I'm sorry this is a short one! I just had to get something posted! I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Fourteen (Lothiriel)

"What can I do to help this along?"

It was nearly a week later and Eomer was standing in the doorway to our bathroom where I was sitting at the vanity, brushing my long, thick hair out. He had not yet come back to our bedroom to sleep and instead had been sleeping on the sofa in our sitting room. We had hardly spoken.

I glanced at him in the mirror. He looked unrested and I secretly took some satisfaction in that. He would learn not to bow to his pride or he would not.

"There is still much to be sorted and sent out to the border villages. You could oversee that."

I thought that perhaps he was finally asking because he was realizing my own condition. I was at the beginning of the seventh month of my pregnancy and had been out among the people, in the cold, distributing food with Amrothos every day since he had arrived.

Eomer merely nodded and left. No kiss, no touches, nothing.

I set the brush down on the vanity and rubbed my distended stomach with both hands. I had not felt well since very early that morning. I finally stood and made my way through our rooms. There was a rumpled blanket and pillow on the largest sofa in front of the fire and, like I had been doing every day since our fight, I folded the blanket and laid it across the arm of the sofa and put the pillow into one of the cabinets.

A sharp kick had me doubled over, bracing myself on the back of the sofa. "Calm yourself," I murmured to my child.

"Loth, are you alright?" I heard Amrothos behind me.

"Of course. Just winded. You try to carry something like this around with you," I jested, as I righted myself. Even then, somewhere deep down, I knew what was happening. I had overworked myself.

He smiled at me, oblivious. "I saw your husband finally taking part in our efforts," he said.

I nodded. "I knew he would see reason. I also knew it might take some time." I reached for his arm. "Shall we walk for a bit?"

"You will not be too winded?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, I will be fine, brother, I assure you."

We made our way down the corridors and I showed Amrothos our best tapestries and some of the new ones that had been commissioned to Dernhild.

"These are quite different than the paintings at home," Amrothos mused.

I nodded. "Everything is quite different here."

"Have you found it to your liking?"

I smiled at him. Though we were both grown he was still a faithful protector. "I have. Much more than I thought I would at the beginning as you know."

"Yes, I worried greatly for you, Loth."

Another sharp kick in my abdomen had me stifling a sharp intake of breath. I tried to hide it as best I could and Amrothos, of course, was none the wiser.

We continued throughout the Golden Hall and as we did so the kicks, or so I made myself think, became more frequent and once I could not stop myself from grasping Amrothos' arm tighter.

"Lothriel!" He turned toward me and took my upper arms in his large hands. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Amrothos. The child is extra active today that is all. It is running out of room as well." I said, looking him in the eye.

"Perhaps you should lie down?"

"No, I cannot sleep these days. It is impossible to get comfortable. I feel much better up and walking around."

"This is unheard of," he muttered.

"The women in Gondor would be much obliged if someone passed this knowledge onto them, I would imagine. I cannot conceive being confined."

Amrothos thought for a moment. "No, neither can I."

I forced myself to laugh through another pain. "Luckily, that will never be your plight."

"This is another tapestry by Dernhild," I said, as we came across the newest one that was just outside of the entrance hall. It depicted Eomer and I's wedding.

"This woman has some talent," Amrothos said, running his fingers over the weaving.

"Indeed she does."

"I am glad to hear it is good things you speak of me."

I turned to see Dernhild coming toward us with a smile on her face.

To my surprise, Amrothos immediately straightened up in the shieldmaiden's presence.

"Your Highnesses," Dernhild gave a slight curtsy which had been much perfected in the months since she had become my lady.

Amrothos waved her formality away. "No need for that here." He gave her one of his tried and true smiles, sure to make any woman weak at the knees. "I was just admiring your tapestries. Lothiriel has shown me a few of them. They are exquisite."

"Your praise is very gracious, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Amrothos."

Dernhild nodded and turned her attention to me, not the least bit phased by my brother. "I have been looking everywhere for you. It is time for lunch, are you hungry?"

I shook my head and winced simultaneously as the strongest pain yet racked my body.

"Lothiriel!" Dernhild exclaimed. Having been through labor herself, I was sure that I could not fool her as I had been Amrothos, though I was not sure what I wanted to accomplish by hiding my distress.

I went to protest, to say it was nothing, but the queerest feeling overcame me which cumulated in a rush of liquid running down my legs and staining my grey dress even darker.

"Oh Eru!" Amrothos exclaimed, practically leaping away from me, leaving me to reach for Dernhild.

"It is too early," I said in a pleading voice, as though she could do something to stop what was happening, though I knew there was nothing to be done.

"We will see," she murmured into my ear.

"Your Highness, will you please help me get your sister to the healing wing," she said sharply to Amrothos who looked as though he had seen the most gruesome sight in all of Arda. He looked at Dernhild and then took my arm gingerly. As soon as he did so, I leaned all of my weight on him.

We hobbled, the three of us, down to the healing wing and by the time we got there I could hardly stand. I could feel the heaviness in my lower regions where my child was preparing to make its appearance.

I knew babies had been born earlier, but I still feared for my own. It was nearly two months too early.

"The Queen is in labor!" Dernhild shouted, to rouse the healers to my side.

"How long as this been going on?" One asked.

"Since before sunrise," I groaned as another pain swept over me. Since my waters had broken, the pains had changed. They were much more powerful and much closer together.

"Your Highness, send for the King," Dernhild snapped at my brother, who was standing uselessly near the door.

"Get her out of her dress," the head healer ordered and Dernhild helped me slip it over my head. I was then being pushed toward the bed in the private royal chamber.

"I must check your progress, Your Grace." The older healer spread my thighs apart, but before she could use her hands to check me, she had popped back up and was smiling. "You have nearly walked this babe right out. A few good pushes and your child will be in your arms."

The next pain came quickly enough and I bore down with everything I had. Just like the Healer had said, it took only a few pushes, perhaps because the child was so small, before I was free of the pain.

There was a flurry of movement as the healers began stimulating the child for a reaction. I propped myself on my elbows despite the exhaustion that had settled over me and watched as the babe's back was rubbed vigorously. I slumped back in the pillow when I heard the shrill cry. The child was cleaned and quickly placed back in my arms.

"She is small, but healthy as far as I can tell," the grey haired healer smiled at me.

"Thank you," I murmured without looking up from the bundle that had been placed in my arms. Her dark, fuzzy hair was poking up from the blankets and I stroked it lightly with the back of my fingers, adjusting the blankets so that I might see her face better. I wept then. Something came over me and I wept tears of joy. Never in my life had I been so grateful. Everything could have gone so wrong, but I had my daughter in my arms, safe, close to my heart.

She began to doze in my arms and even though I had never been so tired in all of my life, I could not sleep with her. I could not take my eyes from her. I had not known that a heart could feel such love, especially for such a tiny being. Tears continually rolled down my cheeks, they could not be stopped. They seemed to work as salve against the physical pain I had suffered and all was forgotten.

There was a bang in the other room and I heard Eomer's voice before the baby started to cry from being disturbed so.

"Where is she?" He demanded, a note of panic in his voice.

"In the back room, Your Grace."

I braced myself for another rude entrance, just before Eomer came bursting through our private room.

"Lothiriel," he breathed, when he saw me and the babe safely bundled on the bed. He strode towards us in two great steps, but came to an abrupt halt, peering into the bundle cradled to my chest.

"She is a daughter," I said quietly. We had not spoken much the gender of our child before it was born. Rohan needed an heir.

"I care not," he said, waving my words away. He perched himself gingerly on the edge of the bed and stroked his daughter's cheek with his thumb. "May I?" He held his arms out.

Regretfully, I handed her over, my arms feeling empty as though they had held her forever. I watched as the same joyful tears slipped from Eomer's brown eyes. The child looked at him, bewildered, baby blue eyes opened wide.

"What shall we call her?" Eomer asked, when he had choked back his emotion to speak.

I shrugged. "What do you think?"

"Something from your home," Eomer said, finally meeting my eyes.

"From Dol Amroth? But she is a princess of Rohan."

"And her mother is from the sea. You choose."

I had secretly given it some thought during my pregnancy, but I had never expected the power to choose myself.

"Artanis," I said quietly.

Eomer tried it out on his own tongue. "Artanis," he repeated. "It is lovely, just like her."

Our daughter began to fuss in his arms.

"She is probably hungry," I mused. The issue of how our child would be fed had come up very early on in the pregnancy. In Gondor it was customary for a wet nurse to tend to a child's feeding, but Eomer and the eldest healer had roughly informed me that it would be my duty to feed the child and I would be her main caretaker, which was much different than in Dol Amroth as well. Noble children had several nurses to care for them. With Artanis actually born though, I could not fathom anyone else taking care of her.

Eomer carefully settled her back in my arms and I freed a breast from the laces of my slip. She latched on easily and I winced as she began to nurse.

"Does it hurt?" Eomer asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

"I would not call it comfortable," I said, but I gazed down at the gift I had been given and it did not matter.

I felt Eomer's hand run roughly through my sweat dampened hair. "You should have sent for me earlier. I wanted to be with you when our child was born."

I met his gaze. "I did not know that was customary." We truly had not talked of any birth plans as we had thought that we had much more time than we actually did and again, in Gondor, it was not commonplace for fathers to be present in the birthing chamber.

We were both silent for a while, watching our daughter.

"I must apologize, Lothiriel."

I looked up at him once more.

"I was a heel to be angry with you. You saved our people from a terrible winter. I am not fit to be their King, your husband, or Artanis' father."

I could tell that he was torn apart by his actions. "Eomer, you are more than fit. I know that you want things to be different and when spring comes around they will be. I am sure of it." I pulled him gently so that he was reclining next to me and his arm was around my shoulder. "And as for us, we could not be any luckier."

I pulled his face down so that I might kiss him. His beard scratched my cheeks and chin, but I relished in it. In that moment everything was perfect, just as it should have been all along. We were complete.

"Thank you," he murmured as he broke away to gaze upon his daughter.

I hope you loved it! Let me know what you thought! I love to hear from readers. Only praise and constructive criticism or ideas please.

Happy reading,

Avonmora