Wohoo! Ten pages! This chapter was long by a mistake. You see, it was supposed to be a filler, but then strange things just started to come out of my fingers and…

In case anyone is like me and wonders what the names used in this chapter mean, I'll go ahead and tell.

Lai: Leaf.

Rigloriwen: maiden wreathed in gold.

Iavas: Autumn

Uregien: Without thorns.

Everyone else: look it up.

Neniel: First off, cool name. I always have to mention that when I find a particularly awesome name. I was actually supposed to be Nenya, but ff wouldn't accept that. Second; Thank you for your comments! They were so encouraging! New reviewers always inspire me more than ever. As for the comma, I know. I've always had problems with commas. I feel rather competent in grammar, but punctuation… (backs away slowly) :-)

RebbyEowyn: Here we are. I'm glad you're still enjoying this. :-)

EllowynTinuviel: I'm glad you like it! Ow, sometimes shock really hurts, doesn't it!

Someone To Catch My Tears

Part Ten: Aragorn

I didn't know if I could bear to see her again after the thoughts that had plagued me throughout the past month. Did I love her or not? I couldn't answer it for myself. I knew that I should speak to her, and it was the only way that I could derive the answers from my questions, but I couldn't. Instead I suffered an uncommon feeling for me: fear. Fear of an injured woman. I knew that I must be insane, but the prospect of seeing her was so utterly unspeakably mortifying that I finally had to ask Legolas for advice.

"Do I understand you correctly? You're getting married to a woman whom you cannot bear to be in sight of? You have some trouble my friend," was his response.

I just nodded miserably. I noticed Gimli approaching, but I was too upset to even wave.

"What do you plan to do?"

Gimli glanced up at his friend and said, "Mind translating?"

Legolas looked at me, and I just shrugged. He then proceeded to repeat what he had said in Common Speech.

"Do about what?"

"Aragorn's got some problems with his betrothed."

"What are they?"

"He doesn't want to even see her, even after he's been away at battle and everyone could have died. He can't find it in him to be the least be desiring to see her after his long toils."

"Hmmph."

I closed my eyes and hung my head. It really did sound pathetic when Legolas said it like that. "Very well, I'll go see her. I'll go right now."

My friends both raised their eyebrows doubtfully, and then turned away. As they walked towards the nearest pub, I heard them muttering, "Do you think he'll really do it?" "Nah." "How much are you willing to put down on that?" "My twenty gold pieces say that he won't go to her before sundown tonight…"

I did manage to procrastinate until very late in the afternoon. I insisted in my mind that it wasn't my fault, and that I was just very busy, but I knew that I had been searching for things with which to occupy myself. The people of Gondor must have thought that I was mad. Here I was, working so hard, and I had only arrived that morning. I shook my head at myself and shoved away the notes that I was reading. I had much to learn if I was to rule this city well, but I could do it another time. Now I had to deal with my personal problems.

It had been a common fault of mine, busying myself so that I wouldn't have to deal with the true current issues at hand. However, it was a common fault of many, I suspect. I would work on overcoming it, as I had for the past eighty-eight years.

I entered the Houses of Healing, and went directly to the Warden.

"The Lady Eowyn?" I asked.

"In the gardens still, I believe."

I nodded my gratitude and went out into the gardens, I walked through the maze of flowers and trees before I finally spotted, in the setting sun's golden light, an image beyond what I expected. There was Eowyn, walking with an unknown man. They were talking, though I couldn't tell what it was about. As I watched, I realized that the man was Faramir. I had wanted to get to know this man, but I had not yet gotten a chance. My only encounters with him had been when I had healed him and when he had welcomed me to Minas Tirith.

My mind flashed back to that strange thought that had occurred to me when I first met Faramir. In some way yet unexpected, Faramir, son of Denethor, brother of Boromir, would provide an obstacle for me and something I held dear. I shook off the crazy thought and focused on the pair in front of me. I noticed that the relationship was strained, but I also saw something that caused me jealousy. I knew then, in my heart anyway, that if Eowyn chose me over this man that it would be the mistake of her life. However, if she chose him over me, I didn't think that I would live through the announcement of their betrothal.

But I wouldn't admit this to myself. Inside, I was confident of my possession of Eowyn. We were already to be married. How could she turn away from me now? It wasn't as though Faramir and I were two competing suitors. However, fate plays a nasty hand in all of our lives. I didn't even think about how Arwen had left me. We were to be married too. Besides, after that hasty engagement, could I really blame Eowyn for recognizing something different? Not really, but inside I wanted to. I wanted to blame somebody for all the pain that love had forced me to suffer, and for some reason, I found it easy to blame Eowyn. I had never been able to blame Arwen, but I could blame her replacement.

Suddenly, the nearly picture perfect scene before me shattered like glass. Eowyn walked away from Faramir angrily, and I imagine the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. What did this man know about Eowyn? How dare he come to her and act as though he deserved her in some way! Perhaps I did sense a little competition.

As Eowyn stormed away, she caught my eye, and hesitated, then she looked back at Faramir and threw her head into her hands and went inside. Faramir had watched her go, but when she did this his view of her had been obscured, so he had not witnessed the agony that I had witnessed. I debated about speaking to Faramir and speaking to Eowyn. I really didn't want to talk to Eowyn, especially when she was suffering such emotional grief, but I didn't think that I could handle talking to Faramir without biting his head of. Perhaps I sensed A LOT of competition. But that didn't mean that I would admit it to myself. I learned later that one of my greatest weaknesses is my pride. It truly lost me almost everything.

So I decided to go after Eowyn. Faramir glanced up at me when I began to walk, and his eyes saddened and he looked away. He then began to walk alone in the garden, with his head bent.

"Where is Lady Eowyn's room?" I asked a young woman wearing an apron when I got inside.

She looked at me warily, and then said, "I don't believe that she is in her room. She is in the gardens with Lord Faramir. You may wait here for her, for I am sure that she does not wish to be disturbed during her walk. She takes great pleasure in her time with Lord Faramir."

"No, you don't understand," I said shaking my head. "I just saw her coming inside a minute ago. She and Lord Faramir appeared to have quarreled."

The woman's eyes went wide and soft. She appeared greatly pained by this. "B…b…but how do I know w…who you are and if I should let you see her?" she protested softly.

"My name is Elessar. Eowyn is my betrothed."

The girl dropped the pot she had been holding and bowed as the ceramic shattered. "I will fetch the Warden presently. He will show you to her room."

She then ran outside. I didn't wait long before Faramir came in the door, looking a little confused about something. I stiffened immediately. He looked up at me, startled, and said, "Good evening, milord. Is there something I can do for you?"

I just shook my head tensely.

"Would you care to walk in the garden with me?"

"Actually, I am waiting for someone."

"Whom?"

"The Warden."

"For what purpose?"

"Because I wish to speak with my fiancée, Eowyn, is there something wrong with that?" I demanded angrily.

"Oh no," he said, mildly. "But I don't expect you to be able to find him before dark. I believe he is eating dinner now."

"And you're point is?"

"Visiting hours are over at dark. The gate is shut and no one can come in or leave. I am on my way out now. Would you care to walk out with me?"

"Why is this the case?" I asked as I automatically began walking with him down the hall.

He shrugged. "You have much to learn about Gondor, yet, my friend."

I tensed again when he called me his friend.

"Are you sure of this?"

"I've never actually seen it in a set law, but I am quite sure of the rules of my own country—not to mention city."

"But why?" we were now out the gates and the sun slipped down under the horizon.

"Milord, I'm just telling you what is done. There are no rules saying that no one can leave after sundown, it's just that no one does."

"You mean to tell me that I could have stayed in there?"

"If you wanted to appear disrespectful."

"Why did you tell me to leave?"

"To help you and to help a friend."

"What friend?"

"Are you saying that you would know to whom I refer if I told you?"

"No…"

"Then why do you ask?"

"I wanted to know."

"Do you still?"

"Yes."

He sighed and looked at me. "Her name is Lai."

Perhaps he has someone else, I thought. Of course he does. What made me think that this man in his mid-thirties did not have a wife, let alone a sweetheart. Yet, I noticed uneasily the lack of a gold band on his hand.

"Why did Lai not want me in there?"

"I don't know myself for sure. She just came up to me and told me to try and get you out of there."

"Do you have any ideas as to why?"

"I do."

"Why?"

He didn't answer.

I cleared my throat and he looked over at me. "I'd rather not answer that question," he said finally.

I gave up then. Shortly after, I heard him saying farewell from behind me, but when I turned he was already gone. I realized that I was going to have to be careful around this man, for he too had been raised with the skills of a ranger. In the past year I had only had to worry about Legolas. Everyone else was just as loud and blundering as an Oliphant. But not this man. No, he was different.

I retreated to the citadel, where I almost crashed into Legolas and Gimli. "Did you talk to her?"

"I tried but I was put off. Does that count?"

"Did you go to the Houses?" Gimli asked.

I nodded and he appeared satisfied.

"What exactly happened?" asked Legolas, who appeared a little less willing to accept the fact that this counted as me talking to her.

"I went to the Houses, she was already talking with Faramir, so I waited until they were done, but their conversation ended with a fight and she was very upset, so she ran inside. Then when I went inside to find out where her room was, the woman told that she would get the Warden because for some reason the Warden needed to show me to her room. While I was waiting, Faramir came in and told me that I had to leave by sundown, which he later told me was not true…"

As I told the two my story, I realized how strange it was. It was like a conspiracy to keep me away from Eowyn. Maybe it was. Maybe the young lady I had met was Lai. But she had looked a little too young for Faramir, and he didn't seem like the person who would be in that sort of a relationship…

I then realized just how tired I was. I pushed passed my friends, who were bickering over who won since I had tried to talk to her but I had not actually spoken with her. The last thing I heard as I slipped into restless dreams was Gimli's voice ringing in my head saying You bet twenty gold pieces that he wouldn't GO to her tonight…

I woke up with a very different thought in my head. In some way yet unexpected, Faramir, son of Denethor, brother of Boromir, would provide an obstacle for me and something I held dear. The thought came over and over again, persistently until I was fully awake and realizing what I was thinking. Valar would I ever get my mind off of that man! Over and over again the thought came as I bathed and dressed. Every time I told my mind to shut up, and every time it only answered with: In some way yet unexpected, Faramir, son of Denethor, brother of Boromir, would provide an obstacle for me and something I held dear. I was rapidly becoming dizzy, and it was still early in the day. I felt as though I had drunk too much ale too quickly. What was happening to me?

I decided that maybe breakfast would help, so I went downstairs. At the last minute, I decided that I would visit Eowyn first. Perhaps it was still early enough that I could speak with her before I was detained by the plotting and sly Faramir. I was truly ill feeling by this point, and my mind was blowing things way out of proportion.

I walked to the Houses, suddenly wishing that I had grabbed some sort of breakfast after all, for by the time I reached the gates, I was ravenous. Oh well, I thought. Done is done.

As I entered, I noticed that same girl again. She was washing hanging linen near the front door.

"Excuse me Miss…" I trailed off, groping for a name.

"Yes?"

"Erm…" she hadn't taken the hint. Or did she just not want to? "I'm looking for Lady Eowyn…"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, I'm not sure I should let you in. She was very excited to learn that you were going to come, and then when you weren't there when we came back to get you…"

"I left because I was mislead by misinformation. Please, I beg you, allow me only a minute to look upon her face!" I was shocked by my own words, as I didn't really give an orc whether I saw her now or later, but I still thought that this was for the best. I couldn't keep fretting about Eowyn. I had to get my mind off of her and move on with everything I had to do. I didn't think that I would be able to unless I spoke to her and resolved this unspoken and delicate gap in my heart.

"Sir, what misinformation would that be?"

"That I could not leave after sundown."

The nurse giggled. "Well, sir, most people don't leave after sundown. It's true that we don't let anyone in unless they are healers, but we don't usually let anyone out either, because usually, they are patients without patience."

I smiled a little at her pun. "Look lady…what should I call you?"

"Just 'miss' is fine," she said.

'Fine, miss. Look miss, I beg you to let me in there. I need to talk to Eowyn. I cannot stop thinking about her and I need to resolve some problems. Please, let me in."

"Very well, but if you dissapoint her today and are fickle and gone when I come back, I won't let you in again."

"I swear that I will be true!" I declared, my head held high. Now that a question of my integrity was posed, I was very intense about the issue at hand.

She curtsied and left me alone in the front of the House. Almost instantly, a young nurse came up to me and said, "Why, what are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting to see someone."

She smiled in the way my mother used to when a situation appeared hopeless. "I'm sorry, no one is to enter the Houses today. We want the patients to rest so that they can have strength for the celebration tonight."

"What celebration?"

"The one announcing and welcoming the King and Queen to our city. Of course, the Queen will officially be crowned tomorrow. It is our tradition. We celebrate the Queen on the three eves before her crowning. She is always crowned separately from the King, even if they are already married. If the King is not married but has found his bride when he takes the throne, she should be crowned before married, to represent that she puts her country before her husband. The Lady will be crowned come elenya. Come, would you like to see where she is to be crowned?"

I shook my head. "No thank you."

"But sir, you cannot see her…"

Could it hurt? No, I decided. I had promised to stay here. I would stand true to my word.

Unlike some.

I shook the nasty thought away, and shook my head. "Nay, I must wait, for I swore that I would. I will see it another time, lady."

She frowned, and thought hard, but nothing seemed to come to her. "Very well, milord. I shall see you tonight I hope."

"Good day, Lady."

She turned to go back inside, when I called out to her. "Excuse me, there is a young woman working here, she has black hair pulled into a plait around her head, and she was wearing a light blue dress. She also appears to be of Haradric desent…"

She smiled. "Lai, did you wish to see her?"

I smiled back. "Nay, I merely wanted to know her name."

"Well there you have it."

"Thank you lady."

She nodded and went inside. As she went inside, I saw Lai coming out. They exchanged some hushed words, and Lai seemed very upset about something. Perhaps that her conspiracy had failed. Well, there. I had passed the test. Lai frowned as she came up to me and said, "This way please."

She showed me to a door, and told me that Eowyn was ready to see me anytime. I nodded and thanked her, and then took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in."

I was shocked how blunt her voice was. Had she not healed any since I left? Her heart was yet shattered, and I doubted for a moment if I was the one to heal it.

I banished the thought and glanced down at Lai. Then I pushed the door open to reveal Eowyn, sitting in her window seat. It looked out east, and I wondered what she looked for, as we were all here again. The Shadow was defeated. So why did she still look that way?

But I realized that she wasn't looking out. She was looking down at the gardens. She was wrapped in a lovely blue cloak that I was sure I had seen before. But where?

"Eowyn?"

She looked back at me and smiled warmly. "Aragorn. It has been so long, why did you not come sooner?"

"I came yesterday, but from what I can divine, a nurse here, Lai, tricked your friend into tricking me into leaving."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Alas, I cannot be angry at Lai, or even Faramir for long, for they are the only reasons that I held on to hope this long." She looked down at the cloak and stroked it's velvet length.

Where had I seen this image before? I couldn't place it.

Eowyn glanced down at the gardens again, and drew a sharp, though soft, intake of breath. I went over to her to see what was the matter.

Down in the gardens, was he. He who could ruin everything with a wave of his hand. And now he had worried my love.

I turned her face from the window and said, "Eowyn, do not look down there if it causes you pain. From now and here, I shall not have you suffer anything that it is less than perfect. I shall give everything you could possibly ask for to you. All you must do is come to me when you are in need."

She smiled. "Are you saying that you are perfect, milord?"

"Nay, hardly. But to make myself worthy of you, I shall try to perfect every flaw that I have ever possessed."

"But what about the ones you have already perfected?" she said, teasing.

I wondered at the change that had come in her, but I decided to play along. "Ah, but never have I felt the urge to perfect a flaw, so never have I. Now every flaw shall be perfected."

"Perfect as a flaw, or perfected as a trait?"

"What?"

"When you say that, it sounds as though you are going to make it a perfect flaw. Not a perfect trait. Are you going to have a row of perfect flaws, or do you mean that you shall rid yourself of such things all together?"

I realized then that perhaps Eowyn was smarter than I, and at least wittier. I wondered if this was a change that had occurred, or if I had just never seen this side of her. From where could this have come?

She was still grinning, waiting for my answer, but I didn't feel like playing.

"I shall rid myself of flaws."

"Including jealousy?"

"What?"

"You're jealous because I outsmarted you. Will you rid yourself of that flaw?"

"Of course, of course."

"Start now."

I looked into her eyes, and they were still kind, but they were not what I expected. She wanted me to laugh with her, but I couldn't. What was humorous about this? I also saw, rather than love, infatuation. I realized my terrible mistake. I couldn't satisfy her mind, and she couldn't satisfy my heart. What were we doing?

But suddenly she changed. Her eyes darkened, and her silly grin was replaced by a soft smile. She suddenly looked like everything that I had thought to find. I released my previous fear in a soft sigh.

She leaned forward, into me. I responded by leaning towards her. Our lips met, softly, but I noticed the lack of sweetness that Arwen had always brought into our kisses. Where was this? It was no longer there. Perhaps it was driven away with the love that we had had…

But no. I focused on Eowyn, refusing to doubt her. I knew that she was trying, just tired. But when I deepened our kiss, she pulled away. She looked down into the gardens, and said, "Lai wanted us to go for a walk today. I think I'll go and do that now. I'm sorry. I enjoyed our time together. Please, come again."

"Ah, but Eowyn, tonight you shall be released, for it is your celebration! I will let you rest or walk or do as you wish, but we shall both be free by tonight."

Her smile widened at the word "free," as I knew it would, but she still seemed restrained. Almost as though she couldn't be herself around me. Was this true? How could it be? We loved each other. We would always be there for each other to rest in each other's presences when we were tired of flying. Why could she not relax as she used to? Had she been so affected by the Black Breath that this is where she was left?

I remembered what I had said to her just before I had left her. I had told her that the Witch King had not stolen her wit. Yet, that was such a different wit. That wit was the one she used when she wanted something. A sort of Control Drama, one might say. Had this part of her always been there, and it was just now liberated, or perhaps I had been blind to it; or was this a new part of her, instilled by someone or something with which she had come into contact? In my mind, an answer rose unbidden, which I shoved away instantly. Any thought with his name was a thought that I fought. I will include the thought here, as it might provide enlightenment to the truth of Eowyn's situation, as I do not believe now that I was far—if at all—off base with the thought.

Faramir has freed this part of her. It was always there, and Faramir was the only one who could draw it from her.

I refused then to think what I think now, for to think such a thing would mean that Faramir could do what I could not. I could be here for Eowyn when she was sad, but perhaps our relationship was not one to endure both the happy and the sad. Perhaps, in our sad times, we had not realized that happiness was an issue. We had thought that we would be happy to be comforted in our sorrow. We never realized that perhaps we never need be sad.

I gripped her hand in parting, and I kissed her cheek softly. I began to rise, but I was surprised by her quick, playful kiss on the lips.I blinked for a moment, before continuing to leave. I turned back to her at the door and said, "I'll be back here by the eleventh hour of the sun tonight to escort you to your celebration. I will ensure that something shall be found for you to wear before then. O Valar! I must find something to wear myself. It appears that I have my work cut out for me for the day."

She smiled. She was one of the few people who understood the fact that I had few formal clothes, as they were certainly not practical to carry along across many lands while chased by Orcs, Nazgul, Wizards, Dark Lords, and Elbereth knows what else.

I exited the building, and walked back up to the citadel, feeling much better about everything than before. I realized that my hunger had returned, so I ate. I then spoke to several people about ensuring that we could find something for Eowyn to wear, as she also did not have any nice clothes to wear. It would have been easier if we had had the time to have a dress made, but as it was we had to pick out a dress for her and let it fit as best as it would. The three women who had been charged with this duty had insisted that I come along, as they had only seen the Lady from a distance when she was on the walls, usually with Lord Faramir. I didn't know why, but this bothered me immensely.

The debate had gone on and on and I was very tired by the time we chose. I resolved then never to go shopping with women again.

One dress was a pale gold, which would have looked lovely on a dark haired Gondorian, but it would be too similar to Eowyn's golden hair.

White and green were instantly out, as she wore those colors on an everyday basis.

Black also would not do, as people would think that she was still mourning. Though I argued that she was, the ladies said that there was an appropriate time to mourn and the one's coronation celebration is not it.

Blue was a favorite of two of the women and myself, but the third reminded us of the blue cloak that Eowyn was sure to wear.

Lavender was almost settled on, and I'm still not sure why it was rejected ultimately.

Red, they said was too bright, and it wouldn't go with the cloak.

Finally, I mentioned the silver stars on the cloak and Eowyn's grey eyes, and they all turned to me and stared.

"Why didn't you mention that she had grey eyes to begin with?" the third, Rigloriwen, whose name was and seemingly the most sensible, asked incredulously.

I shrugged. "Didn't seem important."

She rolled her eyes. "What is the first thing that you notice about a beautiful woman?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know."

"If she knows how to accent them correctly, you notice her eyes. She brings her eyes out by reflecting them in her gown choice!"

"Oh, okay."

"Tell me," said another of the women, Iavas. "How did you know to mention that her eyes were grey?"

"I was just thinking of all the grey things that a grey or silver gown could coordinate with."

We settled on a misty grey dress that was almost white, and I was sure that Eowyn would like it. Silver embroidery and sapphires accented the dress, and I was shocked that we could find something so fitting to her cloak.

The women proceeded to select flowers for her hair, another subject on which I was completely lost. They picked out some tiny white flowers that reminded me of Simbelmynë, and I was sure that it would remind Eowyn of the same thing. The women then wrapped the items up and told me to deliver them to the houses of healing, to a girl named Lai. When I asked why Lai, they said that Lai had been caring for Eowyn for some time now, and the two had grown quite close.

As I turned to walk down the street, Rigloriwen stopped me. "Wait here for me. I must fetch something."

I waited for some time while the other two chatted beside me. Finally, Rigloriwen came running back down from the citadel. "Send this also, as a gift from the Ladies Rigloriwen, Iavas, and Uregien."

I took the packet in my hand, and thanked her. "But you do realize that you needn't give her gifts."

"If she is to be our Queen, then yes we do. Even if she wasn't our Queen, we would still give it, for she deserves it after the great deeds she has accomplished. Tell her that anytime she needs a friend—or more—the three of us will always be supportive of her. She as already won powerful allies."

I thanked her again and then delivered the three packages to Lai. She seemed pleased with them, though I don't know why as she could not see what was in them, and she told me that when Eowyn returned from the garden, which should be soon, she would help prepare her.

After those long and tiresome hours, I went back to find something to wear myself before sitting down and trying to work a little before I had to get ready.

It's going to be a long, long day, I thought.

I was right. By the time I found myself at the Houses of Healing to escort Eowyn to the celebration, I was already exhausted. I had forgotten to eat lunch, and was now wondering why we had to wait so long to eat dinner. There was supposed to be a feast half way through the thirteenth hour of the sun, and that was still an hour and a half away.

Eowyn, however, truly did look stunning in her grey gown. I discovered that the gift from the ladies was a sapphire necklace and a moonstone headdress. She was radiant. I couldn't explain in my own words what she looked like, but Faramir once mentioned what he had thought of when he had seen her. He said that she was moon's refection in the deep blue sea. I found this description accurate to her appearance.

At the ball that proceeded, and would subsequently follow, the feast; Eowyn won over every heart. At one point, I noticed Faramir in a corner of the room, wearing a purplish blue tunic over a black shirt. He was watching the dancing, rather obscured, but he never joined in. at the feast, he took his appropriate place at the table, at my left, but he avoided any conversation with anyone. After the feast, he disappeared.

The dancing continued for several hours after we had eaten, but for most people it wasn't enough. Most of the guests moved outside at the end of the ball. I wasn't quite sure why they didn't just continue inside, though I suppose this was their chances to be more…liberated in their celebrating. They didn't have the courtly rules to which they had to adhere. Eowyn and I joined them, and it wasn't long before I noticed her disappearing among the crowd. She had been amazing all night. She never lost energy, and she had shown precisely the side of herself that everyone wanted to see. She was a good, happy, friendly, and strong queen. I knew that everyone would follow her willingly.

I began getting more tired than ever, so I decided to seek Eowyn out and inform her that I was going to retire. I looked for several minutes before I spotted her silhouette walking up the stairs to the wall. I decided not to disturb her, as she seemed pensive and melancholy. I didn't want to bother her when she wanted to think, so instead I asked one of the guards to watch and when Eowyn came down to go over and tell her that I had gone to bed. They consented, and I left.

After I had changed, I glanced out the window one last time, and noticed that Eowyn was no longer on the wall. I wondered where she was, but I knew it was pointless trying to pick her out among the crowd. I closed my eyes and yawned, before turning towards my bed.

Finally, rest after a long, long, long day.