Redone: As you'll see, not exactly a diplomatic incident, but fairly close.

T.A.: Once Eomer finds out exactly what Lothiriel has not told him, avoiding Elphir will probably be the farthest thing from his mind. And as for the grief, [John Rhys-Davies] you haven't seen anything yet. [/JRD]

Thank you for all the kind reviews, everyone!

Chapter 5: Calm Before The Storm

The day had barely begun and it was looking to be a vexing one, a fact that irritated Eowyn of Ithilien sorely.

First, there was the matter of the improvements Faramir had insisted on making to the house in Minas Tirith, despite the fact that they spent most of their time in Ithilien. Eowyn couldn't understand the reasoning behind the decision, but was still loathe to ask him about it. She knew very well that he hated the house and had never expected to have to reside within its walls once he was grown. For her part, Eowyn admitted to herself that she preferred the big, spacious, light-filled house in Emyn Arnen to the gloomy museum that was the Steward's Residence, but she had found ways to make their rooms within the halls homey.

Faramir was beginning to make her feel as if she hadn't done enough to make the house enough of a home for him. She had never been domestic at all, Faramir had known that and understood and still did understand, but she knew that the house pained him. Sometimes she wished he would just burn it to the ground.

Thank goodness for Lothiriel. When Eowyn had expressed her feelings to her new cousin, Lothiriel had looked upon her with a sympathetic gaze and proceeded to tell her of the numerous pranks and practical jokes that had taken place in the house when she was a very little girl.

"So little in fact, that I don't remember half of what I'm relating to you." the princess of Dol Amroth had laughed. "But my brothers and cousins believed themselves legendary pranksters, so they retold each prank ad nauseam every chance they got."

But at some point, Lothiriel had continued, the pranks had ceased. Denethor's roars of outrage upon discovery of yet another prank became less and less exaggerated and more enraged. Amrothos, Erchirion, and Elphir had learned quickly to cease and desist just at the same time Boromir was sufficiently old enough to consider himself too old for childish pranks. And Faramir, while never failing to find said pranks amusing, had never been a constant participant anyway.

Then Lothiriel had told her of the time she and Faramir had managed to enrage Denethor so thoroughly that both had sported matching black eyes for days.

"Father threatened to break his neck if he ever touched any of us again." Lothiriel had related. "And Uncle believed him, too. To the best of my knowledge, he never touched Faramir again. At least not in a manner that would leave marks."

Eowyn grieved for her husband's terrible childhood but she had not understood what it had to do with the house. Lothiriel intimated that she believed that the house drained the life from anyone who lived in it. She had not even been born yet when her aunt, Faramir's mother, died, but she heard stories of the spirited woman that compared Finduilas to herself.

"Look at me, Eowyn." she had commanded. "Do you really believe there are any circumstances under which I would just fade away? Yet, they say that was precisely what happened to my aunt. And I do remember some good times with my uncle that included Faramir. It's this house, it killed my aunt and turned Denethor to ice. I think Faramir is scared to death of this house and if you had grown up here maybe you would be too."

After giving serious thought to the new revelation, Eowyn had decided to let her beloved have his peace of mind. And she thanked her lucky stars that Eomer had the sense to marry Lothiriel and make her a part of the family twice over.

But on days such as this one, when she awakened to the sounds of work being done all over the house, she almost regretted the decision. Her ire increased when she realized that her husband was not in the bed with her.

'Foolish man.' she thought as she arose and dressed quickly, shaking her head. She hoped he wouldn't make himself sick with the maddening hours he kept in Minas Tirith. Perhaps it would do some good to speak with the king.

Eowyn was pulling a brush through her hair when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" she called, standing up.

The door opened and Danae rushed in, looking pale and frightened.

"Danae?" Eowyn asked, surprised. She wasn't expecting to see the princess's lady-in-waiting at this early hour. When she and Faramir had retired the previous evening, Lothiriel and Eomer had not yet returned from their ride in Pelennor Field. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, my lady Eowyn, it's terrible, simply terrible! My lady Lothiriel has done it this time, and with members of her father's guard on the way! If they catch her outside the city alone with a man, she'll be cooked for sure! Lord Faramir sent me to find you. Oh, my poor dear lady! They'll catch her for sure!"

Eowyn had very little patience for idiocy and while the girl was usually bubbly and chatty, Eowyn maintained her opinion that Danae was a bit touched in the head. There wasn't a mean bone in the maid's body and she was fiercely devoted to her mistress, qualities that Eowyn admired, but Danae had a tendency to lose her head at the most inopportune times.

Given that Eowyn had no idea as to what had frightened Danae so badly, this was a most inopportune time.

"Slow down, girl." she advised. "Take a deep breath and tell me what has happened. What has Lady Lothiriel done?"

"I can't say aloud." Danae whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "They could use my word against my lady. I couldn't abide it if that happened!"

Eowyn's eyes narrowed. Danae's eyes grew rounder, but she still did not offer any enlightenment.

"Why did my husband send for me?" Eowyn finally asked.

"He wants to see you. He's very upset, as he very well should be."

Eowyn doubted this very much. If something as cataclysmic as Danae was indicating had happened, no doubt Faramir would have come to her himself. Whatever it was involved his cousin, which automatically involved him. What in all of Arda could Lothiriel have done to cause this much panic on the part of her maid?

"Did you say Prince Imrahil has arrived?" she latched onto the only useful piece of information Danae had supplied to her. "Is he with my husband now?"

"No. He's in the city now." Slightly calmer, Danae wrung her hands together. "Lady Eowyn, I'm terribly afraid for my lady."

"Oh, don't be more of a ninny than you absolutely must, Danae." Eowyn snapped impatiently, going over to the bedroom door. "Would you please see to it that someone has informed my brother that Prince Imrahil is arriving?"

With that, she closed the door behind her. Shaking her head, she went in search of her husband.

Eowyn later reflected that had Danae simply told her of the seriousness of the situation, she would never have called her a ninny. Entering her husband's study, she found him in the midst of a full-blown panic attack. Prying the story from him had proven to be just as fruitless as her earlier attempt with Danae. Faramir told her that Eomer and Lothiriel were still missing and then told her some nonsense about the court of Dol Amroth.

They were finally getting somewhere when Aragorn interrupted them with one of his customary early morning greetings. Needless to say, Eowyn had until this point usually stayed clear of the king until she and Faramir joined Aragorn and Arwen for luncheon.

Aragorn's reaction to the situation only served to mystify and infuriate her even more.

"Will one of you please tell me why this is such a terrible situation?" she demanded. "My brother intends to marry Lothiriel. He needs only to tell Elphir when he reaches the city and then Prince Imrahil when he comes. What are you both so upset about?"

"The court." Aragorn growled, ignoring Faramir's unuttered protests. "Surely you know, my lady, that adultery is a crime in Dol Amroth, punishable by some rather extreme measures?"

"There has been no adultery." Eowyn replied. "My brother is not married or betrothed to another and neither is Lothiriel. Is she?" she turned to Faramir for an answer.

"No." Faramir replied quickly. "My love, the definition of adultery in Dol Amroth is much broader than it is here or in Rohan. A woman merely has to go to bed with a man to be considered an adulteress. At the very least, she would be considered guilty of harlotry and be treated thus."

"Be treated thus." Eowyn repeated. "What does that mean?"

"The punishment could be rather lenient. Fines to the family of the accused, loss of honor. She would be considered unsuitable for marriage, especially for the sake of a political alliance. However, most of the punishments I've ever heard of for harlotry were much, much more severe."

"How much more?" Eowyn asked.

Faramir looked helplessly at Aragorn. "Be assured, my wife, Eomer is not subject to these laws, for he is not of Dol Amroth."

"Eomer can take care of himself and if he has so little self-control, he ought to be man enough to bear the consequences." Eowyn waved the concern away with a touch of irritation. "What about Lothiriel? How much more severe could the punishment be?"

Aragorn cleared his throat and wished again that he had pockets that he could stick his hands into. "If she were to be found guilty of either charge, adultery or harlotry, she could be put to death."

"WHAT?"

"By stoning."

"WHAT?"

In the short year since the coronation of Elessar as King of Gondor, the people of Minas Tirith had learned that they need not fear the insurgence of orcs into the city anymore. But they had also learned that a far more deadly threat lurked in the city, just inside the residence of the Steward. Several of them, in fact, but only one of them was being faced by the King of Gondor and the Steward of Minas Tirith at the moment.

That threat was that of the angry Princess of Ithilien.

Aragorn and Faramir both cringed under the pressure of her enraged expression.

"Why did you not say something to my brother!" she cried in distress. "Why did you not tell me, Faramir? I could have warned him!"

"And what of the responsibility of the King of Rohan?" roared Faramir, so unnerved by her distress that his voice rose unintentionally. "You assured me that my fears were unfounded, that your brother would treat her with all possible respect and propriety!"

"Had he known, he never would have ventured out of the city alone with her!" Eowyn shouted back, forgetting all about the King in the room.

Aragorn retreated to the doorway, intending to flee for his life (in a proper, regal way, of course), but found his way blocked by a very irritated Queen, who was coincidentally one of the other threats feared by the people of Minas Tirith.

"Is there something you would like to tell me, Estel?" Arwen asked sweetly. "Surely you are not going to abandon your Steward and friend to the wrath of his wife alone."

Eowyn turned to Arwen. "Were you aware of this?"

"I had assumptions." the Queen glided into the room. "It is said that the royal court of Dol Amroth are descended from Elven blood. Fidelity is a high virtue among my people, as you well know, Eowyn."

"No wonder that poor girl was so upset." Eowyn muttered through clenched teeth. "Well, what are we to do? Elphir is on his way, and if we are this upset, imagine what he will do!"

"He won't go after your brother." Aragorn assured her. "First of all, Eomer did not know of the dangers, unless Lothiriel told him."

"He loves her." Eowyn insisted. "He would turn his own sword upon himself before causing her hurt or pain. He may have that famous Rohirric libido, but he is capable of controlling himself."

"But if Lothiriel has not given him a reason to control himself..." Faramir trailed off, chewing his lip. "A leash."

Cocking an eyebrow, Arwen turned to him. "Pardon?"

"I ought to have kept her on a leash this past month." he replied.

"My lord!" Danae, still pale as she had been in Eowyn's room earlier, knocked on the door. "My lord Elphir has arrived and is awaiting you."