Dedication: The last chapter and this one are dedicated to Leany. Thank you!

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82. Shadows

Then the shadow was upon me before I could do anything at all – scream, run away, get into fighting stance. I was too slow. Just a fraction of a second. But too slow nevertheless.

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"Lothíriel!" Éomer's voice was an urgent whisper in the night and then he embraced me fiercely. He held me tightly against his chest, tilted up my head and kissed me firmly on my mouth. "Oh, Valar, how I have missed you!"

I felt myself go limp in Éomer's arms. My knees felt like jelly. Had he been the shadow on the wall? Where had he come from all of a sudden?

"What's the matter? You are shivering! Have you missed me so much?" Éomer held me at arm's length, his eyes gleaming in the shadows. I released my breath in a shivery sigh. "I don't know, there was such a strange noise a moment ago, outside, on the other side of the wall, and I thought I saw a shadow…" Éomer let go of my hands. This was not the answer he had expected. He cocked his head, listening intently. Then he turned around, his keen eyes searching the shadowy corners of the walls and the front of the house. After a moment's silence he shook his head. "I hear nothing but the noises of the feast and the breeze in the trees. Are you sure you heard something? I would have to alert the guards, and I would have to tell them that I intended to meet you here."

I stared at Éomer. My heart was pounding. Meeting me here in a somewhat clandestine fashion was not at all appropriate behaviour for a king and his betrothed. And here and now we were not alone with family and friends. I gulped, my heart pounding. I tried to remember exactly what I had heard, what I had seen. "I don't know," I said finally, my voice thin and shaky. "I think I heard a noise like claws against the wall. And then there was this shadow up on the wall… but perhaps that was you." I trailed off, sounding and feeling very uncertain about what to do.

Éomer smiled at me. "The shadow up on the wall I think that must have been me. I told the others that I wanted to have a look at the sentry walk of the defences on the other side of the estate, too." His smile turned into a grin. "Well, I think my sister and Faramir know where I was really headed. But I don't think the others have caught on." He pulled me closer again. "Don't worry, Lothy. Everyone's been on edge lately, what with the attack on Faramir and the situation with Harondor. But Aragorn killed the largest company of orcs in the vicinity. I don't think there's anything we have to worry about tonight."

I sighed deeply, wanting nothing so much as to relax against Éomer. But somehow it did not work. I remained tense and felt jumpy. "You are still tense, my love." Éomer whispered to me. His voice was husky. I buried my face against his chest, inhaling the wonderful male perfume that was Éomer. If I had imagined our first time alone after so many months of autumn and winter, I had certainly not envisioned a dark corner of Faramir's new estate. Or me quaking in my shoes with fear of something going bump in the night.

I felt Éomer's hands slide down my back, coming to rest just above my hips. His grip was strong. I felt my heartbeat speed up again, but for a vastly different reason than before. This feeling of being held by a warrior is absolutely thrilling. You don't even have the illusion that there's anything you can do to get away. You are at his sweet mercy. Éomer knew this, too. I felt him inhale deeply. How long had I waited for this moment! How long had I waited for feeling Éomer close to me again!

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"My lord Éomer. My lady Lothíriel," a soft, but cool voice penetrated the darkness of the night.

I closed my eyes. I felt how Éomer stepped back and turned around.

I opened my eyes again.

Framed by candlelight the Lady Elaine stood in the opened front doors of Faramir's villa.

For a moment I entertained the thought that I would have preferred looking at an orc. Well, perhaps not.

"I was feeling faint. I think I am not accustomed to the wine," I lied. The Lady Elaine nodded. "I thought as much." She extended her arm. "Come, my lady, I will escort you to your rooms. You will feel better by morning. And I think I have a tonic that will alleviate the condition."

She inclined her head towards Éomer. "It was very gracious of you, my lord, to stay with my lady Lothíriel until I could make my excuses."

Éomer raised his eyebrows for a moment of surprise. I don't think he knew Elaine very well. The healer smiled at us enigmatically. I walked towards her, allowing her to embrace me. For a horrible second I felt like shuddering at her touch. I realized that I did not trust her. Éomer bowed to her. "We are grateful to have such an accomplished healer with us, my lady."

"Thank you again, my lord. Now I ask you to excuse us for tonight."

"Good night, my ladies." Éomer said politely, but in his eyes was a hint of fire.

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Lady Elaine turned me around and led me straight into the house and upstairs to the guestrooms. The guestrooms were situated in the eastern wing of the villa on the first floor. They were sumptuous. State of the art. But I had not eye for the elegance displayed in the interior design of the villa at the moment. I kept glancing sideways at the Lady Elaine. Míri would have tried to explain about appropriate behaviour and would have chided me severely for being silly once again. Elaine kept silent. I would have preferred Míri's reprimands and admonitions.

"I will make your excuses to the others," Elaine told me after she had helped me out of my clothes. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright." She smiled at me reassuringly. I sighed. I had hoped that Sorcha would still be awake, but Solas had not been really well during the last days so Sorcha had probably gone to bed early. I nodded at Elaine. "Thank you."

After the door had closed behind Elaine, I quickly stripped of my shift and changed into my nightshirt. Above the dressing table with its ever present bowl and ewer there was even a gilded mirror. I sat down in front of the mirror after I had washed my face and brushed my teeth. I was very pale and my eyes looked almost as dark as Éomer's.

My thoughts were back in the shadows in front of Faramir's villa. Had it really been Éomer whom I had seen up on the wall? Somehow I thought that Éomer must have come from the right, and that shadow had been more on the left of my field of vision. And that noise…

Had I only imagined that?

For all of that I really felt slightly dizzy from eating and drinking all day, and my ears were buzzing with the echo of a day's and a night's partying. I rose to my feet and padded over to the fireplace. I stirred the half burnt logs and banked the fire so that it would burn slowly and gently into ashes until morning. Then I blew out the candles on the three armed sconce. Now only the small oil lamp on my night stand was left. I crawled into the bed and put out that light, too. At once the room was filled with dancing shadows and only the vestiges of light, red and golden flames of the small fire I had just made safe for the night. From somewhere outside the sound of music drifted up to my room. In the chamber adjoining my room I could hear the muffled crying of a child and then the soothing murmur of Sorcha's voice.

I stared at the ceiling of my room. The gleaming white colour of the plaster was lost in the dancing twilight of fire and shadow. This was so not the way I had imagined to spend this night…worried and alone…

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I woke early, as was my habit by now. Wake with the sun, and go to bed with the moon…

I washed quickly, without disturbing Sorcha or Ini. The water in the ewer was fresh and hot. The fire had already been rekindled by some unknown maid of Faramir's household. I could wash and dress on my own when there was no occasion to dress up for. With the mirror I could for once do my hair on my own, too. I really preferred getting ready that way – on my own that is – to Sorcha's astonishment and Ini's bewilderment. Today shirt, tunic and leggings would suffice, I thought and dressed comfortably.

When I was ready, I knocked softly at Sorcha's door. I opened the door and poked my head into the room. Sorcha was sitting at the window, busily embroidering something or other. Solas was sitting at her feet, winding and unwinding wool. The little girl looked better than the day before. Perhaps the cold that had threatened to turn into a fever had finally been beaten into a retreat. "I'm going down for breakfast. Do you want to come with me?"

Sorcha looked up and shook her head. "Oh, no, my lady. We have had breakfast, and with the Lady Elaine, no less." Sorcha preferred to stay in the background for formal occasions. She knew her place. Lady Elaine had surprised me with making a point of showing to the public that to her the rank of Mistress Sorcha of Tarnost was if not equal, at least similar to her own. I was looking forward to leaving Gondor. The Rohirrim are not as concerned about appearances and standing as the Gondorian high society. They are just as proud and conceited. But they don't make so much fuss about it.

If I had not been thinking about the differences between Gondorian and Rohirric nobility, I might have noticed the three men engaged in serious and urgent conversation in the entrance hall. Captain Beregond, Faramir and Éomer. Beregond was gesturing agitatedly. Éomer's face showed an unusual tension.

I halted three steps away from the foot of the stairs. My heart gave a hard thump and I felt a heavy weight settle uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach. I frowned. Why is it always my heart racing and my stomach fluttering when I get scared or nervous? It feels horrible and it gets boring with the repeated occurrence of this condition. Why couldn't I start sneezing for a change? Or develop red spots? I pressed my lips tightly. I was procrastinating. If I moved another step or two, one of them was bound to notice me. If Éomer hadn't already spotted me…

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"Good morning, my lords," I said finally and descended the remaining stairs, joining the three men in the entrance hall. They bowed to me, just a small, perfunctory bow of early morning politeness. "Good morning, my lady," Éomer said. "Well met. We would like to talk to you." He turned to the others. "Late last night I met the Lady Lothíriel in front of the villa. She was feeling a little unwell from the exertions of the day and was waiting for the Lady Elaine. As I did not want her to stay alone in the darkness, I kept her company for a few minutes until the Lady Elaine arrived."

I frowned at Éomer. I thought we wanted to keep our meeting quiet? I widened my eyes at him, trying to convey that question with my look. He ignored me. When he went on his tone of voice was very serious. "My lady, would you please tell the Prince Faramir and the Captain Beregond what you saw and heard last night?"

My heart skipped a beat, and then raced on. I felt my mouth go dry. I swallowed heavily. "I was waiting for the Lady Elaine. I needed some peace and quiet… the day… the night had been long and noisy… so I went in front of the villa, and stepped out onto the lawn. I was looking towards the turret in the north-eastern corner, opposite of the gates. And… I thought I heard something. A noise on the other side of the walls. It sounded like claws scratched against the walls. And then, only for a moment, I thought there was a shadow up on the wall. It was just a second before Lord Éomer came around the corner. I thought I had only imagined everything." My heart was thumpety-thump in my chest. My thoughts were moving in slow motion. There was only one reason why Éomer would want me to tell anyone – and especially Beregond and Faramir – about what I had believed to have heard last night.

"What is the matter?" I asked. "It was only imagination, wasn't it? I mean, nothing happened last night, right?"

Beregond, a man hardened by his experiences of the war a year ago, looked at me for a long moment. His eyes were cool and considering. Considering if I posed a threat for his lord and his lady, no doubt. I knew the legend of Beregond's valour. His loyalty was absolute. I felt like fidgeting under his keen gaze. Then I felt more than I saw Faramir shake his head at his captain. Beregond did not change his posture, but somehow his gaze lost some of his power. "We found tracks this morning. They led right up to the walls, exactly where you said you heard that noise. There is a spot on the ground as if a package was tossed down on the ground from up on the wall."

I stared at the captain of Faramir's guard. My heart decided to skip the famous beat. I felt breathless and light-headed. I had heard something. There had been something. Someone.

"What kind of tracks?" I asked.

Beregond gave me another long look. "Orc tracks. And not just any kind of orc foot prints. These were uruk-hai, orcs that belong to the elite troops that traitor of a wizard trained up last year."

"But what are they doing in Ithilien? I thought there were none of them left?" Unconsciously my right hand sought the wrist of my left and I began rubbing the thick pink scar tissues that circled my wrist. Uruk-hai in Ithilien! My palms felt cold and clammy. I had been not even a yard away from orcs. From the same kind of orcs which had killed Boromir and had almost killed me. Not even a yard! I felt an icy shiver run down my spine.

Then another thought rose in my mind. The shadow on the wall! Something had been thrown across the wall. Down to the orcs. Someone in here had been on that wall. To meet those orcs.

I felt my blood run cold.

That's another one of those pretty literary terms. It is actually a very uncomfortable feeling. You get cold from one second to the next. From the inside out. It feels a little bit like being in shock. I had to actually keep my teeth from chattering.

Someone had been up on that wall to meet the orcs.

There was a traitor in Ithilien.

And if I had not been so keen on smooching with Éomer, we might have caught the orcs.

Oh bloody fucking hell.

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"We have searched the villa," Beregond was saying. "Nothing seems to be missing. Especially none of the sensitive documents from the library or the safe."

"We will have to inform the king," Faramir added, his eyes a dark grey without the usual warm blue lustre. "He might have had documents or some other item of importance with him that he did not tell me about."

"But we should not mention this to anyone else," Beregond went on, his gaze stern – and fixed on me. "If there is to be any hope to smoke out the informant, it is necessary to take him or her unawares." He looked me straight into the eye. I stared back at the captain in his white uniform jacket and his black trousers and black boots. I did not flinch away from his gaze. But I felt uncomfortably reminded of the days when Aragorn had looked at me with suspicion in his eyes. I felt my cheeks burn with shame. If I only had insisted on alerting the guards…

Éomer stepped closer to me and gave Beregond a hard look. "My Lady Lothíriel won't tell any of this to anyone."

"She should have told of this sooner." Beregond replied. "But as that opportunity is lost to us, I hope she will act more wisely in this instance."

I bit my lip. Éomer's eyes flashed with anger, but he did not say anything. I knew that he felt the same way as I did. If only we had not been so greedy for a moment of intimacy…

"At least now we know that there is a perpetrator." Faramir interrupted. His voice was calm. "We have a chance to get him yet." He turned back to Éomer and me. "Was there anyone else around? Did you see anyone at all?" I thought back to the moments between shadows and desire of the last night. Then I shook my head. "There was this shadow. Then Éomer was suddenly there. And a moment later Lady Elaine was standing in the door…"

Faramir sighed. "Well, that would have been too easy. I suppose. Well, I will inform the king. Éomer, you should come with me. Lothíriel, I think my wife would be happy for some company." His eyes lit up in a quick flash of blue at the mentioning of his wife.

I nodded mutely and automatically dropped into a quick curtsy. Míri's drills were beginning to show off. "My lords, captain." I turned and walked away through the hall to the living rooms and terraces at the back of the house.

When I was already reaching for the door knob of the breakfast room, I hesitated. My hand rested lightly on the brass door knob that was shaped like the blossom of a water lily. There was a thought nagging at me at the back of my mind.

I realized that I had seen someone in front of the villa last night after all.

I had never seen where the Lady Elaine had come from. She had simply been there, suddenly, in the light of the open door.

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A/N:

I'm no angel: I'm no angel either, but if youcomposesome interesting, well writtenreviews telling me what you think about this story I just might continue writing it.

Raven: ;-))

Ravenclawwannabe: Yep. Evil. That's me. And I am going to be too busy with real life during the next days to write chapter 83.

TPfann333: So you are still around, too? Wonderful!

And what's with the rest of you? Scared stiff? Bored out of your wits? Any ideas about what is actually going on?