The Eastern Woman

Epilogue - The following year

Aragorn and Arwen had explained to her very clearly how to reach the valley of Imladris.

Her husband Faramir had tried, unsuccessfully, to dissuade her from leaving, worried about the potential danger. He feared that she might get lost: the roads and paths she would have to cross were full of crossroads, and only Eru could know if in the meantime some downpours or landslides had not diverted the routes.

But Éowyn had not listened to him and was not afraid. Her cousin was alive, she was in Rivendell, and she wanted to go to her.

Queen Arwen had told her.

After Aragorn's coronation, after his marriage to Lord Elrond's daughter, after her marriage to Captain Faramir of Gondor and the election of her brother Éomer as new King of Rohan, Éowyn had decided to go and look for the her lost cousin, with whom she had forged a bond she could not forget. And with whom she had so much in common, even the fact of having faced and defeated a Nazgûl.

Ten long days on horseback had been necessary, before seeing the high falls of Rivendell in the distance.

Goneril and one of her soldiers lived there alone, after Arwen and Elrond's decision to leave their kingdom forever. She had chosen to live a mortal life by King Elessar's side, he had decided to embark towards Valinor, with Galadriel, Celeborn, Gandalf and Frodo Baggins.

Goneril and her soldier had been blessed by Lord Elrond, and had received his permission to found a new human community in that territory once occupied only by the Elves.

Arwen had told her that her cousin was willing to start a new life, made of peace and serenity, and forget what she had been in the previous ten years.

Éowyn wondered if such a thing was really possible. Forget all those battles, those deaths, those cruelties she had been responsible for? To silence the voices of the ghosts, her victims, who tormented her in her nightmares?

The new lady of Gondor did not believe it. But she hoped so. She had been the first to encourage Goneril to discover the best side of herself. The side she had inherited from Eowyn's uncle, Théoden. Her father.

The body of the King of Rohan had been buried close to that of his son Théodred, and Éowyn had put in his hands the bracelet Goneril had given her, the one with the sentence where there is a will, there is a way engraved on it , so that at least in his burial her uncle would have had with him something that had belonged to his daughter. That daughter whom he himself had repudiated at birth.

Éowyn wondered, as she dismounted to cross the bridge that led to the entrance to Rivendell, if Goneril had been informed of her father's death. Otherwise, it would have been up to her to reveal the sad truth.

Once arrived at the entrance to the kingdom, Éowyn immediately noticed that most of the houses seemed abandoned. They were empty, dull, covered with ivy and other climbing plants that had bloomed in that month of June.

Only one residence was kept with decorum: the one that soared above all others, and that must have belonged to Elrond.

Her horse, tired and thirsty, neighed impatiently. "Good ... be good ... now I'll find you something to eat ..." Éowyn whispered, looking around.

She led him to one of the fountains of the realm, to make it drink. She gathered some water in the palm of her hand and brought it to her mouth.

"I can't believe my eyes... a lady forced to drink like an animal." exclaimed a male voice. He wasn't far away. Éowyn turned immediately.

Behind her, there was a young man, blond, with two big bright eyes. He smiled amicably. "Allow me to offer you a chalice, as is the custom among civilized people." the man continued. "You are welcome here, unnamed traveler."