Notes: This will be the second to last chapter of this particular story. I have the Epilogue Part 2 half finished. I never thought I would finish this one, it went on quite a bit longer than I anticipated but in the best way possible.

I would be really interested in the future (maybe after a month or two) of tracking these two through their journey as newlyweds and King and Queen.

I'm also playing around with the idea of a Hogwarts AU. Let me know if anyone would be interesting in reading either of those things, and thank you so much for reading along. It really means a lot to me.

Epilogue

Elboron was a quiet child and he rested in Ella's arms without too much fussing, he had his mother's big grey eyes which were trained on Ella's face and she found herself captivated by how small and soft and nice to hold a baby could be. She was curled up in Éowyn's bed, the bedsheets in tangles around her legs, but neither of them minded much the mess. Off-hand there has been a mention of moving elsewhere as to allow the servants a chance to clean but it simply hadn't happened.

"He likes you." Éowyn was more curved than Ella remembered her. There were less harsh edges to her, but she was no less quick, her eyes were focused on her child and the godmother. It was a relief to Ella, after the birth had so scared her.

"He's barely aware that I am not his mother. If he had his way, he'd still be in the womb." And as if on cue, Elboron began to drift back to sleep, which was the preferred state of most newborns.

Éowyn sighed, half bemused and half annoyed. While it seemed clear to her that Ella was considerably more settled than she had been for a while, there was something she was hiding from her, and they had not had secrets between them for a long time now. Had Éowyn the mind for it, she could have re-read the letters they had exchanged and without the effects of pregnancy perhaps have seen where Ella had gone astray of the path. Such things were behind them, however, and something else presented itself in the way Ella curled around the baby, her undressed hair creating a curtain to shield both him and her from Éowyn's gaze.

"I wonder, will you tell me now about your betrothal, or will you wait until it tumbles from you unbidden?"

Ella looked up sharply, her expression that of a hound caught having stolen the roast from the kitchen table. She did not look particularly surprised, only caught unaware. She had been trying to work her way up to speaking the words aloud while the whole thing seemed rather like a dream. She had dreaded, as those who do not know how to hold their own happiness do, that if she told anyone that they might laugh and assure her that the whole thing was a nothing more than an imagining.

"I suppose you are his sister."

"I am."

"How soon after he left my rooms did he come to wake you?"

"I was already awake. You'll understand once you have a child."

Ella looked down at Elboron who still slept peacefully. He had nothing much to define him as Éowyn's son but his eyes, and nothing of Faramir's but the slight whisper of dark hair. She knew that she loved the child. Should it be asked of her, she would do anything for him by virtue of his parenthood. Still, she could not imagine having one of her own. The birthing room had felt so dangerous and Éowyn's grip on life so tenuous, what a strange world it was where a Nazgûl could not fell the White Lady but her own child had almost succeeded. Ella was not as strong as Éowyn.

Éowyn sensed Ella's trepidation and came to sit by her. "Are you uncertain?"

Ella shook her head but she did not know how to explain to Éowyn how unworthy she felt of the world coming to rights about her when she had been so out of balance for so long. She had not earned Éomer's proposal, she thought. They had not spoken of loving each other. How could Éowyn understand that? What if Éomer could never love her? What if she did not know if she loved him? Could a marriage survive without such feelings? She looked to Éowyn and shrugged her shoulders. "You have known the surety of your love story for the whole of it's existence. Our path has not been so straightforward."

To her surprise Éowyn began to laugh. The sound was soft and quiet at first, and Ella grew irritated with the idea that Éowyn was laughing at her.

"Do you think so, little bird?"

"I don't think so, I know so. I have seen it."

Éowyn reached for her child and Ella handed the little creature to her. The White Lady came to sit by Ella who moved to give her space. "What you see and what is the truth are not always the same. I loved King Elessar with the whole of my being. I had hoped one day to either die in battle and be free, as you wished to be, or to marry him and be his wife."

Ella narrowed her eyes. It sounded far fetched to her. King Elessar loved his Queen and she indeed loved him enough to give up eternity for him.

Éowyn continued, "I was without hope in the Houses of Healing. I thought my world was ended. Faramir offered me his love and I could not accept it. I had no idea how the world should continue..."

"But it did." Ella said.

"It did." Éowyn agreed. "And I learned to love Faramir for all he was. I grew stronger with him beside me and his love to remind my heart what it was meant to do. Do you remember, Ella, how you waited on the Eastern Tower?"

Ella felt that same shame colour her cheeks for herself back then. She was used to being ashamed of her failures but she had almost forgotten her past for her most recent transgression. She nodded.

"My heart broke for you. I did not know it still could. I did not know it, but it happened. You have found your way into my heart now, Lothiriel, but even then, when I thought there was no room to feel more, there was more to feel."

"And you did not love Elessar any more?"

"I did not love anyone but my brother."

"Not even then?"

"Not even then. The love you think you see as a lightning strike is nothing of the sort. It is work, and it is small kindnesses. It is quarrelling and mending to make things stronger between you. Perhaps there are loves that appear like magic and do not waver, but I know you and such a love would not tempt you. You much work for all you receive Ella, or you do not believe that you have earned it."

"And so I must feel like I have earned Éomer's love?"

"Would you trust his devotion otherwise?"

Ella thought. She thought for a good deal longer than perhaps Éowyn had intended her to for the new mother settled into her bed and seemed prepared to drift to sleep.

"Éowyn."

"Yes?"

"You'll be my sister."

"Is that not reason enough to marry Éomer?"

Ella laughed and found herself nodding at the thought. The truth was that though she had accepted Éomer's proposal, she did not yet have her Father's approval. She was steeling herself for that conversation and she imagined it might go well. What had her father to protest? She'd marry a King, one of good character and proven honour. In the back of her mind, she had already settled herself to eloping if her father would not grant his blessing. It had never occurred to her that she would have need to rebel against any of the choices her father made for her, but he was a man who did not falter from his path and Ella had heard only thanks for her safety from him, and no judgement as of yet. She had thought to speak to him in person, but that would require Éomer to deliver her home, and then ride again towards Rohan. It was a matter of great inconvenience.

Mother and child drifted to sleep and Ella slipped out of their chambers. She had the whole day without many obligations and did not know what to do in the hours and hours before she would be called to dinner. She thought to look for Amrothos and tell him the news but remembered that he and Éomer had ridden on an errand that morning and would not return until nightfall. She thought to write to her father but could not put her mind to the task and so delayed it.

In the end, she settled in the gardens with her books and pages of parchment and a well of ink. She began her letter with an inappropriately ornate: dear father and was momentarily satisfied with her work.

Two hours later she was well educated as to the irrigation systems that had failed in Rohan's more arid conditions, but that might be adjusted without much additional labour, as opposed to removing the structured ditches all together and going back to how things used to be done. She had managed to complete exactly two more lines in the letter. The two lines were: You'll be very happy to hear that I am safe in Ithilien and wiser now than I was before. Éomer has proposed. Please do not say no simply because I have disappointed you. I will be very happy, I should imagine, and I cannot think of a world in which I should be otherwise.

She had not seen Éomer since early in the morning, and she had not bothered to check with him whether the proposal stood, or if he had gotten rather carried away and needed her to gracefully allow him his freedom. She was not sure she needed to. Unlike much that had happened in the past, she felt secure in his request for her hand. She felt secure in his affection and in their friendship. It was a strange contentment that she had not felt in a long time.

She crumpled up the letter and began again, the words coming more easily now.

Dear Father,

King Éomer asked me for my hand and I agreed. It is a good match, and I ask your blessing. I ask your blessing, but not your permission. I am fond of King Éomer, but I did not accept for fondness alone. I did not accept because he is agreeable, powerful and a better option than I had hoped for. I would like to marry him because I think I could be happy in such a partnership.

I am not proud of my actions, I am not particularly pleased with the results. I know I have disappointed you and proven myself still young and reckless in your eyes. I know this, and still I know I have your love, as you have mine. This is a thing I find as certain and as constant as your care for me. In all that I am, I know I carry you, I know I carry my brothers and our family, and mother's memory. If not for all that, I do not think I should have become what I am, which I hope is mostly someone in whom you hold some pride.

I will, having learned from my mistakes, be a better Queen than I might have been a princess. I will not wonder as to how I can be of use, but I will simply be. I have always been better when responsible then when I am left alone to my devices. I will not be a broodmare for Éomer. Not to him and not for him. I think he will be my equal and I will try very hard to be happy. I think now, that happiness is a choice I can make. It will not come like magic upon me, that is not the path I was given, but I do believe it's a path I might find.

Your Loving Daughter,

Lothiriel

By the time she was finished writing the sky had begun to go dark. She folded the pages of the letter and placed them inside the book she was reading to keep the paper creases crisp and safe from her fingers.

She was surprised as she climbed the stairs of the keep to see Éomer and his men, of which Amrothos was now one, returning leading a silver mare, and talking loudly and laughing. Ella made her way through the hold to meet them at the gate, curious as to the errand that had pulled them away and brought them back in such good humour. Once she got close enough, she recognized Lightning and flew past the men to wrap her arms around her steed's neck. The creature was as pretty as ever and unharmed, she snorted into Ella's hair but otherwise did not seem too displeased with her mistress. For her part, Ella was misty eyed and was holding on to her book only by virtue of it being pressed into Lightning's back. After a few more long moments of her whispering gently to the creature, she turned around to thank her brother and her betrothed who were both looking awfully pleased with themselves. She didn't begrudge them their egos. First she pulled Amrothos into a hug that was fierce and strong. A brother and sister who needed to understand each other again, and were going to work as best they could until it happened. He held on to his little sister like he was afraid she would disappear again and did not, for the first time in what seemed like years, seem to fear breaking her.

"I am so grateful for you." She whispered.

"And I, sister." He responded, and she knew he meant it.

Once the two pried themselves apart, Ella approached Éomer. In front of his men, she should have been more shy and less open in her attention but she felt suddenly dismissive of such things. She stood on her toes and he pulled her up into embrace that did not end until he had kissed her for a good few seconds. Once he put her down, she smiled up at him, and kept his hands in hers. If Amrothos was shocked to see his sister openly kissing the king, he did not show it. It did not surprise her that as he had told Éowyn, Éomer had also been quick to tell Amrothos.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." He replied.

"I love you." She said softly, so he pulled her closer and said into her hair.

"Do you think so?"

She grinned and said even more softly. "Yes, I do."

"It is a weighty word. Should I return it?"

"Only if you mean it."

"I do."

"So you love me?"

"I do."

She stood on her toes again, but did not wait for him to kiss her. They would be late to dinner if she waited for him to do everything.

"I'd like to take care of Lightning now. I have a sneaking suspicion I owe her a great many sugar lumps."

She could see the slight relief on her brother's face, now that the two had stepped apart. Such things still hurt him, even if the wound was finally healing. It was a quiet thing, but it still caused him some pain. She hoped she might find someone to make him happy. Anyone who could do it would be fine by her.

Éomer leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you at dinner."

She felt a little bubble of excitement as how very natural it sounded. "You will. I imagine I might be a bit late."

And he laughed.

"Of course you will, but I will be happy to see you anyway."