Disclaimer: I own none of the characters Tolkien created.
Author's Note: Been a long time now, but here's the chapter. School's over and I'm probably gonna get a heat stroke before I manage to update next chapter. I've been busy with exams and moving and stuff so I haven't had much time for writing. But here it is. Read and review, guys.
Things Worth Fighting For
Chapter 17
No gates had been set up again, but a barrier was laid across the entrance to the City, and there stood men in arms in silver and black with long swords drawn. Before the barrier stood Faramir the Steward, and Húrin Warden of the Keys, and other captains of Gondor, and the Lady Éowyn of Rohan with Elfhelm the Marshal and many knights of the Mark, and also Princess Lothíriel of Dol Amroth stood there, awaiting the arrival of the captains of the West. And upon either side of the Gate was a great press of fair people in raiment of many colours and garlands of flowers.
There was a wide space before the walls of Minas Tirith, and it was hemmed in upon all sides by the knights and the soldiers of Gondor and of Rohan, and by the people of the City and of all parts of the land. A hush fell upon all as out from the host stepped the Dúnedain in silver and grey; and before them came walking slow the Lord Aragorn. With him were Éomer of Rohan, and the Prince Imrahil, and Gandalf robed all in white, and four small figures that many men marvelled to see.
But Princess Lothíriel only had eyes for one man, the man she loved more than anything in the world. He looked even more handsome than the last time she had seen him, if that was possible. She forced herself to look at the grown before anyone could see the tears that threatened to come.
Éomer tried hard not to look at her, but it was a battle he lost before it even started. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The thin blue gown she wore only made her look more magnificent. Again Éomer cursed himself for letting her go without fighting for her. But it was too late now, wasn't it? He had lost her, and there was nothing he could do to win her back.
Faramir and Húrin of the Keys came forth, and behind them walked four men in the high helms and armour of the Citadel, and they bore a great casket of black lebethron bound with silver.
Neither Éomer nor Lothíriel heard anything before Faramir spoke in a clear voice: "Men of Gondor, hear now the Steward of this Realm! Behold! one has come to claim the kingship again at last. Here is Aragorn son of Arathorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor, Captain of the Host of the West, bearer of the Star of the North, wielder of the Sword Reforged, victorious in battle, whose hands bring healing, the Elfstone, Elessar of the line of Valandil, Isildur's son, Elendil's son of Númenor. Shall he be king and enter into the City and dwell there?" And all the host and all the people cried yea in one voice.
And slowly they all made their way to the Citadel.
When all was ready the coronation of Aragorn started. Frodo came forward and bore the ancient crown of the king of Gondor and he gave it to Gandalf, and Gandalf set the White Crown upon Aragorn's head and said: "Now comes the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!"
Aragorn arose and all that beheld him gazed in silence, for it seemed to them that he was revealed to them now for the first time. Tall as the sea-kings of old, he stood above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet in flower of manhood; and wisdom sat upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was about him.
And King Elessar looked at his people and said the words that Elendil spoke when he came up out of the Sea on the wings of the wind: "Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta!"
And then Faramir cried: "Behold the King!"
And in that moment all the trumpets were blown, and all the people were happy. But for some true happiness had not yet come, and both Éomer and Lothíriel believed they would live their lives without the person they loved.
In the following days of his crowning the King sat upon his throne in the Hall of the Kings and pronounced his judgements. And embassies came from many lands and peoples, from the East and the South, and from the borders of Mirkwood, and from Dunland in the west. And the King pardoned the Easterlings that had given themselves up, and sent them away free, and he made peace with the peoples of Harad; and the slaves of Mordor he released and gave them all the lands about Lake Núrnen to be their own.
Lothíriel sat most of the time unnoticed near the window, which suited her fine. It gave her an opportunity to observe the peoples the King greeted, and it also gave her something to occupy her mind with. She was there when King Elessar gave her cousin Ithilien to be his princedom, and only then she rose from her seat and congratulated Faramir, and again Faramir saw how his cousin had changed and he was both wondered and concerned about it.
And last of all Aragorn greeted Éomer of Rohan, and they embraced. "Between us there can be no word of giving or taking, nor of reward; for we are brethren. In happy hour did Eorl ride from the North, and never has any league of peoples been more blessed, so that neither has ever failed the other, nor shall fail," Aragorn said. "Now, as you know, we have laid Théoden the Renowned in a tomb in the Hallows, and there he shall lie for ever among the Kings of Gondor, if you will. Or if you desire it, we will come to Rohan and bring him back to rest with his own people."
"Since the day when you rose before me out of the green grass of the downs I have loved you, and that love shall not fail. But now I must depart for a while to my own realm, where there is much to heal and set in order. But for the Fallen, when all is made ready we will return for him; but here let him sleep a while," Éomer said.
And Lothíriel observed the exchange between the two kings. She knew Éomer had much to do in Rohan, and she wished she could go with him and help him. But what her heart desired she could never have and this was the last she saw of her beloved for some time.
Éowyn had observed her brother since they left Minas Tirith and she knew something was wrong. Many hours he spent in their Uncle's old study, his study, and all he did after their return was to work. One morning as the two of them were having their morning meal, Éowyn studied her brother. He looked thoughtful and hardly touched his food. His lack of apatite was something she had noticed the first night after they had left Gondor, but she had chosen to put her worry aside, telling herself that her brother was a grown man who could look after himself.
His eating habits were not the only things that had changed. He was more silent, had withdrawn into himself. She had noticed him staring into nothing, as if studying a very interesting part of the wall or the floor. He also spent less and less time in the stables, only exercising Firefoot for a short time every day. She also wondered if he was getting enough sleep.
"You look tired," she commented.
"Being king is enough to make any man tired," her brother replied, not looking up.
Éowyn frowned. "That cannot be everything," she said. "Something is troubling you."
Éomer looked at her. "I assure you, nothing is wrong."
Éowyn looked at him. "I don't believe you. Something is troubling you and I want you to tell me what it is." He looked back at her, but said nothing. Éowyn shook her head in frustration. "Awiergan ge, Éomer, ge will asegan me!"
"There is nothing to tell," Éomer said flatly. He could not tell her. He could tell no one. "It will not be long until I must return to Minas Tirith," he said, changing the subject. "I wish for you to remain here and make sure all is prepared."
She did not need to think about her decision. As much as she wanted to see Faramir again, she had a duty to her country, her brother and to her uncle. "I will remain."
Éomer nodded, looking down at his untouched plate. "I am sure he will accompany Aragorn here for the funeral."
"Who?" Éowyn looked at him questionably, not sure what he was talking about.
Éomer looked at her, a brow raised and giving her a rare smile. "What? Do you think I am blind, Éowyn?"
Éowyn looked at her brother, not understanding what he was talking about. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Is it not the new Steward of Gondor who has kept you so distraught since our departure from Minas Tirith?" Éomer asked, still smiling.
Éowyn gaped at him. How does he know? She had not mentioned Faramir, partly because their uncle's upcoming funeral and Éomer's crowning, and partly because of her worry for her brother and that she had now idea how he would react when she told him.
"I cannot believe I actually lived to see my sister speechless," Éomer chuckled.
"When did you find out?" she asked, ignoring his teasing.
"I told you, sister, I am not blind."
"I suppose not, but how did you find out? We did not tell anyone you might have spoken to about us."
"You underestimate me, Éowyn," Éomer said. "I have never seen you as happy as I saw you when I returned from the Black Gate. I saw how you looked at him, how he looked at you. I want you to know that whatever choice you make, I will be happy for you."
At first Éowyn did not know what to say, then she smiled, rose form her chair and embraced her brother. "You are the best brother I could ever have, Éomer."
It was a few weeks since Lord Elrond had come to Minas Tirith and with him was his daughter, Arwen Undómiel, the bride of King Elessar. It was with mixed emotions Lord Elrond had given Aragorn permission to marry his daughter. He knew they belonged together. The love they had was the same he shared with his wife, Celebrían. He was happy they had found each other, happy that his beloved daughter had found someone she loved as much as Elrond himself loved his wife, Arwen's mother. And he had raised Aragorn and loved him like a son. But no matter how happy he was for them, he was sad that he had to let his daughter remain in Middle-earth, for she had chosen to stay with Aragorn. She had chosen a mortal life.
The wedding was the next day, and people came from all parts of Gondor to see the great event, and to see their future queen.
A messenger had come from Éomer of Rohan, regretting he could not attend the event, but too many matters in his own country needed his attention before he could return to the White City.
Lothíriel was glad he could not come. She wanted to see him again, but she needed time to find out what she was going to do. She needed to talk to someone about Éomer. And she knew who she was going to talk to, but that would have to wait. It had to wait until there were not so many people around.
She looked to her right and noticed how Elphir could barely stand still. He was switching his weight from one foot to the other and then back again. He seemed to be unable to decide what to do with his hands, and Lothíriel also noticed how his eyes scanned the people coming towards them. She put a hand on his arm. "You should relax, brother."
He gave her a sidewise glance through the corner of his eye. "Relax? What makes you think I'm not relaxed?" She gave him a look that clearly said what she thought. "All right, but it's just been so long, Liriel… I haven't seen them for months."
She smiled. "Look."
The company from Dol Amroth approached, lead by Lady Mariel. Elphir's eyes lit up as he saw her. He could not stand still any longer. Before anyone realised what was happening he ran towards them and took her horse by its reins and looked up at her. Then without a word she let him help her down and he did not let her go when he first had her in his arms.
Imrahil smiled as his son greeted his wife. He knew all too well how it was to be separated from your family because of war. It was perhaps not correct protocol for a prince to greet his wife like that in public, in front of the King of Gondor and his future queen and some Elves, a Dwarf and some Hobbits, but how could Imrahil fault him? It was nothing wrong to miss ones wife and be happy to see her again after a long time of separation.
But although Imrahil was not shocked by his son's behaviour, Amrothos and Erchirion could not believe what they were seeing. They were simply shocked to see their brother not following the proper protocol for once, and instead of waiting for the company he ran ahead and met them, and in addition kissed his wife in front of the King of Gondor!
"Did he just..?" Erchirion asked.
"Yes," Amrothos nodded.
"And he's now…"
"Yes," Amrothos continued to nod, knowing what his brother was trying to say.
"Is this a..?"
"A nightmare?" Amrothos asked when Erchirion did not seem to find out what to say. "Yes."
"This is unbelievable!" Erchirion exclaimed. "This is our brother, Amrothos. Or at least what looks like Elphir. The Elphir I grew up with would never do anything like this. Serious Elphir would never kiss his wife in front of all the nobility of Gondor! Something is wrong, Amrothos. Someone has kidnapped our Elphir and replaced him with that one!" He pointed at his older brother.
Amrothos nodded, looking seriously at Erchirion. "You are right, brother. He must have been kidnapped last night, for I remember Elphir telling me yesterday that I behaved like an Orc with an ear infection and that I had no idea what protocol was. Since he is now breaking protocol it cannot be the same person."
"Our Elphir was always very strict when it came to proper protocol," Erchirion said.
"He was," Amrothos agreed. "Should we send people to search for our lost brother?"
"Why? I like this Elphir much better," Erchirion said.
"Erchirion, Amrothos," Lothíriel glared at them. "Na dínen. You behave like children."
The two princes looked at each other, then at their sister, a similar expression of confusion clouding their features.
"What?" Erchirion asked. She ignored them, looking at Elphir and his wife. "What did we do?" Amrothos shrugged.
Lothíriel smiled as Elphir took his son in his arms and led his family over to them. Behind Mariel was Valinea, who had dismounted and followed them towards the waiting royalty. She saw Amrothos standing next to Erchirion. The youngest prince of Dol Amroth was even more handsome than she remembered. But when she saw who was standing on the other side of Erchirion her brown eyes widened in shock. Next to Erchirion was the friend she had last seen riding away from Dol Amroth. Yet as much as she wanted to run up to Lothíriel she followed Mariel and Elphir over to the new king of Gondor.
Lothíriel smiled as she saw the shocked expression on Valinea's face, though her smile quickly faded once she saw the man behind her friend. Talon… She wanted to disappear, but realized she couldn't move. His eyes found her and at first he looked surprised, but then his expression changed and he smiled.
She looked away, not wanting to see him and she certainly did not want him to see how uncomfortable he made her. But the way he smiled made her think he already knew. She dreaded the moment she would have to face him. It was hard enough to simply see him. She thought of Éomer. His smile, his eyes, his touch… the first time she saw him in Aldburg. She remembered how he made her feel simply by looking at her. Had she truly lost him with her lies and deception? She had never meant for things to turn out this way. She wanted above all else to marry Éomer and be with him until the day she died, but could her dream ever come true? Talon was ever in her dark thoughts, threatening to destroy her life. He had already come between her and Éomer, even though he did not know Éomer existed. No one knew about her and the king of Rohan, except Galrim, Helmling, Halmod and Éothain. She knew they would never say anything about the subject, and she trusted each man with her life, as she knew Éomer did.
But seeing Talon again only made Lothíriel more certain that she would never be truly happy again. She was still bound to him by the marriage contract her father had signed, thus sealing her fate. But she would not give Talon the satisfaction of seeing her weakness. She would be strong, cold and unfeeling. She would fight. If she could not be Éomer's wife, she would be no man's wife.
After showing the proper respect to King Elessar, Valinea hurried over to Lothíriel and embraced her. "Nae saian luume', Liriel," Val whispered.
Lothíriel nodded. "It has… I have missed you, Val."
"I have missed you too. I never thought I would see you again," Val said. She looked into her eyes. "Where have you been?"
"Not now," Lothíriel answered. "Later."
Then Talon approached. The smile on his face made Val shudder. "Princess Lothíriel, what a pleasure to see you again," he said pleasantly. "We feared for you. We were certain something terrible had befallen you, so far from home and all alone in the wilderness."
Valinea looked at Lothíriel with concern, but the princess looked calmly at Talon, her eyes cold and unreadable. "Lord Talon, your worries and fear for my well being is not necessary. I am quite capable of taking care of myself." The politeness in her voice was forced, and even Talon noticed that. But then again his politeness was no less forced than hers.
He smiled pleasantly. "I am so happy you have returned safely, Princess. Once we are wed, you will never have to fear for your own safety again."
Lothíriel gave a short laugh. "Oh, I assure you, Lord Talon, I never once feared for my safety since I left Dol Amroth."
"And was there anything in Dol Amroth, my lady, which made you fear for your safety?" Talon asked.
"I never feared for my safety, Lord Talon." Only my freedom, she added silently to herself. She looked around. "Well, it seems like all guests have arrived," she stated as she saw that the King had summoned servants to see that his guests were shown to their chambers. "I will now show my friend to her chambers." She took Valinea's hand in hers and turned to leave.
"Is that not a job for the servants, my lady?" Talon asked, quite aware of the fact that the Princess and Lady Valinea were close friends, and that it would be a perfect opportunity to get away from him. Whatever the game she played, Talon knew that Princess Lothíriel's dislike for him had not diminished.
"Perhaps it is," Lothíriel replied, not looking at him as she and Val left.
Talon looked after them, his brow furrowed. This was not what he had expected when he saw the Princess again. He had expected to find the same child as the one who had run away from Dol Amroth all those months ago. But it seemed like the little spoiled princess had grown into a woman. A woman in appearance she had been last he saw her, but now her demeanour seemed more mature. She was no longer the passionate and spirited princess he remembered, but in her place was a woman who hid her emotions as she hid the true meaning of her words. In truth Talon had no idea what the Princess' intentions were. Would she wed him without a fight?
But what had changed in the Princess did not matter. He would still wed her and he would have his way with her, something he had looked forward to since he first met the Princess. And nothing would stand in his way, or in the way of what he had planned. With a pleased smile Talon nodded to the servant who had waited for him to agree to be shown to his room.
"You have to tell me everything," Val said the second the door closed behind them.
Lothíriel sighed, thinking back at her encounter with Talon. She would not let him see her weak.
"Liriel, what is going on?" Val asked as she sat down on the bed. "You seem so different. Just the way you behaved when Talon came over… the Lothíriel I remember would have threatened to kill him."
Lothíriel raised a brow. "I would, wouldn't I?"
Val shook her head. "And what is that supposed to mean?" She took a deep breath. "It's not that I don't approve of the way you behaved. In fact you behaved more like a princess than you did even before your… you know."
"Before my mother's death," Lothíriel silently said.
Val nodded. "And I'm sure she would approve of how you handled that situation. Your father too, had it not been for the fact that he like Talon and wants him to marry you."
"You don't think Ada would like anyone else as his son-in-law?" Lothíriel asked, not looking at her friend.
Val shrugged. "Talon has your father around his little finger. I am not sure what lies he has told or how he has managed to fool your father and the rest of the court, but I know I would be happier if you married anyone but Talon."
Lothíriel smiled sadly. "But how will I get out of the marriage contract with Talon?"
"A problem I have not yet found the solution to, but I am working on it," Val said. "But should we not just find a man your father would like better than Talon?" She asked with a smile.
Lothíriel went over to the window, and Val noticed her expression.
"What is it?" Val asked concerned. "Liriel, what's wrong?"
Lothíriel shook her head. "Nothing, it's just…" she took a deep breath before she turned at Val again. "When I ran away from home I eventually made it to Rohan. I came to a fortress, Aldburg and…" she smiled at her friend.
"What?" Val asked.
"I became a rider."
"What do you mean you became a rider?"
"I dressed as a boy and became a rider in the éored under the command of the Third Marshal of the Mark," Lothíriel said.
Valinea was confused. "You mean you became a soldier?" Lothíriel nodded as her smile faded. "What is it?" Val asked.
"The Marshal… I met him when I first came to Aldburg." Lothíriel sat down on the bed with a sigh. "His name is Éomer, son of Éomund and when I met him he was the Third Marshal of the Mark, and his responsibility was the Eastmark."
"You speak of him as past," Valinea noted.
"In a way he is my past. I cannot see him in my future as things are developing now," the Princess whispered. She was looking at the floor. "I later learned he was King Théoden's nephew. He is the most amazing man I have ever met. He is a warrior and a leader, yet at times he can be so caring and gentle."
"Is he handsome?" Val could not resist asking.
Lothíriel nodded. "Very. He is the tallest man I have ever seen. He has long hair that fall in blonde waves down his shoulders. In a way you cannot determine what colour his eyes are. They are dark and can be very intense."
"What happened?" Val asked quietly, taking a seat on the bed next to Lothíriel and taking her hands in her own.
Lothíriel let a single tear fall down her face as she started telling Valinea the story of what happened to her after she came to Aldburg and met Éomer, son of Éomund.
"This is excellent wine, my lord," Lord Talon said with a smile, looking at his future father-in-law.
Imrahil nodded. "I am concerned for my daughter, Talon, as I am sure you understand."
"Of course you are, my lord. Who knows what she was exposed to all those months she was on her own. A miracle she survived," Talon said. "You did a fine job raising her."
Imrahil ignore the compliment. "She needs her freedom, Talon. Without her freedom I fear she will wither and die. She is like the sea, wild and beautiful. I will not have my daughter any other way. If her freedom is taken away from her she will become motionless, like the sea after a storm. She needs to be who she is, and have the freedom to make her own choices. Her mother and I raised her to be independent, although I admit it may have something to do with the fact that she is so stubborn now."
Talon smiled, gesturing that he understood what Imrahil was trying to tell him. "You need not fear for your daughter's freedom, Prince Imrahil. It would be wrong to try to change her to a demure wife once we're wed, and I assure you that is not my intention. I must admit I fell in love with her the day I first saw her, and why would I want to change that? I assure you, my lord, you will never have to fear that Princess Lothíriel will be unhappy in her marriage. My purpose in life is to make her happy and to care for her and our children. Protect her without making her feel she cannot protect herself. If she desired the moon I would give it to her if I could. I would never do anything to make her unhappy."
Imrahil smiled. Talon's words had obviously calmed him. "That is all I can ask. My daughter is very important to me. My sons are too, of course, but a father is more protective of a daughter."
Valinea felt tears falling from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. "I'll kill Talon before I let you marry him."
Lothíriel smiled sadly. "You are a good friend, Val. I could never let you kill anyone for me."
"But I would," Val said. "To save you from more pain I would."
"I know. And you know I would do the same for you," Lothíriel said.
"What about Éomer?" Valinea asked.
"I would do anything for him, Val," Lothíriel said. "But I fear it is too late. Everything is too late. I lied too him. I never told him who I am, that I am to be married against my will and that…"
"You truly love him," Val stated.
"I do. I may have told him I love him, but I never told him how much."
"But are words necessary?" Val asked, taking Lothíriel's hand in her own. "They should not be. You rode to war with him because you could not bear to be parted from him. If that is not enough to show him how much you love him I do not know what is. He knows, Lothíriel."
"I hope you are right. But I am still bound to Talon by the contract. I don't know what to do." She wanted to be with Éomer, but dared not hope it would happen. She only hoped he would one day know exactly how much she loved him.
"You will not marry Talon," Valinea promised. "I will not allow it." But how she would keep her promise she did not know.
Translations:
Awergian ge, Éomer, ge will asecgan me – Damn you, Éomer, you will tell me
Na dínen – Be silent
Nae saian luume', Liriel – It has been too long, Liriel
Starnat: Yes, they need help. I'll just torture them a bit first. But now Lothíriel has Valinea to help her. Well, thanks for reviewing.
Lady scribe of avandell: Dratted Talon is back, as you can see. Great ending on your story, btw. Hope I won't use so long time to get the next chapter up. Thanks for the review.
Skinnyrita: Éowyn don't have to knock some sense into her brother just yet. Maybe I'll leave that to Valinea. Well, glad you liked the songs on the last chapter. I love Nightwish. In my opinion they're the best band in the entire universe. Well, enough about my music taste. Glad you reviewed. Thanks.
Haldir's Heart and Soul: How you missed 3 updates? I have no idea. But do you really want Lothíriel's brothers to beat up Éomer? Can't they just beat up Talon instead? Tanks for the review.
Allie: well, thanks for thinking my story has potential, but as for my grammar… well, I'm not perfect, and my English skills certainly aren't. But I'm from Norway, so English is not my 1st language. As for getting a beta reader… we'll see about that. I think lady scribe of avandell offered once, but in all my wisdom I forgot all about that. But thank you for reviewing.
LothirielofGondor: Thanks for a great review. Hopefully this chapter kept you on the edge of you seat as well.
Georgeharrison1: Yes, Faramir and Éowyn are very cute. There's not much of them in this story, but there's still a few things I have plans to write… Thank you so much for the review.