With that, they arrived at the doors to a building near the Citadel, and Tolwyn was pushed inside. "Here, my Prince," said the first guard. "This boy forgot to pay a barkeep. You can judge him and decide his fate. Don't be too nice to the rotten thief!" the two guards chuckled at themselves and shut the door. The building was some meeting hall, about as big as her father's throne room. But the only other person was a figure on a chair at the end opposite the doorway. The room was shadowy, except for light streaming in some windows near the end of the hall where the figure sat. She stood there, unsure of what to do. She saw the figure stand, and come into a patch of light.

He was almost as tall as her father, with dark hair and blue eyes. He had high cheekbones and a firmly set jaw. He was clean-shaven, unlike her kin, and his ears had barely noticeable points at their tops. That is Elessar and Arwen's son, she thought. Prince Eldarion, who Father wanted me to… Her train of thought was interrupted by a low voice saying, "Come here, boy… come into the light." She did as she was told, and stood a few feet away. She stared; he was handsome, and an emotion never felt before stirred in her. But she suppressed it and waited for him to say something else.

"What is your name?" he asked. She became frantic again- she hadn't thought of a name! She thought and thought of some name she could use. Finally she replied, "Dernhelm, sir." Tolwyn, in her madness, forgot that her aunt Eowyn used that same name when she disguised herself long ago. Eldarion, who was as smart as he was handsome, remembered that name. He was suspicious. He knew that the king of Rohan and his own father were trying to arrange something between him and the King's daughter. He had also heard rumors that she had run away in the middle of the night, when she was told about it. He knew he should feel hurt and insulted, but he didn't

"Take off your helm, if you will," he said. Tolwyn shook her head no. "Take off your helm, please," he said through gritted teeth. Still, Tolwyn shook her head. He walked closer until his face was only a few inches away from hers, glaring into her eyes. "Remove your helm, boy," he said, putting emphasis on the word boy. He could see the fear in her eyes. They were grey, like the steel of a sword; yet green specks still appeared, the color of spring leaves. She glared back fiercely, her eyes going all grey. "No," she declared, and raised herself up on her tiptoes to try and match his height.

"Then shall I have to punch you?" he retorted. "Shall I have to hurt you for no reason?" Tolwyn, whose mouth was still bleeding, spat out, "I fear neither pain nor death." Again, she forgot that the same was said of her aunt Eowyn to King Elessar long ago. Eldarion stood there, still glaring into her eyes, Tolwyn still glaring back, as if they were trying to stare each other down. Inwardly, Eldarion marveled at this girl. He knew the guards that dragged her up were the meanest of the whole army of Gondor, and she had to have endured a long and painful journey. Here she was, bleeding, bruised, feeling her life was forfeit; and still she would not surrender.

Eldarion pulled his arm back and made a fist, as if he was going to punch her. Tolwyn did as he thought she would do, and cringed and closed her eyes. Poor girl, he thought. Already beat up beyond reason, thinking I'm going to hurt her more. What a bad first impression she must have of Minas Tirith. I might as well save a lot of time and embarrassment. In the few seconds after Tolwyn closed her eyes, he grabbed both sides of her helm and lifted it off. She immediately yelped and reached for it, then realized he probably knew who she was. She knelt and looked at the ground, avoiding his eyes.

He smiled when he saw her hair cascade down. He knew it was a daughter of kings. Who else but a child of Eomer could have had such fierce eyes? He even started to laugh. Tolwyn, confused, glanced up at him briefly. "Stand, Lady," he said cheerfully, and she did so. Her face had cuts and bruises on it from her helm, for the metal edges were sharp and it was heavy. Her golden-blond hair was greasy, matted, and dirty. Eldarion looked at her and stopped chuckling.
"I know you are the daughter of King Eomer," he said, "yet I do not know your name. I am Eldarion, Prince of Gondor. Welcome to Minas Tirith." He held out his hand, waiting for her to shake it. She did not, only murmured, "I am Tolwyn." Eldarion tossed the helm he had been holding on the floor behind him. It clattered noisily, and the sound echoed through the room. "Why did you come here, Tolwyn?" He looked at her, trying to look at her eyes again. Tolwyn suddenly swooned and almost fainted. Every muscle in her was sore.

"Oh, oh. Come here; sit down. The journey must have been hard, especially for a girl." Tolwyn glared up at him. She was not weak. She vowed to prove that someday. He took her hand and led her to where two chairs sat across from each other. He waited until she was seated, then he sat down in his own chair. He waited a few minute for her to recover her wits. She wiped the blood off the corner of her mouth, then continued to look at the ground, thinking.

"Why am I here?" she finally uttered hopelessly. "Because they would not suspect it…" she looked up at Eldarion. He sat with his elbow on his knee and his chin resting on his hand, looking at her earnestly. "Well, go on," he prompted. "I want to hear the whole story." Tolwyn sighed. She obviously didn't have any other option. "The only time Father was ever nice to me was my birthday a few days ago," she began. She explained about her lessons being over and her Meara and dagger being given to her. "Then in the evening, he asked me if I wanted to travel. I always have, so I told him yes, and he mentioned you… he said you needed a wife."

"I need a wife?" he exclaimed. "That's preposterous! Although I do think Father is worried about an heir after me. He never told me it was marriage, though. But do go on with your side of the story." Tolwyn described perfectly how she had attempted suicide, how her brother found her just in time and suggested a different choice. "So I decided to ride east, to the one place they'd never suspect me to go to by my own will. I came upon a tavern, but forgot money… you know the rest."

"Well, that's certainly unusual. I knew nothing of a marriage, to tell the truth. I do know that Father was trying to negotiate something, he's always trying to these days. He thinks I need love." Tolwyn smiled a tiny bit, and replied, "That's exactly how I feel, although it's different for me. My father doesn't care about love for me; he just wants to get rid of me. I'm like a burden to be taken care of."

"I'm sure that's not it," said Eldarion, his voice actually unsure. He pitied Tolwyn. Neither of them wanted love or marriage, yet their fathers were forcing it on them. He quickly changed the subject. "Well, Lady Tolwyn, I promise not to tell anyone of your visit here… if you promise to go straight back to Edoras and reveal yourself to your father." Tolwyn said nothing for a moment. It really was her dream to be a fighter, a wild traveler; if she went back permanently, she would never get to. So she just looked back at him, never agreeing. "What about the barkeeper?" she asked. "I'm sorry that I ate all that, but it can't be given back, and I don't have any money at all."

"I have plenty to pay him, and more for his trouble. Don't worry about it." Tolwyn smiled. Her father was right- he was a gentleman. Eldarion saw her pretty smile, and grinned back. "So if we refuse to be married, can we still be friends?" Tolwyn nodded, and stood, her smile growing into a grin. Eldarion stood too, and held out his hand as before. Tolwyn shook it this time. "It was a pleasure to meet you, O Great Prince," she said jokingly, and he chuckled. "The pleasure is all mine, O Daughter of Kings." He picked up her helm and handed it to her, and she put it on as she had it before. He then looked around, and out the window. "You should leave, now. I will pay the barkeeper later. Tell no one of our meeting!"

"I won't say a word if you won't," she said, and after one last handshake and shared grin, she left. She made her way down through the streets, marveling at the architecture. She snuck out the gates again, and found Baldor where he was. By that time it was nearing night. She mounted Baldor and rode towards the setting sun. Eldarion had told her to reveal herself; but she had another plan.