Title: Practical Love
Chapter: 1/?
Author: Naoki / Naoki_pyromaniac@hotmail.com
Rating/Warnings/Categories: PG-13, romance to the fifth fluffy heart degree, semi AU.
Summary: Éowyn, the White Lady of Rohan, is good friends with Faramir of Gondor, yet when he comes to Edoras with his bride to be, she realises things weren't as simple as she thought...
Author's Notes: Sorry about this chapter…it most serves as a way of getting things in perspective as things are prepared for the wedding and besides, it means I can have the required elf cameos…^_~ Thank you to those who have reviewed…I think there's about three chapters left now and they're nearly done! Hooray!
~*~
Practical Love, Chapter Four
~*~
The morning was grey with brittle rays of white, bleached light that shone onto the White City which allowed the preparations for the wedding to continue as planned, and as bridegroom, Faramir found it safer and less troublesome to seek refuge from the haste and stress of wedding planning.
So now he strolled through the gardens of the Houses of Healing alone, like he had once...with a wistful smile, he realised he could barely recall the time that had passed since he had met Éowyn, broken and despairing at the way her spirit strained under the pressure and ill health of her body, it seemed like a long time yet the memory was as fresh and brief as it ever had been...
And he remembered clearly, with a pang of guilt, the day he had met Rowan, singing in the gardens quietly to herself.
She dressed so modestly compared to most women of Gondor with a love for elvish poetry and a formidable intellect which made her a constant companion in games and reading with Queen Arwen, she had first resisted his attentions quite firmly, thinking he only wished to ease himself into the bed of another woman through her.
He remembered her plain distress when they were together, and spoke even briefly of another woman, and he remembered her silent tears as she told him she never thought herself deserving of such a man as Faramir, that she never thought she would be able to accept any commitment from him and how she had accepted it, taking his token gift to her. A rock he had found in the fields as a young boy, he had picked from the ground because of it's smooth likeness to the shape of a heart, and hung on a silver chain for her.
Commitment. Faithfulness. Somehow he knew whatever happened in three days time, he would forsake at least one of these notions if he did not give up his infatuation with Éowyn. No longer could he break his commitment but his nature would not allow unfaithfulness to his wife-to-be...but he was also acutely aware that his heart was not completely committed to this promise...it put things in a new light and he found himself thinking-
No, he told himself firmly, he could not simply ruin so many lives with what could be a foolish mistake. Did not all bridegrooms have reservations about marriage? He tried to take comfort in that, for he knew he would not like to seek out advice from another, married, man - knowing that he would not like to hear King Elessar's opinion on that particular subject anyway.
~*~
After the usual chores of formal arrival in Gondor, Éowyn had made her own way to the Houses of Healing as if to indulge her sentimental tendencies and to get away from the bustling preparations being made the wedding, she had left her brother with Aldwyn who was keen for Éomer to look at some of his papers written on the lore of Rohan.
She felt like an outsider in a familiar land here, she seemed to trail whispers as she went about her own business privately and it was if the women made no attempt to hide their comments from her. Few were complimentary but she held her head steady.
As it was the women were mostly gathering in the Palace gardens to witness an archery tournament between the few elves that had remained behind and forsaken the land across the ocean and the men of Gondor. Ladies clucked their tongues indulgently, commenting on how predictable all this manly behaviour was.
Éowyn wondered absentmindedly if Éomer would take part but she doubted so, he was more skilled with spear and sword, weapons suited to horseback. The flowers in the Gardens of Healing were mingled with herbs which gave the air a pleasant minty smell in the spring sunshine.
Éowyn heard a tiny splash and hastened her pace to see what it was; Faramir sitting on a stone bench, flicking pebbles into a pool of water with every feature of discontent.
"Ah...Éowyn, I had not heard of your arrival, I apologise for not being present" he said, offering her a small smile. She sat beside him, casting a look at the small pile of pebbles at Faramir's side.
"I heard the talks went well" said Éowyn as Faramir smiled once again.
"To be honest, Éowyn, I do believe Rohan was glad to be rid of Aldwyn...but yes, the talks were very successful - for both Rohan and Gondor"
Faramir flicked another pebble into the water where it skimmed a few times before disappearing with a plop, inertia having finally claimed it.
"Me and my brother would compete in this game, seeing who could make his stone go further...he was my friend" he said quietly, yet Éowyn knew she had not mistaken the slight break in his voice at the past tense.
"I-" Éowyn began but she fell silent as Faramir sprang up to greet Rowan who seemed glacier cool to his swift and gentle embrace but as he turned back to see Éowyn, she was gone.
~*~
"Lord Éomer, will you be joining us in showing these first born who the better archers are?" asked a nobleman as he made his way towards the Houses of Healing, having only just managed to make an excuse to not view Aldwyn's modal of what he called a mechanical bird, somehow he knew Éowyn would have gone to the place in Gondor that offered her the most comfort.
Yet...archery was a tempting offer, and Éomer promised himself that one shot of the bow would not cost him his sister yet his guilt was not fully relived until he entered the gardens and saw her, standing partly between the men preparing their bows and partly between the women who all held some sort of shading equipment that Éomer had never seen before.
"Oh...those are umbrellas -- young Aldwyn invented them, all the ladies have them" the man informed him as they passed a few elves, Éomer recognised the noble elf-lord, Celeborn and one of the Princes of Mirkwood, Legolas who had obviously came to be witness to the wedding to come.
"I based them on ancient elvish designs...so they are not my own invention" interrupted Aldwyn, who had apparently followed them outside, a faint pink rising in his face as some of the women smiled at him. "I am too easily swayed by women, I admit" he said wistfully, looking at Éowyn with a hopeful glance that Éomer, eyes so sharp when detecting a tear in a saddle or a weakness in his enemies armour, did not see.
"But diplomats are never swayed!" replied the nobleman in booming, self-important tones. "And certainly never by the fairer sex! Let them know their place...but never let them know their power, Aldwyn"
Aldwyn muttered that he would keep that in mind and stalked away to Éowyn who seemed glad to see a genuinely friendly face and they spoke animatedly to each other until Faramir and Rowan joined the group.
Éomer was unsurprised at the results of the tournament and he was pleased for Legolas' victory although he could not help but be slightly ruffled at Legolas' offer to help him with his archery.
"The Lady Éowyn is well, I trust?" Legolas asked as they watched a few of the other elves display their more fanciful skills with the bow - skewering apples in midair and the such - Éomer paused, watching as his sister finally turned back to Aldwyn to continue their conversation.
"Nay...I do feel that coming to Gondor at such a time, after her illness, was a mistake but she, the more stubborn, persuaded me to come..."
"Determination brought her to Gondor for the second time" said the elf sagely, without a touch of humour.
Éomer smiled outwardly at the subtle wordplay, and with an uneasy feeling he wondered if determination had brought Éowyn to fight again at Gondor before pushing those thoughts away firmly.
By the feast that night, he had completely forgotten the elf's words.
~*~
Faramir took his seat at the feast in the evening with a great deal of trepidation, wedding decisions that apparently had had to be made months ago were only now coming to him and he found himself quite out of his depth, so he felt relived to find the guest to his right was the elf Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien.
Faramir had heard of his decision to remain in Middle-Earth while the rest of his kind left for the Grey Havens and, privately, Faramir wondered why, it was rude to inquire about such a matter but the conversation soon turned to the elvish flight to the Grey Havens as Celeborn described the ship in detail to Aldwyn who sat opposite, his next words however were for Faramir.
"There are many journeys that we take, and finding that we rather would be alone, we quickly come to appreciate the company we do have..." said Celeborn quietly, "Yet it is always wise to select your company with a true heart...lest you forget how to love and who to love"
There was much in Celeborn's words upon which to dwell and Faramir spent most of the feast wondering if he had chosen the right path, he was also unnerved by the feeling that Celeborn had seen right into him as he watched Éowyn enter the feasting hall and had altered his words to suit.
Silence had once been his refuge but now it binded him tightly, trapped him in himself but what good would it do to talk about it now...if only in passing?
Chapter: 1/?
Author: Naoki / Naoki_pyromaniac@hotmail.com
Rating/Warnings/Categories: PG-13, romance to the fifth fluffy heart degree, semi AU.
Summary: Éowyn, the White Lady of Rohan, is good friends with Faramir of Gondor, yet when he comes to Edoras with his bride to be, she realises things weren't as simple as she thought...
Author's Notes: Sorry about this chapter…it most serves as a way of getting things in perspective as things are prepared for the wedding and besides, it means I can have the required elf cameos…^_~ Thank you to those who have reviewed…I think there's about three chapters left now and they're nearly done! Hooray!
~*~
Practical Love, Chapter Four
~*~
The morning was grey with brittle rays of white, bleached light that shone onto the White City which allowed the preparations for the wedding to continue as planned, and as bridegroom, Faramir found it safer and less troublesome to seek refuge from the haste and stress of wedding planning.
So now he strolled through the gardens of the Houses of Healing alone, like he had once...with a wistful smile, he realised he could barely recall the time that had passed since he had met Éowyn, broken and despairing at the way her spirit strained under the pressure and ill health of her body, it seemed like a long time yet the memory was as fresh and brief as it ever had been...
And he remembered clearly, with a pang of guilt, the day he had met Rowan, singing in the gardens quietly to herself.
She dressed so modestly compared to most women of Gondor with a love for elvish poetry and a formidable intellect which made her a constant companion in games and reading with Queen Arwen, she had first resisted his attentions quite firmly, thinking he only wished to ease himself into the bed of another woman through her.
He remembered her plain distress when they were together, and spoke even briefly of another woman, and he remembered her silent tears as she told him she never thought herself deserving of such a man as Faramir, that she never thought she would be able to accept any commitment from him and how she had accepted it, taking his token gift to her. A rock he had found in the fields as a young boy, he had picked from the ground because of it's smooth likeness to the shape of a heart, and hung on a silver chain for her.
Commitment. Faithfulness. Somehow he knew whatever happened in three days time, he would forsake at least one of these notions if he did not give up his infatuation with Éowyn. No longer could he break his commitment but his nature would not allow unfaithfulness to his wife-to-be...but he was also acutely aware that his heart was not completely committed to this promise...it put things in a new light and he found himself thinking-
No, he told himself firmly, he could not simply ruin so many lives with what could be a foolish mistake. Did not all bridegrooms have reservations about marriage? He tried to take comfort in that, for he knew he would not like to seek out advice from another, married, man - knowing that he would not like to hear King Elessar's opinion on that particular subject anyway.
~*~
After the usual chores of formal arrival in Gondor, Éowyn had made her own way to the Houses of Healing as if to indulge her sentimental tendencies and to get away from the bustling preparations being made the wedding, she had left her brother with Aldwyn who was keen for Éomer to look at some of his papers written on the lore of Rohan.
She felt like an outsider in a familiar land here, she seemed to trail whispers as she went about her own business privately and it was if the women made no attempt to hide their comments from her. Few were complimentary but she held her head steady.
As it was the women were mostly gathering in the Palace gardens to witness an archery tournament between the few elves that had remained behind and forsaken the land across the ocean and the men of Gondor. Ladies clucked their tongues indulgently, commenting on how predictable all this manly behaviour was.
Éowyn wondered absentmindedly if Éomer would take part but she doubted so, he was more skilled with spear and sword, weapons suited to horseback. The flowers in the Gardens of Healing were mingled with herbs which gave the air a pleasant minty smell in the spring sunshine.
Éowyn heard a tiny splash and hastened her pace to see what it was; Faramir sitting on a stone bench, flicking pebbles into a pool of water with every feature of discontent.
"Ah...Éowyn, I had not heard of your arrival, I apologise for not being present" he said, offering her a small smile. She sat beside him, casting a look at the small pile of pebbles at Faramir's side.
"I heard the talks went well" said Éowyn as Faramir smiled once again.
"To be honest, Éowyn, I do believe Rohan was glad to be rid of Aldwyn...but yes, the talks were very successful - for both Rohan and Gondor"
Faramir flicked another pebble into the water where it skimmed a few times before disappearing with a plop, inertia having finally claimed it.
"Me and my brother would compete in this game, seeing who could make his stone go further...he was my friend" he said quietly, yet Éowyn knew she had not mistaken the slight break in his voice at the past tense.
"I-" Éowyn began but she fell silent as Faramir sprang up to greet Rowan who seemed glacier cool to his swift and gentle embrace but as he turned back to see Éowyn, she was gone.
~*~
"Lord Éomer, will you be joining us in showing these first born who the better archers are?" asked a nobleman as he made his way towards the Houses of Healing, having only just managed to make an excuse to not view Aldwyn's modal of what he called a mechanical bird, somehow he knew Éowyn would have gone to the place in Gondor that offered her the most comfort.
Yet...archery was a tempting offer, and Éomer promised himself that one shot of the bow would not cost him his sister yet his guilt was not fully relived until he entered the gardens and saw her, standing partly between the men preparing their bows and partly between the women who all held some sort of shading equipment that Éomer had never seen before.
"Oh...those are umbrellas -- young Aldwyn invented them, all the ladies have them" the man informed him as they passed a few elves, Éomer recognised the noble elf-lord, Celeborn and one of the Princes of Mirkwood, Legolas who had obviously came to be witness to the wedding to come.
"I based them on ancient elvish designs...so they are not my own invention" interrupted Aldwyn, who had apparently followed them outside, a faint pink rising in his face as some of the women smiled at him. "I am too easily swayed by women, I admit" he said wistfully, looking at Éowyn with a hopeful glance that Éomer, eyes so sharp when detecting a tear in a saddle or a weakness in his enemies armour, did not see.
"But diplomats are never swayed!" replied the nobleman in booming, self-important tones. "And certainly never by the fairer sex! Let them know their place...but never let them know their power, Aldwyn"
Aldwyn muttered that he would keep that in mind and stalked away to Éowyn who seemed glad to see a genuinely friendly face and they spoke animatedly to each other until Faramir and Rowan joined the group.
Éomer was unsurprised at the results of the tournament and he was pleased for Legolas' victory although he could not help but be slightly ruffled at Legolas' offer to help him with his archery.
"The Lady Éowyn is well, I trust?" Legolas asked as they watched a few of the other elves display their more fanciful skills with the bow - skewering apples in midair and the such - Éomer paused, watching as his sister finally turned back to Aldwyn to continue their conversation.
"Nay...I do feel that coming to Gondor at such a time, after her illness, was a mistake but she, the more stubborn, persuaded me to come..."
"Determination brought her to Gondor for the second time" said the elf sagely, without a touch of humour.
Éomer smiled outwardly at the subtle wordplay, and with an uneasy feeling he wondered if determination had brought Éowyn to fight again at Gondor before pushing those thoughts away firmly.
By the feast that night, he had completely forgotten the elf's words.
~*~
Faramir took his seat at the feast in the evening with a great deal of trepidation, wedding decisions that apparently had had to be made months ago were only now coming to him and he found himself quite out of his depth, so he felt relived to find the guest to his right was the elf Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien.
Faramir had heard of his decision to remain in Middle-Earth while the rest of his kind left for the Grey Havens and, privately, Faramir wondered why, it was rude to inquire about such a matter but the conversation soon turned to the elvish flight to the Grey Havens as Celeborn described the ship in detail to Aldwyn who sat opposite, his next words however were for Faramir.
"There are many journeys that we take, and finding that we rather would be alone, we quickly come to appreciate the company we do have..." said Celeborn quietly, "Yet it is always wise to select your company with a true heart...lest you forget how to love and who to love"
There was much in Celeborn's words upon which to dwell and Faramir spent most of the feast wondering if he had chosen the right path, he was also unnerved by the feeling that Celeborn had seen right into him as he watched Éowyn enter the feasting hall and had altered his words to suit.
Silence had once been his refuge but now it binded him tightly, trapped him in himself but what good would it do to talk about it now...if only in passing?