Over the next several weeks, Eomer worked underground with the Terrible Trio, making complicated plans of attack that all came to naught.

Eowyn watched all this with considerable disapprobation, but when the day came that the plotters finally came up with a feasible idea, she couldn't help being interested, in spite of herself. However, it still cost Eomer some effort in exercising his manifold powers of persuasion to convince her to throw in her lot with them.

"But Eowyn, we need you!"

"I'm sure you could muddle along quite well enough without me."

"But we don't want to muddle, we want to be magnificent!"

"I am glad you think me magnificent. For I am. But you are a king. You should be magnificent without any help from me."

"But Eowyn, you know the palace!"

"So do you."

"But not as well as you do!"

"You wouldn't get lost."

"Besides, the King likes you."

"I thought you were supposed to be his best friend."

"But I won't be, after this!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"That is a very good point."

"So. You have not come up with one good reason yet why I should help you."

"Well, you know it would be a lot more fun than sitting around with that boring husband of yours."

"Faramir is not boring. He is quite interesting. And he is far more intelligent than you can even imagine."

"Yeah, right. You know you'd have a lot more fun with a husband like me!"

"Ew, Eomer, that's disgusting!"

"I didn't mean me, myself, I just said someone like me!"

"Good. I'm relieved."

"Eowyn, wouldn't you love to see the King's face when he realizes we've outsmarted him at last?"

Well...you do have a point there."

"See, you'll have a lot of fun with us!"

"Well...it would be refreshing."

"Yes! It would! Eowyn, you deserve a break from your husband!"

"Well, fine. But one more remark about my husband and it's all off. And you'll be dead into the bargain."

"All right, great! I've gotten the better of Fara - I mean Aragorn, at last! Hooray!"

"You are the most immature king I have ever seen or heard tell of, Eomer."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Toodles!"