faemused | Open To Anyone For Anything RP Post

She only hums her answer, quietly fitting herself against him, her head pillowed on his arm. She almost does not wish to sleep, for this is the most peaceful moment she can remember for a long, long while...since they were by the lake, perhaps, on their last holiday before Elboron's birth...

She dozes off remembering sunlight on water, and Faramir's soft smile as he splayed his hand across her stomach.

They doze together, warm in each other's arms, until Elboron stirring wakes both of them.

"Mm..."

Eowyn wakes at once at a pitiful mewl from Elboron, a sound she knows well: he is confused, wanting a warm body to snuggle against, and hungry. With a sigh she disentangles herself from Faramir, dresses quickly despite being groggy-minded, and crawls over to where they left their son cradled. It does not take long before she has him settled and feeding again. She leans her head back against the rock wall, her eyes closed, still drowsy.

Faramir wakes as well, watching sleepily as Eowyn goes to their son, and then when they settle he comes over with a blanket, to support her.

She sighs with relief, both at the support and at the blanket. It is remarkable how tiring it is on the arms to hold a babe in place as it feeds, and she is much colder now than she was earlier. Eowyn rests her head on her husband's shoulder.

He runs a fond hair through her hair and hums softly to his family, one of the cradle-tunes he has heard Eowyn singing to their babe. Once Elboron is fed, they will probably have to gather up their guards and return, as the weather is still cold enough that once the sun sets it will be too cold for babies. But for now, rugged in furs, with the cold light refracting through the waterfall casting rainbows on the floor... this is peace, and joy, and Faramir is happy.

He has a pleasant singing voice, and closes her eyes, enjoying the moment. After a little while she hums with him, harmonizing a little, their joined voices blending. Elboron gradually finishes his meal and then yawns, opening his eyes to look up at them both and giving a wide smile as he bats at Eowyn's chest ineffectually.

"Hello son." Faramir smiles down at Elboron as he flails, reaching to catch a small hand. "Don't be scolding your mother now, after she's just provided you with your meal!"

Eowyn's heart melts a little at the sight of her babe's small hand in his father's large one. "I think he is excited rather than scolding," she points out. Elboron is trying to yank his hand free, but seems to think this is a marvelous sort of new game.

Faramir grins at his son, playfully catching and releasing him again.

"Then he must learn to control his enthusiasm! Why, one day, he might flail and knock something over!"

"That is inevitable," Éowyn points out, eyebrow raised. "And if you do not know it, you have even less experience of children than I had realised."

"Well yes. But not for a while yet!"

He grins at Elboron. "We are going to be a good boy, yes?"

"I doubt that. Certainly not if he takes after his uncles. Or his mother." Her eyes twinkle at them both. "We must hope he is more like you."

"I happen to really like his mother!" He laughs softly and kisses her cheek.

She turns her face to his, smiling up at him. "I should hope so. And I dearly love his living uncle and much revere the honor of Boromir--but there is no denying that Eomer and I, at least, had a tendency to get into no end of trouble as children!"

Herself even more than her brother, in truth, from her determination to never be left behind.

He chuckles. "What, did you think I was a perfect child? I assure you, Boromir and I caused just as much trouble as two boys with run of the city could!"

She laughs and bids him tell her the tales, and so they while away the time, until they are rejoined by their companions and all settle for the night, returning to Ithilien in the morning.

The days pass sweetly, turning to weeks, and then months. Elboron grows, passes the usual benchmarks of learning to roll over, then to crawl a little. Eowyn begins to get more sleep at night, and she and her husband are able to spend more time together without needing such extreme measures to achieve it.

Faramir returns to his duty, for both Ithilien and Aragorn greatly need him, but although he travels more between his home and Minas Tirith. Eowyn begins once more to pick up her own work as Ithilien's Lady and an apprentice healer. But they steal time, here and there: private breakfasts in Ithilien, in the sunny room Faramir had built just for the purpose, only now Elboron often joins them. Evenings reading to one another, or playing chess, or simply sitting in each others' arms and talking. Nights asleep spooned side by side.

The days pass, and the seasons turn. But they bring ill news with them.

The armies of Mordor disbanded with the loss of their Dark Lord, but have never fully vanished or dispersed. It has always been a risk that there would be bands of orcs roving through Ithilien, and both Faramir and Eowyn have kept the land's defenses strong and well guarded in expectation of it, even as they also strive to rebuild. But no danger has ever ventured near Eryn Arnen.

Until now.

Faramir hears the news with solemn gravity, and in the council that follows he hears what his captains have to say and agrees to the drafted plans to ride out in force and seek to find the source of the increased numbers and eradicate it, if they can.

It is only later, in their private rooms, that he holds his son and his wife in his arms and trembles.

"I have to go."

They both know it, but saying the words...

Faramir has been true to his word, as he ever is; whenever he can he joins Éowyn for Elboron's evening feed, to support her. Elboron himself now sleeps, curled against her shoulder. Éowyn holds his head. The contrast between the sweetness of the moment and the gravity of the subject could not be greater.

But all Éowyn's life has been spent watched those she loves ride to risk and war while she remains behind. She feels very different about it now than she once did, but she remembers. "I know." Her free hand she lifts, placing it against his cheek. "They will have much need of you on the battlefield. And rightly so."

"I would I could take you with me." He says softly, leaning against her hand and memorising the warmth of them in his arms.

Not to war, for she might never chose the way of the blade again, but to have her by his side, a stalwart presence to ward away the night, even if only in the healing tents, would have been a salve to his soul. But they have responsibilities to more than themselves, to more than Ithilien, now.

She smiles at him warmly. "I know," she says again, softly. "And it means much to me that you do." That he would bring her if he could, would trust her on a battlefield in any capacity, would never leave her behind and dismiss her by saying war is the province only of men.

But she looks down at Elboron, sleeping quietly. "But I must remain, to watch over Ithilien and our son." A duty she now sees the honor of, as she could not before in younger days. But more, it is her wish, little though she likes being separated from her husband. Eowyn has had enough of battlefields.

"Yes." He murmurs, running a gentle finger over Elboron's cheek, careful not to wake him.

"Ah my son! I will miss you both, these next few weeks. I hope he does not forget me."

"He will not, for I will tell him of you every night before he sleeps. But speaking of sleep, make your farewell for now."

Carefully, so carefully, so as not to wake Elboron, she lifts him from her shoulder and hands him to his father. They will see him off properly when he and his company ride away, but that will be very different from this quieter moment.

"Goodbye, my son." Faramir accepts him carefully, rocking him and memorising the smell and weight of him.

"I go to fight for your future, as your mother remains to safeguard your present. Do not be too quick to grow, for I will be home soon!"

Elboron does not stir, wrapped in dreams as he is. But Éowyn memorized the sight, to keep with her: the small, still bald head, the large hand gently cradling it. Strength and fragility, side by side. "See that you are," she answers, for herself and Elboron both. "Soon, and unharmed, for we have great need of thee."

Open To Anyone For Anything RP Post

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I think we need to figure out a new direction for this or draw it to a close. =(

sob D= I suppose we could timejump to older kiddo?

Hmm, we'd talked about a thread where one or the other gets injured...perhaps that, same timeline?

works for me!

This okay? Also which of them shall we injure?

hmmmmmmmmmmm. Well Eowyn has to start her healer training somewhere XD

True! Her turn for some worry. Ish.

lol

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sliding just a liiiiiiiitle bit ahead

diiiiiiitto

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