"Excuse me, what did you say the name of the steward of Arnor is?" Faramir asks shocked. He hopes that he misheard the name. He does not even want to consider what the implications are if he heard the name correctly. At least until he is sure about the name of the steward.
"I said, my lord, that the northern steward is called Halbarad." Master Tegeldir says and wonders why his lord would ask such a question. He is not known to misunderstand something which he is told. He wonders if his lord could have possibly heard the name somewhere before, considering his shock. Even though he wants to know the actual reason for his lord's question and shock he knows that his lord will have to tell him this on his own violation. It would be a breach of protocol for a peasant to ask a lord to explain themselves. And because he is a peasant it applies to him.
When master Tegeldir looks at his lord he can see that his lord is completely surprised by the name he gave. This confuses him immensely because he does not know why the name of the northern steward would call for such a reaction. It is the same confusion he had when his lord asked him for confirmation. That is why he dares to ask.
"My lord, what has you so surprised about the steward's name? If I may ask that is."
He worries what his lord's reaction will be because he has never intended to insult his lord. Also, he knows that by asking he is risking his position. Lord Denethor would most likely have dismissed him for asking while also being highly upset by the question.
"The only Halbarad I know is a cousin to the lord Aragorn. He resides here in the houses which would implicate that he is wounded. I am sure that there is no one who else in the houses who has the same name and is also from the north. It surprises me to learn that he holds such a high position. You are aware of the implications it carries, are you?" Faramir asks. Looking at the secretary he sees confusion and decides to explain what he means. He hopes that his explanation will solve the confusion.
"That the lord Halbarad holds such a high position signifies that the lord Aragorn prefers to surround himself with family and trusted people. It also signifies that he is not entirely comfortable with granting high positions to people who are unknown to him. Besides, it could also mean that he intends to make plenty of changes once he takes the throne."
Faramir believes the position to be an appointed one as his own has been in the past. If it is still he does not know but bases everything on the belief that it still is. He refrains from mentioning that he is certain that many of the changes would not be accepted by Gondor's nobility. Nor will it make his task of preparing the land for the king any easier. Once the lords of Gondor learn of it they will not be willing to accept a king as their lord. They do not want to potentially lose their power nor their lands to an unknown lord. Especially if this lord intends to make large changes to the real. This means that it is even more important for him to talk with the lord Halbarad, who he now knows is the steward of Arnor, to learn what kind of a person and lord the lord Aragorn is. Besides that, he also needs to learn about lord Aragorn's intentions for Gondor once he takes the throne. Hopefully, lord Halbarad has the answers he seeks.
Not to mention what this information means for his own future. It has him expecting a dismissal the day the king takes the throne. That means that he needs to start looking at the possibilities that the will still exist for his own future. He does not expect to be allowed to hold a high office based on the information he has. But now he needs to focus on the meeting with master Tegeldir. Afterward, he can start to plan his future.
"My lord, where have you heard that the steward is the king's cousin? I was unaware of this." Master Tegeldir says confused. No one told him that the lord Halbarad is a cousin to their future king. Having known this would have meant that he would have handled certain matters differently. One of them is ensuring the proper housing of the steward. Now he has to see if his lord knows where he resides. Also, he is interested in learning who told his lord this. He does not think that many would have known this information without spreading it around.
"I learned that from the warden when I asked him about the rooming of a lord. When I walked passed a room I heard a Dúnedain addressing the other as lord. That is why I wanted to know why a lord is not housed in the noble wing but in the Gondorian wing. He told me that the lord Aragorn asked him to find a room for his cousin. I told him that that should have told him that he has been asked to find a room for a lord. On that, he told me that no one protested the room. That is why he deemed the room appropriate together with the amount of work he had in the days before and had waiting for him. The warden did not tell me that lord Halbarad is the steward of Arnor. If that is because he is unaware of it or not, I do not know." Faramir explains. He makes sure to keep his explanation short so that they can solve the problem soon.
"You are telling me that the steward of Arnor, a cousin to the lord Aragorn, is housed in the Gondorian wing?" Master Tegeldir asks stunned. He is aware that lord Aragorn is their future king. He is appealed that lord Aragorn's cousin resides in a room which is completely inappropriate considering his rank.
"Yes, that is what is told you." Faramir confirms. He calmly looks at master Tegeldir to see what his reaction will be. He could tell before that the secretary was not happy with what he learned.
"My lord, you are aware that such a room is improper for a lord to reside in. He should be residing in the noble wing alongside all the other wounded nobility." Master Tegeldir says. To have a lord reside among peasants is a large breach of protocol. If other lords learn of this they will have a lot of problems on hand. The same counts for the warden. That is why it should be amended as soon as possible before others learn of it. Those that know about it need to be sworn to silence to avoid problems later on.
"I completely agree with you on that. I told the warden that we would discuss it and that I would inform him about our decision." Faramir says. He can see the relief on master Tegeldir's face. It makes him smile because he knows that his secretary is relieved to not have to talk to the warden.
"Of course, my lord. I will let you inform the warden. Do you possibly know if there are rooms available in the noble wing? Rooms that are appropriate for the northern steward, that is." Master Tegeldir asks carefully. He hopes his lord has the answers they need. If not then they will have to have the warden join them to find out. It will be difficult to do that discretely because they need to have one of the healers or assistant fetch the warden. How well they refrain from gossiping he does not know. Gossip is what he wants to avoid at all cost. That is why he always approaches people discretely if he needs to talk to someone.
"As far as I know there are a few appropriate rooms available. I hope we can have one of the rooms prepared by the end of today. We can have the lord moved by tomorrow then, I hope." Faramir says. He does hope it will be possible to do so as that will ensure that any possible problems are avoided. The longer they wait the more likely it is for problems to arise. And that is what they want to avoid.
"I hope so to, my lord. Hopefully, the warden can facilitate it." Master Tegeldir says. Just as he wants to say something more a knock on the door interferes. They both look at each other as they are not expecting someone to interrupt them.
"Enter." Faramir calls with a frown on his face. Then the door opens and a young maiden dressed in healers garb enters the room. They see her looking around the room shortly before turning her attention to them. This gives him the impression that she was looking for them.
"Master secretary, I have been asked by the warden to inform you that you need to leave now. Lord Faramir needs to rest." The maiden says nervously. From the way she talks if is clear to both that she does not want to be here. Furthermore, she does not want to talk to them this way. She will only be doing this because the warden asked her to do this.
"Of course, young one." Master Tegeldir says. He looks sternly at the maiden which makes her scuffle her feet nervously while bowing her head. When he turns to look at his lord he can see the amusement in his eyes which is mixed with disapproval. He flushes because he can tell that his lord is not happy with his stern handling of the maiden. Before leaving he bows and says.
"Good day, my lord."
"Good day, master Tegeldir." Faramir says and waits until his secretary has left before looking for the maiden again. He is a bit surprised to see that she is still in the room. He had thought that she would have left the room considering her earlier behavior. That she has stayed tells him that the warden has most likely told her to ensure that he rests before she can leave him to his rest.
"Young one, I would like to talk with the warden in a few hours." Faramir says with a calm face. He does this to put her at ease so as to avoid a repeat of earlier. When he sees her disapproving look he adds.
"After I have rested."
"Of course, my lord. Do you need my assistance?" The maiden asks.
"That will not be necessary. I can manage on my own. I am sure there you have more than enough work remaining." Faramir says.
"It is fine, my lord. I can assist you if you like me to." The maiden offers again.
"No, I will manage on my own. You can leave." Faramir says.
"Of course, my lord. I will inform the warden about your desire to speak with him. He will come to you so you need not go looking for him once you awaken from your rest." The maiden says. She bows once and then leaves the room.
Faramir sighs deeply. He has never liked it to have people fussing over him. The maiden's insistence feels to him like an attempt at fussing. But as to why she would do so he does not know. She could have been instructed to assist him and with his repeated denial he gave her the opportunity to be able to leave without assistance. But she could also have had more seedy plans for him. That is something which he finds unlikely because the warden does not want such people to work for the houses. Still, that knowledge does not give assurance because during the siege the healers allowed citizens to assist them. This they did because they had too much work to do and needed all the help they could get. He tells himself that he will ask the warden about her later. That will tell him which possibility is real. He decides to rest for s few hours to make sure that the warden will cooperate with his upcoming request.
A few hours later Faramir awakes wondering what woke him. He feels a bit sleepy still after waking up suddenly. He feels quite recuperated after the good rest he enjoyed. He wipes his hand through his eyes to get the last sleep to leave him. That he still feels a bit sleepy is because something woke him suddenly from his sleep. He starts to consider what could have possibly woken him when he hears the sound of knocking on his door. He smiles because he now knows what woke him. Someone wanting to enter his room and knocking to see if he is willing to accept company.
"Come in" Faramir calls. He does not want whoever wants to meet him to leave. That is why he calls the person in while he is not yet fully awake. Hopefully, the person will not make much of a fuss about the fact that he is not fully awake. He focuses on waking. Thus does not see the warden entering the room and walking a bit up to his room.
"My lord, I am sorry to have woken you from your rest. I will come back later once you are fully rested and awake." Master Neston says and starts to walk back to the door.
"That is not necessary, master Neston. I have rested enough and do not mind that you woke me. I forgot to tell the maiden, who came earlier, that I would like to be awakened an around this time." Faramir says in an attempt to get the warden to stay. He wants to have everything sorted out as soon as possible. It will ensure that lord Halbarad will be residing in the noble wing as soon as possible. That it will also allow him to learn about the maiden is a welcome addition.
"Ahh, yes. You mean young Idris. I sent her to you to ensure that the meeting will not interfere with your recovery in case your secretary lost track of time. I allowed the meeting on the condition that it would not last longer than two hours and that you would rest afterward. Idris was to ensure that you would get the rest you need. She is young but I have full confidence in her. She is a promising apprentice. But my lord, you could have told Beregond to wake you. He has been waiting outside the room to be able to serve your needs. He has been doing so ever since you were brought to the houses." Master Neston explains. He is surprised that his lord did not notice Beregond standing outside the room. Normally lord Faramir is highly perceptive about what is going on around him. For something to have escaped his attention he must have been deeply lost in thoughts. It worries him because he does not know what could have possibly occupied his lord's minds so much.
"I have to thank you for sending Idris then. I was quite exhausted at the end of the meeting but only noticed it when I laid down to rest. I did not notice the signs my body gave to tell me that I needed to rest. As for Beregond, I did not notice him as I am sure you can tell. I have been occupied by a lot of matters and not been paying as much attention to my surroundings as normal. His presence would explain why there are always food and drinks available when I need it but have not asked for." Faramir says. He is quite glad to know that there has been someone looking after his needs when he completely forgot about it. It would have been troublesome had Beregond not seen to his needs. The warden would not have been pleased with him nor would he be as recovered as he is.
"My lord, what is it that you wanted to talk about? Idris mentioned that you wanted to talk to me." Master Neston says. He has some ideas about what it could be that his lord wants to talk about. Still, he hopes that it is not what his lord want to talk about. They already have enough to do as is. To have to ready a room for lord Halbarad and then move him would put even more strain on the healers and his staff. It would temporarily limit what care they can give to the other patients. That he wants to avoid if he is able to. Hopefully, lord Faramir will not press to have it done soon. He might rule the houses but still needs to listen to the lord of the city. Normally there is no conflict between him and the lord of the city and he wants to keep it like that.
"I want to talk with you about moving lord Halbarad to an appropriate room in the noble wing." Faramir says.
"Of course, my lord. I did check on the available rooms and there is an appropriate room available in the noble wing." Master Neston says because he actually did that. In fact, he asked one of the apprentices to check it so that he would be able to continue with his duties. That way everything on order while also having an answer should his lord ask just this question.
"That is good to know. How soon can you have the room readied?" Faramir asks. He hopes that the warden can have the room ready soon. That way any potential problems will be avoided.
"How soon do you want to have the lord Halbarad moved?" The warden asks. He wants to know what time lord Faramir had in mind. That way he will not be caught by surprise.
"I would like to have him moved either by the end of today or by tomorrow. If it is possible that is. I am aware that you are stretched to your limit with the wounded that arrived due to the siege. I would not want to have any wounded deprived of the care they need due to my request." Faramir says and can see the relief spread across the warden's face. This tells him that the warden has been worrying that he would have to deprive wounded of the necessary care to fulfill his request. That is something he does not want to do. He simply wants to have the room readied. Whether that is done by healers, cleaning staff or temporary aides he does not care so long as it is done properly.
"By the end of today will not be possible as we do not have any spare time today. But I can have the room readied by tomorrow afternoon as I can spare a few aides tomorrow. They will ready the room for the Lord Halbarad and we can move him by tomorrow evening. If that is acceptable to you that is, my lord?" Master Neston asks. He knows that it would be possible to move the lord tomorrow afternoon but that would stretch the houses too much. For then the preparations for moving and the reading of the room tomorrow morning. That is something he cannot do without depriving some patients of their care. Also, there is a possibility of being seen by people. But moving him in the evening means that there will be little people moving around which will eliminate the possibility of being seen. Something which he is sure lord Faramir will appreciate.
Also, it will allow him to ready everything for the move without a lot of strain on his staff. He will have plenty of time to have a stretcher readied. A stretcher is needed because lord Halbarad is not yet allowed to walk around then. The next day he is allowed to walk around. For the stretcher, he also needs carriers but is not sure where to find them. That is something he has to find out tomorrow as he makes the preparations. Last but not least he will have to inspect the lord's heath before moving him. He does not want to compromise his recovery.
"That is acceptable, master warden. I appreciate that you want to move him when there is little chance of it being witnessed. However, what I would like to know is if you need any aid from me?" Faramir asks. He knows that his request puts a lot of strain on the staff of the houses. More strain than they are already experiencing due to the wounded of the siege that is. Remembering this Faramir tells himself that he needs to visit the wounded as soon as he is able to do so. But as for offering his aide, it is only normal to do so because of the strain he puts on the warden and his staff.
"I do not know what aide you could give me, my lord." Master Neston says. He does not want to burden one of his patients with his problems. Especially when that patient is the lord of the city. He will figure something out himself.
"I assume you intend to move the lord Halbarad on a stretcher, master warden. Am I right?" Faramir asks.
"Yes, my lord. What do you mean to say if I may ask?" Master Neston asks confused. He suspects that his lord intends to discuss carriers with him but want to hear that from him. He does not want to draw wrong conclusions.
"You will need carriers then. I am sure that I can find a few men who will be able to carry the stretcher and be discreet about it. That is if you do not have anyone in mind already." Faramir says.
"I appreciate it if you could take care of that so long as you physically feel up to it. I do not want you to over stress yourself, my lord." Master Neston says. That will certainly make everything easier for him and his staff.
"Of course, master warden. I will discuss it with one of the captains, who is available, and he will have the carriers informed that they need to approach you to learn when you will need them." Faramir answers and already starts to make a list of potential carriers in his mind. Until he has talked to the captains who are in the city he is unable to make the decision on who will be asked. He does not know if who has survived and is in the city.
"Then I wish you a good evening, my lord." Master Neston says. He bows once and then quietly leaves the room.
Only then does Faramir notice the time and sees Beregond laying out the table with his meal.
"Thank you, Beregond, for caring for me." Faramir says once Beregond has finished laying out the table.
"It is no problem, my lord. I enjoy doing this." Beregond says and refrains from mentioning the reason for him being here and doing this. Not that he intends to deceive his lord he simply does not want to trouble his lord. Something which he is sure will happen if his lord knows the reason. This he can tell based on what he knows of his lord.
The Faramir eats his meal and spends the remainder of the evening thinking about everything that has happened since the last few days until it is time for him to turn in for the evening.