He has little idea of what's going on, since what he had learned of the local tongue was very limited. He can tell it seems like relatively petty disputes.
Once he catches her eye, he winks and then slips off again. She'll find him in her library, reading at her desk with his feet propped and up and generally looking very content. He also appears to have washed himself some-- in cold water, whatever was in her rooms, but he's at least taken off all the mud and sweat.
Eventually, after what feels like days but is probably only between one hour and two, the court disperses and she is set free.
Nimbly dodging Guthlaf who tries to speak to her about some undoubtedly important matter, Éomer lifts her skirts and strides through the rabbit-warren halls of Meduseld, doing her best to avoid running into anyone who might waylay her on her quest for privacy.
As she hoped, Eskel had let himself into her rooms again, whether because someone had allowed him access or he just didn't let them deny him it, and is seated at her desk with a book in hand.
"You look comfortable," she says, shutting the door behind her and moving straight towards him, settling herself in his lap like she has every right to do so and leaning back against his chest with a dramatic sigh. "I hope you had a better day than I did."
"More comfortable now." He snorts, even though he has to shift a bit to accommodate her properly as she unexpectedly sinks into his lap. He loops his arms around her.
"Didn't look especially exciting, I'll admit." He says, kissing her shoulder.
He really can't be surprised she decided to sit on him, considering he took the only available chair.
Also, he's a large, muscular man with thighs like tree trunks. A perfect seat, in her opinion.
"My uncle's mage convinced him to cease holding court and allowing petitions years ago when he first started to enchant the king, to take away his strength in an effort to hasten our fall," she murmurs, tilting her head a little to the side to make room for him and lifting her hand to cup his cheek as he presses his mouth to her shoulder. "I decided to bring it back. I almost wish I hadn't."
"And yet you did, because you are a good and responsible queen." He says, kissing her shoulder and up the side of her neck, above her queen's torque. He nips her ear and one hand smooths over her hip, following the line of her belt.
She snorts, a rather unladylike sound. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, witcher," she retorts, a bald-faced lie considering the way she shivers as his teeth catch at her ear, the way her fingers stroke gently over the side of his face.
"Hmmm." He doesn't sound especially sorry. "Done for the day?" He asks, hopefully, his hands finding their way to her thighs, blunt fingers caressing through the fabric of her dress.
"I will need to be present for supper," she admits eventually, a little distracted by the pass of his hands over her body even through her dress. "You are welcome to join me if you like. It will not be a terribly formal affair."
He groans and rests his hands on her waist with a sigh.
"Guess I better behave myself." He says, with his lopsided grin. "Not sure sure I can dress for dinner, not well enough so that I can sit beside the queen. "
"Eskel," she starts with a little laugh, "what good is being queen if I can't dictate who can and cannot dine with me?"
Using the fingers she's been taking along the edge of his jaw, she coaxes him to turn his head just enough that she can brush a kiss to the edge of his mouth. "Dress as you are. We can have your things washed tonight, after." When she's got him naked in her bed again.
"Aren't there rules?" He laughs. "I've never been the lover of a queen, but I'm pretty sure there are rules. My jacket was pretty muddy. Will this shirt do?" It's a spare, which has some visible mends but at least it's reasonably clean.
He knows he should let her up, but it's so nice to have her settled across his hips like this.
She waves her hand. "Probably." They do not stand on much ceremony, here in the Mark, but yes, there are rules. For formal functions, at least. For a mid-week super, with no visiting dignitaries or nobles from far-off territories, there's not much point in standing on ceremony. By all accounts, Eskel could be considered an emissary from a foreign land, and would therefore be expected to sit beside her! "I will see if there is aught in storage that might suit you," she adds. "My cousin was a large man, but I fear you are larger still."
Shifting a little in his lap, she arranges herself to be more comfortable, curling her arm around his shoulders and slowly raking her fingers through his hair. "Tell me about your day?"
"Good news, I think I ingratiated myself to your soldiers." He laughs. "There were bruises all around, but all was forgiven after lunch. Also, I learned a new dice game and lost a little coin, which soothed any bruised egos, I figure. I dropped in to see how things were going for you, but don't know enough of the tongue to get legal matters. So I've been sitting around reading since then, and occasionally scaring a servant."
She smiles fondly at him and tweaks a lock of his hair with a gentle tug. "Details, Eskel. How am I to pretend I was there with you if you don't give me any details? But I am glad things went well."
She hadn't been worried, per se, but it's a relief to know that soldiers are soldiers always, and a game of fisticuffs and dice are usually all it takes to ingratiate yourself with them no matter where you are from.
"Mm-!" He growls playfully at her when she tugs his hair. "There's nothing to tell! Nothing exciting anyway. Unless you want a blow by blow of how I knocked Éothain on his ass. But at that point I suspect you're just delaying dinner."
Oh yes, he does like that. She'll remember that for later. For now, though, she lets his hair go and instead brushes a few loose strands back behind his ear instead.
"I don't know what you could possibly mean," she teases, affecting an innocent air as she strokes her thumb against the baby-fine hairs at the base of his ear with the pad of her thumb.
"You know full well what I mean. And I can't develop a reputation of distracting the queen from her duties." He does kiss her, however, and give her backside a good squeeze. "Though I may not be able to help myself for having had to sit through dinner with you so close but inadvisable for me to so brazenly touch."
"Can't you?" Of course he can't, even she knows that. Still, it's fun to at least pretend she will allow herself to shirk her duties while her lover is in residence. "Whyever not?"
Relenting a little, she pulls away from his kiss and sighs. "Perhaps we may retire early. I have such a dreadful headache, you see."
He shakes his head. "No one will believe for a moment I am tending to you while you're suffering. As you said, the servants carry gossip." He grins. "No, we'll get through dinner and then I promise I'll reward your patience."
She laughs, conceding defeat. He's right, not a single soul in the entire hall will believe he is doing anything more than bending her in half and fucking her with all the pent-up fury a year or more's separation can bring.
"Alright, alright. You'll have to let go of me, first. I can't very well attend the meal still sat in your lap."
He releases her reluctantly and rises, smoothing his shirt and adjusting his trousers.
"Promise, this will be as difficult for me." He teases. Perhaps more, for reasons other than the temptation of his lover just out of reach. After all, now everyone who dines with the queen will see him: her witcher with the ruined face. A stranger who doesn't speak the language, a dangerous and foreign thing.
"Maybe I oughta wait for you to come back." He says, after a moment.
Éomer has never been particularly adept at spotting subtle nuance in much of anything, but the change in Eskel's tone as they shift apart and she starts to prepare for supper does not pass her by.
"What's the matter?" she asks, torn between the urge to reach out and touch him and the equally strong urge to leave him be; she does not like to be coddled when she is feeling poorly, especially when there is no physical cause for it, and she's sure Eskel feels the same. "Are you so very tired?" It wouldn't be surprising. He's probably had a hard slog to get here to see her, and the first thing they did was fuck and then fall asleep, followed by a day of fighting and boasting to make some new friends. "If you wish to rest some, mîn swæs, I will not begrudge you it."
"Yeah." He says, hoping they can leave it at that, a delicately balanced half-truth. "Yeah. I might lay down for a while. If you just wanted to bring back something simple for me, I'll eat when you get back. If you don't mind delaying the evening's plans a little more?" He smiles at her, and hopes it looks convincing. How embarrassing it would be to admit that he was too shy, too afraid to face the others.
It doesn't feel like quite the whole truth, a small little niggle in the back of her mind telling her that he's not being honest with her, but she can't figure out any other reason for it, so she leave it be. He's allowed to keep his secrets.
"I waited over a year to see you again, I think another hour or two won't kill me," she teases gently, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "Come, you can help me dress and then I will leave you to your nap."
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Date: 2020-09-15 03:10 am (UTC)Once he catches her eye, he winks and then slips off again. She'll find him in her library, reading at her desk with his feet propped and up and generally looking very content. He also appears to have washed himself some-- in cold water, whatever was in her rooms, but he's at least taken off all the mud and sweat.
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Date: 2020-09-15 03:18 am (UTC)Nimbly dodging Guthlaf who tries to speak to her about some undoubtedly important matter, Éomer lifts her skirts and strides through the rabbit-warren halls of Meduseld, doing her best to avoid running into anyone who might waylay her on her quest for privacy.
As she hoped, Eskel had let himself into her rooms again, whether because someone had allowed him access or he just didn't let them deny him it, and is seated at her desk with a book in hand.
"You look comfortable," she says, shutting the door behind her and moving straight towards him, settling herself in his lap like she has every right to do so and leaning back against his chest with a dramatic sigh. "I hope you had a better day than I did."
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Date: 2020-09-15 03:56 am (UTC)"Didn't look especially exciting, I'll admit." He says, kissing her shoulder.
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Date: 2020-09-15 04:01 am (UTC)Also, he's a large, muscular man with thighs like tree trunks. A perfect seat, in her opinion.
"My uncle's mage convinced him to cease holding court and allowing petitions years ago when he first started to enchant the king, to take away his strength in an effort to hasten our fall," she murmurs, tilting her head a little to the side to make room for him and lifting her hand to cup his cheek as he presses his mouth to her shoulder. "I decided to bring it back. I almost wish I hadn't."
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Date: 2020-09-15 04:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 04:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 05:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 05:12 am (UTC)"Guess I better behave myself." He says, with his lopsided grin. "Not sure sure I can dress for dinner, not well enough so that I can sit beside the queen. "
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:17 am (UTC)Using the fingers she's been taking along the edge of his jaw, she coaxes him to turn his head just enough that she can brush a kiss to the edge of his mouth. "Dress as you are. We can have your things washed tonight, after." When she's got him naked in her bed again.
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:21 am (UTC)He knows he should let her up, but it's so nice to have her settled across his hips like this.
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:31 am (UTC)Shifting a little in his lap, she arranges herself to be more comfortable, curling her arm around his shoulders and slowly raking her fingers through his hair. "Tell me about your day?"
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 01:21 pm (UTC)She hadn't been worried, per se, but it's a relief to know that soldiers are soldiers always, and a game of fisticuffs and dice are usually all it takes to ingratiate yourself with them no matter where you are from.
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 05:34 pm (UTC)"I don't know what you could possibly mean," she teases, affecting an innocent air as she strokes her thumb against the baby-fine hairs at the base of his ear with the pad of her thumb.
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 05:55 pm (UTC)Relenting a little, she pulls away from his kiss and sighs. "Perhaps we may retire early. I have such a dreadful headache, you see."
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Date: 2020-09-15 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-15 06:14 pm (UTC)"Alright, alright. You'll have to let go of me, first. I can't very well attend the meal still sat in your lap."
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Date: 2020-09-16 01:00 am (UTC)"Promise, this will be as difficult for me." He teases. Perhaps more, for reasons other than the temptation of his lover just out of reach. After all, now everyone who dines with the queen will see him: her witcher with the ruined face. A stranger who doesn't speak the language, a dangerous and foreign thing.
"Maybe I oughta wait for you to come back." He says, after a moment.
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Date: 2020-09-16 01:32 am (UTC)"What's the matter?" she asks, torn between the urge to reach out and touch him and the equally strong urge to leave him be; she does not like to be coddled when she is feeling poorly, especially when there is no physical cause for it, and she's sure Eskel feels the same. "Are you so very tired?" It wouldn't be surprising. He's probably had a hard slog to get here to see her, and the first thing they did was fuck and then fall asleep, followed by a day of fighting and boasting to make some new friends. "If you wish to rest some, mîn swæs, I will not begrudge you it."
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Date: 2020-09-16 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-09-16 01:42 am (UTC)"I waited over a year to see you again, I think another hour or two won't kill me," she teases gently, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "Come, you can help me dress and then I will leave you to your nap."
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Date: 2020-09-16 01:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
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