Chapter 8
I had little choice but to return to my council meeting, so I left it to Gamling to get their party settled into rooms. When I was finally free, I found Lothiriel in the garden, twirling a flower in her fingers. She did not notice my approach, and I drew her attention by telling her, "It is good to see you."
"You as well," she answered. She held up the blossom, "I stole one of your flowers."
She seemed nervous and her manner was awkward, so I stepped toward her and slipped my arms around her waist. "Then I must punish such blatant thievery!" When our lips met, the awkwardness evaporated, and she melted against me eagerly.
When finally we broke apart, she smiled up at me as I pulled back and then rested my forehead on hers. "I should have known you would come when you got her letter."
"She told you she wrote to me?"
"Yes. I think she thought it would cause you or your family to break the betrothal, and that I would consider her in your stead. As if I could think fondly of anyone who tried to hurt you!"
She squeezed me more tightly. "She did not hurt me – she angered me. I have come to defend what is mine! And I do not doubt that you are completely mine!"
Pleasure, and more than a little relief, flooded through me. We stood in silence for quite awhile and then, suddenly, I chuckled. "Well, we do owe her credit for bringing us back together sooner than we expected! I had not thought to see you again for at least another month."
She grinned conspiratorially at me. "Not only that, unless Rohan declines the pleasure of my company for the next month, my father has consented for me to stay here and travel to Minas Tirith with the wedding party! I may have neglected to mention to him that my coming to Rohan had a little to do with Danwen's letter, and a lot to do with a desire to be with you again!"
I laughed heartily. "One thing is for certain, you have not changed since last I saw you, my sweet!"
She pulled me closer and laid her head on my chest. "I have missed you so very much, my love," she whispered, and I kissed her head in response.
"And I, you." It felt wonderful to have her in my arms once more, and to know that she trusted me so implicitly.
xxxxx
Supper that night was a quiet gathering of just the four of us – Eowyn, Amrothos, Lothiriel and me. However, in honor of their arrival, Eowyn was hastily pulling together a feast and celebration. She had asked what brought Lothiriel to Edoras, but I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her about Danwen, and Lothiriel was vague also when Eowyn tried to get the information from her instead. We simply told her my betrothed couldn't bear to be separated from me, which was not entirely untrue, but I saw by the look in Eowyn's eye that she knew there was more to it than that. I wasn't surprised to see her cornering Amrothos after supper when Lothiriel and I drifted away for a walk in the moonlight. And knowing Amrothos, he didn't hesitate to fill her in.
After we had strolled for some time, hand in hand and silent, Lothiriel let out a contented sigh. "It is good to be...home." She turned to smile at me and I could not restrain my elation at her choice of words. I had, of course, hoped that one day she would love Rohan as much as I did, and consider it home, but I had not expected her to feel that way before we were even wed. Had I any doubts before that she would make an excellent queen, they were swept away in that moment, and I pulled her close, just holding her tightly.
Eventually, we did talk, though much of what we said was the same as what we had written in our letters to each other already. Before we knew it, it was quite late and we reluctantly slipped back inside and headed off to sleep.
I had to be up early, but I had Eowyn make sure that Lothiriel had the luxury of sleeping in. Eowyn had to threaten Amrothos, who apparently was determined to annoy his sister by any means at his disposal, in order to make him leave Lothiriel alone. Even so, once she got occupied elsewhere, he must have slipped past her, for Lothiriel told me about his pounding on her door.
I was in meetings most of the morning, and Eowyn and Gamling were occupied preparing for the feast that night, so Lothiriel was left to her own devices. When I had a short break in my schedule, I again found her in the garden and she looked up at the sound of my footsteps approaching.
"Well, at least I will have little difficulty locating you if there is a garden nearby." I smiled warmly at her, still finding it difficult to believe she was really here, and she moved over to make room for me to sit next to her.
"How did your meeting go? Will Rohan be ready for the winter?"
I sighed and worked my shoulders to ease the tension in them. "Hopefully. I still worry, though. So many crops were destroyed, and if it is a hard winter, the people will suffer."
She rose and moved behind me, massaging my neck and shoulders. "Is there anything Gondor might do to help? Even though Minas Tirith suffered tremendous damage, their food supply was largely unharmed and their stores have a surplus. I am sure King Elessar would be happy to send aid if you think it necessary."
"Perhaps," I murmured, my eyes closed as I enjoyed her hands forcing my muscles to relax and unkink. I had found yet another benefit to having her around! I had no idea she knew how to use her hands so effectively, and I looked forward to exploring this talent further over time. "I will give it much thought before we go there next month, and decide if I will approach him on the matter."
"Well, Faramir owes you for moving up the date of his wedding even though he did not help us in return. Do not hesitate to call in his debt!" she said softly.
I let out a chuckle. "Blackmail? Who is this woman I am to marry? I thought she was a genteel lady of Gondor's nobility, but now I find she is a scoundrel at heart!"
"When have you ever known me to be 'genteel', my love?" she asked. "Have I not guided you in trickery and deception from the time we first met?"
I thought a moment and then conceded the point, "Yes, now that I think about it, you have! You have always been a scoundrel!" I reached around and caught her by the waist, pulling her around the bench to stand in front of me. I looked up and grinned at her, "And I do not seem to mind one bit!"
I was just beginning to pull her down onto my lap when Gamling appeared and smiled knowingly at us. "My apologies, my lord, but there are papers you must sign and Lord Bronow is awaiting you in your study."
I sighed heavily and rose, reluctantly releasing my hold on her. At this moment, being king was even more taxing than usual. I caught Lothiriel's eye and whispered, "I can only hope the scoundrel will not find marriage to the king too boring and tedious!"
I saw little of Lothiriel for the rest of the day. There was much to accomplish before winter and, with the time I would be taking to go to Minas Tirith for Eowyn's wedding and Dol Amroth to visit Lothiriel's family, I needed every moment to prepare. This was especially true if I thought I needed to seek Gondor's aid with food supplies. I needed to know soon where we stood and what we might require so I could make my request while there.
I was a little uncertain how things would work out at the feast this night. It was a given that Danwen would be there, as a member of nobility, and I wondered what would happen if or when she and Lothiriel came face to face. I was certain Lothiriel could meet any challenge Danwen threw down, but I did not want the evening to be unpleasant for my betrothed. Still, the matter had to be dealt with. The sooner Danwen understood that she had no possibility of achieving her aim, the better it would be for everyone.
When I went to collect Lothiriel that evening, I could scarcely believe my eyes. I had always considered her a handsome woman, though unlike many, she did not attempt to flaunt it. Often her appearance was downplayed, though nothing could truly hide her beauty. But this evening, she was breathtaking. She was dressed and primped for battle, and she had her weapons polished to their greatest sheen. It was difficult to breathe as I stood at her door, gazing into her eyes and drinking in her appearance, and the last thing I wanted to do was move toward the Golden Hall and share her with anyone else. Only by forcibly reminding myself of my duty and obligation, was I able to turn my feet in that direction. I consoled myself with the thought that eventually she would belong solely to me and then I would not have to share her.
I do not remember a great deal of the supper or other activities. They were much like those of other functions like this that I had attended. Eowyn had pointed out Danwen to Amrothos, and he leaned over to make her known to Lothiriel. I caught Danwen looking at Lothiriel, her gaze cold and calculating, but I saw Lothiriel stiffen with resolve and dignity. None of her family were weak or cowardly, and neither was she.
As the dancing began, I shared a few dances with Lothiriel, but I had to mingle and greet my guests so I could not spend all my time at her side. The ladies of the royal court seemed desirous to become better acquainted with her, and I saw her drawn into a group of them for conversation. It was not long before I noticed Danwen edging in on the periphery. My inclination was to rush to Lothiriel's aid, but I knew that she needed to handle this on her own. I had been unable to convince Danwen that her course was folly; perhaps Lothiriel would be more successful.
I was grateful when the party ended not too much later. I was tired, and still a bit annoyed by Danwen's undisguised attempts to undermine Lothiriel. I had pointedly avoided being put in a situation where I would feel I had to ask her to dance. It seemed all the practice Lothiriel had given me in eluding dancing with someone was now proving beneficial. I smiled to myself at the thought.
At last the Golden Hall was cleared of people, and even Amrothos had wandered off to bed. Lothiriel, Eowyn and I sat enjoying one final cup of wine and resting a moment before following Amrothos' lead.
I had not asked about Danwen, but Eowyn raised the subject. "You would have been very proud of Lothiriel, Eomer. She looked positively regal as she silenced her on the issue of who you should be marrying." Then she related to me what Lothiriel had said and my betrothed blushed slightly. I knew Lothiriel had not been looking for praise, only to establish clear boundaries, so I gave her a small grin of understanding. Neither of us was prepared for Eowyn's next words.
"Lothiriel, I assure you, you have no need to believe anything this woman tells you about her and Eomer. Indeed, I know for certain that my brother has never even been with a woman before, so definitely not her. You will be the first." Eowyn asserted triumphantly.
"Eowyn!" I could not believe my ears! Bad enough that Eowyn knew such a thing about me, but that she would publicly proclaim it was appalling. I bolted up from my seat and stormed from the room, too angry and embarrassed to speak.
I knew that such a thing was unusual for a man, that by my age most men had sampled the delights of many women and were proud of their experience. But I had chosen not to be one of them. To some extent, my reason had to do with the knowledge that many women viewed me as desirable primarily for my connection to the royal family, and I had seen the way they fawned over Theodred. I could not find myself tempted to be intimate with women who were so shallow.
The other part of it had to do with my parents. They had loved each other so dearly that my mother had literally grieved herself to death when my father died. I wanted to feel that kind of passion for a woman before I partook of the physical passion. I wanted our sharing of our bodies to be a commitment of love and devotion, not merely a moment's pleasure for physical release or to briefly forget the troubles of the world. Sometimes it had been difficult, when our patrol would be quartered near a town and far from home, not to succumb to the tender arms that would have welcomed me into a soft bed, but I wanted more than that. And so I waited.
I suppose, eventually, I would have shared that with Lothiriel, and hoped that she would be understanding of my reasons rather than thinking me odd. But having my sister blurt it out to her in the dining hall certainly was never the way I envisioned imparting this knowledge to her. What would she think of me? She had three brothers, and it was unlikely she knew nothing of the tendencies of most men along these lines. Would she wonder if I was…abnormal in some way? Defective?
"Eomer?"
I should not have been surprised that she followed me, but I did not yet feel prepared to face her about this and learn of her reaction. I stood rigidly with my back to her and curtly said, "I would prefer to be left alone."
To my utter astonishment, she moved quickly forward and slipped her arms around my waist from behind, laying her cheek against my back. "I know, but then you will go to bed angry and get no rest, and you will wake up disagreeable. So clearly it is in everyone's best interest if I do not leave you alone just now."
Against my will, I relaxed slightly at her words and she slid around to face me as I at last raised my arms and put them around her.
"I do not think any less of you for this secret, my love. Eowyn only meant to aid your cause by convincing me you had not been with Danwen. She did not intend to embarrass you." She tightened her hold around my waist and laid her head on my chest. "In truth," she added more softly, "I find it pleasing to know I will be the first."
"You do not think me...unmanly?" I asked with some hesitancy, not daring to hope this was really happening and that she meant what she said.
"No, dearest, not in the slightest. There is nothing unmanly about you...except when I imagine you barefoot in a skirt, of course!"
I couldn't restrain a laugh and finally fully relaxed in her arms, holding her tight and laying my cheek on her head. I had never quite let myself hope the woman I loved would be so understanding, and I had dreaded this confession, fearing I was the only one who thought my reasons sound. But I forgot what an extraordinary woman Lothiriel is. I realized I should not be at all surprised by her complete acceptance of everything about me. "Thank you...for being you, and everything else," I whispered.
