The Wild Westfold
By: Lauthica Green Clinkenbeard
Chapter Twenty-Nine: With a Sigh
The plume of smoke from the city jutted up toward the sky and merged with the eerie, thick grey cloud that blanketed the heavens. The cloud came from the line of jutting black mountains just barely seen with the eye on the horizon…Mordor. As the ship continued closer, the shadow of the cloud casted down upon us. I stood next to Aragorn leaning against the side of the ship.
"We are getting close." He said looking at me.
"I am ready." I said.
"Well of course you are ready!" Gimli said as he approached us from the other side of the deck, "We have a legion of undead mountain heathens to unleash. We cannot lose."
"Yes, we can lose." Legolas said as he jumped down from the lookout tower on the mast. He joined us at the side of the ship.
"Indulge me, elf. How can undead soldiers be killed? Hmm?" Gimli asked him.
"They can't…but Gondor and Rohan's soldiers can. What's the point of breaking a siege and freeing a city if there is no one left to thrive within it?" Legolas asked him. Gimli only scowled at him.
"Smartarsed, pointy eared, pretty boy princeling…." Gimli grumbled as he walked back away from us.
"Within the hour, I think." Aragorn said. "If our speed remains to us we will land in the harbour within the hour. I must speak with the Mountain King." He said nodding to Legolas and myself as he too walked away.
"You seem much more calm, yet I can still sense that your spirit is sinking. You must steel your mind, my lady." Legolas said turning to me. "What troubles you so?" he asked
I dare not mention anything of the dream again, and in truth I did have another troubling matter drifting in the mire of the thoughts. "I fear what Théoden may think or say of me…I fear what Eomer may think or say of me…I fear of Rohan's justice for me as an oathbreaker."
"You have broken no oath, Deya." He said. "You are a soldier, and a soldier's job is to protect their lands. Rohan is your land, but Rohan is part of Middle Earth."
"How am I to face them? I left them without so much as a 'thank you kindly.' Gamling learned of Eomer and I. He will tell Théoden. I can already see the shame in his eyes. I can feel the pain in his glare pierce into my soul. And Eomer…." The words stuck in my throat, "I promised him I would never leave him again…."
Legolas sighed and he reached out and took my hand in his own. "If all you fear should come to pass know that you are always welcome in Mirkwood. You are like kin to me and it is the least I can offer in memory of your dear grandmother. May she always find the most peaceful of eternal rest."
I half smiled at him, "That is a kind and generous offer." I said, but I thought back to my dream. Aragorn was going to appoint me to his counsel…that is, if we win this war and defeat Sauron. Should we fail….I shuttered at the notion.
Legolas bowed his head to me and he walked away to tend to his own battle preparations. The seconds seemed like years as the plume of smoke crept ever closer. I was anxious, I knew that. So much could go so wrong. Helm's Deep would seem like an afternoon of play compared to the hordes that awaited us. What was happening this very moment? Had Rohan's riders arrived yet? What if we were to fight alone? What if the city had already fallen? What if Eomer had already fallen…..
A bend in the river revealed the harbor. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and I crouched behind the lip of the hull of the ship. The dead mountain soldiers were instructed to drop anchor right next to the harbor, and much like we had done at the mountain, the four of us would first reveal themselves followed by the rest of our undead army. Cries from the siege of the city drifted on the wind. I heard the clinking of the chains of the anchors and the ships slowed. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and gripped my new sword in my hand.
"Late as usual, pirate scum!" yelled a raspy voice from the harbor. "There's knife work here needs doing"
I peeked through a crack in the boards of the hull. The voice came from an ugly orc that had a nasty scar that split through his face. His rusty iron helm sported a half decayed skull on top. Savages! I felt the blood lust rise and pulse through my veins. Scarface stared at the ships in silence for a moment, but his patience was thin.
"Come on, you see rats! Get off your ships!" he yelled.
"URGH!" Aragorn cried out as he stood and flung himself over the side of the hull. Legolas, Gimli, and I followed behind. When the harbor orcs saw us the smiles faded from their faces for a brief moment, until they thought that only this small army of four had come to thwart them. They smiled again and even a few laughed as they gripped their rusty swords and pikes thinking of covering their crude metal with the blood of a ranger, elf, dwarf, and woman. Aragorn stared them down, and he stood tall and strong. He started walking toward the harbor orcs with pride and confidence as he raised Anduril to fighting position.
"There's plenty for the both of us. May the best dwarf win." Gimli said to Legolas. A huge grin spread on his face, and I couldn't help but let the corners of my own lips turn upward as well. I was ready for my new blade to taste the black blood of the orc.
Just as Aragorn ran into a full charge our dead army poured from the ships like a green, misty tidal wave. Every single orc standing at the front of the line at the harbor pissed himself, and they screamed out and roared scrambling to get away from the horror before them. The undead soldiers slashed and stabbed as they floated over the stones of the harbor and onto the field. The Fellowship charged picking off the stragglers.
We ran from the harbor and began to cross the Pelennor fields. Flames rose from the lower levels of the city. Orc and Uruk soldiers stretched on for as far as my eyes could see. Massive animals ran amuck in the carnage of the battle with tusks like the trunk of trees and feet wide enough to flatten a horse and rider like an insect.
Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and I stayed within about ten feet of each other. Aragorn and I were engaging enemies in sword play. I sliced open the throat of one orc and then spun around and hacked off an arm and leg of another. Gimli was cleaving and slashing with his axe. Legolas was firing arrows wildly one right after the other.
"Fifteen! Sixteen!" he yelled out.
"Seventeen! Eighteen! Arrrgh!" Gimli yelled back to him as he cleaved through a group of orcs.
I cried out as I flipped the blade around in my fingers. It felt like an extension of myself. It moved swiftly through flesh and sliced through bone like butter. Trickles of black blood ran down the rainbow steel. One orc managed to grab hold of my leg and I kicked him in the teeth. As he screamed and reached up to cover his mouth in pain I slashed through his wrists and pulled out my dagger embedding it into his eye.
There were still many riders on horseback dashing around. There were no ranks or lines which seemed strange to me. Where was the king's banner? Arrows were flying through the air at the massive animals. I heard a cry that sounded more like a gurgle and after I subdued four more orc soldiers I followed the sound and found it's source. An orc with a melted face was crawling across the field following some wounded solider with long, messy blonde hair. He was very young and had no sign of a beard yet on his chin. He crawled desperately over to the bodies of fallen riders and then tried to reach for a sword.
"Aragorn!" I yelled out as I started to sprint to aid the young man. He glanced over. I had to stop as six orcs rushed me. Aragorn shifted his direction in the chaos and fought his way toward the young man. Gimli was on his heels hacking and slashing at whatever followed behind them.
"Twenty-nine!" Gimli yelled out and he hacked an orc in the face. I too hurried to follow them but as the dead army drifted further from us the thicker the orcs around us became. I found a shield and picked it up hurling at toward the closest group of orcs. It knocked them in the head and I ran over and leaped into the air bringing my deadly blade down upon them like a bolt of lightning. When their heads rolled to the ground I turned back toward the young soldier.
He was still reaching for the sword of his fallen comrade, but he reached too far it fell away from his grasp. The orc with the melted face was nearly upon him! I sprinted towards him. I hurdled over a dead horse and stepped right on the face of a wounded orc. I heard his skull crack under my boot. I ran as fast as I could but the young soldier was too far!
Thankfully, just as the orc with the melted face lifted a crude, rusty axe to cleave the young soldier Aragorn sliced off his arm.
"URGH!" the orc gurgled. Gimli came up next and cleaved him right in the chest through his armour. Aragorn stabbed him in the back, and the orc with the melted face fell dead onto the field. The young soldier was safe, and he laid face down in the grass as we passed weeping with relief.
A roar radiated through my body and I looked up startled. One of the massive animals was charging toward us. It had some kind of saddle on its back and arrows rained from archers with strange hats and face covers. The man leading the animal was covered in tattoos and strange piercings. As the creature drew closer and closer I saw that it too had tattoos of strange symbols and designs. Aragorn looked up and then looked around.
"LEGOLAS!" he yelled out.
Legolas was a few feet away and turned around to see the creature. His eyes widened for a moment in shock, but he charged the creature and jumped up onto one of its tusks. He then swung from the tusk to one of its front legs and leaped over to one of its back legs. The animal had hundreds of arrows in its skin and Legolas used them to climb up the creature's side. He made it to the top and he quickly started to let his arrows fly into the men riding in the saddle.
"Thirty-three. Thirty-four." He said calmly as he shot. When the men in the saddle started to jump out to engage him with blades, he swatted at them and knocked them to the ground with his bow. As more men tried to fight him he climbed higher. He reached out and took hold of a rope, but the rope gave way and he fell dangling to the animal's side. I gasped fearing he would slip and fall to his death. He managed to get a foot hold and he drew out one of his slender swords from his quiver. He sliced through the ropes securing the saddle and it tipped over. As it fell, Legolas climbed back up onto the animal's back. He let three arrows embed themselves into the back of the creature's head. It roared out in pain as it tumbled down to the ground dead. Legolas jumped and slide down it's long nose. When he landed he was only a few feet away from Gimli and myself. I stared in wonder, but Gimli only glared at him.
"That still only counts as one!" Gimli yelled at him as he rushed back into the battle.
The number of orcs was dwindling and more and more of Rohan's soldiers were surrounding us. The tidal wave of the dead was spreading over the field and killing everything in their path. They even swarmed the animals and brought them down.
"Come on, then! Come on!" Gimli yelled as he hacked through a couple more orcs.
"Urgh!" Aragorn cried out and he slashed through another group of orcs. I was behind them and there were no more enemies in my vicinity. One orc tried to grab hold of Aragorn's arm and he spun around and snapped his neck. He looked up panting and we all realized that the battle was over.
The tidal wave of the dead mountain men flooded into the city once the field was clear. The fires were doused and the city grew silent once the orc screams and roars stopped.
"Search the field! The King is missing!"
I turned around hearing the familiar voice. "Gamling!" I yelled out. He was still atop his horse and he turned around upon hearing his name. When he saw me he gasped and trotted over.
"Deya! You have returned!" he said.
"You said the King was missing. What happened?" I asked.
"No one had seen him since the Nazgul attacked." Gamling said.
"If we find the Nazgul then we will find the king. I need a horse now!" I demanded. Gamling whistled and a soldier approached him.
"Give the lady your horse, young man." He said. The soldier nodded and dismounted handing the horses bridle over to me. I mounted him at once and began trotting through the field of the dead and wounded. I did not have to go far. A foul and foreign smell filled my nose like a mixture of rotting flesh and burning onions. I saw black, scaled spikes jutting up from the body of a headless black creature with wings. I hurried over but stopped dead in my tracks. My heart felt as if it melted all the way down into my toes.
Théoden lay on his back with a trickle of blood flowing from his mouth. His horse lay dead on top of him, crushing him from his chest down. I felt tears form in my eyes. My king…..I have failed my king….Movement caught my eye and I looked over. The young soldier that Aragorn had saved was crawling toward Théoden. I took a few steps closer and shock took me yet again. The young soldier was no young boy. It was Eowyn!
She reached Théoden's side and looked down at him gently caressing his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked at her. When he realized who it was his expression turned to confusion but only for a moment. He softened and he reached up and touched her cheek. She smiled at him.
"I know your face…." Théoden said weakly. "Eowyn…."
She continued to smile at him and caress his head in comfort.
"My eyes darken" he said as his voice faded.
"No." she said, "No, No. I am going to save you."
"You already did." Théoden said giving her a weak smile. "Eowyn….My body is broken."
Eowyn's eyes turned glossy as she looked down upon her uncle. Her lips were quivering and she was fighting back weeping.
"You have to let me go." Théoden said kindly but sternly. Eowyn shook her head.
"No…" she whispered.
"I go to my fathers…" he said, "In whose mighty company…I shall not now feel ashamed." For a moment he glanced up to the heavens. He then looked back to Eowyn who was shaking as a few tears broke from her eyes.
"Eowyn…" he whispered as he stared up at her. His eyes became vacant and his head twitched slightly as his muscles relaxed…and Théoden King of Rohan was gone forever. Eowyn laid her head on his chest and wept openly. I lowered my head and said a silent prayer. Hoping that Théoden would not judge the actions of my past too harshly from the halls of his fathers.
I did not want to disturb her. I found the king and he wasn't going anywhere. I turned away and urged the horse to rush back to Gamling to report. When I saw him dismounted, standing next to a few other soldiers I followed suit. I jumped off of the horse and hurried over.
"Gamling!" I called out and he turned toward my direction…but he was not the only one to reaction to my voice. My breath ceased….Eomer…
When Eomer saw me he reached up and tore his helmet away from his head. Gamling had taken a step in my direction but Eomer grabbed his arm roughly and stopped him. Gamling looked at him confused, but Eomer only shook his head 'no.' He then began to walk briskly in my direction. I felt my nerves rise. He stopped in front of me and glared at me. His eyes spoke volumes of rage and hate, but his mouth did not even twitch to move.
"Eomer…" I whispered as I reaching out my hand with shaking fingers toward his face. He recoiled from me and then he turned away and walked past me as if we were no better than strangers. I gulped as pain spread through my very blood. I had finally done it….I made a mistake to which I could never ask redemption. After all the fights, nights of love, and interludes of conversation and jest….it was over. I could not crawl back to him….and he did not want me to. I didn't blame him. I never understood why he would ever want a woman so broken and scarred.
A flicker of white caught my eye and I turned to see Gandalf walking through the field from the city. Though my soul felt as if it had shattered, I smiled upon seeing the old wizard. I walked over to him and when he saw me he smiled as well and held out his open arms.
"Déorwyrdhnes! You are a vision of hope and glory." He said as he embraced me.
"It is good to see you again, Gandalf." I said.
"You have done well, child. I am proud to call myself a companion in a Fellowship with you in it. I was worried you might not have taken up on the invitation." He said.
"Fellowship…that still sounds so….strange to say." I said.
"Why is that?" he asked.
"You have all seen so much more and accomplished so much more than I. I am but an amateur compared to what you all have already done." I said.
"There is still much more work left yet. Many more paths for you to choose and ran or stumble." Gandalf said sternly, "But think not of that now. The city is safe. Dead must be burned and wounded must be treated."
"Yes, Istari," I said and I bowed my head to him. He smiled at me again and continued on walking through the battlefield. He stopped and turned back around suddenly.
"Deya?" he asked.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Remember, not all wounds are bodily." He said and he winked at me and continued on. I raised an eyebrow. Riddles indeed, cranky old kook.
"Pardon me, my lady."
I looked down just as Pippin walked past me in a hurry following after Gandalf. He was now wearing the garb of the Citadel guard. I chuckled. Merry joined Rohan and Pippen had joined Gondor. Who would have ever thought?
The army of the dead filed out of the city and assembled in front of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. I stayed back behind Gandalf and Pippen to watch. I had had more than my fill of the dead and the undead for one day.
"Release us," said the dead mountain king. Aragorn sighed.
"Bad idea, " Gimli said. The dead king glared down at him. Gimli continued, "Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact they're dead."
"You gave us your word!" The dead king said with anger growing in his eerie voice.
Aragorn stared at him, "I hold your oath fulfilled," he said. The dead king smiled as his misty body relaxed and he closed his eyes. "Go," Aragorn continued, "Be at peace…"
A great wind swept through the Pelennor fields as the army of the dead faded into mist and dust and vanished from this world. The dead mountain king was the last to vanish and he went with a great smile on his face. Gimli glared up at Aragorn and sighed less than pleased with his decision. Aragorn looked over at Gandalf. Gandalf bowed his head and said a prayer for the men of the mountain. Aragorn smiled at the wizard. The full Fellowship was reunited.
I sighed. I felt relaxed, but it was more from the numb feeling in my chest than the relief of a battle ended. I looked around until I found Eomer. He, and the rest of the captains were starting to pick through the bodies for wounded. I should be helping them…..but I wasn't a captain of Rohan anymore. What was I? A member of the Fellowship of the Ring, right? What would become of me when there was no ring and the Fellowship disbanded?
Pippen walked past me again this time without words. I watched him as he looked around at the bodies of the dead men, orcs, and horses. A thought came to me suddenly. I had not yet seen Merry. Had he not ridden with Théoden from Snowbourn? Pippen saw something on the ground and he hurried over and picked it up. It was a small, green cloak with a green and silver, leaf broach.
"Merry…" he whispered.
Panic spread through me. No! Surely Merry had not perished. I started to take a step toward him to assist in any way that I could when the air was filled will a blood curdling cry. The cry crawled under my skin from my forehead down to my boots and seemed to shatter whatever was left of my heart. I knew that voice…
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I turned around to see Eomer sprinting through the bodies on the ground. His helmet and sword flew from his hands as he fell hard to his knees over a limp body. He lifted it up and I gasped. It was Eowyn! I had completely forgotten! He came upon the body of Théoden…but why was Eowyn limp? She was fine when I left her side.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO!" Eomer continued to cry out as he wept and bawled like a child over his sister's body clutching it to him rocking back and forth in despair. Aragorn turned and looked upon the scene with horror in his expression. Gandalf too stared at the brother and sister but his expression did not change. What did he know that the rest of us did not?
"Deya!" Aragorn called out to me as he rushed over.
"What is it, my lord?" I asked.
"You must help get Eowyn to the House of Healing. I cannot offer my aid at present. I have other things to attend to in the city with Gandalf." He said.
"I cannot! Eomer has already dismissed me. He…" I said but Aragorn cur me off.
"You must! Please do this! For me…." He said and he rested his hand on my shoulder. I sighed and nodded my head swallowing my pride. I inhaled deeply trying to fill my blood with courage. I gulped and walked briskly toward Eomer.
Gamling was already at his side looking down upon Eowyn with watery eyes. I came up behind him and urged him to his feet pulling him up from under his shoulders.
"Stand Gamling. Eowyn is not dead, but if we do not hasten she will surely be lost." I said and I patted him on the back. He wiped his eyes and nodded.
"Yes, my lady." He said and he turned to a few soldiers who had been watching. "Hurry! Make a stretcher as fast as you can, men!"
"No!" I exclaimed. "There is no time for that." Gamling looked at me confused. I looked back to Eomer and then back at him. Gamling glanced over at Eomer as well and then he nodded at me understanding my silent commands.
I walked over to Eomer and knelt down. He was still weeping and holding onto Eowyn.
"My lord Eomer?" I asked gently. He did not answer me nor even look at me. "My lord?" I asked again and this time I reached out for his shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH HER!" he screamed pulling away from me.
"Give her to me, Eomer. She needs medical attention." I said.
"NO!" he yelled, "LEAVE US!"
I sighed and felt the anger rise within me. I looked over at Gamling who then walked behind Eomer and swiftly grabbed him under his arms.
"NOOOO! LET ME GO! I COMMAND YOU TO LET ME GO!" Eomer yelled trying to fight him off. Gamling held a firm grip.
"Please pardon me, my lord. This is for your own good." Gamling said sternly
"URGH!" Eomer screamed out trying to break free.
I lifted Eowyn's body off of the ground and adjusted her in my arms. I turned back to Gamling.
"Calm him. See that he gets a hot meal and mug of strong ale." I said.
"Yes, my lady." Gamling said nodding his head and he still held the flailing Eomer.
"YOUR WILL HANG FOR THIS DEYA! THIS IS TREASON! I WILL SEE YOU HANGED YOU COLD AND HEARTLESS WHORE!" Eomer yelled out to me. I looked down at him.
"You are not my prince or king anymore. I cannot commit treason to a country I no longer belong to, and you made that perfectly clear." I said sternly. "But you are a king now and I will bow my head in respect. However, until you start acting like a king you will get no courtesy or fealty from this whore." I turned away from him as he screamed out in rage.
I hastened to the city. I was grateful that Eowyn was so small and thin, but the fatigue of battle was catching up with me. I had barely reached the third level of the city when my arms were screaming at me. I tried my best to ignore the pain. I had a duty to perform and I could not let Aragorn…or Eomer down.
The ladies of the House of Healing were already rushing around by the time I got there. Beds were full from wall to wall and on each floor of the building. Those who had the lesser wounds either stood or sat wherever there was room.
"HELP!" I yelled out. "PLEASE HELP! I HAVE A WOUNDED WOMAN! SHE IS A ROYAL OF ROHAN"
A dozen women rushed over at once and took Eowyn from me. My arms were happy for the break. They carried her through a large archway into a room with the people of higher social status. Normally I would assume that it was meant to be a private room but even it was nearly full. They carried her to a bed that was on a high area next to a column and laid her down.
"She has the fever of the Witch King." One woman said.
"Fetch the elder!' another yelled out.
The afternoon passed far too quickly and evening fell. The windows grew black as servants ran around the room lighting as many torches as possible. I stood guard by Eowyn as woman came and went with draughts and wines and buckets of ice and buckets of boiling water. Nothing was working. I sighed. Please don't take Eowyn away from him. She is all that he has left of his family now. No parents. No Uncle…..no lover. Please don't hurt Eomer any further.
"I owe you an apology…"
My heart skipped a beat as I turned around startled.
"Eomer…" I whispered forgetting my manner and place for only a moment. "I mean…My lord, Eomer." I said and I bowed my head to him. He reached out and tilted my chin back up with the tips of his fingers.
"Back there…what you did…that courage….that leadership…." He said. "You saved my sister's life. I would have sat there crying, holding her until she died and long after. You were strong where I was weak…..and you are not a whore."
"I had to do my duty, my lord." I said trying my very best not to look him directly in the eye. If I looked him in the eye too many feelings and memories would flood me. I had to remain strong.
"Look at me, Deya." He said softly. I did not look. "Please look at me, Deya." He said nearly begging. His voice was breaking up from the worry and emotion in his blood.
I finally let my eyes lock with his…and his eyes burned into mine. He leaned forward to kiss me but I lifted my hand and stopped him.
"No, my lord Eomer." I said. "You are the king now...I am the guard on duty for Eowyn and now you whilst here at the House of Healing."
He did not say anything, but he nodded and walked past me up to the platform where Eowyn was lying. He sat next to her for hours as I stood guard for the both of them now.
Aragorn appeared a few hours later being led into the room by one of the ladies. He looked like her had just came from a bath. He wore a thick black cloak around him but as soon as he reached Eowyn's side he let it slide to the floor. Eomer still sat by her side and he looked weary as if ready to sleep. I knew he would find no rest though. He stared at Eowyn with eyes like that of a worried and scared child seeking his mother.
Aragorn began to treat Eowyn's ailment. He spoke in elvish and ran his hand over her bruised arm lifting it gently to examine it.
"I know of an herb water that may help." He said as he grabbed the compress bowl lying next to Eowyn. He stood and nodded to me as he left to make his potion. I stepped up to the platform and sat down next to Eomer. He glanced at me briefly and then looked back at Eowyn.
"I am to blame for this…" he said barely above a whisper.
"How could you be? You did not even know she was there." I said.
"Those awful things I said to her….I put the ideas in her head…..I should not have…"
"If she had not have come you might still be dealing with a mounted Nazgul on that field as we speak. Eowyn knew the risks and she is not dead. Aragorn has extensive knowledge of elvish medicine. You have nothing more to fear." I said to him.
"Why?" he asked.
"Eowyn is now in the hands of the best healer in the city. The worst has passed." I said to him.
"No…I meant why? Why do you do this?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"It is my duty, my.." I said but he cut me off.
"You are not to call me 'my lord' again. Why do you do all these things for me? Why do you continue to do these things for me? I have yelled at you. I have hurt you. I have cursed you. I have seduced you. I have ignored you. I have belittled you. Why? Why?!"
I sighed and a half smile came to my lips. I leaned over and I laid my head on his shoulder. "I do these things for you, Eomer, because I love you." I said barely above a whisper.
"But why? Why do you love me? How could you love me? I am cold and I am cruel. I am rash and I am selfish. I have given you every reason for you to be repulsed by me and yet you still stay at my side. You still laid with me and let me put my horrible hands on you. These are the hands of a beast." He said and he voice began to break as he fought back the urge to weep again. I moved and knelt behind him wrapping my arms around his neck and shoulders. I laid my head down on top of his and I pulled him into my bosom.
"I do these things because I love you more than words could ever say, and because I am just as horrible and wretched as you are." I said and I pecked him on the cheek. He started to cry but silently and moved his hands to cover his face. He closed his eyes as his body twitched with his ragged breaths. I comforted him and rocked back and forth still cradling him to my chest. I thought back to a lullaby my father used to sing to my brother and myself when we were very small. He said that his mother had sung it for him and that it was a magic, soothing song of the elves.
"With a sigh, you turn away." I sang lightly into his ear. "With a deepening heart. No more words to say. You will find that the world has changed forever. And the trees are now turning from green to gold. And the sun is now fading. I wish I could hold you closer…."
I swept a stray lock of hair away from Eomer's face and I wiped his cheeks with my hand. He did seem to be more relaxed. I kissed his forehead gently before I stood and returned to my post as guard. Aragorn came back with the herb water. He made a compress and pressed it to her forehead. He cradled her head with one of his hands. Suddenly her breathing intensified as her chest moved strongly up and down. Her eyes fluttered open and when she looked upon Aragorn's face she nearly smiled. Aragorn had broken the fever of the Witch King…and Eowyn would live.
The ladies of the house of healing helped her to get out of her armor and transferred her into a private room for royal guests. I was ready to retire for the night wherever that was. At this point I would have curled up and slept in a corner. Aragorn came over to me and embraced me.
"Thank you, Deya. You are a worthy friend." He said as he released me. "I do not know what I would have done without you."
"I should be the one thanking you," I said and I knelt down to one knee, "You encouraged me where others only scolded. You listened where others only judged. You see me as a solider when others could only see me in a dress. I am and will always be your most humble of servants, your grace."
He was touched and his mouth opened as if disbelief. Then his lips curved into a smile as he reached down and beckoned me to my feet.
"I will have to get used to people calling me that now. I have already been settled into the king's chambers. I sat down at the mighty desk of Isildur in the study and looked up at the paintings of my fathers. There is a place for you on my counsel should you seek it."
I gulped hearing him talk about the desk and the counsel. The boy from my dream's face burned into the back of mind. I looked away from Aragorn.
"That is kind. I will keep my options open. For now, I wish to rest." I said.
"Of course, of course. If you have not yet found accommodations the chamber of the queen is vacant for your stay here. If you go to the citadel and go through my chambers past the study…" he said but I cut him off.
"I already know where it is." I said. He got a puzzled look on his face but I walked away. I made my way up to the citadel and opened the double doors to the king's chambers. As I passed by the desk I felt an icy shudder run down my spine as more flashbacks of the dream flooded into my thoughts.
The queen's chamber was huge and even had a private bath for which I was grateful. Servants brought in hot water and soaps and oils. I soaked for a long time letting my thoughts wander. When I was done I found more servants waiting for me in the bedchamber with arms full of gowns and dresses. I gasped as I looked them over. They were by far the finest I had ever seen and of the most beautiful of fabrics. Even the chemises were made of silk with intricate beading and embroidery. One chemise even had the white tree of Gondor on it…..White Tree?! I gasped again. Guard of the citadel! Pippin!
I grabbed the closest gown to me and flung it over my head. The servants looked abashed as they tied it as quickly as they could as my urging. I slipped into my boots and fled from the room. As I passed back through the king's study Aragorn was sitting at the desk and gave me a strange look. He stood up as I rushed passed.
"Deya?!" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"The hobbits!" I said stopping to answer him for only a moment before I burst though the double doors and down the hall. I secured a horse from the royal stable, though it was not a horse of Rohan and moved like a clumsy child, and hurried down level after level until I finally reached the gates of the city. Thank the heavens it was still open for more of the wounded to be brought inside. I hurried back out onto the field.
Several soldiers were still picking through bodies. Those that were dead where being piled up to be burned and those wounded were being rushed into the city. I galloped around the mass of smoke and smell of rot and blood.
"Pippin!?" I called out. "Merry?!"
"Merry?!" called out a voice. It was Pippin's and hurried in its direction. I came upon one of the bodies of the massive animals and quickly trotted around it. I found Pippin who was desperately searching through the bodies clutching the little green cloak he found earlier. Had he been searching all this time alone?! Why could my intelligence leave me so?!
"Merry?!" he yelled out again not yet realizing my presence. He turned around and looked down to a pile of bodies next to the dead animal. He face exploded with worry upon seeing the pile, and he rushed over dropping the cloak to the ground. He used all of his strength to knock over the dead body of an Uruk Hai and revealed Merry lying still and pale in the grass. I gasped and prayed not for the worst. Pippen knelt down by him and touched his shoulder.
"Merry?" he asked looking at him. Merry did not answer. Pippin lifted him and turned him over onto his back cradling him with one arm. "Merry, it's me." He said.
Merry's eyes opened halfway and looked up. He head was wobbly from fatigue and he licked his dry lips.
"It's Pippin." Pippen said as tears of worry and joy came to his eyes at finding his long lost friend.
"I knew you'd find me." Merry said weakly.
"Yes." Pippin said smiling at him. Merry laid his head back down spent of strength.
"Are you going to leave me?" he asked.
"No, Merry," Pippin said, "I'm going to look after you." He said and he reached for the green cloak and covered Merry with it.
I dismounted the horse and hurried over. "Pippin!" I yelled out.
"Deya?" he asked looking up. I knelt down at Merry's side and I checked his forehead and then cupped his cheek. He looked up at me and a weak smile spread across his face.
"You brought me an angel, Pippin?" he asked.
"Merry, are you hurt?" I asked him.
"I'm cold." He said weakly, "And hungry…and thirsty."
"I am going to check your body for breaks." I said. "Just try to relax."
"I don't think he has broken anything." Pippin said.
"You can never be sure." I said as I began to gently feel Merry's arms and legs. I felt his neck and chest. "Did any of that hurt?" I asked.
"No, just a soreness." He said. I nodded my head at him.
"I am going to help you get to the city. You need a meal and you need rest." I said.
"I trust you, Deya. Most beautiful horse maiden of my heart," Merry said smiling again. I blushed and stared at him for a moment. Well, I suppose if worse comes to worse I could always marry Merry.
I gently lifted him in my arms and secured the cloak around him. I walked back over to the horse with Pippin.
"Are we going to take him to the House of Healing?" Pippin asked.
"No," I said, "The House of Healing is already full and more men pour in by the hour; men that need attention for severe wounds and fever. You will stay with me in my chambers and we will take care of Merry ourselves." I said. "You get on the horse first." I commanded. He did as he was told and I gave him a boost. I handed Merry to him and then I mounted the horse.
I hurried back through the gate and up to the citadel. I carried Merry myself back down the hallways and through the double doors. Aragorn was waiting with hot water and medicines. I laid merry on a cushioned bench in the queen's chambers and turned to Pippin.
"I want you to help him undress and clean him up. If you see any wounds or anything unusual, call for me. I am going to fetch broth and mead."
"Yes, Deya." He said.
As I left the queen's chambers Aragorn walked in with the hot water and medicine. He nodded to me as he passed. I instructed the servants to bring food to the room and then I left the Citadel and walked down the entire length of the King's Garden. Plumes of smoke were still rising from the field bellow.
I gave them an hour to see to Merry before I headed back. He had been washed and put in a sleep shirt meant for a child. He had no bandages or stitches and I sighed in relief. I helped to hold him up as Pippin spooned him the mead and broth the servants brought. After he had his fill he fell into a deep sleep. I carried to the bed. It was big enough and they small enough that all three of us would fit comfortably and Merry needed to stay warm. I feared not of either of them being less than a gentleman. When we were all in the bed and covered in the blankets Pippin turned to me.
"Deya?" he asked. "Are you asleep yet?"
"No, Pippin. What is it?" I asked.
"Why did you come back to help me? I would have never expected that." He said.
"If I had not what would have done?" I asked.
"I don't know, but I am grateful." He said and turned back over.
'Pippin?" I asked. He turned back around.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Tell me about the Fellowship. What adventures did you have before you came to Rohan? Tell me about Frodo and the other Hobbit. What are your lands like?" I asked.
And he told me. He told me of Hobbiton and how Frodo and his Uncle Bilbo were the riches men in the Shire. He told me about Bilbo's birthday party. He told me about Samwise and how he and Merry ran into them after raiding Farmer Maggot's crops. He told me of the Nazgul and how they were chased and hunted. He told me how they met Aragorn and how the Nazgul attacked them at a place called Weathertop. He told me of Rivendell and how great the food was there. He told me of their meeting of Gimli and Legolas. He told me about the brave, yet weak minded Gondorian Boromir who fell to save them when the Uruks attacked. He told me how him and Merry were taken captive by the Uruks and how they fled into Fangorn forest when the horsemen attacked. He told me of Ents!
"Ents?!" I asked. "You saw them? You jest surely!" I said thinking back to Rembaulk and Don Vonce.
"We fought with them. We were the ones who took Isengard." He said proudly.
He then told me about what happened the night of the feast and what he did when he first came to Gondor. He told me that he was the one who lit the beacon to call for Rohan. He told me about how Denethor went mad and tried to burn his son Faramir, who was Boromir's younger brother, who was still alive and Pippin saved him.
"And it wasn't too long after that, that you guys came and saved the city."
"It sounds like a dream adventure. Such glory and such fear." I said.
"But, you're a part of the Fellowship now aren't you?" he asked me.
"Yes," I said proudly.
"Then when all this is over you must promise that you will come and visit us in Hobbiton. You must meet Frodo and Sam and see Farmer Maggot's farm. I can show you the best places to find mushrooms and take you down to the Green Dragon. You'll have the best ale you've ever tasted."
I chuckled and nodded my head at him. "I promise, my little friend." I said.
"Deya?" he asked.
"Yes, Pippin?"
"Could I….that is to say, well….would I…oh never mind," he said turning red and rolled back over.
"What is it, Pippin? What's wrong?" I asked. He turned back over.
"It's just that, you are so pretty and fair and yet so strong and brave. I was going to ask you if you would do me the honor of allowing me a kiss? It can be on the cheek! I meant no dishonor in my request." He said still as bright a red as an apple. I laughed and I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"That's not fair…" Merry said weakly. Both Pippin and I laughed and I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek too.
I relaxed back in the bed and looked up at the ceiling. There was a magnificent mural painting on it of queens of old in gowns that sparkled and shined in gold and diamonds. The servants came in and put out the candles and torches in the room. The fire was still burning but the coals grew dimmer and dimmer. It would be dawn, I guessed, in three…maybe four hours. Not as much rest as I would have liked but this war was far from over. What surprises awaited me in the morning? What came next now that Gondor was safe?
I heard the door open and I sat up startled. A guard entered the room. The sound did not stir Pippin nor Merry. The guard came over to the side of the bed.
"Pardon our intrusion at such a late hour, my lady," he said.
"That's alright, what is it? What's going on?" I asked.
"The king has sent us. He has requested that you join him in his bedchamber." The guard said.
My eyes widened and my mouth fell open in shock and disgust. "WHAT?!" I exclaimed. This time Pippin stirred and looked over to see what was going on.
"Deya?" he asked.
"It's alright." I said to him trying to hide the fluster in my voice. "Go back to sleep."
"My lady?" the guard asked. "Shall I escort you or shall you go on your own?"
"I….I don't know…." I said still shaken. My mind felt as if it had melted. Had Aragorn gone mad?! What was the meaning of this? Had this been his intention this entire time? Had he played me as a friend to gain my trust as a lover? He already had a lover. The elf woman. The necklace! Why must things go so wrong just as they finally seem right?