Disclaimer: I don’t own anything and I’ll put them back when I’m done!

Author’s Note: Just a tad bit of angst here, then back to the cheeky bits.

Chapter Three: Arrivals and a Case of Slight Misfortune

     The annual Council of the West was something that Aragorn had started when he became King. Once every year, in the early fall, ambassadors from all over the realms of Gondor and Arnor arrived in Minas Tirith to tell the King of the doings in their lands, and to settle any disputes that might have arisen. The citizens of Minas Tirith had made a festival out of it, with a large fair held in the lower circles, and plenty of good food and song.

      Two days after the lads and Legolas had finished the ballroom, the first ambassadors began to arrive. Elladan and Elrohir came from Rivendell with an entourage of Elves, King Brand and his son, Cairbre, from Esgaroth, and Gloin and Dwalin came from the Lonely Mountain. Eomer, Lothiriel, and their son, Eothain, arrived from Rohan on the same day as Eowyn, Faramir, and their two children arrived from Ithilien. Merry and Pippin were, of course, for the Shire. Even more arrived after they did.

       Eldarion and Faramir had been instructed, in no uncertain terms, to stay in the family quarters. They had managed to convince Diamond to at least let them stay in the library, and so there they were, sitting on the overstuffed sofas, playing games and being bored. It was a wet, rainy day, and there really wasn’t much to do that didn’t involve some type of mischief.

     “We ought to have our own council,” said Eldarion suddenly, sitting up from where he was slumped on the sofa. “We can invite all of the children!”

      Faramir looked over at him curiously. “What would we talk about?”

      Eldarion paused, thinking. In truth, there were many things that he could see the need for a children’s council on. “More toys for the playroom. What games we should play, and maybe we can even draw up a list to present to Father, on why we should be allowed to ride ponies in the Citadel.”

      “That’s a good idea!” cried Faramir, though in truth he rather doubted the part about the ponies. “Who will we invite?”

        “Prince Faramir’s children, Theodwyn and Rowan, King Eomer’s son, Eothain, and any other children who come to the City. I’ll make a list,” Eldarion said, looking around for paper. He spotted a box of paper and ink high up on a bookshelf, and jumped up. “I’m going to get that!”

       Faramir frowned. “Isn’t it a little high up? Maybe we should get my father to help us get it down.”

       “No, I can get it, it isn’t so high,” Eldarion replied, and started climbing up the shelf, while Faramir watched anxiously from below. “It’s all right, Faramir, what could possibly happen?”

*****

       “The library is this way. I think you’ll like it, Theo, it’s much larger than your father’s.”

     “Really? It must be very large, then!”

     Eowyn grinned down at her young daughter. Trust Theodwyn to want to see the library after they had been in Minas Tirith for only an hour. She was truly her father’s daughter, with her love of books.

     “King Elessar told me that Eldarion and Faramir Took are there, too, so you can see them, as well,” Eowyn continued. “They-“

      She broke off as a loud crash, louder than anything she had heard since the end of the War, echoed down the corridor. It was the loud crash of something infinitely heavy falling, and it had come from the library.

     “What the…? Come on, Theodwyn!”

      Eowyn sprinted down the corridor, long skirts caught up in one hand, and burst into the library. She stood in the doorway for a moment, an expression of shock on her face. One of the great bookshelves had fallen, scattering its contents on the floor. The lads were nowhere to be seen.

      “Eldarion? Faramir?” the White Lady cried, panic tinging her voice. A soft whimper, coming from under the massive bookcase, answered her.

      With a Rohirric curse that would have shocked any who understood her, Eowyn leapt at the bookshelf and tried to pull it up. It was too heavy for her to manage alone, and she turned to Theodwyn, who was standing by the door.

     “Go get your father and the king, and Pippin Took, and any else that you find! Tell them that a bookshelf in the library has fallen on their sons. Hurry! Go!”

       As Theodwyn pelted off, Eowyn took a deep breath, and began talking in a calm voice to the lads, comforting them, all while searching for a way to get them out. While the books had kept them from being crushed, she didn’t know how long they would last.

        “Please let the men hurry,” she prayed.

*****

       Aragorn, Eomer, Faramir, Legolas, Gimli and the hobbits were talking in the King’s study when Theodwyn burst in and screamed, “A bookcase fell on Eldarion and Faramir Took in the library! Help!”

      Aragorn and Pippin, without saying a word, leapt up and ran from the room. The rest of the men stared at the little girl for a moment before reacting. Faramir swept his daughter up in his arms as he hurried from the room.

      “Where’s Mamma?” he asked her.

      “With them. She sent me to get help,” Theodwyn gasped.

      Faramir nodded and continued on his way.

      When they got to the library, last of the group, Aragorn and the others were pulling the bookcase up. Faramir set Theodwyn on a nearby chair and went to help them. At last, the shelf was up, although books were everywhere, and they were able to see the two little lads that lay under it.

     “Faramir,” Pippin croaked, dropping to his knees next to his son, and scooping him up. Faramir moaned a bit, and Pippin breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s alive.”

     “So is Eldarion,” said Aragorn, leaning over his son. “And what’s more, he’s conscious. Eldarion? What happened?”

       “I was trying to get paper, and the bookshelf fell down on us. Is Faramir all right?”

       Eowyn had crossed the library and was kneeling down next to Pippin, examining Faramir. She had learned to be a healer in the past years, and now knew how to quickly check for injuries. “His arm is broken,” she said, feeling the little hobbit’s left arm with gentle fingers. “But it’s a clean break, so do not worry, Pippin, he’ll be fine.”

        A sigh of relief spread to all of the men.

     “It’s good they’re all right,” said Eomer. “That startled me to no end.”

     “Aye,” grumbled Gimli. “It’s a mark of their parentage that they lived through that.”

     Aragorn’s face was pale as he lifted his son up and faced them all. “If you’ll all kindly excuse me, I’ll set these two to rights, and then talk to you later.”

      “I’ll see to the new arrivals, your majesty,” Faramir (Éowyn’s, that is) said.

      Aragorn nodded. “Thank you.”

     *****

           Faramir Took woke up later in the evening. He found himself in a large, fluffy bed, with pillows under his head, and his left arm splinted and bound tightly to his chest. It throbbed something awful, and he blinked back tears, not wishing to seem soft.

       “Faramir? Are you awake, love?”

       Faramir turned his head and saw his mamma, Diamond, sitting beside his bed in a chair. She looked at him with such love and concern that he reached his good arm out to her and burst into tears.

      “Shh, love, it’s all right. You’ve had a scare, and your arm is broken, but you’ll be all right, I promise,” Diamond soothed, stroking his soft hair.

       “Is Eldarion all right, too?” Faramir asked, pulling his head back and looking at her.

        “Yes, he only has a sprained ankle. He talked Legolas into sneaking him in here to see you, but then Queen Arwen made him go back to bed. You can see him in the morning,” Diamond replied.

     Faramir nodded and leaned his cheek against her shoulder again. His mamma rocked him until he fell asleep. As she lay him back down, the door opened and Pippin came in.

    “Did he wake up, then?” he asked.

    “Yes, he did, and he seems perfectly all right,” Diamond replied. “The King or Lady Eowyn should look at him in the morning, though.”

     Pippin put his arm around his wife and they looked down at their sleeping son. “There is a legion of children in the hallway, who want to know if he’s all right. I suppose that I ought to tell them he is.”

     Diamond grinned. “Why do I have the feeling that said children will help him get up to his normal tricks again, tomorrow? It should be an interesting council.”

TBC