A/N: Alrighty then! I'm convinced you are enjoying this, so that makes me feel better. Guess that means I'd best get to work on By The Book, though I may post that as "more" chapters of this one rather than as a separate story. Since I haven't started writing it yet, and this story is only 6 chapters long, there will probably be something of a break before you see those chapters post. On the bright side, though, I did write another Elfwine Chronicle last night, and I'll post that after I finish posting this one.
Replies to reviewers at bottom.
Chapter 3
I did not see much of Lothiriel the next day, and the day after that the funeral procession departed Minas Tirith for Edoras. There was a protocol to your placement in the procession, and she and her brothers were near the front, but behind me and King Elessar, the Queen of Gondor and her father.
After a week on the road, traveling at a slow pace to accommodate the wain carrying Theoden, I was mind-numbingly bored. What's more, I missed Lothiriel. Strange that someone I had only known a short while should be the person whose company I missed most, but so it was. I wanted to spend hours finding out everything about her and this tedious processional seemed an ideal time, particularly since it would keep my mind off the reason for the march. If I dwelled too long on Theoden's death and upcoming funeral, I became completely morose and depressed. Surely even Theoden found this journey to be boring and wearing on the nerves!
My attention was caught by two Riders approaching, and I signaled them to me to deliver their message. Somewhat hesitantly they indicated one of our party was 'wandering off' unaccompanied, but they were unsure what to do about it. This seemed rather odd since they knew full well no one should venture away from the group, and why would they be reluctant to chase the person down and return them to safety? Then it became evident – the culprit was the Lady Lothiriel. Imrahil was looking mortified beside me, and turned as if to go and retrieve his daughter, but I stayed him. "I will attend to this, my friend. Fear not."
I think he would have stopped me, so I rode away before he had the chance, and the two Riders fell in behind me as escort. Lothiriel's attention was so riveted on the forest, that she did not immediately notice our approach, but finally she looked up and saw us, giving me a surprised, questioning look. All at once, she seemed to realize the reason and flushed red, ducking her head as I stopped in front of her. I had left my escort a short distance away so that we could speak privately, but all she said was a greeting, "My lord."
I sat there, waiting, knowing that eventually she would look up at me, and when she finally did, she saw the amused grin I wore. "If my lady wishes to speak with me alone, there are less dangerous, or noticeable, ways of accomplishing it!"
"Tell me the guards did not send you to retrieve me," she said, closing her eyes.
"I fear I cannot do so. They were not quite sure how to proceed and sought my counsel in the matter. It is so much more difficult dealing with an errant noblewoman than someone of less vaunted birth."
Against her will, she smiled. "Well, it is good to talk to you. I have missed our conversations," she admitted.
"I, too. Our families seem to have given up on us and now we have no one trying to bring us together."
"I doubt that very much. They are just temporarily biding their time. Perhaps they do not feel a funeral march is the proper place for courting."
"Perhaps not, though, to tell you the truth, I think my uncle might actually find it amusing!"
She returned my smile as I added, "However, if we are to keep them in the dark about our plans, I think we need to get you back to the group – where I trust you will stay, from now on?"
She nodded sheepishly. "I did not mean to stray. But all of this is so new, I just wanted to go exploring. It seemed like it would be safe enough if I kept the group in sight."
The smile slipped from my face. I knew all too well what dangers haunted these woods and much of Middle Earth. Sauron was defeated but evil creatures still dwelled in our lands. Gently, I told her, "In truth, there are more dangers than you know lurking about. It is beautiful, yes, and I wish you could explore, but it truly is not safe to do so. I would not see you harmed."
She straightened in her saddle. "Very well. I shall do as the King orders and be a good girl henceforth." I caught the twinkle in her eye, and gave her one last grin before adopting a neutral expression as we turned to ride back toward my escort, and then return to the procession. Her father was looking annoyed but said nothing. I suspected he would wait until they were alone to impress upon her the inappropriateness of her actions.
Though a small thing, this tiny departure from the drudgery of our march had cheered me considerably, and I hated to see her punished when I had so enjoyed the chance to speak with her. Perhaps if I invited her family for supper, Imrahil's ire would be deflected… I turned to her and very formally asked, "Lady Lothiriel, I have seen little of you and your brothers on this trip. Would your family care to join me for supper this evening?"
She glanced at her father, and from the corner of my eye I saw him nod slightly to encourage her to accept. She feigned some reluctance but finally did so, and then returned to her placement in the cortege.
As soon as she moved away, Imrahil began apologizing for her behavior, but I assured him there was no harm done, and that she reminded me a great deal of my sister. I'm not sure if he knew whether I meant that as a compliment or not.
A short while later, Eowyn called for a pause, and I noted Lothiriel had turned her horse over to a servant and taken a seat in a carriage. Too bad. At least when she was riding, there was the chance I'd catch a glimpse of her occasionally. As we moved on, and silence largely reigned once more, I found myself pondering how I might arrange to see more of her. I could not invite her to supper too often – that would be too obvious. I considered the matter quite awhile, along with musing about Lothiriel herself in general, before it finally occurred to me how blind I was. She was sharing a tent with my sister! And my sister was rarely there. I knew so because I often saw her off walking with Faramir, sometimes later than was appropriate. But if I managed to not see Eowyn with Faramir, I could claim to be going to see my sister, and perhaps stumble on her tent companion all alone! I tried to restrain a grin at the realization, so none of those around me would suspect anything. I think Lothiriel was beginning to rub off on me with her devious ways!
xxxxx
The remainder of the afternoon was as tedious as always, and we stopped for the night later than usual since we had to go a bit farther to reach an appropriate spot to make camp for such a large group.
As soon as I thought I could pull it off successfully, I headed for Lothiriel's tent, with an excuse ready of why I needed to speak with Eowyn. But as I drew near, I heard angry voices arguing. One I readily recognized as Imrahil, and the other was clearly Lothiriel, who sounded on the verge of tears. He had been more upset than I realized about Lothiriel's behavior, and despite my earlier nonchalance about the matter, it had not defused the situation as I had hoped. When the argument ended abruptly, and Imrahil charged out of the tent, I was almost caught loitering nearby, but just barely managed to duck out of his sight.
Once again I had found myself eavesdropping on a conversation concerning me and Lothiriel, but this time the focus was on her. Part of me understood Imrahil's view on the subject; I was learning how important appearances were considered to be to the nobility. But I could not help sympathizing with Lothiriel. Court life was dull and boring; less so in Rohan than in Gondor, but dull and boring nonetheless. Intelligent conversation with a noblewoman seemed almost unheard of, and I was grateful Eowyn and Faramir would be residing in Ithilien. I knew it would drive my sister mad to have to endure the royal court on too regular a basis.
With a sigh, I turned away and moved back to my own tent. It was clear Eowyn was not there, and I didn't think now was a good time to visit with Lothiriel. She would not want me to see her crying. In a way, I almost felt guilty, encouraging Lothiriel's behavior behind Imrahil's back. The problem was, what I liked most about Lothiriel was the behavior Imrahil least wanted me to see from her. And I really wasn't sure what I could do to improve the situation for any of us.
xxxxx
I was nervous, waiting to see what state Lothiriel would be in at supper after the altercation with her father. At last she and Eowyn arrived. I was rather shocked by Lothiriel's appearance. She had her hair pulled into an unattractive, matronly bun and her expression was equally dull and lifeless. The only bright spot was the pale blue dress she wore – the one we had joked about over breakfast. Not sure how to approach her, Eowyn saved me the trouble by extending her hand to Elessar. Lothiriel followed suit, and that meant they did the same to me. When I bent to kiss her hand, I tried to look up and catch her eyes, to reassure her somehow that I liked her just fine as she was, but I think she was too distracted to notice and I reluctantly had to release her hand. I could see traces of her crying still on her face; she had not been able to completely obliterate them, though probably no one would notice them if they were unaware of a problem.
Seating had not been assigned and, to my surprise, Eowyn manuevered Lothiriel so she was sitting between the two of us. I began to understand that Eowyn knew of her distress, and was trying to help her, though I did not think my sister knew that I was part of the problem. I kept intercepting pointed looks from Imrahil to his daughter, reminding her to behave properly and it was clear that she noticed as well.
Though Eowyn kept trying to draw her into a conversation with the two of us by talking to me across her, she gave only polite, brief responses and nothing more. I remembered what she had told her father during the argument – "If you wish me to bore the King to tears, I shall do my best to accommodate you!" Certainly she was keeping her promise. And I grew ever more distressed that I could do nothing to comfort her.
But most of all, I was terrified that her father's censure might drive her to end her relationship with me. I did not want to lose her, particularly since I was beginning to realize that what I felt for her went far beyond friendship. While I appreciated her ease with me, her joking and teasing, her honesty, I was also now aware of how much I wanted to hold her in my arms and taste her lips. I cherished her friendship, but I also wanted more, and if we were not very careful, her father might end up driving us apart instead of bringing us together. It all would hinge on how much suffering she was willing to tolerate in my behalf.
She sat stiffly beside me through the meal, and excused herself as soon as she could without upsetting Imrahil. I wanted desperately to go with her, but I knew it was impossible. Fortunately, as it had been a long day, the remainder of my guests did not stay much longer and I was at last free. As soon as the coast was clear, I hurried to her tent, hoping to find her alone. I knocked at the tent post, while keeping a sharp eye around for anyone approaching that might cause some difficulty.
When she answered, she seemed astonished to see me and did not speak, so I asked, "May I come in?"
She merely nodded and stepped aside, too caught off-guard, I think, to know how else to respond. I moved in and came to a stop near the center tent pole, turning to face her. For a moment, we just looked at one another, and suddenly I wasn't sure what to say to her. Much as I wanted to simply wrap my arms around her, I knew I could not do that yet. She finally broke the silence by telling me, "Forgive me, but I am not good company tonight, my lord."
That gave me the opening I needed, and I took a step toward her. "The name is Eomer, remember? Are you alright?"
She turned away and answered, "I had an argument with my father and I am out of sorts. Perhaps it would be better if we talked tomorrow. As I said, I am not good company right now."
This wasn't going to be easy. I needed to get her to talk to me, and then a thought came to me and I teased, "I have a confession to make."
I could tell she was trying to ignore my statement, but I was also fairly sure she would not be able to resist the curiosity. Even so, she did manage to resist the urge to ask me what I meant, so I volunteered more, "I overheard your argument with Imrahil. I was coming to see Eowyn when he arrived and I...overheard everything."
She let out a sigh. "Eomer..."
"No, let me finish. I feel as if I am partly to blame for your father's censure. I have encouraged your casual behavior, but he does not know that. I wanted to apologize."
"Eomer," she repeated, shaking her head, "it is not your fault. This is a very old argument. You are merely the current focal point. When I was younger, it was easier to bill and coo and play these court games, as I was expected to do. But as I have gotten older, I have tired of going to such great lengths to impress people I do not like in an effort to win some advantage by so doing. I do not care if they don't want me marrying their sons! I should rather marry a stable hand who accepted me for who I am, than a nobleman for whom I always had to wear a mask."
"It pains me to see you so unhappy," I told her softly. "Is there nothing I can do? If your father knew that I did not mind..."
"No! Don't you see – that will not convince him of what I am saying. Yes, he may allow me to be myself more, once he thinks I have won the heart of a king, but when we do not court and marry, he will just take it to mean you were scared off by my 'unseemly' conduct." She stamped her foot in frustration. "I am not explaining this to you very well. I am sorry. It is just...I do not want them to know about us, even if it might be helpful right now. I fear it would eventually destroy our friendship."
I was thrilled beyond words to know our friendship meant as much to her as it did to me. For the time being, her feelings did not appear to go beyond friendship, but I would settle for that for now, and hope that it would change in the future. We still had several weeks together.
I caught her by the shoulders and turned her to face me. "No matter what happens, I will not let them destroy our friendship. It has come to mean a great deal to me, even in this short space of time. If you want to continue to keep our secret, then I will do so."
It took a while, but finally she looked up at me, giving me a weak smile. Merriment sprang to my eyes and I whispered, "I like your dress – especially the full skirt!" All at once she collapsed against my chest in a fit of giggles.
"I am sorry I was so awful at supper," she apologized. "You should have come and cheered me up before instead of after!"
I laughed, enjoying the feel of her in my arms, and told her, "Well, I will accept your apology, on one condition."
"And what is that?"
"Please take your hair down out of that awful bun! It is most unattractive!"
Pulling the hairpins loose to free the hairstyle, she laughed. "You mock my show of rebellion? I thought it was quite clever!"
Then she smiled at me. "Thank you for being a good friend." As I returned the smile with a grin of my own, she added, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you what a good friend I was to you today!"
I narrowed my eyes and took a seat on a chair. "Do I truly want to hear this?"
"But of course!" she teased. "Three lovely young noblewomen engaged me in conversation, and since I was the only one of our party to have met you, they wanted me to tell them all about you – and so I gave them my truthful view of what you are like."
Knowing her penchant for playing with words, I could just imagine what she might have 'truthfully' said about me. I let out a groan, "Allowing you to give anyone your 'truthful' version of anything about me is almost as dangerous as letting Eowyn sing my praises! I shall die unmarried with the two of you 'helping' me!" I rolled my eyes, and then sat forward in my chair. "Just exactly what 'truthful' things did you tell them, if I may ask?"
When she finished relating her earlier conversation, I was right – I didn't really want to hear this. I had groaned my way through her account, but some part of me was actually rather pleased. Was it possible that she did feel something more for me than friendship and, without realizing it, her motive had been to try and chase away some possible competition?
Still, I was sure it was too early to suggest that, so I merely told her, "Do me a favor; do not do me any favors! At least not until you ask me if I might be interested in the girl before you send her running into the hills!"
To my surprise, she walked over and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I assure you, if I had thought there was ANY chance you would ever be even slightly interested in any of those three, I would not have said a word other than praise about you."
Before I could drink in any possible alternate meanings to her words, we were startled by a knock at the tent door. For a moment, I panicked. How would we explain my presence in her tent? Frantically, I tried to recall what excuse I had been going to use earlier about needing to see Eowyn, but while I thought, she took a deep breath and called out, "Yes?"
"Thiri? May I come in?" It was her father. She glanced at me where I had risen from my seat.
Shrugging in acceptance of the situation, she replied, "Of course, Father."
Imrahil was clearly taken aback at the sight of Rohan's king in his daughter's tent. "Eomer? I did not expect to find you here."
Before I could respond, Lothiriel offered, "The King kindly noticed I was out of sorts at supper, and was afraid it might have been due to something he had done. I have assured him he is not to blame."
My eyes twitched back to Imrahil to see if he accepted her words and, to my relief, he nodded in understanding. "No, Eomer, I fear the fault is mine. My daughter and I quarreled before supper. I should have reconciled with her before we ate so our mood would not affect others."
Not wanting to push my luck, I said, "Lady Lothiriel seems in better spirits now, my friend, so I will leave you two to talk. I am glad I was not the cause of her distress." I bowed and quickly exited the tent, before anything more was said.
Taking a steadying breath of relief, I walked slowly back to my tent. In a funny sort of way, despite all the stress and unpleasantness of the situation, it seemed some good had come of it. I couldn't quite place my finger on what had changed, but it almost appeared as if Lothiriel and I had become even closer. Perhaps our common desire not to let our friendship be discovered, or more importantly, destroyed, was a binding factor. Whatever it was, I was grateful for it. It was going to be difficult enough finding time to spend with her the remainder of this journey and during the funeral proceedings. If I let her leave Edoras without declaring my feelings, I was very much afraid it would all come to naught. I could only hope that by then her feelings matched my own, because regardless of our earlier agreement not to court, I now understood that I did indeed want to marry Lothiriel of Dol Amroth.
No one before her had ever made me feel so carefree, even when I bore the weight of the world, and certainly I had never laughed so much in my entire life as I had in the short time I had spent with her. And it felt very good to laugh again. When suggestions had been made that I marry a "princess", I had balked even at the thought of it. But this princess was the most unpretentious woman I had ever known. She was real and honest and, when necessary, she could even play the part of a court lady. Much as I hated to admit Eowyn was right, I did very much admire the lady.
I tilted my head back to gaze up at the starry canopy overhead, and suddenly let out a chuckle. I think my uncle would have been quite amused to know that he had inadvertently played a hand in finding me a wife!
xxxxx
As pleasant as that interlude was, I did not see much of Lothiriel for the next few days. Then one morning Eowyn appeared at my tent just after dawn, telling me that Lothiriel was taken ill. It was all I could do to restrain myself from rushing to her side. Instead, I sent a messenger to bring the Healer who traveled with us, as well as others to inform the King of Gondor and Imrahil. A short time later, we were all admitted to her tent after the Healer had tended to her. When she opened her eyes and saw us all standing over her, she let out a groan and closed her eyes again. I had to hide the twitch of amusement that tweaked my mouth at her reaction.
King Elessar knelt beside her and quietly asked, "My lady, you are unwell?"
She nodded, but told him, "The Healer says we must wait it out. Do not be alarmed. It will pass."
I spoke then, "Perhaps we should remain encamped here, then." The King and her father were agreeing with me, but she spoke up.
"My lords, I thank you for your concern, but do not let my illness delay us. If a carriage is made available that I may lie down in, I will be able to travel."
I was not at all convinced that this was a good idea, and I was reluctant to go along with it, but King Elessar offered, "My carriage is the largest, and Arwen and I have used it little on this journey. Lothiriel may stay there while we travel and the Healer can ride with her, if necessary."
Imrahil gratefully accepted on her behalf, and so I went along with the decision. "Very well, then. We will depart as scheduled."
The usual activities began in breakfasting and readying the camp for our exodus. A servant packed Lothiriel's belongings while Eowyn was at breakfast. Eowyn returned to her tent awhile later with me in tow, though I wasn't entirely clear on her purpose. She grabbed a few things she thought Lothiriel might need, and then directed me, "Carry Lothiriel to the carriage, Eomer."
Lothiriel's eyes flew open as I exclaimed, "Eowyn!" Such a thing was most inappropriate.
"What? Do not be foolish. You are here and able bodied. Surely she is not too much for you to carry!" I decided not to argue with the look of determination on my sister's face and turned to Lothiriel. In truth, I was not at all displeased with the idea of holding her in my arms, and I rather suspected she didn't mind it so much as she worried what her father might say.
"With your permission, my lady?" I asked, and she nodded in response. I rolled my eyes at her as I quickly scooped her up in the blankets and followed Eowyn from the tent. We got a few curious looks as we made our way to the King's carriage, and she kept her face firmly averted, probably to avoid laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Imrahil was nearby when we approached the carriage and looked mortified, but seemed appeased when Eowyn opened the carriage door and directed me, "Lay her inside – and gently, Eomer!" As it was clear this was Eowyn's idea, I hoped that would spare Imrahil's wrath.
As I lay her down on the carriage seat, I gave her a wink. "My lady, may I stop by later to see how you are faring?"
She stifled a laugh, and responded, "I would welcome it, my lord." With a grin, I left and Eowyn deposited her things on the other seat. Then camp was broken and we started out.
It was not until late in the afternoon that I thought it safe to make a visit without raising eyebrows.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Better, but not well yet." I noticed her shading her face from the sun coming through the window and reached over to release the window curtains.
"Is that better?"
"Much." She lay there with her eyes closed until she heard me chuckle.
Opening her eyes, she gave me a questioning look.
"I told you there were other, less dangerous ways of being able to speak with me in private, and while this does qualify as less dangerous, I am not certain it could be considered less noticeable. Not to mention, you have put so much effort into it that now you do not seem inclined to talk!"
She smiled ruefully. "Then I shall have to plan better next time. Perhaps this was ill-conceived!"
"On the other hand, you do get a carriage all to yourself, so you do not need to entertain the other occupants with tales of that uncouth King of Rohan," I commented slyly.
She was unable to stifle a laugh. "But, my lord, I rather enjoyed that!"
"I do not doubt it for a minute!" I paused, and then said, "Be well. I had best get back before this looks suspicious." Giving her hand a squeeze, I reluctantly exited the carriage. Too bad I couldn't think of an acceptable reason to ride in the carriage with her.
xxxxx
Imrahil made sure that Lothiriel was removed from the carriage by Faramir, before Eowyn could commandeer me again. I was rather disappointed at that. I had carefully situated myself nearby so I could be enlisted, but someone came to consult with me, and Faramir had been given the task before I was free. After supper, I went to visit her again, but this time I was in company with others and we were not able to speak privately. By the next day, she was largely recovered.
And so our trip to Edoras continued. When we were some two or three days out of Edoras, we were met with riders coming from that city. My Doorward, Gamling, had come with an escort to discuss some matters with me. He said they were having difficulty finding housing for all the visitors coming for Theoden's funeral. Eowyn had offered to share her room with Lothiriel, which prompted Faramir to offer sharing with one of Lothiriel's brothers, and her other two brothers could share as well. That freed up a little more space.
When Elessar heard that a suite of rooms had been prepared for him and his wife, he declined such extravagance. He indicated he and the Queen would be fine in a single room and the others could be made available to hold other guests. I decided to put them in Theoden's room, since it was the largest, but also because a part of me was reluctant to claim it for myself just yet.
Gamling departed the next morning to return and continue his preparations for our arrival. His presence had sparked a note of excitement as we drew nearer our destination. Few in the entourage had ever been to Edoras, and they seemed to be looking forward to a glimpse of the capital city of Gondor's ally.
The night before our expected arrival at Edoras, just as we arrived at our intended campsite, I rode back and invited a number of the party to join me in riding on a little further as camp was made. Imrahil's family joined in the small group, and all welcomed the chance to ride at something faster than a walk.
All eyes were on me, so they did not immediately determine my purpose, but then I pointed into the distance to a city high on a hill. The setting sun had not dropped so low behind the mountain as to conceal its rays from the city, even though we were already in semi-darkness where we sat. "Edoras," I announced proudly. I was sure my love for my home must show on my face, but indeed it presented quite a striking picture at this moment. I was eager to be home.
Replies to reviewers:
shie1dmaidenofrohan – Yep, our boy's smitten. But you knew he fell first. Now you're seeing how quickly it unfolded! Sorry I ruined it for you writing an E/L story, but since you and I see them so similarly, if you get a brilliant idea about them and don't want to write it for fear of overlapping, just shoot it over to me and I'll see what I can do with it!
lindahoyland – Okay, okay, point taken! I changed "wash up" and "turn in" – see if you like them better now. And thanks for pointing them out. I do try very hard to keep the language true and avoid phrasing that is too modern, but it doesn't always work. Things do slip past me and if no one mentions it, it may take awhile (if ever) for me to notice and fix something. Only shie1dmaidenofrohan noticed in one story that I said "Minas Tirith" when I meant "Edoras". I was rolling on the floor laughing that no one, including me, had ever noticed that before (well, at least no one mentioned it before).
Elwen of Lorien – Yuck, to homework, but glad you were able to take a break and weigh in. Now that I know people are interested enough, I think I will go ahead and do By The Book. Particularly since that story has so much more room to play with. No Mistake is a bit fixed due to their being together and much of it revolving around their dialogue, but in By The Book they are in different countries much of the time, so that opens up a lot of possibilities for conversations, situations, thoughts, etc.
Tracey – Glad you found me. Just about the time I think I need to email you and tell you I've posted something, you usually find it. I guess between the two of us you shouldn't miss much!
utsuri – I'm glad you're finding it different enough. I was afraid too much of it was identical to be interesting. That first chapter was very different, with all the new Eomer POV, but much of the rest of the story isn't quite so drastically different. However, there are subtle changes/additions here and there that alter the perspective.
Lady Bluejay – Thanks! And thanks for whatever role you played in helping Maddy051280 get her E/L story posted. I'm really enjoying what she has up so far, and looking forward to more.
