Chapter 23: Changes
The third day after the company arrived, they buried Théoden with his ancestors. After burying his body, the Riders of the King's House rode around the burial mound and sang in their own language. Seven stood with Legolas and Gimli, quietly translating the song for them. Little Merry lingered at the mound, weeping, saying his farewell to the lord who had been like a father to him.
Returning to the Golden Hall, they feasted the departed lord. Éowyn brought a cup to Éomer, and a minstrel named off the previous Lords of the Mark, then the feasters toasted Éomer as the newest Lord of the Mark.
At the end of the feast, Éomer stood to make an announcement. "Now this is the funeral feast of Théoden the King; but I will speak ere we go of tidings of joy, for he would not grudge that I should do so, since he was ever a father to Éowyn my sister. Hear then all my guests, fair folk of many realms, such as have never before been gathered in this hall! Faramir, Steward of Gondor, and Prince of Ithilien, asks that Éowyn Lady of Rohan shall be his wife, and she grants it full willing. Therefore they shall be trothplighted before you all."
While Seven puzzled over trothplighted, Éowyn and Faramir stood and Éomer joined their hands. Everyone drank a toast to them. Éomer said, "Thus is the friendship of the Mark and of Gondor bound with a new bond, and the more do I rejoice."
"No niggard are you, Éomer," said Aragorn, "to give thus to Gondor the fairest thing in your realm."
Éowyn looked over at Aragorn, smiling. "Wish me joy, my liege-lord and healer!"
Aragorn smiled. "I have wished thee joy ever since first I saw thee. It heals my heart to see thee now in bliss."*
Soon the feast concluded and the guests departed. Legolas found Seven a little later and the two of them walked the quiet city hand in hand. "Éowyn seemed truly happy tonight," Legolas said after a while.
Seven nodded. "Yes. She seems to truly love Faramir."
"It's convenient, too."
"Convenient?"
"At least for me. She'll be in Ithilien, and you with her. I'd follow you all over Middle Earth if necessary, but if you're already there, it will save some travel." Legolas grinned at her. "As long as my father assents, I want to bring some of our folk there to settle, at least for a while. I suppose I'm assuming you'll stay with Éowyn. Is that your plan, or do you have something else in mind?"
"I will stay with her, at least until something else presents itself."
"Such as?" Legolas was baiting her, but he was curious. He wondered if she had any specific plans, especially if they didn't involve him. He didn't want to assume too much on her part.
"Another option."
"Yes?"
Seven stood there, trying to find a suitable reply.
"Would you consider marrying me?" So much for not assuming.
Seven replayed his words in her mind a few times to be certain she'd heard him correctly. He had just asked her to marry him—or at least if she would consider it. "I would consider it."
"Will you marry me, Lady Seven of Nine?"
"Yes."
Legolas felt a smile spread across his face. He kissed her lightly, then held her against him. "Do you want to go with Éowyn to Ithilien and wait for me there? Or would you prefer something else?"
"I will wait for you there. I would like to help Éowyn settle in Ithilien."
"It may be some time before
I'm able to return."
"I know. I do not mind." Legolas knew what she was saying—she'd trust him to stay alive and come back to her. He hugged her and held her for a while, then they both went their own ways.
Legolas left with the others a few days later. Seven told Éowyn about their engagement a few days after he left. They were still busy; Faramir, Imrahil, and the queen had stayed behind in Edoras. Everyone knew the parting was difficult for Queen Arwen. It was the last time she would ever see her father, and nothing in her life so far had prepared her for such a permanent separation. The parting with Merry was difficult for Éowyn. During the war, Éowyn had become close to the hobbit. She gave him a small, elegant horn that was an heirloom passed down from Eorl the Young, the first Lord of the Mark. It was the only gift he would take. After sharing a cup, the guests departed.
Éowyn's wedding plans went ahead quickly. She and Faramir were eager to begin their life together. They would be married in Edoras and then move to Emyn Arnen in South Ithilien. There it would be their task to restore the place and build it into a beautiful city. It would be a lot of work, but well worth it. Ithilien was one of the most beautiful places in Middle Earth, and it was time for it to be rebuilt.
Aragorn made his way back to Minas Tirith through Edoras, and Éowyn and Faramir were married the day after he arrived. It was a joyous occasion, with the King and Queen of the West gracing it. It was also bittersweet, because Éowyn would be leaving Rohan. The morning of the third day after the wedding, Éowyn and Faramir set out for Ithilien. With them rode Seven and a few of the Rohirrim who chose to go with their lady. Aragorn, Arwen, and Imrahil rode with them as far as Minas Tirith, where they rested a day, then proceeded south to Emyn Arnen.
There was a flurry of activity when they arrived in Emyn Arnen, among them setting up Faramir's household, building various structures, restoring paths and gardens, and preparing for winter. Seven found that she rather enjoyed working in the gardens. They were already well into autumn, so the preparations for winter often took first priority. The gardens would have to wait for spring, and Seven found herself looking forward to it.
Winter in Ithilien was mild, as it was in most of the south of Middle Earth, but still required some preparations. Buildings had to be checked for leaky roofs and drafts, warm clothing had to be prepared, food had to be stocked for humans and animals, and there were hundreds of other things to do, as well. Seven often rode out to gather medicinal herbs, which she dried for use when they might not be available. Éowyn had become very familiar with the herblore of the region, and Seven learned not only which herbs had uses, but how to use them effectively. Once winter fell, many of the herbs would not be readily available, so even though most were more effective fresh, Seven gathered and dried stores for the winter months.
When winter fell, most in the settlement busied themselves with indoor tasks. Seven did a lot of sewing, but also trained extensively with the soldiers. There were quite a few young soldiers, some of whom had never been in battle before. They spoke of their fathers and uncles roles in the War of the Ring, but they were either too young to have fought themselves, or for some reason they hadn't found their way to battle. Even the seasoned veterans didn't want to fight a woman out of fear they'd hurt her. Often the older ones resisted the worst. Still, Seven usually managed to convince them to train with her. While she had no special affinity for fighting, she had a lot to teach and the training helped her to stay in shape.
Besides the sword fighting with the soldiers, Seven also practiced archery extensively. After a few tries, she managed to convince the men to let her accompany the hunting parties. Hunting was a necessary supplement to food supplies and a useful, constructive outlet for the skills she had learned during the war, especially archery.
Despite the training and hunting, the winter days were long. Seven struggled to find variety in her activities. She studied the history of Middle Earth more fully and learned to write their alphabets. Parchment and ink were expensive, but not unattainable. She even tutored several of the children, teaching them basic arithmetic, writing, and reasoning skills. Teaching was a new experience to Seven, but her students were willing to learn, and Éowyn or their parents would often help if Seven could not adequately explain a concept.
After the long winter, spring finally came again. One of Seven's first priorities was to ride out and gather herbs to restock the stores. Over the winter, Seven and Éowyn had used many of their dried stores, and they needed to refill the stores of dried herbs on hand so they would have anything they needed at a moment's notice. There were always injuries that needed to be tended, and the occasional disease or childbirth.
Spring also meant gardens to tend and births among the livestock. Seven soon found that the healers were expected to be veterinarians as well as tend human patients. The inactivity of winter turned into a flurry of activity, and the weeks soon blurred as time flew.
* p. 276