Light of Edoras

Chapter 2

Lyrian awoke to the sound of a maid lighting her fire; her father had forgotten to attend to it on his way to the king. This was not unusual to her as her father was so often busy with the king, she rarely saw him in the mornings and as a result, often looked to the young Theodred for entertainment.

Lyrian scurried to the main hall of Meduseld looking for something to eat when instead she caught sight of Theodred himself.

"Theodred!" she called, running towards him.

Theodred turned smiling upon hearing her cheerful voice, "Lyrian," he scolded mockingly, "running wild through Edoras already? The sun has barely risen."

Lyrian raised an eyebrow at the strangeness of the question, "It is boring waiting for the sun to come up. You cannot expect me to sit and wait for it, can you?"

Theodred laughed and leaned down slightly to her eye level, "If you are as bored as you say you are, perhaps you should show me what you have practiced then, hmm?" he said with a grin.

Lyrian's eyes widened with excitement but as she turned to rush from the hall Theodred scooped her up and plopped her down at a table. "After you have broken your fast."

Eomer, who was seated at the end of the same table, had been watching the exchange between his cousin and the young girl with interest. He slid down the bench until he was sitting right in front of Lyrian who was eating bread and cheese as fast as she could.

"What are you practicing?" Eomer asked, his brow furrowed and his gaze set heavily on the girl in front of him.

"Archery," Lyrian said without missing a beat, "Theodred is teaching me."

At this Eomer scoffed, "Girls cannot learn archery."

Lyrian glared at Eomer, eyes blazing yet her face remained calm, "Why not?" she demanded.

Eomer did not back down, "Fighting is for the men, there are not any women in the Eoreds."

Lyrian threw her bread down and was quiet for a few seconds, her eyes downcast before she looked up at Eomer, her face now impassive and calm, "I can shoot better than most boys my age. Why can I not fight against evil? It doesn't affect me any differently than it does a man."

She stood abruptly and grabbed a piece of cheese as she ran from the hall to catch up with Theodred. Eomer watched her go with mixed emotions. She was a small girl yet she bore herself as strongly as any boy. These thoughts kept him sulking over his breakfast until he saw his uncle enter with his captain, Hama beside him.

Eomer snuck out of the Hall and soon found himself at a wide-open space behind the stables which the soldiers used to train. He heard a familiar voice in the center and watched with amusement as Lyrian and his strong cousin dueled with wooden swords. Theodred was being very gentle with the young girl yet Lyrian was not an inexperienced swordsman. Her skills equaled that of any boy her age.

Eomer found himself wondering why this girl was so different than the others he knew.

Lyrian charged towards Theodred but instead of blocking her attack, he simply picked her up and swung her over his shoulders like a sack of flour.

"Theodred," she whined, squirming in his grasp, "put me down!"

Theodred only laughed harder before he dropped her on the ground.

"Lyrian!" came a strong voice from behind Eomer causing him to jump.

Lyrian spun around, her face flushed with laughter and her eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Father!" she cried happily running over to her father babbling about her progress with her bow and sword.

Theoden, who had been walking with Hama about the fort, watched his captain as he talked to his daughter.