A/N: haha! yes, i wanted to make it a stalemate (didn't start out that way...was going to have her win, but then we realized chasm was right {don't tell him i said that}, so taran and i changed it). eokat, i'm glad you liked the chapter title. came up with it all by meself (with a little help from a famous proverb/quote/thing).
i dedicate this chapter to taran for getting me through my brief bout of writer's block. i also want to give a tip-of-the-hat to sherwood smith, author of crown duel, who inadvertently gave me the idea for eomer's wager (go read crown duel...it's wonderful!).
**disclaimer** do you have any idea how hard it is to write a new disclaimer for every chapter? it's not easy. well, i don't own anything except for my oc's. and i don't even know if they'll show up in this chapter.
Chapter XIV
April, T.A. 3021
Eomer and Lothiriel walked back to the city together. At last, Eomer broke the silence. "Would you care to go for a ride this evening, milady?"
"Please, I've told you before, call me Lothiriel. And yes, a ride would be nice."
"We could take some food with us and have dinner together. I know a lovely place by a stream where we could eat." He looked at her.
"That would be wonderful," Lothiriel replied.
"In an hour then?"
She smiled. "In an hour."
************
They met in the stables. Eomer had already procured some food and had packed it in a saddlebag. Firefoot was stomping the ground, impatient to leave. Lothiriel, however, was looking around, clearly agitated. Eomer turned to her. "Lothiriel?"
"Yes?" She looked surprised.
"What is wrong?"
"I have no horse. I rode one of Thalion's here, but he took it back to Bree when he left."
"Oh. I see." Eomer glanced around at the horses in the stalls. All of them were owned by his men; he couldn't take any of them without causing a fuss, and there wasn't time to hunt down another horse. "Ride with me."
"W-with you?" she stuttered, fully aware of the implications.
Eomer, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the fact that what he had said could be seen as a lewd remark. "Yes. Firefoot is most certainly big enough for two people. Besides, he likes you enough that I won't have to worry about him being agitated." It was true enough. The horse had given up on leaving and was instead snorting into Lothiriel's hair. Against her better judgement, she consented, and Eomer helped her onto the horse. He pulled himself into the saddle behind her, and the threesome took off.
************
As they rode across the plains, Eomer took the chance to ask Lothiriel a question that had bothered him for quite some time. "Why did you take Firefoot to Bree?"
Lothiriel turned slightly. "Honestly? I'm not completely sure. I wanted to infuriate you because I felt that...well, because. I also knew that he was the fastest horse in the valley. I wonder if maybe I took him because I knew you wouldn't have come for me otherwise. You didn't care about me at the time, only the horse, right?"
"You are, unfortunately, completely correct. I am glad now, that you took him. Had you come into trouble, he would have kept you safe. That is how our horses are trained: they protect their riders and are our friends in the darkest of hours." He smiled, though Lothiriel could not see it.
At length, they came to a small stream at the bottom of a hill. Eomer halted and slid with easy grace off the horse's back. He held his arms out to Lothiriel, who jumped lightly into them. They separated after a moment and went to their tasks, Lothiriel setting up their meal and Eomer caring for Firefoot.
Their fare was simple, but elegant. They sat in silence, happy to be in each other's presence. Then, Eomer threw a grape at Lothiriel, hitting her in the eye. "Ow!" she cried. "What was that for?"
He grinned at her. "You were being too quiet to be up to anything good."
"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow. "And what of you? I am not the one who throws food like a little boy."
"Yes, well at least I don't cheat at duels."
"I'll have you know that I did not cheat. I was merely making up for what I lack in brute strength."
"By hitting me in the stomach with that stick of yours?"
At that, Lothiriel was indignant. "That was no stick! I'll have you know that I defeated you with a glaive, one of my people's finest weapons!"
"Glaive, stick, to me they are one and the same," he replied nonchalantly.
"They would be to you. They don't require the wielder to be made entirely out of muscle as your swords do. In fact, I doubt you could use one properly!"
"And I daresay I can!" he shouted back at her, leaving Lothiriel slightly stunned by the volume and annoyance in his voice.
"Fine. Prove it." She crossed her arms and looked at him.
Eomer sat silently for a moment. "I don't know how," he said quietly.
Lothiriel sighed. "Would you like me to show you?"
"Yes."
"Very well." She stood up and looked around. There were a couple of scraggly trees across the stream. Lothiriel unlaced her boots and rolled up her pants. She waded the stream, as Eomer watched her with interest. She reached the other side, circled the trees, and finding a good branch, she reached up, grabbed it, and broke it off. Lothiriel threw it over to Eomer and re-crossed the stream. "Your glaive, good sir."
"It's too short," he said, standing. It reached half-way up his torso.
"Actually, it is too tall." Lothiriel took it back from him and broke it across her knee so that it only reached to his waist. "Now it is just right."
Eomer swung it around a bit. "Looks like a stick to me." He smirked at her.
She scowled at him. "If it was a real glaive, there would be a ten-inch blade similar to that of a dagger on one end, and it would be inlaid with steel. It can be wielded as a staff, sword, or spear would be, thus making it an invaluable weapon. It can also be thrown, as such." She took it in her hands again and twirled around, letting it free from her hands to have it slam into the side of the hill.
"A formidable weapon."
"Yes." Lothiriel retrieved the staff. "My kin have used it for centuries." She tossed the glaive to Eomer. He took it in his hands and twirled around the same way she had and let it fly. Instead of hitting the hill, however, it spun and hit Lothiriel.
"Ai! Ai!" she cried, covering her eye with her hands.
"Lothiriel! Are you alright?" Eomer rushed over to where she huddled on the ground.
Lothiriel sat up slightly and turned. Her eyes were watery, and already a bruise was forming at the corner of her left eye. "I'll be fine, I think. It caught me right here." She indicated the fast-swelling lump next to her eye.
"I'm sorry. I should not have done that," Eomer breathed into her face.
Lothiriel was suddenly aware of their close proximity. She tried to smile. "It's alright. I hit Amrothos several times before I got the hang of throwing it."
"You'll have a black eye before we get back," he said, tenderly brushing the bruise with his fingers. Lothiriel's breath caught as he took her head in his hands and kissed her, gently, like he had that night in Hollin.
"You have collected your wager, then?" asked Lothiriel, almost dejectedly.
"Did I say such?" he returned.
"No...." He leaned in again, and kissed her more passionately. She stiffened, surprised, and then returned the kiss. They drew away, their breath ragged.
He grinned. "I have collected my wager."
"It's getting late," whispered Lothiriel. "We should head back." The sun had almost set, and she had no wish to be outside of the city unchaperoned with Eomer. The kiss moments before had firmed her resolve. It would not do for her to awake in a predicament similar to that of the day before, especially not if something actually happened.
"You are right. We don't need to have a scandal on our hands." Lothiriel was glad that the sun was behind her, so he could not see her blush.
They cleaned up from their meal, remounted Firefoot, and rode back to Edoras, each lost in their own thoughts.
i dedicate this chapter to taran for getting me through my brief bout of writer's block. i also want to give a tip-of-the-hat to sherwood smith, author of crown duel, who inadvertently gave me the idea for eomer's wager (go read crown duel...it's wonderful!).
**disclaimer** do you have any idea how hard it is to write a new disclaimer for every chapter? it's not easy. well, i don't own anything except for my oc's. and i don't even know if they'll show up in this chapter.
Chapter XIV
April, T.A. 3021
Eomer and Lothiriel walked back to the city together. At last, Eomer broke the silence. "Would you care to go for a ride this evening, milady?"
"Please, I've told you before, call me Lothiriel. And yes, a ride would be nice."
"We could take some food with us and have dinner together. I know a lovely place by a stream where we could eat." He looked at her.
"That would be wonderful," Lothiriel replied.
"In an hour then?"
She smiled. "In an hour."
************
They met in the stables. Eomer had already procured some food and had packed it in a saddlebag. Firefoot was stomping the ground, impatient to leave. Lothiriel, however, was looking around, clearly agitated. Eomer turned to her. "Lothiriel?"
"Yes?" She looked surprised.
"What is wrong?"
"I have no horse. I rode one of Thalion's here, but he took it back to Bree when he left."
"Oh. I see." Eomer glanced around at the horses in the stalls. All of them were owned by his men; he couldn't take any of them without causing a fuss, and there wasn't time to hunt down another horse. "Ride with me."
"W-with you?" she stuttered, fully aware of the implications.
Eomer, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the fact that what he had said could be seen as a lewd remark. "Yes. Firefoot is most certainly big enough for two people. Besides, he likes you enough that I won't have to worry about him being agitated." It was true enough. The horse had given up on leaving and was instead snorting into Lothiriel's hair. Against her better judgement, she consented, and Eomer helped her onto the horse. He pulled himself into the saddle behind her, and the threesome took off.
************
As they rode across the plains, Eomer took the chance to ask Lothiriel a question that had bothered him for quite some time. "Why did you take Firefoot to Bree?"
Lothiriel turned slightly. "Honestly? I'm not completely sure. I wanted to infuriate you because I felt that...well, because. I also knew that he was the fastest horse in the valley. I wonder if maybe I took him because I knew you wouldn't have come for me otherwise. You didn't care about me at the time, only the horse, right?"
"You are, unfortunately, completely correct. I am glad now, that you took him. Had you come into trouble, he would have kept you safe. That is how our horses are trained: they protect their riders and are our friends in the darkest of hours." He smiled, though Lothiriel could not see it.
At length, they came to a small stream at the bottom of a hill. Eomer halted and slid with easy grace off the horse's back. He held his arms out to Lothiriel, who jumped lightly into them. They separated after a moment and went to their tasks, Lothiriel setting up their meal and Eomer caring for Firefoot.
Their fare was simple, but elegant. They sat in silence, happy to be in each other's presence. Then, Eomer threw a grape at Lothiriel, hitting her in the eye. "Ow!" she cried. "What was that for?"
He grinned at her. "You were being too quiet to be up to anything good."
"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow. "And what of you? I am not the one who throws food like a little boy."
"Yes, well at least I don't cheat at duels."
"I'll have you know that I did not cheat. I was merely making up for what I lack in brute strength."
"By hitting me in the stomach with that stick of yours?"
At that, Lothiriel was indignant. "That was no stick! I'll have you know that I defeated you with a glaive, one of my people's finest weapons!"
"Glaive, stick, to me they are one and the same," he replied nonchalantly.
"They would be to you. They don't require the wielder to be made entirely out of muscle as your swords do. In fact, I doubt you could use one properly!"
"And I daresay I can!" he shouted back at her, leaving Lothiriel slightly stunned by the volume and annoyance in his voice.
"Fine. Prove it." She crossed her arms and looked at him.
Eomer sat silently for a moment. "I don't know how," he said quietly.
Lothiriel sighed. "Would you like me to show you?"
"Yes."
"Very well." She stood up and looked around. There were a couple of scraggly trees across the stream. Lothiriel unlaced her boots and rolled up her pants. She waded the stream, as Eomer watched her with interest. She reached the other side, circled the trees, and finding a good branch, she reached up, grabbed it, and broke it off. Lothiriel threw it over to Eomer and re-crossed the stream. "Your glaive, good sir."
"It's too short," he said, standing. It reached half-way up his torso.
"Actually, it is too tall." Lothiriel took it back from him and broke it across her knee so that it only reached to his waist. "Now it is just right."
Eomer swung it around a bit. "Looks like a stick to me." He smirked at her.
She scowled at him. "If it was a real glaive, there would be a ten-inch blade similar to that of a dagger on one end, and it would be inlaid with steel. It can be wielded as a staff, sword, or spear would be, thus making it an invaluable weapon. It can also be thrown, as such." She took it in her hands again and twirled around, letting it free from her hands to have it slam into the side of the hill.
"A formidable weapon."
"Yes." Lothiriel retrieved the staff. "My kin have used it for centuries." She tossed the glaive to Eomer. He took it in his hands and twirled around the same way she had and let it fly. Instead of hitting the hill, however, it spun and hit Lothiriel.
"Ai! Ai!" she cried, covering her eye with her hands.
"Lothiriel! Are you alright?" Eomer rushed over to where she huddled on the ground.
Lothiriel sat up slightly and turned. Her eyes were watery, and already a bruise was forming at the corner of her left eye. "I'll be fine, I think. It caught me right here." She indicated the fast-swelling lump next to her eye.
"I'm sorry. I should not have done that," Eomer breathed into her face.
Lothiriel was suddenly aware of their close proximity. She tried to smile. "It's alright. I hit Amrothos several times before I got the hang of throwing it."
"You'll have a black eye before we get back," he said, tenderly brushing the bruise with his fingers. Lothiriel's breath caught as he took her head in his hands and kissed her, gently, like he had that night in Hollin.
"You have collected your wager, then?" asked Lothiriel, almost dejectedly.
"Did I say such?" he returned.
"No...." He leaned in again, and kissed her more passionately. She stiffened, surprised, and then returned the kiss. They drew away, their breath ragged.
He grinned. "I have collected my wager."
"It's getting late," whispered Lothiriel. "We should head back." The sun had almost set, and she had no wish to be outside of the city unchaperoned with Eomer. The kiss moments before had firmed her resolve. It would not do for her to awake in a predicament similar to that of the day before, especially not if something actually happened.
"You are right. We don't need to have a scandal on our hands." Lothiriel was glad that the sun was behind her, so he could not see her blush.
They cleaned up from their meal, remounted Firefoot, and rode back to Edoras, each lost in their own thoughts.