The Lady and the Lord

Disclaimer: Everything is owned, with the exception of Kelley and a few other characters, are owned by JRR Tolkien and some scenes are taken from LOTR trilogy. I am not making any profit off this work of fiction.

Welcome to this Lord of the Rings short story. I was watching The Two Towers and this idea walked into my mind, refusing to leave till I started writing it. The story is snippets about a lady of Rohan and her journey before and through the events of the Two Towers and Return of the King, with maybe a little afterwards. It will be a combination of book and movie verse, taking the best from both worlds and it is a slight au. I hope you enjoy this trip through Middle Earth. Thank you for reading and reviewing the story. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Looking Back

I sat at the vanity as the ladies maids tried to finish my hair, but my body did not want to sit still, full of nervous energy.

"Stop fidgeting my lady we are nearly done." One of the ladies said as they worked. I tried to do as instructed but just as I turned my head she pulled on some strands, making me wince from the pull. "I am sorry your highness."

"It is alright." I let out a shaky breath, my insides feeling like they were on fire.

"I will help her finish her dressing." My sister in law stepped into the room, much to my relief. "You may go."

At my nod the two bowed and exited my chambers.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, coming to stand beside me.

I could not help but giggle nervously. I really had not thought I would become queen. Yes, I was the daughter of a Lord in the King's service and wedded a Lord, a member of the royal family, but at the time, he was not heir to the throne. I thought my son or maybe my grandson might sit on the throne, but not me.

"I do not know if I can do this. I am not the right person. We have not had a queen in over forty years. I will not live up to the people's expectations."

She smiled a bit, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Kelley, you will be fine. You are strong and able. I have every confidence you can lead our people as we rebuild into a time of peace and prosperity. The people already love you."

I nodded, trying to let her words sink in as a servant came to stand in the doorway. "Your majesty everyone is assembled in the Great Hall."

I nearly froze at the word majesty, still adjusting to this new title. This will take some getting used to.

"We will be along momentarily." Thankfully my companion could speak, before dismissing the servant.

We took just a couple more moments as we finished my hair and dressing. We were about to leave when another young boy appeared at the door.

"Your highness, his Lordship and the crown prince are awaiting you in the study."

I took a deep breath, this time able to find my voice, but still unsure if I would be ready for this. "We are coming."

He bowed and ran down the hall. Taking another deep breath, trying to still my nervous, I turned and called for my daughter who had been rather obediently sitting in the corner of the room. Once I felt her small hand slip into mine, we left the room.

The study was full of people including my father, Gandalf, King Elessar, Queen Arwen, Faramir, the four hobbits, Legolas, Gimli and many others, but soon found my husband's gaze on me as he held our son. Everything and everyone seemed to fade away as he came forward, reaching for my shaking hand.

He squeezed it gently before tucking it into the crock of his elbow. "Together, beloved, together." He whispered as we started toward the Great Hall where our lives would be forever changed.

I nodded, not breaking his gaze. He was acting calmer than I, but I could feel he was still just unsure as I. I squeezed his arm in support, both of us seemingly giving confidence to the other. This was just one more step of our journey together. I took another deep breath; we were ready, well as we both would ever be.

Eomer set our son down, taking his small hand into his large one, leading us to our future. But as the doors to the hall opened and the trumpets started to sound, I could not help but think of our past together, that led us to this most important moment…..

I was the first born and only living child to Lord Aldwyn and Lady Earlene, who owned a keep in the folde, near Aldburg. My father's passion, as well as his father before him, was the raising of horses. As Rohan is the home of the horse lords, the keep was often quite busy with visitors, buying, selling or trading. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood were the hours I spent helping my father with the horses, him teaching me to respect them, take care of them. One of the few lessons I always tried to remember.

My earliest memories are faint but filled with the love of my parents, of the tall grass surrounding my home, my mother chasing me through it as we played. I remember meeting a young boy two years older and his sister two years younger than I or at least my mother telling me of it. We played often together, our parents being friends. Eowyn and I giggled under the blankets of furs when our mothers thought us to be napping. Hilda, one of our servants, was my nanny but when I got old enough she also starting teaching me my letters and numbers. Though as I grew, I had a tutor and sometimes even had lessens with my friends. Though all three of us rather be playing outside than studying within, especially in the spring. When we got older, Eowyn and I were often gravely disappointed as we had to learn to weave, sew and other skills that would help us manage a keep one day, while Eomer was just beginning his sword and riding lessons. Though Eowyn wanted the sword lessons more than I. I much rather preferred to be riding a real horse instead of the pony that I could only ride around the coral when my father was able to watch me. As most children do, they would often forget completing their lessons to go out and play, which I more than often did. It certainly did not help that I was nearly always joined by my two closest friends, causing our parents much grief.

I rather enjoyed my childhood though we had hard times as well. I lost a baby brother during one long cold winter, then there was an unusually hot dry summer that nearly killed all of the live stock and crops of the region. My father was sometimes gone for long periods of time, with the transfer of his herds. I certainly remember my mother's fear when orcs or the Dunlendings attacked nearby villages and other settlements.

One of the more tragic days was when Eomond, a Marshall of the Mark, was brought back home, slain by orcs. I was only nine years but death was something children of Rohan learned at a young age. I tried to help my friends as much as I could, especially as they watched their mother succumb to a sickness and grief. After her death, they stayed with us, the three of us snuggled into one bed with Eowyn often crying well into the night.

Theoden King soon came and within several days took my friends away to Edoras, many miles from our home. I was heartbroken for them with the loss of their parents and home, but to me as well for losing them. We wrote as often as we could but it was years before I saw them again.