Faramir woke with a jolt, gasping for air. He threw the fur covers off himself to cry and cool down, but sweat clung to him uncomfortably, particularly on his forehead where his hair had stuck. What dream had startled him out of sleep, he could not remember but it was the fourth time in a week that it had happened. He was no stranger to poor sleep and nightmares, but he would normally recall the dream that had forced him to awaken. But since the war had ended, he was struggling to recall what dreams left him shaken and breathless. He wondered whether it was worse to remember dreams after waking, or if it was worse to remain unaware. Aware, he was plagued by the horror of whatever had troubled his mind, but he could deal with what he knew; unaware, he remained clueless as to what was causing him such distress and therefore had no way of helping himself.
It didn't help that for a moment after he woke, he couldn't recognise his surroundings. He was in a room that was not his own and it took him a short while to gain his bearings. Then, as he settled down, his heart no longer beating out of his chest, he remembered he was still in Rohan. He found Edoras to be incredibly different to Minas Tirith, not even just the obvious physical differences between the two cities. Where the walls of the White City were cold, the Golden Hall was filled with warmth. After several weeks at Edoras, he felt a sense of guilt at the thought of taking his future bride from here to reside in the city of stone until their house in Ithilien was ready.
Thinking of Éowyn, it had not escaped his notice that the new King of Rohan had placed him in a room that was as far from her room as possible. Despite his newfound good relationship with Éomer, it was obvious that the younger man was still watching his every move with suspicion. This frustrated Éowyn to no end, but Faramir did not want to get on the wrong side of his future brother-in-law, so he did nothing to invoke the ire of Éomer.
Knowing he would not find anymore sleep, and seeing that the sun was starting to rise, he decided to do something other than remain in bed where he would only torture himself imagining what had caused him such a restless sleep.
After spending several weeks at Edoras, he knew his way around pretty easily and he had come to like a particular balcony which gave him a view of the plains of Rohan, with a large lake in the background just in front of the mountains. Grabbing his book and pencil, he made his way to the balcony and began sketching the landscape before him, with the sun rising above the mountains.
The book was his most recent one. He had begun to draw in this book during their time apart, but in his room in Minas Tirith, there are many old books filled with drawings he had sketched over the years.
"You draw?"
He was glad his pencil was not on the paper at the moment Éowyn spoke or there was a good chance he would've ruined his drawing when she startled him. Realising he was too engrossed in drawing to hear her approaching, she offered a quick apology and he took her hand, gesturing for her to sit beside him, accepting the apology.
"I try to," he said as she leaned over to have a look at the landscape and she let out a small gasp.
"Try? That is wonderful," she said. "You have a talent for it. Please, continue drawing, do not let my presence put you off."
"My Lady, your presence is always distracting to me," he said, drawing a shy smile from her. Neither of them were still fully used to receiving such compliments from each other.
"Can I see?"
He passed her the book, and watched as she admired the sketches he had drawn. There were sketches of his mother's garden and the courtyard of Minas Tirith, sketches of horses and other wild animals, one of Éowyn herself which made her blush, and one of another woman.
"Is this your mother?" She asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Or at least how I remember her."
"These are beautiful drawings, Faramir," she said, filling him with a sense of pride. Drawing had always been a hobby of his, something to enjoy but like many things he enjoyed, it was met with contempt by his father. To hear her praise his work made him smile.
She handed the book back to him and he finished his sketch. It did not take too long since he had already spent a fair amount of time on it during previous days when he had come to this very balcony.
"Will you take a walk with me?" She asked, and he nodded his affirmation, quickly returning to his room to put his book away and grab his cloak. When he returned, he was filled with happiness to see she wore the starry blue mantle he had given to her.
He offered her his arm and they walked outside the city to a small riverbank nearby. He wasn't even sure if it could be classed as a river, more a stream perhaps, as it was incredibly thin with very little water, but he enjoyed the walk among the fields, passing by trees and birds, with Éowyn by his side.
They spoke of several things, of how the building of their house in Ithilien was going, of plans for the wedding and of the drinking competition Éomer had tried to drag him into the previous evening. Faramir had politely declined the invitation, not wanting to make a complete fool of himself in front of his future brother-in-law, but Éomer had the competition anyway, between him and some of his riders. It was at that moment that Faramir discovered it did not take much for Éomer to become drunk. It was news to Éowyn, however, who had been with the women of court and she laughed at her brother's inability to handle his ale.
"And what of your evening?"
"Well, it was hosted in honour of me," she began to explain. "It's tradition that after an engagement is announced, the women of the court host an afternoon to give the soon to be married woman advice about married life."
"Oh?" He asked, intrigued.
"Yes, it was strange. I barely knew most of the women there. I knew Elfhelm's wife, Aldwyn, and of course there was Queen Arwen, but everyone else who was there I hardly knew," she explained. Queen Arwen had remained in Edoras with Faramir, Imrahil and a few others from Gondor and she had built up a small friendship with Éowyn.
"My aunt wasn't there?" He found it odd that if all women within the court attended that his aunt Almiel, the Princess of Dol Amroth, would not be invited.
"She was invited, but given the topic of some conversations, she decided to not attend or she may have felt uncomfortable. In fact at one point they were discussing your… well your stamina," she said, blushing as she did so.
"Ah, yes. Maybe she may not have wanted to hear that. She has known me since birth."
"The whole evening was rather odd. Half of the ladies seemed to think I'd hate my wedding night and if their descriptions are anything to go by, theirs must've been awful and they said the pain would be unbearable and there would be so much blood," she said, talking faster and faster with each passing word, as if she was subconsciously nervous at such a topic. "So when I worried about that, Aldwyn told me to think logically because with the amount of riding I've done there likely won't be that much and…"
She stopped talking suddenly, and her face flushed red, remembering the topic she was discussing, and who exactly she was discussing it with. She was no sheltered maiden, and she knew the basics of what took place between a man and a woman after, and sometimes before, marriage, but was embarrassed to discuss such things with a man, albeit one she was going to marry.
"Sorry, I really should not have gone into that much detail," she said, averting her eyes to stop any more embarrassment.
"You need not apologise to me. You may talk to me about any topic, especially those that involve me," he said, seeking to assure her with a gentle smile. It was his wish that she never feel embarrassed to speak with him about any topic. "I do not want you to fear me."
"I do not. It's just… I think the talk left me a little more confused than before. I mean, I understand the concept, it's not like I haven't seen horses breeding but how can experiences vary so much between horror for one woman and bliss for another?" She asked, and he realised that she was now actively seeking his advice, or reassurance.
"Perhaps it depends on the man," he suggested. "There will be some who do not treat their wives as well as they should and that may make it more uncomfortable to her."
They continued walking as they spoke and he took a few moments to decide whether he should press ahead with the conversation and admit to her that when their wedding night was upon them, he would be as inexperienced as she was. As she was opening up to him, he felt it fair to discuss such matters with her too.
"In truth, while I am willing to share any advice with you on this topic, I am not too sure how good my advice is. My knowledge in the area is quite limited."
"Is this your way of trying to tell me you haven't whored yourself through half of Gondor?" She said with a smile causing him to let out a laugh, before he turned rather nervous again, wringing his hands together.
"No, this is me telling you that I will come to our marriage bed with as little experience as you."
She stopped in her tracks and faced him directly, a look of shock upon her face. But not one of horror, nor of judgement, just genuine surprise. Perhaps it came as a shock, especially after his very public kiss upon the walls of Minas Tirith, that he was inexperienced. In truth, he had even shocked himself with that kiss.
"You've never…" She trailed off and he shook his head in answer to her question. "Why?"
"Would you rather me have whored myself through half of Gondor?" He joked, referring to her previous question, invoking a small laugh from her.
"No… Well, what you did and who you loved before you met me is none of my business," she said, and she meant it. She could hardly blame him for having experienced the love of another woman before they met.
"You are the first woman I have ever loved," he said, speaking truthfully. He was not a blind man, nor was he completely ignorant to desire, and there had been a fair few beautiful ladies in Gondor who had turned his head, but he never had the urge to lie with them, nor did he ever think he could come to love them. Éowyn, however, was a different story.
"It's just… I did not expect a 36 year old man who is handsome, rich, kind, generous to have never been with a woman. Surely there were women who were interested in you?"
"There were quite a few, but most of them were interested in me because of the connections they could make through the Steward's son, not because they held an actual interest in me and I felt nothing for them so I dismissed them quickly.
"Boromir once took me to a brothel," he admitted, recalling his brother had tried to introduce him to the physical affections of a woman. He was twenty at the time. She was a beautiful woman from Pelargir who did not judge him for his lack of wanting to bed her. Instead, he thought she rather liked the change of pace, instead simply talking to a man about his life, and of hers. He certainly learned a few interesting things about her, including the fact that she had a daughter and despite the fact that she did not want to receive money for a job she did not complete, he insisted she take his coin for her daughter.
"She did… things but when it came to actually bedding her, I just couldn't go through with it and I've never gone near a woman in the same way since. I just felt no connection with her. In truth, it is not that uncommon in Gondor. Elphir was the same way before he married, as is Amrothos and it is likely my father and uncle were too. Boromir and Erchirion are more of a rarer case," he explained to her. For every man like his brother or cousin who enjoyed bedding every woman, or man too in his brother's case, he came across, there were several who waited for someone with whom they had a connection with. Perhaps it had something to do with many families in Gondor having very distant elven ties, particularly those from Dol Amroth.
"So, I am inexperienced too. But I have read things, and like you, I hear stories," he said.
"You've read things? I feel that does not surprise me," she said. Of course he had read things. He spent half his life with his nose buried in a book and he would admit that sometimes curiosity got the best of him, particularly in the past few months after his engagement.
"Well I cannot lie, I was curious and sometimes it is easier to learn things through books than people. My father was not the most approachable man in the world and talking to either him or my uncle would've been uncomfortable. Boromir gave me advice, and many stories, but of course half of his experience was with men so it wasn't always helpful. I have spoken with Elphir too, it is less embarrassing talking to him compared with my uncle but I want to learn what I can before we marry… I want you to be comfortable."
"This is why you are the perfect man," she said, smiling at him and she leant in to kiss him, full of passion and fire and when they broke apart, a little out of breath, she remained close to him, her hands still in his hair and looked directly into his eyes. "I love you."
"And I love you," he replied, meaning each word. She brought her lips to his again but before they connected, she seemed to have spotted something over his shoulder for she stopped.
"Well, I think that is enough scandalous conversation for one morning. Here comes my brother," she said, gesturing to Éomer who walked before them, a bow and a quiver full of arrows over his shoulder. As he got closer, Faramir realised they belonged to him and was confused as to why he had them.
"Sister, Faramir," he said, a slight bow of his head to acknowledge the man of Gondor. "It appears we are low on meat. Would you like to join us on a hunt?"
"Certainly," Faramir said. He was not one to kill animals needlessly, but it was sometimes a necessity when food was needed. And although he was never one to boast of his abilities, he was quite the skilled hunter. Years as a ranger meant he was a skilled tracker and archer, and his ability to move quietly meant the animals were less likely to be startled.
"You two go ahead," Éowyn said, rejecting the offer. "I agreed I would spend the afternoon with Queen Arwen."
"Enjoy your afternoon," Éomer said.
"Thank you. Farewell, brother," she said to him, giving him a small kiss on the cheek before turning to Faramir. "Enjoy the hunt."
"My Lady," he replied as a farewell, kissing the back of her hand to be more formal in front of her brother, but she cared not that he stood nearby and gave Faramir a kiss on his lips. It was not as long or passionate as previous kisses, but it was no chaste kiss either and as she parted, Éomer gave him a mix between a glare and a smirk. He knew the younger man approved of him and was glad to see his sister happy, but perhaps he did not want to see such public affections right before him.
"So," Éomer began and Faramir thought he was going to receive a lecture on how to behave with his sister, but Éomer merely handed Faramir his bow and quiver. "Let me see these famous ranger skills I've heard so much about.
Two nights before he was due to begin his long-awaited journey back to Gondor, he was startled out of sleep by a sudden knock at the door. Giving himself a moment to wake up and put on a shirt, he opened the door, shocked to find Éowyn stood on the other side in obvious distress. Her eyes were red and she was shaking.
"What happened?" He asked, taking her in his arms and she buried her head into his shoulder, letting quiet sobs soak into his shirt.
"He is in my dreams. He taunts me still," she explained, choking the words out between the sobs. He didn't need to ask who she was speaking of. There had been many in her life who could cause her nightmares, the snake from Rohan who had once roamed these very halls among them, but this evil was something else entirely. The two of them had previously spoken about the horror the Witch-King of Angmar had left upon them, and she suffered the worst of it.
Faramir had faced the Nazgûl several times throughout his life, and the effect they left upon the race of men was distressing, but Éowyn had faced down the Witch-King himself, and the damage the evil King had left upon her was beyond anything he could ever imagine. Éowyn was as strong a woman as he had ever met, but Angmar was enough to make even the mightiest of men tremble with fear.
"Why will he not leave me alone?"
He checked the corridor was empty before guiding her into his room. The last thing he wanted to do was set tongues wagging and make her the subject of gossip, but he had no wish to force her to stay so publicly in the corridor when she was in such distress.
"I defeated him but it feels like he has still won," she murmured, and he sat down upon the chair in the corner of his room, keeping her in his embrace. "Tonight was the worst of them all."
"He is gone, Éowyn. He cannot hurt you, nor anyone else," he assured her, gently running his hand across her back. "Do you want to talk about what happened in your dream?"
He felt her shake her head from where it was cradled against his chest, so he merely held her as she managed to calm down. The crying stopped, and the shaking subsided, but the dream remained ingrained in her mind. Her distress reminded him of the dreams he had been having recently, only he had no memory of them. Both of them were still suffering.
Eventually, she lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes still red with the tears she had spilled.
"I know we are not married yet, and it is not proper, but could I stay here tonight? I just… I don't want to be alone."
Were she not in such obvious distress, he would've declined. Not because he did not want to share a bed with her, of course he did. But they were not yet married, and he did not want to drag her into any scandal. He did not want any ill rumours to make their way back to Gondor where many of the people were, in his opinion, far too involved in the lives of others. And he also wished to keep his head on his shoulders, and he thought that Éomer would have no problem relieving his body of his head if he felt his sister was being taken advantage of.
But right now, she was shaking and terrified and there was nothing that could make him send her back to her own room to be alone, not even angry older brothers.
He led her to his bed, and held her as she drifted off into sleep, but he spent the rest of the night rather uncomfortable. He was afraid to get too close to her, but still wanted to make her feel safe. The last thing he wanted was for his body to react involuntarily to having her so close and frighten her more if she woke to find the evidence of his desire for her pressed against her leg, but her need for comfort meant that he put those worries aside and held her close. Thankfully, she was asleep quickly, her head laid on his chest, and sooner rather than later, sleep claimed him too.
Éowyn woke content, but slightly confused at the unfamiliar room and she jumped slightly when she felt someone's arms around her. But the fright wore off quickly when she remembered the events of the previous night and how nightmares had driven her to Faramir's room.
She felt him stir, but he did not wake. She lifted her head from where it was cradled against his chest to watch him as he slept. In that moment, he looked more peaceful than she had ever seen him. She knew he too suffered from nightmares, but with how content he looked, whatever he was dreaming of could not have been dark.
Knowing she should leave before the household were awake, she carefully rose from the bed and gently shut the door on her way out, but not before she gave him a gentle kiss to the forehead and lovingly ran her fingers through his hair.
As she walked into the main hall, Éomer was already sitting at the head of the table, a strange look upon his face as he gestured to the chair beside him. Giving him an equally weird look back, she sat down and began to eat from the plate of food that was already prepared for her. She ate in silence, but was put off by the mix of a smirk and a scowl on her brother's face, an extremely odd combination.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.
"Not really," she answered. It was half-truthful. For half of the night she had a terrible sleep, but she slept well after she had gone to Faramir.
"Mmm," he replied, sceptical. "Maybe your lack of sleep has something to do with whose rooms you were seen entering in the early hours of the morning."
Her eyes widened to the size of the moon, someone had obviously spotted her entering Faramir's room and came to the wrong conclusion. But Éomer did not appear to be massively angry, which explained the half amused, half irritated expression.
"I am not mad. You are going to be married, and I would prefer if you waited until then, but it is none of my business. I cannot say I'm surprised though with the way you look at him."
"Éomer-"
"As long as he is careful and we don't end up with any unexpected surprises before the wedding, there is no real issue," he finished, obviously referring to a possible pregnancy.
"It wasn't that," she said and he gave her a look as if to say he didn't believe her. "It wasn't. I had a nightmare and it startled me. He's not… He's not that kind of man."
She did not know whether Faramir would bed her before their wedding. She doubted it, he was a man of honour, and she had only learned a few days ago that he had never been with a woman, so she doubted he would even attempt such a thing before their wedding night.
"Do you want to talk about it? The nightmare, I mean. Not the Steward," he said.
"No," she replied.
"You can always talk to me. I hope you know that. I know I was blind to your suffering before, but I am always here for you," he said, reaching to grab her hand.
"I know," she assured him. She held no ill will against him for not recognising her issues before the war began.
"Even after you are married, I am always here for you."
Éomer was aware that for the first time since their father died, there was now to be another man who was better suited to help her when she needed it. Of course, there was their uncle whom she loved and always turned to, but her older brother was there her whole life.
As much as she has always taken much pride in her ability to take care of herself, only a fool would deny the help of others during occasions where help was needed, and Éomer had always been the first person she would turn to. But Faramir had understood her better in the space of a few weeks than any other man had in 24 years, and that understanding led to a deep connection allowing her to fall in love with him, and that was more than enough for her to part from her brother.
"I will miss you when you leave," he said, his hand still holding hers. She could see the emotion in his eyes at the thought of her being so far away. "But I know deep down you are no longer truly happy here. Too much has happened. There is a selfish part of me that does not want my sister to live so far from home, and that hopes happiness will return to you here, but I know it lies elsewhere. And I can think of no man better for you to spend your days with than Faramir. He is a good man, even if I question his choice of bride."
She laughed at his jest, but also fought back the tears at his previous words. Éomer had been a constant in her life, the only one, and leaving him to live far away was terrifying, and the one thing that would make her want to stay. But she knew it was the right decision to move to a new home with a man she loved dearly.
"Let's not get too emotional yet," she began. "I still have several months left to irritate you."
"Ah, well in that case, perhaps we should move the wedding forward so I can be rid of you sooner."
Resisting the urge to give him a playful slap for the insult, she instead moved around the table to embrace him.
"I love you," she murmured. It was the words the two of them had hardly spoken to each other since they reached adulthood. It was always obvious and left unsaid, but she needed to say it aloud.
"And I, you."
A few days later, the two were at the stables, preparing his horse as he and the remaining Gondorians prepared to return home.
"I cannot believe a month has passed so quickly," she said, helping him saddle Arroch. "It feels like mere days since you arrived."
"I know. Time has truly passed quickly, but my mother always said when you are with people you love, time moves quickly."
His words made her face light up in a smile, but the smile quickly vanished as the reality truly set in. He was leaving.
"I cannot believe we have to spend eight months apart," she said, moving close to him and grabbing both of his hands in hers. She was echoing his own thoughts. Two months apart between Aragorn's coronation and Théoden's funeral had been long enough. Eight months seemed like a lifetime.
"I know, but it will be worth it in the end," he said. "But the next time we see each other, it will be time for us to wed… Unless you change your mind."
"I'm afraid the chances of that happening are very slim," she teased back, leaning closer to him. "You will have to deal with me for the rest of your life."
"And I look forward to it," he said, pulling her to him for a long and slow kiss, savouring every moment. He memorised the taste of her lips, the feel of her hair as he ran his hands through it, the smell of her. He memorised everything he could as he prepared for this time apart.
Eventually, they broke apart and left the privacy of the royal stables to join his uncle and everyone else preparing to ride home. With promises to write to one another over the next eight months, they shared one more kiss and then parted. As far as he was concerned, the spring could not come fast enough.
Thanks for reading the latest update. I hope you liked my first chapter in the post-canon era.
The next chapter may be split into two, as it's dealing with them while they are separated before they reunite for their wedding. I have not yet decided whether to include both POVs in one chapter, or split them. It probably depends on length but there will either be one or two chapters before they reunite.
I've also got a few extra stories planned, including a Boromir/Theodred fic primarily revolving around their first meeting and kiss, a fic about Eowyn and Theoden's relationship and a modern Faramir/Eowyn fic involving them adopting a puppy who follows him home one night. I hope to get all three of these up within the next few weeks, as well as several chapters of this fic, so hopefully you will enjoy them too if you choose to read.