* *Ah-HA!! An update at last!! Once again, I own nothing in this except
Erin and her life story, and once again I take liberties with the plot. So
call this an AU fic, if you want to. * *
Five
Faramir's words echoed in Erin's mind as she went about her evening tasks. How was it, she wondered, that Faramir could see things so clearly when she herself could not? She hardly knew Eomer, as she had told her foster- brother, and yet, and yet.A small voice interrupted her confused thoughts.
"M.my lady?" Erin turned, and smiled at the small boy who had entered the room behind her and now bowed at her acknowledgement of him.
"What is it, child?" she asked kindly, and the little boy stood up in order to recite his important message.
"I bring word from Lord Faramir, Steward of Gondor," he began, stumbling slightly over his words in his haste to discharge his duty. "And he bid me say this: 'Greetings to you, Lady Erin, fairest of the fair and most beloved sister. This messenger comes charged with a task that only your gentle ministrations can command. Bid him speak, and he will charge you with it'."
Erin let a half-smile slide across her face as the boy spoke, obviously extremely proud that the Steward had chosen him to relay such an important piece of news. As the lad finished, she schooled her face into a suitably serious look and turned to him.
"And what task does my lord Steward charge me with?" she asked.
"If you please, my lady, Lord Faramir asks if you will go down to the pavilion of the King and speak with him. Lord Faramir asks that you tell the King all is ready for his arrival. And.and he asked me to give you this, so that you may put it into the hand of the Third Marshall of the Mark and no other. It is of great importance."
Erin looked at the parchment scroll that the boy had given her, and nodded.
"You have done well with your task, child," she told him. "What is your name?"
"Eófram, son of Eófold, my lady."
"Well, Eófram, I thank you for the pains you have taken to give me this message. Will you return to the Steward and tell him that I accept the charge laid on me and am gone to the King and his companions?"
Eófram nodded eagerly.
"I shall go now," he exclaimed, bowing hastily and practically running from the room. "Thank you, my lady!"
Erin was still laughing as she made her way down to the fields of the Pelennor and the tents of the great Host. The moon was just beginning to rise in the sky as she was escorted to Aragorn's tent, and he and the other captains all rose as she entered, greeting her cordially.
"My Lords," Erin said formally, bowing to them all.
"You are well come here, Lady Erin," Aragorn assured her. "It is long since the Lords of the West have seen such a fair vision!"
"My Lord Aragorn is kind," Erin murmured, blushing slightly.
Formalities aside, Aragorn showed her to a seat close to his own and bade one of the men waiting on them to fetch her a drink. He smiled at her as the others resumed their seats.
"What mission brings the fair maiden of Gondor to our camp on such a chill night?" he asked. "Is all well within the city?"
"All is as well as it has ever been," Erin answered, forgetting the formal tone that the mission commanded in the face of such a gallant welcome. "My Lord Faramir wished me to tell you that all is ready in the city for your coming there tomorrow."
"Your foster-brother is very kind," Aragorn told her, and Erin smiled.
"All is as it should be," she said, half to herself. "And what our ancestors looked for shall come to pass."
Erin stayed long in the camp of the King, hearing of their adventures. She was delighted to see Pippin, Gimli and Legolas again, and - after reassuring them that Merry was fine and well and safe in the city - she embraced the three, surprising them somewhat. She also met Frodo and Samwise for the first time. All of the men and Gandalf had praised the two Hobbits immensely, and to their surprise Erin kissed them both as well.
"The two heroes of Middle-Earth," she announced with a smile. "Long will your deeds be remembered in Gondor!"
"Thank you, my lady," Frodo mumbled, and Aragorn laughed.
"It seems that such fair company has rendered the entire camp speechless!" he declared. "I feel I must protest, my lady, at your good treatment of my men!"
Erin joined in the general laughter that ensued, merely protesting mildly, "it is no more than such men deserve!"
As the companions in the tent turned to their own speech, Erin sought out Eomer.
"My lord Eomer," she said, coming to his side, "I bring a message to you from my foster-brother Faramir, with strict instructions that I was to place it in your hands and your hands alone."
"I thank you, Lady Erin," Eomer replied, surprised.
As he took the scroll, Eomer's hand brushed against Erin's, and her heart raced. She was still contemplating this reaction as Eomer finished reading the letter and smiled at her.
"So your foster-brother wishes to marry my sister," he said in a low voice. "It seems we are to become kin, lady."
"Not strictly," Erin replied without thinking, and then she added in a gentle voice, "are you unhappy, then, with your sister's choice?"
Eomer laughed softly.
"Nay, my lady. Did I not promise you that the friendship of Gondor and the mark would be renewed amongst us? And now it seems that the bonds we have forged are to become ever stronger with this union."
"Then we shall have the pleasure of your company amongst us more often, my lord?"
Eomer studied her face, illuminated by the flickering of the lamplight, and it seemed to Legolas, who happened to be passing by, that he looked at her anew, and he smiled at her also.
"Lady," Eomer said at last, in that same, low voice. "I would gladly spend my time in your company, whether my sister married Lord Faramir or no."
And when Erin finally returned to her chamber and fell onto her bed, in order to snatch a few brief hours of sleep before the following day's ceremonies, it was these words that she repeated to herself over and over, and they found their way into the beating of her heart and the patterns of her dreams.
Five
Faramir's words echoed in Erin's mind as she went about her evening tasks. How was it, she wondered, that Faramir could see things so clearly when she herself could not? She hardly knew Eomer, as she had told her foster- brother, and yet, and yet.A small voice interrupted her confused thoughts.
"M.my lady?" Erin turned, and smiled at the small boy who had entered the room behind her and now bowed at her acknowledgement of him.
"What is it, child?" she asked kindly, and the little boy stood up in order to recite his important message.
"I bring word from Lord Faramir, Steward of Gondor," he began, stumbling slightly over his words in his haste to discharge his duty. "And he bid me say this: 'Greetings to you, Lady Erin, fairest of the fair and most beloved sister. This messenger comes charged with a task that only your gentle ministrations can command. Bid him speak, and he will charge you with it'."
Erin let a half-smile slide across her face as the boy spoke, obviously extremely proud that the Steward had chosen him to relay such an important piece of news. As the lad finished, she schooled her face into a suitably serious look and turned to him.
"And what task does my lord Steward charge me with?" she asked.
"If you please, my lady, Lord Faramir asks if you will go down to the pavilion of the King and speak with him. Lord Faramir asks that you tell the King all is ready for his arrival. And.and he asked me to give you this, so that you may put it into the hand of the Third Marshall of the Mark and no other. It is of great importance."
Erin looked at the parchment scroll that the boy had given her, and nodded.
"You have done well with your task, child," she told him. "What is your name?"
"Eófram, son of Eófold, my lady."
"Well, Eófram, I thank you for the pains you have taken to give me this message. Will you return to the Steward and tell him that I accept the charge laid on me and am gone to the King and his companions?"
Eófram nodded eagerly.
"I shall go now," he exclaimed, bowing hastily and practically running from the room. "Thank you, my lady!"
Erin was still laughing as she made her way down to the fields of the Pelennor and the tents of the great Host. The moon was just beginning to rise in the sky as she was escorted to Aragorn's tent, and he and the other captains all rose as she entered, greeting her cordially.
"My Lords," Erin said formally, bowing to them all.
"You are well come here, Lady Erin," Aragorn assured her. "It is long since the Lords of the West have seen such a fair vision!"
"My Lord Aragorn is kind," Erin murmured, blushing slightly.
Formalities aside, Aragorn showed her to a seat close to his own and bade one of the men waiting on them to fetch her a drink. He smiled at her as the others resumed their seats.
"What mission brings the fair maiden of Gondor to our camp on such a chill night?" he asked. "Is all well within the city?"
"All is as well as it has ever been," Erin answered, forgetting the formal tone that the mission commanded in the face of such a gallant welcome. "My Lord Faramir wished me to tell you that all is ready in the city for your coming there tomorrow."
"Your foster-brother is very kind," Aragorn told her, and Erin smiled.
"All is as it should be," she said, half to herself. "And what our ancestors looked for shall come to pass."
Erin stayed long in the camp of the King, hearing of their adventures. She was delighted to see Pippin, Gimli and Legolas again, and - after reassuring them that Merry was fine and well and safe in the city - she embraced the three, surprising them somewhat. She also met Frodo and Samwise for the first time. All of the men and Gandalf had praised the two Hobbits immensely, and to their surprise Erin kissed them both as well.
"The two heroes of Middle-Earth," she announced with a smile. "Long will your deeds be remembered in Gondor!"
"Thank you, my lady," Frodo mumbled, and Aragorn laughed.
"It seems that such fair company has rendered the entire camp speechless!" he declared. "I feel I must protest, my lady, at your good treatment of my men!"
Erin joined in the general laughter that ensued, merely protesting mildly, "it is no more than such men deserve!"
As the companions in the tent turned to their own speech, Erin sought out Eomer.
"My lord Eomer," she said, coming to his side, "I bring a message to you from my foster-brother Faramir, with strict instructions that I was to place it in your hands and your hands alone."
"I thank you, Lady Erin," Eomer replied, surprised.
As he took the scroll, Eomer's hand brushed against Erin's, and her heart raced. She was still contemplating this reaction as Eomer finished reading the letter and smiled at her.
"So your foster-brother wishes to marry my sister," he said in a low voice. "It seems we are to become kin, lady."
"Not strictly," Erin replied without thinking, and then she added in a gentle voice, "are you unhappy, then, with your sister's choice?"
Eomer laughed softly.
"Nay, my lady. Did I not promise you that the friendship of Gondor and the mark would be renewed amongst us? And now it seems that the bonds we have forged are to become ever stronger with this union."
"Then we shall have the pleasure of your company amongst us more often, my lord?"
Eomer studied her face, illuminated by the flickering of the lamplight, and it seemed to Legolas, who happened to be passing by, that he looked at her anew, and he smiled at her also.
"Lady," Eomer said at last, in that same, low voice. "I would gladly spend my time in your company, whether my sister married Lord Faramir or no."
And when Erin finally returned to her chamber and fell onto her bed, in order to snatch a few brief hours of sleep before the following day's ceremonies, it was these words that she repeated to herself over and over, and they found their way into the beating of her heart and the patterns of her dreams.