A/N: To all that have read the story I love you tremendously...This is sort of a dream accomplishment for me... Err...well, this is where things start to "heat" up between Eomer and Anda...Oh how I wish I could be in her shoes for a day or two... HE HE HE! Now...I wish that I could claim to be the long lost, cousin of Tolkien's sisters, nephews, niece...you know the Eunuch with the lovely singing voice...However, I am neither a distant relation, nor am I a Eunuch...so...we shall just see how this pans out!
A/N2: I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean, however if Captain Jack should like to stop at my house for tea some day, I would more than willingly submit to his request(s)... "Yes, but why is the Rum gone?"! Tee hee.... On With the show...
CHAPTER 3 A Devine Slice of Humble Pie
The fortnight prior to the coming of Gondor passed rather quickly. I had attempted to no avail to get a private audience with Eomer. Part of the problem, I was finding was there were rarely moments when Eomer was alone, he always seem to followed by a band of admires particularly women; who cooed over him, and complimented him mercilessly. The last day before the party was to arrive I felt I was running desperately out of time, and after lots of prodding from the girls, I tortured and threatened my brother with love until he gave away the location of him and Eomer's practice that afternoon.
I left the charge of the final deep cleaning of the stables to one of my most trusted grooms and went home. I was not completely sure why I was doing this. I was content for the most part to let things stay the way that they were. I was out of his hair, and he was out of mine, leaving me free to ignore all these strange feelings that kept circling around inside.
I had suffered so many different emotions the last couple of weeks; I was growing more unsettled by the fact that there was a definite part of me that was attracted to Eomer. I knew that there would always be some common ground between him and me because of Eowyn, but this sort of common ground was very different. I had never had a man that I looked to with any admiration, aside from my father, and of course King Theodin, but this was a different sort of admiration than even that. Each of them was a sort of protective and loyal admiration, but with Eomer- it was just different.
I thought for a moment on my walk home of my father and of King Theodin; remembering all of the times we had shared together. Theodin, much to my fathers chagrin had been the one who had taught me the power of a sword, showing me how to wield it correctly. Of course, it was not as if he just picked me at random, it became impossible to try and give Eowyn lessons with out me butting in. As I turned into my doorway I thought of the horrid grief I had sustained the week that they returned from war. I felt totally out in the cold with no one except my brother for comfort. Eomer and I were at an impasse at the time, neither of us knowing how to handle the other, besides he had too much on his mind being a new King and all. I had to admit though, I was rather proud of the way he had handled things that week; he drew Edoras, and the whole of Rohan together tighter than we had ever been.
I walked through my house and into my bathroom; I had to get cleaned up if I were going to have a proper audience with the King. Besides, I figured if I was ever going to get back on Eomer's good side, I had a better chance in a dress, smelling faintly of lavender-than in breeches and a tunic smelling strongly of horse. I was a lady, and there were times when I had to live with the trappings of it and do my part to prove it to my King. After my bath I selected one of my father's favorite gowns from my closet, it was a dusty rose, it played up the gold in my eyes and in my hair. Unlike most of the maids of this land I had come into this world with uncharacteristically dark hair. I stood in front of my mirror, examining myself. I was of average height, and average build; my hair long and of a sort of earthen brown; my eyes a mixture of honey and earth; my cheeks dusted with a coloring of the same-freckles, I hated them. I smoothed the front of my dress, I was going to have to buy a new one sooner or later, but up until now there had been no need, my work in the stables didn't allow for many fancy dresses, and my brother cared little whether I wandered around in a tunic and trousers or a dress and slippers.
I painstaking twisted and braided my hair around my circlet, I would have been happier with it back in a simple ribbon, but that would not have been appropriate. I donned a silver chain, and felt rather godly adorned. I grimaced at the next step. I hated garters, and knew somewhere deep inside that they had been created by the Valar to punish women for some iniquity that we had committed. I begrudgingly pulled them on and affixed my stalkings to them. I gave a glance to my ridding boots, and momentarily thought of wearing them, but scuffed riding boots would never due. I searched my closet for my slippers and found them long deserted in a back corner; there was no wonder; I never wore them.
As I walked the hall I mentally rehearsed what I was going to say to Eomer, I was rather hoping that I could just say sorry and be done with it. I hated the fact that I could not just approach Eomer man to man-have it out, and be done with it. Breeches and ridding boots would have severed for that, but I was a lady of court, and as such I was honor bound to prove it to the King at some time or another. I was growing to hate the fact that even though he was the one to pick the fight, I was the one expected to apologize. So I will admit, I had marginal fault in this as well, but the majority of the blame sat on his shoulders-or did it?
I made my way through the Golden Hall, knowing every room I passed like it was the back of my hand. I passed Eowyn's old room and felt a twinge crawl up in my stomach, I missed her so much. I realized then what part of my problem was, when Eomer and I had fallen into arguments before Eowyn had been the one to go to him and plead my case; then due to her insistence we would generally play nice for awhile before we fell headlong into our next conflict. I then realized this was Eomer and my first argument in a rather long time.
Although I was tempted, I knew there was no way that I could simply let this go. There was far too much ridding on this. It struck me that the other girls and my brother's opportunities were still intact, as they were going to be able to rely on their skills and talents alone; I however would be trying to overcome a personal stab at the king. No, these were my dreams; I wouldn't stand by and watch them crumble because I wanted to be stubborn.
"Good, Good, just keep your feet moving" I heard Eomer's voice echo off the stone walls of the corridor before me. The sound of clashing swords told me they were practicing sword play, something I had to admit I had always enjoyed watching-especially with Eomer. He was extremely talented with a sword, but what weapon in our arsenal did he not have a natural ability towards. I stopped in the doorway, just out of sight so I could enjoy the events without being seen. The two men, it suddenly struck me that my brother was a man, were having a wonderful time. I had not seen my brother smiling and laughing like this since my father had died. A broad smile drew across my face as I came to admire the talents that were beginning to show in him; Eomer was right; he had abilities far beyond what I could foster.
Eolas attempted a block to Eomer's powerful slash, "Oh you think that will stop me do you?" Eomer said in jest, his face positively glowing with the exertion of their match. In one swift move he slipped past my brother's block, knocking the sword from Eolas' hands and sending him careening backwards. Eomer started laughing, and by this time so was I; I could not think of a funnier moment since I had watched in bewilderment as Eowyn had bested Eomer in the days before the war. I covered my mouth to suppress a giggle as Eolas caught Eomer unawares and knocked him to the ground.
Both men were laughing, and rough housing; I was having a lovely time just watching. I could not remember a time since the war; I had seen either of them so happy. I had to take a minute and shake myself back to reality; I was beginning to forget why I had come. The smile faded from my face as I thought of apologizing to Eomer, but there was no way around it as far as I could see, and I was sure that Eomer did not see another route either.
After a few more minutes of watching them throw each other around, I stepped from my concealed location and cleared my throat. Eomer and Eolas' attention shifted from each other to me, "May I have a word my Lord" I said, trying to sound as nice as possible. Eomer hesitated just long enough to give Eolas a snug window of opportunity: in two moves Eolas had pinned him. I smiled to myself, I knew that Eolas was strong, but I knew that Eomer was stronger. I felt I had given my brother an edge, and that was all that mattered.
Eolas scattered off of Eomer, and gave him a sympathetic look. "Will you please talk to her, she is really sorry," he paused looking to me, "And I fear she will never leave me alone if you do not." I cast a haughty look to Eolas who grinned and offered Eomer a hand up off of the stone terrace. "I will, so long as she does not plan on pushing me around again, last I was aware a body guard was not necessary to speak with a lady." Eomer said as he got to his feet, grabbing a towel off one of the wooden pegs on the wall. Even though I knew I deserved this, I had to tell my temper to ebb to keep from throwing myself into another argument. "There shall not be a need for a body guard as long as you are civil and mind your manners." I retorted. Eolas gave a telling look, "Well, I have chores that must be done before night fall," he said striding toward the door, "And Sis, please take it easy on him, I cannot be cast out of a country that I am sworn to protect." He turned to look back at Eomer, "And please, be nice to her, she may seem prickly but she can be nice if you are nice to her." Eomer gave a polite nod and set about picking up the practice equipment.
"What do you want Anda?" he said as soon as he knew Eolas was out of ear shot. I cast my eyes to the ground, "How do I go about this?" I thought to myself. "I suppose the direct path is always best" I determined. "I just wanted to apologize, my lord." I said moving my gaze from the floor to my fingers and then to Eomer. I noticed he was being careful to avoid looking at me directly or indirectly.
"For what?" he said as he placed the swords back into the heavy wooden chest that held all the sparring equipment. I rolled my eyes, "I should have know he would want me to beg" I said to myself. I was prepared to do so, but I had rather hoped it would not come to that. I rolled my eyes; I guess this is as good of time as any.
"For being a wretch and most obviously for pushing you...although there is a part of me that still contends you deserved exactly what you got" I said glancing back to my nails and smoothing my skirt behind me before I sat to wait for him to get done. I made the mistake of looking at him; before I was angry-now I was feeling vulnerable. He was distractingly handsome, especially in this sort of light.
I felt like a great stone had fallen on my chest, why? Why now of all times was I noticing my attraction to him? I could not explain it; he just over powered me, sweat making his tunic stick delicately to the broadness of his shoulders, the dampness of it showing in the tips of his hair. I felt the stinging heat of a flush rising in my skin; it was a hot day for Edoras, but this was not due to heat or exertion-it was odd, and I decided at once I didn't like it. I was off in another space and time, not knowing what exactly was going on. Then he caught my eye, I felt the heat escaping me at breakneck speed, and extreme embarrassment setting in.
"Might I ask what you were admiring my lady?" I snapped back to attention, the full weight of being caught settling in. I was about to speak and make and excuse when he pulled his tunic over his head, and cast it to the corner where he had previously thrown his towel. I was done for and he was doing it intentionally. I wanted to speak, but I could not-there were no words. I had never before seen anyone as amazingly beautiful as him. Every muscle looked as if it was toned to perfection; he was a rather intimidating man. This was an angle I had never really considered before, and now he knew, and I knew-I was attracted to Eomer, King of Rohan.
He caught my eye, "You look beautiful today, rather refreshing to see you as a lady." He said finishing with a rye smile, giving a raised eyebrow in jest. "Why can I not open my mouth?" I thought internally, I paused "Did he just compliment me?" I did my best to recover, "Thank you my Lord." I said simply. He gave me a quizzical look, "Why must you be so formal, you know my given name-there are no others around to hear." I tried to convince myself that referring to him by his common name would work, however; the emotions swirling around in my head told me that would make this all too familiar. Eomer noticed my discomfort, and took a seat next to me on the stairs. I was trying my best to focus on the spance of plains ahead of me. They were so beautiful, grass rolling with the wind; a sort of tawny brown color just like my horse; I allowed myself to become lost in their beauty momentarily. "I am curious I never noticed this before today, but" Eomer said, breaking me out of my subconscious thoughts. I turned to face him, my chin propped on the heal of my hand, which was balanced on my knee and I froze. Eomer was looking at me as if he were taking inventory of my very soul. I felt immediately uncomfortable. "You fancy me don't you spot." He reached for a tendril or hair that had fallen into my face, my stomach churned, but whether it was from the use of my old nickname or from the playfulness of his touch, I could not say.
"Do you really need to call me that?" I said, hoping that by focusing my attention on being angry with him, the nervousness in my stomach would subside. His hand moved from the tendril of hair to gently tracing the line of my ear, then dipping to my neck. My body buzzed with emotions, none of them being anger. "I rather like the name, I gave it to you after all." I gave him a side-ways glance, "Of course, you like it, but you never paid too much attention to whether I was at all taken with the name or not." At least I was finding I could cover my desire with anger-sort of. "It is a term of endearment, Spot" I shifted so I was facing him more directly, "Wrong move" I thought to myself. "A term of endearment? You have to be making a joke Eomer, do you not remember how I received that infernal name?" I said, blushing slightly at the memory. Eomer chuckled to himself, looking down to his knuckles and popping them as in consideration of reliving the moment. "Of course I remember, I walked in on-or out on rather you and Eowyn swimming, then I believe I made some comment about you looking like a Spotted Horse, and the name stuck." I pulled my knees to my chest and pulled in closer to the brick wall, I had only be fourteen at the time, and was very shamefully in love with the ideal of Eomer, he had been roughly about twenty-one at the time, and the apple of many a young ladies eye, I had foolishly thought I could win him. The memories stung worse than any open wound I had ever felt, I remember how foolish he had thought me then, and made me feel exceptionally more foolish now. "Now, Da it is just a name...nothing nicer than what you or Eowyn ever thought about calling me." The ball that had started to form in my stomach tightened down harder, I did what I always did when I felt uncomfortable, I shot to my feet, and began to pace.
After a few minutes silence, I said "I miss her terribly, you know" I paused, "So much sometimes that I think I might go mad." I cast my eyes out upon the plains, remembering all the days of adventures we had in those very fields, and wonder momentarily if I had the courage to jump and join her. I could feel his eyes on my back, I hated being watched. He knew I did not like feeling boxed in, and gave me the same distance and respect you would give a skittish Mare. He closed in slowly, "What is this all about Anda?" He asked gently as he watched to gauge my reaction. "Why could I not do what I was meant to? Why could I not go off to war and fight, just as she did?" Eomer took another cautious step toward me, trying not to make any sudden moves and frighten me.
"Anda, we did not want her to go to war, she went unbeknownst to us-you know that. I would fancy you had some hand in helping her plan that." I cringed, guilt springing up in my soul. "As to why you specifically did not go, only Eru knows, your father and my uncle had you best interest in heart when they bound you here, they knew your country would need you; albeit not in the fashion you would have chosen."
I looked at him, and for the first time in a very long while, I saw him-not as a king, but as a human. He was hurting too. He had lost everything and practically everyone he knew in that war. My own hurt compounded by the hurt evident in his eyes. "Eomer, my country has no need for me, because I am a woman I am viewed as little more than a stable boy, Eolas and I are hanging together on pins-he's growing up, you know that, but he is all I have anymore-what will I do when he leaves?" I took a breath hoping that breathing would make the stinging subside behind my eyes before any tears were released. "To be sure I am at a total loss in this dress, it has been so long since I have worn one that I feel completely unable to function." I took another breath, the stinging was turning into tears that were beginning to cloud my vision, I would not release them! "And just to be plain Eomer, I have always wanted to fight, because it seems to be the only thing I can do with clarity, where there are no blurred lines or boundaries. You know as well as I that the likely hood of a woman dying at the hands of her enemy are just as likely as a man's-why should I not be able to defend those I love? I would rather die a horrid death, than betray my family, my home, or my king."
Our eyes met briefly, I felt a single tear fall down my cheek. Eomer gave me a look that was somewhere between exhaustion and admiration. He walked to me, took my face in his hands, and kissed my forehead gently, then pulled me tight into him. I cried, letting every ounce of tension and frustration fall away. He made me feel safe, almost completely so. This was a side of Eomer I had rarely seen, and only exhibited toward Eowyn.
After awhile, Eomer drew me away from him; he watched me, his eyes deep and intent on my face. "I suppose you would like to compete in the contest on Saturday next?" he said a small smile showing on his lips, a brief smile danced across mine in return. I nodded. "Well, I can not see why it would hurt-just be gentle to my men. I am not sure half of them have the heart and determination you do." I smiled hugely, I charged at him, coming close to knocking him over in the process. "Thank you!" I said, kissing his cheek. There was a different energy in the air, and we both paused to enjoy it; leaving all our questions and concerns for another time.