return

1026 the return of the king
appointed. But those who follow me do so of their free will;
and if they wish now to remain and ride with the Rohirrim,
they may do so. But I shall take the Paths of the Dead, alone,
if needs be.’
Then they said no more, and they ate in silence; but her
eyes were ever upon Aragorn, and the others saw that she
was in great torment of mind. At length they arose, and took
their leave of the Lady, and thanked her for her care, and
went to their rest.
But as Aragorn came to the booth where he was to lodge
with Legolas and Gimli, and his companions had gone in,
there came the Lady Éowyn after him and called to him. He
turned and saw her as a glimmer in the night, for she was
clad in white; but her eyes were on fire.
‘Aragorn,’ she said, ‘why will you go on this deadly road?’
‘Because I must,’ he said. ‘Only so can I see any hope of
doing my part in the war against Sauron. I do not choose
paths of peril, Éowyn. Were I to go where my heart dwells,
far in the North I would now be wandering in the fair valley
of Rivendell.’
For a while she was silent, as if pondering what this might
mean. Then suddenly she laid her hand on his arm. ‘You are
a stern lord and resolute,’ she said; ‘and thus do men win
renown.’ She paused. ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘if you must go, then
let me ride in your following. For I am weary of skulking in
the hills, and wish to face peril and battle.’
‘Your duty is with your people,’ he answered.
‘Too often have I heard of duty,’ she cried. ‘But am I not
of the House of Eorl, a shieldmaiden and not a dry-nurse? I
have waited on faltering feet long enough. Since they falter
no longer, it seems, may I not now spend my life as I will?’
‘Few may do that with honour,’ he answered. ‘But as for
you, lady: did you not accept the charge to govern the people
until their lord’s return? If you had not been chosen, then
some marshal or captain would have been set in the same
place, and he could not ride away from his charge, were he
weary of it or no.’