AN: I'm going to take some twists on the story here. Some of the chapters will be told in Eowyn's perspective even before the Fellowship arrives. This will be the first of Eowyn's chapters, told in 3rd person.

Eowyn was afraid. Normally she would never be frightened in her own home, or in her own country. But now, with Grima Wormtongue serving the King, Eowyn was unsettled. She didn't like the man who was greasy haired, dressed in black, and pale. She was pale, too, but Grima had an odd, slimy texture to him. Eowyn also knew that he desired her more than anything else. She did not know that she was his promised treasure.

She missed her faithful brother, Eomer, who guarded her doggedly and refused to let Grima within three feet of her. But he had been banished by her own uncle. Eowyn was utterly alone in the dark halls of Meduseld, left with only her corrupted uncle and his greasy servant. Eowyn longed to be out on the plains with Eomer, but there was no choice for her. She was bound by duty and honor. She could not leave the halls without the consent of the King. Now it was more the consent of Grima rather than the permission of her uncle. Eowyn knew that Grima was keeping her close to him. He would not let her run away.

A lady needed someone faithful to lean on. Someone who understood her, adored her, and treasured her. They needed to be someone who Eowyn could love not only as a family member, but as a suitor as well. There was no one in Rohan that she desired. Eowyn wanted a man who was strong, handsome, and brave. A man of adventure. A man of honor and valor. No one in Rohan fit her requirements. Men had tried many times to gain Eowyn's heart, but it remained frosty and aloof. Eowyn yearned for the comfort that a husband would give her. Her uncle, Theoden King, had been a valuable confidante until Grima had arrived in Edoras. Now she had no one to confess her utmost fears to.

Eowyn wished that adventure would come her way. There was no chance that she would be able to find it herself. If she did, Eowyn knew that there would be nobody left to take the throne if Grima corrupted her uncle. She could feel that knowledge weigh down on her like a heavy sack of flour.

"My lady Eowyn?" a guard asked. Eowyn was outside, her hair flowing freely in the harsh winds of Edoras. She turned and the guard bowed politely. She tried to feel some sort of spark for the young man who had come to her, but she felt nothing. "Prince Theodred has passed."

The world spun at Eowyn's feet. Her mind went reeling as the handsome young man reached out an arm to steady her. Theodred. Her cousin. She had expected the news for quite some time. In the darkness of her heart, she had hoped that Theodred would live to look after her and care for her. Now he was gone, as absolutely as her mother and father were gone. Eowyn did not even know if Eomer still lived. Her uncle was not himself.

"My lady?" the guard asked. "Are you alright?" Eowyn shook off his arm and swallowed. They faced each other. They were both fair-haired and blue eyed. Most in Rohan were. They could have been siblings. Eowyn could even see some hints of her brother in the young guard.

"I'm fine." she said stiffly. She wrenched open the doors to Meduseld and hurried to her cousin's room

Eowyn had never seen Theodred's room in such order. Not a speck of dust lay on any surface of the room. She could just make out the prone figure lying in Theodred's bed. She paused in the doorway, hesitating. The room was utterly silent. There was no sign of life in Theodred. Surely he would have acknowledged her presence. Eowyn hoped that the guard had been lying. Perhaps he, too, were in league with Grima. Eowyn stepped softly into the room and knelt besides Theodred's bed. Her white gown pooled at her feet.

"Theodred." she whispered. No movement. Eowyn touched his face and brushed the hair from her cousin's eyes. "Theodred." Eowyn's heart clenched and she choked down a sob. Her cousin was truly dead. She had not believed it. Death was drawing closer. Eowyn almost wished that she could allow it to embrace her in its cold, stiff arms and keep her away from sorrow. She allowed a tear to drip from her eyes. Then another. And another.

She was suddenly aware of a presence behind her. She whirled around and was met with the ugly face of Grima. He closed in to her. She could smell his hot, dank breath and could feel it on her neck as he taunted her about her cousin. The closeness disgusted her. Grima ran his hand on the hollow of her neck and she shivered. His hands were hot on her throat. She could almost imagine someone else being in his place- someone fair and handsome. Someone who loved her. Then she remembered who it was that was touching her.

"Your words are poison." she snapped, and swept from Theodred's bedchamber.

Her own room was a bittersweet place to Eowyn. It was a place of comfort, of stories by the fire and of hot drinks before bed. It was also a place of deep sadness. She had wept for her parents in that bed, cried about the losses that people in Edoras had obtained. And now she was crying. Not only for Theodred, but for the man that she wished she could find. The one who would have been there for her when she was being seduced by Grima. A man who would have charged to her cousin's defense, or better, healed him of his wounds. The man who would hold her in his embrace, kiss her with tender lips, and comfort her until she was asleep. Eowyn desired it. The love of a man. Something to share. But there was no one, and Eowyn would have no chances for what she wished.

Little did she know that there were many opportunities in store.

AN: I realized as I was finishing this chapter that the Fellowship is still going through the mines at this point, and these events are Two Towers events. I'm sorry for the mistake, but I think that the events could have been more spaced out and the Rohan characters introduced earlier in the movies.

Please vote on a happy ending or a sad ending for Tauriel and Legolas. I have weighed the choices and can't decide, so I'll write the ending most of you want.