::disclaimer:: i own nothing except the plot and the secret passageway from my bedroom to edoras (or vice versa).

Chapter IXX

"You came at last," she said smiling.

"I was waylaid by a nobleman. He proposed a drinking contest, but I declined."

"Good." Lothíriel leaned up and kissed him longingly. Éomer returned the guesture, feeding fire with fire. She moaned slightly. "Come with me," she breathed, breaking away.

"Where?" he whispered.

She smiled and shook her head, instead taking his hand. She led him through the gardens toward the palace. Silently, they wove through the trees until they reached a small porch with columns that held up a balcony. She released his hand and made her way to a place where the wall and one of the columns stood close together. Éomer followed. "This is the place," she said. He looked more closely at the column and realized that some unnamed person had hacked footholds into the marble pillar. He looked to Lothíriel.

"You don't mean for us to climb that, do you?" he whispered.

"Certainly. I use it all the time as an escape route. All of the balconies have them—in case there is a fire or someone is in need of a hidden exit." And with that, she proceeded to make her way up the wall. When she reached the top, she swung over the rail and looked down at him. "Are you coming?" she asked.

He sighed heavily and reluctantly scaled the wall. "Where are we?" he whispered, looking out across the gardens, for he had not seen this balcony before.

"My balcony," she answered, gliding toward the door. "And this is my room." She opened the great double doors, revealing a large, breezy bedroom.

He turned and gave her a reproachful look. "Lothíriel, we can't—"

"Why not?" She walked back to him. "We love each other."

He turned back to the railing. "I should go."

As he spoke, someone knocked on the door. "Lothíriel, are you in there?"

Her eyes went wide. "Erchirion," she breathed, so softly that Éomer wasn't entirely certain she'd spoken.

"Lothíriel?"

"Just a minute," she called, pushing Éomer toward her bathroom. He tried to protest, to say he'd just climb down the balcony, but she shut him in the bathroom. She hurriedly pulled on her robe, clutching it tightly around her neck, and opened the door to Erchirion. "Yes, brother?" she asked as he pushed his way into her room.

"Where is Éomer?"

"What?"

"I just came from his rooms. He wasn't there." Erchirion turned to his sister. "Lothíriel, if you are hiding him in here, I will find him, and I will have to report it to Adar." He walked toward the bathroom.

"Erchirion, believe me, he is not here. I haven't seen him since I left the gardens."

"Well then, you certainly will have no qualms in allowing me to use your bathroom." He put his hand on the doorknob, turned it, and walked right into Éomer. "Lothíriel! You lied!" He whirled on his sister. "Lothíriel, why are you doing this? You cause yourself more trouble by bringing—" He stopped mid-sentence, rolled his eyes, and fell to the floor. Éomer stood behind him, a book in his hand.

Lothíriel gasped. "What did you do?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't let him raise the alarm."

"We need to get him out of here. Hopefully, he won't remember what happened." She paused a moment. "We'll take him back to his room and put him to bed. Can you carry him?"

Éomer bent down and lifted him up. "If it's not too far," he huffed.

"It's just down the hall." She opened her door and peered out. "It's clear. Let's go." They walked down the hall quickly, Lothíriel stopping them just a few doors down. "In here." She opened the door and allowed him in. "Lay him on the bed." Éomer complied.

"Now what?"

"We'll leave him in here and go back to my room." She smiled sweetly.

Éomer looked at her. "Or maybe we should leave him in here and I should go back to my own room."

"Don't be silly," she said. "If anyone sees you coming down this hall, they'll know where you've been."

Éomer sighed. She was right, of course, and he had already gotten himself into enough trouble. "Very well, we'll go back to your room."

"Wonderful!" she said and kissed him on the cheek.

The moment they returned to Lothíriel's room, Éomer went to the balcony. "Goodnight, Lothíriel," he said as he swung his leg over the railing.

"Éomer! Wait!" She ran toward him.

He stopped, straddling the rail. "What?"

"Surely you will not leave without a goodnight kiss?" she said, batting her eyelids.

He knew he would probably regret it later, but what was the harm in an innocent kiss? "Very well, one kiss."

"You should stand on the balcony. It wouldn't do for you to fall down."

Éomer sighed heavily, but complied with her wishes anyway. "Is this better?"

She smiled. "Much."

She came toward him, put her arms around his neck, and tilted her head up to kiss him. He leaned down, and their lips met. She pressed against him while somehow walking backwards into her room. When Éomer realized what she was doing, he pulled away. "No, Lothíriel," he said, though his voice was husky with desire. "You know we cannot."

"Don't be silly," she said. "We most certainly can."

But Éomer shook his head, firming his resolve. "No." And then, "Not yet."

Lothíriel smiled almost impishly. "Not yet, then."

"Goodnight, Lothíriel," Éomer said again as he climbed over the railing.

"Goodnight," she whispered back.

Éomer trudged through the gardens toward his room. Lothíriel set his heart on fire, and it had taken all of his strength to stay aloof. He walked along the pathways lit by both moonlight and lamplight, thinking of the dark-haired princess who had captivated him. She was a paradox, she had admitted that the first day they met. And she frustrated him with her sometimes flirting, sometimes deadly serious attitude. Éomer sighed. He could not continue to stand on the edge of trouble; if he were caught, both her family and his uncle would kill him. He wandered through the fountain garden, coming to a stop at the centaur. He looked up at it, as if it would give him the answers he needed.

"What do I do?" he said aloud.

"You could ask for her hand." Éomer whirled to find the speaker. It was Erulehton; he leaned against a column of a nearby pavilion. The man smiled wryly. "It would go better for you than it would for me."

"How did you know?"

"That you have been with Lothíriel?" Erulehton laughed. "Have you forgotten what I told you? I was with her once, I know how she works. But we have changed, we have both moved on. She has found you. And I daresay you are a far better man than I."

"But I do not want to marry her," Éomer protested, sitting down.

"Not yet," said Erulehton, moving to join him.

"Not yet," Éomer repeated. He looked up. "Is that all there is to it? Saying 'not yet'? Does that make it easier?"

"Yes, and no. Saying 'not yet' implies that something will eventually happen. Éomer, whatever you do, do not say that unless you mean it. Eru knows I left her behind." With that, Erulehton rose, leaving Éomer to contemplate his words at the feet of the centaur.

A/N: see? i promised that neither elphir nor imrahil would ruin the moment! i was going to have this chapter end with erchirion finding eomer in the bathroom, but it would have been a very short chapter (not to mention that i would have been torturing my beloved readers with the cliffie). as it is, this is still shorter than i intended, but i couldn't find a better place for the break. now, on to the replies!

Replies:

dancin' over the edge: you'll create a cult in my honor? i'm flattered…but if you sacrifice bad fanfics, make sure you include my three duds (thy heart lies open, windchasers, and pyrate queen). they're awful.
blue eyes at night: yeah, 18 was definitely filler. or, more precisely, a bridge chapter. i'm glad i'm not the only one who has people that never review..lol. it makes me feel better.
lotr-nutcase: i hope you enjoyed the rendezvous. the song you'll have to figure out on your own. i should have given enough clues on where it's from. and i'll give you a hint: it has to do with the real-life erulehton. and remember, "you're a fine girl" (i dare you to google it). oh! and yeah, i'll take a one-shot…you never did fulfill your bet…
elvenstar5: thankies for the review! and i know what you mean about never having time…stupid homework…grrr.
lariren-shadow: i was thinking two parts because it's getting so long (the longer the story, the fewer new readers), but now i'm not so sure. i think the next week (in the story) will go a lot faster than this one, and then i'll be ready to finish it up (almost). i hope i answered your questions about what would happen if they were caught. and no fights between eomer and erulehton: they know where they stand in her heart. the hint for the song is in the vicinity of the part about denethor…it's not in the dialogue; look in the actions of the characters.
soccer-bitch: thankies, as always!
prettyfoot: erulehton still loves lothiriel, but they're not in love. there is a difference (one is mutual, the other is not). thankies for the review!
lady hades: i don't know that mine is one of the few good ones…i've read some really fantastic ones. hope you liked the rendezvous, sorry you couldn't come along..lol. i'm glad i make you feel better!
gypsyswordgoddess: i know my vote didn't count, considering i'm still underage. agonizing? scandalous? who, me? ::looks innocent::
hotdogfish: thankies muchly!
lometari: you caused me to think very much about my plot, and while i haven't worked out all the details, i do have an idea as to how they become friends (which will hopefully be addressed before too much longer).