Chapter 22
Edoras, 29th September 3019
Éothain was a man who enjoyed the rohirrim style of living. Always on horseback, camping in the wild, being free and ride hard with the wind on his back. But, like any soldier to longer away from home, he also enjoyed returning to his city. As he entered the city's gates he was greeted by friendly faces and warm welcomes. And a few female invitations to spend the night as well.
He went straight to Meduseld, as customary after official missions to the lands of the realm and in the Hall he found Deorm, perhaps the older advisor to the royal house, a sensible man withyears of relations with the neighbouring nations in the troubled times of Théoden. It was said that he was the reason Gríma hadn't managed to get to the King soon enough to please Saruman.
"My Lord Deorm, I bid you good afternoon."
"Young Éothain, you've returned."
"As you see."
"All was well?"
"Yes, I have good news to report to the king."
"Blessed be Béma. We are in dire need of good news."
"I shall deliver them to Éomer King at once then."
Deorm placed a hand on his left arm, drawing his attention.
"I should caution you that our king is in a... foul mood today."
"Just today?"
He smiled to the elderly advisor and took the corridor to Éomer's chambers.
As he opened the door, he heard the sound of crashing furniture and was just in time to see his king turn the heavy oak chair he usually sat on.
"Do I dare to come in?"
"Éothain, I didn't expected you so soon. All went well?"
"Yes. And here?"
Éomer took a deep breath and stated.
"The same."
"So, what's with the bad temper?"
"I don't have a bad temper." Éomer responded with clenched teeth.
"Right..." Éothain picked up the fallen chair and sat on it. "Do you need to talk?"
Éomer gave him such a look that Éothain actually gulped.
"Sorry I asked." he said raising his hands.
"You're here because of the report. So, report."
"Yes, my lord."
"Tell me about the Westmark."
"At last, the raids have stopped. Whatever orcs were around have dispersed and it has been a fortnight since their last attack on any village to our knowledge." he paused and looked at his king, standing at the window, pressing the bridge of his nose. "The crops for the next year are underway and the houses are rebuilt. It's safe to travel between towns. The river has been cleared of debris and the school is open again. And you're not paying attention to anything I said, are you?"
All he got was silence.
"Éomer?"
"What?"
"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
Éomer took another deep breath before answering.
"Forgive me, I'm distracted."
"That's an understatement."
The room was silent, only the cracking of the embers in the fireplace could be occasionally heard.
"It can't be about Rohan..." Éothain murmured.
"What?"
"I said, it can't be about Rohan! The reason why you're so distracted because the land is fine. The people are getting it together, recovering. And it can't be about family because your sister is healthy and betroth to a good man. So... it has to be about you. And because I know you I'm going to bet it is because of a woman. And not just any woman..."
"Careful, my friend, you test my limit."
Éothian rose from his sitting position and paced around the room.
"I know you don't like to talk about the past but allow me this... After all, I've known for years and, more than a friend, I consider you my brother. I can still remember the first time you rode out with us in the éored. Béma's balls, you were just a cocky kid trying to prove to the world that you could do well. No names, no legacies, no titles attached. And you did. You proved your worth, you became one of us."
"Where are you going with this?"
"And I remember on your thirteenth birthday that I was the one that took you to the very famous Tall Tree Tavern, just outside Alburgh. It was time to make you a man! And by the Gods, a man you became! What was her name?"
"Hadelyn."
"Hadelyn, that was it. Pretty Hadelyn with fair hair and rosy cheeks. And,if I remember correctly, with a beautiful pair of..."
"Hey!"
He laughed and continued. "She was quite talented in her trade, I was told. That why I chose her for you. But, again, she too was quite impressed with you. A simple lad at the age of thirteen."
"Éothain..."
"After that, you were a ladies man. Noble women, cotton weavers, even one of your sister's tutors! Single, married – come, come, don't deny it -, widows... From the Westmark, the Eastmark..."
"Is there a point in this?"
"My point is, even with all the women in all of the years, never in my life have I seen you look at a woman as you did...
"Éothain, don't push me." he said interrupting his friend's line of thought.
"... Lothíriel of Dol Amroth."
Éomer looked straight to Éothain. He loved that man dearly but right now he could feel the urge to drive a cold blade into his chest.
"This is useless."
"This is the truth you don't won't to hear. This is why you have a temper all the time and I don't mean your usual temper, I mean a foul mood that drives everyone away! You're in love with that woman and you refuse to admitted it."
"Stop it!"
"I say you saddle Firefoot and ride as fast as you can to Dol Amroth, get down on one knee and beg her to be your wife."
"Éothain..."
"I mean, Imrahil likes you, obviously, and he will consent to the marriage for sure. Her brothers worship you. And Rohan needs a Queen and above all you need an heir. Personally, I think she is perfect for it, she is used to help her father, right? I guess some people won't be that happy, with her being from outside of Rohan and all, but once they know her it's impossible not to like her. She's beautiful, caring, intelligent... Besides, you're crazy about her and when they see the two of you, they'll..."
"I already did."
Éothain stopped his tirade.
"Pardon?"
"I already asked her."
Éothain was dumbstruck for a second. He did not see that one coming. He sat in the abandoned chair.
"You did?"
"On her last day in Edoras."
"And?"
"And I was refused."
"What? I was under the impression that she was as attached as you."
"Well, apparently you were wrong. And so was I..."
As if with the weight of the entire Middle Earth on his young shoulders, Éomer King left the study leaving his friend to his thoughts.
Dol Amroth, 29th September 3019
Another beautiful morning by the sea. The sky had the most beautiful blue, no clouds in sight. The wind was only a small breeze, enough to make the warm weather bearable. Lothíriel stood in the balcony of her room, watching the busy gardeners down below. A cup of apple and cinnamon tea on her hands warming her hands. She adored the view from her room. The sight of the sea as far as the eyes could see, the tall ships and the sounds of the busy harbour. She took another sip as she heard her name.
"Lothíriel!"
She turned to see Amrothos walking in her room.
"Out here." she called. "On the balcony."
She saw her brother approaching with the brightest smile and a gleam in his eyes.
"It the perfect day for one of our sailing trips." Amrothos said as he drew near. "What say you, sister?"
It was the last thing she was feeling up to. But she had to admire her brother's effort.
"I don't know, Amrothos... I'm not really in the mood today."
She couldn't take the disappointment in her brother's eyes but she wasn't really very up to anything these days. Even though she also knew it was hopeless to wallow around her quarters.
You need to get out. Fresh air will do you good.
"Besides, I have work to do in the Houses of Healing."
Excuses...
"Come on, Thíri. We could take Swan out for its first is dying to try it out. And so am I, actually!"
"Brother?" Erchirion's voice on the hall. "Are you here?"
"Thíri's room." he shouted.
Erchirion came into the room with the brightest of smiles.
"I just had the greatest idea. How about we take Swan out for it's first sail? Huh? It's a perfect day!"
Lothíriel and Amrothos exchanged a knowing grim. So different and yet so similar.
"What?" Erchirion's face showed his impatience. "What am I failing to see here?"
"Nothing, dear brother." Amrothos said, not spoiling his spirit. "Just us two being silly, that's all. A day of sailing would be wonderful. It's a yes for me."
Erchirion's face lit up.
"Lothíriel?"
"I..."
"You don't even have to worry about a thing! I have everything ready. I asked the cook for some food and with some luck we can venture in a dip in the sea later on, if the water isn't too cold. I also have our fishing gear if you're in the mood. It will be good!"
"It will be great! Come on, Thíri!"
"I have work..."
"In the Houses of Healing... Yes, you said that already but you can do that later in the afternoon." Amrothros said." We won't be gone too long, promise."
"And Thíri, you need to catch some sun. You look too pale, little sister."
"He's right, you know." Amrothos said, turning to inspect her complexion.
"Oh, alright if you stop your nagging! Let me just change and I'll meet you in the dock."
"We'll grab some apples from the kitchen." Amrothos said as he left with Erchirion.
"And don't forget some fresh water."
"We won't."
Lothíriel turned to her closet and her eyes stopped at her reflexion on the mirror. Erchirion was right, she looked pale.
Too much time in this room.
She changed into a simple working dress, like the ones she used to wear when working at the Houses of Healing. Nothing fancy, just a comfortable outfit. She gathered her soft leather shoes from under the bed, a simple ribbon to gather her hair and headed out.
"Nooran?" she called.
"In the linen cabinet, child."
Lothíriel peeped inside the closet.
"I just wanted to tell you that Amrothos, Erchirion and I are going to take the new boat out for a few hours."
"Good, dear. Nothing like a day out. You have fun."
"We won't be out long. I'll see you later."
"And tell those brothers of your to be careful."
"Will do."
The distance to the dock wasn't great. Well, Dol Amroth was placed right by the sea so everything was quite near the water. She always enjoyed the walk, with the cold breeze and the sounds of the arriving and departing ships. And it was a indeed a most beautiful day.
Swan was a sail boat, not as majestic as the great vessels of their armada but a leisure ship with simple clean lines and white sails, pure as cotton. She was a beauty. Her brothers were right to be proud.
"Hey there! Don't just stare, come aboard." Amrothos extended his hand to her as soon as he saw her. "We are almost ready to good. So? What do you think? Beautiful, isn't she?"
"She's marvelous, well done you."
Her brother swelled with pride.
"Thank you, little sister."
"Hey, it wasn't just his work you know? I work until my back was aching and my hands were covered in blisters!" Erchirion held his hands to her. "See? I still have the marks."
There was nothing there to see but a few sacres in the back of his right hand and most likely not even from the work in the boat.
"Well, of course brother, I can see them well. I believe your fine hands will never be the same because of it... Such waste..."
They all laughed and deep down it felt right for Lothíriel. It was like old times and she was glad she had decided to come after all.
As soon as they were out of the docking bay, Swan's sails caught wind. She moved fluently across the glowing sea and in only an hour later, they had circled the Bay of Belfalas.
"She's fast, brother. Faster then we had hoped!"
"It's the hull's design. It was a great idea."
"There are some hard waves ahead, let's see if she's strong for it."
They sailed through the waves testing Swan's class and she held strong. However, because of her size, each wave made her rock heavily and after a while, Lothíriel's stomach started to hate the motion.
A wave hit the haul hard and Lothíriel felt a strong wave of nausea inside.
Her brothers turned to her as soon as they heard her sigh.
"Oh, Valar."
"Are you alright, Thíri? You look pale."
"I know, you already said so this morning."
Another urge to spill her stomach contents hit her hard. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Pale?" Erchirion said in his stead. "She looks like a sheet of white paper!"
Amrothros moved across the boat and sat by his sister. "Are you ill?"
"It's nothing, I think I have a stomach sickness of some sort. Breakfast didn't suit me today."
"You only had a cup of tea..."
"Exactly, that's why I had the tea." She said in a harsh tone. Then, lightly, she added. "I couldn't eat."
Erchirion and Amrothros exchanged worried looks.
"Maybe, now you're hungry..."
"Will you stop worrying? I'm fine, honestly."
"Maybe we should return."
"And ruin a perfectly good day? No, it will pass, I know it."
But every moment that went by, Lothíriel felt worse. Every wave that hit the hull and rocked the small boat, she felt her insides turning, threatening to spill out, again and again.
When a stronger wind made the boat turn suddenly, she growled in distress.
"That it! We're heading back!" Erchirion said. "You're not well."
"I'll draw sail. With this wind, we'll reach shore in no time." Amrothos placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hang on, little sister."
The journey back was quick as Amrothros had predicted. However, to Lothíriel it wasn't fast enough. As they docked the smell of fish from a nearby boat was the final straw. Lothíriel only had time to lean overboard as the emptied the few contents of her stomach in a very non-lady like fashion.
Her brothers helped her out of the boat and took her home.
"Shall I fetch Master Healer?"
"No, there's no need. As I said, a stomach sickness. I'm sure it will pass."
"You said that on the boat as well and look at you now."
"Please, brother all I need is to lay down."
She moved slowly across the hall with Amrothros and Erchirion close behind. It was evident they were worried. They watched silently as she laid on her bed.
"Sweet Valar, what happened?" Nooran entered the room, with a frown. She placed a hand on her forehead. "My dear child, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Erchirion said.
"She's sick, Nooran but keeps telling us that she's fine when obviously she isn't!"
"It's a...a sickness of some sort. We don't know what... She was pale this morning, her appetite gone and then on the boat she threw up." Erchirion explained.
"Like motion sickness, except Thíri never had it before... She was always a sailor of strong stomach." Amrothos said in his stead.
Nooran paused as she looked at her princess. After a momentary hesitation, she turned to the brothers.
"Come, come. You should leave her alone." Nooran said to them. "Go. Both of you, out."
"We want to stay with Thíri."
"Well, that won't do any good. She needs to rest."
"But..." Amrothos tried.
"Out, I said! Both of you!"
"Do you see how she bosses us around?" he asked Lothíriel. "No one would know she addresses princes of this land."
"Well, right now you could be King Elessar for all I care! Out with you!"
Nooran managed to shoo them out of the room. She closed the blinds on the balcony window and poured cold tea with two spoons of sugar in a cup, placing it in her nightstand.
Finally, she sat by Lothíriel on the bed.
"Well... Do you start or should I?" she said after a while.
"I don't understand..."
"Oh, I think you do, Lothíriel." It was the first time in many years that Nooran addressed her by her birth name. "When did you learned you where with child?"
She felt like the world was crumbling down around her. For some time now, she had known. Her monthlies had failed and she was always so regular. Then came a light morning sickness, intolerance to certain smells, swollen feet... She was a healer. She knew the signs. She couldn't ignore it. She placed her right hand on her belly and closed her eyes.
I'm with child.
A solitary tear came down her face.
"Oh, come now, tears will do you no good." She heard Nooran saying.
"How did you know...?" Her voice was barely audible.
"I'm a woman. And although I never had the fortune to bare children, I've been around many pregnant women to know the signs." She felt silent for a moment. "Who else knows? Have you told anyone?"
She shook her head.
"And you kept this all to yourself?"
Again, Lothíriel was only capable to nod.
"Oh, child, how much have you suffer?"
Nooran's words made her tears come crashing down. Her nursemaid threw her arms around her and rocked her like when she was little.
"Shhh... There, there... It's alright..."
"My family will hate me..."
"Oh, stop it. They will not, they love you too much for that. They will be angry, for sure, but they will be by your side."
"What am I to do...? What shame have I brought down upon this house? My father... My father will be devastated..."
"Nonsense. Your father will stand by your side. He, above all people, with understand."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your know your bother Elphir was born prematurely, right?"
"Yes, barely seven months."
"Well, not so much..."
"I don't understand..."
"Your parents loved each other very much and they were no saints when it came to their love." She took a deep breath and continued. "Your mother was already carrying when they married."
"What? No..."
"Yes, well of course there was a lot of gossip and talking when Elphir was born... He was quite big for barely seven months in the womb!" She chuckled. "The look on your grandfather's face when he first laid eyes on him! Priceless!" she sobered up and carried on. "But soon the comments faded and there was simply the joy of having the little sweet prince heir."
"I never thought... I always thought of my mother as so poised..."
"Oh, she was! But only on the outside and for strangers. She was all about family and the love for your father was well etched on her eyes."
Lothíriel was always happy to learn what she could about her mother and this was a new piece to her personality. A most unexpected piece. But still her heart was heavy.
"Perhaps Ada will in part understand my... predicament but it isn't exactly the same, Nooran. I can't tell him who the father is... And I'm not going to marry him and pretend my child was born early."
Her nurse paused at that.
"What do you intend to do then?"
"I don't know... I honestly don't know."
A|N Here we are, another chapter and again not as soon as I expected... Sorry =)