25# Him

After all the madness of late the calm of the sea was very welcome to Lothíriel. It offered all of them to catch their breaths after their journey from Fanara's tribe and then the unfortunate happenings on Captain Cairon's ship. Now they were on board of Erchirion's ship and they were heading home, and looking ahead Lothíriel felt hopeful. Even so she truly wished the way before them would not have any more twists and turns.

The day was rather nice if windy, and she was stood by the railing of the ship, leaning her elbows on the wood of it and gazing off to distance. The perilous southern lands were now behind and they were heading north... heading home. Idly she thought how it would be like... how soon they might be travelling to Minas Tirith and then Rohan. With some concern she thought of the journey to the Mark and hoped by then her horselord would be recovered enough to let her close. She did her best to give him space, but sometimes... well, it wasn't so easy when she remembered how untroubled their relationship had been before he had left for war.

She heard steps behind herself and turned to see Éomer approaching her, as though her musings had summoned him. The thing she noticed right away was he had at last shaved off that awful beard; without the bushy mass of it he looked more like his old self, though it also revealed the new sharpness of his features. Though he did not look so famished anymore now that he was eating properly, there was gauntness still lingering on his face. Quietly, he stopped before her and looked like he would have wanted to say something, but could not conjure the words.

Lothíriel smiled at him. She crossed the small space remaining between them, and ever so gently she lifted her hands to his face. She felt the warmth of his skin, the rough texture of the now short beard, and it was all she could do from kissing him right there.

"You look good, my dear", she told him gently. She searched his eyes and asked him, "But do you feel good?"

"I... I try to", he said quietly and would have looked away had she allowed him.

"You don't have to try anything you can't or want", she told him in soft tones. Then Lothíriel wrapped arms about him and hugged him tight. "I love you. Remember that, will you?"

"Aye", he muttered softly and slowly she could feel him relaxing in her embrace. "You're very dear to me as well, you brave woman."

He spoke so quietly she barely heard him... but she did, and those words were closest thing to I love you too right now. So she smiled and tiptoed to kiss his bearded cheek.

"What would you say about some sparring, o beloved bear of mine?" she asked. Éomer lifted his eyebrows.

"I shaved the beard. I'm not looking like a bear anymore", he told her, but she couldn't help but grin.

"Don't worry. You're a very handsome bear", she replied lightly... and felt warmth spreading in her heart when she spied the light in his eyes.

A/N: And here's a new little scene! Hope you liked it.

I felt like I don't really have that much inspiration for writing these scenes for the time they spent in Harad, and I still want to catch up with ALTE, so now we are at the sea again. I may write one or two more scenes for when they are sailing.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

almythea - And here's a new one! :)

Jo - Yes, I do feel they add that little extra something to ALTE. :)

Thalia - I thought as well it'd be better to just move on to this part. And at any rate I did not feel like I had much to add to the part about Éomer's captivity.