I was to be camping right near the lake on a bluff, next to Eowyn, Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn as usual. Theoden would be in his royal tent farther away.
Rue and Garret soon came to me excitedly with long sticks, and I took them to the lake. Now that I could actually look at it, I saw it was quite nasty and the water dirty and muddy. I knew anything out of that would be nasty if there was anything alive in it, but the kids seemed so excited to fish I couldn’t let them down.
As I sat with Garret and Rue, surprisingly more and more kids joined us, until they were at least fifteen, bringing their own little pieces of hard bread and sticks, asking me to the string them.
As I sat with them as the evening faded, we sang songs and chatted, coming up with silly rhymes as the parents looked on approvingly. A very shy little baby boy even came over and snuggled in my lap, and later the mother said he had been so quiet and shy after his father died a month ago. I couldn’t help thinking about what Theoden said about my way with children.
Surprisingly, we did catch some fish, though they were disgusting white things. I helped the kids clean them, and they went home proudly with their catch. I hoped the mother’s would have the sense to just throw it away instead of cook it.
After two hours of this the kids trickled away, and I sent Rue and Garret home with their three fish, as I straightened up the area we had trampled. Leave no trace, right?
“You do have a way with children,” I looked up sharply and saw Legolas there, leaning against a tree, arms folded.
“What?”
“Theoden was right, you should get married,” he said.
I gaped at him and couldn’t decide if I should ignore him, yell at him, or blush and stammer like a stupid maiden? Unfortunately, I did the last one. “You heard that?” I said lamely. Legolas nodded.
I shrugged. “Not yet. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to be married during a war,” I said bluntly, and walked past him. Why did he say that? I thought frantically.
I went to go find Eowyn and tell her about this, but when I reached her I froze. She was bent over a fire, stirring something in a pot with a wooden spoon. What was she cooking!?
I walked over by here, and saw it was the fish the kids had caught, looking even worse all pale and gooey, with water and strange roots floating around. “Where did you get that?” I cried.
“Rue and Garret gave it to me,” said Eowyn calmly.
“But...Eowyn! You…” I said, trying to say something without offending her.
“It’s some fresh meat for now, and besides, it’s hot,” she said. And smells awful and is definitely not fresh. But of course I didn’t say that. “Can you please get me more salt and some thyme?” she asked.
I walked over to the bag and gave it to her, but I don’t know why she was even trying. The fish was beyond more seasonings. She tried some and shrugged, and asked if I wanted some. I couldn’t say no, and I nearly puked when I ate it. It was so slimy and disgusting! Not to mention way too over seasoned. When I shrugged and said it was all right, she sighed with relief and then began to walk around camp, asking if people wanted it. I lingered behind, wanting to see their reaction.
When Gimli walked by and sniffed it after Eowyn offered it, he said, “Oh no! I couldn’t! I really couldn’t!” and then walked away hurriedly. That’s when she spotted Aragorn, who was sitting on a rock, sharpening his sword.
“I made some stew,” said Eowyn shyly, going up to him. “It’s not much, but it’s hot.” Aragorn nodded and said he’d take it like the gentlemen he was, and Eowyn ladled him a bowl, giving it to him. I looked at his reaction. He slowly stirred the soup with a spoon, and then put it in his mouth.
He looked up at Eowyn with the spoon still in his mouth, but managed to swallow it and nod. “It’s good,” he said slowly.
“Oh really?” said Eowyn with a thankful sigh. So much for my opinion. She then was about to walk away, and I tried not to laugh as Aragorn tried to pour the soup out of the bowl. But, Eowyn was to fast and she turned around, and Aragorn quickly recovered, wincing as the soup burned his hand. Yep, it was definitely hot.
“My uncle told me a strange thing,” she said, turning around to look at him. I edged closer, giving Aragorn a sympathetic look. “My uncle told me that you rode to war with Thengel, my grandfather, but he must be mistaken,” she said with a nervous laugh.
I stared at Aragorn. Yes, he was definitely older than me, but most definitely not older than Theoden. Right?
Aragorn looked at his soup, and then at Eowyn. “King Theoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time,” he said, his gaze flicking to me. I must’ve looked more than ridiculous.
“Then you must be at least sixty!” said Eowyn, kneeling down beside Aragorn. Was I really crushing on a man the same age as my grandfather if he was still alive? But he looked no more than forty at the most!
Aragorn looked embarrassed.
“Seventy?” I couldn’t help myself. He shook his head.
“You cannot be eighty!” cried Eowyn.
Aragorn looked at the ground. “Eighty-seven.”
My eyes widened as I sat down in disbelief on a rock. “Wow,” I breathed, not sure what to think. Was he a half-elf? How else could he still be so fit and youthful looking?
But Eowyn knew better. “You are one of the Dunedain. A descendant of Numenor, blessed with long life! It was said that your race had passed into legend,” she said bluntly.
Aragorn looked up. “There are few of us left. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago.”
Eowyn nodded. “I’m sorry. Please eat.” And Aragorn had to finish his soup while trying not to grimace as Eowyn looked on.
That night they finally found the princess’s tent. Eowyn quickly invited me to sleep with her after they put it up, and now we were inside, undressing by the light of a few candles since it was now well after twilight. I helped Eowyn undo her corset and she dressed in a nightgown, letting me borrow one of hers.
Now she was on the bed which was wider than long, watching me brush my hair in the mirror.
“Laurana?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you something?”
I looked at her. She was playing with the fur blanket, her face a mask. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Well…” she paused and didn’t say anything else. “Never mind.”
I smiled and looked at her, setting the brush down now that my hair was free of knots. “Come on Eowyn! Now that you told me I have to know!” I said teasingly, crawling onto the bed next to her.
“Well, I...I like Aragorn a lot, more than I should,” she said slowly, “but I know you like him, too, and I don’t want it to get into our relationship!” she finished in a rush. “Do you like him?”
I looked at my feet, mulling it over. “I dunno. Even though it’s childish...well, I’m a child compared to him. He is eighty...what?” I said.
“Eighty-seven,” said Eowyn.
“Yeah! Eighty-seven! And that’s a bit...that’s a bit old for me,” I said with a chuckle. I then smiled at Eowyn, grabbing her hand. “Besides, you look cute together, and it’s easy to tell you like him. And I think he likes you, too.”
“Really?” said Eowyn with a dreamy smile. “Thanks!”
I then sat up while Eowyn braided my hair back. “Do you know about Lady Arwen though? Aragorn told me that she gave him that jewel he wears. He said she went to the undying lands.”
I bit my lip. “Yes, I know her somewhat. You know when we went to Rivendell? Well, Arwen is an elf. And she is...she has the likeness of Blank, who was the most beautiful elf ever to walk the earth. She and Aragorn grew up together and are...close. She gave him that jewel. It’s called the evanstar,” I said slowly.
Eowyn nodded slowly. “What happened to her?”
“I honestly don’t know, but yes, I think she did go to undying lands with her people.”
“Oh, all right,” said Eowyn. “I’m done.”
I felt the neat braid and smiled at her. “Thanks, Eowyn!” She smiled and crawled under the blankets, while I blew out the candles and then crawled in next to her. In no time we were sound asleep.
Rue and Garret soon came to me excitedly with long sticks, and I took them to the lake. Now that I could actually look at it, I saw it was quite nasty and the water dirty and muddy. I knew anything out of that would be nasty if there was anything alive in it, but the kids seemed so excited to fish I couldn’t let them down.
As I sat with Garret and Rue, surprisingly more and more kids joined us, until they were at least fifteen, bringing their own little pieces of hard bread and sticks, asking me to the string them.
As I sat with them as the evening faded, we sang songs and chatted, coming up with silly rhymes as the parents looked on approvingly. A very shy little baby boy even came over and snuggled in my lap, and later the mother said he had been so quiet and shy after his father died a month ago. I couldn’t help thinking about what Theoden said about my way with children.
Surprisingly, we did catch some fish, though they were disgusting white things. I helped the kids clean them, and they went home proudly with their catch. I hoped the mother’s would have the sense to just throw it away instead of cook it.
After two hours of this the kids trickled away, and I sent Rue and Garret home with their three fish, as I straightened up the area we had trampled. Leave no trace, right?
“You do have a way with children,” I looked up sharply and saw Legolas there, leaning against a tree, arms folded.
“What?”
“Theoden was right, you should get married,” he said.
I gaped at him and couldn’t decide if I should ignore him, yell at him, or blush and stammer like a stupid maiden? Unfortunately, I did the last one. “You heard that?” I said lamely. Legolas nodded.
I shrugged. “Not yet. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to be married during a war,” I said bluntly, and walked past him. Why did he say that? I thought frantically.
I went to go find Eowyn and tell her about this, but when I reached her I froze. She was bent over a fire, stirring something in a pot with a wooden spoon. What was she cooking!?
I walked over by here, and saw it was the fish the kids had caught, looking even worse all pale and gooey, with water and strange roots floating around. “Where did you get that?” I cried.
“Rue and Garret gave it to me,” said Eowyn calmly.
“But...Eowyn! You…” I said, trying to say something without offending her.
“It’s some fresh meat for now, and besides, it’s hot,” she said. And smells awful and is definitely not fresh. But of course I didn’t say that. “Can you please get me more salt and some thyme?” she asked.
I walked over to the bag and gave it to her, but I don’t know why she was even trying. The fish was beyond more seasonings. She tried some and shrugged, and asked if I wanted some. I couldn’t say no, and I nearly puked when I ate it. It was so slimy and disgusting! Not to mention way too over seasoned. When I shrugged and said it was all right, she sighed with relief and then began to walk around camp, asking if people wanted it. I lingered behind, wanting to see their reaction.
When Gimli walked by and sniffed it after Eowyn offered it, he said, “Oh no! I couldn’t! I really couldn’t!” and then walked away hurriedly. That’s when she spotted Aragorn, who was sitting on a rock, sharpening his sword.
“I made some stew,” said Eowyn shyly, going up to him. “It’s not much, but it’s hot.” Aragorn nodded and said he’d take it like the gentlemen he was, and Eowyn ladled him a bowl, giving it to him. I looked at his reaction. He slowly stirred the soup with a spoon, and then put it in his mouth.
He looked up at Eowyn with the spoon still in his mouth, but managed to swallow it and nod. “It’s good,” he said slowly.
“Oh really?” said Eowyn with a thankful sigh. So much for my opinion. She then was about to walk away, and I tried not to laugh as Aragorn tried to pour the soup out of the bowl. But, Eowyn was to fast and she turned around, and Aragorn quickly recovered, wincing as the soup burned his hand. Yep, it was definitely hot.
“My uncle told me a strange thing,” she said, turning around to look at him. I edged closer, giving Aragorn a sympathetic look. “My uncle told me that you rode to war with Thengel, my grandfather, but he must be mistaken,” she said with a nervous laugh.
I stared at Aragorn. Yes, he was definitely older than me, but most definitely not older than Theoden. Right?
Aragorn looked at his soup, and then at Eowyn. “King Theoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time,” he said, his gaze flicking to me. I must’ve looked more than ridiculous.
“Then you must be at least sixty!” said Eowyn, kneeling down beside Aragorn. Was I really crushing on a man the same age as my grandfather if he was still alive? But he looked no more than forty at the most!
Aragorn looked embarrassed.
“Seventy?” I couldn’t help myself. He shook his head.
“You cannot be eighty!” cried Eowyn.
Aragorn looked at the ground. “Eighty-seven.”
My eyes widened as I sat down in disbelief on a rock. “Wow,” I breathed, not sure what to think. Was he a half-elf? How else could he still be so fit and youthful looking?
But Eowyn knew better. “You are one of the Dunedain. A descendant of Numenor, blessed with long life! It was said that your race had passed into legend,” she said bluntly.
Aragorn looked up. “There are few of us left. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago.”
Eowyn nodded. “I’m sorry. Please eat.” And Aragorn had to finish his soup while trying not to grimace as Eowyn looked on.
That night they finally found the princess’s tent. Eowyn quickly invited me to sleep with her after they put it up, and now we were inside, undressing by the light of a few candles since it was now well after twilight. I helped Eowyn undo her corset and she dressed in a nightgown, letting me borrow one of hers.
Now she was on the bed which was wider than long, watching me brush my hair in the mirror.
“Laurana?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you something?”
I looked at her. She was playing with the fur blanket, her face a mask. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Well…” she paused and didn’t say anything else. “Never mind.”
I smiled and looked at her, setting the brush down now that my hair was free of knots. “Come on Eowyn! Now that you told me I have to know!” I said teasingly, crawling onto the bed next to her.
“Well, I...I like Aragorn a lot, more than I should,” she said slowly, “but I know you like him, too, and I don’t want it to get into our relationship!” she finished in a rush. “Do you like him?”
I looked at my feet, mulling it over. “I dunno. Even though it’s childish...well, I’m a child compared to him. He is eighty...what?” I said.
“Eighty-seven,” said Eowyn.
“Yeah! Eighty-seven! And that’s a bit...that’s a bit old for me,” I said with a chuckle. I then smiled at Eowyn, grabbing her hand. “Besides, you look cute together, and it’s easy to tell you like him. And I think he likes you, too.”
“Really?” said Eowyn with a dreamy smile. “Thanks!”
I then sat up while Eowyn braided my hair back. “Do you know about Lady Arwen though? Aragorn told me that she gave him that jewel he wears. He said she went to the undying lands.”
I bit my lip. “Yes, I know her somewhat. You know when we went to Rivendell? Well, Arwen is an elf. And she is...she has the likeness of Blank, who was the most beautiful elf ever to walk the earth. She and Aragorn grew up together and are...close. She gave him that jewel. It’s called the evanstar,” I said slowly.
Eowyn nodded slowly. “What happened to her?”
“I honestly don’t know, but yes, I think she did go to undying lands with her people.”
“Oh, all right,” said Eowyn. “I’m done.”
I felt the neat braid and smiled at her. “Thanks, Eowyn!” She smiled and crawled under the blankets, while I blew out the candles and then crawled in next to her. In no time we were sound asleep.
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