A/N: this website has been slow posting reviews and sending e-mail updates, so I suddenly got a whole bunch of reviews all at once. I decided to put responses at the bottom since there were several I have something to comment on.

By The Book

Chapter 4

And so our journey began. I had a wide range of emotions vying for dominance – sadness at leaving Rohan, excitement over Eowyn and Faramir's wedding, pleasure at the idea of more time with Eomer outside of council meetings, and even...conflicted feelings...about returning home, but knowing that meant not seeing Eomer for a long time.

When we stopped for the night on our second day of travel, I walked to a nearby hillock. I stood gazing over the land of the Riddermark, as the sun set in the distance, lost in my thoughts. My trip to Edoras in September had begun as a defensive measure against Danwen's attempts at encroachment, and also had been a thinly veiled excuse to rejoin Eomer. But my stay there, in the weeks that followed, had revealed to me just how little Eomer and I really knew of each other. I had enjoyed my time with Eomer, but beyond that I suddenly saw him in a much different light and knew that I had never really considered what our life together would be like.

I was startled as arms slipped around my shoulders from behind, but then relaxed when I realized it was Eomer himself, come to join me. Soon, he began to kiss my neck and tickle my ear with his breath. When I did not immediately respond to his caresses, he noticed that my mood did not match his own.

"What is the matter?" he asked softly in my ear.

I sighed, and took a moment to answer, finally saying, "I do not wish to tell you, for I fear you will hear only the words and mistake my meaning."

He turned me to face him. "Try me," he encouraged.

I chewed on my lip briefly before making an attempt. "Do you ever wonder if my father might be right – that we are rushing into this too quickly?"

His eyes darkened and he asked, "You are feeling uncertain about us?"

"No!" I pulled away from him, waving my hands frustratedly in the air. "This is what I mean! You misunderstand!"

His face reflected his confusion, as well as his earnest desire to discern what I was trying to say, so I made another attempt. "When we met, right up until I left to return to Dol Amroth, we were in a separate world. You were king, but you...you had special matters to attend to, rather than the day-to-day problems of running a kingdom. You had more time to relax, enjoy the company of friends, even make a new friend of a Gondorian's daughter." He grinned at that.

"But those several weeks were not representative of your life and your daily activities, and neither was I acting in the manner which a prince's daughter is normally called upon to act. At home, I have duties and responsibilities, and Father even has involved me in council matters so that I would have experience with how such things are done. All you ever saw was a lady of leisure, who, other than being taken to task by her father for her casual behavior, did little more than idle away her time seeking her own amusement. I may have proven myself an amiable companion, but do you know my capacity to stand at your side as a queen? Are you confident I have the knowledge and skills needed to support and help you, rather than just lounge around being waited upon by servants?"

I wasn't sure I was making much sense, and I turned away from Eomer with dissatisfaction at my explanation. I was a little surprised when Eomer neither said anything, nor put his arms around me again. When I snuck a glance, he was deep in thought. At length, his gaze raised and met mine.

"What I know is that you are intelligent and diplomatic and, despite your preferring casual behavior, I have seen you 'act the part of a prince's daughter' on more than one occasion. I cannot believe that Imrahil's daughter is a lazy layabout who lets servants wait on her endlessly. I cannot believe you are like that. And you forget, I have seen how you would fare at my side. You sat in council meetings with me, and made intelligent, well-thought-out comments and suggestions appropriate to what we were discussing. You raised issues which deserved our attention but, for whatever reason, did not have it. I do not doubt for one single moment that you will make an excellent queen, as I am confident you are an excellent daughter of Dol Amroth's prince. And I am absolutely certain there is no one else I want at my side – as my queen or, more especially, as my wife. My life is not worth living if you are not in it."

I was overwhelmed by the fervor of his pronouncement. My eyes teared up and I flung myself into his arms, clinging to him as I wept for joy. I didn't know what I had ever done in my life to be so blessed with the love of such a man, but I was infinitely grateful that I had done it. Or perhaps I was blessed in spite of myself, but either way I was not going to argue further and risk losing him.

As my tears eased, I pulled back slightly and began wiping at my face, though the front of his tunic had absorbed most of the moisture. He caught my chin and raised my head to look in my eyes. "Is this debate settled?"

I smiled weakly and nodded. He gave me a rakish grin and whispered, "Then can we go back to the discussion I was trying to have before you raised this issue?"

With a laugh, I caught his face in my hands and kissed him soundly. When we paused for breath, I murmured against his lips, "Gladly!"

xxxxx

We fell into a bit of a routine on the journey. Lissa slept with Eowyn and I, who were once again sharing a tent, and we kept an eye on her during the day. Then in the evening, when his duties were ended, Kialmar stayed with her until it was bedtime. When he could, he ate his meals with her as well, and it was clear that she was thoroughly enjoying this trip. I think it helped Eowyn be distracted from her nervousness to have a child to keep an eye on and fret over. She remembered all too well how important her brother had been to her after the death of her parents, so she and Lissa got along well.

Eomer and I took every opportunity to spend time together and, surprisingly, Amrothos did not annoy us too much with his interference as 'chaperone'. Once in awhile, when he got bored, he would try to rile me with comments or by dogging my footsteps so I couldn't be alone with Eomer, but mostly he preferred the company of the Swan Knights or the Riders of Rohan and I was free to do as I chose. When he got too annoying, I would go and find Lissa and he would quickly make himself scarce rather than babysit. Once he was gone, Lissa was quite content to be with me and Eomer, but never really paid much attention to what we did or said.

And then we were at Minas Tirith. Clearly Eowyn had an internal battle going between nervousness and excitement, and I tried to stay close by and keep her calm. I distracted her for a bit with getting some new dresses for Lissa, so she would be appropriately dressed for the wedding and in the royal court. Kialmar was bunked with the soldiers, but I kept Lissa with me in my room and he would come to get her during the day.

Whenever I did not have need of her, Miren would go with Kialmar and Lissa to spend the day and help him care for her. I sensed Miren had a growing attraction for the young man, though I was not sure whether or not he felt the same. But he gladly accepted her company, so perhaps he was beginning to have an interest as well.

The day of Eowyn's wedding finally arrived, and I almost think Eomer was as nervous as she was. As adults, they had grown apart somewhat when Eomer was away more and more with his eored, and she was left at Meduseld. But after the War of the Ring, they had become close once again and I think their joy in Eowyn's happiness was tempered by their acknowledgement that they would soon part company again, and not see one another for long stretches.

Even my usually calm and easygoing cousin was on pins and needles as his wedding day approached. His own emotions included sorrow that his brother could not be there to stand with him on this important day, or share in his happiness. I was pleased that my own brothers seemed to realize his feelings and were spending much time with him. It wasn't the same as having Boromir there, but I knew Faramir appreciated having family around him.

The wedding was beautiful and Eowyn was radiant. Once she looked into Faramir's eyes, her nervousness was forgotten as she basked in the overwhelming love emanating from his gaze. Faramir seemed like a man lost in a dream and never wanting to awake. I managed to keep my emotions in check during the ceremony, but shortly after it ended, when Eomer stepped to my side, I burst into tears of gratitude over Faramir's joy. I had long hated the way my uncle had treated him, and was thrilled that he finally had something good in his life, just desserts for the wonderful man that he was.

Eomer and the Rohirric men had a marvelous time doing everything in their power to keep the lovers apart as long as possible on their wedding night. I finally took pity on the couple and helped them escape. I arranged with Miren to bed Lissa down in Eowyn's room and sent the couple to my room, where no one would think to look for them.

The next morning, Eomer pretended to be cross that the couple had eluded them, but when he saw the smug look on my face he seemed to realize how it had happened. "You did this, didn't you?" he exclaimed.

I gave him a wide-eyed look. "Me? Whatever do you mean? Are you accusing me of being sneaky and underhanded?" Before he could reply, I added, "Are you calling me a scoundrel?"

He burst out laughing. "I knew it! It was you – they would never have escaped unless you had your hand in it!"

I shrugged noncommittally. "I only did for them what I would wish done for myself." I gave him a meaningful look and he glared at me in exasperation.

"Oh, very well! If you are going to put it like that, I suppose I should thank you for interfering." Then under his breath he muttered, "Spoil sport!"

I chuckled, but pretended not to have heard his comment. I pushed away my half-eaten meal and asked, "What shall we do today?"

He glanced at my plate. "Is that all you are going to eat?"

I nodded. "I am not very hungry. My stomach is a little queasy – perhaps from the celebrating last night." Changing the subject back to my original question, I asked, "Shall we go for a ride? I know some lovely spots nearby that we could visit, and if I plan it right, we might be able to avoid taking Amrothos along."

He grinned his approval. "Sounds good to me. After breakfast – say, in about an hour?"

I nodded and rose from the table, feeling a little flushed and wanting some air. "I will meet you at the stables." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as I left to return to my room.

I gave a quick knock on the door and called, "Faramir? It is Lothiriel. I need to get some of my clothes." I heard shuffling about and then in a few minutes, he appeared at the door in only his trousers. I blushed and apologized, "Sorry! If there had been more time, I would have taken more of my things with me so I wouldn't have to disturb you."

"I can hardly quibble about this slight inconvenience after all your help last night. Get whatever you need. Oh – are they still looking for us?"

I shook my head. "I think most of them passed out last night shortly after they lost you. Eomer was a bit disgruntled and suspected I had helped you escape, but when I reminded him that turnabout was fair play, he seemed to lose interest in pursuing you any further! I think he will leave you alone today, especially since I am going to take him out riding in an hour and have every intention of being gone most of the day!"

"And will that be with a chaperone or are you sneaking out for this ride?"

"Wouldn't you rather not know?" I asked pointedly.

"Aye. Come to think of it, I would. Then I will not be blamed for anything by your father or brothers. However, I do expect the two of you to behave yourselves so I do not have to regret my willful ignorance!"

"Yes, father!" I replied sarcastically. I glanced over at the bed where Eowyn had been hidden under the covers ever since I came in. "Perhaps I should get my things and leave now," I suggested, nodding my head toward Faramir's concealed wife to draw his attention there.

He chuckled. "Yes, perhaps that is a good idea. We will see you later, probably at supper."

"Would you like me to send someone up with a breakfast for the two of you?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you." He gave me a kiss on the cheek as I moved to the door with my armload of clothing and other articles.

"Then do not get too comfortable for a bit and it should be here shortly." I exited the room after wiggling my eyebrows at him and he pretended to slam the door after me.

I quickly put my things away in Eowyn's room and arranged for Miren to get a breakfast for the honeymoon couple before she left with Kialmar and Lissa for the day. The fewer people that knew where the lovers were hidden, the better.

I was still feeling flushed as I changed into my riding clothes, and thought it strange as the day was not particularly warm. However, I passed it off as merely needing some fresh air, which I would soon remedy on my ride with Eomer. Amrothos had not put in appearance yet, probably still sleeping off all the ale he had drunk, so it looked like we might just make it out of the city before he awoke.

Not sure if it had been quite an hour yet, I chanced heading for the stable, figuring Eomer would come sooner if he could. As I drew near, I saw him by the stable door, talking to a groom. All of a sudden, I felt very lightheaded and Eomer seemed to be a great distance away. I took one step and my mind began to fog as everything went dark. That was the last thing I remember.

Responses to reviewers (and thanks to all who reviewed!):

Magsluvsaragorn, wondereye, Blue Eyes At Night- There are still quite a few guys around who are virgins, but they rarely advertise it. As for Eomer being one of them, the idea came out of someone suggesting them having secrets that get found out, and that worked for him. My thought is more that circumstances have kept him that way rather than any real disinclination to be with a woman. Also, he seems like a very intense guy and a lot of his focus has been on defending his country - from attacks outside (orcs, etc.) and within (Grima/Saruman). And for someone like him, I think that would be an extremely embarrassing thing to have anyone know.

ForeverFaramir - Yes, Danwen is a bit like Endara (I just read that a few days ago, and I see you just updated it), but I think Endara is more evil. Danwen is a troublemaker and hoping to scare off this woman of Gondor and have a clear shot, not realizing that even if Lothiriel disappeared, Eomer probably still wouldn't like her. Personally, I think Endara would beat the snot out of Danwen, so locking them in a room really wouldn't be a fair fight!

CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur, and others - Don't know why, but the last two weekends, this website hasn't updated, posted, sent e-mail updates with any real consistency. Last weekend I didn't see some weekend reviews show up until Monday even though they were already posted on the website! So I understand your frustrations with not knowing when something has changed. That's also why some of you didn't get a response with the Ch. 3 posting. There were only 8 of 17 reviews posted for me to see when I did the update. My stats page told me there were 17 but I couldn't see them to know what they said.

Blue Eyes At Night - the secret to fast updating is to write the entire story before you post any of it! Then all you have to do is add reviewer responses or notes and post the next chapter!

Elwen of Lorien - There are 9 chapters total, so there are still 5 more after this one. And, actually, the best way to get me to update really fast is lots of reviews! Even if I just posted a new chapter, when I read the reviews, I want to respond to people so I do that in the next chapter and then I'm too impatient to not post it right away... Ah well, patience is NOT my strong point!

MexicanDevil-RoadCrew - (me, pouting) You...you...you aren't clamoring anymore, little mass! I'm heartbroken! (just kidding) You are right that more could have been done with some of the themes, but my problem was in the time frame I had set for myself. I develop the idea that winter snows prevents E/L from marrying before mid-March. Lothiriel and family leave Edoras, after Theoden's funeral and staying awhile longer, close to the end of Aug. Winter is usually at least Dec, Jan, Feb (esp. in mountains), so that only left me Sept, Oct and Nov to work with. With the idea that Eowyn/Faramir would marry near the end of Oct. and then Eomer visit Dol Amroth for 2 weeks, that puts him going home in mid-Nov to late-Nov to beat the worst snows (there were probably already some by then). There had to be time for Danwen to hit on Eomer, get the brush off, decide to write to Lothiriel about it, the letter to arrive and Lothiriel to get to Edoras. That put her in Edoras around Sept 24-25 by my count. They leave Edoras around Oct 18 to go to Minas Tirith for Eowyn's wedding. That didn't leave a whole lot of time to develop the Danwen idea or the Kialmar idea for any drawn out period. If I had had several months of good weather, even if they were in separate towns/countries, there still would have been easier communication to pursue it longer. As for Eomer's embarrassment, well, I just kind of felt that needed to be quickly resolved, but maybe it could have dragged on longer. I just didn't want a rift between them when things started happening with Kialmar so that Lothiriel would be oblivious to what the problem was.