"It's weird. I don't know when it happened, but I think of Meduseld as home, now," I commented as I swung myself off of Frostmane. The motion unsettled my thick cloak and I hastily pulled it back around me, handing my reins to a page.

"That is a good thing, is it not?" Eomer asked with an arched eyebrow. He looked at me as we mounted the steps. "You are the Queen, and the Lady of the Golden Hall."

"Oh, it's definitely a good thing. I just don't know when this became my home more than the twe- uh, than America," I said, hastily changing my words as I glanced at Thorgil beside us. I looked back at Eomer. "It probably had something to do with you, but don't let it go to your head."

"Indeed, with you as my wife, I doubt that is ever to be a possibility," he said dryly. The guards bowed low to us as they opened the doors, but Eomer pulled me to a stop, and I squeaked in surprise when he suddenly swept an arm under my knees, hastily wrapping my arms around his neck even as I started laughing. He grinned down at me. "Rose informed me of one of your traditions ere we left the city, that it is customary for the groom to carry his bride over the threshold of their home."

The guards and maids inside the hall were grinning as Eomer carried me through the doors, and I couldn't help laughing and kissing his cheek affectionately. "I knew I married you for a reason."

"My charm, my good looks, or my strength?" he asked innocently.

"Well, it certainly wasn't for your modesty," I countered with a laugh.

Fordwin met us in the center of the Hall as Eomer was setting me down. He bowed low. "Your Majesties, may I express my sincere congratulations on your marriage."

Eomer, catching my eye, managed to convey a warning look of 'play nice' without his face changing in the slightest. "Thank you, my lord."

"Unfortunately, I must request the King's ear. You have been away a month, and there are matters to which you must attend."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Go be King. I want to get cleaned up." I left Eomer and Fordwin in the Hall and made my way to the East wing and my room, only to stop dead as soon as I unlocked the door. "Uh…where's all my crap?"

Thorgil coughed into his fist to cover what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "I believe your belongings have been moved to the King's Chambers now that you're married, Your Majesty."

I blinked, then cleared my throat. "Right. That makes sense." I closed the door and backtracked with as much dignity as possible. "Maybe we don't mention this to anyone."

"Yes, my Lady." He didn't even bother hiding his grin.

I opened the door to Eomer's – our, I corrected myself – chambers and looked around. Someone had clearly done a bit of redecorating while we'd been away. I didn't have much in the way of possessions to begin with, but what little there was had been subtly incorporated into the room: there was the small piece of my lab coat I'd cut out and had framed – "Leigh Stanton, PhD / Department of Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics" embroidered over the Caltech emblem – and there was bookshelf I'd built, piled with the books I'd managed to decipher; there was Rose's first schematic of the Printing Press, framed and presented to me as a gift of thanks at Eomer's coronation; there were the two ribbons Eomer had snatched from my hair; and in the corner, a little drafting table I'd had specially built for my work.

There were two chambers off to the side; curious inspection revealed them to be a man and woman's dressing rooms, outfitted with toilets. I rubbed my mouth. Up until now, I'd been using the common restrooms at the end of the hall, but now I had a private bathroom. It almost brought me to tears.

No matter what I faced in the days to come, indoor plumbing and a private bathroom made it worth it to be Queen.

0o0o0o0o0

An hour later, Aldric had relieved Thorgil of guard duty, and he smiled at me as I stepped out of my new chambers. It seemed I wasn't the only one who had taken a bath and changed. "You managed to stop at home?" I asked as he fell into step with me. The thick, green velvet gown I'd donned against the cold swirled around me as we made our way down the hall. "I'm sure your wife would have my head if you were in the city and didn't go see her."

"And so she would, my lady," he laughed. "She was pleased that I won't be leaving with you tomorrow."

"You won't?" I asked in surprise.

He shook his head. "Young Thorgil is travelling with you for the first half of your journey, and I ride out to relieve him at Dunharrow."

I nodded. "Well, we'll miss you, but your family is more important," I told him, unlocking the door to my office. "Speaking of, did your daughter-in-law have her baby…yet..." I trailed off, both of us frozen in shock.

My office was completely trashed. The bookshelves had been destroyed, my desk turned over. Papers and drafts were shredded and tossed on the floor. Ash from the fireplace had been dumped on the couch, and the chairs had been slashed. My chalkboard had been cracked but bore some Rohirric writing. They'd even broken my damn slide rule.

"Oh, my lady," Aldric breathed.

Swallowing hard, I knelt and picked up the Slide Rule. This hadn't been a raid: nothing was missing, just broken. This had been someone sending a message. "What does the board say?"

"Your Majesty –"

"Tell me, Aldric."

He sighed. "It says: Women scholars are an abomination."

"Well, I suppose I should be impressed they used a five syllable word," I murmured, but my heart wasn't really in the insult.

It wasn't really even the message that burned me: even in the 21st century, all females in STEM fields encountered sexism – I'd been pat on the head, accused of sleeping my way to the top, and called a 'Quota Hire' so many times I'd stopped listening – but no one had ever gone so far as to trash my office and ruin my work before.

I ran my fingers over the broken slide rule: as ridiculous as it was, I'd put a lot of time and effort into making it, and I'd had to do it twice now. To see it in pieces was somehow more painful than any of the schematics and papers scattered on the floor.

I swallowed hard. "What in the name of Bema happened here?" We both turned to see Eothain standing in the doorway. He was looking around the office, but his eyes paused on the blackboard, and then narrowed dangerously. "I will see them arrested for treason."

He started away, but I grabbed his arm. "Wait! Eothain, you can't. No one can know about this."

He looked at me incredulously. "Whoever did this must be brought to justice."

"Come in and close the door," I said. He reluctantly did as I asked, but crossed his arms over his chest and scowled down at me, his feet braced apart. "First, we don't know who did this, and while there's a chance we could figure it out, that leads me to my second point: what happens if we do? No matter what happens, it would look like I ran to my husband for protection, and speaking as a woman in a man's field, I can't afford to look weaker."

"If I may, lady?" Aldric interjected. I nodded. "Your work here is no longer your only concern. You're the Queen now," he told me. "They didn't just attack you when they did this, they attacked the Crown, and letting it go unpunished would set a dangerous precedent."

I bit my lip uncertainly. "Leigh, there are times when you are just an inventor, but now, more often than not you will be representing the Office of the Queen, and by extension, the King," Eothain explained. "Eomer's authority must not come under question. We need to send a message that an attack on the crown will be met with swift, unyielding justice."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, but nodded. "Alright. Go get Eomer." I looked around my office. "I'm going to see if there's anything salvageable." He inclined his head respectfully and vanished.

I knelt and picked up one of the schematics on the floor, dusting some of the ash off. It was something I'd been doodling with, a simple Newton's Cradle that I had been intending to make for Eomer. He always liked things like that.

Eomer and Eothain returned, and I almost sighed again when I realized Byrnhorn was with them. The thought crossed my mind that he might have been responsible for it, but I dismissed it just as quickly; Byrnhorn might be a misogynistic fossil, and he might not like me, but he was an honorable man and revered the Crown and all it stood for. He wouldn't take a shot at his Queen no matter how much he disliked me.

Eomer came to stand beside me where I knelt on the ground. "Who did this?" Eomer asked quietly.

"Any number of people," I sighed, looking around at the mess. "Months of work destroyed."

"Was anything taken?" Byrnhorn asked. "Any weapon designs?"

"No, nothing." I paused and looked at Eomer. "Wait, the compound bow. I left it on my desk for you before I went to Minas Tirith. Did you take it?"

"I took the schematics for the smiths to replicate, but I left the bow and arrows in here," he said grimly.

"This is ill news. I do not relish the thought of such a weapon falling into the hands of someone who would attack the Queen," Eothain murmured.

Byrnhorn watched us. "What is this thing? The Queen designed a weapon?"

"A powerful bow," Eomer told him. "It carried enough force that the arrows were made of metal."

"It would be easy enough for someone to replicate." I stood, dusting off my hands. "Their biggest problem will be figuring out the mix of metals I made the bow out of. It'll take them a while to figure out the ratios I used."

"At least that is one blessing," Byrnhorn said. "Still, until we have more information on who has them, we need to send a message that targeting the Queen will be met with swift and ruthless retribution by the King. With permission, my lord, I would take charge of the investigation."

Eomer nodded. "Granted. I don't need to tell you that this must be handled quickly."

"It would be wise to assign a larger guard detail for the Queen," Eothain suggested.

"No," I said vehemently.

"Do it," Eomer said at the same time. We looked at each other. "I will not leave your safety to chance."

"Aldric and Thorgil are perfectly capable of protecting me."

"Even the best soldier may be outnumbered, and you are a target now that you are Queen. This is not open to debate." He looked at Eothain. "Your best men." Eothain bowed and departed.

I crouched and picked up a few of the scraps of papers, studying them silently. "Shall I guard the door, my lord?" Aldric asked. Eomer must have nodded, and then we were alone, the door closing behind Aldric.

I tossed the papers on the ground. "Months of work."

"You can fix this," he pointed out. "You created them once. You can do so again."

I looked at him, trying not to cry. "How could someone do this? How could someone hate me this much?"

He pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my head. "You challenge their view of what a woman should be." He rubbed my back soothingly. "You are much beloved in Rohan, for your work has saved many lives. The Queen cannot be brought low by these few petty men."

I buried my face in his chest and started to cry. Eomer simply held me and stroked my hair, murmuring quiet reassurances and letting me get it out, his cheek resting on my head.

0o0o0o0o0

The next morning was my first in Meduseld as Queen. I'd thought that being Queen would mostly be doing what I'd always done, but with a ring on my finger, and helping Eomer work through problems. Occasionally, I figured, I'd be required to do the diplomatic sweet talking required of all wives of powerful men. I had assumed that I'd just be doing what Eowyn had done before me: running Meduseld smoothly so her brother didn't have to worry about it.

My naïveté was revealed at dawn the next morning.

Eomer was woken by a page before dawn, and he'd just left when I heard the door open again. Blearily, I cracked an eye open to see a petite blond woman standing there with an irritatingly chipper smile. "Good morning, Your Majesty! It's a beautiful day outside!" I shit you not, I could actually hear the exclamation points.

I rolled over and looked out the window. It was still pitch black outside. I rolled back groggily. "How can you tell?"

It had been a rhetorical question, but she answered anyway. "It's just a feeling I get. Now, up, up, up! We've got a busy day ahead."

I rubbed my face tiredly and sat up. I opened one eye to look at her, but she had already disappeared into my dressing room. "Who are you?"

"I am Saegyth, my lady. I will be serving as the Queen's Aide-de-camp. I assist you in your duties," she called. "The first of which is getting you out of bed, it seems. I expected you to have woken with the King." She came out with a gown draped over her arm. "The Queen's day starts at dawn."

"Is this a joke?" I asked suspiciously. "Did Eomer put you up to this? Is this some sort of newlywed hazing?"

She bit her lip. "I'm going to need you to dig in now, Your Majesty," she said gently. "It wasn't a bad dream. You really did marry the King of Rohan."

"Sarcasm. Cute." I forced myself out of bed and crankily snatched the gown from her hands, disappearing behind the door of my dressing room as Saegyth began to light some candles.

"Your first order of business is a briefing with the King's Secretary regarding who will be joining the Royal Tour, followed by a meeting with the Master of Ceremony about the schedule of the Tour, and then a briefing by the Captain of the King's guard to discuss security protocol for you and the King."

I blinked, then stepped out into the bedroom as I finished lacing my gown. "And then I'm done for the day? I have to redraft all the projects that were destroyed."

She studied me. "My lady, the Queen of Rohan isn't a ceremonial position like the Queen of Gondor. You are expected to assist the King by overseeing things like the Tour Schedule and who gets an audience with him, while he handles matters of state and policy. The King may be the Head of State, but the Queen is the neck. You hold very real power."

So I was essentially a lesser version of the White House Chief of Staff. "Valar help us."

"Oh, they will, my lady, they will," she said distractedly, flipping through some of the papers. "Now, I took the liberty of decorating your new office a little, since it's been empty since Queen Elfhild passed and –"

"I'm sorry, my new office?" I asked quizzically, pinning my hair up.

"Yes, my lady. The Office of the Queen. It's attached to the King's study."

I blinked. "So, I won't be getting my old office back?"

"Your new one is much nicer," she assured me. "As I was saying, I took the liberty of decorating it a little, but you will put the finishing touches on it as soon as you have time."

I shook my head, a little dazed, and started to the door. "Well, alright then. Let's get started, I guess."

"Your crown, my lady."

"Oh, right. Queen." I grabbed the circlet and plopped it on my head, checking in the mirror that it was positioned correctly, and then gestures for her to follow, Thorgil falling into step beside us as soon as we left the room. "Saegyth, this is one of my personal guards, Thorgil. Saegyth is apparently my Aide-de-camp." Thorgil inclined his head respectfully to her.

Saegyth was right, I realized as she let us into my new office. My old office had been stone and bare wood, and strictly utilitarian; the Queen's Office was large and designed for comfort. The stone floors were covered with thick rugs, and the walls were painted a warm cream, plush chairs facing a mahogany desk elaborately carved with horses. A large fireplace was centered between two large windows overlooking the snow-capped White Mountains. A set of double doors faced my desk, ostensibly leading into Eomer's office, a strategic positioning: anyone who faced me would be forced to have their back to the King's Office, essentially trapping them between the King and Queen of Rohan, something that would definitely keep them off balance. As a matter of fact, the more I looked at it, the more I realized the entire room had been subtly designed to intimidate and throw people, to remind visitors of the power of the Queen. I looked at Saegyth. She smiled mildly. "As I said, I had it decorated for you when I was informed of your marriage."

"Saegyth, something tells me that I should be very thankful you're on my side," I said dryly.

"You should be, Your Majesty," she said lightly. "Now, we have a lot of work to do. Shall I have the steward send in tea?"

"I prefer coffee, actually," I told her. She nodded, stepping out of the room for a moment, and I took a seat at my desk. "Saegyth, who handled all of this after Theoden's wife died?" I asked when she returned.

"Grima Wormtongue," she said bitterly, taking a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk. "After that, I took on what responsibilities I could, but neither I nor Lady Eowyn had the authority to do everything. Some duties are restricted to the Queen and King alone," she explained. "A lot of things have fallen to the wayside, and there will be a great deal to catch up."

"Such as?"

"That, my lady, is a longer discussion than we have time for," she told me seriously. The sun was beginning to lighten the world outside, and glint off the snow on the mountains. She was as fair as a snowflake and as delicate as a pixie, I decided, studying her as she got her papers organized on her lap. Like some sort of Rohirric tinker bell. I almost snorted at the thought: something told me that she may look like a fairy, but that she would hit like a rhinoceros if provoked.

"Ok, you said I'm supposed to meet with the King's Clerk?"

She nodded. "Haleth. He is the son of Hama, who died at Helm's Deep. The King took him under his wing when he first returned to Rohan. He's young, but he's extremely competent," she told me. "With your permission, I would stay with you during meetings until you become acquainted with your new position."

"Of course." God knew I'd need all the help I could get. "When does the meeting start?"

"I will send him in, Your Majesty," she said, climbing to her feet.

"Saegyth, when we're in private, you can call me by my first name," I told her. "We're going to be working closely, and there's no reason you should have to call me my lady or your majesty."

She smiled. "Of course...Your Majesty." I laughed as she left. A moment later, she returned with a young red-haired kid, maybe sixteen, who bowed low as he entered. "Your Majesty, may I present Haleth, the King's Clerk."

"It is an honor to meet you, my Queen," he said respectfully.

"The honor is mine. Please, have a seat," I said, gesturing to the chairs. They sat, and I watched them as they both pulled out ledgers and pots of ink. It must be a pain to carry those things around. Maybe for midwinter I could get them pencils, I thought, or else pens. There was a knock on the door, and a steward brought in a tray, setting it on the edge of my desk. I thanked him as he bowed low and left. "Would either of you like some?" They both declined. Well, more for me. "So, we're talking about who is coming on the Tour. I thought that had already been decided."

"It was, my lady," Haleth told me, as I poured my coffee, "but that was before your marriage. Now there are many people who wish to meet the new Queen and have requested an invitation to join the Royal Escort. Most are heads of houses who would otherwise not get the opportunity to meet you."

"Aren't we going to their homes?" I asked.

Haleth shook his head. "No, my lady. We will be visiting the noble houses, and the requests are coming from the leaders of many of the hamlets and small settlements across Rohan that we will not be seeing. The problem is that the noble houses will be providing food and provisions while the Royal Party is in residence, and the more guests that join us –"

"The more money is used that would otherwise go to upkeep and feeding villages," I finished with a nod. "But we also don't want to insult anyone. How many requests have we gotten?"

Haleth flipped to another page. "Two hundred."

"Jesus Christ!"

He hesitated. "Perhaps I should clarify. We've received two hundred letters asking for an invitation. Each letter requested seats be held for at least two people."

"Wives and older children," Saegyth explained.

I leaned back in my chair. Well, this was a pickle. I couldn't just turn them down, but at the same time, I couldn't possibly ask the Lords to house and feed four hundred extra people. I rubbed my mouth, then rapped my knuckles on the desk, straightening. "Ok, here's what we're going to do. Select the ten most prominent areas of the Wold and Eastemnet, because the tour isn't going out there, and we need their information about their areas. Tell them that they are to pick one representative and his wife from each area to join us on the tour. For the Westemnet and West-march, tell them that they are to request an invitation from the Lord of our closest destination, and if he grants their request, I will give them a private audience."

Haleth nodded, scribbling down notes, and Saegyth shot me a look of approval. "I will have the clerks begin writing the letters, Your Majesty," Haleth said, recording his ink bottle. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No. Thank you, Haleth. It was a pleasure to meet you," I told him with a smile. He returned the smile warmly and bowed low before he left.

"That was nicely handled, my lady," Saegyth congratulated. "They get to decide who comes, so they won't be insulted by not receiving an invitation. Very diplomatic."

"We aim to please," I said dryly. "What's next?"

"Master Hrothgar. The Master of Ceremonies."

I took a deep sip of coffee. "Send him in."

The meeting with Hrothgar lasted all morning and into the afternoon. He was a jovial older man who had no problem teasing me on my naïveté, even calling me a greenhorn, but it was always good natured. Despite the mind-blowingly boring topic, the three of us spent more time laughing than working, and I couldn't help but like him; a good thing, since I found out that the Master of Ceremonies was typically one of the Queen's closest and most important advisors. He had a distinctly Dad-joke sense of humor, but he teased and flirted with both of us, and I was actually almost disappointed when we finally wrapped up the marathon meeting.

Saegyth and I were still laughing when Eothain entered. He took one look at us and arched an eyebrow. "Giggling like young girls and blushing like maidens... I must have missed Master Hrothgar."

"You've met him?" I asked with a grin.

"Several times. Alas, he doesn't have the same effect on soldiers that he seems to on women. I'm sure he's thrilled to have a Queen to work with again," he said dryly. "And clearly, you are thrilled to work with him, as well."

I flapped my hand at him. "Oh, you're just jealous because I never blush and giggle with you," I teased. "Saegyth, this is Eothain, Captain of the King's Riders and one of my closest friends. Saegyth is my... Well, I'm going to create a new title and call her my Chief of Staff. Aide-de-camp is too long."

"So this is the formidable lady that refused to grant Lord Byrnhorn an audience with the Queen. A true honor, lady," Eothain said, sounding impressed as he bowed low. "Even I have trouble defying him, but rumor has it that he left your presence with his tail between his legs."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Saegyth. Rhinoceros indeed. "You flatter me, Captain." Eothain grinned at her as she blushed. I looked back and forth between them, my other eyebrow rising to join the first. My, my. Two gladiators batting their eyelashes at each other. Apparently, Boromir and Eomer weren't the only ones who had a weakness for strong women.

"So, you're supposed to brief me on our protection," I said, drawing their attention. I waved them into their chairs as I sat, and Saegyth pulled her ledger onto her lap. I couldn't help but notice that her legs were crossed towards Eothain.

"Aye. First, I'd like to talk about your protection, though," he said, leaning forward with his arms on his knees. "I've assigned you four additional guards, strong, capable men all. At any time, three of them will be on duty, unless you are under the canopy of the Eomer's guard."

"And there's no way to talk you out of this?" I sighed.

He smiled. "Eomer's orders supersede yours, I'm afraid, and it was one I firmly agreed with, both as the Captain of the King's Riders and as your friend. Your protection is not negotiable."

"This is because of last night?" Saegyth asked.

Eothain nodded. "Both because of last night and because she's a greater target now that she is Queen."

"I agree. Why then did you not assign her additional protection when you left Minas Tirith?" Saegyth was in full business mode now; flirting took a back seat to protecting her queen, it seemed.

"Until we arrived in Edoras, she was traveling with the King and therefore encompassed under the protection of the King's Riders." He looked at me. "Which brings me to our second discussion. We will be traveling with the full eored of the King's Riders, and at no point will you or the King be without at least six guards, and their proximity to you will be at the discretion of the ranking officer at the time."

"What about when we're in private meetings? You know someone will need to speak with either me or Eomer privately at some point."

"If you take a private meeting and the officer deems it safe, they will wait outside the door. Otherwise, at least one of them will stay with you, and you can order them out until you turn blue in the face, but they answer only to me and the King."

"I can't control my own guards?" I asked incredulously. "But Eomer is allowed to?"

"Eomer is a trained soldier," Eothain countered. "But if at any time a guard feels that the King is putting his life in danger, he has the ability to refuse an order and stay with him, and I will hear his case and rule on it after the situation has passed."

"The guards are allowed to disobey a direct order from Eomer?" I asked in surprise. "That sounds like a dangerous precedent to set, doesn't it?"

"And one I'm not happy about," he agreed. "But until there is an heir to the crown, Eomer's safety trumps even his own authority."

I'd really appreciate it if everyone would get the hell out of my vagina, but I didn't say anything. "Alright, but make it painfully clear to your men that anything heard in those meetings is confidential, and if they repeat anything they hear, there will be extreme consequences," I warned. "I have absolute faith in you, Eothain, but I don't know your men, and our safety cannot interfere with our ability to run the country. Rohan comes first."

He nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. May I help you with anything else?"

"Uh, yes, actually." I hesitated, then looked at Saegyth. "I'm sorry, but can you give us the room for a moment?"

She curtsied low and left, closing the door behind her. Eothain watched me. "What is on your mind?"

"Has there been any news on who stole the bow from my office?"

He nodded. "We tracked down a page, but you're not going to like it. He was told to break into your office and to bring whatever he found in there to a messenger, and that if he failed to do so, his family would be killed. He was told what to write on the board." Eothain rubbed his forehead tiredly. "He doesn't know who it was that threatened him, as it was in a letter shoved into his hand in a crowd, and of the messenger, he knows only that it was a man in a cloak with his face hooded, and that the man fled the city within moments."

"They threatened a child," I sighed, leaning back in my chair.

"He is only 12, and the note threatened repercussions if he told anyone. He didn't know what to do."

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked.

"Eomer and I have already spoken to the boy," Eothain told me. "Byrnhorn was there as well. He is being punished, but nothing too severe." Eothain stroked his beard. "The only thing we are certain of so far is that it must have been a Lord behind this. The note was written by someone with a formal education."

I looked up at the ceiling, lacing my fingers over my stomach. "So now someone, likely one of the houses that are amassing soldiers, has access to a powerful weapon. We don't know who. We don't know if he's already outfitted his soldiers with them. And the only thing we do know is that he's ruthless enough to threaten children." I glanced at Eothain. "Is there anything we do know?"

"We know that the King's Riders are the most highly trained and best equipped soldiers in Rohan. We know that we're about to visit the main keeps with a full eored of these Riders, and we know that we will have the opportunity to search for any indication that the weapon was ever there," he said mildly. "And we know that they've made a crucial mistake in threatening my King and Queen, because I will hunt him down and personally execute them for treason."

I stared at him, then started laughing. "You're a terrifying man, you know that?"

He looked flattered. "Thank you for noticing." He climbed to his feet.

"Valar help us if you ever decide to fight for the other guys," I said, following him to the door.

He paused. "Out of curiosity, your Chief of Staff..." His tone was that of mild interest.

"Single. And since you're one of my closest friends and we've just finished a meeting, you'll be on my mind, and will probably be worked into several conversations," I said innocently.

Eothain grinned and bowed. "If I didn't think Eomer would gut me, I would kiss you right now." I laughed as he opened the door.

Saegyth smiled warmly up at him. "You're leaving so soon, Captain?"

"Alas, I have other duties to which I must attend." He bowed to her with a smile. "We will meet again, lady."

"I look forward to it." He looked at me and inclined his head, then left. Saegyth's eyes followed him as she stepped into the room. "He's a very charming man," she murmured.

"And single," I agreed innocently, trying to smother a smile. "Alright, what's next?"

0o0o0o0o0

It was just before dinner when I finally managed to start working on something other than the Queen's duties, and I was in the middle of drafting yet another slide rule when the door to my office opened. Out of habit, I looked to the side, only to realize that it was the other door. Eomer smiled at me as he came in. "How goes your first day as Queen?"

"Well," I said slowly as he stopped beside me and leaned against my desk, his arms folded over his chest. I leaned back in my chair and laced my hands behind my head. "I managed to avoid insulting anyone important while still keeping the people fed. I negotiated the political gauntlet that is the Rohirrim nobility – by the way, the Lord of Dunharrow gets to invite us into his keep to show he's not the Crown's lackey, and in exchange, you get to sit at the head of his table to remind him that he kind of is – and approved the security of the Tour."

Eomer's eyebrows rose in amusement. "A very productive day, then."

"What about you?"

"Oh, nothing worth mentioning," he said dismissively, but there was a cocky lilt to his smile. "I prevented two noble Houses from going to war, sent two full eored with warning to the Dunlendings against encroaching on our land, created four hundred new jobs, and managed to negotiate a trade agreement with the dwarves to the tune of eleven thousand barrels of much needed supplies for Rohan's provinces." He shrugged. "It was a light day. You said I get to sit at the head of the table in Dunharrow? A veritable coup."

I laughed and kicked his leg lightly. "Smart ass. Apparently I'm in charge of cultivating your political leverage. It's harder than you might think."

He smiled. "Come, I have something to show you," he said, holding out his hand.

"Is it a cookie? You know I love cookies," I teased as he guided me out of the office.

He laced our hands together as he laughed, leading us through the Great Hall. "It's a surprise."

"Oh, but what would my husband say if he knew I was going off alone with the King?" I teased, placing the back of my hand on my forehead in a theatrical display of maidenly distress. Several of the maids and guards looked over and grinned at us as we passed.

"That the King is too handsome and devilishly charming for you to resist?" Eomer suggested.

I laughed and raised my eyebrows, impressed. "Oh my goodness. I like how smoothly you worked that into the conversation."

"There is a fine line between gloating and acknowledging how impressive I am," he said mildly. "I like to think I walk that line every day."

He took us to the stables, and I looked around curiously. "Are we going on a ride or something?"

He shook his head with a smile, pulling me to a stop in front of a stall. "In Gondor, I wasn't able to give you a wedding present, but as Queen, you receive horses and land."

"Ooooh, I get presents?" I asked in thrilled surprise. "I love getting presents."

Eomer smiled at me. "I chose a mount for you among the Mearas, who otherwise bear no rider save for the King of Rohan and his sons." He whistled a little, and a beautiful, delicate mare stuck her head out proudly. The color of caramel, her coat gleamed even in the dim light of the torches. Eomer stroked her golden neck. "This is Geolufel. Her sire was Snowmane, my Uncle's stallion."

I was so shocked that I could only hold out my hand so she could sniff it, and her nose felt like the smoothest velvet against my palm. "I don't know what to say, Romeo," I murmured, hesitantly stroking her cheek. "She's the most beautiful... A Mearas... I don't..."

Eomer's smile widened when I looked at him helplessly. "I don't believe I've ever seen you at a loss for words."

"Hello, you beautiful girl," I breathed, running my hands over her smooth golden coat. She butt her head against my shoulder. "Yeah, you know how lovely you are, don't you. Go easy on me, ok? I'm not a very good rider yet."

"She is a Mearas," Eomer told me. "She will bear you or not, and if she does, she will not let you fall. She is a fit mount for a Queen."

"I'm not sure I'm a fit rider for her. I wouldn't blame her if she chose not to."

"She will," he assured me with a smile. "She likes you."

"How can you tell?" I asked curiously.

"If she didn't, she would have gone back into her stall. As it is, she lets you touch her, and that shows her approval."

I smiled, looking back at her. "I approve of you, too, but you knew that already," I told her. I swear she tossed her head in what could only be a nod, and I laughed. "Your name is a little hard for me to pronounce." I glanced at Eomer, who was watching me with a smile. "What does it translate to?"

"Yellow coat."

I stroked her nose. "How about I call you Galileo, after one of my heroes. He was a man that changed the world." She tossed her head again and I smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Galileo." Eomer tried the word out curiously, but it sounded strange with his Rohirric accent.

"He lived four hundred years before my time," I told him with a smile. "He is the father of modern physics. He changed how we understand the world and made unparalleled contributions to science. He was persecuted in his time, but he is still regarded as one of the most important men that ever lived."

Eomer ran his hand over Galileo's nose. "Then I can think of no more fitting a name."