Title: Gondor's Daughter

Author: sz2000

Rating: PG

A/N: My story starts in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.  I did use some of Tolkien's words but the rest is mine. This is fan fiction; I'm doing this for fun.  This is my first fan fiction. I'm dyslexic. My main character's name means jasmine.  Please review. Thank you!

Chapter II- The Beginning

"My mother raised me to be a queen. She knew I would marry the heir to the Steward."

I paused.

"Our families have always been close.  Our houses can be traced to the beginning of the time of men.  Denethor and my father, Marmadus, have been the best of friends. Both have served in Gondor's army together. When Denethor became Steward in 2984, he asked my father to serve as a councilor."

I remember how both men were always together.  If you saw one the other was not far behind.  I remember the old stories that my father used to tell my brothers and me about everything that both men did when they were younger.  They did not have a care in all of Middle Earth.  Now my father tells my sons. 

Pippin brought me back from my memories.   

"Lady Alcrothwen, do you accept that Aragorn is Isildur's heir?" he asked.

"If Boromir does.  Aragorn will have a harder time proving himself to Denethor than to me.  Denethor is a hard man to please."

With that said Pippin smiled, but he did not put his whole heart into the smile, and begged, "Please, continue with your story, please."
All I could do was laugh with merriment at the begging hobbit.  Pippin was taking my mind off what was going on in Mordor.  
"My father was born in 2930. Donnamira, my mother, was born nineteen years after my father.  In 2974, my father and mother married."

I remember my mother telling me all about their relationship.  Remembering, how I have always wanted to have a bond like my mother had with my father with my husband.  My parents had a relationship that could last forever.  Nothing could destroy the love that Marmadus and Donnamira had.

"I always wanted a relationship like my parents had."

"Is yours and Boromir's relationship like your parents?"

"Aye, it is everything that I wanted and could ask for.  Our relationship has its ups and downs.  I would not change anything about what we have for anything."

Pippin looked at me with joy and said, "Continue, please."

"My oldest brother, Isembard, was born two years after my parents were married. Finduilas, Denethor's wife, gave birth to Boromir in 2978. The next day my mother gave birth to my youngest brother, Isembold. Boromir and Isembold are the best of friends."

I remember how Boromir and Isembold were joined at the hip when they were younger.

"My mother always wanted a daughter. Two summers after Boromir and Isembold were born I was born.  My mother's wish came true.
"Finduilas gave birth to Faramir three summers after I was born.
"All five of us have gotten along well together."

I remember all the times that we spent together.  The times that we went swimming in the summer time in the Anduin, how we would sleep under the stars on Mt. Mindolluin.  How we would get in trouble for all the grass and mud on our clothes.  We would get in so much trouble when we would come home late at night or in the early morning hours of the next day.

The next part of the story was going to be the hardest for me.  I promised myself that I would not cry.  I would be able to tell this part of the story.      
"The untimely death of Finduilas in 2988 was hard on all of us. Finduilas was like a second mother to my brothers and me.
"Another blow to us all was the untimely death of my mother twelve years after Finduilas's death. My mother was like a second mother to Boromir and Faramir."
I wiped the tears from my gray eyes.
Gandalf put his weathered hand on my dusky rose covered shoulder and said, "Take your time, my lady."
"We can leave, Lady Alcrothwen," said Pippin.
"Nay, I'll be okay. Thank you."
I pulled herself together.  I gave a reassuring smile.
"The one thing my mother could not stop my father from teaching me was
how to defend myself. My mother was not happy that I know how to use a sword
and my fists. I had no choice but to learn. Having two older brothers, Boromir
and Faramir roughhousing you have no choice but to learn how to fight back. Do not believe those four when they say that they have all of those scars on their bodies from being boys and
battles because some of them are from me.

"I was one of the boys until the age of eight because that's when my mother decided that it was time for me to learn about being a queen."