The gentle touch to his shoulder eased the King's aggravation. Still peace pervaded and Aragorn felt inspired enough to look into Galadhriel's eyes. Even in the day, stars sparkled in her watch. Aragorn lowered his head in respect.

"Rise up, Elfstone," Galadhriel said in her song-like voice. "Your son needs you now, more than either of us may know."

Aragorn looked from her to Celeborn, "I only wish i knew how to help him. I thought you were returning to Lorien, though?"

"We had," Celeborn replied. "Our presence was needed here again, though."

"You know what troubles him then?" Aragorn asked optimistically, though cautiously.

"I may," the Lady said, "but i do not know without doubt and i should not like to guess at what may prove serious." Ever did the White Lady speak in riddles. By this time Aragorn had deemed it a hallmark of wisdom. "Aragorn, what is most important is that Faramir stays here where you can support him. You are his hope, Estel, and it is hope that he needs. Hope, love, and support."

Aragorn sighed deeply. "What is it that bothers him, though? It is his marriage? I thought he was fine, if not a little strained, until Éowyn returned here. Then he became so cold with her, and even Arwen and i. That is not his way though, and i do not understand. I would turn the world for my son, if only i knew how."

Galadhriel smiled softly. "You have turned the world for him Estel. Now it is up to you to help him keep his balance. If what i have seen is right, Faramir feels as though his world is turning dark again, as dark as it was before you healed him. Somehow Faramir feels that this shadowing is by the will of the Valar, thus he needs you now more than ever before."

"By the will of the Valar? But why would he believe such a thing? That sounds akin to what Fëanor said." Aragorn's knowledge of the ancient tales now haunted him, and knowing that history tended to repeat did him no comfort.

Galadhriel, being one of the only Elves yet in Middle-earth who knew Fëanor, knew all too well the things that Fëanor had once said in the safety and comfort of the Blessed Realm. "Do not allow despair to grasp Faramir, Aragorn. You must give him hope."

Aragorn nodded and went then to find Faramir in hopes that they might talk as father and son again, instead of King and Steward.

ooo

When Faramir entered the Merry Widow he was feeling at a low point. He hated the disheartened and vulnerable mood he was in, almost as much as he hated the angry mood he had taken with Éowyn and his father. At the time, he saw his anger as strength, but now it only looked like a weakness and made him feel all the weaker for it. He didn't even know what he was trying to do. 'Why,' he asked himself, 'would i not even talk to her?'

He began second-guessing himself right and left. Was anger strength? Was it anger with others that would appease the Valar? Or, since he figured they had wanted to see him weakened, would his anger only serve to anger them? Perhaps, if his anger was weakness, that would please them. Did they really want to see him weak? Maybe he was wrong about everything, maybe the Valar only showed him this weakness to make him stronger in a more compassionate way. Maybe the Valar had nothing at all to do with it in the first place.

Faramir was so confused by not only the strength versus weakness debate, but also by his own life. Why had he made some of the decisions he had made? Why, for example, had he chosen to forgive his father so easily? That he had two immediate answers for: either he was very weak and needy, or because he had compassion and understanding for others. The dark thoughts in his mind encouraged him to believe it was both, but that compassion was a weakness. It hurt his heart to think these things, Aragorn had been the best influence in his life so far, besides his brother, and had always shown him more consideration than he thought possible. 'Always except for all the years from birth to the war,' a voice unkind within him countered.

It seemed that two forces, two different personalities raged within him. One was something he had never known before. It was bitter and angry and wanted to shut others out. But he had never before felt that way. Numerous times he had just wanted to be alone, to have peace and quiet, but it was never with a bitter or hateful bent. But now he second-guessed even that. He felt like crying as he realized he did not even know who he was anymore.

Faramir left the tavern without having taken a drink. He just wanted to be alone that he could try to sort of this mess that his life had become. At least in his youth there had always been an order to things, his father hated him, his brother loved and supported him, if he did not understand him, and life simply went on with the same precision. He used to think that one day, without Denethor's ever-looming, ever-castigating authority, he had a great chance of making something solid and permanent and rewarding of his life, something other than the rootless existence of a Ranger. Now that he was on his own as a man, as he had wished for so long to be, he felt he had terribly muddled everything.

Faramir wandered upward through the city, gate by gate, hoping just to go lock himself in his chamber and think. Approaching the 7th gate he remembered that his father did not wish to see him around for a while. Feeling discouraged, he turned back toward the 6th level gate since he no longer considered the gardens a comforting place.

Just then he heard someone rather hastily addressing the guard at the lower gate. He sounded mad and was asking for the Steward. Faramir sighed and wished he had a magic ring that would allow him to disappear. The only rings he had now were the Ring of the House of Húrin, which he now referred to as the Ring of the Steward because he was no Húrin, and he never wore because to him it had always been a symbol of Denethor, and the Ring of Barahir, a gift from Aragorn which he never wore because it would have betrayed his heritage.

Since he could not disappear, Faramir took the responsibility of greeting whatever angry guest had turned up for him. If he had wanted to disappear before, the desire doubled when he saw Éomer, flashing eyes, battle glower, and all, just up ahead.

Leaping out of his saddle, Éomer saw Faramir and immediately set upon him, taking him by the collar. "You abandoned my sister!" he shouted, throwing Faramir against a wall. These actions had been too routine to the Steward over the years and instead of trying to fight back he just shut off all emotions and allowed his eyes to close lightly. Éomer was a rash man, he would be likely to kill to the Steward, and Faramir just hoped he would be quick about it.

"Unhand him!" shouted two voices in unison, two voices Faramir knew well. Slowly and reluctantly Éomer released his grip. Turning, he glared at the two men. Faramir decided not to move or to open his eyes. He wanted nothing to do with this.

"Are you so eager again for battle that you handle my s-Steward in such a manner?" Faramir heard Aragorn's voice hiss at Éomer. He wasn't sure however if his father refrained from referring to him as his son because Éomer did not yet know or because he wished not to claim him as more than an assistant.

The other man, his uncle Imrahil who had rode with Lothíriel and Éomer to Minas Tirith upon word that Faramir had left, spoke in a low tone as well to the King of Rohan. "You ask me for my daughter's hand, yet treat my nephew thusly?"

Lothíriel interceded and suggested they all keep their tempers in check and resolve their arguments in a manner more befitting gentlemen. Three of the four men sulkily agreed that the lady was right and they went briskly toward the Citadel where such an argument might be better kept confidential. Faramir followed uninterested along only because of his involvement.

ooo

To AM: If only it was just a bout of Post Traumatic Stress that plagues our poor Fara'!

Like i said... reading the Silmarillion is almost a pre-requisite for some of this stuff. If you don't want to spend months sifting through Middle-earth history, however, you might go to and look up Feanor and Melkor/Morgoth. That might give you some kind of understanding of what is going on with Faramir.