Replies to reviewers:

Runa from mheraandco - Dorlion fared better than an earlier character - Ardrien. He had to sit around with a "girly" name for a while until I discovered the problem and went back and restored his manhood! He is now Ardrion; no sex change operation necessary!

Tiziana- "In the Medieval Ages dance was a group rather than a pair activity. And touching any other bodypart besides the hands of your partner would have been cosidered highly inproper. And Medieval Dances were everything but slow." - Man, you folks are giving me a workout! I surfed the Net on Medieval dancing (although I had a sneaking suspicion that you are right). They did dance as couples for some dances, though usually still in groups, and hands and elbows was generally all that made contact. Some dances were called "sedate". However, that said, I'd pretty much have to agree that this story (and most of fan fiction) does not accurately depict dancing appropriate to that time period. I can only plead literary license - it's tough doing a romance with all the strictures that were actually in place. Many of the marriages of that time had little to do with romance and much to do with economics, etc. As for the dancing on the terrace - no one could see them so they were being scandalous! Most of the time I try to stay pretty accurate, but sometimes it just makes a more enjoyable story to get a bit AU on the historical detail. Strictly speaking, much that goes on in this story (and most others) is stretching it. There likely wasn't this level of "familiarity" among people either.

FYI - we find out tomorrow whether I'm on a jury or released until next time. I go for jury selection at 10:30.

Chapter 8

As predicted, Lothiriel's family did not take her news well. Once breakfast was ended the next day, and everyone was sitting around chatting about the wedding, Lothiriel brought up the subject and announced her intention of returning to Rohan for the winter.

Before her family could respond, Queen Arwen put forth her opinion. "That is wonderful, Lothiriel. How generous of you to take your time to assist Rohan in their rebuilding. I am sure you will be a great help to them."

With that said, it made arguments against the proposal more difficult, and her two eldest brothers' comments were diplomatic and noncommittal. They did little more than agree to go along with what everyone else decided. Amrothos could not refrain from disagreeing, and used the 'propriety' factor as his reason. That left only Imrahil to weigh in, but before he could do so, Eomer commented, "My friend, I realize this is unusual and, without my sister there, perhaps a bit irregular. But I assure you, you need have no fear, for Lothiriel will be watched over and protected as if she were my own sister. And she has already provided me with much wise counsel."

King Elessar watched the group discussing the matter before glancing at his wife. She smiled serenely at him and he had a strong suspicion that she knew more about this than she was letting on. He could see both sides of this argument, but if Arwen favored it, he tended to think it was the right thing. He knew her judgement to be excellent, not to mention the benefit of her Elvish instincts.

Imrahil sat rubbing at his temple, something Lothiriel knew he did when he was worried. Finally, he looked up and met her eyes. "You are certain you wish to do this?"

She nodded. "Yes, Father. There are four of you in Dol Amroth and I am not truly needed there. Rohan was much harder hit than we were, and anything I can do to help them recover would be an honor. Please, Father. I promise I will behave in a proper manner, and there will be little reason for anyone to gossip. The only real danger is that some might think there is a romantic link between me and the king, but we will give them no evidence to support that and any such rumors will soon die out."

Imrahil turned his attention to Eomer. "Very well, my friend, my daughter may stay with you a while longer. But I am counting on you to keep her safe – from harm or accusation."

Eomer nodded his understanding. "Of course! You have no need to worry. I give you my word."

It was clear that Amrothos was not pleased with the decision, but there was little he could do about it. Angrily he rose and left the room before he said something he would regret. When he was gone, Imrahil turned to his daughter and told her, "It will be up to you to work this out with Amrothos, dearest. I can make him go along with it, but I cannot make him like it."

Lothiriel sighed and nodded. "I know. I will speak with him."

Not until the day before the party from Rohan was to leave, a week later, would Amrothos allow Lothiriel to discuss the matter. He came to her room while she was packing and stood uncertainly in the door when she opened it. After a moment of the two staring at each other, she gestured for him to enter and asked the maidservant to come back in an hour.

When they were alone, Amrothos moved to the window and shifted nervously from foot to foot. Biting her lip, Lothiriel decided to make the first move and came up behind him, slipping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his back. He stood stiffly for a moment, then relaxed with a mournful sigh. "Must you do this, Thiri?"

"Yes. I am needed there, brother. You know that. But I will miss you greatly and I hope you will write to me when you can."

He turned in her arms and wrapped his around her shoulders, laying his cheek against the top of her head. "I suppose you must grow up and move on, but I do not want to lose you."

"You are not losing me. I will only be gone a few months more and then I will return home."

"But for how long? Someday you will leave home for good, when you marry. Whatever will I do without you?"

She reached up and kissed his cheek. "You will find a wonderful girl and fall in love yourself, and then you will not notice my absence so much. Now promise me you will not spend the next few months doing nothing but moping around. There is much work that needs doing at home, and there is many a girl who would welcome your attention. I should very much like to receive a letter from you telling me you are betrothed!"

He chuckled. "I make no promises in that respect, but I will seriously look for a wife. To please you."

"No – to please you."

xxxxx

And then the trip to Rohan was underway. It felt a little strange to be making the journey without Eowyn, and Lothiriel found that she, too, missed the woman's company.

Once they arrived in Edoras, Lothiriel unexpectedly discovered that she felt a little awkward around Eomer. When Eowyn had been there, she had a defined role to play, but that was not the case now. With the coming of November, the rainy weather began, which kept her from riding or gardening, and leaving her at loose ends. She and Eomer still took their meals together, and he still sought her input on various matters of state, but the rest of the day she was left to her own devices. Eothain had responsibilities of his own, so she did not think it fair to monopolize his time to keep herself amused.

Having so much time on her hands, she wrote more letters home than before, but made sure to mention she was doing so before bad weather slowed or stopped correspondence, rather than from boredom. Nearly two weeks into her visit, however, she decided she could not continue like this for the remainder of her time, and presented herself to Eledferth, the head housekeeper of Meduseld.

She outlined her dilemma to the older woman, then asked, "Is there anything useful I might be able to do? I can cook and sew, and I am happy to help in any way possible. I would think with Lady Eowyn gone, you could make use of another pair of hands."

The woman eyed her speculatively. Normally, she would never entertain the notion of allowing a noblewoman to work in the house. Still, she had observed this particular lady for the past several months, and she knew Lothiriel had never hesitated to help when needed. And she had taught Lady Eowyn to cook… Eowyn's absence would be felt as they prepared for the winter and certainly she could use the extra help.

She nodded decisively. "If the king does not object, I can use you. With winter coming on, we will be slaughtering and preparing meat, and there is much spinning, weaving and sewing that needs to be done. The poor are in desperate need of clothing."

Lothiriel beamed at her. "Thank you! I shall bring the matter up with the king and, once I have his approval, I will report to you for work!"

She seized the opportunity at the midday meal to mention it, and Eomer stared at her in astonishment. "You wish to work? Lothiriel, you are our guest! That is not necessary."

"Eomer, there is nothing for me to do, especially when it rains. I should much rather do something useful than stare out at the damp, or sit idly by the fire. And I did come to Edoras to help! Let me do this! Eowyn would be doing it – it is no different."

The king sighed, but looked at her with a resigned expression. "Thank you. Your aid would be greatly appreciated. I just…I do not like to think I am taking advantage of your good nature."

"If you had asked me to do this, or tried to coerce me in some way, that would be taking advantage. But I am offering this of my own free will. I have never been very good at whiling away my time in idleness. I am sure Eledferth will not allow me to scrub chamber pots, but I can make use of my skills in other ways."

He laughed at the notion, and mental image, of Lothiriel surrounded by dirty chamber pots. "I definitely will not agree to your doing that! But you are correct, Eledferth would never allow it even if I would! She has very definite ideas about what a lady may and may not do!"

And so Lothiriel found her time occupied for the remainder of that day and most thereafter. Since she had never been involved in slaughtering animals, and preparing them to be smoked and salted to keep through the winter, she was given other tasks more befitting a lady and commensurate with her skills. She often ended up baking breads or preparing stews, and she was soon given a great deal of mending and sewing to work on whenever she had time.

When the weather permitted, she continued her riding lessons with Eothain and, before she knew it, her life at Meduseld had settled into a pleasant routine.

xxxxx

The winter chill of December brought several heavy snows and, after the first big snowfall, Lothiriel stood at a window gazing out at the crystalline whiteness in awe. Winters in Dol Amroth were temperate for the most part, and they never got snow there. She had seen it in the distance, on the mountains, but had never had occasion to see it close up before.

Eomer happened upon her during her study of this new phenomenon, and came to find out what held her attention so raptly. When she explained, he let out a laugh. "I suppose I am so used to it that I do not give it a thought. Now that you mention it, I can see the beauty of it and why it would impress you so."

He stood idly beside her, gazing out as well, then broke into a grin. "Go and dress warmly. Wear your riding outfit, and warm leggings and boots. Be sure to wear your gloves and cover your head. It is beautiful, but cold. You cannot truly say you have experienced snow until you have been out in it!"

With childlike excitement, she hurried away to do as he bid, and he moved to his bedchamber to dress appropriately also. A short time later, they returned to the window and he led the way out to the back terrace of Meduseld.

For several moments, Lothiriel only stood and gazed in awe at the shrouded landscape and the blowing snow. Tentatively, she stooped and scooped up a handful to examine more closely. With amusement, Eomer watched her marveling at it, and then mischievously scooped up a handful of his own. Packing it into a loose ball, he lobbed it at her. By the time she looked up to see what had hit her, he had another ready and clipped her gently in the shoulder with it.

She watched him gather enough for the next volley, and then followed his example as she made an effort to dodge the snowball he tossed in her direction. To no avail – it hit her anyway. His aim was extremely accurate. Giggling, she squealed and tried again to dodge, tossing one back at him. Not to her surprise, it missed, and a moment later he had smacked her with two more. The longer the battle raged, the better her aim got, but still her efforts fell short, and every single one of his connected. Granted, he was throwing them gently so as not to hurt her, but it was the principle of the thing. Laughing even more, she took up the challenge, determined not to be the only one hit.

At the front of Meduseld, Eothain kicked the snow from his boots, then brushed away what had settled in his hair and on his shoulders, before being admitted into the Golden Hall. Once inside, he strode quickly to the firepit to warm his hands. He had only been there a few minutes when Gamling appeared through a door behind the throne area, and moved towards him.

He nodded cordially at the Doorward. "Is Eomer available? I would speak with him."

With a slight smirk, Gamling replied, "Last I saw, he and Lothiriel were out on the back terrace…having a snowball fight!"

Eothain's head jerked up and he grinned. "Is that so?"

Gamling waved for him to follow, and led him to a shuttered window at the back of the hall. Opening it carefully to a crack, he peered around a moment, and then signaled Eothain to take his place at the slit.

After observing briefly, they silently closed the shutter. With a knowing smile, Eothain told the other man, "I think I shall not disturb the king, as he is so pleasantly occupied. Our conversation can wait!"

Meanwhile, outside, Lothiriel had given up trying to hit Eomer with a snowball and turned to hiding from his assault. This proved difficult, however, as there was little cover to be had on the terrace. Finally, with as vicious a roar as she could muster, she charged at him. Caught off guard by this maneuver, Eomer was unprepared when she crashed full tilt into his chest and they both tumbled to the ground, with Lothiriel laying on top of him. Laughing triumphantly, she quickly sat up, straddling his stomach and pinning his shoulders down with her hands, declaring, "What Dol Amroth lacks in skill, we more than make up for in determination! Do you surrender?"

Eomer grinned, and in one swift motion heaved upward and to the side. In an instant, he had reversed their positions. "Rohan never surrenders!" he asserted. "However, we will concede the cleverness of Dol Amroth's approach in dealing with the situation!"

The wrestling had knocked the shawl loose from covering her head, and Lothiriel's hair splayed in a dark pool across the snow. The frozen whiteness was cold against her head and neck. When she looked up, to give in and be let up, her eyes met Eomer's. It seemed to Lothiriel that the rapid beat of her heart was caused by more than just her exertion, but laying there in the snow with someone sitting on top of her made it oddly difficult to analyze. She did not feel the cold any longer, and all she could focus on was the pair of hazel eyes staring into her own. A moment later, Eomer's grin faltered and he stood in an easy motion, pulling her up with him. "You will catch cold if you lay on the wet ground very long," he explained lamely.

He couldn't quite imagine why he was standing there noticing how lovely she looked, even covered with snow. Shaking himself mentally, he smiled again and began brushing the snow off her cloak and from her hair. "Are you about ready to go in and warm yourself?" he asked hoarsely, though rather reluctant to end their play together.

"I suppose that would be a good idea," she answered softly. "We have been out here quite a while."

With the slightest of hesitation, Eomer took her hand and led the way back inside. They moved silently toward the Golden Hall and headed for the firepit to warm themselves. As they stood holding their hands over the blaze, warmth seeping slowly in, Lothiriel finally commented, "Thank you! That was wonderful. I think I would have to say that I like snow, even if certain people use it to my disadvantage!"

Eomer chuckled. "I am sorry. I could not resist. Besides, what is snow if you do not play in it?"

Just then a servant put in appearance, bearing a tray with two mugs of steaming liquid. She approached them and said, "My lord, Gamling thought you might like something hot to drink."

Eomer thanked her and took the mugs, handing one to Lothiriel. It turned out they contained a hot spiced cider, which both tasted good and warmed their insides. When they had finished their drinks, Eomer recommended, "We should go change out of these wet clothes so we do not catch cold." He paused, then added, "I will see you at supper."

Once alone in her room, Lothiriel slowly pulled off the damp clothing and laid it over chairs in front of the fire to dry. She quickly redressed before she became chilled, and only then did she allow herself to ponder what had taken place on the terrace. Until that moment, she had never thought of Eomer as anything more than a dear friend, but now she could not escape the realization that her feelings ran deeper than that. In that moment, gazing up into his eyes, she had wanted desperately for him to kiss her.

She shook her head, both in annoyance and disappointment. Whatever had happened, it was all on her side. Eomer clearly had not felt anything for her, then or before. She must bury her feelings and do nothing that would make him uncomfortable around her, as he surely would be if he knew she had developed an infatuation with him.

But doing so was easier said than done. After that, Lothiriel found it more difficult not to watch him, and she had to be careful not to be caught staring. As the days, and then weeks, turned into months, however, and he gave no indication of noticing anything had changed, she resigned herself to the situation.