Éomer woke with a start, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. No amount of drinking or medicinal teas would be able to quell the aftereffects of the nightmare and try as hard as he might, he could not manage to get back to sleep. Come morning's first light, he was left in an especially foul mood and everything little thing seemed to irritate him- causing him to snap at everyone who spoke to him, including his sister.
Kiana had come to Meduseld early that same morning to get a jump start on her work. It had started off as a quiet morning until Éomer awoke in a rather bitter manner. 'He must not have gotten any sleep...'
She kept to herself while she worked, but when she heard him snap at Éowyn, she knew his exhaustion was bad. Deciding to take a break, Kiana went to check on Éowyn first to make sure she was alright. After her ladyship assured her that she was fine, Kiana went to find Éomer and when she did, he had just sent off one of the servants in a huff.
"My lord? Is everything alright?" she called out as she approached him.
"Everything is fine."
Kiana flinched at his curtness and hurried forward to stop him from leaving. "Éomer, please, if there's something I can do to help-"
Éomer cut her off as he grabbed her by the arms and pinned her against the nearest wall. "What business is it of yours?" he asked angrily, his voice low and growling. "Why do you care so much? Hmm? Or perhaps you are just pretending to care."
Kiana knew that this wasn't him, that it was just the exhaustion and sleep deprivation talking, but he was still frightening her. She could see the anger subside for a moment when he realized what he was doing and he stepped back quickly, releasing her arms before hurrying off to find somewhere secluded to calm down. Kiana felt helpless, unsure of what more she could do for him. After taking a moment to calm her nerves, Kiana decided to give him some space and returned to her work.
Éomer was furious with himself for lashing out the way he had been that morning, especially at Kiana- whom he knew was just trying to help. Lack of sleep was no excuse for his behavior, even if it were the cause of it, so he kept to himself in seclusion until he was able to think calmly and clearly again. He holed up in the stables, tending to the horses, and remained there until late afternoon.
As the mountains cradled the sun as it began to descend, Éomer heard a brief conversation at the entrance of the stables and looked up from his horse to see Kiana handing off a basket to one of the stablehands. He noticed that she was hesitant about approaching upon spotting him, but decided to in the end.
"Afternoon, my lord."
Éomer simply nodded, unsure of what to say after his behavior earlier that morning.
"I wanted to apologize..." Kiana started, feeling guilty after what happened. "I fear that I overstepped my boundaries." She offered him a bow. "Please accept my sincerest apologies." When he didn't say anything, she assumed he was still upset. She bowed once more before hurrying out of the stables.
Éomer sighed heavily, having seen the visible disappointment on her face at his silence. 'Damn it...' He looked at the stablehand that had taken the basket from Kiana and called him over. "Take over. He just needs a good brush and food."
"At once, my lord."
Éomer hurried back to Meduseld, heading to the kitchens to snag one of the bottles of mead that was typically reserved for the royal family. As he passed by the servants, he apologized for his behavior earlier and told them to keep up the good work and take the evening off if they could.
"Brother?"
Éomer looked at his sister as she came into the kitchens. "Éowyn, I-"
Éowyn shook her head. "I know, you don't have to apologize."
"I should not have snapped at anyone," he said, "especially you, Sister. Please forgive me."
"I am not the one who needs your apology the most right now."
"I know," Éomer said, presenting the bottle in his hand. "A peace offering, as it were."
"Good. Kiana is a wonderful woman who really has your best interests at heart. You would do well to be kind to her in return."
Éomer nodded, taking his leave as Éowyn shooed him off. As he made his way down the stone steps to the main road, he wondered if Kiana would accept his company or if she would turn him away. She seemed more upset over what happened than he was and he couldn't let that stand; he needed to make it right.
He made his way to her home, standing outside for a moment working up the courage to actually knock, then stepped forward to rap his knuckles against the weathered door.
Kiana opened the door and was surprised to see Éomer waiting on the other side. "My lord?"
Éomer looked at her very apologetically. "You are not the one who needs to apologize for what happened earlier. I had hoped that perhaps you would allow me to take your offer of company?" He presented the bottle of mead to her. "A peace offering."
Kiana smirked a bit at that and nodded. "Come in, I'll grab the mugs."
Éomer stepped inside and closed the door behind him, setting his boots and cloak to the side before moving to sit on the couch. He looked up when Kiana joined him, handing him one of the mugs and sitting next to him as he broke the seal on the ceramic bottle.
Kiana sat quietly with him, only briefly thanking him as he poured her a drink. They stared at the fire while they drank in silence and Kiana patiently waited for Éomer to speak first. Nearly an hour went by before either of the spoke.