Hello everyone!

It's... somehow... another double update month and I'm excited to have these ready to upload today. I have a couple more busy weeks at work and then quiet season is here and I should be be able to write more and build up some chapters for everything. Thanks for sticking with me!

Lots of love,

Cissa xx

A Wild Heart – Part 29:

Aragorn finally caught up with Éowara in Elrond's Library, book in hand but sharing into space as she was clearly unsettled by whatever had transpired between her and Halbarad. He approached her slowly, watching for some sort of reaction. He wasn't expecting it but it may well have come as something had happened for her to have left like that. It was something that he was going to have to figure out and fast.

"Éowara…" he said softly as he knelt down infront of her before realising that she was breathing heavily and grabbed her hands, "what happened?"

"Nothing. I could just feel that something was… Something that I wasn't expecting to feel and it scared me," came a whispered reply, "I looked in his eyes and then I panicked… He was holding me so close and I couldn't… I thought Boromir was here. I realised he wasn't and I ran," she said as she looked at Aragorn, "I thought… just for a minute that Halbarad was…" Words failed her. How could she have been so stupid and allowed herself to get swept up in Halbarad's arms in the way that she had? She couldn't believe it. She'd been having a wonderful time until that moment and then her memories flooded her.

"Aragorn go back to the festivities," came a voice that made Éowara rush to her feet and she bowed her head, "Éowara needs to calm down."

Aragorn nodded, knowing better than to disagree with his father-in-law and nodded at Éowara before leaving the Library. The woman looked at the Lord of Rivendell before sitting back down, picking up the book that had fallen on the floor.

"What do you see? You see many things, as does the Lady Galadriel," Éowara spoke.

"I see a woman who has had many trials and heartaches trying to find her way in this Middle Earth. I see a woman who has been tasked with something that she doesn't feel is possible yet, deep down, knows that she has the skills to do what is expected of her," Elrond spoke, "I saw you with Halbarad and could see how comfortable you felt around him, yet your heart is still healing and broken over the loss of Boromir. You feel that what you did… dance with Halbarad… was a betrayal of Boromir," he said before he sat down and watched her, "I see a lot of things, Éowara, more than I allow people to know."

"You do see a lot," Éowara spoke as she looked up at Elrond, "I will not betray Boromir. Ever. I love him," she said before looking at her hands.

"Falling in love again does not mean that we are betraying those we love who are no longer with us," Elrond spoke as he looked at Éowara, "Celebrían sailed West but that does not mean that I stopped loving her. I still love her and I never found love again but if I had I know that she would have been happy for me. Sometimes we have to put ourselves first and that means healing and finding new feelings and emotions but the ones we love remain in our hearts and you have so much love to give Éowara," he said as he looked at her. "Everyone wants you to be happy and that will come but you must finish grieving as well. He's a good man and he will wait, watch over you and see that no harm comes to you," he finished before taking his leave and leaving the Lady of Rohan, Ithilien and Gondor in the company of his many books.

Éowara looked around at the books before thinking about what Elrond had said to her. She knew Lord Elrond was correct in everything that he had said and that she would heal eventually. The pain was almost unbearable as she know knew how her betrothed had been taken from her… as well as the sudden reappearance of Halbarad and the memories of their time at the Houses of Healing together.

March 16th 3019 – Houses of Healing, Minas Tirith, Gondor:

Éowara had begun to wake up after Aragorn had called her and Éowyn back from the brink of death and she had expected to see her brother or even Aragorn himself there but, instead, she found a Ranger sat by her bedside.

The Ranger had felt Éowara stirring, trying to sit up so he assisted her in sitting up and gave her some water.

"I am Halbarad, a Ranger of the Dúnedain, Aragorn's second in command and he instructed me to watch over you," he explained once he was sure that Éowara was able to understand his words, "it is wonderful to see you awake Lady Éowara," he said with a face that reminded the woman of Aragorn in a way.

"Where is he?" she'd asked as she looked at him, watching to see if he would give her any hint of Aragorn's whereabouts.

"He is attending something that is a matter of speed and importance," Halbarad had explained as he watched the woman, "I have been instructed to get you awake and moving around to see how you are feeling. I will summon someone to assist you with getting refreshed," he said before getting up and going to speak to a nurse in order to get Éowara up and ready.

The woman had glanced at her sister. She could see that her sister appeared to be healed as well by Aragorn, which had been a miracle as they had both been taken by the Black Breath.

"Shouldn't I still be confined to my bed?" Éowara as she looked at the Warden of the Houses of Healing, "I was just as injured as my sister…"

"I did not say you would be rising from your bed but it appears you are revived in the presence of Halbarad," the Warden spoke before leaving so Ioreth could get Éowara into a dress that that was more appropriate for the presence of Halbarad.

Eventually the woman was sat up better in bed and Halbarad waited until nobody was there before he scooped her up and carried her outside.

"Hal…"

"Be quiet. Aragorn told me how you would want to gaze upon outside and feel the wind against your face," the Ranger spoke, "so that is what I am doing… at the risk of displeasing someone."

He carefully placed her down in a chair and pulled his cloak off to lay it upon her lap and sat down in the chair next to hers. He allowed silence to fill the air as Éowara's mind tried to catch up with her now she was awake and that was something that happened fast.

"We won the Battle at Pelenor?" she asked as she looked at the Ranger.

Halbarad stopped still. He had been under instruction not to reveal Théoden's fate to Éowara but he could see that she sensed something was wrong. He moved closer to her and took her hand in his. He noticed that she didn't recoil when he took her hand.

"Yes. We won the Battle at Pelenor but there is something I must tell you against Lord Aragorn's wishes. Your Uncle… Théoden… he has passed and your brother is King of the Mark now," Habarad spoke slowly as he looked at her, "you are sister to the King."

The sound that exited Éowara's lips was one of utter heartbreak. First her parents and now her Uncle. The Ranger pulled her close and allowed the tears to dampen his shoulder. He kissed her head, pulling her close to him, just allowing her to feel her emotions as this was something that was bound to shatter the woman.

Elrond's Library, Rivendell:

Éowara's thoughts and memories appeared to erase some of the grounding factors that she was having as she had to glance around to reground herself. A gasp left her lips as she remembered that it was Halbarad who had told her of her uncle's death. She longed to escape from Rivendell and away from the memories but she would have one more day in the valley before the next giant stage of the journey would happen. She would be going to the North Downs and would have Aragorn and Halbarad at her side as the Ranger and the King would return to their hidden refuge in the North.