Faramir's attention was completely focused on the woman who the Warden had introduced to him as Lady Éowyn of Rohan. He listened thoughtfully to what the Warden had to say, and also Éowyn's own words. It struck him that this woman was feeling some of the same things he was. She too was having a difficult time remaining in bed and doing nothing, she wanted to be of some assistance.

Faramir smiled and with the slightest of signals that Éowyn did not even notice he dismissed the Warden. He found himself surprisingly glad to have a chance to talk with her after having met her so many times with no proper introduction. Though her eyes spoke plainly of some deep hurt, Éowyn seemed to display pride almost as if to ward off Faramir's sympathy. Faramir wished dearly that she would lower her defenses and speak to him of what was troubling her. Even if there was naught he could do to put things right, he knew the value of sharing a burden and he so wanted to ease her sorrow in any way that he could.

It chilled him that Éowyn spoke as though she had desired nothing more than to die in battle and that surviving was an unbelievable failure to her. Faramir found her so lovely to look upon, but her misery absolutely pierced his heart. It hurt him to think that someone should truly wish to die in battle andreminded him of Boromir's words at Henneth Annûn. He could almost understand it coming from Boromir, the man who had been a soldier all of his life, but from a lady, and a beautiful lady no less, it was a distressing thing to witness. Moreover, Faramir knew that Boromir had felt the need to redeem himself in some way, but that did not seem the case for Éowyn.

Faramir was determined to find some way to cheer this lady. He noted that she said her windows did not face to the north and east, though few windows in the Houses did, it being thought that the sight of Mordor would do very little for the convalescing. He promised to secure her a room with a view that she preferred. Though at first it was hard for him to understand that she should wish to look toward Mordor,he reminded himself that he too was spending a good deal of time watching that way as if trying to watch over his father and uncles and Mithrandir. Her brother had gone with them and Faramir understood.

Having secured Faramir's promise to be relocated and his almost reluctant sanction that she needn't be confined to her chamber, Éowyn simply thanked him and bid him farewell. Faramir was left a little mystified by the encounter. He had rather hoped that she might walk with him for a while, but she actually seemed rather offended that he would seek her company. Faramir wondered if he stood any chance of ever getting to know the woman, outside of what offended her; so far he knew not to call her a lady, thank her for bringing him supper, offer her help and protection from leering, devious worms, and now he added to that list asking her to walk with him.

Faramir sighed deeply, looking at the book in his hand and wondering if she would have been affronted had he lent it to her to help alleviate the strain of recuperation by "imprisonment" in the Houses of Healing. He was not even sure if it was not just something about him that put her off so.

So Faramir continued to walk about the garden, pondering what exactly had just taken place and he found himself glancing back toward the Houses even more frequently than he glanced eastward. When he began to feel himself wearying he went back to his chambers and was pleased to see the Warden leaving him some leaves for a tea. He asked him just what he knew of Éowyn, but the Warden in turn referred him to Merry, saying that he had been the with company from Rohan.

Faramir asked Merry to join him for supper that evening and together they talked much and Faramir began to understand some of Éowyn's conflicting fears. Now he only wondered how he could ever help her feel at ease. Still, Faramir was never one to back away from a challenge. After supper Faramir and Merry walked in the garden and continued their discussion. He hoped that he would see Éowyn there, but he did not.

Having thought back earlier to Boromir in Henneth Annûn, Faramir was reminded that he had wanted to ask Merry to visit Boromir. He knew that Boromir had not taken it lightly that, while in the thrall of the Ring, he had reached for the boat that would take him back to Minas Tirith as he watched the Hobbits being carried off by Uruks. He hoped that a visit from Merry would give his brother an unexpected cheer until he managed to get away long enough to visit as well.

At first Merry seemed hesitant, but when he thought that Pippin had visited Boromir, Pippin, who had gone with the March to the Black Gate, he thought again and agreed that he should visit Boromir. After all, he recalled that even Lord Elrond felt the pressure of the Ring and, according to Sam, so too had Lady Galadriel.

So the next day Merry went to visit with Boromir, and Faramir went out into the garden. It was his hope to spend more time there each day until he felt able to go up to the Citadel. He dearly looked forward to spending some time with Boromir again. He was almost surprised to see Éowyn standing by the wall that morning and, taking a deep breath, hoping that it would not earn him a further injury, he asked her to walk with him.

This time however, to Faramir's wonder, she agreed. Though he did not question her change of heart, he did note that she looked at him with somewhat sad and searching eyes rather frequently as they spoke, and even as they walked quietly. When they parted company later that day, Faramir wished he'd have thought to bring a book along that he could have lent her, he'd hoped it would give them something to discuss, or at the least it could be an excuse for him to see her again at some time.

He needn't have feared though, for as it turned out, each morning for the next five days when he walked in the garden, she was there also. Faramir felt as though he was making excellent progress in his recovery and was now all the more keen to speak with his brother and tell him of this lady who had certainly caught his interest. Faramir wondered if his brother would be awake at all in the next few days when he hoped to coax Ioreth into letting him out for a few hours. According to Merry's report, he'd gone to visit with Boromir, but the man had been sound asleep the whole time. Merry didn't have the heart to let on that it was rather obvious to him that Boromir was only pretending to sleep, he didn't quite know if Boromir just didn't want to talk to him or if he felt too remorseful to. Nor would Merry say that, to his eyes, Boromir looked less well than when he was taken for dead at Amon Hen.

Faramir was a bit concerned that, according to everyone else, Boromir had been sleeping a lot, but then considering what he had been through it was scarcely surprising. He had heard that Boromir had suffered a broken ankle and it would take a lot of healing time. He could guess ease enough that that was what had him left behind in Osgiliath. Still, Faramir trusted in the nurses and healers of Minas Tirith. They had seen him through well enough, after all.

On the fifth day since Faramir was finally properly introduced to the lady he had met so many times before, the weather of spring had returned to it's old tricks, turning the fair and sunny days that had prevailed since the victory on the Pelennor back to the chill and dismal. The hopes of many faded like the sun behind a cloud as no word had come from the moved out host for days. Still Faramir held out hope, albeit a fool's hope, that before long all would be set right and he would see his father finally take his rightful place.

He was standing with Éowyn that day; both were looking eastward and, unbeknownst to the other, both thinking of the same person. And yet, every so often Faramir could feel the lady's gaze upon him. When she shivered and wrapped her arms about her from the chill wind that came off the river, Faramir stood speechless for a moment before coming back to his senses. He had noticed that effect more than once when he was around her.

"Are you cold?" he asked softly, and rather pointlessly, as it was obvious that she was indeed.

Éowyn opened her mouth to say no; ordinarily her pride would have demanded that she deny any sort of "weakness." But as she met Faramir's gentle grey eyes, she seemed unable to belie anything to him.

Faramir, knowing that the Warden of the Houses had been watching them as they walked for days, made a point of looking around a bit before looking toward the healer's window and signaling to him. He quietly asked to have fetched from his chamber a cloak which was wrapped in a cloth bearing the sigil of the Price of Dol Amroth. When it was brought to him, he set the cloak about Éowyn's shoulders. Faramir found himself having difficulty remembering to breathe as he looked upon her.

Just then an ominous blackness rose up in the east like a wave. It was so alike to the telling of and dreams of the demise of the Isle of Númenor that Faramir often had that he could not help just looking at it and for a moment, he felt nothing. Éowyn, too, was staring at the engulfing darkness, and she was trembling despite the warmth of the cloak. On an impulse Faramir held her close to him and he was of a sudden overwhelmed with hope and joy that was soon felt by everyone in the City. Some inclination told him that, despite the vast dark, something great had been accomplished.

It was proved to him when the Shadow was suddenly dispelled on a fierce gale of wind and the sun shone brightly. A giant Eagle came to them singing that the Dark Tower was destroyed and that the King was victorious. Faramir could have fallen to his knees and wept he was so overjoyed! It was almost unbelievable, the impossible had been accomplished.

Kissing Éowyn upon her fair brow, Faramir promised that he would come to her again before long, but now with this hopeful news he wished to go quickly to Boromir. Faramir did not even stop to let one of the healer's know that he was freeing himself from the "prison" as he had come to fondly term the Houses of Healing.

Faramir practically ran up to the Citadel, but he had to slow himself from breathlessness as he crossed to the King's House. Even so, he was fueled by absolute joy and so did not feel as worn out and weak as he might have otherwise. Faramir hurried to his brother's chambers, though he went quietly. Having been raised around Elves and then serving as a Ranger, it was just in Faramir's nature to move silently. As it was, Boromir did not hear Faramir approach and did not have time to slip back into his "sound asleep" pretense. It was just as well, for Faramir would have seen through it anyway.

Ever since his uncle had left, Boromir had been getting by without actually having to speak to anyone at any point. Every time he heard someone approach he would retreat to his shroud of sleep and they would leave him alone with only a few quietly spoken words that he had so far managed to block out of his memory. He would eat a bit, only enough to keep the nurses and Mumma 'Rel from worrying about his health, but only when no one was around. At times he would even pull himself upright, not for any real reason, but usually just to keep his rapidly deteriorating muscles from aching too much. He knew he had lost a lot of muscle just laying around for weeks and that upset him almost as much as everything else.

Now Boromir was sitting up in bed, but leaning heavily against the headboard. He had waken from a rare real sleep to the sounds of shouts and singing. It sounded to him as though someone had brought the City some very good news and he chanced sitting up for a few moments, figuring that in such celebration he would be safe from anyone bothering to come see him. Of course, Boromir forgot to count on his little brother, whose first thought, when he recovered from hearing that his father was victorious, was to go immediately to Boromir.

"Well, I am glad I caught you awake!" Faramir said happily. Finally, things were right with the world.

For a moment Boromir panicked. He did not expect to be "caught awake" and certainly not by Faramir. He had heard that Faramir was well, but that he had been quite seriously stricken and would need much rest. Now here he was and Boromir seemed to not react right away. He had been dreading the day that Faramir would make his visit because for all the guilt and shame he had to endure when everyone else had come to wish him well, he knew this would be the worst. He had promised to Faramir that he would look after his father, and himself. Boromir felt he had done neither. A part of him wanted to either refuse to speak with Faramir and send him away, or to pretend to faint out cold, though he figured the latter would be a little too obvious.

And yet a part of him had been hoping so much for his brother to come to see him. He longed for the understanding that Faramir seemed able to offer anyone, no matter how guilt-ridden. It was that part of him that needed forgiveness and recognized that his defenses were utterly shattered that allowed him to let himself break when Faramir had finally taken a good look at him and realized how much thinner and more drawn he had become.

"Oh, Boromir," Faramir soothed, going and embracing his big brother. "Everything is going to be well now, we have prevailed, once and for all!"

ooo

linda: You got it, Henry V. Glad your alerts have returned, i know how i can rely on mine!

Elenhin: Oh, i can get so frustrated when i go to the trouble to write something like that only to have the page suddenly disappear when i hit enter. I sometimes wonder where all that just went, for as surely as it was there only a moment ago, it had to have gone somewhere. Matter can not be destroyed, only changed, after all. But i think i have a rather good idea... i think they wind up in the Kingdom of Dust. I can think of nowhere else they would disappear to!

estelle: You are as welcome as always. I hope this chapter suited your liking!