Kiana and the young lord continued to drink and chat well into the late hours of the night. It didn't take long, though, before Éomer had fallen asleep on the couch. Kiana was surprised that she hadn't fallen asleep yet herself and smiled, taking the mugs to the washbin. Once the mugs were clean and set aside to dry, she grabbed an extra blanket from her room and brought it over to Éomer. She draped it over him, then gently readjusted his head so that it was resting more comfortably on the pillow.

'He's been so tired, I hope he can rest easier now...' she thought, her hand resting over the young lord's head for a moment. She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Sleep well, Éomer."

As Kiana settled herself down in bed, Éomer was falling prey to the nightmares once again.

"Why didn't you save us?"

Eomer stumbled back, landing upon the ashen field. He cried out as the fallen seemed to rise once more, clawing their way towards him.

"Why didn't you save us? Why did you leave us to die?" The voices of the fallen- his comrades, the innocent villagers, the slain enemies- echoed in an eerie chorus, the miasma thickening around him.

"No, stop..!" he begged, covering his ears in an attempt to drown out the ghastly wails and incessant accusations.

"It should have been you, Éomer." Héodis' voice said, barely discernible from the myriad of other voices.

Éomer felt suffocated as the miasma parted just enough to reveal the ghosts of war closing in on him. "I'm sorry..!" he barely managed before more undead hands broke through the earth beneath him and pinned him down.

As the young lord struggled to free himself, Héodis stood over him with a sword in hand- his sword no less. "Héodis, please... forgive me..."

The wickedness had vanished and in its place was now hate and rage. "It should have been you." She said, bringing the sword down upon him.

Éomer woke with a start, drenched in sweat and panting heavily- just as he did every night. His head pounded as he sat up, trying to push away the nightmare's effects. After a few moments, he sighed and sat back.

'I'm still at Kiana's..?'

It was then that he realized he had fallen asleep on Kiana's couch. He stoked the fire, adding a couple more logs, then stood and walked over to what he assumed was Kiana's bedroom. He wasn't sure why, but Éomer felt like he needed to check on Kiana. Pushing aside the curtain that divided her room from the rest of the house, the young lord found Kiana sleeping peacefully in her bed. He sat at the edge of the bed, reaching over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. As his hand came to rest against her cheek, Kiana stirred at his touch and looked up at him sleepily.

"Éomer..?"

"My apologies, I did not mean to wake you."

Kiana sat up, the blanket falling from her shoulder. "Is everything alright?" When Éomer looked away, she knew that it was the nightmares again. "Come," she said, patting the bed next to her as she scooted over a bit more.

Éomer looked at her, confused for a moment. "Kiana, I-"

Kiana shushed him, reaching forward to grasp his hand. "Just come lay down."

Éomer sighed, too tired to argue with her as she pulled him further onto the bed. He lay down next to her, letting her pull the blanket over them both before she settled back down next to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kiana asked sleepily.

Éomer shook his head, reaching up to grasp her hand. "There is nothing more to talk about."

"Are you alright?"

Éomer nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. "I will be fine..."

Kiana smiled a bit. "You better." She let Éomer pull her into his arms and settled in against his chest. "Try to get some more sleep if you can."

As Kiana quickly fell back asleep, Éomer noticed just how comforting her presence was for him. Her warmth was enough for him to relax and her scent, which was like lavender and sage, was enough to put his mind at ease. He closed his eyes, trying to follow suit, and within minutes he was asleep once more.

When morning came, Kiana woke to the earliest light of day peeking through the window. She made to sit up, but there was a weight hanging over her and she looked up to find Éomer still sound asleep with his arm around her.

Kiana forgot for a moment that she had invited the young lord into her bed during the night, and her cheeks erupted with heat as she recalled what happened.

'How could I be so forward..!'

While Kiana was scolding herself internally, Éomer stirred from his slumber as well. He too forgot for a moment the events of the night and was confused at first to find Kiana in his arms.

"M-Morning, Éomer..."

Éomer chuckled sleepily and hugged her closer. "Morning, Kiana."

Kiana's cheeks burned and she was glad in that moment that Éomer couldn't see how embarrassed she was. "H-How did you sleep?"

Éomer thought on it and sighed with relief. "Better than I have in months."

Kiana looked up at him. "Really?"

Éomer nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. "Really." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"You were right. It would seem that a companion in the night is just what I needed."

Kiana's cheeks were beginning to hurt as her blush deepened even more. "W-Well, I'm glad to hear it." She tried to sit up, but Éomer pulled her back down. "E-Éomer?"

"Will you share my bed again, Kiana?" the young lord asked, surprised by how forward he was being.

Before Kiana could answer, though, a knock came at the door and a muffled voice called out to Kiana from outside.

"I-I best go answer the door."

Éomer let Kiana slide herself from his embrace and hurry off the bed, finding himself chuckling when he noticed how red her cheeks were.

Kiana smoothed her nightgown and hair down, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders. "Who is it?"

"It's Guthleth."

Kiana opened the door and looked up at the man. "What brings you here so early, Guthleth? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I was just wondering if you had seen Lord Éomer. He was not in his chambers and no one has seen him since yesterday evening."

"I am here, Guthleth."

Guthleth looked up as Éomer joined Kiana at the door, noticing that he looked well rested for once. "Ah, so you are." He glanced at Kiana, seeing her cheeks red as the dawn. He chuckled quietly and looked up at Éomer when he asked what is was he needed. "Hereleth was looking for you. There are some things that we need to discuss before the next patrol."

"Understood. Just give me a few moments, then I will join you."

Guthleth nodded, stepping back as Éomer closed the door. 'Well now, that's a surprise.'

Inside, Kiana had a hand to her heart as she tried to calm it down. 'Goodness... what am I to do..?'

"Kiana?"

She turned to meet Éomer's gaze when he put a hand on her shoulder. "Hmm?"

"I hate to leave so soon."

"It's alright, you have work to do."

Éomer reached up to touch her cheek as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Thank you again, I mean it."

Kiana smiled. "Of course, Éomer. Anything for you."

Éomer stepped back and slid his boots on. Kiana helped clip his cloak into place and stood at the door as stepped outside.

"Go on now, lads, best hurry before they send anyone else," Kiana teased.

Éomer and Guthleth bid her a good day before taking their leave. As soon as Kiana closed the door, Guthleth looked at Éomer.

"What?"

"You two seem rather cozy as of late is all."