How old is Faramir when Findulias died? I couldn't find it, and I didn't
really have much resources to go from, since I was in a hurry and am still
too lazy to check up and change my story, but in the following chapter I'm
assuming that he is up to a year or so old.
*** *** *** ***
"Brother, your pronunciation is all wrong!" Faramir said, exasperated, "You can't talk about an elven princess as though she were a kitchen maid!"
"I did not! I was talking about the princess like a princess!"
"You did not sound like you were."
They were supposed to be practising Sindarin, which their father had commanded they become familiar with after their mother, who had been of elven descent, had died.
Their tutor had left them practising nouns, and immediately they had begun to fight.
"I cannot concentrate!" Boromir sighed wistfully, "When outside the weather is so fair!"
"Now, see, if you were to speak of an elven princess as you do a summer's day - "
"Enough, Faramir! Why cannot my efforts be acceptable to thee?!"
He stood abruptly, and crossed to the window, looking out over the garden outside the library.
It had belonged to their mother, and he could still see her, walking softly along the mossy paths, teaching him the names of all the flowers, or laughing and asking him to save Faramir from one of the kitchen's rat- catcher cats.
It took a minute to realise what he actually could see – a messy red-haired head bobbing ever closer up the wall.
"Vivvi - " He said, worried suddenly as the little girl climbed nimbly up the stout ivy which spread along the old buildings' walls.
"What did you say?" Faramir asked distractedly, searchign for a page in a book.
"Vivienne's climbing up the ivy - "
Even as Faramir glanced in his direction, Vivienne's cheerful face appeared in the window.
"What're you doing?!" Borormir exclaimed, his voice a mixture of panicked anxiety and indignant anger. Holding on one-handeed, she pushed on the window.
It hadn't been opened in a while, and was stuck in its frame, so when it gave it sprang open violently, barely missing Boromir's nose.
"Hallo!" She exclaimed cheerfully, resting her elbows on the sille.
"You could have killed yourse;f!"
"I wanted to ask you to come swimming with us."
"We're learning," Faramir told her, coming to stand slightly behind his older brother.
Vivienned gave him a look that plainly said she knew better.
"Come swimming," She pleaded, "It's so boring, and it's such a fair day..."
"It isn't like we're actuall learning anything," Boromir acknowledged, "Only we're suppose to be. And if father finds out..."
With the most withering look she could muster, Vivienne left the window, swinging herself onto the low over-hang which was just wide enough for her to walk on. She ran off on this, much to the boy's concern, who scrambled to stick their heads out the window just in time to see Vivienne, with a wild shout, launch herself from the end.
"The river's too far! She cannot make it!" Faramir cried, and they ran from the room – right past their rather bewildered tutor.
"Vivvi!" Boromir shouted, as they turned the corner to where she should have landed, "Vivienne!"
There was no body.
Tentatively, they walked over to the river's edge, and there she was – happy as a pig in mud.
"Did you see that?" She asked excitedly, momentarily going under, 'Did you see me?! Wasn't it grand!?"
Boromir was almost crying from relief.
"Never do that again," He told her sternly, and Faramir, for once, agreed.
"Do you know how worried we were?" He asked, "Do - "
Boromir interrupted frantically.
"Where's Nova?!"
"Just over the- " Vivienne turned around. Where she pointed was only the breaking of a trail of air bubbles reaching the surface.
"Elendil help me!" Boromir nearly sobbed, before diving into the river and swimming strongly to the place. Faramir waded in also, and carried a stricken Vivienne back to shore, where she simply stood, and shook, and sobbed.
A minute passed. Nova did not surface, nor did Boromir.
"Help her!" Vivienne screamed suddenly, "Why won't you help her? You're just standing there! You never help, you always just stand there! You're just standing there..." She was overcome by angry tears, and she started kicking Faramir, flailing with hier small hands. Still with his gaze fixed on the river, he just knelt and wrapped his arms tightly around her, so she couldn't move.
Then Boromir's head appeared, suddenly, and he hauled Nova's limp body onto the shore.
She was even paler than usual, even her freckles had faded. Her eyes were rimmed red, and her lips and fingers and toes were all blue with cold.
"She isn't breathing!" Boromir cried, sobbing for breath, "She's not breathing... she's dead..."
Yet he still leant over her, compelled by some hopeless yearning to see the life return to her face.
He pinched her nose, blew air into her mouth, listened for some response.
There was none.
"Boromir," Faramir said, one word, but so much was said in that one. Boromir did not give up.
"You must let her rest," Faramir whispered, "She is beyond saving."
"No! She cannot die!" Boromir cried. Still he forced air into her dead lungs – never thinking to find a pulse. All he could think of was that, being under the water so long, she hadn't had any air all that time. So, air she needed, air he could give.
Then – her eyes flew open, she drew in a gasping breath, and she began to cry.
"Dearest Nova!" Boromir said, hugging her tightly, as though he never wanted to let go.
She coughed water all over his tunic – he didn't care.
All that mattered was that tiny girl he held in his arms, that tiny life.
Alive!
He didn't even care that he was crying harder than anyone else, even in front of his brother.
*** *** *** ***
"Brother, your pronunciation is all wrong!" Faramir said, exasperated, "You can't talk about an elven princess as though she were a kitchen maid!"
"I did not! I was talking about the princess like a princess!"
"You did not sound like you were."
They were supposed to be practising Sindarin, which their father had commanded they become familiar with after their mother, who had been of elven descent, had died.
Their tutor had left them practising nouns, and immediately they had begun to fight.
"I cannot concentrate!" Boromir sighed wistfully, "When outside the weather is so fair!"
"Now, see, if you were to speak of an elven princess as you do a summer's day - "
"Enough, Faramir! Why cannot my efforts be acceptable to thee?!"
He stood abruptly, and crossed to the window, looking out over the garden outside the library.
It had belonged to their mother, and he could still see her, walking softly along the mossy paths, teaching him the names of all the flowers, or laughing and asking him to save Faramir from one of the kitchen's rat- catcher cats.
It took a minute to realise what he actually could see – a messy red-haired head bobbing ever closer up the wall.
"Vivvi - " He said, worried suddenly as the little girl climbed nimbly up the stout ivy which spread along the old buildings' walls.
"What did you say?" Faramir asked distractedly, searchign for a page in a book.
"Vivienne's climbing up the ivy - "
Even as Faramir glanced in his direction, Vivienne's cheerful face appeared in the window.
"What're you doing?!" Borormir exclaimed, his voice a mixture of panicked anxiety and indignant anger. Holding on one-handeed, she pushed on the window.
It hadn't been opened in a while, and was stuck in its frame, so when it gave it sprang open violently, barely missing Boromir's nose.
"Hallo!" She exclaimed cheerfully, resting her elbows on the sille.
"You could have killed yourse;f!"
"I wanted to ask you to come swimming with us."
"We're learning," Faramir told her, coming to stand slightly behind his older brother.
Vivienned gave him a look that plainly said she knew better.
"Come swimming," She pleaded, "It's so boring, and it's such a fair day..."
"It isn't like we're actuall learning anything," Boromir acknowledged, "Only we're suppose to be. And if father finds out..."
With the most withering look she could muster, Vivienne left the window, swinging herself onto the low over-hang which was just wide enough for her to walk on. She ran off on this, much to the boy's concern, who scrambled to stick their heads out the window just in time to see Vivienne, with a wild shout, launch herself from the end.
"The river's too far! She cannot make it!" Faramir cried, and they ran from the room – right past their rather bewildered tutor.
"Vivvi!" Boromir shouted, as they turned the corner to where she should have landed, "Vivienne!"
There was no body.
Tentatively, they walked over to the river's edge, and there she was – happy as a pig in mud.
"Did you see that?" She asked excitedly, momentarily going under, 'Did you see me?! Wasn't it grand!?"
Boromir was almost crying from relief.
"Never do that again," He told her sternly, and Faramir, for once, agreed.
"Do you know how worried we were?" He asked, "Do - "
Boromir interrupted frantically.
"Where's Nova?!"
"Just over the- " Vivienne turned around. Where she pointed was only the breaking of a trail of air bubbles reaching the surface.
"Elendil help me!" Boromir nearly sobbed, before diving into the river and swimming strongly to the place. Faramir waded in also, and carried a stricken Vivienne back to shore, where she simply stood, and shook, and sobbed.
A minute passed. Nova did not surface, nor did Boromir.
"Help her!" Vivienne screamed suddenly, "Why won't you help her? You're just standing there! You never help, you always just stand there! You're just standing there..." She was overcome by angry tears, and she started kicking Faramir, flailing with hier small hands. Still with his gaze fixed on the river, he just knelt and wrapped his arms tightly around her, so she couldn't move.
Then Boromir's head appeared, suddenly, and he hauled Nova's limp body onto the shore.
She was even paler than usual, even her freckles had faded. Her eyes were rimmed red, and her lips and fingers and toes were all blue with cold.
"She isn't breathing!" Boromir cried, sobbing for breath, "She's not breathing... she's dead..."
Yet he still leant over her, compelled by some hopeless yearning to see the life return to her face.
He pinched her nose, blew air into her mouth, listened for some response.
There was none.
"Boromir," Faramir said, one word, but so much was said in that one. Boromir did not give up.
"You must let her rest," Faramir whispered, "She is beyond saving."
"No! She cannot die!" Boromir cried. Still he forced air into her dead lungs – never thinking to find a pulse. All he could think of was that, being under the water so long, she hadn't had any air all that time. So, air she needed, air he could give.
Then – her eyes flew open, she drew in a gasping breath, and she began to cry.
"Dearest Nova!" Boromir said, hugging her tightly, as though he never wanted to let go.
She coughed water all over his tunic – he didn't care.
All that mattered was that tiny girl he held in his arms, that tiny life.
Alive!
He didn't even care that he was crying harder than anyone else, even in front of his brother.