These characters all belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien. This story was written for pleasure and not for financial gain

Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole.

Derek Walcott (b. 1930),

With grateful thanks to Raksha for her help with this chapter.

Warning – This chapter contains material, which may upset sensitive readers.Pleaseread with caution.

Eowyn sighed resignedly and gave a reluctant nod. "Very well, I will do as you ask," she said, "You must tell me, though, if the pain is too great! I will go and mix some poppy juice."

"You are planning to do it?" Faramir asked in horror as she made to leave the room.

"I don't want to, but it seems that I have no choice. He could lose the use of his hand if it is not set properly," Eowyn replied sadly.

"I need you here too, Faramir," Aragorn said once Eowyn had left. "Someone must hold me down and I would not have Arwen witness this!"

"I will not leave you," was all Faramir could bring himself to say. The prospect of seeing the King hurt again was almost more than he could bear.

Eowyn swiftly returned with a cup containing the opiate and lifted it to Aragorn's lips to swallow. She then rummaged in a cupboard and brought out one of Faramir's nightshirts.

"I think you will be more comfortable wearing this," she said somewhat surprising both men, since she usually found their insistence on wearing the garments at all times in bed somewhat hilarious. Offering it to him now, was her way of trying to comfort to the King whom she had come to care for as a brother.

"This is all you must wear while your wounds heal. You will have stay in bed to recover your strength for a while!" Eowyn said briskly, " I am going now to ask Arwen to stay in the garden with Elbeth and the babies while I set your hand."

As soon as she had left, Faramir helped Aragorn don the nightshirt and get into bed. He already looked pale and exhausted. The Steward feared that the bone setting would prove a cruel ordeal.Apart from a brief word of thanks, Aragorn said nothing. Desperate for something to do, Faramir carefully folded up the towels the King had been lying on.

Aragorn lay back against the pillows, trying to calm himself while waiting for the poppy juice to take effect. He knew that setting the bones would be a very painful ordeal, especially since Eowyn had very little experience in the procedure. He was no coward, but these past weeks had already inflicted more pain upon his body than he had ever believed he could endure.

Faramir, unable to find anything else to occupy himself with, sat beside him in silence. He felt woefully inadequate .He would gladly bear Aragorn's pain for him, yet he could not even comfort him. The King had tended his wounds many times, and had always displayed great skill combined with compassion, tenderness and reassurance. Now Faramir could do nothing save hope his wife's skills would prove equal to the task and assist her as best he could.

Instinctively, he reached for Aragorn's good hand in a gesture of comfort. Too wretched to pull away, the King accepted the gesture, albeit reluctantly.

Eowyn returned a few minutes later to check the pupils of her patient's eyes. They were dilated, a sign that the poppy juice was working as it should.

Her features set determinedly, she gathered together the bandages and splints she would need, together with a supply of rather sad looking comfrey leaves that she had obviously garnered freshly from the herb garden.

"Are you ready?" she asked, " I shall set all three now together. I think that easiest for us all."

" I am," Aragorn's resolute tone was belied by his pallor and the beads of sweat glistening on his brow.

Eowyn checked his pulse.Then she nodded to Faramir to hold Aragorn securely so the King could not jerk away involuntarily if the pain became too great.

Sweat dripping from his own brow, Faramir sat on the side of the bed and pinioned Aragorn's arms against the mattress. He felt as if he were back in that dreadful cellar, preparing to torture his King, even though this time it was entirely for his own good.

Eowyn took a deep breath and firmly grasped the first and most grotesquely angled of the damaged fingers. It was still tender and Aragorn flinched even as she probed it, feeling for the exact location of the fracture. Forcing herself to imagine that she was about to snap a twig rather than a finger, she braced herself. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes," Aragorn replied."

"You are certain you want me to do this." There was a hint of pleading in her tone.

"I am certain. Do it quickly, I beg of you and do not stop however I react!"

Faramir looked at his wife trying to will her the strength to do what she must.

She gritted her teeth, and with all her might, snapped the King's finger.

Aragorn gave a strangled cry, but made no attempt to break free of Faramir's restraining grasp. The Steward had to look away, unable to bear the contortions of pain in his lord's features.

Eowyn took another deep breath and then turned her attention to the second finger. It proved much harder to set; and she had to make several attempts before she succeeded. Aragorn could no longer bite back his cries of pain.

The third finger caused even more woe, as it was broken in more than one place. Eowyn had the training and skill for the task, but lacked the experience needed and struggled to snap the bone. She wished Aragorn could faint to make the task easier for them both. . By now, Aragorn was screaming in agony and calling Arwen's name. Eowyn was only able to continue by thinking of what she would like to do to whatever villain had originally crushed his fingers.

"All done!" she said last in a rather choked tone. "There is just the splinting now."

Faramir released Aragorn, who fell back limply against the pillows. He had passed the limits of his endurance.The King of Gondor and Arnor burst into tears and his frail body heaved with convulsive sobbing.

Faramir gathered his lord in his arms and simply held him, gently rubbing his back and murmuring Elvish words of comfort while Eowyn pressed the bones back into place, then wrapped comfrey leaves around the fractures. Finally, she carefully splinted and bandaged each finger, forcing herself to concentrate and maintain her composure. Aragorn was in too much pain to be properly aware of who was holding him.

Eventually, the almost unconscious King went limp. Faramir gently lowered him onto the pillows before taking a cloth and wiping his sweat and tear stained face. He then tenderly kissed his forehead.

When he straightened up and moved away from the bedside, Eowyn could see that her husband had also been weeping.

"I will fetch Arwen now," she said quietly, "You need to rest, we both do."

She bent and kissed Aragorn's uninjured hand, whispering, " I am sorry!"

Eowyn's stomach rebelled before she could fetch the Queen. A wave of uncontrollable nausea hit her; forcing her to make a detour to the privy, where she lost the breakfast she had eaten earlier.

Faramir busied himself tidying up the room and straightening the covers while he waited for the Queen. He hoped fervently that Eowyn's intervention had not come too late and that Aragorn would regain the full use of his hand.

The King moaned softly and shifted uneasily in the bed as he regained consciousness.

"I thought you were asleep, my lord, are you in pain still?" Faramir asked anxiously.

"A little… it will pass…glad it is over… " Aragorn whispered. "Arwen?"

"Eowyn has gone for the Queen, " Faramir reassured him. "You should have allowed your lady to stay."

"I did not want her to be distressed, or angered at Eowyn. Arwen is used to seeing only the best, the most skilful of healers, at work. It had to be done. You understand? Alas, that I am such a coward!"

"You are the bravest man I know!" Faramir reassured him He wondered how ever, anyone could endure weeks of such torment without being driven completely insane. Spending a few hours in prison had almost destroyed him a few months before. "Rest now, " he soothed.

A few minutes later, an anxious Arwenentered the room,clutching Eldarion in her arms.

Faramir immediately rose to his feet; "My lady," he said bowing.

"How is he?" she demanded, " Eowyn told me that resetting his hand was a great ordeal for him."

"It was, but he is resting now, my lady. I will take my leave," Faramir said, casting one last anxious glance at the King before he left the room. He appeared to finally have fallen asleep.

After settling her sleeping child in the cradle at the foot of the bed, Arwen satbeside her husband, lovingly stroking his face and using all her Elven skills to soothe the pain she sensed in his body and soul. 'How could my strong, handsome Estel have been reduced to this broken shell of his former self?' she wondered sadly, trying to pour some of the strength of the Eldar into his frail mortal body.

"Arwen?" His grey eyes flickered open.

"I am here, beloved."

"Stay with me, please!" he whispered.

"I will never leave you." Arwen unbound her hair, then unfastened her outer gown and stepped out of it, leaving her clad only in her thin shift. She draped the gown over the bedside chair then climbed into bed beside her husband, careful not to aggravate his wounds.

Gently she kissed his face and stroked his pitifully thin body. Eowyn had warned her that he was seriously ill, weeks of starvation and ill treatment having taken their toll. Only time would tell whether or not there was any damage inside and how well he would heal. It was a miracle that Faramir had managed to bring him back here alive.

"I love you so much!" she whispered.

"I love you too; but what manner of a husband now can I be to you?" Aragorn lamented.

"You are still the man I love, the man to whom I have given my heart!" she assured him, tenderly kissing his lips. Her soft tresses brushed across his face and her perfume had never smelled sweeter.

Reassuredby her nearness and tender caresses, Aragorn slept, the lines of pain and distress smoothed from his brow by his wife's loving hands.

Faramir found Eowyn stretched out upon the sofa, her head buried in a cushion to stifle her sobs. He sat down beside her and drew her close.

"Oh, Faramir, it was so hideous having to hurt him so much, and after all I could see he alreadyendured!" she sobbed.

"You understand now." Faramir said sadly, "When I had to brand him or betray my true loyalty, I felt my heart break! If you could but have seen the look in his eyes, the hurt and betrayal!"

They clung to each other for mutual comfort. Eowyn knew now just how much it had cost Faramir to raise his hand against the King.

They had just started to exchange some tender but increasingly passionate kisses when Elbeth interrupted them. Hastily, they pulled apart.

"The kittens won't play any more and are hiding from me!" she complained.

"That is because they are little and need plenty of sleep just like a baby does," Faramir explained gesturing towards Elestelle's cradle.

"Where is Strider?" Elbeth demanded.

"He is resting now with the Queen." Eowyn told her.

"Why couldn't I stay with him and Uncle Faramir last night? "Elbeth asked. "I didn't like being alone in the kitchen!"

"You are not camping in the woods any longer. You must remember now that you are a Lady of Gondor, a daughter of the House of Hurin!" Eowyn told her. "Tonight you can stay with me and the Queen if she agrees."

" I don't like being a Lady of Gondor, " Elbeth pouted, "I'm bored! "

"You can help me with the washing, then!" Eowyn said, getting to her feet, hastily wiping her face with her apron.

"I will seeto the horses," Faramir volunteered.

"I have fed them but they need grooming and exercising," Eowyn replied.

"That sounds more fun than washing!" Elbeth protested.

"Washing can be fun, let me show you!" Eowyn said firmly, sensing that Faramir needed to be alone for a while.

The Steward made his way to the stables and entered Zachus' stall. He picked up a brush, but instead of grooming the large bay, he buried his head against his massive neck, overwhelmed with his fears for Aragorn. Could the King ever recover from such an ordeal and be whole again? His own future was bleak whatever happened. However, his beloved Gondor still had a chance to flourish, but that could only happen if she were ruled by her rightful King.

TBC

A/N .

I am reposting this chapter as it has been brought to my attention that therewere excessive formatting errors, which somehow occured during posting.I hope they are now fixed.

A very big thank you for your much appreciated reviews and wonderful response to the last chapter. I have replied to everyone who was logged in.