Faramir was in the last part of his watch when the world spun dizzily for a moment. When his vision cleared, he was left with the definite feeling that something had occurred. There were no images to tell him what had transpired, only the feeling of certainty that his world had taken a drastic shift.

He tried to relax and allow more to materialize, but there was nothing else. He debated about the wisdom of deserting his post and decided that the short time would be acceptable in light of his current fears. Moving swiftly he headed back up the secret path to the caves. Once there he called the remaining men to him.

"I have sensed something has happened but have no more than that. But with a patrol still out there, I'm willing to gamble that it has something to do with them. I'll need one of you to stay here and take my place at watch. The rest of you will join me as we head out to find them. We'll need to use caution, as it's possible that they are in some kind of trouble or are being followed. If they are captured, I'll assess the situation and come up with some kind of plan. If they are being followed then we'll deal with their hunters as we always have. But it's important that we stay out of sight until we find them and ascertain the circumstances."

Beregond said "I'll stay here and keep watch with Mardil. Be sure to signal if all is clear before coming up the path. Otherwise we'll fire the trenches." Grabbing his gear, he swiftly made his way out of the cave. Faramir watched him leave and then said "Alright, the rest of you grab your gear and come with me. Damrod was leading the patrol towards the south so we'll need to cut across country to catch them."

The men quickly and quietly grabbed their gear and formed up. They knew this was serious and that they would need to act quickly to save the men on patrol. As soon as Faramir saw they were ready, he headed out. He led them quickly down the path and into the forest. This part of Ithilien had few paths, but Faramir knew every inch of it and was able to lead them through the woods swiftly and surely. His men followed silently, moving like shadows through the trees. An air of grim determination hung over them. It had been a long time since the sheriffs had managed to track one of their patrols and they all knew the stakes had been raised since then.

Faramir led them on trying to keep himself calm and clear headed. Nothing would be gained by letting fear take him. His premonition had told him nothing of use in planning for what was to come, so he must wait until he found the patrol to decide his next step. But he still could not help but worry for the men who had trusted him to keep them safe. He was determined that no matter what he found, he would find a way to rescue his men.

The Patrol

Damrod was leading their prisoner along hidden trails. While it would take a while for people to realize that Boromir was missing, they still needed to move quickly and leave no trail. Damrod was deliberately taking them along paths that would be far away from where Boromir's soldiers would start their search. By crisscrossing rivers and walking over stony patches, Damrod was ensuring that they would not be followed.

Meanwhile, Boromir was cursing roundly as he was dragged along blindfolded. The loss of sight was making walking difficult and it also meant that he had no chance of finding his way back should he manage to escape. He cursed himself for being so careless and allowing himself to get captured so easily. Camcir had tried to warn him and he had been too stubborn to listen. Now he was paying the price.

He stumbled again and felt his already sore ankle twist. If they kept going much longer it was going to give out entirely. He had already done it damage when he caught it in the stirrup trying to kick free of his horse and this forced march was only making it worse. But he would be damned if he'd say anything to these brigands.

Damrod breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they had reached the path to Henneth Annun. He had been worried that they would not get far enough to avoid Boromir's men, but now that they were here, he knew that they'd never have a chance of finding them. He halted for a moment and double checked that Boromir's blindfold had not slipped in anyway. Even their allies were not allowed to see the path that lead to Henneth Annun. Once sure that Boromir remained sightless, he grabbed the lead and began the final journey to the Haven. He couldn't wait to see Faramir's face when he showed him their prize.

Faramir

Faramir had finally come across the trail of the patrol and was confused. He picked up their trail in a part of Ithilien that they should not have been in. Their patrol didn't normally come this way as no sheriff would ever venture so far off the trails. It looked as though Damrod was trying to escape pursuers but Faramir could see no sign of anyone following them. There also seemed to be some strange tracks as if someone was not moving easily – could one of the men be injured?

Faramir frowned as he led his men along Damrod's trail. The strangeness of the situation was only feeding his feelings of uncertainty. He was positive now that his premonition was about what had happened on this patrol and the continuing lack of details was making him crazy. He pushed his men just a little faster as he attempted to catch the patrol. But they were a good hour behind and with the light fading, they could only go so fast without risking losing the trail entirely.

Henneth Annun

Damrod knew he was approaching within range of the sentries and whistled to signal the returning of the patrol. He was surprised when the signal to "hold there" was returned. He looked around at the rest of the men but each one shrugged and looked as puzzled as the rest. When Beregond came into view, Damrod practically pounced on him. "What's going on? Has something happened?"

Beregond said "I was about to ask that of you. The Captain has the men out looking for…" he trailed off when he saw Boromir. Beregond's expression was incredulous. "Is that who I think it is?" He looked at Damrod in shock.

Damrod grinned and said "Yep. I've brought back a prize for The Fox. The Steward's son and Captain-General of Gondor. He'll fetch us a pretty penny he will."

Beregond's expression had turned worried during Damrod's speech. "I don't know about this. This may not be the best idea. He comes with an awful lot of trouble."

Damrod's good cheer dampened a bit at Beregond's less than enthusiastic response. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see what The Fox has to say about it. In the meantime, let's get him to the hideout. No point in hanging around out here."

Beregond nodded glumly. "I guess it's done now. We'll just have to see what the Captain decides to do with him." He turned and melted back into the trees. Damrod watched him go and then tugging on the lead said "Come on Nobleman. I've had just about enough of dragging you around."

Boromir snarled "Well, it hasn't been the highlight of my life to be dragged about by you either. Believe me, you will pay for this later. That you can count on" But he stumbled on after them, secretly relieved that they were almost to their destination. His ankle was killing him and he was exhausted from the walking.

Faramir

Faramir neared the path to Henneth Annun and heaved a sigh of relief. Whatever had spooked Damrod; it had neither followed the patrol home nor managed to catch them. He picked up the pace, since they no longer needed to follow the trail, and made straight for Henneth Annun. It was practically dark and he wanted nothing more then a hot meal and to find out what the hell had happened.

They reached the sentry point and Faramir signaled their arrival. He was relieved when the all's clear was sounded. It was the final confirmation that the patrol was safe and sound. He and the rest of the men hurried up the trail, eager to find out just what had gone on out there.

Faramir entered the cave and Damrod immediately got up and came to him. Faramir smiled in relief when he saw that he was unharmed. Giving the man a swift hug, he said "I'm glad to see you are well. What happened out there? Was anyone hurt?"

Damrod had been fretting about Faramir's reaction since he spoke to Beregond and now that he was face to face with Faramir, he began to think that maybe he had done the wrong thing after all. He looked away from Faramir's concerned eyes and said "No, no one got hurt and we weren't followed."

Faramir looked enormously relieved, but then became puzzled. "But if no one was hurt and you weren't being followed, then why the circuitous route to get back to base? What made you leave the patrol area?"

Damrod shifted uneasily, looking very much like a little boy who had been caught out by the school master. Faramir, seeing this, felt his sense of unease grow. "Damrod – why did you leave the patrol area?"

Damrod squirmed some more and finally blurted out "I'm sorry Faramir but it seemed like such a perfect opportunity at the time. I mean you never see him without a guard so it just seemed like fate…" he trailed off miserably as he hung his head in shame.

The feeling of impending doom crashed over Faramir again. For a moment he couldn't find his voice and when he did, it came out far weaker than he would have liked. "You never find WHO without guard? Damrod, what have you done?"

Damrod swallowed hard and said "Perhaps it would be better if I showed you." He turned and led Faramir through the caves to one of the areas that they used for storage. He stopped before a curtained off area and said "You should probably put your mask back on"

Faramir looked hard at Damrod and then pulled his mask back into place. He then pulled the curtain aside and stepped in. He was barely three paces in when he stopped dead in his tracks. Because there – if he wasn't mistaken – was Lord Boromir, Captain General of Gondor. He turned and looked at the hapless Damrod who had followed him in and said "Have you lost your mind?"

Damrod dropped his head in shame and said "I'm sorry. Like I said, at the time it seemed like the perfect opportunity" He fidgeted unhappily knowing that he had let Faramir down.

Boromir watched all of this with great interest and amusement. He said mockingly "What's the matter Fox? Not feeling so confident when you are dealing with a real solider rather than some half pay sheriff? "

Faramir looked down on Boromir in aggravation. For days, the feeling that something was going to go wrong had plagued him, and today had just capped his mood. And now this man had the nerve to mock him? "I would think that a man who has no weapons, no allies and no idea of the lay of the land would show a bit more caution." His eyes never once left Boromir.

Boromir sneered, "Spoken like a man who hides behind a mask. There's no honor in what you do. You hide in the woods and attack your betters. You are nothing but cutthroats and thieves. I have no fear of you."

Faramir felt his temper flare and had to take a deep breath to keep from exploding. It had been too long a day to be dealing with this kind of aggravation. He took a several steps forward until he was right in front of the cot Boromir sat on. He leaned down so he was eye to eye with Boromir. In a cold, clipped voice he said, "Listen to me Boromir of Gondor. You see yourself as better then me but let me remind you that you are alone here. I hold your fate in my hands and right now, I'm not feeling too kindly disposed towards you. Do not test my patience any further. " Faramir straightened up and turned to walk away.

Boromir felt his confidence slip in the face of The Fox's chilling speech. There was something in The Fox's eyes that spoke of strength and determination and Boromir began to think that maybe The Fox was not the craven weakling he had thought him to be. Still, he had never backed down from a challenge and he was not about to start now.

"So you turn tail and run. Appropriate behavior for one known as The Fox. A fox is merely a scavenger who hides in holes and you are no different." Boromir said scornfully.

Faramir stiffened and then turned around again. His temper had flared red-hot and his hands balled into fists that ached to connect with Boromir's mocking mouth. He glared angrily at Boromir and snarled "You think you are superior because your father is Steward of Gondor? Let me tell you, you are nothing. You are Captain-General because your father made you so. You dare speak to ME of honor when you show none of your own? Your soldiers bully those who are weaker than them and you do nothing to stop it. You should be protecting the poor and instead you sneer at them and treat them badly. A man in your position should lead by example but you have allowed them to believe that it is right to take from those who cannot defend themselves. But then, I shouldn't be surprised since your father has always felt that there is nothing he cannot take with impunity." Faramir looked at Boromir with complete dismissal and then turned and walked from the room.

Author's Note: Well, it has taken a while to get here so I hope you have found the journey worthwhile. There is still a ways to go before this story is complete so I hope you continue to follow it - Seadragon