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So, thank you and I hope enjoy this chapter.
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Aedre often accompanied Sunniva to the King's bedside, tending his freshly stitched wound, changing bandages and providing him with company as he regained his strength. The King's chambers were one of the very few rooms in the Golden Hall that had a large window and it was leant against this, the soft late spring wind blowing his hair, that Aedre found him upon bringing his mid day meal. His eyes were closed, enjoying the feel of warm sunlight upon his skin, his loose rough, cotton shirt half buttoned as she set a large tray containing a nutritious broth upon a nearby stool. At the sound of this Éomer turned and glanced at her, without his kingly fashion or bundled in furs his form could be fully seen. Tall, at least a head over herself and broad in the chest and shoulders, his muscles well defined from many battles and scars graced different parts of his body, each one testament to his labors and the love he bore for his land. He continued to stare at her quizzically until finally he motioned for her to come to him.
Head bent she came nervously to his side as the frown he so often sported reappeared on his face and slight annoyance clouded his eyes.
"I unlike Sunniva do not find your nervous ways endearing" he chided, glancing at the girl that now stood as far away from him as she could manage without disobeying his order. "Yet you cause me to be curious, your tale is quite unusual." His face softened as he glanced back at the view, the sun once again lighting his features, glinting golden across his long hair. "I often find myself wondering what your life was like…" He turned back to her, his gaze intense. "With the Orcs…" He sighed as she watched him, he wondered if she understood any of what he said. "How you survived so long." He glanced at her once again his eyes lingering over her scarred face.
Sensing his gaze, her hand rose to her cheek, her finger following one of the small light pink lines, a shame clouding her eyes for a moment, but the expression only lasted for an instant before her hand dropped and her gaze lowered.
"I wonder how you came by such scars…" He paused, indicating to her face. Her eyes flicked to his, understanding flashing through them. Slowly she raised her fingers to her face and made a gesture as if nails being dragged through skin. Éomer's eyes widened slightly, she had understood his question and was giving him an answer, an all but gruesome one.
"I see…" he said, uncertain as to just how he should reply to such an unexpected answer. As she lowered her hands, his gaze caught sight of the burnt skin; slowly he reached out, taking her hand in his, fascinated by the injury. At his touch she flinched, her position becoming stiff, signaling that she wished to pull back yet she did not, she resisted the urge although it was obvious that this was a hard task. He studied her for a moment.
"You wish to pull away, why do you not?"
The girl's eyes flicked to the doorway and Éomer understood that Sunniva had been teaching her her duties to her betters, to her king, that it was not suitable to disobey or refuse what he wished.
"Sunniva?" he asked.
Aedre nodded and Éomer returned his gaze back to her small thin hand. The skin was roughly raised and mottled, he turned it to study the palm, his fingers sliding over her flesh, this action seemed to be more than the young girl could take and as slowly as she could manage she pulled her hand from him and placed it behind her back.
"Those are bad burns" he commented, gesturing to her hidden hand. The girl looked at him with a restlessness that indicated that she wished to be free of his presence, her gaze shifted towards the door.
Éomer gave a dry laugh. "I think," he began, his mood feeling quite light, "you are the only woman, nay the only person in Edoras that does not wish for my attention." He studied her as she looked blankly at him, awaiting his gesture of a hand that meant she could leave. "And for that I wish for your company, to not have to be King Éomer is quite refreshing." He smiled but the girl's expression did not change. Finally he relented and gave her the small signal she had been yearning for. Without another glance at him Aedre quickly scurried from the room.
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"I think you are improving my girl" Sunniva said with a warm laugh as Aedre smiled in reply. "You understand more and more of what I speak now, if only we could get your tongue to loosen." The disappointment rang clearly in her tone and Aedre felt a small sting of guilt at not living up to her mentor's expectations, though over the many months since the king's return she had learnt much.
Sunniva noticed the young girls' downcast eyes and patted her shoulder tenderly. "Not to worry, it will come to you when you are ready, I am sure of it." She paused. ""We'll start on your writing soon, I'm not well learned but I know basic writing and it may help us talk a little better." She gave a comforting wink and began to gather the material she had been sewing. "Your sewing work on the other hand, is not a stitch of use" she teased, giving a small chuckle and making Aedre lift her head, her mood lifting.
"But, no matter, I have fixed the dress for you and it should fit without sagging so much, it helps that you've put on weight of course, but you are still far too scrawny, we'll have to feed you up before winter, it won't seem so harsh and then…" Sunniva carried on with her usual avalanche of words and Aedre listened, taking everything in and trying to understand each word spoken and guessing to the best of her skill those she could not. "Éomer King is healing well," she continued, "and finally the feast in honor of the recent battles will be held. Of course the King was brooding he could not set after that band of Orcs, but needs must and they had to be hunted down after they injured many of our riders. Of course Éomer King was none too pleased that the satisfaction of killing those that caused him injury could not be his, he does not change - even as a boy he reacted the same to such situations of pride, never a thought to his own well being." She paused, her eyes taking Aedre in, sensing the nervousness in her at the mention of the feast. "I'm sure you'll be just fine at the feast, it'll be noisier than what you're used to but there is no one to fear and should you start to feel unsure you can always find me." She smiled and Aedre nodded.
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Aedre entered Éomer King's chambers with his usual evening meal of roasted meats and freshly boiled vegetables. He was sat upon his bed, the last rays of sunlight casting a cozy glow into the room. He looked up from his thoughts as she entered and set the tray down before standing up straight, awaiting his signal for her to leave him.
He turned back to the window as if he cared not that she was there at all, Aedre shifted nervously.
"It is the last days of summer" he commented dryly, his tone full of regret. "Soon the hazy days will be gone." He continued to stare out of the window. "And I have yet to ride; my healers tell me it is not wise." His voice carried the distaste to this notion. "Firefoot is anxious to be away and I can do nothing to ease his mind, he will bear none but me." He sighed lowly and Aedre continued to stand in silence, waiting patiently. She had become used to this occurrence, he seemed to feel comfortable speaking freely with her, perhaps because she could not talk he knew his thoughts were safe or perhaps because she did not fawn over him as so many did… yet she knew it was not her he confided in, she was a tool for him to depart his troubles, it did not matter who she was…
"I grow tired of these walls, tired of this confinement." He rose from his bed and went to the window, his eyes closing as the wind brushed his face, he gestured for her to come forward and join him which she dutiful obeyed, but still keeping her distance - something he seemed to have become a little more accustomed to.
"Have you ever felt free?" He glanced at her as if not really caring if she answered.
Aedre shook her head.
"You can't understand my meaning then." He said harshly his brows knitting together. He gave a loud sigh and his frown relaxed. "Sunniva tells me you have learnt your words well."
After a moment of thinking over his words she gave a certain nod.
"But still you do not speak." He studied her, his hazel eyes darkening slightly. "Is it for not being able or not wishing?"
It again took her a moment to grasp what he was asking, she looked down at the floor, slowly shrugging her shoulders, her crude gesture brought a small smile to his lips.
"There is a question I have wanted to gain an answer for." He looked back at the landscape before him. "Why did they not kill you? As far as I have heard, Orcs do not take any brood in but their own."
Aedre took another moment to process what he had said, she brought her eyes to level with his, her lips parted as if she would speak but closed just as quickly. Tentatively she took a few steps forward and gestured to the city below them.
"City?" He cocked an eyebrow.
She shook her head, making the gesture of something smaller.
"Village?"
She nodded and gestured again to the city and then to him and shook her head.
"No men." he stated in puzzlement and then his eyes widened in understanding. "They used you to find villages where the men were away?"
She frowned, then nodded and gave a half smile, pleased with her efforts.
"Why do you smile?" he asked, mistaking her pride of achievement for something sinister. The smile quickly fell from her lips. "Did you find enjoyment in your work?"
Aedre heard the change of tone in his voice more than understanding his words but still she knew instantly he was blaming her for the village's fates. He turned his gaze from her, his annoyance increasing at the girl before him though he could not tell why.
Aedre cast her eyes to the floor, silently thinking of any way to prove she had had no choice, to make him understand…
"Why do you not just speak?" he growled, knowing that he was venting his current frustration upon that which was easiest. "Your cow eyes and mewling irritate me," he paused, "you may seem innocent but your past tells of a different ilk, you must have cost many a woman and child their lives."
Aedre took a moment to gather his words into an understandable sentence in her mind; she stared at him, thoroughly stunned by the harshness of what he spoke. Her eyes began to prick with tears, he was blaming her for the people that had been killed, and the thought was unbearable… Slowly she began to raise her skirts, Eomer eyes were quickly drawn to the unexpected movement and his eyes widened in shock.
"Wha…" He abruptly stopped his questioning as Aedre's skirts reached her thighs, were she halted her skirt's ascent. Upon each thigh were deep scars, bitter reminders of painful cuts. She reached down and touched one of the disfiguring marks and then looked at him, her eyes pooling with tears, willing him to understand, that this was her punishment for disobeying, for trying to warn villagers, for going against them in any way… Each time they had cut her and the blood had come pouring out coating her flesh, she had been afraid that she would die from it, afraid they would finally cut that little bit deeper, the fear, the unknowing driving her near to madness.
Eomer's wide eyes lingered over the place she indicated, stunned into silence by her startling actions. The only girls that had ever risen their skirts to him had been the women he had pillowed with - true, many of the serving girls of the Golden Hall had shared his bed and he was not unaccustomed to a woman's body, but none had had such an innocent, sorrowful look upon their faces as they revealed their flesh. He knew full well this was not Aedre's meaning but still he found himself deeply shocked by the gesture.
Seeing his expression Aedre lowered her skirts and her large dark eyes searched his face, asking silently if he understood.
"Yes," he said in a small whisper, "I understand."
He turned to glance once more outside, not wishing to meet her gaze. "You have not had a fair life." His dark brows came together, "I'm sorry I spoke unkindly."
Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Aedre move a little closer to him, or perhaps it was just the shadows swaying he had noticed, the trick of the lighting making him mistaken.
