Chapter 9-Just a Prediction

Engagement party. The words brought back such excitement for King Elessar. He remembered his own engagement party, though it had been a secret gathering. It hadn't even been planned it just happened. All his friends got together and celebrated the love of two very different people.

But now it was Faramir's turn. He was so excited to see the spark in his Steward's eye for Éowyn. He had remembered a time when she was without happiness in her life and now just the sight of Faramir gave her joy. He was pleased for them both. This would be a union to remember for centuries to come.

However, today was not such a great day. Elessar had made all the arrangements to have a perfect party for his Steward and Stewardess, but it seemed that the day of the party was falling apart. Food was delivered to the wrong room, canopies were collapsing, and guests were arriving early. It was the last thing Elessar had expected. He was a planner and this kind of collapse had never happened to him before. He felt like breaking everything and just running out to the Pelennor and doing the ceremony there. Alas, he didn't, but his nerves were still on the rocks.

He worked until he could no longer, and the result was a beautiful set up. Though it wasn't exactly what he wanted, it still looked beautiful. Even he could admit that. The hall was colored with dark blues to symbolize Faramir and bright reds to symbolize Eowyn. It was a hall of outstanding variety, and tonight it was a hall for lovers of two very different lands.

It was strange to Elessar. He had married an elf, Faramir was going to marry a Rohirrim, who was next? These cross matches seemed to be in full supply. He strayed from his mind as the guests started to arrive. He thought of his dear friend Eomer and wondered if he would marry some time soon. It seemed unlikely for Eomer wasn't the type to want to settle down. He was restless like the plains he loved so much, and yet grounded to his duty. He hoped one day this man would feel the heart skipping beat of love.

At that very moment Éomer entered looking very debonair. His usual tunic and breeches were discarded for a red suit of Rohirric leather. On his shoulders he wore a cape of sorts and it hung in perfect harmony to his big build. Elessar thought he looked a lot like he did the day he was crowned as King of Gondor, but something was different. Something in his face had softened and he looked almost sad. Was that possible? Elessar thought with a laugh. He watched as Éomer walked to his seat at the table. When he sat down he turned and looked around as if he expected to see someone there. Then, Elessar noticed, his eye caught on someone in the corner of the room. She was a vision in beauty. Long black hair, strong proud figure and perfectly proportioned to show off curves. She wore a sparkling blue dress that hung about her shoulders. She reminded Elessar of a young Arwen, though not quite as ethereal. He knew her well. She was the Princess of Dol Amroth.

Éomer seemed to be battling whether he would go over to her or not. He finally decided to get up and cross to her. The result was crossed arms and diverted eyes from Lothiriel. She turned away from him as he tried to talk to her. He seemed to be apologizing or something akin to it. He was doing his best but she seemed fed up with him. She walked away and Éomer followed her looking heart broken.

Maybe the King would be married sooner than Elessar thought.

"That was an interesting night," Faramir said as he walked Éowyn to her door.

"It would have been much more interesting if we would have had time alone," she said looking very mischievous.

"I agree, my love, but you know we have two months left of engagement and then we will be married. Then, you can get as creative as you see fit."

"If you promise," she said as she kissed him lightly on the lips. "I can't wait until the wedding. Éomer says it will go faster than we realize."

"How should he know? He's never been married."

"Perhaps not, but did you see Lothiriel and him today? There was definite tension."

"My cousin would be smart to steer clear."

"Hey!" she said as she smacked him, "my brother is a good man. He may be a little mean sometimes, but only to you and I'm sure Lothiriel doesn't care about how you feel about him."

"Well, she didn't seem very interested either way."

"True. Well, I suppose only time will tell the story of Éomer and Lothiriel, but I promise you this isn't over yet." She kissed him for a long moment and then went into her room for a long night sleep before her return to Ithilien.

A/N: Ok, that is what I would call the end of the first section. After this a lot of time passes and the characters change a great deal. Most of this is due to my own stupidity. I wrote this over a large amount of time and after I finished it I realized it went in a different direction than I wanted. Either way, this is chapter 9 and chapter 10 will be up soon, especially since this chapter is pretty inconsequential. Hope you enjoy it, though, it's the first time I brought in the other characters. They will be in it more often after this.

Well, anyway, thanks for reading and please review!