Upon the hill just behind them, Éomer was passing by and noticed Héodis with Ric. For some reason, seeing them together really bothered him and he turned away to head back inside for a drink.

Finding his into Meduseld, Éomer found a few men from his company seated near the fire.

"My lord, care to join us for a drink?"

Éomer made his way to the table, sitting with Hereleth, Guthleth, and Gálmód. "Gladly," he stated plainly as he accepted a drink from Hereleth.

"Something troubles you," Guthleth noted, eyeing the young lord over the rim of his tankard.

"Didn't you hear?" Gálmód asked. "Héodis is leaving with the caravan at dawn."

The men exchanged some glances as Éomer chugged his ale and set the now empty tankard with a grunted sigh.

The young lord barely listened as his men discussed the caravan's destination. He knew that from Edoras, it would take more than a week to reach Ethring. From what reports they had of the road and countryside along the way, Orcs had been spotted passing through and though few in number they may be, he still worried that the warriors accompanying the caravan would not be enough.

"The warriors accompanying the caravan are skilled," another of the éored, Gármund, remarked as he joined them. "They had wished to test their mettle with myself and a few others, and I must say that I am thoroughly convinced that they will be more than enough to protect the caravan on their travels." He nudges Éomer as he sits next to him. "You need not worry, my lord, Héodis will be safe."

Éomer wasn't too convinced, though, nor did he find the company of his men helping much. He went to the kitchens, grabbing a bottle of one of the specialty drinks before returning to his chambers. He kicked off his boots and plopped down onto his bed, his back against the headboard. As he took a few sips straight from the bottle, he thought back on how much it bothered him to see Héodis with Ric.

'Why does his presence trouble me so?' he wondered.

Ric was the son of the caravan leader, Heimir, and had a similar air about him as Héoláf had in life.

'Is that why she is taken with him? He reminds her of Héoláf?' Éomer sighed and took another swig from the bottle. 'If that were the case, though, she'd see him no more than a brother so why... why does seeing her with him make me feel this way..?' As he sat there pondering these unfamiliar feelings, he began to think back on how he had met Héodis and Héoláf.

They had lived in a small village in the West-March, but it was frequently attacked by Dunlendings. One such attack had taken their father, Héogrim, and their home was burned to ash. Éomer and his éored had come to their rescue, slaying the Dunlending raiding party and making the village safe to return to. While surveying the damage, Héoláf had approached Hereleth and asked if he could join the éored- to train to become a Rider of Rohan in order to protect his sister. Hereleth knew that Éomer was seeking a squire and brought the young lad to his lordship. After discussing the young lad's request, Éomer accepted. Héodis didn't like the idea of her brother training for battle or going off to war should the need arise, but Héoláf was insistent that this was how he believed he could protect her. Éomer, in hopes of easing her mind a bit, offered Héodis work in Meduseld should she want it. Héoláf pointed out to his sister that with their father gone and their home burned to ash, there wasn't really anything keeping them in the village and there was the fact that the Dunlending attacks had been becoming more frequent as of late, so it would be safer in the capital than on the outskirts of the kingdom. Héodis knew her brother was right and agreed in the end. She and Héoláf gathered what little had survived the fire that consumed their home, buried their father with their mother, then accompanied the éored back to Edoras.

Along the return journey, Héodis made herself useful tending the wounded and cooking for everyone while Héoláf began his training immediately upon departure. Éomer had him do simple tasks to start with, mainly maintenance of their equipment and tending to the horses, but he also had Hereleth train the young lad to use a sword. It was fortnight's journey back to the capital, between the distance and weather, but the siblings were able to make an impression on the young lord and his éored in that short time.

Héoláf continued his training with Éomer and the others while Héodis took work in Meduseld, cooking and cleaning or tending to the sick and wounded- wherever she was needed. Héoláf eventually rose through the ranks and became Éomer's second in command, and Héodis became well-liked in the capital as well thanks to her cooking and skills as an apothecary. And because of how often the éoreds would be sent out on patrols, they didn't see much of Héodis unless they were home in the capital and even then it would only be for a few days if they were lucky.

Despite that, Héoláf and Héodis grew close with Éomer, his sister, and their cousin. Their father had been good friends with the king, so they were treated just like family. Éowyn had even asked Héodis to help her look after the king when his mental state started to take a turn for the worse, which strengthened their bond. Éomer was grateful to Héodis as she did whatever she could to help ease Éowyn's mind, comforting her when she needed it- and was even more grateful when Héodis tried her best to keep the weaselly snake of an advisor to the king, Grima, away from her.

Recalling those memories was difficult, but also reminded him of how fond he was of Héodis. He had always treated her like family, but he had never considered anything more than that. Seeing her close with another man, however, made him wonder if he was feeling jealous or envious.

Sighing, Éomer held the bottle up and gazed at its ceramic surface as the deep earthen hue reminded him of Héodis' dark hair- a trait that was rare of the Rohirric people.

'What should I do...?'

When dawn arose over the land, the caravan took to the road as planned. Héodis sat in one of the wagons and cast a final and surprisingly longing look back at Edoras. It really had become her home, more than her hometown ever felt, but it was more than that. She was not used to being away from all that she knew and experiencing the unknown, and leaving the comforts of home behind was more difficult than she imagined it would be. She hadn't wanted to leave things bad between her and Éomer, but she didn't know how they could have remedied them after their last conversation.

Back in Meduseld, Éomer woke with a start and realized the time. He dressed quickly, the empty bottle of alcohol falling to the floor as he hurry out of his chambers. He did not care that he was hungover or that he likely looked rather disheveled; he only wanted to see Héodis off before she took to the road. He hurried to the stairways descending Meduseld, spotting the caravan already far off in the distance. He cursed himself silently, seeing that it was too late for him to remedy things between them.

'Safe travels, Héodis... come home soon...'