Archive of Our Own

“Advance. Forward thrust. Hanging right. Retreat. Inside left. Long. Inside right. Retreat. Close right. Advance. Middle. Stop. Good. Excellent, Hador.” Boromir walked up to the older of the two boys and laid a hand on his sweat-damp hair. The same shade as his own. The boy let his arms fall limp, causing his wooden practice sword to touch the ground. “You are picking this up quickly. In a few more days, you will probably be able to start with the training dummy. Just work on your timing between attacking and defending.”

“When can I start training with a real sword? And sparring? And—”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You are going to stick with a practice sword for a while, even when you do begin sparring with a partner.” The boy pouted. “Your mother would be most displeased with me if I let you do something you are not ready for yet.”

“Mama doesn’t get mad,” said the younger boy, who was sitting on the bench by the White Tree with his practice sword next to him. A light gust of wind rustled his golden curls, just like his mother’s. Boromir chuckled at his younger son.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. She is a lady of Rohan, after all. They can be quite fierce.”

“That’s Aunt Éowyn. She can be scary sometimes. But she’s always nice to me.”

“That is because she loves you very much, Hallas. Both you and your brother.” he said as he ruffled his younger son’s hair. “Now, I believe it is almost time for supper, and you two need to wash up. And I am sure your mother is wondering what has become of us.”

Boromir gathered both practice swords and followed his sons into the Citadel. As they entered the living quarters, a welcome sight greeted them. Dressed in gold, Idis seemed to glow as she stood in the sunlight that shone through the windows. She dropped to her knees and held her arms out to the boys, who ran to her.

“I was just coming out to look for you,” she said as she kissed her sons’ heads.

“We’re all sweaty, Mama,” Hallas mumbled into Idis’ hair. She drew back and beamed.

“That means you have been working very hard. I hope you are learning a lot.” She met Boromir’s eyes with a questioning look.

“Hador is getting better at the different guard poses. And Hallas is a master pivoter,” Boromir said proudly. Idis got to her feet and grasped her sons’ hands.

“Well, you two need to get ready for supper. We have some very special guests joining us.”

“We do? Who is it?” Hallas asked.

“You will have to wait until supper.”

Just then, the boys’ nursemaids arrived to bring them to their rooms. After they had been taken under the care of the nursemaids, Boromir came to stand behind Idis and kissed her cheek.

“I was not aware we were having guests.”

“They were actually invited by the king.”

“Do I get to know who they are?” Idis turned around and pecked him on the lips. Before Boromir could deepen the kiss, Idis pressed her fingers to his mouth to stop him.

“You should freshen up, too.”

“Are you saying I smell?”

“I am saying you should look your best, regardless of how well you may or may not know King Elessar’s guests.”

“Ah, so it is someone I know well, then?”

“I am sworn to secrecy, my love.” Boromir looped an arm around her waist and started leading her towards their chambers, but she saw through it right away. “And I am afraid that you will have to wash up without my oversight, or else we will both be late for supper.”

Boromir sighed but reluctantly released her and watched her retreating back before entering their room. Although Idis was not assertive or overbearing, she still had a way of getting Boromir to do things her way with little effort. Just having her smile turned on him or hearing her soft voice and feeling her breath close to his ear were enough to make him yield to her whims. He set the practice swords on the bed and began to undress, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. He never would have imagined just ten years ago that he would be not only married to a woman he adored, but also a father of two boys. Before Idis, he had expected to be alone for the remainder of his life. Although they came together under less-than-ideal circumstances, he wouldn’t change a single moment.

‘It is a good thing Théodred King is not here to see me like this, or I would never hear the end of it,’ he thought ruefully before going about selecting what he was going to wear.

~*~

“Uncle Faramir! Aunt Éowyn!” The boys raced into the feast hall and straight into Éowyn’s waiting arms. Faramir was beside her holding their two-year-old son, Elboron, but he managed to get a hair ruffle in.

“The two of you are growing so fast that you will be as tall as a horse the next time I see you!” said Éowyn. “And after that, you will be as tall as your uncle Éomer.”

“How tall is he?” asked Hador.

“Taller than a horse.” She turned to where Elboron had a hold of Boromir’s finger and gave her brother-in-law a peck on the cheek. “You will have to bring my nephews over so they can pick some blueberries. We’ve been overrun with them!”

“You have blueberries? Lucky,” Hallas mumbled, holding onto Boromir’s hand and swinging their arms back and forth.

“Well, I hope you have an appetite, Hallas, because we brought blueberry tarts prepared by our cook,” said Faramir. “And the blueberries and mint leaves are from your aunt Éowyn’s garden.”

“I hope you brought enough for everyone.” The four adults turned in the direction of the voice and bowed or curtsied to King Elessar and Queen Arwen. Behind them, Eldarion and his sisters were already seated. After greeting the king and queen, Elessar gestured to the table. “Shall we?”

Conversation was minimal throughout most of the meal, and it wasn’t until the fruit tarts—not only blueberry but also raspberry and strawberry—were passed around that the diners became more talkative. Not only were the desserts praised, but so, too, were the flowers that had come from Ithilien and now were centerpieces on the table.

“If you have any extra bulbs, I would love to have some planted in our garden. These flowers are stunning,” said Queen Arwen as she gently touched the petal of a lily.

“I would be glad to share, Your Majesty.”

“I hear your sword training is going well, Hador,” Faramir said after a brief lull in the conversation.

“He is taking to his training very well,” Boromir commented, looking at his oldest son with pride. “Hallas does not seem to be as interested in it quite yet, but he has been practicing with his brother, as well.”

“Don’t worry, Hallas. I wasn’t that interested in swords either,” Faramir whispered to his nephew with a wink.

“Have you taught them how to ride, yet?” asked Éowyn.

“No, not yet. I have not had enough time to oversee the training of the army and my sons and also teach them to ride a horse,” Boromir admitted. “And Minas Tirith is somewhat limited in open land for horseback riding.”

“Idis could teach them,” Éowyn said as though it should be obvious. She turned to her cousin, who was dabbing at her mouth with a napkin in an attempt to hide her initial surprise at being called out so suddenly. “You will find no better teacher than the House of Eorl. Elfwine has already learned how to ride.”

“I have not ridden in years,” Idis said. Éowyn would not be deterred so easily.

“But you learned how to ride before you could walk, just like I did and our brothers. The skill never leaves you. And learning how to ride a horse is an important skill. It teaches patience and forming a bond with one’s horse, learning how to understand each other and become of one mind.”

“Mama, I want to learn from you,” said Hador. “Or Aunt Éowyn.”

“Me, too,” said Hallas, who had managed to stain his lips purple from the blueberries. Idis took her napkin and cleaned his mouth.

“You don’t have to if you are not feeling up to it,” Boromir whispered in her ear. Idis tilted her head so it touched his.

“My health seems better than it was. I believe I can manage a bit of riding, as long as it is slow. If all goes well, I can take things faster. Or Éowyn can handle teaching the boys how to canter, since she has always loved showing everyone that she could keep pace with any of the King’s Riders.”

“And I still can,” Éowyn said with a smirk.

“We have some mild-mannered horses that would be good for them to ride as they are learning,” Faramir said, hoping to dispel any misgivings his brother might have. “And they can also help us solve our blueberry problem.”

Hador and Hallas both looked at their parents with pleading eyes and pouty lips. Boromir met Idis’ gaze, silently asking “What do you think?” She smiled and nodded once, squeezing his hand under the table as a way to say that she gave her assent to all of it.

“I suppose that is a yes,” Boromir answered before finishing off his wine and squeezing her hand back.