Author's Note: I know very little about Prada and how the whole fashion business works. So, I'm definitely using this story's genre status (AU) to its fullest. ;-) Oh, and to keep in line with Middle Earth dating, I'm approximating this story to be around 1000 F.A.
Edward Marshal-King. The name sounded familiar to Lottie. She remembered the tapestry. Biting back her desire to ask him about the tapestry, she smiled and held out her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"As it is to meet you," he responded, shaking her hand firmly. His touch left a pleasantly warm feeling in her.
At that moment, the hostess prepared to lead them to their table. Francis offered an arm to Evelyn, leaving Edward to escort Lottie to the table. They perused through the menu before ordering the restaurant's famous five course meal.
Evelyn sat across from her. She asked, "May I call you Lottie?"
"Of course! I only tolerate 'Miss Prince' for work," Lottie answered pleasantly. She already liked Evelyn. Something inside her told her she could trust Evelyn as the sister she never had.
"Good, and you must call me 'Evie.' Francis mentioned you have an interesting story regarding how you landed on your job."
"While I was in college, I managed to get an internship with Prada. They told me that they liked my work and promised me a job when I graduated. Thankfully, I knew someone who knew someone who knew someone," she replied, lightly laughing over the last sentence. "It's highly unlikely for those things to actually happen that way. And what about you?"
"I am Edward's personal consultant," chuckled Evelyn. "He pays me even though I told him that he doesn't need to since we already live under the same roof."
"Evie, you know my reasons," interjected Edward.
Over the course of the meal, Lottie learned a little more about Francis's job, for he was an undercover detective of some sort. She learned nothing new about Edward's job. She did get to know Evelyn a bit better. There were actually several similarities between the two. Both had at least one slightly overprotective brother, love for horses, and similar ideals regarding women's role in society.
Once dinner concluded, Evelyn and Edward invited them to their hotel for coffee or tea. Since she had work to finish before the weekend, Lottie declined. She promised, however, to spend the upcoming Saturday with Evelyn. She returned home around eight, she changed into something casual. After she finished drawing up a pattern for her latest idea, she packed her gym bag since she had a class to teach in the morning.
During the taxi ride to their hotel, Evelyn remarked, "Ed, admit it. You like Lottie."
I don't just like her, I'm captivated. Every time. Edward muses, but he says aloud, "Miss Prince is a charming young lady, but I just met her."
"Your eyes don't lie," laughed his sister. "Love at first sight, I think."
"I should say the same about you and Francis," he joked back. "After meeting him, you nearly blew up the internet with your 'research'."
They continued bantering for a few minutes until the conversation died. At that point, they had arrived at their hotel. Edward paid the cabman before accompanying his sister to their suite. The suite contained two bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a little den. He paid quite a price to get that suite and complimentary breakfasts, but thankfully, he was only staying until Monday.
The next morning, he and his sister attended meetings. Naturally, they were a little bit boring, but it was not that bad. At least the organizers catered some delicious refreshments. Afterwards, they returned to the hotel. He seated himself on the couch and googled the best fitness centers in town. Eventually, Dorenernil Fitness popped up. Reviews were good, and it was fully equipped with punching bags, weight systems, exercise machines, and anything fitness related. Paying options included memberships, by the hour, and passes for up to three days.
"Hey, Evie, I found a nice gym. Care to come?" he called.
Evie appeared from her room and said, "Wish I could, but I have a date with Francis. He's taking me on a cruise and then dinner. I'll be back around ten or eleven."
"That's a long date," he chuckled.
He changed, packed a bag, and set off. He entered the establishment. A man sat in front of a desk. Two doors stood at both corners. One door read "Club Members." The other had no such adornments, implying it was for the public. At the front desk, he paid for two hours. He then remarked, "I see that the training room is closed for a class. When will that end?"
"An hour, sir," said the receptionist. "The equipment room is open. First door to the right." He gestured towards the hallway to his left.
"Thank you," he replied. He entered the equipment room. One wall was made entirely of glass, filling the room with natural light. Machines filled the room, all categorized by purpose. He worked the weights for half an hour before moving onto the treadmill. After another thirty minutes, he packed his stuff to move to the training room.
The sound of a bag punching greeted his ear. Light filtered from high windows. It was more like a warehouse, but that style rather suited the room's contents. He glanced towards sound's source, a woman. As he placed his stuff in a cubicle, he watched the lady. She was slightly taller than average height with an athletic build. She wore leggings and a sleeveless tunic. Her feet were also bare. Then she stopped for a moment.
Edward took the moment to go up to her, saying, "Hey, I couldn't help but noticing you. You got a lot of pack in your punches." She looked up. He knew those eyes anywhere. It was Lottie.
"Mr…" she began.
He interrupted, "Let's leave off the formalities."
She shrugged, "I don't see why not. How'd you find out about Dorenernil?"
"Google, but why are you here? Were you in the class here earlier?"
"I'm a trainer. That class was for hand-to-hand combat. Care to try me?"
"I beg your pardon?" Edward thought he knew his girl pretty well, but she always surprised him. Maybe he just forgot about certain details. He teased, "Are you sure you're up to go against a former Marine?"
A fire blazed in her eyes. She smirked, "Then you better watch out, soldier. I got a lot of pack in my punch."
He smiled, "I'm on. What's the stakes?"
She cocked her head in thought, saying eventually, "Winner gets something from the loser. But it has to be menial."
She led him up to a raised platform to the side of the room. She chose one corner. She punched a few buttons on a machine nearby, explaining that she was setting a timer for a horn blast to signal the beginning of the fight. She then climbed up onto the corner opposite him. He raised his arms to protect his face.
The horn blasted. Lottie had the advantage in agility and speed while Edward had more brawn. Both used their wits equally. Twenty minutes passed. Lottie landed some very good punches and had quite a few tricks. As for Edward, he ended up trying to throw his opponent down to the floor more since he couldn't bring himself to hit a girl, let alone his girl. For a moment, his mind wandered into remembering a past spar with his lady in another life.
Noticing Edward seemed to pay less attention to the fight, Lottie used her specialized move. With a few swift motions, Edward landed on his back with Lottie straddling on top of him.
"I win," she said with a smile of triumph before getting up. She headed towards her stuff, packed up, and left.
Lottie drove home to shower and change before going to the museum. She wanted to see the tapestry again. Also, she missed out on the clothing part of the exhibit because she got distracted with the tapestry. After taking pictures of the clothing people wore in that age, she turned her attention to the tapestry. She noted the material and delicacy of the drapery. It appeared to be partly woven and partly embroidered. Then she looked back up at the riders' faces. The male, Éomer, seemed to resemble Edward for both had the same hair, facial features, and build.
What if those legends are true? Edward might be a descendant of Éomer. she mused before turning her attention to Lothíriel. The more she gazed at the woman in tapestry, the more she connected to her.
Suddenly, something sprang into her mind. It seemed to be more like one of those dreamish memories than a fantasy sequence. She closed her eyes. She felt the wind caressing her cheek and the horse galloping beneath her. In her mind's eye, she saw the rolling hills, inhaling the sweet scent of spring. Beside her, Éomer laughed joyfully. A voice sang, "Tis time, 'tis time!" As suddenly as the vision came, it departed.
FYI, Dorenernil Fitness came from another name for Dol Amroth, which is Dor-en-ernil.
As always, if there's some grammatical errors or plot issues, let me know!