What Love Brings With It

It had stopped raining long enough for the soldiers to break down the tents, cook breakfast and prepare the horses for the long ride home. Carts pulled by horse teams were being loaded by villagers, provisions for the troop for their ride back. There was the a sweet, damp scent in the air carried on a warm breeze that came down into the valley from the east. Honey Blooms and Guala Moss were prevalent this time of year where it rained more days than it did not. The King and his party had left the morning before and only 2 squads remained behind to escort his wife Lindariel and daughter, Narisa home. The week prior had scouting parties capture or kill over 30 bandits who seemed to belong to the same group as the ones that attacked the village. They were interrogated but would not divulge where their main encampment was though the King felt that it had to be relatively close due to the lack of provisions they carried and the refreshed state of their mounts. .

Calaren both wanted to leave and to stay to escort Narisa home. To do so would mark the end of his hopes of having her as his wife and companion and so he decided to stay and see this thing done if it had to be done. His tall, red appeared unsettled and he himself looked out from where he saddled his horse on the road just outside of the small cottage Narisa and her mother, the queen stayed. His gaze traveled westward up the sloping hills covered with thick pine and leatherleaf. He paused to smell the air but he was so distracted with the hurt inside of his heart he did not sense the two scouts that had been viewing them from behind the thick trees to the Northwest. A larger force were mounted with ill intent miles further down into the valley.

Her words repeated in his head over and over and he could do little to block them out. He was so sure. So sure she wouldn’t refuse him and now she had. The bitter taste in his mouth made the little bit of food he had eaten sour in his stomach. Proof, to him at least, that his feelings for her were real. No, are real, despite how she felt! As the door of the small, quaint house opened he gazed at the queen who helped Narisa out with Eagan on her other side. She still looked pale but was mending well from what he could tell. He had felt like a butcher cutting into her like that but ultimately he had saved her life. A grim repayment to be tossed aside…no…no, he thought. That is hardly fair he knew as he stepped forward leading his red and he looked away unwilling to chance their eyes meeting. Behind him soldiers with horses drew up toward them. .
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Eagan was happy that Narisa felt good enough to ride. He knew she would have hated to ride back to the city in a cart. He watched Narisa’s feet carefully as he helped lead her out the door. The dampness was immediately apparent and one brief look up into the cloud-filled sky told him that more rain would come and soon. A soldier stepped up with two horses just behind him, the queen’s and Narisa’s. As the horses paused another soldier dropped down a tall wooden step for the princess to use then he stepped away quickly to prepare for the ride back to Edoras.

He had tried to attend her but if he showed any bit of coddling it was not received well. He could hardly help it though his wife to be was hurt and he knew each step she took had to be painful no matter how good she was at hiding it. “You don’t have to be so tough with me, Narisa,” he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. He wore his dark riding leathers and his leather helm was tilted back off of his head and hung down the back of his neck. His long, dark hair was tied back with a plain leather cord twined with another white one that signified that he was now betrothed. He smiled when she gazed at him though he hardly felt like doing so. Her pain was his pain but the sooner she was safe at home....He thought with a slight sigh.

Narisa was relieved that she was finally well enough to travel home. While the villagers had taken very good care of her and her mother, she was becoming restless and wanted to be getting back to Edoras. Unconsciously, she also wanted to leave because she now associated this house with breaking Calaren's heart and she wanted to distance herself from it as quickly as possible. She did not regret her decision to marry Eagan, but she could not deny her love for Calaren as well. It was very possible that she loved Calaren more, but she had promised her hand to Eagan and she would not go back on that promise. She knew that Calaren was planning to leave for Gehenna to raise horses and she secretly wished him luck. How nice it would have been to be able to go with him, but she was determined to make herself and Eagan happy in Minas Tirith. The large city always overwhelmed her, but she knew that she would get used to it in time.

While she was strong enough to be able to ride, she could not yet saddle Onyx and as Eagan helped her outside she could hear a soldier struggling with the jet black stallion. To say Onyx was a handful would be an understatement. She was the only one he would cooperate for and even then she couldn't let her guard down with him. But she loved him dearly. Carefully, she walked over to Onyx with Eagan's help. She wanted to tell him that she could do it on her own, but he liked helping her and so she let him. She glanced over at him when he whispered to her that she didn't have to be so tough with him and smiled ever so slightly.

"I don't know how else to be," she responded quietly. "I was raised by my father to be tough. He has little patience for weakness. However, if it will make you feel better I will allow you to coddle me when we get home," she added with a loving smile.

She then approached Onyx and the horse was instantly calmed by her presence. He stamped his feet and threw his head a few times as a sign of happiness. Narisa gently caressed his hose and whispered loving things to him while the soldier was finally able to saddle him. Ever so slowly she looked up and some yards away she spotted Calaren. His head was down and she could tell he was unhappy. She wished he would look at her, but he refused to look up. She sighed, knowing it was probably for the best and turned her attention back to Onyx.

Eagan stepped up to her and risked the ire of the Queen’s disapproval and placed his hand on the back of her right calf as he touched the horse’s neck with his right hand. His palm was quite...warm even through her boots and he squeezed her quite...forwardly, a testament to how worried he had been. He looked up at her, mindful that Onyx could very well try to nip at him for delaying his want for movement. “Don’t overexert yourself, ok?’ He said in a low tone. “If you require a command of it then let this be my first to you as your husband to be,” he said with a slight smile upon his face. His eyes shone with a warm, playful light up at her as if he knew such ‘commands’ would likely be useless upon her if she wished not to heed them. His cheeks gained a bit of red as well as his look lingered and it was clear that that he was thinking about more than just her safety. He was a man who needed her and that need drove his actions to protect her even though she might not think it was necessary.

Narisa felt Eagan's hand on her right calf as he knelt down to give her assistance up into the saddle. His touch, while necessary, also felt rather intimate. She knew that he had been wishing to touch her in this type of manner for some time and she could not deny that she had longed for it as well. At his suggestion that he 'command' her not to overexert herself she dropped her gaze down to meet his for a moment. He smiled and yet there was also a hint of redness to his cheeks hinting that he would like to 'command' her in other ways as well. She felt her own cheeks flush slightly at the thought and she knew in that moment that they would need to be careful before they were married. It was obvious that they both wanted one another, but now that they were betrothed she knew that her father would be watching them like a hawk to ensure that nothing occurred before they were properly married. Thankfully, he did not seem to know that they had already been in bed together.

"I will try not to," she finally responded with a slight smile tugging at her lips. With his help she then got up into her saddle with only a slight wince. It hurt, but she was determined not to slow everyone down.

As expected just as they all settled into a riding line it began to drizzle. The sky was a light gray, darkening in patches not so far away as Calaren would have liked. The darkening overcast sky shifted westward as the riders slowly made their way Southeast, back toward home. For the first time though Calaren felt as if Edoras no longer was his home. And there was nothing left there for him save for 2 studs of elven breeding he intended to breed with 4 mares that Lord Phelan had promised him.

Calaren in truth had little correspondence with Lord Phelan but his father had always respected him and knew him as a man of honor. His father had fought with him in the Battle of the Pelennor fields. Lord Phelan was depicted in the golden hall clad in his green armor and his massive black warhorse with matched plate barding. He was surrounded by orcs, his sword in hand. That painting still gives men pride today though that moment has long since passed. WIth Sauron gone, with the orcs gone it was now men killing men. Gehenna though seemed to exist outside of such as that. Another reason Calaren wanted to plant roots there and make a life for himself. He looked back at the procession. The queen’s guard out in front then the queen and Narisa side by side. Behind them rode Eagan and the rest of the soldiers. The carts, people on foot and burdened animals in the rear. It wasn’t long however that he drew rein and paused. Unconsciously his eyes drifted back to the princess before he caught himself then looked away. Narisa was always a sight upon a horse. Next to the queen it was not so easy to look away. He was certain she had seen him and he could not help the spark of hurt that creeped back up into his spine. Silently he gazed up and allowed the rain to hit his face. The day seemed an appropriate one for the pain that still lingered within hi heart.

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Garl wore a black wolf’s skin across his shoulders instead of the darker cloaks the rest of his men wore. His father had been a Northman. Raiders had killed his mother and carried off his sister long ago and there was now very little room in his heart for anything that didn’t involve cruelty and pain. His face was pale and his left cheek had a pair of scars that ran down to the base of his jawline. A testament to a harsh life. A life of banditry, rape and murder like the rest of his men.

He like the others had their horses grounded onto their sides behind a set of hills that they had used many times for ambushes not unlike the one he was prepared to spring upon the queen and her quite lovely daughter. The horses kicked and complained but not so much to alert the horsemen that rode nearer and nearer into their trap. He would have the queen first before he slit her throat. The princess was promised to his men though better for her if she were to die today as well as the horsemen.

Lindariel was glad to be going home. She missed Edoras and wanted Narisa back in her own room to continue to recover. She planned to have the trained healers in Edoras give her a thorough examination just to ensure everything was healing properly. Thankfully, there was no sign of any infection. Upon her horse, sitting tall in the exquisitely designed saddle that had been crafted just for her, she looked every bit the queen that she was. Time had only made Lindariel more beautiful and she was truly beloved by the people of Rohan. Although she had not been born here, Rohan was now her home.

Looking ahead, she spotted Calaren. He rode alone and even from this distance she could see his heartbreak. There was no doubt in her mind that he loved Narisa just as much as Eagan...if not more. Calaren was a good man with a great heart and she knew the choice had been gut wrenching for her daughter. She could only hope that she had made the right choice.

Suddenly, Lindariel felt something was amiss. She felt it deep in her gut. She was half elven after all and her senses were much stronger than mortal men. Above them, the rain began to fall, but the queen paid it no mind. Her eyes looked sharply around for the source of her sudden unease. Narisa had turned to say something to Eagan and so Lindariel spoke quietly to her personal guard, Derik.

"Derik, something is wrong...I feel it."

Derik had been her guard for over 10 years now and would not know her to be a dramatic or hysterical woman. She was strong and sensible and if she said something was wrong then there was something wrong.

Derik was a tall man, broad at the shoulder with long, wavy blonde, hair, piercing blue eyes and a smile that made girls and women alike swoon. Some believed him to have elven blood somewhere in his lineage but in truth he only maintained a focus unlike many of his brethren. Lindariel had shown to be someone who you paid attention to. Experience and trust were his aids when it came to her and so when she appeared to be in alarm his senses suddenly came alive. Before he could really shift or draw out his bow though he felt a slight pinch at his neck. He was surprised to look down and see black fletchings standing out from his throat as bright red blood began to pour out over the feathers. He was both surprised and bewildered that he felt little or no pain save for the horror in his ladies eyes. “I’ve...failed you...mylady,” he tried to say as he suddenly felt his legs go weak and then darkness took him from his saddle.

Everything happened at once, riders appeared to the east and to the west, arrows flew from them and from the soldiers who hadn’t died from the first volley. Narisa’s large black grunted as she looked down and saw arrow fletchings stuck out of his side, dangerously close to her leg. Men shouted, “For the Golden Hall!” and “Protect the Queen!” and “For life and Glory!” Eagan ducked low on the neck of his bay and turned him off the path toward the group that moved toward them from the west. Calaren had already spurned his red into a dead run toward the group to the east. Many had shot arrows at him but all had misjudged his speed and overshot. He crashed into them from the south with two other soldiers who came from the North, spears flashing and where the two feet of steel that made up their tips struck, men died. Horses reared and screamed. Men shouted and roared as fighting sprung up all around Lindariel and Narisa. Lindariel shifted to come next to Narisa just as Onyx’s front for leg gave out. The large black tilted but managed to maintain his balance as he lowered to the ground far too gently than anyone who could have seen might believe. Soldiers half surrounded them but were hard pressed against greater numbers. Men flung themselves at them from their horses and some soldiers who were knocked down would never again stand up again.

Calaren could see them in his peripheral vision. As long as they were alive he would fight to stay alive and he did with sword in hand. Eagan was deposited upon the grass as his horse took an arrow in the neck but he rolled smoothly and began firing arrows at men who came too close to either Narisa or Lindariel.

Garl had flung himself at one of the guards nearest to Lindariel. His dagger sliced across his neck and fresh, red blood splashed out across his gaunt, tanned face. He drew up though and Narisa felt her mother pull away as she was hauled back off of her horse by the large Bandit.

Lindariel had looked away for only a moment. Then she heard it...the unmistakable sound of an arrow being fired. It had been close...very close. Her eyes turned back to Derik and her eyes grew wide in horror as she saw the arrow sticking out of his neck. Derik had not just been a bodyguard, but had become a friend of hers and she was numb to see him suddenly go limp and fall from his saddle. In the next few seconds all hell seemed to break loose...

Arrows were suddenly fired from all directions as bandits appeared from the east and west. There was nowhere for them to hide and Lindariel's immediately concern was keeping her daughter safe. Soldiers battled the bandits all around them. Some bandits fell and some of their soldiers fell. Narisa suddenly felt something strike Onyx and she screamed when she saw two long arrows sticking from her beloved steed's side. Onyx didn't make a sound as his own red blood began to flow down his flank. She could feel his legs weakening under him as he tried to keep standing in order to protect Narisa. However, he finally could stand no longer and he began to slowly kneel down. It would be clear that he was dying but he would protect Narsia up until his final breath. With the battle happening around them, Narisa cried as she gently stroked Onyx's neck. Finally, he stilled and drew his final breath. Only the fear of what was happening around her kept her from sobbing aloud over the death of her dear friend.

Her eyes quickly scanned the battle and she saw both Eagan and Calaren alive and unharmed. Relief flowed through her, but only momentarily. Suddenly, she heard her mother scream and she looked over to see a large bandit pulling her from her horse. Her mother's horse was kicking and biting at him, but to no avail.

"Mother!"

Without thinking of her own safety, Narisa grabbed at the bandit, in an attempt to get him to let go of her mother. She had no weapons on her and longed for a dagger. Suddenly, she spotted a danger hanging from the bandit's belt and she grabbed for it...

Calaren saw what was happening. As he ducked under an axe that was swung at him he slashed across his attacker’s middle. The man was taller than he but due to his girth a bit slower. His slash struck true and so deeply the man fell back as he clutched at his stomach that threatened to spill out onto the ground. He screamed in horror as Calaren turned to run toward the two women. He knew he'd likely always love Narisa. If that meant that he had to give up his life to save hers he would without question.

Eagan was excellent with a bow and one after another he drew arrows from his quiver, nocked and fired. He missed sometimes when he mispredicted a bandit’s movements but not often. He downed several with his arrows save for the ones tightly engaged with Rohan soldiers.

Garl’s short sword drew up to the queen’s neck and he shifted back a step as Narisa came up to him. “Nuthin ya need there girl...well...not yet anyways, huh huh huh,” he chuckled in a very sinister manner. “I’ve always wanted to have at a queen, maybe I will keep you and let my men have you!” He said as he kicked Narisa as she came into him. Lindariel’s struggling and Garl’s movement to ward off Narisa caused his blade to draw blood at Lindariel’s neck though the cut was little more than a scratch. Luckily the bandit’s blade was quite dull or the wound might have been mortal.

Calaren could not see what was happening with the soldiers and bandits fighting around the women. Garl’s back was to him but he feared that he was going to kill them. He yelled as he ran and his yell caught Garl’s attention. Garl shoved the queen toward Narisa roughly as he spun to face Calaren who skidded to a halt just in time to avoid impaling himself onto Garl’s sword.

Eagan saw what was happening and he moved as he shot, ever closer to the two women in the hopes he could get them away to safety. He had seen Garl but he could not risk hitting the queen so he abandoned that thought and focused on getting to them and taking shots of opportunity at bandits who were separated enough with soldiers that he could risk another arrow.

Narisa knew that she was risking her own life, but she would not let this man take her mother...she couldn't. The soldiers around them were barely able to keep back the other bandits. If she didn't do something then this man would surely be able to get away with her. She didn't even want to think what he would do to her mother once he had her.

Lindariel continued to struggle, but suddenly felt the blade cut against her neck. Thankfully, she could tell it wasn't a deep cut, although it began to bleed. However, she knew the moment her husband saw the cut on her neck he would likely send his entire army out to kill every last one of these bandits.

Narisa suddenly heard a yell and looked over to see Calaren rushing towards them. The bandit shoved her mother towards her and Narisa grabbed her. Her face went nearly stark white when she saw Calaren nearly run straight into the bandit's blade. Thankfully, he skidded to a halt just in time. Looking over, she saw Eagan still alive and a sense of relief rushed through her. She felt helpless just standing there, but knew that there was nothing she could do, but wait for it all to be over.

In what seemed like minutes, Eagan had drawn close enough to Narisa and the queen that he felt the tide was turning. The queen’s guard were expert warriors and they acquitted themselves well against these untrained bandits. A few of them began to flee though some of the better fighters continued the assault. Two bandits on horses fired arrows at those that were fighting. Sometimes they hit Rohan soldiers and sometimes they hit their comrades. The fighting had drawn further away from Narisa and the queen save for Calaren as he was locked in a desperate struggle with Garl, their bandit leader. Both men had patches of damp, darkness here and there about them but it appeared Garl was just that much better than Calaren. Garl had a dark grin on his face as he faced Calaren’s sword.

“You’re gunna die today BOY!” Garl taunted. Calaren gritted his teeth just as he deflected Garl’s blade once more. He was beginning to get tired and the small cuts he had taken were beginning to take their toll upon him. Each parry came that much slower and this last time Garl’s blade scored across his forearm.

Eagan had finally closed the distance to the women and he had killed one of the two bowman with an arrow to the side. The bandit’s horse reared when the reins were pulled and it sped off and deposited the bandit to the ground. The other one saw him then grinned as he drew another arrow. It wasn’t difficult to tell though that he shifted his aim away from him toward Narisa. In a panic he shifted his feet quickly and put himself into the line of fire. He reached back to clutch an arrow to fire at the man but to his surprise and horror his fingers felt nothing but air. All thought and sense had left him in that moment and he turned and took hold of Narisa’s arm. The queen was behind her on her knees and he shifted to face her. He smiled when her eyes met his. He had always thought that a man could lose himself in those eyes as the moment seemed to expand and time slowed down. Her hair was damp from the rain he noted and disheveled but it did little to take away from her beauty. The arrow that he knew was coming hit him square in the back. His head jerked back and his knees suddenly felt weak. His grip on Narisa though did not lessen and he bore her down with him.

Narisa watched in horror as Calaren suddenly began to battle against the large bandit. Calaren was already exhausted and Narisa could see that the bandit was beginning to overpower Calaren. Narisa began to fear that one of the two men she loved was going to be killed right in front of her. She was so focused on Calaren that she failed to realize that she had suddenly become a target for one of the bandit bowmen. It wasn't until she felt a hand grab her arm that she tore her gaze away from Calaren and looked over to see Eagan. Their eyes met and she saw him smile at her. He always had quite the handsome smile. It was a smile that could make her smile even when she didn't want to. She knew in that second that she would always love Eagan. Suddenly, she saw his head jerk back. The two of them hit the wet ground hard. Narisa's eyes fluttered open and it was only then that she realized what Eagan had done. The arrow stood straight out of his upper back and his shirt was stained red with blood. That arrow had been meant for her!

"Eagan!"

Ignoring the rest of the fighting that was happening around them, Narisa quickly moved to Eagan. Tears had already begun to stream down her cheeks.

"You...you're going to be alright Eagan," she told him, although in her heart she knew it wasn't true. "We...we'll get you back to Edoras and I'll have the best healers look after you. Please...please just stay with me," she said as she stroked his cheek.

Eagan blinked at the pain of it. He saw the queen move to his left as Narisa’s face came into view. Beyond them Calaren was fighting for his life. Further out the bowman took a spear to the back and was pulled off of his dark horse that ran west up the small slope. The rain was cool but still little more than a drizzle from what he could tell. Odd that he would be concerned about such things right then. He looked up at her and was saddened to see Narisa cry. He knew then that he had made so many mistakes with her. Leaving her at all was the biggest.

“I...I know now...I should have never left you,” he said. He saw her lips move but he could not hear what she said. He felt...giddy as if he hadn’t eaten in days and excited to the point of shaking. “What must be must be…” He said though he didn’t really know why.

Calaren knew if he didn’t end this now that he would die. He gripped his blade with both hands and with one, last hard parry he spun. Garl thrusted but his blade just missed Calaren’s face. Calaren drove his blade deep into Garl’s chest. For a moment the two men were face to face, the hilt of Calaren’s blade between them. Garl growled and choked as his fingers let loose of his sword.

Lindariel came onto her knees across from Narisa. She could not help the tears that fell down her own cheeks. Her tears fell for Eagan and also for her daughter. His lips formed the words, “I love you,” but his lungs no longer allowed sound to pass by his lips.

The anguished cry that escaped Narisa's lips was gut wrenching. She cradled Eagan's head in her lap and bowed over him. Her body shook with her sobs. She repeated his name over and over as if it might somehow breathe life back into him. She was in shock and felt deeply ill. This couldn't be happening...this must be a dream...no a nightmare. Any moment now she would wake up.

But she didn't awaken. The horrible nightmare continued. Eagan was gone. Just after she had finally gotten him back again he was gone...and would not return to her. His death was her fault. If she hadn't gone to the village that day then Eagan would be alive now. His blood was on her hands and she would never be able to forgive herself. Their future together was gone in an instant.

"I love you Eagan...I love you...I love you."

The bandits that could run did. The rain picked up in its intensity as soldiers moved to surround them. Calaren wiped blood from his face and looked down at Eagan with a grim look in his eyes as he used one of the bandit’s cloaks to clean the blood from his blade. It was over and the queen and princess were alive and relatively unharmed. Lindariel allowed her daughter a few moments alone with Eagan as she began to command the soldiers to litter the dead. Wounds were bound hastily but it was clean that the procession would not be staying here long The risk was just too great. Calaren and another soldier were ordered to ride ahead at speed to have a contingent ride back this way. It took two soldiers to pull Narisa away from Eagan and he like the others were covered and set upon litters to be hauled back to Edoras for proper burials. The bandits bodies were thrown into a pile and burned. As they all started off again the dark smoke from the damp fire billowed up into the sky behind them as the rain continued to fall.

On the ride back it was difficult for Calaren to know how to feel. Eagan had been a friend but also an obstacle to Narisa’s hand. His death did not sit right with him. He would never wish to win Narisa’s hand this way. And he was hardly sure she’d even want him now either. Today was a dark day indeed he thought as he rode into the city.

A short repast was all Lindariel would allow though she knew Narisa would not eat. Her daughter had lost her husband to be and her horse Onyx in the same moment. As they Mounted back up there were no looks or much conversation. There was only the creaking of saddles, snorting of horses and the rain that continued to fall.

It wasn’t long before a large force could be seen riding toward them at speed. High above them stood the banner of the king that fluttered in the wind. Lindariel let out an audible sigh of relief when she saw them and she ordered a halt as the King and company of soldiers came near. The King stopped just short of Lindariel but the soldiers rode around them and took up a protective position all around them while others continued to fan out and begin a search for the bandits who fled. Eomer took off his helm and looked at Lindariel with a grimface.

“Are you alright my love?” He said in a low tone as he took off his gloves. He reached over and set his warm palm onto her cheek. He glanced at Narisa briefly then his pale, blue eyes settled back onto his queen.

Narisa was beyond grief stricken. She felt like she wanted to be violently ill, but nothing happened. She sobbed and continued to mutter his name over and over. She remained completely unaware of anything else around her. Eagan, her best friend, was gone and nothing else in the world currently mattered. She stroked his face and brushed back his hair and kissed him as her salty tears slipped down her cheeks and onto his face. Finally, she felt hands upon her. Their voices sounded distant, but she could hear them say that they needed to go. Narisa felt completely numb as they pulled her away from Eagan's body. She watched other soldiers came over to take away his body. In that moment she felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest.

Somehow she ended up on a horse and it was only then that she remembered Onyx. She had lost two beings that meant everything to her in one day. She rode in silence, staring blankly ahead. She seemed to be in almost a catatonic state. Her face was pale and her eyes red from her tears.

Lindariel wished she could help her daughter, but she knew there was nothing she could say. She remembered losing Jamie, her first husband, and that gut wrenching feeling she had felt. There had been nothing that anyone had been able to do or say to make her feel better. Only time had healed that wound and eventually she had been able to let herself love again. She would never forget Jamie, nor should Narisa ever forget Eagan, but he would not want her to stop living, of this Lindariel was certain.

Lindariel was deeply relieved when she saw her husband's flag in the distance. A large group of soldiers rode with him and she had to hold back her tears of relief as Eomer drew close to her. He would be able to see the cut on her neck and the blood that was already dry upon it. He would be able to see that she was deeply upset by what had occurred, but she would not show weakness in front of the men.

"I...I will be," she answered as he touched her cheek. She glanced back at Narisa and then looked at him again. "Eagan is dead."

At hearing that Eomer drew his lips into a half purse and nodded as he slid his gaze to Narisa then back to his wife. They both knew that now was not the time for tears. They had to ride and so Eomer raised his hand and the soldiers called out to one another that it was time to form up. They rode back together in a silent dirge of hooves and the sound of the rain.

Calaren opened his doors and tossed his gloves into the opened chest near the door. He removed his weapon belt and set that in as well. Internally he was a bag of mixed emotions but his love for Narisa allowed him to feel sorry for her and for Eagan.

Lindariel had to have soldiers carry Narisa from her horse. Gendry, a large man with a gentle way about him held her bodily in his arms as they moved into their royal apartments within the golden hall. He set her down on her bed gently then bowed himself out as Lindariel called for the healers and for a hot bath to be drawn. Eomer did not bother taking prisoners. His orders were to kill any bandit they saw and it was done.

Lindariel let Narisa alone after the healers had left. Her wound was bound up tightly and the healers had assured her that the scarring would be minimal. The next morning she tried to get Narisa to eat but she only just laid there on her bed in her small clothes and said not a word. On the third day she would have no more of this however as she tried to get Naria to eat.

“Ok...now that is enough Narisa!” She said in exasperation as she roughly set down the bowl of porridge on the side table next to the bed. “You sit up and eat or so help me I’ll stuff this down your throat!” She threatened. She took hold of Narisa’s shoulders and tried to sit her up.

Narisa refused to get out of bed. She barely spoke to anyone and would not touch any food. She had long since stopped crying, but her eyes remained red and puffy. She still could not believe Eagan was gone forever. Every time she closed her eyes she could see him...hear his voice...feel his touch. She couldn't sleep for fear that she would dream of him. She missed him so much her body physically ached.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but one day her mother walked in with a bowl of porridge and set it down on the table beside her bed. She looked at her and was quiet a long moment before responding.

"He died because of me."

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