A/N: Glad to hear you all are liking the sequel. Let's hope I can keep you interested to the end, which by the way goes to Chapter 7 (this story is slightly longer than the original).
lady scribe of avandell- Lothiriel can't have children? Hmmmm, maybe if I do a sequel to the sequel, I'll use that! Thanks! I was purposely vague in the disclaimer because I didn't want to give away the story by saying what happens to who or how it resolves! Sorry!
The Heart of the Beholder
Chapter 2
In the middle of the third week since the accident, the sentries sent word to Gamling that riders approached – bearing the flag of Dol Amroth.
A short time later, the party rode up to the steps of Meduseld and Gamling awaited them on the terrace.
Lothiriel climbed to the Golden Hall with determination. At the top, Gamling greeted her, "My lady Lothiriel, we were not expecting you." He gave her a curious look, but Lothiriel suspected he had a good idea of why she had come unannounced.
"I will explain inside," Lothiriel told him, and they moved toward the doors into the Golden Hall.
Once they had entered and the doors shut, she turned to him with a sigh. "How is he faring?"
Gamling hesitated, not wanting to say anything untoward about his sovereign, but he trusted the Lady Lothiriel and knew she only meant to be of help. "He is...discouraged. Completely. The healers do not know if he will ever be able to walk again, and for a man such as the King, that is a cruel thing." He paused, then said, "I do not think he wishes to see you – or even to have you know of this, though surely he must realize you have to be told." Quietly he added, "He instructed me not to inform you, but he said nothing about telling his sister, and I did mention to her that he said not to tell you. I confess I was hoping Lady Eowyn would ignore that and do so anyway."
Lothiriel smiled weakly. "You know her well, sir. She wasted no time in advising me. Her babe is still too young to make such a trip, and she knew I would come in her stead if I was made aware of it."
Lothiriel straightened, and pulled her riding gloves from her hands. "I will go to him now. Please see that we are not disturbed, no matter how much yelling may be heard."
Gamling nodded his understanding. "I shall see to it personally. Is there anything you require?"
She gave a mirthless laugh. "Greater courage would be nice," she commented ruefully.
He shook his head. "I do not think you lack for courage." Then he added, "Trust your heart, my lady. You will know what to do and say."
She appreciated the vote of confidence in her, and reached over to squeeze his arm in thanks. Then, taking a deep breath, she moved in the direction of Eomer's chambers.
At his door, she paused, considering knocking. He might certainly turn her away if he knew it was her, but perhaps he would think it a servant… She knocked loudly and held her breath. At least his response would give her some idea of his present mood, though it was unlikely to be any better than Gamling had indicated.
"Go away!" Eomer's voice demanded, rife with annoyance.
She blanched at his tone, but took a deep breath and lifted the latch anyway. He was looking away when she stepped into the room, but turned at the sound of her step, bellowing, "I said go–" He visibly paled at the sight of her and turned away. "What are you doing here?"
"Did you truly believe you could hide this from me, Eomer? Or that I would not come when I learned of it?" she answered quietly. She moved over and threw open the window curtains that had the room in darkness despite the sunny day outside.
"Close those! I did not say to open them!"
She walked away from the curtains without doing as he ordered, and stood looking at him, her arms crossed in front of her.
Glaring, he demanded, "Go away! I do not want you here." He paused, then added more softly, but with bitterness in his voice, "I do not want your pity." He stared fixedly at the foot of his bed.
"Good, because I have no pity to offer you." His head whipped around at this comment, and she firmly added, "But I will not go away."
He glowered more at her. "You will if I say so! Our betrothal is void! Go back to Dol Amroth and leave me in peace!"
Almost without realizing what she was doing, she strode to the side of the bed. He sat pushed up against the headboard, leaning on pillows, and was startled by her advancing upon him. Her left hand swung hard and fast, before he could react, and a moment later he was rubbing his cheek where she had slapped him.
"You do not need my pity – you have plenty of your own without it! Is this the great King of Rohan, a Rohirric warrior, wallowing in his misfortunes and feeling sorry for himself?"
Her words were as stunning as a second blow and he recoiled in astonishment. He had never seen Lothiriel like this before and, for a moment, he was left speechless.
And then, for the first time since the accident had occurred, Eomer felt tears welling up inside. The last thing he wanted to do was add to his apparent weakness before Lothiriel by crying, but he could no longer hold back his anguish and fear. As the sobs overtook him, Lothiriel slipped onto the bed next to him and took him in her arms. Silently she stroked his head while he wept out the pain and fear and bitterness he had tried to suppress.
Finally, as his sobbing eased, he murmured, "Lothiriel, I am...broken. I cannot allow you to throw your life away on one...such as I. You deserve a man who can truly be a husband to you – care for you, give you children..."
"Eomer, the choice is not yours to make. And I shall not consider my life as 'thrown away' if I am sharing it with the man that I love," she told him emphatically. "We can have a good life together, even if there are no children. And we do not even know that for certain as yet. Let us take each day as it comes, my love." She kissed his brow and held him firmly in her embrace, seeking to impart her strength to him.
"Please do not turn me away. I could not bear it," she whispered.
She pulled back so she could see his face and added softly, "I did not fall in love with your feet, or your legs, or even just your body, which is merely a shell for who you are. I fell in love with your heart and your mind and your spirit, and those have not changed. Life will go on, even if you never walk again, and we will find a way, together, to make a good life of it. Rohan and her people need their king, and I need you. Do not turn me away."
Eomer clung to her, and to her words. Perhaps he had never really known courage before. Maybe facing hundreds of orcs, and other assorted evils conjured by Mordor, was nothing compared to going on living in the face of this challenge. And maybe, just maybe, he could get through this, if Lothiriel was at his side.
She must have felt the change in him, for her hands went to cup his face and turn it toward her. Slowly, their lips met in an increasingly fervent kiss. When they parted, breathlessly, she teasingly whispered, "Just do not damage your lips, my love. I do not think I could live without your kisses!"
To his own immense surprise, Eomer smiled, probably for the first time since the injury.
They sat holding each other in silence for a long time, occasionally resuming their kissing. At last, Lothiriel pulled slightly away from him. "I rather suspect you have eaten little of late. You feel very thin to me. Will you eat if I have food brought?"
He nodded sheepishly, and reluctantly let her slip from his arms.
Lothiriel exited the room in search of Gamling, who was not far away. Once a meal was arranged, she asked if there were any dressing screens that could be brought to the king's chamber. Gamling gave her a curious look and asked, "Dressing screens?"
"Judging from the smell, he has not had a bath since this happened, and the screens would allow him privacy from prying servants' eyes while the tub is being prepared."
Gamling hesitated. "Has he agreed to this?"
"Not yet. That is my next obstacle to overcome." She paused, then asked, "Who of the men does he trust well enough to allow to assist him, causing the least amount of embarrassment?"
"Likely Elfhelm and Eothain. And they do already know of his condition. They are the ones who brought him home."
"Summon them and let them know what I am attempting, so they will be prepared. And I will need clean linens to change the bed while he is in the bath."
Gamling nodded, then ventured, "My lady...are you intending to be in the room during the bath?"
Lothiriel sighed. "We have few options in this matter. He would be more embarrassed by the servants being present than if I were there. Under the circumstances, I hardly think anyone will think me compromised, and I will endeavor to be as discreet as possible. But certain tasks must be performed by someone."
The Doorward gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, then told her, "I will do all I can to keep undisclosed the extent that you will be assisting him – for decorum's sake. But I thank you for your willingness to do this. You are right. He will be better able to tolerate these things from you than from others."
He turned to his tasks while Lothiriel re-entered the bedchamber. A short time later, there was a knock at the door, and when she opened it, Gamling had the requested dressing screens and helped her place them so as to block the room being seen from the door and creating a private area for the tub. Eomer watched curiously, and when Gamling left, asked, "What is all this?"
She went to the bed and sat down, taking his hand in hers and nervously playing with his fingers. Taking a deep breath, she plunged in. "The screens are to afford you concealment from the servants who may stare and gossip about what they see. And they are to provide you with privacy while you bathe."
Eomer went rigid and snatched his hand from her grasp. "What!"
"My lord, to put it bluntly, you stink! You cannot give up bathing simply because you cannot get yourself in and out of the tub on your own." She watched the emotions playing across his face and added more softly, "I know this is difficult for you, my love, but it is necessary. I am doing everything I can to make it as easy as possible for you, but in some things you must swallow your pride."
Eomer knew she was right, much as he did not want to admit it. With some trepidation he inquired, "How are you expecting me to bathe?"
"I have asked Gamling to bring Elfhelm and Eothain to place you in the bath. You should be able to bathe yourself once there, and then they can assist you out, aid you as needed in drying off and into clean night clothes and then put you back in the bed, which will have clean linens by then."
He didn't like it – any of it – but what choice was there? She was right; he had to bathe and he could not do it alone. If it was Elfhelm and Eothain, it wouldn't be too horrible, but he could not quite shake a feeling of humiliation at the whole affair.
Another knock sounded at the door and Lothiriel disappeared around the screen to answer it. She returned a moment later with a tray of food and drink for the two of them. While they were eating, they heard Gamling enter, apparently with servants carrying the tub, and direct its placement. This was followed by the sound of many footsteps as the tub was slowly filled with hot water.
They finished their meal at the same time as the tub was full, and she cleared away the dishes and went to bring in the two men to assist. A chair was placed near the tub for Eomer to sit upon while drying off and dressing, and then Lothiriel exited to the hall with Gamling while they got him into the tub. After a few minutes, Gamling checked that he was transferred and signaled her in to allow her to change the linens. He had offered to do it himself, but she declined.
Apparently Eomer bathed quickly, in an effort to get this over with as soon as possible, for she soon heard them removing him from the bath. Suddenly she heard a few Rohirric imprecations and a loud crash. Without thinking, she bolted around the screen to find the three men sprawled on the floor. At the sight of her, Eomer blushed scarlet and covered himself with his hands, but was unable to form words.
Realizing he was not hurt, she carefully kept her eyes fixed on his and reached for the towel laid nearby as she told them, "I seem to recall asking you men to assist the king in and out of the bath, not to drop him on the floor so he can roll about and get dirty again!"
She made certain her face reflected that her words were meant in jest, and Elfhelm picked up on it. "Our apologies, my lady. The king is very slippery when wet."
She bent down, still looking Eomer in the eye and grinned. "He can be very slippery even when he is not wet! Look how long he has avoided bathing." She tossed the towel so it hit him in the face and dropped into his lap. "If you three are quite finished playing, do try to get some clothes on while I make the rest of the bed."
Eomer's face was gradually returning to a normal color as her humor eased his discomfiture, but his head jerked up at her final comment. "Why is a servant not making the bed? That is no task for you."
Quietly she asked, "Would you have a servant gossiping about what she heard in here while doing so? I think it better that I see to your needs as much as possible."
Once she disappeared around the screen, Elfhelm said softly, "How is it that you got so lucky, my friend? She is quite a woman."
"I would agree with you there. But I cannot imagine I have ever done anything to be so worthy as to have her love me as she does."
"Well, come on. Let us get you dressed before she comes back and fusses at us some more!" Eothain urged.
With some effort, which was proving to be a learning experience for their future reference in doing these tasks, they finally got Eomer dried, clothed and back in his clean bed. Lothiriel escorted them to the door and mouthed, "Thank you!"
Elfhelm reached for her hand and squeezed it. "No...thank you," he whispered, as they turned to leave.
When she returned to Eomer's bedside, he looked closely at her and commented, "You look tired. I am clean and fed; there is nothing more you need do tonight. Get some rest, beloved."
She nodded. "I think I will." Leaning down, she caught his jaw to capture his lips in a kiss. "I will see you in the morning, dearest."
In the hall, she found Gamling had arranged that a servant would sit outside the room each night. If the king rang a bell, the servant had gone to get Gamling to see what he wanted. She told him, "Do not hesitate to summon me during the night if you need me, Gamling."
He nodded his understanding and then guided her to the guest room they had set her up in, just a few doors away. A servant had already unpacked her belongings and she was grateful not to have anything more to do than ready herself for bed.
Sleep did not come so quickly as she had expected, given the tiring day of travel and upheaval. Her mind began replaying all that had transpired since that first moment when Faramir had given her the bad news. And, suddenly, she found herself curled in a ball and crying uncontrollably. Until that moment, she had shed no tears, which she had thought curious, but apparently she had still been in shock about the whole thing. Now her emotions kicked in, and she wept for all that was lost and all that was changed. But after a moment, she realized she also wept with gratitude that Eomer had not turned her away. Maybe, just maybe, she could turn this around for them and not let it ruin their lives – separately or together. Before now, she had known she deeply loved Eomer, but the thought of losing him, even by his own choice, was more than she could bear.
