BOOM! Thunder crashed in the courtyard of Gondor. However, the sound didn't stir Boromir. He continued to play with his friends in the open space. Soon, small pellets of rain began to fall on them as their parents called them home. One by one, each of Boromir's friends left him to get home. Little did young Boromir know that he had a small surprise when he reached his home at the top of the White City.
He ran home and entered his mother's chambers. The woman was holding a small bundle of cloth as she smiled at her oldest son.
"Mama, is that my new baby brother," he asked with happiness emanating from his youthful voice.
"Yes, Boromir. This is your baby brother. His name is Faramir."
Boromir stepped over to his mother. Standing on his tippy toes, the young boy leaned against the bed railings to see his new treasure. The young child was very quiet. The bright blue of his eyes stared into those of young Boromir. He reached for his older brother's hair with his scrawny baby fingers and touched the front part of Boromir's hair as he held a bit of hair within his small grasp.
The door swung open and everyone's attention went to the man who had just entered the room. Young Boromir ran to his grandfather and hugged his legs.
"Grandfather! My little brother has come to me!" the young boy cried in giddiness.
The old man smiled at his grandson.
"Well, congratulations, Boromir. You are very lucky to have a younger brother. I take it that you are going to show him how to be a Steward of this great city," the man asked as he saw the light in his grandson's eyes.
"I certainly will, grandfather. I have to go and tell my friends!"
The young boy left the room as the adults stood together with the exception of Finduilas.
"Milady, I hope you are faring well," the man said.
Finduilas smiled and laughed.
"Lord Ecthelion, must you be so formal," she asked. "We are family here. You have come to see your new grandson, I presume," she said as she pointed the young boy in the man's direction.
The man nodded as he saw the bright blue eyes and he smiled.
"He will make a great soldier in the army," he said.
"Yes, father, he will make a great soldier. I have a feeling that his mother is going to teach him as much as she can about the past generations of this city before he can go on to learn the art of battle," Denethor stated.
Ecthelion and Finduilas laughed.
"You know me all too well, Lord Denethor," his wife said as she smiled at her husband.
The baby was cooing as his mother rocked him gently.
Young Boromir didn't waste much time as he knew where all his friends would be located. He ran as quickly as his young legs would carry his little body. He reached the small cul de sac and ran to his friends with a large smile plastered on his face.
"What is the news, Boromir," a young boy asked.
"My little brother is here. Mother named him Faramir. I finally have caught up to you in the sibling department, Salomir."
"What color are his eyes?"
"Blue, like mine. Father and mother are speaking with grandfather at the moment, so I came to find you and tell you that my brother has arrived. Would you like to see him?"
"Yeah, sure," Salomir stated as he and Boromir left the other children and ran to his home.
They burst into his mother's chamber and walked over to her quickly.
"Salomir wanted to see Faramir. Is that okay, Mother," Young Boromir asked.
"Yes, Boromir. Salomir may see Faramir," she said as she transferred Faramir from one side to the other so to give the young boys a better view of the newborn.
Faramir was staring straight ahead of him as he saw the beautiful blonde hair of his wife. He held her close and hugged her. He missed his mother but he was happy with his wife.
"Lady Eowyn," he whispered.
She opened her eyes to his soft call and she gave him a kiss.
"You called, Lord Faramir," she said smiling.
"I just wanted to make sure you were still here with me and I wasn't dreaming," he stated as he closed his eyes and took in a small amount of her wonderful scent.
"I would never leave you, my husband," she said as she hugged him and snuggled to him closer then closed her eyes in sleep.
"Eowyn, my wife, you have not a clue of how you have changed my life," he whispered as he kissed her hair and closed his eyes, but couldn't drift off to sleep.
He kept his eyes wide open as he stared at the wall and thought of his brother. His father hated him, but after his mother died, Boromir was the only one that was truly loyal to him. That is, until Eowyn came into his life.
Slowly drifting off to sleep, Faramir fell into another of his memory dreams.
Three young boys were running up and down the steps of Gondor. The boy in the lead was laughing loudly as his wild blond hair went flying in the wind.
"You won't catch me, Faramir!"
"Oh, yeah, brother! Watch closely," he cried as he picked up a small bit of speed.
With the small burst of energy, Faramir jumped on Boromir's back, knocking him down to the ground as he began to laugh in happiness. Salomir piled on top of them and he was also laughing. The three young boys were having fun.
"Boromir! Faramir! Time for you to come inside!"
The two brothers looked at each other as Salomir got off them. They dusted themselves as they stood up from the ground.
"I will see you tomorrow, Salomir," Faramir said as he looked at Boromir.
Salomir nodded, bowed and sauntered off to his own home. Boromir took Faramir by the neck and practically dragged his little brother home. When they reached the steps to their home, Faramir was in a fit of laughter. Finduilas opened the door to the enchanting laughter of her youngest son.
"You must have had yet another fun filled day at the archery stables," she asked with a bit of suspicion in her voice.
"I must say that I did go to the archery stables, but didn't stay too long, mother."
"My son, you know better than anyone else that your father would prefer that you study archery and the sword than play all day and give him worry," she said as she bent down to his level and placed her hands on his shoulder.
Her soft smile wiped away any worry of his Lord Denethor's anger raging towards Faramir. The family reunion was interrupted by Boromir's taking of Faramir's neck once more and dragging him off to their room.
"Come little brother. We must wash for dinner," he said as Faramir allowed himself to be dragged off away from his mother.
Once inside their room, Faramir looked at Boromir.
"Is father really concerned about my military skills," he asked as he watched Boromir wash his face and hands from the water basin.
After he dried his face, Boromir looked at Faramir. He walked over to his little brother and smiled.
"Yes, Faramir. Father is always concerned about the military skills of his children. I guess he got it from Grandfather."
"So it goes on in the family for generations," the young one said in a soft whisper.
"What was that," a booming and commanding voice ordered from the doorway.
The two boys looked up at the figure in the doorway and they jumped as they heard the voice. The man walked inside the room. The two boys breathed a sigh of relief.
"Grandfather," they both cried out as they ran and hugged the old man.
"Boromir, Faramir. I heard that you had fun today. Did you enjoy the archery lessons," he inquired.
"Grandfather, why do we have to go to those wretchedly awful lessons? Will we need to know how to use a bow and arrow in our teen years," Faramir asked.
"Well, maybe not in your teens, but you will need to know how to master one when you become older, like around 18 or 20; that's when you find out what you really know and how much you've retained from your childhood."
"Did you ever have to take archery lessons," he continued.
"Yes, Young Faramir. I had to learn archery, sword, and every sort of weaponry imaginable."
"Even the Orc scimitar?"
"Yes, Boromir, even the Orc scimitar."
"Have you ever met with the Elves?"
"My, for young children, you sure have loads of questions for such an old man," Ecthelion stated with a smile. "Yes, I have met with the Elves. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were most gracious in their appearance and ever so humbling to see."
"Grandfather, could you tell us how she looked? Please," the young boys asked in unison.
Ecthelion smiled and laughed.
"You wish to hear about the terrible beauty of Lady Galadriel? Are you sure that is your wish," he asked trying his best to steer them from really wanting to know how she looked.
"Yes, Grandfather!"
The two boys sat on the floor with their grandfather as he began to explain how she had appeared to him. He told of the wonderfully golden blonde hair that flowed like rivers of sparkling stars in the bright moonlight. The were captured by his description of her white dress that seemed to continue on forever without stopping and the lengthy emeralds that were perfectly set in her eyes. Soon, it was time for them to sleep.
"Faramir, Boromir, you've missed dinner. I will allow you to eat now if you promise to go to archery tomorrow morning and stay there for the entire day," Finduilas stated in a hushed voice.
The two boys looked at each other and sighed with a sad look on their faces but the visage left as they nodded in response to the compromise. Their mother led them to the table and set two plates down, filled them with food and watched them eat. It wasn't too long after that the brothers' faces fell to the table, barely missing their plates of food. Finduilas took her youngest son and placed him in his bed as her father in law took her oldest son and he softly put him in the bed next to his brother.
Birds were calling out as the bright sun shone on the steps of Meduseld. The flowing dress of Lady Eowyn had pulled Lord Faramir from his day dream as he watched two of his new found friends coming towards them up the causeway.
The citizens of Rohan stopped and watched the riders enter the main road and ride to the stables where they relinquished their equine partners and walked to the staircase that decorated the front of the Golden Hall.
"Lady Eowyn, Lord Faramir, we've come on social business," the man said as Faramir watched his wife's face light up as she smiled and walked down to them at the foot of the steps.
"King Elessar, it has been too long since we've seen you last," she said as she bowed and gave him a hug. "Queen Arwen," she said in anger harnessed by happiness. "Please, come inside and we shall sit together and dine," she said as she escorted them up the steps as Faramir had a faraway look on his face.
Elessar gave him a soft slap on the shoulder and woke him from his day dream.
"Boromir again," was his simple question as the two entered the doors of the home of the Rulers of Rohan.
Faramir nodded at the response of his far off look. Eowyn didn't notice the way he was staring off into the distance when their friends had arrived.
"They will dissipate, my friend. It's taken years, but the death of Boromir has been removed as I can only think of the goodness of his appearance with me and our company. I am sure that even Eowyn has gotten over the death of her parents, uncle and cousin."
"How does Lady Arwen do without her father? I'm sure she misses him."
"She makes due, Faramir. Sometimes, she sits and stares towards the West, but that's because she knows that someday she will meet him once more," Elessar said as he stared at the two women.
"Eowyn does the same. However, she looks in the direction of Pelennor Fields. She may say that she has forgotten, but that is the most famous of her lies. I lost my mother as a young child, my brother about ten months before my father and my father deserved to die for not loving me as he did Boromir. We were not too different," Faramir said, trying to keep his voice down, but everyone in the main corridor had heard his voice and the sadness that radiated from the sound.
"True," Elessar whispered trying to divert everyone's worried attention away from them. "You're father probably could not handle the fact that one of his own sons didn't really fit in with his idea of a military life. It's not really anyone's fault. Sometimes it's hard for one to show love to another after a traumatic event. I, too, lost my mother at a young age. I know what you are going through, Faramir. You have no need to tell me of your feelings. But, I will tell you this much. Cherish the times you had with your father. Remember the days and things you achieved together that brought you happiness."
"Those days were few. When Lady Finduilas died, my Father's spirit was completely torn apart. He could barely look at me because, from what my Grandfather told me, I brought my mother joy each time she stared at me when I was a child and he couldn't bear the sight of how I looked," Faramir said a bit sadly.
"Well, now you have Eowyn and you can make all new memories," Elessar said as everyone ate, the two Queens chatting.
Eowyn kept staring at the two men as they conversed. When all the citizens and handmaids had left, she stood and spoke loudly.
"We have been chosen for a secretive search. Lord Faramir and I are to set out in two days' time. Lord Elessar, Lady Arwen, I am told that you, as well, are in the beginning stages of your search. I hope that we find favor in those that look down upon us and that we get to where we have chosen to be sent and are much protected," she said a bit winded in her delivery.