Dislcaimer: I don't own any of the characters, and I apologise if no one
likes what I do with them.
This fic is my first and dedicated to my friend Catherine who told me that the first chapters were too cheerful, and gave me an idea to carry on the story with.
Eowyn stared out of the window, from the window of the Stewards house; she had a perfect view of the Pelennor fields. To look at them now, no one would know that a huge battle between the armies of Mordor and the Men of Middle Earth had taken place. The grass grew again, the bloodstains had disappeared, and life went on, all trace of the battle gone, except the memories. And although life had gone on for Eowyn, nothing would ever make her forget that day. For all the horrible memories she had, Theoden's death, maimed horses and mangled bodies, she still was grateful for it. For she had lived her dream, she had won renown among the men, through slaying the Witch King, her fear of being caged forever had disappeared for a while, she was free. Which was a good thing, since she saw no way for her to win renown now. Her marriage to Faramir had shown her that. He loved to talk to her of battles late at night when it seemed that they were the only two people in Middle Earth. Or take her horse riding in Ithilien, where they raced each other and were equals in every way, but once they were at court, it was a different matter. Since she was wife to the Steward of Gondor and Lady of Emyn Arnen, he expected her to act 'in a way befitting her rank' as he had put it. When ever there were sword fighting or horse riding competitions, Eowyn was expected to sit by Queen Arwen, smile and clap daintily whenever anyone won. This annoyed her greatly, since in Rohan, being a female in a solely male household, she had been allowed to join in, and she often won, especially the horse riding. She loved Faramir, but this was the one thing they argued over. He had even tried to get her to give up her ceremonial sword that showed her status as a shield maiden of Rohan. By giving up this, Eowyn felt she would be giving up her identity, her spirit almost. Even though as Faramir had said, she was no longer a shield maiden, but a Lady of Gondor. They had been arguing over this for weeks, she had eventually persuaded him to let her wear it for the first anniversary of King Elessar's coronation. First she had tried reasoning with him, which didn't work, then sulking, that didn't work either, so she tried reasoning with him again. Finally, she told him that since she felt he was denying her a feeling of identity, she would deny him something, she would not perform her duties as his wife until he agreed to let her wear it, he hadn't even lasted two days.
So not only had she won the argument, but she had discovered his weakness, he desired her too much. She didn't mind this, it gave her a bargaining chip to get her way, but it also helped her disguise her weakness, how much she desired him. Her wedding night had been an interesting affair, she thought as she remembered it. She'd had butterflies in her stomach all day; she was more scared about her wedding night than she was her actual wedding. The stories she had heard from the women at Meduseld, the pain and uncomfort it caused, and bleeding! How could something that made you bleed be so wonderful? She knew the men enjoyed it, her brother wasn't a particularly discrete ladies man, neither was Theodred. The way they talked about it, it was the most wonderful thing in the world, but it made you bleed! That had kept coming in to her mind. She also knew the both Eomer and Theodred preferred women with experience. More often than once had she heard Eomer say that he wasn't looking forward to his wedding night, having to worry about the pain you caused the woman and the scared look on her face wouldn't exactly be a big turn on. So not only had she worried about the pain, but also the fear of displeasing Faramir had caused her great anguish as well. He was a man of high status and although he didn't appear to be as much of a womaniser as her brother and cousin, she knew that he wouldn't be untouched like she was. She needn't have worried though she thought with a laugh. Faramir had done everything he could to relax her, he seemed to understand her fear, almost as though he was scared too, although it was he said, because he didn't want to hurt her. She giggled.
'Giggling, my Lady?' Faramir entered the room smiling cheerfully but looking rather tired; he had just had a long meeting with the King. ' And there's no one here! Come, share the joke, what were you thinking about?'
' Our wedding night,' she replied.
'Was it funny, I didn't mean it to be.' Looking slightly confused and upset now; he walked over to where she was sitting by the window. ' I wanted it to be special.'
'Oh it was special. It was, truly. I wasn't laughing at that, I was just remembering how scared I was and now I think back, I really had no reason.' She smiled up at him, 'Being your wife is a pleasure in every way, which I thought it wouldn't be.' Faramir bent down and kissed her gently,
'Every way?' he whispered in to her ear as he began to nuzzle her neck.
'Every way!' she whispered back, now she could feel his hand slip down into her dress. There was a loud knock on the door. He broke away from her with a groan,
'Come' he called out in his Stewards voice.
'Begging your pardon my Lord, the king's compliments, he desires your counsel. He also said to tell you that the Lady of Emyn Arnen may wish to dine with the Queen tonight, as he may be keeping you well in to the night, for which he sends his apologies.' He bowed at Eowyn. She nodded, resigned to an evening of polite and mindless chatter with the ladies of Gondor, where any mention of bed brought blushes, and swords or fighting, glances of distaste around the table. She knew they despised her, no matter what the Queen said. Faramir had laughed when she told him this.
' Of course they are not jealous.' He had replied, ' they just can't understand why the Steward of Gondor should take a wild shield maiden from the North to be his wife. You are everything that they are not, which I why I love you, though they cannot see it.'
The messenger bowed again, and left. Faramir drew her to him. 'I'm sorry.' He whispered, ' I had planned to spend a relaxing evening alone with my wife, but apparently not.'
' You had better make this up to me.' She replied.
'I will, I promise. Tomorrow, I am taking you back to Emyn Arnen. How does that sound? Only until the celebrations start though, but still, that's over a month away. A month of sword practise, riding like a man, being the woman you really are. The woman I love.' She stared at him, then squealed with delight,
'Oh Faramir, really, no more sharing you with the King, or pretending to be something that I'm not.' She then stopped and stared at him. 'Wait, how can you love me for being the wild shield maiden, but yet want me to act like a Lady?' He sighed.
'I love the shield maiden in you, and I love the fact that I have found and equal in you, which is fine when we are not at court, but in court, there is a certain image that a Steward and his wife must uphold. In Gondor, women do not equal men, you would have been Queen of Rohan if both Theoden and your brother had been killed in the battle at Pelennor right?' She nodded, ' you also grew up in and around war counsels, nothing was hidden from you, though you are a woman. You were also taught to fight and ride like a man, as a tradition, but we do not have those traditions here in Gondor. We have others, no woman can be present at a council of war, and women who can fight are scorned upon. Being the Steward of Gondor, I must uphold these customs, however wrong I believe them to be.'
'You believe them to be wrong?' she asked.
' Yes, meeting you has made me realise how much I despise most women, I find them dull, they seem to have no passion, or soul to them, they just exist. Unlike you, you have both a soul and passion. I have also come to embrace your theory that those without swords can still die upon them, so when we have a daughter, she will learn to fight, just like her brothers shall.' He smiled and kissed her on the nose. 'But now duty calls, be polite tonight, and I will see you later.' He squeezed her hand, turned and left the room.
Eowyn turned back to the window, smiling at what Faramir had just said. So he wanted lots of children, that was good, since she and her maid had concluded this morning that she was indeed with child. He also didn't believe in the customs, that was interesting, and at least now she knew why he expected her to act that way, she would try harder to act as the customs dictated while she was at court, she decided. Then maybe Faramir would let her spend more time in Emyn Arnen. Oh, how she was looking forward to that. Tonight should be easier to bear, instead of concentrating on the mindless chatter; she could plan her stay. Although it was supposed to be their main home, in the 7 months that they had been married, only 3 had been spent there. She loved it there, she could be who she wanted, do what she wanted. Occasionally, she spent all day riding. She remembered the picnics she and Faramir had been on while on their 'honeymoon', he had taken her to all the romantic spots in Ithilien. Also, she didn't have to share Faramir with anyone, he was hers, Emyn Arnen was their world, and no one else existed in it. Unlike in Minas Tirith, she couldn't ride, unless it was side-saddle, and if she was seen wielding a sword, well! She giggled as she remembered the scandal that had created a few months ago.
She'd been doing a few sword exercises in the gardens when the Ladies Silmarien and Vidumavi came upon her. The sight shocked Lady Silmarien so much that she fainted. While Lady Vidumavi, who's famed for her gossiping talents, preceded to twist the tale so much that by the time Faramir heard it, Eowyn had been in a violent mood and had attempted to attack the two ladies. Faramir and the King had to put a stop to that rumour, but the outcome was that Faramir had banned her from using a sword anywhere in Minas Tirith unless it was her sitting room in the Stewards house. He had been quite embarrassed by the whole affair, even though the King and the rest of the men at court had found it rather funny.
She also hated Minas Tirith because not only did she have to share Faramir which she didn't like, but as for the people she shared him with, she didn't mind the King and Queen, but some of the other nobles, they were insufferable.
Dinner with Queen Arwen, her thoughts returned to normal with a jolt, she called her maid and walked out of the room to pick her dress for this evening
This fic is my first and dedicated to my friend Catherine who told me that the first chapters were too cheerful, and gave me an idea to carry on the story with.
Eowyn stared out of the window, from the window of the Stewards house; she had a perfect view of the Pelennor fields. To look at them now, no one would know that a huge battle between the armies of Mordor and the Men of Middle Earth had taken place. The grass grew again, the bloodstains had disappeared, and life went on, all trace of the battle gone, except the memories. And although life had gone on for Eowyn, nothing would ever make her forget that day. For all the horrible memories she had, Theoden's death, maimed horses and mangled bodies, she still was grateful for it. For she had lived her dream, she had won renown among the men, through slaying the Witch King, her fear of being caged forever had disappeared for a while, she was free. Which was a good thing, since she saw no way for her to win renown now. Her marriage to Faramir had shown her that. He loved to talk to her of battles late at night when it seemed that they were the only two people in Middle Earth. Or take her horse riding in Ithilien, where they raced each other and were equals in every way, but once they were at court, it was a different matter. Since she was wife to the Steward of Gondor and Lady of Emyn Arnen, he expected her to act 'in a way befitting her rank' as he had put it. When ever there were sword fighting or horse riding competitions, Eowyn was expected to sit by Queen Arwen, smile and clap daintily whenever anyone won. This annoyed her greatly, since in Rohan, being a female in a solely male household, she had been allowed to join in, and she often won, especially the horse riding. She loved Faramir, but this was the one thing they argued over. He had even tried to get her to give up her ceremonial sword that showed her status as a shield maiden of Rohan. By giving up this, Eowyn felt she would be giving up her identity, her spirit almost. Even though as Faramir had said, she was no longer a shield maiden, but a Lady of Gondor. They had been arguing over this for weeks, she had eventually persuaded him to let her wear it for the first anniversary of King Elessar's coronation. First she had tried reasoning with him, which didn't work, then sulking, that didn't work either, so she tried reasoning with him again. Finally, she told him that since she felt he was denying her a feeling of identity, she would deny him something, she would not perform her duties as his wife until he agreed to let her wear it, he hadn't even lasted two days.
So not only had she won the argument, but she had discovered his weakness, he desired her too much. She didn't mind this, it gave her a bargaining chip to get her way, but it also helped her disguise her weakness, how much she desired him. Her wedding night had been an interesting affair, she thought as she remembered it. She'd had butterflies in her stomach all day; she was more scared about her wedding night than she was her actual wedding. The stories she had heard from the women at Meduseld, the pain and uncomfort it caused, and bleeding! How could something that made you bleed be so wonderful? She knew the men enjoyed it, her brother wasn't a particularly discrete ladies man, neither was Theodred. The way they talked about it, it was the most wonderful thing in the world, but it made you bleed! That had kept coming in to her mind. She also knew the both Eomer and Theodred preferred women with experience. More often than once had she heard Eomer say that he wasn't looking forward to his wedding night, having to worry about the pain you caused the woman and the scared look on her face wouldn't exactly be a big turn on. So not only had she worried about the pain, but also the fear of displeasing Faramir had caused her great anguish as well. He was a man of high status and although he didn't appear to be as much of a womaniser as her brother and cousin, she knew that he wouldn't be untouched like she was. She needn't have worried though she thought with a laugh. Faramir had done everything he could to relax her, he seemed to understand her fear, almost as though he was scared too, although it was he said, because he didn't want to hurt her. She giggled.
'Giggling, my Lady?' Faramir entered the room smiling cheerfully but looking rather tired; he had just had a long meeting with the King. ' And there's no one here! Come, share the joke, what were you thinking about?'
' Our wedding night,' she replied.
'Was it funny, I didn't mean it to be.' Looking slightly confused and upset now; he walked over to where she was sitting by the window. ' I wanted it to be special.'
'Oh it was special. It was, truly. I wasn't laughing at that, I was just remembering how scared I was and now I think back, I really had no reason.' She smiled up at him, 'Being your wife is a pleasure in every way, which I thought it wouldn't be.' Faramir bent down and kissed her gently,
'Every way?' he whispered in to her ear as he began to nuzzle her neck.
'Every way!' she whispered back, now she could feel his hand slip down into her dress. There was a loud knock on the door. He broke away from her with a groan,
'Come' he called out in his Stewards voice.
'Begging your pardon my Lord, the king's compliments, he desires your counsel. He also said to tell you that the Lady of Emyn Arnen may wish to dine with the Queen tonight, as he may be keeping you well in to the night, for which he sends his apologies.' He bowed at Eowyn. She nodded, resigned to an evening of polite and mindless chatter with the ladies of Gondor, where any mention of bed brought blushes, and swords or fighting, glances of distaste around the table. She knew they despised her, no matter what the Queen said. Faramir had laughed when she told him this.
' Of course they are not jealous.' He had replied, ' they just can't understand why the Steward of Gondor should take a wild shield maiden from the North to be his wife. You are everything that they are not, which I why I love you, though they cannot see it.'
The messenger bowed again, and left. Faramir drew her to him. 'I'm sorry.' He whispered, ' I had planned to spend a relaxing evening alone with my wife, but apparently not.'
' You had better make this up to me.' She replied.
'I will, I promise. Tomorrow, I am taking you back to Emyn Arnen. How does that sound? Only until the celebrations start though, but still, that's over a month away. A month of sword practise, riding like a man, being the woman you really are. The woman I love.' She stared at him, then squealed with delight,
'Oh Faramir, really, no more sharing you with the King, or pretending to be something that I'm not.' She then stopped and stared at him. 'Wait, how can you love me for being the wild shield maiden, but yet want me to act like a Lady?' He sighed.
'I love the shield maiden in you, and I love the fact that I have found and equal in you, which is fine when we are not at court, but in court, there is a certain image that a Steward and his wife must uphold. In Gondor, women do not equal men, you would have been Queen of Rohan if both Theoden and your brother had been killed in the battle at Pelennor right?' She nodded, ' you also grew up in and around war counsels, nothing was hidden from you, though you are a woman. You were also taught to fight and ride like a man, as a tradition, but we do not have those traditions here in Gondor. We have others, no woman can be present at a council of war, and women who can fight are scorned upon. Being the Steward of Gondor, I must uphold these customs, however wrong I believe them to be.'
'You believe them to be wrong?' she asked.
' Yes, meeting you has made me realise how much I despise most women, I find them dull, they seem to have no passion, or soul to them, they just exist. Unlike you, you have both a soul and passion. I have also come to embrace your theory that those without swords can still die upon them, so when we have a daughter, she will learn to fight, just like her brothers shall.' He smiled and kissed her on the nose. 'But now duty calls, be polite tonight, and I will see you later.' He squeezed her hand, turned and left the room.
Eowyn turned back to the window, smiling at what Faramir had just said. So he wanted lots of children, that was good, since she and her maid had concluded this morning that she was indeed with child. He also didn't believe in the customs, that was interesting, and at least now she knew why he expected her to act that way, she would try harder to act as the customs dictated while she was at court, she decided. Then maybe Faramir would let her spend more time in Emyn Arnen. Oh, how she was looking forward to that. Tonight should be easier to bear, instead of concentrating on the mindless chatter; she could plan her stay. Although it was supposed to be their main home, in the 7 months that they had been married, only 3 had been spent there. She loved it there, she could be who she wanted, do what she wanted. Occasionally, she spent all day riding. She remembered the picnics she and Faramir had been on while on their 'honeymoon', he had taken her to all the romantic spots in Ithilien. Also, she didn't have to share Faramir with anyone, he was hers, Emyn Arnen was their world, and no one else existed in it. Unlike in Minas Tirith, she couldn't ride, unless it was side-saddle, and if she was seen wielding a sword, well! She giggled as she remembered the scandal that had created a few months ago.
She'd been doing a few sword exercises in the gardens when the Ladies Silmarien and Vidumavi came upon her. The sight shocked Lady Silmarien so much that she fainted. While Lady Vidumavi, who's famed for her gossiping talents, preceded to twist the tale so much that by the time Faramir heard it, Eowyn had been in a violent mood and had attempted to attack the two ladies. Faramir and the King had to put a stop to that rumour, but the outcome was that Faramir had banned her from using a sword anywhere in Minas Tirith unless it was her sitting room in the Stewards house. He had been quite embarrassed by the whole affair, even though the King and the rest of the men at court had found it rather funny.
She also hated Minas Tirith because not only did she have to share Faramir which she didn't like, but as for the people she shared him with, she didn't mind the King and Queen, but some of the other nobles, they were insufferable.
Dinner with Queen Arwen, her thoughts returned to normal with a jolt, she called her maid and walked out of the room to pick her dress for this evening