DISCLAIMER: The names, places, things are Tolkien's. I think we can all figure out what is who's.

AN: thanks so much for the reviews!!! they are great!! =]

Chapter 14: The Deal

Two Days Later...

Eomer held Lothiriel close to him. He could feel her shiver slightly as a gentle breeze swept through. She was asleep, making a subtle droning noise through her nose, causing Eomer to chuckle. 'How could she look so peaceful with such an unpleasant noise coming from her nostrils,' he thought to himself, looking down to her, her expression calm and beautiful, then looking out to the moon. It was her idea to come to the shores, sit atop a blanket, and watch the sun set and the moon rise. She told him the sight of the sun and moon interchanging places, and the sound of the waves rolling onto the shores was most relaxing, and she was right. Eomer felt at peace, his injury completely erased from his mind. In truth, the Warden intended for him to be released the next day, but Eomer assured the man that he was well enough to go about normally. Being able to be in Lothiriel's presence anywhere other than the House of Healing was what occupied his thoughts. After all, it was but an injury to the shoulder, one Eomer did not consider to be serious.

'Holding Lothiriel will be of no harm to it anyway,' he thought aloud, a little louder than he might of expected, for Lothiriel stirred slightly in his arms. "I should get you back. It is getting quite late, and I do not think your Father would overlook this late night rendezvous..." he whispered, to Lothiriel really though he knew she would not respond. He sighed lightly, not wanting to wake Lothiriel from sleep. If he did not want to wake her, he had no choice but to carry her to the palace in his arms. He hoped it would not place a great strain on his shoulder, and when he lifted her it didn't, surprisingly.

"I hope your Father does not get too upset," he said aloud, as he made his way to the Palace. "He has been keeping a rather watchful eye on us for the past couple of days. Lately, more than ever, it seems." Eomer continued, knowing Lothiriel could not hear him. "I wonder why..." he trailed off, as he entered the Palace.

Moments Later...

Eomer quietly entered Lothiriel's room and laid her gently atop her bed. She did not wake. On the contrary, she slept peacefully the entire time Eomer carried her. He looked up to see Daerien asleep in a chair across from the bed, and smiled with relief. He made his way to the chair and tapped Daerien lightly.

"Daerien..." he whispered softly. Daerien opened her eyes slowly, breathing in deeply as she stretched out her arms. Eomer took a step back to give her some space.

"My Lord..." she began, standing to greet him. Eomer cut her off, however, and motioned to Lothiriel lying on the bed, and Daerien nodded in recognition. "I should wake her to wash up," Daerien told him, as she looked up to see him nod in agreement. "Thank you for returning her safe, my Lord. I will be sure to tend to her," Daerien smiled, and bowed her head to Eomer, Eomer doing the same. He quietly took his leave of the women, but not before kissing Lothiriel lightly on the cheek.

"Goodnight," he whispered in her ear, and exited the room.

As Eomer approached his own room and entered, he found Imrahil inside glaring out of the room's window. Eomer gasped lightly in surprise, a look of confusion sweeping across his face as he approached, for it seemed the Prince did not hear his arrival.

"Lord Imrahil?" Eomer called to him questioningly, as the Prince turned to reveal his calm expression.

"Eomer. I began to wonder if you would return at all. I apologize for just entering..." the Prince began, but Eomer interrupted.

"Oh, no, no My Lord. It is truly all right, 'tis your home, I am but a guest."

Imrahil nodded in acknowledgement. "Please, sit then. There is something I wish to discuss with you," he replied, motioning for Eomer to take a seat. Eomer complied, and sat on the edge of his bed, as Imrahil pulled out the chair from the desk and placed it across from Eomer, taking a seat. Imrahil sat quietly for a moment, folding his hands and placing them below his chin. Eomer felt a bit nervous, and would glance up at Imrahil then look back down at the floor, waiting for him to speak. The Prince sighed heavily, and finally spoke.

"I suppose you already know what it is I wish to speak to you about,"

"The trade routes between Rohan and the city of Dol Amroth, perhaps?" Eomer asked in jest. Imrahil only smiled, and Eomer could not tell if it was amusement or politeness, and so felt embarrassed by what he had said. "I am sorry, my Lord, I meant no harm."

"No, no, I am a light hearted man, I take no offense to your jest. Well then, I suppose now you know what I came to speak to you of. What of my daughter, Eomer? What are your intentions?"

Eomer paused for a moment, eyebrows raised simultaneously in a bit of surprise; the surprise because he was not sure what to say. "Well, I. I, I do care for her, my Lord. I admit, she caught my eye the moment I met her, and she has come to catch my heart as well."

"Do you love her then?"

Imrahil's question was simple, and Eomer was not sure whether or not to say yes or explain to the Prince what he and Lothiriel had agreed on. He decided to just say what it was he felt. "I do."

The Prince nodded to his reply, and stood from his chair. Eomer stayed seated, utterly confused. He was not sure if Imrahil was angry or what, as the man turned away from him. Eomer sat there meekly, waiting for Imrahil to say something, anything.

"Do you intend to marry her, Eomer?" Imrahil asked calmly, leaning against a wall, his back facing Eomer as he looked out the window once more.

"I do, but not in the nearest future, my Lord. I know Lothiriel is young, and times have changed and life does not feel as uncertain and dark as it had during the time of the Ring. I meant to wait a month or so before I proposed the idea to her."

Imrahil turned suddenly to return his gaze to the King. "What of waiting for more than a month?"

"More than a month, my Lord? How many more months do you suggest?" Eomer asked in a puzzled tone.

Imrahil returned to his seat and let out a sigh. "Five, at the least."

"Five months?!" Eomer asked, his voice rose slightly, in shock, as he stood from where he sat. Imrahil motioned for him to sit back down, and shushed him quiet.

"That is right, five in the least. I ask that you wait for that length of time."

"My Lord..." Eomer began, but Imrahil cut him short.

"There is more to it, Eomer. I would ask that within that time frame, you keep away from Lothiriel entirely, as if to say you were taking a break from her."

"WHAT?" Eomer felt speechless, save for his one word response.

"I know it seems absurd, but there is reason behind it. Eomer, you are a dear friend to me, and I would be proud to have you marry my daughter, but Lothiriel is a rather, difficult woman to understand. I must test her, I must see if what she feels for you is the real thing, because like you said, she is young, and life is different now. I would want her to marry for love and never regret it. But before she can do that, we must see if it is truly love she feels for you."

"So this is a test?"

"Yes. More so for my daughter than for you, though, I think that in time, whatever the outcome may be of your relationship, you would find this test to have been quite helpful."

Eomer sighed deeply, not wanting to offend his friend. Five months, however? It seemed like a great deal of time, and he was not sure if he wanted to wait so long to marry Lothiriel, let alone wait so long to see her and hold her once more. What if within that time Lothiriel became attached to another? He would regret letting her go. However, he supposed that that was the purpose of this test, to see if Lothiriel would love him after being away from him for so long, to see if he truly did have her heart. At this thought, Eomer's curiosity was aroused. He knew what he felt in his own heart, but was it safe to trust Lothiriel's?

"All right, I will agree," Eomer, replied slowly. He loved Lothiriel; he felt no doubt. But how would Lothiriel know it to be love? Has she been so experienced in her young age? He needed to know, he needed to test, for her sake. Eomer would never want to have Lothiriel regret their marriage, if one was to occur at all.

"Good, then it is done. The sooner you leave Dol Amroth, the sooner it can be begin."

"How will I know, then, when to return? Would I return five months to the day of my departure?"

"No, I will send word to you. Do not come until my letter arrives in Rohan."

Eomer did not like that idea, but what choice did he have? Imrahil was Lothiriel's father; he would know her best, would he not? Eomer nodded in obedience, and replied, "Give me two days then, and my company and I shall return to Rohan."

Imrahil clasped Eomer's shoulder, saying a soft "Thank You," to him, before standing to take his leave. Imrahil made his way to the door, but turned one last time to address Eomer, who still sat on the bed, head buried into his hands.

"Eomer, one more request. Lothiriel must not know of this, she must not know that I asked this of you, in fact, she must not know I spoke to you at all. If she did, it would only upset things," Imrahil told him. Eomer nodded, and with that the Prince left, closing the door behind him.

Eomer sat silently, wondering how he would explain this to Lothiriel without revealing the truth. He knew he could not just get up and leave and not come back for some time without some sort of explanation. Eomer suddenly felt awful at the thought of leaving Lothiriel, and began to wonder if what he was doing was the right thing to do.

another gap filler. a bit of a boring chapter, to say the least. I hope you enjoyed anyhoo, and thanks again for the reviews!!! please keep reviewing!!! they keep me going, hehe =]