Eomer met me outside the steps of Meduseld. "I'm sending a guard of the King's Riders with you."

I glanced at the assembled men in disbelief. "There has to be at least forty men here, Eomer!" I blinked as Eothain trotted over, mounted and in full battle armor. I looked at Eomer. "Eothain is coming? Isn't that a little overkill?"

He shrugged. "King."

I rolled my eyes. "You're overprotective, but I love you, too."

"What is that?" he asked, nodding to the box in my arms.

I smiled and handed it to him. "Think of it as an early Christmas present. Uh... Midwinter present," I amended at his blank look. They didn't have Christmas here.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

I looked at Eothain, then at him. "You asked me for a weapon," I told them as Eomer pulled out the bow. Eothain had disobeyed his King in coming to me, so I didn't address him directly, but it was a gift for him, too. "It's called a compound bow. The arrows are in there, too."

Eomer drew the bow, raised his eyebrows, and handed it to Eothain for inspection. Both men looked skeptical. "It draws easily," Eomer commented, but there was a note in his voice as though he were disappointed and trying to spare my feelings. "And it's not wooden."

"Oh, ye of little faith," I chided with a smile. "These will be reserved for the King's Riders and the Eored. It has less recoil, takes less energy to draw and fire, both of which make aiming easier."

"It would definitely be an advantage," Eothain said to Eomer. "Our archers would tire more slowly and hit more accurately."

I snorted. "I wasn't done. That was just the buildup." I held my hand up to shield my eyes from the rising sun as I looked up at them. "It's lighter, draws easier, aims better, fires faster, travels farther, and hits harder."

Both men looked at the bow with new respect. "Ye gods," Eomer murmured.

I smiled. "So, do you like your new toy, gentlemen?"

"If you don't marry her soon, Eomer, I'll be forced to steal her away from you," Eothain told him.

"I'm sure there's an extended patrol I can send you on," Eomer said crankily.

I laughed. "I left a duplicate and the schematics in my office so you can have them made. On a related note, I prefer gratitude expressed in the form of gifts," I said mildly.

Eomer rolled his eyes as Eothain laughed. "Duly noted," Eomer told me, smiling at me as a page brought Frostmane over. He caught my chin with a finger, tilting my face up to him. He kissed me affectionately, then helped me mount, his hand squeezing my knee as I situated myself in the saddle. "Ride safe and give my regards to Rose and the Steward. Eowyn and I shall follow in a few weeks."

"The same goes for you, Romeo," I warned. "If I find out you got yourself wounded and or killed, I'm going to be forced to punish you, and if you think I'm creative when I'm working, just wait until you see me mad." I meaningfully pointed two fingers at my eyes, then at him.

He smiled and took my hand, pressing a kiss to it. "I shall take your warning to heart." His smile faded when he looked at Eothain. "Take her by the safest road, and remember what we spoke of." The two men exchanged a look loaded with meaning, but I had no idea what that meaning might be. I glanced between them as they locked gazes. "I charge you with her protection."

Eothain inclined his head, clasping his fist to his heart. "With my life, my lord." He raised his head, and his voice carried across the company, "Riders of the King, we ride to Gondor!" Immediately, forty Riders fell into formation behind us, and we started down the hill.

0o0o0o0o0

In the woods at the border, the road was narrow enough that we were forced to go two by two, and I rode at the front beside Eothain, laughing as he recounted some stories of Eomer and Eowyn as kids. Our laughter died when a man stepped into the middle of the road. He was broad and strong looking, with a scraggly beard and a wicked sword at his side. We reined in our horses. "Stand and deliver, horselord, and your fair maiden will come to no harm."

Eothain casually unsheathed his sword, the rest of the King's Riders following suit. He leaned forward in his saddle, looking for all the world like John Wayne, and stared at the man. "You are fortunate the lady is here, else I would have you arrested for highway robbery. As it stands, her protection is my charge, and I will allow you to remain unmolested should you let us pass peacefully."

"Do you think I am alone?" the man asked incredulously. "You are surrounded. There will be peace only when we have what we want."

Eothain raised an eyebrow. "You do not know whom you threaten, or you would run back to your cave and count yourself fortunate that I made the offer. I am the Third Marshall of the Riddermark, and I captain forty of the King's Own. Let us pass, and no harm will befall you."

The man looked at me thoughtfully. "She must be important if she travels with such protection." I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, but the man just nodded slowly. "Aye. You may pass."

Eothain nodded to him. "Then step aside." The man stepped to the side of the road and we began moving again, but I noticed that none of the men sheathed their swords.

The moment we were out of earshot, Eothain held up his hand and spun it in the air; instantly, the Riders fell into formation, two riders moving in front of us, and another settling in on my other side on the narrow road. Surrounded and confused, I looked at Eothain in confusion, but he just shook his head and held his finger to his lips, the universal sign for silence, and cut his hand through the air. Immediately, the Riders picked up their pace to a canter, Frostmane changing her gait without any instruction from me.

I gripped the reins tighter, my addled brain suddenly kicking into gear: Eothain expected an ambush. The man had noticed that I had an unusually heavy amount of protection, and it wasn't a leap to conclude that I was probably worth a serious ransom if he could take me. I didn't want to think what they might do to me while they waited for Eomer to pay.

We rode a long way, Eothain finally calling for a slower pace, but nothing seemed to come of the incident. At nightfall, he called for a halt, and the men were laughing and joking with me as we set up camp. As relaxed as they seemed, and as casually as they did it, I almost didn't realize that they kept me completely surrounded at all times.

Finally, I took a seat beside Eothain at the fire. "So this is what Eomer talked to you about," I said casually. "That there were bandits on the roads."

He looked over at me, but didn't try to deny it. "And why he ordered such a heavy guard. We have ordered patrols on this road, since it is the most common path for travelers and messengers. The gangs must be getting desperate if they would risk attacking the Great West Road."

"And you're worried they'll attack tonight." When he arched an eyebrow in surprise, I gave him a look. "I went to grab my pack, and Thorgil suddenly remembered he'd forgotten to secure his tent. No fewer than three men came to help him," I said dryly, nodding across the fire to where my bodyguard was laughing with some of the other riders. "Unless it actually requires four seasoned soldiers to push a stake into the ground, you're keeping me surrounded."

Eothain laughed. "Well, Thorgil never has been one of our sharpest soldiers." I rolled my eyes. "Aye. I worry that we will be surrounded during the night. You are valuable, both for your aid to Rohan and as the future Queen, and there is no amount of money Eomer would not pay to ransom you." He misread my frown. "Do not worry, Leigh. No man in this company would hesitate to put themselves between you and danger, even if it meant their lives."

"Yeah, dying in the service of their king is good and all, but I'd much prefer everyone live," I sighed.

"In service to their king, but also to you," he told me. He arched an eyebrow at my confused look. "Do you think they do not know who has helped them feed their families? Who has helped them rebuild their homes? Your aid to Rohan has not gone unnoticed. Word of you has spread, and each man here, including myself, volunteered to escort you safely to Minas Tirith. You have earned their loyalty, and not only because you will be their queen."

I rubbed my mouth. "Well... I honestly don't know what to say to that. I didn't know."

Eothain rolled his eyes. "You and Eomer are perfectly matched. Both of you are equally dense."

Surprised, I burst into laughter, drawing the gazes of several soldiers who looked at me in amusement. I cleared my throat, but couldn't keep from grinning. "I'm not going to waste the perfect comeback on you now, but don't think I don't have it," I told him with a grin, wagging a finger at him. "Oh yes, it's time will come."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Aldric looked at me in amusement over the fire. "All the time I've served you, and I never knew your hair was so..." He trailed off and waved his knife. Beside me, Eothain grinned into his tea.

I scowled blearily and continued wrestling my hair into a braid. My brain wasn't awake enough yet to think of a snappy comeback, but I made a mental note to seek retribution at the earliest opportunity.

After a restless night wondering if the bandits were going to attack, we were getting a late start, and it was already midmorning.

"Hail, Riders of Eomer King!"

Within seconds, I found myself surrounded by Rohirrim in various states of undress, all of them with swords drawn and wary eyes. They relaxed as a host of horsemen walked into the camp. "Hail, Steward," Eothain greeted, sheathing his sword. The two men clasped hands. "We did not think to look for you here."

"The Lady Steward bid me escort you to the City. At this late stage in her pregnancy, what the lady wants, the lady is given," he said dryly. He leaned down to press a kiss to my cheek. I grunted a hello and he raised an eyebrow. "The welcome of her kinswoman is somewhat colder than I remember."

"Take no offense," one of our riders laughed. "She's always cranky upon waking." I shot the man a grimace and he grinned.

Boromir laughed, but Eothain caught his attention. "We've come across bandits. There was no confrontation, but I fear they may try to ambush us down the road. You and your men are a welcome addition."

"We have had reports that they were coming to the West Road," Boromir agreed. "Hence my presence as escort. I would counsel that we move with haste to the Forannest. None would attack the garrison there."

Eothain nodded, looking at the rest of us. "Our camp is nearly packed. We need only put out the fire, the work of a minute."

I yawned and stood. "How is Rose?"

"Ah, the lady speaks," Eothain laughed. I shot him a look, but refocused on Boromir.

"Heavily pregnant and as cranky as a wet cat," Boromir told me dryly.

I studied him. "Now, Boromir, you wouldn't have come to escort me in order to hide from your wife, would you?" I asked knowingly.

He laughed. "The lady has a known predilection for incendiaries. Even the King treads warily around her." He glanced around. "But come. Your company is ready to ride out, and I would make haste out of these woods ere nightfall."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose was waddling her way down the hallway of the Steward's house when we came through the door. She took one look at me, grinned... and then burst into tears. Boromir and I looked at each other, and he just shrugged.

"So, how are those mood swings coming?" I asked dryly as she hugged me.

"Don't sass me, woman," she sniffed. "I'm the size of a small planet, my back hurts, and my hormones have started giving me pregnancy brain."

I glanced back at Boromir as Rose buried her face in my shoulder. He gave me a wary look, as if wondering whether he could flee or not, and I rolled my eyes with a nod. He looked relieved, and was out the door again in a heartbeat.

I pulled back and looked at her. "The midwife gave you a clean bill of health, though?"

"Her name is Ioreth," she reminded me, but nodded. "She says only another week or two. I think Boromir will be relieved. Poor man keeps hiding from me, and I can't blame him. My mood swings are getting ridiculous to me even to me."

I draped my arm around her shoulder comfortingly. "Well, what do you want to do, then?"

"Right now, I want to pee. The twins are using my platter like a squeeze toy." She sniffed again, then brightened. "But then you can help me finish the nursery!"

I had no idea how one went about setting up a nursery, and there were very few things I wanted to do less, but I forced myself to smile: dealing with a hormonal pregnant woman was a bit like diffusing a bomb. "That sounds wonderful."

0o0o0o0o0

Two weeks later, Rose's due date was getting closer, and she was getting crankier every day. Intellectually, I knew why: she was scared - giving birth to twins was dangerous even in our world with all its medical advancements - and where other women cowered or cried when afraid, my normally sweet-tempered best friend was the type to roar. Since, she didn't have a focus for her fear, and was getting snippy with everyone around her.

I had taken to helping out our friends as best I could. All of them would frequently stop by, from the King and Queen to Faramir to Eothain, who knew her only peripherally. On several occasions, she would be in a cranky mood, and one of them would stick their heads in cautiously, only to have me wave frantically for them to flee, and they would give me a grateful smile before making a quick exit.

Eomer and Eowyn arrived, and I latched onto Eowyn's arm like a dog with a bone when she tried to run off with her fiancé; I made it known in no uncertain terms that if I was stuck on Hormone Patrol, so was she. Arwen had gotten out of it only because she was busy as queen. Eomer, upon being warned by the other men, hastily agreed to ride out to Osgiliath for a few days to help them assess how the repairs were coming. He shot me an apologetic, sorry-but-you're-on-your-own look. "I know better than to interfere with women's things," he said. "We'd only get in the way, and I'm sure Rose doesn't want that."

I crossed my arms and glared. "Cowards."

"I've faced down orcs and Mumakil," Faramir said as he tossed a blanket over his horse. "And given a choice between Mordor and my much beloved sister, when she's like this, I would choose Mordor."

"The great heroes of the War, who fled before nothing, would run from a small pregnant woman?" Eowyn taunted.

The strategy didn't play out. "Aye," Boromir said with a shrug, "when that woman is Rose."

Eowyn gave up and settled for threats. "Don't you dare leave us alone with her," she hissed.

Eomer stopped and put a hand on both our shoulders. "We, all of us," he said, nodding over his shoulder at the lords and soldiers mounting their horses, "have the utmost faith in you. There exist no more compassionate or valiant women than the two beautiful ladies before me."

"I just came up with three ways to kill you and get away with it," I told him bluntly.

He threw up his hands and swung himself onto Firefoot. "We return the day after tomorrow. Godspeed."

Eowyn crossed her arms. "You're dead to me."

0o0o0o0o0o0

I yanked my cloak around me. It was December now, and Minas Tirith was cold enough that my breath was fogging in the air. Given that I was from a place where it was pretty uncommon for the weather to dip into the low forties – and that always with central heating to get out of it – I decided I was not a fan of Middle Earth. Even on our trip down to Minas Tirith, it had been a little chilly, but two weeks seemed to be the deciding factor between Fall and Winter. God help me.

Rose, surprisingly, seemed to be relishing the cold. Or so she said when I mentioned it while she watched me assemble the rocking chair I'd designed for her; it was apparently the first one in Middle Earth. "This isn't that bad," she informed me with a shrug. "Try camping in it for a month, and then walking up Caradhras in a blizzard. Besides, I've got all the insulation I could possibly want."

"So you're using your babies as a blanket and as a table," I laughed. She currently had a bowl of hot porridge perched on her stomach.

She grinned. "It's probably the one thing I'll miss about being pregnant. Weird pregnancy dreams? No. Strangers touching my belly? Hell no. But as a table, the twins are pretty on point."

"I think that might be frowned upon when they're born," I teased. I finished tightening the last bolt, then climbed to my feet. "There we go. Do you want to try it out?"

She nodded and set the bowl on an actual table, then held out her hands so I could help her up. When she started to straighten, she suddenly gasped and clutched her stomach.

I blinked. "Well, either your water just broke, or you've started peeing on things to mark your territory."

"Just a heads up: sarcasm will not be well received," she said shakily.

When she finally looked at me, I realized she'd gone white, her eyes wide and terrified. In that moment, this Titan of a woman suddenly looked very small and very young, and I remembered suddenly that she was only 18. She didn't need a comforting friend right now, she needed a mother who would roar long and loud until her cub got what she needed; since she didn't have one of those, I would have to do. I took her arms and locked eyes with her firmly. "You don't have to be strong and brave, Rose. That's what I'm for. I've got you." I looked to the door, raising my voice. "Guards!"

Instantly, Aldric and Tauron burst into the room with swords drawn. "My ladies?"

"I'm taking her to the Houses of Healing. Tauron, you're coming with us since you're her guard," I told them calmly, but there was a note of steel in my voice that didn't brook argument. It was a trick I'd learned from watching Eomer. "Aldric, inform the Warden of the Houses of Healing that we're coming."

Aldric disappeared instantly, but Tauron looked a little panicked. "What shall I do, lady?"

"I can walk on my own," she said with a grimace. "It's not far."

"Then stay with us," I told him. "We may need help on the way."

The Houses of Healing were less than a quarter mile away, but we walked slowly, both of us watching Rose like a hawk. It was on the way that Rose suddenly stopped breathing and gripped my arm tightly. She grimaced, the relaxed. "First contraction."

"Bad?"

"Not as bad as I expected," she said with a relieved smile.

I smiled back. "Well, from what I know, labor takes a long time, so there's no need to panic yet. Let's just take it slow."

Hours later, Rose was pacing the room restlessly. Her contractions had started getting worse, but Ioreth said she still had a long time to go, a sentence Rose was less than pleased with. Perhaps the one saving grace was that Rose had started lapsing into English as her contractions worsened, and I could translate or not depending on if it was an insult or a request.

A messenger had been sent to Osgiliath, but he would only have just arrived; Osgiliath was almost 20 miles away, and he'd only left two hours ago. Even if Boromir left in haste – which he undoubtedly would – it would take a while to get all the men together and set out, and their horses weren't built for speed like the messenger's.

Arwen and Eowyn had come when I'd sent messages to them, and Aragorn had shown up, offering to help deliver the babies; the hands of the king were the hands of a healer, or something. Rose had snarled something in English that I'd quickly edited, politely telling Aragorn that she appreciated the offer and would keep it in her back pocket: I didn't think he needed to know that she'd threatened to stab him in the face with a fork if he got near her vagina. Rose had shot me a look and Aragorn had laughed, assuring me that he understood her tone if not her actual words. He'd gone to wait outside.

As the labor progressed and her pain got worse, Rose quieted, seeming to go into herself. She stopped pacing like a caged animal, and finally requested that the other two women leave; I, she told me in English, was the only person who really understood why she was afraid. Birth wasn't a spectator sport, and she liked and respected the women, but they weren't her family: I was. I'd nearly teared up at that, but she took one look at my face, grunted in disgust, and told me not to get all sentimental on her.

And so, three hours later, I was sitting beside Rose and rubbing her spine as she groaned softly in another contraction. There was a quiet knock on the door, and Ioreth poked her head in. "Ladies, the lords have arrived and requested to see you."

I glanced at Rose, who nodded, her eyes still squeezed shut in pain. I looked back at Ioreth, "Boromir."

A second later, Boromir entered, looking almost as bad off as Rose as he came to sit on her other side. I left to give them some privacy.

The sight outside the door had me raising my eyebrows in amusement. Eothain, Eomer, Aragorn, and Faramir were all camped out in the hall, and all of them looked worried and tense. They shot to their feet when I came out. "How is she?" Aragorn asked.

"She's preparing to push a pot roast through her nostril. How would you be?" I asked dryly. I looked at all of them. "Aren't you men supposed to be clapping each other on the back and congratulating Boromir on his virility or something?"

"Celebration comes later," Aragorn said. "First comes the worry. She's dear to all of us."

My smile softened. They really were worried about her. "In that case, she's fine. She's in pain, but Ioreth says it probably won't be long now. I'm sure she'll be glad to know you're all so worried."

Boromir stepped out of the room, looking a little relieved. "She's handling it well," he said proudly.

There was a bellow in English from the room, Rose swearing a blood oath to the gods to castrate the Steward with a rusty grapefruit knife, rip out his intestines, and then gauge out his eyes for doing this to her, though she didn't word it so delicately; it seemed the Lady Steward had learned more than combat skills during her time in the War. I coughed into my fist to hide a snicker and the men looked at me worriedly. I cleared my throat, my lips quivering with the effort not to smile. "Yeah, it's really better for everyone if I don't translate that."

"It certainly didn't sound like a declaration of love," Eothain said dryly.

There was another bellow from the room, this time for me. I sighed. "I'm being summoned. Send Ioreth in when you see her."

Rose was on the bed, groaning and swearing in pain. "Oh, God, get them out already!"

"All the men are out in the hall," I told her, coming to take her hand. "I swear I expected one of them to start ringing his hands."

Rose's body tightened in pain, and she didn't retort, which spoke volumes in and of itself about how much pain she was in. Sweat had started to bead on her forehead. Frowning, I wet a cloth and wiped it away. She grabbed my hand. "What if I die, Leigh?"

I opened my mouth, but Ioreth stepped in at the same moment. "Let us see where you are now," she said, sitting on the bed. She lifted Rose's nightgown.

"You are not going to die," I told Rose firmly. "You're going to live a long time, and you're going to make Boromir's life hell, and the two of you are going to be blissfully happy."

Ioreth stood. "We're ready now. Lady Leigh, let's wash."

I blinked. "I'm... What?"

She eyes me. "There are none better than I, but I am but one woman, and I will soon have three patients," she said brusquely, pouring a pitcher of steaming water into a basin. "I can call in an assistant if need be, but birth is not a spectator sport. You may help or you may leave."

I glanced at Rose, who was laying on her back with her eyes closed, struggling to breathe through her pain. God, I wanted to leave. Instead, I rolled up my sleeves and started scrubbing.

"Good, then. I am going to put on my apron, and you need to place thick towels beneath her hips and legs to catch the fluids." I nodded, rinsing my hands with the scalding water. "I will handle the delivery, and you will wait with a towel to take the baby. Dry it vigorously, stimulating the chest and back, then wrap it and hand it to Rose. If there are any problems, I will walk you through it." She eyed me. "I can tell just by your face that you haven't done this before, lass, but have no fear. Childbirth is mostly instinct, and I know what I'm doing for the rest. Rose's body knows what to do, even if she doesn't realize it." She met my gaze levelly. "Never once have I lost a mother or child, and I have no intention of letting the Steward's wife be my first, so wipe that terrified look off your face."

In a strange way, her words were more comforting than if she'd crooned reassurances and encouragement. The woman was scary enough that I doubted the Grim Reaper would win in a battle of wills.

In the corner, she began gowning herself with a thick, utilitarian apron, and I picked up the stack of towels, placing them under Rose as she'd instructed. "Leigh, I'm scared," Rose whispered in English. Her eyes were wide and her face white with fear.

"Don't be," I murmured back. I nodded at Ioreth. "She's in full on battle mode. Satan himself wouldn't fuck with that woman today."

Rose choked out a laugh, then moaned. Ioreth came over as I was finishing with the towels. She studied my work approvingly, then sat on the bed and lifted Rose's nightgown. After a moment, she nodded. "Alright, then, lass. If you want these babies, push at your next contraction."

There was a breathless pause. One heartbeat. Two heartbeats.

Rose screamed, a piercing wail that momentarily deafened me in one ear as her entire torso rose off the bed when she bore down. She shook with the effort, then collapsed. A second later, she grit her teeth and swore and yelled again. "Fuck! Fuck ass mother-fucking son of a bitch!"

The baby's head was out. Ioreth didn't need to tell her again. With a bellow of pain, Rose pushed again, and the baby slipped into Ioreth's hands. Rose gasped, collapsing on the bed. The woman inspected the baby critically but quickly, then held it up, placing it in the towel I held out.

As she'd instructed, I rubbed the baby gently and thoroughly as Ioreth cut the cord, then I carefully wrapped the towel around him. The baby let out a piercing wail, and Rose burst into tears, holding out her hands. As if in answer to the baby's scream, there was a masculine cry outside the door, making all three of us smile. "You have a little boy," I told her, carefully placing him in her arms.

She choked out a laugh, staring down at her son. "Hi, baby. I'm your mommy." The boy opened his squinted eyes and looked at her. She smiled, still crying. "I was wondering what you looked like, too," she said, stroking his little cheek with her finger.

"Brace yourself, lass. His twin does not want to wait," Ioreth said. Rose took a shuddering breath when she felt another contraction, and I hastily snatched up a second towel.

The stream of bellowed curses that flew out of Rose's mouth had my ears burning, but it seemed that the second baby didn't want to put her through what the first had. In only another minute or two, I was cleaning up the second baby, and smiling down as the newborn screamed her disapproval at her ejection from her mother. Gently, I placed the baby in Rose's other arm. "A girl."

Rose was full out sobbing now, but she cuddled them both two her, kissing their foreheads and introducing herself in between choked tears and laughter. Ioreth tended to her as I went to wash my hands of the blood and fluid. On my way back, I picked up two thick blankets. One at a time, I swaddled the babies and handed them back to their mother as Ioreth cleaned her up, and finally, Rose sat under the covers and stared adoringly at what she'd made.

"Can you go get Boromir?" she asked, not taking her gaze from the newborns.

"Of course." I leaned down and stroked both tiny heads. "Oh, I'm going to spoil the crap out of you! I will always sneak you candy," I promised them fiercely. Rose laughed.

Everyone was standing up in the hall, clapping a dazed Boromir on the back. They looked over when I stepped out. "All of them are healthy and happy," I told him with a smile. "You have a son and a daughter. Would you like to meet your children?" Boromir more or less stumbled passed me into the room.

0o0o0o0o0

I sat bolt upright in bed, my legs already swung over the side before my eyes had even opened, when I realized neither of the twins were crying. Blearily, I arched an eyebrow over barely opened eyes. There was another clink! at my window.

I smiled.

Throwing on a dressing gown, I pulled open the doors and leaned over the balcony, smiling down at Eomer. "Well, if it isn't my favorite midnight stalker," I said in amusement.

Eomer was already swinging himself over the railing. He took my face in his hands and kissed me, his lips warm and slow and sending tingles down to my toes. "I haven't seen you since the twins were born."

"Rose needs my help," I explained apologetically.

He kissed my forehead. "I know," he assured me. "I simply missed you. It's been a week."

"Well, you're definitely going to see me tomorrow," I pointed out. "I wouldn't miss Eowyn's wedding for the world." I tilted my head to the side. "But how are you here alone? I know Eothain wouldn't let you wander the city at night without protection."

"I'm a formidable soldier," he said in amusement. "I can take care of myself, and I did not think others should know of our meeting."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Eothain?" I called suspiciously.

There was a quiet cough. "Hail, my lady."

I grinned at Eomer as he rolled his eyes. "Between the two of you, it's a wonder I'm still allowed to dress myself."

I laughed, but stepped into Eomer's chest, and he readily wrapped his arms around me as I laid my head on his shoulder. "We leave in another week?"

"Aye." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "I would have us marry before we return to Edoras."

Surprised, I pulled back a little and looked at him. "Can we do that? And don't just shrug and say 'King'," I added hastily.

He smiled. "Aye, we can do that. Aragorn has authority enough to perform the ceremony. I do not wish to wait to make you my Queen."

"Well, all of our friends and family are already in the city," I said hesitantly. I would want Rose to be there, and this way she wouldn't even have to travel. "And it certainly saves me from having to attempt planning anything."

"Then you will do it?"

I smiled. "Yes. Oh, wow... Yes! We're going to get married in a week!" Laughing, I threw my arms around his neck and he lifted me until my feet dangled in the air. A much more pleasing angle, indeed.

He kissed me hard before setting me back down. "This is very good news, considering I've had the arrangements made for two weeks now. The Queen's crown arrived three days ago."

"The Queen's crown..." My eyes widened, my smile slipping. "Of course I'll have a crown. Monarchs always wear crowns..."

Eomer frowned. "Leigh?"

I swallowed. "Sweet mother of god, I'm going to be Queen of Rohan. Jesus, John, Paul, and Ringo." I bent double, bracing my hands on my knees as I tried to remember how to breathe. "I know you're king, and I've heard people refer to me as the future queen. I knew this the whole time."

Eomer stared at me. "Your words make sense, but your sarcastic tone does not."

"Oh, Jesus. A doctorate with honors from the hardest schools on earth in one of the hardest subjects on earth, and I'm still a moron."

Eomer seemed unsure what to do, so he steered me against the balcony so I could lean against it. "You're only now realizing that you will be Queen?"

"See, I heard the words, but it only now sank in," I said numbly. "Queen. Of an actual country. With a crown. And people looking at me. People are going to think I know how to do things, and they're going to expect me to be a ruler of some sort, because that's what monarchs do, they rule. It's like, you have this crazy idea to get married, but you decide it's a good crazy idea, like, yeah, I can be someone's wife, I can do that if it's him. But then someone tells you you're going to be queen, and it's so crazy that it doesn't hit you that it's crazy, until someone says the word crown, and you realize how crazy it is. And then you try and think about it, and you've processed all the crazy, but just when you think you've reached the bottom of the crazy, there's a crazy underground cellar filled with crowns and expectations! Oh, God, I don't even speak Rohirric!"

I looked up at Eomer, who was listening with crossed arms. He waved his hand dismissively when I seemed to expect some sort of response. "I got a little lost towards the middle, but I found my way back."

"I think I'm hyperventilating," I said blankly, looking back at the ground wide-eyed.

He knelt in front of me, taking my face in his hands so that I had to look at him. "Did you think I did not consider these things when I decided to marry you? My love for you is unconditional, but my responsibility to Rohan will always supersede my personal desires. If I doubted for a moment that you would be anything less than magnificent as Queen, I would not have suggested we marry. I chose you, Leigh, not just to be my wife, but as the person who would rule at my side." He kissed my forehead. "You're just scared. I felt the same fear when I became King, but a wild lady lion helped me become the ruler my people needed," he said, tugging on one of my curls with a smile.

"I don't know if I can do this, Romeo."

He smiled. "There is a story Uncle once told me. This man is walking down a street when he falls into a well. The walls are so steep, he cannot escape. A healer passes by, and the man shouts up, 'Will you help me?' The healer puts some herbs in a vial, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a Captain comes along, and the man shouts up 'Rider, I'm down in this hole, can you help me?' The Captain writes out a command, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. 'Hail Thrand, it's me, can you help me?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our man says, 'What have you done? Now we both are trapped.' The friend says, 'Aye, but I have been down here before, and I know the way out.'" Eomer brushed the hair back from my face. "I have learned how to wear the crown, Lady Lion. I will not let you founder in the water."

I pulled his face to mine and kissed him, rising without breaking the kiss as he stood and pulled me into his arms. "I'm holding you to your word, Romeo," I told him.

He kissed my cheek. "Do, good lady. Do." He glanced up at the sky, and we both realized dawn was approaching. He looked down at me. "I must bid you goodnight, ere the sun rises and we are not found in our beds." He kissed my hand. "I will see you in a few hours."

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