25th May, Year 67, Fourth Age

Sienna

I had settled into Dol Amroth quicker than I expected. The city was a lot smaller than Minas Tirith, but definitely no less exciting. Dol Amroth was situated on a mountainous peninsula on the southwestern coastal strip of Gondor, not far from Belfalas. North of the city lay the bay of Cobas Harbour, as well as the former Elven port of Edhellond. Lord Alphros himself had taught me these things. He was the 24th prince of the city and had ruled it for twenty years.

Soon there would be a celebration of this anniversary. He himself would probably prefer never to host this celebration, because it was expected of him that he would also announce his engagement to a new wife on this occasion. His wife had died in childbirth a year ago and the city council was urging him to remarry.

The thought of it made me anxious every time. I had become accustomed to life here and was quite sure that the prince's new wife would not approve of the friendship between her husband and me. But that was not my only worry. My cousin had already given birth to a son after barely a year on the throne. Thus, my mother's claim to the throne of Rohan was practically null and void. Even if the child should die young, Celebrian would surely do everything to produce further heirs.

After all, Arnor would one day need a ruler other than the dowager king Alyndra. And if my father had his way, that would be him. I simply could not explain what he hoped to gain from this additional territory. Arnor had belonged to Gondor many centuries ago and then seceded. Probably this independence would have ended quickly if the kings of Arnor had not always managed to forge alliances with Rohan.

Finally, I resolutely pushed my thoughts aside and made my way to the library. Alphros had asked for a private audience and one should not keep one's host waiting. When I entered the small but bright room a little later, I found the prince at his desk, bent over a pile of papers. When he heard me, he looked up with a smile. "Ah, Princess Sienna, good to see you here!" I curtsied politely and sat down on one of the two brown leather chairs at his behest. The tall man with the dark hair sat down in the other armchair opposite me and suddenly looked tense. "As you already know, I am being urged to marry again soon. That is why I wanted to talk to you."

I wasn't particularly surprised, but I was still nervous. "If you want me to leave, of course I understand," I said with difficulty. I didn't want to leave here. And most of all, I didn't want to go back to Minas Tirith.

Alphros interrupted me with a quick wave of his hand. "That's just it. Please hear me out, Princess. The marriage between me and my wife was arranged, yet in time we came to know each other and, at least, I came to love her as well. As a widower, I am reluctant to enter into a union again. But as a prince I know my duties. Therefore, I would ask you, Sienna, to marry me."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Me? But... I... I'm afraid I don't quite understand." Alphros took my hands and looked deeply into my eyes for a while, as if searching for something in them. "You are still very young, and one day you will rule over a great kingdom. For that you need the right man at your side. If you choose me, you will have a friend at your side, which is certainly better than a stranger. Besides, you could make Dol Amroth your summer residence, which would help the city to prosper."

My mind raced. Alphro's suggestion was reasonable, I knew that. Besides, I knew the prince well enough by now to know that his mother had given him the idea. I admired that woman. She was a strict teacher, but she had never raised her voice or even her hand against me when I hadn't been able to remember something. So if his mother was of the opinion that a connection between the prince and me was advantageous, then that would probably be the case. Besides, I thought to myself, better the devil you know than the one you don't know.

Finally, I took a deep breath. "I can understand your motives, they seem to make sense to me too. That is why I gladly accept your proposal. But I make one condition: I may continue to live here in your mother's household until our wedding."

Alphros nodded and let go of my hands, he now seemed much calmer than before. "Then I will send a messenger to your father today and officially ask for your hand in marriage. I promise you, I will be a true man to you. And I will also respect your youth. You have nothing to fear from me."

A few days later, I was sitting by the fireplace in the evening with a few ladies of the court. We drank wine and enjoyed our peace. Our bonnets lay scattered on the floor. As the wine slowly got into our heads, two of the younger girls let themselves be persuaded to sing me a song that was very well known here. And "unseemly" anyway.

"This night is cold

And the wind that blows

Through our land

And he who walks now

Is a poor fool

Or on the way to the sweetheart

Who makes every journey worthwhile"

"Oh, open to me, let me inside

Your love stands in the moonlight

This night is so cold, so open to me

For tomorrow will be too late

My father watches over house and yard

My door is locked with an iron lock

And I have no key to open it

There is no way to me tonight."

"Oh, open to me, let me in

Your lover stands in the moonlight

This night is so cold, so open to me

For tomorrow will be too late

But the night is so cold

At last she opens to him

And she kisses her lover's cold forehead

This night is so cold

But she opens the door and he kisses her

Seven times for it"

By the next chorus, the song had grabbed me too, so I sang along enthusiastically:

"Oh, open to me, let me in

Your lover is standing in the moonlight

This night is so cold, so open to me

For tomorrow will be too late"

How the song ends I would probably never know. As the two women sang the last verse, the door swung open and Rebekkah led a messenger into the room. The messenger bowed hastily. "My lady, I am sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but I fear the message I bring you cannot wait until tomorrow."

I cursed restrainedly and grabbed the first bonnet I could get my hands on, stuffing my hair, which was braided into pigtails, under it and followed the young man into the next room. "Give me the letter. I hope it is as important as you say!"

As the messenger handed me the letter, my anger evaporated. The letter bore my father's personal seal. What had to have happened for my father to write to me?

But when I opened the letter, it was not my father's writing, but my mother's....