"You've been glancing at the road leading back up to Meduseld all afternoon." The teasing tone of Éothain interrupted Éomer's thoughts. "You might as well go on and see her before you have to do your kingly duty after sunset." Éomer glanced at his friend who was smiling at him wryly.

"Am I so obvious?" Éomer chuckled, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Obvious, besotted," the smile broadened, "among many other things."

"I don't know that I wouldn't go that far." Éothain rolled his eyes to Éomer's protest.

"For pity's sake, don't lie to yourself." When Éomer pursed his lips Éothain barked out a laugh. "And don't be stubborn either. Admit to yourself that you made a hasty judgement thanks to your short temper."

"There was –" He was cut off before he could begin to defend himself.

"You may be able to fool yourself, but not me. If you truly felt that way about that bonnie lass, I doubt you would have shown her such attention ever since she left her room."

Éomer sighed, realizing that there was nothing he could say to convince his captain and best friend. His mind began to wander again briefly, touching on the strange meeting with who he believed was the fortune teller, and that train of thought led back easily to Lothíriel again. He was staring at the road once again, remembering their rather short trek up it, with her body sitting easily in his arms when another voice behind him sounded.

"There you are, brother!" Éowyn gave him a quick hug from behind. "I was about to go up and change into my dress for tonight and check on Lothíriel in the process. Would you care to join me?" She gave him a knowing look. Did everyone have to make such assumptions?

"Éomer King has already traveled through Edoras from top to bottom at least three times today, I doubt he would want to make another journey up unless there were something specific he was interested in seeing." Éothain spoke as solemnly as he could manage though the look on his face gave away that he thought it a great joke. Before he could say anything in either agreement of protest, Éowyn looked at Éomer with pleading eyes.

"Oh please! This will be my last summer festival with you before I'm wed and who knows if I'll be fit to return in time for the next one." She grasped his arm, gently tugging him. He could deny her nothing with that argument. As he began to follow her, her face lit up in a broad grin.

With each step Edoras and it's people seemed to fade as he retreated again to his thoughts. He considered what Éothain had made fairly clear. He would need to watch how he behaved, lest the whole of Rohan begin to form ideas as to his relationship to the princess of Dol Amroth. He was lost for a time until, once again a piercing voice rang out, pulling him out from his introspection.

"With a cry, the pirate king flew at the handsome prince, his silver sword flashing in the light of the sun. The prince threw his own weapon up, and blocked the blow. As the two metals touched, sparks flew!" Éomer began to follow the sound until he reached the orphanage. Behind the building, in a small patch of grass was Lothíriel, surrounded by the children, totally captured by her story. Éomer couldn't blame them.

"The two of them continued to trade blows with each other, each time more sparks flew." She lowered her voice and leaned forward slightly, the children leaning in closer as if she were about to tell them a secret. "The pirate king was so captured by his duel that he didn't realize that the sparks were setting his ship alight." She sat straight again. Just as she did, Éomer noticed that around him, there were some rohirrim who had stopped what they were doing to listen to this story along with the children. "On and on the battle raged, the flames of their war made real until at last the final blow was struck!" All eyes were on Lothíriel, awaiting the outcome. "The pirate king lay on his deck, dead, the prince's sword stuck into his heart." There seemed to be a sigh of relief among the crowd. "The prince ran across the plank to his own ship and swiftly sailed away, leaving the enflamed ship and former captain to his fate. The prince returned home to his wife on the shore and the two lived happily for the rest of their days."

There was silence after she finished her story for a brief moment before one of the children got up and shouted, "Pirate king! You have pillaged your last!" He pulled up a thin stick from the ground waving it around. Another stood and found a stick of their own before the two of them began to imitate the fight as Lothíriel had described. Most of the rohirrim who had come to listen began to chat with each other and go about their way as Lothíriel laughed in delight at the scene that played out before her. Something must have caught her eye as she did because she turned and Éomer's eyes met hers. Her face was flushed from the excitement of sharing her story and her eyes seemed to sparkle with life and pleasure. Éomer felt a strange pressure within his chest.

"Perhaps you weren't entirely wrong." He muttered to Éothain.

A/N: Oh my goodness it's been such a long time! I can't believe how time manages to slip past without the notice of me sometimes! Sorry for the long wait all! I hope this update makes it at least partially worth it.