A/N: Once again, sorry for lateness, my stepfather's still being a bastard (I snuck on last time and this time too). Again thanks to those who choose to review, and thanks to all for your time and consideration.

And onward!

Chapter 5: Faramir

And so we ate, and talked. We spoke of many things, goings on and such, and he told me much news of just about everything that was going on. I could, of course, have found these things out in person, but I happen to be a lazy person at heart. It's like they say: you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. Anyway.
We happened to get on the topic of family somehow. He asked about my father (very patriarchal place is Middle Earth.
"We...were separated a few years back. I haven't seen him since." Not quite a lie, but to prohibit further questions on the matter, I asked, "How about yours"
"We are 'separated' as well, but it's more in the mental sense"
"Ah. You don't see eye to eye. A-" I looked at him. Something had just struck me. "Do you have a brother"
"Yes," he said, "Why?" I'd just realized exactly why he looked familiar. "What's he look like"
And Faramir proceeded to describe the other man I'd seen in my dream. With slight bitterness. He probably didn't realize it himself, it blended with his speech well, like he'd been hiding the emotion enough of his life to ignore it completely, but I noticed it and figured it'd be best to change the topic.
For some reason, my mouth didn't want to agree. "He'd be older, then?" I heard myself say.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Don't you just feel...I don't know..." I tried to find a way to say it.
"Overshadowed?" he offered.
"Exactly"
"Not really"
"Liar"
He looked astonished. More that someone had actually called his bluff than called him a liar, really.
"First, you couldn't have come up with the word if it wasn't on your mind," I said. He nodded, defeated. "Second, I have four older brothers. It doesn't matter how nice they are to me; I still feel that way. Like"
"Like nothing you can do is good enough," he said, and with more than slight bitterness this time. "Like everyone thinks he's right and you're wrong. Like he'll always be seen as better, even when he isn't. Like everyone will always love him more than you and you can't do anything to change it"
I smiled, fully realizing who and what he was and whom he was talking about. "Well spoken, milord. Now I'll need to pay you back for that food," I said, rummaging through my pack for some of the gold I'd gotten from the goblin.
"How did you know?" he asked in disbelief.
"Besides you just now confirming it?" I smirked. "Because you rant like your father does. Well, excepting that when he does it he always throws something. Nasty habit, really. Here it is," I had found the gold.
"How do you know my father"
"I visited Minas Tirith last year. What was it he was yelling about again? Somebody"
"Mithrandir"
"Ah yes! Him. I remember now. He was looking for some scroll, wasn't he"
"Yes, something about 'records of ancient days' was what Father said. Shouted, actually"
"Hang on..." Mithrandir. He was another I had seen in my vision. "Did you know where he would be going after"
He smiled. "He is a wizard. Who can say where they travel or why"
"You're not going to like my next question very much," I said. "But, um, did he say anything to your brother while he was there"
Faramir practically snorted at that. "No." Then he spoke more kindly, perhaps remembering his great love of his brother. "No, Boromir...he loves battle, but he has little to do with things like lore and music and such. And probably the only thing he'd ever do against our father would be to protect me from him. Father made it quite clear that Mithrandir was not very welcome, you see"
"Yes," I said. "After all, that was a very lovely plate to throw against a stone wall"
He gave me an amused look and continued. "I've always liked Mithrandir, however. Truthfully, I think Father's jealous of him"
"Well of course he is. Who wouldn't be"
"What do you mean"
"Put yourself in your father's place. How would you feel"
He frowned. "I don't think I want to know"
I laughed.
"Wait a minute," he said. "I remember you. You were that girl in the hall"
"-Giggling like mad everytime I heard a plate shatter? Yeah, that was me. And you were the one getting screamed at, like he blamed you or something"
"He probably did"
"I remember..." I shook my head.
"What? What do you remember"
I smiled apologetically at him and said, "I remember thinking how you looked like a scared little boy. It was an awful thought. I'm sorry"
"Actually, I most likely did. I've overheard people saying things like that after he's had one of his fits"
"It's not your fault he's psychotic"
"Si-what"
Shit. I'd used an earth-word. I thought I'd stopped that. "It means really strange and possibly crazy." I smirked. "I like to make up words." I actually had done so when I was a small child (or so my mother had liked to tell me.
He didn't believe me, but he didn't question me either, and that was enough cause for thanks. Instead he changed the subject. Entirely. "So what exactly are you doing here"
"I told you, I'm seeing what this bastard's up to," I said, jerking my head in the direction of the huge tower.
"Yes, but why? Obviously I'm here on orders, but what's a rouge assassin doing scouting and such things"
I didn't like his tone. It was too suspicious. "Truthfully, I'm just killing time. I'm on a self-appointed mission. I've just recently found that my objective will be...quite simple to attain, but not for several months. I have to find something to do, don't I? And seeing as how I've been watching him for a long while, I thought I'd come by and see what's going on. I'm bored, really"
"You're joking"
I laughed. "No. I'm not that stupid, I promise you. Were I joking or lying, you'd probably have killed me by now"
"No," he resolved after a moment, "I don't think I would have"
I raised and eyebrow. "Really? Could've fooled me. That arrow was almost right against my neck. Had you let it fly..." I winced. "Much pain and most likely death. Not so good for me, but you would have saved yourself some food," I said this last jokingly.
"You are joking now, right?" he asked skeptically. I nodded, laughing at him.
"And what about you?" he said. "Are you any good with that blade"
"What, you don't have news of the north in Gondor? I have killed a great many peop...things with this here blade, most of them evil and none of them very important," I said in a very sardonic voice. I meant what I said, but I said it teasingly.
"Let's see, then." He got to his feet and unsheathed his own blade.
"No." I said.
"Why not?" he laughed. "Scared"
"Ha! Not hardly. No, I'm just tired"
"Of course you are," he said sarcastically.
"I really am! I'm like falling asleep right now"
"Sure." He obviously didn't believe me. I wasn't lying though, I was really tired.
"You think what you want, but when I'm asleep in five minutes you'll believe me." I frowned for a second. "How old are you anyway"
"Why"
"Well it's just that you're really immature for someone who's older than, say, fifteen. And I know you are, because you'd be a hell of a lot shorter. And...I don't know how to say it... You look old. But that doesn't say it, because you look young too..." I snapped my fingers. "You remind me of the elves. Kind of. Like...you're young but you've been through a lot, and you've learned a lot, you know"
"That has got to be the single most interesting description of myself that I've ever witnessed." He said, not knowing that in the following year he would hear another description of himself that, while altogether different, would bring his mind back to the strange assassin girl. He would then be compared to Mithrandir, which would make him feel very honored. But for now, he was making fun of how I wasn't asleep yet. "I thought you said you were tired"
"You sidetracked me. It's not my fault." And with that, I laid down on a cloak-covered rock, pulled my blanket around me, and fell asleep.