Éomer was sent out on patrol with his éored and was gone for nearly a fortnight. During that time, he realized just how much he longed for a peaceful and quiet night's sleep and how much he took Kiana's company for granted. He was back to nightmares and restless slumber, night after night. Guthleth noticed what a huge difference it was between that night with Kiana and how Éomer usually was.

Meanwhile, back in Edoras, Kiana was spending more time with Éowyn than before. Grima seemed to be looming in the shadows around the young lady with increasing frequency and Kiana noticed that the king's mental state was getting worse, as well. She grew suspicious of Grima having something to do with the king's health, but she had no proof. She figured it best to just stick with Éowyn as best she could, hoping that it would deter Grima- even if only a little. At one point, however, Grima seemed to catch on and approached her one day. Cornering her, Grima threatened her safety if she got in his way and advised that she stay away from Éowyn and the king. Kiana did her best to stand her ground, however, and told Grima that his "advice" would be taken under advisement but that he was not her king and he had no right to give her orders.

It would not be long before Éomer would return, and both Kiana and Éowyn found that they were looking forward to the day his éored would arrive.

The horn sounded late in the afternoon on the day of the éored's return and Kiana had been asked to take the mended saddle blankets to the stables. She was nervous to be around so many horses, though, and was rather jumpy.

'You can do this...'

She took a few deep breaths and made her way into the stables, trying to keep herself busy with sorting out the saddle blankets. There were so many people now that the éored had returned, so the stables were rather busy.

She tried to busy herself with anything that would take her mind off the hustle and bustle around her. Once things had started dying down and grew quieter, Kiana felt as though she could catch a breather. She jumped when a horse in the stall next to her huffed at her, which startled the horse as much as it had startled her. She put a hand to her chest and tried to offer a hand to the horse.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Kiana jumped as Éomer came up behind her and pulled her hand back. "E-Éomer?"

"They can sense when you're nervous."

"S-Sorry..." Kiana withdrew her hand, pulling it to her chest.

"Are you alright?" Éomer asked.

Kiana tried to answer, but her heart was pounding too much.

"Come, let us get some fresh air."

Éomer took Kiana outside, leading her up to an empty hill where she could get a moment of silence to herself. They sat on the hill until Kiana was able to catch her breath.

"Thank you..."

"When you spoke of your fear of horses, I did not think it was this bad."

Kiana sighed. "Normally, I can manage well enough without getting panicked..."

"I see..."

"I mean it, though," Kiana said, reaching over to grasp Éomer's hand. "Thank you."

Éomer smiled and held her hand. "Of course, Kiana, anything for you."

Kiana blushed at hearing her own words being spoken by the young lord. "So, how was the patrol?"

"As well as one could expect in such times. Rather uneventful."

"And were you able to sleep alright?" When Éomer didn't respond right away, Kiana knew the nightmares had taken hold once more. "Éomer, this cannot continue... if you can't get a restful night's sleep, it will affect your ability to lead and to fight."

"I know..."

Kiana reached up to touch his cheek. "Éomer, I'm worried about you..." He let her turn his face towards her. "You look more exhausted than you did before you left..." She looked at the dark circles beneath his eyes. "Are the nightmares getting worse?"

"They are not getting better." Éomer sighed, wanting to change the subject. "How have things been here?"

"The king's state continues to decline, but nothing else has really been different as of late," Kiana started. "That being said, though, Grima seems to be more persistent in shadowing your sister."

"Really?"

"And while I have no proof of it, I do have to wonder if he has something to do with the king's declination."

"What makes you wonder that?"

"The fact that he's becoming more... bold... in his actions at the same time the king's state takes another turn for the worse," Kiana explained. "Either he has something to do with what's happened to the king or he's being opportunistic for his own selfish gains. At the very least, he does not care about anyone or anything beyond his obsession over Éowyn."

"That snake will stop at nothing it seems..." Éomer said, a low growl beneath his words.

"Éomer, don't do anything reckless, please?" Kiana asked. "I know you're protective over Éowyn, but as I said before, there is no proof that he has anything to do with what's happening to the king. This is merely what I have personally observed."

Éomer sighed. "I will take it under consideration."

They sat a few more moments in silence before Kiana made to stand. "Well, we should get back before they send someone to find us." She blushed, thinking back to the morning after their last night together. As she stood, though, she lost her footing and fell forward.

Éomer caught her as she fell into him, steadying her on her feet. "Are you alright?"

Kiana nodded, feeling embarrassed. "Y-Yes, thank you. I think perhaps my foot fell asleep." She stood up straight, her hands resting against Éomer's chest as she looked up at him.

Éomer chuckled, seeing how rosy her cheeks were. He reached up to brush aside a loose strand of hair.

"Éomer?"

"I didn't think I'd miss your company nearly as much as I did these past weeks." He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed. "It is good to be home."

Kiana smiled at that. "I missed you, too. Edoras isn't the same without you."