I decided to write this when I was watching the movie the Return of the King. I was inspired at the part where Faramir leads his troops into battle one last time and the onlookers were throwing flowers to them knowing that they would never return. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about the Lord of the Rings...
The small girl had her small hand pressed tightly into her mother's trembling one. She stared down the empty street impatiently; she wanted to see her father. She did not understand why everyone around her seemed worried and looked up into her mother's face for reassurance. It was drawn with a worried frown and any minute it looked like she would burst into tears. Her father had ridden out many times before and each time her mother had seemed scared but not so scared as this. She turned her attention back to the street. All she knew was that her father had ridden back in with the man called Farimir and the rest of the soldiers and now he was riding back out. If only he had been able to stay longer, maybe then her mother would not look so frightened all the time.
The sound of horses' hooves reached them as well as cries of grief from the onlookers. The soldiers seemed to pass through like a great wave and she looked frantically for her father. She had to find him. It was hard to determine who was who because they were all covered in armor but she would find him, she had to. Finally she spotted him. Her mother cried out as she broke free and ran after him.
"Papa, papa!" she cried out and was shocked to see him keep going. He had never in her life ignored her before. Perhaps he had not heard her. She kept running and cried again "Papa!" Her foot then caught on the hem of her dress and she fell skinning her knees. A sob rose in her throat and she began to cry loudly.
It was too much for her father to ignore and against all the orders he was given he wheeled his horse around and rode to his daughter. She heard heavy footfalls and she knew even with the clatter of horses that it was her father. He reached out and with strong arms lifted her to her feet and pulled her close. A small giggle escaped her as she felt her fathers brown beard scratch her cheek. He pushed her shining brown curls away from her flushed face and kissed her forehead gently.
"You're coming back soon, right Papa?"
He did not answer, he could not answer. He did not want to lie to her but he did not want to frighten her either.
At his lack of speech she said with a smile, "I know you'll back Papa. I know you'll come back." She said it so forcefully that he grinned and hugged her.
"I love you child, don't ever forget that."
"I love you to Papa, don't forget that either."
He stood up as the last riders began to pass and she suddenly grabbed his hand and pressed something into it. He lifted it up to his face and saw a single white flower. Its petals were slightly crumpled and its delicate stem was broken but he smiled as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world. "Thank you." He mounted his horse and looked down his tiny daughter her brown eyes were a mirror of his own and he smiled sadly. "Take care of Mother for me and tell her that I love her." With that he was gone and she watched as the large city gates closed behind him. Forever would she remember that scene, her father's broad back and the sun reflecting off his armor causing him to be bathed in light.
An arrow whipped passed his ear and he looked down at the small crushed flower in his hand. The sweetest voice he could ever imagine filled with childhood innocence and fierceness echoed in his head. "I know you'll come back Papa. I know you'll come back."
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