The Lord of Adventures

Chapter 3: Refuge

We went inside again, and not much later Gandalf and Théoden came in too, with two children, younger than me. They had fled from their village. Éowyn gave them food.
"They had no warning," she said. "They were unarmed. Now the Wild Men are moving through he Westfold, burning as they go."
I stood by and listened to them.
"This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash," Gandalf stated.
The king didn't want to more fighting and death, and didn't want to risk open war.
"Open war is upon you," Aragorn said. "Whether you would risk it or not."
"When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn was king of Rohan."
Oof. That hit hard.

Aragorn and king Théoden looked at each other, both silent.
"Then what is the king's decision?" Gandalf asked.

~

Háma called that the people had to make for the refuge of Helm's Deep. I was helping where I could and then followed Gandalf and Aragorn. The Wizard was making to leave. I stood a bit away from them as they talked.
"Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day," he said, while getting on Shadowfax. That meant we had to try delay the battle as much as we could. Then there would be lesser deaths. "At dawn, look to the east."
Gandalf rode out, and then I went to the other stables, where all the other horses were. I had to take one for myself now.

I saw Éowyn and Aragorn talk, while the Ranger was setting Théodred's horse, Brego free. He would later come back. I would not change that. Aragorn walked away, and I turned to Éowyn. I was glad to have found a girl to talk with.
"Which horse should I take?" I asked her. She walked to a dark brown horse.
"This one is not being used. You may take it."
I nodded a thanks. She opened the stable and while we were putting the sadle and stuff on, we started talking.
"Who are you?" the woman asked me. "To travel armed with Men you must be very brave. And yet you seem so young."
"It is a long story," I said with a soft smile. "I am Vicky, and I know much about Middle-Earth, things that have happened here, and things that will happen. I have fought before, and I will do so in the future."
It was silent for a while.
"I am glad to have found another girl, though," I chuckled. "There was a time I traveled with thirteen Dwarves and a Hobbit. That was not always easy."

She laughed.
"I see. But did you have a good time?"
"Well, it is not fun to fight or kill, but I was glad I could save them all. And they can be really nice and funny. Have you fought before?"
"No," she shook her head and her smile faded. "I want to, though. I want to protect my people."
"You will," I said. "Yet not now. Sometimes, you have to protect without fighting."
She nodded and seemed to understand.

~

We rode away with a lot of citizens who lived in the city. Looking around one more time we left Edoras behind.
It was a long way to Helm's Deep. Some on a horse, others walking. I was on a horse. Gimli was telling Éowyn about Dwarf women, and whether they are real or not. Then Gimli's horse decided to run and Gimli fell of. We laughed, as he said he was alright and that it was deliberate.

"I haven't seen my niece smile in a long time," Théoden said. Aragorn and I rode beside him. "She was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief."
Wow, Éowyn really had a sad childhood.
"Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear," he continued. "Doomed to wait upon an old man, who should have loved her as a father."

After a while we stopped, and Éowyn made stew. I knew what it would taste like, and although I was hungry, I nicely rejected when she offered me some. Bombur's stew would taste better. Really, I liked that.
I watched as she gave Aragorn the stew, and it was hard not to laugh. Aragorn had now probably told her he was eighty seven years old, although I didn't hear anything.

~

It were long days, and because horse-riding is not always the most comfortable, I sometimes walked beside my horse. We traveled at day and slept at night, because traveling at night was too dangerous. I was used to walking without eating much, so I left most of the food for the ones that really needed it.