Healing Loss
Chapter 2: Midnight Greetings
Eomer
My head spun, my heart was heavy, my neck ached from the stitch that healer put in and my shoulder’s felt as if the weight of the new age was upon them.
Well I suppose Rohan actually is on my shoulders.
What I have to focus on is that we had won. Somehow despite the odds, we had rallied and won.
Any time I felt the pain of my countrymen I needed to remember we have beaten Sauron and now we are free from his torment. Free to live without fear, to live with hope, to have a life back. But still I felt none of that. The battle had taken many lives of my countrymen and of my uncle, the king of Rohan. Before that Theodred, my cousin who was like a brother to me.
And now I am king.
“Éomer!” A man shouted making turn seeing Erchirion, one of the Princes of Dol Amroth. “My friend, what are you doing here?”
Clasping his forearm, I smile at him. “Seeing my sister.”
A sad smile crossed his face. “How is she?”
Letting go of his arm I sighed. “Better, she seems to be safe in the land of the living and away from despair. I can’t stay and chat I must get down to the field encampment, afraid I might fall asleep on my feet.”
He shook his head wrapping his arm around my shoulder leading us away from the house. “Come you shall stay with my family.”
Shaking my head, I sighed and broke from his grasp. “I appreciate the offer but my camp outside Gondor is fine.”
Erchirion rolled his eyes. “It will save you a lot of time coming to and from, we have extra space. My sister is never around so you can have her bedroom.”
“I don’t want to impose.” I started but the thought of having a real bed was tempting, my body ached from the battles and it may fall from exhaustion.
He put his hand on my shoulder. Since meeting Erchirion and his family from Dol Amroth I have already considered them great friends. “It is not, my friend. Come, you deserve some peace and sleep.”
Too tired to disagree I nodded and followed my new friend out of the House of Healing, heading to his family’s quarters.
Arriving, we found another Dol Amroth prince called Amrothos at a table eating half asleep. You would think that after a major battle and victory against our long time enemy that we would all be celebrating. But right now, we were too tired to stay awake.
“Éomer! What do we owe this honor?” Amrothos said getting up, our forearms clasping in greeting.
Erchirion grabbed a plate of food and passed me one. “Gave him Lothíriel’s room so he didn’t have to go back down to the field camp; she won’t be back for some time.”
Amrothos nodded. “Smart.”
“I don’t want to put her out.” I said barely awake now. “I can make it back down, I’m sure my men will be wondering where I am.”
They both waved their hand, Erchirion clasped my shoulder. “You won’t, she’s healer at the house and has been there non-stop. I spoke to her before I saw you and she doubted when she would have time to come back. Stop fighting me my friend and go to bed.”
Amrothos nodded along. “We can send a message down to the camp, let them know you will be here for the night.”
Sighing I relented, a bed now would be a great thing. “Then I accept your hospitalities as long as you’re sure your sister will not be back.”
The brothers looked to each other and chuckled, Amrothos sat back down and took a sip of his drink. “Lothí is a head surgeon at the house and is serious with her duty. If she says she won’t be back, she won’t be back.”
I nodded, my eyes fighting to stay open. “I will be sure to thank her for her duty and her bed when I see her.”
“Come, let me show you to her room before you fall asleep standing.” Erichion motioned his head and I followed his to an empty room that must belong to the Princess. “Help yourself and let us know if you need anything.”
“Thank you, friend.” With that he left and I started eating from the plate while also taking off my armor. I was covered in dirt and dried blood but a bath would have to wait till tomorrow.
The second I hit the bed I let out a sigh of relief, my body relaxing for slumber. But even though my body wanted to sleep my mind was wide awake.
King.
I will be king.
When Theodred died I knew that would be my fate, but I never thought Théoden would die before I could be ready. I could hear the tutors I ignored telling me the ‘I told you, you should have stayed in study’.
I am not ready but I don’t have time to be anything but ready for kingship.
I’m the warrior, Theodred was the one ready for being king. And even when I become crowned king I won’t have time to stay at Ederas all the time, there are still orcs and wildmen running across the westfold.
Eowyn has told me about Faramir who seems like a good man so that leaves out her staying and help ruling the country. I know if I asked she would stay, but I won’t deny her happiness.
It seemed I don’t have the time to grieve, I have to keep moving, to keep fighting to ensure the future of Rohan.
And that means one thing.
I need a wife.
I groaned at the necessary thought.
But I couldn’t take anyone as my wife, there is work to be done right away in Rohan so I need a woman who is ready for that responsibility. I know the counsel is going to be have that be their main topic of discussion. Who in Rohan is the perfect soon to be queen?
All of a sudden, the door opened, my body too tired to sit up to ask ‘what is it’.
Bang. The sound made my eyes snap open and look to see who entered.
“By the valor.” Someone cussed when their foot came in contact with a trunk.
They had a candle giving them light as they walked to other side of the room placing it on the window. Turning my head slowly, I blinked my eyes awake allowing me to look the newcomer over.
The silhouette and dress told me that the sister who is supposed to be at the House of Healing has come home.
Forcing myself to sit up I thought that I will be needing to go down to the fields tonight after all. “You must be the Princess of Dol Amroth.”
She let out of scream, her hand taking out a dagger from her belt. “Make one move, and you’ll be missing a part of you.”
The door flung open showing Erchirion who had a sword in his hand. “What’s going on? Lothí, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” She asked in a short tone to her brother. “You do know this is my room therefore the question should be to the random Rohirrim in my bedroom?”
The dagger spun around in her hand then slid back into her belt.
Erchirion took in a tired breath. “Sister I thought you said you wouldn’t be here so I gave your bed away.”
“Thanks.” The woman sighed and rolled her neck.
“Well, you said you weren’t coming back and he needed a bed.” He muttered walking over to her.
She tilted her head and looked between us. “And he didn’t want to go stay with the other Rohirrim?”
Erchirion sighed. “Well it would be cruel to make our new friend walk all the way out of the city to their encampment.”
The Princess chuckled. “Or he could stay at the east wing, where his king and other men have been given quarters.”
Erchirion and I looked at each other than back to her. “What?”
She bent down grabbing something and placed it in a bag. “King Elessar gave the Rohan king and his men chambers in the east wing. He doesn’t have to go down to the encampment, only the east wing of the Citadel.”
Erchirion looked to me. “How did you not know that?”
I gave a tired shrug. “I vaguely remember someone coming up to tell me about sleeping chambers but I tuned them out when I was trying to get to my sister. I will leave you to your room and head over there. ”
The Prince turned back to his sister. “How do you know that and I didn’t?”
The Princess chuckled, even in the candle lit room I could see a small smirk on her face. “Brother mine, I am the Princess of Dol Amroth. I have lived here for years, I know everything that goes on even when I am elbow deep in surgery at the House of Healing.”
The Princess put her hand up stopping my movements. “And don’t even considered it. Your already comfortable, there would be no point sending you to the Citadel at this time of night.”
“What are you doing back anyway? Everything okay at the House?” The Prince responded wiping some blood of her cheek.
“Oh, Gylious kicked me out.” The princess responded with a small shrug. “Something about my stiches being crooked and that means I need sleep.”
Erchirion chuckled. “Good but I am sorry I gave away your room. Oh, forgive me I completely forgot, Lothíriel this is my friend-.”
Her hand went up cutting him off, the other hand rubbing her forehead with a groan. “Honestly I am too tired to care. My apologies Rohirrim, I shall just grab a few things and leave you to your sleep.”
She picked up a bag as I forced myself to stand up, my body protesting with its tired and sore muscles. “My lady you may have your bed, I won’t kick you out.”
“No need my lord, there’s a couch I can fit on downstairs, it has been a while since I have fresh air so I won’t mind at all. Sleep well Rohirrim.” With that she disappeared leaving Erchirion grimacing.
Erchirion lightly chuckled and turned to me. “Of course, the one night I plan on her not being here she is, which in my defense she said she wasn’t coming back tonight. Sorry my friend, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I shook my head. “If it’s anyone’s fault its mine, I should have known I had chambers at the Citadel.”
The Prince of Dol Amroth shrugged. “We are all exhausted. That’s a tomorrow idea. Night my friend.”
Waving him off I gave a small chuckle. “Night.”
With his departure and closure of the room’s door, I dropped back on the bed. With my back on the mattress I stared up into the dark ceiling. I willed for sleep to come, needed it for my body and to have a moment of peace.
The list of jobs I need to do began to fill through my mind. A never-ending list, one that started a simple note in the head now turned into a town crier screaming of farming, rebuilding homes, mating horses and so on.
All of those screams of things to do stopped all of a sudden when I remembered the Princess who was here earlier. If I had had any sleep this week I would remember where I know her from. There was something about her voice that pulls at my memory.
The image of the healer who stitched up my neck came to mind. The one who decided she wouldn’t let me walk past with a bloody rag around my neck and pushed me onto the bench. Erchirion said his sister works at the House of Healing, could that really have been the Princess of Dol Amroth? The Swan of Dol Amroth, someone whose beauty, diplomacy and charm is spoken about even in Rohan. Could she really be bossy, ordering men about and stich men up in hallways?
Well, she did wave off an introduction with me. I suppose tomorrow I’ll get my answer when I see her for breakfast tomorrow, if she is still around.
With that thought, I finally drifted off to sleep.