"Buior?"
He waits patiently for an answer. Barhador knows Buior will answer. And if Buior's widened eyes are any indication then he needs to recover from the shock first. He turns his head hiding a smile. It is simply amusing to see someone so seasoned as Buior startled. Especially since Buior was startled by being addressed. At the same time, he knows full well where the shock came from. From the same reason as to why Buior was startled. It does not take long for Buior to recover.
"Barhador, what are you doing here? Is there something you need?"
He wonders momentarily what to say. Should he talk about the order here in public? Should he not take Buior to the side and inform him there? He does not know certain which is the best. What he knows is the servants will be gossiping. It will circulate absurd stories. Stories he wants to avoid. so, he can better inform Buior in public.
But he also wonders what Buior was thinking. His first question is partially answered by the second. He shakes his head in disbelief. Buior knows he only ever seeks him out if he needs something. Before answering, he decides on a little teasing.
"I do not know. Am I not allowed to join you in watching the battle?"
Laughter fills the courtyard. Oh, they do not believe him. Not that he blames them. He has never shown much interest in joining the others in their watching and gossiping. But the laughter is something he is glad to hear. Glad, because of the recent events. This will take everyone's mind off the siege. He lets is go for a while before he decides to end everyone's wondering. But before he can speak up, Buior speaks up.
"I did not know you had any interest in it, Barhador."
"I do not. I came here actually because someone needs you."
Buior's eyes widen at this. Barhador wonders what Buior must be thinking. He imagines a lot of wild things can be going through Buior's mind. But at the same time, normal thoughts might cross Buior's mind. He simply does not know. And right now, he is interested in knowing what Buior has on his mind.
To discover this, he looks Buior in his eyes. Buior is frowning and looking to the floor. He sighs knowing he cannot get anything out of Buior right now. As such, he looks at the others. They are looking at him with identical frowns. He struggles to keep a smile of his face. They are most likely wondering what is going on. He loses his struggle and smiles slightly imagining they are interested in the same things as he is. It is then Buior finally comes out of his shock.
"Lord Denethor? What does he want?"
"Lord Denethor wants his armor and weapons brought to him. I have seen that he has taken some weapons already to the captain's room. So, you will most likely have to determine what has been taken and what still needs to be brought."
"What does Lord Denethor need it? From what I know he does not want to be disturbed. Did he actually ask for me, his armor and weapons?"
Buior is frowning at him. And only just, he received a nod. Where does the frown come from? Well, at least he knows his order has been understood. Right now, he needs to figure out which question he will answer first. He thinks about what he has to say and what makes sense. In the end, he decides to answer the last question first. This one needs the most explanation. The first, he can cover real quick.
"Yes, he did as for his armor and weapons. He did not ask for you personally. But as you know where everything is I thought it best if you were to see these orders carried out. Besides, you need to aid him in preparing himself anyway. And to answer your first question, I am as surprised as you are by this turn of events."
"But why? Do you know?"
Barhador sees how the other servants and guards suddenly get highly interested in what is going on. Even more, than they already were. He groans internally. Just what he needs. Nosy people. But is aware he cannot send anyone away. He will just have to deal with it. As such, he sighs.
"I told you that I am as surprised by this as you are. So no, I do not know."
"Then what do you know?"
He keeps his face straight even though he wants to show his frustration. If Buior thought he would be the only one frustrated by not getting answers then he is mistaken. Even he is frustrated but simply refuses to show or voice it. Well, what can he tell Buior? Exactly what happened? Will he simply refuse to answer? Or will he keep his explanation simple? He shakes his head. Better tell what happened. Maybe it will stop further questions from being asked.
"All I know is that I received the order after Lord Denethor called for me. When called, I was with other servants in the servants' quarters. You can imagine what this will have evoked. And the weapons, I told you about, I could see in the captain's room. Lord Denethor seemed anxious to me. As you know where everything is stored, I decided to seek you out. So you need to find out what other weapons our lord will need."
"And I have to aid my lord with putting everything on either way. Alright, I will see it done. Can I ask for aid in collecting everything? I cannot lift everything on my own."
Buior bites his lips. His eyebrows frown and his fists are clenched shut. Barhador can nearly hear the sigh which does not appear. At the same time, he gets the feeling other emotions are being hidden from him. It causes him to bite his lips in frustration.
But what to tell Buior? Can he ask for aid? He thinks so for no one has much to do anyway now. So, it will not matter much if a few servants aid Buior. He shrugs and looks around. The others are looking at him. He sees a few greedy smiles and a few interested. He glares at the greedy ones before turning his head. He decides to end this conversation as soon as he can and get back into the house. He wants to leave such annoying people behind him as soon as he can.
"Yes, you can. No one has much to do anyway so ask whoever you want. Thank you for seeing it done."
Buior nods and leaves. Barhador turns to leave also but is stopped in his track. In front of him, the other people stand. They immediately harass him as they stop him. He sighs knowing he can do little else but talk to them right now.
About thirty minutes later, Barhador walks back to the servants' quarters. Only a short while ago, he finally managed to brush everyone off him. Something he is grateful for. He does not know how long he could have remained calm. They were frying his nerves.
As he walks, he thinks about his lord's change in behavior. Once more. He sighs. Why can it not leave him alone? He knows why; it is so surprising and unexpected that it does not make any sense to him. As he thinks, he remembers how Lord Denethor was initially only interested in Lord Faramir. And nothing else. Now, he wants his armor and weapons. Why?
He thinks about it for a moment but then he comes up with an idea. Is Lord Denethor interested in fighting? It certainly appears like it. But this causes him to wonder where the change came from. He thinks about it as he walks through a few floors. But no matter how long he thinks about it, he cannot imagine what it is.
One thing he knows; whatever it is must be something drastic. There is nothing else which could have explained it. But what could this drastic thing be? He thinks about all kinds of possibilities. Some more outrageous than others. In the end, he determines that he will most likely never know for certain. Well, never? Not until his lord decides to share it.
As for why he will most likely never know? He needs more details to be able to make a good guess. Those details, he does not have. Besides, knowing his lord it will never be shared. He will only be able to learn about the gossips. Something he knows the accuracy off. He shakes his head. Dwelling on these thoughts will not aid him. The only thing it will do is frustrate him. He needs to go back to work and forget about this for the time being. He knows there is enough work to be done.
Moments later, he arrives at his office and goes back to work. As he works, he keeps it in mind the fact something drastic must have happened. It is all he allows himself to remember. He looks out of the window and hopes time will tell whatever the reason was.
Denethor POV
Denethor strokes Faramir's hair with a worried expression. As he does so, he feels how clammy Faramir's brow feels. He dips a cloth in the water and bates Faramir's brown once more. While doing this, he bites his lips. Faramir needs more care than he can provide. He can tell this as more time passes. Why oh why did he not think about it before? He shakes his head knowing what he soon needs to do for Faramir. For now, he will care for Faramir to the best of his abilities.
Dipping the cloth once more in the bowl, he wonders where Barhador is. How long does it take Barhador to retrieve his armor and weapons? Certainly not this long. Everything is where they are always stored. It could easily be brought here in short order. So what is taking Barhador so long? He does not know but wonders about it. A thought comes to his mind; has Barhador send a servant to do this for him. It would explain how long it takes for everything to be brought to him. But how much longer will it take the person to arrive? He needs to join the men who are fighting. He needs to do what he should have done before.
Denethor can feel the need grow inside him. He feels like he cannot wait much longer. Wringing the cloth, he places it on Faramir's head before taking Faramir's hand in his. He strokes the hand while turning his head towards the window. He tries to determine how long it has been. But this thought has him glaring out of the window instead of looking for the time. Why should he have been dependent on Barhador? Why? Oh yes, he remembers why. He has been caring for Faramir. And right now, he does not dare to leave Faramir without someone present. Someone who is either him or a healer. Hence his order for everything to be brought here.
He feels his hands beginning the sweat and his heart speeding up. He strokes Faramir's cheek to check for his temperature completely forgotten about looking for the time. He needs to calm himself down. Something he can do by caring for Faramir. If only for him to be distracted from his feelings. And as such calms him down. Besides this, it has another side effect. He knows his son will still be alive when he goes to defend the city.
He smiles pleased with what he feels. Faramir's temperature is still high but has not risen. He cannot be certain but believes Faramir's temperature has gone slightly down. Knowing this, he wonders what he has forgotten. He is certain he forgot something. But what? A knock on the door brings him out of his thoughts.
"Enter."
He knows now what he has forgotten. He was checking the time. He wanted to know how long he has been waiting. And now, he knows it does not matter anymore. Soon, his request will be fulfilled. Or at least he hopes so. He does not appreciate having to wait much longer.
He sighs and looks at the door with interest. Who is bringing his weapons and armor? Is it Barhador or Buior? The door opens slowly while squeaking. He feels his heart beating loudly in his chest. The first person to enter is Buior who carries most of his armor. Behind him are other servants. Each carries weapons or armor. And behind them stand his guards. Each has their hand on their sword. What do they think will happen? He glares and mentions for them to leave.
He turns his head towards Buior and gives with a knowing smile. So, Buior enlisted aid. Not surprising. But did he do it with Barhador's permission or not? That is a question he has to answer. If only for him to know what to expect later. He tilts his head. He should better ask when and where their aid was enlisted?
Buior and the servants place everything down. He watches them while considering the questions on his mind. The longer he thinks, the more clear it becomes he does not know. He simply does not know what the servants were doing before they were asked for aid. So he cannot tell. But one thing is clear; it was done before he went to collect everything.
"My lord, do I have everything here?"
He struggles to contain his laughter. Buior and the other servants stand in the room struggling with their load. Some servants more than the others. Why could they not put it down already? He shakes his head. And before they succumb to their load, he will answer the question.
"Yes, you do Buior. Nothing which will be needed has been forgotten. You all can put your burden down."
What remains unsaid is:0 Good job. Buior does not need to hear it. He knows it already. He tilts his head and looks Buior and the others in their eyes. What is everyone waiting for? As one, the servants carefully put their load on the ground. He nods to Buior and turns his head.
Looking worriedly at Faramir, he strokes his son's head. He needs to say goodbye. He does not want to but has to join the men. He decided to fight and had to stick with it. At the same time, he knows this might be the last time he sees his son alive. Either of them could die within the next day. Kissing Faramir's brow softly, he stands up. It is time for him to prepare himself. Buior immediately walks forward and begins to undress him. Soon his robes are gone and his armor is placed in its place. It feels like an hour but he knows from experience Buior has him dressed in a short while. Once Buior has finished, he moves his arms and is met with the familiar feel of his armor.
"Do you need anything, my lord?"
Does he? No, he does not believe it. Everything he asked for has been brought. He looks Buior in his face and is about to respond when the words die in his mouth. What was he about to say? He frowns. Did he not forget something? It certainly feels like he has forgotten something. What is he forgetting?
Denethor looks around the room in an attempt to get his thoughts back in order. At the same time, he can also look around himself to see if he can determine what he has forgotten. He needs to figure it out soon. As he looks around, nothing appears to be out of order. Everything is where it is supposed to be. Faramir still lies in his bed. Faramir lies in his bed? His eyes widen slightly. He has discovered what he has forgotten; ensuring Faramir's care. How he will ensure it he already knows. It requires no thought.
"Have Barhador waits for me outside."
"Yes, my lord. I will take this to the washers. Good luck, my lord. May the valar protect you."
Buior mentions with his head to the bucket he holds in his hands. A bucket he can see contains clothing. Most likely the clothing he shed earlier. Where the bucket came from, he does not know. Nor when Buior collected it. To both, he paid no attention. He nods which causes Buior to bow to him. Moments later, the door is opened and closed not long afterward. Denethor sighs. He is finally alone. He can finally think about everything without being disturbed.
He knows he secluded himself. What it will have caused will not a strange thing. It will have divided some of his captains. There will be those who seek to follow his example and those who do not. It will be a divide they cannot use at this time. He knows it is a real possibility that some might show him resentment when he shows up. He does not like it but knows it cannot be avoided. He cannot change the past. Nor people's feelings. All he can do is work with it. As for those feelings, it is something he does not care a lot about. He only cares as much about the feelings as they will be useful for him. So what to do with this knowledge. Leave it? It might be the best thing to do. As he realized earlier, he can only work with the situation as it is.
As for right now, what should he do? What can he do? He does not know. He can only decide if he knows what is going on. And that does not mean knowing from hearing. He heard enough but does not know the details. He needs to know from seeing. Only then will he know all the details necessary to lead a battle.
With this in mind, he needs to determine where he will be able to gather this information. More importantly by whom he can gather it? It takes him little thought to have a first lead. Either Imrahil or Mithrandir will take command. Or maybe both. There is only one way to find out. He needs to seek them out. Both men will have then answers he seeks.
Thinking about them, he worries about what he will be faced with. How will they react? Mithrandir probably will not fight him. No, Mithrandir will be amused more than anything. Imrahil, on the other hand, will be suspicious. Not that he blames him. But he needs to seek them out. Even if he does not look forward to it. He turns his head towards Faramir once more. Maybe for the last time. He sighs knowing it is time for him to face the outside world once more.