Éomer and Kiana returned to the city and their duties, remaining busy for the remainder of the day. Once the day was over, they met up for dinner at Kiana's house and caught up over drinks. They continued to drink and chat well into the late hours of the night and just as the last night they spent together, it didn't take long before Éomer had fallen asleep on the couch. Kiana took the mugs to the washbin and cleaned them, setting them aside to dry, then 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.

'I hope that he can rest easy tonight.'

Not quite ready for bed yet, Kiana sat at her loom and continued her project quietly. She hummed softly to herself as she worked, but before long Éomer began to toss and turn in his sleep. She got up from the loom and hurried over to him, reaching up to stroke his head in an attempt to calm him. It was to no avail, however, and Éomer shot upright in a panic.

"Éomer, it's ok! It's ok, you're safe!"

Éomer looked around, realizing where he was after a few moments. He looked at Kiana and sighed, his hand coming to rest on his forehead for a moment.

Kiana rubbed his back and sat in front of him. "Are you alright?"

Éomer barely glanced at her as he shook his head. "They just won't end..."

Kiana didn't know what else to do, so she took his hand and pulled him up to his feet before leading him to the bedroom. She sat him down on the bed and stood in front of him, reaching up to massage his temples.

Éomer sat still, his eyes closed as she so, and could feel the tension slowly begin to dissipate. She continued for a few minutes, then looked down at him with a furrowed brow. "Thank you..."

"Are you alright?"

Éomer nodded. "I am now..." His hands found their way to her hips. "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Kiana shook her head. "Don't apologize." She leaned down and pressed her forehead to his. "I'm worried, Éomer... these nightmares will be the death of you if they continue like this..."

"Perhaps you could share my bed again tonight, then?"

Kiana was a bit surprised by his invitation, but she nodded. "Anything to help you."

Éomer lay back and moved over to give Kiana space on the bed, waiting for her to settle in before pulling the blankets over them both. They lay there in silence for a few moments before Kiana looked up at him and asked what he was going to do on his next patrol.

"I can't always be there with you, Éomer..."

"I know..." Éomer looked down at her, seeing her thinking rather hard. He chuckled and brushed her hair away from her face. "What has you thinking so hard?"

"I may have a solution, but I would need to test a few things first."

"What is it?"

"There are some herbs that may help in a variety of ways, but if I could make you an oil or balm of some kind that you could massage into your temples then perhaps..." Kiana sighed. "I just don't want to get your hopes up, Éomer..."

Éomer smiled and hugged her close. "It's alright, Kiana. To be honest, I am willing to try anything at this point."

"I can start working on it tomorrow if you'd like. I have to wait for the next caravan to pass through before I can finish some of my projects."

"Alright, let's do that, then."

Kiana offered him and smile, reaching up to touch his cheek for a moment. "In the meantime, try to get some sleep?"

"I will do my best."

Éomer and Kiana quickly fell asleep, Éomer's arms wrapped around Kiana and holding her close to him. Kiana had wrapped her arm around him as well, her hand resting against his back. They slept peacefully for a few hours, but then the nightmares took root once again and Éomer woke with a start.

"Éomer?"

Kiana was jolted awake as Éomer woke from his nightmare and found him panting. She sat up and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, her brow furrowing when he jumped. "Hush, it's alright."

When Éomer realized it was just Kiana, he sighed with relief but his heart was still pounding and his head ached.

Kiana pulled him into her arms and held him, trying to comfort him as best as she could.

"I'm sorry..."

"Éomer, you have nothing to apologize for." Kiana turned his face towards hers and waited for him to meet her gaze. "It's alright, you're safe here."

Éomer leaned into her hand and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's becoming more and more difficult to discern dream from reality..."

Kiana's chest tightened and she pressed her forehead against his. "I can't even imagine how that must feel..."

Éomer took comfort in her presence, and the effort she put into trying to help despite not understanding what he was going through. "I'd be lost without you, Kiana..."

Kiana smiled at that. "I'm just glad that I can be of some help."

"You do more than you realize, believe me."

Kiana looked at him as he reached up to touch her hand, seeing something different in his eyes. She wasn't sure what it was, though. A few quiet moments passed and Kiana looked at Éomer, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face. "Will you be alright now?"

Éomer nodded. "I think so."

"Then let's try to get back to sleep, ok?"

They settled back into bed, hoping the rest of the night would be peaceful.