This is probably the quickest I've ever updated this story, but when I get near the end I find myself wanting to get through it. I'm fairly fond of this chapter so I hope you all will be as well. I will have a question after the chapter that I want to get your opinion on. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Six (Lothiriel)

As soon as we were on our way to Aldburg, I noticed a change come over Eomer. His mood lightened considerably and if he was not outright beaming there was always a small smile playing on his lips. Even the weather could not deter him, though my brother and Gimli grumbled the entire way to the Folde.

The wind blew and it snowed off and on throughout the journey. I could have ridden in a wagon which would have protected me from the elements, while covering up with several thick blankets, but I could not pull myself away from Eomer's infectious demeanor.

After riding next to my husband for most of the journey, I pulled Roheryn back so that I might speak with Eowyn. I had noticed that she had been studying Eomer and myself even before we left Edoras.

"Is everything alright?" I asked her. As I had dropped back, Faramir had urged his horse ahead to ride with Eomer. Dernhild and Amrothos were riding near to Legolas and Gimli and I could hear Bregdan's delighted laughter as Gimli told him jokes and stories to keep him entertained.

Eowyn remained quiet, which I found unusual. "I am still struggling through all of my feelings about Eomer," she finally said.

I nodded. She was a stubborn shieldmaiden to her very core.

"I think that the emotions from carrying this child have intensified what I was already feeling."

I nodded again. "That will happen. But only you know what you must do. They are your beliefs and convictions and no one can fault you for standing firm in them. Everyone is different and everyone is driven by different motives. I cannot fault you and neither can your brother."

I watched Eomer and Faramir for a long moment while Eowyn remained silent. "Although I do hate to see this rift between you," I said quietly. "People make mistakes."

"I still cannot understand how you defend him," Eowyn said, coming back to the issue she and I had never agreed on from the moment the affair came out. I could feel the intensity of her gaze on the side of my face. I found it easier to speak my mind to her if I did not meet those brown eyes.

"I took vows and said that I was willing to work through any number of things that might challenge a marriage. I believe in them and so I have stuck with them. I decided that I would be happier fixing our marriage than leaving it. It was a difficult decision, but I am glad it was the one I made." I reached out for Eowyn's hand. "Surely this is making you miserable. Perhaps you would be happier if you moved on and put all of this behind you. You are going to be a mother and I want our families to be close. Your attitude and decisions will affect more people than just yourself."

I left her with those words and then fell back even further to join the rambunctious part of the group bringing up the rear. They were all laughing as Gimli regaled them with tales that seemed to revolve around some of his mishaps while traveling with the Fellowship.

"You really let King Aragorn toss you?" Bregdan giggled.

"I did, though it is a secret," Gimli laughed. "You must not tell a soul."

Bregdan nodded solemnly, taking his responsibility to heart.

The rest of the trip passed peacefully enough and everyone was grateful when we came upon Aldburg. The main building there was much smaller than Meduseld, but even from the outside I could see its quaint charms.

We did not receive the reception we normally did when returning to Meduseld, but a few families stepped out of their homes to greet the man who had once protected them. I watched these families who acted bashful to their King. When they had known Eomer, he had been merely a Marshal and I imagined that he had been very approachable and outgoing with them. It was obvious that these people who lived away from the capitol were not certain about how to deal with the King in their presence.

Our party did not speak to anyone just then as we were exhausted from the freezing journey. Eomer led the way into the biggest building and I immediately appreciated every difference from Meduseld. There was no gold inlay, hardly an entrance hall, and as we walked through it I noticed that there was no throne room. The home that Eomer had lived in for so long, was just that, a home.

I twined my fingers through his and rested my head on his arm as he pointed out to everyone where they would be staying and then took us to his old room. If I had thought his quarters in Meduseld were sparse when we were married, I would have then said they were grandiosely decorated compared to his previous home.

"It is not much," he said quietly.

"No, it is not," I agreed. I felt him look down at me, concerned that I did not care for the place. "But it is perfect," I said looking up at him with a grin. "I can understand why you love it so."

Eomer kissed the top of my head and went to sit on the edge of the bed. There was not much else in the room besides the bed and a couple chests of drawers. Thankfully, there was also a raging fire in the grate, as I was practically frozen solid after the trek to Aldburg.

"Perhaps we can rest a while. Everyone is getting settled, I doubt our presence will be missed," I said, as I stepped in between Eomer's legs and put the backs of my hands on his cold cheeks.

His large hands went to untie the cloak that will still hanging from my shoulders. I stepped out of my boots and did away with the heavy woolen dress. When that was gone, I quickly dove under the covers and furs to protect myself from the chill air. Eomer chuckled, but shed his outer garments as well before pulling my back against his chest and holding me tightly to him.

"I am so happy you are here with me," Eomer murmured into my hair. "This is where I am the happiest."

I knew that without him telling me. As soon as we had come upon Aldburg, he had relaxed. I could see it in the way he carried himself. No one was watching him too closely here and no one was going to be following him around, waiting for any sign of the King's favor.

"I am so glad to be here," I responded, trying to get even closer to him than I was. I wanted to melt into him and feel his relaxation completely.

ooooOoooo

Our guests let us sleep until the next day, figuring that we must have truly needed a respite from our lives with the court. For the first few days, we merely enjoyed everyone's company and did not do much. It was lovely to be able to have the time to sit with our friends and family and talk of things besides matters of state and politics.

Eomer spent the time showing us all around what had been his young adult home and he went among the people to reacquaint himself with them and to prove that he had not changed so much since becoming King. I went with him on these excursions, as did Eowyn and Dernhild, and we took Yule sweets to the children who were delighted at what the kitchen was producing. Many of them gave us spiced apples and warm drinks in return.

Soon it was the beginning of the twelve day Yule celebration and the first activity was to haul a Yule log back to the house where we would burn it on the twelfth day. Everyone donned their warmest clothes again and we headed outside where four small sleighs had been attached to pulling horses. Eomer headed for the one in the very front and began inspecting to see if it was attached correctly. He could never let anything go uninspected when he had not done the work himself.

I had walked out to the sleds with Gimli and Legolas who were quite entertaining in their differences, though they obviously shared a close bond. Eomer had moved on to inspect the other sleds, though he seemed to be stepping on his sister's toes as she could clearly do that herself. I went to step up into our sled when I felt extremely lightheaded and dizzy. I had to put one foot back on the ground and Gimli immediately braced me, putting a hand on my back and taking my arm.

"Are you alright, lass?" I could feel the pressure from his hands, but everything else around me was spinning.

I put a hand to my head and gripped one of his arms with my other one. Eventually, the world righted itself and I looked at the Dwarf with a small smile, though I knew I must not look like myself.

"Just a spell," I said quietly, glancing over my shoulder to see that Eomer had not noticed a thing. He was hoisting Bregdan into the sleigh to join his mother and Amrothos. "I am fine."

Gimli assisted me as I successfully got into the sleigh on the second try. As the Dwarf made his way to the sleigh he would be sharing with Legolas, I could feel the elf's eyes on me. It was disconcerting, but I gave him a small smile and pulled the hood of my cloak over my head to hide my pallor.

Eomer climbed into our sleigh as well and I rested my head on his arm both to steady myself and also to hide anything that might cause him to ask questions about why I had such a pallor. It was another benefit of being so far away from the court and that their prying eyes that we could step outside the bounds of propriety and show a little more affection than we usually did in Edoras. By the time we had gotten far enough into the woods to chop the Yule log, I assumed the brisk air had brought some color back to my exposed cheeks.

My husband clambered down from the sleigh and retrieved an axe that had been attached to the side of it and went to a lone tree in the middle of the clearing we were in. Apparently, he had known the place before we set out. The men all got out of their sleds, while the women all joined me in my sleigh to watch.

We pulled the blankets over our legs and huddled together to keep warm. I watched as Eomer gripped the axe in his huge hands and took the first swing into the tree that would serve for Yule. There would be one larger log cut for the festivities in the formal sitting room on the twelfth day and then everyone else would cut a small piece for their own rooms for the same night.

After a few thuds of the axe, Eomer removed his cloak and handed it to Bregdan who took it into his possession with great care. The muscles under Eomer's tunic rippled which each thud of the axe. A small smile crept onto my lips as I watched him work. He was not allowed to be nearly as physical as he wanted to be when in Edoras, sitting behind his desk and meeting with his advisors.

Again, I could feel eyes looking at me, but this time when I turned my head it was Eowyn who was studying me intently. She did not immediately take her gaze from mine which was slightly disconcerting, but as Dernhild was sitting with us, I did not want to ask what was troubling her. My sister-in-law finally went back to watching the men and I watched her watch her brother intently.

Amrothos went last to cut his family's piece for their rooms and as he approached the fallen tree, he beckoned for Bregdan to join him. It was a sweet thing to see my youngest brother as an adult. He had delayed the transition for a very long time, but I could see how much he adored Dernhild's son as he helped him hold the heavy axe and take a few swings into the tree. The child beamed and the women in the sleigh cheered loudly for his efforts which caused even more color to go to his already pink cheeks.

Everyone got back into their respective sleighs, two of them hauling the heavy log for the festivities behind them. The other, individual logs were small enough to be loaded into the sleighs.

"Did you enjoy that?" I asked Eomer, as I wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. He still did not have his cloak on and I could feel the heat emanating from his body.

"It was nice to exert a little energy," he conceded, kissing my temple and laying an arm over my shoulders, holding the reins in his free hand.

"It is a wonderful tradition," I responded.

Eomer led the train of sleighs home a different way than we had come. He pointed out many places from his childhood to me.

"My father brought me here for my first hunt," he said, pointing to a small grove of trees in the distance. "He acted as though I was the best hunter in the world when I brought down a small doe."

It would have been the perfect time to tell him that he would also make a wonderful father in the near future, but I wanted to wait and make it a Yule gift. Instead, I reached a hand out and rested it on his strong thigh. "I would have very much liked to have met him."

"He would have loved you," Eomer said quietly. "He would have recognized your fire long before anyone else did." He was quiet for a moment. "I would have liked him to have been around for my Kingship. It might have made everything easier to have such a role model through all stages of my life."

"Oh Eomer, you are a kind and noble king. Your Realm is prospering once more and your people love you. You have done much that others would never have considered doing for their people." I looked up at him and could see that some of his burdens had followed him to Aldburg.

"But what of the type of man I am, Lothiriel?" He asked sadly. I guessed that Eowyn's coldness to him was weighing on him. "There are two sides of me and it has been difficult to reconcile them to one another."

"You live your personal life with just as much dignity as your rule with," I said quietly.

"But I have not always," he said to me sharply. "You of all people should know that."

I had had no idea the amount of guilt Eowyn had heaped upon her brother. It made my heart hurt to think of him in such a state, fighting with himself every day about his past decisions. "No one can live the entirety of their life without taking a misstep. It would do your heart well to remember that. It would also do you well to realize that not everyone will always agree with you. You cannot make them. If they choose to look at you differently over decisions that have nothing to do with them and cannot see other changes that have been made, then that is their problem and more importantly their loss." My voice had risen in volume and I was speaking intensely which was something I did not normally do.

"My fierce little Queen," Eomer murmured into my hair. "We both have lessons to learn, it would seem. You cannot protect me from everything."

"Would that I could." I turned my face into his chest.

My body was already becoming less and less mine. To see my husband in such a state at once angered me and made me terribly sad. I wiped at my eyes.

"Have I told you how happy I am that you are here?" He asked gently.

I gave a small laugh, but kept my face hidden. "You have."

ooooOoooo

We were halfway through the merrymaking of Yule. The adults had stayed up long into the night and it seemed that everyone was letting themselves relax and truly enjoy the time together.

The day after we had ridden out to collect the Yule logs, I had watched as Eowyn and Eomer had chatted amicably enough with one another. I had stayed away from their conversation, not wanting to interrupt or seem overbearing in their reconciliation. The conversation did not last long, but it was a start.

It was the morning of the halfway point of our Yule celebrations, when for the first time I did not rise with Eomer to greet the day early. We had all been waking quite early to celebrate to the fullest and to enjoy each other's company with big breakfasts before we all had to go our separate ways after the new year.

That morning, the thought of eating anything made my stomach roll over.

"Are you coming?" Eomer asked, as he pulled his tunic over his head.

"Would it be alright if I stayed here for a while longer?" I asked groggily. "I did not sleep very well for some reason."

"Are you feeling well?" Eomer sat on the edge of the bed and rested a large hand on my forehead.

I nodded and took his hand in mine and kissed the palm. "I am fine, just a little tired. I will not be too much longer." I gave him a reassuring smile and he rose once more.

"I will try to take your place as gracious hostess," he said with a chuckle and a kiss to my lips.

When I was sure he was gone, I threw the covers back and sprinted the few feet into the bathroom where I grabbed a bucket and emptied the contents of my stomach. It was a new experience for me. During my first pregnancy, I had not once been sick. It was certainly unpleasant and I hated to think of Eomer coming upon me and guessing my secret before I had a chance to tell him.

I composed myself as best I could and when the color had come back into my cheeks I left our rooms.

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry," I said, as I ran into someone right outside my door. I looked up to see Legolas standing there with a serene smile on his face.

"I believe congratulations are in order," he said.

I looked around to make sure no one else was within earshot. "What are you talking about?" I whispered.

"I know your secret." He still had that serene smile on his face.

I knew his people could sense such things. Many of them lived in Dol Amroth.

"Well then let us keep it a secret," I said desperately. "For only a few more days."

"I am happy for you, Lothiriel," Legolas said. "I think Eomer will be truly pleased as well."

Without another word, he moved past me and made his way down the corridor. I stood, staring after him thinking over the strange encounter. Eventually, I made my way to the smaller sitting room where everyone had gone after breakfast. Eomer and Eowyn were talking once more and I smiled to see that.

"You missed breakfast, Lothiriel," Dernhild said coming up to me. "Eomer said you did not sleep well. Are you feeling alright? Would you like me to have something sent for?"

I was cautious around the woman. She had discovered my secret the first time and she would not be the only one to know this time.

"I was just feeling a bit groggy," I replied. "I think I will just have a cup of tea."

When I had poured myself a small cup of the warm liquid, Eomer reached a hand around the sofa where he was sitting with Eowyn and pulled me onto his lap. I did not say anything about their reconciliation, but I let my smile speak for me as I happily joined in their conversation about plans for after Yule.

"You will have to visit us when the child is born," Eowyn said, placing a hand on the small bump of her baby.

"Of course we will," Eomer said. "It will be long past due to get away from the court again by then."

I nodded, non-committally knowing that I might not be in any condition to ride that far by then. If my own child were to be a son, it was imperative that he be born in Rohan as he would be the King of that land when, hopefully far, far into the future, his father passed on.

ooooOoooo

The day before the New Year and the end of the Yule celebration the building was decorated to the fullest. The logs had been covered in holly and we were ready and waiting in the grates to be lit and to send out their festive scent.

"Lothiriel, come here," Eomer said as I passed by him on my way to our rooms to change for the evening. He was standing in the doorframe to the room where the biggest fire grate was.

"What is it?" I was rather irritable. I had been sick several more times since the first time and I was very tired.

He pointed up at the plant that was hanging above him. "It is mistletoe," he said as though I should know what that was.

"And what does that mean?"

He grabbed my hand and then held me by my waist. "Well if you would come a little closer I would tell you." He put his fingers under my chin. "If you kiss under the mistletoe you will have good luck in the new year." He looked at me expectantly and I was forced to smile up at him.

"That is better," he murmured before pressing his lips to mine and crushing me against him. It was so easy to lose myself in him. The sheer size of the man had always been a comfort to me for when he had his arms around me as he did then, I could not help but feel loved and protected. I knew that that is where we had gone wrong. We had, literally, lost touch with one another, and I swore it would never happen again, no matter what happened to us.

I had thought we were completely alone in the moment, but I was wrong.

"Gross!"

We quickly pulled apart in time to hear Bregdan give a loud groan and go running away as fast as his legs would carry him. I looked up at Eomer and we both laughed uncontrollably, holding onto one another.

When we finally regained our senses, I curtsied low to my husband as I had not done since before our marriage. "I am very happy to help with your good fortunes, Your Grace."

Eomer's eyes were on my chest as I rose and he ran his fingers over what was exposed of my bosom. "There is another tradition," he began, eyes not meeting mine.

I laughed again. "Oh there is not." I was not uninterested in pursuing such a thing with him right then, but my body was rapidly changing and even he might notice something different if I were to expose myself to him before I told him the good news.

ooooOoooo

The next morning, I woke long before Eomer. My heart was pounding in my chest and my palms were sweating. I pulled out the small package I had wrapped in parchment before our departure and paced back and forth at the foot of the bed.

"Lothiriel, what in the world are you doing?" Eomer asked groggily, propping himself up on an elbow as he woke to the sounds of my shuffling feet.

"I know it is not customary to give gifts for Yule," I began stammering. "But I just wanted to give you something." I was still pacing with the package in my hands.

"I do not have anything for you," Eomer said in return.

"I did not expect it." The pacing continued and I showed no signs of handing the package over.

Eomer watched me for another minute or so. "Well, do I get to open it or am I going to have to watch you walk around with it all morning."

"Oh." I looked down at the package one more time and then handed it to Eomer where he had propped himself up in the bed.

With my hands empty, I became even more nervous, though I was not sure why. Surely, he would be happy with the gift. I wrung my sweating hands in front of me as he tore the parchment and then opened the sweet smelling cedar box that I had put the gift in.

His face showed confusion as he lifted the ceremonial gown that our child would wear when presented to the Rohirric people. It was white and made of lace and would work for either a boy or a girl.

"Lothiriel, what is this?" He asked. Before I could answer, realization seemed to dawn on him. "Are you expecting?"

Emotion like I had not experienced in a very long swept over me and I could only nod, tears pricking at my eyes. Before I knew it, I had been pulled into Eomer's embrace, his warm, bare chest against my cheek. I might have been mistaken, but I thought I felt his own tears falling into my hair.

He took my face in his hands and kissed my mouth and then I was sure he was crying as the tears mingled with my own on my cheeks.

"This is incredible," he whispered. "When will our child be here?"

"Early in the summer," I replied.

"You have kept this a secret for a long while."

"I wanted to be positive, before getting your hopes up. I also wanted to share the news in just the right way." I leaned my forehead against his chest, unable to take the smile away from my face.

Eomer's arms enveloped me tightly once more. "I will remember this as the best Yule of my life, I assure you."

In that instance, everything was perfect. "I cannot even let go of you, you have made me so happy," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

That evening, everyone dressed more formally than they had since arriving in Aldburg and a huge feast was laid out for our families and friends. Everyone was chatting merrily through dinner, when Eomer stood with his goblet of ale.

"I think it is only appropriate that we make a toast tonight," he said loudly, gaining everyone's attention. "Firstly, to the most important people in Lothiriel and I's lives being present to enjoy the holidays with. It has been truly relaxing and just the celebration we needed." Glasses raised in the air to that. "And secondly to the best Yule gift I could have ever received. Here is to the future prince or princess of Rohan!" Eomer beamed down at me before drinking deeply from his goblet. Everyone was silent for a moment and then there was laughter and loud congratulations.

"I knew it!" Dernhild shouted over the noise, reaching to hug me.

Thanks for reading this update! I would love to know what you think. Reviews truly do make my day. And if you do review ANSWER ME THIS: Would you like to see one more chapter and then the epilogue or just the epilogue? As always I love to hear what your ideas are for my stories.

Happy reading,

Avonmora