When Avery found him, Éomer was in the library. She was slow in approaching. Éomer heard her timid steps long before she entered the room. "Yes?" he asked her even though he surmised that Lothíriel had sent her.

"My Lady bid me to find you and aid you to find that which you seek." Avery spoke forcefully at first but her voice grew quiet as she went on.

Éomer looked over at her, but she refused to meet his gaze. "Are you afraid of me, Avery?"

"No, King of Rohan, though the stories paint you as terrifying, in person you are not frightening." Avery spoke with a little more bravery. "But I am curious why Lothíriel sent me to you. What can I help you find?"

"I am looking for person who poisoned Lady Lothíriel and she sent you because your knowledge of the city and castle recommended you."

Avery shook her head. "There are others who know the castle better and anyone who lives in the city would know better than I."

"Is there anyone who knows as much as you do about the castle and the city?" Éomer asked genuinely interested in hearing if there was a more qualified guide. After a long pause, Avery spoke her head. "Alright then who of the staff would have access to the Princess's wine?"

"Before or after it was poured?" Avery was quick to understand the situation.

Éomer tapped his fingers on the table. "Anyone with access to her glass specifically. Lothíriel was the only one affected."

"Unfortunately any of the kitchen staff. It's a very unique goblet and everyone knows who it's for."

"I need you to compile a list of anyone had access to the kitchen and that cup. And make a second list of anyone you know from the first list that is for certain loyal to the king and Lothíriel."

Avery nodded. "Will that be all, sire?"

"Thank you, for now, yes, Avery." He dismissed with a wave.

But she paused before leaving and asked, "Why are you helping, my lady?"

Éomer glanced at her and frowned. "Because she asked." He gave the maid what seemed like the simplest answer, but found her eyes questioning him even as she departed. And she had every right. Why had Lothíriel asked him? He wasn't from Gondor. For all she knew he could have been the poisoner. And yet she'd asked him after considering her own family and the king.

~x~

"Yes, that one," Lothíriel nodded and Éomer moved the piece across the board. Every evening he came to give her any information he'd gathered. To avoid questions they play a game. Each day she grew weaker, her skin was ashen. It had been five days. This evening Lothíriel was too tired to even move her pawns.

"The royal goblets were kept separate under lock and key. The wine master said they were only out of his sight after the wine was poured," Éomer told her as he took his move.

She nodded again her eyes closed. "So one of the staff took the glasses from the kitchen up to banquet room slipped the poison."

Éomer moved one of her pieces. "Or the wine master is lying?"

"You said he was on the list of those loyal to the king." She smiled at him. "And I assume you confirmed his story."

Éomer smiled and moved another of his pieces. The princess was more intelligent than he gave her credit for. "I spoke with several of the servers. They all confirm that the wine master only took the goblets out to clean them and pour the wine. He gave me the names of the two servers that took the drinks up.

"Neither was on the list of those known to be loyal, but both handle the glasses in plain sight of others." Her eyes remained closed, but leaned her head closer to him, which he took to mean she was listening. "They were chatting the entire time and nothing seemed suspicious. Except after they left another server adjusted the drinks."

Lothíriel opened her eyes a crack. "Did you happen to find out who?"

"The stories didn't quite align. The description was similar, but it could have been one of a dozen servers. We haven't had a chance to speak with them all."

"We?" Lothíriel asked her lids falling shut again.

"Avery has been a great help. She can ask questions with arising suspicion or fear."

Lothíriel chuckled. "You are scary." She opened her eyes at his frown. "Well, not as much as you imagine yourself." She smiled and sighed as she leaned into her pillows. "So you'll question the rest on the morrow?"

"Yes, we should have the answer before tomorrow's game." Éomer nodded to the board at his side.

Lothíriel glanced over. "We may have to finish this one tomorrow. I'm afraid I can't play any longer."

"I shouldn't have kept you up this long." He was surprise no brothers, cousins or fathers had come to escort him out. Moving the game table, he turned back to bid her good night. But her breathing had already slowed.

As he headed back to the castle, footstep fell in line with his. "Short game tonight?" Imrahil commented as they walked the corridor together. Éomer nodded. "How bad is she?"

Éomer paused for a moment. "She's tired."

Imrahil nodded. "She's my only daughter," the older man whispered to himself. But there were no words for a response to that. Éomer placed a hand on Imrahil's shoulder. Imrahil placed a hand on Éomer's arm, silently thanking him.

~x~

"She's still warm," Avery told him. Her hands were shaking. Éomer watched her carefully. He wanted to shake the information out of her, but he waited for her to finish the story. He had been steadily ignoring for the passed several days the ashen color of Lothíriel's skin. "They don't know if she'll ever wake up."

He stayed quiet letting her worry herself out. "They'll come for you when she wakes."

"You're oddly optimistic for a warrior." Avery told him as she took a deep breath. She sat down at the table across from him, "We have to find who poisoned the princess. If she dies…" Avery took a shaky breath.

Éomer didn't know what to say to Lothíriel's maid. Instead he ran his hand over the servant list again. The ink on the page was beginning to fade. "It isn't any of the servants. But it was definitely a woman, who posed as a server."

"To gain access to the wine," Avery added. "But who would hate Lothíriel so? I know there are those that harbor anger towards her family, but murder? I cannot believe anyone would go to such lengths to harm her."

Nodding Éomer remembered Lothíriel's fear. "The princess wanted to know if the poison was meant for her or for Queen Arwen. With all this," he gestured frustratingly at the paper in front of him. "I'm inclined to believe that the Queen was the intended target."

Avery handed over a list. "These are all the women with access to the castle that fit the description of the server. There are dozens of names, even if we remove those loyal to the king."

Éomer frowned thinking. "We've been thinking about this wrong. This poison is steeped in myth. Even the poison that masked it was complex. Who would have such knowledge and the tools to create it?"

"The healers?" Avery asked.

"Knowledge meant to be used for good, used for ill." Éomer huffed. He remembered the night he carried Lothíriel to the Houses of Healing. Standing he strode out of the room with purpose. Avery followed behind him. Steadily his feet brought him to Lothíriel's side. Her family was whispering somberly with the warden.

Kneeling by her said, Éomer told Lothíriel, "You saved the queen. This fate wasn't meant for you. We know who did it." Lothíriel didn't move. If Éomer didn't know better, he could easily believe that life had left her. But as Avery had said she was still warm. The poison had not yet won. Standing Éomer headed for Imrahil. The prince of Dol Amroth faced him a question written on his features.

"A word," Éomer more commanded than asked. Lothíriel wanted her family kept out of the investigation when she was unsure of the intended target. Imrahil followed Éomer a few steps before slowing the young king with a hand on the arm.

"What do you know?" the older man searched the king's gaze. "What have you discovered?"

Éomer nodded. "Your daughter charged me with discovering who poisoned the queen's wine. And who they meant to poison." Pausing for a moment Éomer waited for Imrahil to absorb what he was saying. "The intended target was not your daughter. She was an unfortunate cost in an attempt to poison the queen. And the only people with access to the poisons ingredients are here in the Houses of Healing. We know it was a woman, dark hair. I believe it is the warden's assistant she was here that night when the warden treated Lothíriel. She had no compliments for the queen."

Nodding Imrahil motioned to his eldest son. "Call the king and the war council. We have a complication."

.-x-.

This one is a little short. Sorry about that.