The next morning the people of Rohan, Théoden and the last of our fellowship ride out of Rohan towards Helm's Deep. I listen to Gimli talking to Éowyn a little further ahead.
,,It's true, you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they're often mistaken for dwarf men." Éowyn smiles and looks back at me.
,,It's the beards." I say while making an invisible beard with my right hand. Éowyn shushes me with her mouth to keep me quiet so Gimli can't hear me. Théoden comes next to me with his horse now.
,,This, in turn, has given rise to the belief," Gimli continues. ,,that there are no dwarf women." Éowyn smiles and then looks up to Gimli, who makes his arms go out, as if to show an explosion. ,,And that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground." Now Gimli and Éowyn both laugh. ,,Which is, of course, ridiculous." I chuckle as Gimli's horse neighs and then takes off, sending Gimli flying off the horse onto the ground. Some referee women and Éowyn run to him laughing. I can't hold back another chuckle. ,,It's all right. Nobody panic. That was deliberate." Gimli says when Éowyn helps him up.
,,I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time." Théoden suddenly says to me. ,,She was just a girl when they brought her father back, dead. Cut down by orcs." I look over at Éowyn who's still laughing and brushing Gimli's back. ,,She watched her mother succumb to grief. Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father." I glance from Théoden to Éowyn. Éowyn returns my glance with a smile. Théoden stops us all to take some rest and to eat something. I dismount my horse and sit down on a rock, cleaning my sword. When Éowyn walks over to me, I see that she has a bowl in her hands. I look up at her.
,,I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot." She tells me and hands me the bowl. I take it from her.
,,Thank you." I take a bite, look up at Éowyn and scrunches up my face. I nod at her. ,,It's good." I lie, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
,,Really?" I nod and she turns to walk away. I try to dump the rest of it, but Éowyn turns back around to me. ,,My uncle told me a strange thing. He said that you rode to war with Thengel, my grandfather. But he must be mistaken."
,,King Théoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time." Éowyn kneels down beside me in shock.
,,Then you must be at least sixty." As I don't say anything, so goes on, trying to guess my age. ,,Seventy?" I shake my head. ,,You cannot be eighty!"
,,I'm eighty-one." She gasps as she stands up again.
,,You're one of the Dúnedain, a descendant of Númenor, blessed with a long life. It was said that your race had passed into legend."
,,There are a few of us left. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago." I say sadly, remembering my father.
,,I'm sorry. Please, eat." Éowyn stands over me, watching me finish my stew. Once I'm finished, she smiles at me and then walks towards someone else to give them her stew.
For the third day we're on a march towards Helms Deep. Because of the amount of people we are trying to move to safety the journey is going slow. It's near midday and the skies are clouded and grey. As I ride on Brego, my mind goes to Chloe and I wonder what she is doing now. Well, Gandalf told me she is sailing to the Undying Lands, so she's not on Middle-Earth anymore. My fingers gently caresses the moonstone necklace around my neck. It has been days, maybe even weeks since I have last seen Chloe. I know it's nothing compared to the time we have spent apart in the past, but as always when apart my thoughts are drawn to her.
,,Milady?" I hear a voice beside me and turn at the sound. Lady Éowyn smiles up at me. For a second I think she's going to offer me more food and dreads that I have to accept her generosity once more. My taste buds has still not recovered from the last shock. But she merely smiles and ask if she can walk with me. I nod and we continue side by side in silence. After a while I feel her gaze upon me and turn to look at her. ,,Where is she?" Before I can answer, the fair woman inquires further. ,,The woman, who gave you that jewel? I do not believe I have heard the story." My hand leaves the necklace and smile absently. Her question has stir my heart and once more I think of Chloe. I wish she was here with me to give me the strength and support only she can give in dark times. I hold no greater wish now than to simply hold her in my arms as the world turns around us.
,,She's sailing to the Undying Lands with all that's left of her kin. I probably will never see her again." I tell her. Éowyn is silent for a few moments. Eventually she asks in a timid voice.
,,Do you miss her, milady?" I glance at her and nod. I can feel she wants to say more, but the maiden remains silent as we walk on. Tension rises in the small space between our bodies and become almost palpable. As the fair-haired woman opens her mouth to say something more, our moment is interrupted by ferocious growls and terrified shouts which echoes from beyond the hill ahead. ,,What is that noise?" Éowyn asks even as the people around them start to panic.
,,Hold my horse?" I ask and she takes the reins as I run up the hill to have a look. Beyond the hill I see that Legolas has just killed off an orc and a giant warg. A further distance away one of Théoden's riders lays murdered. I quickly connect the dots and turn back around to warn the others. My heart start drumming loudly inside my chest. If we are attacked on the open road, the people of Edoras can risk not even making it to Helms Deep. Théoden rides forward and inquires about the situation. ,,Wargs!" I yell as I run back down the hill. This time, panic spreads like a wildfire among the civilians, who all huddles together and whispers and whimpers in despair. I run to Éowyn who hands me the reins. I swiftly mount the horse as she shouts to be careful. Her concern is heartwarming and I look down at her briefly. I nod in reassurance before urging my horse forward. I ride over the hillside onto a small open field, followed by other horsemen.
On the other side of the field we can make out hordes of orcs riding the giant wargs of Isengard. Our enemies are approaching fast and their monsters are evidently hungry. Théoden is the first to draw his sword and lead his men into the battle. We collide into the wargs, some crashing. I see one of the Rohirrim throw his spear into one of the orcs, while Legolas kills another orc with his bow. I watch as Gimli shouts as he falls from his horse, with a warg without a rider close to him. He readies himself with his axe, but before the warg can charge at him, Legolas shoots it with an arrow. Gimli turns around, just in time to kill a warg with his axe. The warg falls onto Gimli, who lets out a growl. I swing my sword left and right and there is hardly time to look at the orcs I killed as new ones attack me. I look back at Gimli who now has more people lying on him. I can't abandon him, he's part of the Fellowship and startle as I see another warg going to him. I pull up a spear and throw it at the warg, who falls on top of Gimli. Théoden kills another orc and thrusts his sword into the mouth of a close by warg. A warg suddenly jumps at me and knocks me off my horse. I land on the ground with a loud thud that takes my breath away and causes pain to shoot up my side. I force myself to ignore the pain and push off the ground to my feet. I notice an orc atop a warg's back coming my way. The orc smirks at me as it swings its maze but I manage to duck out of the way in the nick of time. I swing myself atop the warg behind the orc, but the orc elbows me at once. The blow strikes my nose and knocks me off the beast. My head swim with pain as I fall. To my surprise, I realize my gauntlet is stuck on the saddle as the four-legged warg keeps running across the field. I have no choice but to bounce up and down in rhythm to the warg's swift steps. My body bounces across the rocks and grass, making it difficult for me to release my gauntlet. The orc notices my precarious situation and smirks down at me. It reaches for its sword but I'm quicker. I draw my dagger first and stabs the orc in the chest. As I do, the orc drops its own crooked weapon and instead grabs my throat. Its grip slips and I see the orc fall off the warg, seemingly dead.
I look up and further ahead I see the edge of the cliff approaching with great speed. The warg, in its warmongering mind, has not noticed where it's running. I focus my mind on the task at hand and struggle to free my gauntlet. If this is my last moment, I hope I've at least helped the people of Rohan survive to see another day. My struggle to get free comes too late and I tumble down the long fall with the warg.