A/N: several of you have asked me what i meant by "lothiriel's love is saved for a man you have yet to meet......" and you would be correct in surmising that it is not our king of rohan. be patient, my readers, for all shall be revealed in due time......
btw, lionel joseph: how's this for a longer chapter?
**disclaimer** i don't own any of tolkien's stuff. unless you count my posters, and my two editions of lotr, the hobbit, unfinished tales, the tolkien reader, and uh, yeah, you get the point........meanwhile, enjoy the story!
Chapter VII
February, T.A. 3021
It was a semi-quiet day in the tavern (for once). Alquayendi was in the kitchen eating a late lunch when the riders arrived. They first went the stables, making sure that the king's horse was still there. The three riders walked into the tavern, sitting at a sheltered table, waiting.
"Oy, Alquayendi! There's a coopla guests at a table in the corner. Can ye get the order from them?" Nob stuck his head in the door to the kitchen.
Alquayendi nodded, hastily wiping her face on a napkin. She stepped into the main room and glanced around. "Nob, I don't see--" She stopped short as a man stepped out of the shadows. Her eyes went wide. "What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
"I might ask you the same, my princess." The man bowed deeply, his blonde hair falling over his broad shoulders.
Lothiriel glared at the king of Rohan. "I won't leave with you."
Eomer straightened. "Oh? That's too bad; I already sent Nob to fetch your things." He smiled at her.
"Well then Nob will just have to return my belongings to my room because I am not leaving the inn, let alone the town. And besides, you have no right to take me away."
"No right?" he laughed at her. "You run away from Rivendell without so much as a by-your-leave, and you tell me I have no right? You are much mistaken, madam, for I have every right in the world. You and I are betrothed, and, for now, you are in my custody, by order of your father. And if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get on the road." He turned to go, expecting her to follow. When she did not, he spun around, walked back, and put his arms around her waist. "Come along, princess," he said, and picking her up, he carried her out the door to the stables.
"LET ME GO THIS INSTANT YOU CAD! I MEAN IT! I swear, I'll tell my father I want out of this arrangement! HE'LL NEVER LET YOU MARRY ME NOW! PUT ME DOWN!" Lothiriel's shouts of outrage echoed down the street as Eomer threw her over Firefoot's saddle. He signaled to the other riders to follow, and the company left the villagers of Bree wondering what in the world could have compelled dear Alquayendi the barmaid to make such a fuss over marrying a handsome lord like that.
************
It was the fifth night since Bree. Lothiriel was still not speaking to Eomer. She wandered around the camp, glaring at him every chance she had. He glared back. The others traveling with them (i.e., Mista, Benn, Thalion, and a couple Rohirrim) were rather perturbed by their lord and lady. The two managed to make everyone miserable. At long last, Mista became fed up with both of them and confronted Eomer.
"Master Horse-lord, if you do not make your peace with Lothiriel, I will personally sell your horse to the next Dunlending I encounter. Is that understood?"
Eomer scowled at her. "You wouldn't dare."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh wouldn't I?" Mista stared straight into his eyes, her arms crossed, and waited. Finally he sighed and made his way over to where Lothiriel was looking despondently into the river.
"Lady Lothiriel?" he said tentatively. She glanced at him, only to look back at the river.
"Go to..." she muttered.
"What did you say?"
"I said, 'Go to Mordor.'"
"Oh." He sat beside her. "I was there once. It's not an experience I'd like to repeat."
"Hmph."
"Lothiriel, you must understand that I didn't *want* to drag you away from your new profession as a barmaid, but I am under oath from your father to return you to Dol Amroth. I would have left you there if it had been at all possible." She continued to ignore him. He tried a different approach. "Look, no matter how much you despise me, we are stuck in this marriage. It would be senseless not to at least make peace."
"Easy for you to say. You were there. You could have backed out. I had no say in the matter. You did." She turned to give him an accusatory glance. "How much did he pay you?"
Eomer gave her a funny look. "Who? Pay for what?"
"My father." Lothiriel looked at him evenly. "Come now, Master Horse-lord, what was the dowry- price offered for our marriage?"
"Oh." He looked surprised at the forwardness of her question. A bride's dowry was not discussed much--especially not by the betrothed couple. "'Twas not much, two studs and a herd of goats. Your father insisted on the goats though I would have been happy with the studs."
"So I am worth two studs?" asked Lothiriel quietly, turning away.
"I did not say that, milady. Only that that was the wedding gift so-to-speak from your father. You are gift enough, though I have begun to rue the day I agreed to the arrangement." He managed to coax a smile from the princess at this, albeit a small one.
She looked at him again, and he realized that she had been crying softly. "I daresay I have not been the epitome of a docile lady of Gondor."
"Docile, no. Rebellious, yes. But then so was my sister, so I am used to it. In fact, I should have expected you to run off. Eowyn most certainly would have. She was ever the wild girl who would follow the boys around instead of doing her stitching." Lothiriel's smile grew, and Eomer found that he delighted in his new-found ability to make her do so.
"My cousin must have taken up wandering, then, for Mista tells me that they have wed."
"Faramir has tamed my sister some, if you can call it that. She no longer rides across Rohan without escort, though part of that is from the child she carries within her." Eomer leaned back in the grass.
"A child?" Lothiriel gasped. "I wasn't told!"
Eomer snorted. "Eowyn didn't tell me until after I had decided to journey to Rivendell. I suspect she was afraid I would kill her husband for taking advantage of her."
Lothiriel smiled again. "I suspect my own brothers will want to do the same when...." She did not finish her sentence, but instead trailed into silence.
Sensing that her mood was beginning to deteriorate, Eomer stood. "Have we come to a truce, then, my lady?" he asked, extending his hand.
"I suppose we have," she replied as she stood. "Shall we return to the camp?" Eomer nodded, and the two walked back to the fireside in silence.
btw, lionel joseph: how's this for a longer chapter?
**disclaimer** i don't own any of tolkien's stuff. unless you count my posters, and my two editions of lotr, the hobbit, unfinished tales, the tolkien reader, and uh, yeah, you get the point........meanwhile, enjoy the story!
Chapter VII
February, T.A. 3021
It was a semi-quiet day in the tavern (for once). Alquayendi was in the kitchen eating a late lunch when the riders arrived. They first went the stables, making sure that the king's horse was still there. The three riders walked into the tavern, sitting at a sheltered table, waiting.
"Oy, Alquayendi! There's a coopla guests at a table in the corner. Can ye get the order from them?" Nob stuck his head in the door to the kitchen.
Alquayendi nodded, hastily wiping her face on a napkin. She stepped into the main room and glanced around. "Nob, I don't see--" She stopped short as a man stepped out of the shadows. Her eyes went wide. "What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
"I might ask you the same, my princess." The man bowed deeply, his blonde hair falling over his broad shoulders.
Lothiriel glared at the king of Rohan. "I won't leave with you."
Eomer straightened. "Oh? That's too bad; I already sent Nob to fetch your things." He smiled at her.
"Well then Nob will just have to return my belongings to my room because I am not leaving the inn, let alone the town. And besides, you have no right to take me away."
"No right?" he laughed at her. "You run away from Rivendell without so much as a by-your-leave, and you tell me I have no right? You are much mistaken, madam, for I have every right in the world. You and I are betrothed, and, for now, you are in my custody, by order of your father. And if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get on the road." He turned to go, expecting her to follow. When she did not, he spun around, walked back, and put his arms around her waist. "Come along, princess," he said, and picking her up, he carried her out the door to the stables.
"LET ME GO THIS INSTANT YOU CAD! I MEAN IT! I swear, I'll tell my father I want out of this arrangement! HE'LL NEVER LET YOU MARRY ME NOW! PUT ME DOWN!" Lothiriel's shouts of outrage echoed down the street as Eomer threw her over Firefoot's saddle. He signaled to the other riders to follow, and the company left the villagers of Bree wondering what in the world could have compelled dear Alquayendi the barmaid to make such a fuss over marrying a handsome lord like that.
************
It was the fifth night since Bree. Lothiriel was still not speaking to Eomer. She wandered around the camp, glaring at him every chance she had. He glared back. The others traveling with them (i.e., Mista, Benn, Thalion, and a couple Rohirrim) were rather perturbed by their lord and lady. The two managed to make everyone miserable. At long last, Mista became fed up with both of them and confronted Eomer.
"Master Horse-lord, if you do not make your peace with Lothiriel, I will personally sell your horse to the next Dunlending I encounter. Is that understood?"
Eomer scowled at her. "You wouldn't dare."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh wouldn't I?" Mista stared straight into his eyes, her arms crossed, and waited. Finally he sighed and made his way over to where Lothiriel was looking despondently into the river.
"Lady Lothiriel?" he said tentatively. She glanced at him, only to look back at the river.
"Go to..." she muttered.
"What did you say?"
"I said, 'Go to Mordor.'"
"Oh." He sat beside her. "I was there once. It's not an experience I'd like to repeat."
"Hmph."
"Lothiriel, you must understand that I didn't *want* to drag you away from your new profession as a barmaid, but I am under oath from your father to return you to Dol Amroth. I would have left you there if it had been at all possible." She continued to ignore him. He tried a different approach. "Look, no matter how much you despise me, we are stuck in this marriage. It would be senseless not to at least make peace."
"Easy for you to say. You were there. You could have backed out. I had no say in the matter. You did." She turned to give him an accusatory glance. "How much did he pay you?"
Eomer gave her a funny look. "Who? Pay for what?"
"My father." Lothiriel looked at him evenly. "Come now, Master Horse-lord, what was the dowry- price offered for our marriage?"
"Oh." He looked surprised at the forwardness of her question. A bride's dowry was not discussed much--especially not by the betrothed couple. "'Twas not much, two studs and a herd of goats. Your father insisted on the goats though I would have been happy with the studs."
"So I am worth two studs?" asked Lothiriel quietly, turning away.
"I did not say that, milady. Only that that was the wedding gift so-to-speak from your father. You are gift enough, though I have begun to rue the day I agreed to the arrangement." He managed to coax a smile from the princess at this, albeit a small one.
She looked at him again, and he realized that she had been crying softly. "I daresay I have not been the epitome of a docile lady of Gondor."
"Docile, no. Rebellious, yes. But then so was my sister, so I am used to it. In fact, I should have expected you to run off. Eowyn most certainly would have. She was ever the wild girl who would follow the boys around instead of doing her stitching." Lothiriel's smile grew, and Eomer found that he delighted in his new-found ability to make her do so.
"My cousin must have taken up wandering, then, for Mista tells me that they have wed."
"Faramir has tamed my sister some, if you can call it that. She no longer rides across Rohan without escort, though part of that is from the child she carries within her." Eomer leaned back in the grass.
"A child?" Lothiriel gasped. "I wasn't told!"
Eomer snorted. "Eowyn didn't tell me until after I had decided to journey to Rivendell. I suspect she was afraid I would kill her husband for taking advantage of her."
Lothiriel smiled again. "I suspect my own brothers will want to do the same when...." She did not finish her sentence, but instead trailed into silence.
Sensing that her mood was beginning to deteriorate, Eomer stood. "Have we come to a truce, then, my lady?" he asked, extending his hand.
"I suppose we have," she replied as she stood. "Shall we return to the camp?" Eomer nodded, and the two walked back to the fireside in silence.