A/N: so far, it looks like you guys want to know about their children. unfortunately, my muse for "daughter of the wind" has gone with the wind (hehe...get it?). so, unless nawat revives, i think i shall be writing the eomer/lothiriel story next (because erulehton [the muse for that story] is alive and kicking). and alasse, i don't think i'm going to be writing a mista/erchirion story...really, lothiriel's already told it. sorry to disappoint you!
btw, charlotte, i changed that sentence about numenor, so it should make a little more sense now.
::disclaimer:: if i owned this, i would have enough fodder to write a four-volume series. since i don't own it, that won't be happening any time soon.
Chapter XXVI
June, T.A. 3021
It seemed as though the entire household of Imrahil was standing over Mista's shoulder to read Erchirion's message. "When Lothiriel's surprise arrives," she read aloud, "keep it in the city until you can send word to me. Once you have done so, feel free to bring it to Dor-en-Ernil. Don't worry, she suspects nothing." Mista turned to Imrahil and grinned. "How many days does it take to get from Ithilien to Dol Amroth?"
"Five days at least. It depends on how fast one rides."
"He'll be here in three days, then," said Amrothos. "Faramir said he would leave two days ago."
"Good. We'll be ready for him."
Eomer had been riding hard for two days. He had left Firefoot in Ithilien, where Eowyn promised to take care of the faithful horse. Instead, he rode military horses, trading steeds at military outposts and small villages along the road. He did not know precisely why he was riding so fast; there really was no reason. His only thought was to reach Dol Amroth. He had made a mistake, and he knew it. But would Lothiriel accept him? He had given her no reason to love him, not in Rivendell, nor in Bree, nor even really in Rohan. All he had done was mock her, anger her, frighten her, even kidnap her, and then belittle her as though a common whore. She could spit upon him, and no one would say a thing. Lord Imrahil would probably never let them marry, even if he offered every horse in his kingdom for her. And truly, Eomer could not blame him if he did so. Such were the thoughts of the young man as he journeyed across the land of Gondor.
And so the king of Rohan rode on the second day out from Ithilien, fast and hard, and that night he passed the mountains of Dor-en-Ernil. As the sun rose in the east, he saw the Sapphire City of Dol Amroth, its white-blue towers glowing with the reflection of the bright dawn. He pulled his horse to a stop, and nearly collapsing from little food and less sleep, slid off the beast and fell into blissful slumber.
In the seven days that they had been in Dor-en-Ernil, Lothiriel and Erchirion had managed to fix the leaky roof, re-sand the floor, re-stock the pantry (to an extent), and clean the dust from the hunting cabin. It had been quite a task, but the two had nearly finished conquering it. Erchirion was awaiting the message from Mista, but tried not to allow Lothiriel to see his anticipation. He did not succeed.
"Who are you waiting for, Erchirion?" she asked as they walked down one of the many trails to a favorite swimming hole. "Is Mista going to join us? Is father sending the surprise after all?" She smiled as her brother struggled to find an answer.
At last, he decided there was no harm in telling her part of the truth. "Mista is planning on coming, yes. I'm just waiting to hear from her, so I know when."
"She'll be sending another hawk, then?" They had begun the hard trek up the ridge that led to the swimming hole.
"Aye," Erchirion grunted as he grabbed a slender tree to keep from slipping down the narrow trail and knocking Lothiriel down. The siblings half-ran, half-slid down the steep slope, finally reaching the water's edge.
"It's a bit high to go sliding," commented Lothiriel as she looked around, "though it looks just right for climbing."
Erchirion grinned. "I bet I can make it up the Ladder before you do."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?" In response, Erchirion pulled off his tunic and dove into the water.
When Eomer awoke, the sun was high overhead. The king sat up and looked around. He was in a field of summer flowers, daisies and poppies dotting the rolling hills that melted into the flat land surrounding Dol Amroth in the distance. The horse he had been riding stood nearby, chomping lazily on the green grass at the edge of a small stream flowing from the mountains. Eomer stood and walked over to the stream to wash and drink before riding on to the city.
The journey across the plains between the foothills of Dor-en-Ernil and Dol Amroth was surprisingly hard. Eomer was still exhausted, though he had slept for nearly half the day. The horse, too, seemed to be running out of energy, and would have slowed its pace had Eomer not spurred it on. He tried to ignore the curious eyes from the farmers working the fields as he rode past. No doubt they wondered what brought him back after the wedding had been broken.
As he entered the city, Eomer kicked his heels into the horse's flanks, a new burst of energy suddenly filling him. He would soon be reunited with Lothiriel! She was only minutes away. These thoughts sped him onward to the palace gates and into the Hall of the Swan itself. There, his hopes were dashed. Lothiriel was gone.
Laughter filled the canyon as Lothiriel and Erchirion played. Neither had had a chance to be so completely unrestricted since long before the War. "Erchirion," Lothiriel gasped as she lay upon the warm boulder that jutted into the water, "this is the life. I wish we could come here more often."
"As do I, little sister," he replied, climbing onto the rock to sit next to her. "And I know how we can manage it."
"How's that?"
"Easy. We bring Balaneth and Kedar and--when the child is old enough--Amrothos's little one." He grinned. "Lothiriel, we're luckier than our brothers. We are able to indulge the children and then return them to their parents once they have been thoroughly corrupted."
Lothiriel laughed. "Elphir would have our hides."
"Yes, but it'd be worth it to watch him chase miscreant children all over the palace and through the secret passages, wouldn't it?"
"Somehow I get the distinct impression that you've already indulged the children."
"Whatever gave you that idea, my dear sister?"
"Where?" was all Eomer managed to say to Imrahil before collapsing into a chair.
"Dor-en-Ernil," Mista said, coming from behind him. "She and Erchirion went to the hunting cabin in the mountains. They've been gone for a week." She paused as if considering her next words. "I could take you there, if you like."
He looked up at her. "Please do."
"Very well," she said slowly, seemingly hesitant, "but first you must rest. You have exhausted both yourself and your horse. I will have the cooks prepare you a meal while you refresh yourself. The stablehands will care for your steed. Now go and rest. We will leave in the morning."
"I thank you," he whispered, nodding to both Mista and Imrahil as he walked slowly in the direction of his former guest rooms.
Mista watched him go. As soon as he was out of earshot, she turned to Imrahil. "He's early," she sighed. "We must send a message to Erchirion."
A hawk flew overhead as Lothiriel and Erchirion walked quickly back to the cabin. It had started raining again, which brought their excursion to the swimming hole to an early end. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the siblings dashed about, gathering up the tools they had left outside. Just before Lothiriel shut the door to the cabin, the hawk swooped inside, alighting on Erchirion's arm.
"A note from Mista?" Lothiriel asked.
"Aye," he replied, pulling the soggy paper off the bird's leg. He scanned the message, his brow furrowing as he tried to make out the words that had run together. "She's coming earlier than I expected," he said at last, looking up. "She's leaving in the morning and will arrive sometime the next day."
btw, charlotte, i changed that sentence about numenor, so it should make a little more sense now.
::disclaimer:: if i owned this, i would have enough fodder to write a four-volume series. since i don't own it, that won't be happening any time soon.
Chapter XXVI
June, T.A. 3021
It seemed as though the entire household of Imrahil was standing over Mista's shoulder to read Erchirion's message. "When Lothiriel's surprise arrives," she read aloud, "keep it in the city until you can send word to me. Once you have done so, feel free to bring it to Dor-en-Ernil. Don't worry, she suspects nothing." Mista turned to Imrahil and grinned. "How many days does it take to get from Ithilien to Dol Amroth?"
"Five days at least. It depends on how fast one rides."
"He'll be here in three days, then," said Amrothos. "Faramir said he would leave two days ago."
"Good. We'll be ready for him."
Eomer had been riding hard for two days. He had left Firefoot in Ithilien, where Eowyn promised to take care of the faithful horse. Instead, he rode military horses, trading steeds at military outposts and small villages along the road. He did not know precisely why he was riding so fast; there really was no reason. His only thought was to reach Dol Amroth. He had made a mistake, and he knew it. But would Lothiriel accept him? He had given her no reason to love him, not in Rivendell, nor in Bree, nor even really in Rohan. All he had done was mock her, anger her, frighten her, even kidnap her, and then belittle her as though a common whore. She could spit upon him, and no one would say a thing. Lord Imrahil would probably never let them marry, even if he offered every horse in his kingdom for her. And truly, Eomer could not blame him if he did so. Such were the thoughts of the young man as he journeyed across the land of Gondor.
And so the king of Rohan rode on the second day out from Ithilien, fast and hard, and that night he passed the mountains of Dor-en-Ernil. As the sun rose in the east, he saw the Sapphire City of Dol Amroth, its white-blue towers glowing with the reflection of the bright dawn. He pulled his horse to a stop, and nearly collapsing from little food and less sleep, slid off the beast and fell into blissful slumber.
In the seven days that they had been in Dor-en-Ernil, Lothiriel and Erchirion had managed to fix the leaky roof, re-sand the floor, re-stock the pantry (to an extent), and clean the dust from the hunting cabin. It had been quite a task, but the two had nearly finished conquering it. Erchirion was awaiting the message from Mista, but tried not to allow Lothiriel to see his anticipation. He did not succeed.
"Who are you waiting for, Erchirion?" she asked as they walked down one of the many trails to a favorite swimming hole. "Is Mista going to join us? Is father sending the surprise after all?" She smiled as her brother struggled to find an answer.
At last, he decided there was no harm in telling her part of the truth. "Mista is planning on coming, yes. I'm just waiting to hear from her, so I know when."
"She'll be sending another hawk, then?" They had begun the hard trek up the ridge that led to the swimming hole.
"Aye," Erchirion grunted as he grabbed a slender tree to keep from slipping down the narrow trail and knocking Lothiriel down. The siblings half-ran, half-slid down the steep slope, finally reaching the water's edge.
"It's a bit high to go sliding," commented Lothiriel as she looked around, "though it looks just right for climbing."
Erchirion grinned. "I bet I can make it up the Ladder before you do."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?" In response, Erchirion pulled off his tunic and dove into the water.
When Eomer awoke, the sun was high overhead. The king sat up and looked around. He was in a field of summer flowers, daisies and poppies dotting the rolling hills that melted into the flat land surrounding Dol Amroth in the distance. The horse he had been riding stood nearby, chomping lazily on the green grass at the edge of a small stream flowing from the mountains. Eomer stood and walked over to the stream to wash and drink before riding on to the city.
The journey across the plains between the foothills of Dor-en-Ernil and Dol Amroth was surprisingly hard. Eomer was still exhausted, though he had slept for nearly half the day. The horse, too, seemed to be running out of energy, and would have slowed its pace had Eomer not spurred it on. He tried to ignore the curious eyes from the farmers working the fields as he rode past. No doubt they wondered what brought him back after the wedding had been broken.
As he entered the city, Eomer kicked his heels into the horse's flanks, a new burst of energy suddenly filling him. He would soon be reunited with Lothiriel! She was only minutes away. These thoughts sped him onward to the palace gates and into the Hall of the Swan itself. There, his hopes were dashed. Lothiriel was gone.
Laughter filled the canyon as Lothiriel and Erchirion played. Neither had had a chance to be so completely unrestricted since long before the War. "Erchirion," Lothiriel gasped as she lay upon the warm boulder that jutted into the water, "this is the life. I wish we could come here more often."
"As do I, little sister," he replied, climbing onto the rock to sit next to her. "And I know how we can manage it."
"How's that?"
"Easy. We bring Balaneth and Kedar and--when the child is old enough--Amrothos's little one." He grinned. "Lothiriel, we're luckier than our brothers. We are able to indulge the children and then return them to their parents once they have been thoroughly corrupted."
Lothiriel laughed. "Elphir would have our hides."
"Yes, but it'd be worth it to watch him chase miscreant children all over the palace and through the secret passages, wouldn't it?"
"Somehow I get the distinct impression that you've already indulged the children."
"Whatever gave you that idea, my dear sister?"
"Where?" was all Eomer managed to say to Imrahil before collapsing into a chair.
"Dor-en-Ernil," Mista said, coming from behind him. "She and Erchirion went to the hunting cabin in the mountains. They've been gone for a week." She paused as if considering her next words. "I could take you there, if you like."
He looked up at her. "Please do."
"Very well," she said slowly, seemingly hesitant, "but first you must rest. You have exhausted both yourself and your horse. I will have the cooks prepare you a meal while you refresh yourself. The stablehands will care for your steed. Now go and rest. We will leave in the morning."
"I thank you," he whispered, nodding to both Mista and Imrahil as he walked slowly in the direction of his former guest rooms.
Mista watched him go. As soon as he was out of earshot, she turned to Imrahil. "He's early," she sighed. "We must send a message to Erchirion."
A hawk flew overhead as Lothiriel and Erchirion walked quickly back to the cabin. It had started raining again, which brought their excursion to the swimming hole to an early end. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the siblings dashed about, gathering up the tools they had left outside. Just before Lothiriel shut the door to the cabin, the hawk swooped inside, alighting on Erchirion's arm.
"A note from Mista?" Lothiriel asked.
"Aye," he replied, pulling the soggy paper off the bird's leg. He scanned the message, his brow furrowing as he tried to make out the words that had run together. "She's coming earlier than I expected," he said at last, looking up. "She's leaving in the morning and will arrive sometime the next day."