#Boromir stood up for Faramir constantly!

[glitteringaglarond]

Okay nobody asked but I'm going to answer anyway.

Because yes, obviously my pfp is Viggo Mortensen in a scene where he is playing Aragorn in the LOTR trilogy. But to me, this is a picture of Faramir because it's the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring just after Frodo offers him the ring and instead of taking it Aragorn gently closes Frodo's hand around it before telling him "I would have gone with you to the end - to the very fires of Mordor".

ie the scene that should have been Faramir's, and the scene whose book counterpart is the reason I fell so fully and completely in love with Faramir as an 8-year-old reading the books for the first time.

Let's set some groundwork. (I promise, this will actually lead to the Faramir meta).

At this point in the book, we have established that the Ring is Very Bad, not just through people constantly telling us this but also by watching how things and people around the Ring Bearer act. After spending the entire Hobbit book with Bilbo, seeing what the Ring did to him at the start of FOTR was jarring to say the least, and the moment in Rivendell where he seems to turn into a hungry-eyed monster, hauntingly reminiscent of the description of Gollum (effectively utilized as a jump scare in the movie) sat with me for a long time. And since then, Gollum himself has been re-introduced into the story as a constant reminder of what the Ring was starting to do to Bilbo, what it could still do to Frodo, and what it is capable of.

We also see that Evil keeps on being drawn to the Ring. Not only the Nazgul, but the fact that Gandalf was concerned about how it was Frodo, the Ring Bearer that the Watcher in the Water reached for first outside of the Doors of Durin. And on a similar note, even Gollum had no problems tracking them regardless of how much secrecy they employ and even over the Anduin when he didn't even have a boat.

And most importantly, we saw what the Ring did to Boromir. Tall, brave, proud, noble - one of the people chosen by Elrond himself to be a part of the Company. He was the one who led the way down Caradhras, who helped carry the boats when the river was too rough, who helped carry Frodo and Sam after they were both injured in Moria. And even he fell to the temptation of the Ring, and for an instant became somebody "hideously changed", somebody to be feared.

So at this point in the story it has been effectively and horrifyingly established that the Ring does two things, even to heroes like Bilbo: 1) It either brings them to madness and evil or 2) it brings evil and destruction to them.

And now Frodo and Sam have just been taken by Faramir and the Ithilien Rangers to their secret hideout. And Frodo is reminded of Boromir when he meets Faramir and his men, but the reader is reminded a bit of Aragorn - a man tall and grim, knowledgeable in lore, and seemingly a fierce and effective enemy of the Enemy. But he also reminds us of Boromir - bold, commanding, and kind. And the more Frodo and Sam talk with Faramir, the more we like him and trust him.

But then the conversation turns to Boromir again and Sam slips. Sam tells Faramir about the ring, in the context of remembering Boromir's attempt to take it!

And I remember when I first read that as an eight-year-old I was absolutely horrified. It's not that I didn't trust Faramir, it's that I didn't trust the Ring. And his next words horrified me even more:

"So that is the answer to all the riddles. The One Ring was though to have perished from the world. And Boromir tried to take it by force? And you escaped? And ran all the way - to me!"

(And let me tell you, I stopped breathing at that point).

"And here in the wild I have you: two halflings, a host of men at my call, and the Ring of Rings. A pretty stroke of fortune! A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality! Ha!"

And Faramir stood up, "his gray eyes glinting" which was another horrifying callback to Boromir's own shining gray eyes when he tried to take the Ring from Frodo.

And I was legitimately imagining the worst. I thought we were going to get a much larger scale of what happened when Boromir tried to take the Ring. I thought Faramir would try to take it, Evil would come, and now an entire host of men has to die to defend the Hobbits because of Faramir's mistake.

But that's not what happened.

He scares Frodo and Sam (and the reader) with that reaction, but then he sits back down and is suddenly mournful. He mourns that Boromir could not pass that same trial, and he tells the Hobbits that at the very least he's wise enough to know that that is a peril that men should flee from, before immediately comforting Sam and telling him that his slip of the tongue would only help serve the Hobbits on their errand.

So in this moment we have 1) all of this built up anticipation that we're going to get the tragedy of what went down with Boromir only on a much larger scale 2) the immediate eucatastrophe of that as Faramir shows, similar though he might be to Boromir, instead of falling to his own weaknesses he is so aware of his potential weakness that he turns it into his strength and 3) we see the inherent kindness and empathy of Faramir as his immediate reaction to that temptation is to mourn for Boromir and comfort Sam. Which goes all the way back to that little cave in the misty mountains where Bilbo gets the Ring and is filled with pity, and not anger or revenge or the lust for power.

And from that moment on, I knew I could trust Faramir no matter what happened - and the story kept on affirming this time and time again when it was shown how much love and trust everybody in Gondor (exemplified through Beregond) has for Faramir, when it was shown that even Faramir's horse that is not even magical like Shadowfax will willingly ride towards a Nazgul at his command, and when even Eowyn's ice was thawed at his touch. And that trust was more than proven earned when at the end of the story, Faramir is the one to welcome Aragorn into his own.

So back to my comment about my pfp: I have been saying for close to 20 years that movie!Aragorn is book!Faramir in an Aragorn hat, and that scene exemplifies exactly why. That moment in the book of eucatastrophe, of regained trust in the men of Gondor, the moment that defined Faramir - that moment was given to Aragorn. And as such, I can never see the character in that scene as being anybody but Faramir.

One of these days I’m going to stop screaming at random people about book!Faramir and actually write a meta post about him 🥺🥺🥺

[elvish-sky]

It's Not a Wedding Without a Food Fight {Éowyn x Reader}

A.N: So the slouching thing was inspired by another request I got, but the request was for platonic Legolas and Aragorn and this is not so I will be writing another more in depth one with that! But this was great to write- I haven’t written much lately so this was an awesome piece to get back into things with. I really hope you guys like it!

Requested by Anon on Tumblr: hhhm can I request any female character x fem!reader? the fandom desperately more femslash content sjfjsgsk

Word Count: 1,823

Summary: You and Eowyn are about to get married.

Pairings: Eowyn x Fem!Reader, Aragorn x Legolas

Warnings: Fluff, Humor

****

It’s Not a Wedding Without a Food Fight

Laughing, you strolled hand in hand with your fiance down the hallway. Tomorrow was your wedding day, and as you were the adopted sister of the newly crowned King of Gondor, and Eowyn was the Princess of Rohan, it was going to be quite the event.

But tonight, the night before, was just for you. You were headed to a small family dinner with the Fellowship, Eomer, and Faramir, one last gathering with them before you were married.

As a fun surprise, you and Eowyn had picked each other’s outfits for the night. She was wearing a light yellow dress that matched her hair, embroidery-less but cut in a way that accentuated her perfectly, with a golden circlet crowning her head. You were her opposite, in pale blue with a silver circlet that matched the one she wore while still paying homage to your brother. You had laughed at each other’s clothing choices when you first saw them, chuckling at how somehow you matched.

Reaching the end of the hallway, you pushed open the double doors to see all your friends sitting around a table. Merry and Pippin were at opposite ends of the table (as everyone knew that you had to separate them if you wanted an event to be slightly less chaotic- although they were sitting together at the wedding tomorrow. You hoped that wasn’t a mistake). Boromir (who had survived his wounds at the hands of the orcs), Faramir, and Eomer had their heads bent together in some deep discussion, and Frodo and Sam were contently sipping their ale with Gandalf. Legolas and Aragorn seemed to be bickering about something, and Gimli, seated between them, just looked annoyed.

You paused in the doorway for a moment, holding Eowyn back, just looking at all your friends alive and happy. You wouldn’t have thought it possible that you’d all be here, and that you yourself was getting married. To the most beautiful woman alive.

Eowyn noticed your thoughts drifting and squeezed your hand, bringing you back to the present to see your brother smiling up at you, no one else having noticed your presence.

And then, with Pippin’s shout of, “Y/N! Eowyn! You both look great,” everyone was pushing back benches and stools and coming over to hug the both of you and escort you to your seats.

You sat between your brother and Gimli, Eowyn next to Eomer and Boromir several seats down.

“What’s going on?” You asked Gimli, gesturing to the elf and human arguing over your heads.

“It’s the posture thing again, lass. They’ve been at it for ten minutes.” The dwarf shook his head.

Ahhhh. The posture thing. It had started in Rivendell when the Fellowship had first formed, and had been going on ever since. Even when the two had started courting, the human still bothered the elf about it. Aragorn was very bothered by people with bad posture. You had grown up with him constantly nudging your back whenever you slouched, and the constant whisper of “Postuuure,” in a singsong voice. You felt bad for Legolas, but you had to admit Aragorn’s nagging had helped you. Your back literally never hurt.

“Seriously, Legolas, stop slouching,” Aragorn hissed.

The elf sighed. “Aragorn. You leave me no choice.”

You watched, wide eyed, as Legolas grabbed a handful of food and smashed it into Aragorn’s hair.

“FOOD FIGHT!” Came the expected yell from Pippin, and with that everyone was standing and grabbing food and throwing it at whoever was closest.

Even Gandalf was participating, somehow managing to hit Pippin repeatedly in the back of the head with roasted potatoes. Aragorn and Legolas were attacking each other as fiercely as they would orcs on the battlefield, smashing food in the other's face.

Laughing, you ducked under the table for a moment to catch a break, and found Eowyn with a stockpile of food.

“I was waiting for you to come down here!” She had a mischievous smirk, and you quirked an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m waiting. When Pippin got up and yelled I grabbed all the food I could and hid under here. Want to surprise attack everyone?”

You nodded. “This is why I fell in love with you!”

She laughed. “Three, two, one!”

On one you exploded from under each side of the table, hurling food at anything that moved. You hit your brother right in the face, got Legolas’ hair covered in something, and backed Boromir and Eomer into a corner with the amount of food thrown at them, Faramir laughing in the background.

Finally, after everyone was completely covered, you and your soon-to-be-wife climbed onto the table.

“Who are the champions?” Eowyn asked.

Boromir groaned. “You are. You are very much the champions.”

You grinned. “Now that we’ve established that, who wants to help us clean all this up?”

Everyone rose, and helped you clean up the huge mess you’d made. After, everyone made their way to their rooms, tired.

You entered your bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it. Tomorrow you would be married. To the best woman alive. You smiled as you went to your wardrobe, donning your nightclothes while gazing at the wedding gown you couldn’t wait to wear. You fell asleep with the wardrobe still open, eyes fixed on that symbol of your future.

“Y/N! WAKE UP!” Was the first thing you heard the next morning, accompanied by a cacophony of knocks at your door.

“What,” you groaned, rolling over.

“It’s Pippin! Sam’s with me! We brought breakfast!”

“Fine. Come in.” You sat up, rubbing your eyes as they opened the door.

The smell of eggs and toast wafted in with them as Sam set the tray at your desk. You got up and padded over, sitting in the comfy chair.

“Thank you both very much for this!”

The hobbits beamed.

“That’s not all, Y/N!” Pippin told you. “Frodo and I are both very good at doing hair, so Frodo and Merry went to Eowyn to give her breakfast and do her hair, and we came to you!”

You beamed at them. “That’s awesome! I have absolutely no plans for my hair, so go right ahead.”

Pippin nodded at you and set to work, him and Sam keeping up a stream of cheerful chatter.

Once finished, Pippin showed you to the mirror and you gasped. The hobbit really knew what he was doing, it looked lovely.

“Thank you both so much!”

“Happy to, Miss. Y/N! Now, we’re going to let you finish getting ready. Aragorn will come by and get you once the ceremony is about to start,” Sam told you.

You waved as they closed the door behind them, then set your eyes on the dress. It was time to finish getting ready.

You slowly rotated in front of your mirror, admiring yourself. The white dress was long enough to hit the floor in the front, with a train that stretched back. The bodice had silver edging along the v-neck, and you knew that Eowyn’s was edged with gold.

Hearing a knock at the door, you opened it to see Aragorn, crown gleaming, waiting for you.

“You look beautiful, Y/N. Eowyn’s going to love you.”

“I know!” You laughed, looping your arm through the one he offered and setting off.

You walked down the aisle on your brother’s arm, beaming at your soon-to-be-wife who stood next to Gandalf at the front. You glided past friends whispering words of congratulations, gripping your bouquet with one hand and Aragorn with the other, up past the Fellowship seated at the front who had become your family. As Aragorn took your hand, placing it in Eowyn’s, you looked into her eyes and knew the two of you were going to be so happy together.

After the ceremony, after you had kissed your wife with petals raining down on you, you made your way to the party together. When you opened the double doors, cheers rang out and the two of you kissed once more.

You drank, and sang, and ate, and generally had a lovely time. You were torn out of a conversation with Legolas by Eomer shouting out for silence.

“In Rohan, we have a tradition that anyone who is not married gathers together and the bride throws the bouquet over her head. It’s said that whoever catches is will be the next to be married!”

You looked over to Eowyn, who smiled and gestured for you to join her as Eomer corralled everyone into a group at the other end of the room. He counted down, “THREE, TWO,” and on “ONE” you and your wife threw your bouquets in synchrony.

Turning, you burst into laughter as you saw who held the bouquets. Aragorn, looking a little amused but mostly very nervous as he held one bouquet, was staring at Legolas, who stood next to him with the other clutched in his arms, an identical expression on his face.

Boromir whistled, laughing with you at the two of them. “Guess we’ll be hosting another royal wedding soon enough!”

Aragorn was blushing like mad, glancing over at Legolas shyly. You didn’t think you had ever seen Aragorn be shy before. But as you looked on, Legolas strode over and pulled Aragorn into a kiss, fingers tangling in his hair. Another cheer went around the room as they broke apart, both flushed.

As you made your way over to your brother to make fun of him, you heard him whisper to Legolas, “But don’t think you’re off the hook with that posture.” You laughed.

The party wound down later, people leaving with congratulations to you and your wife and wishes for a happy marriage. Aragorn and Legolas had snuck off somewhere after the whole bouquet thing, which you were not at all surprised by, and the rest of the Fellowship had headed out or looked ready to do so.

You grabbed Eowyn’s hand, and with a wave to Gandalf, Boromir, and Eomer, the only people left, the two of you exited the room. You made your way through the halls to the room you would now share, that had been prepared by your families.

Opening the doors together, you gasped in unison. It was perfect. A door led to a balcony and you walked out hand in hand. The moon shone down like a spotlight on the two of you as you turned back to look at your room.

“So, my wife, what do you think?” Eowyn asked.

“I’m shocked that our brothers were able to make something this beautiful, but I love it. Also, I suspect Legolas helped.”

Her laughter rang through the air, and then she leaned in. In the moment before her lips touched yours, she whispered “I love you.” And then you kissed.

When you broke apart, the only thing you could say was, “I love you, too.” And then you kissed her again.

Everything tag ❤️: @entishramblings @itgetsatadhazy @boyruins @anjhope1 @kumqu4t @katbby16 @thewhiteladyofrohan @kirstenscaffeinateddisaster @beenovel @shethereadinghobbit @guardianofrivendell @hey-its-nonny

[the-great-middle-earth-read]

FotR Book Two: Chapter Two - The Council of Elrond

Gandalf leads Bilbo and Frodo to the council with Sam following unnoticed. At the council there is a great meeting of people - dwarves from Erebor, elves from Mirkwood and the Havens as well as the Rivendell elves, a man from Gondor as well as Gandalf and the hobbits. Each group speaks of the dangers they have noticed - Erebor has been threatened by Black Riders to give up information on hobbits, the elves of Mirkwood lost Gollum and Boromir speaks of a dream he and his brother have had. It is decided the ring must be destroyed, after lots of arguing, and Frodo volunteers after Bilbo’s offer is refused. Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Sam all decide to go with him.

Chapter Notes

I love how the opening of the council skips over a lot of information that the narrator decides isn’t important and only tunes in when Gloin begins explaining the troubles at Erebor. It gives the impression that this moment stood out in Frodo’s mind - it’s one of Bilbo’s dwarves talking about a place that has only existed in stories for Frodo before and now here they are coming true.

I find it rather odd that the people of Gondor had no idea that Isildur took the ring. Did the wise who clearly do know the story just assume that Gondor knew? Or did Gondor let that part of history be forgotten? There's something disquieting about the fact that this information that means so much about Gondors history was lost. I also wprry when Boromir says "That is tidings indeed." Note that he does not say good or bad tidings.

On Boromir and Faramirs dreams. I'm not sure how they had them, let alone both of them having the same dream. It reminds me of Frodo and his dreams. May e it was the proximity of Mordor that affected their dreams?

So, Boromirs attitude. I think the movie downplays this during the council. Yes he shows some desire to take the ring but he appears to agree with the council at the end. In book however it is clear that he is already being affected. He doesn't agree to go with Frodo during this chapter which might suggest he thinks about how he might still get the ring to Gondor.

Aragorn and Bilbo's friendship is severely underrated. Aragorn helps Bilbo with his poetry and Bilbo writes some about Aragorn which he then uses to defend his friend at the council. I just love the thiught of these two huddled away discussing poetry together.

I would also love to read about Gandalf and Aragorn's search for Gollum. It would probably be pretty grim but its clear that these two work well together and I wish we could have seen a bit of it.

I love how Legols listens to all this talk about Gollum and waits until Aragorn says how lucky they are that gollum is locked up before revealing that actually, Gollum has escaped from the elves. He had to wait for the right moment. How the elves actually lost Gollum is an interesting one I think, and it reminds me a lot of Bilbo. "Through over-kindness" Legolas says when asked how they lost him. Just like Bilbo, they took pity on Gollum. Unfortunately for them, Gollum doesn't care about kindness and instead used it to his advantage.

Gandalf mentions that he spoke to the Gaffer who mentioned something about the changes the new owners of Bag End were implementing. "Changes for the worst" he said to Gandalf who took it as petty complaints and gave it no further thought as he was concerned about Frodo. While Gandalf brushes it off, it is interesting to see that only a week or so after Frodo has left, changes are already occuring in Hobbiton.

For someone who doesn't leave his homeland Tom Bombadil is certainly known to quite a few folk. Farmer Maggot and Gandalf know him, of course, but so does Elrond and the dwarves and northern men also have names for him.

Glorfindel is really shown to be a decisive person towards the end of this chapter. He speaks up and is constantly coming up with ideas, even as Elrond is at a loss of what to do - or at least doesn't want to put into words what has to be done until he is forced to. I kind of wish we had gotten to see more of Glorfindel.

Bilbo's decision to take the ring to mordo is heartbreaking. He hides the real horror of it behind wordplay and his usual hobbitsh jokes but even he admits that his story won't end happily. And yet, he is still willing to take on that burden.

[random-imagines-blog]

The Way Back {Faramir x Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 3057 Summary: Love can be found in the unlikeliest of places, such as in a war-torn city after a win.

You took a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out. It felt like you hadn’t had the time to breathe in days. It had been battle, after battle, after battle against Sauron and his forces, ending up in this, the grand battle outside of Gondor. But the enemy had finally been defeated, the last of the orcs crying back to Mordor. You removed your helmet and let your hair fly free in the breeze as the world seemed to catch it’s own breath back. There was still plenty to do, such as tend to the wounded, burn the bodies of the deceased, and begin plans to rebuild the city. There were many fallen on both sides, even though the battle had been won by yourself, and by Gondor. By Minas Tirith. You looked about you, savoring the moment of peace, before plunging yourself into even more work.

You regretted that you did not attend the last battle at Mordor, but you had a much more pressing issue of helping with Gondor. There was so much here that had to be done, and you put your faith in your three companions. Legolas, your younger brother, who looked so much like you with delicate elfin features, but was a killer with a bow. Gimli, the dwarf that you came to see as a friend and an annoyance in your life, almost like a grumpy old pet, but one who could swing an axe like it was no ones business. And Aragorn, your best friend, a fellow Ranger, who had returned from Mordor and would soon be crowned King. But for now, he left you to care for Eowyn, a woman that he had introduced you to, who had been hurt in the battle. As two female warriors, the two of you struck up a quick kinship. It had been you who had given her a horse to ride among the riders, before you went with your fellowship to hold the dead to their oaths. Your horse, one of the fastest in the world, and the envy of many of the riders, including her brother.

You sat with her in the healing wing, dabbing her forehead gently with a damp cloth.

“I’m barely moving enough to sweat, y/n, there’s no need for this,” She said, trying to wave you away with her injured hand. You shushed her, and put it back down to her side. She looked more fragile than you were used to seeing her. Before, you had seen it in her eyes that she was always ready for a fight, the inner beast in her wanting to come out and growl at the world. A true dragon in pretty colors.

“Would you rather me go and get one of the healers to do it for you? I feel they would not be as good company as I though...” You threatened, and she sighed and allowed you to go on with your blotting. You were not a healer, though you knew a couple of things. Like to constantly check your friend for fever, for the wounds that she had sustained were nasty. She may have stabbed the witch King in the face, but she paid the price for that.

“I don’t like feeling helpless like this. I want to help the healers - it is only a couple of wounds. But no, all they let me do is go for one walk a day among the garden, like I’m some sort of...”

“Woman?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. “Let us go on our walk then. Let them dare to stop us while we are together. They can try to bully one warrior, but two? I do not think them so foolish.” You took hold of Eowyn’s better hand, and helped her onto her feet. She was eager to be up, and there was a flounce to her step, almost girlish. Sometimes she lamented being a woman, but there was still some femininity to her.

Together you walked out of the healing wing, and out into the open air of Gondor. A lot had been ruined during the war, and was being rebuilt. There were footsoldiers still around, and were helping to guide the reconstruction process. Everyone was helping out - even children, who were spreading the mortar over the walls with their little hands. “Are you going to return to Rohan as soon as you are healed?” You asked Eowyn as you strolled arm in arm, avoiding the places where the most damage had been done.

“After Aragorn’s coronation,” She answered. “I see no sense in returning, just to turn around and come back in a couple of weeks. And with my brother constantly off with the Riders of Rohan, they are going to need a new leader.”

“I see,” You said, nodding. “I’m so sorry to hear about your Uncle, Eowyn. He was a great man, as as I’m sure you knew. And he taught you well, you’ll take his place fantastically.”

“What about you? I remember your father wanted you to return to Mirkwood-”

You shook your head vehemently. “I too will be staying until the coronation. Legolas may be returning but I’m not so quick to leave the scene of one of the greatest battles that Middle Earth has ever known. I’m reluctant to go back...”

“Why?”

“I’m his heir, and he is getting older. I know that he wants me to take up the throne, but I am not Queen material, Eowyn. I belong on the battlefield. That’s where I feel the most comfortable! Not among the rich dresses and the gossip of elfen society,” You opened up to Eowyn, knowing that her, above anyone else, would understand how you feel. “Legolas is better suited as King than I ever would be as Queen. Were it I were born second rather than first...”

“Either way, it would be nice to have someone who is more sympathetic to humans on the throne,” Eowyn said, coming to a halt. You looked at her confused. “There he is - that is Faramir, the new Steward of Gondor.”

You followed her eyeline to see a man, leaning over one of the walls, looking out at the wreckage of the grounds that had been the battlefield. His hair was to his shoulders, a messy light brown - it was a look that many of the human men wore. Aragorn. Boromir -

Of course! This had been the brother that Boromir had mentioned to you during the nights when you two had watch together. But with some more burns upon him than Boromir had ever seen. You had heard of what had happened to him. His own father had tried to kill him.

“Shall we introduce ourselves?” You asked. Eowyn, who was far from timid even while she was wearing a gown rather than armor, nodded her approval.

You approached him together, which did not seem to intimidate him, for he gave you a surprising smile when you reached him. “I hope we aren’t interrupting your thoughts,” You said, pleasantly.

“Not at all,” He inisisted. “I always have time for two of our heroes.”

You beamed down at Eowyn, seeing the little flush on her cheeks. It was amazing seeing her talent be recognized. You were about to praise her even more, just to see if she could go as red as a rose, when one of the healers came running up, interrupting the mood. “You should be resting Lady Eowyn!” She chided.

“But...” Eowyn started, but then gave in rather easily. “Excuse me. I hurt my hand while killing the Witch King. I hope you understand my quick departure.”

You couldn’t stop grinning at her little amount of bragging. She deserved that much. Faramir bowed his head respectfully as the healer took Eowyn away, who was still complaining that she was fine. “Did you receive an injury while doing something important like killing a Witch King?” He asked.

“I stubbed my toe while taking down an Oliphaunt,” You shrugged, making him grin. You realized while he was doing so that he was actually pretty handsome .. for a human. He had a softer face than both Aragorn and Boromir, the only two humans that you could claim had been your friends. Or still were, in Aragorn’s case. He wasn’t as bristly. And he had very kind eyes. The race of men really was starting to grown on you.

-

Your father had come to Aragorn’s coronation. You had not expected him to. He very rarely left Mirkwood. Not since the Battle of the Five Armies had he ventured anywhere near this far. But the King returning to his throne was a grand deal, so you supposed it wasn’t that out of the ordinary. You stood beside your brother in welcoming your dear friend to the throne, and had managed to position yourself in a way that let you look at the Steward. He stood with Eowyn, who had become as wonderful a friend to him as she had to you. A sister to the both of you, though she needed no more siblings - not with a gruff one like Eomer about.

“When are you going to tell father?” Legolas whispered after Aragorn had passed.

“Tell him what?” You hissed.

“About how you are in love with a human,” He said, smiling widely. You nudged him and he nearly fell into Gimli, but his elf-like reflexes stopped him from doing so. “He can’t take his eyes off of you. Is that why you dressed up today? It is so weird to see you in a gown.”

“Can you please be quiet and enjoy our friend’s special day?” You asked in Elvish. Legolas did quiet down but you kept sneaking peeks over at Faramir. The two of you had gotten rather close in the last couple of months. And you might even think that you had given your heart over to the man, though it was very painful to think about. You would continue to remain youthful for many, many years, barely gaining a wrinkle while this man would grow old, wither, die. Life was cruel that way. Unbelievably cruel.

You saw eyes looking at you behind Faramir, and caught your father’s stern gaze. Your eyes widened, and like a child caught doing something bad, you immediately looked anywhere but your father, pretending to be distracted by the leaves, or the sweet little hobbits.

After the ceremony was a lovely party, which Aragorn did not attend because he went straight into his duties. You could say a lot of things about Aragorn, but not that he wasn’t dedicated to his work. You walked through the party, surprising a great number of people by wearing an intricate Elven gown for the occasion. Most of these people had only seen you in your fighting garb, which looked a great deal like Legolas’s. In fact, on more than one occasion, you had been mistaken for one another. Definitely not on this day, though.

You wandered, before Faramir’s hand lightly brushed against your arm, pulling you into conversation. “You look...” He said, gazing at you up and down, trying to find the words. You decided rather than waste time, you would finish his sentence for him.

“-like a beautiful Elven lady?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Faramir said with a grin. He looked bashful, an expression that became him. He could be the most cold, hardened warrior, but around you, he seemed to be a bit more of a bashful mess. It was a very endearing trait. And it was something that brought the warmth right out of you.

“Yes, my daughter is a very beautiful Elven lady,” Your father’s familiar voice said from you behind you. Your eyes said ‘Uh-oh’ faster than your mouth could, and you turned to see him standing there. The blonde hair that the whole family had was gleaming brightly in the sun light. “I’m stealing her for a moment from you, Steward.”

“Of course,” Faramir said with a nod. He walked away with his hands behind his back, having recovered very well from his injuries. You watched as he walked towards Eowyn, and they struck up a friendly conversation. Your two favorite humans - and yet it gave you a feeling in the pit of your stomach that you did not like. You were wary of them being close. You were fond of both of them and you would not be surprised if they became overly fond of one another.

“Is that him?” Your father asked, following your line of sight. You stopped staring, and turned back towards him to give him the respect that he both deserved and demanded.

“Is that whom?” You questioned, your eyebrow arching upwards.

“The human that has stolen your heart?” Your father’s steely gaze cut through you like a knife. So he knew. You looked behind him for Legolas, and once you had caught his eye, you gave him a glare. “Do not blame your brother like you are some sort of child. He didn’t tell me a thing. It is entirely obvious.”

“Do you think that he knows?” You asked, swallowing any denial that you might have had bubbling.

“Since he is an inferior human, I would suppose not.” Your father said, chin held high. “I was going to ask you to come back with me. Take your place as the ruler of Mirkwood. There is a lot of work to be done.”

The happiness that you had felt for Aragorn, and then the slight giddiness that you had around Faramir had dissipated entirely. You were back to the way that the elves usually were. Hard-browed. No emotion showing.

“I’m sure that there is,” You said, not excited at all about the prospect of returning to your home. “And you are sure that you want me to be doing it?”

“As the oldest, it is your duty. Female or not,” Your father said. But he wasn’t catching your eye - he continued to glance over at Faramir. “You have caught his attention most ardently. He will not stop looking in your direction. It almost reminds me of your mother.”

Your heart started to beat in your chest, but your expression did not change. Still, there was a little bit of hope shining through. You tried to catch your father’s eye, but he kept looking away, which was unusual. Usually, he enjoyed looking right into the eyes of the person that he was talking to. It was a power play. And now you were the one who was trying to be the one in power.

“Is there any way that we can postpone it, father?” You asked, trying to make yourself taller so that he could not avoid looking at you. “Just for a few decades? Hardly any time at all - and all of that work will still be waiting for me.”

“A couple of decades? So you can come back after your human lover dies, and take out your grief in your work like I had?” Thranduil asked, tutting. You have never heard him tut before. But you also knew that he had a point. You remembered how he had thrown himself into his duties as King when your mother had died. He hadn’t given himself the proper time to grieve, and his leadership was lack for that. “We’d better give it a century or two. I might be able to finish my own tasks in time for that.”

“Surely - you’re joking? This is the first joke that you make and you decide for it to be this?” You questioned, unable to take your father seriously at this moment. His expression had not changed at all. In fact, now, it looked a little bit angry.

“I do not joke.” He said, glaring at you. “I am trying to give you the opportunity to love.”

You tried to search for any sign of deceit in his eyes, but could find none. He even looked a little ... flustered? Uncomfortable at the idea of talking about love with his daughter? Either way, you weren’t going to pass this opportunity up. You clasped your hands in front of yourself and gave him a bow which he then returned, before sweeping himself away to talk to Legolas, which was always much less about emotions.

You walked back over to Faramir and Eowyn, and put your hand on Faramir’s arm like he had to you just moments before. “May I speak with you for a moment?” You asked him, looking over at Eowyn. The blonde woman gave you a knowing smile, and walked off to speak with Merry, whom she had grown fond of over the war. The Steward of Gondor looked at you, still with that soft grin that you enjoyed looking at so much.

“What is it?” He asked, the grin faltering slightly. You’ve never asked him to talk privately before, and he wondered if something was wrong. But you took that away from him with your own lips, which you softly pressed against his once you were sure you had a little bit of privacy. “My lady?” He questioned, after returning it.

“It is unconventional, but it appears that I’ve fallen for you, Faramir, Steward of Gondor.”

“You have?” He asked, bewildered, but then seemed to regain his senses rather quickly. “I thought you never would. I’ve already resigned myself to growing old by myself.”

“You don’t have to,” You said, taking hold of his rough and calloused hands, giving them a squeeze. “If you will have me, I’d like to be by your side as you grow into a handsome old man.”

“While you stay the same?” He asked, his voice going softer.

“Yes,” You said with a nod. There was no point in beating around the bush - he would grow old and you would stay exactly as you were. It would be quite some time before you started to look older than you already were.

“My beautiful wife,” Faramir said, leaning in for another kiss. You granted it happily.

[tori-artemis]

OH MY GOD YESS!! They're the same!!! Except Faramir had a much more attentive, supportive older brother (I will never ever get over Boromir, never). But yes - these two are so very similar, I swear Loki could probably relate to most of the 'abused younger brothers' crowd - which includes Tyrion Lannister, Zuko, and Theon Greyjoy (who I'll also never get over tbh 😭).

And I was going to say that the only real difference between the two would be how they're both framed (with Faramir being clearly framed as more heroic) but then, that isn't entirely true. Because in The Two Towers, Faramir absolutely was not framed in a heroic or purely good light, in fact he was the antagonist. And tbf, I actually didn't fully like how he was depicted as being so cold and ruthless - particularly his scenes with Gollum. I mean, I really appreciated the complexity he was given in the films, I just would've liked to have seen more of his internal conflict, his turmoil in those scenes - his struggle between what he thinks he must do to win a hopeless, never-ending war and what he knows and feels is inexcusable (Gollum's torture). Kind of similar to how Theon was portrayed during his entire taking-over-Winterfell segment. But these are really just small character-specific nitpicks, in an otherwise absolutely fantastic trilogy. So I don't mind slightly tweaking certain details in my head-cannon, cause the overall story is brilliantly written and beautifully adapted and portrayed on screen. But I digress.

I mean, here you have these two characters who are both introduced as antagonists in a sprawling story. Both characters are seen in an intimidating, almost villainous light (Loki more so in Avengers than in Thor 2011). Yet both characters are also clearly sympathetic even as they do quite horrible acts at times - tho poor Loki's scenes were deleted, and Faramir's more humanizing scenes were strictly in the Extended Edition. And that sympathy only intensifies after they both sacrifice themselves, in more ways than one, for their respective homes and fathers. Loki basically attempts to embody Asgardian values by commiting genocide against his own race (the destruction of Jotunheim) - which he does to end the war, and keep Asgard safe, he does it for Asgard and Odin - only to attempt suicide after he fails both in that and in gaining any love or approval from Odin. Whereas Faramir goes on a literal suicide mission to reclaim Osgiliath, knowing it's impossible - but he does it anyway, all for Gondor, and for the slightest hope that he might win even the smallest bit of affection from Denethor, even if he has to die for it. You can also argue that Faramir, like Loki, sacrificed his moral integrity when he partook in torturing Gollum, and attempted to steal the Ring - which he did to protect Gondor and please his father. Faramir's devotion to Gondor and Denethor is nearly identical to Loki's devotion to Asgard and Odin. The similarities between them are many, and they both kind of start out at the same place: in the antagonist role. Yet when you look at how each story plays out, both characters are treated very differently by the writers and directors.

Faramir, I feel, was ultimately treated with far more care, consideration and respect, and aside from Peter Jackson heightening Faramir's hostility towards the hobbits and Gollum to amp up the drama, in the end, he's still shown a considerable amount of compassion by the writers, even back in TTT Extended Edition. Like in the flashback scene with him and Boromir, which shows the two brothers embrace and celebrate their victory by being in each other's company, only for Denethor to show up and disregard Faramir right on the spot, when he specifically only calls Boromir's name, only exclaims his pride in Boromir and only Boromir, and the entire mood sours into glum and bitter as a result. By the time The RotK sets in, and you finally see how Denethor treats his youngest son through Pippin's eyes... it's clearly shown to be deeply upsetting and unfair, and just... unquestionably wrong. The music in that scene alone shows just how awful Denethor's treatment of Faramir is, from the ominous tones to the mournful pan flute.

I don't know how else to explain it, except...the horrible things that happen to Faramir, despite him being a far more grayer character in the films, is shown to be absolutely horrible. There's no..."well he did bad things so he deserves it," there's no "but he was mean so who cares!" (And I just have to add, that this is absolutely true for Gollum too - like I don't think any scene where he's being beaten, humiliated, and spoken down to - yes even when it's inflicted by a genuinely heroic character like Sam - is meant to be viewed in any positive way at all - quite the opposite in fact, cause the films never shy away from showing just how deeply tragic Gollum truly is.) None of the writers, nor the director, nor the composer say anything like that at all, and it shows, cause the films show just how awful it is.

Like compare that with Loki getting tortured by Thor (god I hate that fucking scene) in Ragnarok, or any scene in the Loki series (cause there are numerous ones to choose from). Those scenes are played as jokes. Or how about the scenes in the first Thor, and The Dark World, the ones between Loki and Frigga, or Loki and Odin - and I guess this is why I can't actually love those films even when they have the best depictions of Loki in the MCU. Because despite the terrific acting (mostly from Tom Hiddleston) they just feel too neutral. Indifferent almost. With the exception of the vault scene, they feel... I don't know, too understated in a way. Like the abuse is somehow being downplayed, and brushed over - even when it's not being outright excused the way it is in later installments. Like the writers are too afraid to commit to portraying Odin as an abuser somehow. The writers definitely didn't intend to show Frigga in that light, that's for sure. Even in the earlier films, the filmmakers wanted Loki to be sympathetic (but not too sympathetic), and they wanted Odin to be shown as distant and hypocritical (but not too much), and as for Frigga, well she's just supposed to be wonderful! And that's kind of why I think there's all these weird takes from fans (aside from having different writers and the numerous inconsistencies). Like Frigga being the best mom, Odin being "bad at communication" who "did his best to be a good father" (ugh!), etc. Not even sure what I'm trying to say here, just - I don't think these characters were ever allowed to be shown in that light, they were never meant to be seen as these abusers who inflicted so much irreparable harm to Loki - even when that's exactly what the films unintentionally have shown. Like - the writers and directors constantly come up with these excuses, even in the earlier films Loki's sympathetic scenes end up getting deleted because in the end, they don't really want us to feel too much compassion for him, despite all he's been through - cause he's The Villain. He isn't supposed to be too sympathetic.

And I never see this with Faramir, I never see the writers defending or condoning Denethor's downright terrible parenting at all. And honestly, I don't think it was just the framing... cause he was definitely an antagonist. At least, in the second film. He isn't degraded by any of the writers, he isn't turned into a scapegoat, or a punching bag (and neither is Gollum for that matter). His abuse isn't applauded or praised at all, or laughed at, or rationalized. And it's never shrugged off, or downplayed.

It's just shown, the way abuse is supposed to be shown. It's tragic. It's upsetting, and the films make sure to show you just how upsetting it is. And most of all, the harm that's inflicted by Denethor, the harm he inflicts on his youngest son - it's shown intentionally, not by accident, not half-heartedly. It's all purposefully depicted, and I think the story is made far more richer because of that.

I just realized these 2 princes have so much incommon...

[idjitlili]

Stop wait and listen baby that’s my pilosophy.

A request for @medievalmage

'Hello! Would you do a Faramir x reader where you’re out scouting with him and his brother and it’s night time and you end up falling asleep on his shoulder. Then Boromir won’t stop teasing Faramir abt it the next day and it’s adorable af and you just sorta kiss Faramir to stop Boromir’s teasing. Thank you!'

Hiya my dude,so sorry this is very late, I just haven't been feeling Faramir at the moment,but honestly I cant deny requests ,so here we are. I've been very busy making a teapot and bread,plus being tired. I hope this is alright for you.

Summary:Imagine growing up with Faramir and Boromir,you had liked Boromir when you were younger,but as you matured you lost them feelings and gained them for his younger brother.

Word count:1430

It was no lie growing up you had deeply liked Boromir ,how could you not?Gorgerous hair ,gorgerous face,charming. You had been bestfriends growing up ,well with his brother Faramir ,just friends with Boromir. Faramir never knew of your feelings for his brother;and he was the person you trusted the most.

Anways growing up,you would often spar with them ,westle ,whatever ,they taught you how to fight in fact ,when you were young. They thought you being close to the stewards sons could cause evil to try get a hold of you ,to get what they wanted from the stewards sons, gold and such.Yeah so they taught you how to defend yourself from danger,it took a while but you got there eventually. In fact it caused you to become much more close to the brothers ;you would wrestle with them after that. As you became much more accustom to their physical contact.

Your mother would tease you asking which one would you marry,she didn't have any problem you being around them,knowing they would become noble men. She was very pleased to discover that you had een trained to be able to defend yourself. However your father was not so pleased with you for being so close to these men,well teenages right now,as the years progressed his hatred died down. They would often come over for dinner,as you all would ride into the freelands for training and camping. When you would come home the next day ,it would be time for supper,so you'd invite them round.

Your father grew to like them ,even laugh with them,but he did question in secret with your mother when your marriage with faramir would be revealed. Your mother may of knew who you had liked ,but she knew you would grow to love one of them ,more than a school girl crush. Your father already knew from the look in Faramir and your eyes when they would meet from across the table.

You were only a young adult when you had joined the rangers with Faramir,which he allowed because he wouldn't let any harm come to you,plus he knew you could defend yourself.  That is what he would tell himself ,but in reality ,he wanted to spent as much time with you ,and be close to your as much as he could without being weird.

Anyways you two did grow close after just a week of working together ,constantly in each others presences. Truthfully everyone else that were apart of the rangers were men,they kinda scared you ,so you stayed by someone you tursted with your your whole heart,faramir. After that week ,you began to fall in love with the stewards youngest son. One or two of the rangers had degraded you ,or made some sorta sexual comment ,Faramir would appear and give them shit. After he would make sure you were alright,looking at you deep in your eyes,within two weeks you definitely began to realise that you were in love with your life long bestfriend.

That was over two months ago,you Faramir were closer than ever ,but you were about to be closer. Denethor II your bestfriends father ,had sent you ,Faramir and Boromir out scounting. Well actually Denethor was like 'Boromir go scout with some other dudes' not those exact words of choice ,so Boromir had chosen you two of course.

So you had taken your horses to go scout the forests ,near Gondor for spiders nest ,or orcs that could be planning to attack. You three had spent all day searching ,only to find nothing. Before you all knew it ,it was almost dark,you had made camp before you all gathered firewood. With that soon a fire was lit and you were all sat around the fire.  

You had forced the boys to help you peel some potatoes ,before putting them in the pan on the fire in some water. Sam would be proud to know you were making mash potatoes. They didn't take long ,your bellies were quickly filled. You had sat very close to Faramir as you were used to with all the other rangers ,as there was less spaced. General conversations ,and some of Boromirs battle stories were shared.

Yet soon your eyes grew heavy ,as the night grew dark,you hadn't even realised you had been leaning on faramir. You could not think about such a thing ,as you fell into sleep ,causing your head to rest upon faramirs should, he had wrapped his arm around you to support you up,but actually it in a few minutes you were against his chest ,clinging onto him.

Faramir had just watched you peaceful in his arms ,until his brother had caused him to break that gaze. "you know she loves you?" he had spoken sincerely ,he had seen it for a long time,such as your father. "don't give me hope when there is none ,brother." faramir was annoyed at the state,ment ,as he really did love you ,but he couldn't see that you felt the same about him. "then why is she so comfortable to lay on top of you? It seems to me that is not the first time." faramifrhad blushed ,but thankfully the flames of the fire had hidden that ,it was true ,you had down this many times before.

"just you see tomorrow I shall get the truth."

And Boromir was true to his words he would get the truth ,even if he had to go to you and get you to admit your feelings. Instantly when you we awake ,being last up, Boromir had began the teasing. He had been sat upon a log ,carving a small piece of wood with a sharp small knife. You had sat upon out of Faramirs hold ,beginning to brush your hair,allowing Faramif to finally sit up.

"So brother, when can i expect a nice or a nephew?" the smirk was clear in his voice, Faramir had sighed ,you turned to the brothers confused. "w-what? you have a woman?"  you were beyond embarrassed you would not have dared to touch him ,he was your bestfriend why wouldn't he say anything. Now faramir's cheeks had flared up."n-no my brother is-" but Boromir had cut his bullshit off ,like a dogs nuts. " i just figured from how close you to were , that it can't be too long until you are pregnant." you had choked, lauching yourself at Boromir ,more like tackling him ,causing him to drop his knife ,straddling his chest,his arms above his head. "damn  I should expect one real soon then. Brother she has some moves." Faramir just watched in embarassment at the whole situation.

"you'd think for being my bestfriend,you would know im virgin,also we used to wrestle all the time ,it not kinky shit."  as soon as you were finished you had squeezed Boromirs cheekjs,before grinning. "you know as child ,I had a crush on you,Boromir." he had grinned back shaking his head no,faramir just stood a few feet away ,knowing you never liked him. "well uh that didn't last long,-" you had stood up ,holding out your hand for Boromir to take,in which he did.

"don't expect children soon ,but I do love your brother" you had walked over to Faramir cupping his cheeks ,pressing your lips swiftly to his,before walking over to your horse feeding it an apple from your bag on his saddle.   Boromir had smirked at his brother raising his eyebrows ,while ,Faramir was a beet still watching you.

"I heard everything last night,thats my pilosophy baby,."

[mairi-mia1]

FARAMIR

Faramir was the second son of Denethor II and the younger brother of Boromir. He was the Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien and Captain of the White Tower upon his brother's death.

Faramir was born in the year TA 2983 to Denethor II and Finduilas, daughter of Adrahil of Dol Amroth. The following year, his grandfather Ecthelion II died and his father, Denethor, succeeded him as the Ruling Steward of Gondor.

When Faramir was five years old, Finduilas died. Her death caused Denethor to become detached from his family. The relationship between Faramir and Boromir, who was five years elder of the brothers, grew much closer and greater in love. Despite the obvious way that Denethor favored Boromir over Faramir, there was no jealousy or rivalry between them. Boromir protected and helped him, and Faramir looked up to his older brother. Although the siblings were very similar in appearance with their dark hair and grey eyes, it was not so in personality. Boromir was defined to be the more daring one, as well as the more fearless and strong warrior. Faramir’s boldness was incorrectly judged less due to his gentle nature and love of lore and music.

It was this interest that formed a friendship between Faramir and Gandalf the Grey. The youngest son of Denethor learned of what he could from Gandalf’s wisdom and mentoring. Denethor did not approve of Faramir as the "Wizard's pupil", for he neither trusted nor liked the Istar.

Faramir's leadership, skill-in-arms, and swift but hardy judgment proved to be handy on the battlefield. During the War of the Ring, he was the Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien, who often skirmished with the allies of Sauron in that province. Faramir valiantly defended Gondor from the Enemy, but did not enjoy fighting for war’s sake.

In June of 3018, Sauron's forces attacked Osgiliath, under the command of the Witch-king, whose presence caused the soldiers to draw back across the Anduin. When the last bridge was destroyed, in which Boromir’s and Faramir's companies remained, the two brothers, along with two others, swam to shore and managed to hold all of the west shores of the Anduin.

The night before the assault, Faramir had a prophetic dream of a voice speaking the following riddle:

‟Seek for the Sword that was broken:

In Imladris it dwells;

There shall be counsels taken

Stronger than Morgul-spells.

There shall be shown a token

That Doom is near at hand,

For Isildur's Bane shall waken,

And the Halfling forth shall stand”

—Faramir's dream

It came to Faramir twice more and once to his brother, and the brothers told of their dream to Denethor, who only told them that Imladris was an Elvish name for Rivendell, home of Elrond. Although Faramir had wanted to go for Gondor’s sake and was originally chosen by the Council of Elders in Gondor, Boromir, with the urging of his father, stepped forward and claimed the right to the errand, deeming it to be dangerous and doubtful. The Gondorian traveled nearly four months to Rivendell, losing his horse in the process near Tharbad, and arrived just before the Council of Elrond.

On February 29, 3019 at midnight, Faramir, who was on guard duty on the western shore in Osgiliath, waded down to a boat floating down the Anduin River. To his grief, it contained the dead body of his brother, which was pierced with many wounds. In it lay his sword, broken, but there was no sign of the Great Horn, which he and his father had heard being blown far across the distance in the North three days prior.

(I’m not sure if it’s stated in the books if this was a vision or not, let me know guys if you know the answer!)

During a battle with Southrons, Faramir, who took over his brother's position as the Captain of the White Tower, encountered the Hobbits Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, recognizing them to be the Halflings his dream spoke of. After the skirmish, Faramir took the pair to Henneth Annûn and questioned them further.

Through intelligent questioning and intuition, Faramir determined that Frodo was carrying some great evil weapon of the Dark Lord of the Enemy. At this point, he showed the crucial difference between him and his proud brother:

“But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo.”

This is obviously a lot more different than how he was in the movies.

Sam accidentally revealed Boromir's desire for the Enemy’s Ring, Isildur's Bane. Despite the hobbits’ fears, Faramir remained true to his vow that he would not take it even if it lay on the highway, for he was wise enough to realize that such a weapon could not be used for good. With this knowledge, he also realized the peril his brother had faced.

On the very same night, Gollum was spotted fishing in the Forbidden Pool next to Henneth Annûn -- an act punishable by death. Faramir listened to Frodo’s pleas to spare Gollum’s life though, and after interrogating the creature he decided that Frodo and Sam would be free in the Lands of Gondor and Gollum under Frodo's protection. Giving them provisions, he sent them on their way to continue their quest. At their parting, Faramir warned Frodo of Gollum's treacherous nature and that the path Gollum had proposed (Cirith Ungol) had an evil reputation of old.

Faramir and his company retreated to Cair Andros, an island in the River Anduin that guarded the northern approaches to Minas Tirith. After noting that the sky was now covered in complete darkness, Faramir sent his company south to reinforce the garrison at Osgiliath while he and three others of his men rode to Minas Tirith directly. Along the way, they were pursued by the Nazgûl, riding fell beasts. The men, except Faramir, were unhorsed and it was the Captain, a master of both beasts and men, who was still horsed and rode back to aid the fallen. If Gandalf had not intervened, they would have surely perished.

Arriving at Minas Tirith, Faramir reported to Denethor and Gandalf of his encounter with Frodo and Sam. Denethor became angry that Faramir had not brought the ring to Gondor, wishing that he and his brother’s places were reversed, since Denethor believed that Boromir would bring the Enemy’s weapon to him.

Denethor sent his remaining son to hold Western Osgiliath against the hosts of the Enemy that outnumbered their own greatly. Although Faramir disagreed with his father’s strategy, he agreed to go.

The Witch-king overwhelmed the men of Gondor and won Osgiliath. Faramir drew back to the Causeway Forts, in which many of the men were wounded or killed. Faramir decided to stay with the rearguard in order to make sure that the retreat over Pelennor Fields would not turn into a disaster.

Faramir was gravely wounded by a poisonous arrow during the retreat. Fortunately, Gandalf and Faramir's uncle, Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, rode to the aid of Faramir and the troops with hosts of cavalry. Imrahil bore Faramir back to Denethor, telling him that his son had done great deeds.

Regretting that he had thanklessly sent his son off in needless peril without his blessing, Denethor, after looking in the Palantir, believing that the Ring was captured and the end was near, ordered his servants to build a funeral pyre for him and his son, who was believed to be poisoned by the Witch-king’s dart. Despite the protests of the Hobbit, Pippin Took (serving the steward in payment of Boromir's death) that Faramir was still alive, Denethor continued with this madness and released him from his service.

Horrified, Pippin went to alert Gandalf and Beregond, one of the Tower Guards. Beregond, who loved his captain enough to abandon his post and risk his life protecting him, stopped the servants from lighting the pyre. Pippin returned with Gandalf, who intervened by taking Faramir off the pyre as Faramir moaned out to his father in his dreams. Denethor took out a knife, trying to take Faramir back, but Beregond placed himself in front of Faramir. Seeing that he could not win, Denethor lit the pyre and laid himself down upon it, burning himself alive.

Then, Faramir was laid in the Houses of Healing until Aragorn came and revived Faramir with athelas. It was not a poisoned dart of the Witch-king that wounded him in a state near death as it was with Snowmane, but the arrow of a Haradrim, along with Faramir’s weariness and grief concerning his constantly strained relationship with his father and the Black Breath of the Nazgul, who, under Sauron's orders, hunted Faramir ever since he had left Ithilien. When he awoke, Faramir immediately recognized Aragorn as his rightful King, therefore realizing that no proof was needed after all.

Before Aragorn left to lead the soldiers to the Black gate, he commanded the Warden of the Houses of Healing to have Faramir and Éowyn to remain resting for at least ten days. After Éowyn demanded that the Warden take her to the Steward of the City to have her released so she could ride out in battle, Faramir, whose heart was moved with pity and pierced by her beauty, told Éowyn that he too, had to heed the advice of the Warden. He fulfilled her request to have her room look east to Mordor and asked her to talk with him at times.

Faramir and Éowyn walked together in the gardens nearly every day, and he learned from Merry Brandybuck of Éowyn's despair of feeling trapped, waiting on the waning of Théoden, and of Aragorn's rejection of her love.

On March 25, Faramir gave Éowyn a dark blue mantle sewn with silver stars that had once belonged to his mother, as they stood at the wall that looked towards Mordor. There, they saw a threatening darkness towering over and seeing this, Faramir told her of his dream of the Downfall of Númenor that the darkness threatening to overtake Middle-earth reminded him of the great wave that swallowed the land of Númenor. Somehow, to Faramir and the people of the city, a hope and joy welled in their hearts and he kissed Éowyn’s brow.

Éowyn, however, still felt languished and unfulfilled. Several days after he gave her the mantle, Faramir told her that he understood that she desired to be lifted in greatness and out of the cage she had felt trapped in, and when Aragorn only gave her understanding and pity, instead of love (which she later realized was a shadow of love), she had wanted to die valiantly and gloriously in battle. He told her that though he had first pitied her, he now loved her. There, Éowyn’s grief was fully healed, and no longer did she desire glory or greatness and realized that she had come to love Faramir in return.

Faramir briefly served as the Ruling Steward of Gondor, and began preparing the city for the King's arrival. On the day of the King’s official coronation on May 1st, Faramir surrendered his office, which was represented by the white rod of the Steward, kneeling as he did so. Aragorn however, gave the rod back, announcing that as long as his line would last, Faramir and his descendants would be Stewards of Gondor. After Faramir had asked the people of Gondor if they accepted Aragorn as their King (which they did), Faramir took the crown out and Aragorn was crowned King Elessar.

King Elessar appointed Faramir as the Prince of Ithilien, and Beregond to be the Captain of his guard, the White Company. As Prince of Ithilien, he and the Prince of Dol Amroth, Gondor's two highest-ranking nobles, became King Elessar's chief commanders. His duties also included acting as resident march-warden of Gondor's main eastward outpost, rehabilitating the lost territories, as well as clearing it of outlaws and orcs and cleansing Minas Morgul of evil remnants. Faramir also fulfilled the traditional role as Steward, acting as the King’s chief counselor as well as ruling Gondor in the King's absence.

After marrying Éowyn, the two settled in Emyn Arnen, where they had at least one son (named Elboron). Elboron would succeed Faramir as Steward of Gondor, Prince of Ithilien, and Lord of Emyn Arnen, after Faramir's death in FO 82. Faramir lived to be 120 years old, due to the large percentage of pure Dúnedain ancestry he possessed as a member of the nobility of Gondor. One of his descendants was Barahir, who may have been the son of Elboron.

Other names and Titles -

Captain of the Rangers of lthilien

Captain of the White Tower

Steward to the King of Gondor

Lord of Emyn Arnen

Prince of Ithilien