On the Wings of the Storm

Chapter 5

Over the next weeks the weather turned cold and grey, yet still every morning Éowyn came to collect me to go down to the sparring grounds, fretting whenever rain kept us housebound. Left to my own devices, I would not have kept up such a vigorous training regime, but she seemed to appreciate my company. My archery skills benefited anyway.

The afternoons I spent exploring Edoras and its environs. It was a strange feeling to have so much free time on my hands. At home assisting my sister-in-law with keeping Dol Amroth's household ledgers had kept me busy, but here I had no duties to occupy me. Soon I discovered that there existed Houses of Healing of a sort in Edoras, although they almost did not deserve the name, being no more than a single building with a small herb garden attached. Master Aethelstan, the eldest of the three resident healers, had visited Gondor in his youth and trained in Minas Tirith.

After two weeks of having nothing to do besides reading the books I had brought with me from home, I approached him and offered my help, which he accepted gratefully. It was refreshing to have nothing worse to deal with than the occasional broken bone caused by a fall. In fact most of our patients suffered from ailments brought on by the cold weather, aching joints or gout, for which Aethelstan had an excellent if malodorous ointment.

I also enjoyed getting to know some of the common people, although most of them only spoke a limited amount of Westron. This meant I soon acquired a large if rather strange vocabulary of Rohirric, including such words as splint and bedpan. It was Aethelstan who recommended I should consult the king's library when one day he found me writing down simple phrases in Rohirric.

"I believe there exist several books on the language of the Mark compiled for Queen Morwen, Théoden's mother," he said. "She hailed from Gondor, the same as you."

I had of course seen that there existed a library, but had not wanted to approach the king to ask permission to use it. Somehow Gríma always hovered about him, and the man made me deeply uneasy. But now that I had a good reason, I decided to speak to King Théoden.

A few days later I happened to exit my room, just as Gríma went down the hallway on some errand, vanishing through the door to the Hall. Seizing my chance, I approached the men standing guard outside King Théoden's chambers. One of them I knew from the training grounds, and he greeted me with a bow. "Princess?"

"Good morning, Háma. Do you think I could speak to King Théoden?"

He looked surprised at my request, but told me to wait while he went inside to ask permission. When he came out again he nodded to me. "The king will see you."

The first thing that hit me when I entered the chamber was the stifling heat. Then the gloom. A large fire burnt in the grate, but shielded by metal screens it did little to actually light the room. Heavy curtains covered the windows, cutting out all the daylight, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness.

King Théoden sat in an ornately carved chair by the fire with Éowyn standing in her usual place behind him. As I advanced across the room, my feet sank into thick furs, which muffled my steps completely. Through another doorway I caught a glimpse of the bedroom, its massive four-poster bed equally shrouded in darkness. Getting closer I noticed the king's face was lined with tiredness, which did not surprise me with the room so stuffy. I ached to fling open a window and let in fresh air. But I suppressed the impulse and sank into a deep curtsy instead.

He motioned for me to rise. "You asked to see me, Princess Lothíriel?"

When I nodded and went on to explain my request, he stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, I remember," he said. "My father commissioned some books for my mother to help her learn the language of Rohan. Without much success I might add." His eyes crinkled with laughter. "She was of the opinion that people should conform to her ways and not the other way round! And nobody dared contradict her either, she had such an imperious manner."