A month later, I leaned against Firefoot's stall; Aldric was a few stalls down, grooming his horse as he waited for me. "Fire extinguisher." Firefoot snorted and shook out his mane to get rid of the flies. "I know. I'd never be able to make enough of them to do any good. Preserving jars? We don't have rubber, but I think wax could do the same thing." Firefoot headbutt my shoulder. I sighed, stroking his neck. "Yeah. The heat needed to kill the bacteria would melt the wax."

"Are you talking to the King's horse again?" came an amused voice.

I leaned around Firefoot and smiled. "Well, if it isn't my favorite Commander."

"How is Rohan's lady inventor this grey morn?" Eothain asked with a grin. Firefoot headbutt him and he idly stroked his nose. "I did not think to find you here. You are normally cloistered with your books."

"I'm trying to figure out what my next project should be," I told him. "Firefoot usually has some opinions."

Eothain looked amused. "Does he now? I come back for a month long patrol, only to find my favorite inventor has gone mad."

I winked at him. "We both know I was mad before you left." He smiled. "I know it doesn't make much sense, but Firefoot helps me think." I looked at Firefoot. "Cotton gin." Firefoot rubbed his cheek against my chest, and I looked at Eothain. "See?"

He laughed. "It makes more sense than you think," Eothain told me. He scratched under Firefoot's mouth and the horse rolled his eyes in pleasure. "My head is never clearer than when I ride across the Mark on Whitefoot. I would swear he knows my mood better than I myself."

"Unfortunately, I'm not good enough to do that. The last time I went above a walk was in Minas Tirith, and I fell off." I scratched behind Firefoot's ears. "I swear Firefoot rolled his eyes. He didn't like me at the time."

"The future Queen of Rohan can't ride?" Eothain looked torn between amusement and horror. "Well, that's no good."

"Hey, now," I laughed. "I can stay seated at a walk."

"I would have thought Eomer would teach you," Eothain said curiously.

I shrugged. "He's the King. He's too busy for that."

"Have you asked him?" Eothain correctly interpreted the sheepish look on my face and nodded knowingly. "Ask him. He is not too busy for you, Lady."

"Honestly, I'm not sure my pride could take it," I told him, idly rubbing Firefoot's chest.

"Ah." He was grinning. "I've heard you're prone to accidents when you're reading."

"That door came out of nowhere," I said defensively. I rolled my eyes when he laughed. "I can't believe Eomer told you that story."

"He thought it endearing." Eothain smiled. "Eomer will be glad to teach you, and you need to learn. The Queen of Horselords should be able to ride."

"I know." I rubbed Firefoot's nose. "And you won't let me embarrass myself, will you?" Firefoot snorted and disappeared into his stall. I glared after him as Eothain started laughing. "Traitor."

0o0o0o0o0

I startled awake, momentarily unable to figure out what had woken me. My answer came when there was another round of pounding on my door. I rubbed a hand tiredly across my face and climbed out of bed. "Coming," I called, stumbling to the door, throwing on a dressing gown before I opened it.

Eomer was standing there, looking annoyingly awake. He arched an eyebrow. "Does your hair normally do that in the morning?"

Cranky, I tried to smoosh the wayward curls down to their normal size. "It's how I scare off predators. Now what do you want?

"Get dressed. Put these on."

I looked at the shirt and breeches he shoved into my hand, then glanced out the window. It wasn't even dawn. I looked back at him. "Am I going to get some context here, or is this a 'come with me if you want to live' type deal?" I asked blearily.

Eomer braced an arm against the doorframe and smiled down at me. "I'm going to teach you to ride, Lady Lion," he said, playfully tugging a stray curl. It bounced back into place.

"Eothain ratted me out, huh? I'll kill him in the morning," I decided with a yawn.

"He brought it to my attention that I'd lapsed in my responsibilities to you." He grinned dryly. "Actually, he called me an idiot for not teaching my future queen to ride, though he did not word it so politely."

I eyed him. "What are odds I can talk you out of this?" Eomer raised an eyebrow and I sighed. "Yeah, I thought so. Give me a second."

A few minutes later, I emerged from my bedroom again, teeth brushed and hair somewhat tamed into its normal wild curls – since I'd been here, my hair had grown out passed my shoulders, and was too thick and stubborn to do much with – and the oversized shirt tucked into riding breeches. I'd become so used to wearing skirts that they felt weird around my legs, but I had more freedom in them, and it was nice not to have to worry about tripping over a hem. Eomer's eyes settled on my legs and he cleared his throat, forcing himself not to stare. "You, Lady, are not allowed to wear this in front of other men," he told me. "I have no desire to find myself challenged for your hand."

I laughed. "Down, boy. Let's go."

It seemed all of Edoras was still asleep, though I could see a few guards patrolling through the streets. Even most of the horses were asleep, the stable boys vacant for once, and our boots seemed conspicuously loud as Eomer led me through the stable. He took me into a tack room, handing me a saddle. My arms dipped when he put it in my arms – I wasn't expecting the weight – and he took another, larger saddle off the rack. "First, you need to learn how to saddle a horse," he explained, keeping his voice low as I followed. He set his saddle on a rack outside Firefoot's stall, then took mine from me, leading me over to Frostmane and setting the saddle on a rack outside her stall. He took a two ropes from a hook. "This is called a halter, and this is a lead rope," he explained. I nodded, and he let us into the stall.

After an exhaustive education on how to groom and tack up a horse, I mounted Frostmane, and we followed Eomer and Firefoot down the silent streets of Edoras. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the practice rings. The ground there is softer." He smiled when I looked a little disgruntled at the implication. "We all must start somewhere, Lady, and there was a time when you were frightened to even approach a horse."

I snorted. "Yeah, says the Rider of the Mark. Just…don't laugh too hard when I fall off."

"I wouldn't laugh at you." He raised an eyebrow at my skeptical look. "If our positions were reversed and you were teaching me your physics, would you laugh at me when I made a mistake?"

"Of course not!" I rolled my eyes. "But I catch your point. It's still going to be a little hard on the ego."

He smiled. "I've taken my share of falls in my time."

"Oh, please. I bet you were a natural from the beginning."

He laughed. "Oh, Lady, I appreciate your faith in me. I've broken many bones from falling, even as an experienced horseman." He looked up and whistled at the guards at the wall.

The guards looked down. "Hail, Eomer King." The gates creaked open.

Eomer looked at me as we passed under the wall. "Do you remember how to trot?"

"Uh…well, the theory is down, but the execution could use some work."

He laughed. "Come. Let us see what you remember." He kicked Firefoot into a trot and I followed suit; I discovered Frostmane's gait was smoother than Firefoot's, and I had little trouble moving with her. Relieved and a little proud, I grinned at Eomer, and he gave me an approving look as he led the way into the practice ring. "Good. Let us try a canter."

My smile left my face as quickly as it had come. I blinked. "What? Let's not." Eomer kicked Firefoot into a canter, and Frostmane immediately moved to keep pace with him as they moved around the fence. "Oh, Jesus." I watched Eomer out of the corner of my eye and tried to mimic his movements. "Oh, hey, this isn't so bad."

"You've found the rhythm. Good." Eomer studied me. "You're taking to this easier than you did the trot."

"Because I'm mimicking what you're doing," I explained distractedly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to try a jump then?"

"I hope that was a joke and not an actual suggestion."

He laughed. "We'll wait a while for that, then."

"So, Eowyn mentioned something yesterday," I commented, focusing on moving with Frostmane. For Eomer, this was second nature, as natural as driving, but I was having to think through everything. "She said you were planning a tour of Rohan."

"She spoke true. I need to see how the districts are doing, and I'm using the opportunity to take a census. Keep your back straight," Eomer corrected. "Your head should be aligned with your hips and heels."

Obediently, I corrected my posture. "Like this? When are you going?"

"Good. Three months. Mid-December."

I raised my eyebrows, but didn't look at him, too focused on what I was doing. "You're starting a tour of the realm in the middle of winter?" I asked in surprise.

"The timing could be better," he admitted. "But after the War, we need to see how the realm fairs and do what we can to alleviate their problems. This will be the earliest opportunity to do so."

"Why not leave now?" I was losing the rhythm and couldn't seem to find it again. "The Lords have returned home and harvest season hasn't begun yet. This is the perfect time."

"Because the tour will take at least six weeks, and you leave for Gondor in less than a month. You're overthinking your rhythm. Feel hers and move with her."

I tried to do as he instructed. "You want me to come," I realized distractedly. I sighed in frustration, unable to sync up with her rhythm. "Why is this so hard for me? Will Eowyn be coming?"

"Yes. You're trying to force it. No."

I glanced at him blankly. "One of our two conversations got away from me."

He smiled. "Yes, I want you to come. You're trying to force yourself to match her rhythm, but it should come naturally. And no, Eowyn won't be coming with us. She'll be in Gondor, married to Faramir."

"By December? Really?" I was trying to keep my balance and move with her, and I was overcompensating for both. "I thought the engagement had to last a year."

He laughed. "Normally, it would, but they are pining after each other like teenagers, so we are fudging the date of their engagement slightly."

I clung to Frostmane with my legs, but both of us were out of sync. She tossed her head a little, frustrated with me. "You're a good brother. I don't think Frostmane likes this."

"You're the master, not her," Eomer countered. "She's sensing your frustration and tension and reflecting it. Relax."

"At this point, I'm just trying to stay on her. Relaxing isn't going to happen."

He was quiet for a moment. "What is 420 multiplied by 6?"

I blinked, bewildered, but didn't look at him for fear of falling off. "What?"

"Your body will find the rhythm naturally, but you're thinking too hard. You need to focus on something else," he explained. "What is 420 times 6?"

I paused for a beat. "2,520."

He raised his eyebrows. "You did it in your head that quickly?"

"I'm good at math. It's working. Keep going."

He smiled. "In that case, perhaps I shall pick your brain for information, instead. What is the Golden Ratio?"

"1.618."

"No, I meant, what is it? My tutor tried to explain it, but he could never keep me interested in my studies," Eomer said with a grin.

I smiled. "Oh. It's a ratio that you find in a lot nature, like the design of a snail shell, the number of petals of flowers... even the human face. People are naturally drawn to it, so it's used in art and architecture, a lot of times without even realizing it. When we describe someone as having a beautiful face, it's because their features adhere to the Golden Ratio."

He smiled. "You're riding easier now."

I realized he was right and shot him a grin. "You're like some sort of equestrian wizard, you know that?"

"Will you come with me on the tour?"

I snorted. "You know I will. I appreciate you waiting until I'm back, though." I glanced at him. "Are you coming to Minas Tirith for Eowyn's wedding?"

He nodded. "And I will be escorting you back to Edoras before we depart for the tour." He slowed Firefoot to a walk, Frostmane naturally following suit. "Come now, Lady. I believe you have mastered this, at least. Let us return to the Hall before the sun rises."

I sighed with relief as I followed him out of the ring. "I'm not sure I'll ever be as good at this as you, but at least I'm somewhat passable." I looked over at him. "You can keep your swords to yourself, though."

He laughed.

0o0o0o0o0

Aldric knocked on the door, then stuck his head inside my office. "Commander Eothain and Lords Byrnhorn and Fordwin are here to see you."

My eyebrows flew up. I hadn't seen the lords outside snide looks exchanged in the hall. "Let them in," I said, standing. Well, this should be good.

Fordwin and Byrnhorn looked as pleased to see me as ever, but inclined their heads as I curtsied. Eothain bowed - as with Eomer, we adhered to protocol in public, and I technically outranked him - but surreptitiously shot me a look of warning: this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. "Lady Leigh."

"How may I help you, gentlemen?" I didn't invite them to sit. I didn't want to encourage them to stay long.

Fordwin picked up my slide rule. "Despite our counsel, the King has chosen you as the future Queen of Rohan," he told me, examining the Slide Rule curiously.

It wasn't the customary congratulations, but I didn't really expect that after what Eomer had confessed they said about me. Neither was it a question. I exchanged a look with Eothain. "Yes," I said warily.

"Our primary duty as Lords is to ensure the well-being and prosperity of the House of Eorl and the realm," Byrnhorn said. "As it stands, the King has no clear heir, which places the kingdom in a precarious state."

Eothain stepped forward, giving me a little smile of solidarity. "Should something befall his Majesty, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Houses of Rohan would war to claim the throne as their own," he explained. "As it is, these are precarious times to roam the land, even for the King. Reports show that the Houses are amassing Eored."

"While we would gladly encourage the King to wait before your marriage, it is inadvisable to do so when Rohan is in need of an heir to the throne." Fordwin tossed the slide rule on the desk. I sighed internally when it cracked. It had been a pain in the ass to make the first time. "Your marriage cannot wait, and you must do your duty as Queen as soon as possible."

My eyes narrowed. "Does the King know you're here?"

"If you cannot produce an heir, then we will arrange to have the marriage annulled," Byrnhorn informed me. "The future of the House of Eorl must be ensured."

Eothain stepped forward to reprimand them, but I held out my hand to stop him: as a Commander, he couldn't defend me to them without suffering the consequences of breaking rank. Besides, I could defend myself.

"My Lords, no one understands better than I my responsibilities. My first duty is to ensure the well-being of all Rohirrim, not just the House of Eorl, and I have made it my priority to ensure they survive the winter, a goal at which you have attempted to thwart me at every turn." I braced my fists on the desk and leaned forward, my voice cold and controlled. "As for threatening to annul a marriage that has not yet occurred, I would remind you that you are addressing your future Queen."

Both men eyed me silently, and Eothain raised an impressed eyebrow at me over Byrnhorn's shoulder. "Well, we have spoken our piece. We are needed elsewhere," Byrnhorn said. Fordwin looked like he wanted to add something, but Byrnhorn caught his eye, and the two men nodded at me before leaving.

Eothain waited until they'd left, then looked at me as I straightened. "Very queenly," he said approvingly. "Remind me never to piss you off."

"I hate those guys," I commented, sitting down. I gestured for him to have a seat. He perched on the edge of my desk. "How did they manage to rope you into this? I thought your jurisdiction was Rohan's armies."

"We actually came to see you for separate things, but I thought you might need a friend in the room when I heard what they wanted to talk to you about."

"Thanks," I said sincerely. I laced my fingers over my belly and leaned back, propping my feet on the desk. "So, you had a separate issue?"

He nodded, picking up the side rule curiously. It didn't bother me as it had when Fordwin had looked at it. "As I mentioned, the Noble Houses are amassing armies in case Eomer dies without an heir. Even those who wouldn't fight to get their man on the throne aren't going to risk being caught with their pants down if there's a war."

"Something tells me you're not telling me this simply because I'm going to be Queen."

He gave me a little smile. "Unfortunately, no. There's always a chance that one of the Noble Houses will get ambitious and try to either usurp Eomer or kill him. There's a reason Eomer and I assigned you a guard."

"You're asking me for weapons." There was no anger in my voice, just curiosity.

"Eomer told me you refused and ordered me not to bring this to you, but he is thinking as a husband, not as a King." He looked at me seriously. "The King's Riders must be able to protect the sovereign, and our Marshals must be able to defend against an attack."

I studied him. That Eothain was going behind Eomer's back told me exactly how dangerous the situation had become. Whatever they'd seen was escalating; before, they'd asked me to give them something at the coronation that would display Rohan's might, and I had refused, saying that I wouldn't do it unless the safety of Rohan was at risk. If Eothain was worried enough to defy an order from his king, he was desperate.

"It won't be guns," I cautioned. "I've seen where that road leads."

Eothain looked a little surprised. "You'll do it, then?"

"There's an old saying where I come from: 'When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.'" I rubbed my mouth. "I meant what I said, that my first duty is to Rohan, and if the nobility go to war, it's the common people that will suffer." I looked at Eothain. "But more than that, I will bring the Noble Houses to their knees before I let them take a shot at Eomer."

Eothain smiled and stood. "Eomer made a good choice bringing you to Edoras, but deciding to marry you... Maybe he's not as thick as I assumed." I laughed and he smiled at me. "I will take up no more of your time. Good day, Lady."

"Eothain." He stopped at the door and looked back. "Don't tell him about... Well, Fordwin and Byrnhorn are my problem. He has enough to worry about."

Eothain hesitated. "Are you sure? He's got big shoulders, Leigh, and were it the woman I loved who had been treated so, I would want to know."

"He would react as a husband, not as a King." Eothain's eyes flickered; he caught that I was using his own words. Still, he looked uncertain. "If it were you, would you tell him?"

He hesitated, then sighed and inclined his head in acknowledgement. "It shall stay between us, but if this happens again, I will take it to him."

I grinned. "I know you will. Don't think I forgot that you ratted me out to him about the riding thing. I'm going to get you back for that, you know."

He laughed. "A fierce threat indeed, but we both know you like me. You find me delightful," he quipped. He winked at me, and then he was gone.

0o0o0o0o0

The next day, two weeks before I left for Gondor, summer decided it had had enough of Rohan, and fall came in like a lion in the form of a cold front that arrived before dawn. The weather had been cooling slightly for weeks, but suddenly, I went to bed comfortably warm, and woke up shivering, huddled under my blankets.

I lay there for a moment, staring out the window. It was way too early to get up, but I also knew I couldn't get back to sleep like this. "Be a problem solver, woman," I muttered to myself. It took a Herculean force of will, but I tossed off the covers, hastily wrapped my dressing gown around me, and poked my head out into the hall. No one was there. Excellent.

Shivering, I wrapped my arms around me and snuck into the King's room, more or less scampering to his bed. He startled awake when the bed dipped under him. "Leigh? Is all well?"

"All is most certainly not well." My teeth were chattering as I frantically slid under the covers, and his arm was already raised for me when I curled myself against him. The man was like a furnace, and I relaxed almost as soon as he wrapped his arm around me: with his front pressed against my back, it was like being spooned by the sun. "Oh, God, that's good."

"Bema, woman," he hissed. "Your feet are like ice! Get thee out of my bed," he commanded, but obligingly tightened his arm around me when I scooted closer.

"We've got to get married already," I muttered as I closed my eyes. "Risking hypothermia in my own bed for propriety is stupid when you're only a few feet away."

Yawning, he pressed a kiss to my shoulder. "Well, we cannot rectify our problem now. Go to sleep."

A long while later, I woke to Eomer kissing my cheek. "Leigh."

"Shh." I didn't open my eyes as I flapped my hand at him. "She's asleep."

There was a snort of laughter behind me. "While I am more than satisfied with the sight of you in my bed, I doubt you will be as pleased when the pages find you here."

I sighed and rolled onto my back to look at him balefully. "But the blankets have made me their god. If I leave them now, they'll think I don't love them."

Eomer smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "It would a travesty to neglect your people. Perhaps you can come and reassure them tonight, when the East wing is asleep."

I raised my eyebrows. Now that was an idea. Wait until everyone was asleep, and then sneak into his room and spend the whole night instead of a few mere hours. "I like the way you think, Horselord."

"I'm pleased you approve."

I looked at the door, thinking of the long, cold march to my bedroom, and sighed, turning to give Eomer a kiss before forcing myself out of bed. "If we don't get married soon, I'm going to freeze to death," I told him, shrugging on my dressing gown. "And then I'm going to come back as a ghost and haunt the crap out of you."

Eomer surprised me that night by coming to my bedroom instead, saying that he handled the cold better than I did. I secretly harbored the opinion that it went against his nature to let me brave the cold instead of the other way around, but I didn't say anything.

It became a habit: when everyone was asleep, I would listen for the guards to finish their patrol of the East wing, and, like clockwork, I would hear the door open and close, hear quiet footsteps in my room, and then feel the bed dip as Eomer slid under the covers with me. In the morning, before dawn, I would hazily feel him kiss my cheek, and then he was gone before the pages came to wake him.

0o0o0o0o0o

I frowned in concentration as I watched the archers practice, studying the movements of their arms, the way they strung their arrows, how they aimed. I sat cross legged on the ground by the fence with a sketchbook in my lap; I had an idea of what I could give Eothain, a happy medium between ignoring the problem and giving them the advanced artillery I didn't want them to have.

"May I help you, Leigh?"

I looked back to see Eothain arching an eyebrow down at me in amusement from the other side of the fence. "Oh, I'm just studying the archers," I said, holding up the book for him to see. I'd sketched basic charcoal diagrams of the bow and the archers, and the pages were filled with notes. Some had been taken from an irritatingly small chapter in a book I'd found on Rohirrim warfare, but mostly it was from observation. He took it and looked at it curiously.

"Why?"

"I'm thinking of ways to improve the bows and I don't know anything about archery."

"And you think to learn by merely watching?" He looked amused.

I eyed him suspiciously. "I'm not sure I like where this is going."

"Archery is like riding a horse: it is something that must be experienced to fully understand."

"Yeah, I'm definitely not liking the direction you're going with this."

He laughed. "If you're serious about studying archery, let me show you."

"I thought your specialty was sword fighting and spears," I hedged.

"And so it is," he confirmed, swinging himself over the fence. "But Riders must be acquainted with all forms of fighting. Besides," he shrugged, "you need only experience it, not master it."

I sighed and let him pull me to my feet. "Sometimes I hate your level-headedness, you know that?"

"And yet, Lady, I have yet to make a suggestion that you have not agreed to," he pointed out with a grin as I followed him across the ring.

"Don't let it go to your head."

He led me to a rack behind the row of archers, a collection of sticks and cords. "First, you must learn how to string it," he said, picking up a stick and string and handing it to me. I looked at it curiously: there were deep notches at both ends, and a handle of sorts towards the center. Eothain picked up his own, showing me how to loop one end of the string around a notch. "Now brace that end on your foot and hook your other leg around," he explained, following words with action.

It was difficult to achieve in a gown, but I managed it. He nodded. "Now, force the bow to bend so you may attach the second loop."

This required significantly more effort, but finally I managed to have the bow strung. "It requires more strength than I thought it would," I commented.

"Wait until you fire it."

We turned to see Eomer approaching. "I'm teaching your intended how to fire a bow."

Eomer raised an eyebrow. "Alert the Eored. The Lady walks into doors; the thought of her armed sends a shudder of fear for my people down my spine."

"Oh, ha freakin ha." I glared at him. "Take off your sassy pants and help me."

He smiled, but took a quiver of arrows from the rack for me and followed Eothain and me to two unclaimed targets. He stood behind us, his arms crossed over his chest, and watched silently as I tried to mimic Eothain's stance. "You'll balance the tip arrow on your left hand," Eothain instructed. "Aim slightly above your target."

The arrow would be traveling slowly enough for gravity to pull it down, I realized, adjusting my aim.

"Hold the bow higher, at eye level." He nodded. "Good, now hold the arrow loosely between your two fingers like... Yes. Good. Now keep your elbow level and pull the string back to your mouth."

I pulled the string, but to my surprise, I couldn't get it back to my mouth. "Jesus." I tried again, but barely managed to bend the bow. "Son of a bitch!"

"Here, let me." Eomer stepped behind me and put his arms around me, his fingers wrapping around mine on the string. His strength was ridiculous after years of this, and he had no problem pulling the string back.

"Their arm would get tired," I murmured to myself. "They wouldn't be as effective after a while."

The comment hadn't been to him, but he didn't know that. "It is a common problem with archers," he agreed. "Now aim the arrow –"

"Wait. Let it go and pull it back again."

He frowned, but obediently let the bow rest, then pulled it back again. "Shall we fire now, Lady?" he asked in amusement.

"Do it again."

He must have rolled his eyes, because I saw Eothain smirking in the distance, but he repeated the pull. I ignored them both, focusing hard on the bow, on the pull, on the tension of the string; there was a shadow of a thought in my head, an idea that I'd learned this years ago, something so basic that I'd forgotten. I knew this. What did I know?

"Shall I do it again, Lady, or are you ready to fire?" Eomer asked dryly.

I gasped as inspiration struck. "Oh, god, I'm an idiot!" I ducked under his arm. The men exchanged a look of quizzical amusement, but I ignored them, grabbing my book and charcoal and hastily scribbling down one word: pulley. I glanced at them with a smile as I hastily started back to Medused. "You were right, Eothain."

"I'm always right," he called after me, laughing. Eomer turned to Eothain, rolling his eyes as he shook his head at women in general, and Eothain shrugged with a grin. "You're the one that's marrying her."

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