"I know not." she splashed water on her face, then pulled out a needle and began sewing the tone parts of her dress while she wore it.

Eowyn watched after the women as they retreated from the dining table. Her mouth pressed into a tight line. She knew it was not the food that had made Lady Luna ill, it was the halls; it was the evil that saturated the walls. She could feel it herself. "I am sorry," she said as she collapsed into a chair beside Markus. "You could not have come at a worse time." She glanced around as though nervous their conversation was not between them. She lowered her voice. "Theodred is dead and yet the King does not mourn. He sits and whispers with Grima everyday and everyday his condition grows worse. Eomer has been exiled from the kingdom. However, I am not alone, Grima..." her nose wrinkled in disgust. "...follows me constantly." She closed her eyes as though to stem a flow of tears.

Markus reached out to her. "My lady...What can I do?" His expression was determined. He hated to see Lady Eowyn in so much pain and sorrow. "I shall leave immediately and do as you bid." He promised. He did not want to part from Luna and Sirel yet, but when duty called he could not ignore it. He knew that Sirel would look after Luna. He would leave them a note, telling them he would meet them in the beautiful land of Lothlorien. He would leave them every provision they would need. Hopefully that would make up for the lack of his presence.

Eowyn frowned deeply. "I worry it is too late. You must find my brother, get him to help you find Gandalf. I heard murmurs that he passed in the mines of Moria. It cannot be true. He is our only hope..." A tear fell from her eyes.

Markus nodded. "Will you tell my companions where I have gone? Tell them to continue on to Lothlorien, I shall meet them there when I am done. Tell them they will find all that they need in my pack. They are welcome to it all." He stood up. "May I borrow some provisions from you?" He asked.

Eowyn nodded to all of his requests and watched him retire to the pantry to collect some food. Her eyes fell to Theoden. She sighed deeply.

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Luna thanked Siriel, then went for a walk through the city. It was getting dark, but she didn't care. She went down by the gates and sat on a small bench, wondering at the feelings she got from the place. She sighed, then went back to the halls. She walked slowly along the corridors, hearing the swish of robes. She swallowed, and kept walking until she felt a cold, clammy hand on her shoulder. She yelped and whirled, face to face with Grima. He force her against the wall.
"You think you can expose me?" he hissed to her, his breath was rank. He covered her mouth. "Should you try anything, should you say anything, no one will know where you disappeared to."

Eowyn walked swiftly to Luna's room only to be told she had left to go for a walk. This unsettled her, with Grima on the loose it was not wise to walk alone. She hurried back to the main hall, when she heard harsh whispering. She dashed to it and found Grima with Luna pinned against the wall. "Leave her you snake!" she yelled as she grabbed Luna's arm and tugged her free. She stepped in front of Luna shielding her. "Did you need new prey Grima?" Her eyes were cold as she looked upon Grima. "Leave us Grima. Leave us and do not come back!"

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Grima coughed and hissed as he slunk away, leaving a wide eyed Luna behind. Expose him? What did he mean. "Lady Eowyn...in the darkness I fear he had me mistaken for someone else." she whispered, staring to the floor, feeling quite shy. She picked at her dress. The holes in it were mended nicely, thanks to her.

"I would not worry about what Grima says. I would worry about his actions. You are under no illusion. These halls are stark with evil. It would bode well for you and your companion to leave and continue your journey as soon as you are rested." Her eyes remained on the spot where Grima had disappeared. "Lord Markus has left provisions for you. I have sent him on an errand of great urgency. He accepted it with regret. I could see he did not want to leave you both. I had no choice...I cannot leave King Theoden and allow Grima free passage with him..." She fixed Luna with an appologetic smile.

Markus busied himself with packing the provisions he had borrowed from Eowyn. His eyes darted around the room. He could not put his finger on it, but there was something off about the halls. It used to bring him comfort when he came here, but now he was unsettled and had a desire to leave as soon as possible.

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Luna nodded, "Thank you, Milady. We shall continue on immediately." she went and gathered the provisions, then got Siriel and they began their journey. Luna had many concerns about what had happened, but tried to think of other things as they went on.

Once on four legs it did not take long for Markus to find Eomer. They, along with the rest of the Rohirrim soon ventured out to find Gandalf. After days of scouring they finally happened across him. He was no longer Gandalf the Grey, but Gandalf the White and he was accompanied by a man, an elf and a dwarf. Markus recognised the elf to be the Prince of Mirkwood. He bowed his head to him. Markus wondered at his strange company, but knew he had no time to ask. When he ventured to tell Gandalf of the peril that had fallen over Edoras he raised his hand. He already knew and was on his way to help Theoden. Gandalf had spoke in great length with Eomer before heading off with his companions. Eomer patted Markus on the shoulder. "Keep the horse, my friend. I would ask you to join my army, but I know you have your own quest to tend to. I wish you luck and great speed. I hope our paths will cross again and on fairer times." Markus smiled to him before speeding off in the opposite direction. He peered at the ground looking for Luna and Sirel's trail. He soon found it and began to follow it, the horses hooves galloping eagerly.

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Luna remained silent about what had transpired between her and Grima. She did not want anyone to know. Sirel and she continued on their way, and Luna hoped they would get to Lothlorien soon. Her mind was wandering now, over everything.

He soon spied to figures ahead of them. He restrained himself from calling to prevent attracting unwanted attention. Instead he urged his horse forward, faster. Soon he was not far behind them. He was close enough to see that it was indeed Luna and Sirel. "Hello there," he said as he dismounted his horse and walked the distance between himself and his friends. "Missed me?" he asked, grinning.

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Luna turned and blinked at Markus. "Markus?" she whispered, hardly believing he had caught up to them. She swallowed against the thoughts of Grima that came up. She then decided not to push one away, and spoke it in a rush. "Markus, I fear for Lady Eowyn. Grima stalks her constantly, and from what he said to m--" she stopped, and was going to say that from what he had said to her she believed him dangerous, but didn't want anyone to know that Grima had threatened her. "I believe that Grima is dangerous.."

Markus enveloped Luna in his arms. "Shhh," he crooned softly. "Lady Eowyn will soon be in good hands. Help is on the way." He beamed brightly, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. He thought it best not to mention Gandalf's return. He would leave it to be a surprise to the enemies in this world. "Do not be worried about Lady Eowyn. She is a strong woman. She can hold her own." He stepped back from Luna and regarded her carefully. "Are you feeling better?"

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Should she tell him the truth? "Feeling better now that we have left, but I don't feel better about being threatened." she said simply, with a bite on her lip. She shuddered as she remembered his cold, clammy hand and rank breath.

"Wait a second..." Markus stepped back, his hands upon Luna's shoulders. "What did you say? Were you threatened? Who threatened you? Was it Grima? What happened?" His brow furrowed with worry and concern.

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She dropped her eyes. "He said that if I exposed him..." she flinched, "No one would know where I disappeared to." she swallowed. "It was nothing, he probably had me mistaken for someone else."

"That may be so, but I do not want to take our chances. We shall soon be in Lothlorien and under the protection of the Lady of Light." His tone was hopeful, but there was an underlying fear. He had not heard much about Grima, but what he had sent a chill to his very core. It was clear that Grima was not acting alone, but Markus could not fathom who would be powerful enough to overthrow King Theoden's mind, except Saruman...His eyes widened. "Come! We have no time to waste." He helped Luna onto the horse and Sirel too. He patted the horses flank and it started of on a light canter. "Hold on tight," he called to the women before running off. The horse jumped into action following after his master and matching his speed.

~Hope i'm not god-modding you Sirel. Didn't want to leave you behind. Sorry

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