When Boromir came back from his first scouting party, Faramir was waiting for him, eager to hear his stories. Boromir had been so excited when he'd ridden out two weeks before. Now he was silent, his face pale. He didn't say anything, just went straight to his room. Faramir followed him, and kept knocking until he let him in.

"What's wrong?"

"We found a village that had been raided by orcs," he said. "They didn't leave anybody alive. Men, women, children ... slaughtered." He dropped his face to his hands, and Faramir realized he was crying. "And I couldn't do anything."