The Sea Queen and the Horse Lord
Beginnings…
Rumours flew like the wings of a hummingbird, from the rolling lands of Rohan to the white stone walls of Minas Tirith. Along the Anduin, the King of the Horse-Lords rode to the sea city of Dol Amroth. Prince Imrahil had invited Éomer King, who he had befriended at the march to the Black Gates, to visit the cliff side city Dor en ernil; lands of the Prince.
The journey of Éomer king however, was not why the people whispered. For Imrahil had a daughter. Tales of her beauty preceded her, though she rarely left her home. The lady Lothíriel had not even attended the crowning of King Elessar, nor had she attended when her cousin Faramir wedded the shield-maiden Éowyn.
She was an oddity, though nevertheless one of the most prestigious choices for a wife, and Éomer king was in need of a Queen. Many waited, from the workers in the inns, to the highest nobles in the stone halls of Minas Tirith, to see if the match would be made.
They wondered if the King of the Horse-men could tame the sable haired beauty, whether he would take her from the cliffs of her home and bring her out into society for the keen eyes of those interested; those who wished to see for their own eyes what made her strange, and why she would not leave her home.
Waves of sea foam crashed upon the sands of Dol Amroth. Below the cliffs of her home, the Lady Lothíriel rode her alabaster white mare, Aiglos, whose hooves beat against the flaxen sands as surely as the incoming tide. The spray from the water bespattered her face and lashes as the sea breeze whipped her braided hair in a trail of black silk. A smile graced her lips, as the shadows receded from her eyes. If but for a moment, she was free of her duties and the darkness which had shrouded the world.
Once she reached the end of the beach, where darkened rocks jutted from the cliff side, she tightened her gloved hands on the reins, and Aiglos turned easily with a whinny which brought a laugh from betwixt her weather buffed lips. Her mare appreciated their time away from the castle, as clearly as Lothíriel did herself. The time for her wildness had to be cut short on that day however, for her father awaited guests and she must ready for the evening meal before she was discovered gallivanting in her riding wear; coal coloured leather boots, nut-brown jodhpurs and a royal blue tunic.
As Lothíriel made one last gallop across the sands, she spotted a rider atop the hills beside the cliff wall where the road to the castle above met the hidden beach where she escaped to. There appeared to be a group of riders, though one was prominent at the forefront as he sat upon a large grey steed; a war-horse. The colours the company wore were shamrock green accented with gold. Wild manes of light hair escaped from beneath their steel helmets.
A sinking feeling struck her, as if she had been a skimmed pebble which had begun its decent to the sea floor. The smile dropped from her face, as the head rider took her in from beneath his tailed helmet. A leather jerkin of russet red covered his large frame, and he sat in the saddle with the experience of a man who was born for it.
The deduction as to the riders identity was quite simple, but Lothíriel had been sure her father expected the King of Rohan to arrive towards sun-down. She panicked, having been observed during one of her impulse rides, the stains still marred her tunic from her exploration of the rock pools as Aiglos waited below, chasing the waves back and forth. Though she did not allow this to show, even as Aiglos sensed her sudden change in mood and jumped to the side, as if the sands were hot coals and burnt her hooves.
Perhaps the best option would have been to hail the King of Rohan, but instead Lothíriel cried, "Fly, Aiglos," and her mare carried her up the hill path on sure footing, passed the King of the horse-men whose expression she did not look to see. Lothíriel did not stop until she reached the gates of her home, the greyed castle upon the cliff.
Aiglos – Sindarin – Icicle
My original novel: Fated Rising is uploaded unedited to chapter ten on Inkitt and Wattpad. Follow FatedRisingSeries on tumblr for updates and artwork. Currently in the process of editing for publishing sometime 2017/2018