Chapter Three
"Now, you lay down and I'll get you some of your tea, I see you already have some hot over the fire...."
"Faramir, I can get my own tea."
"I know you can, but why should you have to?
Eowyn sighed in exasperation and sat down at the table. Faramir sat a cup of tea beside her. "This was the only cup I saw sitting out, I didn't want to rummage through your cabinets without asking."
"This is fine," she said. "And feel free, though there's not much in them." She ran her finger along the outer rim of her cup, her thoughts elsewhere.
"Eowyn, why were you crying?" Faramir asked suddenly. "You were walking towards me, and you were crying. That's why you couldn't see where you were going."
She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "I wasn't crying, I guess....my eyes aren't used to such light in the morning, it's always so dim in here...."
"Don't lie."
Eowyn looked up sharply, but no words came to her.
"You saw him and Arwen, didn't you?" he asked. "And he ignored you."
"I do not care what the King of Gondor thinks of me, nor if he chooses to ignore me at will," Eowyn said fiercely.
"It certainly did not seem that way when I saw you speaking to him in the Houses of Healing just now," Faramir said directly. "You love him, Eowyn."
Eowyn's heart felt like it had stopped. "I do....or did. I do not know what to think anymore."
Faramir opened his mouth to speak, but Eowyn cut him off. "Do not offer me false words of encouragement, for they are of no use. Do not tell me it's hopeless, for I know this already. But he had given me reason to believe....that he had feelings for me, on our journey. Then I learned of his true love, of his Lady Arwen, and I knew then that he just felt pity for me," She finished this with contempt.
"You deserve better, Eowyn," he said.
"Who can be better than the King of Gondor?" she said bitterly.
"If you look at it that way, no one," he said bluntly. "If you look by title and rank alone, no one. But I thought you'd look deeper than that."
Eowyn was taken aback. "I did not fall for him for his rank, for when I came to know him I did not know he would be king someday. But I grew to care deeply for him, and now even though he has torn me into pieces, I cannot stop."
She was silent a moment.
Faramir shook his head. "I'm sorry....I should not be pestering you in this condition. Come, drink your tea, and then you can lay down and rest."
"I cannot rest," she said weakly. "Dreams come unbidden, horrible dreams....with my uncle....with Aragorn...." Her voice trailed off.
"But you have had a good dream," Faramir said. "Or so you said to Aragorn."
Her face softened a bit. "He was not in the dream, not that time. Neither was my uncle."
"Who was, if I can be so bold as to ask?"
She was silent again. "I'm not ready to say, not yet." She took a deep drink from her cup and exhaled. "But I will be, someday, I hope," she finished in a barely audible voice.
Faramir smiled. "Well let us hope for more good dreams for the Lady Eowyn, and let us put her to sleep." He lifted her up and she laughed, the first time he had heard her do such.
"You know there's nothing wrong with my legs!" she protested with a smile.
"Aye, but there might be something wrong with your head."
"Excuse me?" she teased. "Are you implying that I've gone insane?"
"No," he said, "You're the one who said it, not I. I was merely implying that your injury could affect your walking, might make you dizzy. I wouldn't want you falling over again."
"I'm sure that's exactly what you thought," she said, her voice laden with sarcasm. "You just think I'm mental."
"Well you're the nicest mental case I've ever seen then!" he said, laying her down in her bed. "Sleep well, m'lady."
"It's....Eowyn...." she said through a yawn. "You know you can call me Eowyn...."
Faramir just smiled walked over to look at an elvish style sofa that sat in the corner of the room. "Where'd you get this? Have you been to Rivendell, or Lothlorien, perchance?"
"No," Eowyn said through another yawn. "Arwen....as a housewarming gift....she's so nice, despite everything....if you're going to stay, feel free to use it...."
Eowyn was asleep before the last words left her mouth. Faramir walked back over to her and kissed her forehead softly. "May your dreams not trouble you, my dear lady."
"Now, you lay down and I'll get you some of your tea, I see you already have some hot over the fire...."
"Faramir, I can get my own tea."
"I know you can, but why should you have to?
Eowyn sighed in exasperation and sat down at the table. Faramir sat a cup of tea beside her. "This was the only cup I saw sitting out, I didn't want to rummage through your cabinets without asking."
"This is fine," she said. "And feel free, though there's not much in them." She ran her finger along the outer rim of her cup, her thoughts elsewhere.
"Eowyn, why were you crying?" Faramir asked suddenly. "You were walking towards me, and you were crying. That's why you couldn't see where you were going."
She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "I wasn't crying, I guess....my eyes aren't used to such light in the morning, it's always so dim in here...."
"Don't lie."
Eowyn looked up sharply, but no words came to her.
"You saw him and Arwen, didn't you?" he asked. "And he ignored you."
"I do not care what the King of Gondor thinks of me, nor if he chooses to ignore me at will," Eowyn said fiercely.
"It certainly did not seem that way when I saw you speaking to him in the Houses of Healing just now," Faramir said directly. "You love him, Eowyn."
Eowyn's heart felt like it had stopped. "I do....or did. I do not know what to think anymore."
Faramir opened his mouth to speak, but Eowyn cut him off. "Do not offer me false words of encouragement, for they are of no use. Do not tell me it's hopeless, for I know this already. But he had given me reason to believe....that he had feelings for me, on our journey. Then I learned of his true love, of his Lady Arwen, and I knew then that he just felt pity for me," She finished this with contempt.
"You deserve better, Eowyn," he said.
"Who can be better than the King of Gondor?" she said bitterly.
"If you look at it that way, no one," he said bluntly. "If you look by title and rank alone, no one. But I thought you'd look deeper than that."
Eowyn was taken aback. "I did not fall for him for his rank, for when I came to know him I did not know he would be king someday. But I grew to care deeply for him, and now even though he has torn me into pieces, I cannot stop."
She was silent a moment.
Faramir shook his head. "I'm sorry....I should not be pestering you in this condition. Come, drink your tea, and then you can lay down and rest."
"I cannot rest," she said weakly. "Dreams come unbidden, horrible dreams....with my uncle....with Aragorn...." Her voice trailed off.
"But you have had a good dream," Faramir said. "Or so you said to Aragorn."
Her face softened a bit. "He was not in the dream, not that time. Neither was my uncle."
"Who was, if I can be so bold as to ask?"
She was silent again. "I'm not ready to say, not yet." She took a deep drink from her cup and exhaled. "But I will be, someday, I hope," she finished in a barely audible voice.
Faramir smiled. "Well let us hope for more good dreams for the Lady Eowyn, and let us put her to sleep." He lifted her up and she laughed, the first time he had heard her do such.
"You know there's nothing wrong with my legs!" she protested with a smile.
"Aye, but there might be something wrong with your head."
"Excuse me?" she teased. "Are you implying that I've gone insane?"
"No," he said, "You're the one who said it, not I. I was merely implying that your injury could affect your walking, might make you dizzy. I wouldn't want you falling over again."
"I'm sure that's exactly what you thought," she said, her voice laden with sarcasm. "You just think I'm mental."
"Well you're the nicest mental case I've ever seen then!" he said, laying her down in her bed. "Sleep well, m'lady."
"It's....Eowyn...." she said through a yawn. "You know you can call me Eowyn...."
Faramir just smiled walked over to look at an elvish style sofa that sat in the corner of the room. "Where'd you get this? Have you been to Rivendell, or Lothlorien, perchance?"
"No," Eowyn said through another yawn. "Arwen....as a housewarming gift....she's so nice, despite everything....if you're going to stay, feel free to use it...."
Eowyn was asleep before the last words left her mouth. Faramir walked back over to her and kissed her forehead softly. "May your dreams not trouble you, my dear lady."