Omara Eldu: Sorry about the laugh. I just couldn't resist. Yeah, I feel bad for Belegmir too. I was trying to develop his character a little. I have some plans for him :-) (And they might not all be nice!)

Mystic-pip: Cool name! If Faramir died I would die too. So lets hope that he doesn't die!

Telhyandowen: I'm glad that Beregond was in character. I was worried that I might screw him up. Yeah, Natalie will be okay soon, but as for love, that will be a while in coming unfortunately! (But it will come.)

Just to let all my reviewers know, I only respond to people if I have something to say. Thank you all for your reviews! Btw, I don't know how long it would take Faramir to heal. So I'm just going to give him a month before he is pretty much well. Ok. This is kind of a strange chapter; I don't know how you are going to like it. Just to let you know, the hallucinations are fever-inflicted.

Chapter Nine

Beregond sat by Faramir's side fretting. It had now been two weeks since Faramir had been wounded. He had only woken up once. And now he had an awful fever. The healers were feeding him somehow, Beregond wasn't allowed in the room at those times, and having a lot of difficulty.

If he didn't get well, what would happen? Would he die? What if he went into a coma and lived, but couldn't wake? Beregond knew what happened when people went into that sort of coma. It had happened to his brother. The healers don't have enough equipment to support those people. Therefore, those people must die.

If Faramir didn't wake up soon, then the healers could deem him in a "dead coma," and they would have to do to him what they did to everybody else.

Beregond wondered if Denethor was ever planning on seeing his son. He hadn't come yet, and Beregond had been there almost the entire time. He supposed that the steward wasn't coming, which was just fine with him. Beregond knew that Faramir cared, but he didn't really want to face the old man. He was quite willing to stand as Faramir's father instead. Then again, he wasn't quite that old, but he wasn't as young as the boy either.

Beregond sighed as he thought of his own son and wife. Eliya (I couldn't find Beregond's wife's name. I just named her.) was worried about his heath, he was sure. But he couldn't think about that now. Faramir needed tending, as did many others. There weren't enough healers for one to stay by Faramir's side. Beregond was glad that he was there to do it instead.

He was even more glad that he was there a Faramir began to stir.

Valar bless! He thought. He finally awakes! Perhaps things can fall in place now. This will be the second time he wakens. Clearly he will heal.

Faramir slowly opened his eyes. They were cloudy and uncomprehending. He looked around himself. When his eyes reached the door, he suddenly seemed afraid. Beregond looked to the door, anticipating what he might see.

There was nothing.

Beregond looked back to Faramir, who was now struggling violently. What he was struggling with was beyond Beregond's understanding.

The boy fought and fought. Beregond tried to sooth him, but nothing seemed to work. He called for the healers to help. Only when the warden himself came in with cup of medicine that he forced down Faramir's throat, did he relax. He fell back asleep.

Beregond looked to the healers for explanation. They sighed and sat down to rest.

"He has a bad fever. It is inflicting hallucinations. I don't know if he can get through this one. I think we should send for Denethor. He needs to know what the state of his son is," one of the healers spoke.

Beregond knew better. He also knew that Faramir would not be pleased to know that his father had discovered this. So for the first time in his life, Beregond did what he thought never to do. He blatantly disagreed with the healers on the matter of their art.

Beregond shook his head violently. "No. Denethor will not have anything to say about this. He should not know. Perhaps a better option would be the lady Eowyn. She would care for Faramir. She would make a just decision about his fate. Go to the lady. She will know what to do."

The healers objected to this. "Eowyn should not find out about this. She will get in an even worse condition than she already is. Before you know it, Faramir is going to be the one weeping at her bedside, she is getting so ill. Do not tell her about this. Make sure that she leaves at any time that he appears to be awakening. We shall not discuss this with the steward yet, but we shall should he get worse. It is possible that we will have to end his suffering for him."

Beregond nodded gravely. That was the last thing he wanted this to come to. Faramir would get better. He would see to it personally. And if Eowyn wasn't allowed to help, well, he would see to it that she be able to help as much as the healers would allow.

Beregond knew that Eowyn cared for Faramir. That was why he thought her to be a good choice to discuss this issue with. He knew that she would not be biased on any side. He knew that he himself would be biased. He wouldn't care about what was best for Faramir, he wouldn't care what was necessary in terms of supplies, and he wouldn't be conscious about the extent of the healers' powers. He would just want Faramir to live. Eowyn would be much more reasonable. She would think about these things. And, as much as it might pain her, she would make the best decision for everybody.

But the healers had prohibited it. Beregond considered talking to Eowyn anyway, but then he decided against it. He was not an adventurous man, though he would do much for his captain. He had already risked everything for Faramir once, and he didn't know if he could get away with it again.

Then again, this was naught but healer's orders, but healer's orders they were, nonetheless. The healers were his betters. He had to obey and respect them. Even though he disagreed with their decision.

Beregond sat for a long time with Faramir, until he finally fell asleep. His dreams were filled with thoughts of telling Eowyn, of what that could mean for Faramir, and with thoughts of what Faramir might have been going though. Beregond was sure it was painful, but with all the visions, it must have been terrible.

(new scene)

Eowyn sat by Faramir's side, fantasizing. What if he could be well? Wouldn't that be wonderful? She could tell him how she really felt for him, and he would love her in return. She wouldn't ever fear again.

But one doubt entered her mind. It had haunted her back when she had loved Aragorn. It had actually haunted her for her entire life. Wouldn't engaging in a romantic relationship be like closing the iron door to her prison? This time, she could never escape. That scared her to death. Was it possible to open one's heart, without closing one's doors? Eowyn didn't know. She didn't know if she could know without doing it. And by then it could be too late.

As she dreamed and fretted, Faramir suddenly began to move. His eyelids began to flutter. Eowyn leapt up in shock.

"He wakes! He wakes!" she cried in wild joy.

At the same time, she felt strong arms wrapping around her.

"Leave now," Beregond mumbled to her as he tried to remove her himself. Forcefully, Eowyn shook her head. Faramir began to shiver.

"Look! He needs me! I must stay and take care of him! Let me stay!" she cried desperately.

Natalie and Belegmir burst in, hearing the commotion. When they saw Beregond's plight, they proceeded to help their comrade, though they knew naught why he did it.

Beregond had just managed to expel Eowyn from the room, when Faramir woke. Eowyn cried in anguish, knowing that the others were able to speak to Faramir, and she was not.

She slid down the closed door until she was sitting upon the floor, sobbing gently to herself. Pain wore into her heart. She was forced to be alone. What would she do, should Faramir die? She had a chance to talk to him, but she wasn't allowed to take it. How terrible! Why would Beregond do something like this? She knew there was a good reason behind it. The man had always appeared to like her in the past. She decided to wait for him to exit, and then she would talk to him.

Just then, Eowyn heard a great cry of pain. It was Faramir. Again she wondered what they were doing in there that she could not witness. She worried for her friend. What if they were hurting him? She knew these were silly thoughts. All three of them cared deeply for Faramir. None would harm him.

Suddenly, two healers came up to her.

"Lady Eowyn? We were sent here to make sure that you get some rest. You are really wounding your health. Come with us if you will. You need some medical attention immediately," one of them said soothingly.

Eowyn found that she didn't care anymore. She wearily followed the healers into a private room, where they told her lay down. When she did, one of them came over to her with a goblet, and ordered her to drink.

She wasn't even awake long enough to know if the concoction tasted good or not.

(new scene)

Natalie stared at Beregond.

"What was that all about?" She asked. Beregond simply gestured to the waking Faramir. Natalie smiled at him. Finally, she would get to speak to him. Maybe the reason that Beregond did that was because he didn't want Eowyn overwhelming Faramir. That was the best thing that Natalie could come up with.

But Faramir didn't smiled back. Instead, he looked elsewhere, around the room. As Beregond had witnessed before, Faramir began to panic. It was almost as if he was even more than he had been already. He was dreaming of demons in the real world, and dreaming of darkness in the dream world.

Natalie rushed to his side and tried to calm him down. It did nothing. Beregond went straightaway to the warden's office.

"Sir, he has awoken again."

The healer sighed heavily. He picked up a little bottle that was sitting on his desk, and followed the younger man to Faramir's room.

Slowly and surely, he poured the liquid down Faramir's throat. Finally, the young man lay back down, and rested again.

When the healer had gone, Natalie again looked at Beregond.

"He has done this before?" she asked softly.

Beregond nodded. "Once," he replied.

"Why did you force Eowyn out? She would have been the one who would have known what to do about this. She could make a logical decision," Natalie retorted.

Beregond sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I know. I know. But the healers insisted that Eowyn does not find out about this.

"Faramir has woken twice now, and they were both at the same time. At one o'clock, we must tell Eowyn to rest. That way she will never have to go through what she just went though."

Natalie nodded. It seemed unjust that Eowyn wasn't allowed in the room, but there was nothing she could do about it. When she had stayed quiet about Eowyn's joining of the battle, she hadn't been going against the rules. Even if she had, no one could say she had been. But now, there were specific rules that she had to follow, and if she didn't, then both she and Eowyn would be in major trouble. It would also involve the steward, with whom Natalie wished to make as little contact as possible. She couldn't do anything for Eowyn.

"But Beregond, don't you think you should at least tell her that it was the healer's orders?"

Beregond nodded. "Aye, I will do that. But for now, she too sleeps. And perhaps 'twould be a good time for the two of you to take a break." Natalie nodded along with Belegmir. The two proceeded out the door and to their own rooms.

(new scene)

Two weeks had passed since Eowyn was pulled out of the room. Only once again did it happen.

She had decided to sleep longer than usual, so that she could be up later than usual. She had been going to bed generally at one o'clock pm. Why this whole incident had screwed up her sleeping pattern, she knew not. But it had.

It was one o'clock when Beregond told her to leave.

"But I slept longer than usual!" she protested.

"It does not matter. You are going to rest now." And he dragged her out of the room again.

Eowyn was terribly upset. Faramir had woken several times now, and he hadn't ever known that she was there, looking after him. It was possible that her friends had told him, but it was just as likely that they hadn't.

As the days passed, Faramir seemed to get better. Eowyn couldn't really tell, but he did seem to get better. After three and a half weeks from the time he was wounded, Faramir's fever broke. Eowyn was allowed to see him at any time now. But the healers still insisted that she have her rest, so she never saw him wake up.

One morning, Eowyn wearily rose to go to Faramir's side again. It was almost natural for her to walk down to the healer's house and into that room. So natural in fact, that she walked right through the door without even paying anything any attention. She was almost in her normal seat when she realized that the bed was made, and Faramir was gone.

So was everybody else in fact. The room had been deserted. Eowyn left the room, and walked down the hall. She walked back up to the citadel, where she finally found Natalie.

"Natalie! Faramir, he's gone! I went into his room as usual, and he wasn't there!"

Natalie nodded. "Of course Eowyn. Don't worry. He was allowed to leave the house today. In fact, as luck would have it, he is right behind you."