Eowyn sat watching Faramir playing with some children. The stablehands had watched Eomer and Faramir sparring some time ago, and now the Stweard was teaching them some tricks. She couldn't help but smile as the two boys, both nine years in age practiced against Faramir, who was easily letting them win, but all three of them were enjoying it. Either side of her sat two smaller children on the log that she had customed to a seat around the sparring ring outside the stables. One was a small girl with brown hair, five years of age, and the other was a boy who looked the same. She had found out before hand that they were the siblings of the boys.

Finally, Faramir was reduced to surrender, and the two boys jumped in the air in victory. They wandered over to Eowyn and the twins and all four children moved so Faramir could sit beside Eowyn and they gathered in an arch on the floor infront of them. "Well done boys, you just defeated the Steward of Gondor!" Eowyn praised, and the taller boy, Kelonir smiled and nudged his friend.

"See. I told you we were gonna be the best fighters in Rohan!"

"I want to fight." The girl, Keria, complained, resting her chin on her hands.

"You are a girl!" Kelonir said. "Father says you cannot fight."

"But I want to Kelonir." She said with a small whine.

"Ah, but is Lady Eowyn not a girl also?" Faramir pointed out.

They all nodded. "Yes, and she can fight better than Kelonir!" Keria said proudly. Eowyn laughed at this but did not protest.

"Then any girl can fight." Faramir told them. "You must do what your heart desires, young one."

Keria frowned though. "But Father says that I will have to get married."

"We all marry, Keria." Eowyn told her. "Even us sheildmaidens."

"But how will I know who is the right man?" She asked. Both of them smiled, yet a little suprised at having to answer this question from a five year old.

"Don't go for looks, for they can decieve. Don't go for wealth, for even that fades away. Go for a man that makes you smile." Eowyn told her, taking Faramir's hand in her own. "It takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one who makes you heart smile."

"My heart can smile?" Keria asked with a small frown.

"It can, yes." Faramir continued. "Life isn't as difficult as it seems at times. Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go, be whom you wish to be, because you only have one life, and one chance to do all the things you want to do. If you want to fight, then fight." Eowyn felt warmed by Faramir's speech, and envisioned that he had told this to many children. Maybe that was the reason why Gondorian children were so happy and Rohirrim children were all so afraid of the world. Edoras needed someone like Faramir, if only for the children.

"Could I really be a sheildmaiden?" Keria asked in amazement.

"Of course not!" Kelonir protested.

This sibling pair reminded Eowyn a lot of herself and Eomer. "Yes, you could." She assured the girl. "In fact, I shall inform my brother that you should like to be one."

Keria's eyes widened. "Oh, thank you, Lady Eowyn, thank you!"

"Now, it is getting late, you parents will be worried." Faramir realised. "You should be getting home."

They all groaned as they climbed to their feet. "We will miss you in Gondor Lady Eowyn." the other boy, Aiden told her. "Will you come back and see us?"

Eowyn smiled. "Of course I will, and I will bring you all gifts from Minas Tirith."

They all chattered excitedly as the wandered down the hill back to their homes. Faramir stood and offered his hand to Eowyn, who used it to help herlsef stand. They walked arm in arm up to the Golden Hall, where Eomer was awaiting their presence at dinner. It would be Eowyn's last dinner in the Golden Hall for some time, and as much as Eomer wanted it to be a celebration, Eowyn had insisted it only be a small company.

"That seemed awfully familiar." Faramir observed. "It seems your brother may be loosing you, but that young girl should keep him pestered regularly."

"First of all, Faramir, I do not 'pester' my brother as such. Anyhow, it would do her good to take an interest in fighting. She does not have long." Eowyn said sadly.

Faramir frowned. "What do you mean?"

Eowyn sighed heavily. "She was very tiny when she was birthed. Many only think of her as three years old, yet she is five. Her mother barely survived, and healers have told them that Keria shall not see past her tenth year."

Faramir looked dismayed. "Her tenth year? But that is so young!"

Of course, it was not common for children to be taken before their tenth year from illness, yet usually it was evident in their behaviour. They would be paler, and less active than others, sickly even, but Keria had been nothing less than normal. She had always joined in the games, and showed what Eowyn considered to be a healthy interested in the art of the sword.

"I know. She does not know of this as such. Her mother could not bear to tell her."

Faramir fell silent. He hated it when children were taken. They had a chance a life, and something had deprived them of this chance. That was why he visited the sick children at the Houses of Healing, to comfort them like he had wanted comfort at that age. He had been a sickly child, not likely to see his fifth year, but he had beaten the sickness. His father had not seen him once during his stay in the Houses of Healing, he did not want others to have to feel alone, so he would talk with them, sing, play games, whatever they wanted to do to feel more comfortable. The worst part of it though, was when he had been frequently to visit a child called Halindor, who had been in the Houses for some months. His parents were taken by orcs during this time, and so Faramir went to see him as often as he could to ease his pain. He would also teach him, as Mithrandir had done while he was sick, and one day gave him a book to read. It was only a short one, and one of Faramir's personal favourites, so no doubt he would have finished it by the next morning. However he arrived a few hours later than planned, and was greeted by a healer who informed him that Halindor had passed away through the night. He had been devestated, and wished that he could have been there. Faramir had spent so much time with the child, that the blow to him felt as bad as if he had lost a son.

He shook the memories away from him, and allowed himself to return his attention to Eowyn, who had a dreamy expression on her face as the climbed the stairs.

"Faramir, do you think we shall be good parents?" She asked him, still in a trance.

He nodded, "I have no doubt of the matter." He answered truthfully. "I could easily see us with children of our own, teaching them to walk, to talk."

She sighed, leaning her head against the comfortable shoulder of her beloved. "I hope they are as unfortunate as I was. " She mused aloud, causing a stir in Faramir's heart. She seemed to sense this, and added on a lighter note: "If they are, I should remember to send them my apologies for living with their uncle. Eomer will indeed be hopeless."

Faramir laughed heartily. "Eowyn! You should do your brother more justice! After all, he did help to raise you!"

"That's exactly my point." She said with an exasperated expression. This caused Faramir to laugh even more, and she joined him. "He told me that we must make sure his neices and nephew visit him often." Eowyn told him, remembering her coversation with her brother that she had not yet hosted her revenge for.

"Amusing." Faramir said thoughtfully. "I would have imagined him set against the idea. After all, who would want a mixture of ourselves to call family? Can you imagine how incredibly stubborn our children will be?"

"I am not stubborn!" Eowyn protected, with a hurt look on her face.

"Love, that is the most stubborn thing one can say." Faramir told her, laughing softly "I do not care if you are stubborn, I love you with every beat of my heart all the same." He said, stooping to kiss her.

She smiled, he always knew exactly what to say, whether it was said with words, or a simple gaze from his ocean like grey eyes. She nestled closer towards him, closing the gap between their waists. "I love you." She said softly, as they walked through the Golden Hall to where Eomer and the others awaited them at dinner.

"When do you plan on relocating to Ithilien, Faramir?" Aragorn asked over the meal of rich meats. "If you wish, it could be arranged within the week."

Faramir swallowed the mouthful of juicy gammon before answering. "You wish to be rid of me so quickly, Aragorn. Am I that much of a bother around the city?"

Legolas and Gimli nodded, and Aragorn laughed. "I do not know if you shall be so now that you will not be pining for a certain Lady of Rohan all day." Faramir blushed and looked down at the table, smiling.

"Well it worked didn't it. You agreed to let me come."

"Yes it did. Otherwise I feared the only way to keep your mind on Middle Earth and not floating away would be to write to Lady Eowyn and beg her to come and silence you." Aragorn remarked, causing Eomer to laugh.

"What a coincidence, I was getting close to that decision myself." He informed the King lightly, winking at his sister as he did so. "It seems that Faramir is not the only one who has been pining."

Eowyn reminded herself to add the usage of the word 'pining' when speaking of her missing Faramir to the long list of reasons for her revenge. She gave Eomer a harsh look, if only there was some way to silence him and gain satisfaction in an area that he could not return this notion. She sat in thought as the men talked amongst themselves. She felt a little lightheaded with the smoke drifting from Gimli's pipe, yet did not move. She would not cause any of the men to worry about her of the eve of her leave from this city.

"As much as I love both Rohan and Gondor," Aragorn mused, "I do favour the trip between the two. It reminds me of the days of being a ranger."

Only Faramir could agree with this. "Sleeping under the stars."

"Only you and the nature of the forests and wilderness."

Eomer rolled his eyes. "Am I still speaking with the King and Steward of Gondor? Your place is in the city." He reminded them with a teasing smile.

"May I remind you, King Eomer, that we have done a considerable amount of work rebuilding Osgiliath and repairing the damages to Minas Tirith." Aragorn pointed out. Neither were easy tasks, they had both been emotionally and physically draining for everyone involved in the process.

"Yes, we deserve a night under the stars." Faramir protested.

Eowyn's dizziness faded, and she gave up her thoughts of revenge to join in the conversation. "It sounds heavenly."

Eomer, once again, rolled his eyes. "Sister, you should have been born in Gondor, then joined the rangers."

"Do not tempt me." She said lightly. "One does not have to be a ranger to roam the lands of Middle Earth."

"Quite right. Speaking of which, I recieved word from our hobbit friends this morning." Eomer told them.

"What news of our friends?" Aragorn asked.

"Master Samwise has been married to a lass named Rosie Cotton, and they expect their first child in the fall. Merry has courted a woman called Estella, and even young Pippin has found a lady named Diamond."

"Pippin?" Faramir, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli all choked.

"You mean to say that Pippin has found a hobbit that can put up with him?" Gimli asked in disbelief. "The same Pippin who was the reason that we were attacked by the Goblins in Moria?"

"The same Pippin who sent us halfway over Middle Earth trying to rescue them from the orcs?" Aragorn contined.

"The same Pippin who foolishly looked into the Palanntir?" Legolas questioned.

"The same Pippin who saved my life?" Faramir asked.

Eomer did not need to answer as a small voice drifted through the air. It was undoubtable from the Shire.

"Yes, does it really seem that incredible."

The company turned in suprise to see Merry and Pippin standing about thirty feet from their table in the doorway. They came over to the table and sat down. Pippin beside Faramir and Merry opposite him, beside Gimli.

"She is a very nice girl, my Diamond." Pippin told them.

"When did you arrive?" Aragorn asked them. Eomer did not look suprised.

"About ten minutes ago. We were travelling on our way to see the rest of you in Gondor, but we learnt along the way that you were all to be here." Merry informed them.

"So we thought that we would drop by here and see King Eomer and Lady Eowyn, and then ride through to Gondor with you." Pippin finished with a smile.

Eomer had known of their intended arrival, but kept silent this knowledfge from the rest of the company. Conversation moved swiftly from the Shire, to the ladies of the two hobbits.

"I see that Sam is not the only one to take a wife." Eomer intoned.

"Oh no." Pippin and Merry said together, before Merry explained quietly. "We aren't married as yet."

Eyebrows shot through the ceiling as Pippin laughed nervously, seeing as Aragorn and Faramir nearly feel from their stools. Eowyn also laughed at this. "You should make sure to inform us when you do get married. For I, for one, should like to attend the marriage of the Esquire of Rohan."

"And I for the Guard of the Citadel." Faramir agreed. "Also, you and your, ahem, Lady friends, as well as Masters Frodo and Samwise, are invited to our wedding." He said, taking Eowyn's hand under the table.

Merry smiled at Pippin smugly. "See! I told you they weren't married yet!" Pippin reached into his pocket and took out five gold coins, dropping them into Merry's outstretched hand. It seemed they had taken bets on the wedding.

"Actually..." Eowyn began, "We are married."

Pippin looked confused. "But you just said you hadn't had the wedding yet."

"We have had a small ceremony, just us, Aragorn and Eomer." Faramir explained. "Three nights ago." Pippin did not look as at loss as he had done, yet there was still confusion in his eyes. "But it seems that me and Aragorn were the only men here who waited until the wedding night."

Never had any of them seen two hobbits blush so much. Their faces, already pinched with a healthy pink tone from their ride in the evening cold, turned to a deep magneta colour. They both mumbled something incoherent to the others ears, some sort of excuse, but none of them heard it, they were all laughing to hard to listen. Soon, the two hobbits also saw the funnier side of this, and joined in the laughter.

"I see that you have not changed at all." Legolas noticed.

"Yes we have!" Pippin said in defensively. "We have not stolen from Farmer Maggot's crops since we returned to the Shire!" He remarked proudly.

"Well," Merry began, "We did once. But only once!"

"And I am now a responsible person!" Pippin said.

"Indeed." Merry agreed. "Whenever something goes wrong in Hobbiton, people always say that Pippin is responsible."

They fought the temptation to laugh again, particularly as Pippin saw this a compliment, and did not see the true meaning to this statement.

With wine and ale drunk to the limits, and conversations continued until well past midnight, all was well with the residents and the travellers. Eowyn was glad that her final night in Rohan would be memorable and entertaining. Merry and Pippin did not hesitate in singing and dancing for them, and when, to nobody's surpise, Aragorn became drunk enough to join them in such an act, tears of laughter appeared in Eowyn's eyes. She had to lean against Faramir for support from laughing to hard when Aragorn fell over for a third time. Of course, he was drunker than he was three nights ago, and Faramir and Eowyn both wondered if the King rememered that they had a long ride ahead of them in the morning.