When the refugees began to arrive at Helm's Deep, Gæded knew that in a matter of time, something big would happen. Everyone already knew that the eorlingas were at war, however, before this point, all it had really been was small skirmishes and towns, villiages and cities getting overrun by the enemy as the military had disintegrated due to Theoden under the influence of Grima Wormtongue not allowing patrols of the lands. Gæded felt that whatever battle would happen would truly be war - it would be bloody and brutal and she would lose many friends.
This scared her, for she had made many friends over the time she had served at Helm's Deep, and after losing Lieta she dreaded the feeling of losing another friend. At least this time it wouldn't be due to betrayal and those of her friends who died would die heroically in battle. What made her heart feel heaviest was the idea of losing one specific friend - Ælfræd. The two had grown very close and after a period of Gæded denying her feelings, the two had admitted that they liked each other more than just being friends. However, due of Gæded being a shieldmaiden and swearing an oath of celibacy, they could not act on those feelings. This, however, did not stop them from planning.
"When everything is peaceful, Ælfræd, I want to go back to my family farm outside of Stoke. It was burnt down a year or so ago - my mother is too old to fix it up and my brother lives with his wife's family on their farm as they don't have a son and need someone to continue it on - so I would like to fix it up again."
"That sounds nice. Though quite a challenge to do on your own."
"Of course. It used to be run by my father, my mother and my brother. And myself before I left. I'll need someone to help me get it going again."
"Ah, um, do you- um- would I be able to help you out with it, once everything is peaceful?"
"Do you really have to ask? Of course you can."
"Thank you- um-"
"You don't need to say thank you. If you didn't ask, I'd have asked you anyway... What do you think we should have on our farm?"
"Our farm? Um- uh- Goats?"
"Goats? Of all the things you could have chose, you chose goats. Those animals are quite the handful, you know that, right? They like to ram you with their horns when they're unhappy with you - can be pretty dangerous."
"Maybe not goats then."
"Maybe not."
"How about sheep?"
"Sheep? We'd need a dog as well then, to keep them herded."
"A dog sounds good too."
"What sort of dog?"
"The type that's used for sheep herding- the fluffy black and white ones."
"That sounds nice. You, me, a dog and some sheep, on a farm."
"It does. Let's hope we find peace soon then."
The idea of the farm, with Ælfræd, a dog and some sheep, made the fighting worth it, so that it could bring about peace. Now, the worries that Ælfræd or Gæded herself would die were kicking in, yet she kept hold of hope, for that future she wished to have.
