I don't own Lord of the Rings, it's as simple as that.

A:N/ Finally we meet Estel! And we have more of the twins! Yay!

Reviewer Responses

Niliwen= You have a few chapters until we see Minas Tirith again. I don't think Elrond would be too happy about sending Faramir back after the last chapter.

Ithilwen= Glad you like it so much! Everyone keeps saying they like the poison sword bit, so I might have more stuff like that later.

Alex= Sorry to say, but no such confrontation. You'll see why later. I've tried hard to portray Denethor the way I saw him in the books, but now I get mad whenever he is mentioned anywhere. When I see him in the next movies there will be popcorn flying.

Smeagol= I'm afraid I can't let you kill him. Though, I am not changing the pyre of Denethor chapter, so he does burn. Yay!

JediKnightBalthasar= Freezing socks? Interesting. I love mush too. Mush is fun to write, I just don't want people to get the wrong idea.

Darn the Torpedoes= I haven't read 'a Child called It' but I have heard of it. It is in the library and I want to get it out sometime. You'll see about 'Boz' and of course, Faramir will be in a battle, but does Denethor really care? Hehe.

IceAngel= I can understand about the exams. It is AU but I think you can fit it into the story as well without changing Tolkien. Later, when we get to where the books start, I'll be using Tolkien's lines, though changing them a little. Enjoy the story!

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3 years later, Faramir is 13

            Estel breathed in the cool, early spring air as he walked through the open halls of Rivendell. The Last Homely House hadn't changed since his last visit six years before. The Dunadan smiled. His foster father had no idea that he was here. Elladan and Elrohir, who knew of his presence, thought it would be great fun to surprise their father. Estel expected to find Elrond in the elf's personal library. He entered, but the room was empty. The Ranger tensed as he heard movement behind him. They were not the light steps of the elves, for they were easy to hear. A hand touched Estel's shoulder and with lightening speed, he grabbed the intruder's arm and swung him over his shoulder to the ground, a dagger at it's throat. Estel's eyes focused and he was amazed to see that his 'attacker' was a boy, about thirteen years old, with a mess of dark hair and sharp, gray eyes. His astonishment grew when he saw that the teenager was not afraid, but defiant. "Who are you and what business do you have in Lord Elrond's library?" Estel's eyebrows rose in question.

            "I could ask you the same question." Before anything else was said, Elrond walked in, horrified to see Estel pointing a dagger at Faramir.

            "Aragorn, release him!" Estel did as he was told and Faramir walked warily to the elf's side. "Are you alright, son?" Estel opened his mouth to answer when the boy spoke.

            "I am fine, Ada. I found this intruder in here and I thought to get rid of him." Elrond nodded, then smiled at the astonished look on Estel's face.

            "I'm afraid this is just a big misunderstanding. Tir, this man is not an intruder he is my foster son, Estel. And this, Estel, is your new foster brother Tirpalandil. By the look on your face, I believe your brothers neglected to mention him to you." Estel nodded and sheathed his dagger.

            "I apologize Tirpalandil, I was not aware of another Man in the House. Will you forgive me?"

            "On two conditions. One, call me Tir. And two," the young man smiled. "You teach me how to do that!" Estel grinned.

            "Agreed." A silence fell over the three, none sure where to go from there

            Faramir studied Estel quizzically. "You're the Chieftain of the Dunedain, aren't you?"

            "That's right."

            "Then that means you're the Heir of Isildur doesn't it?" Elrond and Estel stared at him in shock. Elrond looked his son in the eye.

            "Why would you say that?"

            Faramir shrugged. "You called him Aragorn which is the name of one of the early chieftains of the Men of Westernesse. Also, in of Isildur and the Lords of Arnor  it mentions the fact that Valandil, Isildur's youngest son, stayed in Imladris for much of his early life and that he and his descendants stayed friends with the elves of Rivendell, some even being raised here. Then in the Dunedain and Imladris  the author mentions that the Chieftains of the Dunedain were watched over by the elves of Rivendell. While that in itself is not proof that the Chieftains are the same as the Heirs of Isildur, the look both of you gave me when I mentioned it says enough."

            Elrond mentally reviewed the books Faramir mentioned. "I marked out those words in the books." Faramir gazed sheepishly at the ground.

            "The ink you used was lighter than the original. When held up to a light the writing shows through."

"I will have to do something about that. Tir, that is not light information and should not be spoken of to anyone. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

Elrond turned to his older son. "Estel, it is wonderful to see you again, but tell your brothers that I will speak to them later about informing me when you come visit. I do not want to come into my library and see my sons at each other's throats."

"Yes father."

"Good. Now Tir, why don't you and Estel go outside and get to know each other." The two Men nodded and left Elrond to review his books for any other sensitive information.

As they ambled towards the northwest waterfalls, Faramir insisted that Estel keep his promise. "The first thing is to know someone is behind you. I heard your footsteps and knew that you weren't an elf. Elves are nearly impossible to hear." Faramir agreed, remembering his first encounter with Lord Glorfindel and Lady Eluial. "Men walk louder than elves, while dwarves walk louder then men. They also tend to have a shorter stride. Now, you won't be able to pull everyone over your shoulder. I could throw you because you weigh less then me. Your hand on my shoulder was the cue that I was being attacked. First, you need to grab the lower arm with both hands." Estel demonstrated using a large stick. Faramir had refused to be used in another presentation, once had been enough. "Then you duck down and swing the attacker around and throw them to the ground. In the middle of the throw, let one hand go and grab for your dagger so that while the attacker has his breath knocked out of him by the force of hitting the ground, you can position yourself so that you have the upper hand."

Estel continued to teach Faramir different maneuvers and skills. The field next to the waterfalls was perfect for fighting so the two decided to spar. Estel, being older and stronger, continually beat Faramir. The Dunadan was ready to call it a day, but Faramir insisted on one more fight. The boy was certainly tired, and Estel quickly disarmed him. As the Ranger brought his sword down to indicate kill point, Faramir ducked forward, causing Estel to lose his balance and stumble. In that moment, Faramir twisted around and came up between Estel's arms, grabbing the sword with his right hand. He jabbed his elbow into the crook of Estel's left arm, causing the Man to lose his grip on the sword with that hand. Faramir twisted out pulling the sword with him, jerking Estel's right arm awkwardly. The pain made Estel let go and before the Ranger knew it, his own sword was pointed against his neck. Kill point.

Rubbing his sore arm, Estel turned and smiled proudly at Faramir, who was almost as stunned that he had won as the Dunadan. "Good job, Tir! I will have to remember that one. Where did you learn it?"

Faramir returned his smile. "I just made it up."

*~*

"And then he blamed us for you attacking Tir! It is not fair! We didn't make it so that you jump at every little thing!" complained Elladan to Estel, Elrohir, and Faramir.

"Actually brother, it is your fault. You were the one who kept sneaking up on him and scaring him as a child. Is it any wonder that he gets antsy when someone else does the same?" Elladan glared at his twin.

"That's not the point!" His companions laughed. The four brothers were hiking up the mountains for a picnic. Elladan had suggested it, Elrohir had backed him up, and Estel and Faramir decided that it would be fun and agreed to go. At that moment, the twins were relating their punishment for not telling Estel about Faramir and for not informing Elrond that the Ranger was coming in the first place. The four stopped at the waterfall crossing. The only way across was a fallen tree. The water raced swiftly underneath it, carrying the melted snow and debris from the mountains to the great northwest waterfall. Faramir stared at the tree nervously. It didn't look very sturdy. "Don't worry little brother, it will hold you. Estel crossed that tree many times when he was a boy and he's still alive, isn't he?" The young Man smiled at Elladan's enthusiasm and felt better, although he still held a sense of foreboding at the elf's words.

Elrohir crossed first followed by his twin and Faramir. The three turned and waited for Estel. Faramir was the first to see the crack in the tree. "Estel, go back!" Not understanding him over the roar of the river, Estel continued forward. Now both Elladan and Elrohir saw the fracture and yelled for their brother to stop. Estel frowned in confusion over his brothers' actions and took another step. It was one too many. The tree split in half right where Estel stood. Suddenly falling, Estel felt one moment of fear before a piece of the tree slammed into the back of his head and he lost consciousness.

The twins stood in horror as they watched their brother plunge into the icy river and get swept away toward the waterfall and the jagged rocks at the bottom. Faramir, however, did not petrify in shock like his brothers. He quickly dove into the river, ignoring Elladan and Elrohir's cries. The water froze his blood as he swam towards Estel, letting the swift current carry him faster. Seizing the unconscious Ranger, Faramir struggled towards shore, in vain. Luckily, a long branch protruded out and Faramir was able to grab it. He yelled for the twins as his hold weakened from Estel's weight and the pull of the water. Elladan reached them first and quickly grabbed Estel, pulling him onto the ground, as the Dunadan fought to regain consciousness. Faramir began pulling himself to shore as Elrohir reached out to help him. Without warning, a large rock, dislodged by the rushing water, slammed into the boy who lost his grip. Elrohir watched in dismay as the rock rolled over Faramir.

Faramir's ribs burned in agony as the boulder crushed against his chest. In a blessed moment, the pressure receded as the rock continued tumbling. Yet Faramir's relief gave way to despair as he found that the river's current was pulling him after it. Swimming was not an option, for even breathing made his ribs scream in torment. Keeping afloat cost him dearly in strength and energy. To his horror, the same stone he followed lodged itself between two larger stones. Faramir closed his eyes and braced himself for the imminent collision. He gasped in pain as his ribs shrieked in protest at the impact. As he hugged the rock to keep from being swept over the waterfall, all Faramir could do was hope that his brothers would rescue him soon. The icy chill of the water crept through his skin as he struggled to stay conscious. To sleep now would mean never waking up.

Estel awoke in time to see the boulder pull Faramir under the water. He saw Elrohir racing along the shoreline to try to rescue the boy. The Ranger allowed Elladan to slowly help him up. The pain and dizziness told him that he had hurt his head badly, perhaps gaining a concussion, but Estel ignored the ache as he and his brother ran after Elrohir. Estel winced when Faramir hit the stones. Elrohir was about to dive in after the boy, but Elladan held his younger twin back. "You cannot jump after him now, you will both be swept away. We need a rope." The three looked helplessly at each other. No one had thought to bring any. However, through his desperation, and his headache, Estel dimly remembered seeing Faramir pack some cord. He had teased the boy about being overprepared, but now it just might save his life. Elladan quickly ran back to where they had left the packs as Elrohir and Estel watched Faramir struggle, powerless to help.

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Cliffie! Blame Evil Skittle.