It surprises her a little that he has not heard more from Merry before the perian's departure, or from Aragorn or even Mithrandir; but then, Grima is harmless now, wherever he and his master are. There have been far more pressing matters for them all.
"The first I or any knew of him was when he became one of my uncle's counselors," she says finally, after much thought. "A position he gained on his own merits, by dint of clever tongue and clever thought, and at first he seemed able. We paid him little mind, for he was but one of many, and seemed dark and slight compared to other men."
Her lips thinned. "A grave error, that now seems to me. But how could we have known? For we were all much distracted. More and more bands of orcs roamed our lands, and Eomer and Theodred had much to do with driving them off, as Theoden-king grew older before our eyes. He had ruled for forty years, and at first it seemed understandable that he grew tired, more inclined to listen to his advisors and less to use his own judgement."
She sighs, looking down at Windfola's neck but not seeing it, and is silent for several minutes. "He grew...frail," she says finally. "Older he was, but should still have been hale, and yet his hair whitened and his eyes dimmed and his mind wandered. I cared for him as best I could, willingly acting as his nursemaid, for he was as dear as a father to me. I could not accompany my brother and cousin as they kept our lands safe, but that I could do. But he dwindled and dwindled, giving more of his power and responsibility over to Grima, who by then was called Wormtongue for the skill he had at bending people to his will with words. And then Theodred--"
Her voice chokes at that, and she must pause for a moment as sudden tears fill her eyes. When she had first returned to Edoras her grief for Theodred had been born anew, and she and Eomer had both wept for their lost cousin as much as for his father, for there had been little time to mourn him before.
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timeasmymeasure
I think given the timeline they wouldn't have heard about Grima and Saruman's death in the Shire yet
Date: 2018-07-02 10:46 pm (UTC)"The first I or any knew of him was when he became one of my uncle's counselors," she says finally, after much thought. "A position he gained on his own merits, by dint of clever tongue and clever thought, and at first he seemed able. We paid him little mind, for he was but one of many, and seemed dark and slight compared to other men."
Her lips thinned. "A grave error, that now seems to me. But how could we have known? For we were all much distracted. More and more bands of orcs roamed our lands, and Eomer and Theodred had much to do with driving them off, as Theoden-king grew older before our eyes. He had ruled for forty years, and at first it seemed understandable that he grew tired, more inclined to listen to his advisors and less to use his own judgement."
She sighs, looking down at Windfola's neck but not seeing it, and is silent for several minutes. "He grew...frail," she says finally. "Older he was, but should still have been hale, and yet his hair whitened and his eyes dimmed and his mind wandered. I cared for him as best I could, willingly acting as his nursemaid, for he was as dear as a father to me. I could not accompany my brother and cousin as they kept our lands safe, but that I could do. But he dwindled and dwindled, giving more of his power and responsibility over to Grima, who by then was called Wormtongue for the skill he had at bending people to his will with words. And then Theodred--"
Her voice chokes at that, and she must pause for a moment as sudden tears fill her eyes. When she had first returned to Edoras her grief for Theodred had been born anew, and she and Eomer had both wept for their lost cousin as much as for his father, for there had been little time to mourn him before.