The men of Gondor rode light and swift, their capes flapping in the wind. Faramir, as always rode at the head of the company, with Damrod by his side.
"You made the right choice Faramir" Damrod muttered, "You have saved the lives of many men and killed a large number of orcs in the process"
"My tactics proved effective, though they were not just" Faramir sighed, "For I know that my father, when the time comes for me to meet with him again, shall be more angry than you can ever imagine."
"You did what you thought, and what was right Faramir" Damrod said, trying to encourage his friend, believing every word he spoke himself,
"Now we ride to Cair Andros with more than five times the number of men you would have had, had you obeyed your father's instructions."
"My men may be alive, but their moral is so low that an orc has more courage than each of them. They wish to go home to their families. Already there are fifty wives who will never see the return of their husband, fifty sons and daughters who will never see the smiling face of their father again." As he said this, Faramir felt a single tear fall down his face.
The men rode over the rolling hills, galloping into the blood red sunset. Faramir called his men to halt
"We rest here tonight, 3rd company rangers, you are piquets for the night." As the men set up camp, Faramir stood on the brink of a hill and gazed back towards Ithilien, for they were now far enough away from Ithilien, and near enough to Gondor to be considered in a days gallop to the White City.
Faramir's sleep was restless and disturbed. He dreamt of an open plain, with long grass and wild flowers swaying in the breeze. There, before him was a woman, dressed all in white with a silver belt around her waist, though her back was turned away from him. Every time Faramir came close to her so as to see who he was, he woke dazed and confused. This dream continued but slowly changed. He now saw the same field, but far in the distance was Osgiliath, and atop one of the buildings, the With-King stared down upon him and uttered a heart-stopping sentence
"Here you will die under the same pain as your brother." From Osgiliath a great mass of orcs charged. Faramir woke and sat bolt upright sweating and shivering. He sat for a while and then realised it was daybreak and knew that he and his men must leave.
On they galloped speaking little; only of the battle they had fought the previous night. Eventually Damrod approached him saying,
"My lord Faramir, I have marched beside and will anywhere even to death, but take up your own position and cast off the shadowy cloak of your father's influence. Be a free man, and with that confidence you can achieve so many greater things. So please, I beg of you become who you should be and leave the man who is influenced by decisions which you know are foolish, and become a freed being and you will see how well you will flourish."
Faramir considered what Damrod said and finally sighed deeply,
"Damrod, you a loyal man, soldier and friend. But to disobey my father's rule, though it be the right thing to do, would reduce my honour to rubble. Minas Tirith, the home of the Men of Numenor and my ancestors, must be defended and I would gladly give away my own life to spare those of others to defend its glorious state"
"You honour surpasses that of any man but can you not see what poison Denethor feeds you and how atrocious it is, thinks of the lives you could save. Break free from the chains of your father that your brother long strained against and prove you are worthy of honour without the help and restriction of your father."
Faramir was about to answer when a shrill horn sounded. Faramir head at once snapped forwards and scanned the horizon. All the land seemed safe except what about behind the hill one hundred yards away. Faramir jerked his horse to the right to see what was behind the hill and sure enough, a pack of perhaps twenty warg riders, bearing the red eye of Mordor.
"Form up, Form up! Archers to the rear, infantry in front of them. We take them head on and on horseback." Fortunately all his men were able to fight on horseback and a few of his prize rangers were able to use their bows on horseback. Knowing the cover was blown the warg riders lined up so that they would have an easier attack on their enemy.
"Soldiers of Gondor, all that you hold dear to you, use that as your incentive to kill those wargs. You will your wife and family again if you break those lines. Reach Cair Andros, kill the enemy, and win us our victory! You are all trained well, fight for your wife, your children and all whom you hold dear, but most of all fight for you! Now is the hour to fulfil your pledge to our lord Denethor, now is the hour that you fight!" The men gave a cheer and began their advance. The thunder of hooves and the cheers of men were cheering enough to warm the coldest hearth of winter.
The warg riders were caught unaware by the sudden charge, but quickly spurred their mounts towards the charging men.
"Aim for the ones with throwing spears, Volley!" The whip of about ten rangers followed Faramir's cry and each spear-armed warg rider fell with an arrow or to protruding from their neck or forehead. The gap closed and the fight began. Faramir swung his sword up and over his head and crashing down into an orc, splitting his skull open. Each movement was the death of another orc. Faramir's speech had forced his men into a frenzied rage and they were seething for revenge. Faramir parried the blow of the and orc and slit the throw of his mount and then stabbed the rider.
"Ride forward! Reach Cair Andros!" The last few warg riders were being killed but the Gondorians did not stop to rest they continued towards the city that had just appeared. They galloped towards it shouting
"Cair Andros, Cair Andros"
They were safe, for the moment.