Part 26 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.

A/N: I mentioned in the Author's Note for "Discord" that I had been reading some fan fiction by other authors and found that Eokat had written several stories about Eomund, Theodwyn and the young Eomer (and Eowyn). In reading them, their family so closely mirrored what I was trying to portray with the Elfwine Chronicles, that I realized they created a perfect backstory about how my Eomer was raised and why he is the way he is here with his wife and son. I encourage you to go check out her stories. "Discord" tied into one of her stories and I mentioned I might tie to another one in a later Elfwine Chronicle – this is that story. To see her original version of this, read "Lost Treasure" as this story mirrors that one. This story is also a follow-on to "Legacy" and takes place during that visit from Faramir and Eowyn.

History Lesson

(Jul, 4 IV)

Despite the leisurely nature of Faramir and Eowyn's visit to Rohan, that did not prevent the men from taking the opportunity to conduct business as well. After the morning meal, Faramir and Eomer sequestered themselves in Eomer's study, and their wives knew better than to wait around for them to resurface. Gathering their sons and Elfwine's nurse, Daelwyn, they set off for the marketplace.

Eowyn had long missed the Rohan marketplace. There was yet nothing like it in Emyn Arnen, though the city was growing rapidly, and Minas Tirith's market was much busier, formal and hectic. It did not suit well for casual, relaxed browsing. The second stall they came to caught Eowyn's interest, so she and Lothiriel set their sons down and told them to go stand with Daelwyn who was talking to a friend she had met on the street.

The boys started in that direction, but with his feet now on the ground and this new place to explore, Elboron soon spotted something of interest to his four-year-old eyes and darted off in a different direction. Elfwine hesitated only a moment before racing after his cousin.

The first order of the day was to stalk a cat, who finally eluded them after many twists and turns around buildings. That intrigue lost to him, Elboron began making use of a stick he'd found to pretend he was wielding a sword. Elfwine was feeling left out of this, so he went to sit on a low wall nearby.

After a few moments, Elboron came at him, pointing the stick in his direction and declaring, "What are you doing here, you ugly orc?"

He jabbed in Elfwine's direction, and the boy jumped up on the wall angrily replying, "I'm not a orc!"

"Yes, you are," insisted Elboron and jabbed at him again.

To avoid being hit with the stick, Elfwine jumped back, lost his balance and tumbled down the twelve foot grassy embankment behind him, bumping his head as he came to rest at the bottom. For a moment, he was stunned, but then he began to cry and rub at his head. Hastily, Elboron threw aside his stick and scrambled over the wall, scooting and sliding his way down to join his cousin. He wrapped his arms around the crying boy and wailed, "I'm sorry, Elfwine. I did not mean to hurt you!"

"I want Mama!" Elfwine pouted.

Elboron looked up the steep hillside and knew they couldn't manage to get back up it, so he took Elfwine by the hand and led him off down the hill. "Let's go find your Mama."

The boys wandered quite a ways. Elfwine's sobbing had subsided, but he still rubbed at his head, and he was beginning to get tired and scared.

Meanwhile, the mothers had finished their business and went to collect their sons, but found Daelwyn alone and surprised the boys were supposed to be with her.

Eowyn's brow creased in frustration and she sighed. "That child will be the death of me! Do not be upset, Daelwyn. I told him to come stand with you, but I am sure he found something more interesting to do and took Elfwine with him! It is not your fault."

Even so, Daelwyn wrung her hands and was quite distraught at not being more attentive to the children. Lothiriel consoled her as best she could, despite her own worries, and urged, "The important thing is that we find them." She sent Daelwyn and Eowyn each in one direction and she went in a third. When they met up at the appointed place, however, the children had not been located and no one they had spoken to recalled seeing the boys.

A growing uneasiness was taking hold of Lothiriel, but she fought down her panic, and sent Daelwyn to fetch her husband and cousin to come join in the search. As the nurse hurried up the hill, Eowyn turned to her sister-in-law and apologized, "I am very sorry about this. I know this is Elboron's doing and he has led Elfwine astray. Elboron is always wandering off if given half a chance. I should have watched him more closely."

Lothiriel tried to give her a reassuring smile. "At least they are together, and they should be safe enough inside the city walls." Even so, neither mother could entirely suppress her natural instinct to fret about her lost child.

xxxxx

At length, the two boys straggled into the stableyard of a smaller stable at the far end of the city. The stable master was a man named Thormund, who had once been a Rider of the Rohirrim until an injury prevented his going into battle. He now headed the stables where some of his former eored was housed. He pushed a cartload of hay toward the door and almost ran into the two small boys. They were looking around with tear-stained faces, but their fear seemed to be warring with their interest in their surroundings.

"Well, well, what have we here?" he asked, and the boys jumped at the sound of his voice.

As he moved toward them, they fearfully stepped back. "Easy, lads. I will not harm you. What are you doing wandering around here all by yourselves? Where is your mother?" he asked.

Elfwine began crying again. "I want Mama!" He resumed rubbing his sore head, and Elboron tightened his hold on his cousin's hand.

Before they could scoot away, Thormund stepped in close and picked up Elfwine. "Now, now, lad. It will be all right. We will find your Mama." He stooped down next to Elboron and asked him, "Do you know your Mama's name?"

Elboron nodded. "It's Eowyn. And Papa is Faramir."

Thormund's eyes narrowed in surprise. "Eowyn..." He looked more closely at the two boys. "And what are your names?"

"I'm Elboron, and that's my cousin, Elfwine," Elboron explained. "He's going to be king some day!"

The man gave a laugh. "Is he, indeed! Well, he has a few years to go before that happens! In the meantime, I'll wager your mothers are frantic worrying about you. Let's get you back home."

He called to a stablehand and sent him up to Meduseld with news of the boys, and then settled down with them in a chair by the stable door.

Elboron spent the next quarter hour telling him all about his trip from Ithilien, while Elfwine was content to be held and his back rubbed soothingly. Not long after that, Eomer and Faramir came striding into the stableyard, with their wives scurrying to keep up.

Joyful shouts of 'Mama!' erupted from each child as Elboron ran to his mother, and Thormund rose to hand Elfwine to the king.

"History repeats itself, my lord!" he exclaimed.

Eomer gave him a questioning look and he explained, "When you were just a lad of two you got lost from your mother and ended up at this very stable. I was the one who found you, also!" The two men joined in a hearty laugh at the coincidence.

"My thanks to you, then, Thormund. It is good to know of your attentiveness to the well-being of my family!" He looked at his son. "Are you all right, Elfwine?"

The boy rubbed his forehead, where a red spot turning to a bruise was evidence of his bump. Seeing it, Eomer brushed the hair back and gave it a kiss, as Lothiriel always did, then handed his son over to his wife.

With another chuckle in Thormund's direction, he said, "I shall endeavor to keep my family from again wandering into your care and keeping! But, if one should slip past, you know where to find me!"

The two families left the stableyard to the sound of Thormund's laughter as he returned to his task.

THE END

End note: It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.