What does a man say when a beautiful woman he has been wooing kidnaps him? Especially when said woman happens to be nothing less than a princess? Éomer King of Rohan was not more witting than any other man in his position would have been. So, at first when she announced her intentions, he laughed. Then he stared at her and wondered if it was a joke. But she kept rowing and still wore that smug smile on her face, and he realised it was not jest at all. She really was abducting him. At this realisation he really couldn't do anything else than to laugh some more and think of what his friends would say when they heard.

To the Void with all the disapproval and proper conduct of a king and whatever wrath Imrahil would have for him! Lothíriel was abducting him, and Éomer decided he was going to enjoy every minute of it. Oh, he had to have her.

"You should have seen your face just now, Lion. That alone is all the reward I need", Lothíriel said when Éomer was done chuckling and wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Really, min sæides. You never stop amazing me, will you?" he asked as he sought a more comfortable position on his seat. He had more or less forgotten about any discomfort when it came to the sea.

"Not if I can help it", she said cheerfully, but then she frowned slightly. "I did not think you would take this so well. I thought you'd demand me to row back instantly or something like that."

"You actually thought so?" he asked in amusement. "Really, you kidnapping me is probably the only way you could make my stay here even better than it already was. Clearly we were meant for each other!"

"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have to wrap up this abduction, Sire, and I suggest we concentrate on that for the moment", she commented. They were now gradually starting to get closer to the shore.

"Won't your father be cross with you, though?" Éomer asked.

"Probably, but I'll deal with that later. He'll know I'll take care of you", Lothíriel answered and did not seem too worried. Then, however, a slightly worried look came to her face, and she wondered out loud, "Do you think Éothain will be angry for me stealing you? He's your captain, after all."

"Oh, don't worry about him. I would imagine Éothain is the one to enjoy the joke more than most", Éomer said lightly, chuckling quietly as he imagined the older man's reaction. "He told me before he likes you, but after this you don't really need any other recommendation in his eyes. Nor in the eyes of any of my riders."

"Why is that?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows.

"Let me just say that the Rohirrim appreciate a sense of humour", he answered, grinning to himself.

"I'm glad to hear that. He ought to appreciate this joke anyway, because he's the one who gave me the idea in the first place", Lothíriel said.

"Éothain? How come?" Éomer wanted to know.

"I asked him to tell me about Rohirric customs of wedding and marriage. Éothain said it was not so uncommon in old times for the men of your people to steal their lady loves", she said and smiled brightly. "And I thought to myself: why can't a woman steal a man if she wants to? And so here you are in my boat, and my hostage."

"Glad to be so, my Princess", he said, hoping this was a good sign. Really, a Gondorian princess could not just abduct a man if she did not have intentions towards him? But then, it was Lothíriel. She was the mermaid, after all, and so far his experiences would imply her manners were not those of an ordinary princess... or even a woman. "Why did you ask Éothain about marriage, by the way? I could have told you anything you wished to know."

"Of course. But I needed an opinion from someone who can concentrate for five minutes without looking like he wants to kiss me senseless", Lothíriel said cheerfully.

"I thought you wanted me to kiss you senseless."

"Well, yes, but that's beside the point", she answered, sounding unconcerned.

"Hmph. If you continue that way, the roles in this abduction may yet be reversed", Éomer said and snorted.

"And ruin my perfect plan? Arrange your kidnappings in some other time and place, Sire, or I will drop you in the sea", Lothíriel said and gave him such an adorable pout that he wanted to do much more than just kiss her senseless. But he didn't tell her that.

It was not long after that they came to the shore. He helped her to pull the boat ashore so that it wouldn't float away. While she was securing the boat, he looked at her curiously and wondered out loud: "I thought you'd whisk me away in that boat of yours, all the way to West perhaps."

Lothíriel let out a small laugh.

"Oh, I would have done precisely that, but Father will probably have his ships looking for us in no time. Fast as this boat is, she's no match for some of the better vessels of my father's fleet", she said nonchalantly, sounding like she often planned abductions. "So we'll continue by land, and unless something has gone wrong, our horses should be nearby."

"Horses, my lady? Not to criticise you or anything, but it seems poor logic to me to first abduct a man of Rohan and then put him on a horse", Éomer observed, which made her smile.

"Are you planning to escape then, Sire?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, not at all. Just pointing that out for your convenience", he answered and shrugged. Lothíriel smiled yet again.

"Then everything is going exactly as I planned", said the Princess calmly. She lifted her eyebrows, "or would you rather have me put you in ropes and toss you into a prison cell?"

"I am at your mercy, am I not?" he asked back, trying not to give in to the urge to make a kind of crude joke about the idea of ropes and her in the same context. "Riding or cells – that is for you to decide, my lady."

"Indeed. And you would do well if you remembered that not all captivities are in ropes. You may be riding but you're still my hostage", she told him, smiling as she spoke.

It was strange to realise just how right she was in saying that, and he fell silent for a while as they started making their way along the beach. While they walked, he tried not to fall into his usual long stride which was normal for him but made men with shorter legs half run after him. Soon he could see the two horses waiting for them and he was more than just a little surprised to see his own Firefoot along with a steed he didn't recognise. How Firefoot had allowed someone to take him here, Éomer could not tell. Nonetheless he decided he and his stallion would soon have a long conversation about strange people and what a horse was wont to do when someone else than Éomer himself was trying to ride him.

"How did you arrange all this, if I may ask?" he inquired as he inspected Firefoot; the horse had been saddled and there was even a bedroll along with spare clothes and food, and his sword Gúthwinë. Well, aside from the unnerving fact that someone had gotten to his things, he was happy to be armed although he didn't think these shores of Dol Amroth were very dangerous. It was a second nature, and though the Great War had ended a year ago he still felt uncomfortable if he did not have something at his hand's reach he could use to defend himself.

"Amrothos helped me. His little illness before was just part of the plan – we needed a vessel and horses for our escape, after all. If you wonder how he came by your things... well, he can be extremely ingenious when it comes to mischief like this. Father often says if my brother used his energy on things of more serious nature, Dol Amroth would already rule the known world", Lothíriel said and grinned. "Still, I think he's outdone himself this time. And no wonder, considering how much he enjoyed the mere idea of me kidnapping you."

"Wasn't he worried your father would be angry at him for helping you?" asked the King, but she shrugged.

"Apparently the entertainment outweighs the scoldings", Lothíriel said. "And frankly, I agree with him. Now, if you would turn around. I need to change into something more suitable for riding. You should probably do so as well, unless you plan to ride in those clothes. Amrothos should have packed something for you."

Éomer did so and quickly found a shirt and a coat not unlike the one he usually wore under his armour. His breeches would do for the moment as it would have been very poor behaviour to change them on the front of her. Ever the efficient warrior, he quickly pulled on the more casual clothes and put away those he had worn before. He was happy to find that Amrothos had also packed his woollen Rohirric cloak, which provided more warmth and shelter than any Gondorian garment.

When he was done, Éomer turned to look towards the sea. He could still see Imrahil's yacht; from this distance, it looked like a beacon of golden light. He wondered if they had already noticed that the King of Rohan and the Prince's daughter were missing, but then decided not to dwell on that. There would be enough time for the repercussions later... unless the Princess had decided the two of them would elope or become bandits or something of the sort.

"I noticed your brother did not leave your horse for you to ride. Did he give you his own?" Éomer asked then, which Lothíriel answered with a snigger.

"Oh, it's Erchirion's steed. I imagine he will be very delighted when he finds out", she answered. "Don't worry for what my brother will think. It's not the first time I've stolen Erchirion's horse."

"And you call me a scoundrel?" Éomer asked, pretending shock. "If you're in the habit of stealing horses, I wonder if I really should bring you to Rohan."

"Lion, if you're going to keep the promise of giving me a Rohirric horse, I don't think I'll be stealing horses any time soon", said the Princess. "You can turn around now."

That he did, and he turned to see her now clothed in leggings, a blue tunic and a dark brown leather jerkin which she was still lacing up.

"Well, that was quick", he commented, trying not to stare at her shapely legs for too long.

"Oh, I already had the leggings under my skirts", Lothíriel answered and threw a cloak on her shoulders. "Let us get going then before the night grows old. I'd like to put some distance between ourselves and the city."

Éomer had been hoping for a chance for another ride with her, but with a proper horse under her. And it was just as pleasant as he had expected. Though her own horse left one for hoping, the Princess was not a bad rider at all – something of which he approved very much. She was able to keep up with Firefoot and her fine posture in the saddle made Éomer wonder just how many times she had stolen her brother's horse.

The night air was warm for late April and there was magic in riding under the stars and the moon. Sea on their left and land to their right, their horses carried them along the shoreline. A companionable silence had fallen between them and the only noises were that of the sea and laboured breathing of their horses. Every now and then, he would look at her: her dark hair flying in the wind and smiling to herself, she was a vision of dreams. And he did not know what he would do if she said no.

It was around midnight that they made their camp between some large rocks. Once he had seen to the horses, Éomer joined the Princess again. Lothíriel had found some driftwood and had started a fire, and he wasn't even surprised at this point to learn she'd have such skills. Their meal was meagre – it consisted of some bread and salted ham – but he found he wasn't too hungry anyway. Rather, he was too busy watching her to really think of food.

Apparently he stared at her too intently, for after a while she lifted her gaze and looked at him quizzically.

"Is something amiss with my face, Sire?" Lothíriel asked.

"No. I was just wondering", he said and took another bite of the ham.

"Wondering what?" she wanted to know.

"You. As much as I love you, sometimes I don't understand. One moment you're climbing into my chamber while I'm having a bath or abducting me, and next... you pull so far away, and I'm not sure how to reach you", he said slowly, studying her face as though he could read her mind too.

"I don't know what you mean", Lothíriel muttered, her voice elusive.

"Exactly that. What you're doing now", he said, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand. He narrowed his eyes, "It was some man, wasn't it? Someone hurt you and you're scared of trusting me because you think I might be just like him in the end."

Her eyes flashed and her mouth became a thin line. Éomer wondered if he had gone too far, but then he could not help but think: if they could not talk about this, then perhaps... no. He couldn't think like that. Not when it came to her. I need to give her time.

"I don't want to speak of it, Sire", she said quickly. "It doesn't matter. What's past should remain past."

"My Princess, I do not ask this because I want to hurt you", he said as gently as he could. "I just want to understand you better... and, if you will, comfort you."

Lothíriel lowered her eyes and her hair fell about her face so that he could not see it, though he desperately wanted to. He needed to know what was going in her mind, and especially if he had hurt her by starting this conversation.

"Please, don't ask me to speak of it", she said quietly and her voice was heavy with what he thought were tears. It nearly had Éomer panicking. The Princess continued, "Not yet, at least."

"Fine", he answered quietly, and he was not sure what more he should say.

She was very quiet after the exchange and it made him feel more than just little concerned he had unintentionally hurt her. However some time after they agreed to get some rest and he was on the brink of falling asleep, he was suddenly alerted by a small hand tugging at the edge of his cloak that he used as a blanket. Instantly he let her crawl close to share his warmth. When she was nestled safely in his arms, he knew all was well.


A/N: And here's an update! Hope you like it! The abduction is far from being done, so stay tuned.

Thanks for the comments!