Pieces of parchment still sailed towards the floor when Uli emerged in the door.
'Oh.' she said with surprise while looking over the utter mess of parchments, mugs and spilled ale. 'Is this not a good time?'
Éomer stood unable to answer her, his nostrils still flaring with anger. She bent down to pick up the parchments that lay scattered around her feet. She piled them neatly and placed them back atop the now empty desk.
'Uli you need not do that.' he said finally but she was already done with a second pile and was going for the tray and mugs. He picked his chair up and sank into it. Once she had cleared the worst of the mess off the floor she sat down in the chair that Amrothos had vacated.
'This may not be my place...' she said and caught Éomer's attention. During the time he had known her, that statement alone was the most humble he'd ever heard the girl.
'I did not mean to overhear, but I did.' she continued. 'I think the prince was rather rude to you, if I may say so.'
'Yes, well. I would appreciate if you were to keep whatever you heard to yourself Uli.'
'I will take it to my grave.' she said in a serious tone. 'I just don't want you to listen to him. The things he said made me angry.'
'He's only looking after his sister, it is any brother's prerogative.'
'It made you angry too!' she said with slight annoyance while sweeping her arm over the mess he had created.
'No Uli, it just..'
'Hit a nerve?' she said.
'Uli.' his voice warned her to continue that trail of thought. She sniffed at him.
'I for one could not be happier that you are marrying Lady Lothíriel. That means that I get to stay here, doesn't it? Or are you sending me away once you have children of your own?'
'No, why would you say that Uli?'
'Well, good. I only wanted to know. And you know what else?'
'No I don't,' he sighed. 'But I am rather sure I'm about to find out.'
She pursed her lips at him.
'I believe you do love the lady princess.'
Éomer was taken aback, and in truth uncomfortable that she had decided to bring it up. Uli might be the last person he wanted to have this conversation with. He had no time to reply.
'Why else would you set off after her? Why else would you take her in, take me in? You two have been spending an awful lot of time together and given it may of be her making but you have certainly done very little to stop it. Don't think I haven't seen the way you look at her. She's a pretty thing, I can't blame you. But for that princeling to suggest otherwise. It's just rude!'
Éomer smiled, a little relieved that she had not caught on to the truth.
'Brother or not, he should congratulate you, not question you. Right?'
Éomer raised his eyebrows and nodded. The girl had a point.
'Now, I only came to tell you that Earen is tucked in for the night and I wish to do the same, if that would please you.'
'Of course Uli. Thank you. And remember..'
'Not a word, need I remind you every single day that I'm no half-wit?' she rose to leave but paused before she reached the door.
'You know, if there was even a sliver of truth in what he said... I believe you will come to love her. She may be a Gondorian noble, with everything that implies. She may have been schooled for something quite different from.. this.. I even find her kind of boring sometimes..
'Do not say such things.' Éomer interrupted.
'Yes, yes.. I mean no disrespect. I just mean to say that despite all of that, I think she's a good person. And I think you are a good person and I believe that if you only got used to the idea, the two of you could be really happy together... I'll take my leave now. A good night to you, my lord.'
Éomer stared after the girl. It left him quite baffled that in her blunt, heedless, whirlwind of a mind, she could bring forth such insight.