**Author's Notes:
The next few chapters are short, but get the ball rolling for the next twist in the tale.**


***************Chapter 22***************


It had been a week since Faramir had left, and as promised she had written him every day, though she had only sent out the first batch of letters a few days ago. They would hopefully reach him in a few days and soon she hoped to hear from him. So far she had had no word, only that he had returned home with no problems, which had lessened the worry in her heart. Now as she practiced sparing, her mind was on him more then her moves and she misses an important one, causing her to almost get nicked by her partner's sword.

"Yes, yes, I know." She shakes her head, pausing and taking a deep breath before, with a nod, she continues. This time she tries to keep her mind off of Faramir and on the match.

It is over an hour later that she finally calls a stop to the match, but only because she was supposed to meet her brother for lunch. She only got to see him some days at lunch and dinner, sometimes not even at lunch. His days were busy with rebuilding, as were hers on some of those days. Like this afternoon she was to travel to the village to the east and make a call in to some of the homes, to see what she could do for the women who had lost their husbands. She wanted to make sure that they had enough food and that there was plenty of help for anything needed. Her brother thought she was too soft hearted at times, but the children were important to her, and they were the ones that were suffering the most as of late. So she would be taking a cart with clothes and food for those that needed it. Eomer was supposed to go with her, but she knew that he may not be able to make it. If not, she would be okay, she wouldn't be alone, she was taking some of the men with her.

Eomer was sitting at the table where he and Eowyn would have their lunch. He was looking over a set of messages from the border guards. With a deep sigh he rubs his head. So sometimes being king wasn't so easy. He was going to have to send out a few squads of men to help get rid of the orcs that were attacking the border guards.

He looks up as Eowyn comes in. With a smile that doesn't reach his eyes he gestures to the chair across from him. "Did you have fun with your practice time, Sister?" He sees her look and grins. "Well I have something to say. I am sorry to inform you though that I will not be able to accompany you on your trip to the village. I must mobilize some men and send them out to the borders. Orcs are attacking again. Oh how I wish I had a Steward to look after the city so that I may go and fight again." Ah but with his luck, his Steward would be the one sent out to fight instead of him, like Aragorn did with Faramir. He had heard that Faramir was still considered the Captain of the Rangers, as well as being Steward. Aragorn, as King, lead the armies. But Aragorn had insisted that Faramir remain Captain of the Rangers. He had heard all this from his source in Gondor.

She takes her seat, nodding sadly. "I feared that you would not be able to accompany me. So I have already made arrangements to have a couple men along. I should not be gone too long." She reaches out and starts to put food on her plate. "I am also taking Monica so that I might have help with the children and handing out the food and clothing. I want to get a school started again soon, the children need one. But with most the men gone, it is hard to get the women encouraged to promote the children when they are so down about the loss of their husbands." She shakes her head sadly. "I know that I would be at a loss without Faramir." The frown returns to her brow at thoughts of him. "I hope to hear from him any day now, it all depends on how he sent out his letters. Two days at the least, but it may take as many as 4 depending." She sighs deeply, poking at her food, her appetite suddenly gone.

He reaches over and touches his sister's hand. "If it helps any I could give you the letter I have gotten from Gondor. Aragorn says he is......well just as miserable about not having you." He sees her look of interest and smiles. He searches through the pile of papers beside him and then pulls out a letter and hands it to her. "There is not much, as it is more on Gondor business, but he does mention his Steward a few times." He hoped seeing the little bit about Faramir in the letter would get her to eat. She hadn't been eating well at all lately. He places some food on his plate as he watches her read the letter. He shakes his head and taps his fork against her plate. "Eat Eowyn. You can read and eat, I've seen you do it."

She takes the letter almost greedily from his hands, though she tries to not look too emotional about it. She starts reading it over, all thoughts of eating out of her head as she skims over the parts about Gondor. Eomer's tapping finally brings her out of the slight trance and she smiles. "If I must. I was going to eat." Though if truth be told she probably would have not eaten at all, rather she would have just read the letter over and over. She picks up her fork and once more starts picking at the food. She hadn't put too much on her plate so that when she cleaned it off it would look like she had eaten more then she had. She wasn't purposefully trying to make herself sick, she just honestly had had no appetite since Faramir had left. Each day it seemed to get worse too and she had even had a dizzy spell this morning. Luckily she had been alone at the time. Now as she eats some of the meat it catches in her throat and she has to wash it down with some wine before going on. Eomer was right, there really wasn't much about Faramir, but it did mention how he seemed to be distracted at times, and he figured it was because of a certain shieldmaiden in Rohan. That brings a smile to her face and finally she puts it down, sliding it over to her brother. "I sent out my letters this morning, and I must say that I did use one of the faster riders. I wanted them to arrive in record time." She blushes slightly at her admission, looking down at her plate. She picks at her food in silence for a little while before speaking. "Have you written to Lothiriel? I know she mentioned that she would be writing here often, and I was not the intended recipient." She looks at her brother for any signs of how he was feeling about the woman. But she didn't need to look too hard, for it was obvious he was smitten with the woman.

He smiles. "I noticed. For I also sent my letters along with your rider so that he may also make a trip to Dol Amroth when he finishes delivering to Minas Tirith." He wasn't known for his letter writing skill but for his beloved Lothiriel he would write anything. And really he had. He smiles as he thinks of the Lady from Dol Amroth. Ah if only he could see her again. He drinks some of his wine. Looking over at his sister and seeing a slight smirk on her face. "What? Eowyn, I know that look. And I have no idea what you mean. Yes I wrote her but we are merely friends." He hears her snort and can't help but smile. He did love his sister. She was always the one he could confide in. "If I said she was anything more to me, would that not be rushing into things?"

She shakes her head sharply. "Not in the times we live in, Eomer. Right now we need to take what we can while we can because there may not be a tomorrow. You and Faramir live dangerous lives, we women may say goodbye to you in the morning and never see you to say hello again. No, it is not rushing things, not if you feel it in your heart." She knew that she wasn't just trying to convince him of his love with Lothiriel, but also why she was so deeply in love with Faramir. "If I could, I would have wed Faramir the night before he left. So that we would never be parted. As it is, we have an understanding. Someday soon, we will indeed never be apart." She gives him a lopsided grin. "Now if only he would ask me properly, instead of just having it an 'understanding'. Then all would be perfect." She picks at her food a little more, thinking about what she had told him. She believed in it, she really did. Did he? Did either of the men really believe in love at first sight, or love at such a short time together. She knew that she did. Because she had never felt like this before.

He looks at her and gives her a strange look, one half amused and half stern. "Perhaps that would have justified what your handmaiden informed me of when she was seeing to your bed sheets being changed?" He sees Eowyn's face drain of all color and the look of horror in her eyes and he can't help but smile. Oh he had been upset, when he had found out. But after a few days of thinking about it.....well could he blame her? After all, what she said was right. They did have to make the most of the precious moments they had in their lives with loved ones. Which was why he always tried to have at least one or two meals with her. Just to spend some time with her. He reaches across the table and pats her hand. "I am not mad, Eowyn, though I do wish you could have waited a little longer." He was speaking so only she could hear him. "I have thought about your decision long and hard and have come to the conclusion that....well it is your decision. And at least you will be marrying him eventually so it is not like some dirty affair." He rubs her hand. "If it helps any, I would prefer to ride to Dol Amroth and confess my love for Lothiriel. I do not simple because of the fact that I do not wish to scare her, or have her father and brothers chase me off like some wild beast."

But it didn't help any. She could think of nothing more then that he had found out what had happened. She was mortified, though it did register in the back of her mind how he hadn't gone after Faramir and killed him, she still could think of nothing more then how she had been betrayed by one of the handmaidens. She would have to find out who, for she would make sure the woman was dealt with and moved to another part of the castle, far from her and far from anything to do with her. She needed to trust those around her and that trust was now killed. Her face goes from white to a bright red next from both embarrassment as well as anger. She doesn't pull her hand away from his, but she does croak out a question. "Who told?" She needed to know, it was as if she could make it all go away if she knew. His calming words didn't seem to touch her yet, not through the embarrassment of the situation. "It doesn't help, Eomer, because you have not ridden there. " She thought of denying it, saying that the woman was wrong, that it had been merely the begining of her monthly, but she knew better then to lie to her brother, at least about something like this. She knew he would be able to tell.

"Does it matter who told? I am not upset with you, Eowyn. I was but....I have come to grips with it." He sees her look and shakes his head. "The new one. The one you do not like and who thinks very little of men of Gondor." He sees her look and grips her hand. "I have taken her from your service, Eowyn. Come, think not of her and eat your lunch. You need your strength if you are to be any help. Perhaps tonight when you arrive back we shall have some of your favourite foods for dinner?" He hoped that would take her mind off the betrayal she felt. Truth be told it was more than likely his fault that the woman had still been Eowyn's handmaiden. Eowyn had many times complained about the older woman, they never did get along, but he had insisted that his sister keep the woman. Now he could see why Eowyn didn't much like her.

She tries to calm down, but she felt the betrayal deep. "Eomer, if I had wanted you to know, it was my choice to inform you of it, not her's. That is why I am so upset over this. I can't have women that I don't trust around me, even if she did think she was doing right. For all I know it backfired. Maybe she wanted you to disown me for being a harlot!" She grips his hand, then finally lets it go with a nod. "Thank you. Because I do not want her around me again." She starts picking at her food again, thinking about everything all at once till her mind until she is drawn back to one thing. "Do you think he misses me as much as I miss him?" She knew she shouldn't dwell on it, but what more could she do??

He smiles at his sister, nodding. "I know little of Faramir but I am sure he misses you." He uses a piece of bread to wipe up the sauce on his plate, then eats it as he glances at her. When finished he drinks some of his wine and smiles again. "Eowyn, Just so you know, I do not think less of you. He is to be your husband." He gestures to her plate. "Now finish your meal. I must be getting back to work, but I shall wait for you to finish."

She turns red again when he mentions what she had done. I just did not see any reason to wait with our world the way it is. If I could, I would have married him before he left. But there was no time for such things. And since we are betrothed, then I saw no reason not to show him my love." She reaches over and grips his hand, her eyes suddenly begging him. "Eomer, please do not let him know that you know. PLEASE! I could not go through that as well. I will eat some more," she lets go of his hand and jabs at her food, shoving it in her mouth even though it tasted like sawdust. "See," she says around her food. "I am eating." She waves the fork at him. "Now you have to be good." She finds it hard to swallow. "You are done, so go. I will finish this and be on my way as well." Well she would finish the piece of meat, but she couldn't finish the plate as she was already stuffed no matter how little she had eaten.

He smiles at his sister, nodding. "I know, Eowyn. I'm sorry. We will not talk of this further." He finishes his lunch and wipes his mouth on the napkin beside him. He then downs the rest of his wine and looks at his sister, smiling. "I will wait until you are finished. Then I must get back to work. Again, I apologize for not being able to accompany you on your trip. You will be taking your sword with you won't you?"

She could see that he was not going to leave and she would have to clean her plate. She felt like a little kid again, with their Uncle sitting her at the table until she ate everything off her plate. At least she hadn't taken a lot, so she should be able to finish it, if she was careful. She takes a few more bites while answering with a nod. "Yes, always, Eomer. You know me, I do not travel without it. But I do not think that it should be a problem. I won't be going to a village that may have orcs as I will be well within Rohan. I am just going a little to the west."

He smiles and watches her, nodding. "Just make sure it is only a little. I do not wish to worry about you and then find out that you traveled too far west and found yourself in Gondor. Though I do not see you having much of a problem if that happened." He grins and then looks up as a guard approaches and then listens as he says Eomer is needed. With a sigh he nods and stands. Coming around the table he leans down and places a light kiss against his sister's cheek. "Be careful, Eowyn. Run if you find a fight and are outnumbered." He smiles at her and then turns to leave, having whispered that last part so the guard couldn't hear him. Just Eowyn.

She nods, knowing that he was just looking out for her. "Okay, Eomer." Then she takes a few more bites till he leaves. Once he is gone she gets up and nods to one of the staff. "I'm done here." She leaves the room and heads to the stables to get ready. It isn't long before she is heading away from home with 2 handmaidens and 2 guards, enough as far as she was concerned. She had no idea what was about to happen.