Bye Bye Birdie rehearsal and schoolwork have been eating my time faster than a pregnant hobbit could devour a piece of my grandma's chocolate cake, so updates may take up to two months to post. Go ahead and spork me.

I changed the point of view to third person, and I will go back and rewrite the other chapters. Sorry for the abrupt change. Thank-you notes are now at the end of each chapter… they got in the way before, and I just wanted to change it.

Chapter Three – Lies
10 August 3020

Several hours later, when the pale light of the late summer morn drifted through the thin shades hung over the large windows by her bed, Éowyn opened her tired eyes, only to find that Faramir was not there. Of course, she told herself, it would not be thought proper for him to be in her chamber when they were not yet wed in any case. But even if their actions the previous night were not appropriate according to Gondorian tradition, she truly did not mind that Faramir had comforted her. After all, Wormtongue was not a one Éowyn could rid herself of willingly... he was a part of her despair, her past, a part of her.

For a reason she could not understand, Wormtongue had come back to haunt her just when she finally thought that her past was beyond the point where it could hinder her future. Her dream was worse than the five years of torment she endured during her uncle's bewitchment; she could not escape from her own mind. But Éowyn knew that now; after she had endured years of hearing Wormtongue's poisonous words, she could finally live her life with Faramir and forget what that poisonous snake had led her to believe. She put all of her fears and doubts behind her, and managed to convince herself that she would be well. That may not have been entirely true, but she had to move on, even if it led to her own demise.

Later that night…

Faramir had never in his wildest dreams believed that something like this would, or even could, happen. In no way was he worthy to marry such a valiant, beautiful, and passionate lady, he thought to himself. He felt honoured that she should love him. After all, his father never praised his deeds, and indeed, when he was a very young lad he believed himself to be worthless: a pitiful boy, undeserving of any future at all. Despite this, many people from all over Middle-earth attended his wedding to the fair shield-maiden, including their hobbit friends from the Shire, and his uncle Imrahil and cousin Lothíriel from Dol Amroth, among many others.

Shortly after the wedding feast ended and the newlywed couple bade their guests farewell, they retired to their chamber. Walking hand in hand, they marvelled at the fact that they were now husband and wife. But as soon as they were locked in their chamber, Faramir felt as if they were trapped, with naught but silence and each other. Éowyn began to remove her gown and robe, but he averted his eyes, not wanting to make either of them feel uncomfortable.

Éowyn laughed when she saw the look on his face. "What, Faramir? We are husband and wife, and do you not wish to make love? It is our wedding night!"

"I would not receive any pleasure from forcing you to do something you do not wish to do," he said, handing the robe back to Éowyn." It would only bring me misery to see you sorrowful. I wish to see you happy; it would give me the greatest bliss to see you joyous..." he paused, biting his lip, "...and I would not see you any other way... I have enough pleasure to last a lifetime from just looking upon your fair face. We need not consummate our marriage now – or ever."

"But, lord," she cried, tossing the robe to the floor and sitting beside him on the bed. "You are in need of an heir! Surely we must! And I do wish to do this," she said more softly, taking his hand in hers.

Faramir quieted her with his finger. "I do not require that of you, and if you wish to bear me children, then that may come later. Even if you cannot provide me an heir, I would still love you. Is this what troubles you?"

"Nay, it does not. The only thing that worries me is…" She trailed off.

"What, Éowyn?" he asked, though he was sure he knew. Éowyn had not once mentioned the events of the previous night, nor did she seem worried or afraid, but he knew that there would always be more to her than appearance. He hoped she would be alright and that she was not merely putting on a facade to fool him into thinking she was fine.

"I worry... that I shall not be able to love you, Faramir. I do, but..." she paused and drew closer to him, and he kissed her brow. She kissed him back, her soft lips caressing his, but he did not respond, for he had other - and more pressing - concerns.

"But you doubt that you can love me, am I correct?" ser eyes flickered with unfamiliar emotion. "You need not prove your love for me by being intimate," he continued.

"And as I told you last night, I am alright, but I must not let my past keep me from my future. You know as well as I do that I truly adore you, and nothing could stop me from feeling otherwise and living the rest of my life with you-and our children by my side. It was just a nightmare, Faramir, an apparition to scare me. Wormtongue is dead, and it is impossible for him to be here! I love you, and nothing shall change that. I want to be intimate with you, Faramir, not because I feel I must prove something that clearly, I have already proven!" she exclaimed.

"I know, Éowyn, but I worry about you," he said gently, wrapping her up in his arms. "Éowyn, I think you should speak to Aragorn of your nightmares. He is a healer, he may be able to put a stop to your dreams."

"I do not think this is something the King could help, nor do I need it! Please stop worrying about me, Faramir!"

"I worry because I love you!" he almost shouted.

"It is tiresome to hear it from both you and Éomer," she said. "I do not wish to be fussed over, I only wish you would forget about it!"

Then she pressed her lips to his and kissed him passionately, and this time he responded. She was his, and he was hers. Nothing, not nightmares, spirits, or even yet long-gone words could change that… or so he thought.

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Baileymag: Word! How could you have it? The producers of Lost stole both "Haunted for Dummies" and "Desire for Dummies!" I may just have to resort to thwapping them with a pan.

Lindahoyland: Thanks bunches for introducing me to your story! I love it to pieces, but it's not possible for me to measure up on the angst scale. Poor, poor Aragorn! :D

White Feathers: You can hope, but I don't think it'll happen. :)

Alteng: Thanks for the ideas, but this and all my other stories are planned before I even think of writing them. Aragorn will be in the next chapter, but he isn't exactly skilled in this matter. Other healing may come…

Verse: Aye, thank you! I just had to be less forgiving with Gríma, but be glad that he gets better treatment than Éowyn! Glad you like the idea; I just happened to steal it from my very own personal life…

Evalyne: School is evil. Sorry for being a slow updater. And it only gets sadder and angstier. Muahahaha.

Arlewen: Okay…it's the day of their wedding, or morning, rather. And she screamed, of course Faramir would care. You got me, I didn't think about that. Please update Unending soon or I'll force you to eat a sock puppet!

Elli: Yes, your reviews are pointless, but I still like getting them. I look forward to your pointless and sometimes hilarious comments! Lucky duck! Have fun on summer break…unfortunately, I'm freezing to death up here.

Moon: ::blushes:: I think you have successfully inflated my tiny ego a bit. That's not good, but thank you very much for your compliments.

Ainu Laire: I know you reviewed because I remember getting the alert, but for some reason your review isn't showing on the review page. Thanks for whatever you said, even if it was an insult. ¿Me trae un shrubbery, por favor?

Morrwen: Um, okay. I think we have another contestant for the most pointless review award, even if it doesn't exist.

Lariencalaelen: Thank you! Here's more… sorry, I am a very lousy updater!

Elf-in-Wonderland: The story mainly focuses on Éowyn and Faramir, but Éomer will have more to do with the plot later on, so I figured that I'd include his point of view. This is mostly in Farri and Éo's points of view. I'm pleased that you're enjoying this!