Her mind was plagued with regrets, after Lieta’s death. ‘I wish I never left the Riddermark in the first place’; ‘I wish I never joined them’; ‘I wish I’d left them and took up the offer to join the eored at the Fords of Isen’; ‘I wish that none of this ever happened’. She told herself to move on, to put it all behind her and to move on from the past, her friends and The Black Steel itself. All those regrets, she told herself, would be a lesson to her, something to learn from. And so she took her first step in moving on.
The sun was half-way up on the horizon, staining the sky with blood red light. Gæded was riding at a trot, over the long grassy hills of the Entwash Vale. Coming up ahead of her, she could see that path through the Wódfen, over to the Broadacres. She tried not to think about the tomb there, where they had dealt with the crazed boy and his sister, the girl they had managed to save, but the boy… Gæded kept her eyes on the path ahead of her, as she joined it, trying to distract herself through this part, with grit and determination. She kept at the same steady speed. She crossed the river at a shallow part, splashing as her horse’s hooves plodded through it, the water crimson from the sunrise, reminding of her of the pools of red water that she, Bryade and that witch woman that she couldn’t quite remember the name of, had seen, when they had travelled to the Lone-lands, now so many years ago. Oserley then lay before her, so she diverted off the path, going around the town, where she had found the company recovering after the siege of Eaworth, after spending a few weeks wandering around with Phaewyn, carrying Fiontann to safety so that he could recover. She wondered if he lived or not, but she realised that even if he did live, she would most likely never see him, or anyone from the Black Steel again, so what happened to him, or any of them, didn’t matter to her now.
Passing Oserley, she went into the plains of the Broadacres, and she decided to head towards home, because it would be wrong of her to not see her family and show them that she was alive and well, as the last they had seen each other, her mother and brother had just escaped the capture of orcs and she, alongside the company, had just survived Fangorn and its moving trees. She was glad that they were safe and hoped that they would remain so. She joined the road towards her hometown, looking upon it fondly as it came into view. She remembered the time the company had stayed there, where she’d tried to teach the others how to fight on horseback, but the Bree-landers did not take to it as naturally as any eorling would. As she entered the town, she was greeted by many familiar faces, calling out, “Eala!” and “Welcumen!” to her as the people that she’d grown up around saw her. Her old friend, Aethrand, was about; last time they had spoken, they’d fallen out over Gæded’s view on what she had decided to do. Gæded decided to speak with him again, instead of leaving their relationship strained.
“Where is your company?” he asked her.
“I do not know. I left them.”
“Why? Last we talked you cared for them, almost more than your own people.”
“I realised that I was wrong,” Gæded paused, with a sigh, “It is why I ride to Helm’s Deep, where I will try to join their eored.”
“I am glad to hear that. I hope it goes well for you.”
During her reconciling conversation with her friend, Gæded found out that her mother and brother had gone to stay with her cousins in Middlemead, as her family could not afford to rebuild their farm. She thanked Aethrand and set off again, hoping to arrive at her cousins’ house before night fell. But, just before she did, she went back to her old home, burnt to ruins. There she dug out the box with the ring in it, the one that Lieta had told her to bury, to keep safe. There was no reason for keeping it there now. She remembered what Reeve Ingbert had said, herself and Kemendil stood before him as he spoke paranoid and concerned words. So, she carried the box with her, until she reached the bridge over the river, where she got off her horse and climbed over the fence to the edge of the wooden structure, the planks creaking under her pointed, leather shoes. The river ran steadily beneath her, the water clean and clear, the occasional fish swimming near to the surface before going back down again. Gæded looked down at the box, rubbing her fingers against the muddy wood. She wouldn’t open it, instead rather abruptly throwing the entire box into the river, with a large splash. The box sank underneath, the water bubbling at the surface. She felt a little more content, now that the ring, the reason why they’d been in Wildermore and perhaps had allowed the events that had happened to happen, was now gone. Gæded dusted off her hands and returned to her horse, climbing back into the saddle, and continuing.
She rode into Middlemead, looking fondly upon the small village. Her eyes drifted over to one of the stables, with its thatched roof. It brought back a memory of her childhood when she and Fyhris had met a girl from Sunlending, though she could not remember her name, for it felt so long ago now. They’d gone down to the river and waded in the water, though Gæded had not really be allowed to, and then ran back up to the village, where her parents were selling some produce at the market. They’d then climbed on the roof of that stable, all three of them, and got into some trouble, having to run off when they were spotted. Gæded laughed to herself at the fond memory and then sighed. Things had changed so much since then – she’d lost so much. Again, she told herself not to dwell on it, for it was no use lingering on past events. The sun was setting now, and not many people were out, though the few who were gave her a friendly nod and smile. She left her horse in the stable, walking to her cousin’s house, knocking on the door. Her cousin answered the door, welcoming Gæded in and calling to the rest of her family that she’d returned. Her cousins left her, her brother and her mother to talk, on her arrival.
“I am so happy to see you,” her mother told her, “but you have changed so much, even since we last saw you in Eaworth.”
Gæded raised a brow, looking at her mother solemnly, “Why do you say that?”
“You are still young, yet with all those terrible scars on your face, and that constant look of melancholy, you seem so much older. What happened to you? You are not the same person I raised; you are now so stern and stoic, even during the happy times. No more are you the girl who’d go off into the plains, grinning from ear to ear, ever trying to pursue her dream of becoming a shieldmaiden.”
The words did not really affect Gæded, for in her own mind she was happy that she’d left that behind – and so she spoke, “Perhaps I have changed because I have achieved that dream and it was not the glorious thing that I had hoped it to be.” She stopped and her mother went to speak again, but Gæded cut in, “It was more than I ever could have hoped for. Even if it doesn’t seem like it.”
Her brother, who had listened to them this whole time, finally said, “If it is what you desire, then we should be happy for you. But what will you do now, with your company gone? You told us that they were no more.”
Gæded looked to them both, “I am going to Helm’s Deep, to try and be a shieldmaiden there.”
Her mother moaned, shaking her head, “Why do you always ride for war? Times are getting darker and perhaps you could stay and protect us.”
“Because it is not so simple,” Gæded said, “And you shall be protected enough by the eored here. I want to go, and as brother said, you should be happy that I am doing what I desire.”
There was a silence before her mother sighed, “You go, you do what you want. Just don’t be careless with your life and do not let others throw your life away.”
Gæded laughed, “Sometimes I am not given that choice. But I know when I do and when I should step back. Do not worry.”
Gæded stayed with her family for a week, before getting restless and deciding it was time to leave, the life of sitting around and doing nothing not suiting her. She said goodbye to her family, all saddened and stern, not knowing that she’d see them soon, in a situation that would be grimmer.
She rode along the road, coming across Brockbridge, the town heavily guarded and prepared for an attack. Gæded decided not to stay there – they would probably not need another to look after, and if she could move on quick enough, she might be able to get somewhere else safer to stay, seeing the blood on the palisades of the town indicating that Brockbridge is far from safe now. The road split into three at one point and Gæded couldn’t remember the right way to go. Night was starting to fall also, so she ended up deciding to move off the road and find a place to camp. She found a cluster of rocks near a river, so she decided to camp there, as it gave her some shelter. The next day she moved on, heading southwards, in the general direction of Helm’s Deep. She passed a large orc camp, almost getting caught by one of their patrols. It angered her that the orcs were still able to settle in the Maerc and cause a threat to her people, because of Theoden’s laws. Her mind drifted back to when she stood before the Meduseld with Phaewyn – and shortly after got chased out of Edoras – and was told that the king was allowing a man named Grima Wormtongue order the men about. It made Gæded wonder if Theoden was in control at all – maybe she was wrong to have said that Theoden was a bad king. And hopefully her treason wouldn’t be known of at Helm’s Deep, otherwise, she’d have no chance of getting in, and probably imprisoned and sent to Stangard. But, it was worth the risk, Gæded thought to herself. She followed the river after that, stopping every now and then to give her horse a drink and rest from carrying her. Soon she was in the Westfold, coming upon a crossroad. It was here that she’d take the road towards Helm’s Deep, the final stretch to reaching it. The last journeying she’d do for a while, she thought. She wouldn’t really miss it – it’d be nice to stay in one place after so long on the road. It was a nice area to stay in, with the mountains surrounding the area. She was closer to Dunland here, but it didn’t really bother her. Her capture there was behind her, and if she met that bastard again, she’d like to make it even, though if she was going to join an eored, she would have to fight together with them, meaning that she wouldn’t take it too far. As she walked along the road, Marton came into view – it was still overrun by orcs. She remembers fighting there, trying to save any of the townsfolk who were stuck there. It was a bloody mess really, and it troubled her that it was still in this state, despite still being so close to Helm’s Deep. Hopefully, that would change. She’d carried on carefully so that she would not catch the attention of the orcs that had defiled the town. She stopped on a small hill, still near the rising smoke of the burning town.
Helm’s Dike appeared in front of her, distant but recognisable. Her goal was in sight. She was so close to moving on and starting her new life in an eored. If they’d accept her, she remembered. Hopefully, they’d accept a scarred shieldmaiden. She’d then move on at a little faster pace than before as if her chance to join the eored here was going to slip out of her grasp any second. She rode down the path of the Deeping-coomb with a fresh hope in her heart.
As the approached the gates, like when the company had come here before, she remembered, the guards told her that she could not pass into the Deep, but ended up letting only her in and none of the company – she’d found them in Edoras after she left. This time she persuaded the guards far easier.
“I want to join your eored here!” she called to the guards, taking off her helm, to show her face, scarred and serious.
“Gamling is our captain. You would have to pledge your service to him.” One of the guards told her.
“Then I shall,” she said, with unfaltering confidence.
The guards let her through the gate, one of them walking down the Dike to meet her.
“I will take you to Gamling. He is training some of our eored.” The guard would point to a group of men on the field before the fortress. Gæded nodded in acceptance of the guard’s words, dismounting from her horse. One of the men in the stables near the Dike would offer to take it, so she handed it over to him, telling him that she would come back for her bags. She’d take her shield off it, in case she had to fight to prove her worth. Determined she walked forward, following her soon to be a fellow soldier over to her soon to be captain.
