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Beginnings
(Edoras, 3002 III)
The three boys chased along the backstreet of Edoras, snatching at one another and laughing. Turning a corner, the leader and largest of the boys nearly collided with another lad who was approaching from the opposite direction. All of them skidded to an abrupt halt and stared warily at each other.
“Who are you?” the leader asked. “I have not seen you around before.” He ran a shirtsleeve across his runny nose.
The new boy facing him seemed about his age, and was fairly tall and gangly. He had the look of someone who had grown a few inches recently. Eothain noted the neatly combed hair and fine clothes that he wore, pegging him as one of the nobles’ sons. Probably prissy and conceited.
“I am Eomer,” the boy answered quietly, after a moment, but offering no further information. “Who are you?” he asked in return, a flick of his eyes encompassing all three of them.
“I am Eothain. And this is Cadda and Aldfrid.” His eyes shifted at a movement behind Eomer and a young girl peeked around at them. “They have got you playing nursemaid, I see!” He let out a laugh and the other boys did likewise.
“Be silent! Eowyn is my sister,” Eomer snapped authoritatively, startling Eothain.
Yep – prissy and conceited, just as he’d thought. “Ooh, isn’t she cute,” he sneered. “Are you going to play dolls together?” Due to being larger than most boys his age, and both strong and agile, Eothain rarely feared a confrontation with others, and it was clear this lad was no match for him.
Eothain never saw the fist coming that smashed into the side of his face. He stumbled back as a fire lit in his eyes. “So that’s how it is? Well, I’ll teach you a lesson in manners!” With a growl, he launched himself at Eomer, taking them both to the ground, and the other two boys eagerly closed in to watch the scrap. Eothain had never lost a fight, and they didn’t anticipate this being the first time he did – this lad was in for a thrashing! No one in their right mind got Eothain angry!
“Eomer, don’t! Uncle won’t like it! Eomer!” Eowyn wailed at the scuffling boys.
Her pleas went unnoticed as the two tussled, partly because Eothain was finding this fight more difficult than expected. No one else could hold their own against him, but this gangly boy was doing pretty well for himself. What he lacked in muscle and weight seemed to be made up for with determination and…something else.
There was a rage in Eomer that had bubbled below the surface until it was set off by the taunts. Now he didn’t really see or hear anything. There was just his fists flying as fast as he could throw them, and the satisfying sound of flesh meeting flesh. He wasn’t even much aware of the blows that were landing on him in return, just the release that came with…hitting something.
Startled by the ferociousness of the attack, Eothain was doing little more than defending himself against the onslaught. He could not see that his words should have caused such a strong reaction in the other boy, and he wondered at Eomer’s behavior.
All of a sudden, something heavy landed on Eomer’s back, breaking his rhythm of punching. As his vision cleared, he found he was sitting on the other boy and had been pummeling him for all he was worth. At least he was until Eowyn had interrupted. Recently she had discovered that she could jump on his back, wrap her arms around his throat and then let the weight of her body do the rest, choking him into submission.
He wrestled her arms away from his throat, coughing a little as air was able to return to his lungs. “Let go, Eowyn!” He was finally able to shrug her off, and rubbed at his neck.
“Uncle will be angry, Eomer! You should not fight!” his sister retorted, hands on hips.
Eomer glanced down at the other boy who was gazing at him with surprise and caution. Eothain tentatively swiped at his nose that was trickling blood, and a wave of remorse swept through Eomer. Quickly he stood up off the other lad, then suddenly reached his hand down to help him up. “Sorry. I…I do not know what got into me.”
Eothain raised up on his elbows to stare at this odd fellow. Give him a whipping like that and then apologize? When Eothain had been the one to start it? The hand still hovered in front of him and finally he reached to grab it, allowing Eomer to pull him to his feet.
“Your uncle really gonna be angry with you?” Eothain mumbled, not sure what else to say.
Eomer shrugged. “Maybe. I might be able to sneak in and change clothes before he finds out.”
“You new around here?” Eothain asked, brushing the dirt off his clothes.
A nod was the only answer, but then the boy explained, “We are from Aldburg.”
“Your parents move here, then?” Cadda inquired.
There was a long pause and Eothain noticed tears welling in the girl’s eyes – Eowyn, was it? Something wasn’t quite right here…
“No,” Eomer replied after a moment, then met the boy’s gaze squarely, “they died. We have come to live with our uncle now.”
All the air went out of Eothain’s lungs. The boy had lost both his parents? That was tough luck. This Eomer, he was alright.
“Yeah, well, then maybe we’ll see you around.” He pointed down the street they were on. “See that house at the end, on the right side? That is my house. Why don’t you come by tomorrow after breakfast and we can…you know.” He shrugged.
Eomer eyed him warily, then nodded. “If Uncle does not mind, I will come.”
“Yeah. Well, see you then,” Eothain answered awkwardly.
Catching Eowyn’s shoulder, Eomer steered her back toward the main road and Eothain watched them go. As they turned uphill off the side street, he curiously moved forward to trail behind them out of sight. Where did they live? Did he know their uncle? By the time he got to the main road, the two were no longer alone. A man was with them and obviously questioning Eomer about his bedraggled appearance.
“Isn’t that…Theodred? The King’s son?” Aldfrid asked after a moment, as the other two crowded up behind him.
Eothain’s eyes narrowed. “Yes,” he murmured. Uncle? Theodred’s father? The King?
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling for Cadda. “Have to go,” his friend said, waving as he dashed toward home.
“Guess I should get home, too,” Aldfrid said. “Mother will have supper ready soon. See you tomorrow?”
Eothain nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts still on the two newcomers. Slowly he turned and made for his own house, pondering the recent events. His father was just turning in the gate and waited for him, so that they entered the yard together. Glancing down, Garmund queried, “You been fighting again?”
Eothain shrugged. “Just a small argument. It did not last long.”
“And you won, I take it,” his father chuckled, all too aware of the boy’s reputation.
To his surprise, Eothain shook his head slightly. “Not exactly.”
Before he could ask further questions, they had entered the house and Beornwyn was telling them, “Get washed. Supper is ready.”
They moved to the wash stand and the conversation lapsed. Once they were seated around the table and dishing food onto their plates, Garmund told them, “News from up at Meduseld. Marshal Eomund’s wife has passed on also. The King has brought her children to live with him.”
Eothain’s ears pricked up as his mother remarked, “Our poor Lord. He lost his dear wife and now his beloved sister as well. Will his house ever know happiness?”
“Aye,” Garmund murmured, tucking into his meal. “It is fortunate for the children, though, to have someone to take them in. Not all are so blessed.”
“What are their names?” Eothain asked curiously, though suspecting he already knew.
“Eomer and Eowyn,” his father replied, glancing at him. “I think the boy is about your age, Eothain. It might be nice if you befriended him.”
Fighting back a guilty blush, Eothain took a hasty bite of potato. After swallowing it to give himself time to appear nonchalant, he shrugged, “Maybe I will.” It was noncommital but, all things considered, he had started on that path already – in a roundabout fashion, that is.
His thoughts went back to the fight and the sight of Eomer standing over him, apologizing and helping him up. Maybe the lad wasn’t so prissy and conceited after all…
THE END
2/22/09
2991 - Eomer born
2992 - Eothain born
2995 - Eowyn born
3002 - Eomund killed by orcs; Theodwyn dies shortly thereafter (Eomer-11, Eowyn-7)
Aldfrid – “old peace”
Cadda – unknown
Beornwyn – “warrior joy”
Garmund – “spear protector”
Loss of Innocence
(Aldburg, 3002 III)
“Eomer? Where are we going? Where is Mama?” Eowyn asked perplexedly.
Her older brother’s hand tightened its grip on hers, and his jaw tensed as he struggled to hide his emotions. “We are going with Uncle Theoden and Cousin Theodred,” the boy explained curtly.
“But why?” his sister persisted. It had been a confusing night, with much rushing about of people and hushed tones. She had not slept well as she listened to the bustle of activity in the hall, and then this morning, when she peered out her door, many of the servants were weeping. The housekeeper, Betersel, had come personally to get Eowyn dressed, but she had shushed her questions, and it all frightened the little girl. Only the reassuring presence of her beloved brother, when he came to fetch her after breakfast, eased her distress.
Coming to a stop, Eomer sighed, then tugged Eowyn after him into the empty guest chamber nearby. The pale morning sunshine dimly lit the room as Eomer turned to face his sister. He had grown a couple of inches the past six months, making him quite a bit taller than the little girl, so he knelt down to be more on eye level with her. Taking her hands, he said, “Mama has died Eowyn. She is gone to the Halls of Mandos like Papa.” There was a quaver to his voice, but he managed to keep the tears in check.
Eowyn, however, soon had brimming eyes and she flung her arms tightly around his neck. She sobbed for quite some time as he held her close, not entirely sure who was getting the most comfort from the embrace. At eleven years, he felt the need to behave like a man, and tears felt very weak and childish, but the strong surges of emotion he was feeling were hard to suppress.
After some time, a shaky voice asked from the vicinity of his dampened shoulder, “What will we do now?”
“We will go with Uncle Theoden to live at Edoras,” Eomer said firmly, pulling back to look her in the eye and brush her tousled hair out of her face. “Uncle and Theodred will take good care of us.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he added reassuringly, “Do not worry. I will be with you. I promised Mama that I would look after you and I will not fail.”
Eowyn’s lip quivered, but she nodded her understanding. Using his sleeve, Eomer wiped her wet cheeks to dry them, and then stood. “Come. They will be waiting for us and wondering where we are,” he told her, reaching for her hand again.
They made it as far as the head of the staircase before Eowyn dug in her heels and drew him to a halt. Looking earnestly up at him, she fervently avowed, “When I am grown, I will learn to use a sword and then I will fight! And I will kill all the orcs in the Mark!” Her eyes dared him to argue with her.
Girls did not fight – everyone knew that, Eomer thought, but he did not voice it. Still, it confirmed his suspicion that Eowyn understood more than anyone realized. No one had said that Theodwyn’s demise was due to her grief over the loss of her husband, but clearly Eowyn had made that connection. She had reasoned out that the orcs who killed their father had begun their sorrow. But, that future was a long way off and if it helped Eowyn to believe her words of valor, then he would let her do so. Certainly he intended to ride to battle just as soon as he was old enough. With any luck, by the time Eowyn was grown, there would be no need for her to even think of fighting orcs.
Reaching for her hand again, the siblings started down the stairs leading to their new life.
THE END
9/11/08 – 2/28/09
Betersel = “more happiness” (better = betera, happiness = sæl)
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