Chapter One

Huge gusts of wind blew through the city of Edoras at dusk; the clouds reflecting the orange that radiated from the sunset in the west.  In the Golden Hall, King Theoden paced in front of his throne, a deep frown etched into his face with lines of anger and worry marring his forehead.

His niece, Eowyn, a girl of only twelve, watched him pace with her wide brown eyes.  Occasionally he muttered incoherently to himself, increasing the nervous anxiety that she already felt.  Ever since moving in with him five years before, Theoden had been good at keeping Eowyn calm but now he was too absorbed in his own thoughts to be of any comfort to her.

“This is not like him,” the king said aloud finally, stopping in his tracks and looking straight at Eowyn, who held his gaze firmly.

“No, Uncle, it is not,” she agreed, her voice wavering only slightly but enough for him to hear it.

“Your cousin will find him,” he assured her, mentally kicking himself.  “He must be somewhere.”

I wonder what explanation he will have for this, Theoden thought to himself a bit darkly.  His nephew, Eomer, Eowyn’s older brother, had not been seen nearly all day.  Theoden thought nothing of it until dinner, which Eomer failed to show up for.  The king honestly did not know whether to be angry or concerned about the situation and settled for both.  Eomer was a bold sixteen year old, who could oftentimes be rash, but he had never once missed dinner with his family.  The king could count on one hand the number of times Eomer had worried his family so.

Perhaps he has stayed away because of the argument you had with him last night, Theoden thought, his frown deepening.  He and his nephew had gotten into an argument the night before, one among many from the past five years.  The two clashed about nearly everything, and the younger always took deep offense when his uncle would try to “parent” him.  It had been that way ever since Eomer and Eowyn had come to live with their uncle after the deaths of their parents.  Eomer had made it quite clear that Theoden was not in any way his father.  Their relationship had been strained nearly the entire time, although there were times when the two got along perfectly well.  Once put into a situation to disagree, however, that all changed.

Theoden often found himself frustrated with his youngest sister’s son, not knowing what to do with him, if anything.  Theoden’s own son, Theodred, who was at the moment among the many looking for Eomer, had often suggested that the king take a less parental approach in dealing with Eomer, since that obviously sent the young man reeling.  Theodred believed his cousin thought that Theoden was trying to replace his parents.  It sounded absurd to the king but he had given it some thought.  He thought back to the day Eomer and Eowyn arrived in Edoras to live with Theoden and Theodred.

All four had traveled back to Edoras together for the burial of Eomund and Theodwyn; because Theodwyn was of royal blood, she and her husband were buried in the tombs of the royal family.  As was custom, Eowyn, being the female relative of the closest relation, sang the mourning song.  It seemed a cruel task for a girl of only seven, but Eowyn had shown her strength and managed to get through the song as her parents were moved into the tomb.  Afterwards she fell apart in her brother’s arm.

Eomer had been quiet the entire day, his face showing little emotion, until Eowyn had thrown herself at him sobbing.  His face crumbled, tears assaulting his eyes, and that was when Theoden realized that Eomer was just barely holding it together.  He was just a boy and he was alone and frightened with his parents both suddenly gone.

Arriving back at the royal house in Edoras, both the children looked lost and vulnerable.  Theoden assured them as much as he could, to little avail.  Finally Theodred, at the time twenty-four, took Eowyn to her new room, leaving Theoden to do the same for Eomer.

“This is your new room, Eomer.  I think you will find the bed is larger than your last one, and the window overlooks the plains below us.  One of the finest rooms in the house.”  The two sat down on the bed against the wall opposite the door.

The eleven-year old nodded, mumbling his thanks.  Eomer would scarcely look at his uncle but his face was tight and stone cold.

“If you would like I can have one of the cooks make something for you.  Are you hungry?”

Eomer shook his head, his expression more troubled by the second.

Theoden nodded and patted his nephew’s knee.  “All right, son, dinner—“

“I am not your son!” Eomer exclaimed vehemently, jumping to his feet, startling the king.

“No, of course not, that is not what I meant.”

But the damage had been done.  Eomer stood looking furious, clenching his fists at his sides.  Theoden thought it best to leave the boy alone.

“Dinner will be in a few hours.  I will have your cousin come get you.  In the meantime if you would like to explore the house a bit, you are welcome.  But tell someone if you leave, all right?”

Now, back in the present, Theoden dismissed that conversation as being the catalyst of his strained relationship with Eomer.  That very night he had sat down with his nephew and explained that he had not meant “son” in the context of Eomer being his son, nor would he ever presume to take Eomund’s place.  Eomer had said that he understood.  Surely there was something else to explain what the problem was.

That does not matter right now, Theoden thought, scolding himself.  What matters right now is that he be found safe and well.  The king looked out at the sunset and grumbled.  If he had no word in another hour he would go out searching himself.  He had stayed behind because Hama, the king’s doorward, had reminded that he was the king and still had his duties to attend to.  Besides, Eowyn would be left alone and someone needed to be there for her.

But in the end, I am the king and the decision is mine.  What Eowyn needs is to see her brother.  In another hour, I go out.

“King Theoden!” Hama exclaimed as he burst through the doors of the Golden Hall, causing both Eowyn and Theoden to jump.  They stared at him with wide expectant eyes, half hopeful, half fearful, as Hama approached the king breathlessly.  He bowed quickly, never the insubordinate servant.

“Eomer is found.”

*****

Theoden had practically run to his nephew’s room but he halted near the doorway and entered calmly, having always to be king.  Eowyn ran into his legs from behind, not realizing he had slowed his pace.  He soothed her blonde hair back, giving her a soft smile, as they entered the room.

His eyes fell immediately to his nephew, lying flat on his back with his eyes shut.  His face was frighteningly white, his head wrapped in bandages.  His lips nearly matched his white complexion, showing just a hint of pink to them.  The two healers by his side were currently wrapping him in blankets to get him warm.

Eowyn froze in place, her fearful blue eyes set on her older brother and the awful sight the normally handsome sixteen-year old made.

Theodred, who was standing in the far corner watching the healers with a grim face, stepped forward as his father and cousin entered.

“Father.”

“Theodred, what happened?”

The prince glanced briefly at Eowyn before deciding it did not matter if she overheard.

“He was found in the alleyway behind the house.  He was probably there the entire time.  No one ever goes back there.”

The king nodded, knowing the truth in that last statement.  “So what has caused his injuries?”

“My only guess is that he fell from the top of the stairs connecting the house to that alley.  That wall there is only knee-high.”

“Fell?” Theoden repeated, incredulous.  “Eomer is too cautious to fall over that wall.  It would take someone foolishly careless to do that.”

Theodred only shrugged, unable to provide another explanation.

“Milord,” one of the healers spoke as she turned to him.

“Eothwyn, will he be all right?”

She had a deep frown on her face, which was not encouraging.  “If he really has been unconscious all day then no one can say how serious his head injuries are.  It’s been so long already…  Aside from that, he has several broken ribs, a broken ankle, a twisted wrist… His back is covered in bruises from the fall.  It’s a good thing none of his injuries bled, or he may well have bled to death before he was found.”

Theoden cringed at the thought.  “You’re not sure if he’ll wake up are you?”

Eothwyn shook her head slowly, her eyes expressing remorse.  “I cannot say either way, milord.  But there is hope.  If he does wake up, we might still have to deal with a spinal injury.”

Dread gripped Theoden’s heart.  He’d known a few warriors who had suffered bad falls from their horses and could not walk again after that.  If Eomer woke up and could not feel his legs, there would be no helping him.

Still, it was a better option than him dying.  For now let’s just hope he lives, the king thought.

“Is there anything else you can do for him right now?”

Eothwyn shook her head.

“Very well.  Thank you for everything you have done.  Go and refresh yourselves, get some rest.  If I need you I will send for you.”

The healers bowed and left.  Eowyn had pulled a chair up to her brother’s bedside and sat holding one of his hands.  The whole sight had a tragic poignancy to it.

“I will stay with him tonight,” the king told Theodred and Eowyn.  “You two go get some sleep."

“Sleep, father?  I doubt Eowyn or I would get any.  I would rather be here.”

“As would I,” Eowyn said firmly.

“Very well,” the king sighed, resigned.

“Uncle?  Why was Eomer even near those stairs in the first place?  Whoever goes to that part of the house?” Eowyn questioned, sounding troubled.

“Good questions, my dear.  I only hope we will get those answers.”

 TBC