I'm into The Return of the King and have just come with the Grey Company out of the Paths of the Dead...for those who don't know, the Grey Company is a band of Rangers, come out of the North to aid Aragorn, and the sons of Elrond are with them. They ride to Edoras together and bid farewell to Eowyn, then take the road to Dunharrow and underground to where the Dead stalk. Eowyn begs to be allowed to ride with the Company, but Aragorn tells her she must stay behind, to fulfill her duty of governing the people in Theoden's absence. She grows impatient, crying, "Too often have I heard of duty...Shall I always be chosen? Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart?"

I used to idolize Arwen...I've always loved Elves, and she is the fairest of them all except possibly for Galadriel. However, the more time I spend in Middle-earth, the more I realize that I would want to be Eowyn, if I could be any character. She aches to make a difference, to fight for the land and the people she loves, and eventually she does wind up going out to fight. She will not let people's expectations of her or unrequited love or hardship in battle daunt her...she rides out to meet the challenge and ends up making a great difference in the battle. I would not want to be Arwen, stuck at home, never knowing whether the man I loved was alive or dead. I would hope I'd have the courage to take up a sword, clothe myself in mail, and ride out to play my part in "the great battle of our time."