Hey everyone!

Happy June! Can't believe we're almost halfway through the year already. This year has, so far, gone better than last year has. Work will start picking up for summer soon but I know what to expect... at least I hope I do. Here is the next update and I will say that I am hopefully fully back to doube updates a month from now on!

Lots of love,

LSH xxx

A Wild Heart – Part 22:

Fríthbert and Edhild, Fríthild's children, were soon sat with the sisters. Éowara held Edhild close to her as the little girl held her teddy close to her. The girl had always been drawn to Éowara from the moment she had been placed into Éowara's arms after her birth, crying when someone had tried to remove her from Éowara's arms.

Fríthbert had always taken after his mother and Éowyn. He wasn't sat on Éowyn's lap, but by her side, discussing matters with her… well important matters for a child anyway. Éowyn just chuckled and listened to Fríthbert, speaking to him as he asked her random things.

Éomer was sat with Fríthild and Aragorn discussing matters before his eyes fell on his youngest sister and Edhild. He watched as she kissed the little girl's head and stroked her cheek gently.

"Edhild you cannot come with me on my adventures but I will write to you as often as I can and I will see if I can send you some gifts from the north and the Shire," Éowara said as she looked at the little girl, "and I will come back as often as I can," she said, "what I want you to do, when Mama says so, is to train as a Shield-Maiden. Do you think you can do that?" she asked and the little girl nodded, full of excitement.

Aragorn traced when Éomer's eyes were looking and his eyes fell on Éowara as well as she spoke with Edhild.

"Éowara looks a natural there," he observed, "she would make a great mother one day," he said as he couldn't take his eyes away from the two.

"My daughter has always been attached to Éowara," Fríthild spoke as she chuckled softly, "right from the moment she was placed in Éowara's arms as a baby. She would always cry when I tried to take her back. It's part of the reason they spent so much time here, that and Théoden appeared to be focussed on Éomer and his son," she said as she looked at the men, "as Éomer will well know. They were devoted to their Uncle no matter what. I also sense someone has seen another side to our Éowara."

"Aragorn possibly knows more about Éowara than myself and Éowyn," Éomer spoke as he looked at the Reeve of the Broadacres, "the High Queen Arwen has taken the wild one under her care and Éowara has learnt to open up slightly."

Aragorn looked at the King of Rohan and the Reeve before a playful smile graced his face.

"She has and I thought I heard Arwen's voice on the wind the other night," he spoke, "after the nightmare. She must have heard my voice soothing Éowara…"

"Mother I'm hungry," Fríthbert spoke, dragging his mother from her thoughts.

"Right yes my son," the Reeve spoke before ordering food to be served. They had been speaking for hours and now the sun was beginning to set.

Éowara had slipped off with the children as the food was prepared. They'd wanted to show her something at their house and nobody had realised for now.

"I never truly had a chance to speak to you and your new husband, Éowyn, at the wedding," Fríthild spoke, "the children and I will come and visit you and the Prince Faramir in Gondor soon. It will be a shame not to see Éowara but I hear there are plans awaiting her in the north…"

"Yes," Aragorn spoke, "that is my doing Reeve Fríthild but the children, and yourself, would be welcome in Evendim. I'm sure they would love to see the lights at night in the Forochel sky," he said and the Reeve nodded.

"Edhild will wish to see Éowara and will not be able to wait until she is back here," she said, "I will take you up on that offer as soon as I am able to make arrangements."

Éowara was sat upstairs with the children in Fríthild's house and listening to the children as they showed her their new toys that had been sent as a gift from Éomer when she heard a noise downstairs. The governess, Engifu, was up at the Mead Hall so it couldn't have been her.

"Hide under a bed and do not move," Éowara whispered to the children, "I will not let anything happen to you." Fríthbert pulled his sister and her teddy under the bed and Éowara moved the toy chest to hide the front of the bed.

She slipped into the shadows and watched to see who had slipped into the house. She had no doubt that it was someone intending to do harm to either herself or the children. There were people who wanted to be the Reeve but as long as Fríthbert was alive there was a Reeve and an heir.

Éowara held her breath as she watched a shadowy figure walking up the stairs and silently thanking Eru that she had her daggers at least as she waited to see who was coming up the stairs.

The figure arrived at the top of the stairs. Her eyes fell on the children as she watched the figure walk towards the bed. She waited until the figure was close to the bed before she stepped out of the shadows.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked, causing the figure to turn around and face her.

"You're not the Reeve…" the man spoke.

"I am Lady Éowawa of Rohan, Gondor and Ithilien, youngest sister to the King of the Mark," she spoke, "now answer my question. I command you to answer my question."

"I do not answer to anyone except Ordlac of Oserley," the man spoke.

Éowara froze slightly. She'd heard of the Thane's plans to try and take control of the Broadacres and suspected that there was another force at work.

"He will never be Reeve of the Broadacres. My brother will never allow it," she spoke.

"I will defeat you and then the children and then the Reeve herself," the man said before he walked towards Éowara. Her eyes flickered to where the children were hidden before she pulled her daggers from their hiding place and began to battle the man before he could surprise her.

Éowara hadn't lost any of her fight as she danced from foot to foot dodging the man's swords. Silently she wished she'd got her swords, but she could fight with daggers still.

"They are here aren't they?" the man said as he paused the battle, "that is why you are duelling me."

"I will not give you the answer you seek. You will have to kill me as I will not reveal where they are," Éowara spoke.

"It will be my pleasure," the man sneered before the duel was resumed. Éowara had been caught out and a sword had grazed her cheek but that didn't bother her. The only thing that mattered was the childrens' safety. She kept her mind focused on the man, making sure to keep him away from the beds. She could faintly see the fear in the childrens' eyes and knew that if she fell Fríthbert and Edhild would be at risk and she was not going to let that happen.

"Where are Éowara and the children?" Éomer spoke as he suddenly realised the three were missing, "how long have they been gone?"

The group were soon looking everywhere in the Mead Hall, blissfully unaware of what was happening in Fríthild's house at the bottom of the path to the Mead Hall.

Éowara moved around the room, dangerously close to the stairs at several points, almost falling down them but she moved from her danger.

She had been doing well and then she found herself pinned against the barrier preventing her from falling down the stairs.

"Do it. Do it and you'll almost certainly have a fate worse than death," she spoke, a slight shake of the head as she saw the children wanting to move to help her.

It was in that moment that a lot of things happened all at once. The wood snapped behind her as she was pushed backwards, daggers falling from her hands as she hit a beam. The door burst open and all she caught sight of was blurry figures running up the stairs as her world went black…