The days seemed to pass in a blur before Aedre's eyes, she was cleaned properly by Anborn's servants, her hair cut and removed of the mats that clung to the ends and washed in sweet scented oils leaving shoulder length golden brown hair that felt soft to her touch. Her face and body were finally free from all dirt, revealing many different raised white scars across her back, stomach, arms and thighs; some thin and long caused by lashings, others wide and ragged from daggers, swords or fingernails. Both her hands bore the signs of burns, the skin was mottled and rough on both back and palm. Her cheeks bore long lighter scars that could be fully seen in daylight or strong candlelight, the effect was disquieting.

Anborn sat upon a wooden chair reading softly to her as he sometimes did, hoping that the sound of words would help her learn or remember. She seemed to like the sound of his voice and listened transfixed as he read aloud, whether she understood anything he said was another matter. His wife, Mayda, kept insisting that the girl was a simpleton and would never be able to speak or understand, but then his wife held low opinions of anyone she believed inferior to herself. Happily Mayda avoided anything to do with Aedre's keep and acted as if the girl did not even exist.

Aedre had shown herself to be a quick learner when it came to chores and she mastered tasks with relative ease, a throwback to living with the Orcs Anborn suspected - slowness, he felt sure, had not been tolerated. Her reactions to her new surroundings had been cautious, fearful, and ignorant of any kindness. It had taken Anborn two weeks to finally convince her to sleep in a soft bed instead of under it upon the cold floor and more lessons awaited to be learnt, how to use a spoon, dress herself, wash… It was as if she were a child within a woman's body and everything had to be taught carefully and patiently… but sometimes, if Anborn ever looked deeply into her eyes, he could have sworn he saw a small spark of intelligence she held concealed within, just waiting to be awakened.

He glanced up from the book, his voice trailing soothingly off at the last word. He became silent and turned his attention to her, she had been in his household just over two months and she was slowly but surely gaining weight from three large meals a day. Her hands, one still bandaged, lay leisurely in her lap and her dress was of simple dark blue woolen cloth. His eyes lingered a moment over her face, he could not deny that despite all the scars, or even perhaps because of them, she was beautiful; not to many eyes that was true but to his she was a beauty or more rightly could have been. Her eyes which now watched him in questioning innocence were of a soft brown that when the candlelight was upon them seemed to glow, her lips were full and rose coloured, her teeth once brown and stained were cleaned as best they could be and well placed, her face was heart shaped, her nose, small and slightly upturned at the tip.

He rose from his seat slowly, the book closing as he regained his feet. At his movement she flinched, though she had not been mistreated while with him, her nervous nature had not changed and she would rarely allow any of the women of the house to touch her. Anborn she tolerated if he wished to lead her somewhere, but any sudden movements resulted in wide eyes and the poor girl crouching into as small a ball as she could manage.

Anborn smiled at her wanly and she relaxed back into her sitting position, her hands once more finding her lap. He studied the girl one last time before leaving her chamber, closing the heavy door behind him and finding his pipe, he quickly lit it and puffed thoughtfully for a moment. Over the last few weeks he had become glaringly aware that she could no longer stay with him, he had always been a loyal and faithful man, his mind always upon duty and the right path but this girl distracted him, for what reason he could not understand. He had found himself longing to spend time with her, longing to teach her and watch her grow and develop her own mannerisms. It had seemed harmless at first, a kind man's dream of helping a wretched creature but now he imagined her welcoming him into her bed late in the depths of night, thought of touching her skin when it was his wife he caressed, fantasized that the first word she would utter would be his name in the throes of a passionate entanglement… No, she could not stay, nor did he want her to stay in Minas Tirith if he could find a way, he wanted no temptation to visit her or see her at his whim.

A loud knock upon the door sounded, shaking him from his disturbing thoughts, one of his serving women bustled past him, opening the door to an unexpected but welcome guest.

"My Lord Faramir!" Anborn boomed at the sight of the striking looking man that was led into his house. He placed a hand upon the younger man's shoulder in a gesture of friendship.

"Anborn my friend" Faramir said warmly, brushing his light red hair from his eyes. "It is good to see you and that you are unharmed after your hunt for the Orcs."

"Thank you my Lord, I wanted to await your return to the White City before discussing the mission in full, you may now be the Prince of Ithilien and Steward of Gondor, but you shall always be my Captain."

Faramir smiled warmly, "And you shall always be a good friend." The two men laughed and took seats beside the fire.

"Tell me of the Orcs" Faramir asked, gladly taking the glass of Mead his host offered.

"There were no more than twenty of them, deserters most likely, though from where I cannot say." He paused, taking a small puff upon his pipe. "We tracked them for many weeks, always arriving too late to corner them, they moved fast, hard and in circles, hiding out in remote caves, leaving few if any tracks."

Faramir nodded. "It has long since been rumored that such bands have terrorized Gondor and the borders of Rohan, finally they have been stopped." He glanced at the fire. "Few of the filthy brood remain in man's realm since the end of the war, perhaps one day we shall drive them from our lands for good."

Anborn smiled weakly. "Perhaps my Lord we shall do just that." He paused again. "It saddens me to think that many villages and lives could have been saved if only your father had reacted to his people's cries, the cost of lives will never be fully known, the years are too many."

Faramir's eyes became downcast, his look slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry my Lord," Anborn said quickly, "I spoke too harshly, forgive me."

"No, Anborn, I know your words to be the truth, you are an honest man and I know my father's failings sit heavily upon Gondor's shoulders… better than anyone." Faramir glanced at the fire, his eyes glazing over.

"Your father did not always have his sight veiled by dark clouds, once he was a great man, it is best to linger upon such fairer thoughts."

Faramir nodded, becoming silent before seeming to shake himself out of the depths of a best forgotten memory.

"I have heard rumor that you found a woman among them, wild and Orcish they say." Faramir's eyes glinted with curiosity.

Anborn gave a gruff laugh. "You have not been in the city more than a day and rumors already whisper in your ear." He puffed once again on his pipe before relenting to Faramir's inquiring expression. "Yes, we came across a captive, a young woman… It appears she has lived with the Orcs most of her life, they starved and beat her but she seems strong and still yet gains in strength." He hesitated, "I hear that you will again ride from Minas Tirith to visit your wife's brother, Éomer King, in Edoras."

Faramir furrowed his brow in question. "Yes, I will be here for no more than a week, Lady Éowyn wanted to ride but she is too full with our child that it would not be wise." He paused, studying the older man's features. "I know you too well Anborn, something troubles you."

Anborn's gaze flicked to the door that led to Aedre before looking back at Faramir. "I would ask of you a great favor."

"If it is in my power you shall have it." Faramir placed his drink to one side committing his full attention upon his friend.

"I would ask that you take the woman, Aedre is her name, with you to Rohan…" He hesitated, trying to find an explanation for such a request. "H-here, the rumors prevent her from having any kind of life; perhaps in Edoras she will find some peace among the kind and welcoming people." His stuttered words fell short of any conviction. "Perhaps you can present her as a gift from myself to Éomer king."

Faramir eyed him suspiciously. "Is she too wild for you to handle? I cannot lay such a burden at my brother's feet, his reign is already full of rebuilding and hunger, I would not give him cause for more troubles."

"No, she is timid, shy and afraid but not wild; she will do as she is bidden if she is shown what she is to do." He again glanced at the door. "She is a hard worker and will serve his house well… I, I just want her to be placed somewhere hunger and abuse will not touch her again, in a king's hall seems safest."

Faramir still eyed him warily, "Show her to me and I shall decide."

Anborn rose from his seat and led Faramir to the bolted wooden door; he opened it carefully, revealing the small room beyond where Aedre still sat quietly upon the bed. She started as the door opened, her eyes once more becoming wide with fear but she sensed no direct threat, so did not move from her place, her gaze taking in the new man that stood beside Anborn as if weighing the scales inside her mind to see if he could become a threat. Faramir let his eyes take in the bandaged hand, the light scars upon her face and his heart felt pity. She may once have been a great lady if life had taken her down another path, beauty lay just out of reach behind all the flaws and years of ill treatment, yet seeing the scrawny thing sat timidly watching them he understood from his friend's careless looks that his reason for wanting her from his dwelling had little to do with her wellbeing.

Finally Faramir nodded. "I shall take her with me, but she seems too fearful of others for the time being, ride with us to comfort her."

Anborn smiled lightly, the weight of her burden lifting from him.

---

The week quickly passed and they began to ride the long journey towards Rohan and Edoras. The ride was hard and Aedre found the best way to deal with such things was to sleep all she could. Nestled against Anborn's broad chest she sometimes felt safe, a strange and contented feeling that she wished would not leave her. The long time she had spent by Anborn not once had he raised his voice or struck her, she had begun to feel a sense of warmness that she could not remember feeling before, but it made her want his presence, wish that she could depart her thoughts to him but her voice could not be found and so she could tell him nothing of how grateful she felt.

It was many long days of riding by day and camping by night until the party of fifteen men and one woman had their first look at Edoras. The city was enclosed by tall wooden fencing; thatched roofed dwellings led up a high rocky hill, a large hall at the very peak.

By nightfall Anborn and Faramir had entered the gates of the city and made their way up to the great hall, their men following in tow. They quickly stabled their horses and Anborn helped a sleepy Aedre from the saddle, she rubbed her eyes dispelling some of the journey's tiredness and looked at the large building before them. Steps led up to a great wide stone platform where archways of beautifully carved wooden pillars decorated in knotted gold leaf led the way to the grand doors. In the dim light of torches held in brackets, the full sense of the elaborately carved entrance featuring reliefs of horses was displayed in all its awe-inspiring glory. Above this Aedre could make out an immense thatched roof, the sight instantly reminding her of fires burning brightly around her as screams filled the air. She had always been awed by just how fast such homes burnt and her entertainment, as the witness of such rampages the Orcs had taken her on, had been to watch the flames licking and devouring, their dance almost making them seem like hungry creatures…

"Come Aedre." Anborn's voice brought her back to the present and he began to lead her up the stone stairs until they reached the terrace and great wooden doors. Many men stood guard along the platform, elite warriors dressed in fine armor, long green woolen capes and helms with the visors cut away around the eyes to aid the wearer's sight, a mane of horse hair flowed from a crest that crowned the top of the helms. Each man held a long spear and a circular shield decorated with a golden symbol of the sun. Two more men, similarly dressed, stood either side of the doors. At the sight of Faramir they bowed lowly and parted the doors for him, inside a tall, broad man with long fair hair and a bushy beard awaited to greet them, his smile warm and welcoming.

"Welcome to Meduseld Lord Faramir, we saw your approach and hope your journey was not too troublesome, the King eagerly awaits news of his sister."

"I am eager to see him also Gamling." Faramir smiled and Gamling gestured for the party to follow him into the great hall.

The hall was crowded at the sides with long wooden tables, the walls covered in rich, colourful tapestries depicting battles, fallen kings and great horses. Large carved pillars mirrored the ones without, the designs painted in golden relief, the overall effect was one of reverent beauty.

Gamling left the entourage of men and strode with certain steps up to small stairs leading to a large platform crowned with a stunning carved throne draped in the finest cloths and furs. Sat upon this was a man dressed in great finery, a heavily gold thread embroidered high necked tunic peeked out from underneath soft rust coloured leather armor, decorated with intricate knots of gold. About his shoulders lay a heavy dark green cloak patterned at the hems in much the same way as the tunic. He glanced up unseeingly as the party approached, his features becoming visible in the light of the many torches. His hair was light golden in color, reminding Aedre of the shade of thatched roofs lit in the warm sunlight; it cascaded in gentle waves to his shoulders. A beard shadowed his jaw line and upper lip, neatly trimmed and dark flaxen. His complexion was florid, wind and sun beaten; his brow was strong and knitted together in what appeared to be a permanent frown, his dark eyes troubled. Gracing his forehead sat a golden circlet, with symbols and patterns embossed into the metal, crowned at the front with an engraved horse's head.

"Éomer!" Faramir greeted in the manner of greeting a loved family member.

Éomer looked up from his brooding, his brow relaxing, though not fully, at the sight of the men before him.

"Faramir!" He gave a grin and stood from his throne. The two men met upon the steps and clasped each other's forearms in greeting. "How fares my sister? I am eager for news."

"Éowyn fares fine and her health could not be better, within the next two months you shall have a child to call you Uncle."

Éomer grinned more broadly at the news. "Come, we will retire to my chamber and drink to her health, you can tell me all there is to tell."

Faramir glanced back at his men, "Wait, one of my men bears a gift for your house."

Anborn stepped forward and Éomer nodded in recognizance. "Anborn, it has been a while since we have met."

"Yes Éomer King, a good while."

"You come bearing a gift for my house, I am glad of any gift you will give."

Anborn shifted for a moment before moving silently to one side to reveal Aedre. "A serving girl for your table, she is nervous and needs a careful, understanding hand but I feel she will serve you well for many years."

Éomer glanced over the thin looking girl that stood before him, her head bowed, hair hiding her face; almost as if she did not care she was in the presence of a king. He huffed a small laugh at the thought, it may be refreshing to have a serving girl who would not fawn and stare lusty eyed at him.

"I thank you for the gift Anborn" Éomer said distractedly, giving a small incline of his head in gesture to his words before turning his attention back to Faramir and the news he had brought with him. The two men slowly walked from the hall deep in conversation. The other men of the company quickly found seats at one of the long tables and waited to be served food and drink.

"Show her to the kitchens, the women there will show you where she can sleep" Gamling said to Anborn, taking his own seat at the table.

Anborn wrapped his hand about Aedre's wrist and quickly led her through wooden doors and narrow passageways to the hot and humid kitchens. A plump woman stood leisurely besides a cooking pot stirring the contents, she turned at the sound of footsteps and regarded the man of Gondor and the young girl.

"I have been told to find this girl quarters and instructed to tell you to inform the other serving women to treat her kindly, she is timid and easily frightened, treat her well" he warned as the woman wiped her hands upon her apron.

"Yes my Lord, please follow me." She led them through more narrow passageways until they came to a many door lined corridor.

"We have a few free rooms at the end, they are ill-kept and musty but well enough to live in, she will find clean bedding and clothing in the small cupboard in any of them, left behind by others that decided not to stay." She gave a small curtsey before leaving them alone.

Anborn led Aedre to the nearest free room and opened the door, the space beyond was dark and the surfaces covered in layers of dust. He lit a small tallow candle, took up a rag and gave any affected areas a small dusting, renewed the bedding in the small wooden cot for clean sheets and dug out a serving maid's garments, lying them neatly over a chair before turning to look at Aedre who still stood in the same spot he had left her watching him intently.

"This is your new home" he said lowly, his hand gesturing to the room.

Aedre furrowed her brow not understanding the words he spoke fully but knowing from his expression and the tone of his voice that he was leaving her here. Slowly and with great hesitation she walked up to him, her hand reached out and timidly slid into his, her eyes found his gaze and silently she pleaded through them for him not to leave her.

He patted her shoulder tenderly, the thought that he could whisk her from this place, that a new life could be made for both of them flashed through his mind. Perhaps with time she could even learn to know what love was and love him… He shook himself inwardly, he was old enough to be her father, maybe even her grandfather and he had duties to his city, to his wife and he could not leave them however much he secretly wished to. He glanced at her again, seeing the glint of fear still hiding behind her brown eyes, she was still afraid of him, she only did this sweet gesture because he was all she knew.

He turned, letting her hand slip from his as he made his way towards the door, leaving her behind. Aedre gave a low whimper and came tentatively after him, her hand reaching out and grabbing at his armor clad arm. He turned once again and saw the fear within her eyes mingled with panic. Finally, after a moment, the panic of being left behind seemed to win over the nervousness and she clung heatedly to his middle. Anborn sucked in a breath through his teeth as her head pressed against his chest.

"No" he said finally, knowing she at least understood this word. "No, let go." He pried her hands from him and glanced down at her, her face was upturned to his, her eyes searching his face, looking for some clue, explanation as to why this was happening. Her sweet rose lips parted as if she wished to speak but a sigh was all that escaped. For a crazed moment Anborn could not control his normally steadfast manner, his head dipped, his lips pressing warmly against her brow. At the kiss Aedre pulled back, the fear once again at the forefront of her expression. She backed away from him a few steps, her look telling him she was trying to understand but before she could do anything more Anborn turned without another word and left her alone, closing the door behind him.

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Hope you enjoyed :)