Memories of a King

Lothiriel was uncertain where they were but she kept hearing the word ‘Aldburg’ running through Eomer’s mind. What ever this place was to Eomer the emotions brought about by it ranged from sadness to happiness and everything in between. She remembered from her lessons that Aldburg was Eomer’s home, his base of operations while he was marshal. Lothiriel also realized that he was slightly calmer now and she decided to talk to him. Draw information out from him that might be helpful as she tried to figure out the best way to help the king.

Trying to relax him she said, “So this is Aldburg.” She gazed along with the king at the structures before her.

“Yes, it is,” Eomer said coldly to her. “Why have you brought me here,” he demanded to know?

“This is where you wanted to be,” Lothiriel said softly trying to calm him down with her voice. “I had to do something to calm you; you were killing me. Aldburg was the strongest memory that I sensed so I brought you here.”

“Take me back!” She sensed he was contemplating choking her again.

“You must decide when to go back. There are many memories you have long hidden and they have festered inside you until they have emotional crippled you in the real world. Face them here learn from them, and then we will be able to go back.”

She was just basing her words on experience; but she had a feeling that this was different. Eomer had successfully blocked her from probing his mind when they were in the real world. The king had shown ability not unlike her own but he was not able to control it. It was not impossible for him to be empathetic; after all they did share a common ancestor who was descended from elves. So it was possible that the King of Rohan was dormant in his abilities, which would make him even more dangerous if she did not proceed with caution. Especially if he had neglected his ability for so long while sliding down such a slippery slope with repressed emotions. It took patience, and skill for Lothiriel to control her empathy; and she had an easier life compared to the king. Finishing her thoughts she knew one thing for certain, Eomer was a dangerous threat to himself and her. At any moment he could waken his slumbering ability and what the outcome would be she could not guess. But it would not be good.

Eomer was angry at Prince Imrahil’s daughter! She had used her black magic to take his soul to this place but she was there as well. If he did not cause further harm perhaps he could persuade her to release him from this enchantment. But she seemed to be able to read his mind and would know what he was up to. However he could block her out so now he had to decide what to do. Finally he decided that he would play along with the witch for now and find his own way to break her enchantment. Even under enchantment his life was not easy! What if he ended up killing his friend and ally’s daughter? Imrahil was an outstanding man; Lothiriel had shown her father’s qualities during the few brief instances they had met; so why was she doing this to him?

As they walked along he remembered something now about Imrahil’s family, something he had heard while with Eowyn in the healing house. The Prince of Dol Amroth had certain abilities that the healers wanted to use to help some of the soldiers that were not responsive to their care. He had not seen Imrahil at work himself but he had seen the improvement of those that the prince had attended to. What if Lothiriel was like her father? Another quandary to work out he thought. Perhaps he should listen to the princess. He turned his attention to the woman beside him and was astounded to feel worry, fear, and uneasiness coming from her! She was just as scared and confused as he was, though like him she did not show it on the outside. Why was he feeling these things from her?

Lothiriel found herself staring at the king in shock! They were reading each other’s emotions!

“So you will listen to me.” She said quietly not sensing rage from him now.

“What choice do I have?” He was not kind as he spoke but he knew she understood.

“You are here because you wanted to come.”

“So I have to face my memories here in order to get back to the real world,” he said curtly.

“I believe so.” Lothiriel was not so sure now since Eomer was exercising empathic abilities as well. She did not know what would happen but decided it best to continue as she had done countless times before.

He was about to be tested; coming through the gate toward them was his father and his eored. The king remembered this scene, though he had been but a child when he first experienced it. His father Eomund had returned from dispatching Orcs and little Eomer wondered why everyone was so sad that his father and his eored had returned. They had come home, so why were people upset? Then he noticed the three riderless horses and he knew why this return was not a happy one. What Eomer could not understand was why his parents fought so angrily that evening. Their screams had caused his baby sister to start crying and he stayed in the nursery with her, listening to his mother scream at his father and his father yell back at her. By next day his parents acted as if no argument had occurred, things were right between them. But little Eomer would not forget their fight and years later the anxiety it had caused in him still came back to him when he heard arguments. Funny that a warrior would be bothered by arguing, but it bothered him more then he let on. He was weak, he told himself.

Eomer tensed inwardly as his father came up to him.

“Speak to him Eomer.”

“You bewitch me woman and I will not play into your trap!” Forget playing along or trying to understand what this woman was doing to him. His father was dead; this scene was not something he wanted to confront. If this was what the witch meant by facing his memories then he had been completely wrong about her goodwill. She meant to drive him insane and he would not allow her to take his sanity.

“Eomer,” his father shouted enthusiastically at him!

Eomer turned to look at Lothiriel but she was gone. He should have killed her outright he thought and then hated himself for allowing something that vile to cross his mind. He had only a second to decide what to do and he decided to speak with his father. It looked as if it would be the only way he could get out of this enchantment.

“My son, you are grown!” Eomund hugged his son tightly.

Eomer was confused. This memory happened to him when he was young, but his father now acknowledged him as grown. The witch’s voice came to him urging him to speak with his father.

“Father it has been so long,” he was choking back tears. He had not expected tears to come to him, he had been much too angry for them. But now as the scene before him became solid he was allowing other emotions to issue forth from him; whether he wanted them to or not.

“Yes it has but look at you. You are a fine man my son and now king as well. I am proud of you! I always knew you would grow up to be a man worthy of esteem.”

This could not be a memory; his father was talking to him as a grown man.

“Eomer, the memory is real,” her voice came to him. “The rest is your own subconscious desiring to come out. Speak with him and find out what you desire to know.”


His father’s words upset him. Yes he was king but he was not ready to be so, should not be so. How could anyone be proud of him? He had accomplished nothing and did not know how to accomplish anything.

“Come, let us talk for a while. There is much I sense you want to know.” His father escorted him away from the eored and toward Aldburg.

There were some sad memories that were staying on the outskirts for now, which was well since Lothiriel was still too weak to keep them away from him if they decided to invade the peaceful scene. Eomer had failed to kill her in real life but he was making it almost assured in his dream world that she would not survive. If she did not survive then he would be lost in this world of his memories until he died; and the Rohirrim usually lived to be in their mid-80s if war did not kill them first. She was getting angry now that because of him she should die. But it was her own fault that created this place to begin with. Maybe his father would talk sense into his son. If Eomer would not believe he too was just part of her enchantment. When she saw him again she would tell him that if she died so did he so he had better try to accept her help.

“Father you do not know me,” Eomer said dejectedly. “I am not the fine man you believe me to be. I am not fit to be king,” his temper was rising!

“You are Rohan’s King Eomer and you will serve your people,” Eomund argued back to him.

“I could not protect the Eastfold! Because of me Theodred and Théoden are dead! Eowyn despises me! My recklessness in battle cost many lives! Rohan was molested and her people suffered all while I was suppose to protect them! I have failed at everything I have tried to achieve father. How can you call me you son? Can you not see I am not worthy of even a dogs love?!”

“You have sought out my help and I am going to give it Eomer,” again Eomund’s voice was stern.

“No, I did not seek your help. I did not seek any of this it is that witch Lothiriel that has corrupted my mind and soul!”

“This Lothiriel, is she the one you attacked?”

ARGH! His father brought up his latest failure, even more recent then sleeping with Loridrea! “Yes,” Eomer was angry and showed it by knocking some books off the table.

“She is trying to help you Eomer and you will hear me out son.” His father’s words were stern and cold and told the king that he would listen to his father or there would be consequences.

“You, Eomer son protected those with no hope at Helm’s Deep. Your loyalty and disobedience to your uncle kept many villages near the Gap of Rohan safe. You strengthened Théoden’s heart once he was renewed. Theodred depended on you Eomer and you never once let him down. You are not to blame for his death; those that plotted evil deeds are responsible. Tell me who helped Théoden turn the tide on the battlefield? It was Eomer’s love that brought his sister back from the brink of death. You have renewed the Oath and Théoden has made you his heir. You have accomplished much my son in your short years of life. You have given much hope where there was none and you have shown again and again the character of a proud Rohirrim, of the kings of old.”

As much as he fought to dismiss his father’s words he realized that there was truth in them. For the first time he had been given his accomplishments and coming from his father they seemed like deeds worthy of the old kings. But he knew that most of those accomplishments were of luck only. He felt himself to impulsive, to insufficient to actually achieve anymore.

Eomund saw his son’s disappointment return and knew what troubled him. For all his accomplishments to his people he had still been reckless, impulsive, and threw caution to the wind.

“Do you remember the day I did not return from my rounds?”

Eomer shook his head yes. It was the day that turned his world upside down.

Eomund continued, “I rode out with only a handful of eored pursing the Orcs that had slaughter our horses. Your mother and I had fought several times in the past because of my constant of rushing out to fight instead of taking time to prepare. She said I was impulsive, not cautious and rode to few men. And she was right.”

Eomer could not believe he heard his father’s words correctly. As a child he always thought his father cautious. Eomund had always protected them and now to hear that his father was not the careful man he had always assumed shocked him.

“Because of my impulsiveness I went straight into an ambush. You had to deal with the long term of my actions that day. You are not impulsive Eomer, you let your emotions take control that day on the field and who could blame you? You believed you were alone and did not care for living anymore. An honorable death in battle was what you craved, and it did not come. Do you think that the fates did not plan your rescue? You have a purpose Eomer and that purpose is to rule Rohan, protect Rohan as you have risen to do in the past.”

“You know why your mother and I argued that night? It was because she feared for me. It was because she did not want to face the coming dire times without me and she knew that I would never change my ways. That I would always throw caution to the wind in the heat of the chase. We fought because we loved each other so much that we could not see life without one another or our children. And then I rode out not a week later never to come back. I betrayed your mother’s trust in me, I failed you and Eowyn as a father and protector and I failed my king. I have my failings Eomer we all do and we all have to deal with them. Deal with them and then let them go Eomer.”

His father disappeared from him and he was standing once again in the Eastfold with Imrahil’s daughter before him.

“Eomer you have to help us. You have to trust me. If you continue to fight me I will fail in this world and in the real one. Please try to understand I mean to help you.” She sensed no ill will from him this time. She felt stronger!

Imrahil jumped when he heard his daughter moan lowly and move to rest on her side.

“Lothiriel, Lothiriel please fight,” he whispered to her as she fell back into whatever state she had previously been held in.

Back in his memory world he was still reeling from his conversation with his father.

“Relax for a moment Eomer,” she said as they walked in an unknown direction. There were no directions here, just Eomer’s memories of his land.

“I am sorry,” it was short and curt but it helped him feel less guilty. “What is happening to me?” He thought it best to ask the witch what she had done to him rather then confront her in hostility. Honestly after his conversation with his father he was feeling drained but invigorated.

“Have you ever heard of empathy? By my ancestors I have come to possess an unusual ability with it. This world we are in now is created by your memories. I was trying to find something deep inside you that would calm your negative emotions; then you attacked me. I did not know what else to do so I brought us both here thinking it would calm you enough so that you would see reason. I was wrong, you choked the last breath out of me and I went unconscious before I could pull us out. I also believe you might have the ability as well,” she continued.

He stopped them. Looking in her eyes he said, “I am truly sorry Lothiriel for my actions.” He was not thinking about whether he had the same ability as the princess now or not. Something wonderful had happened speaking to his father and if it was connected to this empathy the princess spoke of then so be it.

“I believe you Eomer. Now all I have to do is get enough strength up to wake up in the real world and pull you out. But I can not do that until you work through more emotions that have long been hid. Help us.”

“How?” He was aware of being in the Golden Hall now. Imrahil’s daughter pointed before them and he saw Théoden King and Prince Theodred sitting on thrones of gold waiting for him.

“Talk to them.”