On a sunny morning, Faramir and a group of his guards set out to patrol the area around Emyn Arnen while they will also be checking on the rangers that are stationed in the area. He wants to know how the situation is for there were incidents with brigands in the last few months. This has made using the Harad road dangerous and upset merchants. They had to divert to a different road or spend coins on guards. Something which they don't like doing. Knowing how the situation is now will tell him if the Harad road is safe for travel once more for merchants or travelers to travel from the south when they make their way to Ithilien or further north. Just as they are about to leave, Faramir sees Éowyn walking up to them.
"Faramir, do you have any idea when you will be home?" Éowyn asks her husband. She needs to know this because it will tell her how much food she has to prepare for dinner and supper. She has her doubts that they will be back in time for dinner but hopes that he will be home for supper. That will allow him to get the rest he needs. In a few days' time, they will ride for Minas Tirith because the king has called a council and wants to discuss some matters with her husband before the council starts. She knows that Faramir will spend the time he has at home on his duties and won't be taking appropriate rest. A habit for which she has scolded him before and which she does her utmost best to break him from. She knows how bad it can be when one does not rest as one should and how stubborn her husband can be. This combination is a bad one.
"If everything goes well I hope to be home a few hours before supper. We won't be going far. We will only check in with the rangers that are stationed in the area and patrol the area we will be crossing." Faramir tells his wife. He knows she wants for him to rest sufficiently but also knows that he needs to finish his work before he can retire. If he doesn't that he will have to do more the next day. Still, he appreciates it that she always reminds him to rest when he is still working late at night. That prevents him from sleeping on his desk and having stiff muscles the next day. He smiles affectively at Éowyn before hugging her. When he pulls back he kisses her on the cheek. Then Faramir mounts his horse and soon the group is on their way to the first ranger patrol.
Twenty minutes later they meet up with the first ranger patrol they are to meet today. There Faramir learns that nothing of importance has happened in the last two days. Two days ago they captured a group of brigands who are already on their way to Emyn Arnen for him to sentence. Since capturing that group the Rangers haven't found any sign of any more brigands. This makes them believe that they have caught the last group still around and the other groups have left their patrol area. They feel confident that their patrol area is now safe for travel. A sentiment Faramir shares with them.
As they meet with the other ranger patrols they learn that they also haven't seen any signs of brigands in the last few days. Faramir is relieved by this news as it will make his upcoming trip to Minas Tirith less stressful. Not that he will not take the number of guards with him as he planned to do before learning this information. It also means that he is willing to take his children with him. Something which they will appreciate greatly. Of that Faramir is certain because his oldest children have been begging him to be allowed to come along.
Near the middle of the afternoon, they are making their way back to Emy Arnen. It is then that one of the guards spots something on the ground. He raises his hand to signal that they have to stop. The group does so at once for they have learned to trust each other completely.
"Soldier, what is it?" Faramir asks. He wants to know what the soldier saw and worries that there are still some brigands around that have been able to elute the patrols.
"My prince, there are hoofprints on the ground here. They appear out of thin air. I can't tell from which direction they came. It is strange for there has been no rain in the area or anything else that could have covered the tracks." the guard answers.
"That is strange indeed." Faramir says after having taken a look at the track on the ground. Then he looks around the group to see who he will send to follow the trail and see who created it. Once he has made his decision he says.
"Doronor, Labenir. You two go ahead and follow the trail. Should you find any sign of danger you get out of there and come to find us. When you have found those who created the trial then you will do the same. We will be following the trial at a slow pace after having taken a short break." Faramir tells the two who quickly dismount and give the reins to other guards. Afterward, they quietly move along the trail to see where the trail leads to. Meanwhile, the remainder of the guard dismount and stays where they are. There they care for the horses and eat and rest for a while. This replenishes their strength and they know that they will be able to last till late.
Ten minutes later, Faramir gives the sign that they will move on. Everyone is quick to clean up the camp and mount their horse again. They follow the trail slowly so as to not miss anything. After some time they enter one of the small forests and when they are but a few meters in they can hear the sound of sobbing in the distance. Faramir recognizes it as the sound of a child and worries what a child is doing out in the wild that would cause sobbing.
"What is a child doing here?" Beregond says for he knows as well as everyone else that the sobbing is coming from a child. He wonders who is so irresponsible to leave or lose a child here.
"I do not know, my friend. I do not know" Faramir says. He wants to push his horse into a gallop so as to reach the child sooner and when he looks at his guards he sees they also have the same intent as he does. Thus he pushes his horse into a full gallop. When they are nearly at the location they know the child is in, the group slows their horses down. They don't want to frighten the child into running from them. That would be a bad thing to happen.
Dismounting Faramir says "I will go to the child. You will all wait here until I come back."
"No, my prince. You won't go on your own. Two guards will go with you." Beregond says as he mentions for two guards to dismount which they quickly do. These guards move towards their lord but stop when their lord speaks up.
"Captain, that won't be necessary. I'm sure that the child poses no threat to me. You two don't need to accompany me." Faramir tells the two guards. He doesn't like it for the guards to follow him. That could frighten the child and cause him or her to run away from him. He doesn't want to have to chase the child which he, in that case, would have to do. He sees the guards faltering, unsure of what they should do now.
"That is not up to discussion, my prince. They will go with you or we will all go." Beregond insists. He looks at his lord sternly. He can tell that his lord isn't happy with it but Beregond isn't willing to risk his safety. As a member of the white company, it is their duty to protect him even in situations where their lord is in danger and even when he doesn't want their protection. As the captain, it is his duty to make the decisions concerning his lord's safety. He can hear his lord sighing and that tells him that he has won for which he is incredibly happy. Still, he won't show his happiness on his face.
"Alright, they can come with me. You two will stay at a distance when we are close to the child. It is of no use to frighten the child unnecessary and case him or her to run from us." Faramir tells the two guards who agree with their lord's decision. Once this is done the group of three moves further into the small forest. Soon they approach a small clearing and the two guards keep their distance. They allow their lord walk on alone. Still, they make sure to keep him into their eyesight. That way they will be able to reach him quickly should he become endangered. They don't want to fail in their duty to protect their lord and have to meet the fury of their lady.
Faramir calmly walks into the clearing and is disappointed to not be able to locate the child. When he looks at the ground he can see signs of a small person having crawled to a hiding place. Faramir has to smile as this clearly shows that the child is afraid and trying to hide which is a completely normal reaction of a frightened child. He follows the trail on the ground and quickly come to the conclusion that the child hid behind a bush. Faramir silently walks up to the bush he knows the child is hiding behind.
Once Faramir stands before the bush he can see that a young child has shrunk in on himself behind the bush. From what Faramir can see he determines that the child is around the same age as Elboron is. He knows that he has to act quickly before the child notices him and tries to flee. He quickly lifts the child up from behind the bush intending to put him on the ground before him. But as he does so he feels the child stiffening and sees him closing his eyes tightly. Faramir also sees the child clamping his hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the scream Faramir can still hear coming from him. He feels bad for causing the child to fear him so much but knows that he needs to get the child to safety and this is the fastest way he can do so. He quickly places the child on the ground to still the fear and hears the child's breath hitching. This makes him frown because he wonders if the child is hurt. It would explain why the child crawled when it would have been easier for him to simply run.
Based on this Faramir decides to carefully look the child over to see if he can find any injury. He can see that the child is wearing fine clothing and boots. Also, the child doesn't seem to be thin which tells him that the child has ample to eat. All this combined gives him the impression that the child comes from a wealthy family. It makes the situation all the more confusing for it is highly unlikely that a wealthy family would abandon their child. Especially at the child's current age. Normally it only happens with newborns and in rare cases with older children from the poor families. When it happens the child is removed from the parents' care and placed in an orphanage or the family is offered the aide they need to care for the child. Faramir knows from experience that it on,y happens when the family doesn't see another way out or if shame is involved. In the end, Faramir is unable to detect any injury because the clothes hide any sign of possible injuries. Looking the child in the eye, Faramir notices that the child is acting nervous.
"I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to cause you unease. Forgive me." Faramir tells the child honestly. He makes sure that his emotions are visible because he knows how much children dislike not being able to tell the emotions of adults.
"Of course, lord. I forgive you. I didn't know you were coming. I thought bad men would be coming." Boromir tells Faramir. Boromir is relieved that he has been found by a Gondorian lord and not by a bad man. He knows that this a Gondorian based on his appearance. That this Gondorian is a lord, Boromir bases on the regal feel this man gives off as well as the clothing he wears. It makes him feel safe and makes him hope that the lord will be able to help him get back to his parents and little brother. He misses them.
Faramir has to smile at the child's reaction. He is glad that the child knew that this area is not entirely safe. Well, as safe as he and his lord are able to make it. People still need to be careful when traveling and their farms need to be located closely together. Lone farms are highly vulnerable as it takes a long time before help can reach them should they become in danger. Still, there hasn't been any real danger around for the past few days according to his rangers. But that knowledge would not be available for the child and his family. Which explains why the child feared that bad men were approaching and Faramir is glad that he managed to take this fear from the child before him.
"Well, little one. I'm glad that I found you because it is not good for you to be here all by yourself." Faramir says and can see the confusion built on the child's face. This, in turn, confuses Faramir for he doesn't know what confuses the child.
"But, lord, I'm not alone. I'm here with my family but got lost when I went too far from the camp in search of firewood." Boromir says defensively. He does understand why the lord thought him to be alone. Alright, he was alone in this area but isn't traveling alone. And that is what he wants the lord to understand.
"You shouldn't have done that, little one. And I'm sure you know that now." Faramir says because this situation will ensure that the child won't do this again. He waits for the child to nod before saying.
"Little one, I would like for you to tell me where you are hurt. I saw you wince when I put you on the floor before me so I know that you are hurting somewhere."
"My ankle hurts, my lord. I was running around trying to find my parents and fell when I stepped into a hole or something. My ankle then started to hurt." Boromir tells the lord before him. Now that they are talking about his hurting ankle he remembers the pain. Before he didn't feel any pain anymore. Still, he is glad that the lord is interested in his ankle because then he might be able to help him make it go away.
"Then we will go back to my men so that we can take a look at your ankle and treat it. I don't want to take your booth off now as I don't have anything with me to treat your ankle with." Faramir says and gently lifts the child into his arms. As he walks back they are joined by the two guards who stayed back. Together the three me and one child walk back to the remainder or the group. During the walk, Faramir and Boromir talk about why he and his family were traveling through Ithilien. It is then that Faramir asks.
"Little one, would you be willing to tell me your name as well as the names of your family? I might know them if you tell me their names."
"My name is Boromir. My ada's name is Denethor and nana's name is Finduilas. I have a little brother whose name is Faramir. What is your name, my lord?" Boromir asks curiously. He doesn't know the name of the lord who is holding him. It would be polite for the lord to tell him his name also. He really hopes the lord will do so so that he knows who he is with.
"That is funny, little one. My name is also Faramir just like your little brother." Faramir tells Boromir. The names the child gave him surprise him because that combination of names has only ever been heard of by his own family. It makes him wonder if he is carrying his brother. It is such a strange thought that he instantly dismisses if. It can't be true, can it?
Just then they come upon the remainder of the group. Faramir sees that Beregond is quick to approach them once he sees that his lord is returning. From the look on Beregond's face Faramir determines that he is relieved that his lord found the child. He knows that having found the child will take most of the stress from the men. Faramir smiles calmly at Beregond to tell him that everything is fine. He is even more pleased to see that the men are going back to what they were doing before they heard footsteps of them approaching the camp. It shows that the men were moving into a position to protect their temporary camp site.
"My prince, I am glad that you are back with us again. And I see that you found the child we all heard. What will we be doing now? Shall we continue or do we wait for a few more minutes to make sure you and your escort have also gotten some rest?" Beregond asks.
"We shall wait here for a few minutes so that Boromir's ankle can be treated. He told me that it hurts and I saw him wince when he put pressure on it. I want it treated before we break up the camp and go see where Doronor and Labenir are." Faramir says and can see one of the men coming to him. He recognizes him as Nestorion. Nestorion has the most knowledge about healing from all the guards present. Faramir also gives Beregond a hard look when he wants to address the name by which he called the child. He hopes that Doronor and Labenir will have returned before they break the camp. He wants to begin looking for Boromir's family as soon as is possible to do. Thus he wants to avoid having to look for the scouts if it can be avoided.
"Boromir, this is Nestorion. He will take a look at your ankle and treat it to the best of his abilities." Faramir says once Nestorion has reached them. He puts Boromir on a tree trunk and mentions for Beregond to follow him. They talk about everything a short distance away so as that they are not overheard by Boromir. He doesn't want to upset him if he is able to avoid it.
When Faramir and Beregond are done with their discussion they walk back to Nestorion and Boromir intending to inquire about the state of Boromir's injury. Just then they hear the sound of horses approaching. Faramir quickly turns to the direction the sound comes from and can see that the guards are all moving into position to defend the camp if need be. Looking at Nestorion Faramir sees that he has positioned himself in front of Boromir in a defensive position. He is relieved to know that Boromir will be protected should they be attacked. Faramir decides that he will join the defense and is quick to take up a position.
Shortly before the horses and their riders are in sight Faramir can hear them slow down. Then he hears a whistle which tells him and everyone else that it is safe. Thus they let the riders approach and the guards move back to breaking up the camp. Faramir decides to stay behind and greet the riders. Once they come into sight he recognizes them as Doronor and Labenir. This relieves him immensely, for now, they can start looking for Boromir's family once they are ready to leave. He allows them to approach the camp before addresses them.
"What have you learned from the tracks? Do you know who made them and what their intended destination is?" Faramir asks the men as they dismount.
"We followed the track to a camp. At the camp, we could see a mother and an infant preparing to spend the night. Where her husband is I don't know for we didn't see anyone else in the camp. Still, we believe the husband must be around somewhere for no man would leave their wife and infant here on their own. We also found tracks leading away from the camp into the mountain. This could mean that the husband has moved into the mountain to see where they are and what direction they need to travel in to find civilization. We don't know what destination they have in mind but believe that they will be looking for civilization" Doronor tells his lord.
"Hmm. That is interesting to hear." Faramir says and looks at Boromir who is looking around the camp. The way Boromir is looking Faramir has the impression that he is used to seeing guards breaking up a camp. When Boromir seems him looking questionable at him and smiles reassuringly. Faramir considers the information he has and then makes up his mind.
"We will take a look at the camp and then guide the family to Emyn Arnen. It will be the closest city in the area. Together we will be able to protect them better than were they to be traveling alone. Hopefully, they are also the parents of Boromir so that we can soon reunite him with his family. Boromir is the child we discovered when we came through this wood. Once the camp is cleaned up you will guide us to the campsite you two discovered." Faramir says and Doronor and Labenir agree to do as their lord wants them to do. They turn away from everyone to discuss the easiest path to the camp they found. The way they came will be a difficult journey to make from here to the discovered camp. After a few minutes of discussion, they manage to determine the easiest path to the camp.
Five minutes later the group is guided by the two scouts to the camp the scouts discovered. They ride at a good pace and expect to reach the campsite soon for the scouts take them by a direct path. Ten minutes later the scouts give the sign to slow down for they know that they have almost reached the camp. Once the horses have slowed down everyone dismounts and quietly follows the scouts until Faramir mentions for everyone to quiet down. He does this because he heard the sound of people taking even though what he hears is faint. In fact, he was barely able to detect it. Once everyone is silent they can hear distressed whispering sounds if they listen attentively that is. The sounds are still faint and to the point of nearly inaudible. Faramir is able to hear that the name Boromir is being mentioned you the people in the camp. This eases his heart for he knows believes that they have found Boromir's parents. The only thing left to do is approach them and determine if his belief is correct. Then they will only need to guide everyone to Emyn Arnen. Hopefully, the family will agree to it without making much of a fuss.
"Beregond, you will wait here with the men. I will go meet the family together with Boromir for I believe that they are his lost family. No one will come along as I don't want to scare the family if it can be avoided. Am I understood?" Faramir says this with a stern look. By doing this he tells everyone that he means what he just said. Also by doing this, he tries to avoid having a discussion about taking guards with him with Beregond. That doesn't mean that he doesn't expect Beregond to tell him that he disagrees with him. In fact, he expects it and is soon rewarded with the captain's protest.
"My prince, that is folly. Going alone means you won't be protected. As we don't know who these people are we don't know what to expect from them. We all took an oath to protect you with our lives. We can't allow it, my prince. Not without risking our honor." Beregond says and hopes that his prince sees reason. He doesn't like what his prince is proposing and wants to do everything he can to avoid having it happen. He does know that there are times when their prince will do as he pleases. Luckily these times are few and he hopes that this time isn't one of them.
"I gave you an order, captain!" Faramir says irritable and takes a deep breath. He knows that he will have to come with a compromise. Beregond will not allow him to leave otherwise. That is why he tells Beregond.
"To ease your mind I give you my word that I will be careful. I will look at the camp before approaching it. If I don't like what I can see then I will come back and take a few guards with me before approaching the family."
"Thank you, my prince. That indeed eases my mind. But that does not mean that no guards will accompany you. They will follow you but stay out of sight." Beregond says in a tone that brokers no argument. The guards will come along or his prince will not go at all. When Beregond looks at his prince he can see the anger in his prince's eyes and also the strain it costs his prince to keep his anger in control. Beregond knows that it is rare for his prince to get this angry and wonders what is behind it.
"If you let me leave then. I do not see how else I can greet this family." Faramir says in a stressed voice while dismounting. If his parents are here then he doesn't want anyone else to learn about it until he has had a chance to talk to his lord. He wants his king's council in how to deal with such a situation. Even if he does not consider it a real possibility he does not want to take any chances. Hence why he doesn't want to have guards along with him and Boromir. But considering the words of Beregond it will not be possible for him to approach the family without having guards around.
"Come, Boromir. Shall we go see if we have found your parents?" Faramir asks while lifting Boromir from his horse. He does this to break the heavy atmosphere that has developed between him and his guards. It will make everyone feel at ease once more.
"Yes, I would like that. I hope this is my family's camp." Boromir says and looks at the surroundings. It is then that he says.
"Faramir! I mean my lord, I do recognize some of the environment."
"That is good to hear." Faramir says and then they leave the group while two guards follow them at a distance. After a few minutes, they come upon the campsite and Faramir is surprised by what he can see. There is barely any trace left of the camp. It appears as if the camp has been hurriedly cleared. For the most part, it does not look like a camp except for the two horses he can see. He can see one person standing by the horses and based on the clothing he can see he determines it is a woman who is standing there.
"My lady, could you please come forward? I do not mean you any harm" Faramir tells the woman. At the same time, he can hear a distinctive soft sound. He instantly recognizes it as the sound of a sword being unsheathed from a leather scabbard. Faramir quickly pushes Boromir behind him and turns to the direction from where he heard the sound coming from. At the same time, he draws his own sword in an attempt to protect himself and Boromir from the attacker. He knows from experience that his guards will be hurrying towards them to protect him. He barely manages to block the swing coming for his chest. It is then that he manages to take a good look at the attacker's face. The face he sees is one he can recognize anywhere and at any time. The face he sees is that of his father and appears younger than he is familiar with. Seeing it results in horror washing over him. That which he did not think possible appears to have happened.