I don't own Lord of the Rings or its characters

A;N/ Did anyone see that TT thing on the WB last night? It was SO COOL! Legolas in a bandanna is totally hot! I have two problems with it, though. One- they never mentioned Faramir AT ALL! And Two- THE STINKIN HOST CALLED THE ROHIRRIM 'ROHANS'!! it was something like: "Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf rode to Edoras, a city in the land of the Rohans to offer help. WHAT IS WITH THAT!! anyways

Reviewer Responses

Niliwen= Go easy? What is this 'going easy' you speak of? I do not think it is in my vocabulary. =D

Darn the Torpedoes= Imrahil's coming, don't worry. Sorry, but Elrond can be very tight-lipped when he wants to be. Estel will not hear anything from him.

JediKnightBalthasar= mammalian diving reflex? Sounds kool! Yes everyone wants to kill Faramir: his father, strangers, wild animals. . . oops don't want to give anything away ;D And children, especially teenagers, seem to tend to look at things they aren't suppose to. Father marks out words, teenager tries to figure out how to read them. The more the parent says not to, the harder they try. Worry not, the story continues! I will not abandon my faithful readers!

Ithilwen= It's scary, I tend to put a lot of poison in my stories. I didn't notice until you mentioned it.

Smeagol= I want to fence! That would be so kool! And yes, never make an elf lord angry, it's hazardous for your health.

Bradley Paranial= That's a good idea! Wish I had thought of that. But I already figured out where the story is going, and I decided I wanted to try and make it fit around the books, like an extension of Tolkien. Good idea though.

Steve- I'm not Tolkien? Oh yah, I forgot. =D I'm glad to be an inspiration. I can't wait to read your own stories when you have them. As I said above, don't worry, more to come. Thanks for reviewing!!

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3 years later, Faramir is age 16

            ***Elladan and Elrohir have left to ride with Estel and the Dunedain again. I have not seen my human foster brother in a long time, hopefully the twins will convince him to visit. They tell me that Estel has fallen in love with their sister, Arwen, who Estel had never met until he was full-grown. It still sounds funny, since Estel is my foster brother, and even though I never met her, Arwen is my foster sister. I am not quite sure how that works. I do not think Ada is too happy about it, since Arwen would have to give up her immortality to marry Estel. ***

            Faramir stopped writing and looked up as Eluial entered the room. "Good morning, Eluial."

            "Good morning Tir. I thought you would like to know, your uncle is here talking to Lord Elrond." Faramir's gray eyes widened in surprise.

            "What? Why? I haven't seen him in seven years."

Eluial smiled. "He and Lord Elrond are in library, if you would like to ask them." Faramir thanked her. After the elf left, he quickly closed his notebook. His drawing of Elladan and Elrohir would have to wait until later. Hiding the book under the loose stone, he dashed out of the room towards the library.

            "Prince Imrahil, I am surprised to see you here." Elrond and Imrahil were seated at the library's table. Formal pleasantries had been exchanged already.

            "I would not be here, but I need your advice. This past year, my brother-in law has become quite agitated. He is insisting that I send Faramir back, for what reason I do not know."

            Elrond frowned. "Has he not done so before?"

            "Yes but this time is different. Now, he is mobilizing his army to lay siege on Dol Amroth until Faramir returns to Minas Tirith. How he managed that is beyond my knowledge."

            "That is not all, is it?"

            "Nay. As I journeyed here, I passed by a legion marching north. I was appalled to find out that they were on the same route as I. Somehow, Denethor has found out Rivendell's location and that Faramir is here. That is puzzling since only I, Freya, and Rendil knew Faramir was here. Of course Freya and I have said nothing, and Rendil would never reveal anything, I would trust him with my life. But how does not matter, for the legion is headed here and will not hesitate to attack."

            "What am I suppose to do? Rivendell does not have the resources or the soldiers to fight the armies of Gondor! We would be slaughtered!"

            "No!" Imrahil and Elrond turned in unison towards the doorway where Faramir stood. "I will not let Rivendell and Dol Amroth fall because of me." He took in a deep breath. "I will return to Minas Tirith." Elrond stood to face Faramir.

            "We will find another way. I will not let you go back there." Faramir lifted his chin and met the elf lord's eyes with a determined stare.

            "You do not have a choice. Even if Estel and the Dunedain were to aid us, Rivendell would still fall, to say nothing of the people who would die in Dol Amroth. This is my decision and I will not yield." Imrahil stood to join Elrond.

            "Nephew, Minas Tirith is not safe. Your father..."

            "My father will not hurt me anymore. I will not let him," stated Faramir firmly.

            With great misgiving, Elrond relented. "If you wish this, then I cannot stop you."

            Faramir smiled, relieved that he had Elrond's blessing. "Thank you Ada."

            The three set out quickly. Faramir had just enough time to gather a few things before leaving. Elrond traveled with them until they reached the glade where Faramir had met his first elf. "I can go with you no further," said Elrond in a voice that told Faramir and Imrahil that he wished he could go with them all the way to Minas Tirith. The elf lord embraced his son. "Remember, Tir, that you can always come to me if you need anything. You are still my son no matter where you are. Take care of yourself."

            "I will be fine Ada. Thank you for everything you have done. Tell the twins and Estel that I will miss them." They parted and Elrond began walking back to Rivendell. Stopping, the elf lord turned around.

            "I love you, son."

            "I love you too, Ada." Faramir and Imrahil watched until Elrond disappeared beyond the trees before continuing their own journey.

            Prince Imrahil marveled at the change in his nephew. In the seven years since they had parted ways, Faramir had grown strong and tall. He no longer held the pain so evident as a little boy. His intelligence shone through clear, gray eyes. Imrahil delighted in the conversations they shared as they traveled through Eregion.

            Near the Misty Mountains, the two heard rustling in the bushes. A voice projected from nearby. "Identify yourselves and your lord if you wish to live." Imrahil answered.

            "I am Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth and I demand that you show yourself now." There was a pause and a figure stepped out from behind a tree. It was a Man, tall and stately, with brown hair and stubble, and blue eyes. He wore the White Tree of Minas Tirith.

            "Uncle, what in the world are you doing out here?" It was Boromir, now twenty-one years old and a lieutenant in Gondor's army. He hadn't noticed Faramir yet, his surprise at seeing his uncle dulling his senses.

            "I am here to escort this young man here back to his home." Boromir's gaze switched to Faramir and his eyes widened in recognition.

            "Faramir!" Excited, Boromir pulled his brother into a hug, which Faramir gladly returned. Faramir had missed his brother greatly. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in eight years! You've grown!"

            Faramir laughed. "Brother, I have missed you. I am sorry for not visiting you, but I have been traveling with friends of Uncle's, learning so much about Middle Earth. It has been wonderful, though I am glad to see you again." That was the story that Imrahil had been using to answer Denethor's questions, so Faramir felt it was prudent to continue the charade.

            "Come, my camp is this way. I will ask my captain for leave, I am sure he will grant my wish. We will ride to Minas Tirith tomorrow. It will be good to have you home, little brother."

            Boromir led the way. They stayed that night at his camp, eating with Boromir's fellow soldiers and sleeping on army cots. The fellowship that existed in the camp intrigued Faramir. Though he didn't love war, he knew that sometimes it was necessary to fight for your country, and these men were the epitome of patriots. The only dark spot of that night was the man in charge of the battalion. Colonel Lokir, the man that Faramir and Imrahil had slipped past during their flight to Rivendell, was in command. He presided over dinner and while cordial to both Prince Imrahil and Faramir, one could feel the antipathy he felt towards the two. After arriving in Dol Amroth, those eight years ago, it did not take him long to figure out that they were the travelers he had met on the road. He had never forgiven either man the embarrassment they caused even though the incident hadn't harmed his career, only his pride.

            Faramir and Imrahil rode into Minas Tirith a few evenings later. Boromir, having been given leave, rode with them, excited about being home. Faramir, on the other hand, felt his stomach twisting at the thought of seeing his father again for the first time in eight years. Imrahil glanced worriedly at his young nephew as they walked through the palace. Would Denethor try to kill Faramir again? The Prince of Dol Amroth prayed fervently that Denethor's anger would be cooled.

            As they walked up to the door of the Steward's study, a servant came up to them and bowed. "My Lord Denethor has asked that only his sons come in. My Prince may wait out here." Imrahil reluctantly agreed, and the two brothers entered.

            At first, Faramir was not sure what to do. His father stood by a small window, looking east across the city. Denethor looked just as imposing as Faramir remembered. The Steward spoke as he turned to face his sons. "Well, Faramir, I see you have decided to grace us with your presence. I have had enough of you gallivanting around Middle Earth with no care at all for your people."

            Boromir frowned at the icy tone of Denethor's voice. He didn't know exactly what Faramir had been doing these past few years, but he highly doubted that his brother didn't care about Minas Tirith, especially after the joyful look on Faramir's face at the sight of his home. Denethor matched Boromir's frown with his own. "Boromir, thank you for returning your errant brother. Please go see that your uncle is seen to." Boromir bowed and left Faramir alone with Denethor.

            The silence hung over father and son like a thunder cloud heavy with rain. Finally Denethor spoke. "I am surprised you left your home among those egotistical elves. Considering you lived there for seven years, I suppose you have become as weak and arrogant as they."

            Faramir's eyes blazed in anger at the insult to his adopted people. "I came back because I did not want a war to break out and because I do care about my people. But I'll have you know, Father, that those 'egotistical elves', as you call them, are honorable and strong, especially compared to some of the corrupt Men I have seen."  Rage filled Denethor and he swung a hand at Faramir's face. Faramir blocked the strike with his own hand. "You will not hit me again, Father. I am no longer a small child you can terrorize."

            Denethor stared in disbelief and then in anger. Composing himself, he glared icily at his younger son. In a formal voice, the Steward told Faramir, "You will be assigned to a regiment where you will learn to defend Gondor. If you do well as a regular soldier, you will be promoted to an officer position. You may go, and send Prince Imrahil in." Denethor turned back to the window and Faramir quietly left.

            He found Imrahil and Boromir talking in the hallway. "Father wishes to see you Uncle." Imrahil studied Faramir's face. He saw the shadow of disappointment, but also the sternness of pride. Nodding, he left the brothers to go to the study. The moment Imrahil entered, he felt the frigid scowl of the Steward.

            "This game is over Imrahil. Faramir is no longer under your or the elves' control. You are to leave Minas Tirith and not to return unless summoned. Also, you are not to contact either of my sons without first asking me for permission. Be glad I do not take total control of Dol Amroth for your insolence. Leave immediately."

            Imrahil's whole body was tight in withheld rage. "It is as you wish, my lord. I do ask that I be allowed to say farewell to my nephews." Denethor nodded his consent. His fists clenched, the Prince left the study to where Boromir and Faramir waited. Imrahil managed to calm himself. Anger would not help this situation. "I am afraid that I must leave for Dol Amroth now, under the Steward's orders. It may be some time before we speak again, so good-bye and take care, both of you." Boromir shook his uncle's hand, then left as he sense that Imrahil wished to talk to Faramir alone. "I am not allowed to contact you or your brother, but if you ever need help, Rendil has retired and now lives outside Minas Tirith, in the woods. Just send word to him and he will get the message to me."

            Faramir nodded. "Why has Rendil retired, though? He is not too old."

            "He lost some fingers in a hunting accident and cannot handle his sword like he used to. He married and moved up here. In fact, he married that healer, Iorwyn." Faramir smiled. The former guard and the fiery healer were a perfect match.

            "I will miss you Uncle. Please say hello to Aunt Freya for me. Thank you for everything you have done. I will always remember it." They shared a brief hug and Imrahil departed. As the Prince left Minas Tirith, he looked back. The Tower of Ecthelion stood out against the full, pale moon. A strange light flickered in the top-most window. Imrahil shook his head. He must be seeing things. Yet he could not shake the dread he felt as the light glowed in the darkness.

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Alrighty. Three guesses on what the flickering light is and the first two don't count.  Imrahil, will be back, as will Iorwyn and Rendil. In fact, they have an important part to play.