Part 65 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: Here's the other one I said was finished, and then decided to work on more (Interlude was the first). A special thanks to Maddy051280 for the information about the Elvish remedy given. FYI, "spelt" is a type of grain.

New Life

(Jul, 9 IV)

To Lothiriel's surprise, upon their arrival at Minas Tirith, they were greeted not only by the King and Queen of Gondor, but by her sister-in-law, Danwen.

As the two women embraced, Lothiriel gave her a curious look and commented, "We were not expecting to see you here. Is Amrothos with you?"

Danwen nodded, "When we learned you would be coming to Minas Tirith, but not have time to travel farther south, we decided to come see you and greet our new niece."

Lothiriel laughed and held forth Theodwyn, only eight months old, saying, "So, it is the babe you wish to see, rather than me! Here she is!"

Eagerly Danwen reached for the infant, and cuddled her close while Lothiriel moved on to make the rest of her greetings. The baby laughed and cooed at Danwen, and her delight was evident. She was jolted out of her study of her niece by Lothiriel's hand on her elbow, "Come, we are going to our rooms."

While the women walked together, following behind Eomer, Elessar and Arwen, Lothiriel could not help noting the longing in Danwen's touch as she held the baby. It seemed curious that someone so fond of babies and children did not have any of her own. Surely she and Amrothos had been attempting it during all their years of marriage, and she was quite certain her brother was not averse to the idea. Perhaps there was a problem...

Over the years, Lothiriel had grown more reconciled to her beloved brother's choice of bride. She had begun to truly believe the woman had been acting under the duress of her father when she had attempted to separate Lothiriel from Eomer and secure him for herself. Still, she did not think that the two of them would ever be extremely close. She did like Danwen and thought well of her, but they had little in common and did not see each other often, so it was difficult to grow her feelings beyond that point.

Danwen stayed with her and tended the baby, while Lothiriel got hers and Eomer's belongings situated in their room, and got Elfwine settled in the chamber next to them. By the time she was almost finished, Theodwyn was fussing to be fed and Danwen reluctantly returned the child to her mother. Even as she nursed the baby, Lothiriel could not miss the looks of yearning on Danwen's face.

While Lothiriel fed Theodwyn, Danwen caught her up on the news from Dol Amroth and assured her Amrothos was on an errand in the city but would return soon to greet them. Eomer had gone off with Elessar, and Danwen made herself useful keeping Elfwine occupied until his mother was free.

The nursing done, the two women and children made for the family quarters to locate Eldarion for Elfwine to play with. A servant directed them to the library where Eldarion had been having a lesson, and just as they reached it, the door opened and the boy burst out, eager to find his friend from Rohan. At that same moment, Amrothos put in appearance in the hallway and with a whoop of delight scooped his nephew up to greet him.

Chuckling together at Amrothos' antics, Lothiriel and Danwen stood on the lower few steps watching the scene before them. Then quietly Danwen commented, "The one thing he most desires and I cannot give it to him."

Lothiriel turned to look questioningly at her and, blushing with embarrassment, Danwen explained, "He gives me everything, and brings me more happiness than I have ever known in my entire life, but the child, the heir he would wish for, I am powerless to give him." A tear slid down her cheek and she pressed her fingers to her eyes in an effort to stem the flow of tears.

"You are unable to have children?" Lothiriel asked, clarifying her meaning.

Danwen shook her head, "We do not know what the problem is. Neither the Healers nor the midwives can find anything wrong with either of us, but neither do any of their suggestions on how to conceive have effect. We have tried everything, and still I remain childless."

Lothiriel put an arm around her, "You must not blame yourself. If the Healers find nothing wrong with you, then you cannot take the responsibility for this difficulty. I am sure Amrothos understands and does not find fault with you."

Danwen's eyes filled again and she fought to control the quaver in her voice, "He would never condemn me...for anything! He is too good. But this was the one thing I had thought to be able to do for him in return for all he has done for me, and it is not possible." Her voice choked off and she murmured, "Forgive me." With that, she scurried back up the stairs before Lothiriel could say anything more.

A few moments later, Amrothos came to greet his sister and meet his niece. After chatting briefly, he looked around and asked, "Where did Danwen go?"

Suspecting the other woman did not wish to burden her husband with her distress, she merely told him, "She had something to attend to. She will rejoin us shortly." Taking his arm, she distracted him by asking about the family and they moved into the vacated library to find seats.

Over the next few days, Lothiriel found her mind returning to the matter regularly. Every time Danwen was with children, of any age, the hunger in her eyes was unmistakable. Clearly, she was good with children, and all seemed to adore her, but it was equally evident that it wrenched at her heart when she had to release them back to their parents at the end of the day.

Lothiriel supposed she had thought it unusual that the marriage had produced no children in nine years, but since she was not around the two of them very often, it was not in the forefront of her mind. Until now, nothing had ever been mentioned about there being a reason for the void in the couple's lives.

Having lost a child through miscarriage, Lothiriel knew somewhat the heartbreak of wanting children and not having them come as desired. But as sympathetic as she was to the situation, she knew of no way to help or provide comfort to them. There had not been so many orphans in Dol Amroth, who had no relatives to take them in, as there had been elsewhere after the War of the Ring. Likely, had they realized children of their own flesh would not be forthcoming, they might have pursued adoption more earnestly, if not in Dol Amroth then in surrounding areas or Minas Tirith. Now, there was not so much opportunity as there had been several years before.

Try as she might, Lothiriel was frustrated in her efforts to find some way to aid them. Thus it might have remained had not the conversation at supper one night, with Elessar and his family, somehow turned to Elvish medicine. With a jolt, Lothiriel blinked several times and considered that possibility. Perhaps the Elves knew of something… She would have to make it a point to speak with Arwen before they returned home. Though Danwen was acquainted with the queen, Lothiriel knew she would never dare approach Arwen on her own.

xx

Two days later, Lothiriel and Arwen were chatting over tea. Lothiriel had been explaining how her maidservant, Miren, had recently had her second child also and decided not to work any longer, leaving Lothiriel in need of a new servant.

"I may know of someone who would suit you," Arwen offered. "She has been working in the Citadel for a few months now, ever since her mother died. She has no family left and might wish to seek employment somewhere that does not hold the painful memories of Minas Tirith. Her name is Zimraphel. I will introduce you, if you like."

"I would appreciate that. It is difficult to choose among the servants already at Meduseld, and most of them are happy with their present positions. Though they would agree to this change, it might not be their preference."

They were silent a few moments, and then Lothiriel broached the subject that had never been far from her mind since her arrival. "Arwen, do the Elves have...knowledge of anything to increase fertility?" She felt awkward asking the question and blushed slightly.

Arwen's musical laughter greeted her and, glancing at the baby sleeping in Lothiriel's arms, said, "I would assume you do not inquire on your own behalf!"

Lothiriel chuckled, "No! I have been quite blessed in that regard. No, I ask because of...Danwen and Amrothos. According to my sister, the Healers say there is nothing wrong with either of them that should be preventing their having a child, and yet it does not happen."

Arwen rose and walked over to the window to stare pensively out across the courtyard below. Finally, she commented, "Elves generally do not have that problem. They are able to have children when they wish. However, there was a soup we sometimes prepared for friends among Men who suffered in that regard, and it seemed to get good results. I cannot promise it will work, though."

Lothiriel considered this, then told her, "If you do not mind sharing, I am sure they would wish to attempt it. At this point, they have everything to gain and nothing to lose by the endeavor. If there is any hope, I believe they will want to seek it."

Arwen nodded, "I will gather the ingredients and list the instructions for preparation. They should try it repeatedly for a long period of time. That would give it plenty of opportunity to be effective."

Though the question posed to the Elf-woman had been uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to the awkwardness Lothiriel felt in approaching Danwen on the matter. With ingredients and instructions in hand, she sought an audience with her brother and sister the next afternoon.

Nervously, she passed the time with idle chat for several moments before drawing a deep breath and rising. She paced over to the mantlepiece of the fireplace, and fingered the carvings for an instant, then finally turned and plunged in.

Haltingly, she explained her awareness of their difficulty and then offered the Elvish preparation as a possible solution. "There is no surety that it will work, but perhaps it is worth a try?" She eyed them cautiously, hoping they did not consider her high-handed and intrustive in their affairs.

Amrothos rubbed his neck, as Danwen sat holding Theodwyn and looking disconcerted by the conversation. At length, Amrothos rose and moved to his sister, taking her in his embrace. Kissing her cheek, he murmured softly in her ear, "Thank you for this, Thiri. I know it bothers Danwen, despite my efforts to reassure her that it does not matter. We will not give up hope just yet."

It was fortunate that all of the ingredients were readily available, both in Minas Tirith and Dol Amroth. Many of the farming homes around Dol Amroth had wood roofs, and houseleeks were grown directly on them to help prevent fires from lightning strikes. In the city proper, as in Minas Tirith, they were more often seen growing in containers in gardens. Though most Gondorians grew them for ornamental purposes, many of the populace found they could be used as a replacement for actual onions when those were out of season.

A soup was made using the flowers of the houseleeks, goat's milk, egg and spelt, and it was to be drunk for a week, starting ten days after the woman's monthly flow. Lothiriel couldn't help thinking the concoction sounded rather revolting, but Arwen had assured her she had tasted it once and that it was actually not so bad as it sounded. It made up to something similar to a hearty cream soup, and some seasoning could be added without affecting its believed potency.

As it turned out, Danwen and Amrothos had the opportunity to try it once before Lothiriel returned to Rohan, with her new maidservant, Zimraphel, accompanying her. They let her have a taste of it, and she was forced to agree that the flavor was not nearly what she had expected, and it could indeed easily be tolerated.

Still, she knew it would be several months, at the earliest, before there was any hope of seeing results. Every letter that came from Dol Amroth, Lothiriel found herself holding her breath and hoping there was happy news, but the infrequent correspondence did not satisfy. Not until nearly the time of the Yule celebration did Lothiriel receive the hoped for letter. At long last, Danwen had conceived. She and Amrothos were to be parents – very ecstatic parents, from the sound of it. With a sigh of relief and delight, she eagerly penned a warm congratulatory response the same day.

Lothiriel reflected on the events of the past year and could not deny she had much to be grateful for this season. The year had brought many unexpected changes, and this wonderful news only added to her contentment. Now, if that big oaf, Eothain, would just realize he was in love and finally ask Zimraphel to marry him...

THE END

2/19/06 – 3/6/06

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.