A/N: it's been awhile, hasn't it? eh, i've been very busy, what with school, baseball season ending (::sniff::), and marching season beginning. plus the second half of this chapter took me some time to write. thank you for all of your wonderful reviews, and i'm so sorry for the delay!

::disclaimer:: if i owned these people, i would have moved to illinois and married my lovely weeks ago. as it is, i must be content with his pic(k) until i can take a roadtrip to quad cities next summer...9 months and counting.

Chapter VII

The sunlight from the window awoke Éomer the next morning. He shut his eyes tighter and pulled the girl in his arms closer. She stiffened slightly, but then relaxed, and Éomer put his hand just below her breasts, only to have it returned to her stomach. "Oh no you don't," muttered Lothíriel. This declaration jolted Éomer awake, and he sat up quickly. Lothíriel propped herself up on her elbows and grinned. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever let me go. I can finally go to my own room and sleep."

"Wha-what happened?"

"You fell asleep with your arms around me. I didn't want to wake you when you'd just drifted off."

"Yes, but before that. What happened?" Anxiety filled Éomer's voice.

"You were sick. It was the crab, I'm afraid. Don't you remember?"

"Yes, yes. I remember that all too well. But did anything else happen?"

"It depends on what you mean by 'anything else'." Lothíriel struggled not to laugh at the stricken look on Éomer's face.

"My uncle will kill me," he said, falling back onto the bed.

"Why is that?"

"I compromised a princess." He said it as a statement, as if to tell himself what he'd done. "I'm sorry, milady. I don't know what came over me. It won't happen again. I fully understand if you have your father send me back to Rohan for my behavior."

Lothíriel giggled and lay back as well."Why would I have Adar send you away? Many people are allergic to crab. That's no reason to send you home. My cousin Faramir has a horrible reaction to it if he has even the slightest contact with the stuff. Besides, you still haven't told me who this princess of yours is."

"Milady, have you lost your senses?" Éomer sat up again. "I-I--you, I mean, we--didn't we--?"

Lothíriel laughed. "Calm yourself, Éomer. I was only teasing you. Neither of us did anything to impugn the other's honor last night, I assure you. You merely flung an arm around me as you slept, and I did not wish to disturb you." Éomer breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Although, I must admit I rather enjoyed sleeping with you." She grinned again as his face turned red. "I love making you do that," she said as she slid out of the bed. She looked out the window. "It's just past eight, so I'd best be going. Elphir arrives today, and I must look immaculate, else he suspects of our late-night carousing." Éomer began to protest that they weren't "carousing," but then he caught the grin on Lothíriel's face. She began to walk to the door but stopped midway and went back to the balcony. She glanced around, climbed over the railing, and disappeared from sight.

Éomer wandered the halls of the palace alone for the second time since he had arrived in the city. It was a busy day: many servants darted here and there, running errands and far too preoccupied to notice a young horse-lord still reeling from his first encounter with fruits of the sea. He walked through the open buildings, not really paying attention to where he was. Soon, he found himself at what appeared to be a side entrance to the main square. He looked across the way, where he could see Lothíriel standing with Saeriel and speaking with a tall man. The man was a few years older than Éomer himself and spoke to Lothíriel with such ease that he quickly realized it was Elphir. Éomer glanced around the square and saw that there were about eight other riders there besides Lothíriel's brother. They all looked exhausted, and stablehands rushed around, tending their horses. Éomer fought the urge to help the stablehands, reminding himself that it was improper for an emissary to help the servants no matter what his expertise might be.

These thoughts were interrupted by Lothíriel's clear voice calling, "Master Éomer! There you are! Come here, I want you to meet my bother--I mean, brother." She started to walk toward him, and Éomer moved to meet her. "Elphir, this is Théoden-king's emissary, Éomer. Éomer, my brother."

"Mae govannen, rochir," said Elphir, extending his hand.

"Mae govannen." Éomer grasped his hand and was pulled into an unexpected embrace.

Elphir released him, saying, "Father asked me to go ahead and begin the treaty councils so you might return to your home. He will not be here for another week and did not want to keep you from your homeland longer than necessary."

"I thank you for your consideration," replied Éomer, "but I can wait if need be. The breeding season is over, and my éored can manage fine without me for a few weeks."

"But what Elphir is trying so eloquently not to say is that we want you to leave as soon as humanly possible," interrupted Lothíriel.

Elphir gave his sister a terse look. "That is not true by any stretch of the imagination. You and all of your people are more than welcome here for any length of time."

"Until, of course, you try to take advantage of me." Lothíriel grinned cheekily as Éomer blushed slightly. Elphir merely rolled his eyes.

"Lothíriel, I feel nothing but sympathy for any man who tries to take advantage of you."

"And why is that oh brother of mine?"

"Because you would undoubtedly render him unable."

"Mark his words, Éomer. My brother cannot lie. It's not in his nature." Éomer merely laughed uneasily.

"Indeed," said Elphir. "Now if the two of you will excuse me, I'd like to wash and then visit with my little one and my wife. I will see you at luncheon. Éomer, I trust you to keep her out of trouble." And with that, the heir to the throne of Dol Amroth left the odd pair for the welcome sight of his wife and child.

"Erchirion and Amrothos are not nearly so uppity," Lothíriel said as they watched the little family leave. "Elphir has gotten a big head. I think it's because father lets him govern things on his own sometimes. He forgets that the rest of us have all had turns ruling. Before they joined the cavalry, all three of them governed while father was away. Now I do it when they must all go." She threw her hands up as if to say 'what does it matter?' and turned to Éomer. "Anything in particular you would like to do before lunch?"

"I've never seen the ocean up close," he answered.

Lothíriel grinned. "The ocean it is, then."

A/N (again): i'm sooo sorry this took me so long. the next chapter will hopefully be up a lot faster. speaking of which, you can expect a REAL trip to the beach.