Author's Note: I'm finally done! Hope you enjoyed it! I'll see you around
the review boards of every Lothiriel/Eomer story written! Hehehe. But, most
likely, I'll never attempt another story. That was a bit too much of an
adventure for me. Thanks for your kind reviews. It was fun while it lasted.
100 Years or Forever
Six Months Later...
Lothiriel sighed, as she lay in bed, halfway between sleep and consciousness. By Eru, she was nervous! Today, she was to become bound to her love for life. She turned her thoughts around in her head when suddenly a knock came at the door.
"Are you awake?" Eowyn cried, as she boldly pushed open the door. She and none other than the Queen of Gondor herself glided into the room.
"Eowyn, Arwen, what is the meaning of this? It is not even sunrise yet!" Lothiriel protested, as she tried to bury herself under the covers. After all, the week that the women spent together in Rohan getting ready for the wedding had allowed them to grow very close to each other.
"Oh shush! You are such a bedbug! Get up! We have a surprise for you!" Eowyn giggled as the princess groaned. She turned to Arwen. "Surely, dear Arwen, for the occasion of a lazy and stubborn princess, you could not conjure up some elven magic to get her upright?"
Arwen laughed her silvery laugh. "Not even I could counter the forces of the lethargic and lazy princess from Dol Amroth...or should we say soon-to-be Queen of Rohan, although if she doesn't get out of bed, I dare say she will miss her own wedding."
"Yes, and I'm sure Eomer would be very put out," Eowyn added.
"Fine! This had better be worth it!"
"It is!" the two ladies chimed, as they helped Lothiriel get in a simple dress. Suddenly, the three ladies heard crying.
"Oh horsedung! I knew he would do that!" Eowyn sighed, exasperated. The three ladies opened the door to find Faramir juggling a rather cranky Prince Elboron.
"Darling, I think he's hungry," Faramir insisted, trying to pass the baby off to her.
"No dear, I've just fed him. More likely, you have some cleaning up to do!" Eowyn chided.
"I was afraid of that," Faramir muttered, as the three women passed out onto the wide steps of Meduseld.
Eowyn and Arwen motioned for Lothiriel to take a seat.
"What are we doing here?" Lothiriel asked groggily, while rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"We're watching your last sunrise as a single woman," they said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing to do. Lothiriel smiled, as the sun's rays began to peek up from the horizon. The three looked upon the wild plains of Rohan and sighed, content for that moment to be in each other's company.
"There you are!" Faramir exclaimed! "I think he wants you!"
"Yes, so you always claim. He always happens to want or need me right when you and Elessar and Eomer happen to want to get into some mischief. Really, for the prestigious noblemen that you are, can't you stay out of trouble for one minute?" Eowyn asked, exhausted from tending to the baby.
"I'll take him," Lothiriel said, simply, as Faramir passed the baby to her. His cries quieted to sniffles as he looked up at her. She smiled down at him and cooed. "You are the most adorable little prince I have ever laid eyes on! Come, let Auntie Lothiriel give you the royal tour of Rohan." With that, she led him around the Great Hall, as Eowyn passed her a look of gratitude and sunk into the nearest chair about her.
Lothiriel sat at the table, eating breakfast and keeping Elboron occupied at the same time, when a man sat next to her, ashen-faced.
"Eomer, whatever is the matter?"
Eomer awoke that morning to the sound of laughter. From the musical noise, he could pick out Lothiriel's. He smiled, as he thought of how it would not be so bad to rise to a melody like that every morning for the rest of his life.
Suddenly, there was abrupt pounding at the door, then four tall men barged in.
"Wake up!" one voice said.
"We must talk!" another added.
"You're gonna die," one mentioned, deviously.
"Oh shove it, all of you. Wake up Eomer King! The mighty and venerable Princes of Gondor have some business with you!" Faramir boomed, as Elboron babbled in his arms.
Eomer poked his head out from under the covers and raised an eyebrow?
"Do all the mighty and venerable Princes of Gondor really have business with me, or is that one," he said, pointing to Elboron, "merely here because he was coerced against his will?" He held out his hand to the baby. "You would not so willingly scheme against your uncle, would you innocent babe?" Elboron pried his hand out of Eomer's and slapped it against his arm. "Okay, nevermind," Eomer said, replacing his hand under the covers. He turned to the brothers from Dol Amroth and their cousin the Steward. "What business do you have with me that requires my attention ere the sun rises on the day of my wedding?" he growled.
All four of them unexpectedly drew their swords.
Amrothos spoke first. "We would just like to inform you..."
"...that though you may be wed to our sister at the end of this night..." Elphir added in.
"...if we hear so much as a squeak of unhappiness..." Erchirion said.
"...then we shall have no qualms in torturing you so cruelly that you will beg for mercy in the form of death!" Faramir finished with a flourish, all four of them now having their blades upon his throat.
Eomer gulped. "Ummm. Thanks?" he said, not knowing what to truly say to such a threat.
"Oh," Amrothos said, swinging his sword broadly in the air now. "No doubt father will want to have a little chat with you too. Best not mention this one. Really won't do you too much good, that," he winked, and the four left the room. Eomer breathed a sigh of relief, truly believing every word that left their mouths.
Eomer turned to Lothiriel and related the story to her. She laughed then turned to Elboron. "Now, my bonnie lad, you certainly did not threaten the great King of the Riddermark?"
Elboron responded by banging his spoon on the table. Eomer sulked. "Even the little one plots against me," he pouted.
Lothiriel merely laughed, kissed him on the cheek, and readied herself for the afternoon's ceremonies.
"Stop fidgeting!" Eowyn exclaimed. "You are worse than Elboron on a hot day!"
Arwen merely laughed as she put the finishing touches on Lothiriel's intricate hair-do. The two ladies stepped back and smiled at the reflection, as they turned Lothiriel around to look at herself in the mirror.
Lothiriel gasped. The dress, she knew, was beautiful—a gift from Arwen and Eowyn, it was crafted by the fair and skilled elven folk. But she never imagined that she would look so beautiful in it. She smiled, satisfied, then turned back to the ladies.
"Well, I dare say your father should be here any minute," Arwen said, as she and Eown glanced at the door. Suddenly, a knock reverberated from outside.
Lothiriel sighed and braced herself, preparing for the long walk from her quarters to the great hall, where the ceremony was to take place. Arwen opened the door and ushered the prince of Dol Amroth in, as she and Eowyn took their leave to join the guests already assembled in the hall.
Eomer was nervous, and if showed. Even Faramir kept patting him on the back, as if to reassure him, although all that did was make him even more anxious of the coming ceremony.
"Stop moving about so! You're supposed to be standing still," Faramir whispered.
"You know, if you sigh any more, you won't have enough breath to give your vows," Elessar joked.
"Shut up," he said, and the two men of Gondor shared a laugh. "What if she says no?" he said miserably.
"She won't," they both said, as they turned to see Lothiriel walk in accompanied by her father.
Eomer turned that way also and gasped. There was his beautiful lady in a stunning gown walking down the aisle towards him!
Lothiriel smiled at him, as she looked upon him with tears in her eyes. Imrahil stopped when he reached Eomer, took his hand, and joined the two, but not before a last kiss from his darling daughter. Then he went and joined her brothers at their seats.
Gandalf himself conducted the ceremony. Much to the delight of both, neither said no. Then, before they knew it, it was time for the personal vows.
Lothiriel turned to Eomer. "Long have I known in my heart the love that I harbor for you there is not just some fleeting feeling, but an emotion that has consumed me entirely and will fill my life for the rest of my days. I love you, always Eomer. You have made me the happiest among women." She kissed his cheek, then slid the ring on his finger.
Eomer gulped, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He then quickly swallowed his emotions and held her hands in his. "Lothiriel, since the first time I saw you I was blown away by your beauty, your grace, your talent and skill, your intelligence, your courage, your strength. However, every time I saw you I was also blown away by my feelings for you—my love for you, which grows stronger every second I am in your presence. I cannot imagine a time in my life without you, for you complete me entirely. Since I met you, I know what it means to live. Thank you for your love, and in return I shall promise to love you as much as 100 years if needs be, nay, forever, for I cannot imagine anything more beautiful and perfect than a life with you." Eomer slid the ring on her finger. Gandalf raised their joined hands and turned them to face the audience.
"I now present to you, joined by the mutual bonds of love, Eomer King and his Queen, Lothiriel of Rohan!"
The crowd cheered, and even louder cheering was heard all the way out the hall, down the steps, and deep onto the fields of Edoras. For their beloved King now had a wife, and their beloved Rohan now had a Queen, and all was well for the rest of their days as a couple, as a people, and as a country.
100 Years or Forever
Six Months Later...
Lothiriel sighed, as she lay in bed, halfway between sleep and consciousness. By Eru, she was nervous! Today, she was to become bound to her love for life. She turned her thoughts around in her head when suddenly a knock came at the door.
"Are you awake?" Eowyn cried, as she boldly pushed open the door. She and none other than the Queen of Gondor herself glided into the room.
"Eowyn, Arwen, what is the meaning of this? It is not even sunrise yet!" Lothiriel protested, as she tried to bury herself under the covers. After all, the week that the women spent together in Rohan getting ready for the wedding had allowed them to grow very close to each other.
"Oh shush! You are such a bedbug! Get up! We have a surprise for you!" Eowyn giggled as the princess groaned. She turned to Arwen. "Surely, dear Arwen, for the occasion of a lazy and stubborn princess, you could not conjure up some elven magic to get her upright?"
Arwen laughed her silvery laugh. "Not even I could counter the forces of the lethargic and lazy princess from Dol Amroth...or should we say soon-to-be Queen of Rohan, although if she doesn't get out of bed, I dare say she will miss her own wedding."
"Yes, and I'm sure Eomer would be very put out," Eowyn added.
"Fine! This had better be worth it!"
"It is!" the two ladies chimed, as they helped Lothiriel get in a simple dress. Suddenly, the three ladies heard crying.
"Oh horsedung! I knew he would do that!" Eowyn sighed, exasperated. The three ladies opened the door to find Faramir juggling a rather cranky Prince Elboron.
"Darling, I think he's hungry," Faramir insisted, trying to pass the baby off to her.
"No dear, I've just fed him. More likely, you have some cleaning up to do!" Eowyn chided.
"I was afraid of that," Faramir muttered, as the three women passed out onto the wide steps of Meduseld.
Eowyn and Arwen motioned for Lothiriel to take a seat.
"What are we doing here?" Lothiriel asked groggily, while rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"We're watching your last sunrise as a single woman," they said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing to do. Lothiriel smiled, as the sun's rays began to peek up from the horizon. The three looked upon the wild plains of Rohan and sighed, content for that moment to be in each other's company.
"There you are!" Faramir exclaimed! "I think he wants you!"
"Yes, so you always claim. He always happens to want or need me right when you and Elessar and Eomer happen to want to get into some mischief. Really, for the prestigious noblemen that you are, can't you stay out of trouble for one minute?" Eowyn asked, exhausted from tending to the baby.
"I'll take him," Lothiriel said, simply, as Faramir passed the baby to her. His cries quieted to sniffles as he looked up at her. She smiled down at him and cooed. "You are the most adorable little prince I have ever laid eyes on! Come, let Auntie Lothiriel give you the royal tour of Rohan." With that, she led him around the Great Hall, as Eowyn passed her a look of gratitude and sunk into the nearest chair about her.
Lothiriel sat at the table, eating breakfast and keeping Elboron occupied at the same time, when a man sat next to her, ashen-faced.
"Eomer, whatever is the matter?"
Eomer awoke that morning to the sound of laughter. From the musical noise, he could pick out Lothiriel's. He smiled, as he thought of how it would not be so bad to rise to a melody like that every morning for the rest of his life.
Suddenly, there was abrupt pounding at the door, then four tall men barged in.
"Wake up!" one voice said.
"We must talk!" another added.
"You're gonna die," one mentioned, deviously.
"Oh shove it, all of you. Wake up Eomer King! The mighty and venerable Princes of Gondor have some business with you!" Faramir boomed, as Elboron babbled in his arms.
Eomer poked his head out from under the covers and raised an eyebrow?
"Do all the mighty and venerable Princes of Gondor really have business with me, or is that one," he said, pointing to Elboron, "merely here because he was coerced against his will?" He held out his hand to the baby. "You would not so willingly scheme against your uncle, would you innocent babe?" Elboron pried his hand out of Eomer's and slapped it against his arm. "Okay, nevermind," Eomer said, replacing his hand under the covers. He turned to the brothers from Dol Amroth and their cousin the Steward. "What business do you have with me that requires my attention ere the sun rises on the day of my wedding?" he growled.
All four of them unexpectedly drew their swords.
Amrothos spoke first. "We would just like to inform you..."
"...that though you may be wed to our sister at the end of this night..." Elphir added in.
"...if we hear so much as a squeak of unhappiness..." Erchirion said.
"...then we shall have no qualms in torturing you so cruelly that you will beg for mercy in the form of death!" Faramir finished with a flourish, all four of them now having their blades upon his throat.
Eomer gulped. "Ummm. Thanks?" he said, not knowing what to truly say to such a threat.
"Oh," Amrothos said, swinging his sword broadly in the air now. "No doubt father will want to have a little chat with you too. Best not mention this one. Really won't do you too much good, that," he winked, and the four left the room. Eomer breathed a sigh of relief, truly believing every word that left their mouths.
Eomer turned to Lothiriel and related the story to her. She laughed then turned to Elboron. "Now, my bonnie lad, you certainly did not threaten the great King of the Riddermark?"
Elboron responded by banging his spoon on the table. Eomer sulked. "Even the little one plots against me," he pouted.
Lothiriel merely laughed, kissed him on the cheek, and readied herself for the afternoon's ceremonies.
"Stop fidgeting!" Eowyn exclaimed. "You are worse than Elboron on a hot day!"
Arwen merely laughed as she put the finishing touches on Lothiriel's intricate hair-do. The two ladies stepped back and smiled at the reflection, as they turned Lothiriel around to look at herself in the mirror.
Lothiriel gasped. The dress, she knew, was beautiful—a gift from Arwen and Eowyn, it was crafted by the fair and skilled elven folk. But she never imagined that she would look so beautiful in it. She smiled, satisfied, then turned back to the ladies.
"Well, I dare say your father should be here any minute," Arwen said, as she and Eown glanced at the door. Suddenly, a knock reverberated from outside.
Lothiriel sighed and braced herself, preparing for the long walk from her quarters to the great hall, where the ceremony was to take place. Arwen opened the door and ushered the prince of Dol Amroth in, as she and Eowyn took their leave to join the guests already assembled in the hall.
Eomer was nervous, and if showed. Even Faramir kept patting him on the back, as if to reassure him, although all that did was make him even more anxious of the coming ceremony.
"Stop moving about so! You're supposed to be standing still," Faramir whispered.
"You know, if you sigh any more, you won't have enough breath to give your vows," Elessar joked.
"Shut up," he said, and the two men of Gondor shared a laugh. "What if she says no?" he said miserably.
"She won't," they both said, as they turned to see Lothiriel walk in accompanied by her father.
Eomer turned that way also and gasped. There was his beautiful lady in a stunning gown walking down the aisle towards him!
Lothiriel smiled at him, as she looked upon him with tears in her eyes. Imrahil stopped when he reached Eomer, took his hand, and joined the two, but not before a last kiss from his darling daughter. Then he went and joined her brothers at their seats.
Gandalf himself conducted the ceremony. Much to the delight of both, neither said no. Then, before they knew it, it was time for the personal vows.
Lothiriel turned to Eomer. "Long have I known in my heart the love that I harbor for you there is not just some fleeting feeling, but an emotion that has consumed me entirely and will fill my life for the rest of my days. I love you, always Eomer. You have made me the happiest among women." She kissed his cheek, then slid the ring on his finger.
Eomer gulped, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He then quickly swallowed his emotions and held her hands in his. "Lothiriel, since the first time I saw you I was blown away by your beauty, your grace, your talent and skill, your intelligence, your courage, your strength. However, every time I saw you I was also blown away by my feelings for you—my love for you, which grows stronger every second I am in your presence. I cannot imagine a time in my life without you, for you complete me entirely. Since I met you, I know what it means to live. Thank you for your love, and in return I shall promise to love you as much as 100 years if needs be, nay, forever, for I cannot imagine anything more beautiful and perfect than a life with you." Eomer slid the ring on her finger. Gandalf raised their joined hands and turned them to face the audience.
"I now present to you, joined by the mutual bonds of love, Eomer King and his Queen, Lothiriel of Rohan!"
The crowd cheered, and even louder cheering was heard all the way out the hall, down the steps, and deep onto the fields of Edoras. For their beloved King now had a wife, and their beloved Rohan now had a Queen, and all was well for the rest of their days as a couple, as a people, and as a country.