Shining light.

A/N: This little baby is a follow-up to In the Darkness. Still, I am not entirely "in to" this whole Lord of the Rings universe only having read it twice. Most of this is inspired by the movies. Oh, and bear with the grammar and spelling, because I am from Denmark, which is not an English speaking country, so this is as good as it gets on those formal things.

Disclaimer: The old dead guy deserves credit for my entire imagination, so I won't try to claim any part of this story as my own.

There was something in the air that made Faramir's head spin; A sweet mixture of sycamore and vanilla. And he was drunk, more drunk than he would admit to, had anyone dared ask him. But no one asked him about anything. They'd all agreed behind his back that he should be left alone to wallow in self-pity.

It was his first day out of the House of Healing. He had been allowed to take a short walk, and he had taken a short walk down to the nearest alehouse, to drink his heart out. And still, after several hours of drinking, he still wasn't near drunk enough to forget all the pain he was in.

He had hoped that someone would come and find him, and lead him back to his bed, and tell him that he was brave and strong and good – all of those things he didn't feel. But none came. At last he fell asleep with his head on the table, clutching his pint.

He awoke with a start, when Aragorn put a calm hand on his forehead and took his hand to feel his pulse.

"You silly fool. Haven't enough people died?" Aragorn mumbled and closed his eyes, so that he could concentrate on Faramir's heart-rhythm.

"What? What do you mean?" Faramir tried to sit up, but Aragorn put a strong hand on his chest and pushed him back. "What I mean is, my dear friend, that your pulse is way too high, you have a fever and one of your wounds has burst open. We had quite a few men out searching for you last night, but of course it was Lady Eowyn who found you. The same Eowyn, who weren't allowed to leave her bed, but foolishly did so anyway, because she was worried about you."

Faramir started remembering last night, and the days before that, and then the battle. "Eowyn is here? How has this come to happen?"

"She followed her brother and uncle into war. She killed the Nazgûl Lord and was injured by doing so. She sleeps now in the room next to yours."

"I had whished that someone would have told me. I would have gone to see her sooner."

"But you are not going to see anyone now; not for a while. You need rest." Aragorn pushed Faramir back into bed once more.

Faramir closed his eyes, but images of his dead friends kept filling up his injured mind. He had to open his eyes and take deep breaths to stop himself from throwing up.

"I'll never get used to it. Seeing people die, I mean." He whispered. Aragorn smiled softly. "Let's hope you'll never have to see that again, then."

"Is she in health? She's not going to die, is she?" Faramir allowed a woman to pull up his shirt and examine his wound. It bled a bit, but seemed fine nevertheless. Aragorn was still smiling, but it was a more strained smile. "We think so. The Lady Eowyn passed out after she had found help and she is still asleep. But her breathing is regularly and her pulse strong." Aragorn gave him one last heart-felt smile and left the room. Faramir ignored the woman now examining his shoulder and doused off to sleep.

When he awoke, Aragorn was at his side again and this time Gandalf was there as well.

"How is she doing?" he asked, fully expecting the two men to understand whom he was speaking of. Gandalf smiled. "Much better. And you must be feeling better as well, since your concern is now directed at Lady Eowyn instead of your self." Faramir nodded. "She is well?"

"She is well and awake and is walking around. The Darkness has now fully released its hold of her, it seems."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A day have passed since you last spoke with Aragorn." The wizard said calmly. "And both you and Lady Eowyn are in much better health."

"I think I'm in love with her." Faramir blurted out. Aragorn and the white wizard looked shocked, but then burst out in laughter. "Indeed, it would seem so." Aragorn said, still laughing. "Is that why you went drinking?"

Faramir frowned. He held great respect for Aragorn, and he was not sure he could bring himself to give the King the real reason why he had thought drinking his heart out had been such a good idea. But he could not lie either. "No, I felt useless. My father always made me feel useless, and even now, after his death I can't find use for my self."

Aragorn sighed. "The Dark is still tearing at your heart. Perhaps we told you about your father too soon. But you are strong enough to fight the Darkness, Faramir." Aragorn put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "But now there is someone here to see you."

Faramir looked up just in time to see Eowyn appear in the doorway. She seemed to shine; her hair was golden, her skin white, and she was wearing a white dress with gold embroidery. When she rushed to his side and threw her arms around him, he was almost afraid to hug her back, afraid of the beauty he had long forgotten in these past years of war and darkness.

When she pulled away she had tears in her eyes, and he was surprised to find a lump rise in his own throat. He had missed her so terrible.

"You were always so gentle, I half expected you not to go to war." She whispered, her face lit with happiness and steamed with tears.

"I always expected you to go to war, though." He said with a quivering voice. "I almost expected you to go all the way to Mordor."

"I was passed out when they went." She said laughing. "And I am glad. Because now I'm here, with you."

He took in her sent. It was sweet. Sycamore and vanilla – that was how she smelled. He leaned up and kissed her gently, their lips hardly touching. Then the kiss became warmer and more passionate, and soon they put everything into that kiss. All the love they had felt for one another while growing up, all the longing building up in their years apart, all the passion they had saved for each other. That first kiss deleted all that had been and from it sprung a new, strong and vibrant love. The love they had never dreamed of hoping for.

Note: I'd like to apologise to all my boys, who think it insulting that I am writing a Male/Female relationship. I AM SORRY. But she's a strong character, who has been forced into suppressing her true self and denying her nature for so long, and I can relate, being what I am. She's a true warrior and I'm a true queen – Oh, that was too good to leave it unused! Smiles.