Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings

A.N: This one shot has nothing to do with my longer story, I was just thinking too much. The quote is from Shakespeare. I used brother and sister in the last few lines because they did not use the -in-law part.

The Best Men are Moulded out of Faults

Éowyn had rarely asked Faramir about his brother. It was too painful to ask as his face screwed up with pain each time, he bit his lip or looked away into the distance, unwilling to let his wife see his tears or perhaps he was seeing Boromir in the far distance. From what she understood, Boromir had always desperately tried to stand up for him and protect him from their wretched father. Éowyn had never met Denethor, but hated him with a passion for what he had done to his family. He drove Boromir to the very edge for that cursed ring which ended in his death and made Faramir feel like he was next to nothing before trying to set himself and Faramir alight, abandoning his soldiers and people. Faramir had forgiven him, but Éowyn suspected it was due to the bond blood that the two shared. Faramir saw him as the best older brother in all of Middle Earth and dearly missed him.

However, that did not give Éowyn a real description of Boromir, so Éowyn went to Aragorn. Aragorn looked away, surprisingly enough, in shame. Then it hit her. Aragorn was praised and beloved in Gondor, but he felt that he had done little to deserve that. Boromir on the other hand was willing to die for it, adored it with every fiber of his being, lived there and was a true Gondorian, but he was not adored or beloved in Gondor. He was all but a mere memory to his people who he died for. Éowyn stared at him, silently demanding that he continued. Aragorn looked up before he began to speak. He thought Boromir at first to arrogant, brutish and uncouth. He soon changed his opinion when he spoke with him about Gondor. He saw the unreserved love for Gondor that he thought he never had and never will. The way he spoke about his father showed the faint resentment in his tone and his father's unforgiving nature. It was an explanation for his actions, but not an excuse. Then when he spoke about his brother Aragorn felt a faint surge of jealously. He had always desired a true, blood brother. He saw the same passion for his brother as for Gondor. He also thought Boromir to be a brave man, if a little brash and impatient. Aragorn stopped and he appeared to be reliving something. Éowyn nodded and left, not wanting to disturb him in that intensely private moment.

His eyes were a greyish-green with a strong profile that was still characterful. His hair was dark blond as well as the beard. There were faint traces of fear and worry around his eyes and mouth and the muscles in his neck were tense. He looked distinctly uncomfortable. Éowyn did not like this depiction of him. It did not match his description that she had heard and so she walked away from it to find something better.

She found a full colour sketch of him that someone aside from his father must of commissioned. He was looking away from the viewer as if he was talking or listening to someone. His eyes were bright and there was a smile curling around his lips. The fear and worry was still there, but it had faded into the background and there was no awkwardness in the picture. He was so similar to Faramir. His features were a touch more masculine and bolder than his brother, but the smiles were the same. He was around the same height as Faramir, but he was stockier and was clearly a warrior, a captain with a powerful and charismatic energy that surrounded him. She could understand why people respected him as a warrior. Éowyn wondered what would have happened if she had met him. Would she be married to him now? Somehow she thought not, she inexplicably made for Faramir and for Faramir only. Despite this Éowyn knew that they would have been friends. Boromir, she thought, would respect her and they would probably have long conversations about old battle tactics that they had used and learnt about. Despite his many faults he was a good man, a kind man, a captain, a friend and a brother. Éowyn blinked back the tears she was felt prickle behind her eyes and drew herself up straight, trying to make the dead man feel proud that she was his sister.

'I would have liked to have met you Boromir, my brother, but it seems that the Valar decided it was not to be. I think we would have been friends, good friends. Don't worry, I will look after Faramir, I promise. I will meet you in the Halls of Mandos when my time comes, but until then, good bye Boromir.'

And with that she left.


'They say, best men are moulded out of faults: and, for the most, become much more the better, for being a little bad'

William Shakespeare


A.N: Please review