Dated the – of -, in the year – of the Third Age, being the – year of the reign of Denethor II, Steward of Gondor
Written by – the Scribe, Elder Scribe and Chief Keeper of the Gondorian Archives, of the sixteen level of the city of Minas Tirith, capital city of the Kingdom of Gondor
Addressed to the Lords of the Steward's Council
My Lords,
This document is written by Master – and duly submitted to the Council to set forth the desires and intentions of the Lord Boromir, Captain of Gondor, eldest son and heir of the Lord Steward, concerning the handling of his estates and holdings found in the further reaches of Gondor, as well as the distribution of said estates and holdings along with his estates, holdings, possessions and property found anywhere and shown to be in his personal ownership; that is, the distribution of such things in the event of the Lord Boromir's untimely demise or in the event of his becoming permanently incapacitated.
My lords, concerning the current administration of his holdings, in the further and far northern reaches of Gondor, it is the wish of the Lord Boromir that the more routine, day to day, and similar such concerns be left to the administration of the Lord Amrothos, Prince of Dol Amroth, youngest son of the ruling Prince of Dol Amroth, the Lord Imrahil; these concerns are further detailed outside any general charges already performed under the banner of the House of Dol Amroth.
Furthermore, it is also and equally the wish of the Lord Boromir that similar authorities and powers as granted to the Lord Amrothos, and particularly any of those that concern settlements as well as and in addition to citizens, be given to the care of the Lady Lothiriel, Princess of Dol Amroth, youngest child and only daughter of the Lord Imrahil; it is noted that the granting of these rights shall enable the Lady Princess to stand in equal authority with her brother, the Lord Amrothos, in particular over concerns pertaining to matters domestic, an area which has always been the rightful province of women.
As to the distribution of effects and possessions in the event of the death or disability of the Lord Boromir, it is the wish of Lord Boromir that anything beyond that which has already been detailed to the Lord Faramir, the Prince Imrahil, the Prince Elphir, or the Prince Erchirion in documents preceding; that is, any property not already bequeathed; such property as this that exists shall be passed, per the wishes of the Lord Boromir, into the possessions of both the Prince Amrothos and the Princess Lothiriel, cousins of the Lord Boromir, the details of said properties and possessions being further detailed herein…
Lothiriel sighed, placing the vellum pages back in their original position, then folding over and tying shut the leather folio that contained them. These few pages, plus the dozens more that followed them, were only a part of the problem that she was now facing.
It wasn't the inheritance itself, of course. Oh no, of course not, why would it be? Her cousin Boromir had made certain that she was amply provided for, whatever the situation might be. Indeed, he had made things so clear in this document that there could be absolutely no misinterpretation of the fact that Boromir had willed these things to her with the intent that they should remain perpetually in her control; even if- and when- she married, everything would remain in her name, rather than being assimilated into the estate of her husband, as was normally the custom.
Of course, it was fairly certain that, even with his carefully precise nature, Boromir would not have foreseen that his careful wording would end up meaning that Lothiriel- and Amrothos- would eventually a inherit a large part of the responsibility for a group of Rohirric refugees.
A knock at the door interrupted Lothiriel's train of thought. She looked up. "Good morning, brother."
"Not interrupting any thoughts of major importance, am I?" Erchirion responded as he stepped over the threshold of his sister's quarters. Lothiriel shrugged. "Just my usual sort of thoughts."
"That's alright then, I suppose." Erchirion pulled a chair over from its place by the wall and sat down. "As long as you aren't dwelling on whatever it is that woke you up last night." He threw up a hand to stop whatever retort might come out of his sister's mouth. "I'm just looking out for you, that's all. You know that."
Lothiriel sighed, sinking back in her chair. "I know that, Erchi. It's just…"
"Frustrating? Annoying? Nerve-grating?" Erchirion quipped, making Lothiriel smile. "Believe me, sister. I know how you feel, especially these days. Bad feelings are seeping off of everyone like leeches."
Erchirion's talent was a singular ability, and one that not everyone realized existed; few people actually realized that the second son of the Prince of Dol Amroth was a natural empathy. This meant, among other things, that in addition to being able to sense the emotions of other beings, Erchirion also had the ability- albeit limited- to sense the "feelings" of nature. This had, on occasion, benefitted him well in his role as a sailor. These days, given the growing shadow in the East, it was proving to be somewhat more of a curse.
"Do you need something for that?" Lothiriel asked, the cautious tone evident in her voice. Erchirion sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him. "No, I'm alright. I'm just tired." He ran a hand over his face; Lothiriel took note of the dark circles under her brother's eyes, as well as- and this was new- the salt and pepper lightening of his hairline, particularly around his temples. Erchirion the Badger. Lothiriel snorted.
"What?" Erchirion asked; Lothiriel wiped the amused expression from her face. "Nothing."
Eyeing his sister, Erchirion straightened up in his chair. "Well, these days, I suppose you should take amusement wherever you can." Lothiriel gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "Eru knows we all need it."
Lothiriel's response was interraupted by the sound of knocking at the door. She turned her head. "Yes?"
The maid bobbed in a curtsy. " All your things have been moved to the departure hall, my lady, and your brother the lord Amrothos wished me to let you know that you will be departing immediately after the noon meal, which will instead…"
"Take place an hour earlier?" Lothiriel asked. The maid nodded. "Very well. Thank you." The maid curtsied again and left.
Erchirion sighed. "Well, that's that."