Chapter 1.

“Later, I would like to have some time to speak alone with the King,” Éowyn said as she and Faramir walked hand in hand through the First Circle of Minas Tirith. 

He smiled.  “A closure?  Or perhaps I should say, a new beginning.” 

Éowyn nodded.  “There are things I need to say to him.  I made matters rather difficult for him at Dunharrow. And in the Houses of Healing, I did not even thank him for healing me.” 

She looked at Faramir, studying him. “Are you not displeased, my lord, that I wish to speak alone with the King?” 

Still smiling, Faramir turned to her.  He seemed amused that she should ask such a question. “I am glad you have decided to do so.” 

Éowyn searched his face for any hint of discomfort.  Finding none, she asked again, “But are you truly not displeased, not even a little, that I wish to speak with another man?” She knew she sounded a little petulant. 

“Why should I,” he said tenderly, moving ever so slightly towards her, “when I know there can be no other man, Éowyn?” 

His closeness made her heart beat faster, yet she had no intention of stepping back.  For a moment, she thought he would again kiss her in full view of the City.  But some passers-by chose that very moment to approach their Steward and his lady and wish them well. 

The King had invited Faramir and Éowyn to dine at the Pelennor the evening before the crowning.  Sam is cooking, this alone is reason enough to come, he mentioned in his letter. 

As they approached the Great Gate, the guards saluted them, and the curious gazes of the City’s inhabitants followed their progress to the Pelennor.  Some children came forward, handing them flowers.  Faramir remarked how good it was to see children in the City again. 

They made their way to the largest pavilion on the Pelennor. The guards stationed at the entrance bowed as they approached. 

The front flap of the pavilion opened and the King emerged, with a smile on his face.  “Lord Steward, Lady Éowyn,” he greeted them, placing his arm around Faramir’s shoulder as he ushered them inside. 

The large pavilion was formed by sturdy timber and thick white sheets.  The lower half was draped with black sheets adorned with silver embroidery of the tree and the stars. Inside, cloths of silver and gold hung gracefully from the ceiling, and a thick carpet covered the floor.  A bed covered in fine sheets stood next to a stone table and chairs. 

Aragorn noticed Éowyn’s gaze sweeping across the room, observing the details. 

“Rather extravagant for a shelter that will be used only for one night, do you not think so, Lady Éowyn?” 

Éowyn nodded.  “It seems that in this matter, Minas Tirith has set a higher standard than Edoras.” 

“O, I believe this surpasses even Minas Tirith’s standard,” Aragorn replied, glancing at Faramir.  “I heard the instruction to use the cloths of gold came directly from the Lord Steward.” 

Faramir smiled. “It is not every day that Minas Tirith welcomes her king. And none of this will go to waste; we will keep it for future use.  When the King travels abroad to meet the rulers of other lands, a resplendent pavilion can have its use.” 

Aragorn tilted his head, an amused smile on his lips. “I have not even entered the City, and already you have planned tasks for me?” 

“I believe in an early start, my lord.” 

Aragorn chuckled.  He poured wine into silver goblets and handed one to each of them.  “Caraneth 3010,” he said, showing the bottle to Faramir.  “Another privilege for the King?  I thought we were still under food rationing.” 

“I suspended the rationing for two days, in honour of the crowning,” Faramir said.  “After that, I will brief you about our food storage and the extent of the destruction to our farmlands, and you can decide when to relax the rationing.” 

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully.  

“Tonight, we will gather at the Hobbits’ pavilion,” he said.  “You came early.  Would you like to stay here for a while, or shall we go to the Hobbits’ pavilion now?” 

Aragorn saw Éowyn and Faramir exchange glances as they sipped their wine, after which Faramir nodded. 

Then Éowyn spoke. “If I may, Lord Aragorn, I would like to speak with you before we join the others.”  

Aragorn looked at her, then at Faramir.  Clearly this was something that they had discussed before they arrived. 

“Certainly, lady,” he said.  “Let us keep the pavilion open, but I will ask the guards to keep their distance so we can talk without prying ears.” 

Faramir rose and bowed to Aragorn. “Let me visit my men; I will return before supper,” he said. “I will ensure the guards keep their distance and that you are not disturbed.”  He smiled to Éowyn, his hand resting for a moment on her arm, before stepping away. 

Éowyn watched him until he disappeared from view.  When she turned back to Aragorn, she found him regarding her with an amused yet tender expression. 

Éowyn took a deep breath, then she said, “We will speak of what happened at Dunharrow just this one time, lord, and we shall never speak of it anymore.” 

Aragorn nodded. 

“I owe you an apology...,” Éowyn began. 

At the same time, Aragorn said, “I must apologize to you...”. 

They both paused and looked at each other. “Would you like to speak first, lady?” 

Éowyn nodded. “I owe you an apology, lord. I was burdened by many things, and I took my unhappiness out on you that night at Dunharrow.  It was unfair of me to insist that you take me with you, when you were preparing for such a perilous journey.” 

Aragorn said, “For my part, lady, forgive me for leaving you near despair at Dunharrow.  Had time not been so pressing, I would have stayed longer and reasoned with you.  When I rode to the Paths of the Dead, I feared more for what might befall you, than feared the dreaded path.” 

Éowyn smiled slightly. “You came to Edoras when all seemed dark and lost, like a shining light in a bleak night, and no mightier man had I seen than you.  Is it any wonder that I wished to cleave to that light?  I told myself I loved you,” she blushed, “but perhaps I saw you as an escape from what I thought was my cage.” 

“I am honoured that you ever wished to cleave to me, Lady Éowyn,” Aragorn replied.  “Do not think for a moment that the reason I did not give you my heart was because you were not worthy.  I gave myself to another long ago. 

“But you, Éowyn, daughter of kings, you are most fair and brave, and I knew this before your mighty deeds in this very field.  A king of Númenor would be proud to have you as his queen.” 

Éowyn looked at him silently for some time, allowing his words to sink in.  “Thank you,” she said softly. “You tried to tell me this at Dunharrow, but I did not believe you.  I believe you now.” 

For a moment neither of them spoke.  Éowyn poured more wine into their goblets. 

“You were right about my duty being with my people,” she said calmly. “My duty was to remain at Dunharrow, which I deserted.” 

Aragorn replied, “I was wrong about this:  I said that you had no errand in the South.  Surely that was not true—you vanquished a great evil and fulfilled an ancient prophesy.” 

Éowyn nodded. “Aye, I accomplished a great deed.  Or perhaps we should say, a great deed was accomplished through me.  And yes, I deserted my duty.  Both are true; each does not make the other untrue.” 

Aragorn looked at her with admiration.  “You have grown wiser, lady.  Seeing you now, I believe you have also planned what amends you will make?” 

“I am still pondering that.  The first step is to return to Dunharrow and admit to my people that I did wrong.  Faramir said when I am there with my people, I will know what amends they need.” 

Aragorn smiled. “I spoke to you about duty, and you grew angry and despaired.  Faramir spoke to you about duty, and see what happened?” 

Éowyn pondered for a moment.  At length she said, “When you came to Dunharrow, lord, you came from the victory of Helm’s Deep.  And you were heading to another battle that would surely win you more renown, I thought.  So when you spoke to me about my duty to stay at home, I thought, easy for you to say, since your duty will win you glory, while mine is tedious and thankless.  Now that I can think more clearly, I see that you were heading to the Paths of the Dead—that was a thankless duty, too—but I did not see it at the time.” 

“But Lord Faramir ...” Éowyn paused, her face and voice growing tender.  “But Lord Faramir,” she continued, “he did his duty to hold the outposts, and a thankless task it was, what hope of renown was there?  Yet he did it faithfully.  And excellently, from what I have heard." 

“And the way he performs his duty now, preparing for someone who will replace him, without bitterness, with joy even...” Her eyes drifted to the cloths of gold hanging above them, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Seeing all this, I could not help being moved and chastised when he spoke of duty, though he never chastised me.” 

Aragorn was silent.  Then he said, “Rest assured, lady, what Lord Faramir has done for Gondor, and for me, will not go unnoticed.” 

He watched as she wiped away a tear.  “You are very brave, Lady Éowyn.” 

Éowyn smiled. “You will be our King and my lord loves you so.  I do not wish to be awkward every time I see you.  And I am glad we have this conversation.  I must admit, after that night, I thought ill of you.  Now I can return to liking and admiring you again.” 

Aragorn laughed.  “Thank you! I am relieved that I am back in your good graces.” 

He raised his goblet. “We will leave the sad things behind and have a new beginning, then?” 

Éowyn touched his goblet with hers. “To a new beginning,” she said, then she drank the wine. 

“I must admit,” said Aragorn, taking a sip, “that when I heard about you and Lord Faramir, I wondered whether you both had made a rash move.  But tonight, I am happy to see that I was mistaken.” 

“Ah,” said Éowyn. “I asked myself that question, too—whether I saw him as another escape, or a substitute?  But I do not need an escape now.  I am content to return to Rohan and do what I can for my people.  The only thing I dislike about returning to Rohan now is that it means parting from Faramir.  I desire to be with him, even when I am happy and content. 

“As for a substitute, I did not know you well enough, lord, to try and find someone to replace you.  But I know Faramir.” 

“I wish you joy, Éowyn. Both of you are brave and noble and deserve all the joy that could be found in Arda.” 

“Thank you,” said Éowyn. “And I am grateful to you, lord, for saving my life and Faramir’s.” 

Aragorn nodded. “I am very glad Gandalf called me that night.”  Then he added, “Would you call me by my name? You did before, and I would prefer you do so.  And I would call you by name, too, if you allow it.” 

“I am honoured, Aragorn,” Éowyn said. 

Aragorn rose, his hand outstretched towards her. “Shall we go find Lord Faramir now?” 

Éowyn took his hand as she rose, but as she straightened, she let go. 

They walked together, heading deeper into the encampment, the City gate growing distant behind them. 

“When you said you wished to speak with me, I thought you were going to ask me to honour Lord Faramir for his faithful service.” 

Éowyn shook her head. “If he were like other men, I would have done so.  But he takes pride in his decision to surrender his authority without any promise of reward; I will not take that from him.  Besides,” she looked at him steadily, “I trust you, Aragorn.” 

Aragorn returned her gaze.  “Your trust is not misplaced, Éowyn.” 

...

Sam was tending to large cauldrons outside the Halflings’ pavilion when they arrived.  Nearby, two soldiers were preparing roasted meats following Sam’s instructions. 

“How good to see you again, Sam,” Faramir said as he approached the busy cook. 

Sam looked up and a bright smile lit up his face. “Captain Faramir!” He ran to Faramir and hugged him.  “We do meet again, will wonder never cease?” 

“I feel the same way, Sam.”  He knelt and returned the embrace. “Wonder upon wonder.” 

Sam turned to greet Aragorn and Éowyn.  “You must be Lady Éowyn of Rohan.  Samwise Gamgee at your service, lady.” 

Éowyn gave him a courtesy, which made him blush. “Aye, Master Samwise, Éowyn daughter of Éomund I am, who is honoured to meet you.” 

At that moment the pavilion flap opened and Pippin appeared in his livery of the Tower Guard. 

“Lord Faramir!” he cried, rushing forward to give him a fierce embrace.  “Finally I get to see you again! And on your feet and with a lady! When Merry told me you were wooing, I told him it could not be, you almost died and in mourning and must be busy preparing the City for another siege.  But it seems you are even more capable than I thought!” 

Faramir laughed and knelt to embrace Pippin. “It is good to see you again, Pippin, and unquenchable as ever.  I heard of your deeds in the battle; you have done Gondor proud.” 

Pippin turned to Éowyn and bowed. “Peregrin Took at your service, fair Lady Éowyn.  Merry is right, you are very beautiful!” 

Éowyn laughed in delight.