"I heard she got a little cosy with the King."
"Well I heard she kissed him in the stables at Edoras."
"Huh. I'm told it was more than kissing." The three women gossip continued quietly as Morwen passed by. They sat at the river bank, huddled, washing clothes in the cold water flow in front of them. They watched her as she strode on past them, her long wavy red locks blown back by the last of the winter winds and trailing her dress. Her arms were folded across her chest and she took wide strides with her long legs. They can gossip all they want, I know what happened. She'd been here more almost a month now and, considering her occupation, she hadn't been anywhere near the village stables since her arrival. She continued walked towards the border of the village and into the fields beyond. A long walk will clear my head, hopefully. She could just hear the conversation pick back up behind her as she went ahead. Morwen could hear the distant sound of a familiar whiney as she crossed over a small rise but ignored it.
"Will you not join the party, my Lord?" she looked questioningly at him once her cheeks finally went back to normal. "I find myself wanting a quiet moment to think over tomorrow's events."
"It will be a most joyous occasion." She couldn't help but smile at the idea. She was so excited about tomorrow, the coronation and the huge party after. I feel like a child again. "Yes. I think the entirety of Middle-Earth is looking forward to tomorrow more than I."
"My Lord?" he sighed heavily and he seemed to grow suddenly very tired and wary looking. Morwen put a reassuring hand on his shoulder for a moment before pulling away and barely controlling her flushing cheeks. What am I doing? He is our king, and I am a mere stable hand. Looking at his face, it seemed to her that he had aged ten years suddenly and was now carrying every worry in the world on his shoulders. She wanted desperately to comfort him with words of advice and wisdom but could think of nothing. "Do not worry, my Lord, the people love you." He looked up to the sky, as if the idea of being loved was alien and prosperous. "I love you." His eyes dropped from the sky and fixed on her. She looked into his eyes for a long moment, they were unreadable. After what seemed an eternity, she managed to look away, feeling the blood rush from her head and going dizzy for a second. I just put my foot right in it. There was a long awkward silence in the stables, even the horses went quiet, feeling the tension heavy in the warm air between the two. Finally Éomer reached out and, curling his finger round her chin, turned her to face him. "I'm sor-" she was cut short mid sentence by the sudden impact of his lips pressed against hers. Reaching up, he intertwined his fingers in her hair, gently pulling her closer until they could feel each others body heat. Breaking away from the kiss slowly, it took her a minute to open her eyes and breathe, the blood rushing back up into her head. The gazed into each others eyes for what seemed a lifetime. Neither noticed when Gamling walked in, looking for the missing guest of importance at the bustling party. She spotted him first, standing to her feet so suddenly she almost fell over. Her eyes wide and lip bitten down on hard, she hurried out towards Nellas' house, leaving the two men alone in the dark stables.
