Chapter 21: Going Home and Regret

A/N: I wanted to apologize for messing with Tolkien so much. The characters kind of got immature, though I never saw them truly saying things immaturly, and I hope from here on out they grow up a little. I think they will definitely grow up a lot more in these last two chapters. Hope you enjoy it!

An hour later, after all talk had ceased in the little broom closet, Éowyn let them out. She hoped to see them happier, but she had been met with just the opposite. They didn't even look at each other. Éowyn pulled her brother aside and angrily tugged at his arm.

"What happened?"

"It's over, Éowyn. I blew it. She doesn't love me."

And so a couple days later when Legolas and Gimli decided to go back to the Glittering Caves Lothiriel announced she would be joining them for a time, before she turned her own path and went home. She would need an escort, she said, but not so many that they should be from their homes for long. Éomer granted her a small band of men without even looking at her. For a second, Éowyn had seen a tear in the corner of his eye, but she said nothing.

So, Lothiriel went home immediately. Legolas and Gimli escorted her in silence for a while and then left her on the road with well wishes. She humbly thanked them for everything and then continued on with the small band. When they reached Dol Amroth many of the soldier's gasped, for they had never seen anything so beautiful. Her father was immediately out of the house and down the long beach to greet her. He smiled widely, but at the look on her face he knew something had gone tragically wrong.

"Are you sick, daughter?"

"Yes, father. I am deathly ill." At that his father's arms were around her and his eyes full of tears. He knew the affliction of her heart, and considered this the end of her romantic journey. She had already been through so much in her young life. Each time, she tried to move on, but this hurt was the deepest—she truly loved Éomer. Imrahil knew it just from looking in her eyes.

Her brothers exited the house at that moment in a rush with loads of excitement. At the look of their sister and father, they decided they would take up the business of securing the soldiers food and rest.

In the months that followed Imrahil did whatever he could to help his little girl. They had talks together in the library, while she tried to avoid his lengthy questioning. Nothing seemed to work for the dear child whose flame seemed to have burnt out. She was dry of all feeling and when someone inquired as to why she discarded it. She would say, "However do you mean? There is nothing wrong with me, just a little lack of sleep is all." The lack of sleep was for certain, for often in her sleep she would cry out and not be able to go back to dreamland. They often heard her in the night crying and screaming and pacing her room. Nothing seemed to calm the waking doom in her voice.

Meanwhile, Éomer spent hours in his study trying to take his mind off his beating heart. It seemed every moment of waking he was in pain, and every bit of sleep was her face. Everything was void. His sister tried to help giving him words of encouragement.

"Don't give up, brother. She loves you, I know she does."

All he could think to answer was, "I lied to her, when I said I kissed her on accident. I wanted it. I wanted to kiss her so badly." Éowyn knew little of what he spoke but still remained the supportive sister.

Éomer and Lothiriel began to dream their first dreams again, only differently this time. Éomer saw now that the dancing girl in the water was Lothiriel, but she wasn't smiling anymore. She was crying rivers into his hands and building moats to separate them. Lothiriel had the dream on the plains again, and sure enough the man upon the hill was Éomer, but he no longer had a proud look on his face, but rather a forlorn look. He was staring off toward the sunset and his sea-like eyes were clouded. His gaze was far away and he dare not look at her. She was shameful to him. Both woke up in a sweat. When asked by their loved ones what was wrong the next day, they both simply answered, "do you not havebad days?" and went about life with as much depression as before.

They were lost…unless…

Éowyn had to do something. She was going back home soonbecause her pregnancy would soon be too far along to be traveling. So the night before she left she went to her brother in his study and sat down to have a talk with him.

"Nothing you could say could fix this, sister."

"But you know me, brother, I will still try." She smiled at him and he offered back a weak one. "Do you not see how much this is killing you? How much it already has?"

"What can I do about that?"

"Fix it, brother." Her voice was harsh which caught his attention. She looked fierce in that moment like in the days before the war. Back when her life was for dotting on an old king and retreating from cages. "Are you so naïve that you do not recall your old strength? You are a good man, Éomer. You are a good brother, a good king, and a good man, above all. She knows this, despite whatever you may have done to her. I don't know your past, I don't know your future, but I know your heart, brother. Do not let love run away to a blue kingdom far from plains and her own heart. She is young; she has yet to know what she wants. Perhaps you can educate her."

"Sister, your intentions are good, but you do not know of her heart. You only know mine. What if what I did was so bad she can never give her heart to me again. What if I really did destroy every piece of her heart and throw it to the wind?"

"You didn't. Love does not throw hearts away. All it can do is hide them for a while." She breathed deep and grabbed his face in her hands. "You know what to do, brother. Do not let pride keep you from getting what you want."

Éomer looked her in the eyes, and she was right. He did know what to do.