Replies:
To everyone who asked if Wormtongue dies, one word. Yup.
claire: Of course a happy ending. I'm a sucker for happy endings. Not saying who it's a happy ending for, though.
Dollyrocker: It's an AU, which means I'm not listening to canon most of the time. I like Boromir (whose name I am constantly misspelling as Bormoir) so I brought him back, and Wormtongue I wanted. As for the language, I know. ::hangs head:: Bad me.
Silindro: Boy, someone's mind is in the gutter. Here's chapter 12!
Chapter Twelve: Edoras
I was seriously worried as Whisper approached Edoras at a steady canter. Éowyn had barely spoken three words since we left Helm's Deep, and I wondered what I'd done. She hadn't seemed too disgusted at my stupidity. It must have been something Wormtongue said to her. I hadn't caught a single word, which annoyed me greatly. If only I knew! Then I could cheer her up, perhaps.
Not just then, of course. I was too busy getting my body to behave. Riding behind the woman you're madly in love with for three days is not to be recommended. At least, not if you don't want to totally embarrass yourself and her.
A terrible thought occured to me. What if she'd felt...and she was in love with someone else?
Oh, Valar.
Before I could dwell too much on this, we rode into the city. The people cheered Éowyn, and a warm feeling rose in my heart. At least the people of Edoras gave my lady the reverence she deserved as a hero of Gondor and Rohan.
"Éowyn! You got him!" Éomer and my king ran out of the Golden Hall, both smiling. My king had a wicked grin on his face, and I almost turned around and went right back to Helm's Deep. Aragorn would probably never let me forget this.
"Hey, Faramir! What on earth were you doing? Being stupid?"
I really did turn around then. Boromir would definately never let me forget this. My king grabbed my collar, and I tried to hide behind Éowyn. She laughed, turning to look at me. "Hide me," I whispered.
"What? The great Steward afraid of his brother?" Inwardly, I rejoiced. She was speaking to me again!
"He's never going to let me forget this."
She laughed again, pulling me out from behind her. "Here he is, my lord Boromir. I suggest you torment him beyond all bearing."
"Oh, believe me, my lady, I will." Boromir grinned at me, and I recognized the same evil spark in his eyes that he'd had when he taught me how to play with Gandalf's fireworks.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?" I grumbled. A sudden, even more terrible thought occured to me. Was she in love with Boromir...?
If she was, I didn't know what I would do. I couldn't deny my brother anything, and even less could I deny Éowyn the chance to love where she would. But how would I survive? With her married to Boromir, I would be forced to see their happiness, and every moment I spent with them my heart would be torn apart. I knew that eventually it would become too much for me to bear.
Boromir shook his head, still grinning. "Oh, relax, little brother, I won't start teasing yet. You and I have some talking to do. I hear you're Steward."
"Yes." I showed him the ring. "But it's all yours if you want it."
"Valar, no!" The violence of his reply shocked me, and it must have showed. He grinned again. "Dear Faramir, I never really wanted to be Steward. I wanted to be a captain. You are suited for it, I'm not. I wouldn't touch the position with a ten-foot pole, not with someone competent in charge." I grinned.
"I'm not in charge, my king is."
"Ah, yes, Aragorn. Did you know I found him obnoxious and annoying when I first met him?"
"You were equally obnoxious, as well as being bloodthirsty and slightly power-crazed," Aragorn put in. I laughed.
"Not power-crazed, not Boromir, oh no. More like totally insane. As for bloodthirsty..." I ducked the swipe Boromir made at my head. He got my arm instead and twisted it up behind my back. I yelped, more from surprise then pain, and saw Éowyn turn, an expression of fear on her face, fear and...something else? In shock, I stopped putting up a fight, and yelped in real pain as Boromir pulled my arm too far. He let it go immediately.
"Sorry about that." When I didn't answer, he waved a hand in front of my face. "Faramir? Faramir. WAKE UP!"
The last he shouted in my ear. I jumped, and grinned, sheepishly.
"What were you up in the mists about?" he asked.
I was about to tell him the truth--I always had, before he died (I made a mental note to ask him about that later)--but then the thought of Éowyn and Boromir thudded into my stomach again.
Second best...
"Nothing," I replied, and tried a smile. It must have looked fake, because Boromir kept eyeing me suspiciously.
"Look," he said at last, "let's go inside. We have much to talk about, and I doubt all Edoras wants to be privy to our affairs."
"Wants, maybe. Needs, no. Let's go in."
I tried to forget the look Éowyn had given Boromir when we came back as I followed my brother in.