March 25th
A young man hurries through the streets. People part in front of him. Some frown while others call out to the young man. The young man does not respond. He is lost in his thoughts. Rumors start to circle around the people. Especially once word goes around about what the young man is carrying.
At this time, the young man thinks back to this morning. He woke up with a start. An idea was burning in his mind. It resulted in him hurrying out of his bed and towards his house. He felt the need to retrieve something. He felt like it could not wait but still does not understand where this feeling came from. And right now, Faramir hurries back towards the houses. He needs to be in the garden in a short while to meet with Éowyn. He cannot be late for their daily meeting. Well truthfully, he can be late. It is simply he does not want to be late.
Arriving at the houses, he stops and looks towards the sun. He smiles when he realizes it is still early. If he has to guess, he is about thirty minutes late. It pleases him immensely to know he is not yet too late. He has some time left. As he stands still, he feels his heart hammering in his chest. He takes a couple of deep breaths to stop it. Once his heart has calmed down sufficiently, he walks into the houses and towards the garden.
Along the way, he is greeted by men who look at him funnily. Women smile and giggle. He feels his cheeks burning but knows from experience no one sees it. Regardless, he increases his speed and hurries towards the garden. The faster he is out of sight, the better. He does not want to spoil his surprise.
Arriving at the wall, he sees Éowyn is not yet there. He smiles pleased and walks up on the wall. He has some time left to himself yet. As such, he looks at the fields and is impressed by what he sees. It is almost as if the siege did not occur. Or at the very least did not last long. The fields have been cleaned completely and many buildings have been restored. He will have to praise the prisoners later for their hard work.
This brings another matter to his mind; he needs to ensure the prisoners have enough to do until a decision can be made. He would like to send them home. But without assurances, it will be impossible. But how to get the assurances.
"Faramir?"
He turns around. Éowyn stands there looking uncertainly at him. She wrings her hands nervously while shuffling her feet. He frowns at the sight. What has Éowyn so worried? Why is she so worried? He tilts his head before mentioning with his hands.
"Come join me here."
"Of course. What were you looking at, Faramir?"
Ah, so she is worried about him. He watches as Éowyn approaches him looking at him worriedly. He smiles calmly and takes her arm once she is close enough. He guides them towards the wall. Once there, he looks back at the fields before responding.
"I was looking at the fields. I wanted to see how matters are progressing there. It is a reassuring sight to see."
"Only if they succeed."
Faramir lowers his eyes. He knows what she means and has to agree. Only if the host succeeds will this last. Should they fail then these fields will be returned to the state they were in before. He shakes his head mentally intending to change his thoughts. As well as Éowyn's. But how? Then he remembers the present he collected. With that, he can change their thoughts to something better. But first, he has to react to Éowyn's statement. He takes a deep breath before speaking up not liking what he has to say.
"Yes, it is. But we need to keep up the hope. Éowyn, there is something I would like to give you."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Éowyn's eyes lighten up. She smiles and looks at him expectedly. He laughs at this while moving to collect the cloak. As he picks the cloak up, he looks at it again and smiles. Even if the cloak has not been worn in years, it is still as beautiful as he remembers it being. It still is bright blue with glittering stars on it. Turning around, he carefully places it on her shoulders.
Éowyn strokes the cloak and makes a circle. Once she stops, she picks it up and looks at the stars sewn in it. He smiles happily to see her inspecting the cloak. All he does now is hope it passes her inspection. Then his gift will be well received. He waits patiently for Éowyn to give her verdict.
"Thank you, Faramir. It is really beautiful. When did you have the time to order this cloak."
"I did not order it. This cloak belonged to my mother."
"Then I must thank you for giving me something which belonged to your mother. You did not have to do this."
Éowyn smiles at him while speaking. He nods to show he accepted the thank you. He is just happy she accepted his gift. But, he does not mind giving her something which belonged to his mother. No matter what Éowyn might think. He smiles and steps closer to her. As Éowyn does not react to it, he moves even more closer until he is a short distance away from her.
Looking Éowyn in her eyes, he slowly moves his head forward. Éowyn closes her eyes and stiffens. He frowns worriedly and places his head against her. He places his hands on her cheeks stroking it lovably. Éowyn takes a deep breath and her stiffness disappears. He moves his head a bit back and kisses her brow shallowly. A moment when he moves back.
Éowyn looks at him with surprise. What did she expect him to do? Kiss her on her lips? He could never do that in public. It is simply not done. This kiss is all he felt comfortable doing. And even then he is worried others might have seen him. They might get the wrong impression from it or spread rumors. Something he would like to avoid if he could. It is only he does not influence what people talk about.
Faramir looks at Éowyn while thinking. But even then he does not notice how she frowns and looks away. But when he does, he wonders what is going on. Is Éowyn displeased with his action? What did he do wrong? Before he can think about it, he is brought out of his thoughts by Éowyn's voice.
"Where do think they will be?"
They? Who does she mean? The Rohirrim? Faramir frowns. How would he know what might be going on in Rohan? He shakes his head. Éowyn's question does not make any sense to him. It is then he remembers what was actually asked and he instantly knows the answer. Or as much of an answer as he can give. He nearly shrugs but manages to conceal it.
"If there were no problems during the journey then they should be in the fields of Morannen right now. So they could already be fighting Mordor. But considering the distance, we cannot see what they are doing."
"You are right in that. But, we will soon know if they succeeded. But do you know anything about what they will be doing now?"
If there is one thing clear then it is that Éowyn is hoping for an answer. He smiles gently trying to calm her down. He knows how anxious she will be. She wants answers. Just like everyone who is in their place. Éowyn lifts an eyebrow. He smiles guiltily with the knowledge he cannot give her the answers she seeks.
"I do not know for certain, you must know that. All I have are my suspicions. I suspect they will be either massing, traveling, or fighting. I do not know. As I told you I cannot look onto the fields of Morannen."
"But have there been no messengers?"
"No, there have been no messengers. It is too dangerous for them to travel."
Éowyn sighs. He smiles amused knowing full well what she was aiming at. But as he told her already, it is too dangerous for messengers to travel from the host to the city. They would simply be attacked and killed. And the only way to ensure their safety is by sending guards along. It is not like the host can miss anyone. He has some idea of how dangerous it is where the host is traveling.
He turns his head back towards the fields. He does not know what else to tell Éowyn. She is worried and wants answers which he cannot give her. He does not like it any more than she will. He feels a hand being placed on his arm. He frowns. Is Éowyn seeking comfort? If she is then he will not be opposed to giving it to her. He turns his head towards Éowyn just as she speaks up.
"How do they plan to succeed?"
"I do not think their actions will be the most important event right now. The assault is a distraction. I am certain of it."
"Why do you say that?"
Yes, why does he say that? He turns his head back towards the fields and thinks about it. The answer is easy for him to find. He knows Frodo has the ring and needs to reach Mount Doom. Only there the ring can be destroyed. He does not know the full number of orcs in Mordor but knows it are many. And more than Frodo and Sam can handle. So, it would only be logical for the host to serve as a distraction. Feeling a grip on his arm, he knows it is time for him to answer.
"Because I know how in whose hands the One ring is. Frodo will be in Mordor to destroy it."
Éowyn gasps. A hand flies to her mouth and her eyes widen. He smiles comfortably knowing she has made the revelation he has had for some time. He allows her time to consider it. And for her to respond to his words when she feels safe to do so.
The time he waits, he spends on thinking about Boromir. He knows how much Boromir would have wanted to be either here or with the host. It is such a sad thought to know Boromir's greatest wish will not become true. Thinking about it nearly brings tears to his eyes.
"Do not tell me Frodo is there alone. It is a suicidal mission."
Faramir bits his lips and turns his head. He knows it is true but does not want to worry Éowyn any more. But how can he reassure her? By ignoring her words? Or can he tell her the truth? If he does then she will know how dangerous it could have been without the host. He frowns. Is this the right thing to do? Could it not worry her more? He knows it can but also knows it is a risk he has to take.
"I know it is. And without the host, it would be even more dangerous than it already is. I do not know if it could be done then."
"That I agree with even if I still consider it a folly to attempt."
Éowyn crosses her arms and taps her foot. Faramir smiles and nods but does not respond to it. Éowyn can have an opinion. He might not share the opinion but has to admit her words sound reasonable. It could be considered folly to attempt for all purposes. But he does not know what else could be done to destroy the ring. Or keep it out of Sauron's hands.
Thinking about the ring, he looks into the direction of Mordor. In the distance, he can see the black clouds. They appear to be moving towards the fields of Morannen. So the host is attacking. Now, it will not be long before he will know what the future might bring. Just as he thinks this, the sky lightens up bright red. What did just happened? He tilts his head and looks closely towards Mordor. He needs to know what it means. It is then that he sees how Mount Doom has erupted. Immediately another thought crosses his mind; what of Barad-dûr?
He moves his head a bit to get a good view of Barad-dûr. Or more precisely; a better look. His eyes widen. He gasps at what he sees. Barad-dûr is collapsing in on itself. How? Has the ring been destroyed? He hopes so. It is not as if he can think of another explanation which would explain what he just saw.
His hope rises even higher when he sees the dark clouds moving in a circle before disappearing slowly. He turns his head towards Éowyn. Has she seen it also? Maybe. Éowyn is still focusing on Mordor. It is thus impossible to say. What he can say is Éowyn is stressed. She is gripping the brick tightly. Her hands turn white from the strain. He winces at the sight. It cannot be good for her hand.
"Did I see it correctly? Has Barad-dûr been destroyed?"
He turns his head and sees Éowyn looking at him with wide eyes. So, she did what happened. Knowing this might explain what he saw earlier from Éowyn's reaction. He smiles before answering. Not that he has a problem with answering for it is easy to do so.
"You mean that tower we could barely see on the horizon? Yes, that has collapsed. Like you, I believe it to be Barad-dûr."
"Then Mordor has finally been defeated. Sauron is dead!"
He laughs sharing in Éowyn's joy. He lifts her and swirls her around. Happiness fills him. He is so glad everything will turn out fine right now. With Sauron gone, a lot of the problems they had in the past will be gone. Éowyn laughs as he swirls her around. She has her hands on her shoulder for support. After a few swirls, Éowyn calls out to him.
"Faramir! Faramir. Put me down. I am getting dizzy."
He smiles embarrassed and obediently puts her down. He was so lost in his happiness that he forgot to think about her. He can understand her becoming dizzy. He has to admit that he would also become dizzy if he were to turn around in circles for a while. He waits for Éowyn to get her bearing back. Then he hugs Éowyn tightly while he feels joy moving over the land.
Faramir closes his eyes and listens to the sounds he can hear. From the city, cries of happiness sound loud. Accompanying the cries are the sounds of metal hitting stone. The more men, the more sound they make. From what he can hear, every man is rejoicing. How would it be in the land? He imagines everyone there is also rejoicing. Especially if what he can hear from the city is any indication. It becomes clearer to him with each passing moment; their time of darkness has finally come to an end.
Opening his eyes, he is met with a frowning Éowyn. He smiles calmly and looks over her shoulder. In the distance, he can see their breakfast laid out. Moving a bit away from Éowyn, he holds out his arm to her. She accepts his offer and he guides them down from the wall. Walking slowly, he guides them into the direction of their breakfast table. It is during their walk when Éowyn speaks up.
"Do you have any idea if there will be more consequences of what we saw?"
"I do not know. It is clear Sauron has been defeated. Likely the same goes for the Nazgul. But I do not know if it is the same for the orcs. I hope it is but I have to admit that I feel as if plenty have gotten away."
"But what will that mean for our lands? Orcs can still raid it."
"Yes, that is true. But you must know that the orcs will not be as organized as they were. Sauron gave them orders which they fulfilled. With Sauron's dead, this supervision has left."
"And what do you mean with that?"
"What I mean is that they will be much easier to hunt and kill."
Éowyn smiles tightly at him. He knows she does not believe him. At the same time, she does not know enough to contradict him. He squeezed her hand. It then that they arrive at their breakfast table. He stops for a moment and directs her to face him. Smiling, he kisses her hand and speaks up.
"Let us eat."
"Yes, that is a good idea. I feel quite hungry.
He nods and guides her to her chair. He pulls the chair out for her and waits until she sits. Only then does he sit down himself. Moments later, they begin to eat their breakfast. During breakfast, they talk about everything which has recently happened. It becomes clear to Faramir that Éowyn hopes this will be the end of the orcs. Something he has serious doubts about. But regardless of this revelation, Faramir enjoys this breakfast. Maybe even more than the others they have had together.
Halbarad looks out of the window with a smile. He cannot shake the feeling he felt earlier. It was simply too overwhelming. The feeling of joy and peace. Feelings which are a welcome surprise to him after everything he has felt recently. He breathes deeply and smells the freshness in the air. Another welcome sensation to him.
A loud bang sounds behind him. He turns around quickly to see what has happened. And also what he has missed because he was too preoccupied with his thoughts. What he sees has him narrowing his eyes. He tilts his head in surprise for he did not expect this person to seek him out. And be in such a state.
Aphadon stands in the doorway. Aphadon leans against it while panting with his head bowed down. What caused this? Halbarad smiles ruefully knowing full well he will not get any answers while Aphadon faces the floor. He needs to draw Aphadon's attention which he does by sighing and looking down himself.
When he looks up moments later, he sees Aphadon looking at him. This time, he lifts an eyebrow hoping to get something out of Aphadon. Even though he has an idea where Aphadon's current state of mind came from; the feelings he was contemplating. He cannot be sure he is right until he gets it a response from Aphadon. He waits patiently for Aphadon to speak up. This occurs a minute later.
"Halbarad! Did you feel it too? Everyone in the city acts like they did. What is going on?"
"What did you feel?"
"Joy and happiness. Did you feel it?"
He can see the desperation in Aphadon to get a confirmation. It tells him he was right in his belief. And that he was right in baiting Aphadon a bit. The desperation has him smiling internally at his revenge. Revenge for all the times Aphadon harassed him. Well, he just takes more revenge knowing Aphadon will return it in time. At the same time, he also knows Aphadon has felt what everyone will have felt. This desperation, he knows, is not something he will let it stand for too long; he will answer soon.
"Yes, I felt it. With how strong it was, I am not surprised that so many felt it. As for what is going on, I do not know. All I can imagine is that it has something to do with what happened over at Mordor just recently."
"Why? What happened there?"
"Did you not see it?
"No? What should I have seen?"
He sighs. How could Aphadon not know about it? Aphadon always knows what is going on. So why not now? He frowns and looks Apahdon in his eyes. He hopes he will learn the answer soon. Aphadon looks at him with a straight face. There is no indication he will explain further. He narrows his eyes not liking what he sees. Has Aphadon missed what has gone on? It appears so. But does not explain why Aphadon would be bewildered or desperate for an answer.
He shakes his head when Aphadon appears to intend to speak up again. He cannot use any more questions right now. First, he needs to explain Aphadon what has happened. Something he refuses to do outright. Aphadon will have some thinking to do. Only then will he have time to answer more questions. But first, he will try to get Aphadon to think.
"Did you not notice the way the clouds over Mordor moved?"
"That? What has that to do with anything?"
He sighs. At least, he now knows Aphadon saw it. But if he did then why did Aphadon not connect it? It is fairly obvious what happened in Mordor. Or does Aphadon not know everything which has been going on? Unlikely but still a possibility. And no matter how strange he finds it, it would explain Aphadon's questions and confusion. It is something for him to find out before he can ask or talk about something else.
"It has everything to do with it. That was the sign the One Ring was destroyed and Sauron's death."
"Really? That is great news. It would explain the feeling of joy we felt. But how was the ring destroyed?"
"It certainly would explain the feelings. As for the ring's destruction, that happened when the Ring was thrown into the fires of Mount Doom. Aragorn told me that a brave Hobbit set out to destroy the ring."
"Then that Hobbit is a true hero. We all have our freedom and safety to thank to this Hobbit. Just so you know, this is not something I thought a Hobbit could do."
"Neither did I. But everything speaks for the Hobbit doing what would be impossible for us."
"Well, maybe not impossible, Halbarad. We could do it but it would be a very difficult task for us. So if Mordor has been defeated, what will we do now?"
Yes, what will they do now? Enjoy the feeling while they can? They certainly deserve it when he knows in time they will not have such opportunities. Besides that, it will also do them good to have some time to enjoy themselves. Something they have not been able to do often in the past. It will be a welcome relief.
Or shall they write to their families? He tilts his head in thought and notices Aphadon is also thinking. He was considering not thinking about it for too long but with Aphadon also contemplating something, he will take the time he has available. So their families, shall they write to them? He imagines their families will be pleased to know how they are doing. Annel certainly always appreciates it when he manages to send her a letter or message. So the other families he imagines will be the same. This thought makes it clear writing to their families will be a good thing to do. Having decided what to do, he looks up.
"I do not know what we will do. It is something for us to decide for ourselves. What I know we could do is write a letter to our families."
"That would be a great idea. We could send it with a messenger."
"Yes, we could. But the messenger will only leave once Aragorn has given his approval."
"Why? We could send one now. With Mordor defeated and the orcs in disarray, the roads will be safe. Besides, you never waited for permission before when it comes to sending a messenger. So why now? As for the letters, we should write right away and immediately send a messenger with the letters. We could already plan who to send before writing our letters."
Halbarad sighs. Why the hurry? It does not matter if they make the plans at a later time. He does not expect an answer from Aragorn for a week at least. And he refuses to send a messenger without Aragorn's approval. Firstly, he doubts the roads will be safe to travel. There are more dangers around there than orcs. Something Aphadon should know.
And secondly, he refuses to do so now as the situation is different from before. He deems it very likely for Aragorn to also want to write letters for home. They should all be sent at the same time. Especially, if Aragorn managed to become king now. Looking at Aphadon, he sees the hopeful look. He knows he needs to stop this right away.
"No, we wait until Aragorn has sent word."
"Yes, you said so. But why? What reason do you have?"
"What reason? Let me think about it. Oh yes. The roads are still dangerous. I do not know how everything in the north is. If we wait for word then we will know how many guards we can send with the messenger. And besides, we will not be the only ones to write letters for home; Aragorn will also do so. So why should we send a messenger when another has to follow later. It would be better to send all the letters at the same time."
Aphadon looks down at the floor and fidgets. He knows there is something Aphadon is not telling. But what is it? Something with his family? No, it cannot be. He would have heard about it. It would not be something Aphadon would keep quiet about. So what is it? As he thinks this, Aphadon looks up with a defeated expression.
"You are right."
"I know I am. I will write to Aragorn about our desire to send a messenger north. We can still make a draft of the letter we want to send our family. It will make it easier for us to write the actual letter later."
"That is a great idea to do. I know the others will be most happy to have sent letters home. Wait here, I will go get everything so we can write the letters."
Before he can answer, Aphadon has already left the room. Walking towards the door which was left open, he looks onto the hallway. In the distance, he can see Aphadon hurrying off. From the way it looks, Aphadon is running. And not slowly. No, Aphadon is running fast.
He shakes his head at Apahdon's antics. If he did not know already then it just became clear to him; Aphadon is anxious about writing to his family. For what reason, he does not know. The anxiety to write is one he shares. And which everyone will share. At the same time, he is also annoyed that Aphadon did not explain what made him so anxious.
"Who will inform the family of the deceased?
He looks up surprised to see Aphadon already back in his room. Has it been so long already? He lifts an eyebrow at the question. Why is Aphadon interested in knowing this. And could deciding that not wait any longer? Like whenever Aphadon has his arms free and is sitting for example? He shakes his head knowing a refusal to answer is useless. Aphadon will simply press for an answer regardless.
"Well, I do not know. A letter would not be the right way. As such, someone will have to be given the assignment. Knowing how wanted it is, I will leave the decision in Aragorn's hands. Some of us did accompany him so I will not know the full list of the deceased."
"Really? You do not want to make the decision?"
"No, I do not want to. Just like I do not want to be the one to inform the families. It is something Aragorn has to decide."
"I do not blame you for that. I would search for a way out where I given the decision."
They laugh for a moment while Aphadon empties his hands. Everything he held, is placed on the table. Halbarad now knows why Aphadon was asking about it. Once everything is on the table, they quickly grab a piece of parchment and writing utensils. Within moments, they are writing their letter. Or in Halbarad's case, two letters.
Writing occurs in silence. The only sound heard is that of quills scratching over parchment. About thirty minutes after starting, the last quill is finally put down. Halbarad looks up and is met with an impatient Aphadon. What now?
"Finally! What will we do now?"
"I do not know. We could join the other men in the city for a feast. I would certainly appreciate it."
"Then let us go. I want to see how things are there."
"Aphadon, you and your interests. Really? What does not interest you?"
"I do not know? A lot of things interest me. Come on, let us go."
He shakes his head but stands up. It will do little for him to argue with Aphadon. He cannot change Aphadon's mind. Nor is he interested in trying. Even if Aphadon is acting like a child. He will allow it mainly because it amuses him and saves him trouble. They leave the room thankfully without further delay.
Moments later, they arrive in the garden. They seek out a nice place to sit and enjoy the peaceful feeling. At the same time, they look to see how everyone is acting. All in all, it is a peaceful feeling which is broken by a voice speaking up.
"Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Guard, for your watch hath not been in vain, and the Black Gate is broken, and your King hath passed through, and he is victorious. Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West, for your King shall come again, and he shall dwell among you all the days of your life. And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed, and he shall plant it in the high places, and the City shall be blessed. Sing all ye people!"