A/N: To slash fans: don't read too deeply into this. That's more then a bit squicky and this is an Éowyn/Faramir fic. Just thought I'd say that.

Chapter Fourteen: Talking

Boromir led me to a small room in the heart of the Golden Hall. It was a quiet parlor, with no windows to the outside, no doubt meant for private audiences. Well, he and I did have a lot to catch up on.

The very first thing I took care of as soon as he turned around from locking the door. Grabbing him, I pulled my elder brother into a bear-hug. The talking could wait. He hugged me back, and finally ended the hug by tousling my hair, like he used to do when we were young and I wasn't big or strong enough to beat him up.

"Little brother," he said, "have we got a lot to talk about."

"Understatement of the year." I sat down. "First things first...we heard you were dead."

"As usual, you get straight to the most confusing part." He sprawled on a bench. "I don't really know what happened. I think I died. I'm really not sure. Last thing I remember is Aragorn's ugly mug about three inches from my face, then nothing. Next thing I remember, I'm halfway down a waterfall."

Having fallen off a waterfall once when I was six, I knew how that felt, and winced. "Ouch."

"Like you wouldn't believe: this is the waterfall by the Argonath that I'm talking about."

I winced again, harder.

"Anyway...I got washed up on shore and lay there in immense pain, and then the elves showed up."

"Elves? Really?"

"Lothlorien ones. Apparently the Lady Galadriel had seen my fate and sent them to get me. She healed me and I went out wandering. Saw the big bang...was that you, by the way?"

"What, Sauron being defeated? No, I was home, in the Houses of Healing, with-" I hesitated, then continued, "Anyway, Aragorn and Gandalf were there, but Frodo and Sam were the ones who destroyed the Ring."

"Knew he could do it, that is, if he could avoid people like me." The look on his face prevented me from commenting on this. "Anyway, when I saw that, I meandered back down to Lothlorien to find out what was going on, then wandered for a few more years before I got up the courage to go home." He grinned. "The gate-guards sent me on to Edoras. That's a lovely lady our king has."

"She is," I agreed, my mind on a different lady. "But no more lovely then..." I managed to stop myself.

"All right, Faramir, that's the second time you've avoided mentioning Éowyn. How long have you been head-over-heels for her?"

"What?" I sputtered. I mean, I knew he knew something, but I hadn't expected him to see it so quickly.

"Oh, come on, Faramir. Everyone in Minas Tirith and Edoras from Aragorn and Éomer on down is eagerly awaiting developments in your romance." He paused for a moment, then added, "Well, maybe not Éomer. But everyone else."

I gaped.

"Don't be an idiot. Everyone can see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you, for that matter."

I gaped more.

Boromir, exasperated, shook his head. "There's no getting through to you, is there? Oh well. Ask her. Ask her if she loves you. And come tell me first...I have ten gold crowns riding on this."

"What?" This was ridiculous.

"I bet Aragorn ten gold crowns that she tells you first," he said, unashamed of anything. That was Boromir, right down to the ground. This was, however, a mischevious side of my king that I hadn't seen before. I made a mental note to ask Arwen if she knew anything about his personality growing up.

"I want five of those crowns."

"One."

"Four."

"Two."

"Three."

"Done. Go win us some money."

I rose and exited, not at all sure I would actually ask Éowyn. Knowing my brother, it would not at all surprise me if he was completely oblivious to a lady's attraction to him...and I had seen the way Éowyn looked at him.