Here we go, the final chapter. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported this story throughout the past couple of years. LOTR has been a huge part of my life and writing this story has been enjoyable to me.

It is a relatively short chapter to end, but I hope you enjoy it.

I know I will never be an amazing writer, but to see reactions to my work genuinely makes it all worthwhile, so thank you very much to everyone who has helped me along the way.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters/locations etc. belong to the Tolkien Estate and New Line Cinema. Some dialogue is borrowed from the three books/films in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy.


Joy surged through him after he caught sight of her, for he had missed her dearly. Though he had been busy, and therefore his mind was occupied, she was never far from his thoughts. Her eyes brightened when they met his, and he had barely been of his horse for ten seconds when she forgot all modesty and flung herself into his arms.

"I missed you," she said, breathlessly.

"I missed you too."

It was as if they forgot that they were surrounded by people, for she pulled his head down to her, and kissed him deeply. The moment did not last long, however, for it was interrupted by a cough from Éomer, whom had also made his way from his horse towards his sister. Éowyn, looking rather sheepish, released Faramir and embraced Éomer, welcoming him back.

"Well, at least with that reunion, I know that your relationship was not just a fleeting romance," Éomer said, with a laugh, easing the awkward tension.

As Edoras prepared for the funeral, he spent the rest of the day with Éowyn, catching up on their time apart, and trying to distract her from thoughts of the funeral, which would only sadden her. They spent time speaking of all they had done during their time apart, things they had forgot to mention in their letters, and then she brought up their future home.

"I cannot wait to see our home. From what you have described in your letters, it is beautiful."

"It is, though it is still some way off being finished. But I stand by what I said, I am not letting you see it until it is ready for us to live in it."

"Not even a sneak peek?"

"No," he confirmed, wanting the area to remain a surprise for her. He predicted Emyn Arnen would be suitable for them to live six months after the wedding. Though he was slightly disappointed when he realised their home would not be ready in time for their wedding, he still looked forward to the day where she saw it for the first time, for he truly believed she would love it.

As night fell, he bade her goodnight, and kissed her on her forehead, but before she went, he assured her of something.

"Tomorrow will be fine. Do not worry."

He knew she was silently worried about the funeral, and the part she had to play in it. She had barely held herself together during Théodred's funeral, and his words assured her that she would be fine, and even if she struggled, she would be okay.


By the time he made his way to the Hall for breakfast the following morning, the city seemed full of life preparing not only for Théoden's funeral, but the crowning of Éomer, which would happen in the evening. He felt uncomfortable amongst all the hustle and bustle, knowing he would be of no help as he knew little of their customs, so he remained by the side of Aragorn, and did not see either Éowyn or Éomer until it was time to head to the tombs.

Just as she had done at Théodred's funeral, Éowyn sung the traditional Rohirrim song to honour the fallen of Rohan. The funeral was strikingly similar to Théodred's, but the atmosphere was not as dark, due to Saruman no longer being a threat to the realm. Though Rohan mourned its King, it also celebrated his life, and the light that was to follow.

Théoden was carried into his tomb by Éomer and three other men of Rohan, and as he was being carried, he saw Éowyn's body shake with the effort of holding back a sob. He made his way toward her, gently brushing people aside to take her hand, and she squeezed his back, grateful for the comfort his small gesture gave her.

Afterwards, she wished to be left alone outside Théoden's tomb, and he granted her wishes, returning indoors where people had gathered ready for Éomer's coronation.

It was not as formal as Aragorn's coronation, but it was steeped in tradition, and the first tradition was to drink to the memory of the previous Kings of Rohan. Each guest was given a cup filled with ale, and it was Éowyn who brought a golden cup to her brother, who stood by the throne.

The names of all the Kings of Rohan were listed, from the very first, right to Théoden, which is when Éomer drank from his cup. Éowyn then lifted her own cup, and gestured for everyone else to do so, and that is when the entire Golden Hall cried.

"Hail, Éomer, King of the Mark!"

And so the feast began, and it was a feast of joy. Faramir, however, found himself rather blindsided when Éomer rose after the main course had been served.

"This is a feast in which we mourn, not only my Uncle, but all those who gave their lives in the fight against Sauron. But it is not only a feast of sadness, for we celebrate a new era, in which we are free to live without fear of the forces of darkness.

"We celebrate those whose deeds in the war will be told as tales for many years to come. From the brave hobbits who trekked across the entire continent to ensure our safety, to every man and boy who held back Saruman's forces at Helm's Deep. And of course, my lovely sister will be remembered for many years to come as the woman who killed the Witch King of Angmar.

"And it is for my sister, I propose a new toast for celebration. Faramir, Steward of Gondor, and Prince of Ithilien, asks that Éowyn, Lady of Rohan should be his wife, and she grants it full willing. Therefore they shall be trothplighted before you all."

A cheer went among the crowd gathered, and cups were lifted with cheers to their Lady, whilst Faramir remained in a state of shock. Of course, Éowyn had agreed to marry him months ago, and Éomer was aware of that, but it had yet to be made official, and Faramir had received no indication that Éomer had planned to announce their engagement this evening.

He was essentially dragged to the front of the room, by scores of cheering Rohirrim, and he suddenly felt nervous. He never liked being the main focus of attention, and here he was, stood before many rowdy Rohirrim, cheering his name. But the nerves disappeared when his bride to be was brought to stand before him, and instead he marvelled at how he had managed to have such a woman come to love him.

Éomer performed the rather simple ceremony, which merely consisted of he and Éowyn standing hand in hand, whilst Éomer wrapped a small line of cloth around the clasped hands, pronouncing them trothplighted, and he happily announced that the kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor would be forever bonded by such a marriage.

Toasts were continuously made to their engagement throughout the evening. Faramir had many men and women whom he had never met before wish him joy and happiness, and there was an uncomfortable amount of people who discussed children, eliciting a blush from Éowyn.

He was in the midst of a conversation with Aragorn, when he noticed her sneak out of the hall. He continued to listen to his King, whom he was certain was fast on his way to drunk, but when she had not returned after ten minutes, he excused himself, and went out of the same door she did.

He took a guess at where she would be, and he made his way to the balcony where they had first kissed, which seemed like so long ago. And sure enough, she was there, though she was crying. Immediately, he took her into his arms, and she buried his face in her chest, letting the tears flow. Wanting to ease her pain, he cracked a joke.

"I know it's daunting, the thought of being stuck with me for life but am I really this bad?"

It worked, for she choked out a laugh, and lifted her head to look into his eyes. Her eyes were red from the tears, but they were no less beautiful.

"He only ever wanted me to be happy. And now I am, and he's not here to see it."

He did not know how to help her, for there was nothing that he could say that would ease the pain of Théoden's loss, so he merely stayed silent, and listened as she spoke about her Uncle, and her hopes for their future.


Everyone whom had travelled from Minas Tirith for Théoden's funeral remained in Edoras for a month, helping Rohan adjust to a new Kingship, but when the time came for Aragorn to return to the White City, Faramir decided to remain in Edoras with Imrahil for a while longer, and Aragorn was more than willing to give his blessing.

"You must return soon, though," he joked, as he parted with Faramir, "I am unsure I can handle all of the Gondorian Lords alone."

"Send your wife to deal with them. I dare say they will never trouble you again."

That was met with laughter, for it was clear soon after their marriage that Queen Arwen was a formidable woman, and not what those at court expected. Her soft voice and mild manners disguised a remarkable politician, with excellent diplomacy skills, and she would be a huge asset to Gondor in the future.

"I do hope I will have an invitation to your wedding, young man," Gandalf said, as he walked by, preparing to escort the hobbits home.

"Of course."

"Good, after I have ensured the hobbits have returned safely to the Shire, I shall return, and I look forward to a merry evening."

For those such as Aragorn and Gandalf, whom Faramir would see very soon, the farewells were quick, for he would be reunited with them soon. The hobbits, however, were returning home to the Shire after their long journey, and due to the distance between Gondor and the Shire, he doubted they would see each other for a few years.

Whilst they had loved their time in Gondor and Rohan, they longed for their homes, and the people that they had left behind. Samwise had mentioned Rosie Cotton at least three times a day over the last fortnight. It did not escape his notice, however, that only three of the hobbits came forward to say goodbye, the fourth hung back, as if he wanted his friends to have their own farewells.

"You will write to us, won't you Faramir?" Sam asked, for whilst he was desperate to return to his home, he did not want to lose contact with his new friends.

"Of course I will. And I must visit the Shire and see the garden you spoke often about," he replied, happy to see the soft smile that was exclusive to Sam appear on the hobbits face.

"As for you, Peregrin Took," he said, attempting a stern voice as he turned to the youngest of the hobbits, dressed in Gondor's colours. "Do not forget, you must show exemplary behaviour from now on. As a Knight of Gondor, you represent our land far away, and I wouldn't want you diminishing our reputation through ill deeds."

He couldn't keep a straight face when talking, especially when Merry reveals that Éomer had said the exact same thing as Faramir had. When Faramir let out a laugh, the three hobbits embraced him, and he embraced them back. He would miss his dear friends, but their places were in the Shire, and he would see them returned and happy.

After the three of them had left to say their goodbyes to others who would be remaining in Rohan, Faramir turned to the fourth hobbit, who still hung back.

"Frodo?" he asked, for Frodo was looking without really seeing, as if asleep with his eyes open.

"I hoped to speak to you alone," the hobbit replied, and Faramir winced at the tiredness still in his voice.

"This reminds me of our very first conversation in Rivendell, which seems like some time ago," Faramir said, referring to the time where Frodo had wanted to speak to him alone, to judge his character before their journey began.

"Yes, it does seem like a lifetime ago."

Frodo paused for a moment, unsure of where to begin, but eventually he found the words, and spoke straight from his heart.

"I want to thank you, Faramir."

"You do not have to thank—"

"I do," Frodo interrupted, but not harshly. "I want to thank you for everything. For our talks during the beginning of our journey, especially the one that gave me the courage to leave the group. For Osgiliath, for without you we would never have made it through the city. And of course for taking care of Merry and Pippin whilst Sam and I were separated from them. I consider you a true friend."

Faramir knelt down to Frodo's height, and looked him in the eye, now speaking from his heart, as he believed he knew why Frodo was having this conversation with him.

"I meant it when I said you do not have to thank me. If anything, I should thank you for what you have done for this world. It has been an honour to have travelled by your side, and you are owed a debt that can never be repaid. I would continue by your side, though I suspect this will be the last time you and I see one another."

Faramir had always been perceptive, and had the ability to look into the hearts of others. He knew that Frodo would never truly heal, and he had overheard Elrond speaking of how Bilbo was to be offered a seat on a boat to Valinor. Faramir knew that if Bilbo were to be offered a seat, Frodo, the hobbit who destroyed Sauron, would too.

"The pain is too much," Frodo confirmed. "I do not believe it will ever go away. Of course, I hope it will, but it is not just physical pain I speak of. Even Lord Elrond has no known remedy for what plagues me."

"It pains me," Faramir revealed, "to know that after everything, you are unable to find peace among those who love you in the land that you saved, but I hope you find it in the lands to the west."

"Thank you, Faramir," he said, and the pair embraced, and Faramir could feel how frail Frodo felt. "Please don't tell the others. My decision is not yet final, for I may recover within a year, but it should come from me."

"They will not hear it from me," Faramir promised.

"Goodbye, Faramir."

"Farewell, Frodo Baggins."

A short time later, Faramir stood beside Éowyn and Éomer, watching from the porch at Edoras as everyone parted; Aragorn to his throne, Legolas and Gimli to their adventures in Fangorn Forest and the Glittering Caves, and the hobbits to their home. And with that, their Fellowship was ended.


And finally, I reach the end of this story. I have absolutely loved writing this, and I have loved the reaction to it. So thank you to everyone that has read and commented on my story throughout the past few years.

This will be the last ever chapter I write for fanfiction of any kind. As you can probably tell with my update schedule over the last 18 months, life has been hectic and I am too busy to write stories. I am busy at work, and when I finish work, I am tired, and although writing used to help, it is now more of a chore, because of how busy I am.

So, a massive thank you to everyone who has read any of my stories throughout the years, and I will not take this account down, so people may discover these stories in a few years time. Thank you to everyone, I've interacted with, I've loved every minute of it.

Hope you enjoyed the conclusion to this story, and thank you once again. I hope you all stay happy and healthy through this difficult period :)