Chapter Text
“Disaster averted on the coast of Himling Island.”
The Steam Liner, HMS Pelennor, was caught unawares in freak Storm Angmar, Thursday last (March 15th) which saw the vessel blown off course, and suffer serious damage to the stern and to the engine, resulting in the vessel to begin to overturn in the early hours of the morning. Due to the quick actions of a lighthouse keeper; who prefers to remain anonymous at this time, serious loss of life was prevented when-
‘Just tell them we were the ones on watch when the Pelennor got turned,’ Merry said. ‘And that you were the first on the rescue boats. They’ll be so proud of their little hero, they’ll have to go easy on you.’
Éowyn rubbed her arm. ‘Or never let me leave the palace again,’ she muttered.
Aragorn had driven them up so far as they could get to the palace gates, without having security on his arse.
‘You ready?’ he asked.
Faramir’s hand was firm and solid around her own. He’d offered to come in with her, and fuck she’d been tempted, but there was going to be a stink the minute she stepped through the palace doors, and she’d rather have as few people around to see it.
Running back to Faramir would have to be her reward for getting through it.
‘Nope, not a bit,’ she said.
She unplugged her belt and got out of the jeep.
“Return of the Princess”
Shock in the Palace today, as Princess Éowyn returns after over half a year’s absence, driving up to the gates of Meduseld in a jeep, having spent six months manning a lighthouse on the Island of Himling-
Crying, shouting, more tears, more shouting. Uncle looking disappointed, which was worse than shouting. Éomer hugging her and begging her never to pull a stunt like that again, which was worse than Uncle looking disappointed.
Getting reamed at by the Secretary for the Ministry of Defence wasn’t all that fun either.
‘I’ll cover the costs, and compensation for time,’ she said, one of the first few things she said that wasn’t ‘I know, I know, I’m sorry, please, Éomer, don’t cry, please.’
‘It’s not about the money,’ Éomer grumbled.
‘It is a bit about the money,’ the Secretary for the Ministry of Defence said.
‘Maybe whoever’s fucking job it was to vet who works in the palace should cover the cost,’ Éomer growled, his arm around Éowyn’s shoulders. ‘They’re the ones who stuck my sister with a fucking predator.’
Shame and warmth swooped in Éowyn’s stomach. No matter how pissed Éomer was with her, and yeah, he was pissed, to everyone else they were a team, and he was on her side, always.
“Upskirting Scandal in the Palace: Timeline!”
-most recently sources have started to confirm that the photos did belong to the recently returned missing princess. While the palace is yet to release a statement, charities for the support of sexual assault victims have spoken out-
‘You’re going to have to give an interview,’ Erkebrand, Théoden’s Private Secretary said. ‘The people aren’t going to accept Éowyn just rolling up after all these months, acting like nothing’s happened.’
Éowyn clenched her jaw and nodded. ‘Will I have to talk about the photos?’
‘You don’t have to talk about anything,’ Háma, her newly appointed bodyguard, said. Elfhelm nodded, and squeezed Éowyn’s shoulder.
Their job officially was to protect Éowyn from bodily harm, but according to Théoden and Éomer, they’d been stuck on her to keep her from doing another runner. They picked Háma and Elfhelm for their years of sterling service and proven loyalty, but already they’d arranged for Éowyn to sneak out of the palace twice, unescorted, so she could meet with the lads at their Airbnb, before life and work called them away.
‘It might be wise to try and take control of the narrative,’ Eothain, Éomer’s Secretary said.
‘I think it’s a bit late for that,’Théoden huffed.
Éomer grimaced. ‘We’ve already been accused of replacing Éowyn with a robot.’
‘Like Aragorn’s girlfriend?’ Éowyn said, only to be met with blank faces. She shrugged. ‘Sorry, yeah, you wouldn’t know about that.’
It was strange, after six months living in cramped quarters with the same faces, to be around people who didn’t know squat about Arwen, or Legolas’s “sea-longing”, of Gimli and Merry and Pippin’s “sculptures”, or Boromir’s seething resentment over Sam and Frodo’s radio privileges, and Faramir’s…well, Faramir.
‘Won’t it be a tactless, going out and giving an interview about how hard we’ve had it?’ Éowyn said. ‘I mean, who wants to be asked to feel sorry for a pack of privileged royals?’
Erkenbrand nodded. ‘We will have to work it carefully. Obviously, getting the public’s sympathy is the goal here, but we must act like it isn’t. One interview, just one. Frame it around how the public “deserve” answers, how they “have a right to know” what’s been going on in their royal family. Don’t act like you’re asking for anything from them. Don’t turn on the waterworks. Do not play the victim. Stick to the facts, nothing but the fact, let the facts speak for themselves. We will end with the interviewer asking about HMS Pelennor. You will graciously decline to comment, and leave all the bigging up there to the survivor testimonies. And then, dead silence. That’s all of you. However it goes down, whether we don’t get the response you want, or if the response is better than we could have hoped, you never bring it up to the public again. Illness, grooming, dead parents, these things inspire sympathy whoever you are, but keep asking for pity and the public will turn on you like soiled milk, life-saver or not.’
Éowyn looked at her uncle, looked at her brother, and nodded. ‘Alright, one interview, keeping it factual, no waterworks.’
‘No waterworks,’ Erkenbrand agreed, then hesitated, and nodded at Éomer. ‘Well, with one exception.’
“Behind Palace Doors”
Bombshell interview with the Royal family provides look into the truth behind King Théoden’s illness, the death of Princess Théodwyn, and the disappearance of Princess Éowyn-
“Princess Pays Up”
Princess Éowyn pledges to dig into her personal fortune to reimburse the Ministry of Defence in full after the investigation into her disappearance cost the taxpayers aprox-
“Warrior Princess!”
The identity of heroic lighthouse workers emerge, in shocking new twist to the saga of the missing princess, Éowyn of Rohan.
“It was the hardest thing to admit, I’m not fine”
Prince Éomer reveals the toll that the loss of his parents, his experiences on the front, his sudden elevation to heir to the throne, and sister’s disappearance have had on his mental health.
“Rohan Needs a Change”
Following the shocking revelations made after Princess Éowyn’s return to public life, calls have been for a change in how the country looks at mental and physical health, the expectations placed on female caregivers, and attitudes towards victims of sexual assault.
‘-you did really well,’ Faramir said. ‘Very cool and gracious. Everyone on X is saying how brave, how strong, how dignified you were.’
Éowyn laughed into her pillow. ‘I expect making it clear upfront that I will be paying back every castar, and more , spent trying to find me, might have helped a bit.’
Éowyn could have sworn she heard Faramir’s smile. ‘Just a bit.’
Éowyn dug deeper into her sheets, laying her phone next to her head on her pillow.
‘And now it’s over.’
‘Now it’s over.’
“Over” was perhaps a bit generous, but the interview was done, and she would never have to do it again. Her duties fulfilled, her slate cleared, that was good enough to be getting on with.
‘Whose call was it to have Éomer cry?’
‘Erkenbrand suggested it might be a good idea. The hunky, protective big brother crying because he couldn’t protect his baby sister actually works quite well, optics wise. And everyone is saying what an inspiration he is now, a model of non-toxic masculinity.’
‘And you. You’ve been an inspiration as well, don’t sell yourself short. I won’t bang on, I will say my piece and leave it, but going out there and talking about what happened, believe me, that is going to cause ripples.’ Faramir chuckled warmly. ‘And speaking of ripples, all those survivor testimonies from the Pelennor haven’t hurt your image either.’
Éowyn smiled, despite herself. ‘They told me to play it humble in front of the cameras,’ she said, ‘but I’m starting to quite enjoy the praise I’m getting for all that. I’ve told Háma and Elfhelm that they must not let me get too big headed. It’s back to business now. We’ll have to be there for the final hearing, but after that, it will be everything back to normal.’
Faramir was silent for a moment, and then he said in a soft voice, ‘I hope not everything.’
‘No,’ Éowyn said. ‘Not everything.’
There had been crisis meetings and family talks, suggestions of family therapy and possible psychiatrists. Éowyn didn’t know if the Royal House of Eorl was on track just yet, but it’d been agreed that there needed to be a change, which was more than Éowyn ever could have hoped for, once.
‘I fear it’s going to be different for all of us now,’ Faramir said. ‘At least the press interest has started dying down some . Too early, actually, if you ask Legolas and Pippin, but honestly, I’m grateful for the breather.’
‘Work going alright?’
‘I’m cracking on,’ Faramir said. ‘Now that we’ve decided not to go public until I’m published, so that I may be presented to the public as a worthy suitor of the Princess of Rohan-’
‘Shut up.’
‘Just be grateful these days I can get away with getting published in a decent journal. Once they would have sent me off to fight orcs. Anyway, now I’ve got something to work for , it transpires motivation cancels out distraction any day. And Gimli, Merry and Pippin have set up their etsy shop. Sam and Frodo gave Boromir a children’s radio play set, the camo coloured one, not the pink princess edition. Legolas is, well, Legolas, and we’ve finally met Aragorn’s girlfriend.’
Éowyn sat bolt upright. You’re joking!’
‘Straight up. Although,’ Faramir chuckled, ‘Aragorn says she’s his girlfriend. She might be an actress. Jury’s still out.’
“Grima W. Tongue Trial Outcome”
Disgraced former first aide to the King seen in tears after being found guilty of all charges, counting among them treason, corruption, blackmail, libel and sexual assault-
They shared a car back from the trial house. Traditionally, the monarch and the heir weren’t meant to share a car, in case anything happened, but there was nothing on heaven and earth that was going to keep King Théoden away from “the kids” that day.
‘I’m proud of you both,’ Théoden said. ‘It’s been a hideous time for us all, but the worst of it’s behind us now, and we can start looking to the future.’
Éowyn remembered Théoden saying something similar when he first came out of recovery. This time she believed him.
‘We’ve got a few more engagements ahead of us, I have the closing of Parliament, and then it’s the summer recess-’
‘Is it wise for us all to go on recess, after everything that’s happened?’ Éowyn asked. ‘I’ve already had so much time off, perhaps I-’
‘You’re coming on the recess with us,’ Théoden said sternly. ‘If you’re worried about optics, we can arrange for you to do a meet and greet with some lifeboat workers on the coast of Dol Amroth. Other than that, you need a holiday. We all do.’
He and Éomer looked at each other, something passing between them unsaid.
‘Besides,’ Théoden said. ‘Your brother and I have been talking things over. I raised a suggestion to him that I’ve been thinking on for a while now. It’s been in the back of my mind for years, in truth. And now, when we can all do with a fresh start, the time feels right. If you’re willing, my dear, we might give the press something to chew over until the Autumn.’
“Royals in the Sun”
King Théoden photographed on a yacht on the coast of Dol Amroth, two weeks after the final sentencing of former first aide, Grima W. Tongue, enjoying the company of his heir and nephew Prince Éomer, and niece, the recently rreturned Princess Éowyn. Sources say that King Théoden is using the summer break to put in some much needed family bonding time, after making his intentions to officially adopt the prince and princess known to-
“Part Time Princess”
Princess Éowyn reveals plans to balance royal duties with training to work as a search and rescue officer, based in the Snowbourne Mountains-
“Princess in Love!”
Princess Éowyn seen “celebrating” the completion of her first aid training at Gondor’s famous Houses of Healing institute, with fellow former lighthouse keeper, Faramir Hurin. The young couple was seen embracing on the walls surrounding the Houses, and celebrations took a turn for the frisky when-
“I Performed an Exorcism”
Princess Éowyn finally spills all about her year manning a lighthouse on Himling Island, in first joint interview with new paramour and award winning linguist, Faramir Hurin.