A/N: somehow you people have gotten it into your heads that there are
like two chapters left. well, you would be incorrect, because there are
at least five more running around in my head (need i remind you we have
not reached the climax?), and that doesn't include the THREE companion
stories. i mean, i've barely breached the subject of harrana and
riordan, not to mention how the heck lothiriel ended up in rivendell in
the first place. and wouldn't you like to know what happened to their
kids? so yeah, i have enough ideas for several more chapters and then
some. oh yeah, CONGRATULATIONS, EOKAT!!! you were reviewer 111...a
number that i enjoy muchly..lol.
balrogthane: ::makes deep, sweeping bow worthy of philostrate the faerie:: i seriously blushed at your compliment. thankies again for catching those mistakes...i'd never have caught them myself.
::disclaimer:: i used to use asteriks, but now i must resort to colons because i'm too poor to buy asteriks (colons are sooo much cheaper). anyways, don't sue me for borrowing eomer, you won't get any money, and i'll eventually return him to lothiriel relatively unharmed (hehe).
Chapter XX
May, T.A. 3021
Lothiriel awoke to the sounds of muffled laughter. It was too light to be any of her brothers or Eomer, but not heavy enough to be that of a mature woman. Sleepily, the princess opened one eye and looked around. She smiled when she saw two children, one dark-skinned and small, the other much fairer and slightly older, watching her. Kedar, she thought, and Balaneth, Elphir's daughter.
"Papa said we were to wake our aunty," said Balaneth. She giggled. "He didn't tell us that you would snore."
"Unca wanted us to pour water on you, Aunty," whispered the dark little boy in his thick Haradi accent, "but Mama said you wouldna like that. She said it wasna nice to wash princesses."
Lothiriel sat up in bed, laughing despite herself. "Your mama is right, Kedar. It's not nice to wash princesses. Especially while they're asleep. I'm glad you didn't listen to mean old Uncle Elphir."
"Oh, it wasna Unca Elphir, Aunty," said Kedar, wide-eyed. "It was Unca Eomer." Lothiriel had noticed over the past few days that Harrana's little boy called all of the adults of the Amrothian nobility either "Unca" or "Aunty." She guessed that it stemmed from her niece's influence and was slightly surprised that both children had already carried it over to Eomer and herself.
Balaneth nodded solemnly. "He said that he would give you a bath, but Papa wouldn't let him. He said Uncle Eomer wasn't allowed."
"Oh really?" asked Lothiriel, an eyebrow raised. "Well, we'll just have to punish Uncle Eomer, won't we?" The children grinned and nodded.
"Can we put him in a corner?" asked Balaneth excitedly.
"Or lock him in the highest tower?" Kedar's eyes were a-glow at the thought.
Lothiriel smiled. "I tell you what. Why don't you two let me get dressed, and then we'll decide on the proper punishment over breakfast. How does that sound?" The children nodded again and ran out the door, planning elaborate punishments for their wayward uncle.
Kedar and Balaneth were not the only ones present at breakfast. Elphir was doing his best to control the wild children. He was relatively unsuccessful. In stark contrast, Amrothos and his expecting wife, Nimrodel, sat talking quietly. Eomer sat with Harrana and Riordan, who were apparently unconcerned that their son was running around like a wild-man. Lothiriel decided to sit with these three.
"Good morning, Harrana, Riordan." She nodded to them, seating herself beside Eomer. "Master Horse-lord," she said, turning to him, "I understand that you instructed my lovely niece and little Kedar to give me a bath this morning."
"I said no such thing!" exclaimed Eomer. Riordan snorted into his breakfast.
"He lies, milady. I heard him say that you loved to be awoken by a bucket of water over your head in the morning!" Riordan grinned at Eomer's incredulous expression.
"I swear to you, my lady, I would never dream of telling children such lies!"
"Oh but I think you would indeed," replied the princess. "I would not put it past you, in any case. Pass the porridge?"
Eomer complied, while Riordan excused himself to fetch Kedar who was currently sporting porridge in his hair.
Lothiriel heaped porridge on her plate, talking to Harrana all the while. "When should we go riding?" she asked.
"Meet in the stables at eleven?" Lothiriel's head was down, so she did not see the curt nod from Eomer to Harrana.
"Sounds wonderful," Lothiriel replied. "I'll see you then."
But Lothiriel did not see Harrana at eleven. In fact, the only person who was even near the stables at that time was Eomer. As the princess came down the walkway, he exited the stables, leading Firefoot and Telan, both saddled and ready. "Where is Harrana?" Lothiriel asked suspiciously.
"Oh, she was called away unexpectedly. Something about Kedar and Balaneth setting up a trap in one of the guestrooms. They apparently put a bucket of water above the door so that when someone walked in, they would get soaked. I feel rather sorry for the chambermaid. Although, I'm not entirely sure how they managed to put a bucket above the door; they're only three feet tall." He grinned at her.
Lothiriel feigned innocence. "Those children are amazing," she said, taking Telan's reins from the king. "Now, where are we headed?"
"The beach," he replied, climbing onto his horse. "I've never seen it up close."
"The beach it is." Lothiriel mounted Telan and immediately kicked her heels into the horse's sides. Eomer grinned and followed close behind.
"You and Harrana planned this, didn't you?" Lothiriel asked, taking another sip of her cheery cordial.
"Yes and no. We had actually planned for the others to come, but as you could see at breakfast, Harrana and Riordan were otherwise occupied, and Erchirion and Mista were still, um, sleeping. It would seem that they were very--" he coughed, "--busy last night."
Lothiriel laughed. "I never would have believed they'd resort to that! Of course, I didn't think they'd still be together after all these years either. I suppose I should have known better than to make them promi--what?" She had turned to Eomer only to find a very perplexed look on his face.
"What are you talking about, 'all these years' and 'make them promise'?"
"It's quite simple really," Lothiriel began. "When I was fifteen and Mista was sixteen and Erchirion was nineteen, they began courting. Actually, they had liked each other before that, but Mista was too young, so Erchirion waited until she was of age to begin courting her. I think they would have married as soon as Mista turned sixteen, but Papa told Erchirion that he had to follow through with the whole courting procedure, which meant he was required to wait an entire year before proposing and then wait another year after the official engagement before they could wed. They went back and forth for a while in the most terrible rows, but finally Erchirion relented. What he didn't count on was what happened next." She took another swig of her drink.
"And what was that, my lovely?"
"I was sent to Rivendell," she replied bluntly. "But before I left, I made both Mista and Erchirion promise not to get married until I returned. You see, I thought I would only be gone for a year or so; instead, I was gone for ten. Obviously, they are unmarried but have taken what liberties they will. I suspect Papa made them wait the initial year of courting before allowing them to find the way into each other's beds, but after the engagement was announced, no one would have really paid much attention." Lothiriel laughed. "I wonder if they'll ever marry now. They've been sharing a bed for nine years!"
A smile crept across Eomer's face. "Does this mean, Lothiriel, that what you said last night was a lie?"
"If you are referring to that alcove, then yes. Remember, I told you I was a diplomatic liar."
"Then you and I could...?" He let the question hang in the air.
"In theory, yes. In reality, no."
"And why is that?"
"Several reasons. Number one, we hardly know each other. Need I remind you that we met only six months ago? We haven't even officially courted! Number two, the stakes are too high. I am a princess, you are a king. What if I became pregnant? It would look bad for both of us. Not to mention, Papa would kill us both if he found out."
"Yes, but we'll be married in two weeks anyway. Surely no one would notice if the child were born a little earlier than expected."
"Ha!" Lothiriel exclaimed. "You obviously don't know anything about Amrothian healers. They can take one look at a girl's face and know if she's with child." That was a complete lie, but there was absolutely no reason for Eomer to know that.
Eomer sighed. "Very well then," he conceded at last, "we will wait."
"Thank you."
A/N (again): if you've been reading my troy fic, you'll know that i promised to update this before i left for canada. and lookie! i have! lol..i rather like this diplomatic lying of lothiriel's. it comes in handy when in sticky situations...i may have to use it in another fic somewhere...hm! an idea! up next: a walk on the beach, a tussle in the sand, and soon, lies that are darker than "amrothian healers can tell if someone's pregnant just by looking at them" (which isn't really a lie if you think about it, b/c i'm sure everyone starts noticing once you're in your sixth month or so).......
balrogthane: ::makes deep, sweeping bow worthy of philostrate the faerie:: i seriously blushed at your compliment. thankies again for catching those mistakes...i'd never have caught them myself.
::disclaimer:: i used to use asteriks, but now i must resort to colons because i'm too poor to buy asteriks (colons are sooo much cheaper). anyways, don't sue me for borrowing eomer, you won't get any money, and i'll eventually return him to lothiriel relatively unharmed (hehe).
Chapter XX
May, T.A. 3021
Lothiriel awoke to the sounds of muffled laughter. It was too light to be any of her brothers or Eomer, but not heavy enough to be that of a mature woman. Sleepily, the princess opened one eye and looked around. She smiled when she saw two children, one dark-skinned and small, the other much fairer and slightly older, watching her. Kedar, she thought, and Balaneth, Elphir's daughter.
"Papa said we were to wake our aunty," said Balaneth. She giggled. "He didn't tell us that you would snore."
"Unca wanted us to pour water on you, Aunty," whispered the dark little boy in his thick Haradi accent, "but Mama said you wouldna like that. She said it wasna nice to wash princesses."
Lothiriel sat up in bed, laughing despite herself. "Your mama is right, Kedar. It's not nice to wash princesses. Especially while they're asleep. I'm glad you didn't listen to mean old Uncle Elphir."
"Oh, it wasna Unca Elphir, Aunty," said Kedar, wide-eyed. "It was Unca Eomer." Lothiriel had noticed over the past few days that Harrana's little boy called all of the adults of the Amrothian nobility either "Unca" or "Aunty." She guessed that it stemmed from her niece's influence and was slightly surprised that both children had already carried it over to Eomer and herself.
Balaneth nodded solemnly. "He said that he would give you a bath, but Papa wouldn't let him. He said Uncle Eomer wasn't allowed."
"Oh really?" asked Lothiriel, an eyebrow raised. "Well, we'll just have to punish Uncle Eomer, won't we?" The children grinned and nodded.
"Can we put him in a corner?" asked Balaneth excitedly.
"Or lock him in the highest tower?" Kedar's eyes were a-glow at the thought.
Lothiriel smiled. "I tell you what. Why don't you two let me get dressed, and then we'll decide on the proper punishment over breakfast. How does that sound?" The children nodded again and ran out the door, planning elaborate punishments for their wayward uncle.
Kedar and Balaneth were not the only ones present at breakfast. Elphir was doing his best to control the wild children. He was relatively unsuccessful. In stark contrast, Amrothos and his expecting wife, Nimrodel, sat talking quietly. Eomer sat with Harrana and Riordan, who were apparently unconcerned that their son was running around like a wild-man. Lothiriel decided to sit with these three.
"Good morning, Harrana, Riordan." She nodded to them, seating herself beside Eomer. "Master Horse-lord," she said, turning to him, "I understand that you instructed my lovely niece and little Kedar to give me a bath this morning."
"I said no such thing!" exclaimed Eomer. Riordan snorted into his breakfast.
"He lies, milady. I heard him say that you loved to be awoken by a bucket of water over your head in the morning!" Riordan grinned at Eomer's incredulous expression.
"I swear to you, my lady, I would never dream of telling children such lies!"
"Oh but I think you would indeed," replied the princess. "I would not put it past you, in any case. Pass the porridge?"
Eomer complied, while Riordan excused himself to fetch Kedar who was currently sporting porridge in his hair.
Lothiriel heaped porridge on her plate, talking to Harrana all the while. "When should we go riding?" she asked.
"Meet in the stables at eleven?" Lothiriel's head was down, so she did not see the curt nod from Eomer to Harrana.
"Sounds wonderful," Lothiriel replied. "I'll see you then."
But Lothiriel did not see Harrana at eleven. In fact, the only person who was even near the stables at that time was Eomer. As the princess came down the walkway, he exited the stables, leading Firefoot and Telan, both saddled and ready. "Where is Harrana?" Lothiriel asked suspiciously.
"Oh, she was called away unexpectedly. Something about Kedar and Balaneth setting up a trap in one of the guestrooms. They apparently put a bucket of water above the door so that when someone walked in, they would get soaked. I feel rather sorry for the chambermaid. Although, I'm not entirely sure how they managed to put a bucket above the door; they're only three feet tall." He grinned at her.
Lothiriel feigned innocence. "Those children are amazing," she said, taking Telan's reins from the king. "Now, where are we headed?"
"The beach," he replied, climbing onto his horse. "I've never seen it up close."
"The beach it is." Lothiriel mounted Telan and immediately kicked her heels into the horse's sides. Eomer grinned and followed close behind.
"You and Harrana planned this, didn't you?" Lothiriel asked, taking another sip of her cheery cordial.
"Yes and no. We had actually planned for the others to come, but as you could see at breakfast, Harrana and Riordan were otherwise occupied, and Erchirion and Mista were still, um, sleeping. It would seem that they were very--" he coughed, "--busy last night."
Lothiriel laughed. "I never would have believed they'd resort to that! Of course, I didn't think they'd still be together after all these years either. I suppose I should have known better than to make them promi--what?" She had turned to Eomer only to find a very perplexed look on his face.
"What are you talking about, 'all these years' and 'make them promise'?"
"It's quite simple really," Lothiriel began. "When I was fifteen and Mista was sixteen and Erchirion was nineteen, they began courting. Actually, they had liked each other before that, but Mista was too young, so Erchirion waited until she was of age to begin courting her. I think they would have married as soon as Mista turned sixteen, but Papa told Erchirion that he had to follow through with the whole courting procedure, which meant he was required to wait an entire year before proposing and then wait another year after the official engagement before they could wed. They went back and forth for a while in the most terrible rows, but finally Erchirion relented. What he didn't count on was what happened next." She took another swig of her drink.
"And what was that, my lovely?"
"I was sent to Rivendell," she replied bluntly. "But before I left, I made both Mista and Erchirion promise not to get married until I returned. You see, I thought I would only be gone for a year or so; instead, I was gone for ten. Obviously, they are unmarried but have taken what liberties they will. I suspect Papa made them wait the initial year of courting before allowing them to find the way into each other's beds, but after the engagement was announced, no one would have really paid much attention." Lothiriel laughed. "I wonder if they'll ever marry now. They've been sharing a bed for nine years!"
A smile crept across Eomer's face. "Does this mean, Lothiriel, that what you said last night was a lie?"
"If you are referring to that alcove, then yes. Remember, I told you I was a diplomatic liar."
"Then you and I could...?" He let the question hang in the air.
"In theory, yes. In reality, no."
"And why is that?"
"Several reasons. Number one, we hardly know each other. Need I remind you that we met only six months ago? We haven't even officially courted! Number two, the stakes are too high. I am a princess, you are a king. What if I became pregnant? It would look bad for both of us. Not to mention, Papa would kill us both if he found out."
"Yes, but we'll be married in two weeks anyway. Surely no one would notice if the child were born a little earlier than expected."
"Ha!" Lothiriel exclaimed. "You obviously don't know anything about Amrothian healers. They can take one look at a girl's face and know if she's with child." That was a complete lie, but there was absolutely no reason for Eomer to know that.
Eomer sighed. "Very well then," he conceded at last, "we will wait."
"Thank you."
A/N (again): if you've been reading my troy fic, you'll know that i promised to update this before i left for canada. and lookie! i have! lol..i rather like this diplomatic lying of lothiriel's. it comes in handy when in sticky situations...i may have to use it in another fic somewhere...hm! an idea! up next: a walk on the beach, a tussle in the sand, and soon, lies that are darker than "amrothian healers can tell if someone's pregnant just by looking at them" (which isn't really a lie if you think about it, b/c i'm sure everyone starts noticing once you're in your sixth month or so).......