AUTHOR'S NOTE Not much to comment on. I heart the Éowyn/Faramir relationship, so I gave them this little scene together.
DISCLAIMER Don't own them. I keep saying this, but just in case you weren't listening, lol.
…
March 21, Year 3019 of the Third Age
Minas Tirith was a rigorous three-day ride from Edoras. Nelin was a strong, young, Rohirrim-bred mare and she made the journey easily. Through forests and over plains we traveled until the White City appeared on the horizon. I was awe-striken. Even though ravaged and broken, Minas Tirith was unlike anything I had seen before.
"Halt!" An old man stood before the broken gate. "What business have you in Minas Tirith?"
I leapt off of Nelin's back. Bowing, I put a hand to my chest. "My name is Raélowen Mirimë and I come from Rohan and formerly Lothlórien. Prince Legolas has summoned me here."
"The elven prince is not here," he said. "He has followed Lord Aragorn, Éomer King of Rohan, and Mithrandir in an assault on the Black Gate of Mordor."
The herald's words in Meduseld came back to me at once. "He says the road will be safe, for all enemies are fixed upon the assault on the gate." I had never dreamed that Aragorn, or anyone for that matter, would dare attack the Black Gate.
The guard spoke again. "You are welcome in Minas Tirith, Lady Raélowen, until they return."
"Thank you sir." I bowed again. As I led Nelin into the battle-scarred city, I remembered something else the herald had said. "Where would one who was wounded in battle be taken?" I asked.
"The Houses of Healing, my Lady. Would you like an escort there?" I nodded. He called over a young boy. "Take Lady Raélowen to stable her horse, then escort her to the Houses of Healing." The boy nodded and led me off.
The Houses of Healing were quiet. "I am seeking Lady Éowyn of Rohan," I said to a nurse.
"Of course my Lady. She is behind the curtain at the far end."
I bowed my head in thanks. Several Rohirrim and Gondorian soldiers were asleep, tended to by healers. Cautiously, I pulled the curtain aside. "Lady Éowyn?"
Weakly, she turned her head. "Rae?"
"It's me." At her beckoning, I sat on the bed. "I'm so glad to see you alive!"
She smiled. "I am glad to be alive. What are you doing in Minas Tirith?"
"Legolas bid me to come." I couldn't suppress my grin. "We are soon to be wed."
"I am happy for you!" she said. Someone tapped softly on the curtain and Éowyn's smiled broadened. "Please come!"
A handsome man pushed back the curtain. "Oh! I apologize, my Lady. I did not know you had company."
I stood up. "I just came to visit the Lady. I am Raélowen of Lórien and I travel from Edoras."
"I am Faramir, son of Denethor." He bowed his head.
"Faramir is the Steward of Gondor," Éowyn added proudly.
Faramir blushed. "My father was Steward and trained Boromir to follow in his stead. I know nothing of being the Steward."
I was thinking. "Boromir?"
"My brother," he explained sadly. "He fell in battle."
"He traveled with the Fellowship of the Ring," I said.
Faramir looked at me suspiciously. "Yes."
"Raélowen is the betrothed of Legolas of the Fellowship," Éowyn explained.
"I met your brother very briefly while the Fellowship rested in my homeland."
"Oh." Faramir smiled then.
"It seems like a lifetime ago," I added. "But your brother was kind to me and by all accounts a brave warrior."
"I am glad at least for that," Faramir said sadly.
"Do not despair," Éowyn said kindly. "The world is beginning anew. Faramir took her hand and gazed fondly at her.
"I am going to seek out quarters for the evening," I said awkwardly.
"Good-bye Rae!" Éowyn called. I bowed before the Lady of Rohan and Steward of Gondor and fled, leaving them in peace.
…
I was welcomed warmly in Minas Tirith. The Gondorian citizens were at first wary of an Elf in their city, but when I offered my help in clearing away the battle debris, their reservations melted away. Éowyn scolded me every day. "Elf or no," she said. "Pregnant women should not lift heavy stones."
I brushed her off. Minas Tirith was broken. It lifted my spirits to help. I was waiting for something, though I wasn't quiet sure what. Helping the Gondorians rebuild their home seemed to bring me peace I hadn't known I was searching for.
Every night, I paced the Court of the Fountain. Faramir had recovered quickly and graciously offered me a room in the palace. He and Éowyn grew closer and closer as the days wore on. At night, orange flames blazed brightly in the east.
Toward dawn on my fourth day in Minas Tirith, the air around me sprang to life. It crackled with energy as the flames raged on the horizon. Slowly, Gondorians joined me to watch, Éowyn and Faramir beside me.
A blaze of pale yellow light erupted and the sky opened up. Shadows pulled back and the darkness in the air fizzled out. And then, with one last explosion, it was over. The earth began to tremble and molten lava spit high into the sky. Dawn came then and when the sun rose, it shone clear and bright. Éowyn wept at my side. "It is done," I whispered. I could feel it. The blackness had been driven away.
Faramir nodded. "The Ring is destroyed," he said. He too knew it in his heart. He turned to his people who had gathered behind us. "Citizens of Gondor! The Ring is destroyed! Sauron had been defeated!"
A cheer rose over all of Minas Tirith just as the sun rose over Middle Earth on March 25th of the year 3019.
