Queen of the Rohirrim

After the Night

Eomer's POV
I woke up with the sun shining into my eyes. Events of the night poured into my head and placed themselves in order leaving me smiling and thinking about Willow. I got up and dressed eagerly to hopefully catch her in the hall. I knew I wanted to marry her and relieve her of the dutiful work but she always seemed to enjoy it and I doubted she wanted to marry. That made me frown, now that we were "Together" it made things even more complicated. If we didn't marry then it would bring shame to us. Shame was something Willow wore well. I didn't. As king, I could not be with women and not be married, and if I wasn't married then she couldn't give me children. I had no desire to have kids and I doubted Willow would either. Why was everything so complicated! Why did I love a woman that could fit the role of Queen? 
"Have you seen Faramir?" Said Eowyn who was walking in.
"No," I said, irritated she had interrupted my train of thought.
"I'm sorry about what happened last night." She said placing and hand on my shoulder. 
"It's fine." 
"No, Willow is nothing but a filthy criminal that wormed her way into your heart just to take advantage of your hospitality."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" I yelled suddenly. Eowyn recoiled. 
"Well then, what DID happen." She asked. I told her the truth from last night. Eowyn looked at me shocked. 
"Eowyn, you know as well as I do, if don't have a child then the crown would go to your son." Eowyn raised an eyebrow. 
"And that's a terrible thing?"
"But look how disgraced Rohan would become. It's bad enough for the image to see that I am with Willow, if she is "Barron" then they will say the gods are punishing us. We will have no trade, no allies, they will say we are cursed." I rubbed my temples trying to release the pressure of stress. 
"My lord! Come quick! The Lord Faramir and the healer have been attacked." I shot up and ran for the door, Eowyn close beside me. The guard pointed to Willow's house and I tore down the stone steps to the door. I frantically knocked and Mindy opened it her face pale and her hands bloody. I gasped and choked on tears. Willow and Faramir lay still side by side on the table covered in crimson blood. I couldn't even tell where it was coming from but it was everywhere. Flys were buzzing around despite the repelling smell of thousands of herbs and roots and leaves in the air. 
"My Lord, My Lady." Nathalia nodded barely looking up as she mashed a green paste and applied it to wounds on Faramir. 
"What are you doing!" I yelled. "Save Willow! You have to save Willow." 
"Tell him, Mindy." Said Nathalia quietly. Mindy sniffled and looked at me sadly. 
"Willow isn't dead, but the attacker targeted her especially. I doubt we can save her." My vision blurred and I fell out of the house. I sat on the ground and wept. Maybe I was cursed. If I had just married Eden then I could've saved myself all of this hurt. Eowyn walked out sniffling wiping her tears on her sleeves.
She sat next to me and clung to my arm. 
"They are saying Faramir may not live either." She told me as hiccuped. "Why did this happen! Why, when we have found someone must the gods rip them away from us." 
"This was not the work of the Gods. Whoever did this was after Willow. Faramir just got in the way."
"Why would they just pick Willow though. If it was the Dunlendings then they would have gone after Faramir."
"They don't like Willow," I said thinking of the day at Dunharrow. 
"Who else would do this though and why didn't they finish the job?"  
"Eden." I realized. 
"Who? Nathalia's sister? The one who wanted to marry you....." Eowyn realized. 
"Let's go kill her," I said getting up and walking to her house. 
"Eomer! We don't know that it was her." 
"I do," I replied angrily.