Faramir Fiction Archive

Defiance (PG)

Written by Kissa

16 March 2008 | 910 words

Note: Written for the 25 fluffyfics community on LJ.
Prompt 8: Dinner.
A/N: Young Boromir and Faramir again, I can’t seem to get enough of their younger versions!
Disclaimer: I only borrow the characters and I’ll put them back once I’ve had my fun. This is all fiction.

---

Evenings were gloomy in Gondor, with shadows creeping along the walls as the three men in the dining room tried to make it seem that the enemy was only outside the gates and not amongst them as well, a different enemy though, more powerful as it was unseen and it had worked its way deep into the conscience of one of them.

As Denethor finished his speech, after making sure his youngest son had taken note of all the goodies on the table, he said:

“And until you cannot be convinced to perform your tasks at a satisfactory level, there will be no dinner for you. Now go, so Boromir and I may eat in peace!”

Faramir hung his head even lower and whispered a defeated: “Yes, Father,” before turning around and leaving.

Once the young one was out of the room, Boromir found he could not take another bite of his delicious roasted deer.

“Father, do you not think it is too strong a punishment for Faramir to deprive him of dinner for such a long time? After all, you may never be pleased with the way he performs his tasks…”

Denethor smiled to his first born whilst he grabbed the armor glove and hit Boromir with it across the face.

“Never bring him up while in my presence! And should you ever decide to question my decisions, think it over very well, as it will cost you dearly…”
The Steward said and bit into a chunk of meat.

Boromir’s stomach turned, partly because of his father’s behavior, partly from the pain of the blow. The metal glove had made the brain rattle inside his head and had broken his lip, making blood run down his chin.

He stood up and said he was no longer hungry, leaving the room at once.

As soon as the heavy door was shut behind him, he ran down the halls to the kitchens and opened the door to the storage room, stuffing two fluff-cakes in the front pocket of his tunic, then running out as fast as he’d come in.

His next stop was the cellar, where he grabbed a bottle of wine from, then rushing towards his and Faramir’s bedroom.

As predicted, he found Faramir sitting in the dark, sniffling.

“Brother dearest, hush… please Fara, it breaks my heart to see you weep!” he began, while making a spark to light up a candle.

Faramir seemed to only then be aware of his presence, because the sniffles stopped instantly and the little balled-up form sat up.

Boromir placed the cakes and the wine on the tray next to the bed and then sat next to Faramir, reaching out to pull him into a hug.

“We have sweets for dinner, darling!” he tried to sound cheerful, but he could feel his brother’s ribs even through the thick cloth of the warm nightshirt.

“Eat, Fari…please.”

“I am not hungry!”

“Please, do it for me… I cannot rest if you have nothing to eat all day. And I know this is not the first time you do this… You will put us both in our graves before time, you of starvation and me of a broken heart. Please, Fari, be careful…!”

“I have no reason to… Perhaps, if I die and get out of Father’s way, Gondor will be ruled better and everyone will be better off. It would be best if I died, I am not loved by anyone.”

Boromir watched in stupefaction for a few moments as Faramir modestly took a piece of cake and began to eat, eyes fixed on the floor. Seeing the little one’s loneliness, Boromir felt guilty and trapped, for not being able to take better care of his brother. His mind quickly began to work on a way to have dinner sent to wait in Faramir’s room when he was away, because if he could help it, his little treasure of a brother would not starve just because their degenerate father thought it the best way to discipline him.

Reaching to tuck a stray curl behind Faramir’s ear, he gently kissed his brother’s cheek before pulling him to sit astride his lap.

“Fara, dearest, never say no one loves you! I love you above all else…” Boromir said, lowering his voice for what came next – “even above Gondor!”

Faramir stopped eating and just burrowed closer into Boromir’s loose embrace, resting his head on his brother’s shoulder.

“But what happens when you are away? What will happen if one day you will not come back?”

To that never happening, there were no guarantees and they both knew it.

But Boromir would not give up. He knew his brother could see the future, or bits of it, but he was determined to make every moment they had together be worth remembering when he would not be there.

_end

Kissa’s 25fluffyfics

NB: Please do not distribute (by any means, including email) or repost this story (including translations) without the author's prior permission. [ more ]

Enjoyed this story? Then be sure to let the author know by posting a comment at https://www.faramirfiction.com/fiction/defiance. Positive feedback is what keeps authors writing more stories!