Yet Another Author Note: Wow! Thanks to everyone for reviewing!! You have
no idea how nice it is to know someone is actually reading this stuff! The
muse has struck again, so here goes nothing. (As always, I own none of the
characters in this story, they belong to JRR Tolkien and I am making no
money off of their corruption.)
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Perhaps you should stick to sewing. . ." Arwen suggested hesitantly. "After all, you're still learning, and embroidery can be difficult."
Eowyn looked up from her work, the look of concentration of her face easing somewhat as her hands loosed from the muslin hoop she was gripping. It was printed with a basic design of a moon and stars, and Eowyn had begun outlining it with colored silk thread. Or at least, she was attempting to. Her stitches were large, crooked, and tangled. Despite the fact that she'd been at it for over an hour, she had shown no improvement. If anything, her tension was making her worse.
"If I give up now, I'll never learn. This horrid pasttime is boring and apparently pointless, but from what I've seen it's the sole occupation of Gondorian ladies of rank."
Arwen rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you see me sitting around stabbing a needle into material constantly? Of course not! I have much more useful things to do with what time remains to me. But I have had hundreds of years to perfect the skill, and I've found that it's rather rewarding to be able to make a personalized gift for someone. Like the standard I made for Aragorn." She reached over and took the non-embroidery from Eowyn. "Now, since you're so determined to fight your nature at every turn, I'll show you again. This is a needle, not a sword: handle it as such." She delicately pushed it through the taut cloth. Arwen looked up and saw Eowyn trying to hide a yawn.
Amused, she said "Well, if it's that boring I can't imagine why you're so set on doing it!"
Eowyn blushed slightly. "Sorry. I'm afraid I didn't get much sleep last night. What with the banquet tomorrow, and the wedding and everything else, I've been busy. This week has flown by!"
Indeed it had, Arwen thought. For several days their "lessons" had consisted of frantically readying Eowyn's dress for the festival. They'd managed to finish it ahead of schedule (Eowyn was quite good at sewing in a straight line, it turned out, though she couldn't handle anything too complicated) and had, at her request, moved on to embroidery. Which Arwen privately thought a complete waste of Eowyn's energy. She kept that opinion to herself, though.
"I've been meaning to ask you—how are the wedding plans coming along?" Arwen made a few stitches in the cloth, then gave it back to Eowyn.
Taking the hoop, she glared at it for a moment before picking up the needle and beginning again. "Oh, the wedding. It's coming along, I suppose. How the actual marriage is going to work out, I have no idea."
Arwen hid her shock. She had always understood Eowyn and Faramir to be completely devoted to one another, and had not anticipated any problems. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Eowyn replied absently as she concentrated on making a tiny stitch "that my brother has taken it upon himself to keep Faramir and me from sharing more than a polite nod in the hallway. I haven't spoken to the man for nearly five days! It's making me insane, but Eomer's enlisted the help of practically all the servants somehow, and however hard I try I can't seem to win them over."
"What's your brother's excuse for treating you like a child deserving punishment?"
Eowyn tossed away the embroidery in defeat. She dramatically threw her hands up over her head and leaned against the back of Arwen's sofa. "Somehow he has gotten it into his miniscule brain that Faramir is planning on seducing me before our wedding and has taken it into his own hands to prevent it."
"Sounds rather contrived to me."
"Immensely."
Arwen pondered the problem for a moment. Then she said matter-of- factly "Well, then I suppose I'll just have to arrange a rendezvous for you. You'll see each other tomorrow night, of course, but with so many people you won't get a moment alone unless you're dancing, and that's not too condusive to conversation. Afterwards, however, is another story. So many people will be leaving at once no one will notice you slipping off to my garden. I'll unlock the gate, and you and Faramir can meet there for a few moments." Arwen grinned wickedly. "But I'll be keeping track of time—if you're too long I'll find Eomer and come in after you."
As Arwen related her plan, Eowyn's face lit up with relief and happiness. Arwen soon found herself enveloped in her friend's enthusiastic embrace.
"Thank you, thank you—a thousand times!" Drawing back, Eowyn stood and danced around the room. Arwen couldn't help her laughter.
Eowyn stopped and came back to the sofa. Grabbing Arwen's hand, she herded the Queen to the door. "Enough embroidery for now! I have something else to teach you, and now is as good a time as any!"
"Where are we going?" Arwen asked as she was dragged out the door.
Green eyes twinkled. "Wait and see!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Perhaps you should stick to sewing. . ." Arwen suggested hesitantly. "After all, you're still learning, and embroidery can be difficult."
Eowyn looked up from her work, the look of concentration of her face easing somewhat as her hands loosed from the muslin hoop she was gripping. It was printed with a basic design of a moon and stars, and Eowyn had begun outlining it with colored silk thread. Or at least, she was attempting to. Her stitches were large, crooked, and tangled. Despite the fact that she'd been at it for over an hour, she had shown no improvement. If anything, her tension was making her worse.
"If I give up now, I'll never learn. This horrid pasttime is boring and apparently pointless, but from what I've seen it's the sole occupation of Gondorian ladies of rank."
Arwen rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you see me sitting around stabbing a needle into material constantly? Of course not! I have much more useful things to do with what time remains to me. But I have had hundreds of years to perfect the skill, and I've found that it's rather rewarding to be able to make a personalized gift for someone. Like the standard I made for Aragorn." She reached over and took the non-embroidery from Eowyn. "Now, since you're so determined to fight your nature at every turn, I'll show you again. This is a needle, not a sword: handle it as such." She delicately pushed it through the taut cloth. Arwen looked up and saw Eowyn trying to hide a yawn.
Amused, she said "Well, if it's that boring I can't imagine why you're so set on doing it!"
Eowyn blushed slightly. "Sorry. I'm afraid I didn't get much sleep last night. What with the banquet tomorrow, and the wedding and everything else, I've been busy. This week has flown by!"
Indeed it had, Arwen thought. For several days their "lessons" had consisted of frantically readying Eowyn's dress for the festival. They'd managed to finish it ahead of schedule (Eowyn was quite good at sewing in a straight line, it turned out, though she couldn't handle anything too complicated) and had, at her request, moved on to embroidery. Which Arwen privately thought a complete waste of Eowyn's energy. She kept that opinion to herself, though.
"I've been meaning to ask you—how are the wedding plans coming along?" Arwen made a few stitches in the cloth, then gave it back to Eowyn.
Taking the hoop, she glared at it for a moment before picking up the needle and beginning again. "Oh, the wedding. It's coming along, I suppose. How the actual marriage is going to work out, I have no idea."
Arwen hid her shock. She had always understood Eowyn and Faramir to be completely devoted to one another, and had not anticipated any problems. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Eowyn replied absently as she concentrated on making a tiny stitch "that my brother has taken it upon himself to keep Faramir and me from sharing more than a polite nod in the hallway. I haven't spoken to the man for nearly five days! It's making me insane, but Eomer's enlisted the help of practically all the servants somehow, and however hard I try I can't seem to win them over."
"What's your brother's excuse for treating you like a child deserving punishment?"
Eowyn tossed away the embroidery in defeat. She dramatically threw her hands up over her head and leaned against the back of Arwen's sofa. "Somehow he has gotten it into his miniscule brain that Faramir is planning on seducing me before our wedding and has taken it into his own hands to prevent it."
"Sounds rather contrived to me."
"Immensely."
Arwen pondered the problem for a moment. Then she said matter-of- factly "Well, then I suppose I'll just have to arrange a rendezvous for you. You'll see each other tomorrow night, of course, but with so many people you won't get a moment alone unless you're dancing, and that's not too condusive to conversation. Afterwards, however, is another story. So many people will be leaving at once no one will notice you slipping off to my garden. I'll unlock the gate, and you and Faramir can meet there for a few moments." Arwen grinned wickedly. "But I'll be keeping track of time—if you're too long I'll find Eomer and come in after you."
As Arwen related her plan, Eowyn's face lit up with relief and happiness. Arwen soon found herself enveloped in her friend's enthusiastic embrace.
"Thank you, thank you—a thousand times!" Drawing back, Eowyn stood and danced around the room. Arwen couldn't help her laughter.
Eowyn stopped and came back to the sofa. Grabbing Arwen's hand, she herded the Queen to the door. "Enough embroidery for now! I have something else to teach you, and now is as good a time as any!"
"Where are we going?" Arwen asked as she was dragged out the door.
Green eyes twinkled. "Wait and see!"