Part 131 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.

A/N: Way back in Sep 2005, I wrote the basis of this, but then it didn't fit with any of my other stories about E/L and I never got inspired to do an entirely new story in which to fit it. All this time I guess it's been in the back of my brain, and suddenly I was inspired to rework it to the Elfwine Chronicles.

Gratitude

(December, 1 IV)

The door opened only enough for the three men to enter, but keep as much warmth in and as much snow out as possible. Bundled up as they were, their faces were hidden and the king was not recognizable save for his bearing. He led them quickly to the firepit in the center of the room and all three began warming their hands in silence.

Lothiriel entered the room, her baby asleep against her shoulder, and moved over to join her husband. Pulling off the head coverings that obscured his face, he gave her a worried look. Though some had melted in the warm room, a dusting of snow still fluttered around him as he brushed off his clothing.

"How bad is it?" she asked softly.

"Bad. Very bad. The first riders have returned from checking on the smaller villages, and they bring people with them who had not sufficient to survive. More are trailing in as we speak. We will make room for them here until it is possible for them to return home," he answered quietly.

Nodding, she gestured to Elfwine's nurse, Daelwyn, who stood nearby, and handed over the infant. "See to Elfwine for me, Daelwyn. I will arrange getting them settled."

At that moment, Durucwen, the head housekeeper of Meduseld appeared, having heard of the king's arrival and coming to see if aught was needed. Lothiriel outlined the situation for her, and instructed that a portion of the hall be cordoned off with dividers to create sleeping quarters beyond what they had spare rooms to provide.

Once Durucwen had departed to set the wheels in motion, Lothiriel returned to Eomer's side. He continued to stand by the fire, gazing into it and lost in his thoughts. At first, she did not think he was aware of her, but at length he murmured, "The snow is so deep that it will take awhile to get to everyone. When it stops, we can send out parties to take them supplies and check on them. For the moment, our foremost concern must be Edoras. We are likely to run out of fuel and not be able to obtain more if this does not let up soon."

Eomer looked weary, and utterly discouraged at the magnitude of the problem before them. After a moment's study, Lothiriel slid an arm around him and offered, "The people of Edoras need to combine what they have. They must share households to save on fuel needed for heating and cooking. It only takes one fire to warm a room, regardless of how many people are in it. The more people in a single room, the fewer fires need to be built. And body heat will also be more concentrated. A single fire can cook food for one or many people, as well."

Eomer nodded at her suggestions, and then laid his head against hers. "Yes. We will begin making rounds and telling them to do this. That will help quite a bit."

"Meduseld can only hold so many, so perhaps some will be willing to take in the refugees also. That would help immensely. We could set up the healers here, and bring any who might have need of them to stay here, where they have easy access. The others may have friends or relatives with whom they can stay, or townmembers willing to assist them. We will divide the Golden Hall in half – one side for eating and one side for sleeping."

The king pulled his wife into his embrace, kissing her head. "Wise counsel, my love. We will get busy on the implementation of this plan. Come, we will discuss this with Gamling and work out the details."

xx

The next sennight was exhausting for most everyone in the king's household. Though the people of Edoras had been most generous and welcoming of their needy kinsmen, there was still a goodly host gathered in the Golden Hall. Even at night, when most slept, the noise did not seem to disappear entirely, and privacy was scarce.

Eomer spent most of his day out of doors, assisting his men in seeing that the needs of their people were met. He struggled not to be discouraged by this latest misfortune. After the devastation of the war, it was disheartening to suffer possibly the worst winter of his memory. What ground they had made in recovery might well be lost to this latest trouble.

Some of the nobility had been more reluctant to conserve their means and tighten their belts, but Eomer had made it clear that he would personally ration most heavily any found not doing all they could to make the existing goods spread as far as possible. With that threat hanging over them, their perspective changed, though they preferred consolidating amongst themselves rather than taking refugees into their homes.

The atmosphere in the Golden Hall was controlled chaos, at best. Any non-essential business was set aside for the duration as the king was much too preoccupied to deal with such matters at present.

Eventually, the wintry storm blew itself out, though that did not relieve them of all their difficulties. Nearing suppertime one evening, Lothiriel went in search of her husband. She knew he had returned to Meduseld more than an hour ago, but he had not recently been seen in the Golden Hall. Eomer's study had been given over for housing, and he was presently making use of their chambers for his work. When she entered, the room was dimly lit as the fire had burned down. "Eomer?" she called, glimpsing his figure slouched in a chair.

At the sound of her voice, he roused and turned to her. "Thiri. Forgive me, I became lost in my thoughts." Noticing the fire, he rose and began to stoke the blaze once more. "Is it time for supper?" he hazarded a guess.

"Yes, but I was looking for you anyway. Are you all right, beloved?" she asked gently.

Finishing with the fire, he stood and came over to draw her into his arms, shutting his eyes as he held her close. "Yes. I am well, my love." He was silent for several moments, then dropped his lips near her ear and said quietly, "I was just pondering how fortunate I am to have you standing at my side through such difficulties. The Riddermark has long suffered such challenges, and I am no stranger to facing them, but it is very nice to have you with me." He paused again, choosing his words, then continued, "There were times, before, when I felt very alone in trying to protect my people, and it seemed as if I must do everything on my own if I wished it done. You have spared me that loneliness, and strengthened me as I press forward. You have shared my burden and…and been a true partner in my kingship and my life." Again there was silence, until he simply concluded, "I am grateful."

She nestled close into his embrace and smiled with pleasure. Though his appreciation was nice, she had not acted so in order to receive praise. She simply loved him too much to contemplate doing otherwise. They were partners in this, and in all things. She was grateful merely to be a part of his life. In that, her own life was complete.

THE END

2/23/07

FYI: One thing to keep in mind, here and elsewhere – Lothiriel isn't necessarily telling Eomer things he doesn't know when she offers "wise counsel" to him. Rather, she is seeing him looking a bit overwhelmed, so she is vocalizing what he does already know, helping him center his thoughts, and cut through any despair or weariness that might be clouding his thinking. Some might see her as "all knowing" and, therefore, "Mary Sue-ish", but I do not perceive it that way. I know many women who do this very effectively in their daily lives (many of them were called "secretaries" – in the older vernacular). They "guide" others to the right answer.

End note: It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.