Disclaimer: If you really want to know, look at the previous chapters...
Things Worth Fighting For
Chapter 7
He stared into the fire, watching the flames dancing before him. It was days since he had been banished. What had he done to deserve such a fate? Away from his home and his family. He could no longer protect his sister, his uncle was bewitched and his cousin was near death, perhaps already dead. No one was there for Éowyn. She was alone, tending to her king and cousin, and Wormtongue was in the shadows, watching and waiting, and no one was there to stop him from hurting her. Éomer hoped Éowyn would manage on her own. She was strong, but as an elder brother should, he worried for her. He wanted to be there with her, to make sure she was all right. To make sure the snake did not get his hands anywhere near her.
And here he was sitting, unable to protect her. He could do nothing to ensure her safety. He should have killed Wormtongue when he was given the chance. And it was not only the time of his banishment, Éomer added grimly to himself. A few months earlier Éomer had the chance to get rid of Wormtongue. But the laws of the Golden Hall would demand him to be executed for his misdeed. Éomer should have allowed that to happen, only to get rid of Wormtongue. His own life was little worth if he could save his people, his king, his cousin and of course his sister. But at that time sense had ruled out the option of killing the worm, and sense had come in the form of his sister.
Éomer cursed himself for not having killed the worm much earlier. How much easier Éowyn's life could have been.
Still frustrated with himself for his inability to help his sister, he walked away from the camp. Maybe a walk in the cold night would clear his thoughts.
Lothíriel watched Éomer leave the camp. She had seen the look on his face. The fury. The despair. She wanted to know what bothered him. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help. She buried her head in the cloak she used as a pillow. She had come to Rohan to get away from men! Suitors her father wanted her to wed! Yet here she was, thinking of a man she hardly knew anything about.
That is not true. She corrected herself. I know he is a good man. Brave, strong, and a good leader for his men. One they will follow even to their death. One I will follow to my death. The realization that she would follow Éomer to her death hit her so hard she had difficulties breathing. She had not realized she would gladly die for him. But she knew now that she would, if the choice would ever be forced upon her.
Taking a deep breath she decided to follow Éomer, to see if he was all right.
She found him down by the stream that was not long from the camp. He was sitting next to it on the grass. Feeling a little unsure now, she wondered if she should turn. But no, Lothíriel of Dol Amroth had never turned back before and she would not start now.
Carefully she walked down to him. She made sure he knew she was coming. Growing up with four warriors in the house she knew better than to sneak up on them unexpected.
As she took a seat next to him, he glanced over at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I saw you leave the camp. I thought you might need someone to talk to," Lothíriel said.
"Thank you, but I am fine," Éomer said.
"You do not look fine," she commented.
He did not answer that, but instead gazed up on the sky. It was a clear night, and the stars were shining brightly.
"Will you tell me about it?" Lothíriel asked.
"Why do you care?" Éomer asked.
"I thought you needed a friend. Believe it or not, my lord Éomer, I do care." More than you will ever understand, she added quietly to herself.
Éomer took a deep breath. "I do not know what to do anymore," he said at last.
"What do you mean?" Lothíriel asked.
"It is not as you think," he said. "I know what to do here. I know we can do our part for our country by killing Orcs and keep them away from the villages, but... while I am here, my sister is alone. I have always protected her, ever since we were children. Now she is alone." Lothíriel did not say anything. She only listened. "The worm desires her above all treasure in the world, and he has been promised her by Saruman, as a reward when Rohan has fallen. But he does not know that when Rohan fall, Éowyn is also fallen. None of the house of Eorl will watch our land be taken. We will die defending it and our people."
Lothíriel learned important things about the Rohirrim only by listening to Éomer. She learned about the pride they held in their country and people. She heard the pride in his voice when he spoke of his sister, how she would fight to the end to prevent Rohan from falling. She knew Lady Éowyn was not the only one who would fight. She knew Éomer would fight to the end. He would do all in his power to keep Rohan from falling into the hands of the enemy. And she would be by his side along the way she promised herself.
"I know Éowyn can take care of herself," Éomer said. "She is strong and proud and will never fall prey for Wormtongue's cunning. But..."
"It is the job of the elder sibling to worry for the younger." Without realizing it herself, Lothíriel had laid a hand on Éomer's arm. He did not seem to mind, though. He offered her half a smile and nodded.
"I know," he said. "It is our duty and privilege."
"And every younger sibling's curse," Lothíriel added with a smile.
"Believe me when I say it can be a curse for the elder too," Éomer said.
"I believe you," Lothíriel said with a smile. "I grew up with three elder brothers. They had their share of trouble from me."
"That I do not doubt," Éomer said. "As far as I can tell you are some trouble still." He was silent for a moment. "How is your wound?"
"It is better, thank you," Lothíriel bit her lip before continuing. "I am sorry for my deception, Lord Éomer. I never meant any harm, but I knew you would never let me fight if you knew I was a girl."
"You are right about that," he said. "I fear I will never know why you do this, why you are who you are, but I want you to know that I admire your courage. I know not many women who would willingly ride into battle, or share room with men who believed you to be one of them. Or choose to be banished with hundreds of riders and sleep under the open sky, while knowing the chances for our return are limited."
"Except for your sister," Lothíriel said with a smile.
"Ah, yes, Éowyn. And I will do all in my power to keep the two of you separated.Bema know what ideas you might give her would you ever meet," Éomer said.
"Wish upon a star we will never meet then," Lothíriel said and smiled.
"What?" Éomer chuckled lightly. "Wish upon a star?"
"Oh... it was from a song my mother used to sing. She said our wishes would come true if we wanted it hard enough, if we wished upon a star." Lothíriel smiled at the memory of her mother. It was the first time she had thought of her mother without sadness.
"You said it was from a song?" Éomer asked. Lothíriel nodded. "Do you know it?"
"I know some of it," she answered, "but I fear I lack the voice my mother had."
"Will you let me be the judge of that?" Éomer asked.
"Do you really want me to sing it?" Lothíriel asked and smiled. Éomer nodded. "You really do not know what you are putting yourself through."
"I told you to let me be the judge of that," Éomer said.
"All right, but do not say I did not warn you." She looked back at the camp, as if to make sure no one but Éomer would hear her. And then she started.
"Wish upon a star
Take a step enter the land
Walk through the air
Take my hand
Wishmaster's will
Join him the quest of dream
A make-believe
Is all we need
Wish upon a star
No matter who you are
The second star to the right
Harbinger's gate
Beyond the boundaries
Blossom ballet
In the great wide somewhere
Wish upon a star
Believe in will
The realm of the king of fantasy
The master of the tale-like lore
The way to kingdom I adore
Where the warrior's heart is pure
Where the stories will come true"
Her song ended, but Éomer did not wish it to end. "You have a beautiful voice, Lady Liriel," he told her.
That made her blush, but she smiled. "Thank you. There are much more of that song, but I cannot remember it. It is a long time since my mother sang it..."
"You speak of her as past. What happened to her?" Éomer regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Sometimes even he wondered why he had a head. As Éowyn used to say, it was not often he used it. "I am sorry, I should not have asked..."
"It is all right, my lord," Lothíriel said. "She... passed away soon five months ago. A stupid accident, really... we were out sailing. My family dwells near the sea and we had taken the afternoon to spend some time together..." she wiped away a tear. "The weather changed suddenly. We were not prepared for the storm and... mother was used to be in a boat, but she... lost her balance and fell into the water... she hit her head against something... she was such a good swimmer, yet..." Now the tears fell freely down her cheek and she made no attempt to wipe them away. "I was nearest and before anyone managed to stop me, I jumped in after her... the sea was so powerful... I was so tired..." Éomer was now holding her close to him, his arms comforting around her. None of them knew how they had ended up with her in his arms, but none made any effort to pull away. "The sea can be a dangerous mistress. Sometimes so calm and quiet, and you cannot really imagine it to be so cruel... I do not know how long I looked for her. I do not remember what happened before my brother pulled me back up in the boat." Lothíriel paused for a moment. "We looked for her body for several weeks before we found it... my father and one of my brothers found her..."
"I am sorry, Liriel. I had no idea how cruel way you lost her," Éomer said. "I know how you feel. I lost my parents when I was 11."
Lothíriel looked up at him. "Both of them..? So young..?"
Éomer nodded. "My father was slain by Orcs. My mother perished of grief not long after. My sister and I were taken to Edoras to be raised by our uncle. So I know how you feel. You lost your mother in a terrible way, and not long ago."
Lothíriel nodded. "Thank you... I have not cried for her before. Not like this... and I have not talked about it to another either..."
"What about your family?" Éomer asked.
"My family grieved themselves and since I grew up with only brothers I have always thought I had to be as strong as them to be allowed to play with them," she smiled sadly. "Of course I did not need to. I could have cried and spoken to one of my brothers or my father, but... well, some things are hard to change."
Éomer nodded. "I thought I had to be strong for my sister when we came to Edoras. I did not cry for mother or father in front of her, my cousin or my uncle. I refused to show any feelings and my time was spent to train to become a rider."
"You never cried for your parents?" Lothíriel asked.
"Eventually I did," Éomer replied. "It had been boiling up inside me for months. A half year I believe. After a sparring I lost, against Éothain I might add, I ended up being carried inside by my cousin, and my uncle spent the night in my room to try to comfort me."
"How did it work?" Lothíriel asked.
"At last I had no more tears to shed and we talked for hours. I told my uncle how angry I was when they left me with the responsibility of raising Éowyn, and how angry I was for him and Théodred to interfere to get me to talk about my parents. It did not occur to me until several days later how strange it was that the king put all his duties aside to care for his angry nephew," he offered her a smile. "Several years later I understood he did it because he loved me and Éowyn as son and daughter."
"Now you speak of him as past, Éomer," Lothíriel said. "Do not lose hope. Even the strongest bewitchment can be broken."
"I must hope for a miracle for the king to be rid this bewitchment," Éomer said.
"I do not believe the time of miracles is over," Lothíriel said. "I wish upon a star they are not."
"I wish you are right, Liriel," Éomer said and smiled. "I wish upon a star you are right."
For a long time they did not speak. They looked into each others eyes and Éomer stroke his thumb over her chin. How he had ever believed her to be a man was beyond him. She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
She closed her eyes as he leaned closer against her, her lips ready for him to kiss her.
"Éomer!"
Éothain! Éomer thought annoyed. His friend had the worst timing possible.
Lothíriel opened her eyes and rose. She did not know if she should be annoyed or relieved that Éothain had called when he did. She smiled at Éomer as Éothain ran down the hill towards them. "Thank you, Éomer."
Éomer smiled and nodded as she made her way back to the camp. As she passed Éothain, she noted the strange look her sent her, but she didn't care and just walked back to the camp.
Éothain came down to Éomer. "What happened?"
Éomer gave him a strange look. "What do you mean? What are you doing here?"
"When I did not find you in the camp I became worried and..." Éothain gave his friend another strange look. "What are you doing down here? And what did the lady do here?"
Éomer smiled to himself. "We wished upon a star."
Éothain looked bewildered at him, but before he could ask anymore questions, Éomer was walking back to the camp.
The next day they rode north again. Éomer had decided to patrol the northern border, before turning back and keep a close eye on the western border. It was from the west Éomer feared they would be attacked.
Lothíriel was riding next to Déorl, Galrim and Helmling. Halmod had not yet settled with the idea of her being a woman, so he kept with some of the other men. This was of course annoying, but as Galrim had pointed out to her this morning; if he wanted to be a fool, then let him. She glanced ahead and saw Éomer riding next to Éothain. She wondered if he would have kissed her had they not been interrupted. She wanted to think he would have. She certainly wished so, but at the same time she was glad they had not kissed. That would only complicate things, and she did not need that right now.
She did not deny she was attracted to him, but was it anything else? Was it emotions involved, and in that case, did he feel the same for her? She did not know what she wanted to believe. She had a suitor back home. Talon was rich, young, prosperous, and even handsome. He was everything a pretty, little princess could ever dream of, but Lothíriel was not a pretty, little princess. Perhaps she did not know what she wanted, but she knew what she didn't want. And Talon was something she didn't want.
But did she want Éomer?
One thing was certain; her father would never allow her to wed a soldier of Rohan, nephew of the king or not.
As he had the night before, Éomer was still awake long into the night, watching the fire. Only this night different thoughts filled his head. He had been so incredibly close of kissing her. He would have done it had it not been for the fact that Éothain came at that precise moment. Liriel was attractive, but this was not the time to get involved with any woman. They were banished, they were on the open plains and they were surrounded with hundreds of men. No, it was not the time to get involved with any woman right now.
Éomer shook his head at himself. Liriel was not only attractive, she was beautiful. It was a lie to say she was not. But with beauty came mystery.
Éomer glanced over at her. She was sitting with two young soldiers and Helmling. She was wearing a blue cloak, one she apparently had taken with her from her home. Her dark hair was flowing down her back, her eyes was shining in the light of the fire. Never had Éomer seen hair as that. It was black as the night, but in the light of the moon he had noted how it sometimes appeared blue. Like the dark, almost black colour the sky sometimes had at night, when it was very cold outside, but without a cloud and you could see every star.
Her eyes did not appear only green in the light of the fire, but a mixture of green and a deep, blue colour. Had he ever seen the sea he would have said her eyes was a mixture of the green colour of the plains of Rohan and the blue colour of the sea.
Their eyes met across the camp, and for a long moment neither could draw their gaze away from each other. It was as if all sounds from the camp were tuned out, and no one was there except them. Lothíriel was the first to look another way, and Éomer stared into the flames again while he wondered what else fate had in mind for him.
Author's note: This time it won't be so long. I promise.
I changed my name from Leowyn11 to Lometari, since the first I had really sucks. It was just a name I came up with in two seconds, but I hated it form the beginning. Personally I like Lometari much better.
The song was another Nightwish song. I warned you, didn't I? That Nightwish is my favourite band and I may use their songs in my fanfics. I didn't? Well, now you're warned. I may use some Nightwish songs in my fanfics, all right?
Silawen, when you reviewed a previous chapter you told me about a site called Countries United, but it never appeared where it can be found. I'm pretty sure I know what site you are talking about. I was in there once, but now I don't seem to be able to find it again. (My damned computer is always making life hard for me!) Well, I was only wondering if you would bother to let me know where it was. I would be very grateful!
Hopefully, that was all I had to say this time. I hope to have another chapter ready soon. So just review and maybe you'll save my day when I check my e-mail at school.