Woooooow. I am so sorry for the delay. When I say I had no creative motivation over the last several months...But I'm back! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's shorter than usual, but it packs a punch!
Chapter Eleven (Third Age 3020)
Eomer was going to fail his Realm. There was no other outcome if he could not bring himself to focus in the meetings he was in nearly every day.
He would be asked a question and then he would have to shake himself from the daydream he had been inhabiting.
If he did not fail Rohan because he did not pay attention, it would be because he would collapse from a lack of sleep.
There had not been one night since their first reunion, that he hadn't gone to Mareke's chambers around midnight. He never stayed, but when he returned to his rooms he could not quiet his mind enough to rest.
It was not visions of a sexual nature that kept him awake, but of a future he had never imagined to be possible before he came to Rohan.
He would lie awake all night, envisioning strolls through the gardens of Meduseld with the family he so desperately wanted to create. In those visions, Adnan went running along the path, being chased by a little boy who was a shade or two darker than Eomer. Mareke was at his side, with her arm looped through his. In some of his imaginings, her stomach was swollen, expecting another child of theirs as she sat next to him in the throne room and in his council chambers, sometimes across from him in his study helping him to rule his Realm.
"What do you think of that, Eomer-King?" Aragorn asked him one afternoon.
Eomer stared at the other man blankly. "I apologize. I was elsewhere. Could you repeat yourself?"
ooooOoooo
Mareke had changed up the evening routine of the palace one night. Instead of dining in the great entertaining hall as they had been, she had arranged for their meal to be served outside in the desert, under the stars.
The air in the evening was refreshing rather than stifling as it could be during the day and so she thought that it might be a nice change of pace for those who spent their days locked away in council chambers to get some fresh air.
Thick rugs and colorful pillows had been scattered about so that the guests could eat on the ground in some comfort.
"This is beautiful," Eowyn said, awestruck, as the group made their way toward the canopied structure with Faramir and her brother.
"Indeed it is," Eomer agreed, though he was looking at Mareke who stood in the middle of all she had created with a welcoming smile on her face.
"Have a seat wherever you like," she said, gesturing at all of the space. At the edge of the tent, food was being prepared and it smelled heavenly.
"Princess, when you are ready, would you join me?" King Elessar asked Mareke. "I have learned much of Harad's politics, but would learn more of your culture."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Mareke replied with a gentle smile. "I would be honored."
Eomer sighed inwardly. He knew Aragorn had no interest in the Haradrim princess with his own wife waiting in Minas Tirith, but it was just one more demand on her time.
With every hour that passed, he felt his time in Harad slipping through his fingers. He detested having to spend most of that time in council with the other rulers, but even more he wanted to remove everyone else in the evenings so that they could be together for more than the few hours they stole.
Eomer sat with his sister and brother-in-law and a few nobles from Rohan and Ithilien respectively.
He was broken out of his reverie by Adan plopping roughly down next to him, already munching on the cinnamon dessert bread he loved so much.
"I like a girl too, Eomer," the little boy announced loudly, commiserating with the Rohirric King.
"'Too?' I am not sure what you are talking about, little prince," Eomer replied, though he could feel his face flushing.
"Yes you are," Adnan insisted. "You look at my mother like I look at Sumaya." Adnan sighed and looked wistfully across the tent to where an adolescent girl, perhaps a few years older than Adnan, was standing with who were presumably her parents. "And I look at Sumaya like I look at cinnamon bread."
Eowyn nearly choked on the fruit juice she had been drinking. "Presumably like you wish to devour her," she said when she had recovered.
Adnan nodded and then looked back up at Eomer.
"At least Mother dances with you all of the times you ask," Adnan said dejectedly. "Sumaya is not interested."
"That is kind of your mother, for Eomer surely asks her to dance a lot."
"Eowyn," Faramir tried to sound stern, but at the same time was suppressing his laughter, or trying to."What is it you like about Mother?" Adnan asked. "She is rather strict and bossy."
"She is stern because you are a hellion," Eowyn told the boy with a playful pinch.
Eomer wished he could sink into the sand dunes they sat upon rather than answer the prince in front of those who were sharing his rug.
"I do not like your mother more than anyone else," Eomer said in a fierce whisper. "I am not sure why you think that."
"Well it could be because you are always staring at her, trying to be near her, dancing with her, grumbling when others are spending too much time with her in your opinion," Eowyn chimed in helpfully. "And the other things I will not mention in present company," she whispered so only her brother could hear.
"Thank you, Eowyn," Eomer grumbled. "Fine then. I think your mother is very bright. She is kind and hardworking." He looked over to where she was sitting with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. They were all laughing at something she had said and she was still talking with her hands as she explained something to them, eyes shining. "She is witty and charming and very beautiful." Eomer looked down at the little boy. "Oh and she somehow manages to put up with you, which speaks to her limitless patience."
Adnan stood and stuck his tongue out at Eomer before trotting off to try once more to engage Sumaya in conversation.
"Well that was rude. You did not have to be mean to him," Eowyn said.
"I do not want to hear another word from you for the rest of the evening," Eomer replied, no jest in his voice
ooooOoooo
"I heard that Adnan embarrassed you this evening," Mareke said, late that night as they were curled around one another, her head on his broad chest.
"Who told you that?"
"Adnan," she laughed.
"Yes well," Eomer sighed. "He did make me enumerate all of the reasons I admire you in front of a crowd."
"He told me what you said and that your neck was bright red," Mareke laughed again. She propped her chin on his chest so that she could look at him. "You said very kind things."
Eomer grumbled. "How could I not? You are all that I think about."
Mareke's brow furrowed. "Do not let me cloud your mind," she said quietly. "You are here to do very important work."
"Easier said than done," Eomer replied, pushing her curls away from her face.
"You flatter me," she responded, pressing her lips to his still warm skin.
"It is not flattery. I do not flatter for the sake of it."
Eomer leaned down and kissed her deeply. He held back from telling her of all of his daydreams. He could not be sure that she felt the same way or if she was just using him as a form of entertainment while he was in her home.
As he laid there with her warm, soft body in his arms, Eomer felt the powerful urge to tell her everything he was feeling, but even in the dark he kept his eyes trained on the ceiling, not wanting to look down at her.
"I do care for you a great deal, Mareke," he said.
Mareke did not respond. When she realized what he was confessing to, she tried with all her might to deepen her breathing and put on the air of sleeping soundly on his shoulder.
Eomer sighed as he stroked her arm, laying there until his own eyes grew heavy and he drifted off into more dreams of the future he so desperately wished to create with her.
ooooOoooo
Eomer woke to sunlight falling across his face and he immediately cursed to himself in Rohirric. When they had begun their nightly visits he had been very good about leaving Mareke's rooms so that no one would ever know he had been there, but he had overslept that morning.
Luckily, Mareke was sleeping peacefully and she remained that way as he gently untangled himself from her and stood, dressing quickly. If he woke her, he knew he would have to deal with her anger at putting them in such a position.
Once he was dressed, he quietly crept from her chambers, letting out a breath as he shut the door behind him without running into a servant.
"Eomer?"
Without turning around, Eomer cursed to the door.
"What are you doing here so early?"
Finally, Eomer turned to see Adnan, his curls a wild mess and face still puffy from sleeping, staring up at him confused.
"Oh," Eomer said slowly, stalling as best he could. "I was coming to ask if you and your mother wanted to have breakfast in my chambers later this morning, but your mother was sleeping so perhaps another day."
Adnan rubbed his eyes with his fists. "That sounds nice," he said before stepping around Eomer and going into his mother's rooms.
"Mama," he said, as he entered her bedroom and made his way to her bed.
"Hmmm?" she murmured, scooting over a little bit so he could crawl in.
Her son did not often come to her bed as he had when he was younger, but she relished it.
"Eomer was here. He wants us to have breakfast in his chambers someday."
Mareke's eyes shot open. "Eomer?"
"Yes. He was outside your door."
Mareke gently stroked his unruly curls. "I think you were still dreaming. I am sure Eomer was not here. He would be sleeping in his rooms, you silly little prince."
ooooOoooo
When he was safely back in his rooms, Eomer shut the door and leaned his forehead against it. He knew that Mareke was going to be furious with him when she found out that Adnan had spotted him.
"You should be more careful or everyone here will know that you have taken the Haradrim princess to your bed. Or, more aptly, that she has taken you to hers."
Eomer jumped in fright and whirled around, his hand going to the knife at his belt. "Bema's balls, Eowyn!"
His sister was sitting at the dining table looking at him with a bemused smile. It was truly just about the last thing Eomer could handle in that instant.
"What? I was just going to see if you wanted to go for an early morning ride before it got too hot, but I see that you were previously occupied."
"Now is not the time," Eomer grumbled, taking a heavy seat across from her.
Eowyn reached her hand out and took her brother's on the table. "We are here making alliances. Why do you not just marry her, Eomer?"
ooooOoooo
"You seem rather distracted today," Amrothos said, sitting next to Mareke at the small lunch she was hosting. Most of the men were still in the council chambers and so it was the few women who had come to Harad and Haradrim nobles who were not participating in the talks.
"Hmm?" She turned to look at him and shook her head. "Oh. I just did not sleep well is all," she replied.
"Well hopefully you can get some rest when all of us have departed," Amrothos said. "Though I must admit, I am not looking forward to that day."
"Nor am I," Mareke said. "These halls will be rather quiet without all of you here."
Mareke could sense that there might be another admission of strong feelings about to be shared and she was not in the correct state of mind to receive that, so she stood on the pretense of visiting with the other people present.
After a few minutes more of mingling, Mareke left the small dining room and went back to her chambers.
"I did not expect you until this evening," Oyna said, looking up from where she had been mending a set of Adnan's breeches in the princess' sitting room.
"Yes, well it is all getting to be a bit much," Mareke said, sitting heavily on the sofa across from her companion and putting her head in her hands.
"The entertaining?"
"I understand that this is what is best for Harad and what will ultimately be best for Adnan, but I wish I was not playing such a central role," Mareke said as though she had not heard Oyna. "I feel so visible and exposed."
Oyna's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I do not know," Mareke sighed. "I wish I had been able to disappear and be forgotten after my time in Minas Tirith."
"You have seemed to enjoy yourself," Oyna responded. "Have I misunderstood?"
"No, you have not, but that is the problem. This cannot last."
"I think you are making a hasty decision if you are going to close yourself off to some more enjoyment. They say everything happens for a reason. All of these people are meant to be here and meant to see you."
"Yes, well, be that as it may…"
ooooOoooo
Later that evening, Eomer sought Mareke out as she went from table to table talking to the guests once more. He could see the routine was beginning to wear on her.
He took her arm gently and pulled her away from Faramir and Aragorn.
"Princess Mareke, might I speak with you?"
"Excuse me," Mareke said to the other men, allowing herself to be led away.
"I am not quite in the mood for this, Eomer, all things considered," she said when they were safely away from the crowd and in the garden.
"I am sorry for this morning," he said. "I fell asleep. I was so comfortable in bed with you. It felt so natural."
Mareke softened. "You are lucky I convinced Adnan that he was still dreaming."
Eomer took both of her hands in his much larger ones.
Mareke looked around them frantically, trying to free herself, but Eomer's grip only tightened. "What are you doing?" she hissed.
"It does not matter anymore," Eomer said, looking deep into her dark eyes.
"What do you mean? Of course it does."
"Mareke, I want to marry you," Eomer said earnestly. "It is all I can think of. Rohan is going to go to ruin. I have not been able to focus on the councils in days. All I can think of is you and Adnan in Rohan. I see our lives there together. I see our children. I see the Realm thriving. I have to have you by my side. I learned that a man at war is desperate to make plans for the future because it is so uncertain if he will have one or not, but I never made a single plan. I sat around fires and rode leagues and leagues with men around me talking of the homes they would build and the children they would father, but I could not see my future until I met you. I have seen to the Realm, but not once have I thought of what would happen for me. Until I came here and we have spent all of this time together. Mareke, you are all I think about. I see us strolling the gardens of Meduseld with an absolute gaggle of children. You must marry me and make that my reality."
Mareke's eyes widened in panic. "Have you lost your mind?"
Eomer's brow furrowed. "What?"
"Marriage?"
"I am here to forge treaties. What better way to do that than with a marriage?" Eomer squeezed her hands again. "And you could use my protection. Do you think Prince Eldacar will be the last to harass you if you remain unwed? No one would ever dream of harming you if you were my wife and queen."
Mareke's breath caught in her chest.
Finally, she managed to calm herself. "Have you spoken to my father of this?"
Eomer shook his head. "I respect you too much to not speak to you first, you surely know that."
"Do not mention this to him," she commanded.
"Why not?"
"Because if you did, he would surely agree to it."
Eomer dropped her hands. "And that would be such a bad thing?" He was growing angry. He had thought the situation would go very differently. He had imagined Mareke going weak with joy in his arms and smothering her with kisses, perhaps taking her to bed when no one was watching.
"Yes!" she shouted, before quickly looking around. "How could it be good? I would be sent to Rohan to rear your children, while having to leave my son behind. My father may send me to you, but he would never agree to let his heir grow up somewhere else. As a King yourself, you can surely understand how detrimental it would be for Adnan to grow up away from his land and people." Mareke looked up at him desperately. "How much more detrimental would it be for him to grow up without his only remaining parent? Without his mother?"
Realization crashed over Eomer and he dropped her hands, staring at her for a long moment. "This cannot be happening," he whispered, voice raw.
"Eomer," Mareke said his name quietly, realizing that she had been harsh.
Without another word, he stalked off, leaving her alone in the garden.
Adnan caught sight of the King making his way quickly through the hall and the boy followed him through the huge doors and out into the corridor.
"Eomer!" Adnan began to run to catch up with the tall man. "Eomer wait!"
"I do not have the time right now, Adnan," Eomer said, not even bothering to look over his shoulder at the boy.
"Could we go for another ride tomorrow?"
Eomer whirled around. "I said I do not have the time!" he yelled venomously.
Adnan stood stock still, trying not to let the King see that tears were pricking his eyes. He was confused and frightened. Eomer had never been anything but kind to him.
Eomer's chest was heaving as he stared down at the dark child. Right there before him was the biggest obstacle he had ever encountered and he had never hated another person more.
Adnan shrunk at the look in Eomer's eyes and went hurrying back into the hall.
And there it is! The moment we've all been dreading. I hope some of you are still reading this and willing to review. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading,
Avonmora