***
Gamling thought his eyebrows would fly right off his forehead the day Aefre showed up at the practice yard with what appeared to be a spiked metal ball, attached to a handle with a chain, the dreaded...
*** She wields a wicked morningstar...***
The comments from the surrounding Riders were about as rude as one could imagine.
"Would you look at that!" a younger one commented. Abéodan was growing his first beard, sparse and not fully covering his face yet. Gamling suspected he had not been introduced to the brothel yet, but figured it would happen by the time the call from Gondor came up. "Would you want to be chained to her for the rest of your life?"
"I don't know, Abéodan," Fyren whispered back. He was older than Gamling; had out- lived two wives. Rumor had it he had worn them out. Between the two women, he had eleven children. "A little age, a little hip span, a woman like that would be just right. Well broken in!" he leered. " She's a widow, right? I think I like this one!"
***I will rip your head from your shoulders if she does not beat me to it...***
Gamling turned back to the field, focusing on Aefre. She held the morningstar's stick firmly in her right hand, showing it to Eowyn. The young Shield Maiden was both enthused at seeing a new weapon and at the same time repulsed. It was an ugly thing; made to do one thing and one thing only.
***In the hands of the right master, it would cleanly remove the skull of a man while he was still standing. If fast enough, the victim would watch his brains hit the ground before he did. How in all Arda did she manage to acquire such of its ilk?***
He glared into the arena, the sun glinting cruelly over the edge of the barn.
***How did my sweet Aefre...***
Gamling's eyes darted back and forth, not willing to accept what his mind had just blurted.
***... no no no no no no no no...***
Eowyn now had the morningstar; was testing it, gingerly swinging it, rocking the ball back and forth. Aefre was backing up, smiling, hands up in supplication. Her words were lost in the air.
"Béma's balls, Gamling," …omer spat. "She's going to kill my sister! Where on earth did a woman get one of those?" The little Hobbit, Merry, stood next to him, eyes riveted on the scene before him.
***I'll ask her next time I have her pinned to the ground...***
"I have no idea."
Eowyn stopped swinging the weapon and was carefully handling it as they approached their horses. Adenydd and Héngist were tied to the far corner of the field and Gamling watched as Aefre neatly mounted her horse and held her hand out for the morningstar. She backed up, motioning to Eowyn. Grasping the weapon, she then lined up with the targets, pulling the ugly club from Eowyn's grasp and swinging the spiked ball on its heavy chain over her head in a whistling circle, bore down on the dummies in the corner of the yard.
All male snickering and catcalls stopped when the dummy's head exploded, straw and wood bits flying through the air.
"Béma!" …omer whispered. "She's..."
Aefre pulled Adenydd up, wheeled her around and headed back the other way, the morningstar in her hand. She flipped it back and then swung it forcefully forward, decapitating the practice-dummy used by the men for sword training.
"Good," Gamling finished for him. His eyes had narrowed and he did not let the woman out of his sight.
***If she makes one mistake, one error, it could be costly. She is rusty, out of practice, one wrong move...***
Aefre carefully handed the morningstar to Eowyn, using both hands to hold the chain and jagged head close to the club. While Eowyn's horse Héngist shied slightly, Adenydd had not been the least bit afraid of the thing. Silently, Gamling applauded whoever had trained the mare. The dapple and Aefre worked well together, communicated with movement and ...
*** dammit dammit dammit***
Eowyn was swinging the heavy ball and chain clumsily, barely missing her own head. Gamling noticed …omer had his eyes squeezed shut and was cringing, making noises, as his sister charged the next dummy.
Its head did not explode, but it was killed just as thoroughly.
"Morgoth's Chains!" Legolas had crept up on the other side of Gamling. Aragorn and Gimli were with him. "If I did not abhor the sight of females on the battle field, I would want those two fighting with me."
Several more times, the two women rushed battle dummies and stacks of hay bales in the corner of the practice yard, usually Eowyn striking while Aefre cheered her, instructed her. Eventually, the two dismounted and, tying their mounts again to the far side of the yard fence, - Gamling noticing the long glance Eowyn gave the Ranger - they walked back to the center of the ring and assumed battle stances. Aefre was talking a mile a minute...
***she never shuts up, is never quiet...***
... she gave the weapon to Eowyn and then held up her own shield prepared to...
***... block her? BLOCK HER? Béma save us all, one does not fight well on the ground with... one of them will kill the other...***
Quickly, Gamling bent and pulled himself between the planks of the fence, striding confidently through the dirt. Eowyn's back was to him and Aefre was paying no attention to him. Her focus was clearly on Eowyn and he could now hear her clearly.
"... definitely has the advantage on the horse." She began to back up, raising her shield " If you see someone coming on a horse with that, you run! You can't defend yourself!"
So intent was she on her instruction, Eowyn never saw the Horse Lord behind her. She was facing Aefre, holding the morningstar casually to her side.
Gamling approached her quickly, silently as if on cat's paws. He knew Eowyn well, knew as well as her brother that she had a tickle spot that would bring her to her knees. He had watched …omer too many times; Gamling had done it himself when she was younger and more apt to play, as had Hama. Approaching her, he bent suddenly and clipped her behind the knees.
Eowyn squealed, dropping the morningstar, and fell to her knees. As she collapsed, Gamling dove around her, grabbing Aefre, and, rolled her away from the morningstar, from Eowyn. He could hear her screaming...
***Béma, the pitch...***
...and pummeling on his shoulders.
The cheers and jeers from the Riders were deafening.
"Get her, Gamling!"
"Show her who the Rider is!"
"Put her in her place!"
Gamling was disgusted, mentally taking note of each voice, each Rider he would personally make muck stalls for their impudent-
!CRACK!
Impudent stars and birds and little winged Adenydds and Dréogans flew around Gamling's head. Through the haze, he saw her draw her mailed fist back again.
He managed to pin it to the dirt, shaking his head to clear his mind. She reared back with her other hand.
"If you hit me, I will not be responsible for my actions." he hissed angrily. Flashing copper orbs stared daggers at him. "It is not my intention to embarrass you, only to keep Eowyn from killing you!" he continued. He stood up, bringing her with him. The catcalls and jeers were getting louder and Gamling saw the fire in her eyes. Pulling her to him, his arm going around protectively, he whispered in her ear, "You are an able Shield Maiden, yet you are admittedly out of practice."
***... she isn't accepting this.... firefirefirehothotfire...***
"Your men..." she hissed.
" - will be mucking stalls for weeks." he hissed back. "I will deal with the... cretins." He threw her word at her, uncomfortable with the feel of it in his mouth, "but back down and allow me to finish." Gamling loosened his grip and turned her loose. He went to help Eowyn up.
"Gamling?" Eowyn was a cross between angry and scared. "What did you do that for? Aefre was -"
"There are several things one must consider with a morningstar, Eowyn." His voice rose above the catcalls and he glared at the Riders who realized a heap of less than savory chores was about to placed on their heads. He turned back to Eowyn. "Aefre is correct that this is a weapon to be used on horseback." He picked up Aefre's practice shield that lay on the ground and propped it against a nearby hay bale. Picking up the morningstar from the dirt, he tested the swing, the weight. "It is rather light," he commented to Aefre. "It was made especially for you?" She nodded once. "It is still a deadly force. A shield will not protect you long from this in any case." He approached the propped shield , hefted the morningstar's handle, swung it over head, and with one mighty swing, shattered the shield. "On a horse, he is harder to reach, harder to come close to. However, on the ground, the wielder is vulnerable. His back is unguarded." He turned towards Aefre. "You have trained on foot with this?"
"Of course. It was what I was attempting to explain."
He bowed slightly, in deference. "Can you defend yourself on foot from this?"
Aefre's grin was sardonic. "I need no help, but if Eowyn wishes..."
"I wish it." The younger woman was quick to assert.
"Good." He nodded to Aefre. "Put up your shield." He waited for her to comply before addressing Eowyn behind him. "When one has a chained mace and is on foot, he is vulnerable. The morningstar is difficult to aim, it is heavy and cumbersome." He turned his attention back to Aefre, who stiffened up at him. She steadied her shield and thrust her chin out, defiantly.
*** asking for it funny little witchy-warrior...***
"On the ground, it is harder to control, harder to direct." He cast the morningstar once, purposely aiming slightly out of Aefre's path. She ducked anyway, shield up, eyes never leaving the spiked ball. "Notice, Eowyn, what Aefre is watching. Not me, not anything else, only the morningstar." He smirked and advanced, taking note that Aefre was backing up. " As one should, when being attacked thus. Is there anything else you notice, Eowyn?"
He felt the butt end hilt of her short sword in his side. "Aye. You aren't watching your back."
Dropping the morningstar, he grabbed her wrist and spun suddenly. "That's right. It's next to impossible to watch your back when you use a weapon such as this. Two people can easily gang up on someone on the ground." Gamling swooped down, picking up the cast off weapon. He started to hand it to Aefre, but then thought better of it, dropping it back in the dirt. He stepped in close. "You will want to bathe immediately, My Lady. I will see to your horse. Give me your weapons belt," he whispered.
"I can take care of my own horse and my own weapons, Just Gamling."
Gamling dipped his head, grinning. "Aefre. When we rolled in the dirt, you rolled through a fresh pile of horse droppings. Your back is covered. You do not smell very lady-like. I will see to Adenydd and your gear. Give me your weapons belt."
"Fresh? How fresh?"
"Green. And very soft."
"Ew." Aefre wrinkled her nose. "Still, I would just as soon clean my own weapons."
Gamling made a wry smile. "Give me your weapons belt. That's an order, Rider."
"Hare-brained-"
"Dullard. I know." He motioned for her belt and reluctantly, she handed it to him.
He turned away and went to untie Adenydd from the far post. "Abéodan, Fyren, …omer, Wrégan, attend me." Gamling watched as the two women dipped their heads together, smiling, before separating and going different ways. The four men stepped in between the boards of the fencing and made toward the tall Horse Lord. Gamling handed Aefre's morningstar to …omer. "I know your sister is quite able, but go to her. Reinforce that this," he shook the tightly held morningstar, "is not to be toyed with. I hope she never comes in contact with any such as this. She will listen to you." …omer smiled grimly and followed his sister into the barn.
"As for the three of you," Gamling turned seriously on the other Riders, "I am disgusted by your attitudes." Voices lifted in protest - she was a woman, she was not a Rider - and were quickly cut off with a chop of Gamling's hand. "She is a former Shield Maiden and rode as an equal by her husband's side." That quelled two of the three voices.
"Well, she doesn't ride by his side now, does she?" Fyren smirked. "Looks to me as if she needs a good Rider to keep her from making an idiot of herself in a practice field."
The man found himself grabbed by the collar. "She is respected and held in high esteem by the King, who sent for her himself."
The older man had turned red, was grasping his collar to keep from strangling. "I did not know sir, my... apologies." His eyes, however, held no such sentiment.
Gamling thrust him away and turned his attention to the two younger Riders. "You must never forget that the women of this country are as brave as any Rider and are to be respected in their own right. To tear down their abilities and defenses is abhorrent. It is dishonorable, despicable behavior for a Rider of Rohan to behave in such a way. You will *not* do it again. To aid in your memory, you-" he pointed to Abéodan, "will work as stable boy to the east wing of the barn."
"But sir-"
Another chop of the hand. "That means mucking, cleaning, feeding, all of it. You-" he pointed to Wrégan, "the other side." He waited for the two to bow and leave before giving his full attention to the older Rider. "As for you, it has been quite a while since the Royal Stalls were dug down to the foundations and limed." Fyren inhaled, his face reddening. Digging to the foundations was the hardest, the most backbreaking, demeaning of labor. "Make sure Snowmane and Firefoot's stalls are done thoroughly. In fact, add Dréogan, Adenydd, and Héngist's stalls to it." Fyren's mouth was turned down in an angry snarl and he started to turn away.
"Fyren."
The man turned back. "Yes, my lord?"
Gamling raised a single leather clad finger. "The lady is also held with respect and high esteem by me. Do you understand?"
Acrimonious dawning twisted the craggy features. "I forgot, you have marked her as yours. My apologies."
"Excuse me?"
Fyren's frown deepened. "When you carried her through the hall; you claimed her as yours. I forgot. My apologies."
Gamling watched as the man squared his shoulders back and stalked towards the barn.
***...claimed her? I didn't...Béma!...***
No one paid heed to the small Hobbit who had watched the entire show from beginning to end with such great interest.
***
Aefre sank down into the tub, soaking the grime and sweat from her body. The fire was crackling in the hearth, giving her small room a cozy atmosphere. She barely had room for the brass tub, but Willan insisted she take her bath in her room, instead of the bathhouse. She sighed heavily. Willan was a sweet soul, a gentle man, not the half-wit most took him to be. She had found a ready ear and good advice from the mute - he did know how to communicate, if one was patient. He had also been a great source of comfort to her when she first arrived, trying to weave her way around servants and Riders and Grima.
She shuddered despite the warmth. That one was a snake, a charlatan. Who knows how much damage he had caused, or would have caused more of? Several times, she had sat with Eowyn when the man had approached her, watched the young Shield Maiden. More times than Aefre cared to count, Eowyn had sat at her small table, hidden in Aefre's room, drinking mulled wine, calming her nerves after an unpleasant encounter with the man. There were times Aefre was happy that she was plain and not so slender built anymore. She drew less attention.
Her husband had been drawn to her fire, her zest for life.
And Gamling...
***...Gamling...***
What a puzzle he presented.
In thinking back, she realized she had opened up much more than she intended on their slow ride back from the grove. She also realized, much to her chagrin, that she *had* enjoyed kissing him. She caught herself fingering her lip, tracing where his tongue had...
***Béma! I'm too old for this!***
She slapped her hand into the water, not only getting the liquid into her eyes, but also wetting the furs around the tub. She scowled at her carelessness, and grabbing the small bucket next to the tub, proceeded to wet her hair and wash it thoroughly.
***Lufian had loved her hair, said it was as beautiful as her eyes, her smile. It was habit for them to bathe together, almost a ritual. She would trim his beard; he hated it scraggly and long and kept it closely clipped to his face. She had loved his hair as much as he loved hers and she would spend time afterwards, brushing it dry in front of the fire, braiding it back in warrior braids. It was long, golden, and thick, hanging to the middle of his back. Often she had dreamt of their children having hair like his; children that never came and that she always blamed herself for not providing. He fussed about the pins she used, to hold hers up and back away from her face, out of her way. She looked forward to settling between his knees, his hands working soap through the tresses, kneading, drawing the tired ache from her shoulders...
...beautiful hair, Aefre...
... lips from somewhere caressed her neck, as fingers touched her shoulders, down her arms. The hands moved under her arms, coming around and cupping her breasts, thumbs fingering, nipples coming to life from the unexpected touch. She leaned her head over onto her shoulder giving him more access to her neck. His beard tickled her unexpectedly and she grasped hard thighs that had encased her. The hands were no longer content to graze; they grasped her more firmly and pulled her into his chest, into him. Teeth nipped; her neck, her earlobe...
...sweet Aefre...
... she turned to him, turned to claim him...
... only to gaze into a face with azure blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair that glinted red in the sun; that wasn't as long and never braided...***
Aefre jerked up, forcing herself to wake from the half-sleep she found herself in. Realizing where her hands were, she snatched them from her body, splashing the furs yet again. Cursing herself under her breath, she rinsed her hair quickly, before rising from the cooling water and putting on her worn robe.
She was dressed, brushing her hair in front of the fire when Willan knocked, returning to drain the tub and bringing a chambermaid with him.
"Your things have been taken to the laundry, m'lady," the young girl curtsied. "They should be ready tomorrow when you need them." The girl took the towels and removed them from the room. Aefre waited for the door to shut.
"I hit Gamling pretty hard?" she asked him quietly.
Willan shrugged. *Not too hard, not too soft.*
"Is he bruising?"
Willan stroked around the upper cheek, close to his eye, shrugged and nodded. *A little here.*
Running her fingers through her almost dried strands, she asked him, "Do you think he would mind if I brought him a poultice for it?"
Strangled snorting.
"I don't know if that's good or not."
Willan lifted a finger, a gesture for her to wait. He left the room and ten minutes later, came back with a fresh slab of meat on a platter and a pitcher of ale, with two mugs. He handed them to her and waggled his eyebrows.
"Willan, I want to reduce the swelling of his cheek, not seduce him!"
Willan's look said it all.
*Suuuure you don't!*
"I can't carry all of this."
*Yes, you can!* Massive oak limb arms crossed over his chest.
She snorted in defeat. "I have to get my weapons back from him anyway. Béma forbid he should decide to keep my morningstar." She glared at the hulk of a man. "I would have to call him out!"
Willan chuckled in his throat.
She rearranged the platter and the pitcher in each hand, a mug hanging from the ring and pinkie finger of each hand. "Can you at least get the door for me?"
With a magnanimous sweep of his hand, the giant mute swung her door open and ushered her into the hall.
***
tbc
***