May 20, 3020 9:20 a.m.

The sound of birds outside my window woke me up. I sat up in my bed and looked around my room. It was soft and warm, but I felt cold and hard.

I touched my stomach. I resented Eomer because I had not conceived, even though it wasn't his fault. After I told Elphir that I did not want the test done, he never mentioned it again. In the depths of my heart, I pondered the possibility that Eomer had never touched me. If that were so, maybe he would still want me. That is, if he could forgive my mistake.

My favourite page came into my room. "Highness! An army is coming to the castle! The scout says that it's King Eomer."

I turned to him. "No branch of olives?"

The page shook his head. "None, your highness. They are fully armoured and ready for battle."

I looked out the window and could almost see Eomer's face at the head of the army.

"Where is Prince Elphir?"

"He is still in bed with a fever."

"And my other brothers?"

"They are not back from Gondor yet, highness."

I sighed. I had to command the army. "Ready the troops and get my armour."

Being a woman, my armour was a dark brown dress with a leather vest to protect me from arrows. I dressed in it and went to the battlements with Glamdris.

Glamdris looked me over. "A lady does not fight in a war."

I scoffed. "Hold your tongue, soldier. The leather is to protect me from arrows in case the enemy tries to shoot up here. If I wanted to fight, I would be down with the other soldiers."

"I am sorry for my error, your highness." Glamdris searched the army. "King Eomer approaches."

Eomer rode a white horse up to the castle door and looked up at me. My head felt warm at the sight of him.

"What do you want?" Glamdris shouted down.

"I wish to take your princess back with me."

Glamdris scoffed. "My princess has no wish to come with you."

"I think she does."

"You are mistaken."

"No matter. I will fight your city if need be, until I get my prize.

"Then you shall be destroyed."

"Your princess will not let harm come to me." Eomer smiled at me. No, I would not give in to him this easily.

I grabbed my bow and notched an arrow on it. "Leave, or I'll shoot this into your heart."

Eomer leaned on his horse's neck and grinned as a challenge. "You wouldn't." I let the arrow go and it hit the ground directly under Eomer's horse. His horse reared, but he was too experienced to get thrown. He steadied the animal and looked back up at me. "I'm not leaving this castle without you. I gave you my heart."

"And I suppose you came here to get it back?" I said unsteadily.

"On the contrary. I came to get yours." He smiled and went back to his army.

Glamdris held his hand up. "Give me the word, your highness, and the battle will begin."

"No. There will be no fighting."

"But your highness-"

"Do as I say, Glamdris, or I will throw you over the battlements myself." I threw my bow down and left.

L----L

Glamdris watched as Eomer and his men made camp over the castle's only road. He knew that they had enough provisions to last for months.

G----G

Eomer

What have I done? Has my determination messed everything up? I hope that she does not think that I will fight her city. I should not have brought my army. I have made a grave error in judgement. However, my army and I shall stay here until I get what I came for.

G----G

"Lothiriel." Elphir opened my bedroom door and came in.

"Elphir, you should be in bed. The physician said that the fever has not passed yet."

"I am well enough." He sat down on my bed and winced in pain. "I wanted to join you on the battlements, but my physician kept me in my room."

"He was right. We handled it ourselves."

"Sister, I must ask you something." He licked his dry lips. "Do you want to marry Eomer?"

I hesitated. "I…don't know."

"You feel that Eomer may be doing this out of pity, don't you."

"Yes." I looked down. "I do not wish to be his pity wife."

Elphir was silent for a minute. "If Eomer decides to attack us, he will find that we have no armies to back us up. The war took most of our soldiers. If it is alright with you, sister, we must keep up the act that we can beat Eomer's army at any minute. If we send him away, everyone will think that our kingdom is weak. If Eomer wants to keep us here, we must let him."

"So be it."

G----G

July 13, 3020, 6:30 p.m. Sunset

--The anniversary of Prince Imrahil's passing.--

I watched Eomer from my window. He walked among his men and greeted them simultaneously. My heart sunk. It was my sole duty to visit father's grave and pay my respects. The only problem was that father's grave was on the other side of Eomer and his troops.

Elphir would never let me fulfill my duty because of Eomer. He had already hinted that. But I had made a promise and I intended to keep it.

I dressed in a black dress and my black cloak. I braided my hair in one braid to keep it out of my face and put the hood over my head so it covered up to my eyes. Elphir was in a meeting with Erchirion and Amrothos (my other brothers) discussing their recent visit to Gondor, so I knew that I would not be caught by them. Glamdris was busy teaching a few young soldiers how to play checkers and a few coins into my guard's hands would make him forget that I left my room.

The sun set quickly, but that was to my advantage. I moved swiftly and silently on my bare feet up to the drawbridge. An immense shadow was over the drawbridge and the gate house so I could hardly make out the tiny door in the drawbridge that I was to escape from. I waited until the gate keeper had gone inside to eat dinner and then I ran up to the drawbridge. My fingers searched the enormous gate until I found the door.

"Yes!" I whispered to myself. I lifted the heavy wooden latch and pulled the latch string out. I smiled to myself. For the first time in a year, I felt accomplished. I could do anything I set my mind to. 'Before I know it, I'm going to be at father's grave, and then back in my room and -' The door wouldn't budge. It was locked! 'Oh! I'm so stupid! Of course the door wouldn't be unlocked!' A sound came from the gatehouse.

"Hello? Who's out there?" I ran as fast as I could back to the castle before the gatekeeper came out of his house. I flattened myself against the west side of the castle and pulled the hood over my face. My mind swum as I realized what I was doing.

'A lady doesn't sneak around her own castle! And she doesn't go behind her sovereign's back!' I ignored my thoughts that had been shoved into me by Glamdris. As the gatekeeper gave it up and went back inside, I realized: the east gable gate! It was always locked as well, but it had a key hanging beside it. I picked up a lantern and ran to it. Quickly, I unlocked it and opened it. It was rarely used, except for sieges, so there was a great deal of bramble around it.

As I picked my way through the bramble, I imagined what I would say after I had been caught. 'I will say "It was my duty to visit father's grave" and Elphir will say "Duty comes first to a lady, I know. But so does following orders!" Then Elphir will look very kingly as he pronounces my sentence: "Glamdris is hear-by relieved of his services! You shall no longer have a governor!" And I will pretend to be upset, but in reality, I will rejo-'

"Hey! Who goes there?" I stopped. Someone from Eomer's camp had spotted me! I gasped and tried to hide.

"Don't try hiding! I know you're there!" I looked up at heaven and whimpered as I came out of the shadows. "That's right, come out of there." I thanked Iluvatar that I still had my hood on. "Now, who are you and what do you want?" I couldn't see the soldier's face underneath his helmet.

I held my head like a servant girl and pitched my voice a little lower. "I am the personal servant of Princess Lothiriel. She sent me to pay homage to her father's grave, since you and your men prevent her from doing it herself."

The guard thought for a minute. "Well, I guess it's alright. Go ahead."

I nodded my thanks and quickly ran to the cemetery. The flowers under my cloak were slightly squished, but they were still pretty. I set them in front of father's tomb.

"Father," I said as I touched the symbols on the front of the tomb. "Miss you." I smiled, even though tears were falling down my face. "If you only knew what was going on, father. You'd make everything right." I sank down and kneeled in front of the tomb. I touched my fingers to my lips and then brought them to the symbols on the tomb. "Sleep soundly, father."

"Alright, wench. Be on your way, before I tell King Eomer about this." The soldier stood a few feet away.

I took out a few coins from my hanging purse. "Here. For your silence." He didn't take them.

"The Princess does not need to bribe me. I just want her to know how I feel."

I looked at him from under my hood. His armour was too fine. "A soldier has feelings for the Princess?"

"I am not a soldier. I am King Eomer." He took his helmet off. I gasped at him. "Lothiriel," he breathed. He grabbed me before I realized that he had found me out and trapped me in a passionate kiss. I kissed him back and let my hands travel up his arms to grasp his neck. He lifted my bare feet off the ground and held me up in the air with his arms. My head felt light and my body went on fire. I had to have more of him. I wrapped my fingers up in his hair and brought his head closer to mine. I felt his tongue push against my lips and I opened my mouth against his. In a rush, I realized what I was doing. I pushed him away and slapped him hard.

"I will not be tricked by you again!"

His gaze was solemn. "I did not trick you, and you cannot tell me that you didn't enjoy that kiss."

Roughly, I put my hood back on and wrapped my cloak around myself. I had enjoyed the kiss, but I had no intention of telling him that. I started walking back to the castle and roughly brushed Eomer's arm as I passed him.

He followed me. "Lothiriel, please!"

I quickly opened the east gable and locked it. I was safe.

Safe from Eomer, and my emotions.

G----G

Lothiriel

Why did I have to fall in love with Eomer? Why does Elphir let him stay outside of our castle like a dog hungry for table scraps? I am so angry! Angry at Eomer, angry at Elphir and angry at…me. I hate myself for loving Eomer. I can't fight this feeling. I love Eomer. The harder I try to fight it, the more bitter I become. I am becoming a spinster. Why, Iluvatar? Why?