A/N: you may have wondered why, exactly, i have a pg-13 rating for this (because, as yet, there has been no reason for one). well, this is (sort of) the start of it. NO, they do NOT have sex, you dirty- minded people (at least not yet...hehe). but there may be a few, um, off-color remarks and situations in the next couple of chapters.
ah, yes! congratulations to lariren-shadow for correctly guessing the foreshadowing! i don't think i'll say what it is yet, in case the rest of you want to guess (hint: it has to do with one of the songs mentioned in the last chapter).
**disclaimer** i recently bought an aragorn poster because they don't make eomer posters (well, there is one, but eowyn and theoden are on it, too, which ruins all the fun). that's the closest i'll ever get to owning the king of rohan or any of his cohorts.
Chapter XI
April, T.A. 3021
Two more mugs of ale later, Eomer finally convinced Lothiriel to dance with him. Well, *try* to dance with him. She tripped on his feet several times, both because of the strangeness of the Rohirric dance and all of the ale she had had. She was so drunk that Eomer was afraid she would fall flat on her face if he let her go for a moment. Luckily, the song was a short one. When it ended, Lothiriel staggered over to a nearby chair and collapsed, giggling. Eomer followed her.
"Lothiriel," he asked, "shall we go outside?"
"Alone?" giggled the princess. "Without a chaperone?" Eomer nodded. "We'll be scandalized! It isn't proper for a..a..." she faltered.
"A princess?" offered Eomer.
"Yes, a princess and a king to go unattended." She shook her head vigorously only to stop mid- shake and hold it in her hands. "Outssside would be nice."
Eomer sighed and lifted her up. "Come on then, my lady. You need fresh air." He carried her out to a stone bench where he lay her head on his chest. She giggled even harder at this.
"Oh, you shouldn't do that!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with wine-bright eyes. "It's scandal! What will my father say? What will the king say?"
"I am the king," he replied. "And I say you are not taking part in scandal....Not yet at least," he said under his breath.
"I know you're the king of Rohan, silly! I meant the other king. Lord Aragorn, King Elessar. What would he say if he found out that I was here with you...alone?" Lothiriel drew the last word out as if it was a "naughty" word.
"I doubt Aragorn will mind. He is married after all."
"It's a pity Arwen married him--he was well sought-after all over Middle Earth." She looked up at Eomer. "I would'a married him if he'd asked me. Anyone would!"
"Yes," the Rohirric lord murmured distractedly. Her hair smelled nice--a mixture of hay and wildflowers. It was beautiful, he noted, dark and wavy, so unlike the golden hair of his own people.
Lothiriel sat up and leaned closer to him, burying her head in his chest. "Eomer, I must tell you something."
He looked down at her dark head and put his arm around her. "Yes?"
"When I was younger, and still in Dol Amroth, Faramir and Boromir would visit. We--us and Mista--would play on the beach, and always Boromir and Mista would be king and queen, and Faramir and I the rulers of Harad. We'd build forts of sand and our faithful 'husbands' would swprdfight. And I believed it would be that way forever: me marrying Faramir, Mista marrying Boromir.
As we grew older, of course, I realized it wouldn't be like that. Faramir and Boromir went to war, I was sent to Rivendell, and Mista stayed in Dol Amroth. I was lonely in Rivendell. Ten years is a long time to be away from kin. And then, three years ago, Boromir came! We spent several hours together, him telling me of all that had happened. But all too soon," she sighed, "he left, and my connection to the world without was again gone." She looked up at Eomer. "It's a funny place, isn't it?"
"Hmm?" He glanced down at her, expecting more talk of Boromir.
"Well, I used to think I'd marry Faramir," she explained, "before I knew better. Then your sister did, and now I'm marrying you. So he and I are still sort of half-married, aren't we?"
"You're drunk," he said, smiling.
Lothiriel grinned up at him. "Yessh," she slurred and leaned into his chest, snoring gently.
A/N (again): another short chapter, i'm sorry. hope you liked lothiriel's confession...probably not what you were expecting at all. next up: mass confusion when the princess wakes up in an absolutely scandalous room! and a tender side to the gruff king of rohan.......btw, if you haven't noticed, the word of the day is scandalous.
ah, yes! congratulations to lariren-shadow for correctly guessing the foreshadowing! i don't think i'll say what it is yet, in case the rest of you want to guess (hint: it has to do with one of the songs mentioned in the last chapter).
**disclaimer** i recently bought an aragorn poster because they don't make eomer posters (well, there is one, but eowyn and theoden are on it, too, which ruins all the fun). that's the closest i'll ever get to owning the king of rohan or any of his cohorts.
Chapter XI
April, T.A. 3021
Two more mugs of ale later, Eomer finally convinced Lothiriel to dance with him. Well, *try* to dance with him. She tripped on his feet several times, both because of the strangeness of the Rohirric dance and all of the ale she had had. She was so drunk that Eomer was afraid she would fall flat on her face if he let her go for a moment. Luckily, the song was a short one. When it ended, Lothiriel staggered over to a nearby chair and collapsed, giggling. Eomer followed her.
"Lothiriel," he asked, "shall we go outside?"
"Alone?" giggled the princess. "Without a chaperone?" Eomer nodded. "We'll be scandalized! It isn't proper for a..a..." she faltered.
"A princess?" offered Eomer.
"Yes, a princess and a king to go unattended." She shook her head vigorously only to stop mid- shake and hold it in her hands. "Outssside would be nice."
Eomer sighed and lifted her up. "Come on then, my lady. You need fresh air." He carried her out to a stone bench where he lay her head on his chest. She giggled even harder at this.
"Oh, you shouldn't do that!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with wine-bright eyes. "It's scandal! What will my father say? What will the king say?"
"I am the king," he replied. "And I say you are not taking part in scandal....Not yet at least," he said under his breath.
"I know you're the king of Rohan, silly! I meant the other king. Lord Aragorn, King Elessar. What would he say if he found out that I was here with you...alone?" Lothiriel drew the last word out as if it was a "naughty" word.
"I doubt Aragorn will mind. He is married after all."
"It's a pity Arwen married him--he was well sought-after all over Middle Earth." She looked up at Eomer. "I would'a married him if he'd asked me. Anyone would!"
"Yes," the Rohirric lord murmured distractedly. Her hair smelled nice--a mixture of hay and wildflowers. It was beautiful, he noted, dark and wavy, so unlike the golden hair of his own people.
Lothiriel sat up and leaned closer to him, burying her head in his chest. "Eomer, I must tell you something."
He looked down at her dark head and put his arm around her. "Yes?"
"When I was younger, and still in Dol Amroth, Faramir and Boromir would visit. We--us and Mista--would play on the beach, and always Boromir and Mista would be king and queen, and Faramir and I the rulers of Harad. We'd build forts of sand and our faithful 'husbands' would swprdfight. And I believed it would be that way forever: me marrying Faramir, Mista marrying Boromir.
As we grew older, of course, I realized it wouldn't be like that. Faramir and Boromir went to war, I was sent to Rivendell, and Mista stayed in Dol Amroth. I was lonely in Rivendell. Ten years is a long time to be away from kin. And then, three years ago, Boromir came! We spent several hours together, him telling me of all that had happened. But all too soon," she sighed, "he left, and my connection to the world without was again gone." She looked up at Eomer. "It's a funny place, isn't it?"
"Hmm?" He glanced down at her, expecting more talk of Boromir.
"Well, I used to think I'd marry Faramir," she explained, "before I knew better. Then your sister did, and now I'm marrying you. So he and I are still sort of half-married, aren't we?"
"You're drunk," he said, smiling.
Lothiriel grinned up at him. "Yessh," she slurred and leaned into his chest, snoring gently.
A/N (again): another short chapter, i'm sorry. hope you liked lothiriel's confession...probably not what you were expecting at all. next up: mass confusion when the princess wakes up in an absolutely scandalous room! and a tender side to the gruff king of rohan.......btw, if you haven't noticed, the word of the day is scandalous.