SUNRISE
Merry first sees Éowyn when the sun is rising, and the sight of her is no less than glorious.
A wind is blowing westward and the sun has broken through scattered clouds, and golden light pours across the plains. Long shadows are cast upon the streets and in Éowyn's face also, though the full light of the sun is upon it. Her skin is bright and her hair is like threads of gold still warm from the forges, and the light has made her grey eyes pale.
And for a long moment, Merry cannot move.
He has seen so much beauty in the past year that a woman, even a beautiful one, should not affect him this much, but in that moment, Éowyn is like a second sunrise. A glorious light is within her as without, and it dazzles him as much as the sun.
Merry cannot help but wonder if she sees the sun which she stares at so intensely, for there is distance in her eyes and no joy in her face.
And though he forgets what they say to each other when they finally speak, he remembers a stray thought that made no sense but seemed appropriate at the time;
Will she die without seeing the sun rise?