Seeds of the White Tree

Chapter 13 - An Unknown Future

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"Why Little Brother, you look unwell! Shall I send for a healer, or perhaps even Adar?"

Eldarion groaned aloud, nearly face-down in his untouched bowl of sliced pears. Elboron and Elfwine fared little better; Elboron had gone white at the mere mention of breakfast that morning, and Elfwine avoided sunlight as if he were a cave-bred goblin. That the three of them were up and even minimally presentable before midday felt like a minor achievement in and of itself. There was no hiding the dark circles beneath their eyes and their queasy stomachs from Eruthiawen though.

"You know very well what ails us, Eruthia," mumbled Eldarion.

Eruthiawen laughed, the flute-like sound drawing a pained combination of a smile and a grimace from Elboron. Unlike the three dishevelled princes, Eruthiawen could not have been more fresh and bright on a warm summer morning. She herself had already tucked in to a hearty breakfast of tea-boiled eggs, fruit and cream. Even just the sight of his sister enjoying her meal had been enough to put Eldarion off his pears.

"That I do, which is why I myself do not share Túrien's dismay at not having joined you gentlemen last night. I take it the 'sousing' , as Gimli put it, was a complete success then?"

"It wasn't quite a feast in the Golden Hall," said Elfwine, taking a cautious sip of water. "But the memory of Eldarion singing from table tops will be one to cherish for years to come. That and Elboron passing out in a broom closet!"

"Elfwine!" Elboron's wan cheeks visibly flushed. "Did you not say that what happens in the tavern stays in the tavern?"

The voice of Éowyn, layered with poorly concealed mirth cut in from the dining room door. "It does, at least until the revelers come wandering home to their wives and tell all."

Elfwine visibly perked, interest at least partially erasing some of the tiredness from him. "What's this? You mean to say, Aunt, that even Gondor's most studious and dutiful Steward has some tales from the tankard?"

After being denied any scandalous stories concerning King Éomer and Lord Faramir the night before, their sons were only too hopeful to learn from Éowyn. Eldarion, having heard more than enough to keep him chuckling about his father's youth for a year, also straightened up in his seat with keen ears. As an afterthought, he pushed his bowl of pears to the side. When Eruthiawen raised her eyebrows, he rolled his eyes in permission. She snagged the rim of the bowl with a fork and drew it into her place at the table. Fresh fruit never went to waste when Eruthiawen was present.

"Every married man has had his stag party," Éowyn was saying coyly. "As if your father would let his future brother-in-law wed a Shieldmaiden of Rohan without having been thoroughly welcomed by the Rohirrim, Elfwine."

"And Father told you all about it afterwards?" asked Elboron, eyes wide with delighted disbelief.

"Oh yes, every detail. He was feeling so contrite about all the mischief that Éomer had gotten him into that he could not rest, even while fall-down drunk, until he had unburdened every inch of his conscience to me. When he finally awoke the next day and remembered, I think he feared that I might not still wish to marry him!"

"But you did, didn't you?" Eldarion could scarcely imagine what kind of trouble Éomer could have gotten Faramir into that would threaten his marriage to Éowyn.

Éowyn laughed. "Oh yes! Do not look so worried, Elboron. It was entirely the most endearing thing I had ever beheld, to see how worked up your father became over such small infractions as talking up the barmaid or losing track of his doublet pin. Ah, you would think he had lost my best horse, so apologetic he was!" A wicked gleam came into Éowyn's eye as she came to rest a hand on her son's golden head. "It would taste of a lie to say that I did not take some small advantage of Faramir's remorse in the following days; my wish was practically his command from that point onward when it came to planning our wedding. I think he was mostly just grateful that I had not scorned him as a drunkard after his single night out with the Rohirrim!"