A/N: I am updating really close, and I have plans for the next few chapters, so I hope they will be put up sooner.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
The group rode up to the gates of Dol Amroth, and was about to enter when Lothíriel stopped.
"Wait, I do not think we should go through the city like this." She motioned to her wet clothes. "There is a way around, I think we should take it."
"That sounds like a plan. Lead the way." Faramir said.
They began around the city, not bothering to move very fast. The path was, however, in shadow so they felt the cool of the shadows as well as their wet clothes.
"The next time we all go somewhere, remind me to bring dry clothes." Éowyn said to Faramir.
Faramir laughed. "I agree. Or at least something to put over the wet ones."
They arrived at the other entrance, at the back of the palace. They lead their horse to the entrance to the stables and dismounted. Lothíriel was about to get off when she heard her name.
"Lothíriel, what are you doing in wet clothes!" Elphir said. She swung her leg over and hopped to the ground as he came over to her. "You should not be out like this. Do you know how late it is?"
Lothíriel looked around and saw the shadows had lengthened a great deal since she had last checked. I guess we went the other way at a very slow pace. She thought. "I am sorry brother, I did not mean to be so late. It is not as if I was in any danger, Faramir and Lord Éomer were with me." The look on Elphir's face made her wonder if this had eased any of his worry.
Elphir looked at the other three, then back at his sister. "I think that this conversation would best be finished in private." He said. He put his arm around her shoulder and led her, a little forcefully, into the place.
Éowyn looked to Faramir, who was shaking his head. "Elphir is a very over protective older brother. He doesn't want anything to happen to her." He said.
"Reminds me of someone." Éowyn said looking at her brother. Éomer acted as if he had not heard her, and grabbed the reigns of Lothíriel's horse.
"I think I will unsaddle Celegbein for her." Éomer said walking to the stables. Éowyn and Faramir looked at each other, then headed after him.
Elphir dragged Lothíriel into the palace, making sure that she would not get away from him. He found one of the servants, and asked that a blanket could be brought to his study, for Lothíriel. He guided her there, then placed her in one of the chairs. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by him.
"You should know not be out for so long, Lothíriel. Did you even tell anyone that you were going?" He asked.
Lothíriel thought. No, she hadn't told anyone that she would be leaving, but then again, she thought that Faramir or Éowyn would have told someone. "No," she finally said, "I did not tell anyone that I was leaving. But it is not as if I was in any danger, Elphir. As I told you before, I was with Faramir and Éomer."
"You were with Lord Éomer with no reasonable escort. Before you open your mouth, Faramir is married and had his wife with him. Do you think that if they wanted, they would not leave you alone with Éomer?" He said angrily.
"But they didn't leave me alone. You know better than to think that I would do something like that as well-" She stopped when she heard the door open. A servant brought in the blanket that Elphir had asked for. He took it, and bid her to leave. He walked over and placed it around Lothíriel. She gladly took it and began to feel a little warmer.
"You should not think of what you would not do. How did you all get so wet?" He asked.
"We fell in the stream, the one we always used to race to." She said, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions.
"You have been in that stream many times before, and this time you fell?" He said in disbelief.
"I did not fall, Éomer did. Then he grabbed my arm to try not to fall, but that only succeeded in making me off balance, so I grabbed Faramir's arm. All three of us fell into the water." She explained.
"Then how did Lady Éowyn get wet?" Elphir asked.
"Faramir pulled her down when she started laughing at us." Lothíriel said plainly. "Nothing happened, Elphir, and nothing will. This is the first time that Lord Éomer and I have talked and had it not end in a fight." She thought of when they had first met, knowing that this was not entirely true. No, she thought, it is true, when I did not know who he was, that is when we did not fight.
Elphir looked at her. "I just want to know where you are going. It is still not safe for you to wonder off anywhere. Tell someone where you are going the next time you decide to leave, that is twice that you have done that." He said with a little smile.
"I do not tell people only when I do not want to be found." She said.
Éowyn watched Éomer unsaddle first Firefoot then Celegbein. She waited for him to say something, but he would not open his mouth. She began to get angry with him when he did not speak, so she decided to be the first to speak.
"What to you think of Lady Lothíriel?" She asked him.
Éomer kept his head turned from her when he answered. "I think that she is agreeable, when she wants to be." He said. He didn't want to admit that, when they were not arguing, he quiet genuinely liked her. Nothing beyond friends he told himself.
"Say that to my face them." Éowyn replied.
He looked at her, and knew that he had to say something different than what he did. "I think she is nice, when she wants to be. Can hold a grudge, when she wants to. There is something about her that makes me want to yell, but then there is something that makes me realize that I can't yell at her. It is confusing." He admitted.
"Have you thought what these feelings could mean?" Éowyn asked. She hoped he would get what she was saying, and realize that there was a possibility Lothíriel felt the same way.
"No." Éomer said.
"You are hopeless." Éowyn huffed. She turned and walked out of the stables, leaving Éomer with his thoughts.
A/N: I know its a little short, but I do have the next ones planned. Any ideas are welcome. I think I like over protective brothers. Please review!
Responses:
Queen Arwen: Yes, the grudge over the Hector dream...I want to take a class in college that will tell me what that meant. Hopefully it meant nothing. Yes, I managed to sneak the e/f fluff in there. Its fun doing that. Sneaky Éomer letting her win, oh that's whats happening next chapter. Thanks for the review!
lady scribe of avandell: Yes, the stream thing is a nice feeling. Never done the horses before either, across a plain yes, not to a stream though. Thanks for the review!
Blue Eyes At Night: Yes, it was a very typical reaction. Thanks for the review!
wondereye: I liked the bashing too. Thanks for the review!
