As a Brother to His Sister

A small boy creeps down a long hallway, being very careful not to make any of the wooden floors creak. Sticking close to the wall the blonde haired child freezes, hearing voices coming from around the corner, he breathes again only when he is sure the voices have passed without coming down his hallway for there is nowhere to hide.

The hour is late and Eomer was sent to bed a long while ago, but who could sleep knowing his first sibling was soon to enter the world? Eomer is still not entirely sure about 'birth' no one had truly explained it to him and the midwife had come just after the midday meal that was when they said his mother had started 'giving birth'. And that worried Eomer. Was it supposed to take this long? It seemed a horribly long wait for such a small thing, but every time he tried to ask he was brushed aside, they were all far to busy for him.

But Eomer is yet a child and such worrisome thoughts do not easily stay in the mind of the young. He is far too busy hoping and praying for a baby brother.

A brother would be such fun! Thinks Eomer excitedly. With a brother he would have someone to play with, a friend and companion. Someone to help speed the long winter through its harsh course of indoor boredom until summer when they made the yearly trip to Meduseld. What times they would have with Theodred, playing pranks on the servants and creepy Grima Wormtongue. They could all train together and ride horses and become true riders of Rohan!

All these fantasies are spinning through Eomer's mind as he reaches the door of his parent's room. He hears someone, the midwife he thinks, say that it is the last time and his father speaks some encouraging words and then, the most terrifying sound small Eomer's ears had ever heard.

His mother let out a scream of pain.

Suddenly she stops and a noisy, obnoxious kind of sound takes over the empty space left by the scream. Crying, a baby's crying. Listening carefully Eomer can hear his mother's heavy breathing, she is alright. There is a flurry of movement in the room, sounds identifying themselves to Eomer as steps and the rustling of cloth, and still the baby's crying. Then the midwife announces three terribly, awful, wretched words.

"It's a girl!"

There is a big sigh throughout the room as if this was a relief. A girl!? Thinks Eomer bitterly, what am I supposed to do with a girl?

Eomer goes back to his room, all the thrill and adrenaline suddenly worn off and he has no desire to sneak about. He all but stomps the length of the hall to get to his room. Besides everyone's distracted by that stupid little girl. Eomer tells himself, angry with his bad fortune.

He climbs back into his bed and pulls his blankets around himself. He tries to go back to sleep, but finds he cannot because of the crying. As he lays there trying to plug his ears with his pillow he wonders how such a tiny thing can make so much noise.

------*------

The morning dawns on the home of Eomund of Eastfold, but very few awake to greet it. Most everyone has been up through the night, helping with the birthing of Theodwyn's second child. A baby girl named Eowyn. Of course those who were not needed for the birthing process and had gone to sleep were also tired from being awoken by not only the screams of the child but also of those who were celebrating its birth.

Eomer was not so joyful as those. He had forsaken trying to sleep and stood on a small balcony, looking over the great plains of Rohan, seeing the first signs of Autumn beginning to appear in the few trees surrounding his home. The heat of summer was slowly giving way to the cool of fall and eventually the frigid temperatures of winter in the Mark.

But, even with these gentle reminders that winter would soon be upon them, the sight is a peaceful and calming one. Unfortunately Eomer is having a difficult time enjoying the view. His thoughts swirl with the great disappointment of having such a long and hopeful wait end in such tragedy.

He lets out a frustrated sigh and picks up a small stone lying near his feet and sends it flying into the air. It lands on the roof of a far building and Eomer feels worse for it because that was not where he was aiming. He remembers his mothers admonishing words telling him to control his temper, warning him of the dangers of letting such things take hold of you.

So he takes a deep, slow breath. He carefully closes his eyes and tries to think of a brighter side to things.

But, though he tried hard, he cannot see an advantage to this situation. He lets another rock fly out over the roofs.

"Eomer! I've been looking all over for you!" Eomer turns and sees his father step onto the balcony. "The baby was born late last night. It's wonderful, son. You must come and meet your new baby sister!"

Eomer stares at him dubiously. Surely his own father could see how truly awful it was that such a thing had come into the world? But Eomer could tell from the way his father smiled so brightly and happily, ready to lead Eomer to meet his new sibling, that it is not so.

His father is waiting for him to follow and turns back when he sees that his son is not behind him. "Eomer, come, it is time to meet your sister." his father tells him, in a more serious tone. Eomer looks at his father, wishing to keep him happy, but despising the idea of meeting the newest member of his family.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Eomund is surprised and a bit confused at his son's less than joyous response.

"I don't want to see that stupid, little girl. Ever. Never ever ever!" Eomer does not shout, knowing that would beyond a doubt get him a whipping and is hoping that his words alone will not do so.

"I see." his father says after and agonizingly long silence. "If that is how you feel about it. I will not force this upon you." Then he turns and leaves.

Eomer is pleasantly surprised, no punishment. Nothing! But, thinking of the hurt look on his father's face, Eomer feels a strong pang of guilt. He considers following and going to see the stupid baby, just to cheer up his father, when he thinks of something. It was the baby's fault in the first place! If it had just been a boy, he wouldn't have this problem.

So Eomer stoutly refuses to see the baby all day.

-----*-----

But at night his firm resolution cracks.

It has been a long day, everyone has been busy, now with taking care of the baby and her mother and going about their daily work, everyone is sound asleep. Even Eowyn, much to everyone's surprise. Some how she has been rocked to sleep, and the entire house is taking that time to get some much needed sleep, no one knew when that chance might come again.

Eomer is tossing and turning, though. The thoughts of how he had hurt both his father and his mother by not seeing the baby refused to leave him now. When their disappointment (and perhaps some of his own curiosity) threatened to choke him with it's fierceness he gave in.

Throwing the blankets of himself he gently hoped to the floor. Carefully opening the door he begins to sneak down the hallway for the second night in a row. This time, though, he does not stop at his parent's door, he goes through. The door is old and likes to creak, so Eomer takes awhile to get through, making sure not to wake his parents with any sudden noise.

Both his parents lay exhausted on the bed, deep in the hands of sleep. He walks a little more confidently and quickly, knowing that it would take much more than a loose floorboard to wake his parents from their slumber now.

Walking softly to the crib (one he recognized as his own from a few years ago) he carefully peeks his head over the edge, standing on his toes to get a good look through the bars.

What he saw there surprised him. It was a small bundle, wrapped tightly in warm cloth and sleeping rather peacefully. Now Eomer had never seen a baby before this so he had a brief hopeful thought that this was not a girl at all, but that they had made a mistake. It did not look much like a girl, no long, carefully maintained hair came from it's head. In fact it was nearly bald. The only hair was a very light blonde that could only just be seen in the moonlight that lit the room.

It doesn't look much like those annoying girls that are always sitting around, embroidering and sewing and gossiping. Eomer thinks hopefully, but then remembers the sureness of his father and how many people had told him of his baby sister. Surely a mistake would have been caught by now.

Eomer lets out a defeated sigh and prepares to leave the room, but freezes when the babe's eyes flutter open, horrified by the thought that she will start crying and get him into trouble for waking her, that would be just like a girl.

But she doesn't cry. She smiles, blinking her sleep blurred eyes, still mostly asleep herself. She looks up at Eomer and smiles some more. He steps back to the crib, pulling himself up by the bars and looks down once more at his now awake sister.

She looks as if she knows me. he thinks, wondering at her sure stare into his eyes. She wiggles about a bit and loosens the cloth around her enough to get one arm out. She holds up her hand and slowly, as if unsure, reaches out to him and gently uncurls her fist, offering him her hand.

He marvels at the size of it, the tiny fingers groping the air, looking for something to hold onto. His arm just fits through the bars of the crib and he places his index finger in her palm, which is all that can fit into it. She hold on to it tightly, surprising her brother with her strength, griping onto his finger and unwilling to release it. Still she smiles at him, but her smile is more content now.

Still wondering at her strength, Eomer entertains a sudden notion. The thought begins to grow and over take his imagination. Suppose there was hope for her? Perhaps she could run and play with him and Theodred? Could she learn to ride and fight and work with? Could a little sister be the friend he so wanted?

Slowly hope rises up inside him, and that hope grew stronger as he stood there, his arm tiring, but Eowyn would still not let it go. As she drifted back to sleep he gently pried his finger from her hand and pulled his arm out of the crib.

As he looked at her sleeping face one last time he was struck by as sudden thought. It was a thought of the future, something that seemed so real, so true, it was almost a vision.

"You will be great one day, sister." he whispers softly to her. "Together we will survive much and you will be as great as our forefathers and you will make us all proud."

After that he withdrew, all his hopes and a confidence in the future that he would lose when he grew older and the memories of childhood left him, he left the room. Only to return the next day in the morning.

After that night, much to the surprise and wonder of his parents, he was with his sister as much as he could be. Teaching her everything he knew even when she was to small to understand. Helping her learn when she grew old enough to experience the lessons for herself.

-----*-----

I've always loved the big brother/little sister relationship between Eomer and Eowyn, so when the thought for this story nagged my mind I just had to write it. Hope you liked it, drop me a review and let me know what you think!

~BBear