Chapter 9
Minas Tirith, 18th March, 3019
"Lothíriel..."
A light caress on her cheek. She stirred in her sleep and moved closer towards it.
Éomer smiled. Memories of last night came to his mind. He had been with many a woman, for sure, but Lothíriel was like no other. She had given herself to him entirely, not holding back.
And now she looked perfect, laying there with him, just wrapped in a white cotton sheet, bathed by the morning light. He felt sorry to wake her. How he wished they could just stay there...
"Lothíriel?" he tried again.
"Hum...?" She finally asked.
"Wake up, the sun is rising." A deep voice.
Lothíriel opened her eyes to meet who had troubled her peace.
Éomers' eyes were looking straight at her. His loose hair failing down his back. His bare chest...
"Morning..." she mumbled.
"Good morning." as he leaned to kiss her.
Her head sank on to the pillow, rejoicing in the sweet heat his kiss brought her. Her hand moved to his face and pulled him closer to her.
Breaking the kiss, he said.
"Wait..."
"What...?"
He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes inhaling her scent. Like he was trying to memorize it for the days to come.
"There would be nothing better than to just lay here with you... But we can't..." opening his eyes, he continued. "I have to go, Thíri..."
She felt an ice cold grip in her heart. She caressed his cheek with her thumb as she said "I know..."
Silence fell between them.
Kissing her nose, Éomer got up and started to dress. She remained in the bed, unable to take her eyes of him.
She would have to get up eventually too.
There were preparations to be attended. Cloths and meals for those leaving, lodgings and food for the ones who stayed behind.
And then, arrangements in the Houses of Healing for those who would return.
How many will they be...? Some will be injured... some dead...
Trying to shake those unhappy thoughts of her mind, she looked at Éomer once more as he sat on the edge of the bed to put on his riding boots.
There was so much she would like to say... But no words came.
Three days... I met him only three days ago and already I'm falling in love with him...
Like a lamb to the slaughter! That dark inner voice replied.
She moved across the bed, wrapped in her sheet and embraced him from behind.
Feeling her arms around him made Éomer stop what he was doing. Then he turned to her, looking straight in to her eyes.
"Hold me..." she asked.
And so he did, tightly. And then he faced her and kissed her gently on the lips. Rising, still holding her hand, he took one last look at her sitting on the bed, only wearing that blessed sheet, lose dark hair around her, eyes misty with tears...
Beautiful... he thought.
He kissed her hand and left, afraid if he took another look at her, he wouldn´t be able to leave.
Alone, she let sadness come over her. She felt empty.
*****
Éomer reached the Rohirrim camp just before the sun rising. A pale light was now starting to appear on the horizon. The encampment was still half asleep, for which he was thankful. The last thing he wanted were strange, questioning looks in his direction.
He entered his tent and droped his cloak on the small improvised cot. He gathered a change of fresh cloths and set for the water basin. But just before starting to wash, he paused and lingered back to those beautiful moments of the previous night. The most magical night he had ever had. He could still feel her smooth skin under his fingers... the smell of her hair... the taste of her lips... He could live a thousand years and he would still remember the way she...
"Éomer?!" he heard as he turned his head towards the calling voice. "Have you lost your hearing overnight?" Éothain said, in the middle of the tent.
Éomer hadn't heard him come in either.
"What?"
"I've been calling you for ages... and you were just there..." Éothain said, reaching Éomers' side. "With that dumb expression on your face!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, never mind! The men are starting to get ready and I gave the order to break camp. For the rest, what have you decided? I waited for you last night but I guess you were delayed... and, I confess, sleep overcame me... But, still, you could have..." Éothain paused while he looked at his captain in awe.
"What?"
"Wait... Are those the same clothes you were wearing last night?"
Éomer looked at himself and then back to his friend. But he couldn't think of a single intelligent excuse for that.
"They are... You are arriving!! You lucky dog! You spent last night in the arms of a woman!!" he winked at his liege. "I might have known were that dumb expression came from! Béma! I never understood what women see in you! They swarm around you like bees to the hive!"
"Éothain..." Éomer started, taking his hand to his forehead. This was the last thing he wanted to discuss.
"Who is she?! Hum? Who? Oh, come on, you never had secrets to me! I can't believe you were that lucky! A lady of the court?!"
"Éothain..."
"I bet it was! All perfumed and with a smooth, creamy white skin..."
The image of Lothíriel, wrapped in that simple white sheet, tears in her eyes as they said goodbye only a couple of hours ago came to his mind.
"Éothain, enough!" his voice was hard as thunder. Éomer sat on the cot and gathered his head between his hands.
His fellow rohir was immediately silent. And for the first time, he could tell that something was wrong.
"I´m sorry... I didn't mean to snap like that..." Éomer said as he raised his head.
Éothain looked into Éomers' eyes and, in them, saw despair and guilt. He sat next to him on the cot.
"You look like a condemned man..."
Éomer chuckled sadly.
"In a way, I am."
"What is it?"
Éomers' answer was nothing more then silence. Éothain pressed on.
"We are about to march to a battle from which we might not return... Defeat is, in fact, the most probable outcome. Get it off your chest...You know you can confide in..."
"It was Lothíriel..." Éomer said, quickly.
"WHAT?!" Éothain jumped out of the bed like a spring. "Have you lost your mind!?"
Éomer sank his fingers deep in his hair. Éothain kept going.
"Lothíriel?! Imrahil's daughter?!! You're telling me that you spend last night with the daughter of one of your best friends? The man to whom you OWE your sisters' life?! The same man you are about to march up to the Black Gates of Mordor, side by side, with!?!"
"Yes..."
Éothain started to pace back and forward in front of his king.
"I can't believe it! You have definitely lost your mind ... I... You... She's innocent! She knows nothing and it was your duty to respect her, Éomer! It was you duty to avoid this! You should know better!"
It was Éomers' time to spring out of the small mattress.
"Don't you think I know that?!! Don't you know me, Éothain?! Don't you think I tried?! I fought this with all my strenght! It's just... It was not enough..." he paused and then sighed, uttering the dreaded words. "I'm falling in love with her..."
Éothain took several deep, calming breaths before sitting down again.
"Well, that was obvious! Yes, don't looked at me like that! Plain obvious! From the first time you laid eyes on each other!"
A soft breeze shook the flaps of the tent. Outside, the sounds of the men lifting up camp were heard.
"Now what?" Éothain asked.
"Now, we have more pressing matters to attend."
As if on cue, a call from the outside reached them.
"Milord?"
"Come in."
"A message came from the city, addressed to you. Lord Aragorn sent it." The rohir guard handed a small paper to his king. "The boy waits for an answer."
It was a simple letter. A request of the King to gathered one final time in the Great Hall. A meting to settle the final strategy and then to make their farewells to friends and family before starting the march onto the Black Gates.
"Aragorn asks for our presence in the Great Hall." he said adressing his first Marchal. Then turning to the guard, he added. "Tell the boy we will be there shortly."
The guard bowed and left the tent.
The two remaining men in the tent looked at each other. The time was coming. The greatest battle ever told would soon begin. Now was not the time for weakness. Now was not the time for personal affairs. The mind had to be free for military strategy only.
"I'll see to the horses." Éothain said as he placed an hand on his king shoulder, giving it a encouraging squeeze.
Éomer smiled gratefully and made his way to the water basin again. Trying to push his personal feelings aside, he started to undress and washing.
Enough, for now.
A\N Sorry for the waiting... Again, my excuse is work!! Insane!!! And thank you SO MUCh for the reviews, all of you! Hope to update soon!