Faramir raced through Osgiliath where several groups of Dwarves had already begun work on the fort. There was a small group of soldiers coming to give what help they could. They stopped when they saw the Steward, but Faramir scarcely slowed down.

"Your horse," Faramir shouted, running up to them, and one soldier quickly dismounted just in time for Faramir to jump on and gallop across the Pelennor. The rest of the soldiers just exchanged glances and shrugged. When they saw the King and another younger man racing toward them they all dismounted immediately. Their bows to Aragorn were wasted, though, as he wasted no less time than Faramir in mounting and taking off at once.

Faramir reached the city and galloped heedlessly through the streets. He ran through the courtyard and into the Citadel where several guards tried to get his attention to no avail. The first thing he noticed was the broken lock on Éowyn's door. All of his energy left him at once and he pushed the door open weakly.

For two nights Erestor and Arwen had not left Éowyn's chambers and neither had slept, despite Erestor's urgings that Arwen needed her sleep. Both were incredibly relieved when it was Faramir who entered the bedchamber and not another one sent from the Houses of Healing to try something new and, as was always the case, useless.

Faramir said nothing, he hardly even noticed the two Elves, but knelt beside Éowyn's bed. Her eyes were closed but opened slowly when Faramir lovingly brushed a few stray strands from her forehead. "Valar! You're alive," he breathed. "I thought i had lost you."

Éomer had been in the nursery and when he heard Faramir's words silent tears poured from his eyes. He had not the heart to tell Faramir what he had already lost the night before. Nor had Lothíriel, who wept equal to her husband.

"Faramir... i am so sorry...i love you," Éowyn said, her voice a shaking whisper. She slowly reached up to take Faramir's hand when suddenly pain consumed her, stealing even her ability to scream out. Faramir was frozen at the sight of her in such agony and knew not what to do but to hold her, wishing the pain would flow out of her and into him instead.

Only a few moments later Aragorn came in with Belthil close behind. Aragorn took one look at Éowyn and called for steaming water immediately. He took a leaf from his belt pouch, wishing it were a little fresher but making do with what he had. He gently took Éowyn's hand from Faramir and rested his other hand on her forehead. He was putting forth a great deal with strength and seeming to get nowhere at all. He could not even sense what was wrong within her. This was always so much easier when his patients were not awake. After about ten minutes of struggling to do something, anything to help, Aragorn began to stand up feeling defeated. He swayed slightly from fatigue and Erestor instantly had him sit down for a while.

"I do not understand. I didn't even encounter anything within her," he said, almost to himself.

"You gave me no time to explain, Estel," Erestor said, handing him the two vials. "I do not think she was given the Enchanted water, but the clear liquid. I do not know what it is, but nothing has helped."

Aragorn examined the tiny bottle carefully. "Poison... no wonder i could not sense anything. It seems to be derived from nightshade, possibly baneberry, and it might have been mixed with some manner of snake's poison. I know of nothing for this," he muttered.

Faramir turned suddenly, as if just noticed Aragorn's presence. "Father... what do you mean? Surely you can help her as you did before?" Éowyn's trembling hand at his face drew Faramir's attention back immediately before the King could answer.

With Faramir's attention turned, Erestor rose. "Estel...," he said, walking to the door in implication that the King should follow him. Once in the hallway Erestor turned to face Aragorn but said nothing for a while. Aragorn could read plainly enough in the Elf's eyes that what he needed to tell him was going to be bad.

Erestor started slowly. "She was poisoned two nights ago. Somehow two men from Harad gained access to the Citadel twice to dine with Éomer and Éowyn. The second night they slipped whatever manner of poison that is into her drink. Estel... she nursed Findiel that night, and...." Erestor trailed off, knowing what his words would do to Aragorn.

For a moment Aragorn stood unresponsive as though he had not even heard Erestor's words before he looked up at the Elf, his grey eyes glistening. "My granddaughter...?" he choked.

Erestor just shut his eyes and nodded. There was little time for the reality to set into Aragorn when Faramir shouted for his father. Aragorn hurried in, trying greatly to think like a healer instead of a father.

"She's not breathing! Please, help her!" Faramir cried desperately, clutching his wife's hand.

Aragorn could not pry his son's hand from Éowyn's so he reached for her other wrist, pressing his fingers there and at her neck, his ear pressed against her chest. There was no movement, no sound, no anything.

Éomer too had rushed in at Faramir's distressed cry. He watched as Aragorn sat up slowly, blinded by his own tears. Aragorn caught Faramir as his son fell into his father's arms, flooded by tears. Éomer turned away, staring out the window before a yell from deep within him broke the morning. If it had not been for Lothíriel holding him, Éomer's pain might have turned to rage and caused a great deal more damage.

Aragorn knew it would not be best to wait to tell Faramir what Erestor had told him. As his son wept bitter tears against his father's shoulder, Aragorn said through his own tears, "Éowyn nursed that night, Faramir...."

Faramir's tears all at once stopped and he sat up, clutching Aragorn's tunic and shaking his head wordlessly, begging Aragorn not to bring him that news. Aragorn could not react quickly enough to keep his son from rushing into the nursery. Aragorn followed him, leaving Éomer to his own reactions.

Faramir felt like he had been robbed of any strength he had ever had in all of his life. He no longer even had tears to shed, he had gone numb. Faramir did not respond for a long time with Aragorn's hand on his shoulder. After a long while he looked at his father and whispered hoarsely, "Tell me that Elboron is alright... or tell me nothing at all."

Tentatively Aragorn lifted his sleeping grandson into his arms. "Erestor said nothing of her nursing him and he seems fine." The King's voice was scarcely even a whisper.

Faramir sat down heavily in the nearest chair, grateful for one small relief. His numbness had little abated though. "Help me, father," he begged miserably, tears rushing up all over again.

---

Crimson: Without turning this into a political arena - you don't want to awaken the Balrog of politics in me - understand that by saying that the two Haradrim were not really evil, i mean that they were just people. I don't really believe that people can be purely evil. In the context of this story... how quickly we forget, but what those two did was no more evil than what the soliders in Pelargir had been doing. In the context of today's world, Iraqi insurgents are no more evil than those who order American soldiers to blow up entire city's because they had a tip that one person might be there. Neither side is right in these things. But the reason there is so much war is that everyone thinks that they are the right ones and that the other ones are evil. Those who are fighting against America think we are a pretty evil bunch, just as a lot of people in this country think they are. Have you ever been to Northern Ireland? For years they have been locked in a dispute about disarmament. One group refuses to disarm before the other one does, and it is no wonder why. Everyone thinks they are the ones who are right. It's a pretty sick joke when you think about it. I would ask you not to cast stones without first taking a look at who is doing the casting.

linda: Well... the grains of hope are scattered now, but we shall see what happens next.

Raska: There was never much hope. You can see the above rant about wrong versus evil. I just think to say that a person is evil is too much. That gives evil far too low a standard and gives the entire world no hope whatsoever.

Voldie: Only a vision? Have Fara's visions ever been wrong before?

I don't play any sports actually. I'm not a very physical person in that regard, even though i walk to work every day and eat right, etc, so it's not like i'm a slob or something. I really love to watch football though, American football. I was raised on it thanks to my grandpa. As for me... i've never kicked anyone's anything.

Lady Eoyalf, is it? And no, i won't be asking. Not at all.