A/N: Had a really foul Monday, so I'm making up for it by posting another chapter! (Yeah, I know - it doesn't make sense to me either.) Besides, the reviews cheer me up - it makes me happy making you happy!

Elwen of Lorien- Mastermind, huh? Usually when I'm called that I'm in trouble for stirring things up!

Second Thoughts

Chapter 3

Lothiriel entered the breakfast chamber and found her son alone, idly pushing the remnants of his meal around the plate. He was so lost in thought that he jumped slightly when she kissed his head and said good morning.

Servants bustled in bringing her food and drink and, when they were gone, he asked quietly, "Mother, why do people think Rohan is barbaric?"

She raised her eyes to meet her son's. "Dariel?" she questioned.

He nodded. "Does everyone in Gondor think that of us?"

"No, they do not. At least not those that have been here, or simply know better. When we were in Minas Tirith surely you saw how different our society is from theirs. People can be very judgemental and condescending toward anything unfamiliar to them."

He didn't seem entirely satisfied with her answer, and she rose to come sit beside him on the bench with her back to the table so they were facing. She lifted a hand to his face and turned him to look at her. "Do not think too harshly of Dariel for her comment, dearest. She is young and sometimes does not think. Likely in the absence of an opinion of her own, she borrowed someone else's and spoke rashly. But I do believe she is sorry for doing so."

"I know," he murmured, "but it still hurt to have her say that about us." She pulled his head onto her shoulder and stroked his hair.

"Will you not forgive her, and help her form a new, better opinion of Rohan? It seemed yesterday that you were so inclined."

"I do, I am...but I...worry that she is not sincere, and that she will mock us again," he admitted. He paused, then added, "And her parents never even punished her for saying such a thing. Maybe they..."

"No. They do not agree with what she said. They have not punished her because they wanted her to resolve this matter on her own, and not be forced into it by them. And she is doing that. She is not apologizing reluctantly only because her parents are making her do so."

"They know what she said?" he asked.

"Yes. Gossip spreads quickly, and both they and we overheard it soon after. They would have acted immediately, but Eldarion persuaded them to let him encourage her to correct the mistake on her own." She sat silently a moment, then continued, "Did you know that Eldarion found her weeping in the garden after you overheard her?"

He shook his head. "It is true," his mother assured him. "She was remorseful almost instantly. That is how you may be certain she is sincere."

She smiled gently and asked him softly, "You like her a great deal, do you not?"

His head jerked around in alarm at her perceptiveness, but she just smiled. "Do not look so surprised. Mothers know these things!" She kissed his head before she rose to return to her meal. "Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me."

He gave her a rueful grin and shook his head in wonder, "Father always says it is impossible to keep things from you. You know everything."

She gave a laugh. "Not everything, just most things. But do not tell him that – I prefer to let him think so!"

They laughed together a few moments and then she told him, "By the way, your father and I are very proud of how you handled yourself yesterday, during the orc attack. You stayed calm and acted well, especially in rescuing Dariel." She gave him a warm smile and he blushed in response.

Just then, the Gondorian royal family appeared at the door, and were shown in for their meal. Talk turned to how everyone had slept, and Elfwine slipped away to get his brother and sister to bring them to eat. The nurse accompanied the children and Elfwine went on to his room to collect his sparring gear.

He had a sparring lesson shortly, and so he went back to the dining area long enough to collect Eldarion and take him with him. After the sparring master, Thaldur, had worked with Elfwine a while, he sparred with Eldarion and gave him a few pointers as well. Then he took the opportunity to have the two boys spar against one another so he could better study their form and strategy.

They went at it energetically and proved to be well-matched. Finally, Eldarion signalled a halt, and leaned down to rest his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at Elfwine and laughed. "I underestimated you! I thought your being younger would give me the advantage. But look at you – you are barely winded! You are a formidable opponent!"

Thaldur stepped forward and dismissed them, saying that was enough for the day. Only when he was gone, did they notice Dariel hanging on the fence watching them. Eldarion moved toward her and asked, "Come to watch me be beat, have you?"

She laughed. "If Elfwine beat you, then he must be very good! Father is not the only one who brags about your swordsmanship. I have heard others do it as well."

Eldarion tried to restrain his pleased grin, as he wiped his sweaty face on his shirtsleeve. "What are you about today?" he asked his sister.

She shrugged. "I do not know. I suppose I will wander around town and see what there is to be seen. I think Father and King Eomer are going to be in meetings most of the day, and if I stay in Meduseld I will end up having to help with the children."

Just to annoy her, Eldarion reached up and gave her a sweaty hug. "Well, I would keep you company, but I have already agreed to be in some of those meetings Father and King Eomer are having."

She had wrinkled her nose and was wiping at the sweat he had gotten on her. "Just as well unless you were going to bathe first!"

He let out a laugh. "Maybe Elfwine will show you around. He is not nearly so sweaty as I am!" With that, he laughed again and strode back up toward Meduseld.

That left Elfwine and Dariel standing awkwardly eyeing one another. Finally, Elfwine suggested, "I would be happy to show you around town, if you like. But perhaps I should wash first."

She smiled shyly and nodded. "Thank you. I would appreciate that." Suddenly realizing her words were ambiguous, she hastily added, "Appreciate your showing me around, I mean, not that I would appreciate you washing! But I do appreciate that too..." She stopped, now totally flustered and blushing madly.

Elfwine grinned at her. "You are welcome on both counts. I will meet you on the front terrace of Meduseld in half an hour. Do you know how to get there?"

She nodded, feeling somewhat relieved at his ignoring her stumbling words. Since he had turned toward Meduseld, she fell in alongside him and they walked back in silence.

He left her in the Golden Hall and went to his room to change, and she made for the front doors. Once outside, she settled herself on the steps to wait. When they had arrived the previous day, it had been near sunset, but the view was much better now that the sun was full up. You could see for leagues in all directions from this vantage point, and it truly was awe-inspiring. The mountains were much closer here than in Minas Tirith, and this land was less settled, so the landscape was not so dotted with settlements and homes. And it was quieter, too. She had never really noticed just how noisy Minas Tirith was until now. The shops and activity on the lower levels carried to the upper level and there was a constant hum of sound all day. Even at night, it was not totally quiet. But out here, in the middle of the large plain, high on this hill, the wind carried away most sound that might be made lower down in the town. It almost gave her an eerie feeling of being totally alone, but a glance back at the two doorguards reassured her she was not.

It was less than half an hour when Elfwine reappeared in fresh clothing and his hair damp. She wondered if he had hurried, knowing she was waiting, or whether he was just naturally quick about such tasks. He offered her his hand to rise, and then they moved down the front steps and started into town.

It did not take long to discover that being royal in Edoras was different than being royal in Minas Tirith. Her parents, and even she and her siblings, were treated with deference there and few in the city would dare address them informally on the street. But many called out greetings to Elfwine, using only his name, and some stopped to chat with him for several minutes. At one point, they came upon some men trying to get a new beam in place on a building that was being constructed.

"Excuse me," Elfwine told her, and a moment later he was up on the frame of the house, lending his hands to the task. Once it was in place, he talked and laughed with the men briefly and then rejoined her.

They had walked a bit further before she dared venture, "Do you often help the townspeople with their work? Does it not bother them to have their prince doing such things?"

Elfwine eyed her curiously and shook his head. "It makes no difference who I am. I am a citizen of this town and we all pitch in to help where help is needed. Were my father with us, he would have helped also."

She considered this a moment, then told him, "I think the people of Minas Tirith would be mortified if my father tried to do such a thing!"

"Not everything that works well in Gondor would work well here," he responded. "For us, survival may depend on the help of our neighbors, whoever they may be."

They continued their walk and it was some time later that she noted, "There are a lot of old people here. It is the same in Minas Tirith. So many younger men died in the War. Father says that is the hardest thing of all to rebuild."

Elfwine nodded. "We lost many men, but at least now the land is peaceful enough for them to feel like they can safely bring children into the world again. It will take time, but both Rohan and Gondor will one day have the strength of youth again."

As it was nearing midday, Elfwine suggested returning to eat and they began the climb back up the hill. After dining, Elfwine disappeared and Dariel was pulled into a game by her siblings and the king's younger son.

Some time later, Dariel escaped the children and found her way back to the queen's garden. She was surprised to find Elfwine there, sitting under a tree with something in his lap that he was studiously working on. He was so intent on what he was doing, and her footfall so soft, that he did not notice her approach until she stood right near him. He jumped and hastily turned his work so she could not see it, but not before she caught a glimpse of a drawing.

"What is that you are doing?" she asked.

Blushing madly, he paused, but could not think of a polite way to avoid showing her. Hesitantly he held it out for her to see, and she discovered he had drawn a likeness of her. A very good likeness, actually. She looked up at him curiously.

Stammering a bit, he explained, "I thought your parents might enjoy likenesses of their children as a gift." He made up the lie on the spur of the moment, hoping she would believe it. He certainly did not want her guessing that he was attracted to her.

She sat down beside him and handed the paper back. "You are very good. I did not know you could draw. Why did you decide to draw me first?"

He tried to shrug nonchalantly. "I just spent most of the day with you, so your image was fresh in my mind. And I wasn't sure your parents were interested in having a likeness of a sweaty Eldarion – my most recent image of him!"

She burst out laughing, and he grinned with relief that her attention seemed to have been diverted. "Well, it is very good and my parents will be delighted. And I promise not to say a word about it."

"Thank you," he said, smiling to himself.

"Where did you learn to draw like that?" she inquired.

"My Uncle Faramir. He has always been one to sketch things. When I saw him doing it and expressed interest, he showed me how and even found a book for me that tells how to draw different things."

"Do you just draw people?"

"No. I draw most anything that catches my fancy. Horses, flowers, anything."

"May I see some of them?"

Elfwine's stomach jumped to his throat. Showing his pictures to her would be exposing himself to her possible further ridicule. Still, his mother had felt certain she could be trusted and hadn't meant to be hurtful, so he took a deep breath and risked it, "Of course. Wait here and I will bring some for you to see."

He climbed to his feet and moved quickly back to his room. Once there, he rummaged hastily through his drawings, pulling out the best ones. He carefully hid the half dozen other drawings he had done of Dariel so she would not accidentally find out about them. Collecting the ones he had chosen, he returned to the garden. Taking a deep breath, he approached her and held them out.

Dariel carefully sifted through them several times, making comments here and there. She laid out three on the ground and announced, "I think these three are my favorites. You draw horses very well, though I suppose I should not be surprised by that!"

He laughed with her. "No, drawing horses is rather easy. I have plenty to practice on."

"Would you show me how to draw?" Dariel asked suddenly.

Elfwine looked at her, startled. "I suppose I could try. I have never attempted to teach it to anyone before."

"Well, then start a new drawing and describe how you are doing it," she instructed.

He obediently pulled out a clean sheet of paper, and she asked, "How do you decide what to draw?"

"Usually I draw because I have seen something and want to remember it. The drawing is a way to preserve the memory."

She looked around them and then pointed to a clump of flowers. "How about those?"

He shook his head and pointed instead to a single blossom on another plant. "Let us start you with something a little easier. The fewer things in the likeness, the easier it will be."

Moments later, they were huddled together as he sketched and explained what he was doing. The blossom was almost complete when Elfwine looked up and saw how close Dariel was sitting. She looked up at the same time and their faces were only inches apart. Both blushed and moved slightly away, trying to do so under the guise of something else. Elfwine tried to slow his heart down to normal and suggested, "Perhaps we should go in and get ready for supper. It should be about time."

Dariel bobbed her head in agreement. "That is a good idea." As he helped her up, she told him, "Thank you for showing me about drawing. Maybe tomorrow I can try to draw something."

He nodded, not trusting his voice, and politely offered his arm after collecting his scattered pictures and paper. They walked silently inside and he left her at her door with a bow.

Once inside, Dariel plunked down on a chair and held her hands to her flaming cheeks. What had just happened? And why did it feel like butterflies were dancing madly in her stomach? He had blushed when he saw how close she was sitting to him. She must have embarrassed him terribly with her forwardness, but she had been so engrossed in watching him draw she hadn't realized how close she had moved. She gave a slight moan; things seemed to go from bad to worse with Elfwine. Just when she thought she had made progress on his forgiving her, she did something brainless like this! Surely he would take to avoiding her at all costs! She flung herself on the bed and covered her head with the pillow, giving a loud growl of frustration.

Elfwine's reactions were somewhat similar, though his line of thought took a different path. He couldn't believe he had blushed with embarrassment at her closeness. Other boys would have handled being that close to a girl much more smoothly. Especially a girl they liked. But all he could do was blush and move away from her. She must think him a great idiot, and surely she would think he didn't like her! It did not occur to him to examine why it bothered him to have her think he did like her because he had drawn her picture, and why it also bothered him to have her think he didn't like her because he had moved away from her. All he knew was that when she was around he felt awkward and simple and foolish. Why couldn't he be more like Eldarion? He had watched his friend with the girls in Minas Tirith, and envied his ease in talking and flirting with them. He always felt like he had suddenly grown two left feet and his brain left him. He was awkward and he said stupid things and what girl would ever want to spend time with him, much less a girl like Dariel.

By the time supper was served, the two had thoroughly humiliated themselves with their imaginings of what the other thought of them. Consequently, they pointedly sat as far apart as possible and didn't say two words to each other the rest of the evening.

Lothiriel could not help but notice her eldest's discomfiture, and it didn't take much discernment on her part to see Dariel was equally discomposed. She knew they had spent the morning in town and she had seen them together in the garden, but she didn't think they had quarreled. Maybe a little motherly prying was in order to aid the two. She had been watching Dariel, and suspected she was as attracted to Elfwine as he was to her. Perhaps it was just normal youthful insecurity that was separating them.