Disclaimer: Still the same.
Eowyn leaned into her husband's arms as they watched their two (almost three) year old daughter sleep for the rest of the night.
"Faramir, I still can not believer that she is going to be three next month! I remember when we learned that I was pregnant. I remember the very… long, agonizing hours of labor…" Eowyn sighed, shaking her head. "I remember the past three years so well but it seems to have all gone by in a blink of an eye."
"A blink of an eye indeed. The miracles of parenthood, I suppose. At least you are not pregnant again. I could not handle you going through labor once more," he jested.
Eowyn looked up, to see a smile across his lips. "I was not that bad," she admonished softly, moving towards the door with a glint of humor in her beautiful eyes.
Faramir followed his wife and shut the door behind them.
"You almost broke both of my hands! Never in all my years as a Ranger, even during the War, had I faced a foe with ferocity to revival yours! Never in all my years had I been afraid than at that very moment when I attempted to comfort during your labor with Losswen," he replied with a smile.
"Hm. Matter of opinion I suppose, Faramir. Honestly," she replied in a matter-of –fact tone, "You describe me as if I was an orc!"
Faramir stared at his lovely Eowyn and continued to smile warmly, knowing when to pick his battles. His wife and his brother-in-law had a temper that could intimidate even the bravest of souls. He would know from experience!
When he first began to court Eowyn, Eomer played the protective brother more than once, threatening to cut off Faramir's head or run him over with his horse. Faramir had been so close to starting a war between Rohan and Gondor on more than one occasion because he had looked at Eowyn in a way that her brother did not approve of. Then with Eowyn, he rarely brought out her temper, but the last time that horrific temper came out was during the birth of their daughter where he almost received two broken hands.
He was certain that it had to be a family trait! He prayed silently to the goods that his daughter would not receive her mother's temperament.
"I am going to retire for tonight," she called to Faramir as she stood at the entrance to their bedroom. "I have not been feeling well as of late, especially these past few mornings."
"Then it is a good thing that you are going to bed early. I think I will follow shortly. I want to make sure our daughter is sleeping. You remember that she has not been sleeping well these past few nights?" he asked.
"Very well. Just don't stay up all night," Eowyn commented softly. "I think something must be going around. I and Losswen are sick and soon you will be if you are not careful."
"I will be careful, I promise. I also promise I'll be there shortly. Night, love," he said, giving his wife a tender good night kiss.
:Faramir's POV:
I reentered my daughter's room and moved to the chair that I had soothed her to sleep in for the past two years.
Maybe it was just a little bug that was going around. I truly hoped so.
Every child her age was going to be sick at one time or another. Eowyn constantly reassured me that it was normal for a child to get sick. After all she is a mother and mother knows best.
If I had it my way, Losswen would never be able to get sick or hurt. No. She should never have anything bad happen to her.
Yet, of course, that would mean having to lock her up in the house and never letting her out, keeping her away from future suitors, and so on.
Suitors. I cringed at the thought. The thought seems so close yet so far away. Maybe I could keep those crazy suitors away with my sword…
"Papa…"
Snapped out of my thoughts, I moved towards my baby girl's bed and picked her up as she cuddled into my tunic. "Papa's here, my little snow maiden," I whispered lovingly.
"My ear hurt," she whispered sleepily, her childish voice muffled by my tunic.
An earache too? Ai! First the runny nose and then the sore throat and now an ear ache? How sick could a little one get? In never recalled getting sick. Of course I may have been too young to remember…
"Papa?"
"Why don't I tell you a story, my little lady about me and Mama?" I questioned gently, settling into the worn chair. "Would you like that?"
She nodded drowsily and stuck her thumb into her mouth.
"Well, let me start with when I first saw Mama…"
Eowyn woke slowly, surprised to find Faramir not in bed beside her. Where was he? She looked around, thinking he might be standing at the window, reflecting as he sometimes did at night but she didn't see him in his usual spot next to the balcony. She yawned and sluggishly found her robe and pulled it over her nightgown.
She shut the door to their bedroom and was about to wander to the library until she heard Faramir's voice coming from Losswen's bedroom. "Well, let me start first when I first saw Mama…"
She paused quietly outside her daughter's open door to see Faramir cradling their almost three year old daughter in her favorite worn chair. It was a beautiful sight, she thought silently to herself as she saw the glow from the fireplace dance off of her family. Fatherhood agreed well with Faramir, she decided.
"And when I first saw Mama, I thought I had strayed into a dream because the Gods must have surely been playing a trick on my eyes to show this beauty to me. But it wasn't. You see, Losswen, you are just as beautiful as your mother and I am going to have to keep suitors away with a sword. Yet when I first tried to talk to Mama, it was a disaster…" Faramir said.
Eowyn smiled and made her way and sat on the arm of the chair. "A disaster indeed, Losswen," Eowyn agreed silently as she greeted Faramir with a kiss. "For your papa was the most nervous man I had ever seen!"
Losswen giggled.
"Ah yes, but I had good reason too!" Faramir retorted. He added silently to his daughter, "Men will be nervous around you as well, daughter. It is something you will clearly inherit from Mama."
An hour later, Losswen had finally fallen back asleep with all though of being sick gone from her mind. Eowyn leaned sleepily in her husband's arms as they watched their daughter breath easy in sleep. "Were you really nervous?" she asked.
"Of course I was," he replied. "To be around one so beautiful as you, how could I not?"
"Fatherhood agrees with you, Faramir," Eowyn remarked quietly.
Faramir merely smiled at the comment as he gazed at his sleeping daughter.