Faramir Fiction Archive

Elves, Orcs and the Road to Recovery

Written by KC

06 November 2004 | 58662 words

Part 21

"Whatever has he done now?" Faramir asked as Thranduil walked over and sat down beside him and the twins moved to sit on the other side of the campfire with Gandalf.

"Legolas is still very young for an elf, ion-nin," Thranduil began in way of explanation, "and still acts like an elfling at times. I wonder occasionally whether he will ever outgrow the tendency."

"I do not see why he should," Maglor commented as he stirred a pot of stew that hung over the campfire, "as his sire has not as yet."

The twins snorted and Faramir let out a strangled sounding giggle. Thranduil sent a glare in the direction of his Seneschal, softened somewhat by the twinkle in his eyes.

"Whatever he has done, Estel looked positively thunderous and..." Elladan began, looking in the direction his brother and friend had taken.

"...very wet," Elrohir concluded with a laugh.

"I will leave the explanation to Legolas. You still look exhausted, ion-nin. I do not like the look of the dark circles under your eyes," the elven King said as he looked at Faramir intently.

"I am fine, ada," Faramir assured his father.

Maglor snorted.

"He is still unable to stand unaided, mellon-nin," Maglor contradicted his young charge's assertion that he was fine as he continued to stir the pot.

Faramir glared at the Mirkwood Seneschal.

"That is only to be expected," Gandalf interjected, "given the strength and lengthy duration of my wizardling's recent display of ill temper. He channelled a vast amount of energy and will be weakened for a few days yet," the wizard admonished.

Faramir turned his glare on Gandalf and then on the twins both of whom were chuckling. Sighing, the young Steward rested his head against his father's shoulder who put an arm around his son's shoulders and drew him close.

---

Aragorn strode into the clearing, pacing up and down in front of the fallen log that Faramir was acquainted with so intimately, having been almost nose to bark with it on several occasions. Legolas came into the clearing tentatively and winced on seeing his friend's pacing - never a good sign with the human. Elven flight instincts took over and Legolas found himself half way up the nearest tree before being aware that he had even moved.

"Come down here this instant!" The King barked as he looked up into the tree in which the elf had taken shelter.

"I am not coming down until you calm down," Legolas replied as he moved higher up the tree.

"Do not make me come up there, mellon-nin," Aragorn threatened.

"I am not letting my backside anywhere near that... that... 'thing' until you have calmed down. Elladan and Elrohir call it a monster and Faramir whimpers whenever he sets eyes on it and my brother is no coward. It was an accident," the Mirkwood prince whined as he kept a wary eye on his friend's movements.

"An accident! An accident my foot! You deliberately pulled that branch back knowing that I could not dodge it on such a narrow path whilst on horseback!" Aragorn growled.

"Well... yes... I do concede that that part was deliberate but I did not mean to unhorse you. That was an accident," Legolas pleaded.

"Did not mean to unhorse me! You sent a bloody great branch flying at me but you did not mean to unhorse me!" the King of Gondor replied incredulously.

"No I did not and… well… you landed on a slope at least. They do say that is easier on the body than falling onto flat ground," the hapless elf reasoned.

"You mean the slope that I rolled down, head over arse, for three hundred yards only to end the painful trip in the river raging below?" Aragorn snarled.

Legolas winced. Aragorn had made quite a spectacular display as he rolled from the top of the hill all the way down and into the river below. He was sure to have quite a collection of bruises, the elf thought.

"Well… the water was a soft landing," Legolas argued, grasping at straws as he tried to reason with the angry human.

"Yes, mellon-nin. The water *was* a soft landing but the fall the raging river swept me over was not!

"It was not an overly large waterfall," the elf replied in a small voice.

"It was over thirty feet, you blasted wood elf!" Aragorn shouted.

"You are not calming down, Aragorn," Legolas said plaintively as he clung to the trunk of the tree.

"Do not make me call your ada or Maglor," Aragorn warned as he looked up at Legolas.

"I cannot believe Maglor gave that ... that 'thing' to you!" the elf exclaimed indignantly.

"Are you or are you not going to come down?" Aragorn asked as he glared up at his friend. Legolas glared back at Aragorn but climbed down the tree grumbling curses the whole time. "Faramir is having a bad influence on your vocabulary, mellon-nin," Aragorn added as he sat upon the fallen tree and lay 'Faramir's Bane' beside him.

Steeling himself for what was about to happen, the Mirkwood prince walked over to Aragorn, loosened the ties of his leggings, pushed them down to his knees and lowered himself over his friend's still damp lap.

The King of Gondor wasted no time in starting the chastisement with a flurry of stinging whacks to the elf's buttocks that made Legolas gasp loudly, whimper and then squirm. Although much angered with his friend, the debacle of Faramir's last chastisement was fresh in his mind so Aragorn maintained tight control over his temper and kept a close eye on his friend's reactions. Even so, it was not long before the wood elf was yelling and squirming trying to avoid the stinging whacks to his posterior. Aragorn did not stop until Legolas' buttocks and thighs were as red as the paddle.

"I... am... sorry... sorry... please stop," the elf sobbed.

After a few final well-placed whacks, Aragorn concluded the chastisement, put the paddle aside and rubbed the contrite elf's back as he lay across his lap still sobbing out apology after apology. Legolas slipped down to the ground and pulled up his leggings, hissing as he did so and then rested his head on his friend's thigh. Aragorn continued to rub the elf's back crooning comforting words.

"I am beginning to believe that wood elves are kin to cats," the King of Gondor began as he gathered the Mirkwood prince into his arms, careful of his well chastised bottom, "and like their feline brethren their eyes go wide occasionally, the imp in their nature takes possession and they cause any manner of strange mischief and but a moment later act as if nothing unusual or untoward has occurred."

"I am sorry, Aragorn," the elf sniffled.

"I know you are, my half-wild elf," the human said soothingly. "I sometimes forget how young you are still for an elf and especially now that you have taken on the role of older brother to Faramir. I pity your poor ada and Maglor over the coming centuries, what with both you and Faramir to contend with; they will be busy. You are good for my Steward though, mellon-nin and will in time grow to fill the gap in his heart left by the loss of Boromir."

"He is easy to love although he still does not realise it," Legolas sighed.

"You, your ada and Maglor have more than enough love and will teach him in time," Aragorn replied.

"I cannot believe that he handed that... that 'thing' over to you without so much as a by-your-leave!" the Mirkwood elf huffed in indignation, still smarting over the Seneschal's actions.

"He knows his elfling well and you had guilt written all over your face, mellon-nin," Aragorn chuckled. "Go wash your face in the stream and let us return to the others."

After the elven prince had done what Aragorn suggested, both returned to the camp.

---

Thranduil disentangled himself from Faramir and jumped gracefully to his feet on seeing Legolas and Aragorn return and moved to envelop his elfling in a warm embrace. Legolas returned his father's embrace accepting the comfort offered.

The prince of Mirkwood's heart was warmed by the look of concern on his brother's face as Faramir looked at him.

The elf walked over to the Steward who moved along to the end of his bedroll, somewhat stiltedly, inviting Legolas to stretch out on the bedding and rest his head on Faramir's lap. Legolas smiled and did just that. Thranduil gave his sons some privacy by moving to where Aragorn sat near the wizard and the twins.

"How fare you, muindor tithen?" the prince asked, twisting slightly to look up at Faramir. "I do not like the look of those dark circles under your eyes and you still seem exhausted."

"I am fine," Faramir replied. Maglor snorted again causing Faramir to roll his eyes. "My strength is returning... slowly," the young Steward sighed and then examined his brother closely.

"Are *you* all right," Faramir whispered as Legolas lowered his head back onto his brother's lap, settling on his side.

"That... 'thing' has the sting of a swarm of bees, muindor tithen!" the elf complained in a harsh whisper.

"Remember that the next time you wield it and my backside is its intended target, brother," Faramir whispered, smiling down at Legolas who blushed to the tips of his elven ears remembering the time he had used it on his brother.

"What did you do to Elessar?" Faramir asked in a hushed voice.

"I will tell you when the flame in my backside dissipates," Legolas promised, wincing as he did so from a flare of pain from his rear.

Absentmindedly Faramir took Legolas' earlobe between thumb and finger and began to massage the lobe in a rhythmic motion.

"What are you doing, muindor tithen?" Legolas asked.

"I am sorry..." the young Steward began, stopping the motion immediately and blushing as fiercely as Legolas had moments before.

"No! Do not stop. It is soothing," the elf replied.

"It is a habit I formed with Boromir when I was very young, whenever he was upset or on the very rare occasion that he was fevered. It always seemed to calm him," Faramir replied in a distant voice as he remembered his fallen brother.

Legolas patted Faramir's knee, a gesture the young Steward recognised as his elven brother's way of showing support and comfort.

The brothers remained that way, Faramir gently massaging Legolas' earlobe drawing the elf's attention away from his throbbing hindquarters, until Legolas' head shot up and he turned his head in a way that Faramir recognised was his brother listening. Looking around the young Steward saw that all the elves were listening.

"Horses approach," Legolas said as he rolled to his knees and stood, taking care not to further incite the throbbing in his rear.

Faramir also attempted to stand but fell back on his behind with a thump, eliciting a wince from the Steward for his behind was still somewhat sore from his recent spate of chastisements.

"No, stay, muindor tithen," Legolas instructed his younger brother.

"I do not seem to have a choice," Faramir growled as Legolas joined the others.

"It is Finrod and the soldiers," Elladan called down from the tree that he had climbed to get a view of those who approached.

Finrod and the company of weary and grubby Gondorian soldiers arrived and dismounted. The Mirkwood elf and the company's senior officer approached Aragorn, whilst the rest of the company stayed back.

"Mae govannen, Finrod. Well met, Lieutenant," Aragorn greeted each in turn.

"Mae govannen, Estel," Finrod replied.

"What news?" the King of Gondor asked.

"We tracked the wizard as far as the mountains near Emyn Muil in Northern Ithilien, Sire, before losing his trail," the Gondorian answered, grimacing as he did so as they had wanted to catch the rogue wizard.

"You and your men look weary and hungry, Lieutenant," Aragorn said as he eyed the soldiers.

"It was my first time travelling with an elf, Sire," the Lieutenant said as he looked askance at Finrod. "I hope not to repeat the experience any time soon."

Finrod grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the Lieutenant. The King's eyebrow went skyward in a gesture reminiscent of Lord Elrond or so Finrod thought.

"Do they never tire or get dirty, Sire?" the man asked plaintively.

Aragorn grinned widely as he looked from the human who looked weary beyond measure and was covered in dust and grime to the blond elf who did not look in the least bit tired and had not a hair on his head out of place.

"Rarely and it can be very disheartening. I know," Aragorn replied, smiling as he looked at his brothers and Legolas. "Take rest and food at the soldier's camp. Elrohir will show you the way."

Elrohir turned and was moving towards the other soldiers when the Lieutenant spoke again.

"What have you done to the Captain, Sire? He looks bloody awful," the Lieutenant blurted out and then paled and swallowed as he realised his words were less than diplomatic. Sniggering could be heard from the soldiers behind him.

"I think you have been around Finrod too long, friend, or is your speech always this forthright?" Legolas asked the embarrassed soldier.

"I think it is an indication of his weariness," Faramir chuckled at his Ithilien ranger's discomposure, from his still seated position, "he is usually able to hold his tongue even if what he is itching to say is still written clearly in his features."

"Most of what has happened to my Steward has been self inflicted. I am sure my brother will be more than happy to tell you of my Steward's latest exploits," Aragorn replied as he smirked at his Steward.

Faramir groaned.

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