With the picnic hamper abandoned, Faramir and Eowyn sprinted back towards the gates of Minas Tirith. They reached the gates at about the same time as the horsemen and so as King Eomer and his bodyguard dismounted. They skidded to a halt as Eomer dismounted from his splendid grey-white horse, Firefoot. Eomer seemed perplexed at the two people panting and gasping for breath, hardly able to stand up without leaning on each other's shoulders, fighting desperately to keep some form of dignified posture. Managing to overcome this slightly strange sight, Eomer said,
"My darling sister, Eowyn. Who is this fine man whom you are supported by"? Eowyn looked slightly taken aback by such a quick fire question and while she was off-guard because she was out of breath. But she recovered her posture, and what dignity she had left, she straightened her herself and said,
"I was not expecting you. Has Aragorn asked for your counsel? You usually tell me when you are going to visit." Eomer overlooked this slight rudeness for his little sister and said, in a slightly stately manor.
"Aragorn asked me to come here on a personal matter. I have no idea what it is but it will probably involve some mission he needs good horsemen for. In other words he wants he to get myself killed for my country again."
Faramir remembered the last time Aragorn called Eomer into Minas Tirith on a personal matter. It had involved Eomer getting lots of riders and going to hunt orcs that still roamed the land. On the first expedition Eomer himself had gone on, He was almost killed by a volley of arrows.
"Anyway, I wonder what he wants this time." With that Eomer started up towards the top of Minas Tirith with Eowyn and Faramir tailing behind. They walked in silence, but eventually Eowyn said,
"You remember Faramir don't you? He is now Steward of Gondor after his father's death during the battle of Pelennor. Faramir hurried forward to shake Eomer's hand. Eomer accepted it graciously. That was the first step done. This was where it got slightly tricky. Eomer then spoke to Faramir,
"Was the battle behind the walls as fierce as in front of them on that dreadful day"? Faramir smiled but answered cheerily, a little too cheerily perhaps,
"I have no idea. I was hit by two arrows before the main fighting even begun in a cavalry charge, no thanks to my father. But I was completely knocked out for the whole battle. My father tried to burn me alive amongst other things so I didn't get off entirely free. Eomer laughed and continued up the slope. They spoke no more until they reached the final level where Aragorn and Arwen stood, waiting quite patiently for their guest to arrive. As Eomer approached Aragorn, he walked forward, arms wide, saying.
"My lord Eomer, welcome to Minas Tirith, ad the realm of Gondor. Come, you and your men must be exhausted. I shall get the cook to bring you some wine and food." Eomer did not seem impressed by all this fancy talk because after becoming King of Rohan, he had become more business-like, knowing he had lands to run a less than the necessary time to do it. He therefore had become less sympathetic of people just having fun. Apart from Faramir this was one of the reasons Eowyn had left Edoras and gone to Minas Tirith. All Eomer said was,
"Spare me the small talk and tell me how now your new attractive way for me to have my brains blown out for the service of Middle-Earth!" Aragorn looked at him in surprise, and then remembered what had happened before and grinned. How was it his fault that Eomer went at a band of orc archers with nothing but Firefoot, a sword and his skin and had lot less of all three by the end of that trip. Aragorn came to his senses and said something that made Faramir and Eowyn return to their choking spree.
"I haven't got a mission for you this Eomer. I just thought you might like an input into the plan of Eowyn's marriage to young Faramir here." There was complete silence, broken only by Eowyn and Faramir coughing. Eomer turned slowly towards the two of them.
"Is what I have just heard true, Eowyn." Eowyn was still in pretty rough state but Faramir managed to spit out a few words.
"We were just getting to that part." He started towards Aragorn,
"When I get my breath, and my strength back you are going to die!" Aragorn finally realised his mistake and his face fell quite dramatically. What was the previously happy king, had become one of worry and guiltiness. Eventually he managed to say,
"So you hadn't told him." Vigorous nods from Faramir and Eowyn,
"And I've spilled the beans to him without you saying first." More nods. All Aragorn could say was,
"I'm dead." Defiantly a lot of nods that time. There then came a very awkward silence that was broken by a Citadel Guard accidentally dropping his shield. Eomer, who had just watched all this happen, sidled over to Eowyn.
"Why didn't you tell me"? Eowyn knew the answer, but should she tell her brother that or should she keep it a secret and let Aragorn blab again the moment that she and Faramir left. She decided on the truth,
"I did this because I love Faramir with all my heart and I don't want to loose him. I knew that if I told you then you would forbid me to ever see Faramir again. This you have found out after we have become engaged. Surely this sign of our love is enough to soften your heart into agreeing with this marriage. I am no longer the little girl you wish me to be, I can make my own decisions." While Eowyn had said all of this, Eomer had stood stock still, not daring to say anything, and Faramir, whom seemed as though he feared that Eomer, being bigger and stronger than Faramir, might strangle him. After what seemed like an age, Eomer said,
"You're right Eowyn, I won't let you marry Faramir. Your are a Maiden of Rohan, and so you shall marry in the lineage of your lands." And with that Eomer swept himself back down towards Firefoot. Eowyn stood still, with tears silently streaking down her face, looking as though she might collapse. Faramir rushed forward and stopped her falling. As he supported her, all of Eowyn's emotion rushed from and she just buried her face in Faramir's chest, weeping. Faramir stroked her hair, trying to comfort her, but with tears pouring down his own face it was not very convincing. Eowyn eventually broke from Faramir and ran after her brother as though she thought it might do some good. Eowyn caught up with Eomer as he left the sixth level. All she could do was shout at him, crying as she did so,
"How can you be so cruel! You would deprive me of the one that I love just to keep lineage. Faramir means more to me than Rohan will ever mean to you. Would you separate true love just so you could control your own sister…"
"I did it because I care for…" This was as far as Eomer got before Eowyn stopped him,
"Don't me any of that rubbish! If you care for me then you would let me marry Faramir and be happy for me in the process. You are sickening! Why can't you be happy for how things have turned out? You have to destroy everything I have ever dreamed of just because it doesn't fit in with what you want. I am not a kid anymore, maybe you could trust me more." Not once had Eowyn breathed and so now she gasped for breath. Eomer, after much thought, said
"I love you Eowyn, and I want you to be happy, but I want you to marry a Rohirrum. I would give up half of Rohan is you felt the same…" Eowyn interrupted him saying,
"But you would not given up all of it. Had Faramir been in control of land he would gladly have given it all up for me and I would have done the same for him. If you don't want me to marry Faramir, I don't care will marry him anyway and you cannot, and will not stop me." With that Eowyn stalked away. Eomer was left dumbstruck by this display of emotion, seeing feelings in his sister that he thought she didn't have. And then Eomer did something he had not done since he arrived in Minas Tirith, he smiled with joy. He called after Eowyn, hurrying after her. Eowyn stopped and turned around. Eomer, being far less graceful on foot than on a horse, skidded to a halt but managed to say,
"If you really love Faramir enough to marry him without your own brother, then I do not want to stop you. You are right, I shouldn't control you and you can make your own choices. Be at peace, for you husband-to-be awaits. Eowyn's face split into a huge smile and, with a laugh from her brother, threw her arms around him.
Faramir was waiting on the seventh level. When Eowyn and Eomer return he quickly walked over to Eowyn. She held up the hand with her engagement ring on it and said,
"I think I may be needing this a little longer." Faramir smiled and kissed her with a tenderness that Eowyn had never experienced, but it made her never want to let him go. As they kissed Eomer smiled with happiness for his sister. As Faramir and Eowyn broke apart, Faramir knelt before Eomer and said,
"I cannot thank you enough, my lord Eomer." Eomer rolled his eyes and lifted his brother-in-law to his feet.
"For one whom my sister loves so dearly, thanks are not needed," was all he said.