HEADCANON; Theodred, Rohir Culture and Eomund
Even as a young boy, Theodred was very aware he would have to prove himself to his people, and that it would be an uphill battle to do so. Theoden rode the relief of his father’s kingship after Fengel’s disastrous reign. But time and opinions moved quickly and Theodred was the first Prince to be born in Rohan for a hundred years. Theoden still could not speak Rohirric.
Eomund, on the other hand, was a man so Rohir he could have been Eorl himself. He held and remembered ancient traditions of their people and believed strongly that their Kings should do the same. He and Theoden had a fractious relationship and that often revolved around Theodred’s upbringing. This all culminated in Eomund’s insistance that Theodred join his Eored at 14, not his father’s or one of his Captains. ‘A boy cannot become a man whilst still crying for his father.’
Theodred rather resented that assessment, given how little he had learned to rely on his father. But even so, when Theoden protested, Theodred intervened and agreed with Eomund’s plan, though he felt an amount of wariness towards his Uncle’s fervour. If he was going to earn the trust he would need in later life, he had to weather through his childhood as quickly as possible. And he did, aggressively, disregarding the usual instincts and fears of a child and marching into trauma and bloodshed perhaps too readily.
Not that that meant he cowed to his Uncle on anything else. They disagreed often and loudly, most particularly on the use and treatment of boys within their ranks (after he grew enough to realise the damage he had taken from it) and the familial love between them was often clouded or quashed by cultural, political and moral dogmas that neither of them could set aside. Even so, Eomund did not have to think hard before vouching for Theodred’s readiness and right to take the mantel of Second-Marshall (after Erkenbrand suffered a debilitating injury to his knee) at the very young age of 20.
Still, they continued disagreeing and Eomund maintained his critical and sharp air around Theodred until his death when Theodred was 24. His loss was complex and difficult and left a great deal unsaid, yet also heralded even more heartbreaking loss and the new responsibility of two grieving adopted siblings that Theodred was not prepared for.
