She surreptitiously left the bustling house, having warned only Frea of her intention, and made her way unseen to where she had left a boat away from all the activity going on the other side of the gardens. He was waiting for her at the jetty on the island. He had stayed in Edoras without her until a few days before, and she had not seen much of him since his arrival. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness at seeing him as she stepped off the boat taking his hand to steady herself. ‘My Queen,’ he said awestruck. She laughed, ‘I’m not yet, my love.’ He bent down to kiss her gently on the lips and she followed him quietly into the main cavern of the rock formation as one entranced. ‘I wanted to show you while it is light, as it will be dark by the time we get here from the wedding tomorrow, although it will be lit with candles.’
She gasped as she entered. The cavern had been transformed, crafted to reveal the underlying beauty of the rock face, polished and cut into exquisite forms to rival that she had seen in Erebor.
‘Gimli sent his best craftsmen here months ago…’ Éomer began.
‘Éomer, it is so beautiful.’ She whispered in wonder.
‘Let me show you the roof,’ he continued enthusiastically as he bounded up the staircase Maglor had carved and into the open space above the cavern. Maglor’s bed had been decked in furs and luxurious bedding and warmth flowed through the space even though it was open to the skies. Lothíriel’s mind exploded with possibilities of how this could have been achieved. Éomer could see she was fascinated.
‘Do you like it?’ he asked her gently.
‘This is the most incredible birthday present, Éomer. How have you done this?’
‘The plans are on the table over there, but there is one more innovation I would like to show you.’ He stepped over to a handle fixed against the wall and began to rotate it on a wheel. A wooden roof began to appear overhead and smoothly covered the open space to protect it from rain and snow. As the light within darkened, Lothíriel perceived the glow emanating from the floor surrounding the now enclosed space, glistening through the rocks. Lothíriel spun slowly around absorbing the artistry, ingenuity and craftsmanship around her.
‘My husband, my King. I am left speechless.’ He unwound the roof slowly to reveal the blue sky above and he came over to kiss her.
‘You know I am not good at wedding nights…’ she said suggestively moving her body closely against his. ‘I don’t think my body can wait for you any longer,’ she whispered as she kissed him more forcefully. His passion, so long denied, surged within him as he swiftly divested himself of his clothing and hers.
‘Take me,’ she demanded as he laid her on the bed stroking her body, rubbing his cock against her. She almost passed out as he entered her. He hesitated. He was afraid of hurting her or triggering bad memories, but she opened her eyes in ecstasy and thrust herself against him. ‘I want you, I want you,’ she moaned. Their previous lovemaking had not prepared them for the intensity of what they were experiencing. The explosion of almost two years of pent-up desire overwhelmed them both before they lay panting in each other’s arms in stunned silence.
Eventually Lothíriel managed to speak.
‘Is it always like that?’ she asked innocently. He looked at her amused.
‘I don’t know,’ he answered in his rich deep voice, ‘I have never made love to anyone before.’
Lothíriel smiled indulgently, snuggling herself into him. ‘Well, how is it different from when you have been with a woman you haven’t been in love with?’ Éomer held her to him more closely.
‘I don’t know,’ he said without artifice, ‘I have never done that with a woman I wasn’t in love with.’
Lothíriel was confused. ‘I’m… I’m not sure I understand.’
He pulled her over to lie on top of him, her arms folding onto his chest so she could observe his face as he raised his head, resting it lightly on his arm to look into her eyes.
‘This was your first time?’ she continued unsure of herself.
‘Does that disappoint you?’ he asked her a wry smile playing on his lips.
‘That most certainly did not disappoint! I just had not expected…’ she trailed off, still not quite accepting the logic of what he had claimed. She moved off him to his side, holding him tightly to her.
He stayed on his back looking at the sky to explain.
‘You have to understand what happened after I was caught with Frea. My father was beyond furious. We were in her house, your house now and we were playing games, or so I thought, I had little understanding of what we were doing, only that I was enjoying it a lot more than Sindarin grammar! Father caught us at a very delicate moment, both naked and I was about to penetrate her. The trauma of the embarrassment of being caught like that by my own father was bad enough, but Father that very night took me to see a man who had, so he told me, frequented brothels and had caught something so bad, it had rotted his penis away. He paid the man to show me. It was horrific. He told me that’s what happened when you have such liaisons with women you don’t love. Then he took me two days later to witness a woman giving birth and made me watch. The birth itself was bad enough, but she was a woman without a husband, and he told me what would happen to them both, the mother and the child, because the man had failed in his duties of marriage to her. Their future was bleak. I found out much later that my father had provided for both mother and child, but he was killed only days afterwards. Ever since, I have always felt that to indulge my urges without love and marriage would be to dishonour him.’
He turned himself to face her and gently caressed her cheek.
‘Lothíriel, when you came to my chambers before you left for Aldburg, I was afraid you wanted me to take you just to assuage your desire. I didn’t believe you loved me as deeply as I loved you. You seemed so confused and unsure of your feelings. That’s why I refused you. I knew how much I loved you, but I needed to know you felt the same. I am sorry I hurt you.’
When he gathered her up in his arms, tears were falling down her cheeks.
‘I didn’t think I could possibly love you any more than I already do, but I think you have just made me even more in love with you,’ she sighed with such a heightened emotion, she willed her whole being never to forget.