Chapter Thirty Three-Travel To Far Off Places, See New Things
The next day the procession left Lórien mid-morning. A huge entourage came with Celeborn and Galadriel, making Elrond's entourage look like amateur hour. I felt like I was a part of the cast re-enacting the Exodus from Egypt, in some weird remake of 'The Ten Commandments'. I didn't bother telling anyone, as there were no common cultural references to draw from, and they totally wouldn't get it. Glorfindel rode beside me as usual, but we rode behind Celeborn and Galadriel. Haldir and one of the Imladris wardens rode at the front for security, and two other wardens rode on either side of Arwen and Galadriel, with more security placed behind us and taking up the rear. We rode a couple of leagues before we broke for lunch. After a short break to eat and rest, we got underway again. Galadriel was chatting happily with Arwen and me. I got the skinny on what it was like when she married Celeborn, and how she felt when her daughter, Celebrían married Elrond. Arwen was almost pleased that Celeborn was anxious about the marriage, as it made her feel better about her own situation. Elrond kept throwing dark looks Galadriel's way, every time she'd bring up some old memory of what she recalled about Elrond and Celebrían's early days together.
We rode for seven days before we met up with the twins, not too far out of Edoras. The twins were met with great hugs full of relief that no one was injured and that they had survived such a horrible war. They were updated on what had transpired since they had left Imladris. Congratulating Glorfindel with hearty backslaps; they turned and hugged me as decorously as they were able. Believe me, the fact that they didn't cop a feel, was a monumental leap forward in their behaviour. I hoped it would continue for them, and they would quit catting around. I knew I was being overly optimistic as they hadn't changed their behaviour for millennia, so why would they change just because I wanted them to? Hope was still buried in my heart for them. It wasn't dorky, like I wanted them to be as happy as I was. I just felt if they were willing to sleep with me, a mortal woman with no prospects, and they were known for sleeping around with the ellith in Imladris, what did that say about their own peace of mind? I had found from experience that people who slept with multiple partners were avoiding something. Whether it was loneliness, their own view of their self-worth, or something else; they were avoiding some hard truth. I sort of regretted sleeping with the twins; but I knew that when I had done it, I was under the distinct impression that I was in a coma somewhere and hallucinating the event. As soon as I came to realize I was not in a coma, and that Arda was real, I rebuffed any advances. I could not expect them to adhere to my own moral choices, nor could I expect them to change any of their own behaviour just because I would've liked it. I could only be responsible for my own thoughts, words and actions, as I knew I affected more than just myself. Hope was hidden in my heart that they would make a similar connection, and figure out why they did the things they do.
Our ride was livened up by the presence of the twins. They teased Arwen unmercifully and did everything short of a burlesque show to keep everyone in the entourage entertained. Celeborn and Galadriel didn't help the situation by egging them on. They reminded me of media portrayals of cool grandparents, but having none of my own, I had no personal experience. Elrond just got more scowly as the travel progressed. I know it had to do with all the marriage jokes the twins told at Arwen's expense.
We rode two more days before we arrived in Edoras on the 16th of June. Glorfindel, Arwen and the twins had told me what to expect from the race of Men, but I was taken aback by the obvious discrepancies in how Men lived and how the Eldar lived. We rode through the gates and I was met with the harsh smell of an open sewer and what I would call hovels, that were the homes in which the residents of Edoras lived. The squat stone buildings, covered with peat roofs, served as a reminder as to how primitive conditions were in Arda for the race of Men. I started thinking about how to solve some of the issues that obviously plagued the mortals in this city. I didn't know why they still maintained an open sewage system, as a closed system would assist in illness rates. I didn't know how amenable the King of Rohan would be to my ideas, but I figured I would broach the subject when appropriate. I knew from Earth's history that disease and pestilence would run rampant if sanitary conditions weren't implemented, and from what Glorfindel had told me, I knew the people of Rohan had suffered great losses from the battles fought during the war. They didn't need more losses due to a disease that could be controlled through better sanitation.
We rode on to the stables, and dismounted, handing off our horses to the able care of the stable hands. Glorfindel reached for my hand, and intertwined his fingers in mine. I looked into his eyes and saw him send me a reassuring look. Wondering why, I looked around at the people gathered and saw looks of distrust among some. Only a few people were giving me suspicious looks, but the ones who were, looked like they'd love to have a few choice words with me. Bummer. I wasn't about to give them the opportunity. We walked through the streets until we came upon the great house. Glorfindel told me the great house was called Meduseld, and was the seat of the King of Rohan. Standing upon the steps were a few men and a woman. Glorfindel whispered in my ear, telling me the tall blond man was the King, Eomer, nephew of Théoden. The woman was Eowyn, his sister and the man with the dark hair beside her was Faramir, brother to Boromir. I was surprised, as when Boromir had spoken to me of home, he hadn't mentioned a brother. But then, he was trying to sell me on the idea of living with a human population, and I wasn't down with that.
Eomer came down the steps and greeted Elrond heartily, shaking hands with Celeborn and Galadriel and bowing to Arwen. When he came to Glorfindel he stopped a moment.
"So you are the famous Balrog Slayer, hmmm? It is an honour to meet you my lord," Eomer bowed to Glorfindel.
"It is my pleasure to meet you Eomer King. May I introduce my wife, Lady Karyn? She has not been this far south before," Glorfindel returned and with a hand, pressed me forward to meet the King of Rohan.
I curtseyed to Eomer, "How do you do your Majesty?" I politely inquired.
"I am well my lady. Welcome to Rohan. I wish your stay be pleasant and happy," Eomer looked at me curiously.
He turned and gestured to Eowyn and asked us to follow Eowyn into the Great Hall. As we walked into the hall, Faramir sidled up next to Glorfindel.
"My lord, may I just say that it is an honour to meet you. I have read about all of your exploits in the libraries in Minas Tirith, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to meet you in person," he gushed respectfully.
Glorfindel smiled, "You have read about all of my exploits? I would hope not all of them."
Faramir must've realized an error because he apologized, "No, I suppose there are many stories that have not made it into the lore."
Glorfindel laughed, "One would hope that my personal adventures have not been recorded for posterity. That would manage to damage my apparently sterling reputation."
Faramir caught what Glorfindel was saying and smiled, "No my lord, I do not think any of your adventures would damage your reputation."
Glorfindel waved off Faramir's accolades and gestured to me, "May I introduce my wife, Lady Karyn? She made acquaintance with your brother before he left Imladris. I believe he was trying to get her to visit Minas Tirith, and I am sure he would have enjoyed showing her around the city. She has never been this far south. Now it is up to me to remember my way around Minas Tirith and show her the sights. Would you be willing to assist me with this task?"
Faramir looked a bit taken aback, "Of course my lord. I would be most happy to show you and your lady wife around the city. I believe Lady Eowyn would be interested in joining us as well, as she was recovering from a serious injury for most of her time in Minas Tirith, and did not see much of the city."
I caught the look that came over his face when he mentioned Eowyn and knew he had the hots for her. It wouldn't surprise me if they were courting and a betrothal announcement was going to be made soon. I looked over at Eowyn and saw her looking back at us, watching Faramir with a soft look on her face. That clinched it. They were besotted.
"I believe that sounds like a marvellous idea my lord. I would enjoy having Lady Eowyn's company during our sightseeing tour," I advised.
Glorfindel nodded, "Yes that is a lovely idea. Thank you for suggesting it Lord Faramir."
Faramir smiled, nodded and hurried to catch up to Eowyn, probably to tell her the news, as it was a good excuse to be close to her. I brought Glorfindel's hand to my lips and pressed a kiss on his fingers.
We soon found ourselves ensconced in the room that was to be ours for the next two days before we were to leave for Minas Tirith on the nineteenth. Glorfindel lay down on the bed and shook off his boots.
"My wife, I know you have feelings about the plight of the people of Rohan. I saw it in your heart when we walked through the streets of Edoras. We will not have time to bring any ideas you may have to the King while we are in Edoras; but when we meet with Estel, you will have an opportunity to bring them up at that point. Come, rest with me. After we have taken some rest, we will have to bathe and ready for dinner. Please Karyn. Come to bed," he requested.
I took off my riding cloak and peeled off my boots before I crawled up onto the bed beside him. He wrapped his arm around me and I curled into his side. It wasn't long before we had fallen asleep, comforted by the soft bed and the cool breeze coming through the open window.
(A/N-I do realize that Faramir was not in Edoras at this point, but as this is AU, I'm reserving the right to be creative with the facts for the point of the story. I apologize for the short chapter, as I have been extraordinarily busy this past week and have been unable to get much done. Thank you for your patience.)