Don't own the song, that belongs to Francis Cabrel…I think… Anyway, it's called "Je T'Aimais, Je T'Aime, et Je T'Aimerais." This is the translation… I think…

EllowynTinuviel: Thank you so much for sticking by this story, even when you are the only one. By the way, I reread Gondor High School this past week (gave me an excuse to be on fanfiction all day since no one is updating like they should), and I have to say again how awesome it was. You really did a great job. I also got it a lot better this time. The only problem I have with it is that Theodwyn and her sister never came back into the story. But now that I know that there's going to be a sequel… You've doomed yourself to write the sequel now, because you told you greatest fan that you were going to do so. Oh well. Your problem.

Someone to Catch My Tears

Part Eleven: Eowyn

I doubted myself from the moment that Aragorn walked through my door the first time that day. He sat with me, and we talked a little, but he seemed less interested in what I had to say and more interested in kissing me. Did he not think that I could function at his intellectual level? I ended up trying to prove myself to him, and failing miserably, at least, I thought so. He never said anything about my wit, just acted tired of my talking. I found myself thinking that it would never do if he was tired of my voice already, but I didn't dare say that. Instead, I became the meek lady that he seemed to prefer. I found that he was much more satisfied with this side of me, perhaps because it was the only one I had ever shown him. Ever I had been weak and womanly to him, even when I begged to ride into battle. I begged him, giving him the impression that he had the right to decide for me. He knew that I could fight, but he had never seen me with a blade in a true battle. Perhaps that was the problem. Perhaps he thought me a weak woman, even though it did not fit what he knew of me. It certainly fit what he had seen though.

When he came the second time, I was disappointed. I had tried so hard to impress him. Lai had helped me, though somewhat dejectedly. I had discovered that she was a brilliant child, the kind Faramir would like more than anything, but she could be very child-like sometimes when she set her mind to something. No, rather than child-like, we'll say single-minded. She didn't care about much else.

Anyway, when Aragorn came, he did not even mention that I looked nice. The least he could have done was smile at me, but he didn't even do that. I recognized that he was tired, but I still felt let down. Was this it? I thought. Did he only want me when he needed me, and when I needed, or wanted, him it meant nothing? Of course, I knew that this relationship was based on need alone from the beginning. We weren't there for each other to play and have fun. We would just comfort each other when we needed to. But I doubted still. I had seen him when I had been upset and crying over what Faramir had said. He was watching me. Yet, he didn't go after me until a time after I had gone inside. And even then he didn't seek me out. He came in calmly, and followed instructions to leave, almost as if he didn't really want to be there. And I don't think that he did.

The celebration was mundane due to my melancholy thoughts of my fiancé. At one time, I tried to find Faramir, for I knew that he could comfort me, but he was nowhere to be found until the feast began. Suddenly, somehow, he appeared with the rest of the crowd, as though he had been there all along. I knew then that he had been avoiding me.

He continued to avoid my eyes all night, until one moment, after the feast, when I noticed him talking to a dark haired princess. He glanced my direction at the same moment, and we stared at each other for several seconds before the man I with whom I was dancing asked, "Did you want to dance with your brother? I did not mean to interfere…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your brother, the man you're staring at…"

I glanced back over at Faramir, who was now making polite excuses to the princess and retreating to stand next to a giant tree—in case you are surprised by this, I was too, at first. Gondorians place trees at the edges of their ballrooms. Perhaps it was Faramir's idea, as he loves nature so, and he likes places to hide.

I noticed that now he was standing behind the tree so that most people didn't see him. In fact, anyone who had not seen him go there would not have noticed him.

I looked back to the lord, trying desperately to remember his name, and said with a laugh, "Nay, I do not wish to dance with my brother, thank you for your consideration, however." There. Let him think that Faramir was my brother. He was, in a way. He would comfort me when I needed comfort, and guide me when I needed guidance. That's what brothers were there for, isn't it? But Faramir was so much more than that. He would also laugh at my jokes, and then say something witty in return. He would tell me so much. I felt so stimulated when I was with him.

It was then that I wondered, was I in love with Faramir? He was so much more that Aragorn, how could I not be? This thought worried me, so I decided to think about it later. For now, I was going to try to politely excuse myself from any offers and talk to Faramir. I needed him now. And I didn't know why it was he whom I chose. Merry was here, Eomer was here, and I had been fighting with Faramir just yester-day. Why was I insisting on turning to him as my eyes burned with hidden tears threatening to spill?

Before I made it to him, however, the ball ended. My disappointment raged, but then I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, I turned hoping that it was Faramir, but knowing that it wasn't. Aragorn smiled at me and said, "the celebrations continue outside, if you wish to join them."

I nodded, hoping that it would give me another chance to speak with Faramir. In the corridor outside the ballroom, I noticed Faramir walking the opposite way. Dejected I started to turn the other way when I heard someone shout, "Faramir, Faramir!" I turned back, and noticed Faramir bending to be at eye-level with the hobbit that hardly reached his waist. Faramir and Pippin spoke for a few moments, before Pippin, with the eagerness of a child, grabbed Faramir's big hand in his own and led him back to the crowd. Faramir sighed with a playful smile on his face. I suddenly wished that it was I holding his hand. It was I causing that smile one his face. It was I turning around and saying something to make him laugh outright. I also realized then that it could have been. I had had a chance yester-day. He had declared his love to me, and I had lied. I had lied when I told Merry that I loved Aragorn, I had lied when I told Eomer that I loved Aragorn, and I had lied when I had told Aragorn that I loved him. But more than all of this, I had lied when I had told Faramir. That was the worst lie. It was the worst thing that I had done. Now I wondered though, could I get it back?

I then turned back to where Aragorn stood, and realized that I had made a vow that I couldn't break. It would be so unfair to him. I also realized that I could love him in time. Aragorn was a wonderful man, but he didn't understand me. When he understood me, he would be better than Faramir.

Right?

I glanced back at Faramir as we were leaving the hall. He was watching me. For the second time that night, our eyes met and held. But this time, my true feelings realized, It was different for both of us. To make it worse, Faramir has to have all those damned talents in reading people's eyes. I think he understood then, so I turned back to Aragorn quickly, chattering happily about nothing to him. I looked back again, in the corner of my eyes so that no one could tell, and saw Pippin talking to Faramir, and Faramir seeming to listen but not listening. His eyes betrayed his pain. I focused back on Aragorn.

I did not see Faramir, though I looked, for another couple of hours afterward. But finally, as I was looking up to find the city clock, thinking that it was time that I turn in, I noticed a figure standing up on the wall. I looked at the clock. No, it was not at all too late.

I made my way as quickly as I could through the crowd to the stairs of the wall. I made my way up as silently as possible, hoping that my attempts at silence and the music drifting through the streets combined would prevent Faramir from hearing me approaching. I think that it worked, as he was softly singing when I reached him.

"The world regrets so much,

So many things that we promise.

Only one for which I am made.

I loved you, I love you and I will love you.

No matter what you do,

The love is everywhere that you look.

In the least recesses of space,

In the least dream where you are delayed.

The love, as if it rained…"

He turned to me, then, as though he knew that I was there all along. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" I asked back, just as softly.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't suppose anything matters anymore, does it?"

"Why do you say that? We have defeated the East. Things should look up from now on."

"But do not think me crazy if I say that I preferred those days when we were still at war."

"You, Lord Faramir, Despiser of War?"

"Do you mock me?"

"Never."

"Then what did you hope to attain from this conversation?"

"You."

He opened his eyes, confused.

"I want you to not hate me. I want you to be there for me. I want…I want so much that I cannot have. Just give me some small part of what I need."

"And what is that?"

"You."

"I do not understand."

"Yes you do, Faramir, yes you do!" I started yelling and crying, knowing that no one but Faramir would hear me. "Stop making this so difficult! You understood so long ago! I was the one who didn't understand! Please, please. Please don't do this to me. I need you. I need you! Are you listening to me?"

He hesitated, tears in his eyes. He seemed caught between the choice to hold me, and defend me against my tears, and running. I knew that he didn't want me partially. He would accept to be friends, but after he knew that I loved him, he wouldn't be able to sort out what he could do and what he couldn't do. I had made it clear that I was not planning on leaving Aragorn, and it was making it difficult for him. For my beloved. It was so strange, yet one hundred percent natural to call him that.

"Eowyn…"

"Faramir, please. Don't fight this. We both know we need each other…"

"I can't…"

Tears began to fall again. "Faramir…" I begged.

"What do you want me to do, Eowyn? What is it that I can do? I can be a close friend to you, but how will we both bear that? It is impossible, Eowyn. You cannot have us both. You must choose. Perhaps, over time, something can change, but for now, you cannot be in love with both Aragorn and me…"

"Aragorn had both Arwen and me!" I interrupted.

"Either follow your heart or follow your mind, but you're at a crossroad. You cannot go on forever forestalling the choice that lies before you. Do you love me, Eowyn?"

He did not wait for my answer before he took off down the stairs and through the streets. I knelt on the stone wall for a few mere seconds before I took off after him. I didn't have a clue where I was going or why. This was ridiculous. I wasn't going to chase Faramir all over the city. I loved him, but I had already told him that I wasn't going to give up on Aragorn. It was too much. I raced down a flight off steps leading into the cellars of the citadel. Faramir was gone. There were several corridors extending from this one room, and I knew not which one to choose. I looked around for a moment, before I arbitrarily chose the third one. I ran down it as quickly as I could, and, for no reason at all, I ignored all the passages that split off until I reached a certain one. It was no different from the others, but I had a feeling that Faramir had gone down here. So I took the passage.

This one lead deeper into the citadel, and I was thoroughly turned around and lost when the path ended in several passages.

I suddenly remembered Faramir talking about this place. He called it the Labyrinth. He told me never to let anyone trick me into going down here. Many people came down here and never returned. Nobody knows what happened to most of them, because few people dare to enter the Labyrinth. He said that he had found a few such people, but only a few because he never dared go off the correct path. He did say that there was a way to get anywhere from there, but one had to navigate correctly. He also said that there were a few places to which this was the only way. Like a secret library. And I knew that it was there where I would find Faramir. But for now, I just wanted to find a way out. He had told me not to let anyone trick me into going down here, but I had. My first day out of the Houses, Faramir had lead me to the Labyrinth. I knew that he didn't know that I had followed him, and even if I had followed him he probably didn't think that I would have decided which path I would take, lest I got lost, and I had turned around.

I sat down and started to cry. I didn't dare cry too loud, knowing that there were other people there. I started to wonder if this was where they put prisoners whom they want to kill. I could swear I remembered Faramir mentioning something like that. I wondered if how far away the nearest murderer was, and how close by the furthest one was.

I wanted to scream so badly. I wanted to scream and let Faramir know I was there. Surely, if I screamed loud and long enough, He would hear me and be able to find me. Of course, I could be miles away from him. Who knew how big this place was? There were so many other options as to which way I could go, and I had randomly chosen this one. I wanted Faramir to come and make everything all right, and to tell me that there was nothing here that could harm me, and that I was safe with him. I wanted him to tell me that he loved me. I wanted him to hold me. I wanted so many things that were impossible to have.

Crouching in the dust, I started to cry even harder. I tried to muffle the noise that I was making, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult. I buried my face in my cloak, dragging in the scent, trying to calm myself.

Faramir.

It was unmistakably his scent, though I wondered why it would smell like him since he surely never wore his mother's cloak. But I didn't care at the moment. I just wanted to find Faramir and get out of here. I wanted it so badly.

I heard footsteps, and I was sure that one of the murderers was approaching me now and was going to kill me. I spun every direction, searching for the source of the steps. I continued to cry, but I covered my mouth to prevent myself from actually making too much noise.

Suddenly, I found myself face to face with a young woman. I lost it.

I screamed.

The woman looked startled, and then just disappeared. I screamed again. I heard more footsteps, but they weren't the same, thank goodness.

I continued screaming until a hand came over my mouth and a voice whispered in my ear.

"Hush, it's all right. What happened, are you okay?"

I turned and buried my face into Faramir's chest. He helped me down onto the floor, and there he rocked me and whispered into my hair until we both became too exhausted.

For the first time, I did not fear that night. I was safe, and I knew it. I did not doubt that Faramir would protect me.

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought of the woman. She was beautiful, not much older than myself. She had long black hair coiled up in a knot on her head with beautiful curls tumbling out. Come to think of it, she looked rather like that princess with which Faramir had been talking earlier. She had been wearing a long white gown, a ball gown, and a deep blue cloak over her shoulders. It was a good thing too, as the Labyrinth was so cold. Her eyes were an almost familiar grey, but I couldn't place it. And for some reason, I felt that this woman wanted to help me.

I wondered about her, but then I put it off till the morn. Now, I would sleep happily in Faramir's arms, for perhaps the last time.