Two Rohirrim by Himring

Lady of Rohan II

See chapter end notes (to avoid spoilers for the riddles of the first chapter).

A Spring of Little Hope

March brings the equinox.
Then men must dig and sow…

But in Dunharrow there is little to sow, crowded as the place is with refugees. They must win back their fields first.
She stands by her cousin’s horse. Still reeling with shock, when news came from the Hornburg, she was the first to take up the shout: “Frealaf king, Frealaf king!” The House of Eorl bows under the onslaught, but it must not break. She has woven her red ribbon into his bridle, fervently whispering charms for success.
‘Bema speed thee!’
Frealaf embraces her.
‘He will. Hold Dunharrow for me!’

White as with a drifted snow

She stands by the burial mound. Already, it is covered with the kindlier snow of fast-growing simbelmyne. Out of Westfold, wild tales emerge of the last days of Helm Hammerhand. The father she is still mourning—a man often harsh, but not uncaring—has become legend.
‘What will you do now?’ Frealaf asks her.
‘Do? Why, there is work enough here for the rest of our lives! What one cruel winter cost us we will struggle years to regain!’
She gazes at him, suddenly uncertain, but her newly-crowned cousin looks nothing short of relieved.
‘I will have your help, still?’

Figures of Ancient Legends, Dim with Years

T.A. 2752 In this year Brytta was born, he who was afterwards called Leofa by his people, for he was loved by all.

‘So did you ever get to see Wulf, even?’ young Brytta asks.
‘Yes, I did—once!’
‘And was he all ugly and black and fierce?’
‘No!  He was quite handsome. But I could never have married him, you understand. My sons would have become a danger to my family—that was clear from the outset.’
Helm’s daughter, white-haired now, looks at her solemn questioner and laughs.
‘Do not pity me, dear! Not for this! There is no love story to chronicle here—no regrets! You are the only prince ever to have held my heart!’
And she kisses Brytta’s cheek.

Chapter End Notes

Characters: Helm Hammerhand's daughter, her cousin Frealaf Hildeson and his son Brytta, called Leofa.

True drabbles written for the Old English Writings challenge at Tolkien Weekly for the prompts: calendar, tale, chronicle.

Notes on first drabble:

Tolkien says (LOTR Appendix A): "Soon after the winter broke. Then Frealaf, son of Hild, Helm's sister, came down out of Dunharrow, to which many had fled; and with a small company of desperate men he surprised Wulf in Meduseld and slew him, and regained Edoras."
The first two lines are supposed to be from a Rohirrim metrical calendar.
The title is from FotR ("The Great River").

Notes on second drabble:

Tolkien says (Appendix A): The Dunlendings were driven out [...] and Frealaf became king. Helm was brought from the Hornburg and laid in the ninth mound.
The title is taken from the chapter "The King of the Golden Hall" in "The Two Towers".

Notes on third drabble:
The line in italics is from the list of kings of Rohan in Appendix A, re-written slightly to fit the style of the early entries in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (which are technically annals). However, I did not manage to fit this inside the word count for the drabble, so there is another nod to the prompt within it. The title is taken from "The King of the Golden Hall" in "The Two Towers".

The Old English Writings challenge at Tolkien Weekly was prompted by the forthcoming publication of Tolkien's Beowulf translation.

Posted to AO3 in 2014 and made part of a series "Tales of Rohan".