Half an hour later the five of them rode out onto the plains, Theodred deeming that the best place to talk without being overheard. They spoke as they rode.

"I asked you out here," Theodred began, "because these are dangerous times we live in. Both Eomer and Theorwael have given me a good report of you both, and as I trust them I accept their judgment—to say nothing of having made my own in times past."

Both Theodred and Boromir shared a grin.

"Nevertheless," Theodred continued. "I would there was no need to pry into one another's business. Eomer has warned you of Wormtongue—"

Boromir raised an eyebrow. "Wormtongue?" he asked.

"It fits." Eowyn said, her eyes hard as she stared out over the plains.

"He is a coward," Eomer added, "and twists the truth for his own purpose. Ever he seeks more information, and we very much fear that he passes it on to those who are not our allies."

"So I gathered." Boromir said. "Can you not banish him?"

Theodred shook his head. "For some reason my father is strangely attached to the Snake, as Eowyn calls him. Grima does not leave my father for the entire day, not until he is conveyed into his bed at night. Even then he has a bedroom right next to his."

"What strange hold is this?" Boromir said, stopping his horse. "Forgive me for taking liberties, but there is an evil amidst you. Remove it! For you do not know what may go ill."

Theodred's eyes were hard and proud as he guided his horse to face Boromir's. "Be careful where you stand, son of Gondor." He warned. "There are things you do not know which temper our actions toward Grima."

"May I hazard a guess?" Sedryn broke in. "Does it have aught to do with Theoden's illness?"

Theodred looked at her. "With all due respect, lady, how can you know?"

"I'm a healer," she said flatly.

"Oh," said Theodred abashedly, suddenly remembering Theorwael telling him the exact same thing that very day. "Forgive me," he added, his mind scampering after rabbits. "I meant no offense."

She shrugged. "It is wise to be wary, but after all you've done we'd like to help, not hinder. I can examine him, if you like; at the very least I might be able to ease his pain."

"That might be wise," Eowyn said, looking at Theodred and Eomer as they started their horses going again.

"Then it shall be done, if you think it's best." Theodred said.

Eowyn nodded. "The leechcraft of Gondor is still widely considered the best," she said. "Perhaps Lady Sedryn can effect some return to his normal self."

Theodred nodded. "But we must secure a way for you to examine him without Grima's knowledge."

"I could say that for royalty I will only accept one of his blood kin to be with me when I examine him." Sedryn offered.

"That might work," Eowyn agreed.

"Especially if we back her up," said Theodred. Eomer nodded.

"She's royalty too," Boromir added. "She's my wife."

"So once again, we are agreed." Theodred said. "This should be the start of an interesting renewed alliance."

"Indeed," Boromir said. "Especially since one of you will be traveling with us."

"Perhaps," Theodred amended. "He may choose someone else."

"Not for something of this importance," Eomer demurred.

"Orcs!" Eowyn shouted suddenly, almost falling from her horse as she pointed out the dark shapes in the distance.

……

Theodred gave an angry shout, worry blossoming in his mind as he followed Eowyn's direction. The strangers were behind them, as though they were following them, from Edoras. They held no flag of truce. Quickly, Theodred made his decision. "We charge through!" he said, unsheathing his sword and brandishing it in the air.

"They come from Edoras," Eomer pointed out quietly. Theodred shared a worried glance with his cousin.

"I noticed," he said. "Don't worry about killing them all, just work through. If you can, try to capture one alive."

They began galloping backwards toward the men, now clearly visible as enemies snarling their challenge to the world. Returning the war cry, the five sped onward.

The battle met with a clash of swords and sparks. Time seemed to pass unnaturally quickly, and it seemed only moments before Eomer dismounted his horse, wiping blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. He took a roll call. "Theodred?"

"Here." Theodred answered.

"Eowyn?"

"I'm here," she answered breathlessly.

"Sedryn?"

"All right."

"Boromir?"

"I'm fine," he said. "I have a prize, too," he said, holding an unconscious, heavily painted Westron by the collar.

"Oh," said Theodred, walking over to him.

"He's rather…out." Sedryn said, checking him over. "It probably will be an hour or two before he wakens."

Theodred tossed Boromir a length of rope. "Tie him up," he said, helping keep the man upright as Boromir wrapped the rope around him.

"Is anyone hurt?" Sedryn asked, wetting a clean cloth with water from her canteen. "Here, Fieldmarshal," she said, handing it to Eomer. "Wipe your chin and your lip. I have some balm you can put on it to make it heal faster."

"Thanks," he said, but Sedryn had already gone to Eowyn and began cleaning a cut on her arm. Theodred and Boromir were untouched, so then she bent down and checked a small cut by her ankle.

"All clear?" Theodred asked.

"Fine." Sedryn answered, although her leg had begun to throb painfully.

"Then let's rest a bit." Theodred said. "I find myself unnerved by this attack."

"My Lord, are you ill?" Sedryn said, limping to Theodred.

He shook his head. "I am uninjured," he said, trying to shake the Westron awake. "Only worried."

"They came from Rohan." Boromir spoke.

Theodred nodded his head in agreement. "Yes."

"We'll get something from him," Eomer said, inclining his head towards the still unconscious man.

"Let's hope," Theodred said.

"It'll be all right. Better all of us than you alone," Boromir said, looking at the Eorlingas.

"Thank you for that," Theodred said, feeling a kinship to the man spring up.

Eowyn reached into a saddlebag and started pulling out some food.

"Good idea," Sedryn said, grabbing a loaf of bread and some cheese. Slicing them, she set them out next to the apples and pears Eowyn had brought out.

"Eat," Eowyn urged, smiling. "It's as good a way as any to pass the time."

Smiling in return, everyone else dug in. Sedryn selected an apple from the makeshift picnic and sat down next to Boromir, busily engaged in trying to keep the juice from his pear from running down his chin. He accepted the napkin she offered gratefully.

"This," Sedryn said emphatically, crunching into the deep pink flesh of her apple, "is the best apple I've ever had," she said.

Eomer beamed. "The apple trees gave an unexpectedly good crop this year."

Theodred laughed. "Eomer's inordinately proud of his apples – he planted them with my father at least, oh, twenty years ago? And since then he's taken care of them as much as he can."

"'spaid off," she said. "I love these."

There wasn't much conversation over the rest of the impromptu meal. They were wrapping up the rest of the bread when the Westron began to stir.

He had hardly opened his eyes before they had surrounded him. He sat up but said nothing.

"What is your name?" asked Theodred, stalking back and forth in front of him.

"You'll get no answer from me!" the man snarled.

"Answer him!" Eomer roared, startling everyone present.

"Kill me!" he taunted. "I'll never tell."

"Very well," Theodred shrugged. "We'll just leave you here and go home then," he said. "Let's pack up," he told the others.

Catching on to his bluff, the others did as he said, repacking their saddlebags and calling to their horses. They had actually begun to canter down the road before the Westron finally called out.

"Wait, wait," he shouted. "I'll die of boredom if you leave me here."

Casually, Theodred turned around. "Boredom?" he said, smirking. "Not starvation, or cold, or Orcs?"

The man growled at him. "I have better things to do."

"Better things to do than starve? Yes I daresay you do. We also have better things to do than interrogate uncooperative Westron leaders – so out with it!" The pleasant tone was totally gone from Theodred's voice. "What is your name?" he ordered. "Who sent you? Why came you from the direction of Rohan?" The threat implicit in Theodred's words finally began to dawn upon the Westron and he looked scared. He was close to breaking.

"I am Haralgick," he said.

With a glance Theodred indicated to Eomer to take over.

"Well, Haralgick," Eomer said. "Who sent you?"

"No one sent us," he said. "We came of our own accord."

Eomer heaved a sigh. "Then why did you come from the direction of Rohan?"

"We didn't; we came from the East—"

"Originally, yes, we know that." Theodred said pointedly.

"No, we turned in this direction after crossing Rohan," the man said defiantly.

"Why?" Eomer asked. "There's no reason for you to just take a jaunt into Rohan."

The man fell silent. "If I tell you, will you promise not to kill me?"

Theodred looked around at everyone. "Any objections?"

"No," they said one at a time.

"We promise not to kill you, if you tell us everything," Theodred said.

"Very well," Haralgick said. "We worked for Grima. We stayed in hidden tunnels under Meduseld. Once you lot set out he came down to us and told us to go after you. He said," continued Haralgick sullenly, "that you should be easy enough to overtake with twenty men."

Theodred and Eomer were furiously angry. "Are there any more of you in Meduseld?" Theodred demanded.

"A token force," Haralgick said. "Eight men as a protection for Grima."

"We should take him back with us!" Eomer blazed. "If this won't convince Theoden nothing will."

"Yes," Theodred said. He turned to Boromir and Sedryn. "My apologies, Lord Boromir and Lady Sedryn, for this despicable circumstance. I had hoped we might be able to speak more and to further our friendships, but once again something's come up," he said, bitterness coloring his voice.

Boromir shook his head. "Please, no apology is necessary," he said. "I understand very well."

Theodred nodded curtly. "Thanks," he said as he helped Eomer tie the Westron up to a rope behind his horse. "Let's go," he said, mounting and taking the lead in hand. They set off at a slow pace, easily followed by the man on foot. He was scowling sullenly, realizing that though they had promised not to kill him, they could just as easily have someone else kill him.

Just a note - I am now at college, so it'll take me a long time to finish the story. Is there still interest in it?