Courtyard of the Prince's house

Horses rush over the ground. Clouds of dust raise in the air. Denethor can hear the trembling of the ground from where he rides. He knows his escort can also hear it for he rides in front of them. He does not ride in front alone for Eldarion rides at his side. Turning his head, he can see the pleased smile on Eldarion's face. He can only imagine why Eldarion is so pleased. Eldarion is looking forward to seeing his friend Elboron again. Elboron who is Denethor's grandson. The boys have not seen each other in a few months. Knowing how close they are whenever they are together, it is not surprising to see Eldarion so pleased.

Turning his head back to our path, Denethor can see his home in Ithilien steadily coming closer. He smiles happily. He is almost home. Home with his son and family. His family lives here while he has to spend considerable time in Minas Tirith. It is the only way for him to conduct his duty as a steward to the king in a way that pleases him. It is the only way for him to aid Aragorn in ruling. But now he is coming home again. Once Emyn Arnen was rebuilt, it quickly felt like home to him and his family.

Looking at his home, his smile widens. Here Denethor knows he will spend the remainder of the time he has left. The last few remaining months will be spent here in the peacefulness of Ithilien. Of that he is certain. His time here will allow him to pass in peace once his time has finally arrived. He knows that his visit is unexpected. As such, his son will have questions. Just as Éowyn will. He knows them to well not to anticipate being asked questions.

Crossing the gate, Denethor can finally see his reception. Just as was to be expected. His entire family awaits his arrival. Except for Ceolwyn and Arthoron. Ceolwyn's absence, he does not find surprising. She will be home with her family in Pelargir. As such, it will be impossible for her to be here when he arrives unannounced.

What Denethor does find surprising is Arthoron's location. He does not see his youngest grandson among his family. Arthoron should be here as he still lives at home. So where could he be that would excuse him from greeting him? Maybe on an assignment. That would certainly explain why Arthoron would not be here. But, Arthoron could also be visiting his sister. That would also leave him unable to attend.

Stopping in front of the stairs, Denethor smile at his family. He makes no move to dismount. He currently needs aid with dismounting. No matter how embarrassing it is, he cannot dismount without a mounting block and a stabilizing hand in his back. Because of his needed aid, he waits for his entire escort to ride into the courtyard. Only then will he dismount.

He looks to his side and sees Eldarion has already dismounted. Eldarion is talking to one of the stablehands. Where the stable hand came from Denethor does not care about. He listens carefully to what they are saying. He hears them talking about a mounting block. He smiles amused for a moment before placing his face takes on a neutral expression once more. He does not need to consider why Eldarion talked about the mounting block. Especially, once the stable hand hurries off. Eldarion was asking for a mounting block so he could dismount easily.

Looking at his family once more, Denethor easily sees their confusion. They must be confused that he has not dismounted yet. Eldarion's request for the mounting block will only have added to their confusion. The last time Denethor came to visit, which was a few months ago, he did not require aid with dismounting.

Then the sound of horses moving decreases and only some nervous stamping can be heard. There is not a lot of stamping that can be heard anymore. This tells him his escort has completely entered the courtyard. Now, he can soon dismount. He is looking forward to being able to greet his family again.

At this time, Denethor notices a stable hand taking his horse's reins in his hands. A mounting block has been placed on his left side. Now, only his aid needs to show up. He looks around to see who it will be this time. He is pleasantly surprised by who he sees. Eldarion stands next to his horse. Eldarion waits for him to dismount. Nodding to Eldarion, he dismounts.

As he dismounts, he takes his right foot out of the strap. Leaning forward, he lifts his leg over his horse's back. He feels himself struggling with the movement. His struggling does not last long before he feels hands in his back. The hands support him while he dismounts. Once over his leg is over his horse's back, he carefully feels with his foot for the mounting block. He is confident in the hands supporting him to not let him fall.

It takes him a bit of searching but finally, he feels the mounting block appearing under his foot. Placing his foot solidly on the mounting block, Denethor takes his left foot out of the strap and also place it on the mounting block. Turning around he feels the hands letting him go. Even though he does not feel them, he is confident they are closeby in case he needs support. Moments after having completed the turn, a hand is offered to him. He takes the offer up and let Eldarion guide him off the mounting block.

Once he is of the mounting block, he walks towards his family. They now stand at the bottom of the stairs. When they have descended, he does not know. But it will most likely have been during the time he dismounted. Reaching his family, he greets them.

"Good morning, Faramir, Éowyn, children."

Faramir and Éowyn smile calmly at Denethor. His grandchildren try to hide their pouting at him calling them children. They fail miserably for he sees each of them pouting. Their pouts are the only reaction he gets from them. No one speaks up. But then their reaction does not surprise him at all. He knows they want to be seen as an adult. As well as treated as such. It is why they are not pleased when they are seen as children. Which is what they believe they are seen as when he calls them children. From all his family present, Éowyn is the first to respond to his greeting.

"Good morning, father. It is good to see you again. Had I known that you needed aid dismounting then I would have made the necessary preparations."

Éowyn looks at him confidently as she speaks. Denethor makes a small smile. Her words do not surprise him. She has always been able to ensure that everything which needs to be prepared is ready in time. And he does know what she means with preparations. She means the mounting block. It would have been in the courtyard before his arrival. And also one of his grandsons would have been assigned as his aid. Whether they liked it or not. She would not have cared.

At the same time, Denethor can detect a slight worry in Éowyn's voice. Most likely about the reason for his need for aid. He waves Éowyn's worry away. It is of no concern right now. Besides, he has not needed aid for long now. She would have had no way of learning about his need. Knowing all this, he is aware he needs to respond to her words.

"I do not find it surprising that you did not know I needed aid, Éowyn. Besides, I have not needed the aid for long now. Only for the last month. You did not see me riding the last time you visited Minas Tirith. As such, there is no way you could have known as no one talked about it. And I have only accepted it at the insistence of Elessar."

There is laughter all around him. Denethor can tell it comes from his family. Not his escort. Whether his escort is hiding their amusement or not, he does not care. Let them talk when they are dismissed. Right now, he only cares to talk to his family again. And speaking of family, he knows where their laughter came from. They are amused because they know how stubborn he can be. And how stubborn Elessar can be if someone needs medical care. He knows, like his family, Elessar always seems to get people to accept care in the end.

Turning his attention to Faramir, Denethor raises his eyebrow. The laughter has died down and his son has not yet greeted him. Receiving a cheeky smile, he knows his message has been received. Faramir will soon greet him as he should. This Faramir does moments later.

"Good morning, father. I am glad to know that you accepted the king's advice. Though, I must say that you surprise us all by coming without sending word ahead."

He knows what Faramir attempts to do with his words. Faramir tries to subtly apologize by bringing up Elessar. Also, he tries to get Denethor to tell him why he came. And why he did not send word ahead as he normally does. Here in public, Denethor refuses to discuss his reasons. He does intend to discuss them but only in the privacy of Faramir's study. There no one can overhear them. No rumors can begin to spread. He knows that in time everything will be revealed to the people. But right now, he needs to respond to Faramir.

"I know I did not give you forewarning. I did not know about this visit early enough to do so. My visit was decided only a short while before I left. It did not allow me time to send a messenger. As for the reason for this visit, I do not want to discuss it here. Could we meet in your study together with Eldarion and Elboron in the afternoon? There I will give you an explanation."

Denethor does not explain his request any further. He knows everyone will be able to determine what he did not say. Had he given his full explanation now then he would have been faced with questions. Questions which he knows he would have refused to answer. His refusal would have been considered worrying by his family. And had he given his full explanation then people would learn about things he does not want to be known just yet.

Right now, Denethor looks at Faramir and the boys. He awaits their answer. Not that he doubts that they will refuse his request. They are too curious to not agree. He could see their curiousness from the moment when he made his request. Their answers come instantly.

"Of course, father."

"Of course, grandfather."

"Of course, Your Highness."

He smiles happily. It is just the answer he expected to receive. Not that he ever doubted they would accept his request. Now, only his grandchildren need to greet him. He turns his head to them. They all look guiltily at him. Denethor opens his arms before speaking.

"Now, then my grandchildren. Do you not want to greet your grandfather."

He is instantly assaulted by four young people. They all embrace him at the same time. He laughs at the group hug he receives from his grandchildren. Still, he struggles to keep himself standing upright. The combined weight of his grandchildren pressing on him unbalances him. Almost at the same time, they all talk to him. No one allows the other to speak out. They constantly interrupt each other. Denethor cannot understand much of what they are saying. But what he does manage to understand is how their lives have been since they last met. He is glad to learn that their lives have been normal. None of his grandchildren have had disasters in their lives.

Denethor smiles at Éowyn and Faramir. They are as amused as he is. He talks a bit with his grandchildren. He tries to encourage them to let him loose and let each other speak out. He is met with various amounts of success. A clearing throat interrupts their conversation. They turn to look at Éowyn who has stepped forward.

"Shall I guide you to your room, Prince Denethor?"

"Please do so, Éowyn."

Éowyn offers her arm to him as support. He accepts it readily all too happy with her offer. It will allow him to find peace in his room. He began to feel a bit tired of standing for so long in such an awkward pose. If he is honest with himself. Her offer to guide him to his room is just what Denethor was looking for. Without being aware he was doing it. After having rested in his room, he will be more than ready for the meeting with Faramir, Elboron, and Eldarion.

Prince's house

Faramir walks to his office buried in thoughts. He has some time left to work because of his father's request. He does not need to entertain his father now. He can sort out everything before the meeting. He wants this to be done so that he will not be confronted by any surprises. As his father did not say why he wanted to meet, Faramir feels the need to prepare himself. This brings him back to his father's request. At the time it was made it confused him. Even though he was confused he accepted the request. He wants to know for certain why his father made the request. A request which still confuses him at this time as he does not know why his father would need to make it.

Right now, he only has the potential reasons he can come up with to explain the request. One of those reasons is his father wants some time to rest before going back to conduct his duty. Another is his father wants to resign as steward. And lastly, a reason could be his father simply wants to spend time with his family.

Having those sorted out, Faramir can finally consider their likeness. He knows father too well to think he would seek out rest from his duty on such short notice. His father is more likely to not take the rest he needs than he is to take it earlier than planned. As such, this reason seems highly unlikely to Faramir. As for a potential resignation, he doubts it. His father would never resign. It is not in his nature for he loves his work as steward too much to even consider resigning. And Faramir doubts Elessar would order his father to resign. Besides, his father is too healthy for such a possibility. This makes this reason also unlikely.

As such the last potential reason remains. It seems at this time to be the only reasonable option. But if it is, then why would his father come here to be with family when he has planned to visit in a few weeks? It does not add up. This situation is similar to his father taking an early rest. He would not do either on short notice. And as no potential reason explains his father's purpose to make his request they also cannot explain why his father came to visit. It confuses Faramir even more than when he had not thought about the potential reasons.

But then Faramir's thoughts turn back to his father's health. He could see it has declined since the last time he last saw him. Still, he does not believe the declined to be so severe that his father cannot conduct his duty anymore. Or that his father would be forced to resign. But his father's current state of health does give Faramir clear hints for the future. Soon, his father will be forced to give up some parts of his duty. He cannot conduct everything on his own for much longer. Faramir knows what this means for him. He will have to step up and conduct those duties.

At the same time, it means some parts of his current duty will need to reassigned to someone else. But who it will be Faramir does not know for certain. His suspicion lies with Eldarion taking over those duties from him. It will be good practice for Eldarion when he has to completely take over from him. He does not doubt Eldarion's skills in commanding. Eldarion has shown he can handle the responsibility in the past.

All this brings another potential reason to Faramir's mind. His father could have come to inform him about the upcoming change in duties. Eldarion's presence would then mean something else than he initially thought. Eldarion will not have come to see his friend again. No, Eldarion will have come along as he will be affected by the upcoming change. Eldarion needs to be here to be able to easily take over Faramir's duties.

But for all his thoughts and ideas, he cannot seem to figure out what reason is true. It frustrates him endlessly. At the same time, his considerations calm him down. It are so conflicting feelings; his frustration and calmness. The calmness comes from having a list of potential reasons available in his mind. It gives him some hold. But he knows he has to wait until the meeting to learn his father's real reason for both the request and visit. Faramir does not like this prospect. Still, he knows that there are no other options for him. He just has to accept the situation as it is.

Denethor walks with Éowyn's aid to his room. One of his arms is looped into Éowyn's to give him the support he needs. He appreciates Éowyn escorting him. Even though he knows the way to his room. But he knows his exhaustion does not allow him to walk completely on his own. The ride has exhausted him more than he is willing to admit. Knowing his family, they will have noticed his exhaustion. Even though he has done all he can to hide his exhaustion.

Right now, he feels his need to rest. If he does not then he does not know how he will get through the meeting without his exhaustion being completely obvious. Or without his exhaustion disabling him from participating to a level he expects from himself. But if Denethor rests then he will not only be able to get through the meeting and participate at his expected level but he will also be able to go around on his own. He just hopes he will reach his room soon. He does not know how much longer he can keep going. And to get through the meeting, he needs his rest. Looking around, he sees the door to his room approaching. Denethor feels relieved to soon be able to rest. Just a few more minutes in silence and he can rest. Unfortunately, Éowyn has other ideas and breaks the silence.

"Prince Denethor, might I ask why you have come to visit us now? My husband told me that he did not know you would come today. He was under the impression that you would come in a few weeks."

He smiles amused. He should have expected this to come up. Éowyn likes to know everything she can. Faramir has talked about it from time to time with him. Not that Faramir complained. No, Faramir was more amused by it than anything else. And also pleased from time to time. By having Éowyn know everything she can, Faramir also learns about everything from her in time.

"Yes, that is what I told him in my last letter. But plans changed unexpectedly."

"How did they change, Your Highness?"

Éowyn tilts her head and raises her eyebrows. She is highly interested in why his plans changed. He does not mind telling her. It is just he does not want everything to be told to Faramir just yet. Denethor prefers to inform his son himself. He considers what he can do quickly. It is then that he decides to keep his explanation to the minimum of what is expected from him. He can always elaborate on it at a later time.

"I can tell you some things as to why my plans changed. But I am afraid I cannot tell you everything. I have come bearing an important message from His Majesty. And I also want to spend some time with my family. Ithilien gives me that as well as the peace Minas Tirith does not have."

Éowyn frowns when he mentions the message he has. She tilts her head to the other side. Denethor can imagine what is going on in her head. He can also imagine what will come next.

"Is the message so important that you have to give it to Faramir yourself? Could you not have sent a messenger?"

"No, Éowyn. I could not send a messenger. My message is too sensitive to do that."

Éowyn nods. He can see she is not satisfied but unwilling to press him. He is happy for he would have to disappoint her. What the message is, she will learn from Faramir once Faramir knows it. He sees Éowyn narrowing her eyes at him before she speaks again.

"The need to deliver the message is not the entire reason why you have come, is it?"

"No, Éowyn, it is not. I feel my end approaching and would like to spend it in the peace of Ithilien."

Éowyn smiles sadly at him. It tells him she knows what he means to tell her. Soon enough, she knows he will leave them. This will have saddened her. But we both know it is inevitable. The smile, in itself, tells him she is pleased with the answers she got. But if she is truly happy with his answers he cannot tell for certain. It could be that she is simply happy with knowing his reason for visiting. Not specifically his answers. Being pleased with knowing his reason for visiting would certainly fit with her personality.

He looks carefully at Eowyn to see what other reactions she has. So far, she has only moved her head down. Whether she is lost in thought or interested in the floor does not matter. No, she is most definitely lost in her thoughts. The floor is not that interesting. Seeing Éowyn raising her head and looking him in the eye, he knows she will give him a response soon.

"I am sorry to hear that. My husband will be saddened when he learns about it."

Oh, he knows Faramir will be saddened. It is inevitable. Knowing Éowyn, she will tell Faramir about it as soon as she sees him. Most likely though, she will seek Faramir out after having left him in his room. And as he wants to tell Faramir by himself, he needs to stop her from informing Faramir. But he can also soften things for her a bit before making his request. A request which is more like an order than an actual request. As such, she will be unable to deny him.

"I am just happy to be with my family for as long as I have left. Or at least with those who are in Emyn Arnen at the time. And I know how Faramir will feel about it. As such, I would like to ask you not to mention anything to him yet. I would like to inform him myself. Which I can assure you will happen soon."

Éowyn frowns. Oh, no. He knows what he will be faced within a moment. She is confused and will confront him about it. He had hoped to avoid it. But obviously, he failed. Hiding his sigh in a cough, he looks at Éowyn. He awaits the question he will be faced with.

"Why, Your Highness? I see no problems arising if I mention it to Faramir. All it will do is give him time to work through it before the meeting."

Denethor shakes his head. He disagrees. He does see problems arising if Éowyn informs Faramir. Seeing her frown deepening, he knows he needs to explain his shaking.

"I do not agree with you on that. If you inform Faramir before our meeting then confusion can occur. Confusion about what is going on. Also, Faramir could begin to worry about things that are insignificant or unimportant. Additionally, with this news, other matters are connected which I can explain at the same time then. I refuse to discuss them right now because of their sensitivity. By informing Faramir about everything at the same time, there will be no confusion. And I will be able to soften things for him."

Denethor smiles slightly hoping to calm Éowyn down before she starts to fight him on his decision. Not that he would change it. He simply wants to avoid a lengthy discussion if he can. Hearing a sigh, he knows he has succeeded.

"Alright, I will not say anything to Faramir. But I will talk to him about it later. Hopefully, he will then tell me what you have not told me. I am highly interested in those sensitive matters."

Éowyn is not happy with his request but accepts it. Her annoyed look only confirms his suspicion. As for her interest in sensitive matters, he finds it amusing. It just confirms what he knows of Éowyn. And what he has noticed before. Both during earlier meetings and today.

Silence falls over them then. They walk on for a few minutes before reaching Denethor sees his room appearing in the distance. He feels relieved to know he will soon be able to rest. Soon as in a few minutes. They walk on until they reach the door. He expects to have been left on his own to rest. Only to be surprised. Éowyn opens the door and ushers him inside. Once in the room, she lets go of his arm and looks him in his eyes.

"I will leave you then, Your Highness. Or is there anything you need?"

Éowyn bows her head when she says goodbye. The bow does not last long. Éowyn raises her head moments later. She frowns as she asks her question. Denethor struggles to keep a smile from his face. He is amused by Éowyn's concern. She wants to make sure she does not forget anything. But to her question, there is nothing he can think of he would need. Except for his rest. He only needs to inform Éowyn about it and decides to not spin around it.

"No, there is nothing I need. Except for some rest."

"Then I will leave to attend my duties. Rest well, Prince Denethor."

Walking to the kitchen, Éowyn considers what she needs to instruct the servants about. Dinner plans surely need to change to accommodate an additional person. Just like breakfast and lunch plans. A change which will last for some time. But for how long it will be she does not know. Prince Denethor has not explained to her how long he intends to stay. Well, he has not? She does remember his words. Those words do tell her something. They tell her Prince Denethor intends to stay for at least a few months. And not weeks which normally is the case.

Having sorted all this out, Éowyn thinks back to Prince Denethor's other words. She is saddened by his mention of his future passing. Just like she was when she heard them. She would have liked for him to be around for a longer time. She worries about how Faramir will react when he hears this news. She expects him to be saddened. Had she been able to tell him then she would have been able to comfort Faramir. Now, as she can not, she needs to trust Prince Denethor to do it.

Nevertheless, some of Prince Denethor's words do not make any sense to her. She does not know what to make of them. They can mean several things. Or be related to a manner she has heard off. But those manners, she does not know enough about to make sense of Prince Denethor's words. Even though she was confused about his words, she agreed to stay silent about what she was told. She does not like to keep secrets from Faramir. But she has promised to stay silent. So she will stay silent. Whether she likes it or not. She has given her word and will keep it. Even though the need for it escapes her.

Éowyn promises herself one thing; she will be there for Faramir should he need her later. She does expect he will. But even if he does not, she will not mind it. She will then be there for him later. Her promise to Faramir brings another matter to her mind. She intended to look after Faramir and should do the same thing for Prince Denethor.

But what can she do for prince Denethor? There are a few things she can think of. She can make sure his every need will be met. Or she can look after him personally. Both require knowledge about what Prince Denethor intends to do with his time. Knowledge she does not have. As such, she does not have many options. To form more options, she needs the information. Sighing, she knows she has to deal with it.

Suddenly, an idea pops up in her head. There is one thing she can do for Prince Denethor. She can make his time will be as pleasant as she can. To do that, she needs not a lot of information. She can do it even without. All she needs to do is instruct the servants to do certain things. Things she can decide on the day they need to be done. And making his time pleasant, she will ensure Prince Denethor will have a good time. A good time for as long as Prince Denethor will be with them.