Black Eyes

Council of war

Move not unless you see an advantage, use not your troops unless there is something to be gained, fight not unless the position is critical. No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen, no captain should fight a battle simply out of pique.

(Eärnil II: Waging war)

***

With a satisfied sigh Lothiriel pushed the tray away and leant back against the cushions of her bed. As usual her father had been right. After a bath and a hot meal she did feel a whole lot better.

"So are you feeling human again?" Amrothos was sitting on the side of her bed and regarded her with an amused smile.

She grinned back. "Marginally more so."

"That was quite an adventure you had today."

Lothiriel nodded in silent agreement. She had given him a brief recapitulation of events while she had her meal and had also told him about the scene in their father's study.

Amrothos shook his head in wonder. "I still can't believe he actually got rid of Aunt Ivriniel without having to resort to violence."

Lothiriel gave a reminiscent smile. "Do you know, it was almost worth drowning just to see the masterful way in which Éomer handled her."

Her eyes fell on the dress Princess Ivriniel had put out ready for her and she grinned to herself, wondering in what dark recesses of her wardrobe her aunt had found it. No doubt she considered the sombre grey a fittingly penitent colour for her wayward niece. In a way it was a shame that Éomer wasn't here to share the joke. A truly dangerous man that, but nevertheless it had been fun to cross blades with him. Life would be rather dull with him gone.

"Éomer?" her brother interrupted her musings, "You seem to be on pretty good terms with the King of Rohan all of a sudden."

Lothiriel bent forward to stroke Anca who had curled up at her feet. The great deerhound had been forced to have a bath, too, and no longer looked like the bedraggled creature that had shared their island. Just like her mistress, Lothiriel thought ironically.

"I suppose so," she answered, "He turned out to be quite nice really."

"Quite nice?" he gave her a curious look, "That's not the impression I got last night. In fact he looked very much annoyed when you got back in from that stroll in the garden."

She felt herself blushing. "That was my fault. I did say some rather ill-considered things."

"Like what?" asked the most curious of her three brothers.

"Well..." she hesitated, but Amrothos was the nearest to her in age of her siblings and had always been her confidant, "I said that I preferred petting horses to actually riding them."

He laughed out loud. "And to think you've been riding every day ever since you got that beautiful mare given to you! That was bound to annoy him."

When she didn't reply apart from a short nod he gave her penetrating look. "There is something more, isn't there? Out with it!"

Lothiriel traced the embroidered patterns on her robe. "I also happened to mention that discrete arrangements on the side are quite common here in Gondor..."

Amrothos had picked up her cup of cider and had just helped himself to a mouthful, but at her last words he choked violently.

"What?" he spluttered, "Lothiriel, tell me you're joking. You didn't say that to the King of Rohan, surely."