Disclaimer: See other chapters.
Author's Note: Did you like the last one? Yay, if you said yes! Here's hoping this one is good enough. It's a little abstract and odd- I think it turned out well enough though... Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated, and extremely helpful. Give me some feedback, people!
Chapter Nine: Dearest Brother, How Have You Been?
The sun was setting over the mountains in the east, throwing a dusky shadow over the garden. The flowers turned their faces toward the sun, trying to catch a few last rays that would have to sustain them through the night. The air was warm and fragrant, the scent of smell of rain heavy and sweet.
I tapped my fingers nervously on the small wooden table in front of me and bit my lower lip. I wasn't quite sure how I had gotten from the battlefield to my garden in such short time; I figured I must have passed out and been brought home. With gentle fingers I touched my stomach to find it didn't hurt at all. I wondered which healer had saved me from any pain brought about by such a grievous wound. I took a deep breath and leaned back, waiting for Eowyn to come and join me on the patio. I looked at the mountains and let my eyes relax as I drifted into my own thoughts.
"I wouldn't sleep yet, Faramir. This certainly isn't the time or place." I sat up straight in a hurry. The voice certainly hadn't been Eowyn's; it was male. It belonged to a speaker I had heard before, but I couldn't quite place a name or face. I became unnerved, because I usually had such a good memory for these things.
"I'm not surprised you can't remember; it's been six years," came the voice again, somewhere behind the rose bushes to my left. "Still, I had hoped you would know..."
"Who are you?" I demanded in a sharp voice, slightly trembling. This man, whoever he was, had read my mind, and I did not like that feeling at all. "Show yourself, or I'll call the guards," I called out, a little more assured. Who would play games with the Prince of Ithilien?
"Why, Fara, I always loved to play games with you, prince or no prince." There was a rustling of leaves and the mysterious speaker appeared. "Would you ever have expected me to stop?" He sat down at the table and smiled his familiar grin.
Boromir, handsome and confident as he had always been, was sitting across from me. My mouth dropped, my eyes opened wide, and I sat perfectly still. Had I gone mad?
He shook his head and laughed. "No, Fara, you have not gone mad at all. It's me, your beloved brother, here to talk to you," he said, using the pet name for me no one else had ever been aware of.
"It can't be," I said stubbornly. "You died. Six years ago, you died trying to save Merry and Pippin! The orcs killed you! Elessar sent you out to sea himself!" My voice was frantic and I slid my chair back from the table.
"I wouldn't go anywhere, little brother. We're here for a reason, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea for you to up and leave." He reached out and grabbed my forearm. His hand was warm and calloused, just as it had always been.
I could do nothing but stare and stammer, "Y- You're dead. You died..."
"Yes, Faramir, I'm quite aware of the fact," he said, a touch of annoyance in his tone. "Can we move on now?"
"No!" I snapped, wrenching my arm away. "If you're dead, then I must be too, or else I wouldn't be seeing you. And if I'm dead, this isn't the most natural thing in the world to experience. I may not have been horribly optimistic about life before, Boromir, but I have a family now. I have a pregnant wife, and right now, that's what I, as a corpse, need to come to terms with!"
To my annoyance, he burst out into laughter. "Still the same old morbid sense of humor. Always joking about death, even when you're near it. Yes, near it, Fara, you're not dead yet. I'm here to try to send you back."
My head was spinning. I wasn't dead, yet I was sitting in the afterworld version of my home across from my deceased brother. It was certainly enough to make one ill. I stared up at him and managed to croak, "What?"
Boromir smiled wider and rested his large hand on my own. I had forgotten just how large and sturdy of a man he was, and how diminutive I had always seemed compared to him. It suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten many things about my brother, including his voice, his smell, his air of presumptuousness. The only thing I really remembered was his smile and his comforting nature.
"I know about Eowyn, Fara, and about your son too. I know how you're Prince of Ithilien and friends with the King of Gondor himself. I know everything about your new life, little brother."
I hung my head and focused on the table. "You know about father, then?"
His grip on my hand tightened. "I saw what happened, yes," he said rather tersely.
"Did you greet him to the Land of Death as well, then? Was it Mother who came for you?" I asked these questions rather angrily. Boromir seemed to be in as good as spirits as ever. He had not lived through the torment of his father's suicide; he had gone to somewhere where he could sit and watch, safe and secure. "Is my life entertainment for you?" I added sharply.
"Faramir, you should not be asking these things. You have little time..."
"I don't care! I want to know! Tell me why you were allowed to escape, for my life was living hell after you left! You believed Father disdained me before; well it was multiplied by the thousands after your death! I would have died if it were not for unhappy chance! Tell me why you are always given the best lot in life!" My voice was shaking with pent up rage, my nails digging into the table.
"Was it the best lot, then, to die before my life was fulfilled? Would you rather have died than met Eowyn?" His voice was soft, cajoling, and as persuasive as ever.
"I have no life other than her now; she is my only reason for everything." I stared up at him, my eyes hard. "I suppose it is because of her that I must now fight for my life."
Boromir's eyes were sad and wide. "Always, Fara, you were so hopeless. You did not live for yourself, for you saw nothing in your own life. You lived to protect your people, and now you live to provide for your wife. Can't you see that this must stop?"
"It is so very hard when I was made to believe my only reason for living was to protect my people. At least you were required to get married and produce an heir. I didn't even have that option."
"Your pessimism is most annoying, little brother."
"Your arrogance is worse," I replied with a sigh. "I did not mean to yell, Boromir. I have missed you more than you could imagine, but to see you here so happy and carefree, while I still bear the weight of my life upon me, is more than I can take. Tell me of Mother and Father."
"Faramir, you must understand that your body is getting weaker as your soul lingers in this halfway place. It is not your time to die; you must return."
"I will know about my parents, Boromir."
He sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Very well, you stubborn brat." He smiled, and so relieved was I to hear his joking that I grinned as well. "That's the brother I like to see. You were always so much more handsome when you smiled."
"Somehow compliments from a cadaver do not seem as powerful. Go on, if time is as short as you say." We exchanged glances and laughed. I felt lighter almost, relieved. It was like the way we used to be before he went to Rivendale because of my fateful dreams.
He raised an eyebrow and chewed the inside of his cheek as he always did. "It wasn't your fault I was sent to Rivendale, Fara. It was the way fate worked. Do not blame yourself for everything. Mother would have died if you had not been born, and then Father would have just held his grudge against me. I am sorry you had to bare those burdens, but I believe you are the stronger for it." He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "It was Mother who greeted me. She was more beautiful than I ever remembered seeing her. She smelled like the sea and was barefoot. I imagine that's how she was before she came to Minas Tirith, free and uninhibited. In any case, we speak together often. She watched over us with concern for many years, and still does look after you. It hurts her to see you in so much constant despair; really, Fara, you must stop being so hopeless. She always tells me how she loves to see you smile; she cried tears of joy when you were married. I can't tell you how much she loves Eowyn; she sees the delight the girl brings to you."
"Eowyn has meant much to me, nearly everything, indeed," I replied. "What of Father?"
"His soul has been in almost constant torment. He watches over you as well, sitting next to me and Mother, but he cannot bring himself to speak to us. He only smiles when you smile; when you are distraught, he curses himself and watches with a heavy heart. He is not an evil man, Fara, you know that. His bitterness over Mother's death was most conveniently directed at you; he sees his error now. He has said only one thing directly to me; 'I ruined his spirit, but I know I cannot have ruined his heart.' He has faith that you will become a truly happy man, despite how he had wronged you. Always he wishes for you to be happy, but I can see he will never expect forgiveness."
"And he shan't get any for a while yet,' I replied. "Deep in my heart, I wished for him to suffer, yet now that I know of his pain, it hurts me to have brought it upon him. No, he is not evil, but I cannot yet forgive him. But Boromir, how are you?"
"No, brother, no more time for small talk. We will have all the time in the world later, but for now, you must get back to Middle Earth."
I frowned and pleaded with my eyes. "These past six years I have desired to speak to you, Boromir. I remember that the last thing I said to you was, 'Enjoy your trip.' That is not the last thing I wished you to hear, and it has bothered me that I didn't really say goodbye."
He shook his head, his smile gone from his lips and eyes. "I have also longed to speak to you, but I know that I will have to wait. You must go back, Fara, your wife and your son and your country need you. Your life needs you, Faramir; it has waited forty years for you to live it. I am here to give you the strength to return, but also to return a new man. You cannot go through life angst- ridden and melancholy. Your family wants better for you. Do you know how much it pains Eowyn that you still will tell her so little of your childhood?"
"It has been difficult to deal with," I responded quietly.
"You are not dealing with it alone, Faramir. If you would talk to me, I will be there to listen, even if I cannot respond. Mother and Father wish the best for you as well. Do not forget that you have a wife who loves you and who is willing to do anything for you. You are both wild and free in spirit; you get that from Mother. Travel, see Middle Earth. Teach your son to be a good man, and a good Gondorian. In time he will have a sister as well."
"A sister?" I asked incredulously. "The Steward's line has always been ridiculously devoid of female children."
"Yes, but the House of Hurin has never intermingled with the noble blood of Rohan. Your children are destined for great things, Faramir. Do not abandon the son; don't allow the girl to never be born."
"You can see all this, Boromir? Can you see what will happen to me?" I asked, my natural curiosity making itself known.
"Now, now, little brother, I can't tell you everything, can I? Can you not be content with the fact that you have a good life ahead of you?"
"You know I cannot, Boromir. If I were satisfied, then I truly would have changed."
We laughed together again, but this time it was bittersweet. My time was very short now; I felt anxious to return to my wife. "You'll be leaving now," Boromir said. "I think that you have resolved some issues you may have had."
"I would have liked to stay and talk, but I suppose I have a life to live," I said with a smile. "Thank you, brother, for helping me find the strength to return."
"You're welcome, Fara. It was good to talk to you once more at least. It will be many years before I see you again."
"I will think of you, brother. Tell Mother I love her. Tell Father..." I hesitated. "Tell Father I know he is sorry."
"I believe that they have already heard you," Boromir said, his smile sad now. "Goodbye, little brother."
I smiled and clasped his hand once more. "Goodbye, Boromir, we will meet again." I pushed back my chair and stood.
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My eyes fluttered open slowly. With a deep breath, I turned my head to take in my surroundings. I was in a large sickroom with a wonderful view of a mountain valley. I smiled; Eowyn must have specifically picked it out for me.
"My good Steward, awake at last!" came a calm yet warm voice. I turned my head the other way to see King Elessar in a large plush chair beside my bed. His smile was wide and relieved. "Finally ready to wake up, I see."
"My Lord Elessar," I said, my own voice full and steady. "It is good to see you."
"Indeed, it is good to see you awake. We've been worried about you; you've been in that deep sleep for a week now. A few more days and we would have lost you for sure."
"Yes," I murmured, thinking of Boromir. Had it been a dream, or had I actually been on the edge of death? I tried to sit up, but felt an acute pain shoot through my stomach.
"I wouldn't try to rise just yet," Elessar advised. He leaned over to help position some pillows so I was in a more upright yet comfortable position.
"What of the orcs?" I inquired, trying to stretch my sore limbs.
"Destroyed, all of them. Your company was very well trained. Forty men died; a service was held for them two days ago, and they were buried in a nearby valley. I made sure each of them was given the proper respects."
"Thank you, Lord Elessar. I am sorry to have been a bother, and useless, at that."
He laughed and patted my arm. "It wasn't your fault you couldn't take care of that. You had your hands full battling for your life. It was an awful wound; when I heard of it I ran right out of a council meeting to attend to you."
"Thank you, Lord. Without you, I would have died." I looked around once more. "Where is Eowyn?" I finally inquired.
He smiled strangely. "Oh, down the hall," he said lightly, his lips curving most oddly.
"If it isn't much of a bother, could you send for her please?"
"I'm afraid that would be a bad idea, my Steward. The Lady Eowyn went into labor almost two hours ago. She could not wait for you any longer."
A look of astonishment crept over my features, quickly followed by one of pure glee. Elessar laughed and smiled as well. "It would seem that you are being welcomed back in the most delightful of ways," he said, his laughter increasing at my grin.
Look Mother, Father, dearest Brother, I thought joyously. I really will have a new life now!
Author's Note: Did you like the last one? Yay, if you said yes! Here's hoping this one is good enough. It's a little abstract and odd- I think it turned out well enough though... Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated, and extremely helpful. Give me some feedback, people!
Chapter Nine: Dearest Brother, How Have You Been?
The sun was setting over the mountains in the east, throwing a dusky shadow over the garden. The flowers turned their faces toward the sun, trying to catch a few last rays that would have to sustain them through the night. The air was warm and fragrant, the scent of smell of rain heavy and sweet.
I tapped my fingers nervously on the small wooden table in front of me and bit my lower lip. I wasn't quite sure how I had gotten from the battlefield to my garden in such short time; I figured I must have passed out and been brought home. With gentle fingers I touched my stomach to find it didn't hurt at all. I wondered which healer had saved me from any pain brought about by such a grievous wound. I took a deep breath and leaned back, waiting for Eowyn to come and join me on the patio. I looked at the mountains and let my eyes relax as I drifted into my own thoughts.
"I wouldn't sleep yet, Faramir. This certainly isn't the time or place." I sat up straight in a hurry. The voice certainly hadn't been Eowyn's; it was male. It belonged to a speaker I had heard before, but I couldn't quite place a name or face. I became unnerved, because I usually had such a good memory for these things.
"I'm not surprised you can't remember; it's been six years," came the voice again, somewhere behind the rose bushes to my left. "Still, I had hoped you would know..."
"Who are you?" I demanded in a sharp voice, slightly trembling. This man, whoever he was, had read my mind, and I did not like that feeling at all. "Show yourself, or I'll call the guards," I called out, a little more assured. Who would play games with the Prince of Ithilien?
"Why, Fara, I always loved to play games with you, prince or no prince." There was a rustling of leaves and the mysterious speaker appeared. "Would you ever have expected me to stop?" He sat down at the table and smiled his familiar grin.
Boromir, handsome and confident as he had always been, was sitting across from me. My mouth dropped, my eyes opened wide, and I sat perfectly still. Had I gone mad?
He shook his head and laughed. "No, Fara, you have not gone mad at all. It's me, your beloved brother, here to talk to you," he said, using the pet name for me no one else had ever been aware of.
"It can't be," I said stubbornly. "You died. Six years ago, you died trying to save Merry and Pippin! The orcs killed you! Elessar sent you out to sea himself!" My voice was frantic and I slid my chair back from the table.
"I wouldn't go anywhere, little brother. We're here for a reason, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea for you to up and leave." He reached out and grabbed my forearm. His hand was warm and calloused, just as it had always been.
I could do nothing but stare and stammer, "Y- You're dead. You died..."
"Yes, Faramir, I'm quite aware of the fact," he said, a touch of annoyance in his tone. "Can we move on now?"
"No!" I snapped, wrenching my arm away. "If you're dead, then I must be too, or else I wouldn't be seeing you. And if I'm dead, this isn't the most natural thing in the world to experience. I may not have been horribly optimistic about life before, Boromir, but I have a family now. I have a pregnant wife, and right now, that's what I, as a corpse, need to come to terms with!"
To my annoyance, he burst out into laughter. "Still the same old morbid sense of humor. Always joking about death, even when you're near it. Yes, near it, Fara, you're not dead yet. I'm here to try to send you back."
My head was spinning. I wasn't dead, yet I was sitting in the afterworld version of my home across from my deceased brother. It was certainly enough to make one ill. I stared up at him and managed to croak, "What?"
Boromir smiled wider and rested his large hand on my own. I had forgotten just how large and sturdy of a man he was, and how diminutive I had always seemed compared to him. It suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten many things about my brother, including his voice, his smell, his air of presumptuousness. The only thing I really remembered was his smile and his comforting nature.
"I know about Eowyn, Fara, and about your son too. I know how you're Prince of Ithilien and friends with the King of Gondor himself. I know everything about your new life, little brother."
I hung my head and focused on the table. "You know about father, then?"
His grip on my hand tightened. "I saw what happened, yes," he said rather tersely.
"Did you greet him to the Land of Death as well, then? Was it Mother who came for you?" I asked these questions rather angrily. Boromir seemed to be in as good as spirits as ever. He had not lived through the torment of his father's suicide; he had gone to somewhere where he could sit and watch, safe and secure. "Is my life entertainment for you?" I added sharply.
"Faramir, you should not be asking these things. You have little time..."
"I don't care! I want to know! Tell me why you were allowed to escape, for my life was living hell after you left! You believed Father disdained me before; well it was multiplied by the thousands after your death! I would have died if it were not for unhappy chance! Tell me why you are always given the best lot in life!" My voice was shaking with pent up rage, my nails digging into the table.
"Was it the best lot, then, to die before my life was fulfilled? Would you rather have died than met Eowyn?" His voice was soft, cajoling, and as persuasive as ever.
"I have no life other than her now; she is my only reason for everything." I stared up at him, my eyes hard. "I suppose it is because of her that I must now fight for my life."
Boromir's eyes were sad and wide. "Always, Fara, you were so hopeless. You did not live for yourself, for you saw nothing in your own life. You lived to protect your people, and now you live to provide for your wife. Can't you see that this must stop?"
"It is so very hard when I was made to believe my only reason for living was to protect my people. At least you were required to get married and produce an heir. I didn't even have that option."
"Your pessimism is most annoying, little brother."
"Your arrogance is worse," I replied with a sigh. "I did not mean to yell, Boromir. I have missed you more than you could imagine, but to see you here so happy and carefree, while I still bear the weight of my life upon me, is more than I can take. Tell me of Mother and Father."
"Faramir, you must understand that your body is getting weaker as your soul lingers in this halfway place. It is not your time to die; you must return."
"I will know about my parents, Boromir."
He sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Very well, you stubborn brat." He smiled, and so relieved was I to hear his joking that I grinned as well. "That's the brother I like to see. You were always so much more handsome when you smiled."
"Somehow compliments from a cadaver do not seem as powerful. Go on, if time is as short as you say." We exchanged glances and laughed. I felt lighter almost, relieved. It was like the way we used to be before he went to Rivendale because of my fateful dreams.
He raised an eyebrow and chewed the inside of his cheek as he always did. "It wasn't your fault I was sent to Rivendale, Fara. It was the way fate worked. Do not blame yourself for everything. Mother would have died if you had not been born, and then Father would have just held his grudge against me. I am sorry you had to bare those burdens, but I believe you are the stronger for it." He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "It was Mother who greeted me. She was more beautiful than I ever remembered seeing her. She smelled like the sea and was barefoot. I imagine that's how she was before she came to Minas Tirith, free and uninhibited. In any case, we speak together often. She watched over us with concern for many years, and still does look after you. It hurts her to see you in so much constant despair; really, Fara, you must stop being so hopeless. She always tells me how she loves to see you smile; she cried tears of joy when you were married. I can't tell you how much she loves Eowyn; she sees the delight the girl brings to you."
"Eowyn has meant much to me, nearly everything, indeed," I replied. "What of Father?"
"His soul has been in almost constant torment. He watches over you as well, sitting next to me and Mother, but he cannot bring himself to speak to us. He only smiles when you smile; when you are distraught, he curses himself and watches with a heavy heart. He is not an evil man, Fara, you know that. His bitterness over Mother's death was most conveniently directed at you; he sees his error now. He has said only one thing directly to me; 'I ruined his spirit, but I know I cannot have ruined his heart.' He has faith that you will become a truly happy man, despite how he had wronged you. Always he wishes for you to be happy, but I can see he will never expect forgiveness."
"And he shan't get any for a while yet,' I replied. "Deep in my heart, I wished for him to suffer, yet now that I know of his pain, it hurts me to have brought it upon him. No, he is not evil, but I cannot yet forgive him. But Boromir, how are you?"
"No, brother, no more time for small talk. We will have all the time in the world later, but for now, you must get back to Middle Earth."
I frowned and pleaded with my eyes. "These past six years I have desired to speak to you, Boromir. I remember that the last thing I said to you was, 'Enjoy your trip.' That is not the last thing I wished you to hear, and it has bothered me that I didn't really say goodbye."
He shook his head, his smile gone from his lips and eyes. "I have also longed to speak to you, but I know that I will have to wait. You must go back, Fara, your wife and your son and your country need you. Your life needs you, Faramir; it has waited forty years for you to live it. I am here to give you the strength to return, but also to return a new man. You cannot go through life angst- ridden and melancholy. Your family wants better for you. Do you know how much it pains Eowyn that you still will tell her so little of your childhood?"
"It has been difficult to deal with," I responded quietly.
"You are not dealing with it alone, Faramir. If you would talk to me, I will be there to listen, even if I cannot respond. Mother and Father wish the best for you as well. Do not forget that you have a wife who loves you and who is willing to do anything for you. You are both wild and free in spirit; you get that from Mother. Travel, see Middle Earth. Teach your son to be a good man, and a good Gondorian. In time he will have a sister as well."
"A sister?" I asked incredulously. "The Steward's line has always been ridiculously devoid of female children."
"Yes, but the House of Hurin has never intermingled with the noble blood of Rohan. Your children are destined for great things, Faramir. Do not abandon the son; don't allow the girl to never be born."
"You can see all this, Boromir? Can you see what will happen to me?" I asked, my natural curiosity making itself known.
"Now, now, little brother, I can't tell you everything, can I? Can you not be content with the fact that you have a good life ahead of you?"
"You know I cannot, Boromir. If I were satisfied, then I truly would have changed."
We laughed together again, but this time it was bittersweet. My time was very short now; I felt anxious to return to my wife. "You'll be leaving now," Boromir said. "I think that you have resolved some issues you may have had."
"I would have liked to stay and talk, but I suppose I have a life to live," I said with a smile. "Thank you, brother, for helping me find the strength to return."
"You're welcome, Fara. It was good to talk to you once more at least. It will be many years before I see you again."
"I will think of you, brother. Tell Mother I love her. Tell Father..." I hesitated. "Tell Father I know he is sorry."
"I believe that they have already heard you," Boromir said, his smile sad now. "Goodbye, little brother."
I smiled and clasped his hand once more. "Goodbye, Boromir, we will meet again." I pushed back my chair and stood.
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My eyes fluttered open slowly. With a deep breath, I turned my head to take in my surroundings. I was in a large sickroom with a wonderful view of a mountain valley. I smiled; Eowyn must have specifically picked it out for me.
"My good Steward, awake at last!" came a calm yet warm voice. I turned my head the other way to see King Elessar in a large plush chair beside my bed. His smile was wide and relieved. "Finally ready to wake up, I see."
"My Lord Elessar," I said, my own voice full and steady. "It is good to see you."
"Indeed, it is good to see you awake. We've been worried about you; you've been in that deep sleep for a week now. A few more days and we would have lost you for sure."
"Yes," I murmured, thinking of Boromir. Had it been a dream, or had I actually been on the edge of death? I tried to sit up, but felt an acute pain shoot through my stomach.
"I wouldn't try to rise just yet," Elessar advised. He leaned over to help position some pillows so I was in a more upright yet comfortable position.
"What of the orcs?" I inquired, trying to stretch my sore limbs.
"Destroyed, all of them. Your company was very well trained. Forty men died; a service was held for them two days ago, and they were buried in a nearby valley. I made sure each of them was given the proper respects."
"Thank you, Lord Elessar. I am sorry to have been a bother, and useless, at that."
He laughed and patted my arm. "It wasn't your fault you couldn't take care of that. You had your hands full battling for your life. It was an awful wound; when I heard of it I ran right out of a council meeting to attend to you."
"Thank you, Lord. Without you, I would have died." I looked around once more. "Where is Eowyn?" I finally inquired.
He smiled strangely. "Oh, down the hall," he said lightly, his lips curving most oddly.
"If it isn't much of a bother, could you send for her please?"
"I'm afraid that would be a bad idea, my Steward. The Lady Eowyn went into labor almost two hours ago. She could not wait for you any longer."
A look of astonishment crept over my features, quickly followed by one of pure glee. Elessar laughed and smiled as well. "It would seem that you are being welcomed back in the most delightful of ways," he said, his laughter increasing at my grin.
Look Mother, Father, dearest Brother, I thought joyously. I really will have a new life now!
