In His Stead (A Faramir fanfiction)

The Silent Soldier

I have not updated in sooooooo looooong. In fact, I think it's been two months?? More??
I feel so bad about it too...
And for that, I apologize!
Hope this somewhat makes up for the absence...xD

The memories came flooding into his mind unbidden, striking heavy emotion into his heart. Not once, not twice, not even thrice had he tried to dispelled these thoughts, but many times over. Yet they never ceased.

"Nay, the victory belongs to the two of us!"

"If this 'sharing of the victory' is to end the same as the time we tried to share a room and bed in our youth, I'd rather have you take claim of the victory now and skip the constant bickering over 'who got to sleep on the comfortable side of the bed'!"

Would they ever end?

"He is here."
"One moment of peace. Can he not give us that?"

Memories both light and dark, they were now mingled in his mind.

"Then at least, In my stead, tell Faramir I bid him goodbye. Tell him to keep up hope, and to remember this day always."

Long behind them now sat the city of Osgiliath, white and shining against the far away horizon. And yet further still sat the proud kingdom of Gondor, its walls gleaming and flags billowing white in the breeze. But to Boromir, the distance between himself and his beloved kingdom was nothing compared to the distance between him and his people.
His family.
His brother, most especially.

"Remember this day always, little brother. Today, life is good."

"Indeed. The victory and recapture of our city is a day I would have trouble forgetting."

With a sigh Boromir turned his focus back to the muddy path before him. It was no use dwelling on the past, he supposed. What was done was done and what was said had been spoken. The sooner he reached the Elven kingdom, the sooner he could return home to his beloved kingdom and its mighty people.

The light pitter patter of rain upon the full green leaves surounding him helped distract the Steward's son from his memories of the few days earlier, as did the heavy thumping of the horse's hooves against the ground in a clipping and clopping rhythm. The sky was starting to lighten slightly, yet rain still came down all around them in the wood in thin curtains. The rich smell of damp soil and fresh foliage brought Boromir to a peaceful set of mind, easing the tension he had had in his shoulders and calming his grip on the reins.

"Indeed, we shall be home before the changing of the four seasons."
He muttered reassuringly to himself. He peered back behind him towards his companion, the soldier. He sat stiffly on his horse, armor gleaming and dotted with rain water that still pelted down from the sky. The tinkering and the clattering of the water hitting his metal armor was the only thing that reminded Boromir that he traveled not alone, for the soldier had yet to speak in their two days of traveling.
Still, all Boromir could make of the soldier were a part of his light blue eyes, which darted about them unsurely. His grip on the reins was tight and his horse jittery from the amount of pressure the soldier was giving it through his nerves.

"Come now, solder. You have yet to utter so much as a sound! Tell me, why are you so silent on our journey thus far?" Boromir's strong voice carried back to the soldier on the slow breeze.

The soldier's gaze snapped to him immediately, but it did not linger there long. The man's eyes returned back to the ground in front of his horse, seemingly trying to evade conversation by peering out from under his helm and viewing the foliage around them.