Debut

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

It had been a pleasant day, for all that it had been spent moving as quickly as possible towards Helm’s Deep. The weather was good, the caravan traveled well, and she’d had another conversation with Gimli about his people. He was far friendlier than any of the other dwarves she’d met as they moved through Rohan, but then most of those Dwarves had been traveling smiths. It was a hard life for anyone, even without the legendary unfriendliness of Dwarves. Gimli was more like the Rohirrim. He was certainly no horseman, but he was good-natured, fierce, and steadfast. She would be pleased to fight alongside him, if given the chance. She would be pleased to fight alongside any of the four riders, if given the chance. She had secret hopes for standing alongside Aragorn in other ways as well, though she spoke of it to no one.

Of course pleasant times could not last, not with the Riddermark in danger from all sides, and she started as the sounds of fighting came over the hill where the outriders had gone ahead. The next few moments were a blur as the Rohirrim separated from the caravan and she felt her heart beating faster. Perhaps now she would be permitted to fight. Everyone able to hold a sword would be needed to keep the caravan safe. Surely Theoden King would see that, and she looked up as he whirled Snowmane back towards her.

“You must lead the people to Helm’s Deep and make haste,” Theoden ordered her.

“I can fight,” she argued, feeling the cage close around her again. Once more she was not permitted to serve in the way she had trained.

“No!” he said. “You must do this. For me.”

She could not countermand a direct order from her king, nor from her uncle, and she turned away so he would not see the anger on her face. She would lead her people. She would take them to Helm’s Deep.

“Make for the lower road!” she called to the caravan. “Stay together!”

The caravan started moving even more quickly, urged along by the caravan-guards, and she glanced up to see Aragorn whirling away on Hasufel. Some fear entered her heart, some fear that she could not name, and she stared at him until he was gone over the ridge.

When she turned back to the caravan, it was not there. She was not there. She didn’t recognize the trees or the mountains, nor the sounds of the animals around her. What had happened? What magic was this? What wizardry? Where were her people?

She might have stood there forever, trying to understand what had happened, if she had not heard a terrible sound, a low growling that filled her with dread and then with steel. There was a Warg somewhere near, and she had no sword. She had her boot-knife, though, and she would fight it as a shieldmaiden of Rohan should. She stripped her surcoat off, dropped her hair under her dress, then pulled out her knife. One boot-knife against a Warg would do almost nothing, but she would at least slow the Warg down and give the caravan more of a chance. She would keep her people safe.

Comments

[ringwinner]

I think you may agree that a princess is generally the sort of guest that one likes to have a good deal of warning about beforehand. Bilbo certainly thought so and upon finding out that the young woman was the niece of a king he immediately found himself wishing he had thought to do a thousand and one inconsequential, but suddenly vital things, from trimming the grass around the bench to baking an extra batch of scones for tea to wearing a better waistcoat. The agony of being caught off his guard in such an embarrassing manner showed briefly on his face.

But with good hobbit sense he realized that worrying would do him little good and resolved instead to be the very best sort of host.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady," he said, bowing low, though not as low as a dwarf. (Dwarves, as you know, bow so low when meeting someone of high rank that their beards can touch the ground.) "Bilbo Baggins at your service."

[goblincleaver]

"It seemed only right to acquaint all residents of Middle Earth, new and old," Thorin explained. "And to let you know that the Lady Eowyn arrived with warg scouts on her trail. Luckily, she came across Fili and Kili and I was not far behind. All those that were seen were vanquished."

There was an unspoken suggestion in Thorin's voice that if one had arrived and gone astray on the island without their notice that Bilbo ought to keep an ear open. He doubted it (warg riders nor wargs themselves being known for subtlety), but thought caution to be best.

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

Master Baggins' bow was charming and Eowyn returned it with a nod of her own head that acknowledged it.

"And I am at yours and your family's," she replied easily. The four holbytla who had been a part of the Fellowship had included a Baggins, she was sure of it now. Such bravery and courage was not to be scoffed at by anyone, least of all her.

"I do not know how they followed me. Had Lord Thorin and his nephews not arrived, I doubt it would have gone well for me."

[ringwinner]

"There were wargs? Wargs here on the island?"

Bilbo's expression of good-natured politeness was swiftly replaced by a far more worried one. It had taken him long enough to get used to the Stark's direwolves. The idea of actual wargs and goblins riding on them was almost more than he could take.

"There aren't any more, are there?"

[goblincleaver]

"None that we saw. Wargs tend to rush to packmates, but the lads and I will keep a weather eye open for any stragglers," Thorin promised. Where he was wary, his nephews were young and hale.

"For the time being, we think there is little to fear."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

Eowyn approved entirely of Lord Thorin's cautious statement. For the time being, it seemed safe, but that could change at a moment, as all free peoples now knew. However, she did not wish to worry Master Baggins, so she spoke in reassurance.

"I would agree," she said firmly. "And I would apologize for disrupting your peace by bringing them if I had any idea how I had done so."