The next morning I am awoken by Marriana bustling around me.
"Good morning Peyson, it is time for breakfast and then the king has asked that you are brought to see him, I believe Lord Faramir would like to see you," she says and the smile that had spread across my face at the mention of Aragorn's name freezes in place as apprehension fills me once more.
"Oh, okay," I mutter after a while standing up and following her to the bathroom where I am once again cleaned and scrubbed and forced into a dress, although thankfully a slightly less complicated and decorative one, and my hair brushed and pinned back from my face slightly with sprigs of flowers.
"Peyson," Legolas smiles as I exit my room and see him standing close by, "I was waiting for you," he explains clearly reading the confusion on my face.
"I have to see…"
"Aragorn and Faramir, I know, I thought you might want some company and… support,"
"You know me too well my friend," I sigh softly and offer him a smile as he places my hand through his own arm and begins to walk us down the corridor.
"I merely read you well and know you well enough to know that you would be anxious about speaking to Faramir of his brother," he replies quietly and I nod appreciating once again that he knows me so well he is happy for us to walk the rest of the way in silence so I can get my head together.
"I don't know what to say to him," I croak eventually when we have come to a stand still outside a door.
"Just tell him the truth my friend, Aragorn will be with you you have nothing to fear," easy for him to say I think as I push open the door under his watchful gaze.
"My lady," the voice is so warm and friendly and so like Boromir's that for a moment I am caught completely off guard and simply stand there gaping until Aragorn appears in front of me.
"Little one what is wrong?" he asks in a hushed voice, his worry evident in his tone and so I breath a great gulping breath and shake my head a little at him.
"It is nothing I was just a little startled," I reply and although he looks at me for a little longer clearly not convinced he concedes and leads me to a chair where he sits beside me and Faramir, for that is who the other man must be he is so like Boromir, sits opposite me his face hopefully and open.
"I did not mean to startle you my lady," he starts but I hold up a hand and shake my head again,
"It is I who should be sorry that was not a very good introduction your voice is just so like his was when I last heard it…" I start faltering as I see the grief in his eyes.
"You were with him… when he died?" he asks eventually his voice breaking ever so slightly at the end and I nod.
"And more recently than that," I say after a glance at Aragorn confirms that he has told at least part of my story to him.
"So it is true?" He asks in slight awe as he gazes at me with renewed interest.
"What is?" I ask trying not to blush or fidget uncomfortably under his scrutiny.
"You have the sight,"
"I have… something, I do not yet understand it or how it works," I confess quietly glancing down at my hands where they twisted together in my lap, a nervous habit of mine, where was my bow when I needed it, I would usually go and shoot some arrows if I felt unsettled not sit around talking and wearing a dress no less.
"The king…"
"Aragorn," Aragorn interrupts and corrects him, "you are a friend and you are the captain of Gondor please use my name,"
"I am sorry, Aragorn," Faramir apologises and I glance up pride filling me as I watch this exchange, he really was going to be the greatest king ever.
"So what did Aragorn tell you?" I inject to ease the embarrassment between the two of them.
"He has said that you have had a vision of… of my brother," his voice breaks a little again at the end of his sentence as the gravity of what we are talking about once again sinks in and I gulp another breath as a shiver of apprehension rushes through me.
"In the final battle I… after it was over I… well I died," I start unable to look either of them in the face as I feel Aragorn tense visibly beside me and hear Faramir's slight intake of breath at my admission. "Anyway," I continue, "when I did… die I mean, I somehow transported myself to this in-between place, a place where I was between life and death and Boromir was there to greet me. He… he told me what I had to do and that one day he would see me again, see us all again, that he waiting for us and that… he told me to tell you that he was happy and that he is so proud of you, he really wanted you to know that," I finish my faltering speech and risk a quick glance up I see tears making silent tracks down Faramir's face and Aragorn is also looking suspiciously glassy eyed. "I am sorry if I have distressed you," I say quietly ducking my head again before snapping it back up as I hear a short bark of laughter.
"You have not distressed me my lady rather brought me great joy and closure. Thank you. My brother was a good man, he struggled I know and Aragorn has spoken to me of what happened but I am glad that you have forgiven him and are able to speak so highly of him," he finishes and I shoot a look at Aragorn confusion racing through me.
"He saved my life, I owe him my life," I say in a slightly louder voice than I had planned and they both look a little shocked.
"You are a good woman my lady and I hear a great warrior," Faramir says now and I can feel my cheeks heating up again much to my chagrin.
"I do not know about that my lord Faramir, I have much training to do yet I feel," I say with a smile and both men laugh.
"You shall make a great and interesting queen," Faramir smiles and I flush again as I do every time someone mentions my becoming queen or marrying Aragorn, actually I just seem to spend a lot of my time blushing these days.
"Thank you," I mutter,
"I shall take my leave now I need to see to the men there is still much to be done with repairs and patrols, thank you again my lady you have brought me great peace," Faramir says as he gets up and bows slightly walking to the door before pausing and turning back towards me, "let me know if there is ever a way I can repay you,"
"I have one request," I say and he smiles nodding for me to continue and tell him my wish, "my name is Peyson please call me that, I am not used to the title you give me," I say and he smiles again bowing and then leaving. Silence suddenly surrounds me as I turn to look at Aragorn who is smiling at me lovingly.
"You look perplexed," he states eventually sitting down beside me again.
"Why did you tell him what Boromir… why did you tell him that?" I ask and I feel a hint of anger in my voice as I say it that Faramir has had to hear such horrible things about his brother.
"He is the captain of my guard and an honourable man, he deserved the truth," he replies simply and whilst I know that if I chose to I could push the conversation but there is something in his tone that brokers no argument and so I simply stand and walk to where he has found himself standing by the door.
"I love you so much you know," I say quietly and the happiness on his face as I say this to him leaves me in no doubt as to his feelings for me in return.
"And I you," he whispers back his voice husky and deep as he dips his head and kisses me deeply. "I must leave to speak with the council here and you must make arrangements,"
"What arrangements?" I ask in confusion still trying to clear my foggy mind and understand what he is talking about.
"For our wedding little one, I can not stand much longer to be parted from you all the time, I wish to have you to myself all the time," he almost growls and I instantly feel the fierce blush that rushes to my cheeks.
"Oh, how…?" I stutter blushing further as he laughs and kisses me again,
"Marriana will help you find the right people to speak to and help organise everything with you and I believe Eowyn is waiting in the hall for you too," he says and I feel myself perk up at the mention of Eowyn.
"Eowyn is here? I have not seen her since the battle, is she well?" I say immediately and he laughs again pulling me gently towards him and holding me against his solid chest.
"She is quite well little one and I think you may be pleased with some news she has for you,"
"What news?" I ask excitedly and he shakes his head,
"That is for her to tell you not I," he says smiling, "now come or you shall never find out and I shall never be able to find within myself to drag myself to do my work," he sighs and I laugh this time leaning up to give him one last lingering kiss before we exit the room.
"Oh my lady I'm so sorry…" the young woman's voice fades almost as soon as I touch her and she begins speaking as I am suddenly not in the corridor anymore but in a small house in Minis Tirith somewhere and I can hear the cries of a woman in pain. I stare around wildly stumbling back in shock as I see a young woman a new born baby in her arms and blood pouring from her. I watch as her life slips away from her. Blinking back the tears I open my eyes and see myself watching a young child standing by a grave but before I can understand what I am seeing everything becomes a blur and I am standing before a happy little family sitting around a small dinner table and I smile before the image changes again. This time it's different, this time I am looking at something that has not happened yet. I don't know how I know it, it is almost like there is a shimmer around the figures that shows me they are not quite memories. I watch as the two children run around before gasping as one of them trips and falls knocking their head and falling unconscious, I watch as the other one sits beside the small body crying as no one comes and her little life slips away. I gasp and as if breaking through the surface of a body of water I am back in the corridor with the young woman and Aragorn. My legs buckle and I find myself on the floor gasping for breath desperately trying to fill my empty lungs, everything fuzzy and dancing in and out of blackness.
"Little one…" the voice is panicked and I know it is Aragorn, I can feel his presence and it eases me slightly allowing me to draw breath, drinking in the oxygen as tears stream down my face.
"My lady…" the voice of the young woman sounding equally as perturbed startles me back to what I had seen and I spin to her, barely seeing her as the dark spots continue to dance in my vision.
"You must get home," I gasp, "a child… there are two children… one is hurt… or about to be hurt… terribly so… please go quickly… Aragorn," I am panting again my lungs not getting the air they need as I begin to panic, not understanding what I had seen, what I was feeling.
"Go, tell no one of this. I will send a healer to you and as soon as all is well you must come to see me," Aragorn tells her and there is a flurry of activity and I am alone with him as he lifts me to him and begins to walk with me.
"I… I'm sor…" I try to speak but it is too difficult as exhaustion seems to wash over me and everything becomes heavy.
"Shh… I have you little one, rest now I'll be here when you wake," I just about hear the end of his sentence before darkness closes in.