A Burden

Wormtongue was then thrown out of the Hall immediately after Théoden regained his strength.

Down the stairs he tumbled, Raina watching from above with Legolas at her side.

“I’ve only ever served you, my lord!” he cried, looking up at the man that was about to kill him. “Send me not from your side!”

“Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!” Théoden growled, raising his sword to kill Gríma.

Raina tensed, ready to bury her face into Legolas if need be. A few feet away from Raina, the woman, Èowyn, stood glowering down at the man.

Aragorn stopped the king before anything did happen, though.

"No my lord! No my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account,” he said, letting Wormtongue go.

Gríma picked himself up, and with one last sorrowful glance next to Raina, he fled through the crowd.

Raina changed her expression from hate to pity, because she could see the way Gríma had looked at Èowyn, and it was sad that he would never be worth half of what the noblewoman deserved.

Raina turned around to face the Hall. Now that Saruman was extinguished from the place, it looked so much more welcoming. From the doors came the four guards again, two of them looking very beaten up. The young boy who had hauled her weapons in had a bloody nose, with the dried blood running down his chin. He presented Raina with her weapons without saying a word. Raina assumed that he was embarrassed still, but pities him as well. Just a boy caught up in politics and war, she thought to herself.

“Come here,” she said, beckoning the man over to her. He stared at her questioningly, but she didn’t say anything as she wiped the blood from his face with her sleeve.

“Can’t have you walking around looking you got beat up by a girl, can we?” she asked matter-of-factly with a smile. She took her weapons, distributed them back to where they were supposed to be, and turned around again.

Legolas was still at her side as she was thinking of whether to go in or not. With his arm still around her waist, he was about to lead her in before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned slowly to meet the eyes of Èowyn as the woman looked at the girl with some strange emotion… respect, Raina figured. It was so odd because no one had ever looked at her in that way, especially no one older than her.

“R-Raina, right?” Èowyn asked haltingly. Raina simply nodded as answer.

“I was wondering if I may speak to you?” she asked quickly, but did not drop her piercing, curious gaze from Raina’s eyes.

Raina looked bewildered, but answered as best she could. “Uh, yeah... of- of course, my Lady.”

Èowyn laughed a little, waving away Raina’s response with her hand. “No need for all that ‘my Lady’ formality. Just call me Èowyn.”

Raina smiled a little and nodded. She turned her head back slightly to face Legolas. “I’ll see you at the funeral, yes?”

Legolas gave a smile a nodded, waving the two ladies goodbye.