18. Goodness and Mercy
Goodness and Mercy ("...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me...")
Faramir sat, papers in hand, quietly oblivious to his pacing wife.
"They have certainly lost no time, that is sure," said Eowyn. "'Tis but fifteen years later, and history is being written. Bah! Had they not invented a device to do their scribing for them, they would be less hasty to pen the past, I doubt not."
Faramir set the papers down in his lap and looked up without speaking.
"Well?" asked Eowyn, folding her arms across her chest.
He said: "I see not why you should be so upset; it is simplistic, to be sure, but for my part I feel my life has been dealt with fairly."
"Fairly?" responded Eowyn. "Fairly! You are mentioned only for being the surviving son of Denethor, and therefore the new Steward. Aragorn is remembered for his feats in arms, I am remembered for my deeds, even Peregrin the halfling is remembered for saving you, but you are not remembered, not renowned for anything!" She came to his side. "They do not recognize your worth now any more than they did then."
Faramir smiled, and set her upon his lap, putting his arms around her. "History is for deeds, and I have performed none."
"None," snorted Eowyn, but resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. "I suppose to them keeping Gondor's border safe and aiding the Ringbearer would be considered nothing. And of course, a man simply cannot be important if he has not performed some high and mighty feat of arms."
Faramir chuckled. "Of course. Defend me if you wish, beloved, but I tell you that I care not. As long as I am remembered well by those who know me, I do not care what texts say."
Eowyn sighed. "Perhaps if I bring a petition signed by all who know you and are equally outraged I am sure, and give it to these historians, they might be persuaded to add 'a man loved by all for his goodness and mercy' when you are first mentioned..."
Faramir just smiled and held her closer to him, for whether the exact truth was remembered or not, he was happy.
A/N: My idea of the level of civilization in Gondor is that they would very soon invent a printing press of some kind.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
