Sorry for the long wait, I've had to travel for work twice and host out-of-town guests since I posted the last chapter! This chapter is very dialogue heavy, as is the next one to a lesser degree, but I just couldn't imagine Faramir and Boromir NOT having a long talk when they met for the first time after nearly a year.

As always, thanks so much for the reviews, it is very encouraging that all of you seem to be enjoying the story so much!

Chapter 5

Faramir watched in relief as Damrod and the wagon carrying Boromir came into view, Morloth's slender form easily distinguishable among the squad of Rangers accompanying them. Boromir struggled to sit upright in the wagon as it bounced over the rubble, and called, "Finally, little brother! I promised Morloth to keep to the wagon until Osgiliath, but I thought we'd never get here!"

Tears stung Faramir's eyes. By the gods, it was good to see his brother again! Boromir's left arm was in a sling, and he moved stiffly from the wounds to his chest, but he looked strong and in good spirits. Faramir strode forward to help his brother from the wagon, pulling him into a careful embrace as soon as Boromir was on his feet.

"Welcome back, brother. You have been sorely missed all these months," Faramir murmured.

Boromir grinned and gripped his brother's arm tightly before releasing him, "It is good to be back home, and better yet to be alive, even in these dire times." Morloth had been hanging back during the brothers' reunion, but now Boromir waved her forward. "Faramir, I believe you know the Lady Morloth; more than anyone else, we have her to thank for my safe return."

His brother's smile softened as he watched her approach, and he held out a hand to assist her over the rough ground. Faramir caught his breath; he did not believe it was his imagination that Boromir's eyes followed her with particular intensity and kept Morloth's hand in his just a shade longer than was strictly necessary. Faramir bit off a curse. If he was right, this was one complication that he had not anticipated!

Morloth reddened slightly as she replied, "You give me too much credit, my lord. Others are equally deserving." It also struck Faramir that compared to her usual easy confidence, Morloth seemed a trifle…reserved. He sighed inwardly and added another to the list of items to speak to his brother about when they were alone.

He smiled at her to cover his unease, "Of course, I am well acquainted with the lady's skills; at this rate I may need to declare her an honorary Ranger!" Faramir stepped close, clasped her hands, and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Morloth, you have my deepest gratitude for keeping my brother alive, troublesome lout that he is."

Boromir snorted in amusement at this description but did not dispute it. Faramir had little doubt that his brother's reputation as a difficult patient had been well-earned yet again.

"If you will excuse us, Morloth, Boromir and I have much to discuss after our long separation, and we may not have another chance to speak for some time."

"Oh, of course, Captain, please don't let me keep you," Morloth said graciously, and walked away toward her son, who was standing with Damrod's men.

"You needn't have been rude to her," Boromir grumbled.

"I wasn't rude to her and I do need to speak to you—now!" Faramir leaned close to his brother and said under his breath, "I have seen your halfling companions, Frodo and Sam."

Boromir stared at him in shock, "You have? Where? Are they well?"

"Not here, come with me," Faramir murmured, and led Boromir to a rough command post that had been set up not far away. It was private, and just as importantly, it had a place to sit, since Faramir was concerned his brother would tire if kept standing too long.

He pointed to the lone chair, "Sit, Boromir."

Boromir glared at him, "So I'm the family dog now, am I, brother?" Despite his complaints, however, he sank gratefully into the chair.

"We found them in North Ithilien two days ago, and kept them in Henneth Annun overnight." Faramir's eyes met Boromir's, "They are well, despite the burden they bear."

His brother paled, "You know? They told you of…Isildur's Bane?"

"They did not speak of it at first, only after the creature Gollum revealed what they carried."

"Gollum? Why was he…no, no, first you must tell me, what did you do?" Boromir demanded urgently, "With the hobbits, and with it?

"When I realized what had fallen into my hands, my first thought was to send it to Father…"

"No!" Boromir's eyes widened in horror, "Please, brother, tell me you did not…"

"No! Once I realized what it truly was and what it would do, I could not. I…I let them go yesterday. They are back on the road to Mordor with Gollum as their guide; may the Valar protect them.

Boromir heaved a sigh of relief, and put his head in his hands. "Then you did what I could not. Faramir, it shames me to even speak of it, but I…I tried to take the ring from Frodo."

Faramir sighed and crouched down close to his brother, "Yes, Sam said as much when trying to convince me that I should not take the Ring to Father."

Boromir continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "In that moment, it seemed perfectly clear that it was my right and responsibility to take Ring and use it to save Gondor. The fact that I had sworn myself to the quest to destroy it, and that I must take it by force from a companion half my size was a mere trifle. When Frodo escaped and the madness passed, the full import of what I had done came crashing down on me." Boromir lifted agonized eyes and met his brother's gaze, "When I recall the sight of Frodo recoiling from me in fear, I wish that Aragorn had left me there to die—it is no more than I deserve!"

Faramir gripped his brother's arm, "Boromir, Frodo does not feel so. Halflings are not guileful creatures; it was clear enough that he was genuinely pleased to hear that you survived and were on your way home. More than anyone else, Frodo knows how the Ring ate at you, preyed on you, to push you to that extreme. I also now have an inkling of what you endured, though I was subject to the Ring's temptations for only a short time, compared to the weeks and months you had to bear."

Boromir looked up at his brother, his face anguished; "You felt it too?"

"Oh yes, it whispered to me, promised me..." Faramir stopped and shook his head before continuing. "No matter, I'm sure you can imagine what it promised me. But even then I did not understand the danger, not until I saw what it was doing to Frodo.

"A Nazgûl attacked Osgiliath as we were passing through to deliver the halflings to Father, and the Ring's grip was so strong that Frodo came within a hairsbreadth of handing it to him. I was able to drive off the beast it rode, but otherwise…" he shuddered. "Then even after the Nazgûl had left, Frodo was still so lost in the Ring's evil that he drew his sword on Sam."

"No! How can it be?"

"I was shocked as well. Even from my brief acquaintance with Frodo and Sam I could see the deep affection and loyalty between them. Frodo's senses returned in time, but if the Ring could make him behave so I knew that taking it to Minas Tirith would bring certain disaster."

Boromir gripped his brother's hand, "Faramir, you made the right choice; and you make me proud, as always."

Faramir sighed, "Thank you, Boromir, but you know Father will not see it that way. He will not understand."

"Then he must be made to understand, somehow."

"Somehow," Faramir echoed doubtfully. "You should know, Boromir, that I chose not to tell Frodo and Sam about the other halflings' capture by the orcs. It seemed cruel to burden them with that as well as the Ring."

"You did right in that too. They have such a dark road ahead of them; knowing Merry and Pippin were in such peril could only make it worse. Besides, if all goes as we hope and Aragorn succeeds, they need never know."

"Boromir, this 'Aragorn'…Cirlan described him as a tall, well-spoken Northern Ranger who the others looked to for leadership. Morloth evidently thought well of him and trusted him quickly enough, and she is nobody's fool. Just who is this man?"

Boromir looked up at his brother, his face alight, "The one ray of light and hope for Gondor in this dark time. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, descended in a direct line, father to son from Isildur himself."

Faramir felt the blood rush from his face, and after a moment of stunned silence stammered, "Are you certain?"

Boromir grinned, "Lord Elrond says so, and since he remembers Isildur and all the heirs that have come in between, it seems likely he's right."

"You accept his claim and would acknowledge him as King of Gondor?" Faramir asked in surprise, "You have never welcomed the idea of the king returning."

"I didn't at first, but in time I came to see it. You will too when you meet him."

"And to think," Faramir mused, "all these years the North has had a King with no kingdom, while the Stewards ruled a kingdom with no King. All those wasted years."

"Not wasted so much, I think," Boromir responded, "but awaiting the right time and the right man. I feel in my heart that Aragorn is that man."

"Hold, Boromir!" Faramir cried, realizing the import of something Boromir had said, "You said I would meet this Aragorn; he is coming to Gondor?"

"He told Morloth that he would keep his promise to come to Gondor, and I know he will, once he has rescued the Merry and Pippin." Boromir paused and met his brother's eyes, "Aragorn is a good man, and did not wish to seek power for himself. He was reluctant to take up the burden of the crown, but I implored him to stand by Gondor in its hour of need."

Faramir shook his head, "Brother, you know as a boy how often I dreamed of the King returning. You grew tired enough of listening to the tales. But Father…Father will not blithely hand over rule of Gondor to a stranger from the North, no matter how exalted his lineage. And he will expect you to be of like mind. What will you do?"

Boromir sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "It tears my heart to oppose Father's will in this but I was the one who urged Aragorn to do his duty to our people. How can I do any less for him? If he comes to claim the crown, I must support him, whether it is Father's wish or not. It is Aragorn's right and responsibility, but it is also right for Gondor and our best hope for the future."

Faramir blew out a long breath, "I never expected to hear you speak so passionately of the King's return. If he has you so firmly convinced of his worth, he must be a great man, indeed. You know I will stand by you and this Aragorn when the time comes."

Boromir smiled, "Well, I had hoped…" Then, unable to sustain the pretence, he stood and embraced his brother. "Aye, I knew. We will stand together, as always."

After a moment, Faramir addressed his brother again, "Boromir, you should be setting out for Minas Tirith soon, but there is one other thing I feel I must ask you first." He paused, uncomfortable with the subject, "What is between you and Morloth?"

His brother bristled, "Why would you ask such a thing? And why would it matter to you, unless," he paused and glared suspiciously at Faramir, "unless there's more between the two of you than you are saying! Oh!" he exclaimed in sudden realization, "She even said that you had made certain that she and her son did not want for anything. I was a fool not to have seen it before!"

Faramir shook his head in exasperation, "Dear brother, you certainly are a fool, but not for the reason you think. There is nothing between us but friendship and I ask because I do feel some obligation to protect her."

Boromir began sputtering with outrage at the thought that Faramir felt he should protect Morloth from him, but Faramir raised his hand to silence him.

"Let me finish, you idiot! Morloth is the widow of one of my men, who was killed two years ago."

Boromir, who had subsided into surly silence, muttered, "I know that. She said he was killed by orcs."

Faramir nodded, "Bregor was a good man, and a brave one, and I had my eye on him for promotion. Two years ago he was leading a patrol in North Ithilien and they were surprised by a large group of orcs. The patrol found a defensible place in the hills to make their stand and in the end Bregor ordered the others to retreat while he stayed to hold off the orcs." He sighed in unhappy remembrance; "By the time we returned in force he was dead and the orcs gone. I could not even let Morloth see his body it was so hacked by the orcs in their anger."

Boromir, sitting with his eyes downcast, said nothing.

"What's more, Morloth has spent the last several years traveling around the countryside, offering healing to those who needed it for no other recompense than the thanks of her patients. I try to help her when I can, and dissuade her from acting recklessly, since she tends to be too heedless of her own safety when she feels she is needed."

He met his brother's eyes, "Tell me, Boromir, would you not feel that you owed something to one who has given so much to Gondor and asked for so little in return?"

"You've made your point, Faramir," Boromir responded testily.

"It might interest you to know although I feel only friendship and admiration for her, there were plenty of volunteers to comfort the grieving widow after Bregor died. She is well liked and respected by my men, not to mention a very striking woman."

Boromir affected an air of nonchalance and said, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Ha!" Faramir scoffed, feeling that no further response was needed to such a transparent lie. "Damrod admires her very much, as do others. There would be no lack of suitors if she had shown any interest in a lover or another husband."

"Why are you telling me this?" Boromir asked irascibly.

Faramir suppressed the urge to cuff him for his denseness. "Because, my dear idiot brother, I am warning you that she will be much more difficult to lure to your bed than the women you are accustomed to dealing with."

"Oh well, that I knew already," Boromir said glumly.

His brother was studiously avoiding meeting his eyes, and had an expression on his face that could only be described as…guilty. Hoping to allay his growing suspicion, Faramir said, "Boromir, please tell me you didn't…"

Boromir looked down at his hands, "All right, I admit it; I do think she is beautiful. But Fara, it was just the two of us alone for so long, and there was nothing for me to do."

Faramir closed his eyes in resignation, "You tried to seduce her because you were bored?" he asked incredulously.

Boromir sat up indignantly, "I did not say that! And that's not what I meant! I…I know it was a mistake, but I hadn't been near any woman in so long, let alone one I cared for and desired so much…" He looked up and met his brother's eyes. "I do care for her, truly, and I want to make things right between us, so I…I asked her to come to the city and stay with me."

"Stay with you? What do you mean?" Faramir asked in confusion.

"If she goes and lives with her sister in the city, I might not see her again. So I thought we could say that I still need her assistance, so she could stay nearby. Then we'd have a chance to spend time together and I can show her that I am sincere in my feelings for her."

Faramir shook his head, "Boromir, only you would devise a plan like this as the hordes of Mordor are about to descend upon us. I can't decide whether you mad or are just now revealing hidden depths of fiendish ingenuity. You've explained this…proposition to Morloth?" At Boromir's nod, he asked, "What did she say?"

"She said she needed time to think about it."

Faramir blew out his breath, "That's a more favorable answer than I expected." His voice softened, "Boromir, what do you want from this? What could Morloth be to you? Your mistress? Your wife?"

Boromir looked away. "I don't know, Faramir. All I know for certain is that she is first woman that's meant this much to me in more years than I can count and I can't just let it go. I want to find out what she is to me, what we can be to each other." He met his brother's eyes defiantly. "Is that too much to ask?"

Faramir crouched near his brother's chair and laid a hand on his arm, "Of course not, brother. If it were up to me, I'd wish you all the joy of discovery. But…"

"I know, I know. Father," Boromir said, waving his hand in resignation.

"Have you explained that little…difficulty to Morloth?" Faramir asked cautiously.

"No," his brother said shortly. "How can I? Can you imagine…'Yes, Morloth, I care for you, and want to know you better, but don't get your hopes up that I might marry you, because my conniving bastard of a father won't let me chose my own wife.' Oh, yes, very charming, very persuasive."

"I'm sorry, Boromir." Faramir said, his heart aching in sympathy.

"I won't give up on her without a fight," Boromir said fiercely, "because that's what he wants. If I do that, he wins."

"But Boromir," Faramir replied, "if she agrees to your proposal and there comes to be something between you, she deserves to know. It would be neither kind nor just to conceal the fact that you need Father's approval to marry."

"I know that!" Boromir retorted irritably. Then, reining in his temper, he continued, "If she comes to care for me, I promise I will tell her—when the time is right. It is not my intention to hurt or misuse her, Faramir!" he added acerbically.

"And I know that, brother," Faramir answered with a fond smile. "However, if you want to conceal your interest in her from Father, you will need to guard your thoughts better than you have been, or he will know that you feel more for her than just gratitude. I could certainly tell."

"I will keep that in mind," Boromir responded dryly.

Faramir stood and stretched, then chuckled, "Well, that's another good reason to hope your friend Aragorn is successful in his claim to the throne, since as King his word would take precedence over Father's in this as in everything else."

Boromir looked thunderstruck, "Faramir, I never even considered that!"

Faramir smiled down at his brother, knowing him well enough to tell that his surprise was genuine. "I am glad then, that you haven't decided to rearrange the rule of Gondor just to impress your lady." Then his eyes were drawn east, toward the towering mountains and brooding clouds of Mordor.

Boromir followed his gaze and sighed, "Yes, all our hopes will yet come to nothing if the city cannot stand. What will you do, Faramir, hold here?"

Faramir nodded, "As long as possible."

"I will send as many as can be spared from the walls once I've had a chance to review the defenses. Have the beacons been lit?"

"I sent a very strongly worded 'request' that it be done almost a week ago," Faramir grimaced, "whether it has been heeded, I do not know."

Boromir cursed under this breath, "It will be done if I have to light them myself! Though if the attack comes as soon as you expect, it still may not be in time."

"Are you certain Rohan will come? I hear they have troubles of their own."

"When I stopped on my way to Rivendell, the situation was…worrying. Théoden has always been a strong, decisive ruler, but he seemed suddenly aged beyond his years. Théodred and Éomer did not speak of it, but I could tell they were concerned. And the Uruks who attacked us and took Merry and Pippin bore the symbol of a white hand."

"Saruman," Faramir swore, "our scouts report that Théoden has retreated to Helm's Deep and the wizard's army assaults them in force. None of this is very reassuring, Boromir!"

"I know. But Rohan has always been our most steadfast ally; they will have not forgotten the Oath of Eorl and Cirion, as we have not. They will come, if they can."

"Then I'll pray they can. Well, Boromir, we'd better get you on your way. I'll send a messenger ahead so it won't be too much of a surprise when you come through the gates." He offered his arm to Boromir, and helped him to his feet before continuing, "I want to speak to Morloth before you leave…"

"Faramir…" Boromir said warningly.

"Don't worry, she hasn't had a chance to visit her home for some time, and may not again before the attack, so I was planning to offer to send someone to fetch what she needs."

"As you wish," Boromir conceded grudgingly. "I'll go find a mount; I've had enough of that wagon to last me the rest of my life!"