Chapter Seven: The Secret

A/N: Hello again! I would just like to thank all my wonderful reviewers who really made my day with their wonderful reviews. Thank you! You guys are the best! (And to those who are on my Author Alert and don't review, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. REVIEW! Please? Thank you.) And guess what? You're hard work has paid off, because in this chapter, all (well, almost all) questions shall be answered! I don't want to spoil anything, so on with the story! P.S. Just in case you are wondering, Andúmîr's birthday is December 25, in the third year of the Fourth Age. You'll see why in a minute.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Tolkien. Period. End of story.

The baby of Éowyn and Faramir was named Elboron. Andúmîr came to love him as a brother despite all changes he had made in her life. And to her delight, she was able to visit Rohan frequently now that the Heir Crisis had been resolved.

On Lothron (May) 1 of Andúmîr's twelfth year (and the anniversary of Elessar's coronation), just as she predicted , Arwen gave birth to not only a son, but daughter as well, with the boy being born half an hour before his sister. The boy was named Eldarion, Son of the Eldar, and the girl was named Edainiel, Daughter of the Edain. Two years later on Midsummer's Day, twin girls Araniel, Daughter of the King, and Ríniel, Daughter of the Queen, joined the family. And on Narbeleth (October) 3 of Andúmîr's sixteenth year, a daughter, Esteleth (Hope, with a feminine suffix), was born.

In time, Éowyn also bore two more children, a son whom they named Elbereth, and a daughter named Delwyn. The children of the Queen of Rohan and the King of Gondor grew to be so close in friendship, that they were like brothers and sisters, perhaps more as they grew to adulthood. But those are later tales.

Andúmîr loved all her brothers and sisters dearly; although it grieved her that she had no friends her own age in Gondor. She would have nothing to do with the noble's children, deeming them pompous and arrogant. She also had the feeling that Aragorn was trying to encourage a relationship with Alphros, son of Elphir, son of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Instead she pined for company in Rohan until Elessar brought Beranna to serve as maid and companion to his daughter. She did, however, make friends with Elanor, the hobbit lass who was made her mother's maid honor while on a trip to visit some friends of her father's in place called the Shire when she was fourteen.

As the years went by, Andúmîr became accustomed to being the King's Heir. If a stranger had looked upon her, he would have thought her very content with her life. But a change had come over her, so subtly that not even her parents were aware of it, not that they would anyway, having only met late in her childhood. She had grown serious, cold even, seldom smiling and never laughing, save when out riding with Beranna. She had been a child who loved life; now she only thought of her duties and never spoke of heart's desires. Unknown to others, she had more visions of the strange man and knew he was somehow tied to her future. And for some reason she couldn't explain he looked more and more like he was related to Prince Imrahil. It was a long time before she found out why...

When Andúmîr was seventeen, King Elessar received a request from Lord Faramir to bring himself and his daughter to Osgiliath. There, he and Éowyn could discuss an important piece of news that has arisen.

"But why must I go to Osgiliath, Ada?" Andúmîr asked when she had heard the news. "I am of no use in these matters," she said bitterly, remembering how they made decisions for her future all those years before.

"Because you are the King's Heir, and as such you must learn the art of politics," Aragorn answered. "Now hurry and pack!"

They left Osgiliath that same day and prepared to stay the rest of the week. Andúmîr could not help but wonder what was so urgent that the Queen of Rohan had to visit them in person.

She would soon find out.

Faramir and Éowyn arrived three days later. On the morning of the fourth day, they held a meeting in a council room overlooking the river. Faramir spoke first.

"We have called you here to discuss a grave matter that has risen before us."

Andúmîr glanced at Aragorn. He shrugged his shoulders slightly to indicate he knew no more than she did.

"A week has passed since my advisor, Derngar, has been laid to rest," Éowyn continued.

"I am sorry for your loss," Andúmîr said, "but what does that-"

"Derngar was also my brother's advisor," Éowyn cut in. "On his deathbed, confessed to a secret he's kept for nearly eighteen years."

Faramir continued. "Apparently Éomer did not die childless as we had thought. He had fallen in love with my cousin, Lothíriel, and desired to take her to wife. But Derngar refused to entertain such a notion. He had harbored a long grudge against Gondor, and for his king to wed the daughter of a Gondorian prince was unthinkable. To spite him, Éomer planned to wed Lothíriel without his knowledge and then to present him with his new bride. He went to Gondor on supposed business, but instead went to Dol Amroth and married Lothíriel in secret. Even her father did not know."

"And…" Andúmîr pressed. She was anxious to hear the rest of the story.

"But something went ill. An army of mercenaries from Harad attempted to lay siege to Dol Amroth. The so-called army was nothing more than a band of rebels and was quickly put down, by Imrahil's forces, but Éomer and his few cavalry men that were with them rode out ahead. They never did find his body. All that was left was his helm."

Éowyn cut in. "It was not long before Lothíriel found that she was with child. She went to Derngar and explained the situation. Derngar was furious at being deceived and let his anger cloud his judgment. It was his turn to be spiteful. He declared that there was no proof that there was a marriage and as far as he was concerned, the child she carried was an…illegitimate child. Heartbroken, Lothíriel left. The last anyone's heard of her, she's was living among a group of Rangers up North, with her son.

For a long time there was silence. Finally, Aragorn spoke. "We shall find him immediately and restore him to his rightful position."

Andúmîr looked at her hands and remained still. "All this time," she mused, "all this time we've been worrying about an heir and the real heir was denied his very existence."

Sarah Barr: I'm glad you like it. It's so nice to get reviews. Did I grant your wish?

Haldir's Heart and Soul: Thank you so much for your plentiful reviews. As far as my smart move with the Witch King's Helm, was it a smart explanation, or was Andúmîr smart for destroying it? Oh, and Andúmîr accepted her duty because that's how she was raised, and she feels she is connected with the man in her vision.

Irish-Chick-777: Hello and welcome! Thank you for your wonderful review! I'm thrilled you enjoy my story. You have no idea what I go through just to make this story as accurate as possible. Have you checked out my other stories?

A/N: What did you think? Did you like it? Did you? I hope you did. And hopefully I've answered a lot of questions. Oh, about Eowyn's second son, the reason I named him Elbereth was because originally Elboron and Elbereth were the names of Elrond's mother's brothers, but Tolkien changed their names. So I decided since Eowyn had a son named Elboron, why not give him a brother named Elbereth? Does that make sense?Ok,enough ramblings. Until I update again: May an Evenstar shine upon you.