(Requested by the faaaabuloouuuus hufflepuffturtle! Go check out their LOTR/Hobbit one-shots book, it's the one that prompted me to begin writing this one and each and every one of their stories is A M A Z I N G please please please go read it :3 ! Also also also I am SO SORRY I didn't get this published sooner, I could give many truthful excuses but I think it's best to just say SORRY and thank you for your patience!)

Type: One shot

Pairing: Faramir x Female Reader

(NOTE: The reader's father -Elstan- and her noble family are entirely made up)
(Second note: This one's a bit long)

Enjoy!

Analise was gorgeous. The type of woman who turned heads wherever she went. A natural beauty, confident, and also a noble (a duchess by her family's combined heritage) she grew up a pampered life. Her mother and father spoiled and loved her dearly, though by some twist of fate she grew up to be humble and generous, rather than haughty, as you might have assumed. Ana, as she was known to her friends and family, was as brilliant as she was beautiful, witty as she was kind, and such a bookworm you could catch her reading almost every hour of every day. She grew up in Rohan, always preferring to read a book or study her school sums rather than ride out on the prairie with the other children. Due to her 'odd' likings, Analise never made many friends, so it was of no dear despair that she parted ways with her parents and younger sister to pursue a life-changing opportunity. Her lifetime idol, an astronomer whom many called eccentric yet ingenious, had learned of her smarts and offered her a position as his assistant in Minas Tirith. And so she took a small envoy and left her childhood home, destined for greater things.

When she arrived, she discovered that she would be staying in the palace with the Steward and his two sons, in the West Wing where her new teacher also resided. Just a short time after her arrival, when Analise was helping a few servants unpack her things, there came a knock on the door. It was the astronomer, her idol, his spectacles askew atop his head and his appearance rather disheveled. He professed that her teachings would not begin for another few months, due to an incredibly difficult and important project he had just been ordered to complete by Denethor II (the Steward and reigning monarch of Gondor). Analise simply nodded and kindly ordered the old man to go rest now, and that she would not mind waiting for him to finish the project. The old astronomer, relieved, left and promptly went to his chambers to get some sleep.

In lieu of other things to do after finishing unpacking, Analise gave her servants the rest of the day off and decided to explore the palace. She had only walked down a few halls when she heard soft whistling and a shadow fading through a nearby doorway. After a moment, she followed, and carefully pushed the door back open to see a magnificent library. The ceilings were glass and let in the sun's light. The shelves raised nearly twenty feet high, at the tallest points, and there were numerous love seats and cushions to relax and read on. To Analise, this was heaven. She took a cautious step forward, admiring the library, and jumped when a quiet voice called, "Who are you?" She looked around for the source of the voice, but didn't spot one, and frowned with confusion. The voice chuckled. "Look up," it called, and the young duchess did so.

Above her, on one of the higher ladders, stood a handsome man with a warm smile on his face. Little did she know, this was the younger of the steward's sons, Faramir, and the moment he saw Analise, his heart leaped. "Ah, hello," she said, craning her neck to see his face more clearly as he climbed down. "I am Analise, daughter of Elstan of Rohan." She studied his features and clothes as he jumped the last few feet to the ground and determined he was definitely a noble of some sort, like her. Possibly even the steward's son, so she quickly gave a well-practiced curtsy and added, "Your Grace." His smile grew as he gently took her hand and kissed it with a bow, now having identified her as the visiting duchess, and soon replied, "I find no need for titles among future friends. Please, call me Faramir." She gave a small smile in return and paused, agreeing after a moment, "Then I am Ana to you." He nodded and turned, gesturing to the library.

"What would you like to read first?"

Over the next few weeks, the pair grew closer and closer, meeting up at the library to read side by side and enjoy each other's quiet company. Sometimes they read their own separate books, sometimes one read aloud to the other (Analise especially fancied listening to Faramir's soft voice murmur a story), but they were always together. Whispers began to fly among the servants about the young duchess and the steward's son: Were they secretly courting? "Oh, they would be so cute together," whispered a maid to her knight friend. He nodded, his suit of armor creaking a bit, and she hurried to fetch him some oil, the topic soon forgotten, but not for long. Soon even Denethor himself grew suspicious of the two's relationship and one evening, nearly a month after her arrival, the steward invited Analise to supper with him, Boromir, and Faramir.

She, who was understandably quite nervous, for she wasn't often invited to dine with other nobles (despite her heritage), fidgeted the entire time her handmaiden was curling her hair. "Sit still, dear! You'll mess the fringe!" "Oh, Beamyn, forget the silly fringe! I am worried about how his Stewardness will see me... Am I good enough for his son-" Analise slapped her hand over her mouth once she realized what she'd just admitted. Beamyn squealed with surprise and joy. "So it is true!" She blushed, but could not hide her smile. "I am sorry, ma'am, but I've suspected something of the sort for a few weeks now." Analise raised an eyebrow in the mirror and asked wryly, "And I'll assume you are not the only one?" Beamyn, eager to admit the gossip recently circulating around the palace, nodded as she resumed tidying up the duchess' hair. "Yes, ma'am, many of the staff have noticed how close you and the steward's son have become in the last few weeks." "Many?" "That is... nearly all of us, ma'am."

By now, Analise's face was turning red. She blushed and sighed, her thoughts drifting to Faramir as Beamyn helped her into a simple yet elegant gown for the evening. I wonder if he has ever felt his heart beat when he sees me, as my own does so often when I encounter him. Soon enough, it was time for her to make her way to the banquet hall, and Beamyn bid her a teasing farewell. "I am truly sorry, ma'am- but I will be making a wager on the likelihood of you and the young master beginning to court before the night is over. Analise just blushed a little and nudged her handmaiden and friend before hurrying out the door, her dress swishing along the floor at her feet. The young duchess did wonder why supper was to be served in such a large space as the banquet hall, seeing as there would only be four people to dine there, and was so lost in her musings that she did not notice a certain familiar face turning the corner and heading directly for her. She promptly walked into Faramir and stumbled to the side, but he quickly stepped forward and caught her from falling, his expression a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"Are you alright, Ana?" he asked as he gently lifted her back upright, her cheeks flushed becomingly, and she brushed down the front of her gown as she, flustered, replied, "Ah, yes, yes, I'm alright, I'm so sorry for walking into you like that-" "Do not worry," he reassured her as they turned to walk side by side and offered her his arm, which she took. "It is not every day a beautiful woman such as yourself stumbles right into my arms." Analise nearly tripped over the hem of her gown in shock. Was he... flirting with her? Flirtation was something she was used to hearing directed at her, but from Faramir, it caught her off guard. He shot her a small smile and she mustered one back as she mentally shook off her astonishment. Two could play at this game. "Well, I don't often find such a handsome man as yourself to stumble into," she replied calmly and felt a smile of satisfaction creep onto her face as she watched his eyes widen out of the corner of her vision.

"Oh, uh, thank you," he managed to respond and they proceeded toward the banquet hall, each occasionally sneaking a glance at the other, both fighting back a blush, an effort that kept failing each time they made eye contact. The moment they entered the large hall, the door held open by two servants who Analise thanked graciously, a fanfare of trumpets played as a smirking Boromir approached them. Faramir gave a soft sigh beside her, sending a subtle glare at his older brother, yet the embarrassment was only beginning. "Lord Faramir," declared a steward close beside them, in a voice so loud and squeaky, Analise winced as it pierced her ears, "and his lady, the duchess Analise!" The cheeks of the just announced flushed at the assumption of their courting and Ana noticed Boromir looking especially smug. This must be his doing, but how would he know of her and Faramir's close friendship- ah, yes, the rumors Beamyn had told her of very recently.

The rest of the evening proceeded with many more such humiliations. To begin, the Steward raised a glass to the kingdom's prosperity, his family's health- and Analise's and Faramir's relationship. They both stumbled to explain they were not courting, yet Denethor II simply ignored them. Then there were the whispers, giggles, and glances at both from the servants all throughout the meal, during which Faramir seemed even quieter than usual and Analise kept bumbling around with her silverware. Boromir chatted the entire time, filling what would otherwise be a silent supper, and continuously teased the pair, to which his father often chuckled at. By the time dessert came around, both Analise and Faramir were itching to leave the table. The moment Boromir began a surprisingly boring tale of the time he rode from Minas Tirith all the way to the center of Rohan in one day, Denethor II seemed to fall into a trance, listening calmly, and Faramir gently took Ana's hand and led her away; an escape.

By some glimmer of fate, they ended up in the library, where they had first met and spent most of their time with each other there. Soft, remembering smiles appeared on both their faces and they both reached for books, settling down side by side on a narrow couch, as was routine. The difference, however, was that neither could focus on the stories they were reading and kept glancing at each other, their cheeks flushed a deep pink with stifled emotions. When they met gazes for the fifth time, Ana dropped her book and finally leaned in on an instinct she'd been having for the last month: to kiss him. Faramir's novel fell to the floor with a soft thud as her lips met his, and after overcoming a moment of shock, he wrapped his arms around her back and returned the kiss. The embrace lasted for nearly a minute, and when it seemed just too soon, they had to break apart for breath, watching each other with small, joyous yet surprised smiles. 

That evening was the beginning of a long and wonderful relationship that lasted many years, and when the library burned down during the Siege of Minas Tirith a year after their marriage, Analise and Faramir immediately set forth funds and workers to rebuild it. The finished product was a near-replica of the old library, only with many more comfortable couches and chairs, and a plaque above the door that read: "Rebuilt by and dedicated to the Lord Faramir and the Lady Analise; may their love and benevolence shine as bright and beloved as the sun through the windows above your head."