Part 109 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: (see longer A/N at end) A little bonus for Christmas. Not to worry – ch. 2 of Convenience is coming also.

Shoes

(December, 46 IV)

"Morwen!" Theodred called to his sister's retreating form, and she turned at the sound.

Grinning with delight when she spotted him, Morwen waited for him to wade through the crowd of people in the street. Many were out shopping in preparation for their Mettare celebrations, and she herself had an armload of packages. When he reached her side, Theodred relieved her of her burden as he leaned to kiss her cheek. "You have been busy!" he laughed, dipping his head toward her bundles.

"You well know I like to take advantage of our trips to Minas Tirith to do some shopping. Linhir's selection is limited, and I do not get to town so often now that I have two children," she retorted, her smile belying her stern words.

"Where are they, by the way?" Theodred asked, glancing around to see if Caranhir was somewhere nearby.

"My husband was good enough to care for them today so I could shop unencumbered. And now that you are come, I even have help carrying my purchases!" she teased.

Good naturedly, he nodded, replying, "At your service, my lady!"

Catching his arm, Morwen steered him toward a shop farther ahead and to their left. It was good to step in out of the cold for a few moments, and Morwen quickly made her way around collecting what she wanted. Moving toward the counter, Theodred came alongside her as they waited to pay.

In front of them, a grungy boy stood anxiously fidgeting in place, a pair of fine slippers in his hand. Morwen's practiced eye took in the workmanship of the shoes, and mentally she could guess their price. It hardly seemed possible that this dirty child, in worn and tattered clothing, could afford something of such high quality. When the boy's turn came, Morwen listened curiously to his exchange with the shopkeeper.

"Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please. These shoes are just her size, and…could you hurry, please. Papa says there's not much time left. Mama's been sick quite a while, and these shoes will make her smile. I…I want her to be beautiful if she goes to be with Grandma and Grandpa tonight." He scrubbed the sleeve of his shabby shirt across his runny nose as he looked earnestly up at the man.

His voice had fallen off to almost a whisper at the end, and Morwen had struggled to catch his last few words. The shop had become eerily quiet all of a sudden, as every ear tuned in to the child, and Morwen fought to restrain the sob that had risen in her throat at the lad's sad tale. She watched through eyes brimming with tears as the boy counted out his coins beside the shoes. Though he had a great many of them, she knew at a glance that they were of low value, and would not come anywhere near the price of the shoes.

"I am sorry, son, but there is not enough here." Morwen suspected he was merely a clerk rather than the shop's owner, for it was evident on the man's face he would have gladly handed over the shoes for the money offered.

The child looked frantically around, his eyes meeting Morwen's as he choked, "What am I to do? Mama has taken such good care of us, even when she was so sick. Sometimes she did without so my sister and I would have enough. Somehow I've got to buy her these shoes!" he wailed.

Theodred shifted his load, and set it on a small bit of counterspace. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled forth the difference needed. Placing it beside the boy's coins, he pushed it toward the man behind the counter. "Is that enough?" he asked quietly.

Nodding solemnly, the clerk swept the coins away, and then gathered up the shoes, wrapping them gently in some cloth for the boy to carry. Before he could hand them over, however, Morwen reached up to her neck. The last time she had visited Edoras, she had admired a necklace created by her sister-in-law, Fele. Two days later, Fele had gifted it to her, and she had cherished it ever since. Now she removed it from her neck and set it on the bundle the clerk was about to hand to the child. "Take this also, dearest. I am sure your Mama will love it. Give her a kiss for me."

Fighting back her tears, Morwen stooped and pulled the tiny boy into her embrace, and the grubby arms hugged her neck tightly. "Thank you, lady!"

A moment later, he was gone, and Morwen dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, trying to regain her composure. Theodred also was subdued as he stepped in close and pressed a kiss to his sister's head. No words were spoken between them as they paid for their own items, and left the shop with far more than expected.

THE END

12/20/06

A/N: Last year, when I wrote a couple of "Christmas-y" stories set in Middle Earth, someone suggested I do a story based on the song "Christmas Shoes". At the time, after reviewing the lyrics, I didn't see how it could be modified from its very modern tone to Tolkien's world. Just yesterday, however, I heard it on the radio and thought perhaps there was something I could do with the basic story in it. So, here is the result.

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.