A/N: ffn has been a bit wacko the past few days. This is chapter 5. If you missed Ch. 4 being posted, be sure you read it first.
Chapter 5
Amrothos had imagined virtually every possible way to broach the subject of Danwen with his sister, but in none of the scenarios was he quite able to make himself believe there would not be a great deal of anger and yelling involved.
At length, he decided that telling her at the first meal of the day might be the best thing. Saying anything at night would mean none of them would sleep. It took him almost a week to work up the courage, but the longer he waited, the longer he would be unable to openly acknowledge Danwen. He knew her father's prejudices about Gondor wouldn't likely make him look favorably on the match, but he hoped it might serve as a slap in the face that his despised daughter was marrying into the royal family of Dol Amroth. Since he had disowned her, Amrothos had managed to discover, there was no requirement to secure the man's permission to wed his daughter, and with no other close male relatives all he needed was her agreement to his offer.
As the morning meal concluded, and before Eomer could depart to his duties, Amrothos cleared his throat and announced reluctantly, "Lothiriel, I have something I need to tell you." She looked at him questioningly, and he continued, "Please...hear me out before you say anything." She nodded and waited for him to proceed.
With a sigh, he jumped in. "I met a young lady in Edoras when I came for your wedding. We spent time together then and have been doing so since I returned. Rather unexpectedly, I find that I have fallen deeply in love with her, and she feels the same for me."
Lothiriel interrupted, "But that is wonderful news! Why do you seem hesitant to share such joyous tidings with me?"
Amrothos grimaced. "It is not so simple as it would seem. You are...acquainted...with the young lady. Rather unfavorably, I am afraid."
Confusion was etched on his sister's countenance, and Eomer looked equally puzzled.
Closing his eyes, he whispered, "Her name is Danwen."
The silence was incredibly deafening. With his eyes closed, Amrothos could not see Eomer watching his wife for her reaction, or Lothiriel's expression of incredulity at this pronouncement. It was evident to Eomer that she was trying to find some way to convince herself she had misunderstood her brother's words, but in the end, there was no way she could do so.
"How could you?" she hissed at him. "Why would you ever have dealings with that lying snake?"
Amrothos' jaw tightened at the slight, but he forced himself to ignore it. As Lothiriel seemed to be waiting for some sort of a response, he told her, "At first I was merely curious about what she had done, but as I came to know her, I discovered that things were not as they seemed. She had good reasons for her bad behavior, and she greatly regrets her dealings with you. Please, Thiri, trust me. She is not the evil person you think."
Without another word, Lothiriel stormed from the table, and Eomer rose silently to follow her out, casting a sympathetic eye toward Amrothos. If nothing else, the king was certain Amrothos was speaking the truth – at least what he believed to be the truth. But falling in love with his sister's mortal enemy was not a good thing, from any standpoint.
When they were gone, Amrothos sat alone, staring at the empty room and the table full of dirty dishes. He could not truthfully say it had gone any differently than he had expected. Still...he had hoped he was wrong...
Slowly he rose and made his way out of Meduseld. There was only one place he would find any solace.
An hour later, both Amrothos and Danwen silently pondered the situation. Danwen sat on the bed, staring at the floor, while Amrothos kept an unseeing vigil by the window.
They were both startled by a knock at the door and, after glancing at one another, Danwen rose to answer it. In a way, Amrothos realized he should not have been surprised. A messenger had come from Meduseld, advising Danwen that the queen sought an audience with her.
She cast a fearful look at Amrothos, and he gestured reassuringly for her to go.
xxxxx
Once they were alone in Eomer's study, Lothiriel's glare stabbed at Danwen. "I promise you, if you hurt him, I will personally kill you!" She advanced on the other woman, who fell back several steps. "Trying to hurt me is one thing, but I will not see you use my brother to get at me. And I will not let you destroy him!"
Mustering all the courage she possessed, Danwen straightened. "I swear to you, my lady, it is not my intent to hurt him. I love him, though you do not believe it." Defiantly, she added, "And he loves me. We will be together with or without your blessing, but..." She faltered and deflated somewhat. "But it would crush him if you could not be happy for him."
She turned away from the queen, overcome by emotion for a moment, then turned back and pleaded, "I know what I did to you was wrong, and I said some terrible things. But I beg you, do not punish me – do not punish us – by letting the past come between us. You have found your happiness; let me have mine. And for me, happiness can only be found in Amrothos."
Lothiriel's eyes narrowed suspiciously, still not trusting the woman's honesty. Her jaw twitched and she folded her arms. "I cannot stop his loving you, but I meant what I said. If you hurt him, I will utterly destroy you."
Danwen swallowed painfully and nodded. Slowly she turned and left, feeling Lothiriel's gaze follow her out.
Shortly after Eomer saw Danwen depart, he found his wife slouched against a window frame in his study, scowling out at the horizon. Engulfing her in his embrace, he pulled her close and kissed her head, holding her in silence for a long while.
At length, he told her quietly, "Thiri, I know you are angry with her, but consider this. She has not done us any injury. She tried, but you did not believe her and all her actions did was bring us back together again sooner than expected. She tried again, whispering untruths about you and Kialmar, and though I failed to recognize her lies, that matter was quickly resolved as well. She has been an annoyance, but she has not broken us apart. If it will make Amrothos happy, can you not forgive her and let bygones be bygones?"
Lothiriel stiffened in his arms, and hissed, "And what if she is lying? What if this is just another attempt to get at me, using dear Amrothos in the process?" Lothiriel's voice broke and she could not hold back the tears.
Eomer turned her to face him and pulled her close as she wept. She looked up at him imploringly. "It is not that I cannot forgive her for what she tried to do to us, beloved. I am just terrified of what she will do to Amrothos if this is just..." She broke down again and he held her until the tears subsided.
Softly, he reminded her, "You cannot change how he feels about her. All your hostility toward her will do is cause him pain and drive a wedge between you. If she is lying, and she intends to hurt him in an effort to hurt you, the best you can hope to do is maintain your close bond with him, and be there for him when he needs comfort. If you refuse to accept her, he will hesitate to come to you if there is trouble later on."
xxxxx
It was some time later before Lothiriel had calmed enough for Eomer to leave her. He headed immediately for the Golden Hall in search of Gamling. As expected, that was where he was to be found, and Eomer signaled for Gamling to join him as they moved to the side of the hall.
In a low voice, Eomer said, "Gamling, I need you to find out all that you can about Danwen, but you must not let it be known the information is for me. I need truthful information about her character, her associates and her situation. We must try to discern whether her relationship with Amrothos is sincere or whether she is just using him to strike at Lothiriel."
Gamling nodded. "I will take care of it, my lord. I know some people who would give no appearance of any connection to the king, and they could find out much. I will let you know as soon as they are able to learn something."
"Hurry. Time is of the essence," Eomer sighed.
The atmosphere in Meduseld had become quite strained, and continued to be so for the next several days. Amrothos made himself scarce, uncomfortable with the glares his sister gave him. Eomer felt caught in the middle of the dispute, but helpless to do anything. His allegiance was naturally to his wife, but he very much suspected that there was more going on than they could see. He desperately hoped Gamling would be able to turn up something useful in bringing about a resolution.
Finally, Gamling came to report what had been learned, relating how Danwen's father had disowned her and she was now forced to make her own way in the world. From all accounts, the girl had made herself unpopular among the noble class of Edoras, but in many respects the blackest mark against her was her ambitious father. Certainly no one could know the girl's motivation for her actions, but many suspected she had been driven in her behavior by her father's demands.
In his time as king, Eomer had soon heard about Lord Grimdred and found the man utterly repugnant in every sense. Clearly he desired elevation to a higher position in the royal council, but Eomer had easily determined he did not wish such a man to be any sort of adviser to him. He would not put it past the man to press his daughter to win by marriage what he could not accomplish personally.
Still, that did not answer the question of whether or not she was using Amrothos – either for his position as a member of a royal house or as a tool to strike at Lothiriel again. The only notable information in that regard seemed to be that Lord Grimdred's prejudices against Gondor precluded his having any involvement in the relationship, and would probably be displeased by it, royalty or not, and several people had indicated that they found Danwen far more agreeable since she had left her father's house and begun associating with Amrothos. From a practical standpoint, much of Edoras nobility avoided her lest they be tainted by her offense to the queen.
The information Gamling provided did not entirely answer the questions Eomer had, but inclined him to think even more strongly that perhaps Amrothos knew the girl's heart better than anyone. But Eomer's believing that would not convince Lothiriel. She was not likely to trust the girl as long as there was any chance this was all a carefully thought out plot of revenge.
It did not help matters when word came from Aragorn that he needed the assistance of Rohan in dealing with some border skirmishes. Eomer was reluctant to leave his wife, both because of this upheaval and because they had been married so short a time, but he could not refuse Aragorn's request. Amrothos agreed to ride with them, planning to take the opportunity to see his father and ask his consent to marry.
Amrothos longed to ask his sister to watch over Danwen, but knew he could not. His only consolation was that she was safe and provided for, now that she had employment, and he reluctantly parted from his love.
xxxxx
Eomer's departure came before the anniversary of Theoden's funeral, and Lothiriel felt she should go ahead with a remembrance even in his absence. With men off to fight once more, the townspeople needed something to lift their spirits and a feast was arranged for a week after the eored left.
Unbeknownst to Lothiriel, Lord Grimdred had learned of his daughter's association with the queen's brother, and saw opportunity in it. Though he told her she could return home, she had refused, and had listened impassively to his tirade on that subject. In the end, her spirit was so battered by his verbal abuse, she agreed to accompany him to the feast. She thought it very unlikely the queen would look any more favorably on her father than she did on Danwen, and had tried to explain that to him, but he was convinced something could be made of this.
Danwen was not at all certain she would be welcome at court, but since Lothiriel had not officially banned her attendance, she reluctantly dressed and followed her father at the appointed hour.
Supper had been eaten and dancing ensued afterwards. Lothiriel was standing with a small group of nobles, mostly women, when Lord Grimdred steered his daughter over to join them. The queen politely acknowledged them, but Danwen saw her stiffen and felt the iciness in the queen's manner.
Her father, however, seemed oblivious to their reception and began his efforts to ingratiate himself to the queen. His comments ran the gamut from intimating their soon-to-be-close association because of his daughter's involvement with the queen's brother, to belittling his daughter's efforts at winning the king's heart when Lothiriel was clearly so much worthier. Danwen was feeling utterly humiliated and wanted very much to run from the room, but knew she would receive even greater censure were she to do so. Instead she focused her gaze on a crack in the floor, and tried to stifle the blush in her cheeks and the sting of tears in her eyes.
For her part, Lothiriel was getting angrier by the moment. Despite her personal feelings toward Danwen, the man's words and behavior were utterly intolerable. Rather than being impressed by anything he said, his words did nothing but provoke her temper, and at last she gave up trying to conceal it.
"Lord Grimdred, your words and manner offend me. Please leave," Lothiriel said coldly.
For a few moments, he just stared disbelievingly at her, shocked that she was dismissing him so openly. But quickly he recovered his wits and gave a stiff bow. "My apologies, your Highness. Please excuse me."
As he turned away, Danwen moved to follow him, but Lothiriel spoke again. "Lady Danwen, there is no need for you to go as well. Remain if you wish. In fact, I insist upon it."
Lothiriel's eyes met Lord Grimdred's evenly, daring him to challenge her, but after a moment, he glanced at his daughter. She looked at him questioningly for what he wished her to do, and a slight jerk of his chin indicated she should do as the queen bid her. With nervous voice, she answered, "As you wish, your Highness." Lord Grimdred looked once at Lothiriel, with narrowed eyes, and then moved away.
Once he was gone, Lothiriel asked a question of the lady to her left and the conversation was readily shifted to safer ground. She wasn't entirely sure why she had done it, but the man was so insufferable and it had outraged her the things he was publicly saying about his daughter in her very presence. For a brief moment, she had felt sorry for the girl. His rampant ambition clearly was not going to let anyone hinder him, including his daughter, and it gave Lothiriel satisfaction to make it obvious to all that he was in disfavor with the queen. She could only hope Eomer would not be too angry about her impetuous act. She had been queen less than a year and already she was causing upheaval. That might not be looked upon kindly by many in the nobility of Rohan.
For her part, Danwen had been astonished at the queen's words and actions, particularly towards her. To a certain extent, it was even more humiliating to have the queen's pity than her disdain. She did not dare believe it signaled any softening of the queen's attitude toward, or opinion of, her.
Both Danwen and Lothiriel were grateful when the evening ended, feeling drained by the experience. And, for both of them, the following weeks dragged by as they awaited the return of their loved one.
Within a month of the eored's leaving, Lothiriel had more pressing matters to concern her than Danwen. A morning queasiness soon blossomed into full-blown morning sickness as it became evident she was with child. She suffered so greatly, she was little seen by anyone other than the servants who attended her. The illness continued for the next month, and lingering almost a week after the men had returned.
Amrothos had tried to visit with his sister a couple of times, but she seemed little inclined to it, and he left her in peace. Even knowing that such illness was normal, it concerned him that Eomer seemed distraught by it. Amrothos couldn't be certain of the reason, but Lothiriel's pregnancy seemed to have disrupted the couples' relationship in some way, and Eomer usually looked tired and unhappy. Whatever the problem had been, however, it seemed to resolve itself when Lothiriel was feeling better, and at last everyone seemed joyous about the coming heir.
Less joyous was news from the west that the orcs were still causing problems, and once more Eomer took an eored to deal with the difficulty. Amrothos felt obligated to go and assist as he could, and once more the ladies had to watch the men depart.
Amrothos was particularly reluctant to leave now that he had his father's approval to marry. Imrahil had expressed concern about Amrothos' choice, given the girl's history with his sister, but Amrothos made it clear he wanted no other as his wife. So, in the end, Imrahil had given in, leaving it to Amrothos to resolve the matter with Lothiriel. Because of Danwen's situation, Imrahil had agreed that it might be best to have a quiet ceremony in Rohan rather than a major wedding in Dol Amroth. It was unlikely Danwen's father would even attend, and she had no friends or relatives to invite, so this seemed a better choice.
Plotting the wedding and their life together was much on his mind as they rode off to battle.
A/N: If you are trying to place this chapter in the Elfwine Chronicle setting, I had Eomer and Lothiriel marrying 28 March 3020 in No Mistake. Amrothos went home sometime in April and returned around the end of June. Not mentioned in this chapter are the events in the story Guilt, though it took place end of July/early August. Eomer and Amrothos go to Gondor to aid Aragorn in early August (before the anniversary of Theoden's burial), and return about 2 months later. Eomer's return is chronicled in Homecoming. Neither Guilt nor Homecoming mention Amrothos' presence in Edoras, but there shouldn't be anything in them that precludes it.