I don't own Lord of the Rings!

The stables were nearly empty of both man and beast when she entered. The dark wood was so brightly lit by the setting sun that from afar, she had almost thought the structure was aflame. She lightly dragged her hand over the roughly hewn slabs as she walked in.

When she first came to Edoras from the White City, she was startled by the lack of pomp and ceremony at Meduseld. Back home in Dol Amroth and in Gondor, where she had spent much of her childhood, the Lords and Ladies of the Court basked in the complex rituals and mannerisms expected among their class. Lothíriel had grown up a beloved daughter among sons, so she could afford to ignore some of the customs. But even she, as a princess, had to abide by most of the traditions. She remembered hearing gossip about the Horse-Lords of Rohan, especially during her time in Gondor. Everyone had said it was a barbaric kingdom full of large men with beards and wild golden hair. She had heard that the men prized their horses above gold or riches.

After the war, however, many Gondorian folk began to sing praises about the Horse-lords. They had arrived in the thick of battle and turned the tide when all hope seemed lost. Then almost immediately after, they mustered their strength and rode to Mordor with King Elessar and the riders from Dol Amroth. The same Noblewomen who used to whisper behind their fans about the barbaric Rohirrim began to flirt shamelessly- just to be able to gossip to their friends that they had won the love of a Horse-lord. Not than any of the ladies in Gondor would ever actually marry one of them.

Lothíriel, on the other hand, was not a lady of Gondor. She was a princess of Dol Amroth. When her father and Kind Elessar proposed a match between her and the young King Éomer, she had agreed. She had only seen him a handful of times, and they had only had polite, stilted conversations during those meetings; however she trusted the word of her father. And more than that, she trusted her brothers to the ends of the earth. They had all fought with King Éomer, and not of them had anything but the highest regard for him. Beyond that, Lothíriel had grown quite close to the King's sister, who was now married to Faramir, thus making Éowyn and Lothíriel cousins.

There was truly no reason for Lothíriel to reject the match, so she said yes and now found herself sneaking around Edoras the night before her wedding to the imposing, stoic, and incredibly attractive King of the Horse-Lords.

Given that her mother died when Lothíriel was just a little girl, and her aunt was in Dol Amroth, Lothíriel had to be quite inventive in learning about what would happen on her wedding night. She had seen beasts coupling in the stables and on the jewel green farmlands of her home country; she had heard whispers broken up by fits of giggles when she was among a huddle of maidens in the shadows of a ballroom; but neither of those seemed like a reliable source of information.

When the match was decided in Gondor, she had considered asking Éowyn, but could not bring herself to ask her soon-to-be husband's sister what to expect when the doors shut and the guests left the bride and groom alone. Instead, Lothíriel had taken it upon herself to corner her poor new lady's maid, Willa. She was a young woman from the Westfold who had fled to Edoras when the Orcs raided her village. As a widow with a son Lothíriel reasoned that Willa would be able to tell her what to expect on her wedding night.

Amidst protests and blushes, Willa had eventually managed to string together a few sentences.

"If the King is gentle with you, and I'm sure he will be, My Lady, it will not hurt you. You may even find it pleasant."

Lothíriel had asked if Willa had found it pleasant, but the poor woman turned so pink and stumbled over her words so much that Lothíriel took pity and asked her a different question.

"How will I know if he will be gentle?"

"Oh, My Lady, you shouldn't be asking me these kinds of questions. It's not right- I'm your maid, I can't be telling you these things."

Lothíriel had huffed in annoyance and glared at her maid, "I suppose I can try asking my brothers. Or perhaps Father might take it upon himself to enlighten me."

Willa had paled at the suggestion and picked up her mending basket. As she hurried away, she turned to whisper "I suppose you might kiss him, My Lady."

That whispered sentence had been ruminating around Lothíriel's head for hours; she couldn't stop thinking about kissing King Éomer. It was no exaggeration to say he was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. In her opinion, and that of many ladies in Gondor, his features rivaled those of Boromir and King Elessar, who, it was rumored, had drops of elven blood running through his veins. The difference to Lothíriel, however, was that Boromir had been killed in his prime and she had been too young to appreciate his masculine beauty when she had last seen him; and King Elessar's heart belonged to the loveliest being in Middle Earth, the fair Queen Arwen; but Éomer, Éomer would be hers before sunset tomorrow.

As she passed one of the closed stalls, a dark brown equine head peaked over the gate at her. Thoughts of kissing her intended were replaced by curiosity at the unexpected presence of the horse. She knew there was a chance that the beast could become violent and harm her, but mustered her courage to swing the heavy metal latch free of its hook and slipped into the stall. The beast inside seemed gentle and sweet as it allowed Lothíriel to kiss its nose and stroke its heavily muscled neck. She was awed by the beauty of some of the horses in Rohan; she could sometimes understand why the Rohirric prized those fine limbed creatures above all else.

She picked up a heavy brush and began stroking the glossy coat until she could see her own reflection. She lost track of time, the hypnotic movements of the brush and quiet whisper of the wind lulled both the lovely beast and Lothíriel into a trance.

"She likes you," A voice behind her spoke, low and soothing. The owner of the voice took care not to spook the animal or the lady, clearly understanding the apprehensive nature of horses.

Lothíriel turned to face the man who spoke, the man she had been thinking of for the past several hours. She curtsied to him, "My King."

"Princess," He inclined his head and took a step closer to her, his arm swinging up to stroke the horse, "This is Asta. She is a descendent of the Mearas. They do not easily trust men, but it seems she may trust you."

"It is because I am not a man," Lothíriel said without thinking, and immediately regretted how impudent her remark must have sounded to the King.

Éomer seemed not to take offense, and rather called to the young stableboy who had accompanied him, "Háma, take Asta to the fields, she needs the open air."

"Yes, My Lord." Hama took the reins Éomer held out and gently tugged to get the horse's attention. Éomer nudged Asta's rump to make her follow after the young boy.

As the gate swung shut behind Asta, Lothíriel realized she and Éomer were alone for the first time since they had met.

"I did not expect to see you here, Princess," He said with a slight frown.

"Lothíriel. My name-" She stumbled over her words and took a breath to compose herself. "Please, call me Lothíriel."

His brow furrowed as he nodded and crossed his arms, waiting for her to continue.

"I wanted to get to know the horses." She nearly cringed at the way the words were tumbling out of her mouth. Get to know the horses? She thought to herself, I don't think I could possibly sound more dense even if I tried!

He raised an eyebrow at her statement,

"Not the horses, you see. I just wanted to- I thought I should begin to learn more about the horses." She managed to choke out. Thank Erú! At least I've said one decent sentence! She silently chastised herself for seeming a fool in front of the one man she wanted to impress. He, on the other hand had spoken the few words he needed to in order not to appear rude; and she was beginning to realize he did not seem to want her company so she began her exit.

"I should go, I'm so sorry for being in your way, My lord." She curtsied again and began backing out of the stall without realizing the gate was locked once again.

As she spun around to wrestle with the lock on the gate, he suddenly spoke in his low voice.. "Éomer. You can call me Éomer."

She slowly turned to face him as the gate swung open a few inches and realized he had not moved at all. His arms were still crossed across his magnificent chest and his gaze did not flicker from her face. She could not tell if he was inviting her company or being polite out of kingly or husbandly duties.

She took a chance, stepped toward him and nodded, "Éomer," She tested the name on her lips. It seemed to come naturally enough, she thought.

They stood face to face for a few seconds, both unsure of how to break the silence. Lothíriel was panicking, trying to think of something interesting to say when he spoke up again.

"At this time of year, we release the horses in this stable into the fields for most of the day. Many of the mares will be foaling come spring so it is healthy for them to be in the open.

"Is there more than one stable?" She asked, more out of good manners than true interest. She knew she should be listening to what he said, it could be valuable information when she became Queen but she was distracted by his voice and lips.

He began to speak again and tell her about the stables housing the war horses and work horses. She, on the other hand was thinking about what Willa had said, I suppose you might kiss him, My Lady.

Not at all bad advice if Lothíriel was being honest with herself.

You might kiss him, My Lady.

And this was the first, most likely last time they would be alone until after the wedding tomorrow- by then it would be too late to find out.

Kiss him, My Lady!

Éomer was still speaking, "The war horses are to aggressive to be kept wit-"

Before she could think about it any further, she jolted forward and kissed him. Her lips nearly missed his but she couldn't be bothered with that. She was horrified at what she had done, what she was still doing.

He seemed horrified by it as well, his arms were still crossed and he stood stiffly, as if he was waiting for her to step away and remove her lips from his person.

She heaved her entire body back and looked at him with wide, shocked eyes, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as she gasped. She blurted out, "I'm so sorry, my lord!" and spun around, sending up a silent prayer when she saw the gate was open just a sliver.

She began coming up with excuses for when she had to see him again tomorrow. Or maybe she could pretend it didn't happen and he would be kind enough to do the same.

Before she could make her cowardly escape, Éomer seemed to recover from his surprise and moved quickly. As she began to shove the heavy gate open, Éomer's hand came down on top of the gate with a heavy thump, his other palm connected with the wood next to her head with a sharp crack. He held the gate in place so she gave up pushing, dropped her arms and stood completely still. She was boxed in by the wood before her, his arms on either side of her and his solid, imposing figure behind her. He was close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating from his body.

He didn't speak at all, but rather stepped closer until she could feel his hard thighs pressing against her bottom and the backs of her thighs. She gasped softly at the contact but stayed silent, waiting to see what he would do next.

"May I know, Princess, what you were trying to do?" His low voice directly in her ear sent a shiver through her entire body. She couldn't tell if she wanted to be closer to him or far, far away.

"I, well I- That is, my maid," Lothíriel began, "She told me what it is that occurs between a man and a woman- or rather, I asked her and she didn't quite tell me." Lothíriel's voice trailed off into an inaudible whisper.

"Go on," Éomer demanded softly.

She began speaking even more quietly, "Well, she suggested I might understand if I- If I kissed you. And that's why I did."

Éomer did not appear to be shocked or horrified, in fact, he appeared to not have heard her at all. Lothíriel wondered if she should reach up and push on the gate again, now that he had gotten his answer, he might be inclined to release her. Maybe he was so aghast by her forwardness that he would her run away with her tail between her legs.

Or perhaps, that impulsive little voice spoke up again, the same traitorous voice that made her kiss him in the first place; perhaps you could turn around and face him, show him that you are courageous enough to stand by your actions.

Before she could do either, he slowly pulled the gate shut and let the heavy metal latch fall into place with a resounding clang. Her stomach turned at the sound and her heart began to pound. Even the little voice seemed quelled by the echo.

He pulled both his hands off the wood in front of her and gently placed his warm palms on her forearms, sliding them down until he reached her hands. The warmth of his palms left a trail of warm tingles down her arms. He took her smaller hands in his own and carefully lifted them both to push her palms flat against the wood of the gate just in front of her chest. With his hands still covering hers, and his biceps brushing against her shoulders, he stepped closer until his chest was pressed to her back. She didn't move at all in fear that he would release her and step away. She was barely breathing, hoping he would keep touching her in some way.

He moved one of his hands used it to gently lift her dark hair to one side of her shoulder. A soft gasp left her lips as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back, pressing her even more tightly against him- his broad chest against her back. He glanced down at the smooth column of her neck where her pulse was fluttering wildly and bent his head to place a kiss on the soft skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She lips dropped open in surprise but he kept going, placing warm kisses further up her neck.

Lothíriel inhaled sharply at the contrast between Éomer's soft lips and his rough, prickly beard. Each kiss sent a burst of sparks down her spine, weakening her knees and awakening a strange, pleasant warmth between her legs.

The only part of her brain still working, the part belonging to that traitorous voice, was screaming at her to touch him so she lifted her free hand off the wood and cautiously placed it on his arm around her waist as her head fell back to his shoulder allowing him more access. She could feel his smile against the skin of her shoulder where he began placing warm, wet, open-mouthed kisses. She gasped for breath when he used his teeth to lightly score her neck. She lifted her hand from his arm to bury it in his golden hair, holding his head in place, tangling the surprisingly soft strands between her fingers. Her other hand came off the wood and grasped his thick wrist pressed against her belly.

His lips slid up to tease the delicate skin just under her ear. As she gasped for air, He suddenly moved them both, roughly spinning her to face him and wrapped both his arms around her waist, one pressed between her shoulder blades, holding her upper body to his chest; the other wrapped around her hips. Her hands fell to his shoulders as he kissed her lips gently. His tongue stroked her lower lip until she opened for him. She was lost in the feeling of his body against hers and his palms stroking up and down her back.

Éomer kissed her deeply, tasting and teasing her as he backed her up against the stable wall. She wound one hand in his hair and the other around his neck and kissed him back. One coherent thought crossed her mind, Willa was absolutely right.

He began to pull back, his hands sliding to the sides of her waist, and licked and nipped her jaw and whatever he could reach of her breasts. His coarse beard scraped against her soft skin, sending shudders through her body while his fingers slid up to tease the sensitive skin under her breasts through her gown.

Her head fell back against the wood as she struggled to bring him closer, her nails digging into his broad shoulders. She was only vaguely aware that she had wrapped her leg around his hip until his fingers pressed into the back of her thigh, holding her in place. His free hand hooked around her other thigh and jerked her up until both her legs were wrapped around him in a tangle of skirts. She was held up entirely by his weight pressing her against the wall and her legs around his hips. The strange warmth between her legs had grown into an insistent ache and she pressed against him in an unconscious attempt to relieve it. Every time she made contact with the growing ridge in his breeches, a flurry of tingles spread through her body; beginning at her core and ending at her toes and the tips of her breasts.

While she was lost in a daze of heady kisses and pleasure, he seemed to realize they were in a public place, likely to get caught if they continued and began to pull back on his kisses. He hooked one arm around her waist and reached behind his back with the other to unhook her legs from his hips. As she slid down his body, he caught her and kissed her again, gently setting her on solid ground. This kiss felt different, he was sweet and soft, lightly stroking her neck and hair. Her eyes were still closed as he stepped back and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then she felt the cold air against her body as he pulled away completely. Her eyes shot open a few moments later and she was faced with an empty stable, the gate slightly open and Éomer nowhere in sight.

Lothíriel slumped ungracefully against the wall and pressed her hands to her cheeks, fighting the hot blush creeping up her cheeks as she thought about what they had just done.

Pleasant is definitely an understatement, Lothíriel thought as she pushed through the gate.

Hello All!

1. As always, ask me questions, send me suggestions or just say hi! I'd love to hear from you :)

2. I've been meaning to write this for ages, since the last time I saw Lord of the Rings- but I finally got to it! I'm thinking of making it a two-shot. At least so it picks up the next day when they get married, what do you guys think?

3. I have a few Avengers stories out, you should all take a look if you're into that!

Please review with any critiques, input or ideas about this story or any others!

-Mo-