Open To Anyone For Anything RP Post

[questionablewit]

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AUs and cross-canon, drama and comedy and shipping.
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[theywhowait]

"It is." He leans into her hand.

"I wish there were more that we could learn from, but it is not as if folk have written of their experiences! I suppose we could ask around and see if any of our people have advice?"

[withoutswords]

His hesitation and unease catch her attention, for both are very unlike him. Understanding dawns rapidly, and she walks her horse a little closer to his and reaches out to take his hand and squeeze it briefly.

"I do know." She tilts her head, fixing him with her direct gaze. "Just as I hope you know you may ask me anything, love. I had not realised you wondered."

oh lord, imagine if he had access to the internet. He'd research *everything*.

[withoutswords]

She laughs a little. "I do not doubt we will have advice pressed upon us from all directions, whether we wish it or not." As had been her experience during their betrothal, in the days leading up to her wedding night...to say nothing of advice given to her about how to quicken a child's conception, none of which she had followed.

She laughs again, more fully, as another thought occurs to her. "Bema, I wish I could be there to witness Eomer's reaction when he hears."

[theywhowait]

He relaxes, now that it is clear he has not upset her by asking.

"I try not to." he confesses. "But it does bother me a little, not knowing how you were hurt, despite that I could not have known at the time, nor been able to do anything, e'en should I have known."

he'd come back so traumatised! And also with random bits of useless information XD

[theywhowait]

"True! But hopefully some of it will be actually useful?"

He smiles, laughing with her.

"Are you going to wait to surprise him with the news, or write?"

[withoutswords]

"Indeed you could not have, for you did not even know me then except as a name." Her mouth quirks a little, not quite a smile. His concern is touching, though she hope it does not extend into guilt. That would be foolish. "What is it you wish to know?"

ohhhhh yeah. "Eowyn, did you know that the octopus has three hearts?" "What's an octopus?"

[withoutswords]

"It could hardly be less so!" She laughs and leans her head back to kiss him a little. They had hardly needed advice (much less encouragement) on their wedding night. And the advice about how to conceive a child had been an endless run of folklore and superstition, which Eowyn had early on decided to accept graciously and then ignore. It would have taken her a year to try every suggestion, if she'd attempted them.

"I hardly know." She places a hand on her abdomen, wishing she could feel some evidence of the life growing there. "Wait a little, at least. It is not uncommon to miscarry before three months are passed. I should be at least that cautious." Even as she says it, she has an inkling of how devastating such an event would be, and swiftly moves on.

"But we are not to see him again for almost half a year. I do not think I can wait that long!" She curses suddenly. "Bema, by that point I will barely be able to move, I will be so round. We may have to alter our plans. A number of our plans. How strange, to reorganize our lives around something we cannot yet see!"

[theywhowait]

"Whatever you can tell me?"

He shrugs shyly.

"It is a little irrational, I suppose. But I want to be able to share everything with you, Eowyn, even the most terrible things."

So true XD

[theywhowait]

"Ah, good point." He grimaces.

"Odd indeed! Although not all I think. We will see what comes and adjust accordingly. As you say, we will wait for a while. Did you want to give birth here or there did you know?"

[withoutswords]

Faramir's words warm her heart more than the sunlight. Eowyn stands in her stirrups and leans over the gap between their horses to kiss his cheek, heedless of their distant escort or anything else; Windfola merely flicks an ear at his rider's antics.

She sits back in her saddle, still smiling, though that fades as she begins to think. "I would need to start from the beginning, to give a context," she says finally. "But I find I cannot tell where the beginning was, for things changed most gradually. That was the difficulty; the trap had closed around us before we knew it was there." She glances at him. "What have you heard, of Grima Wormtongue?"

There is no question that that is what this conversation is about, for all that the name had not yet been spoken.

oh look more bs, but I swear they'd do this

[withoutswords]

"Here." It is said firmly, with no doubt or hesitation whatsoever, even with some surprise. "This is our home, and I would have our child born nowhere else. Or in the Houses of Healing at Minas Tirith, at the least, should it come to pass while we are there."

It had not even occurred to her to pilgrimage back to Edoras for the childbirth, but she does not wish it. They are however often in Minas Tirith, for Faramir still has duties as Gondor's Steward and the king's counsellor, and Eowyn often accompanies him.

"Though there are a few traditions of my homeland I will wish to include, for the babe will be half of Rohan even if he is to be a prince of Ithilian thereafter." She considers, musing. "In the royal household we make sure a babe's first food is mare's milk, for example. I do not know if there are other traditions in Gondor."

[theywhowait]

He smiles at the kiss, catching up her hand to kiss her knuckles as she sits back down. But as the topic changes so also does his mien, sobering.

"Little, I fear, for we were much occupied with the defense of Osgiliath, at the time. But I know that he came to great prominence in your uncle's court, although none could say how. I know that they say he cursed your uncle, perhaps was even poisoning him, certainly was the reason for his decline."

quite possible!

[theywhowait]

Faramir kisses her fondly for her determination. "I too, would prefer the babe to be born here. We will have to do our best to see it done!"

He considers that thoughtfully.

"We may have a problem there, as none of our mares are in foal, yet. Hopefully some will be obliging! And we have no great traditions saving only that it is tradition, as it was for the Noldor of old, that the first name the child has is from the father, and then the mothername will come after, as she sees fit, although it has fallen out of fashion, these days, and few hold to that any longer. Some still refuse to name the child until after the first sennight, however, beliving it unlucky.

Nope strike that only during foaling time I am sleep-deprived. must not BS while sleepy

[withoutswords]

"Ensuring the babe is born here is easy enough," she says ruefully. "All I must do is refuse to travel anywhere else from my ninth month onwards, or perhaps a little earlier, and then he will have no choice!"

She turns her head and kisses him. It is a point on which they are agreed, on which their hopes had been well-founded and proven true: for all that she loves Edoras and he loves Minas Tirith, both are happiest when in Ithilien, in the home they've made.

"So you will get to name the child, despite my doing all the hard labour?" she teases. "That hardly seems fair."

I think given the timeline they wouldn't have heard about Grima and Saruman's death in the Shire yet

[withoutswords]

It surprises her a little that he has not heard more from Merry before the perian's departure, or from Aragorn or even Mithrandir; but then, Grima is harmless now, wherever he and his master are. There have been far more pressing matters for them all.

"The first I or any knew of him was when he became one of my uncle's counselors," she says finally, after much thought. "A position he gained on his own merits, by dint of clever tongue and clever thought, and at first he seemed able. We paid him little mind, for he was but one of many, and seemed dark and slight compared to other men."

Her lips thinned. "A grave error, that now seems to me. But how could we have known? For we were all much distracted. More and more bands of orcs roamed our lands, and Eomer and Theodred had much to do with driving them off, as Theoden-king grew older before our eyes. He had ruled for forty years, and at first it seemed understandable that he grew tired, more inclined to listen to his advisors and less to use his own judgement."

She sighs, looking down at Windfola's neck but not seeing it, and is silent for several minutes. "He grew...frail," she says finally. "Older he was, but should still have been hale, and yet his hair whitened and his eyes dimmed and his mind wandered. I cared for him as best I could, willingly acting as his nursemaid, for he was as dear as a father to me. I could not accompany my brother and cousin as they kept our lands safe, but that I could do. But he dwindled and dwindled, giving more of his power and responsibility over to Grima, who by then was called Wormtongue for the skill he had at bending people to his will with words. And then Theodred--"

Her voice chokes at that, and she must pause for a moment as sudden tears fill her eyes. When she had first returned to Edoras her grief for Theodred had been born anew, and she and Eomer had both wept for their lost cousin as much as for his father, for there had been little time to mourn him before.

agreed

[theywhowait]

He rides in silence by her, waiting patiently for her to gather her thoughts, nodding slowly as she describes the beginning - one that he can easily see, for it mirrors, a little, his own father's fall.

"Oh Eowyn." He grieves with her. Theodred he knows a little, although he was Boromir's friend, not his. "Was Grima... did he plan for Theodred?"

lol

[theywhowait]

"We will have to do our travelling early, then!"

Faramir kisses her back fondly.

"I thought so! Father did not abide for that - mother named us both, although I do believe he had some say in the matter. But I think for the elves it comes down to the mothername have some prophetic impetus. I would prefer it if we could name the child together, myself."

[withoutswords]

Her face steels a little. "It seems likely, now that we know he spied for Saruman. Theodred's army should not have been ambushed as they were, not without intelligence given to the other side." Her hands grip the bridle. "Thousands died that day. For us it was the true beginning of the war outright, as opposed to the endless skirmishes that had occupied and exhausted us for years."

Windfola whinnies and moves sideways under her, and Eowyn forces her tense body to relax, leans forward and brushes his neck with the palm of her hand in apology. She glances up at Faramir. "Understand, by that point we--Theodred, Eomer and I, and others--we had known for years we were besieged in our own Halls. Grima had many allies by then, and the king's utter confidence; indeed Theoden barely knew anyone else's name by that point. Not even mine."

Her gaze wanders again, looking back into the past. "He was subtle, subtle and poisonous. He could not act directly against Theodred, nor Eomer, for they were too respected and well-loved. But there was much he could do indirectly, much he could manipulate, to ensure both were away from the Hall as often as possible, unable to even attempt to influence king and council. His eyes were everywhere, always watching..."

shhh you saw nothing I never fail at logic

[withoutswords]

"We must plan sooner rather than later, then," Eowyn says dryly. "Rides across the Eastfold are not done lightly or without preparation, even during midsummer." The weather, at least, is in their favor. Their child will be born after the harvest, if all goes well. "And alas, we are not free to merely saddle our horses and ride off at a moment's notice, much as I would like to."

She considers Gondorian names. "I too would prefer a name we both choose," she agrees. "Not something out of the past, as you and your brother were named. Something more personal."

I saw nothing XD

[theywhowait]

"True." He smiles, hugging her. "And we should try and get out while it is still comfortable for you, I think. I suppose we should plan early."

He nods. "Hm. Well, I suppose we could pick a name for both a boy and one for a girl - not that we need to decide yet."

[theywhowait]

He nods, solmemly, understanding how it can be.

"Betrayal from within." He says grimly. "Alas! Theodred deserved better. Although by all reports his death was noble, it does not change that he should not have died at all."

He reaches across to touch her hand and draw her back.

"Watching... you?"

[withoutswords]

She meets his eyes briefly, and her silence is answer enough. Again she clasps his hand, and this time keeps it held in hers.

"My brother would have slain him, if I had allowed it," she says finally. "Forgotten our laws and accepted whatever punishment was meted to him, even his own death. But that I loved Eomer too dearly to permit, and he was too badly needed. If the snake had ever touched me I might have slain him myself for his daring, and that would have been forgiven. A woman of the Mark is not trifled with, and a woman of the house of Eorl less so."

Her chin is held firm, and there is an echo of the woman who stood on the battlefield, high and terrible and grim. "But while he only watched, we could do nothing. So his eyes followed me, night and day, and it was not only my uncle he spoke to with forked and poisoned tongue."

She meets his eyes again, now focused. "Understand, he wanted me to come to him willingly. His was a dragon's seduction, the more dangerous because he used the truth to ill intent. He could make all things noble seem base, even my own house, until I could see nothing around me without shame and pity. Worse, he could see the truth of how trapped I was, how much I dreaded the future I saw before me, a cage I could not escape. He hoped in the end he would convince me to turn to him by proving only he could see who I was. Even my brother, blinded by his love for me, never saw so far. I loathed Grima, and would never have taken even a step towards him, but I could not deny he saw truly. That was the worst of it, to have my fears used to tie me to him, to be seen clearly only by him who I despised, a bond I could not break. It was not my foolish, hopeless love of Aragorn that taught me despair."

this is why you are the best

[withoutswords]

She leans back into the embrace, contentedly using him as a pillow, his breath stirring her hair. "Perhaps in...two months, or one if we can manage it. Could Aragorn spare you?" She still calls their king by the name she first knew him by, when they are in private, for they are on friendly terms with their liege-lord and his lady. "If we can go that soon, it would be fun to surprise my brother and see his reaction to our news in person. If we can keep him from becoming suspicious at why we have moved up the time of our journey by so much."

She could go alone (well, not alone, but without Faramir, which would feel much more alone), and has done once...but would much prefer not to.

NO U

[theywhowait]

Faramir considers this, breathing in the scent of her, hands idly rubbing circles on hers.

"I think so. There is nothing urgent coming up that I can think of, and there are no new ambassadors due."

He chuckles. "Eomer will wonder if you're homesick, to suddenly show up so early."

[theywhowait]

Faramir cannot help the dark scowl at the thought of someone, let alone someone so base as Grima Wormtongue, shadowing Eowyn's steps.

"The Worm was not so foolish as to try, then." Eomer would have, Faramir knows him well enough to know. Likely, Theodred would have as well. Certainly, just the thought of it makes Faramir want to track him down himself, but he puts the sentiment aside as useless after a moment. Grima is gone, and good riddance.

He hisses in anger.

"I am sorry." He says grimly. "That one who could see clearly another's suffering and only use it as a whip...! I am so glad he is gone. If only I could erase his words from you as well!"