(This is written in Westron Script but the words are the phonetic spelling of Rohirrim It is a letter stuck inside her diary.)
My son, my dearest boy,
It is now two days since we have left. I miss you terribly. I know your grandfathers will take care of you. But I must finish the telling before I can begin with what we actually do now. If nothing else my journal and letters will find their way to you. I trust the animals to find a way. But that is not for here.
I wrote briefly on my worries regarding the orders from Theoden King. And by the time my fears escalated to the point I am sure your father thought me mad, he was gone nearly every day and night. When he did arrive home, it was only to collapse into bed exhausted.
At Ed and Calilla's Betrothal, I did something I should not have done. I drank far too much mead and ate nothing. In other words, I tried to drown out my fears. Bren offered to walk me home from the feast, I accepted. The night was cold, and that helped me sober. And I am ashamed to admit I used my drunkenness as an excuse to speak of things I should not speak to a member of the Eored. Did I plan this encounter by purposely getting drunk? No. Did I plan on talking to Bren? No. It seemed it came to me from Bema himself. In truth, I got drunk because I desperately missed your pappa. And I should not have even gotten drunk, but I felt guilty. I longed for Bry terribly, and I blamed our king.
After a time I got up enough nerve to speak of my fears to Bren. To show I did not imagine things I would need to share things inappropriate to do so with him. But he is the son of the Thane of Aldburg, although he detests being called Laird or treated differently than the other men of the Eored. He and Flo have brought back aid from his father. So by birth alone is he not permitted? It took me much debate to decide this.
“Have you met Theoden King” is how I started off our conversation. He told me of his several meetings when he was younger with his pappa. Then he spoke of what his pappa said on the last visit the Thane had with our King. These rumors of failing health and only his adviser speaking were true. What's more, our King no longer held audiences with any except his adviser.
I showed Bren the first letter. Bren confirmed my suspicions, it was not written by him. Although, we both admitted if he is very sick someone else may write his words for him. This thought did nothing to comfort me. It made me more anxious. Because it Theoden King was too ill to write, was he also too sick to make sure the one writing penned his words true?
I took another leap of faith and told Bren of the original mission and briefed him on the ones I was privileged too. He considered what I said carefully. Finally, he confirmed my worst fear. Someone was trying to either kill Bry's entire Eored or Bry himself. I will not tell you how much terror enveloped me because I don't know the words to explain it. But without my urging, only giving him the information I had, he came up with my fears.
Everything points to the King's adviser, and yet I wonder. Especially after the most recent developments. But I get ahead of myself. Bren decided he needed to think on this further. I wished to continue talking, but I had been thinking on this for several months. He agreed to speak to Bry the next time he saw him. At least that was something, he was worried enough to talk to him.
I still have too much time to think, my son.
