Helm silently leaned back on a pile of orc bodies, the stone wall not much better to sit on. His brother, the medic, was fussing over his injury, “You’ll be fine-- If you sit still. Stop it!” The younger man reached up to cuff Helm’s ear. Helm grumbled and stayed still, letting his brother tend to his wound. Egfor approached and collapsed on the pile beside Helm.
Héofa turned to start tending to Egfor’s wounds, carefully easing off the man’s help, cleaning up the by now crusted wound on the side of his head, “I’m glad to see you are all well.” Egfor gave a wordless grunt.
Helm hesitated, then looked around, “Where… Where is Wulf?”
Egfor grunted, “He fell in battle. Dead.” Helm and Héofa hesitated at that, knowing the men had been together for many years. Héofa broke the silence, “I.. I am so sorry, Egfor.” Héofa worked on delicately cleaning his wound. Egfor just numbly sat there in silence, looking up momentarily to watch a dark haired man walk past them. Héofa grabbed Egfor’s chin, “Egfor, sit still, please.” Egfor begrudgingly relented to the fussing medic.
Helm held onto the reins of Egfor’s horse, frowning as he watches the man climb up into the saddle, “Where do you think you’ll go, cousin.” Egfor settled in the saddle and grasped the reins, hesitating, I don’t know, North I think. The North is untouched by war. I will go away, perhaps start anew where no one knows me. Leave all my memories behind me.”
Helmwod hesitated, staring at the ground for a long, drawn out moment. He lifts his head, resting a hand on Egfor’s knee, “You are loved and will be missed, Egfor.”
Egfor’s beard twitched as he offered the faintest smile, “Come visit, sometime.” Helm sighs a little, knowing how stubborn the man was. There was no changing his mind, “I will, I certainly will. Ride strong, Rider.” Helm reached up and grasped Egfor’s hand, his other hand reaching to grip his elbow, looking up at him, “You are more than a cousin to me, you are a brother.” Egfor hesitated, tightening his grip on Helm’s hand, “As are you, little brother...Be well.” The men hesitated before Egfor wrenched himself away before he faltered and changed his mind, “I’ll see you again…” With that, Egfor turned to gallop back to Snowbourn to collect his belongings before he fled Rohan.
Helmwod stood rooted on the spot, for god’s know how long. He jerked out of his thoughts as Héofa grabbed his elbow, trying to tug him back into the Hornburg, “You need to rest… Come on.”
Helmwod awoke with a start, unsure where he was for a moment, staring at a timber frame ceiling, expecting to see a thatched farm house or the vaulted stone ceilings of the Hornburg. He was in Bree-town, in the Prancing Pony Inn, sleeping beside Helaliath. He felt a warmth beside him, shifting onto his side and glancing down at the smaller, curled up form beside him. He lifted his head, making sure his sword was still propped up near the bed and that the chair he jammed under the doorknob before he fell asleep was still where it should be. Satisfied, he settled back down.
He took a moment to look over the fine, lithe figure beside him, a stark contrast to his stocky and calloused self. He watched him sleep for several long moments before his eyelids grew heavy and he himself succumbed to a light slumber once more.
