Author's note: This is a tale that was inspired by little boys wanting to grow big, and older brothers and the kindness they might display. Boromir is determined to teach Faramir to ride, even if his brother is too small for a real horse.

Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Ring, I only borrow parts of it and shall return them as soon as I am done. Completely undamaged, as I am certain it will be impossible to see where we glued the pieces back together.

Riding Lessons

Faramir stood at was considered a safe distance away and watched his older brother ride on a horse.

It was actually a pony, Boromir was not allowed to ride the bigger horses yet. Faramir was not big enough to be allowed to go near the horses yet.

Riding looked like a lot of fun.

He had been on a horse a few times. He had been sitting in front of his mother in the saddle then, and once even in front of his father in the saddle. Their father always took Boromir to ride with him, because he was the oldest and the heir. Once though, he had lifted up Faramir on his horse.

Faramir was not jealous on Boromir, not for such a small thing, but it would be so much fun to be allowed to ride with his father again. He had been so high up, and he had felt like he was older than he was.

When Boromir's lesson was ended Denethor called his name.

Faramir ran over there as fast as he could, only slowing down for the last few yards as he recalled that he was not allowed to run near the horses.

"You may pet the horse now Faramir." Denethor lifted him up so that he could reach to pet the soft nose of the pony. Faramir giggled when the pony blew a gust of air in his face.

"Father, when may I learn to ride?" He asked and giggled again as a curious pony dug his muzzle into his small body in search for hidden treats.

"You are to small Faramir." Denethor told his youngest son. "It shall be two or three more years at least before you are big enough."

Faramir tried not to look disappointed. It was not easy to always be so small.

He was small for his age, and he was always to small to do all the fun things that Boromir did. He was to small to go out and play without someone there to look after him.

"Father, how does one get bigger?" He asked hopefully. Perhaps he could get bigger faster, and then he would not be to small anymore. If any one knew how to get big fast it would be his father.

"Well, one eats one's porridge." Denethor said as he was not quite sure why his youngest son asked that question. "Goes to bed when one is told to, and one is an obedient child." Denethor smiled as he suddenly understood, and he was proud over the young child. He did not wail with disappointment. It seemed that instead he tried to solve the problem by figuring out a solution to it.

"You can not decide how fast you shall grow Faramir, it takes time. But I do not say that you are too small just to keep you from something fun. See how big even that small pony is. You could not reach the stirrups. And you do not have the strength to hold him by the reins yet. You could get very badly hurt."

He put Faramir down again and turned to Boromir. "Now you take him into the stable, and I want both horse and tack to shine."

As Boromir lead the horse away Denethor turned back to Faramir who stood silent and chewing his lower lip.

"Do you understand that it is because I do not want you to get hurt?" Denethor asked him.

Faramir nodded. "I am always so small that everyone is afraid I will get hurt if I do anything." He mumbled. "I do not want to be small father, I want to be big like you and Boromir, but I can't." He sniffed a little even if he tried to act like a big boy, and not show that he was disappointed.

"I know that it is hard to be small." Denethor soothed. "But you shall grow in time to, and then think of all the fun you shall have."

Faramir brightened up a little at that.

"Father." He said silently, and Denethor had to keep form smiling at such a serious voice from one so very young. "Until I grow bigger, do you think that I could get to ride with you again, like Boromir does, Just once, it was so much fun. I know that Boromir is older, but I would like to just once." Faramir spoke faster and faster until the words were jumbled together into one.

"Perhaps Faramir, but I can not promise you that. Boromir is the heir and so our people expect him to be the one riding with me." Denethor explained. Faramir was just three years old, and barely that. He spoke like a child older, partly because Boromir was the only one he spoke with who was not an adult.

Yet he was so very small, Denethor would not dare to let him near the horses on his own, he could get trampled by the big brutes as easily as a mouse would.

"I know." He murmured, he was not able to fully hide the disappointment on his face.

"We shall see Faramir, there should be some time when you could ride with me." Denethor said. "And until then you shall get to ride with your mother."

Faramir nodded, he liked riding with his mother, she was always telling him stories, but it was only when riding with his father that he felt like a soldier of Gondor.

"Now come, we shall make sure that Boromir takes good care of the horse." Denethor told him and Faramir followed along.

Faramir offered to help Boromir to brush the horse, but again he was too small. Denethor was afraid that the horse would hurt him, even if it was just a small pony. Boromir could not reach the highest spot on the animals back and neck, and so Denethor helped him. To think then what the pony could do with Faramir who stood near shorter than the animals leg. If Faramir were to pet the nose he had to be lifted up, or the horse had to bend its neck.

Instead Denethor told him to sit out of the way in the haystack. Faramir sat there silently watching as his father and brother brushed the horse, and then as Boromir cleaned the tack of before putting it away.

When they walked back up to the citadel Boromir help his hand, and chatted eagerly to their father about his next riding lesson that would be the next day.

In the nursery he had some wooden toy horses that he played with when Denethor delivered him there, Boromir had other lessons and so could not play with him.

Findulias sat in the rocking chair with her embroidery hoop and watched him play. He spoke out loud what was happening, and there was a lead soldier who was told that he was to small to go near the horses. She knew that he enjoyed to go with Boromir for his riding lessons, but apparently Faramir was beginning to tire of being the youngest.

Later that evening she spoke to her husband about the young child's game.

"He is too small, if I put him on a horse he could get seriously hurt." Denethor objected.

"He is too small, yes." Findulias agreed. "And he is being told so several times every day, on everything from riding a pony to sword practice with his brother. If he asks a question he is often told he is too small to understand the answer. Denethor, any other child would have been screaming and raging, but instead he is trying to hide his disappointment."

"What am I to do about it?" Denethor asked. He agreed that Faramir was very mature in how he handled his disappointment.

"Let him be big enough just once." Findulias suggested. "When you give Boromir his riding lessons, why not ride yourself, and take him in the saddle. I heard his game this evening my love, he adores you above all, and nothing makes him as proud as when you do that. Surly he could not come to harm that way."

Findulias had long since learned that there was no way she could keep her children safe from everything. She could just hope for the best.

"I had not intended to ride myself." Denethor said thoughtfully. "But I might do it. I am proud of the little one and of how good he behaves."

Meanwhile Faramir had been put to bed, but he could not sleep. He was still trying to figure out how he could grow bigger fast. It was only two days since one of the guards had near run over him because he was to small for them to see him. Boromir always held his hand if they walked anywhere because he was to small.

Well, he was tiered of being so small all the time. He was going to grow, he would do everything he could to grow bigger.

The next morning he tried to eat as much porridge as Boromir did. Findulias watched him as he struggled to empty his plate. The children had been taught not to take more than they wanted, but it was hard for one so young to know how much he wanted, and besides she had a feeling that it had something to do with a desire to grow.

Therefore she said nothing when he could not finish it. Boromir's riding lesson was canceled that day because the rain was poring down. Instead he was put to study history and tactics under Findulias supervision.

The door leading out to the balcony was left ajar because Findulias enjoyed the freshness the rain brought to the air.

"It'll be good for all growing things." The nurse said. She was knitting while Findulias once again sat with her embroidery. It was to be a tunic Faramir had been told, a new one for him, but it looked to be much too big for him. It seemed he once again was too small for everything.

Boromir was sitting with the book, and was discussing its contest with their mother.

Then Faramir was struck by the nurses words, the rain was good for all growing things. With a smile as he realized he now had the means to grow faster Faramir quietly stood and sneaked off towards the open door.

He slipped outside onto the balcony, the rain was cold, very cold, and it was hammering down hard, but if it made him grow he did not care about that, not even if he shivered.

There was a large clay pot with a small sapling growing there, he measured how high up on the sapling he reached, so he would know how much he grew. Then he sank down on the floor and tried not to shiver.

It was in the middle of one of Boromir's recounting of a battle that Findulias thought that Faramir had been very quiet for a long time, she looked up to see if he had fallen asleep and was alarmed when his toy horses and lead soldiers lay abandoned.

"Where is Faramir?" She stood and searched around the room while the nurse and Boromir also shoot to their feet.

There was no place where a child could hide in the nursery, the couch where they sat the only one.

"He is too small to reach to open the door." Boromir stated. "And it is still closed." His little brother had to be in the room, but there really were no place to hide there, they always had to go somewhere else to pay hide and seek.

"Oh, no. The balcony!" Findulias cried.

All three of them ran to the door and opened it fully, as soon as they were out on the balcony they saw Faramir sitting beside the young sapling in its clay pot. He was shivering and his lips were blue with cold.

"Oh, Faramir." Findulias cried and scooped him up to rush him inside again.

The child was soaked through and now his teeth were chattering. Findulias grabbed a blanket and wrapped around him. Asking the nurse to light a fire in the hearth.

"What were you doing out there?" She chided, still shocked after having discovered that he was missing from the nursery. "Oh little one, what were you doing out there?"

"Wanted to grow big." Faramir managed through chattering teeth. He was awfully cold now. Findulias took of the soaked clothes he wore and Boromir fetched a dry blanket that his little brother was wrapped in.

"I wanted to grow big." Faramir was afraid that they would be angry at them, for never had he thought that his mother would be so upset. He had thought that she would be proud of him when he had grown bigger.

"You'll catch ill if you are out in so cold rain." The nurse scolded. "That is all you shall catch. Young as you are you should have as much sense to know that."

Findulias cradled him close while Boromir crept up close and reached out a protective arm to hold around his little brother.

"Faramir darling, how did you think that it would make you grow?" Findulias asked as she rubbed his wet hair with a corner of the blanket.

"Said that it was good for all growing things." Faramir sniffed. He was still feeling icy cold and he wanted to cry. Because he did not feel bigger, and now the nurse seemed to be angry with him, and his father would scold him for having upset his mother so.

Now Findulias understood everything. Faramir had heard their comments about the rain, and he had thought that anything that was out in the rain would grow.

"Oh, my little darling." She rocked him back and forth. "Only grass and green things grow in rain, small boys do not."

"But I want to grow big." Faramir whined, no longer able to hold the tears at bay. "I want to grow big like Boromir."

Findulias sent the nurse after some hot broth before turning to comfort the young child. Boromir sat beside her with worry and determination on his face. Worry for his brother, and determination that he would not be scolded.

"Faramir, darling, you will grow to be just as big as Boromir." Findulias soothed. "I know that it is hard to wait, but there is no way to grow faster."

"I do not want to be small." Faramir dug his face against her chest. She was warm, and he wanted to be hugged close.

"You shall grow big later, I promise." Findulias soothed cradling him close.

"Maybe you are growing slowly because you will grow really, really big." Boromir said in an attempt to comfort his brother. "And it takes time to grow so big, I think that you will grow bigger than me, for I grow fast, so I do not have time to grow very much. If you grow slower you'll have time to grow much more big."

"Promise?" Faramir snuggled further into the warm comfort of the blankets, but Boromir's words made him stop crying.

Boromir nodded. "I know you will be very big." He said. "Because you take the time to do it right. I will probably grow backwards or something because I never take the time to do it right."

Faramir braved a smile at that, for he had heard many of Boromir's tutor said that he always was so impatient and tried to rush everything, and that was a bad thing. For even if he got done faster, it was never very good.

Then he began crying again because he had thought about something else.

"What is it darling?" Findulias stroked damp looks of hair away from his forehead.

"Are you angry because I was bad?" He sobbed.

"No Faramir, you were not bad." She bent to kiss the top of his head. "You could not have known what we meant by what we said, and we should have watched over you better."

She loosened her arms enough around him that Boromir could move in and hug him. With the fire and the blanket he was slowly beginning to feel warmer, but she was afraid that he would catch a cold for he had been out in the rain a long time.

"I am not angry on you darling, not the tiniest bit." Slowly he calmed down again and stopped crying.

She allowed Boromir to take him to feed him the broth, because Boromir was really good with Faramir when he was sad or upset.

Later that evening when it was clear Faramir had caught a cold, and therefore had been tucked into bed with his big brother to read him a story Findulias went to speak with Denethor again.

Denethor had to chuckle at it, the boy showed a notable determination for one so young, and he was fairly impressed at how he tried to strive the problems.

"I will make sure to find some time to put him on a horse when he gets better." He promised. "He has a sharp wit the little one to even think of making that connection."

"He really wants to grow very badly." Findulias smiled. "Boromir comforted him by saying that he was the smart one to take time doing it instead of rushing over it."

Denethor laughed as that was so much like his oldest son. Count on Boromir to turn slow growing into something good.

"One more thing." Findulias then said. "Faramir was afraid that we would be angry at him for it, so do not tease him about it. It is not easy for one so young to understand all of those things, and I do not want him to think that he have done aught wrong."

Denethor promised to be very careful about how he spoke to his son about the matter.

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The two days that Faramir spent abed with a fever Boromir spent with running around and scavenging things. Whenever he was not taking lessons or reading stories to his brother.

Findulias gave him an old blanket and lend him a pair of scissors even if he wanted to keep it secret what he was doing. Boromir was working on a surprise for Faramir and so was very busy.

When Boromir was done with his riding lesson he hurried back to the nursery. Faramir had not been allowed to go out and watch just yet, so Boromir had promised to hurry back to him.

When he burst inside Faramir had built a castle out of his wooden blocks, and he was now trying to construct a draw bridge for it.

"Are you feeling better now." Boromir asked as he knelt down to hug him. A support pillar in the mort toppled but Faramir did not care.

"Yes, but I did not grow bigger." He flung his arms around Boromir's neck, toppling the other support pillar as he did so, but it did not matter for it had not worked anyways.

"You do not have to grow bigger." Boromir beamed. "You are just the perfect size. Do you want to have your first riding lesson now?"

"I'm too small to ride." Faramir's lower lip pouted just a little.

"No." Boromir shook his head. "You are just the right size, in fact if you were bigger you would be too big, so it is really a good thing that you are not. Wait here, I shall go and fetch your noble steed."

Faramir looked at him dubiously and Boromir gave him a confident smile and hurried to explain. "You are a noble prince you see, so you can not get your steed yourself, I shall fetch him for you."

He darted out of the nursery and Faramir looked very confused, he felt very confused. He guessed that Boromir would let him ride on his back, but why did he have to leave the nursery first then? It did not make sense, then again it was Boromir doing it, so perhaps it was not strange that it did not make sense after all.

Then Boromir came back, and with him he had Denethor's big hound on a leach. No it was not a leach, it looked more like a bridle and reins.

Faramir giggled because the big dog looked very funny.

A part of an old blanket was across his back and tied into pace with a strip of blanket under the belly, just behind the front legs. There was also another strip of cloth that formed a sort of stirrups on his sides. The bridle and reins was also made out of strips of an old blanket.

Findulias hid her smile behind her hand, to imagine what Boromir could come up with to make his little brother happy. She knew of no one else who would think of transferring the large hound into a noble steed.

"All noble horses have silly names, so he shall be called king now." Boromir told Faramir. "Come now, I shall help you mount, and then you can learn to ride."

Faramir darted over and Boromir lifted him up to sit astride the hound, helping him to get his feet into the blanket stirrups.

Again Findulias strove not to laugh at the look the big dog gave Boromir. It was a very big hound, but even tempered and he had played with Boromir before. After having been forced into the saddle and bridle he clearly thought that he might as well accept the child on his back.

"There Faramir, now you look like a real prince." Boromir praised his little brother. "And you ride better than I do."

Faramir giggled so hard that he nearly fell off, but it appeared that Boromir was ready for he steadied him in time.

The hound was lead around the nursery by Boromir, and after making sure that Faramir held on Boromir even urged him into a trot for a short time. Faramir laughed loudly and Findulias laughed as well.

Then they slowed down again for Boromir knew that should he fall off onto the stone floor his little brother could hurt himself.

When he once again lead him around slowly, Denethor entered the nursery, he stopped in the doorway and stared at the sight of Boromir leading his dog along, and Faramir riding on his back.

"So that was why Boromir wanted to borrow him." He noted to Findulias. "However does he manage to make the hound put up with it."

"The dog loves the children." Findulias smiled. "And it is not every day that he gets to be called noble steed either. No doubt Boromir flattered him into it."

"Only Boromir would think of something like that." Denethor said with no little amusement in his voice.

"He takes good care of his little brother." Findulias smiled. "He has been very careful the whole time so that Faramir would not fall off."

"Look father, Faramir rides very good." Boromir cried as they went over to them. "Have you ever seen anyone ride so good before father."

Faramir seemed to be on the brink of falling of with laughter, but Denethor agreed that Faramir rode very well.

"I had thought that we would take your riding lesson tomorrow out on the Pelennor fields." He told Boromir. "That way you can ride on your pony, and Faramir can ride with me on my horse." Custom demanded that he took the heir with him, but not if the heir rode his own horse, and Boromir was skilled enough that they could ride out on the fields.

Two awe struck faces looked up at him.

"May Faramir really go with us?" Boromir asked.

"Yes, he can ride with me." Denethor assured the two children.

Faramir opened and closed his mouth several times, not being able to think of anything to say. "Thank you father." He finally managed.

"Better make the most of your riding lesson now then." Denethor smiled at him. "So that you are prepared tomorrow."

Both lads confirmed that they would, and Boromir hurried to continue the lesson.

The next day Findulias followed outside and lifted up Faramir to Denethor before they rode of. Seldom had she seen a child with bigger and prouder smile than the one Faramir displayed now that he was allowed to ride in front of his father.

Only one other came close Findulias decided as she watched them ride off, and that was Boromir's proud smiled as he watched his little brother there above him.

Boromir took good care of his little brother.

Another one who stood with Findulias and looked fairly relived was a big hound who now knew that he would not be made to act horse that day.

The End

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