Pippin wondered if he had blacked out again. It had happened too quickly for him to be absolutely sure, but then he realized he must have. The last thing he remembered was trying to sit up, now he was lying on his back again and Faramir was at his side to check his condition.

Then he noticed a table had been brought over to the couch. The table was piled high with bread and juice, hard cheeses and brightly coloured raw vegetables. Was this for him? Probably, but Pippin felt it was best not to assume anything. He glanced questioning at Faramir and then at Beregond, hoping he didn't look as hungry as he felt.

"Yes, Pippin, this is for you," Faramir patiently assured him. "Beregond and I have already eaten and in any case, you need this more than we do." It frustrated him slightly that Pippin was so timid, but he certainly wasn't blaming him. Nervousness was common with hypoglycemia, and from what Beregond had told him, Pippin had been having a stressful time recently.

Pippin's eyes light up like fireworks. He blurted out a litany of thanks for both of them, bowed his head and said a prayer of thanksgiving, then started to eat using as much delicacy as he could manage. Faramir had to smile; amused by Pippin's reaction to what seemed like such a small thing. As Pippin ate, he began to relax, to Faramir's relief. Maybe now he could get to know him better.

"So, you knew my brother, Pippin?" he asked. His tone was conservational, but Pippin stopped suddenly stopped eating and looked panic stricken, not just uncomfortable. Faramir glanced at Beregond, shocked by this unexpected reaction.

"If I may say so, sir," Beregond offered, "Lord Denethor has questioned him about your brother quite intensively."

"True?" Faramir asked kindly. Pippin nodded. "Then I can wait and talk to my father about it, Pippin." The young hobbit audibly sighed with relief.

Small wonder he looked panic strickened, Faramir thought, knowing only too well how disconcerting his father could be. I can just imagine what Father must have put him through.

"Captain Faramir?" Beregond's voice cut into his reflections. "It's time for me to go on duty, sir."

"Very well, you're dismissed, Beregond and thank you," said Faramir.

"Yes, thank you, Beregond. I won't forget this!" Pippin exclaimed, starting to feel like himself again.

"We'll see each other again soon," Beregond promised, giving Pippin a smile as he left.

"Beregond is a good man, captain," Pippin told Faramir enthusiastically. "He and his son Bergil have been wonderful. They reached out to me and made me feel accepted here, and I really needed that because...." Pippin's voice caught in his throat and he had to blink wildly to keep his eyes from watering. He had keep himself from crying in front of Faramir. What would this noble warrior think of him if he failed to? Hopefully Faramir hadn't noticed how close he was to breaking down.

Faramir however, did notice and removed his mail armour. Pippin obviously had to get something out if he was going to be healed fully, and Faramir intended for him to be healed fully that afternoon. "It was good that you found a friend," he told Pippin sitting next to him. "It seems that you really needed a one."

Pippin nodded. "Boromir was my friend, too," he added quickly, feeling more at ease now that he knew Faramir wasn't going to interrogate him as his father had done. He also knew that talking about Boromir would help get the focus off himself and his painful memory. "Merry, my cousin Meriadoc Brandybuck, and I were feeling pretty vulnerable when we left on our... ah... journey. We felt out of place too, surrounded by seasoned warriors. They all treated us well and took good care of us, but it was Boromir who really made us feel loved and accepted. He made sure we ate and slept enough and he always took the time to talk to us when we were afraid or upset, for whatever reason. He even taught us how to sword fight so we wouldn't be completely helpless."

"Yes, that does sound like Boromir. It was just like that with us when we were growing up." Faramir could feel his eyes misting up, but in a good way. It was heartening to know that his brother's last days made a difference in another life. "Please tell me more", he invited.

Pippin felt touched by Faramir's genuine interest, and the smell of the slowing burning logs and the crackling of the fire added to feeling of warmth and communication in the room. So he eagerly told him all about the journey, remembering that he was to avoid any mention of Frodo and the Ring.

"Boromir saved our lives on Caradhas. We hobbits would have been buried alive without him and Ara.." Faramir's eyes widened slightly at this, but Pippin caught himself just in time and continued, "Without him and another man in our group clearing a path through the snow for us. Boromir even gave Merry and me his blanket that first night. We objected of course, but he insisted he was too warm anyway. I was a bit concerned about him, but he did seem to manage. In fact, we thought he could manage anything up until.Amon Hen. " Pippin looked down, almost whispering those last words.

"What happened at Amon Hen?" Faramir asked quietly, even though he knew.

"Merry and I were captured by orcs. Boromir made the ultimate sacrifice trying to save us," Pippin spoke quietly, but his voice was calm and steady. "We'll always be grateful for that even though he wasn't successful. At least not directly."

"Not directly?" Faramir raised his eyebrow slightly. This was something he hadn't heard before.

"Well, sir, as I mentioned, Boromir had taught us to sword fight. When he fell, Merry and I started to fight back and apply everything he taught us. We couldn't save Boromir or ourselves, but just the fact that we had done something kept us from panicking or letting our fear paralyze us as it might have otherwise. When I was a captive, of course I felt terribly frightened, but that didn't keep me from taking advantage of every opportunity I got. I was able to throw down my broach to let Ara. to let the rest of our company we had been there. The Riders of Rohan, who were hunting orcs at that time, finally saved our lives. When the orcs were falling around us, I managed to crawl over to a sword one of them had dropped and cut the ropes around my wrists. Then Merry and I were able to convince an orc named Grishnakh that we had the.ah... that we had something he wanted, and he dragged us away from the other orcs. That was how we were able to avoid being killed by the Riders. I'm sure Boromir would have done that too. What Boromir taught us saved our lives."

Faramir listened with fascination as Pippin talked animatedly about their time with the Ents and how they had witnessed the destruction of Isengard before being found by their friends. By now his polite interest in the young halfling had turned to admiration. He had forgotten about his own pain by that time. Having someone else to care about, and someone with whom he shared a common bond had completed his healing.

Then he remembered that Pippin still needed a healing of his own. Moving the table out of the way to get rid of any distractions he gave Pippin some napkins to hold, sensing he was about to put his finger on a sore spot. Pippin squirmed slightly, as if he knew what was coming, but he couldn't leave because he knew Faramir wasn't going to dismiss him.

" Isengard is quite a distance from Minas Tirith," Faramir commented, watching his reaction closely. "How did you come to be here?"

"I... I... made a mistake," Pippin stammered, as he felt his blood rush to his cheeks and wished with all his heart he could put the Ring on and disappear. "I took something and...I." He felt could almost hear his heart pounding and hoped it wasn't showing through his clothes.

Faramir put his arm around the young hobbit's shoulder as he started to shake with repressed emotions. The next minute Pippin was crying against Faramir's chest, no longer even trying to control himself. When he finally caught his breath, he looked up at Faramir as if seeking assurance that what he did was all right.

"It's very important to let your feelings out, Pippin," Faramir assured him. "I always remind my men of that after a battle, or a particularly stressful experience. This is part of the healing process. Now, can you tell me what happened? Take all the time you need."

When Pippin was finally able to share with him about the terrible incident with Palantir and what happened after it, Faramir was so shocked he almost fell off the couch. This young hobbit had encountered Sauron himself and barely recovered from the horror of the experience when he was abruptly separated from his best friend, indeed the only hobbit friend he had and suddenly found himself alone in a city that even humans found overwhelming. And he was still just a boy.

"Still, things haven't been all bad," Pippin concluded, more cheerfully. "I have friends here like Beregond and Bergil and you, I hope?" he added giving Faramir a shy smile.

"Yes, of course, Pippin. I was just thinking about brave you were, probably braver than I would have been in your situation."

"Me?" Pippin gasped in astonishment, "No sir, you're really brave, everyone thinks so. In fact, they think that you're amazing and rightly so. I just do what I have to day by day."

"So do I, Pippin," Faramir admitted. "I get as lonely and as frightened as the next person. Everyone does what they have to do, but some people get noticed more than others. I have to remind myself of that all the time in order to keep the right perspective."

Pippin said nothing for next few minutes. He needed time to process this information that seemed so surprising to him. Finally he ventured, "Sir, I know this sounds really inadequate, but I'm not sure what else to say. Thank you for everything; you really did a lot for me."

Faramir smiled and laid his hand on Pippin's shoulder. "It was good I could help, Pippin," he told him, "and you did a lot for me too. I have a sense of emotional closure that I was lacking before. I know now that Boromir's last days were well spent and that he kept his honour right up until the end. This time has been therapeutic for me."

So it was true, Pippin realized. Faramir with his aristocratic background and deserved reputation as a valiant warrior was a mortal just like Pippin, with the same emotions and frailties. Finally Pippin understood that on an emotional level as well as a rational one.

"Well, I'm glad, sir and if I can ever do anything more for you..."

The door opened at that moment. Pippin and Faramir looked up and saw Gandalf standing in the doorway. Both stood up as he entered and Faramir bowed his head respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Captain Faramir," Gandalf said politely, "It's good to see you again, although a bit surprising to find you here. And Pippin, I was looking all over for you. Have you been here all this time?"

"I was sick, Gandalf," Pippin replied. "I didn't plan on this, but it happened which is why I'm here now."

"Master Peregrin's problem needed to be attended to rather urgently, Mithrandir," Faramir added, "And it was best that he not be alone for some time after that."

Gandalf looked with concern at Pippin, who happily told him everything that happened and how wonderful Faramir had been and how he would do anything for Faramir if there was ever a need to. Faramir listened politely and smiled, but he had the strangest feeling that Pippin was going to get that opportunity before too long.