Midsummer Day was a day of great rejoicing. All through the day, from sun up to sun down, there was much music, laughter, and food and drink. When night fell the heavens were filled with fiery stars of green, blue, red, yellow, purple, and orange, of all shapes and sizes, courtesy of Gandalf. If the four Hobbits thought Bilbo Baggins' eleventy-first (and Frodo's 33rd) birthday was the height of entertainment, they had never expected that the suspicious man they encountered in Bree could throw such a party as this was.
The entire city was the party grounds, though the Citadel hosted the honored guests, who were no small number either. Most of the guests preferred to remain outdoors in the courtyard, and there the wine flowed freer than the fountain by the White Tree. If one listened one could heard conversations being held in several languages.
The talk amongst the Elven guests mostly revolved around decisions to sail or to remain. A surprising number had chosen to stay in Middle-earth, not the least of which were Elladan, Elrohir, and their grandfather Celeborn. Faramir found himself mostly talking with his father's foster brothers and Legolas. Before long it was quite clear to the Steward that Legolas had been well instructed in the art of the practical joke, and that the Elf-price and the King of Gondor were so competitive because they had learned from the same teachers.
Faramir had wisely chosen to refrain that night from any drink that was not entirely Gondor-made. Yet still toward the end of the night Faramir found himself growing tired and a little too crowded for comfort. He found himself a quiet, unpopulated place to rest on a balcony overlooking the Anduin in the distance.
This night was the sort that Boromir had lived for. Faramir often wondered when or if his older brother ever rested. If he was not in battle, odds were good that he was busy being the life of a celebration. As Anduin sparkled with the reflected stars and distant lights burning all over the city, looking like the river flowed of adamant, Faramir found that for all the fulfillment he had found there was still nothing that could replace his adored brother. The small bit of ale he had, mostly to be sociable, allowed him to release the tears that crept into his eyes. He did not hear the Elf come near.
"Why do you weep, Faramir?" a soft voice asked, almost startling the young man. Faramir rose quickly and made to kneel before his queen, but Arwen's hand on his shoulder halted him. "Please, be seated with me."
Faramir accepted and was quiet for a moment before responding. "I weep for myself, my lady."
"Boromir's loss has been most difficult for you, and Aragorn can not be both father and brother to you. Nor shall i ever try to replace Finduilas in your life. I do hope, though, that we may all be glad of each other. You have brought Aragorn a true sense of pride, and he loves you most dearly, Faramir. And for that am i proud of him."
"To be in your attendance, my lady, is an honor to me. I am in your service, and i too hope that we all may have many a cheerful day here."
"The Valar may grant it, may we be as family to each other in every need," Arwen said with a smile. "You have friends hoping for your arrival in the hall this eve," she said, turning to go back to the party in the court, back to her husband. By that time Aragorn was beginning to need an extra arm to lean on.
It was a few minutes after Arwen departed that Faramir lifted his eyes from dancing stars in the river to the still ones above. He smiled sadly. "I wish you could have seen this, Bor'," he said before he went to join the five of his friends who were half his height.
The shorter folk considered it to be safer to celebrate indoors. Incidentally, most of the crowd who remained inside was mortal. Only a few Elves stayed in the hall, and they were those who already knew that the real entertainment was wherever the Hobbits were.
Among the Elves who were indoors at the time were, as was to be expected, Legolas and Elrond. By the time Faramir had reached the hall and heard strains of Hobbit drinking songs he had brightened up considerably. A cheer went up from his Rangers when he entered, "Steward Faramir! To your health and happiness!" bringing forth a bright smile from him.
Someone pressed a tankard his way but he refused it for the time being. When Elrond offered him a glass of wine, he refused that also, very respectfully.
"You are wise indeed, Faramir, to take not the wine of the Eldar," Elrond said with a knowing grin. "However, i can assure you that this wine is quite weak enough for you. I have a little more experience with mortals, as you may know."
Faramir was able to laugh at the memory, or lack thereof, of the night he drank Dorwinion wine, but it was probably only because it afforded him the next day's worth of sleep. He accepted then the wine from Elrond and found that it was indeed weak enough to allow him to remain lucid. Faramir did find, though, that the wine made conversation with Elrond easier than he would have imagined.
They were seated together toward the side of the room where conversation could be heard above the boisterous revelry. They talked of many things from Hobbits to Silmarils. They discussed sailing from the Havens and Faramir asked Elrond if he planned to make the journey soon.
"Soon? For more years than you can count has weariness been growing upon me. After the year my two eldest turned ten even the power of Vilya did little to stay off fatigue in Imladris. I was hard-pressed to remain faithful to my responsibilities here after my dear Celebrian sailed to the West, but there were a few things i needed to see here first. Such as my first grandson," Elrond said with a smile, embracing Faramir. "I am only sorry i now have such little time left here."
That night Faramir went to his sleep feeling more contented than he could remember being in all his years. For the first time in his life, he felt loved and accepted into a family that consisted of more than one other person. He knew that this was what Boromir had always wanted for his little brother, that he always tried so hard to provide for him.
