in the war."

"And the old guy with the long hair?"

Eomer shook his head. "I think we should leave this until morning, Mallory."

"You said you would rather be with me than back in that room. Why put it off until tomorrow?"

He sighed. "That is Gandalf Greyhelm. The Wizard Eothain once spoke to you of."

I stopped walking. "The Wizard you told me was not welcome in the Mark? The one who had been banned from you uncle's halls? These halls?"

"It is not that simple. I am learning that things in this war will never be that simple."

"I want to talk to him," I said, turning around, but Eomer grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back to him.

"I will help you, Mallory. I have promised this and will never go back on that promise. But Gandalf is best left at the side of my uncle. I will get you home and get you his help if you need it, but you do not at this time. Right now, Gandalf must help my uncle. He is the best chance to persuade him against these ridiculous travels. There will be plenty of time for you to speak with him tomorrow."

I had no rational argument against that. Of course Eomer would choose to help his people as a priority over me.

"We should get you to bed, Mallory," he said, grabbing my hand and continuing the walk down the long dark hallway. And I let him hold my hand until we reached the staircase. And I went to bed, wondering what would happen tomorrow.