Part 24 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.

A/N: Yeah, yeah – I'm still loitering in Rohan. So sue me! It's just really hard to let go of Eomer – need I say more?

The Touch

(Jun, 6 IV)

The party from Rohan had arrived the night before, and they were slowly gathering for the morning meal with the royal family of Dol Amroth.

Lothiriel took her seat between her husband on her right, and her five-year-old son on her left. Seated on the other side of Eomer was Lothiriel's brother, Amrothos, who began chatting with her and teasing her only moments after they sat down. As she leaned toward him, across Eomer, her right arm moved to the back of her husband's chair and her hand began to stroke his hair. As she continued the conversation, her fingers would entwine in a lock of hair and she played with it unconsciously while she laughed with her brother.

The meal finally began, and she moved her arm away from him, but it struck Eomer just how often she tended to make physical contact with him and their son. He did not recall seeing her do the same with her family during the time of their courtship, and he found himself keeping an eye out for such familiarity.

Unintentionally, he found his mind kept coming back to this notion throughout the course of the day, and the conclusion he reached was that the Dol Amroth crowd was not particularly outwardly affectionate in that way. Her married brothers did not tend to touch or put their arms around their wives or children, as Lothiriel did. Imrahil, while clearly proud of his children and enjoyed a close relationship with them, was not particularly physically inclined either.

There had been warm embraces of hugs and kisses upon their arrival, and at first greeting each family member but, beyond that, most of their public interaction, even among just the family group, was more formal. Eomer wondered how it was that Lothiriel was so much different with her own husband and son than with the rest of her family.

Throughout the day, he had often witnessed her hugging Elfwine, or stroking his head as her son stood near her, and he himself was frequently the recipient of her affectionate overtures. She never stood near him without taking his arm, clasping his hand, toying with his hair or in some other way making physical contact with him. Generally, she did not even seem aware that she was doing so, but proximity seemed to automatically generate such intimate actions. Not that he particularly minded her displays, but he was curious about it, nonetheless.

Later that evening, when Elfwine was bedded down and they had retired for the night, he ventured to mention it. She was curled next to him, and already seemed to be slipping off to sleep. "My love, how is it that you show me and Elfwine much outward affection, but do not do so with the rest of your family?" he asked softly.

She gave a long sigh and yawned, not readily answering, so he added, "Is it because we are more relaxed by nature in Rohan, and that is less acceptable here?"

"That is part of it, I suppose," she told him. She thought for a moment, then shrugged and murmured, "I do not really know why I do it, only that I cannot help it. My love for you and Elfwine is so strong that I cannot bear to be with you and not express my feelings."

His arm tightened around her, and a smile tweaked his mouth at the response. He could tell she was again starting to drift into slumber and whispered, "Do not ever change, beloved. Do not ever change!"

THE END

End note: It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.