At breakfast the next morning Eregiel shared with Lothíriel and Calentauriel an account of her visions from that night.
~Eregiel's Third Vision~
'I saw a vast forest filled with many Men of Rohan, most of them sleeping, and also their steeds,' said Eregiel. 'Among them was one slender young soldier sitting anxiously on his bed roll. He appeared uncomfortable, and perhaps a bit nervous or agitated. He self-consciously glanced around to see whether anyone was watching him, or perhaps he was merely wary of unseen beasts in the woods.'
'What do you make of this, nésa?' Calentauriel asked. If Lothíriel had any thoughts about the description of Eregiel's vision she kept them to herself.
'It is quite understandable that a young soldier would be uneasy about being in a dark, dense forest, particularly if one is unfamiliar with the woods. Rohan is largely comprised of vast green plains after all,' answered Eregiel. 'A young soldier on his first campaign would also very likely be nervous about the upcoming battle.'
'That sounds reasonable,' opined Calentauriel thoughtfully. Lothíriel nodded her head in emotionless agreement.
'I had a second vision in this same or a subsequent dream, I cannot recall which,' explained Eregiel. 'I believe that the two visions together will tell us more.'
~Eregiel's Fourth Vision~
'I saw thousands of Riders of Rohan spread across a great field. They were prepared to charge into battle at any moment,' described Eregiel. 'They were anxious yet confident that they would be victorious.'
'How thrilling!' exclaimed Calentauriel.
Eregiel continued, saying, 'I saw one young soldier amidst the rows of riders. He looked particularly eager for the battle to begin. Strangely, sitting behind him was a halfing.'
'A halfling? That is strange!' agreed Calentauriel.
'The young soldier's helm obscured most of his face, but I recognized those sea grey eyes,' said Eregiel. 'That was no young soldier, it was Éowyn!'
'Then that halfling must be Meriadoc!' declared Calentauriel. 'Mithrandir had taken away his comrade Peregrin on the back of Shadowfax.'
Lothíriel finally broke her silence. 'If I understand aright--'
'and my dreams or visions are a true depiction of events that have or will soon occur,' interjected Eregiel.
'--then Éowyn rode to war disguised as a soldier, and took a halfling with her,' said Lothíriel completing her thought.
'I suppose that creates a great number of additional questions,' offered Calentauriel. 'If Éowyn disguised herself as one of Théoden's riders, how long would it be before someone discovered her? One day? Two days? The halfling accompanying her would be discovered even sooner. That does not make sense to me.'
'But what if the other riders, at least those in her close company, pretended not to notice her presence? What if they sympathised with her desire to ride to war?' posited Eregiel. 'It is certain that neither her brother nor the king would permit her to ride to war, but others may.'
'These are very interesting questions, ladies, but I must tend to my daily duties,' said Lothíriel. 'Thank you for the lively discussion. Let us resume it tomorrow morning.'
'As you wish, lady,' said Eregiel. Both sisters stood, then curtsied to Imrahil's daughter as she left the room.'
Following breakfast the sisters took their daily walk about the city. They chatted nonchalantly about the food they had eaten, the weather (which was sunny yet windy and cool), and other such things. Suddenly from behind they heard a rush of footsteps and an angry voice cry out, 'Death to the outsiders!'
~The Assault~
A deranged man ran at them, swinging a large club at Calentauriel's head. She dodged the blow by quickly sidestepping to her left. Eregiel neatly pivoted on her left foot, and dealt a swift quick to the assailant's midsection with her right. The club slipped from the man's grasp with a loud thunk as it struck the paving stones. The villain crumpled over bent in two, falling to the ground where he lay in great pain.
Eregiel pinned the man to the ground with her knee in his lower back while Calentauriel flagged down a nearby Swan-knight. Another Swan-knight, alerted by the commotion, assisted his comrade and the two took the crazed assailant to prison.
'That was a nasty bit of business!' exclaimed Calentauriel. 'All in a day's work for an Elven shieldmaiden,' answered Eregiel in jest. The sisters laughed.
As they walked back to their quarters Calentauriel occasionally glanced at her Eregiel's face, looking for any sign of the effect that the attack may have had on her sister. There seemed to be none, which impressed Calentauriel as much or perhaps even more than the easy manner in which Eregiel dispatched their assailant.
~The End of Part Three~
