Rekindled Hope

A/N: This story....I don't know. I relate to Eowyn so much and I usually write about her. This is an Eowyn/Faramir pairing, my first time trying to do one of those. I don't own LOTR....but you know that.

Chapter One

The energy needed to bring her head up from the pillow was too much to bother wasting. Even if she wanted to, she probably couldn't. It felt like her mind was filled with lead, and she could hardly move....and when she did pain shot through her entire body.

Wrenching sobs coursed through her like shots of electricity, and they would not stop. The pain was still too near, too great. Too many had she loved and lost, too much was all in vain.

Her uncle, Theoden, was gone. Though he died honorably in battle, this could not heal the deep emptiness that was left inside. And Aragorn....

Aragorn had left her feeling betrayed and bewildered. She had trusted him with everything, her fears, her secrets, her heart....and he dropped her, afraid his precious Arwen may have thought he was cheating. Eowyn didn't even care if she ever had him as her own anymore....she wanted him as a friend. But he always looked away whenever he saw her anymore, and every time he did, the pain came back.

It would not leave.

It would never leave.

How could she move on, when all she had hoped for, all she had yearned for, for the past two years had fallen between her fingers and shattered into a million pieces?

Hope was nowhere to be found.

Aragorn lay in bed, tossing and turning. Arwen was next to him, sleeping soundly and peacefully. He stopped to look at her flawless face. How could he have ever doubted himself? Of course he loved her. And now, now he felt guilty for leading Eowyn on. He knew it was wrong, but yet he still had done it.

He did not trust himself to look at her anymore. He was afraid the feelings might resurface, and he swore to himself that he wouldn't hurt Arwen. So the distance was necessary.

He was worried that Eowyn was suffering though. No one deserved to be treated the way he had treated her....and now she was probably dying on the inside because of it. This was the thing he feared most.

But yet he could not tell her he was sorry....to look into that face again would be the death of him....

Still furiously contemplating the situation, Aragorn rolled over and tried to sleep once more.

It was late, and the bright stars illuminated the walls of the White City. Faramir always found it most beautiful in this state, with no one else around, no noise, just silence and the stars. It was so peaceful....

But something nagged on the edge of his conscience, and no matter how long he thought on it, he could not figure out what it was. He had relieved the guards of duty for the night....he had checked the door of the armory....what was it that he'd forgotten?

Then it hit him. Eowyn. It was her birthday today. Arwen had mentioned something about it to Aragorn that morning, and Aragorn had tried to evade the subject. That baffled Faramir. Did Eowyn enjoy solitude so much that she did not want attention on her birthday? He did not know her well, so he could not be certain. Still, he knew the Shieldmaiden of Rohan did not get many visitors, so he decided to pay a visit.

Eowyn had moved into a small house near the palace at Minas Tirith. She never said why, but everyone knew. She could not return to Rohan, where everything reminded her of her dear uncle. Losing her only father-figure had hurt her terribly, he knew. He empathized with her on that point, though Theoden probably was a much better father-figure than Denethor....

Faramir struggled to push those thoughts out of his head. Slightly nervous, he knocked on the door of Eowyn's house.

There was no answer. He knocked louder, and still nothing. He leaned his head against the door and heard crying....crying in such a way that the entire world seemed to cry as well. Faramir did not want to intrude on her privacy, but he was afraid she had been hurt, so against his better moral judgement, he opened the door softly.

Eowyn lay on a tiny bed in the corner of the room, shaking terribly. Faramir took a step forward and a floorboard creaked. The shieldmaiden jumped up and sat upright in the bed, trying to appear confident. "Did you need something, m'lord?"

"No, m'lady, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday...." He said, hoping he sounded cheerful.

Eowyn's face grew thoughtful. "Yes....it is my birthday, isn't it?"

"That is what I heard from Queen Arwen."

Her face became as cold as stone. "That's nice."

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, I should be going...." Faramir turned to leave.

"No!" Eowyn said hurriedly. "I'm sorry, I'm a terrible host....I have some hot tea, if you'd like."

"That'd be nice," said Faramir, relieved that he didn't leave on an awkward note. He sat down at her table.

"I'm a terrible cook, but my tea isn't that bad...."

"Who ever told you that you were a terrible cook?" asked Faramir. "I'm sure you're not."

"Aragorn. Well, he didn't exactly tell me....we were on our way to Helms Deep. I was bringing him some stew, and when I turned to leave I saw him dumping it out onto the ground out of the corner of my eye," her eyes grew misty.

"He could use a bit more tact," Faramir said thoughtfully. "I've seen him do some rather thoughtless things before....."

Eowyn's face hardened again. "As have I," she said shortly. "Here's your tea."

Faramir took it and drank deeply. "This isn't bad at all," he said, smiling.

Eowyn's face lost a little of its hardness. "I'm glad you like it. I don't get many visitors, so it's basically perfected to the way I like it."

"You have good taste," Faramir smiled. "And you should get more visitors, I don't see why you don't."

"Sometimes it's a good thing...." Eowyn's voice trailed off. "Sometimes I think I'm meant to be alone...."

"No one is," Faramir said firmly. "No one should be alone."

Eowyn smiled for the first time since he had entered. "I had believed the same for so long, but as of late, I just don't know."

Faramir placed his hand over hers. "It will get better, m'lady. Things will look up for you."

Eowyn's face was a mystery. "I think they are already....."

Faramir smiled and stood up. "Well it's getting late, and I have an early shift in the morning...."

"Do you eat lunch when the guards do?" Eowyn asked quickly.

"Yes, at noon, why?"

"I thought...." She blushed. "Maybe you could come eat with me tomorrow?"

"M'lady, I'd be honored," Faramir said sincerely, and left the house of the Shieldmaiden of Rohan, his heart lighter than it had been in months.