Part 117 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: Thus endeth the spate of stories that were backlogged due to the alerts being down. Unless, of course, I finish the other two I partially started...

Nature

(Jun, 22 IV)

As Eomer passed the open door of his eldest daughter's room, he automatically glanced in and was surprised to see numerous piles of clothing on the bed. While Theodwyn was not the tidiest person, this seemed odd even for her. At a loss to explain what he was seeing, he moved on, but then reached Theomund's room, where he found his wife making similar piles there. Curious, he went in to see what this was all about.

"Your children grow like weeds!" Lothiriel exclaimed in exasperation, before he could even inquire as to what she was doing. "I am barely able to keep them clothed!"

He bit back a smile as he watched her continue to pull things out and determine whether they needed discarding. After observing for a moment, he asked, "Could not the clothes be passed on to another child? Perhaps not Theomund's, but at least Theodwyn's?"

"Morwen! Wear handed-down clothing? Yes, that is so very likely to happen!" Lothiriel snorted sarcastically. "Your youngest daughter would sooner eat dirt than do that!"

"Why are they always my children when they do something disagreeable, yet they are your children whenever they are admirable?" he queried with feigned annoyance.

"I should think that was obvious, dearest," Lothiriel replied mildly, continuing to sort clothing. "My children would never do anything disagreeable, whereas yours excel at it!"

Eomer burst into laughter, continuing until tears were leaking from his eyes. "Oh, beloved, I do so love your logic!" Enfolding her in his arms, he nuzzled at her hair and commented, "I thought one of the reasons I married you was so that I could have wonderful children!"

With a smile, she relinquished her task and put her hands up to his arms. "Indeed? Was that the reason?"

Pursuing his ministrations, he moved her hair aside and set to work nibbling on her ear, before trailing kisses along her throat as he turned her to face him. "Mmmmm, well, perhaps not the main reason. Likely I was more interested in the begetting than in the actual having!"

They became engrossed in one another for several minutes, until Theomund wandered into his room and discovered them.

"Eckkk! Not again!" he exclaimed, making a disgusted face and beating a hasty retreat.

His parents broke into laughter, collapsing against one another. "I suppose," Eomer observed with a straight face, "that this means he is not yet ready for me to explain to him what happens between men and women who are married..."

For a heartbeat, there was silence, and then they both fell into laughter once more. "Perhaps not," Lothiriel commented, as their mirth subsided, "but I do not object in the slightest to your explaining it to me!" With a twinkle in her eye, she caught his hand, and led him toward their bedchamber.

Nine months later, the king and queen of Rohan were pleased to announce the birth of their fifth and final child, a son they named Theodred.

THE END

1/6/07

Elfwine is 21, Theodwyn is 14, Theomund is 12 and Morwen is 8.

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.