Thank you to all my kind reviews! I am so glad you are enjoying this. This next chapter has nothing very exciting in it (that will be the next chapter, once I have it written) but it is a very important part in the story and I hope you all enjoy it. A word to my reviewers:

Blue Eyes At Night: Haha, that is basically what they are doing! I'm so happy you are enjoying this and thank you for your praise.

Princess of Ithilien: I'm glad you think it is interesting. I was nervous that it would feel old and used, but it does not seem to so far! Let us just hope when I attempt to write romance it does not come out bad! Thank you.

KatzillaTimmy2222: Now you know how I feel when you write all your actions and suspense and leave me hanging on a cliffy! And now I know how you feel! Pretty good, in actuality. I think I'm just going to let you suffer! Haha, I don't think I have enough money for your dentist bills! Sorry, if I'm ever rich though, I'll buy you some denchers if you need 'em. :)

Nan75: I'm so glad your very first LOTR section viewing (mine! Oh, that sounds so cool!) was good and didn't scare you away. Thank you so much, and sorry it is so late.

wondereye: Wouldn't that just be so sweet for a newly wed husband to do if they are good with their hands? However, even the smallest acts of love are appreciated! I'm glad you like it thus far. Thanks!

quizzabelle: Yes there is romance in the air but both Lothíriel and Éomer are so oblivious they don't know it yet. In reality in little pieces, they are very similar, but on a whole they are complete differences like the sun and moon. Lothíriel and Aefentid…ah, that comes in this chapter! Enjoy.

madrone: Yes, Hooray for love, for without it, the world would be a much more peaceful place. Haha, just kidding! I'm a romantic, so if anything is too mushy, please tell me. Thank you for your praise.

Daughter of Roses: I'm so sorry I took so long to review! I'm not making any promises, but next chapter I will tryhard! Thank you so much for your praise, it made my day!

LadyArian, Steelelf, Merrymagic, lindaholyland, fleur137: Thank you all so much for your kind and encouraging words. I am so glad you like this, and here is the next installment, I hope you continue to love it!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Early the next morning, Éowyn and Lothíriel escaped the halls of Meduseld with Aefentid and Éowyn's mare into a clearing some distance away from the Golden hall. For Lothíriel's sake, the two led their horses on lead lines to the designated area but still, Lothíriel was awkward as she held onto the rope and was fearful for having her feet stepped on, or her horse run wild after she spooked… Éowyn said to not fear, but this statement did not seem to stem Lothíriel's nervousness.

Éowyn had told Lothíriel to perform each task for the horse on the left side. Lothíriel nodded, and tried diligently to keep Aefentid's head the same height as her shoulder, and tried to keep the horse's legs rhythm the same as her own. Éowyn noticed this and said that things involving horses did not need to be perfect, but Lothíriel was steadfast in trying to be the best she could be.

When the two women reached the clearing, they came to a large arena with plain wooden fences. Éowyn told Lothíriel that this was an old training arena for either green horses or young riders. Either way, it was far enough away from the loud noises of everyday to keep the horse from spooking, yet close enough so the young rider could walk to the arena instead of riding. In both cases, it was good for Lothíriel and Aefentid for they were both beginners. Éowyn still deemed that Lothíriel should ride a horse with more experience and voiced this often, but Lothíriel would have no part of it. Éowyn had decided to not to teach Lothíriel side saddle, for she was not fond of it.

"To mount the horse," Éowyn began her lesson, "you place your left foot in the left stirrup and swing your right foot over the back of the horse and into the other stirrup." Éowyn demonstrated this a few times and explained it again. Lothíriel nodded, deciding it would not be hard. "Are you ready, Lothíriel?"

"Yes," Lothíriel said with a confidence that vaguely reminded Éowyn of her brother.

Placing her leg high up in the stirrup of the left side, Lothíriel stepped down in it harshly, and swung herself up into the saddle. All seemed perfect so far, and Lothíriel's head only swam slightly as she looked down from the height she was at. Éowyn tied her mare to the fence and took hold of the reigns of Aefentid. She showed Lothíriel how to hold the reigns properly; thumbs on top of the reigns, pinkies slightly bent below, and then she taught her that the reigns were only for minor guidance.

"In majority, you guide your horse with your legs, but you also use your weight in the saddle, which you need not worry ere you become familiar with everything else. Squeezing with both means to go faster, and squeezing with the left side, she will turn to the right and the right she will turn to the left. The walk is the slowest gait, trot a two-beat gait, canter a three-beat gait, and gallop is a faster version of the canter. Understand?" Éowyn asked. Lothíriel nodded.

"Yes."

"Are you ready to try to walk?"

Lothíriel said she was and at first Éowyn led her around the arena. When Lothíriel's hands stopped shaking in fear, Éowyn let go of the reigns and let the woman have complete control of the horse. Everything was perfect, Lothíriel's posture was divine, her feet pointed forward, heels down, and her hands were bobbing with the movement of Aefentid's head. It seemed to Éowyn Aefentid had not realized Lothíriel was a beginner, but when that time came, Aefentid would take advantage of Lothíriel.

"Would you like to trot?" Éowyn asked when all had turned perfectly. Lothíriel nodded. "Cluck your tongue, like this, and squeeze your legs, give her more reigns."

Lothíriel did as she was bid, sat back in the saddle as the horse moved into a quicker gait, and to the beginner, a terribly bouncy gait at that. After a few times around the arena, Lothíriel began to laugh at the odd feelings that the gait brought her belly. When Aefentid realized that her rider was not paying attention, she took the bit into her teeth and began to quicken her pace without breaking into a canter. Lothíriel felt her body lurch, and then at a rapid turn by her mare, she lost a stirrup and Aefentid hurried even further. Éowyn stood, trying to grab the reigns of the mare as Aefentid passed her, but missed horribly. She began to yell instructions to Lothíriel, but Lothíriel's head was swimming with fear. Finally, when Aefentid broke into a canter and turned a tight corner, Lothíriel fell.

The impact with the ground was not before Lothíriel hit her shoulder on the wooden fence. It all seemed to be in slow motion and Lothíriel bit back a cry when she landed on her back and all air escaped her lungs in a flurry. Trying to regain breathing, Lothíriel lay there, paralyzed with fear. Finally, gasping, Lothíriel's breath came back and Éowyn hurried to her friend's side.

"Are you okay?" Éowyn insisted as Lothíriel nodded.

"I am fine," she admitted as Éowyn helped her to her feet. Lothíriel winced as she placed her hand on her shoulder, her dress torn and the skin underneath already showing a vast lavender bruise, threatening to darken. It was the size of a fist and Lothíriel felt her aching back cry out as she straightened.

"Did you get the wind knocked out of you?" Éowyn asked. Lothíriel nodded. "It's startling, huh?" Lothíriel could only nod as she saw Aefentid eyeing her with a humorous gaze from across the arena with grass in her mouth.

Lothíriel felt indignant, though she could not stay irate at the beautiful mare laughing at her clumsiness.

"Come, let us get you up onto that mare again," Éowyn broke Lothíriel's reverie after a moment. Lothíriel was not sure if she had heard right.

"I am not getting back onto that mare! Look at what she did to me! I will do it again…tomorrow. I do not feel ready to try to continue today. I am…tired." Lothíriel's voice wavered.

"Nay, you will get onto her this instant for if you do not, your fear for horses will only be greater than it was before. I thought you wanted to impress Éomer by your riding skills. He will not be impressed if you are anymore afraid of horses, especially his own, Aefentid," Éowyn said. Lothíriel felt her cheeks flush.

"He will not be 'impressed' if I end up with a broken arm or leg," Lothíriel retorted. Éowyn laughed.

"You will not break any bone in your body, Lothíriel. When you were walking and trotting at first, you looked like a natural. Now, we need to stop you from getting distracted and not paying attention. No laughing, no matter how amusing the gait feels. If you laugh when you are trying to gallop, Aefentid will throw you easier than you can imagine. I should know I have been thrown that way many times…"

By the end of their lesson, Lothíriel had fallen three times. Five bruises lay in various places on her body, two on her right leg, one on her left forearm, and the other on her right shoulder. She had threatened to quit after the third time to Éowyn, but the stubborn woman forced her upon the horse and said that Aefentid had looked nearly sorry after she threw her the last time. Lothíriel had to admit that by the last ride around the arena at a quick paced trot, she felt like she was flying. The sun was completely up in the sky by that time, and inside Meduseld, they were serving the mid meal already.

"Let us go back, you are tired, and have stayed on for quite some time. Tomorrow we will continue. You were fabulous today, Lothíriel, I am truly proud to be called your teacher," Éowyn smiled as she helped her friend down from the saddle.

"Do your legs always ache when you get off?" Lothíriel questioned as she winced and walked.

Éowyn laughed. "Mine do not, but yours should since you are a beginner."

Lothíriel followed Éowyn from the arena.

"Come, let us put the horses up and then we can get something to eat," Éowyn suggested. Lothíriel nodded, her growling stomach thanking her friend with a small roll of hunger. It appeared that skipping a light snack in the morning was not her best idea.

However, "putting up the horses" seemed more thorough then Lothíriel had thought it would be. First, they took of the tack. Then, they combed through the mares' mains and tales. After that, they brushed off the sweat from their bodies, and filled their troughs with water and placed a fresh bale of hay in their stalls for them to eat.

When they were finished, they wandered into the Golden Hall to eat something themselves, having been famished from all of the hard work.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Though the constructions on the building for his wife went smoothly, Éomer had been busy most of the day with it. He had asked Gamling to get his wife and somehow distract her from leaving Meduseld so she would not see her surprise until it was finished, but he knew Lothíriel had a mind of her own sometimes and liked to wander wherever her heart lead her. While he would not admit it to himself, they both shared that quality.

Elfhelm brought Éomer back to present time when he asked, "What do you think of it so far?"

Éomer surveyed the flat flooring lined with wood, and then one of the walls already standing erect. It had taken them so long to get that wall up and strong, and they still had three more to go! Then, they had the roof to thatch, the windows to finish, the door to hang, and the furniture inside to build. How long would this take them to finish? Could he stall Lothíriel enough to build it without her noticing his absence or the building at one side of Meduseld?

"It is very nice," Éomer observed aloud, running one hand over the smooth wall, and then once again feeling the floor that his friend Éothain had put together perfectly. Éomer and Elfhelm had worked on the walls, and tomorrow they would continue while Éothain began to thatch straws for the roof.

"If you find something 'wrong' with that floor once more, you can level it yourself," Éothain said as he placed the file that he had been smoothing the flooring down for the past two hours. Éomer grinned as his hand felt the even floorboards and did not find any flaws.

"Do not worry my friend, I find no slivers or uneven patches," Éomer said.

"Good," Éothain observed in a sarcastic way, "now my Queen can take off her shoes and have no fear for a sliver to catch in her feet."

Éomer laughed good-naturedly, before he said, "And your son Théodric can crawl on it when he grows older and your wife need not worry he will hurt himself. Trust me, Éothain; you will thank your good work in time."

Then, Éomer turned to Elfhelm, the elder man finishing the wall that had caused them so much difficulty.

"How long do you deem this will take to finish, Elfhelm?" Éomer asked.

Elfhelm ran a hand down the smoothened wall and spoke. "I would say nine days."

"Nine days? But how can we keep Lothíriel from seeing it if we have to have nine days to finish it? She will not stay indoors for nine days, if I know her as well as I think," Éomer retorted. He furrowed his brow as he began to think of a way to keep her away. He turned to Éothain in a moment's time. "Perhaps we can tell Forleaswyn and she can have Lothíriel help her with Théodric…do you think that would work?"

"It might for a while, but after a day of visiting, what more can Lothíriel help her with? Would she not become bored?" Éothain asked. Éomer shrugged.

"I would not know. You do not get bored and she is a woman, so I would not think so."

Éothain could not help to laugh at his friend's ignorance in both the departments of women and babies. Shaking his head, Éothain said, "I am the father of Théodric, the husband to Forleaswyn. It is different because they are my family then to Lothíriel who are just friends."

"Éowyn seems to spend every moment of her time with your wife," Éomer pointed out. Éothain nodded.

"Aye, but she has known Forleaswyn far longer than Lothíriel. Perhaps it will work, and I will ask Forleaswyn, but I do not deem it would buy us more than two days' time."

"I think Éothain is right, Éomer," Elfhelm said gently. He knew his next statement would frustrate his young King further, so he tried to say it as compassionate as he could. "Maybe it would be best to tell your wife of the building. That way, we can know she actually wants it, and then we do not need to lie to keep her from seeing it ere it is finished."

Éomer shook his head. "No. I want it to be a surprise."

"Lying may bring more harm than good," Elfhelm countered wisely. Éomer was steadfast in his decision.

"I think – though I do not know her absolutely, that I know my wife better than you both. I know this surprise is everything she needs to feel more at home," said Éomer.

Knowing that he could do nothing to sway the King's mind, Elfhelm merely nodded and turned to begin to clean the area free of the supplies they had used to build it. Elfhelm knew of Éomer's stubbornness, as he had taught Éomer all he knew in the methods of combat and finished Éomund's beginnings of teaching his son horsemanship when Éomer was a child. That morning Éomer had insisted to help build the room, declining the urged offer of assistance from five more men, saying that it would only be truly special if those closest to Lothíriel in her new world built it.

"As you wish, Éomer," Elfhelm said as he shook his head and exchanged a smirk with Éothain. Their friend had not obviously changed much, when he changed positions from Third Marshall to King.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the time for the evening meal, and Lothíriel sat at the head of the table with the chair beside her empty. Éomer was washing up quickly, after appearing from a day's time of absence sweaty and exhausted. When she asked him tenderly where he was, he said he had taken Firefoot out for a ride in the early morning with Éothain and had just returned. How could that be when he said the other day he had councils, and when she had been at the stable in the morning and afternoon Firefoot was not there?

Erchirion and Amrothos were talking amongst each other and she was listening half-heartedly. They were seated beside Imrahil who was on Lothíriel's right; Éowyn sat left of the King's chair. Erchirion was exchanging a glance now and then with a Rohirrim noblewoman, her hair a yellow blonde and her eyes a light blue. Her name was Helena, and she was very pretty. Lothíriel hoped that Erchirion was not on one of his escapades that he had thus far stopped since the War of the Ring.

"Is there something wrong, Lothíriel?" Imrahil asked his daughter after a moment's silence.

Lothíriel shook her head, "No father, I am fine."

"Just because you are married does not mean I cannot tell when you are lying," Imrahil pressed, his face vaguely concerned. Lothíriel stayed headfast, thinking that her ordeals with her new husband were between him and her only.

"I am just tired," Lothíriel said softly. She did not lie in truth, for she was weary from riding and falling. Lothíriel was wearing a dress that covered all of the new bruises, and she prayed they would be gone soon as it was unflattering and uncomfortable. "I spent most of the day reading the books that you brought from home to give to me. Thank you once again, father, for doing that."

Imrahil smiled warmly. "You are welcome. Dol Amroth will miss her Princess more than those books."

Feeling tears rise into her eyes Lothíriel turned her head and saw her husband enter the room, looking as fine as ever in plain clothes yet he made them look elaborate with his shining hair of gold. He sat in his chair, his arrival beginning the feast as tradition. The foods were all delicious, yet they turned bland in Lothíriel's mouth as she gave quick looks at Éomer's faintly distracted appearance. What could he possibly be thinking of?

During the meal, both Éomer and Lothíriel were silent, pondering over things that they were trying to keep from the other. Lothíriel was sullen, as she was beginning to think that Éomer was avoiding her – which he was, though for a good reason not bad like she thought. She was also beginning to think that he did not like her at all, let alone love her. Forever bound in a marriage, neither would be able to speak their mind, and neither would love the other. Oh, such things were a nightmare she held when she became betrothed, yet she had never thought it to come true! He had avoided her the whole day and she had shut herself up into the library, hoping he would enter and speak to her as he had before, trying to learn more about her. Even the nervous flashes she had when he spoke to her were better than staring at books alone in a huge and barren library.

Éomer pondered upon why Lothíriel was dressed head to toe in a thick velvet when it was still summer outside. Was it because she was ashamed of him looking upon her skin? Did she think it sinful of her, even though they were married? Worse yet, did she hate him and no longer wished to pretend that their future could be bright? Oh, if only the next nine days would speed by quickly, and allow him the pleasure of seeing her face light up in joy at the wonderful building he had built with his two best friends for her. The act would bring her such joy; he knew that if he told her now, the joy would not be as prominent as if he waited until the room was complete.

Éomer was not shocked when they hardly said three words to each other the whole meal. Though the meal was good, he could not help but hate it for the utter awkwardness in the air. When the meal ended, he bid his people a good night and escorted Lothíriel to their room in silence.

Once they were inside their room and Éomer was changing into his bedclothes, he noticed that Lothíriel was seated on the chair in front of her vanity stiffly, brushing her hair with her left hand softly. Long after it had been silky and tangle free, she continued to brush it, eyeing him as if she wished he would hurry with his nightly routine to go to sleep. When he settled into his bed, he expected her to change into one of her nightgowns, preferably the green because it did wonders to her skin color and he thought she looked beautiful in it. However, she blew out the candle and changed into her nightgown in the dark.

After a moment, Lothíriel settled into the covers beside Éomer. Lothíriel broke the silence for the first time that night, clearing her throat ere she spoke. "Forleaswyn wanted me to help her with Théodric tomorrow. I said yes as long as there were no councils that I needed to attend."

It seemed to Éomer she liked councils more than she liked him! It was all she talked of, attending council meetings with him. Perhaps he could learn something from her if she was as diplomatic as it seemed to him. Nevertheless, Éomer silently thanked Éothain for asking Forleaswyn to invite Lothíriel to help her with the new baby. At least one thing that night was faring well!

"There are no council meetings tomorrow. You are free to go."

"Thank you," Lothíriel said swiftly. She had wished he would have invited her to go somewhere with him. Perhaps there was another way to get that thought clear to him. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Éomer stiffened at his side of the bed. "I am…helping Éothain…build a…crib for the new babe."

"May I see it when you are done?"

Éomer stifled a groan. Now he would have to build or buy a crib to cover up his lie! Perhaps Elfhelm was right when he said it would be easier just to tell her sooner than he wished. However, Éomer wanted to wait even if it meant for him to suffer, for the look on his beautiful wife's face when she saw her drawing room would be worth it all. All the pain and sweat from working so diligently would pay off when he was finished and Lothíriel saw that he truly did care for her. Their bright future counted on the surprise.

"Of course you may." Éomer could not help the yawn that emitted from his mouth loudly. Lothíriel could feel the exhaustion radiating off Éomer, so she turned on her side.

"Good night, Éomer."

"Good night, Lothíriel."