Part 56 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.

A/N: So what do other people do when they are sitting around waiting for new tires to be put on their car? Me, I write Elfwine Chronicles! I had wanted to do a companion piece to Horse Lords, giving Eomer's reaction later on, but it has taken me a while to reach a "conclusion" for it. Finally, it came to me. And, no, I have no qualms about Friday the 13th. Why should I? I was born on one!

Oh, and by the way, I had to go back to "Obstacles" and change some of the dates/times for the sequence of events. I miscalculated by a year so that changed things.

Perceptions

(Jan, 26 IV)

After nearly twenty-five years of marriage, I am forced to acknowledge that my wife can be a cruel and heartless woman when she chooses. Any time she catches me doing something even vaguely ridiculous or embarrassing, I never hear the end of it.

Do not misunderstand – she is a wonderful woman, and I love her more than life itself...but, sometimes, she taxes my patience to the utmost and I wonder why I tolerate her behavior. After all, I am king. Should a king have to endure a wife's mockery? Her latest tactic is to "whinny" at me.

Recently, she caught my son, Elfwine, and I playing with our toddler sons by acting the part of horses. Naturally, we whinnied and pranced, as any real horse would, to let our sons appreciate what riding a horse was truly like. Then our wives walked in and were overcome with laughter.

Ever since that day, Lothiriel whinnies softly at me at the most inappropriate times. Oh, she always makes certain no one else can hear her except me, but it can be most embarrassing. She knows I will blush, causing others to give me curious looks. Then I have to try to continue whatever I was doing as though nothing had happened. I don't dare look at her for fear the wicked gleam in her eye will further discompose me in public.

Sadly, she is not content with just tormenting her own husband. Elfwine tells me she has similarly corrupted his wife, Dariel, who also employs this tactic when he least expects it – and yielding the same response in him as in me.

Well, enough is enough! She pulled that stunt today just before I went into a counsel meeting! Now that my meeting has ended, I intend to confront her and insist she cease this nonsense!

Arriving at her sitting room, I discover she is writing a letter to her brother. Her friend, Miren, and Dariel are with her, knitting and chatting, while Theodred, Arawine and Miren's daughter nap on the couch. For a moment, I hesitate, but then press determinedly on, "Lothiriel, may I speak with you privately?"

She looks up at me in idle curiosity and nods, rising to accompany me to my study. Once there, to my surprise, my eagerness for a confrontation falters. Suddenly, my complaint seems petty and pointless. Nevertheless, I realize I might as well make my grievance known. Perhaps she can be persuaded to give up this tendency and will honor my objection. She is not usually unreasonable.

"Thiri," I begin hesitantly, unsure exactly how to phrase my accusation, then stumblingly say, "why must you harrass me in public by 'whinnying' at me?"

A slow grin spreads over her face, and she moves toward me, slipping her arms around my waist as she gazes up at me. Involuntarily, my arms wrap around her shoulders, but I try to maintain an annoyed countenance.

Alas, she knows me too well and does not appear fazed by my apparent disagreeable attitude. "Oh, my love, do you truly not understand?" she asks quietly.

My puzzlement must have been evident, for she continues gently, "Almost every day of your life I watch you rise from our bed, and trudge off to face the worries and challenges of ruling the Mark."

I was more than a little lost – what did that have to do with her whinnying at me? My expression must have shown my lack of comprehension and she became more explicit.

"When I first met you, you were so wrapped up in war and fighting and death, that I do not think you had laughed or smiled in a very long time. Even in victory, you were weighed down by the prospect of assuming rule of the Riddermark and rebuilding her after the devastation that was suffered.

"As we became friends, I quickly discovered that the silly, irreverent comments I made seemed to easily break through all that, and briefly lighten your heart and mood. With each day that passed, I became more determined than ever to cause such a reaction on a regular basis.

"And I have done so, even more since our marriage than before. I cannot solve all of Rohan's problems, or make you less burdened by them, but I can do everything in my power to refresh you. To give you a break from their crushing weight.

"An army does not prepare for war and build its strength in the midst of a battle. It prepares before the battle, and recovers its strength afterwards as it prepares for the next one. I am your preparation and your recovery for your daily battles. I use any means at my disposal to send you off strong and well armed. I do not wish to see you crushed beneath your load."

When she concluded speaking, she laid her head on my chest, and I stood silently holding her as I contemplated her words. As I mentioned, my wife is a shrewd woman and knows me well. I hope my son appreciates his own bride whinnying at him as much as I appreciate mine doing so.

THE END

1-13-06

End note: It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.