A/N

Wow! You like it! You really like it! Thanks so much for all your reviews. They have definitely made my day.

Lilan: I don't really like the beatings much, either. But I had to do that to make this story, so I guess we all are going to have to live with it. I do like your softer Denethor, though. It really makes him a more realistic and human character. I might try to do a one-shot fic about Denethor the Misunderstood sometimes, but I doubt I would write it that well.

Also, I am glad that you liked what I did with the brothers, Faramir and Boromir. I was a bit hesitant to write that scene seeing as how I didn't have many words to describe their relationship.

The hate and love sentences were actually, quite literally, last minute. I hadn't liked the original words that I had put in, because, quite frankly, they didn't really connect with the feelings that I wanted Faramir to portray in later scenes. Thank you so much for your review!

Raksha the Demon, Ranan Ningue, and Midgette: Yes, Faramir is fantastic, isn't he?

Coolio02 and Lilan: Sorry that these chapters are so short! If you check my profile page, I added a few sentences explaining why. I am afraid, also, that this chapter is also a little short as well. I'll try better in future stories!

And thank you to everyone else who replied. You guys rock!

Disclaimer: check first chapter

Chapter One: The Healing

Aragorn walked idly through the Houses of Healing, deep in thought. He would leave Minas Tirith in a few days to ride to war and possible death. This was a chilling thought. The Houses provided for him a certain measure of peace impossible to attain in the rest of the White City.

He looked up to see that his feet had carried him to the door of Lord Faramir's room. From within he heard a strange sound, a type of mangled sobbing muffled by the heavy oaken doors. Without thinking too much about it, Aragorn entered the room to see what was wrong. Inside was Faramir, writhing and convulsing in his sheets.

Hesitating a moment in shock, but soon gathering his wits about him, the heir to the throne of Gondor crossed the room and gathered the feverish man up into his arms. Faramir burrowed himself up into the other's embrace, whimpering, "Boromir…Boromir… please don't leave. I feel s…so cold." Aragorn realized that the young man thought him to be his older brother. Murmuring words of comfort, he gently laid Faramir back down onto his pillows.

"What is the matter, my friend?" the king asked softly. Faramir replied, breaking into breathless sobs, "T…The nurses' t…they say that…that…father is…dead." Opening eyes that had been kept closed, he gasped in surprise when he saw Aragorn sitting beside him. "My lord, I am sorry to have been so disrespectful! I am afraid that I have not yet shown you the courtesy you deserve."

Faramir struggled to rise from his bed to bow, wanting to show the king that he adored and admired so greatly his loyalty, but was gently pushed back down by the kind hands of Aragorn. "Peace, Lord Faramir, allow your hurts to heal before trying to stand up again. You will only make them worse if you don't."

Faramir hung his head in shame, unable to do even the tiniest respects for his king. Oh, but there are so many hurts. He thought sadly. A slight movement caused him to wince slightly. Aragorn noticed this, and said, "Allow me to see your wounds."

Taking his words as a command, Faramir allowed Aragorn to remove his bandages. Noting with satisfaction that the arrow wounds were healing cleanly with no sign of infection, he opened his mouth to tell Faramir. But then the man noticed a scar. It could easily have been any old battle scar, seeing as how it was just a thin line of red skin that curved from the tip of Faramir's collar bone to his back. But something drew Aragorn to it, a feeling that something was not quite right.

Carefully turning Faramir onto his side, Aragorn looked at his back. He hissed with sympathy and shock, gazing in horror to see the skin disfigured with many cuts and welts that overlapped each other, barely leaving an inch of untouched skin. Faramir averted his eyes in shame as the king laid him back down. Aragorn saw this, and gripped the younger man's chin, forcing his subject to look at him.

"Who has done this and why?" He questioned forcefully, concern written over his face. Faramir spoke, quietly and hesitantly, "I will not name him, for he is now passed from this world and I do not wish to disrespect the dead. He was a great man, who I loved, but who, through no fault of his own, fell into darkness." Turning his face aside, tears streaming from his eyes, he spoke even more softly, "He was all I had left, and now he is gone. I am all alone." The last word faded off into the air, leaving the two men in a great silence. Shifting uncomfortably against his king's level gaze, he gave a start when he heard Aragorn speak.

"You are not alone. I will be here for you." And, so saying, he held Faramir's hand tightly and knelt before his bedside. So in awe was Aragorn of this man, who, despite all that had been done to him, had continued to love and forgive everyone, that he wished to somehow help him.

"I, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, swear by the blood of my ancestors that I will stand by you, Faramir, son of Denethor, till death takes me or you dismiss me from your sight."

Faramir looked on wonderingly as one of the greatest men in all of Middle Earth swore an oath of friendship to him. Him! Who could never live up to his father's expectations, Denethor's youngest brat, was being asked to be a companion to his king!

"Do you accept my fealty, and do you promise to return it?" "I do, with all my heart!"

And Faramir, at that moment, felt warmth spread over him. It was the warmth felt by those who knew that somewhere, someone in the world cared for them. It was the warmth that he had not felt for many months now, and was trying to understand once more. Even though there was a long time to go before Faramir would be able to fully break out of his shell of sorrow, it did crack slightly on that day. That day began the healing of the heart.

Dreaming is knowing

That there is something more

A friend is a star, glowing

Guiding me as I soar

A/N

I am finished! I hope you like this and what I did with Aragorn because this is has more talking than my other chapters. I don't like talking, because I am afraid of having them saying something that was OOC. If you have not yet noticed, I am quite paranoid about my fanfic.