Chapter Twenty-One- At Length

Gaviwyr paced nervously in his bedchambers, trampling the clothing that he had carelessly tossed onto the floor hours earlier.  He had left his companions in the library around midnight, determined to get some sleep and sort out the troubles in his mind. 

The night had been an eventful one; he was still not sure what had happened between Eomer and Xanthe in the hallway, but he did know that Eomer’s words to him after were far from jealous or hostile.  He had returned to his room with a smile on his face, but also with many doubts.

Now, hours later, he finally stopped pacing and flopped down on his bed, pulling up the plush white comforter and wringing it nervously in his hands.  He lay on his back and looked around, noting for the first time that his room was identical to Xanthe’s.  It was furnished with the same dark oak furniture, light blue wall hangings, and cream colored rugs.  He smiled as he pictured Xanthe, no doubt asleep in her own bed by now.  He even ventured to picture himself there as well, holding her tightly as she slept.  He could almost smell her…

Gaviwyr shook his head forcefully, clearing the vision from his mind.  It won’t do to dream of things that are not yet yours…

*          *          *

The diamond pained windows in Eomer’s room filtered the morning light, illuminating the ornate woodwork on the walls, making the brass fixtures in the room gleam, and revealing a very grumpy King.  Eomer tossed himself sideways and pulled the heavy straw colored duvet over his head.  He had stayed in the library, speaking with Lothiriel, until nearly three o’clock in the morning.  It was now barely past dawn, and his eastern facing windows were offering him no respite.  Underneath the duvet, he was just starting to return to his previous thick oblivion, when he heard pounding at his door.

“Eomer, open the door!”

The King groaned and threw the duvet onto the floor, but did not get up.

“Please Eomer!”

“Come in then, you mad woman!” he shouted, wondering what in the world could have his healer up so early, and in such a fuss.

Xanthe opened the door wide and walked in, shutting it quickly when she saw the scarcely dress King still sprawled across the bed with his eyes closed.  “Ummm…” she momentarily forgot what she had come for.  Walking to the other side of his bed, she picked up the duvet and tossed it back on top of him.  “Better,” she mumbled.

Eomer sat up and grinned at her, finding it difficult not to flirt just a little bit, despite his affections for another.  “You are my healer after all, Xan-- you may have to see me in my shorts a few times yet.”

Xanthe scowled.  “You’re really quite horrible-- what if the Princess were here?”

Laughing as he stood up, he walked past Xanthe to his bureau which stood by the door.  He rifled through the drawers, tossing clothing on top as he searched for a decent pair of trousers.  “She wouldn’t mind…she knows you’re in love with Gaviwyr, and therefore no threat to her.”

Xanthe frowned at the mess Eomer was making.  “That brings me to why I am here-- why did you send Gav away?”

Eomer looked doubtfully at Xanthe and then shifted his eyes dramatically to each side of her, as if looking for something.  Finally he raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.  “I have NO idea what you are talking about.”

“Eomer, focus-- all of his things are gone…where did you send him?”  Xanthe had no patience for the King’s dry sense of humor right now. 

Eomer shook his head and put his hands on his hips.  “He can’t be gone Xan, I didn’t send him anywhere.”

Looking at Eomer with frustration in her eyes, Xanthe insisted, “But he is gone.  I went to see him earlier this morning and found the maid preparing his room for another guest.  She said that he didn’t tell her where he was going; only that he would be gone for a few weeks.” 

Eomer tried to picture a time any earlier in the morning than the one they that were currently experiencing.  “What were you doing up so early anyway?”

Xanthe rolled her eyes.  “Geylof asked if I would go riding with he and Lailei.  I wanted to invite Gav...”

“Maybe Elessar knows where he went,” Eomer interrupted before putting an arm around Xanthe’s shoulders.  “Don’t worry Xan, he wouldn’t leave without word.”

As he navigated her towards the door, Xanthe carefully asked, “What did you say to him last night?”

Eomer stopped and looked at Xanthe carefully.  “You don’t actually think I would do anything to harm your relationship, do you?”

Xanthe stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head.  “No, you wouldn’t.  I was afraid that maybe you had said something to make him angry-- something to make him change his mind.”

“Do you really want to know what I said to him?” 

She hesitated before nodding. 

“I told him that he should marry you before you finally realize that you were always too good for either of us.  I told him that he should act right away and not loose you like I did.”  Eomer watched Xanthe’s eyes widened.  “He said he wanted to give you time.  I told him to be careful…loosing you is painful.”  Eomer put his hand on the back of Xanthe’s neck.  “Believe me Xan, he loves you.  I don’t know where he is, but I do know that he would rather be with you.”

Xanthe let out the breath that she had been holding and wound her arms around Eomer’s neck.  “You always know what to say.”

“Of course I do, I am a politician, am I not?”

Xanthe smiled at Eomer as he once again put his arm around her shoulder and lead her towards the door.  “Let’s go see if Aragorn knows where he went.”

Xanthe nodded her head but pulled out of his embrace, turning to face him.  “We will, but shouldn’t you finish lacing up your pants first?” 

Looking down quickly, Eomer realized with chagrin that he hadn’t quite finished putting his trousers on.  He blushed and looked up at Xanthe, who had her arms folded in front of her and her eyes directed at the ceiling, a playful smile animating her face. 

“You really are distracting, you know that?” he growled.

Xanthe shook her head with resignation, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

*          *          *  

Gaviwyr squinted his eyes against the unfiltered morning sun.  It was still chilly outside and the wetness of the morning embraced him, creeping underneath his thick robes and causing him to shift uncomfortably atop his mount.  He pulled his hood up and over his face, trusting his steed to continue down the correct path without his guidance.  As his body rocked to and fro with the steady rhythm of the horse’s canter, Gaviwyr felt his eyes grow heavy and his mind cloud over.  As he drifted off, he repeated once more to himself that which he had thought so many times since his abrupt departure earlier that morning…I hope she understands. 

*          *          *

“Gaviwyr is gone?” Aragorn asked incredulously.

Those were not the words that either visitor was hoping to hear.  Xanthe looked distraught as Eomer walked past the King and looked questioningly at Legolas and Gimli. 

“I don’t suppose either of you spotted him this morning?”

Legolas shook his head slowly and allowed his eyes to glaze over as he relived the events of his morning. 

Gimli grunted and gave his head a jerk in each direction.  “Haven’t seen him since last night,” the dwarf rumbled.  “Don’t know where he’d have gone to, though it wouldn’t hurt to ask the stable hands if they’ve seen him.”

Eomer nodded his head appreciatively and looked back at Xanthe, who was already headed towards the door.  “I’ll go to the stables,” she called over her shoulder.  “Will you check with Faramir-- he was in the room across from Gav’s.”

Eomer nodded and headed towards the opposite doors in the enormous white throne room.  Without a word he exited and made his way quickly down the hallway, nodding curtly to those he passed.  Though he was wary to admit it, he was actually beginning to worry.  At first, the entire situation had seemed unreal to him, and he hadn’t really allowed himself to think on it.  However, as time passed and there continued to be no sign of his Captain and best friend, he began to wonder.

Did anything seem unusual last night?

Eomer had noticed that Gaviwyr didn’t join Xanthe’s group in the library; choosing instead to speak with Legolas and Gimli all night.    When Eomer took him aside and asked why he wasn’t with her, he said he merely wanted to give her time with her old friends.

He seemed convincing enough…but he did leave before everyone else…

No, he had known Gav for many years, and he was sure that he would have noticed if anything were wrong.  Pondering different possibilities, Eomer rounded the corner without looking and ran directly into the Prince of Ithilien.  

“Faramir!” he exclaimed nervously, as if caught doing something forbidden.

Faramir laughed and nodded.  “Is everything all right?”

“Yes!  Sorry… I wasn’t paying attention.” Eomer smiled as he took a deep breath.  “I was actually just on my way to your chambers.”

“Really, why?”

“Gaviwyr seems to have gone missing; we wondered if perhaps you had seen or heard anything?”

Faramir shook his head.  “Sorry friend, I’ve only just awoken.  I haven’t seen him since he left the library last night.”  He paused for a moment before adding, “But I did see light coming from his room when I returned early this morning-- I don’t know if that means anything”

“Well, it means he didn’t go to sleep when he left the library.”  Eomer clapped Faramir on the shoulder.  “Many thanks.”

“Good luck,” the Prince called as Eomer continued on down the hallway. 

*          *          *

Xanthe had no luck in the stables; no one seemed to have been present when Gaviwyr stole away.  All she had managed to learn was that Gaviwyr had taken his saddle bags, indicating that his journey was going to be long. 

As she wandered back to the throne room, she began to evaluate what she knew. 

Gav’s not an impulsive person…he wouldn’t leave unless something was wrong…but what could be wrong?…if it were something to do with politics or his troops, Eomer would know…for that matter, if it were personal, Eomer would know…but he doesn’t…    

Eomer was already in the throne room when Xanthe entered.  She immediately saw the pity in his eyes as he broke away from Aragorn and started towards her.  Turning away quickly, she tried to clear her mind of all the conflicting emotions.  The last things she wanted was to be seen as a fragile, heart-broken girl, whimpering and pleading for attention from others.  She would express interest only in Gaviwyr’s safety and state of mind; her personal feelings would not be a factor, not to anyone else anyway.

“Any information?” Eomer asked as he approached her, taking her shoulder and turning her to face him. 

“None,” she replied without emotion.  “It seems the Captain has disappeared.”

“I don’t know what to tell you Xan…”

Xanthe did not want to be comforted.  “You don’t have to tell me anything.  This is the court’s concern…your concern, as King.  It has nothing to do with me.”  Eomer made to reply but was halted by Xanthe’s hand.  “If I am not needed, I shall retire to my chambers.”

Eomer nodded, recognizing the all too familiar defense that Xanthe was building around her heart.  “I’ll let you know if anything changes,” he said softly.  Xanthe continued walking towards the doors without any recognition of his comment.

When she had left, Eomer took a seat next to Aragorn and shook his head.  “I am sorry to bring such drama to your home, Your Highness.”

Aragorn smiled understandingly.  “Don’t be sorry, drama seems to be what our lives are made of, would you not agree?”

“I suppose, though I think I would prefer a dull life over constant strife.”

“Ah, but with a dull life you never would have fought for the freedom of your people.  You never would have become King, and therefore the man you are today.  And more importantly perhaps…you would never have met your healer.  In the end, I think any strife encountered is only a fraction of what you would gladly pay for her acquaintance, is it not?”

Eomer chuckled and leaned back in his seat.  “Arwen’s elven wisdom seems to be rubbing off on you, my friend.”  Eomer rose from his seat and stretched his arms above his head.  “Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to rest before lunch.”

*          *          *

“A little higher in your aim and you’ll have it!” Legolas stood behind Olihre with his hands clasped behind his back.

Olihre shifted the bow upwards and prepared to release.

“Now a little bit lower…” Legolas said.

Olihre let out an exasperated sigh and turned his head toward the elf.  “I hardly moved it!”

“Ah, but ‘hardly’ will make all the difference.  Archery is a precision sport; the slightest variation can cause drastic changes in trajectory.”

“In other words, don’t breath!”  Gimli had joined the two in the archery field after breakfast, but had been sitting against a tree sharpening his ax the entire time.

Legolas gave the dwarf a withering look and turned back to Olihre.  “Not if you wheeze like Gimli, anyway.”

Olihre, who had finally found the right trajectory and was prepared to release, started shaking with laughter.  “This is impossible!”

Gimli took this opportunity to interject his opinion.  “It’s a waste of time really, prancing about with a bunch of sticks!  In battle, metal is what’s needed.  You’ll eventually run out of arrows, but an ax is eternal!”

Legolas gave Olihre a humored look and then turned suddenly and ran full tilt towards the dwarf.  Gimli dropped his ax and lunged to his side, spreading himself out against the ground.  When he didn’t feel the impact he had been expecting he raised his head up and searched for the elf.  Legolas had jumped over Gimli’s retreating form and into the tree behind him.

“What in Varda’s name are you doing?” Gimli bellowed, his face red with anger.

Legolas laughed and climbed higher up in the tree.  “Use you ax now, friend Gimli.  Let us see its worth.”

Gimli stood and retrieved his ax.  “If you are too cowardly to come down and face me in a fair fight, than I have already won.”

Legolas scowled from his high position.  “It is not cowardly for one to use his skills to stay alive, dwarf.  Full fledged battle is not about honor, it is about who can kill first.  By the time you’ve chopped down this tree with your ax, I could have killed you and twenty of your fellows with my bow.”

Gimli looked fit to kill at that moment.  Olihre intervened, seeing the possible explosion that was about to take place.  “Gimli, now that I have learned a bit with the bow, would you be so kind as to show me the stances and swings of your ax?”

Gimli shot a menacing look into the tree as he walked towards Olihre.  “It’s good to know I am not COMPELTELY surrounded by fools.  The ax is an essential weapon…there are not always TREES to hide in during battle.”

“Not that you could reach them if there were,” Legolas laughed as he jumped soundlessly to the ground.

Gimli wisely choose to ignore Legolas as he began moving Olihre through the basic stances of ax-play.  Legolas patted his friend playfully on the shoulder and took his turn at the base of the tree, watching the lesson with feigned interest.

“Olihre, does your sister have any skill with weapons?” Legolas asked after some minutes had passed.

“No, why?”

Legolas shrugged his shoulders.  “She seems very independent.  I can almost picture her with a bow and arrow.”

Olihre rested the ax against his shoulder and shook his head.  “It’s funny, Gav asked me the same thing during our journey here.  Only he said he could picture her with a short sword.”

“Speaking of Gav,” Gimli interrupted, “why in the world do you suppose he would run away from such a lovely lady?”

Legolas shook his head and looked wearily at Olihre, who had his brows furrowed in an obvious display of shock.  “What are you talking about?  Gav didn’t run away.”

Gimli looked sidelong at Legolas and then cleared his throat, turning back to Olihre.  “I suppose you haven’t heard then…Gav has been missing since early this morning.  It seems he has run off.”

Olihre snorted, “Hasn’t Eomer told you?”

The dwarf and the elf looked at each other.  “No,” they both said in unison.

“He left this morning for Edoras.  He has,” Olihre paused for effect, “business to take care of.”   

*          *          *

Eomer opened the door to his chambers and found the maid bustling around, finishing her work.

“Sorry to be in the way, Your Highness,” she breathed, “I’m all finished now.”

Eomer nodded his thanks to the aging woman and started to walk towards his bed when something on his bureau caught his eye.  “Excuse me Madame, what is this?”

The woman looked at the piece of rolled parchment that Eomer held in his hands.  “I’m not sure Your Highness, I didn’t look at it.”

“Was it here when you arrived?”

She nodded meekly.  “T’was underneath all of the clothing on your bureau.”

Eomer stared at the bureau for a moment before turning and smiling at the woman.  “I must have overlooked it earlier…thank you.”

“Surely, Your Highness.” The woman mumbled as she backed out the doorway. 

Eomer unrolled the parchment with expectant hands.  Relief filled his every muscle as he read the familiar handwriting of his trusted friend.

Eomer,

I hope you are not overly angry with me when you get this.  I have been up all night considering the many things that have occurred as of late.  I am sure it will come as no surprise to you when I say that I am in love with your healer.  I would ask for her hand now, as you have suggested, except that I feel there are things to be done first. 

I have spoken with Olihre and he has agreed to act as your First Guard in my absence-- he is quite handy with a sword, though I am sure his presence will be more of a formality than a necessity. 

I should be back before Eowyn’s wedding in two weeks time, but if I am not, please relay my congratulations to the couple.  Also, dear friend, please convey to Xanthe my regret at having to leave so suddenly.  I wished to speak to her in person, but knew that if I did, I would not have the will to leave her.  Please tell her why I have gone, and assure her that I will return shortly.

Until then,

Gaviwyr

Eomer reread the note several times, and each time he did, the smile on his face grew wider and wider.  “So that is where you have run off to!” Eomer chuckled aloud.  “I should have known.”

He started for his door immediately, intent on relieving Xanthe of her anxiety as soon as possible when something stopped him.  He never really did say EXACTLY why he was leaving.  What should I tell Xanthe?  Eomer grinned rather devilishly as he considered what he might say.  With a satisfied snort, he opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

*          *          *

Xanthe was lying upside down in her bed, her legs supported by her pillows.  Her hands were thrown above her head and her neck was twisted to that her face rested on her shoulder blade.  The redness in her eyes had almost disappeared, and her tears had long dried, leaving almost no indication of the breakdown she had just experienced.

She was now in the exhausted slumber that comes only after soul wrenching sobs.  Her breathing was deep and even, every now and then broken by a quick intake of breath.  When loud knocking penetrated the heavy silence, Xanthe’s heart skipped a beat. 

Taking a deep breath and bringing one hand back down to rub her eyes, she groaned, “What is it?”

Eomer opened the door slowly and peeked his head around it.  “Sorry to wake you,” he started, “I just thought you might want to know that I found a note from Gaviwyr.”

She resisted the urge to jump out of bed and rush to his side, instead she simply mumbled, “Where is he?”

Eomer smiled to himself.  “He’s gone back to Edoras.  He has things there that he needs to take care of.”

Xanthe didn’t move from her horizontal position.  “Wonderful,” was all she said. 

“He asked me to convey his regret at having to run off so suddenly; it could not be avoided.”

“Couldn’t it?” Xanthe said bitterly, before remembering her resolve to stay neutral in front of others.  “No matter…now you know where he is…the mystery has been solved…life can go on as usual.”

Eomer felt a twang of guilt in his heart, knowing that he could easily set her at ease if he wanted to.  No, he steeled himself, it’s better this way.

“He still loves you, Xan,” is all he would allow himself to say.

*          *          *

*          *          *

*          *          *

Gaviwyr arrived in Edoras five days later.  He had ridden hard, often going all night without stopping.  His horse looked about ready to fall over when he they finally reached the outskirts of town, and Gaviwyr fought back the guilty feeling within him.  It is a worthy sacrifice…

He contemplated stopping at Meduseld and changing into fresh clothing before his visit, but could not convince himself of the importance.  Instead, he smoothed his hair back the best he could and splashed some water from his canteen onto his face.  Straightening his back and rolling his head from side to side, he dismounted his horse and tied the reigns to a nearby bush. 

He could see faces peering out of the windows of the house before him, and that alone kept him from loosing his resolve and sneaking off.  As he approached the front door it swung open and he was faced with three very anxious looking individuals.

“What’s happened?” the younger woman cried out as she ran down the steps to meet him.

“Where are the others?” the old man demanded.

Gaviwyr smiled and held his hand up, calling for a halt in questioning.  “They are fine, I assure you.  I alone have returned early with most pressing business.”

The older woman, still standing on the porch with her husband called down in a raspy voice, “And what business would that be?”

Gaviwyr smiled nervously, but did not answer right away.  Instead he took a few steps towards the younger woman and took her hand.  The distraught look on her face was enough for Gaviwyr to want to get this over with as quickly as possible. 

“Madame, I have come to ask…nay, I have come to beg…” Gaviwyr hesitated for a moment before continuing with new conviction, “I have come to plead for that which would make me happier than anything in this world, your daughter’s hand.”

THE END!!!

*Varda- The Lady of the Heavens.  After many Ages of Darkness, Varda took the dew from the Silver Tree of the Valar and rekindled the bright Stars which shone down upon Middle Earth.  This act began the Ages of Stars, which saw the awakening of Elves, Dwarves, Ents, Orcs, and Trolls.  (Guide to Tolkien’s World, David Day)