And In The Dawn Save Them

Chapter 19 : The Wedding To Come

Illustration : Jean Fouquet, Paris in Middle Ages

Music to listen to on this chapter: 

Could relations between Eomer and Alcara become ambiguous? :)

When they finally arrived in Ithilien, Alcara couldn't believe her eyes: the city was nestled in the hills of Emyn Arnen, a strange place, as if between two worlds. On the one hand, the hillside city was a land of plenty, lush and green, coloured with a thousand different flowers and inhabited by magnificent birds, with clear, flowing rivers and the white city of Minas Tirith in the distance. Nearby, on the other hand, were the devastated lands of Mordor, and the dark mountain range where great black clouds always hung. Faramir would be responsible for ensuring that there were no pockets of enemy resistance on the border, and he would always be the Steward of Gondor, ruling the kingdom if Aragorn was absent.

This time, Alcara was one of the strangers discovering the place, just like the Rohirrim. Crowds greeted them in the streets, decorated for the occasion, cheering Faramir's return and greeting his fiancée; Eowyn received many bouquets of flowers. Many of the locals had lived through the battle of Pelennor fields and knew how much they owed to the princess who had defeated the Witch-King of Angmar.

As for Eowyn's ladies-in-waiting, they knew the city well and immediately felt at ease, greeting some of the inhabitants they knew as they passed by, and making introductions.

Once they had arrived at the palace, after Faramir had guided them and told them the history of the place, the ladies-in-waiting showed Eowyn and Alcara to their respective flats, told them what type of dress to wear for dinner, what time to wake up, what activities to do during the day and who to greet. Eowyn was surprised not to be sharing Faramir's room, as she had been doing in Edoras, but the ladies laughed at the same time, as this was unthinkable before the wedding, according to tradition. Alcara feared that Eowyn would feel isolated, and she decided that she would soon have to find the stables and a sword training ground to give her some breathing space...

In this context, Umiel was familiar with all the places, people and customs, and led Eowyn and the ladies-in-waiting with pride. Alcara could only agree to take a back seat, even if she in turn pointed out the absurdity of certain rules, as Umiel had not hesitated to do at Edoras.

At the welcome dinner, where Eowyn met several important people decked out in magnificent jewellery, Éomer seemed completely lost by the number of cutlery he had at his seat. Alcara, who was sitting further back, smiled as she was similarly perplexed. Éomer seemed incongruous in such a place: his kingly garb was made for the cold climate of the North, and his tall stature, blond beard and slightly unkempt hairstyle were more reminiscent of a warrior accustomed to setting up his camp tent alone and sleeping with his horses, than of a sophisticated courtier. Fortunately for her, Alcara was used to adapting and showed more flexibility in getting used to new customs. The natural elegance of her demeanour, which she had learnt at Rivendell, won her the sympathy of her tablemates, to whom she told of her origins, and they in turn were fascinated to see someone who knew Queen Arwen and King Aragorn. She glanced round the large table and saw that both Eowyn and Éomer wanted to put on a brave face but were finding it harder to fit into the Gondorian mould. Fortunately, Umiel, seated conveniently next to Éomer, explained to him as closely as possible the dos and don'ts.

That evening, she followed Eowyn to her room where, as she did every night, she applied an ointment to relieve the muscle in her arm, which was still sore, and did some exercises to make it gradually more supple. She would certainly be well enough for her wedding, that was certain, and Alcara suddenly thought longingly of Legolas, who had regained the use of his arm for the summer solstice in the past. She was jolted out of her thoughts by a knock at the door: it was Faramir, coming to visit his fiancée. Alcara smiled and took her leave, asking Faramir in passing if he could tell her where she could set up her laboratory. And the very next day, servants guided her downstairs to a beautiful, high, bright room with many windows overlooking a large courtyard covered with grass and flowerbeds.