A/N—Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry this took so long to update. I've been spending more time out at the barn riding my horse than inside writing about them. ( I should have another chapter out soon. I hope everyone doesn't mind the flashbacks to E&L's courtship days. The next one will be from L's perspective...I'm thinking E's proposal. Let me know what you think—and I have finally found out how to receive anonymous reviews so feel free to send them now.

Thanks to Laureate for pulling me out of the past, past tense hell I was so foolishly stuck in!!!

Eomer rode at the head of the eored that escorted Eowyn to Minas Tirith for her wedding to Faramir. As he approached the large gate to the city, he noticed the swan flag of Prince Imrahil was flying on a standard below the flag of Gondor, the white tree. The prince and his family had already arrived for the celebration.

He thought to himself, if she could strike his fancy as she had many months before in Edoras, if he felt as comfortable around her as he remembered feeling, he would consider speaking with her father about their union. He thought about the pretty Princess of Dol Amroth almost every day since she departed Rohan after his coronation. And as Eomer entered the great white city, he realized he knew not what he would say to her upon seeing her again.

After ascending the multiple levels of Minas Tirith, through the happy crowds of the city's residents, Eomer and his party reached the royal palace's courtyard where many friends, Elessar, Faramir and Imrahil included, met them. As Eomer warmly greeted all in the courtyard, his eyes searched for Lothiriel with no luck. In the greetings he shared with Imrahil, the prince did not mention which of his family had made the trip for the wedding celebration. So, Eomer entered the royal stable yards to put his horse up for the day with thoughts of whether or not he would be able to reacquaint himself with the princess.

As often as he could, Eomer cared for his horse personally. The structured, physical work relaxed him and gave him a great sense of satisfaction. He had left his personal groom in Edoras and looked forward to managing the wellbeing of his horse over the next several months he was to be in Gondor. As he entered the actual stable that housed the horses of visiting noblemen, Eomer noticed a large open stall at the end of the building's long aisle. He claimed the stall for his horse, and after he unsaddled and unbridled his mount, he gave the animal a thorough brushing.

His work completed, the king started to walk the long aisle of the stable toward the doorway in search of food and rest in the palace. Halfway down the aisle, a familiar bay horse in a stall on his right caught his attention. He walked up to the stall and leaned on its half-door to see the handsome gelding he had gifted to Lothiriel back in Edoras. An unconscious smile came to Eomer's lips from the knowledge of what the presence of the gelding in the stable meant; the princess had come for the wedding.

"Hello, Eomer," said Lothiriel from behind the king in the doorway of the stable. Eomer turned quickly to face the princess. Standing in the entranceway of the stable, she was backed by the bright light of the late afternoon sun and appeared to glow. The light outlined the feminine curves of her body through her layered, sheer-fabric dress. It was the color Eomer always imagined the sea, having never seen it before, a muted blue- green. Her dark hair cascaded loose down her back and strands by her face were caught with a silver clip behind her head and was adorned with small white flowers picked that morning from one of the palace's gardens.

"My Lady Lothiriel," said Eomer as the princess joined him in front of her horse's stall.

"I thought we were to dispense with titles when in private company," said Lothiriel as a smile graced her lips.

"Ah, yes," Eomer said, "excuse my forgetfulness, Lothiriel." Eomer stressed her name as he spoke it, and he winked at her playfully. He impulsively scooped her hand in his and kissed it gently while bowing low in front of her as a sign of greeting. "It is good to see you again."

Lothiriel giggled at the king and said, "I have to confess that I have greatly anticipated your arrival. I have many stories to tell you concerning Cyning."

"Cyning," Eomer said to the princess with a small smile on his face. "You've given him a Rohirric name." He nodded his head toward the black bay horse in the stall in front of them and smiled broader at Lothiriel as he noticed her blushing. "Did you name the mare I gifted to your father as well?"

Lothiriel nodded to him and said, "Cwen."

"King and Queen is it then, Princess?" Eomer asked laughing full heartedly. "Well done! Their names suit them nicely." It pleased him that the princess desired his company, even if it was only to tell him of her adventures with her horse. He looked at her smiling brightly back at him, and he felt his stomach flutter with nerves slightly. It was the first time he ever felt uncomfortable in her presence. He suddenly realized he still had Lothiriel's hand in his, and he quickly let it go to turn and face Lothiriel's horse. Leaning on the half-door again, he tried to start a casual conversation with the princess to settle his nerves. "So, how has he performed for you these last few months?"

Seemingly oblivious to Eomer's slightly shaken attitude, Lothiriel leaned on the half-door of Cyning's stall, next to the king, and stared with obvious love at the animal in front of them. "Oh Eomer, he is wonderful!" Lothiriel said. "I actually came to Minas Tirith before the new year so I could continue riding him. Winters in Dol Amroth are severe by the sea and no place for horse riding, but the winter here was quite mild. I was able to ride almost every day."

Her words tumbled out of her mouth with excitement, and Eomer noticed that when the princess was comfortable and relaxed with her surroundings, she used her arms and hands to animate her stories. He thought it adorable, and though he tried to calm his senses so he could regard her rationally, he had trouble not noticing the sweet smell of the princess; it was like jasmine on a warm summer night. He also noticed the tiny beauty marks that decorated her otherwise flawless skin. There was one on her right cheek and another small one near her collarbone and one on the nape of her neck. He found himself wondering where else they graced her body.

"...and he's quite a good swimmer," said Lothiriel. Eomer, who lost track of the conversation because he had concentrated too hard on the princess herself and not on what she had said, was jolted back to the discussion by Lothiriel's unusual statement.

"Swimmer?" Eomer asked. "You've taken him swimming?" He regarded the Princess with a look of disbelief.

"Of course!" said Lothiriel matter-of-factly. "You've never swum on horseback?"

Eomer placed the princess's arm on his to escort her out of the stable and said, "Lothiriel, you use boats for swimming and horses for riding on dry land. Although I can understand your confusion, hailing from Dol Amroth and all. Your people tend to think they can make anything sea-worthy."

The princess rolled her eyes at Eomer as she accepted his arm, and she let him guide her out into the stable yard and back toward the palace. "Funny. Very funny," she said and playfully pinched his arm. Eomer grimaced with pain, playing up her pinch. "Seriously, haven't you ever traversed a river on horseback?" Lothiriel asked.

"Of course I have." Eomer said.

"One that was deep enough for the horse to swim across?" she asked.

"We tend to go across those sections of river by bridge. Besides, who wants to ride with a wet saddle and armor?" Eomer said teasing Lothiriel. Their pace slowed to an amble when they reached the center of the stable yard, and the sun had just set in the west giving the sky a crimson and purple hue. The evening was warm for a spring night, and the air tranquil, which made it seem a little humid. "So where do you do this swimming with Cyning?" he asked her.

Lothiriel raised her face to view his, smiled a lopsided grin at him, and said, "In the sea, of course. There are several coves along the shore by my home where the waters are calm and deep, and the footing is all sand." She inhaled deeply as if she tried to smell the salty air of her homeland, and then she sighed loudly. "I'm looking forward to swimming there again this summer when my family returns home after Faramir and your sister's wedding."

"And the horse enjoys it?" Eomer asked.

"He loves it!" said Lothiriel excitedly. "At first it took some time to convince him sea foam wasn't going to burn his hooves off, but after that was over I could hardly stop him from charging into the water once we reached the beach."

"Sea foam?" Eomer asked.

"Oh," Lothiriel said and blushed softly at Eomer, "that's what they call the white line that forms when the sea water reaches the shoreline. I'd imagine to a horse it looks like a giant snake on the shore that they have to cross to enter the water." Eomer bore a small smile on his face and nodded his understanding wordlessly to Lothiriel. They walked in silence for a while before Lothiriel decided to speak again. "It is quite deep where the Anduin flows near the city. Perhaps we can go riding together soon, and I can show you how well Cyning has taken to water."

Eomer was pleased with himself for maintaining such a neutral expression after the princess's exciting invitation. She wanted to go riding with him, and he wanted nothing more than to saddle their horses right then and there. But his better senses won out, and he said, "I accept your invitation and furthermore would like to bring my sister along with us. I believe she would greatly enjoy seeing your gelding again, and the distraction from her upcoming nuptials will be good for her, I suspect."

He truly desired to spend time with Eowyn before she wed; Eomer knew that after her union with Faramir she would be traveling to her new home in Ithilien and out of his life in a small way. But Eowyn's inclusion was also meant as a sign of respect toward Lothiriel. He wanted the princess to know he held her in high opinion, and that her status was worthy of a chaperone while in his presence on planned public excursions. It surprised Eomer to realize that in his mind if not openly yet, he had already begun to court her.

They reached the entrance of the palace and stood together outside the doorway to Elessar's throne room. "Please excuse me. I would like to freshen myself before the evening meal," Lothiriel said. She curtsied to Eomer and turned toward the long corridor that led to her chambers in the palace. Just as she reached the corridor's arched entranceway, she stopped and looked at Eomer again and said, "And Eomer, you are correct that a wet saddle is unpleasant, and I can only imagine wet armor is the worst. I don't use a saddle when Cyning and I swim together. If we do ride to the Anduin, I would suggest that you and Eowyn ride bareback. You can tell Eowyn I wear a simple cotton riding skirt; one that I don't mind getting wet."

"I will rely on your expertise in this matter, my Lady." Eomer said and bowed grandly and formally to Lothiriel now that they were back in the palace. "As for the Lady Eowyn, you can pass your words on to her yourself at dinner tonight. She has spoken of you often these last few months, and she is curious to hear for herself how you are getting along with Cyning."

"I look forward to speaking with you both at dinner, your Majesty." Lothiriel said. Eomer watched the princess closely as she curtsied gracefully again to him. She had picked up on his more formal way of addressing her. She turned and retreated to her chambers, and Eomer stood watching the princess walk away until the elegant, short train of her blue- green skirt disappeared around a corner. His imagination conjured visions of Lothiriel carefree and galloping her bay gelding along a sand-lined beach, her hair loose and flowing behind her, and the spray from the waves of the sea soaking horse and rider...

~

"Eomer?" said Faramir, Steward of Gondor, as he looked at the obviously lost-in-thought young King of Rohan. The morning council with Elessar had stopped for the afternoon meal, and Faramir and Eomer had stepped outside into Minas Tirith's large courtyard for a breath of fresh air and to stretch their legs. Faramir received no reaction from his brother-in-law, so he waved his hand in front of the tall, blond man's face.

Faramir's actions jerked Eomer from thoughts of the past to present day. With a start, Eomer turned his focus to the steward and said, "What?"

"What were you thinking so hard upon?" Faramir asked with a chuckle.

Eomer turned his head, glanced at his friend beside him, and said, "The sea."

"Ah," said Faramir with a sly smile on his face, "you mean my cousin. Well, that's to be expected with your wedding so close. I found it very hard to concentrate on anything but your sister in the weeks before our marriage as well. Sort of unnerving, isn't it?"

"Faramir, I already told you that I don't want to hear about your devious actions with regard to my younger sister," said Eomer, a pained look on his face. "And yes, it is a little unnerving. I haven't felt this distracted since I was a boy trapped in Meduseld learning about the history of the Riddermark on a pleasant summer day."

"It will pass," said Faramir with an amused look on his face. Eomer cast him a dubious glance and then shook his head doubtingly. "Trust me, my friend," said the steward, and he laughed a rich, full laugh.

"So am I to tell my sister you no longer day dream about her?" Eomer said as he mockingly challenged Faramir.

The steward smiled broadly at the blond king and said, "Oh no, my thoughts often drift to her, but being married I have a pleasant...how should I put this...outlet for such thoughts that you have yet to enjoy with my cousin." Eomer just stared, open-mouthed at his brother-in-law. "Come! The council is reconvening, and the sooner we start the afternoon session the sooner we can disband for the day." Faramir said and slapped the king on the back. The steward walked ahead of Eomer and into the palace, a huge smile on his face, for it was not often he was the cause of Eomer's embarrassment. In fact, all too often it was the other way around.

A/N—I think I'm ready for the party now. Next chapter, I promise. And I will try to get it out soon.