See! I told you I was impatient. Didn't you believe me?

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger with Ch. 4. I don't always remember where a "chapter" begins and ends, so if I post without glancing through it to see, it can leave the reader hanging on the edge. Since I already know what happens, I don't think about it until I hear the uproar of anguished cries... I don't think there are any more of those, if that's any consolation.

By the way, if you have read Eye of the Beholder and The Truest Friends, I am considering a sequel to one or both. 'Friends' would be easiest since there is so much that can be done with an OC like Kareswen, but many wanted to see more of 'Eye'. The only trouble with that, is that Lothiriel is so very different than this Lothiriel so it is more difficult to come up with situations for her that work. Any story ideas are welcome and will be considered. As with this story, you never know what you may prompt me to write!

Jazzcat - By the way, I never heard whether or not you liked the end of The Truest Friends. So? (It's okay if you didn't...) Anyway, Eomer will get to Dol Amroth some day...

By The Book

Chapter 6

We had been home from Minas Tirith for a week – a very long, miserable week. How was I ever going to last three months and twenty-five days, approximately, until I saw him again? I started each day reading Eomer's letters, and I ended each day the same way. And often spent time in between doing likewise.

I had written many more letters since last I saw Eomer. A messenger was sent from Minas Tirith and I had given him more than two dozen letters. Since then I had written even more, and just yesterday Father had finally been persuaded to send a rider with my bundle. I wanted to get as many sent as possible before the snows made it too difficult for anyone to make the trip.

One rider had come from Rohan already, bearing the news that they had safely reached home and that I had gained a new ally. Eomer told me that Gamling had caught on to what had been transpiring with Danwen and now took it upon himself to keep her as far away from the king as possible whenever possible. At court functions, she was seated a goodly distance from him and any time Gamling saw her making her way toward Eomer, he would seek out the king on 'urgent business' and regretfully pull him away. He hadn't actually said anything to Eomer about what he was doing or why, but Eomer thought it clear the man had already chosen who he thought should be queen of Rohan and was merely showing his allegiance. I had always rather liked Gamling, but this bit of information made me even fonder of him!

And so time dragged on. For me, each day seemed much like the previous and slowly I was resigning myself that it must be endured. Faramir and Eowyn came for a week's visit in early December and that provided some distraction, though the sight of Eowyn inevitably made me think of Eomer and then I'd start missing him all over again.

The day after they arrived dawned much the same as any other day. There was nothing remarkable going on around me and certainly nothing to warn me of the upheaval headed my way.

At mid-morning, I was reading in my room – Eomer's letters yet again – when there was a knock at my door. I opened it to find Faramir, a worried expression on his face. "Cousin? Is something the matter?" I asked.

He came into the room, taking both my hands in his and led me over to be seated on the edge of my bed. It took him several minutes to decide what he wanted to say, but finally he said softly, "Thiri, I know this will come as a shock to you, but you have a visitor downstairs."

That didn't seem so unusual as to cause this kind of reaction, so I waited for him to continue with more of an explanation. He rubbed his face before finally telling me, "There is no easy way to say this. It is Ardrion. He is alive."

For several moments, the words simply did not register, and when they did, they made no sense. How could Ardrion be downstairs when he had died at sea some three years ago?

Faramir sensed my struggle to grasp what he was saying and told me, "I do not know the particulars of how it is that he survived, or where he has been since we believed him lost but, nevertheless, he is downstairs and asking to see you."

Shock seemed too mild a word for what I was feeling. When I was seventeen, I had fallen in love with a young man of Dol Amroth and we desperately wanted to marry. Father insisted that I must wait until my nineteenth year to wed, so we resigned ourselves to that. But a year later, while at sea serving with the royal navy, his ship went down and all hands were lost. I grieved for a long time. I even waited for a long while, hoping against hope that he had survived and would return to me. But eventually I had been forced to accept that he was not coming back, and over the years I had made peace with his loss. Now for him to return, almost rising from the dead, was too much to take in.

"Thiri?" Faramir asked softly, "Are you up to this?"

"I suppose I must be." I rose slowly and Faramir took my arm to walk with me. I appreciated the comfort in his touch and his very presence. I was going to need his steady influence beside me to get through this...

When I entered the library, he was seated talking to Amrothos. They both rose as we put in appearance. Despite the years, I could tell that it was indeed Ardrion. This was no mistake. He gave me the lopsided grin that I remembered so well and said, "Hello, Thiri. It is good to see you again."

It was clear he was feeling nervous about this meeting, possibly as much as I was. I finally managed, "It is good to see you, too, Ardrion. How is it that you come to be here? We had reports that all on your ship perished."

We were still standing, and he gestured for me to sit while he explained. Faramir, bless him, sat down beside me and kept hold of my hand. And we listened as Ardrion told us of his washing up on the shore, his memory gone. Someone had found him and tended his injuries, but he knew not where he came from or anything about his former life. So he stayed with his benefactor and did odd jobs to support himself.

Then two months ago, he was taken ill with a fever. When the healer was finally able to cure him, he found his memory had come back to him. He was living some distance from Dol Amroth, but it was more uncertainty about what he would find here than the miles that kept him from returning sooner.

As he finished his tale, he looked eagerly at me and said, "But I could not stay away from you, Thiri. Now you are old enough and we can be married, as we always planned!"

In truth, it had never occurred to me since this all began to think it would end at that logical conclusion. We had loved, and we had planned to marry, but now three years later to be faced with that prospect when I had not seen or heard from him in all that time was overwhelming.

Faramir stepped in at that point and replied, "I think it is a bit early to plan the future when Lothiriel is still trying to take in that you are alive. Why don't you come back tomorrow, after she has had some time to adjust to all this?"

I was never more grateful for my cousin than at that moment. I could tell Ardrion was a bit disappointed, but I did need time to think about everything and sort out my feelings. He nodded reluctantly and rose. "Of course. I understand, Thiri. I will see you tomorrow, dearest."

I smiled and watched him leave, thinking how odd it felt to have this 'stranger' using endearments with me. And he did feel like a stranger to me after all this time. As soon as he was gone, I turned and hastily retreated to my room. If anyone intended to follow, they did not. Possibly Faramir headed them off in order to give me some time in private.

Once alone in my room, I flung myself down on the bed. As I did, my hand hit something and I glanced down. I picked up the letter from Eomer I had been reading when Faramir came to get me, and as I stared at it I let out a soft groan. Eomer! How was I going to explain all this to him?

Miren brought me a tray of food when I did not put in appearance at noon, but I barely touched it. She did the same for supper, but I simply had no appetite as I tried to sort everything through.

About an hour after she had brought me my food, Amrothos put in appearance. I was inclined to turn him away, but maybe talking about the situation would help me find some answers, so I let him in. He sprawled in his usual spot across the foot of my bed and eyed me questioningly. When I said nothing he commented, "Well, you certainly were the main topic of conversation at supper. Sorry you missed it."

"I am sure I was. What did everyone decide?" I asked.

"Hmmm, well, Father, Elphir and Erchirion all think it a bit presumptuous of Ardrion to put in appearance and expect you to marry him as though nothing had happened. Faramir, as usual, is trying to see all sides of the issue before reaching a conclusion. And Eowyn, though she did not say so specifically, appears to be rather upset at the thought that you might dump her brother in favor of Ardrion."

"And what about you?" I challenged.

He smiled at me. "I think you will do what is best for you and that it is not my business to decide that for you. I liked Ardrion and I like Eomer, but only you know who you want to spend the rest of your life with, Thiri."

Sometimes that fool brother of mine could be pretty darn...special. Leave it to him to simply cut to the heart of the matter.

I lay back against my pillows and stared at the ceiling. Softly I admitted, "Some part of me cared deeply for Ardrion, even loved him, and it still does. I had not thought about him in quite a while, but to have him right there in front of me, looking and sounding just like I remember him..."

He climbed to his feet and moved up beside me. Bending down, he kissed my forehead. "Try to get some rest. And do not rush into any decisions. Ardrion has taken three years to return to you. You do not have to decide things overnight." And with that, he was gone and I was still staring at the ceiling.

xxxxx

I must have fallen asleep while I lay there, for when I awoke, it was morning and I was still in my clothes. The only conclusion I reached was that I was not going to decide anything in haste. Amrothos was right. This was too important to rush into. And so, for the next few weeks, Ardrion and I spent time together getting reacquainted.

I did not think it fair to him to conceal the fact that I was betrothed to Eomer. But he seemed to read into my willingness to spend time with him the possibility that I would break that off if I found I still loved him.

I knew Eomer would be upset by this turn of events and, in a cowardly fashion, I had not yet managed to write and tell him. I told myself I wanted to reach a decision before mentioning it, but I knew I was just afraid, though I wasn't entirely clear what exactly I was afraid of.

The more time I spent with Ardrion, the more we easily fell back into old patterns. I found I remembered much about him and his ways, and he seemed to be having the same experience with me. We still liked many of the same things and we still had the same sense of humor. We walked and we talked, and I still had no firm answers to the many questions running through my mind.

I sorely missed having Faramir there to talk to, since he was the best at helping me clarify my thinking. Eowyn had not mentioned what was happening, but I saw her watching me many times, and she never looked like she approved when Ardrion would come to call. I could not blame her for her reaction, and it made me feel quilty whenever I was around her. In that sense, it was a relief when they had returned to Minas Tirith the previous week.

Amrothos tried to be supportive, but remained noncommittal about what choice I should make. That wasn't always what I wanted from him.

During the third week since his return, Ardrion and I were returning to the palace to warm up on a blustery, chill winter day. We hurried up the long avenue leading to the palace gates, laughing and talking.

We were brought up short by a group of riders at the palace gates, conversing with the guards. My stomach seized up when I recognized the banner of Rohan and then, almost in slow motion, I watched Eomer turn his head and see us. I came to a halt and stood rooted to the spot, barely daring to breathe. Eomer just sat looking at me and Ardrion, his eyes dark and his expression indecipherable.

Ardrion, I think, was slowly beginning to realize who this was before us, so he stood straighter and edged toward me, grasping my arm more firmly. That was enough to shake me from my stupor and, finally, I turned and told him, "I will say goodbye to you here. We will talk tomorrow."

At first I think he was going to argue, but after another glance at Eomer, he nodded. Then, before I realized what he was about to do, he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Until tomorrow, then." He gave Eomer a look of slight defiance and strode away.

My face was flaming and I hastily sought to bring myself under control. I walked toward the guards, who presented the Rohan group and advised they had come unexpectedly for a visit. "Have someone see that their horses are stabled and find quarters for the men. I will escort King Eomer to the palace." They nodded and moved to their task as Eomer dismounted. Without a word, he followed me inside.

I led him to a guest room and sent a servant to see that his belongings were brought there. As I turned to leave, he caught me by the arm and shoved the door closed. His grip on my arm was painful and I flinched a bit. He noticed and released his hold, but stood angrily watching me. I think he was fighting for restraint before speaking, and then managed, "Talk to me, Lothiriel. What is going on here, and why did I hear about it from Eowyn instead of from you? Or were you not going to tell me about Ardrion?"

Since all this began, I had thought over and over what I might say to Eomer and how I might explain about Ardrion. But in all my thinking, I always envisioned doing it in a letter, not looking into his eyes that made no effort to hide his anger...and hurt.

Before I could form a response, the servants returned bearing his baggage, so I caught his hand and led him from the room. We walked in silence, climbing to the uppermost floor of the palace and ending up in the solarium. It was one of my favorite rooms because of the view in every direction, but today my mind could not focus on scenery and Eomer showed little interest either.

I released his hand and moved away from him, trying to formulate an explanation. Apparently he grew impatient with waiting and asked softly, "Why, Thiri?"

I sat down abruptly in an overstuffed chair and stared at my hands. Slowly I told him of my past relationship with Ardrion, his supposed death and unexpected return three weeks ago.

"So what are you saying?" he challenged. "Do you want me to release you from our betrothal?"

"No!" I blurted out, then stopped. I waved my hands in frustration, as if I was trying to pull coherent thoughts out of the air. "I do not know what I want – at least not yet! I have been spending time with him to try and determine if I still have feelings for him. Do you not see? It would not be fair to you for me to marry you until I am certain I do not still care for someone else."

Even to my own ears, my plea sounded selfish and cruel. I could only imagine how it sounded to Eomer. There was a long period of silence and I didn't dare look at him. Then suddenly he was in front of me and pulled me to my feet, catching me about the waist with one hand and cupping my neck with the other. Looking intently in my eyes he said, "Know this, Thiri. I love you, and I always will. I want you to be happy – with me...or with anyone who can make you so. But know that I love you and I want you for my wife!"

And with that he pulled me into a kiss so deep and passionate that my knees went weak. There was nothing in all of Middle-earth but the two of us and his lips claiming mine. When finally we had to come up for air, I was shaking all over and leaned weakly against his chest.

Tremulously I whispered, "I do love you, Eomer, but I have to resolve this. I know I was young then, but my feelings were strong. I have to know where my heart lies before I can make a decision."

He held me tighter, but said nothing and I listened to the steady beat of his heart. How could I risk breaking that heart which beat so true? If my preference counted for anything, I wished with all my being that I would come to find that I loved only him, and that Ardrion was in my past.

xxxxx

Unexpectedly, I was having a chance to show Eomer my home after all, though winter was not the best time for enjoying the sea. The wind in off the water could be most chilling, and usually drove us indoors after only a short time. But Eomer seemed to have a knack for kisses that warmed me clear to my toes, and the weather could not penetrate when he was holding me in his arms.

Despite his presence, I still had to make time to see Ardrion at least once, certainly long enough to let him know what was happening. I had sent word to him the day after Eomer arrived that I would contact him later, but after almost a week, I knew I could put it off no longer.

I arranged to meet him at a secluded spot on the beach where we often went when we wanted to be alone to talk. The rocks provided shelter from the wind. He was already waiting when I arrived, and I was surprised at how nervous I felt after not seeing him for several days. I attributed it to Eomer's presence in the city and the unresolved issues that existed.

I carefully explained my situation, trying to remain as unemotional as possible, but before I finished he took the initiative. "Thiri, I love you! I always have, since first we met. And you loved me – of that I am certain. Do not let this foreigner cloud your mind on the subject! He is different, to be sure, but surely you do not wish to go so far away from your family. I understand your becoming interested in someone else when you thought I was dead, but I am alive! Now things can be as they were!" And before I knew what he intended, he swept me into an embrace and was kissing me.

We had kissed a few times when I was seventeen and it had been thrilling beyond words when it happened. But we were both grown now and this kiss was different. It wasn't at all like the kisses I had shared with Eomer. For one thing, Ardrion was clean shaven and didn't have the beard and mustache that sometimes scratched and sometimes tickled my face. And Eomer's kisses were more...wild. Oh, that isn't really what I mean, it's just…Ardrion's kiss was polite and gentle and restrained. Eomer kissed me with ardor and abandon. And then, all of a sudden, it hit me. I was standing here kissing one man and comparing his kisses unfavorably to those of another man!

I pulled back from Ardrion and gazed at him in disbelief. I'm not sure he understood the look I was giving him, and he apologized for being too forward with me. I sank down onto a rock and stared at the sea. He hesitated to speak, but finally asked, "Thiri? Do you forgive me?"

My focus returned to him and I nodded. "Yes, of course." I stood and looked sadly in his eyes. "Ardrion, I realize now that I do not love you." He started to protest, but I raised a hand to his lips to silence him and continued, "I remember you fondly, but I think at seventeen I was more in love with the idea of love than anything else. If we had married then and I had never met Eomer, then perhaps I could have been happy as your wife. But my heart belongs to him now – completely. I let my guilty conscience persuade me that I might still harbor feelings for you, but I know that it is only friendship I feel. I am sorry."

He looked at me sadly, then lowered his gaze from mine. Finally, he admitted, "I think I knew that. I have enjoyed being with you these past few weeks, but it was not the same as before. Believe me when I say that I do wish you – and Eomer – every happiness." With that, he kissed my cheek, then turned and strode quickly away. Only then did I become aware of the tears streaming down my face.

Part of me thought I should feel saddened by what had just taken place, but all I could feel was elation – and an earnest desire to see Eomer as soon as possible. I took off running for the palace and skidded into the front hall, completely out of breath. When finally I could breathe enough to speak, I asked a servant if she knew where King Eomer was and she said he was in the library with Amrothos.

Hastily I headed that way and found them seated by the fire, chatting about Rohan. Both looked up at my entrance, and each raised an eyebrow at my flushed face and rapid breathing. Before either could speak, I said quietly, "Get out, Amrothos." My eyes never left Eomer as I moved slowly toward him.

Amrothos stood, saying, "I am not sure it is a good idea for me to leave you two alone..."

But Eomer seemed to sense my purpose and reiterated, "Get out, Amrothos."

With a chuckle, my brother sauntered to the door, calling casually over his shoulder, "Alright, I will go – but see that you restrict yourselves to smooching or Father will have my neck!"

Eomer made to stand, but I pushed him back into his chair and took a seat on his lap. He was in no doubt where I was headed and met my kiss halfway. As Amrothos put it, we did a lot of 'smooching' then. And when we needed a brief rest, I spoke aloud what my lips had been trying to convey: that I loved him, and only him, and if he still wanted me I would gladly become his wife. From the look in his eyes, I knew we were speaking the same language and he did not mistake my meaning. I was glad to see the guarded look disappear from his face, and I made a mental note to try never to do anything to cause its return.