Faramir listened silently to all that Erestor knew of the situation. From Éomer offering lodging to the Haradrim in the Merry to Éowyn riding out twice with Castamir to Castamir refusing to show his ring to the King of Rohan, Erestor left out no detail that Éomer had described to him.

When Erestor finished his description of those two fateful days there was silence for a while before Aragorn felt his sadness ebbing away. He had to fight hard to keep it from being replaced with anger. "Let me make certain that i understand this," Aragorn said measuring his tone as best he could. "Éomer invited these men into my city without knowing aught of their purpose other than the fact that they wanted to talk to my son. And no one at any point alerted you, Erestor, acting in Faramir's stead, nor was my wife, the Queen, alerted that two men from Harad were in the city until my son's wife became ill."

"As i know them," Erestor confirmed, "those are the facts of this situation."

Aragorn stared straight forward wondering if it was within his right to have a King from a neighboring land banished from Minas Tirith for all time. But when he saw that Faramir's expression had not changed at Erestor's words, he decided to simply let go of his anger. His son needed his comfort now more than he needed him to confront Éomer about acting severely out of bounds. Aragorn hated to see Faramir looking so abandoned and hopeless.

Erestor glanced out the window and noted the time of day. Sighing, he looked back to Aragorn. "Do you still want to go through with that Council meeting, Estel?" the Elf asked gently.

Aragorn nodded vaguely. "As much as i hate to do it, i must be the one who informs them of this. Besides, you have already called them and they will be highly displeased to have this changed at this late hour." Aragorn rose and laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "I will make this quick. Is there anything you want to me tell them?"

Faramir shook his head, rising numbly. "No, father, there is no need. I am coming."

Aragorn looked concerned. "Ion-nín, it is not necessary for you to come to this Council; not now."

"Father," Faramir protested mildly, "if i do not come it will only prove my weakness. Those men like me little as it is."

As much as Aragorn hated to hear Faramir say self-deprecating things like that, he was at least a little relieved to hear some tone of determination from him. The King wondered, though, if that determination wasn't just a way around the pain for Faramir.

Many of the King's Council, which had included not one single man appointed by Aragorn (something he was planning on remedying in the not-so-distant future), were not at all happy about the late time of the meeting. Some of them had heard vague rumors as to why the King and Steward returned so suddenly, some had even heard whisperings about the Steward's wife, but none knew anything certain.

Aragorn entered the meeting chamber, Faramir following him, both looking weary. Erestor, too, had come along, much to the displeasure of Aragorn's officials. "Gentlemen," the King said, sounding much as he looked, "I ask your pardon for calling you at this hour, but i bring pressing and saddening word."

One of his officers leaned slightly toward another and whispered, "I suppose he learned that he was wrong to go all the way to Pelargir only to find his soldiers doing their rightful mission."

The remark was not heard by anyone else in the room, with the exception of Erestor, who was still standing beside Aragorn, even after Faramir was seated and no longer looking determined about anything. Erestor whispered to the King what had just been say and by whom. Aragorn nodded once and marked down the name of the guilty party on a sheet of parchment Erestor had brought along.

"What i bring is word of my s-Steward's wife's sudden passing," Aragorn said, saying the only thing he could. The Council room fell silent and most eyes went directly to Faramir who was keeping his eyes trained on the table, forcing himself to deny himself the healing quality of the tears that threatened. He had never cried in front of these men before, he refused to start now. Some men were starting to wonder about the way Aragorn so frequently stuttered slightly over the word Steward.

Finally one spoke up with the question everyone had on their minds: "What caused her death?"

"Master Erestor can explain more of that than i can at this time," Aragorn said, taking his seat.

Erestor fought the temptation to roll his eyes at Aragorn's evasion. He also thought that Éowyn's passing was anything but sudden, she had been in pain for hours and Erestor thought to himself that she had not been doing all that well as it was. The Elf tended to think that she had been feeling weaker as it was before poison was administered and was simply unable to fight back as hard as usual. She had, after all, been a survivor of the Black Breath, so he had heard. Erestor had a feeling that life in Minas Tirith might have taken her life early, even if it had not been for the two foreigners who invaded the city. The Elf Lord said none of that, however, to the council, keeping only to reciting again exactly what Éomer had told him and what he had told to Aragorn and Faramir.

The council, hearing all of Erestor's tale up to Éomer's attendant rushing in with the two empty vials and news that one of the Haradrim was found dead in the inn, sat in stunned silence. At length one of the youngest of the council, the one whose remark Erestor had heard, rose and said, "your Majesty, this means war."

No one in the room expected the next reaction. Faramir slammed his fist to the table and stood to meet the councilor eye to eye. "You have never even been to war!" he shouted.

The other young man looking shocked and indignant. "I served in Gondor's army under your elder brother's predecessor for years!"

"I said," Faramir said dangerously, "that you have never been to war. When in all the time that Denethor was Steward of this kingdom did he ever send you to war? When was your life ever at stake? Do not presume to tell me that just because you were in a company you think that you have enough experience to order who lives and dies."

The other man looked utterly taken aback, but he was shrewd and decided to drop his argument with Faramir, going over his head. "My liege, your pardon, but your Steward speaks out of line. Harad clearly broke our peace agreement. We must go to war!"

Aragorn remained seated. He had feared that something like this would happen. Faramir was simply not stable enough for dealing with these councilors and he deeply regretted allowing his son to insist that he come along. The King kept his voice level down, hoping that the others would follow suit. "My Steward did not speak out of line, Gwaithir. I would ask that you both be seated, please. Now about the matter of breaking peace, that is not clear to me as yet."

"Not clear?!" Gwaithir cried. "They came to Minas Tirith and poisoned the Steward's lady."

"And daughter," Faramir said lowly.

At that another older councilor, Belegorn, spoke up. "Gwaithir is right, my liege. Peace has been breached and we must stand against it! Steward Faramir, how can you stand against this course of action?"

"Because i have lived through the War," Faramir said, not raising his tone.

"Clearly so too have we, Steward," Belegorn said sardonically.

"No, you did not," Faramir said, beginning to raise his voice again. "You cowered in this city like frightened dogs, doing nothing, as i and men like me fought for what our lives and the lives of others were worth. I ask you, does more killing make anything right?"

"Gentlemen!" Aragorn said clearly as a warning. "We do not know that these Men breached our accord with Harad. I must first communicate with their leader. I will not go recklessly to war. Have we not had enough?"

"But that Elf just said that the intruders were from Harad!" protested Gwaithir.

"My name is Erestor and i would thank you to remember it like a civil person, at least whilst we are in council," Erestor said. He happened to dislike that particular young man as it was.

"Ha!" Gwaithir laughed sardonically. "Have i not heard rumors that when council was taken in Imladris regarding the Ring that you were in favor of hiding it for all time?"

"I was, at the time, in favor of turning it over to the keeping of Iarwain Ben-adar," Erestor retorted. Aragorn was tempted to break up this side argument, but decided to let them shout it out if they so wished. At least it took the focus off Faramir for a while.

Gwaithir laughed again. "Is that not the name the Elves have given to that insane little man who lives in the northern woods?"

"Insane little...," Erestor fumed. "That insane little man...," Erestor was having some difficulty completing an entire thought he was so furious. "Respect for your elders!" the Elf roared in such a manner that no one present, with the exception of Aragorn, knew Elves were able to.

Even Aragorn felt rather unnerved to hear such rage coming from Erestor. Had it been Elrond he might have easily shrugged it off. Aragorn noticed out of the corner of his eye a young man standing in the doorway, looking scared to death. He motioned the lad over, the boy laid a letter in front of him, squeaked out that he was asked to deliver it to Lord Faramir, then ran out of the room for his life. Aragorn passed the sealed letter to his son, noticing that it was in fact addressed to Éowyn. Faramir did not open it but just sat by listening to the arguments rage on. He noticed that his father now had several names written down.

After a long while there was a moment's break in the shouting. Aragorn rose, picked up the sheet he had been keeping, walked away from the table to toward the door. All of his councilors turned to him, wondering what he was playing at.

"Gondor is not going to war until i have more information," the King said with finality. "If you gentlemen wish to stay here and shout at one another until the break of day i care not, but i have made my decision. Good night." Aragorn walked away, Faramir and Erestor taking his lead. The King knew that if he was not in the soothing arms of his wife in less than ten minutes, someone was going to regret it.

---

Ah, Aragorn... how tactful can one man be?

Elenhin: I think we are beginning to see some of Faramir's reactions now. I wonder if this sort of thing is going to continue to escalate? It seems to make him all the more dead-set against war and such things, but it is also making him act before thinking. Faramir is saying exactly what is on his mind now, not like he was before, very careful of everything he said and did, something that caused conflict between him and Eowyn.