"We can ride faster!" Ailith complained. As one, the Riders grimaced. Not again.
"No, we can't," Éomer told her haughtily.
"Yes, we can! I made the journey in two days before. At this pace we will be lucky to reach Edoras within the week!" she cried.
"We left the Wold yesterday and she expects us to be riding into Edoras," someone muttered behind them. She turned her head, her mouth twisting slightly.
"Our horses are not accustomed to this distance," Éomer said quietly. "They have had little rest. Even during a Muster, they are given plenty of time to recover their strength."
"Do you want to stop for the night then?" she asked. She pointed to the silvery river in the distance. "That is the Entwash down there. It will have some good ground to camp on."
The Riders all exchanged looks. A low muttering came from behind her. She turned again and the muttering stopped.
"Excellent idea. We shall rest and cross the river tomorrow," Éomer said. She glanced at him but his face was as impassive as the rest of the Riders.
They stopped in a small dell by a bend in the river. It was well-protected from any wind by some scrubby bushes. The horses nestled together, their eyes watching their Riders.
"Caught us some conies!" a Rider brayed, striding back into the dell.
"Meat! Makes a change from the usual rations!" another grinned. They all looked carefully at Ailith.
"Well, they are very fine. Unless you want to be writhing in pain for the next few hours due to indigestion, you better cook them yourselves," she said drily. "I don't know how to skin a coney, let alone cook one."
"Aye milady. Glad you approve," he said. Good, that put an end to that.
"Right! I am going to partake of the waters!" another said, standing up and stretching expansively. There were mumbles of agreement from the other Riders and they slowly got to their feet.
"What's so special about the water?" Ailith asked. She looked in the direction of the river. They couldn't see it from here but they could hear it, gurgling and chattering at them insistently.
"The Entwash is magic! It is said that if you drink from the source in the heart of Fangorn, you will grow taller and stronger," a Rider gabbled quickly. He was among the youngest in the company and had only just taken his Oath.
"Really?" Ailith said, arching an eye-brow. The oldest Rider, a middle-aged veteran with grizzled hair, glared at him.
"Superstitious nonsense milady. We find that the water soothes any aching muscles bathed in it but that is all. I am afraid anything else is merely a story," he said grimly. "May we go?"
"You may do as you please, my good man. I am not your Captain," she replied. He nodded and the Riders walked towards the sounds of the river.
Water that gave strength and height? Even if it was just an old wives' tale; it was worth investigating. She dug through her packs and extracted a small glass vial from bag. She avoided the stretch of bank where the Riders had vanished to, instead walking upstream a small distance. She had had enough experience of the bathing habits of Riders a long way from home to last her a lifetime after several scouting expeditions with her own men.
She knelt by the water. It ran swiftly, clear and true, and when she filled the vial and lifted it up, it appeared to be free of impurities.
Movement downstream caught her eye and she instinctively shuffled backwards into the bushes. She cursed herself for leaving her sword in the camp and peered through the foliage, tensed to sprint in case it was an enemy. Her breath caught in her throat.
Éomer was standing in the water, stripped to the waist. His muscles shifted as he slowly tipped water over himself, his blonde hair falling across his broad shoulders. He didn't notice her, he was completely absorbed in his washing.
She crept backwards so he wasn't in her view. Her face felt hot; her chest oddly tight. She didn't understand. She had seen plenty of shirtless men before; why did the sight of Éomer affect her this way?
When he and the other Riders returned to the camp, she was sitting cross-legged by the fire reading a small tome given to her by Léonere. She accepted her food with small thanks and said nothing for the rest of the evening, her eyes occasionally straying to Éomer.