CHAPTER 5 : Work

*&*

"Aislin! You ran away again! How many times must I tell you never to run away from your chores, young lady?"

Aislin met her mother's eyes steadily. "Mother, I am not a child any longer! I am seventeen years old! I know perfectly well when to do my chores, and I've always done my chores, even though they might not have been at the time you liked!"

Her mother turned red with rage, and Aislin thought that perhaps she would strike her daughter this time. "How dare you be rude to me, Aislin? I always obeyed what my mother said, and at your age I had been married a year, a dutiful wife! And look at yourself! Still a child, rude and defiant. How could you ever find a good husband?"

"Maybe I do not want a good husband!" Aislin yelled. "I'm not you, Mother!" Was that all her mother ever thought of? Marriage and duty? She did not want to be like her mother; did not want to raise children in the exact same way her mother did. She was tired of being treated like a child. For this past year she had been trying to prove that she had grown up, but her mother just would not notice, refused to acknowledge the fact that her daughter was grown up.

Aislin stormed out of the house, ignoring her mother's commands.

*&*

She found Faramir in the library, on one of his precious breaks from his duties. He had been doing more and more recently, hoping that his father would have him promoted to being a captain soon. According to him, Boromir had been a captain at twenty, and Faramir did not want to fall behind. He did not notice her as she approached, and she sat before him a full fifteen minutes before he realised that there was someone there.

"Oh, hello," he said, smiling. Then he noticed her sullen face and frowned. "What's wrong? Did you have a quarrel with your mother again?"

"That woman is insufferable!" Aislin exploded out, and then quietened down when the librarian gave her a pointed look. "She wants to control everything," she whispered furiously.

Faramir shook his head. "She cares about you," he said. If only his father would care half as much, and then he would be content.

"Maybe, but she's suffocating me. She doesn't see that I can take care of myself!"

"Perhaps you should just listen to what she has to say. She might have some good advice."

"Would you be a lapdog to your father for the rest of your life?" Aislin burst out in her fury, and stormed out of the library, set on finding something else to vent her frustrations on.

*&*

That evening before dinner Faramir went to his brother's room, and sat cross-legged on Boromir's bed, watching him polish his armour. This (Faramir's visits) had been like a ritual when Faramir was a boy, but now he only went to his older brother's rooms when he was troubled.

"What's the matter, Faramir?"

"Aislin."

Boromir looked up from his armour, and put it away, much to Faramir's surprise. "What about Aislin?"

"She's been arguing with her mother again. It's getting worse. Sometimes I wonder if the two would one day jump for each other's throats." Faramir sighed and shook his head. "Aislin doesn't see that her mother cares for her."

Boromir thought back to the time when he had been sick of his father fussing over him, the time when he wanted more than anything to stand on his own two feet. It was not something that Faramir would understand, Faramir who had been left alone most of his life. "Perhaps it would be good for Aislin to be away from her mother. Sometimes people care for you so much that it gets hard to bear. It can be very frustrating. Maybe if they were away for a little while, things would be better." He went over and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much, things will be sorted out."

Faramir nodded, and then cast about for another subject. "Boromir?"

"Yes?"

"Why is your room so much larger than mine?"

*&*

Boromir went to his father after dinner. "What is it, Boromir?" Denethor asked, smiling at his firstborn, the apple of his eye. "What is it that you wanted to ask of me?"

"Well… recently Fa… I mean, I have made a friend." Best not to make it seem like he was asking a favour from his father on Faramir's behalf. That would have been the quickest way to be turned away. "Her name is Aislin."

Denethor laughed. "And you wish to marry this Aislin, my boy?"

Boromir felt his face heating up. "No, no, Father, nothing of that sort…" Though it would be nice… He shook away the thought. What was he thinking? "I was just wondering if it would be possible to give her some work. I think she would be a good serving lady."

Denethor raised his eyebrows. "Just that, Boromir? Nothing more?"

"No, nothing more. You see, she gets tired of her life at home, and I thought that perhaps she would appreciate work…"

"My son is always so thoughtful," Denethor said proudly. "You may bring this Aislin into my service, Boromir."

*&*

"Faramir, tell Aislin tomorrow that she is welcome to come into the service of our father. He has offered her work as a serving woman," Boromir said.

Faramir's eyes widened. "You spoke to Father?"

"No, I spoke to the White Tree," Boromir said sarcastically. "Of course I spoke to Father. Just tell her that she is welcome to work, if she wishes it."

And then he was off, before Faramir could say anything more. Why on earth had he done that for Aislin?

*&*

"Aislin! Aislin!" Faramir dashed towards Aislin, and she turned in surprise. "My father said that you are welcome to be a serving woman in his hall, if you wish to work. Perhaps it would be good for you, if you want to be away from your mother for awhile…" he said breathlessly. He had run all the way just to tell her this before he went on duty.

"You spoke to your father for me?" Aislin was delighted, and flung her arms around him, giving him a huge hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Faramir said nothing in reply. He just stood there, feeling Aislin's arms around him. Somehow he didn't want to tell her that Boromir had been the one to do her this great favour. He did not want to admit that his brother had done something that he would never be able to do for her.