A/N: after much whining and a little freaking out, i have decided no
more cheesy cryptic messages. fine. be that way. lol..yeah, that last
one was pretty bad. oh well, too late now, because i am lazy. btw,
arwen elf, i promise that there ::will:: be a bath-esque musing on both
their parts, just not in this chapter. i wanted to focus more on the
actions rather than the emotions that trigger them (hopefully their
emotions are made apparent through their actions). and yes, calime is
right! fear the wrath of eomer! of course, i guess lothiriel doesn't
really have to now, because he's gone. sigh oh, right...on to the story!
::disclaimer:: i own nothing except for mista, sarn, harrana, riordan (wow, that's a lot of people i didn't realize i owned) and the personalities of everyone else. deal with it.
Chapter XXIII
May, T.A. 3021
Lothiriel did not return to the city until after she saw dirt and sand from a lone rider rising on the road to Rohan. She had no wish to encounter Eomer ever again--not after what had just happened. She entered the city through a small side entrance anyway, just to be certain that he was gone.
"Care to explain why the man you're supposed to marry in seven days is muttering curses aimed at you and riding to Rohan?" inquired a voice from the corner of the walls. "It takes five days on a fast horse without rest to get from here to there," Mista said, emerging from the shadows. "He'll be late for his own wedding."
"What wedding?" asked Lothiriel, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks.
Concern flashed through Mista's face, "What happened?"
"Not here," Lothiriel choked out. "The gardens."
Mista took her friend's arm and guided her to the private gardens in silence. It had always been their secluded place; many secrets had been shared there in younger years. Mista found a bench and bade Lothiriel to sit. "Now tell me what happened."
Lothiriel sighed heavily and wiped her face with her sleeve. "He saw me with Sarn. We were kissing." Mista looked at her friend, not sure of what to say. "It was an exchange of blessings, nothing else," she continued. "He wished me a happy marriage; I wished him fair sailing. Eomer must have been too far from us to hear what we were saying. He just saw the kisses and assumed the worst."
"But didn't you explain this to him?" asked Mista.
"I tried, but he was so angry." Lothiriel told Mista what had happened since the picnic on the beach, including everything from Eomer's steady stream of kisses to finding the gift in the market to Eomer's insensate anger. "I just didn't know what to do. The only man I've ever fallen in love with, and I made him despise me." Tears fell from her red eyes again as Mista pulled her friend into her arms, doing what she could to console the princess. "He only wanted -hic- me to love him -hic- like he loves me. He said -hic- that he wanted to -hic- spend the rest of his life -hic- with me." She swallowed, trying to stop hiccupping.
Mista said nothing, but rocked her friend back and forth, trying to decipher whether she was talking about Eomer or Sarn. She gave up and turned back to comforting her friend, but Lothiriel would have none of it. "What am I to do?" she whispered. "Eomer will have nothing to do with me. I don't know what to do. Oh, Mista!" She sobbed into the other woman's shoulder.
"Lothiriel, I don't know what you should do. But I will tell you what I am going to do. I am going to speak with your brother. He will know what to do. Meanwhile, I want you to go to your room and rest. You will be able to think more clearly after you have cleaned yourself up."
Lothiriel laughed slightly. "I must look a fright."
Mista smiled a little. "Yes. Believe me, you'll feel better after a hot bath." The two friends stood and walked toward the princess's room. Mista saw her in and immediately headed back to the gardens where Erchirion was waiting. "You heard?" she asked.
"Aye. The bastard."
Mista smirked. "Which one?"
"Both of them." Erchirion crossed his arms. "Sarn for not saying anything to her sooner, and Eomer for not listening to her."
Mista sat beside him. "So what do we do now?" she asked.
He shrugged. "What can we do but wait until Lothiriel is ready to take action?"
"And what sort of action would you have her take?" Mista asked with a smile.
"I don't know." He sighed. "Should I go speak with her?"
Mista shook her head. "She will speak again when she is ready. Give her time to rest. That was a hard blow he dealt her, deserved or not."
Lothiriel slept. She had taken a hot bath, as Mista had ordered, but it had given her no peace. So, she had dried herself off, slipped into a light gown, and crawled in bed. She had not realized how much her row with Eomer had exhausted her. The bed was so comforting and warm, like a breeze off the ocean. She sighed and slipped into quiet bliss, free from the anger of the morning, if only for a little while.
Meanwhile, Eomer was fuming still. He galloped across the lowlands between Dol Amroth and the White Mountains, riding as far away from the city by the sea as he possibly could in one day. He rode through the night, stopping only when the sun began to rise in the east. He rubbed down Firefoot, watered him, and then prepared his own meal. Eomer sat against a tree by the road, eating dry bread and cheese, washing it down with water from a spring. His temper had mellowed some, but not enough to cause him to return to Dol Amroth. He finished his food and re-mounted Firefoot, making his way to the pass between Rohan and Gondor. Four days of riding, and he would be in Edoras. Eomer smiled at the thought of home.
"She refuses to come out of her room," Erchirion told Mista. "She says she wants nothing to do with anyone." He sighed and flopped onto a couch in the salon. "I told her we could go after Eomer, straighten things out, but she is adamant. She says he won't listen."
"She's probably right," Mista said. "Eowyn once told me that Eomer was gentle most of the time, but when he gets angry, he is angry for days, sometimes weeks. You should have seen him when he learned that Lothiriel had stolen his horse in Rivendell. The Elves thought it was hilarious. Eomer didn't take it so well." She smiled. "It was easy to see they were meant for each other from the start."
"Aye. I just hope they come to their senses soon. If we could get Lothiriel on the road, I suspect we could convince Eomer to hear her out. As it is, neither seems to be interested in listening to reason."
"We will just have to wait," Mista replied. "They will come around in their own time. I hope."
::disclaimer:: i own nothing except for mista, sarn, harrana, riordan (wow, that's a lot of people i didn't realize i owned) and the personalities of everyone else. deal with it.
Chapter XXIII
May, T.A. 3021
Lothiriel did not return to the city until after she saw dirt and sand from a lone rider rising on the road to Rohan. She had no wish to encounter Eomer ever again--not after what had just happened. She entered the city through a small side entrance anyway, just to be certain that he was gone.
"Care to explain why the man you're supposed to marry in seven days is muttering curses aimed at you and riding to Rohan?" inquired a voice from the corner of the walls. "It takes five days on a fast horse without rest to get from here to there," Mista said, emerging from the shadows. "He'll be late for his own wedding."
"What wedding?" asked Lothiriel, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks.
Concern flashed through Mista's face, "What happened?"
"Not here," Lothiriel choked out. "The gardens."
Mista took her friend's arm and guided her to the private gardens in silence. It had always been their secluded place; many secrets had been shared there in younger years. Mista found a bench and bade Lothiriel to sit. "Now tell me what happened."
Lothiriel sighed heavily and wiped her face with her sleeve. "He saw me with Sarn. We were kissing." Mista looked at her friend, not sure of what to say. "It was an exchange of blessings, nothing else," she continued. "He wished me a happy marriage; I wished him fair sailing. Eomer must have been too far from us to hear what we were saying. He just saw the kisses and assumed the worst."
"But didn't you explain this to him?" asked Mista.
"I tried, but he was so angry." Lothiriel told Mista what had happened since the picnic on the beach, including everything from Eomer's steady stream of kisses to finding the gift in the market to Eomer's insensate anger. "I just didn't know what to do. The only man I've ever fallen in love with, and I made him despise me." Tears fell from her red eyes again as Mista pulled her friend into her arms, doing what she could to console the princess. "He only wanted -hic- me to love him -hic- like he loves me. He said -hic- that he wanted to -hic- spend the rest of his life -hic- with me." She swallowed, trying to stop hiccupping.
Mista said nothing, but rocked her friend back and forth, trying to decipher whether she was talking about Eomer or Sarn. She gave up and turned back to comforting her friend, but Lothiriel would have none of it. "What am I to do?" she whispered. "Eomer will have nothing to do with me. I don't know what to do. Oh, Mista!" She sobbed into the other woman's shoulder.
"Lothiriel, I don't know what you should do. But I will tell you what I am going to do. I am going to speak with your brother. He will know what to do. Meanwhile, I want you to go to your room and rest. You will be able to think more clearly after you have cleaned yourself up."
Lothiriel laughed slightly. "I must look a fright."
Mista smiled a little. "Yes. Believe me, you'll feel better after a hot bath." The two friends stood and walked toward the princess's room. Mista saw her in and immediately headed back to the gardens where Erchirion was waiting. "You heard?" she asked.
"Aye. The bastard."
Mista smirked. "Which one?"
"Both of them." Erchirion crossed his arms. "Sarn for not saying anything to her sooner, and Eomer for not listening to her."
Mista sat beside him. "So what do we do now?" she asked.
He shrugged. "What can we do but wait until Lothiriel is ready to take action?"
"And what sort of action would you have her take?" Mista asked with a smile.
"I don't know." He sighed. "Should I go speak with her?"
Mista shook her head. "She will speak again when she is ready. Give her time to rest. That was a hard blow he dealt her, deserved or not."
Lothiriel slept. She had taken a hot bath, as Mista had ordered, but it had given her no peace. So, she had dried herself off, slipped into a light gown, and crawled in bed. She had not realized how much her row with Eomer had exhausted her. The bed was so comforting and warm, like a breeze off the ocean. She sighed and slipped into quiet bliss, free from the anger of the morning, if only for a little while.
Meanwhile, Eomer was fuming still. He galloped across the lowlands between Dol Amroth and the White Mountains, riding as far away from the city by the sea as he possibly could in one day. He rode through the night, stopping only when the sun began to rise in the east. He rubbed down Firefoot, watered him, and then prepared his own meal. Eomer sat against a tree by the road, eating dry bread and cheese, washing it down with water from a spring. His temper had mellowed some, but not enough to cause him to return to Dol Amroth. He finished his food and re-mounted Firefoot, making his way to the pass between Rohan and Gondor. Four days of riding, and he would be in Edoras. Eomer smiled at the thought of home.
"She refuses to come out of her room," Erchirion told Mista. "She says she wants nothing to do with anyone." He sighed and flopped onto a couch in the salon. "I told her we could go after Eomer, straighten things out, but she is adamant. She says he won't listen."
"She's probably right," Mista said. "Eowyn once told me that Eomer was gentle most of the time, but when he gets angry, he is angry for days, sometimes weeks. You should have seen him when he learned that Lothiriel had stolen his horse in Rivendell. The Elves thought it was hilarious. Eomer didn't take it so well." She smiled. "It was easy to see they were meant for each other from the start."
"Aye. I just hope they come to their senses soon. If we could get Lothiriel on the road, I suspect we could convince Eomer to hear her out. As it is, neither seems to be interested in listening to reason."
"We will just have to wait," Mista replied. "They will come around in their own time. I hope."