Hey!! Getting close to being done!! All praise Thor. There's only one more REALLY short chapter left. Short as in a three hundred words, or thereabouts.
Glad that everyone seemed to like the songs. I'm a medieval music nut; it was like a "dream come true", to be able to use them and the instruments.
Disclaimer: Faramir the Marvelous is not mine, etc.
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Chapter Eight: Rescue
"Eomer King! Is that you, my lord?" A faint voice from behind quickly hushed Eomer and Faramir. They looked at each other, before simultaneously turning around and calling for help.
"Faramir!" Beregond's voice called out over the others, and Faramir's heart raced, as he called back.
"Beregond! Here! We're behind the wall!" Pausing to listen, Faramir heard the sound of footprints, barely audible, and a slight scraping sound from the behind the boulders which had trapped them.
Beregond's voice called out again. "Faramir? Are you there?" Something suddenly blocked the small chinks of light that Eomer had discovered, and Faramir quickly knelt to where they had been.
"Beregond, you're standing right in front of our light," he said, and the man jumped, startled to hear Faramir's voice right behind him. He couldn't help but chuckle, as wild joy surged through him.
"I beg your pardon, my lord," Beregond laughed back. "I hope I am not disturbing you and Lord Eomer."
"I think I will overlook it this time," he replied, grinning madly.
"Hold on a minute longer, we'll have you out of here in no time."
Eomer cut in. "A minute is not 'no time'." A moment of silence passed, then Beregond understood, and he laughed with the two prisoners.
"Let me change that to 'as quickly as I can manage', sir. I'll be right back." The obstruction shifted, and light again entered the small cavern. Beregond called to unseen people behind him, and the sound of more footsteps greeted their ears.
"Eomer King?" A voice that Faramir did not recognize spoke out, but Eomer replied eagerly.
"Edric!" Moving aside, Faramir let Eomer kneel beside the cracks in the wall. "What took you so long?"
"We had no idea where you were. We've been searching nearly all the caves for you, Eomer. Next time you have to tell someone where you are going."
Properly admonished, Eomer put on his best 'yes-I-know-but-I-will-never- listen' face, even though the man on the other side couldn't see it. "I promise I won't do it again."
A snort came through from the other side. "Of course you won't, my lord," the man retorted sarcastically, apparently accustomed to this.
Faramir couldn't help but chuckle, which caused Eomer to glare back at him. "Well, you didn't tell anyone either," he said, annoyance and embarrassment mixed across his features.
Ignoring Eomer's expression, Faramir snickered loudly. "How could I have? I've never even been here before."
Eomer's face twisted into a smile, and then a full-blown laugh. Faramir thought he could hear some chuckles from the other side of the wall as well. Turning back to the wall in mock indignance, Eomer spoke loudly. "Can you just get us out of here, please?" He turned apologetically to his companion. "Not that I didn't enjoy your company, Lord Steward," he said, "but I would dearly love some fresh air and a decent meal."
"I agree, Eomer King," Faramir replied in as lofty a voice as he could manage. "Though my introduction into Rohirric culture was quite fascinating, I believe that I too would appreciate these things." Eomer sniffed haughtily as well, but the two of them just started laughing again. "It must be the lack of air," Faramir said, trying to explain his slightly out-of-character behavior.
"Faramir?" Beregond's voice came through from the other side of the wall. "This may take a while. We have to find some men who have skill in masonry such as this."
Eomer sighed, his excitement dying slightly at the prospect of spending more time trapped in the gloom. Turning his mind to the problem, Faramir decided to suggest something. "What about that man from before, the one who mistook us for servants?" He turned to Eomer. "You yourself said that he was one of the best in his craft. Perhaps he could be of some help."
After a few shuffles were heard from behind the obstruction, Beregond's voice answered Faramir's question. "I've sent someone to go looking for him. It shouldn't take that long."
Silence overcame the group, separated by rock, such that Faramir felt the need to feel less empty, and so he asked a question which he hoped would have a long answer. "So – what exactly happened?"
The man whom Eomer had called Edric answered him. "Part of the outer wall collapsed, apparently causing tremors enough to disturb the rock underground here."
Eomer looked at Faramir. "So your guess was right, then, Faramir."
Edric's voice continued his story. "After it happened, there were a number of men missing, so that we didn't even notice you were gone. 'Twas the Lady Eowyn who finally inquired after Lord Faramir, and then we immediately began searching for you."
Faramir's heart stirred within his chest, knowing that Eowyn had been worried for him. "Was anyone killed?"
"No, thankfully. A few injuries, but nothing serious." Edric then bade them to tell their story, but Faramir was content to let Eomer do that, and merely sit contentedly, pleased that everything had turned out so well.
Eomer, however, was interrupted when his sister's voice echoed through the caves, higher-pitched than normal in concern. "Faramir? Eomer?"
Eomer called out to respond. "Good afternoon, Eowyn," he laughed. "I would give you leave to enter, but I'm afraid that I'm unable to do so." Hearing her approach, Faramir drew closer to the wall, trying to feel the comfort of her presence.
"Eomer! Don't you do that to me again!" she scolded, though clearly relieved, as Faramir listened to her kneel next to the small cracks in the solid wall. "Is Faramir there?" she asked more softly, fear lacing into her normally confident voice.
"Yes, I am," Faramir said, a wide grin on his face, "though I would dearly love not to be."
"I know, I'm so sorry for making you come..."
Faramir quickly interrupted her. "You didn't make me come at all. And since everyone's fine, there's no need to be sorry at all." He could almost sense her nodding her head in acceptance, knowing he was right.
"I brought the stonemason," she said evenly, as though she was suddenly aware that they had an audience.
"My Lords?" the man's tentative voice asked quietly. "I'm going to try to remove the rocks. Back away from the wall, if you would. I might as well warn you, this may take a rather long time."
"Take as much time as you need," Eomer replied breezily. "We're not going anywhere."
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It seemed to be a very long time until enough boulders were finally removed, and the collapse finally cleared enough to have the two trapped men squeeze through. Apparently, the stonemason did not want to remove too much stone and risk having another collapse, and so Edric called to them that they would have to climb through the small hole that had been made.
Eomer looked over at Faramir. "After you," he said, with a flourish of his hand.
"Are you sure?"
"Quite. I'll be right behind you anyway." Eomer grinned. "Besides, if anything should go wrong, you'll be the one in trouble anyway."
"Thank you so much," he replied over his shoulder, as he prepared to climb out of their little prison. Taking a deep breath, he poked his head and shoulders through the hole, and wriggled his arms free, trying to ignore the thousand small scratches that were being formed as his body twisted and turned. Finally, he got enough of his torso free that he could put himself completely through, and toppled onto the floor in a graceless heap, as his feet were still partially in the opening. No sooner had he righted himself than Eowyn had wrapped her arms around him and was clutching onto him tightly. He smiled, and wrapped his arms around her just as tightly. The world seemed to stand still for a moment to him, and the thought comforted him greatly.
Eomer's voice, from right behind him, broke the embrace. "I see now why you were in such a rush to get us out of there."
Eowyn grinned up at Faramir, then embraced her brother just as tightly. Beregond, in the meantime, approached Faramir, and, grinning madly, clapped him on the back. "Glad to see you are well, Faramir."
"Thank you," he replied warmly. "Yes, I am quite well."