Author: Thanks for all the reviews! I love you guys, I really do. Now go write wonderful stories that I can read all summer. Finals are over now, so vacation is officially upon me!! Except for upcoming summer required reading…gag.

And did no one besides Lady Scribe of Avandell and me think that Brad Pitt looked EXACTLY like Eomer should (not that Karl Urban didn't kick butt, but anyway) in Troy?

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All four of them were sitting in Father's office. My brothers and father would no doubt have every minute of my life planned out through the next decade—or beyond. I immediately resigned myself to an evening of advice and lecturing.

Elphir and Elchirion were standing in front of the tall windows, arms crossed defensively. Amrothos was lounging against the mantelpiece nursing a glass of wine and gazing pensively into the fire. From their faces I could tell they did not expect me to like whatever it was they were going to tell me. Surely marriage to Eomer wouldn't be that bad!

"Ah, Lothiriel, good. Sit down here; we want to talk to you." No sooner was I perched on father's uncomfortable office bench than he stroked his graying beard and cleared his throat in anticipation of a speech. "Now, Lothiriel. You're nearly 21 years old now—a woman grown. We love you dearly, but your brothers and I agree it's time you were settled down in a home of your own. You know how I feel about marriage, and as a member of the ruling house of Dol Amroth, it is your duty, and I would hope you will consider it an honor to serve your country so, to make a match that will strengthen the stability of our city." Father stopped to clear his throat again. I nodded. Nothing had surprised me so far.

"I'm glad you're going to be cooperative. Ahem. Therefore, "Father appeared to be starting in on a stately declaration of intent, but broke off with a sigh and blurted out, "Oh, blast it all. You're going to marry Lord Kuthiea of Harad."

I wish I had had a mirror with me, because I'm sure the look on my face was priceless. Kuthiea, the ambassador of the Haradrim to Gondor, was a staid, dull politician. He wasn't bad looking, having the typical darkened appearance of the Haradrim, he didn't over drink, he didn't seduce maids (that I'd ever heard of), and he wasn't unintelligent. It should have been a perfect choice: perfectly logical, perfectly feasible, and perfectly acceptable. But for some reason, my heart sank. Kuthiea was just so….boring.

I tried to maintain my composure. "Well, uh…Kuthiea? I suppose I should have expected that but…" I searched for a way to ask the question that was eating at my mind delicately. "Somehow I was under the impression that you were considering a betrothal to Eomer of Rohan."

Father eyed me. "You've never met King Eomer, have you? How could you want to marry him?"

I blushed. "I never said that. I had simply received the idea, somehow, that you had sent a delegation to Rohan regarding a state marriage."

Father stood and walked to the fireplace. Nudging Amrothos aside, he poured himself a glass of wine from the silver pitcher resting on the mantelpiece. He took a sip then turned back to me.

"We did consider Eomer. In fact, he was my first choice. A fine young man, he is, and would make you the perfect husband. Unfortunately, the Rohirrim have informed me that King Eomer does not approve of arranged marriages, so we moved on to the next best candidate."

I was confused. "Why…excuse me, Father, but why are you so intent on marrying me off all of a sudden? It seems as though this topic has come up rather abruptly."

Father sighed yet again and came to sit next to me. He gently took my hands and looked at me.

"There are beginning to be rumors, Lothiriel. Your brothers have tried to staunch them, but they persist, as rumors will. The people of the city fear that their princess will be an old maid."

"An old maid? Eru above, I'm only 20!" I would be 21 in a month, but no matter that. Wrenching my hands from father's grip I stood and went to Amrothos. "You knew this? And yet you did not tell me!"

My youngest brother looked exasperated. "Ria, you should have known this would happen. It is tradition for the women of our family to be married by their 21st year, and you have yet to find yourself a husband. You refuse to choose a man you wish to marry, so you left us no choice but to choose one for you."

"Yes, but I had hoped you would select someone more…well, less boring, anyway! I've never had a conversation with Lord Kuthiea that lasted more than two minutes! All for the sake of gossip!" I turned to Elchirion and Elphir for help but they were not forthcoming.

"I will not watch you become the stuff of a scandal! If you want someone more interesting than Kuthiea then I suggest you find him, and fast." With that, Father turned and marched out of the room. I sulked for a moment while my brothers offered half-hearted reassurances like 'sometimes less is more' and 'steady as a rock is better than violent as the sea'. Finally, I snapped,

"Oh, shut up, the lot of you," and left. I wandered the halls of my home for hours, staring up at the portraits of the brave ladies I was descended from. Surely there was more in my destiny than a dull, sober diplomat? I had told Eowyn that I would accept an arranged marriage, and I would…as long as I approved of it, too. My heart rejected the ambassador, while my head said that I should obey my father and make the best of it.

I went tiredly to my rooms to contemplate the situation. Somehow, the blue and silver décor didn't soothe me as it usually did. Flopping down on my bed, I hugged a swan-shaped white pillow to my chest and ran through the list of other possible suitors. I could only think of one word that described them all: boring. I drifted off to sleep.

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"Lothiriel! Wake up, dear; you fell asleep in your clothes."

I sat straight up and peered through the darkness at the person who was gently shaking my shoulder. It was Eowyn. When she saw me yawn and open my eyes, she stepped back to light the candles on my bedside table, then lit the lamps around the room.

"Now, you're no doubt wondering about this adventure I mentioned. I'm not really sure it qualifies as an 'adventure' exactly, but it would certainly be a change of pace and scenery for you. Are you interested?"

I nodded vehemently. Why not enjoy a daring escapade while I still could? I could look back and remember it after I was married and cloistered in the city for the rest of my life. Eowyn sat on the edge of my bed and fiddled with the silver fringe of the coverlet while she explained.

"I'm sending some of the servants that accompanied Faramir and I here home tomorrow. To Rohan. And I thought that if you posed as one of them you would have the perfect opportunity to observe Eomer and see if he meets with your approval before you have to marry him! All of them are most loyal, and they won't breathe a word of your subterfuge to anyone. What do you think?"

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I wasn't going to marry Eomer, that I was engaged to the oh-so-average Kuthiea, and that I had no reason to go to Rohan. As I was about to confess, however, I stopped myself. An adventure was an adventure, after all, and I hadn't had any of them in my nearly-21 years. If I told Eowyn, she might withdraw her invitation.

"I would love to! How can I get out of the city without Father knowing about it?"

Eowyn smiled at me warmly and I was struck by the thought that if I'd had a sister, this is what it would have been like.

"Just wait," she said mischievously, "I have it all planned out…"