The next chapter will be the last! Whew, 40 chapters!

CHAPTER 39 : Golden Days

"I must return to Rohan with my brother. There is much to do, and he will need my help. Also, I miss my country, and would wish to look upon it one more time. But when my uncle is laid down to rest in Rohan, I will return." Éowyn held on to Faramir's gaze steadily as she spoke.

Faramir nodded. "I understand. I'll miss you, but I'll see you again in Rohan, all right?"

Éowyn nodded, then went to her room to pack her things.

Faramir stood behind Aragorn, with all the others assembled to bid the Riders of Rohan farewell. He held Liana by the hand, waiting to say goodbye to Éowyn. Éomer came to him first. He patted Liana on the head, and then smiled at Faramir. "We'll meet again very soon, brother."

Faramir nodded in agreement. "Have a good journey, brother."

Éomer nodded and went to speak with Aragorn, and Éowyn came up to Faramir. No words were exchanged, but Éowyn gave Faramir a tender kiss on his cheek. She did the same for Liana, then walked to her horse, looking back at them to wave. Liana waved back as she mounted, and then the Riders began to leave the City.

Faramir watched with a smile as Aragorn wedded Arwen Undómiel, the scene before his eyes one of the most beautiful he had seen. He saw between them the long years of waiting, the doubts and worries, all washed away as they were finally together. He looked upon the happy faces of all gathered, and gazed in wonder at the Lady Galadriel, and her husband Lord Celeborn, from Lórien. They were tall, fair, and their eyes bore the evidence of many years of experience that had brought them great wisdom. He wished that Éowyn could be standing by his side, so they could share this experience together.

The Riders were back for their fallen King, and the City gates were opened, welcoming them. That night, a great feast was set out, and everyone was gathered. Everyone was happy, and the table was noisy from their many merry conversations. The Hobbits were at their prime, eating and drinking and telling amusing stories from the Shire, entertaining the whole table. Faramir laughed along with the rest, in high spirits.

After the meal, Éomer approached him, after speaking with Gimli for a moment. "Faramir, will you be riding to Edoras with us?"

"Of course, Éomer. I would be accompanying the King and Queen, together with many captains and nights, and the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. Never had any king of the Mark had such company before."

Éomer nodded. "Yes, I know. My uncle deserves all the glory he has won. We will miss him, but I have promised that I will do the best I can for my people and my country." He paused, and then said, "Éowyn misses you. She looks forward to seeing you in Rohan."

Éowyn handed a filled cup to her brother, and Éomer was declared the King of the Mark as he drained the cup. A loud cheer went up among the people, and everyone set about to the funeral feast of Théoden. A great spread had been set out; the cooks had outdone themselves in preparing the funeral feast of a king they had all loved dearly. Although everyone mourned the death of Théoden, the feast was a merry one, for everyone knew that it was what Théoden had always wished for his people: happiness and peace.

After everyone had eaten his or her fill, Éomer stood, with an announcement to make. "Faramir, the Steward of Gondor, and the Prince of Ithilien, has asked for my sister's hand in marriage, and Éowyn grants his wish willingly. And so I ask that we will all drink to them, and their happiness."

Éowyn blushed as she stood, and her hand was placed in Faramir's. Another great cheer went up among the people as they all drank to them both. She caught Aragorn looking at her, and met his gaze. He smiled warmly at her, and nodded. She nodded back, the understanding between them clear. "Isn't this wonderful?" Faramir whispered to her.

"Yes," she whispered back.

The next few days, to Éowyn and Faramir, were simply a whirl of activity. Preparations were being made for their wedding, which would take place in Edoras. Éomer had suggested it, and Éowyn had been so excited about the prospect that Faramir had found absolutely no way to refuse.

However, he had absolutely no idea that it was going to be such a crazy experience, to prepare for a wedding. Especially when it was his wedding. It seemed as if the whole of Edoras was in a flurry, and he was in the middle of the whole thing. First the women were always fussing about, saying that he needed a new set of clothes just for the wedding. They had seemed scandalised when he mentioned that he had a perfectly good coat already in Minas Tirith, and all he needed to do was to send someone to fetch it. "My Lord, this is your wedding! You can't just get married in all your old things!" someone had said, and that was the end of the matter.

Finally he managed to escape from the women asking his opinions on cloth and wanting to measure the length of his arm (why on earth did they have to measure so many times, and with so many pins?), to have a walk around with Éomer. "All this feels surreal," he confessed. "Sometimes I think I will pinch myself and just wake up from this dream."

"Yes, I see you and my sister, completely swept up in all this craziness," Éomer said, grinning. "I believe yesterday Éowyn just found out just how many different pie crusts can be made. She came into my room to inform me. She's found new respect for the cooks now."

Faramir laughed. "You know, I always thought that every single woman would be incredibly familiar with whatever goes on in the kitchen. It always seemed to me to be something that they were born with."

"Not my sister. She can only cook enough to survive, nothing fancy. She always had more interest in the sword than in the kitchen." Éomer sighed and shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "My mother always worried about how she would find herself a husband when she grew up, if she was to practice sword fighting with the boys all the time. Now I see that she had no reason to worry at all; Éowyn's done just fine."

Éowyn fidgeted, getting bored of standing still for so long. "Hold still, my lady!" the old woman chided. "Otherwise I'd make your dress crooked!" Éowyn sighed, and resumed her original position. She looked out the window, and saw Faramir and Éomer walking about, talking over something that must have been very amusing, with those smiles on their faces. She hoped that Éomer had not told Faramir about her recent fascination of pie crusts.