Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leigh and Rose.
When the ships were finally docked successfully, Imrahil and Elphir extended their arms to Rose and me, which we willingly took. As gracefully as we could, we descended the slippery gangplank, and if I slipped once or twice, Elphir was practiced enough to not let me fall.
We reached the stone dock, then dry land, and I could have sworn Rose looked like she wanted to kiss the ground. I smothered a smile, remembering her difficulty with the sea voyage.
As we approached the end of the pier, I could see a well dressed party waiting for us, led by a poised and proud young woman with jet black hair and eyes a kind of vivid blue I'd never seen before. She didn't hold a candle to Queen Arwen, but she was a gloriously beautiful lady, hearkening to women like Vivien Leigh or Elizabeth Taylor. She was probably around 5'8 or so, but built like a ballerina, and just as graceful as she glided towards us.
Even dressed like the dignitary I had become, I felt hulking and plain in comparison.
If Rose shared any of my insecure thoughts, she didn't show it. The Steward's Lady carried herself with the proud dignity of a queen, and nodded her greeting as the other woman curtsied deeply to her.
It occurred to me, suddenly, that this determined, spunky 18 year old outranked everyone here.
"Princess Lothiriel of Dol Amroth, you are known to the Stewards' House," Rose said formally, pitching her voice to carry. I wondered idly if she had learned that trick from her husband.
"My Lady Steward," the princess said, still crouched in curtsey, "the House of Dol Amroth opens its doors and hospitality to you and yours."
Rose grasped the woman's arm and raised her, and Lothiriel must have seen Rose's innate kindness in her eyes, because the princess relaxed considerably. Rose just seemed to have that effect on people. "It is an honor, my lady," the princess said, smiling.
"The honor is mine. But let's not waste time on superfluous ceremony, when I know it's not me you want to see," Rose said, smiling kindly. Clearly needing no further encouragement, Lothiriel launched herself at her father and brothers, who were standing behind us.
"I am so glad you are home! We were all so worried!"
"We sent letters," Imrahil pointed out with a chuckle as he embraced his daughter.
"Tis not the same, as well you know," she said. "But you are weary with travel, and I am sure the men wish to return to their families. Come. Let us go now to the keep."
She's certainly imperious, I thought as we all followed Lothiriel up to the great castle. Rose and Imrahil walked beside her, and the three chatted amiably in front of us. I hung back, though, unsure of my place.
When asked, Rose and I simply told people that I was her cousin, a princess from someplace called America, and since they had never heard of the place, no one could argue. Very few people knew we had come from a different time entirely, and we had unanimously agreed to keep it that way. The lie gave me power and protection in a way that simply being the Steward's sort-of in-law didn't.
I was still learning medieval protocol, however, and tended to err on the side of caution whenever I was unsure. In this case, it meant I found myself walking with Amrothos.
"Your city is beautiful," I said pleasantly, lacking anything better to say.
He grinned down at me, his black hair gleaming in the sunlight. "Dol Amroth has often been called the fairest city in Gondor," he said. "Yet it is not fairer than the fire-haired maiden walking with me."
I smiled and rolled my eyes when he winked at me. "The girls must absolutely love you," I commented, shaking my head.
He shrugged with a cocky smile. "I have heard no complaints."
"Except from fathers and brothers," interjected Erchirion as he came to walk on my other side.
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," I said dryly. "But what about you, Erchirion? Are you often chased by angry fathers?"
Amrothos snorted."Yes, Erchirion, do tell us," he baited. I raised an eyebrow at his tone and turned to his brother, who looked unabashed.
Erchirion shrugged. "I am far more discreet about it than this –"
"Erchirion!" Elphir's bark made me jump. "Boys, this is not proper conversation with a lady present," he said from behind us.
I smothered a laugh at the guilty looks on my two companions' faces. For all they were near thirty, they looked like children caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
I enjoyed watching their discomfort, but I let them off the hook after a moment. "Tell me about your sister," I supplied. "Lothiriel is very beautiful."
"Yeah, she is a piece of work," Amrothos said dryly, earning a warning look from Elphir.
"What my brother means to say is that our sister…" Elphir hesitated.
"She's pigheaded, but we love her," Erchirion finished simply. I gave a bark of laughter, drawing a questioning smile from Rose ahead of us. I grinned and discreetly flapped my hand at her.
"Well, she is a princess of Dol Amroth. From what I've seen, strong personalities run in the family," I said drolly.
As we were speaking, we had reached the great palace of Dol Amroth, and entered now into a massive hall with vaulted ceilings, far higher than anything in Minas tirith. I belatedly knew this was to keep it cool in the summer, as heat rose. It was a common architectural factor in areas with warm climates, and a pang of homesickness swept over me as I remembered the houses in Savannah and New Orleans had a similar structure. Rose's gaze met mine briefly, and I saw my own longing reflected there.
"Our home is open to you," Lothiriel said, "but I'm sure you ladies would prefer baths after your long voyage." She smiled knowingly when Rose and I nodded, trying to remain dignified. When at sea, your options of bathing were either the ocean, or no bath at all. "Allow me to show you to your rooms."
Prince Imrahil and his sons left us then, probably longing for baths of their own, and then it was just Rose and I following the lady of the house as she led us to our rooms. After traveling through a veritable labyrinth of hallways, we arrived at Rose's quarters, which were located next to mine. My companion gasped quietly as we entered.
The drawing room was large and open, with open doors on either side leading to a bedroom and an office. But what struck you first upon entering was the view. The entire far wall consisted only of enormous French doors opening onto a balcony that overlooked the harbor and the vast expanse of sea beyond.
"Well, this certainly makes up for the sea sickness," Rose commented as she took in the view. Lothiriel smiled, clearly pleased.
"I am pleased that you like it," she said proudly as we ventured onto the balcony. "Dol Amroth's true treasures do not lie in her pearls or her ships."
"I must agree," Rose said, seeming unable to tear her eyes from the view.
Lothiriel smiled again. "Lady Leigh's rooms are right next door, as I thought you would prefer to be together. Maids have been assigned to you both and will be up shortly to unpack your things." She paused. "Feel free to roam the castle, but please do not venture onto the beach without an escort, as it can be quite treacherous if you are unfamiliar with the area."
I nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Lady Lothiriel."
She inclined her head regally, every bit the princess. "My father and one of my brothers will collect you in a few hours for the feast. I have a few things to attend to, so I shall leave you now to enjoy your quarters." With a low curtsey, she left. Rose watched her leave with a contemplative look on her face.
"What aren't you telling me," I asked, eyes narrowed speculatively. She eyed me for a moment, as if trying to decide something. Reaching a decision, she turned back to the ocean.
"Lothiriel is the reason you can't have Eomer," she said simply, not looking at me.
"I don't understand. I—" I frowned as realization slapped me in the face. "Oh."
"Tolkien never said how they met, only that Eomer and Imrahil became close friends after the Battle of the Black Gates, a fact that I can personally attest to, since I was there. Sometime next year, Lothiriel will become the Queen of Rohan, and she will bear Eomer a son named Elfwine."
I didn't react. There were too many conflicting emotions running through me for me to pick any particular one. I had no real interest in the King of Rohan and considered him a close friend. I mean, I was warm for his form, to put it crudely, but I had zero desire to be a queen.
But surely this girl was too young for him. She was so young! Yet so was Rose, and she was married to the Steward, who was older even than Eomer.
But Eomer was my friend, and I did have his best interests at heart. I wanted him to be happy, right? I doubted very much that some 21 year old princess could make my 32 year old warrior king happy, but that wasn't my business. All this possessiveness was just because he was my friend. That's all.
"That's none of my business," I said firmly, earning me a speculative look from Rose. "I have no interest in Eomer. He's just a friend."
Rose shrugged, clearly not convinced, but dropped it and changed the subject. "So, I know you are from Georgia, but where specifically are you from?"
Before now, I'd been too homesick to speak about it with her, and Rose had always let it go. Now, though, I latched onto the topic change gratefully. "My family has been in Savannah for generations, and actually was one of the first to settle it, so I grew up there. I moved to New Orleans for work though. That's where I was living when…well, this happened." I gestured to encompass everything.
"How did you get into physics," she asked curiously.
I shrugged. "Both my parents are well known scientists in their fields. It was always expected that their only child would be a scientist, but I wanted to do my own thing. Since my parents were biologists, I rebelled and chose theoretical physics."
She raised her eyebrows and held up her hands in sarcastic defense. "Whoa, easy there, wild child. Next thing you know, you're going to show your ankles at dances and paint the town beige."
I laughed. "Yeah, yeah. But for our family, it was quite the scandal. My mother was furious, because they didn't consider it a valid science." I mimicked my mother's voice. "'Anything referred to as Theoretical cannot be taken seriously by the academic community."
We lapsed into silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts.
"Did you have a boyfriend," she asked suddenly, pulling me from my musings.
I shrugged. "I mean, I dated around a little, but I found out early that nerdy men aren't my type." Until I had met Eomer, I hadn't thought I had a type at all, but I kept that to myself.
That man was a prime piece of man meat, I thought dryly to myself, mentally leering at him.
Judging by the starry eyed look on Rose's face, her thoughts had turned to her own man, and she was unconsciously rubbing her belly as she looked out over the sea. I didn't bother to disturb the easy silence, but fell into my own thoughts as I gazed out onto the ocean.
When a maid interrupted a while later to tell us our baths were ready, I retreated to my rooms, which were, in fact, almost identical to Rose's. As I scrubbed myself clean and washed my hair (showers, I thought furiously, I'm definitely going to invent showers), I found myself thinking about Lothiriel and Eomer.
I was mature enough to admit that I was incredibly jealous of the lovely woman, but I refused to acknowledge why. It was simply ridiculous. He was a warrior king, and I was a sheltered scientist who was only beginning to understand what constituted "social norms" here.
It was definitely just a physical thing. That was all. Yep, I didn't have a thing for him, I just had a thing for his broad shoulders, towering height, and what I strongly suspected would be washboard abs.
Not to mention that long blond hair, manly chest that could fill out a tunic really well, and that his biceps were the size of my thigh. Oh, and his large hands that engulfed mine completely. And if he had large hands, he probably had a large….
"Noooooooope." I shook myself abruptly. Not gonna go there.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
After my bath, I donned a robe and rejoined Rose and the two of us sat on the balcony while we dried our hair in the fading sunlight. We chatted as we sat there, talking about our next project, but mostly we just talked about home. About all the stupid things we missed, like black and white movies, phones, internet, musicals (she was pleased to see that I was a fan of RENT), nutella, and Star Trek (I was pleased to see she was a fellow Trekky). We also talked about what had happened at home since she had been gone, as she had 'disappeared' six years before I had.
Very soon, it was time to change into the formal gowns we had brought in anticipation of our arrival. As the Steward's wife (and, as my new identity as a noblewoman of her house, me) Rose was the representative of both the House of Hurin and of Minas Tirith, which meant we both had to dress accordingly. The gowns were fiercely elegant, though not as pretentious as the seamstress had tried to make them, which spoke volumes about Rose's good taste.
The underdress was cream colored and soft (and blessedly light, given summer had come full force), and was cut almost off the shoulder. Over this went a strapless, embroidered overdress (light blue for Rose, summer green for me) with discreet boning in the top until it flared out from our hips to the floor.
It was much different than the current styles, with fuller skirts and gathered sleeves, but Rose and her ladies were expected to start new trends. While I wasn't much for fashion, I was feminine enough to enjoy wearing the lovely gowns, and practical enough to be grateful they were so comfortable. While we dressed, maids entered to help us with our hair.
When Rose was satisfied that we wouldn't disgrace the House of Hurin, we were returned to the balcony to wait for the princes to come collect us. Dusk had taken a firm hold on the world while we had dressed, and the sunset was breathtaking over the water.
"Princes Imrahil and Amrothos have arrived to escort you and Lady Leigh, your Grace," the maid said with a curtsey as the men entered. I barely resisted the urge to ogle Amrothos. Both men had changed into regal attire, and Amrothos definitely filled out his tunic well.
Not to mention his leggings, added a dirty voice in my mind. You could bounce a quarter off that butt.
"Ladies, you look radiant," Amrothos declared, bowing with a flourish. "The moon herself shall dare not show her face tonight, lest she be found pale in the glow of your beauty."
I rolled my eyes, but Rose merely smiled and took Imrahil's arm. "You look lovely," Imrahil said, smiling down at her.
As we made our way through the halls, Amrothos kept up a lively chatter, but I was starting to feel anxious. What if I made a fool of myself? This was my first important function as a dignitary, and I was woefully unprepared for it. I had no real idea of what was going to happen. As we approached the two giant doors that led to the Great Hall, my anxiety built.
Frantically, I tried to remember all of the advice Eomer had given me about formally meeting dignitaries, and prayed to any listening to gods not to shame myself or Boromir or Rose. I had to bring honor to them. I found myself fervently wishing I was back in a laboratory.
Rose, to both my relief and trepidation, also seemed a little nervous, though she was better at hiding it. As our names were announced to the guests and the doors opened, I saw her take a deep breath, square her shoulders, and lift her chin. She glanced back at me, and I gave her a reassuring wink.
"Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth escorting Her Grace, Lady Rose of Minas Tirith!"
The two regally descended the stairs to a crowd of people inclining their heads respectfully.
"Prince Amrothos of Dol Amroth escorting Lady Leigh of Minas Tirith!"
As we were of lesser rank, Amrothos bowed and I curtsied to the crowd before we descended the stairs. The entire time, I was praying that I wouldn't trip or fall over or some other incident while so many eyes were on me.
Amrothos led us to a long table where we took our seats. Imrahil, as ruler of Dol Amroth, sat at the head of the table, with Elphir on his right and Rose on his left. I was seated next to Rose, and the others took their seats around us. Looking down the long table, I estimated there were probably fifty or sixty people there, ranging from all ages.
So, these are the noble families of the principality of Dol Amroth, I thought. Everyone was staring at Rose, some more blatantly than others. I couldn't really blame them. After all, no one had heard of her until a few months ago, and now she was the second most powerful woman in Gondor. There were bound to be some ruffled feathers, simply because she was so young and clearly wasn't descended from Numenorians like they were.
Though, in my opinion, she was infinitely prettier than the other women here, the only exception being Lothiriel.
Not that I was biased.
When everyone was seated, Imrahil raised his goblet, and the chatter died down. "Tonight, I and my family are honored to welcome Lady Rose to Dol Amroth. My nephew could not have chosen are more suitable woman, and I am proud to call her family." He was smiling, but there was a hard look in his eyes, and the words clearly held a message: Rose has my approval and my protection. "May the most you ever wish for be the least you ever receive."
After we had all drunk the toast, Rose stood and held her own glass aloft. "Dol Amroth has always been, and always will be, a jewel in Gondor's crown," she said, smiling. I could see panic in her eyes, and realized she hadn't realized she would need to give a toast, and hadn't written one.
"Lie, cheat, steal, or drink," I hissed under my breath to her when it was clear she was floundering. Though her face still had on a serene mask, I could see the miniscule release of tension in her shoulders.
"May you never lie, cheat, steal, or drink," she said. "But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must cheat, cheat death. If you must steal, steal a kiss. And if you must drink," she said, lifting her glass and winking at the other guests, "drink with me."
A murmer of laughter went around the table as we drank the toast and she took her seat again.
"I so owe you," she whispered.
"Damn straight," I murmured back.
The dinner passed quickly. For the most part, it was simply chitchat amongst us and Imrahil's family. Lothiriel, I was disappointed to see, was charming, vivacious, and had a sardonic wit.
This shouldn't irritate you so much, I thought to myself. You should be happy for Eomer. This is exactly the kind of Queen he needs.
The siblings were relaxed and clearly used to these sorts of social functions. The family was quick to laugh and slow to anger, so our end of the table was frequently bursting into gales of laughter as everyone bantered back and forth. Strong women were a weakness of the Dol Amroth men, it seemed, for Elphir's very pregnant wife, Meren, was just as quick-witted as Lothiriel.
As we were eating, a band had set up at the other end of the hall, and when the meal was finished, Imrahil stood. He waited until everyone had risen before speaking.
"Lords and Ladies, now that we have sated our hunger with good food and conversation, let us sate our hearts with dancing and music. Honor me with a dance, your Grace," he asked, bowing to Rose.
"The honor is mine," she replied, smiling and taking his arm. As he led her to the other end of the room, Elphir and Meren followed suit, with Lothiriel and Erchirion following quickly behind.
"Shall we, my Lady?" Amrothos offered his arm to me, which I accepted with a tight smile.
We neared the floor and my panic rose with each step. I had danced once or twice with Rose, but this was bound to be some ridiculously complicated Gondorian dance, and I just knew I was going to make a fool out of myself in front of all these people.
"Amrothos," I hissed, "I don't know how to dance!" If he was surprised, his smile didn't waver; he may be a ham, but he was a well-bred ham.
"I will not let you falter, Leigh," he whispered back as we swept gracefully into our places. It seemed that we four couples were the only ones to dance this particular one, because no others joined us.
The music started, and I curtsied while Amrothos bowed before he grasped my hand and waist. He swept deftly around the floor with the other couples. It was all I could do not to look at our feet. He spun me so that we were side by side, our hands clasped behind my back as we strode forward.
"Relax," he murmured into my ear. "I've got you. Besides, this particular dance seems to expect women to be idiots, anyway."
Surprisingly, that actually did reassure me.
Other couples had since swept onto the floor, and I kept one eye on the other women, which served me well when we were supposed to pick up our skirts or whatnot. It was the only reason I had warning to brace myself on Amrothos' shoulders, and in the next instant, he grabbed me by the waist and lifted me easily into the air in a half turn before setting me down again.
A quiet startled laugh escaped me as my feet touched the floor again, making Amrothos chuckle in response. "See, it's not so hard."
"Yes, clearly I was a fool to –" I broke off as he spun me away and I spun back to his chest, "worry," I finished dryly.
He laughed genuinely at that, drawing looks from the other couples. I smothered a smile.
Finally, the dance was finished, and we curtsied and bowed to each other before the men led their partners off the floor. Amrothos led me to Rose and Imrahil.
"I didn't know you knew how to dance," Rose said, surprised.
"I don't," I replied dryly. "But I had a very good partner, luckily."
Amrothos bowed, grinning. "I am a man of many talents."
"Were you half as good at poker as you are at dancing, you wouldn't owe me so much money, Amrothos," I commented innocently. Chuckles erupted from the group.
"Madam, loathe though I am to admit it, I let you win," Amrothos sniffed comically. "A gentleman never lets a lady lose."
"So you threw your cards at me to be polite?" I lifted an eyebrow at him. "If I remember correctly, you called me a demon card-shark and accused me of stacking the deck."
We were interrupted then by the arrival of lords asking Rose and Lothiriel to dance. The group mostly broke apart then, as the princes were obliged to dance with other ladies, and I danced with Imrahil.
For the rest of the night, I made a point to only dance with Imrahil or his sons. Of course, this meant that I danced primarily with Amrothos and Erchirion, but they were both great dancers.
In all honesty, with the exception of Imrahil's family, the Gondorians I met through the course of the night seemed very stuffy. Everyone was clearly trying to get in good with Rose and I (being the next step to Boromir), and the ladies, when they weren't plying Rose with flattery, were sending me dirty looks for dancing so often with Amrothos and Erchirion.
When Rose finally called it a night, claiming fatigue from her pregnancy, I was relieved. Imrahil escorted us both back to our rooms, and I helped Rose undress before returning to my own room.
For a while, I lay in bed, thinking. I missed Eomer, to my surprise. After spending the evening fending off stuffy noblemen and ignoring the ladies' glares, I was uneasy. If I couldn't find a way home, were these the kind of people I was going to have to be around for the rest of my life? I desperately hoped not.
I had spent my life in school or in a lab, and freely admitted that I was no stellar judge of character. Yet these people reminded me of the mean girls back in high school: snobby, entitled, and two-faced. These were people you had to walk on eggshells around, careful not to make a wrong move or become ensnared in their traps.
If this was what I had to look forward to, I would rather become a hermit, I thought bitterly.
I desperately wished Eomer were here to talk to. He wasn't someone who would tell you everything would be alright. Instead, he would be more likely to tell me that I simply had to be more cunning, learn the rules and become better at their games than they were.
Thinking about my friend gave me comfort, and as I drifted off to sleep, I decided to send him a letter in the morning.
Author's note: PLEASE READ AS THIS IS IMPORTANT!I greatly appreciate all the kind feedback I've been getting, as well as the nicely worded constructive criticism.
I'm going to say here, though, that for all those who hate non-canon pairings, I'm afraid this isn't the story for you. This is an Eomer/OC story, and I fully intend to keep it this way.
There are truly excellent stories about Eomer/Lothiriel (my favorite pairing after Boromir/OC). Here are a few that I absolutely love and highly recommend:
Yours to Command by Lialathuveril
Ever Thine, Ever Mine, Ever Ours by the-mighty-pen325
On the Wings of the Storm by Lialathuveril (as you can see, she's one of my favorite authors)
Tales From The Fourth Age: The Princess & The King by nicraydoi
Bound by Duty by Lady BlueJay