Faramir followed me as I spoke with several of the rangers, my attempts to find suitable volunteers turning out to be surprisingly successful. I had several guidelines that I had decided upon earlier that I intended on following to the letter.

First, they must be unmarried and without children. This war had already taken too many husbands from their wives and fathers from their sons and daughters. I would not let it take more on my account.

Second, they had to be willing to go on the mission. This parameter was surprisingly easy to meet, as almost all of them were eager to do their part to help the kingdom, or at least kill orcs. I didn't care which.

Third, and finally, they had to be recommended by Faramir himself as exceptional warriors. He knew each and every one of them well, and his opinion was invaluable in finding men that fit the bill.

Ohtar, the tall ranger who had accompanied us to the hideout, was my first choice. Strong, brave, and somewhat prone to recklessness according to Faramir, he was a natural fit for the task at hand. When I told him of the mission he responded with the utmost enthusiasm.

The second man I chose was a silent older man named Uirion. He had been surprisingly stand-offish when I introduced myself, but his eyes had lit up with a zealous fire when I told him what he was signing up for. "Anything to hurt Mordor," He had said in a way that made chills run down my spine. Aside from mentioning that he had been in the military most of his life and had led a distinguished career, Faramir had little to say about him. It seemed that Uirion unsettled him as well.

My third choice was a recommendation from Faramir himself. The middle-aged man named Thorondir was hailed as "the best shot in Ithilien" by Faramir and a quick display of his talents almost immediately confirmed this. I watched with growing admiration as the ranger fired arrow after arrow at coins that Faramir threw into the air. Each time an arrow left Thorondir's string, a distinctive clink could be heard a split second later as the arrow found its mark in midair.

The ranger gave me a roguish grin as he idly spun an arrow in his hand. "I may not be the best shot in Middle Earth," he began with a slightly smug air. "But nobody's proven that yet."

I raised an eyebrow slightly, giving the man an approving nod. "You have a wife, ranger?"

He let out a short bark of a laugh. "I've been with many ladies, Captain. Ladies from Dol Amroth, Lamedon, Pelargir... But none of them have been able to put up with me for that long."

His suave demeanor would have annoyed me if he were anyone else, but for some reason I found it amusing with him.

The question that followed came naturally. "Have you fathered any children?"

"Not that I know of," Came the wry answer. I expected nothing less at this point. I couldn't help but return his sly smile as I evaluated him in my mind. He was just what I was looking for.

I turned to Faramir and lowered my voice as we slowly walked away, leaving Thorondir to resume his archery practice. "He seems like a good choice. Are you willing to spare him for this?"

Faramir gave a curt nod. "He and one of my other rangers got into a rather serious fight a week or so ago. They need to be separated somehow, and this might be the best way to do that."

My brow furrowed. "Might I ask what the fight was about?"

Faramir rolled his eyes in an unusual display of emotion. "You know how soldiers are. They got to talking, started trying to better one another's stories... But this time it came to blows. Thorondir tends to have a temper."

"Ah," I said. "Good to know."

As we rounded the corner a ranger barreled into both of us, falling back embarrassingly onto his rear as I instinctively braced myself at the impact. Faramir let slip a laugh as the ranger recovered.

"Watch where you're-" He began. I immediately recognized the voice, slightly higher than my own but with the same inflections and tone.

"Eradan?" I asked, squinting a little in the torchlight.

"Turin!" The ranger rose, immediately enveloping me in an embrace. I hadn't seen my brother in nearly a year, not since the fall of East Osgiliath. Even in that short time, he had changed much. His hair, once long and curly, was now cut short in a style popular with many soldiers, and his beard had been shaved completely off. All that remained was the bright twinkle of his sky-blue eyes, eyes that had always reminded me of our mother.

"It's so good to see you Turin!" He exclaimed excitedly, finally releasing me. He looked me over, jokingly looking at my new armor in the way a sergeant would inspect a new recruit. "Mhm... Mhm..." He circled around, pursing his lips appraisingly. "Captain, eh? I suppose they must have gotten truly desperate to promote you, of all people."

I let out an indignant laugh. "What, and you think they should've promoted you instead?" I swiftly put him into a headlock, tousling his hair as he joined in laughing. He struggled to free himself from my grip, but his efforts proved to be fruitless. I let him go after a moment, wiping tears of joy and mirth from my eyes.

"How've you been, Turin?" He asked, a smile still brightening his ruddy face.

"As well as can be expected," I replied as I turned to Faramir. "I found my fourth member."

Eradan raised an eyebrow. "Fourth member? For what? Are we starting a band of traveling bards?"

Faramir attempted unsuccessfully to hide his own smile, but I noticed that there was a certain sadness in his expression. "I'm sure your brother will fill you in on the details. It is good to see the two of you reunited."

I realized then that he must be thinking of his own brother, Boromir. He had left for a faraway land as a messenger for Denethor, and, to my knowledge, he hadn't been heard from since. I couldn't imagine the feeling of not knowing whether Eradan was dead or alive. There had always been the possibility of one of us dying, but never that gnawing doubt that most likely tore at Faramir's heart like a ravenous beast.

I gave him a sympathetic smile, and fortunately the temporary moment of meloncholy was cut short by a scout approaching Faramir and whispering something into his ear. I immediately gathered from Faramir's frown that it wasn't good news.

"I hate to do this to you, Turin," he said after a moment of thought. "But I need to ask something of you."

I nodded. "What is it?"

He looked down at the ground for another long moment before once more meeting my gaze. "My healer refuses to leave when there are men too wounded to walk. I know that your mission is of the utmost urgency, but I cannot leave her here undefended. All I ask is that you stay here with her long enough for her to heal those men. It shouldn't be much longer than a day."

I bit my lower lip. We didn't have time to waste... But I knew that my only hope of getting the volunteers I needed was to cooperate with him. The missive meant virtually nothing out here, the steward no longer even held sway over these lands.

I gave a reluctant nod. "Only one day. No longer."

Faramir let out an audible sigh of relief as the stress lines around his eyes faded. "Thank you, my friend. You have no idea how much this means to me. Aerel is a good woman, but stubborn. If she says she's staying somewhere, not even the Dark Lord himself could make her leave." He began to lead Eradan and I back toward the main grotto, our footsteps echoing hollowly off the rough stone walls.

"She would make an excellent addition to your team as well, Turin," He said as we rounded a corner. "Her knowledge of herbcraft and alchemy are second to none in Gondor."

"But you yourself said that she's stubborn," I countered. "I need soldiers on this mission, not mavericks who do whatever they fancy."

"I'm sure you realize that none of the men you chose are traditional examples of soldiers," he asserted, nodding toward Eradan. "Except him."

Eradan sneered jocularly. "How kind of you to say so."

I shook my head. "We don't need a healer."

"You might find that you do, when things seem darkest," Faramir said. "Trust me on this judgment. She will prove invaluable to you all."

I set my jaw, preparing to argue the point. I needed warriors. I very much doubted that Aerel was trained in combat at all, much less a fighter. She would only slow us down.

Faramir held up a gloved hand to stop me. "At least meet her first. She may make a convincing case for herself."

Though I doubted his words, I nonetheless followed him as he led us into the makeshift healing ward that had been set up in one of the side caves. Beds lined the rough-hewn walls, though to my surprise only a few of them were occupied. A younger woman, most likely a little younger than me, glanced up from her task of changing the dressings of one of the wounded men as we approached. She brushed a strand of stray hair from her forehead, mustering a kind but stressed smile.

"Captain. Eradan," she nodded to Faramir and Eradan before looking me over.

"This is Captain Turin, he just arrived from Minas Tirith," Faramir said, motioning toward me.

"That is a long ride, you must be tired," she began, rising to her feet and brushing her hands on her apron. "I hope the journey was pleasant."

I pushed away the sights that came flooding back to my mind at the thought, returning her smile politely. "As pleasant as can be expected in such turbulent times, m'lady."

"What brings you to Henneth Annun?" She inquired, her expression one of civility rather than genuine curiosity.

"I'm just a messenger bringing orders from Lord Denethor," I said. I didn't want to mention my true purpose, though Faramir quickly clarified it, much to my disdain.

"He has orders to destroy the bridge at Cair Sirion," he said, shooting me a look of slight annoyance. "But until then he will be guarding you and the wounded men staying behind here."

"Then I suppose we'll be seeing much of each other in the days to come," she said, curtseying graciously before moving on to her next patient. I gave her a curt bow as she left, turning to Faramir with an expression of consternation.

"You're not giving me a choice, are you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "As I said before, I have a feeling that she'll prove her worth to you. And as my lieutenant, the men you're taking with you will follow her orders, even if they're perhaps loathe to follow yours."

I couldn't argue with him there. Save Eradan, none of the others knew me. If the situation grew dire, I would need assurance that they would continue to follow orders, and perhaps Aerel would be that assurance.

"Very well. But you owe me an ale when I return to Minas Tirith," I said, my frown fading.

Faramir let out a laugh. "Should we both survive what's to come, I'll gladly pay for your liquor."

"You'd better," I said, outwardly joining in the laughter. Inwardly, though, I knew in my heart that the chances of both of us living until then were low. For both of our sakes, I hoped that we'd beat those odds.