I had a bit of trouble formatting the first chapter. Hopefully, this one will be better.

I sort of agree about the "dead and dying" comment. I was trying to get it across that everything had been so overwhelming for Lothiriel in the Houses of Healing that everything and everyone was just running together in her mind. I may go back and change that line now that I realize it wasn't as effective as I'd hoped it might be.

I always thought of Eomer as an intelligent and sensitive man, but it would stand to reason that it would be hidden under the rough and tumble Rohirric exterior.

Chapter 2: The King and The Steward... And The Queen and The Stewardess

"Those men are entirely too attached to the sounds of their own voices!"

Inside the hall of the Steward, which the Steward and his wife had made significant improvement to since the end of the War, the Queen of Gondor and the Princess of Ithilien looked up in surprise at the sound of the King's raised voice.

A moment later the door to the private sitting room swung open as if a pack of orcs were about to storm through and reduce the entire room to the ground level. King Elessar strode into the room, shaking his head and muttering to himself. He started to pace, then appeared to change his mind and went over to the window instead.

The two women, both of whom knew Elessar well, looked at each other and stood up as a unit just as the Steward, red-faced and slightly brooding, came into the room much more quietly than the King had. The Stewardess went to her husband as the Queen went to her own.

Hands clasped behind his back and looking out the window, Aragorn finally spoke. And his first words were directed to his Steward.

"I apologize for my childish display in the Council." he said quietly, removing the crown from his head. "Nothing of what I said was directed at you personally, Faramir. Those men! You'd think that they would be fallible and more agreeable by this time! I am entering the second year of my reign and I feel as if I could not bear one more private counsel with someone who is not my Steward!"

"Estel." Arwen soothed quietly, laying her hands on his shoulders. "You are a good king. You are simply unlike any ruler that the Council has known before."

A snort escaped from Faramir's nose before he could stop himself. "Yes, they do not know what to do with an intelligent, thoughtful, logical man after the foolishness with which my father reigned during his later years of Stewardship. You do not recall, because he was a good ruler during the time you spent here years ago, but he abandoned his good sense a good long time before the War."

"And you are not the only one going through this trouble." Eowyn remarked. "My brother has many horror stories to tell of the court at Edoras. Granted, he is not nearly so..." she paused for a moment, trying to find the correct word, "... discreet or courteous as you, my lord."

Aragorn chuckled as he imagined the daily shouting matches that no doubt took place in the Riddermark now that Eomer was king. He had no doubt that his friend had even greater trouble adjusting than he did and he found himself feeling guilty that he was glad he wasn't the only one having so much trouble with the scores of people he suddenly found himself surrounded by.

"Speaking of your brother," he deftly changed subjects; he had no desire to brood over something he had no immediate way of fixing. "I did not see him at luncheon. He isn't ill, is he?"

"Not ill, my lord." Eowyn replied slowly, recalling the conversation she had had with Lothiriel about Eomer. "At least, I don't believe so."

"He and Lady Lothiriel went out to Pelennor Field." Arwen informed them. "She sent a message explaining that they may not be at dinner either. I believe she intends to keep him out of the city until she discovers what ails him."

Faramir moaned slightly, shaking his head. "My cousin does not seem to understand that what she does can reflect poorly upon her character. We are no longer in Rohan, though I sorely wish we were, for the relaxed atmosphere seemed to suit her better than the rigidness of the Dol Amroth court."

Prince Imrahil would not be pleased when he heard that his willful daughter had practically kidnapped the king of Rohan, a valuable ally to Dol Amroth, and taken him out of the city without a chaperone. For all the issues and complaints Aragorn had taken up with the court of Gondor, the king would not last two weeks in the court of Dol Amroth, which was a hundred times more rigid, self-righteous, and judgmental than the court of Gondor, which in turn was much more so than the court of Edoras.

"And I suppose the court of Dol Amroth will be muttering to each other of the irresponsibility of the King of Gondor and his lack of control over his guests." Aragorn said darkly.

Faramir paused before speaking, a gesture that Aragorn had long become acquainted with. His Steward, while hardly a man of few words, chose those words carefully. It was widely known that he had grown up with too many harsh words and too few kind words. Faramir was never one to insult without provocation or just cause, and very rarely did so even in those events.

"They may." he finally replied, sitting down in an armchair that had once belonged to his mother. "But Prince Imrahil is a man of good humor and in the years of his rule, the court has eased a bit. He has often remarked how my cousin is a near perfect copy of my mother and has granted Lothiriel and her brothers many small liberties that the prince and my mother did not have themselves growing up."

He did not add that he hoped that Lothiriel would have a better time of finding a husband who would grant her the same liberties. Denethor had loved his wife dearly, no one could dispute that and still call themselves fair, but he had never taken the trouble to understand her. Faramir had never quite shaken the feeling that death must have been something of a relief for Finduilas, for she was finally free in a way that she had never been in all her lifetime.

"Do you remember how he chuckled when Elphir and Eomer locked us in the pantry during our visit to Dol Amroth before we were married?" Eowyn sat beside her husband.

"All I remember is the very unregal sight of our dear King doubled over with laughter in front of the ladies of the court and lamenting that he had not been in on the joke." Faramir stroked Eowyn's hair tenderly, sighing. "But if my uncle laughed at that, most likely he would not mind that his daughter spent the afternoon alone with the King of Rohan. Eomer is, after all, a man of honor."

"And even if something does happen between them, Eomer would not hesitate to marry her if he had to." Eowyn tried to soothe her husband's nerves.

"I know exactly what my uncle would say." Faramir scoffed. "He would be very happy to marry off Lothiriel to Eomer King, distance notwithstanding, but she is still but a child in his eyes. She is his youngest and his only daughter, to be sure, but she is very young, my wife. He nearly broke my father's neck eight years ago when Denethor suggested marrying her off in the interests of peace with the Haradrim."

"Eight years does make a difference, Faramir." Arwen counseled softly. "Especially in the case of your cousin. Eight years ago, she was a child. She is a young woman now, with thought and desires of her own. I have spoken with her at length and you need not worry that the King of Rohan would take advantage of her. I believe she loves him fully and completely."

"She does bring out a different side of him." Eowyn admitted. "Before Lothiriel came into his life, the only creatures I ever saw my brother treat so tenderly and kindly were the horses in the stable."

Her companions burst into laughter at the frank observation.

"When does your uncle arrive?" Aragorn asked of Faramir. "Perhaps I should speak to Imrahil on Eomer's behalf."

"They were delayed along the road and should not arrive until late tonight, if not early tomorrow morning." Faramir replied.

"We must remember to have refreshment and food waiting for them." Aragorn murmured to Arwen, who nodded and cleared her throat.

"Now, I believe the Steward and his wife have something they have not told us of yet, my love." she led him over to the chair across from Faramir. "Sit, Estel, you have had a long day."

Faramir's eyebrows rose at the Queen's words and he looked up at Eowyn, who blushed rosily while sitting on his knee. But the Shieldmaiden of Rohan was not about to allow anyone box her into a corner, even if that person was the Queen of Gondor and a dear friend at that.

"I could not presume to tell of my news when there is news that the King and his wife have not told their closest friends yet." she teased Arwen, delighting in the rosy blush that spread across the Queen's face.

"You told her?" Aragorn turned to look at Arwen, a true smile coming across his face.

"I should have known." Faramir kissed Eowyn. "Wife, you cannot keep a secret if your life depended upon it."

"Wait." Aragorn looked at Faramir. "I am aware of what our good news is, but I have been left in the dark concerning yours, my friend."

Faramir looked at the Queen, whose glowing face resembled that of his own wife. He began to smile, a rare expression for him, and wrapped his arms around Eowyn, kissing her again.

"This is a happy twist of events." he remarked.

"What is a happy twist of events?" Aragorn asked, looking at each of the three faces for a moment, clueless as to what was so amusing to the others.

"It would seem that you and I will become fathers at roughly the same time, my king." Faramir took pity on Aragorn.

The guards standing outside the residence of the Steward heard the first peals of delighted laughter and grinned at each other. They both recognized the laughter of the king and were relieved that he was no longer upset for the moment.

Just to let everyone know, the chapters will not be this regular in the future. I had this one ready when I posted the first one, but I wasn't, and still am not, completely satisfied with the tone of this one.