Summary: Éowyn and Faramir remember their childhood... Sequel to Rain.
A/N: Another piece of love brought by yours truly. All hail the Captain Faramir and the Lady Éowyn. A bunch of spelling mistakes, I bet, in this fic.
Disclaimer: None of the characters within this piece of fic belongs to the author. They all belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.
They were nestled in each other's arms. The cool spring wind swept in from the open windows, making the white curtains flutter like spirits on the midnight wind. They looked upon the valley. Soft crickets chirped. The wind shook the leaves.
"It sounds like the Sea," commented Faramir. There was a long silence. "I have not been to the Sea for a very long time," he said to Éowyn, "not since my mother died. We escorted her body back to Dol Amroth. She wanted to be buried by her sea. Mother loved the Sea. While she was alive, she often told me about it."
"I have never been to the Sea," said Éowyn, looking at the valley. "I bet it is beautiful."
Faramir smiled and kissed his wife's brow. "It is," said he. "Just like you, my dear Éowyn."
There was another moment of silence. Faramir gently stroked his wife's arm. The skin was smooth, like a length of silk.
"I barely remember my mother," said he, emotion in his voice. "I only remember dark hair, like a raven's wing. And grey eyes, like the Sea. I do remember, though, her singing to me at night. She had the most beautiful voice, Éowyn. It was clear and sweet."
Éowyn smiled. "I wish I could sing like that, Faramir. My voice is too husky." After a moment's hesitation, she said quietly, "What happened, after she died?"
Faramir looked at his wife in surprise. He had not expected her to ask, or to even care. Faramir looked into the distance, as if searching a memory long since shelved and forgotten.
"My world fell apart," said he. "It was difficult to go on without her. It was most difficult for my father, especially. Though he did not show it, he loved her with all his heart. He hated me, I deem, for my mother spent most of her time with me. And I reminded him of her.
"Boromir he loved. Boromir reminded him of himself. They were both strong in mind and face; stubborn yet wise."
Faramir looked into Éowyn's eyes. "What about you, my love?" he asked. "What do you remember of your father and mother?"
Éowyn spoke sharply, "Do not ask me that. I do not wish to remember it nor talk about it," yet when she saw the calmness and patience in Faramir's eyes, she capitulated.
"My father was killed. They brought him in, his body broken." She brought a hand to her eyes. "Such a sight, Faramir! I shall never forget it as long as I live. His right arm was broken at the elbow. It hung by a thread of skin to his shoulder. His torso was filled with holes from arrow-wounds. And his face." Éowyn hesitated, then went on: "It was crushed: an orc had crushed it with a giant hammer."
Faramir held Éowyn tighter, as if trying to protect her from bad memories. She buried her face in his chest.
"I am sorry," he whispered.
"Don't be sorry," Éowyn retorted. "What is done is done. Your apology will not turn back time, so that the events can be unwraveled and remade again." Éowyn held her breath. Seldom has she spoken such to her beloved.
"After my father died," she continued, softly, "my mother took ill. She missed him, I wager. My brother and I could only watch her die. No physicians could heal her. This was a matter of her heart. Hers was broken by my father's death. I wager not even," Éowyn gave a short, dry laugh, "athelas could have healed her soul.
"Days were lived in terror afterward. Soon after the death of my mother, the slimy advisor of my uncle Grima came in. We named him Wormtongue, for he has the tongue of a devil. He was a servant of Saruman the White. My uncle caved in. I wished for death until..." Éowyn's voice faded, as she realized what happened next.
"Until what, Éowyn?" Faramir asked.
"Until you came along," she said, a bubble of emotions expanding in her chest. She continued quite happily: "When you came along, I realized there was so much in this life than death and pain."
Faramir laughed. He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, he said, "Well then, my lady, shall I show you the meaning of love, then?"
A/N: For those who didn't get the ending, it is just the beginning of a long night of fluff.