Book 3: Where It Ends [Legolas]

Chapter 14

Éomer nearly ran towards Gondor, despite his exhaustion. Linnéa led them to find a way through the many bodies on the field. Once reaching the gates it was her job to lead them around the crowded areas where carcasses lay, destroyed streets, and civilians emerging from where they hid. Gimli fell behind out of sight, but they couldn't wait for the warrior. They came to the healing quarters set up in the great household. Wounded warriors were already filling the halls and gardens. Linnéa found a free cot and called over four healers for help. Éomer gently laid his sister on the bed before they converged to assess the damage. The princess coaxed the man to give them space for the time being before she joined them. Upon realizing that it was a woman they would be tending to, two healers grabbed sheets and pinned them in place to give their area privacy.

They removed all armor, chainmail, and the undershirt from Éowyn's body, gaining a better view of the wound. It stretched from the collarbone down to the middle of her breasts, the sight horrid since it was not a clean cut. By removing the clothing they realized her left arm was completely ripped open as well in the same way.

"This was not caused by a blade," Linnéa muttered.

"Then what?" a woman asked.

"It appears to be some sort of mace..." she mused. "The way it's cut, nothing with a straight, sharp edge would cause this. Whatever did this meant to inflict pain and cause the victim to be tortured in the process."

There would be scars in place for the rest of her life if Éowyn recovered. All they could do was clean out the wounds to prevent an infection and wrap them. For both were too large to mend the skin with a needle and thread. However, she did not like the look of the gash along the edges of the still intact skin. The area was turning black and looked unnatural.

Leaving the healers to do their job, Linnéa ducked under the sheets to find a worried, pacing Éomer. His head picked up at her appearance, moving closer and about to ask what his sister's condition was, when the princess beat him to it,

"The healers are doing all they can for her. But right now, there's something I need to find. Stay here."

He nodded mutely. She rushed off towards the large doors right as a panting Gimli finally stumbled up the few steps.

"My... lady..." he wheezed out of breath. "Where–?"

"I'm going back to the battlefield."

"W-What? Why?"

He had just arrived and the thought of walking back all that way nearly made him want to drop to his knees right then and there in exhaustion.

"There's something I need to find. Stay here, Gimli," she ordered.

There were horses gathered on one side of the courtyard, abandoned. Linnéa swung up onto a blood-stained brown mare and broke into a gallop through Gondor. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf watched her pass with a haste, which confused them greatly as to why she was in such a rush. Yet looking between each other, none could offer a reason behind her actions and were forced to continue their way up. She was already out of sight.

Finally reaching the gates once more there was not a lot of time left before the sun began to set. Guiding the horse to where Éomer found Éowyn, the princess scanned the area from the higher vantage point. Her search paused for a moment after only a few minutes and carefully coaxed the animal to walk forward. King Théoden laid on the ground trapped under his horse with open eyes. But they were vacant. With a heavy sigh the princess looked away only for her brows to furrow at the sight of the beheaded Fellbeast a few feet away. There was even a black tattered cloak lying on the ground discarded between the two, something that grew more familiar when seeing the mangled metal twisted into it.