A/N: lookie! a longer chapter! complete with twists and review response at the end! and i think this is the last time i'll have a note at the beginning. now they'll all be at the bottom, unless there's something really important that needs to be said at the beginning.

::disclaimer:: if i owned eomer, i would be living in ecstasy. as it is, i'm living in boredom.

Chapter IX

An arm grabbed Éomer the moment he stepped out of the dining hall. "Come on, we have to put something on your face, else it will blister horribly, and believe me, you do not want that to happen." Lothíriel began to half-guide, half-drag him down the hallway. Éomer could tell that she was still angry with whatever Elphir had said; on more than one occasion, Éowyn had acted in much the same manner. The two came to a halt in front of Lothíriel's room. "Wait here," she said and left him in the hall.

A few minutes later, she returned carrying a bottle of some sort of lotion. "We'll go back to your room to put this on you. That way, you can lie down afterward." She took his hand again and led him through the corridors to his room. When they reached it, she opened the door and bade him sit on a chair. "This might sting for a moment, but it will feel better after a bit," she said, opening the bottle and pouring a white-blue lotion into her hand. "Hold this." She handed him the bottle. "You really should have told me you burn so easily," she reprimanded as she spread the cool liquid over his face. "I could have saved you some pain."

"I usually don't," he answered, shuddering slightly at the feel of her hand and the lotion against his warm skin.

"Just because you don't burn in the mountains doesn't mean you won't at the ocean. The climate is different, the air is more humid, and the sun is far hotter. My cousins have to put handfuls of lotion on every day when they are here, and they are both rangers in the east!"

"I will remember that next time," he said. He paused and then spoke again. "Why did you leave lunch so suddenly?"

Lothíriel huffed. "Elphir was being...overbearing, as older brothers have a habit of being."

"I am an older brother."

"And I daresay that your poor brother or sister often wishes that you weren't so domineering at times."

"My sister. Her name is Éowyn. She lives in Edoras, whereas I currently live in Aldburg, so I don't think she'll have to worry about it so much." He fell silent, wondering if he could convince his uncle to let Éowyn come to Aldburg. At least there she would be safe from Gríma Wormtongue.

"How old is your sister?" Lothíriel asked, bringing him from his thoughts.

"She is twenty-two, four years younger than I."

"So you are both older than I am! Erchirion and Elphir are older than you, but Amrothos is only twenty-four. We should introduce our siblings to one another."

Éomer laughed. "I highly doubt that any of your brothers would be very interested in my sister, and I know that she would not care for them. My sister is as dangerous as a wild horse: unpredictable, unintimidated, and untameable."

"You are right, then. Amrothos does not like horses. He much prefers the sea."

"But I thought you said he joined the cavalry."

"Yes, but only because Adar would not let him join the navy. He said it was too dangerous for one of his sons to be out on the sea. What if there were a squall and the ship sank? We would never see him again." She shrugged. "They went back and forth for a while and finally reached a compromise: he stays in the cavalry for a year, and then he can join the navy."

Éomer nodded. "It makes sense."

"I think Adar was rather hoping that Amrothos would decide the cavalry was not so bad after all." She smiled. "It's been nine months, and all he can do is stare out at the sea. He has the sea-longing—it's from the Elvish blood in our people. Elphir had it, too, until he met Saeriel."

"Your brother doesn't trust me."

Lothíriel stopped her ministrations. "What makes you say that?"

"I saw the way he looked at me, as if I was nothing more than a brutish soldier-for-hire. As if I only wished to take advantage of you." He scowled. "I may be a foreigner, but that does not mean I'm barbaric."

"You should lie down," she said. "The salve needs to soak in." She led him towards his bed. "You'll have to stay indoors for the rest of the day. And be more careful next time."

"Yes, mother."

She rolled her eyes. "I am younger than you, you know."

"Yet you treat me like a truant page."

She laughed. "You really should get some rest." She leaned closer to him, as if to kiss him, thought better of it, and exited the room.

Lothíriel returned to the dining hall, where Elphir was still sitting. "Elphir, you are the most inconsiderate wretch in the world."

"What?"

"Not only do you insult our guest's integrity by suggesting that he would take advantage of me, but you insult his people by spreading gossip while he sat across the table from you!"

"Lothíriel," he answered, "may I remind you that you were the one who suggested that he might take advantage of you, not I. And I am beginning to believe that perhaps he already has. You spent the night in his room."

Her eyes went wide. "How did--? Who told you that?"

"Then it is true?"

She blushed and looked away. "It was an accident. He was ill, and I brought him some soup. He fell asleep with an arm thrown around my waist. I did not want to wake him."

"If it was so chaste as you claim, then why did you sneak out by using the balcony?"

"I was in a hurry. It was faster to go through the gardens than to walk through the halls."

"And I daresay it was faster for Erulehton to go through the gardens to return to his bed than for him to go through the halls."

"Have you been spying on me?" she asked. "It is none of your business what I do or don't do."

"Lothíriel, when you indulge in that sort of behaviour, it becomes my business. What will you do when you are married? I doubt any man would want such a wanton woman for a wife." Lothíriel smacked him.

"How dare you suggest that I am a wanton woman! Elphir, I did nothing with either Éomer or Erulehton. You can ask them both. I can explain both happenings. If you didn't notice, the night Erulehton was in my room was the anniversary of Naneth's death. I was in the fisherman's quarter, and I had too much wine. He brought me back to the castle. Last night, I took Éomer down to Saberman's for some crab. He got sick, like Faramir does, and I took care of him afterwards. I felt awful for subjecting him to that."

"Stay away from him, Lothíriel. Even if he is as harmless as you claim, he will be gone in a matter of weeks. Guard your heart against him. I do not want to see it broken because a rochir--" he spat the word like a curse "—has taken it from you." And with that, the eldest son of Imrahil left the hall, leaving Lothíriel to reel in the lingering fog of her anger.

After several minutes of just standing there, she left the hall as well, taking the route she had used earlier. She was surprised to have a hand grab her arm, and she would have cried out, but then she saw the now-familiar face of Éomer. He put a finger to his lips and let her outside, to the gardens. "Where are we going?" she whispered.

He shook his head and merely continued walking quickly until they reached the fountain garden. He turned to face her. "I should leave," he said.

"Why?"

"Your brother hates me, that is quite obvious."

"You were spying on us! Honestly, you are no better than he is!"

Éomer was unfazed by the attack on his character. "I should return home. My éored needs me. My sister needs me."

"What are you talking about?"

"It doesn't matter. I need to go home."

"But, Éomer, you haven't even had a chance to start negotiations on a trade route."

He shook his head again. "It wouldn't matter. Lothíriel, I don't know how sheltered you are here in this secluded haven of yours, but you must know: we are on the brink of war. There have been orc raids on my people almost every day. I was promoted because the former Marshal was killed. They steal our black horses. I have one of the few left. I was sent to these negotiations not to plan a trade route, but to try to secure an ally. I was not sent by the king. I was sent by his son, my cousin Théodred. My uncle does not know that I am here. As far as he knows, I am with my éored. One of my captains has been filling in for me. You are the only person besides Théodred, Éothain, and myself that knows the truth. Not even Éowyn knows."

She furrowed her brow. "So you lied to us? You lied to my father? You came seeking military aide and not trade? And when were you going to tell him this?"

"As soon as I possibly could."

"We have to tell Elphir."

"Why must we do that?" He began to panic. The last thing he wanted was for Elphir to influence Imrahil's decision.

"He will find out anyway. He always joins Adar in political talks. He even takes over sometimes. I told you, Adar made sure we all learned diplomacy. I often sit in as well."

Éomer sat down on a bench, his head in his hands. "I've made a mess of things. I should have refused, or told Théodred to send Éothain instead. It's a good thing I will never be a ruler. I'd bring the country to ruins."

Lothíriel smiled at his anguish. "It's not that bad," she said. "If you are a fool, at least you know you are one. I've seen nobility who have no idea what sort of problems they've caused."

He looked at her. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

She laughed. "It can be whatever you like. Now come, you need to get out of the sun. Your sunburn will never heal if you stay outside all the time. Besides, we have to figure out how to present this to my brother without him exploding in our faces."

A/N: how's that for a nice little twist? bet you weren't expecting that, huh?

lotr-nutcase: i'm sticking to the appendices timeline. but never fear, the story won't drag on forever (unlike tmmdts). i have it all planned out.

lariren: the 21st is always a good day, no matter what month it is.

lady-hades: i'm glad she makes you laugh. and never fear, things will start happening before too much longer.

god: as i said to lady-hades, things will start happening before too much longer.

eokat: but isn't it her job to cause problems? and yeah, i like the idea of eomer building sandcastles, too.