The Elf and Future King

Thanks to my beta Ellisk
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JRR Tolkien owes everything except Amrun.


Chapter Twelve
Bound Without Love

Amrun turned her back on him as she tried to catch her breath despite the sharp pain in her chest.

When Éomer put his hand on her arm, she whispered, “Please leave.”

“Amrun.”

“You have come back into my life and have turned it upside down. You demand that I allow you to take my son to Rohan. In your mind, my betrayal has apparently lost me the right to have happiness. Passion for me is what you feel, not love. Yet, you wonder why I did not want to come to Edoras, to live as an Elf in a Man’s world. You have become the example of what I feared. Men think that we should be treated as lesser and be grateful for any decency they show us. My mother was right. A Man would think nothing of taking what he wants and tossing me aside. But if you think you will take my son from me, you are sorely mistaken. Do you honestly think that Thengel would be treated well in Edoras? You see him as your son. Others will see him as an Elf,” Amrun replied angry and hurt. “Do not be a fool. They will treat him as you have treated me.”

“Amrun…” Éomer started stunned by her biting tone.

“I asked you to leave. While you might be the King of Rohan, you are not my king and we are not in Rohan,” Amrun brushed past him and opened the door. Holding it open, she glared at him. “If you want to see Thengel tomorrow, I will take him to Elrohir tomorrow. Do not come here.”

Éomer opened his mouth to say something. Then thinking better of it, he glared at her in return. Walking past her, he said, “Tell Elrohir that I will be there to see my son tomorrow.”

“Éomer,” she snapped.

Éomer jerked to a halt and faced her angrily.

Amrun narrowed her eyes and said in an icy tone, “He has a name. His name is Thengel. Perhaps if you saw him as a child rather than an heir, you could understand how I feel.”

Amrun closed the door as quickly as possible without slamming it and waking Thengel. She was breathing so hard she thought she would faint. In all of her years, she had never met a more arrogant and stubborn man. He was driving her to madness. She had made a mistake, but it was proving to be an understandable one.

Éomer obviously was not going to forgive her. Now she must decide if she would go to Rohan as his wife knowing they would never be together. Perhaps she should just tell him that Thengel must stay here with her. In Rivendell, she had the twins to love her even if it was not the love she felt for Éomer. They loved Thengel and would never allow anyone to treat him poorly. In Rohan, she would be an elf in a city of Men and have no one except Thengel; not even Éomer. Her fears of how Thengel would be treated grew worse as each day went by. If Éomer treated her as if she were nothing, then others would assume it was acceptable to treat her son the same way. Or worse, he could be taught to be ashamed of being half-elvish. She would take Thengel from here before she allowed Éomer to take him away from her or teach him to be ashamed of who he was.

Amrun sat on the bed and realized her options were few. Why did he have to hurt her like this? Why did she continue to let him? Amrun began to cry angry tears. She was unsure what made her angrier—his treatment or her own inaction to it. Amrun cried for hours before she fell asleep.

The next morning, she dressed both herself and Thengel and then took him to the twins’ house. They were eating breakfast with Legolas. When she arrived, Elladan quickly asked her what was wrong when he saw her eyes sad and swollen from crying.

“Éomer will be coming here to take Thengel for the day. He can bring him here tonight and I will return for him. Is that all right?” Amrun put Thengel down and he crawled in Elladan’s lap.

“Of course. Has something happened?” Elladan asked.

“Yes,” Amrun said before she kissed Thengel and walked away.

The three looked at each other confused.

“This is absurd. We know they both love each other. Why is he being so stubborn?” Elladan asked. “How much should she suffer for making the wrong decision? She has suffered since she came here and learned she was with child.”

“I can understand he is hurt and upset, but you are right. It is not as if she has not suffered as well,” Elrohir shook his head angrily. “I am tired of him hurting her. Every bit of peace we have worked so hard to help her find, he has destroyed since he has come here. This must end.”

“Yes, but you have seen her pain daily, he has not,” Legolas sighed. “Right now, he only sees his own pain and her betrayal. I do not think he realizes how much she loves him, nor does he understand how much she suffered for her decision. He is a Man. He cannot understand being an Elf or even a Half-Elf in a Man’s world. Yet she does and has tried to protect Thengel from that pain. But Éomer has missed part of Thengel’s life. Times that he will never have with his son. This is more complicated than merely who is right or wrong.”

Standing up, Elrohir said, “I am going to talk to her.” He left and walked to her cottage.

Elrohir knocked on her door for several times before she opened it. Amrun let him in saying, “I thought perhaps you were Éomer looking for Thengel, even though I told him I was bringing him to you.”

Amrun started crying again despite her best efforts not to. Elrohir took her hand and led her to the couch. Then he pulled her into his arms and let her cry while he held her tenderly.

“Elrohir, it hurts so much. I do not know what to do or what to say anymore. I cannot continue to see him because when I do it is like a knife in my heart. I do not need to be reminded of my mistakes nor live in constant fear that he will take Thengel from me,” Amrun sobbed. Elrohir stroked her hair and shushed her.

“Amrun, I will not allow him to take Thengel from you,” he reassured her. “You should try to relax for awhile. You are exhausted. Perhaps, you will feel better if you rest,” he said softly.

Amrun nodded her head, too tired to resist. He stood up bringing her with him and walked to her bedroom. She got into bed and he stroked her hair softly. After awhile, he kissed her.

“Rest now, little one.”

As he was leaving, she said, “Elrohir, thank you.”

Elrohir turned around with a smile then left.

As he was leaving the cottage, he met Éomer outside the door. Éomer looked surprised to see him.

“Is she here?” Éomer asked shortly.

“Yes, she is resting for awhile,” Elrohir said.

Éomer did not say anything for a long time as he stared at the ground. When he finally looked up, he said angrily, “Does she need rest because you came to ‘comfort’ her last night?”

Elrohir laughed. “If we were lovers, do you honestly think I would have hid it from you all this time? I would owe you no explanation.”

“I have seen how you close you two are and how you look at her. You cannot tell me you do not have strong feelings for her.”

“You are correct, I cannot. When I first met her, she was hurting and needed someone to help her. But my relationship with Amrun is nothing I want or need to explain. If you choose to believe we are lovers, then you are a fool,” Elrohir replied.

Éomer glared at Elrohir for a few moments before relaxing the tension in his body. Sighing, he said, “Elrohir, forgive me. I do not know what is right anymore. A part of me is so angry I want to scream at her while another part of me wishes to stop her tears.”

“I think you need to decide if you can forgive her before you see her again. As it is, you are only hurting one another and I do not want to see her suffer anymore. I recommend that you take Thengel some place quiet so you can be with your son. While you are with him, think about your future and if Amrun has any part in it other than as Thengel’s mother. But realize, she will be part of your future.”

With that, Elrohir turned and walked back to his home. Éomer followed silently.

~~~~~

After Éomer had left the room with Thengel, Legolas looked at the twins, Aragorn, and Gimli and said with a sigh, “I fear this is not going well.”

“Éomer is expecting to leave for Rohan in five days. He is planning to take her and Thengel with him when he leaves,” Aragorn said.

“What? They cannot speak to each other without getting upset,” Elladan exclaimed in shock.

“And he plans for her to go back as his wife. Otherwise, Thengel would not be accepted as the heir to his throne,” Aragorn said sadly. “I have tried to discuss this with him but he will not listen.”

“He plans to force her to marry him yet he cannot forgive her nor be a husband to her?” Elrohir said incredulously. “He is mistaken if he thinks I will allow that. I will not allow her to be taken from Imladris this way. That is madness.”

“Yet can you stop him?” Gimli said.

“I will stop him,” Elrohir said adamantly. “She made a mistake by her deception, but binding herself to a man for those reasons will only cause more pain and suffering for her. Aragorn, you know that what it means if an elf binds herself to another. It is one thing to marry a mortal knowing you will only have decades with him but to marry a mortal only so his son can be named his heir is cruel and heartless for him to ask. He is fast becoming exactly what she feared he would.”

“Perhaps I should try talking with him,” Legolas said. “I am sure he does not understand elvish bindings.”

“If they cannot make this right in the next few days, this will be a nightmare for all. Amrun will go to Rohan due to her guilt for her deception, feeling she does not deserve to be loved. And since the two of you will try to stop her, this conflict could get worse. Yet we all know we cannot make this decision for either of them. They are both adults,” Aragorn pointed out in frustration.

“Yes, but Thengel is not. And Éomer is not thinking about what is best for him anymore,” Elrohir said standing up and stalking out of the room.

Elladan sighed. All of them looked at each other dreading the impending battle. Knowing there was nothing more they could do but wait, each resumed his plans for the day.

~~~~

Amrun slept for a while, then stayed in her cottage the rest of the day. Éomer had taken Thengel swimming again and afterwards the two of them lay by the lake while they were drying off in the sun. When Thengel fell asleep, Éomer rolled on his back and tried to sort through his feelings. Soon, his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Eresse and her friends.

Eresse joined him and he sat up, quickly reaching for his tunic. She looked over his hard rugged form with desire apparent in her eyes. Éomer was uncomfortable, having no desire for her despite her beauty. She leaned over and whispered, “You need not get dressed on my account, King Éomer.”

Éomer forced a smile and she began to murmur in his ear. He thought to himself that at least this time he did not have to hear her loud laughter. During the conversation, she put her hand on his thigh and left it there. That made him uncomfortable and he lost track of her gossip, focusing on a way to extract himself from the conversation and her presence. When Thengel woke up, Éomer pulled him into his lap intending to use him as an excuse to leave and was attempting to think of an escape.

Before Éomer could withdraw from the conversation, however, Elrohir happened upon them. He took in the intimate way the two adults were sitting and felt fury course through his body. Storming over, Elrohir reached for Thengel and took him from his father’s arms.

Looking at Éomer with his eyes flickering with anger, Elrohir said, “I will take Thengel so he will not be in your way.”

Elrohir strode away furiously.

Deciding he did not care about being rude to Eresse, Éomer jumped up to follow Elrohir.

“What was the meaning of that remark?” Éomer demanded as he came up behind the elf.

“You are unbelievable. You have broken Amrun’s heart over and over again, acting as if you are hurt and betrayed, yet you are at the lake in an intimate … conversation … with another. Perhaps if I had not come down there it would have been more than your leg that she had her hand on,” Elrohir snapped at him. “Have you no decency to at least not act this way in front of Thengel? Or do you just not care what you are teaching him by your actions?”

“How dare you! Her hand was on my leg not the other way around. And who are you to judge me? If you were not holding my son right now, I would demand you pay for those comments,” Éomer said through clenched teeth, moving closer to the elf.

Thengel started squirming, seeing them both angry.

Elrohir was beyond rage and did not notice the fear of the small child. “I will remedy that as soon as I can bring Thengel to Legolas or Elladan. I have no intention of letting you come here and destroy what little peace Amrun has had and then drag her and Thengel away from their home. She will not be taken to Rohan so your son can inherit a throne they care nothing about. They need people who care about them, not simply Thengel’s bloodline.”

Elrohir turned and resumed his way up the path, trying to soothe Thengel as he walked. Suddenly, he stopped and turned on Éomer saying, “Do you know that if she marries you, she is forever bound to you? Even after you die, she will not be able to marry or bind to another. If you do not love her, it is heartless to ask her to marry to simply have an heir. Yet Amrun would happily be bound to you even if she knew that she would only have a lifetime of love with you. To ask her to give up all love and happiness until the end of Arda is cruel. Perhaps you should leave here and forget them both. Find a wife and create another heir to your throne. A heir whose mother will not have to sacrifice eternal happiness bound to a love that was not returned.”

Unbeknownst to Elrohir, Legolas and Aragorn had walked up behind him. Hearing what Elrohir said, they were surprised at the angry exchange. Elrohir was a normally calm elf, but very protective of Amrun and Thengel. This had upset him to no end and Éomer had finally pushed him from upset to furious.

Éomer looked at Aragorn shocked and said, “Is this true? Could she never marry another?”

Aragorn nodded.

Looking at Elrohir, Éomer said, “Take care of Thengel for me.”

Éomer ran up the path to Amrun’s house as the others watched.

“Elrohir, I think you could have handled that a little more diplomatically,” Aragorn said with a sigh, as Elrohir was trying to stop Thengel from crying.

~~~~

Éomer banged on her door when he arrived at her house. Amrun opened it startled. When she saw him and he was angry, she took a step back unsure what had caused his ire.

“Where is Thengel?” she asked, concerned.

“He is with your friend Elrohir,” he snapped as he brushed past her into the house.

When she turned around to look at him, he fixed his angry eyes on her, “Why did you not tell me?”

“Why did I not tell you what?” Amrun asked confused.

“That if you marry me you are bound to me for eternity, even after I die. And you are not allowed to be with another when I am gone.”

Surprised that he knew this, she was silent for a minute. “I did not think it made a difference to you.”

“You would marry me even if I said there was no chance we could ever truly be husband and wife; that we would be married in name alone? You would marry me so Thengel could be named the heir to my throne? Only because I asked you to?”

“Last night I would have said yes,” she said softly. “But now I would only marry you if you loved me.”

Suddenly, he grabbed her and pulled her to him in a deep kiss. Picking her feet up off the floor, he held her as he kissed her until she was breathless. His kiss was forceful as he laid siege to her mouth, overwhelming her with his passion. When he finally pulled away, she was gasping for air.

“Éomer, please do not kiss me like that only to reject me when you come to your senses again,” Amrun said trying to pull away.

“Amrun, I love you. I am sorry I have hurt you. I do not want us to keep hurting each other. I want you to be my wife in every way and be with me for the rest of my days. But I will leave you here and Thengel as well, if you wish to love another and have an eternity with him. It would break my heart, but I would do this for you if you wish it.”

“I do not want an eternity with another. I want to be with you,” she whispered.

Éomer kissed her repeatedly as he carried her to the bedroom. Laying her down on the bed, he covered her body with his own. The heat between them was intense as he began kissing her again until she felt like she was going to explode into flames. He rolled onto his back bringing her with him. Burying one hand in her hair to move the black curtain of silky hair from her neck, he began to move down her throat, leaving a trail of hot kisses in his wake, as he tasted her skin again for the first time in years.

Amrun could not even form a complete thought, she was so full of desire and love for him. Her anger melted into passion, clouding her thoughts. She felt his hard body against hers and was aflame with desire. Her hand roamed over his chest and arms as she moaned at the heat of his lips. Hurriedly, she began unfastening the ties of his tunic, seeking the warmth of his skin under her fingertips. When it was partially unfastened, she opened it to reveal his golden skin. She lowered her mouth to caress the salty skin on his chest. He moaned softly as his hands roamed her back, lowering to pull her hips tighter against his body. Her fingers never stopped their delft movements as she attempted to remove his tunic completely.

Struggling to regain his composure, Éomer stayed her hands as he rolled them both on their side. She looked at him frustrated and he smiled.

“I will not make love to you again until you are my wife,” Smiling, he said “But I will still kiss you. I had forgotten how sweet you taste, my beautiful Amrun.”

In between kisses, she argued, “But we…were not…married before why…do we n…need to be now?”

Éomer chuckled at her, amazed that her actions did not melt his resolve. She was moving her body sensuously against his as passion flooded her senses and she wished to have every inch of her body touching his.

Éomer kissed her again, plunging his tongue in her mouth and rubbing hers, causing her to moan. When she sucked on his tongue, his resolve weakened. Finally, with great difficulty, he pulled away. Sitting on the side of the bed, he tried to control his mind as well as his body, When he looked back at her and she was breathing deeply, with her cheeks flushed and eyes burning with passion. It took every ounce of will for him to stand up. Taking a deep breath, he reached down for her hand saying, “Come with me.”

“Where?” she asked, frustrated, as she rose from the bed.

Éomer smiled and smoothed her hair back into place. She struggled to get her clothes out of disarray while he fastened his tunic.

“Where are we going?” she asked again.

“To tell Aragorn we need him to perform our marriage ceremony tomorrow,” he said as pulled her towards the door.

“Wait. What? Tomorrow? Can Aragorn perform a marriage ceremony?” she asked shocked.

“Yes. Tomorrow. Aragorn, as the king, has the authority to officiate over my marriage ceremony. Besides we have wasted enough time already and I want to make love to you before I go mad,” he said bending down to kiss her again. He then stopped reluctantly, pulling away. “Are you certain this is what you wish to do?”

Amrun looked at him for a long moment. Tenderly, she traced the lines of his face unable to believe he had to question her on this matter. Finally, she kissed him and nodded. He smiled, stroking her cheek lovingly.

Pulling her with him, they ran to the library and patio looking for Aragorn. They finally heard Thengel’s laughter and followed it. All of their friends were down in the gazebo with their son. They looked up and, seeing Éomer and Amrun hand-in-hand and both obviously happy at last, smiled to each other.

“Aragorn, you need to marry us tomorrow,” Éomer said quickly.

“Tomorrow? I happen to be available to do so tomorrow,” Aragorn said smiling at the younger man’s impatience.

Éomer turned to Elrohir and Elladan. He looked at Elrohir apologetically for their words earlier and said, “It is customary for a man to have the permission of the father or brother to marry a woman. You two are the closest she has to brothers. Do you give your blessing?”

Elladan agreed instantly, gazing into Amrun’s eyes, which glowed with happiness. Elrohir was reluctant as he watched them. Éomer paused and looked at him, as did Amrun.

“Amrun, come with me. I wish to speak with you for a few moments,” Taking her hand, Elrohir led her away from the others.

When they were alone, Elrohir looked at her for a few moments as she studied his eyes. “Amrun, are you certain this is what you want? I do not want you to marry him out of guilt or obligation. You will give up many things to marry him. Do you understand this?”

Amrun hugged Elrohir tightly, full of love for him. “Yes, I understand. I love him though. I have been miserable the last five years wishing to be with him.”

“If you were to bind yourself to an Elda, you would have more time and less pain,” he said. When she looked at him confused, he replied, “Your son would not be questioned in an elvish city.”

Amrun studied him for some time. “Elrohir, what is it? You have been telling me for years I made a mistake and now you question Éomer and I being married. What did you want to happen? What has upset you so?”

Elrohir turned away, angry with himself for his feelings. When he did not answer, she placed her hand lightly on his arm.

“Elrohir, please tell me what is wrong.”

“Perhaps, I do not wish you to leave. I have been with you every day for years. Thengel has been part of my life and I love him as much as…I would love my own child,” Elrohir said softly, still not looking at her.

Amrun felt horrible that she had not stopped to consider his feelings for Thengel. Once again, she had not thought everything through. She watched Elrohir as she searched for the words to say.

“We will visit, Elrohir. I know it is not the same but I vow we will visit you often. You and Elladan will always be a part of his life.”

“And you?” Elrohir turned and she could see he was hurting. “Will you return? When Éomer’s time has…will you return to Imladris or stay in Rohan?”

Amrun’s eyes filled with tears. “Elrohir, I have not thought of what I will do that day. I do not know nor do I wish to think of that time.”

“You must think of that time. Before you bind yourself to him, you must face what is to come,” Elrohir replied frustrated. “You have been going blindly from one thing to another, not protecting yourself from being hurt. You cannot keep doing so. Elladan and I will not be in Rohan to pick up the pieces.”

Amrun looked at him angrily. “You treat me as if I am an ignorant child. I appreciate everything you have done for me Elrohir but that does not give you the right to make decisions for me.”

“You are behaving like a child who wishes to marry the one of her dreams and spend all of your days happy and in love,” Elrohir exclaimed. “This is not a fantasy, Amrun. He is a Man. He will die. You must realize this now.”

Amrun looked away quickly. Elrohir sighed. “Amrun, you cannot even face the truth. You ask me to give you my blessing, yet you do not want to see what all of this means. I do not want to see you fade from a broken heart when his time in Arda is ended. You cannot deny that it will end.”

“What do you wish me to do? Walk away from him now? Take his son from him? Push him away from me again?” Amrun sobbed. “These are all things you have told me in the past I was wrong to do. I do not know what you want from me Elrohir.”

“I need you to open your eyes and face your future,” Elrohir said quietly. “Let Thengel stay with Éomer tonight. You and I need to discuss this. This is not something I can just agree to so easily.”

Drawing her to him, he smoothed her hair as she continued to sob. “I do not wish to lose you or Thengel, but I cannot live with the thought that you will fade to grief one day.”

The longer he held her the more the tension between them grew. Soon his tender touches became erotic and seductive. Neither would look at the other nor move away. All of this time they had been together and these feelings crept up at the worst time.

Finally, Elrohir whispered, “Stay with me tonight before you decide.”

“Elrohir, Éomer is Thengel’s father, I cannot …” Amrun stopped unsure of what to say or how she felt. “I cannot do this to him. I love him.”

“Do you have no feelings for me?” Elrohir responded stroking her cheek before lightly lifting her chin to face him. “Stay with me tonight.”

Lowering his mouth, he cut off her protest as he kissed her lovingly. Amrun allowed herself to be swept up in the love she felt for Elrohir. Her heart could no longer tell the difference between the closeness she felt for him as her caregiver and friend and the bond shared between lovers. Finally, she pulled away from him.

“Elrohir, I love you. I have always loved you but…” She looked away unable to continue.

“Face me and tell me you have no desire to stay here with me. Tell me that he holds your heart completely. If you tell me this, I will never ask again. I will give you my blessing and when you leave, I will wish you and Éomer nothing but happiness. If you love him and not me, you can tell me these things,” Elrohir insisted. “But do not leave me or take Thengel from me if you are not certain.”

Amrun was so stunned, she could not say a word. Every time she opened her mouth, no sound would come out. She had once been mistaken about her love for Éomer and did not want to make another mistake. She did love Elrohir, but she was unsure if her love for him was the same as her love for Éomer. At last, she turned around.

“Elrohir, I know you love me and I will always love you, but the love we share is not the love shared between lovers. If you search deep in your heart, you will see. You and I have been raising Thengel together and you do not want to lose that. It is not me that you love but the family we have created. I know you know this to be true.” Amrun looked at him and he looked away upset. “Elrohir, if I could make this easier for all of us, I would. But if I were to stay with you here in Rivendell, it would be for a lie.”

Walking to him, she put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I do love you Elrohir. You mean so much to me. I would not be here today if it were not for you. And Thengel loves you so much Elrohir. None of this will change.”

Elrohir wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I cannot stand the thought of the two of you not being here. I cannot imagine a day without you. I know you are right. And it would be wrong to both Thengel and Éomer if I turned my desperate attempt to keep you and Thengel here into a choice that would hurt everyone. I was not prepared to feel what I am feeling right now.”

“I know. The thought of leaving you hurts me too. More than I can ever say. But I will be back to visit often and one day I will return to stay. I do not want to think about the sadness in my future, but I know it will come, sooner than I expect I am certain. And as long as you are in Imladris, I will return to you when the time comes. By then Thengel will have his own family, I hope, and will no longer need me in Rohan,” Amrun said softly.

“I am envious of Éomer,” Elrohir replied. “Not only will he have a beloved bride and wonderful son, but he will never have to live without them.”

Amrun started sobbing again and the two of them held each other tightly for a long time. Elrohir knew she was right. His love for her was not the same as Éomer’s love for her. He wanted to protect her. And he did not want to lose Thengel. He felt tears stinging his eyes as he rested his head on hers.

Elladan had come upon them and sadly watched the two for a moment. He had known this day would come since Éomer arrived, but he did not know how to prepare either of them for what was happening. He loved Thengel but he also knew that Elrohir loved him as a son. And as much as Elladan loved Amrun, Elrohir loved her even more. Neither of them had thought to their parting and he knew that Amrun had not faced the truth about her future loss. Like his sister before her, she had to realize what was to come. Unlike Arwen, Amrun did not have to make a choice to become mortal, she just had to face that one day she would lose her mortal love. Elladan heard movement beside him and turned. He was surprised to see Éomer.

Éomer watched Amrun crying as Elrohir held her before looking at Elladan. Elladan was surprised when he did not see anger or jealousy in Éomer’s eyes but understanding.

“I will bring them back her as often as I can. Thengel will always remember his home here, his people. I would never take that from him. I know I can never fully understand what Amrun feels and what she fears Thengel will feel in my world, but I will always be aware that fear she carries. I will try to protect her from any hurt. She will not be alone,” Éomer said quietly.

Elladan nodded, “I know. That is why it is easier for me to let her go. Elrohir is just…”

“I understand,” Éomer said quietly then walked away silently.

Elladan smiled slightly, impressed with the fact the Éomer had just proven his love for her and Thengel with very few words. Looking one last time at Amrun and Elrohir, Elladan followed Éomer away to leave them in privacy.

Eventually Amrun stopped sobbing and looked up to see unshed tears in Elrohir’s eyes.

“I will miss you every day we are apart,” Amrun smiled at him tenderly. Elrohir watched her for a minute then tugged lightly on a lock of her hair.

“You will be a mess without me,” he chuckled. The two of them both started laughing and once again they embraced. “I cannot believe you are leaving me to live alone with Elladan.”

Amrun laughed harder and kissed him on the cheek.

“You can always visit Rohan when you grow tired of him. I am on very good terms with the king,” Amrun teased.

Elrohir sighed. “Well I suppose I must return to your king with my response.”

“Which is?” Amrun asked.

“You have my blessing and I wish you all of the happiness you deserve, Amrun,” Elrohir took her into his embrace and held her tightly.

When they walked back to the gazebo, Amrun frowned upon seeing Eresse there. She was sitting between Éomer and Legolas but her attention was focused solely on Éomer. Éomer saw them return and jumped up. He looked at her frown at Eresse’s presence and mistook it for disappointment after her conversation with Elrohir.

Finally, he looked at Elrohir and asked, “Do we have your blessing?”

Elrohir took a lingering look at Amrun lingering for a moment to torture Éomer then he smiled. “Yes, you have my blessing as well as my wishes for true happiness.”

Éomer grabbed Amrun, and ignoring everyone there, picked her up and swung her around while kissing her. She laughed and kissed him back. Finally, Thengel came running over and started squealing, “Me! Me!”

Putting her down, Éomer picked up Thengel and spun him around. Eresse glared at Amrun and Amrun smirked in return. Elrohir and Aragorn went to make plans for the next day as Elrohir pulled her with him.

“Where is he taking her now?” Éomer said looking at Elladan.

Elladan smiled. “Elvish custom. You cannot see her for a full day before you are wed.”

“What? I am not allowed to say goodbye to her first?”

Legolas chuckled and said, “You should have found out all of the customs before you asked her to marry you.”

“Wait. Are there others?” Éomer replied concerned.

Winking at Legolas, Elladan said “Nothing you cannot endure.” Appearing to look concerned, Elladan said to Legolas, “At least I think he can endure them, but he is only mortal. Do you think he will be at risk of harm? Amrun would be most unhappy about that.”

“Aragorn endured them,” Legolas pointed out.

“Yes but Aragorn has Dunedain blood as well. I am not certain about a Rohirrim,” Elladan replied, looking concerned.

Éomer looked at him shocked before Elladan and Legolas burst into laughter. Gimli shook his head.

“Let us hope your fortune with elves will be better than mine,” Gimli chuckled. “Although, perhaps it would be different for me if it had been a fair elleth like Amrun by my side over these many years rather than this pointy eared braggart.”

Éomer chuckled with the others as he watched Thengel playing on the ground.