AUTHOR'S NOTE:
It's me again. This chapter is going to be almost entirely remade. By the way, I don't own any of these characters, only the original ones. Read and review!
THE JEWEL OF DOL AMROTH
III
THE FINEST ADVISOR
Before he left to Edoras, Eomer wanted to talk with Eowyn. He had agreed with the Princess of Dol Amroth, whose name he didn't remember by the way, coming to Rohan, and Imrahil had assured him she was a responsible young woman and she was going to look after her most of the time. However, he felt that perhaps his sister could tell him more about the Princess, in order to make her trip more enjoyable.
He found her in her bedroom, embroidering, or making an attempt to embroider some sheets.
"Morning, brother", she said to him. "Faramir went outside with some of the Ithilien Rangers, and he will come back in some hours. I heard something about them giving him a present or something".
Eomer laughed. He had heard indeed of some bet that his now brother-in-law had made with his men. Of what nature, he didn't know. So he went straight to the point.
"I suppose you know about the arrangement that the Prince Imrahil and I have concerning his daughter?"
A smile brightened up her face and she pushed aside the sheets.
"Really? Did you say yes?" and she suddenly embraced him. "I knew it! I'm so happy that finally Lothi is going to travel to Rohan!" Her face looked radiant, like she were talking about a childhood friend and not about a lady that she had meet just a few months ago. Eomer was puzzled.
"So you know her well, I assume".
"Of course I do!" Eowyn said. "She has been to me like a sister since I first met her. I met her in the Houses of Healing, where she was helping the healers. Lothi was often by my side, taking care of my wounds… then we became friends". He looked even more puzzled. The Princess was a dear friend of Eowyn? How had he never noticed that? Where was his mind at? Bema, he had been so worried about himself that he had paid little attention to the whereabouts of his sister. She could have befriended a murderer and he would have not noticed that. Well, that was a little exaggerated but anyway, this was unacceptable.
"Do not tell me that you didn't know her before yesterday!" she said, with a deadly voice.
"I didn't", replied Eomer, somewhat scared.
"WHAT!" Eowyn yelled. Then she regained her composure. "What is the matter with you, Eomer? Have you not noticed that you are a king? Our King! Where are your manners? Princess Lothiriel is the daughter of your friend, maybe she doesn't look like your lady friends…"
That made Eomer blush a little.
"…But she is from the finest sort of lady that has ever walked this Middle Earth. She was there the day of your coronation. But no, you are so self-centered that only greeted those who approached to you. Not even a kind word to all those ladies and gentlemen that went to Edoras not by imposition, but because they cared for our uncle. I should have told you before, but I had other things in mind. But enough is enough, and you will promise me you will see that your guest, being the wonderful person she is, is well greeted and treated. Won't you, Eomer King?"
"I will, dear sister", said Eomer. Never in his life had been so embarrassed. Anyway, Eowyn was right.
"Start behaving like a King, brother. Leave the soldier behind. Try to be kind and gentle. And remember, she has all the will to help you to be a better ruler. Let her be."
The journey to Edoras was really short. The Princess traveled in her own horse, an Amrothian brown mare. Sometimes Eomer would approach to her but he didn't know what to say, except commenting about the weather. However, as they went closer to Rohan, he dared to ask her some questions.
"How are you feeling today, my lady?" he said, trying to be polite.
"I'm feeling great, thanks for your concern" she replied, and smiling, added, "This is a dream, I never thought I was going to make it."
"Make what, my lady?"
"Come to Rohan. I've always liked everything about your country, my lord. My father always said that, as we didn't have any relatives in Rohan, it would not be very safe if I traveled on my own. Visiting Rohan has been my dream for many, many years." And her eyes surveyed the horizon, as if looking for something or someone.
Eomer, who thought that everyone that liked his country was a nice person, became interested by the lady.
"There are many things you can do in Rohan, my lady. Ride across our plains, bathe in the cool water of the rivers, watch the sun set on the wheat fields…"
"… While reading a book of lore", added dreamily his companion. "I'd like to ride, too. This sweetie can hold herself against any horse of the Mark."
"Truly, my lady?" said Eomer, amused. "Are you challenging my horse for a race? This is Firefoot, son of the Mearas, the greatest horses that have ever existed. Would your mare be a match for him?"
The Princess laughed softly.
"Well, I can't promise anything, but we can find it out, my lord".
And they both continued the journey, talking from time to time, until finally being welcomed by the sight of Meduseld.
They were welcomed by a feast. The Eorlingas were very pleased that his king had returned. Eomer presented Lothiriel to them, and everybody in the Hall celebrated her visit. She looked surprised when she received a welcome gift, a golden pendant with a horse and a sun that Eomer, thanks to Eowyn's advice, had ordered to be prepared while they traveled to Edoras.
"The horse and the sun are symbols of our land, Princess. May you carry them as a token of our gratitude, for gracing our Hall with your presence" Eomer said, while a maid helped Lothiriel putting on the pendant.
"I have no token for you, Eomer King, at least for now" was her answer. "But it is I who must thank your gratitude for saving my people when the evil hour had arrived for us".
"Let us speak no more of those days, my lady, and enjoy the feast" Eomer replied. And she smiled him back.
After two hours or more, the lady declared she was exhausted and asked permission to leave the Hall. Eomer gave it to her, but before he needed to ask her some questions. So he escorted her to her room.
"Is your room of your liking, Princess? Is anything else we can do for you? Our Chief Housekeeper, mistress Hild, is ready to help you whenever you need it."
She looked at him, and for the first time since he met her, he noticed that there was something elven about her, something that he had only felt with Queen Arwen or Legolas. It couldn't be described, but it was a feeling, nevertheless.
"My room is so beautiful, my lord, and I love every detail of it. My thanks go to the maids that arranged it. And yes, I would like something else. I would like to have a maid at my service, but mostly for my company. Sometimes we women feel a little lonely and, as much as I love being here, I will miss my sister-in-law and Eowyn too."
At the mention of Eowyn's name, Eomer felt a little embarrassed.
"Actually, I did not have a clue of how fond of you Eowyn was. I'm deeply sorry for that."
"Oh, my lord, you mustn't worry…" she answered hastily.
Eomer remembered suddenly the other purpose of the lady's journey to Edoras.
"Princess, may I have a meeting with you tomorrow in the morning? Concerning the current affairs of state in the Mark…"
"Oh." She fixed her eyes on his for a moment. He felt somewhat dizzy. "It would be best if you said "First thing in the morning", my lord. From what my father has told me, right know you don't have much support from your advisors and neither from the lord of the Mark, and we need to plan a strategy to gain their trust. But first I need to gain yours. First thing in the morning, then?"
"First thing in the morning, my lady".
Eomer sighed as he went down to the Hall. No more ale, then, and to bed early.
Finest advisor, indeed.
It was not dawn yet, and Eomer was sleeping soundly. He was awoken then by a knock on the door.
"First thing in the morning, my lord", a female voice said. He dressed up quickly and found the Princess right in front of his door.
"This way" he said, leading her to his office.
It was a small room, with a big table, a desk and a chair, nothing fancy. And with the large window where all Edoras could be seen.
"What are the topics of today, my lord" asked Lothiriel.
"Aldburg", Eomer replied, scratching his head. "It was devastated in the war. Besides that, while we were in the Pelennor, most of the crops were frozen and people were starving to death. When I was Third Marshall in there, we fought the orcs bravely and they loathed us for that. Now they are getting their revenge."
"So the city will endure these attacks as long as the raiding orcs continue alive."
"Right you are, my lady."
Lothiriel looked him to the eyes. Perhaps that was her way of doing politics.
"The city must be rebuilt in a way that it remains defended for a long time. Back in Dol Amroth we had a similar problem with the Corsairs. There must be something that we can modify and apply to this case."
Eomer noticed that she carried a leather bag with her. She took a brown little book and some big parchments from the bag.
"Ask the servants to bring breakfast to your office, my lord. We have much work to do" said her.
They spent the morning looking to the parchments, sketches of the distribution of a small village near Dol Amroth, which was fortified to endure the attacks of the corsairs. The Princess came up with a short speech that explained the plan to rebuild Aldburg, to be presented by Eomer in the meeting of the day. They had lunch together in the Golden Hall, rehearsing the speech. Lothiriel instructed him to sound convinced of what he spoke, to look the audience into the eye, to focus on the main point of the topic.
After the meeting ended, the king felt relieved. The plan was approved and he had been complimented by many lords. Even the lord of Aldburg, who didn't have a good relationship with Eomer due to some unfortunate incidents when Eomer was Marshall (a confuse incident involving the lord's daughter), told him that he was better than his late cousin in giving speeches. The Princess looked radiant, too. She had heard already about the first political victory of Eomer.
"I'm truly thankful, Princess Lothiriel. How can I ever repay you?" he said to her.
"Well, my lord, I would like to ride around the city. I promise I'll be coming before dusk."
Lothiriel went out that afternoon, escorted by a guard, and came back as she promised.
It had passed a week since Lothiriel arrived to Edoras, and Eomer felt already that she was indispensable in his daily duties. They spent the morning, lunched together, and then she had all the afternoon to herself.
Eomer tried always to stay informed about the whereabouts of the Princess, not only to keep her safe, but to learn more about this interesting lady. He knew that she was highly educated for a woman; spoke as languages as Aragorn did (Sindarin, some Quenya, Adunaic, some Haradric dialects, some Rohirric, apart from Westron); loved to read and ride Falma, her brown mare. She did some sewing and embroidery with Ceolwyn, her maid. And yes, she was an astute politician and the most sincere and loyal advisor that a king could have.
The Princess liked to walk around Edoras, often with Ceolwyn, with whom she became very good friends. Whenever she went out, she was escorted. It seemed to him that she was happy.
The tales about her were another story. It seemed that everyone in Edoras had met the Princess Lothiriel and had amazing stories to tell about her kindness, her sense of humor, and her hunger for knowledge.
Take for example the incident of the Library of Edoras. The king was in his office, signing some important papers, when the Chief Librarian came. Actually, the Chief Librarian was the only librarian in all Rohan, and even the Library of Edoras was really small and was more a collection of dusted parchments that a library itself. The Chief Librarian was very impressed at the knowledge of the Princess.
"She has even requested me to help her improve her Rohirrim, and it almost brings me to tears", the old man was saying. "With some of my assistants, she is putting some order in the piles of parchments, and the most amazing thing is that, when I ask her why is she helping us, she says that libraries are like home to her. It is most unbelievable to find a woman like that, my king".
"Her father told me that", Eomer answered. "About her hunger of knowledge. Let she do as she pleases. As long as she doesn´t bother anyone."
Mistress Annis, one of the housekeepers, told him that one day, the Princess had found a little girl sitting near the stable, tears in her little face. Lothiriel had not stopped until she delivered her to the arms of her mother. That day, she had come very late, Eomer had been very concerned and demanded to know where had she been and, as she didn't say anything, he felt she was being rude. Next morning, mistress Annis spoke to him and the incident was forgotten.
Ceolwyn told him something interesting and quite strange too. Lothiriel carried wherever she went a small notebook in her pocket, where she wrote all the ideas that came to her mind. She also told him that she liked to write poetry, although she was not a good singer. And some of the guards also added that the Princess had become quite famous not only in Edoras but in all the Mark, always talking to everyone and giving advice when asked. In fact, many people didn't know she was a Princess, and simply thought her a noble lady from Gondor.
Eomer had already written to Imrahil telling him about his daughter and the improvements in his government. He didn't know how long she would stay in Edoras, thought. He found himself wishing she didn't left before he got to know more of this fascinating lady.