Chapter 1 - Éomer

Éomer paused in his headlong flight. Some sound had reached his ears even over the noise of his booted feet striking the stones that paved the path from Meduseld to the royal stables. There it was again. A whimpering, mewling sound… perhaps it was a kitten. Éomer’s eyes lit up at the thought even though he’d rather have a puppy. He doubted his uncle would let him have either one, though. He didn’t know Uncle Théoden very well yet and Théodred didn’t have any pets. Still, if there were kittens he and Éowyn could come and play with them. That thought gave him pause. Where was Éowyn? He hadn’t seen her for hours and that was unusual. Frowning briefly and deciding to first find the kittens and then go and find his sister, Éomer crept toward the woodpile where he had heard the noise.

The sound became clearer as the boy drew near the large pile of wood and Éomer quickly realized that it was not kittens or any other animal making the noise… it had to be a human. Crouching down next to the pile, he carefully peered around the corner and, seeing nothing, he crawled around the pile to the next corner hoping no one would see him. Peeking around the corner, Éomer gasped when he saw his sister curled up on the ground, clutching the small rag doll their mother had made her for her seventh birthday. Her small body shook with sobs, though he could see that she had stopped crying. Faint traces of tears on her cheeks mute evidence of her earlier weeping.

“Éowyn? Éowyn, what’s wrong?” Éomer asked as he quickly crawled to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.

Her eyes popped open and she sat up, drawing away from him, frightened by his sudden appearance. Where had he come from? “Go away, Éomer! Just leave me alone,” she said crossly as she turned away from him. She wrapped her arms tightly about herself and leaned heavily against the woodpile trying to ignore her perplexed older brother.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s wrong,” he said stubbornly to her back. He hesitantly reached his hand out to touch her shoulder but thought better of it and let his hand fall back to his lap. “Are you hurt?” he asked when she ignored him. Éomer inched closer to his sister, staining the knees of his new riding breeches as he slid through the grass.

Éowyn vigorously shook her head, wincing when she hit it against a piece of wood that stuck out from the pile. She tried to pull away when she felt Éomer arms around her. “Don’t, Éomer! I’m not hurt,” she said even as tears began trickling down her cheeks.

“Just let me look at it,” he replied. “It’s bleeding.” Which was stretching the truth quite a bit, but Éomer didn’t care. The wood had only scraped Éowyn’s forehead and the ‘wound’ had barely broken the skin. He felt his sister’s body relax a bit in his arms even as she let out a resigned sigh. Pulling loose a corner of his undertunic, Éomer spit on it and then carefully wiped the abrasion off, trying to be gentle.

“You shouldn’t spit,” Éowyn scolded him. “Mama would have used water,” she said, tears filling her eyes once again. She hiccupped and turned her face into Éomer’s chest and he awkwardly patted her back.

“She’s not here,” he whispered, suddenly blinking back his own tears. Eleven year old Eorlingas didn’t cry. “And I don’t have any water,” he added unnecessarily.

“She’s not coming back, is she?” she asked, her voice muffled.

“No, she’s not. You know she’s not, Éowyn. The funeral was almost two weeks ago, so why are you crying today?”

The little girl shrugged and Éomer scowled down at the top of her head wondering what to say. She had seemed perfectly fine at lunch… though, perhaps she had been quieter than usual the past couple of days. He picked up a small twig and began digging a small furrow in the ground next to him as he thought. As far as he knew nothing bad had happened to her since they’d arrived in Edoras. Everyone had been nice to them – Uncle Théoden, Théodred, the servants, the stable hands, the door wardens, everyone. Of course it wasn’t like Aldburg and he missed his friends desperately at times, but Edoras was… well, home now. But Éowyn was so young yet and he didn’t know what to do to help her.

“I wanna go home,” Éowyn said startling Éomer who thought she’d fallen asleep since she hadn’t moved for some time.

Uncertain as to whether she meant Meduseld or Aldburg, Éomer cautiously said, “I’ll take you to your room. Supper should be ready soon.” He was hoping that since her tears had stopped things would return to normal now.

“No! I wanna go home,” she sobbed. “I miss mama and I miss… I miss…” her voice trailed off and she angrily wiped at her eyes.

Éomer looked around for help but no one was in sight. With a sigh he looked down. “Who do you miss besides mama? Déore and Félewyn?” he asked thinking of two girls he had often seen her playing with.

She nodded. “And… and,” she hiccupped and turned her tear-filled eyes up toward him. “Wynléas.”

“Wynléas?” he asked, shocked. Their old nursemaid? How could she miss that cranky old woman? Even though it had been a year or more since he’d had much to do with Wynléas, Éomer’s ears started throbbing in response to hearing her name. Too often had she grabbed his ears to punish him for some imagined transgression. “Why would you want to see her?” he asked scornfully.

Éowyn pushed away from him, glaring at him briefly before her gaze dropped to her lap. She picked up the doll and cuddled it against her. How could she make him see the Wynléas at least was part of home, not like the new nursemaid she had. This stranger who seemed cold and distant, that didn’t seem to like children or maybe it was just girls. Éowyn wasn’t sure which it was because she knew the woman had been Théodred’s nursemaid many years before and he seemed to like her well enough. She looked back at her brother.

“I d-don’t like,” she bit her lip and took a deep breath. “I don’t like Lyfides and she doesn’t like me. Wynléas liked me even though she wasn’t always very nice to you,” the words poured out of her in a rush. “I don’t like it here,” she added. “I don’t like my room, it’s too dark and I’m scared at night,” she whispered.

“Oh, Wyn,” Éomer said scooting over and putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “I’m so sorry.” He scowled as he stared into the distance while she cried. Finally, he spoke. “What does Lyfides do? Does she hurt you? If she does, then we’ll tell Théodred and he’ll help us or tell Uncle and they won’t let you be hurt anymore,” he said confidently. He already knew that neither his cousin nor his uncle would allow anything bad to go on in their household.

“She doesn’t hug me… or talk to me very much,” Éowyn said staring down at the ground.

Éomer blinked in surprise as he pulled away slightly and looked at his sister with a frown creasing his brow. “She doesn’t… hug you?” he asked. Éowyn nodded. “Or talk to you?” His sister nodded again and Éomer gave an exasperated sigh. “But she’s a nursemaid, Éowyn,” he said in a low voice, “she’s not supposed to do those things. Just make sure you’re dressed and in bed at night and up in the morning and things like that.”

“Wynléas did,” she replied stubbornly, crossing her arms.

“She did?” He shook his head at the image of the old nursemaid hugging his sister. “Well, maybe Lyfides will too once she gets to know you. Though I can’t imagine why anyone would want to hug you,” he said with an impish grin and Éowyn giggled and slapped him on the leg. “Ouch,” he said rubbing his leg while she just smiled. He turned serious once more.

“I don’t know what we can do about your room. There aren’t many…” Éomer was interrupted by a strong, firm voice.

“But I can do something,” Théodred said and, startled, the two youngsters looked up to see their tall cousin standing over them.

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To be continued…

Author’s Note: The next chapter will be posted in a couple of days as the story is already finished – that’s a first for me and I like the feeling.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters; I am only borrowing them for fun for a little while. They belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Many thanks to my wonderful Beta’s, Marsha and J.

Chapter 2 - Théodred

Théodred wondered where his young cousins had gotten to. He was not in the habit of looking for wayward children, but his father wanted to speak with them before supper and he had been sent to track them down. Where the two might be playing he couldn’t imagine. Especially Éowyn, what did he know about little girls? Pausing on the wide porch of Meduseld, Théodred looked around, his gaze resting on the royal stables and with a brisk nod he headed down the steps and made his way toward the beautiful building that housed the Mearas and other horses ridden by the king and members of his household. He remembered spending many hours there when he was Éomer’s age and perhaps the boy had gone there. Hopefully, Éowyn would be with him as he did not want to spend more time looking for her.

He came to an abrupt halt when he reached a large pile of wood that was neatly stacked up against the wall of the stables. The sound of children could be heard and it only took him a moment to recognize the voices as belonging to his two young cousins. Théodred paused before stepping into view of the children when he heard Éowyn’s sob and cry that she wanted to go home. That she missed her mother did not surprise him, though he was surprised at the depth of pain and longing he heard in her voice. Having never known his own mother – who had died at his birth - he couldn’t really understand what either of his cousins were feeling.

Biting back a smile at the scorn Éomer felt toward the nursemaid, Wynléas, Théodred glanced around uneasily hoping no one was watching him as he eavesdropped on his two cousins. No one was in sight. His attention was quickly drawn back to the children when he heard Éowyn mention her dislike of Lyfides. Why would she not like the woman? She was efficient and did her job well and had always treated him with affection. Though that had been many years ago, he admitted to himself. Had the woman changed or was Éowyn spoiled? His heart sank when the little girl said that the nursemaid didn’t hug her or even speak to her much. Perhaps Lyfides had changed. Théodred knew the woman’s daughter had died in the last year or so, perhaps she was still grieving he thought with an inward sigh and a deep frown. Well, there were some things he could change. He stepped around the woodpile.

“But I can do something,” he said looking down into the startled faces of the two children. Éomer scrambled to his feet. Éowyn quickly followed but she hid partially behind her brother as she stared up at the tall man who was her cousin.

“What do you mean?” Éomer asked worriedly. “What will you do?” He wasn’t sure what Théodred had overheard, but he hoped that whatever it was he would help Éowyn. He felt Éowyn grab the back of his tunic before she spoke.

“Can Wynléas be my nursemaid?” she asked hopefully. She knew Théodred was a prince, but what that meant beyond being important in some way, Éowyn wasn’t really sure.

Seeing the nervousness in the little girl’s eyes and realizing he was looming over her, Théodred got down on one knee to be closer to her eye level. He motioned for Éomer to step aside so he could speak directly to Éowyn. To his surprise, Éomer did not move immediately. The boy gave him a hard look and then reluctantly moved one step away, although he grasped Éowyn’s hand and held it tightly. Théodred wondered if all brothers and sisters shared such a bond, such loyalty to one another or if these two were especially close because of the death of their parents. Perhaps speaking with them wouldn’t be as easy as he’d assumed. He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile and was relieved when Éomer returned it. Éowyn just stared back unblinkingly as she waited for him to speak.

“I don’t know if Wynléas can be your nursemaid, Éowyn.” Théodred hurriedly continued as the little girl’s eyes filled with tears and Éomer scowled at him. He suddenly wished he’d gone out riding earlier with his friends as he’d planned before his father had called him in to discuss matters regarding the Dunlendings. “I don’t know anything about her. Is she married? Does she have children? I’m sure Father would be willing to ask her, but Wynléas might not want to move here,” he finished in his softest voice. The one usually reserved for his favorite horse.

“She’s not married,” Éomer replied eagerly. “Not anymore… not for a long time. I’m sure she’d come if Uncle Théoden asked her to, or maybe Éowyn and I could go to Aldburg and ask her to come.” He’d like to go back home and see his friends, if only for a short time. While he didn’t want to be around Wynléas and was glad he was too old to need a nursemaid, if Éowyn liked her then he was willing to have her come to Edoras to live.

“She has two daughters and a son,” Éowyn said staring down at the ground. “One of them has a little boy - I’ve played with him - and there’s a baby, too.” She looked at Théodred, her grey eyes wide with hope. “But-but you’ll ask?”

“I will,” he promised, “and if Wynléas will not come then my father or I will speak with Lyfides. However,” he cautioned when Éowyn’s face lit up, “I don’t know what will happen, she’s been a faithful servant for many years.”

“But you’re the prince; can’t you order her to be nice to me?” Éowyn asked, puzzled.

Choking back a laugh and struggling to keep a straight face, Théodred shook his head. He glanced at Éomer from the corner of his eye to see that the boy had turned his head away but he thought he was grinning. The intent look on Éowyn’s face suddenly reminded him very much of her father, who had commanded the first éored Théodred had ridden with. He was reminded again of what she and Eomer had lost… and the uncle and aunt he had lost.

“I am a prince, but not even a prince… or a king can force someone to like someone else, Éowyn. I think you know that, do you not?” he asked as he studied her.

“Yes,” she replied with a long, deep sigh. “But-but can you ask her? Or,” Éowyn said as a thought came to her, “maybe I don’t need a nursemaid anymore. I’m old enough not to have one. Éomer doesn’t have one,” she pointed out as she turned to look at her brother.

“I’m four years older than you!” Éomer exclaimed indignantly. “I had a nursemaid until I was ten. You have to have one. Who’s going to put you to bed at night? Who would get you dressed?”

“I can dress myself,” she snapped back furiously.

“But you can’t comb and braid your hair,” he shot back standing with his hands on his hips as he stared down at his little sister. What could she be thinking? She had to have a nursemaid.

“You can’t either,” Éowyn said scowling as she looked up at his mussed hair, the braids half out of the leather thongs after a long day of running around.

Théodred looked back and forth between the two children with amazement filling his bluish-grey eyes. How the two of them had gone from protecting each other to quarreling in such a manner in just a few moments was astonishing. He was particularly shocked to see Éowyn so loud and vocal when she had always seemed so quiet. It was becoming clear to him that he had not seen the real Éowyn since she had arrived in Edoras. It made him wonder about Éomer, if he had seen what the boy was truly like. Théodred shook his head slightly to clear those thoughts away; it was something that he would need to spend time thinking on later. However, it did appear that he needed to spend more time with his two young cousins if he wanted to get to know them for who they truly were, they certainly were… intriguing.

“Hush,” Théodred said to the quarreling boy and girl as he stood up. “We need to go see my father. It’s why I came to get you and I’m sure he’ll be wondering what’s keeping us.” A slight furrow creased his brow at the worried glance the siblings exchanged. “Now, Éowyn,” he said turning his full attention on her, “you will have a nursemaid. You are far too young not to have one. As I said, we’ll speak to my father about Wynléas but you will have one,” he said firmly.

“Yes, Théodred,” she whispered with an aggrieved sigh. She clutched the doll to her chest and stared at the ground. Théodred turned to Éomer.

“Your sister is right, Éomer, you need to take more care with your hair,” he said winking at the boy.

“Yes, Théodred,” he replied, grinning.

“Now, come along.” Théodred put his arm around Éomer’s shoulder and tentatively held out his hand for Éowyn to take. She stared at the hand and peered up at him through her eyelashes for a long moment before finally slipping her small hand into his large calloused one. Strangely pleased by her trust in him, Théodred smiled down at her as they began walking back toward Meduseld. “Tell me about your horse, Éowyn,” he asked as they emerged from behind the woodpile. Her eyes lit up as she eagerly launched into a detailed description of her beloved horse. Bemused, Théodred nodded from time to time as she spoke, unable to get a word in, although Éomer corrected her on several points and she didn’t seem to mind. As he walked through the wide doors of Meduseld, Théodred’s opinion of his two young cousins was much different than it had been when he’d left the building a half hour earlier and he’d somehow agreed to take them out riding with him the following day.

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To be continued…

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters; I am only borrowing them for fun for a little while. They belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Many thanks to my wonderful Beta’s, Marsha and J.

Author’s Note: Raksha rightly pointed out that the people of Rohan did not refer to themselves as Rohirrim as that is a Sindarin word, but they called themselves Eorlingas. I have changed chapter one to reflect that and all future references will, of course, be Eorlingas. Thanks, Raksha.

This chapter is a little short, but it did what I needed it to do!

Chapter 3 – Théoden

“Father, I found Éomer and Éowyn,” Théodred announced as he stopped in the open doorway of his father’s study. Théoden looked up from the ledger in which he was writing, his gaze shifting from his son to his nephew before coming to rest on his niece. He took in her tear stained face, the grass stained and dirty dress she was wearing, and the doll she was clutching tightly. A quick glance back at Éomer showed that his breeches were also stained but there was no evidence of tears, not that he particularly expected the boy to show his emotions that way. Théoden sighed inwardly; he should have expected something of this sort even though he didn’t know exactly what had happened. He simply had to find more time to spend with them. But for now he simply smiled kindly at the children and looked back at his son.

“Thank you. Come in, all of you and be seated.” Théoden stood, coming around his desk and ushering them to chairs around the hearth, though no fire was burning on the warm autumn day. It wasn’t until they walked into the room that Théoden realized Éowyn was holding tight to his son’s hand. As far as he knew, the two of them had barely spoken with each other since the two children had become members of his household and he wondered just what had happened in the short time Théodred had been gone. He, himself, did not know the children well, especially Éowyn, as there had been few occasions in the last few years for him to travel to Aldburg or for Théodwyn to bring the children to Edoras. And Théodred had met them only twice, one time being soon after Éowyn was born.

Éomer and Éowyn sat close together on a small couch near the hearth and, noticing their uneasiness, Théoden smiled again as he sat down across from them. Théodred took a chair next to the children. Deciding to wait and speak with his son later about whatever had happened outside, Théoden got right to the point.

“I’ve decided that it’s time to resume your lessons,” he said eyeing the two closely. They needed to have some sort of normalcy back in their lives and he hoped that daily lessons would help provide that.

“In swordplay?” Éomer asked cautiously, though he didn’t really believe his uncle meant that.

“Or riding?” Éowyn asked eagerly. “I was just telling Cousin Théodred about my horse,” she explained.

Théoden nodded, biting back a grin at her expression. He and Elfhild had always wanted many children and now it seemed at least he would have the joy and privilege of raising two more. He only wished the cost had not been so great. Pushing those thoughts aside he concentrated on the children once again. “Swordplay and riding will be a part of your lessons, but only a part,” he said firmly looking straight at Éomer who scowled and scuffed his feet on the floor. Éowyn simply nodded, waiting for her uncle to continue.

“I’ve arranged for a tutor to work with you in the mornings after breakfast. Éomer, you’ll be with him until an hour or so before lunch…”

“That long? Why?” the boy asked in dismay. He glanced beseechingly at his cousin who shook his head slightly and Éomer turned back to his uncle, crestfallen.

“Because I want you to learn Westron, Éomer… and you as well, Éowyn,” Théoden said glancing at the little girl who frowned.

“What’s Wes-Westron?” she asked.

“It’s the common language that most people of Middle-earth speak,” said Théodred. “If you learn it,” he continued, looking pointedly at Éomer, “then you’ll be able to speak with almost anyone that you’ll ever meet… any strangers that come to our lands. And, you’ll be most useful to our king – he can send you places as his envoy - places like Mundburg if that is his desire.” He hid a smile as Éomer’s eyes lit up.

“Oh. Papa didn’t make us learn it,” Éowyn said with another frown.

“He did not,” Théoden agreed with a small smile at the girl. He didn’t add that he did not know why his sister and her husband weren’t teaching their children to speak Westron, though he knew that most of the Eorlingas did not. However, he was surprised that his sister hadn’t done so. Perhaps there was no one in Aldburg who could teach them. Members of the royal household, however, were going to speak the language. “But Edoras is not like Aldburg, and you are likely to meet people here who do not speak our language.”

“And it takes all morning every day?” Éomer asked in disbelief.

“No, it does not,” he replied with a soft chuckle. “You will also continue your lessons in arithmetic, writing, and reading. But,” he added as the boy slumped down on the couch, “there will be plenty of time for you to practice your riding and sword work as well. I would not have you neglect those studies.” Théoden was suddenly reminded of similar discussions he’d had with Théodred when he’d been Éomer’s age and he glanced at his son briefly to find his eyes glimmering with suppressed mirth.

“Thank you, Uncle,” said the boy trying to muster up a smile and failing miserably. At home he’d never had to spend more than two hours on lessons and it didn’t seem fair to have to do so much more work here. At least he’d be able to do some of the things he loved. Perhaps Théodred could help him with his sword work and that would help make up for sitting inside doing lessons all morning. At least a little bit, Éomer thought glumly.

“Now, you two go and get cleaned up while I speak with Théodred. We’ll join you in the Hall for supper in fifteen minutes. I believe Blídhe has made something special.” His eyes narrowed briefly as he saw a flash of something – fear or loathing, perhaps – cross Éowyn’s face. However, she said nothing as she slid off the couch and headed to the door with Éomer quickly taking her hand and whispering words to her that Théoden could not hear. Her expression only confirmed what he’d been suspecting for the past week and he gave a small nod of satisfaction over the change he’d made earlier in the afternoon. He spoke just as they opened the door.

“Oh, and Éowyn? There’s a surprise waiting for you in your room. I think you’ll like it,” Théoden said smiling before turning to Théodred who gave him a questioning look. He shook his head slightly and waited until he heard the door click shut before telling his son what he’d done.

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To be continued…

Author Note: Mundburg is the name of Minas Tirith used by the people of Rohan.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters; I am only borrowing them for fun for a little while. They belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Many thanks to my wonderful Beta’s, Marsha and J.

Chapter 4 – Éowyn

Éowyn didn’t really hear what her uncle had said about a surprise waiting in her room, it was a place she desperately wanted to avoid. As soon as the door closed behind her, she grabbed her brother’s hand. “I don’t want to go to my room!” she said hoping Éomer could do something. He must know a way for her to get clean without returning to the very place where Lyfides was waiting for her. She needed to find some way to stay out of her room for the next few days until Théodred talked his father into bringing Wynléas here to Edoras.

“You have to get cleaned up before supper, Éowyn. Your dress is filthy and Uncle won’t allow you to sit at table looking like you do.” He gestured toward her tear-stained face as he began making his way down the hallway toward his sister’s room, tugging on her hand to force her to follow along.

“But Lyfides will be there,” she protested with a deep scowl. She knew it would be useless to try to escape while Éomer had ahold of her hand. She had to try something different. “Can’t I go with you and get cleaned up in your room?”

“No.” He didn’t even bother slowing down.

“Why not?” she asked plaintively, willing herself not to cry. She’d shed enough tears that day already and she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Not with Éomer, anyway.

“There aren’t any clean dresses in my room,” he replied with a quick glance over his shoulder as they turned the corner that led to their rooms.

“Oh,” she replied, sighing. She tried brushing off her dress but it was no use, she had to put on something clean, just as she knew she had to face Lyfides… at least until Théodred followed through on his promise. The smile that crossed her face at that thought faded when she realized that even if he asked Uncle Théoden and even if her uncle asked Wynléas, that didn’t mean she would come. Perhaps the nursemaid had forgotten her or maybe she’d already become the nursemaid for other children. Éowyn chewed on her lip nervously and was so lost in her thoughts that she plowed into the back of Éomer when he stopped in front of her door.

“Ow,” he cried as he lost his balance and stumbled forward. He turned and glared down at her. “Be careful,” he scolded and she nodded, looking down and away from him. Éomer frowned and swallowed the rest of what he was going to say. “I’ll be right back to take you to supper, Éowyn,” he said in a low voice. A sudden thought occurred to him. “Remember wh-what mama told us.”

Éowyn looked up at him with a puzzled expression and then she slowly nodded and took a deep breath. She lifted her chin and a firm resolve entered her eyes as she looked at the door. She would make her mama proud of her, she would not back down from Lyfides or anyone else. Still, she hesitated as she slowly opened the door to her room where she knew her nursemaid would be waiting for her. It took her a moment to take in the scene that awaited her and when she did, Éowyn screamed for joy as she ran into the room and threw her arms around Wynléas.

“Hush, child,” she said patting Éowyn’s back. “There’s never a reason to scream or raise your voice,” she reprimanded her gently as she stepped a pace back from the little girl.

“I was just…”

“Éowyn! Éowyn, what’s wrong?” Éomer darted into the room and skidded to a stop right in front of his sister and Wynléas. He looked up at his former nursemaid and swallowed hard as his hand unconsciously rubbed at his ear. “How did you… I mean, Théodred was just going to ask Uncle Théoden today if you could come and take care of Éowyn,” he said, confused.

“You know better than to run when you’re inside, Éomer son of Éomund,” Wynléas scolded him, though her voice was gentle and he smiled with relief.

“How did you get here?” Éowyn asked. Now that she had recovered from the shock of seeing her old nursemaid she was as curious as her brother.

“I came by horse, child,” Wynléas replied with a small, amused smile. “As to your real question,” she looked at them each in turn, “On the day of your mama’s funeral Théoden King asked me to come and care for you. But, I couldn’t come immediately as I had many things that needed to be taken care of first. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you, but perhaps he wanted to wait in case something happened to delay my arrival.”

“I’m just glad you’re here now,” Éowyn said shyly. “I-I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too,” said the nursemaid as she hugged the girl again. Wynléas turned to Éomer and looked him up and down, her eyebrows climbing at the sight of the stains on his breeches. “I see you haven’t changed, but I even missed you.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Éomer replied. He hadn’t missed her and he wasn’t going to lie, still it was nice to see someone from home and so the smile he gave her was genuine. “I need to go and change for supper and I’ll be back to get you in a little while,” he said to his sister. Éowyn nodded as he hurried out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

“Don’t be angry at him,” Éowyn pleaded when she heard the little tuts of disapproval that Wynléas made as the door rattled.

“Ah, child,” said the nursemaid as she guided her over toward a table where a basin of warm water was waiting. Wynléas began gently wiping the smudges from Éowyn’s face as she spoke. “I’m not really angry with Éomer, though you must not tell him I said that. He and I get along well enough.”

Éowyn waited for her to say more, to explain what she meant, but when she didn’t Éowyn knew she would have to ask her brother about it. Sometimes adults said the strangest things.

“How did you get so dirty?” the nursemaid asked as she picked out a new dress for Éowyn to wear. It was a deep green color with a collar of pale yellow that had running horses embroidered on it. It was one of Éowyn’s favorites and she smiled as Wynléas slipped it over her head.

“I was sitting on the ground behind the woodpile,” she said in answer to the question. “It was mostly grass but there was some dirt and I guess I sat in it.” She shrugged, looking down at the floor.

“And your tears?”

“I wanted to go home,” she replied with a sigh. “I missed you.”

Wynléas placed her fingers under the little girl’s chin and raised her head until she could see her eyes. “You miss your mama,” she stated softly, her eyes full of compassion. Éowyn’s eyes filled with tears, though none of them spilled as she nodded. The nursemaid bent down and kissed her forehead lightly. It was quiet as Wynléas smoothed out the shoulders and sleeves of Éowyn’s dress. Finally, she picked up Éowyn and sat her on the edge of the bed and began brushing and braiding the child’s hair as she spoke.

“Child, I’ve known you since the day you were born.” She paused, remembering. “I held you before your papa did.” Éowyn glanced up at her and nodded, she knew her papa hadn’t even been there the day she’d been born, he’d been out riding with his éored. “No one can take your mama’s place, nor should anyone try,” Wynléas said. “However, I will be here if you need to speak with someone who knew your mama, or if you need help of any kind, or if you simply need someone to hold you.” Éowyn looked up at Wynléas and studied her for a moment.

“Thank you,” she whispered, blinking back tears once again. She jumped at the pounding on the door.

“Éowyn are you ready?” There was a pause and then Éomer’s voice came again, much quieter this time. “Éowyn, it’s almost time for supper and I’m here to escort you.”

Éowyn giggled as she slid off the bed. “I’m coming, Éomer,” she called back. She glanced at Wynléas who smiled and shooed her toward the door. As the door opened, Éomer’s eyes darted toward the nursemaid but she ignored him. He breathed a small sigh of relief. “Come on,” said Éowyn grabbing her brother’s hand and leading him down the hallway.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

She shook her head and shrugged. “Not really. I just want to thank Uncle Théoden,” she said glancing up at her brother and smiling.

“Oh. Well, I’m hungry,” he said with a wink as he sped up. She was giggling as they walked into the Hall. Seeing her uncle and cousin already sitting at the table in front of the dais, Éowyn squeezed her way through the men and women of the court as she made her way toward the table with Éomer still in hand. She went straight to Théoden and without a word she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re most welcome, child,” said Théoden as he patted her back. He gave Éomer a brief smile that the boy returned with a grin. After a moment, he pulled Éowyn up onto his lap and he motioned Éomer closer so he could put his arm around his shoulders. “I want both of you to remember that your mama, Théodwyn, was my sister and I loved her very much. While we do not know each other well yet, you may come and speak to me about anything. Anything you need or want, or questions that you may have, or if you are frightened,” he squeezed his niece gently as he said the last. “This is your home now and while I am not your father, I will act in his stead as you grow up here in my Halls. But what I most want you to remember is that you are much loved.” Théoden kissed Éowyn on her brow and then drew Éomer’s head down and did the same to him. “Now, go sit down so we may eat,” he said as he set Éowyn on her feet. She hugged him, a brilliant smile lighting her face before she walked to her place. Éomer simply nodded at his uncle as he slowly followed her.

Éowyn was just settling into her chair when her uncle called her back and she approached him with a wary look, wondering if she had done something wrong.

“Be at peace, child,” he said. “I simply forgot to tell you something I’ve decided to do.” He glanced at Éomer who had approached and stood protectively behind his sister and Théoden smiled at him. “Théodred told me that your room is… not to your liking and so I’ve arranged for you to move to a room that has a smaller room attached to it that Wynléas may have. I would not have you be alone and frightened in the night, child,” he said compassionately.

With a cry of joy that filled the large Hall, Éowyn launched herself at her uncle, landing in his lap and throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said repeatedly as he gently patted her back.

“I also thank you, Uncle Théoden,” Éomer said as he stepped up next to him. “I wasn’t looking forward to sneaking into her room at night and sleeping in a chair or on the floor,” he said, grinning.

Théoden and Théodred laughed while Éowyn ignored him. She was thrilled to have a room where she could sleep without fear. Both of the things she’d asked about when she was sitting by the woodpile a couple of hours ago she’d gotten. Maybe she should go back there and ask for another horse, perhaps one of the Mearas she thought with a sly smile. And then she laughed, perhaps living in Edoras wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

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The End… well, sort of. This was to be the ending of the story and so when I mentioned in the first chapter that the story was completely written, that was true. However, the characters have really grown on me and are insisting that there really is more that needs to be told and so I’m working on a story that follows on directly from this point. It is not finished yet, but it shouldn’t be too long until you see a chapter.

Thanks to everyone who has left me a review, I appreciate the encouragement.