Faramir Fiction Archive

Hidden Love (PG-13)

Written by Laivindur

19 January 2013 | 8166 words | Work in Progress

Title: Hidden Love
Author: Laivindur
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Faramir
Warnings: Violence, threats of death. MalexMale.

What happens when the righteous and kind older brother is placed between his little one and his love for a Harad?
And how do Faramir handle the new knowledge of his older brother’s sides which he figures out after a talk with one of the Harads?
And to put a cherry on top: a war with the Harads lie above them all.
Added: Part 3

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Chapter 2

Faramir had not slept much that night and stared weary and worriedly out his window while halting the arrest for as long as he could; he was hoping that perhaps Veihar fled the land now that he had come forth with such excruciating outbursts about the General, but being only the two of them knowing about it, he could be stubborn enough to stay and hoping once again that Faramir would choose him and save him and fail his allegiance. Faramir banged his fist on the window rail while clenching his jaw.

‘Damn you, Veihar! I can’t abandon everything in my life just to please your emotions…and mine.’

He calmed and dropped his eyes in thought. ‘I have been taught for so many years to serve my country.’ His eyes flickered rapidly when the next thought came in mind ‘so have you, though being enslaved at first, and you think I can just come with you to your lands and they will accept me like that?! No, so where would we go, idiot!’

The anger boiled up and he shouted to the glass and perhaps so the young Harad could hear him through the city streets “Where would we go you damned bastard?!”

The anger had crashed through the sorrow and tears emerged in his now sorrow eyes and he whispered while clenching his fist to the window sill “I can’t do this. I can’t kill you, Veihar. You stupid fool!”

He dried the tears before they even got spilt and put himself together with these thoughts in mind:
‘I know I will never be able to save you from this penalty, so I will find you and speak to you to settle this between us and then you must leave.’

He had been accustomed to the messy and dirty farms in the outline boarders of the Pelennor Fields, and found his way easy through the houses and animals to perhaps find the small residents where Harad families had gathered as the hostility between Gondorians and Haradrims had worsened through the years.

The irony was that Faramir and his Harad friend had gotten closer and closer, perhaps closer than Faramir felt comfortable with. Now his suspicions had been confirmed and wanted to deal with it if he could just find him.

His tall brown leather boots got covered in soil when he stepped past a pig farm right before seeing Veihar’s family house and his little sister playing with some chickens who had run through the small shattered fence. His mother was fixing it while berating the dark little girl to help her rather than messing about.

Faramir smiled while gaining in on the little holding. The woman dressed in black cloths stared hard and skeptical at the young Gondorian before she jumped and dropped the fence when she saw him. She hadn’t seen him for a long time. He’d grown so much.

She’d gotten to know his true identity when by accident he’d slipped out a well educated sentence or having politeness of a royal, or when by other situations a radar had beeped in her head and even more shocked she’d been when Veihar told her he’d always known, but kept it secret for Faramir’s sake. She was shocked to know that a royal was playing with her son in her garden.

She had known him for so long and seen how well the two boys got along that she’d not forbid them to go on like before, but she couldn’t help it but jump every time she saw his face coming alone and unguarded in the dark depths of the village.
She was about to bow and call him by lord, but twitched the movements away and shifted nervously with a stick from the fence in her hand before Faramir’s gentle smile calmed her and she spoke.

“It’s nice to see you, Faramir, after so long. How fare you? Shiva, stop that!”

The little girl stopped alerted, but not by her mother’s orders, by the sight of her second lighter older brother. She didn’t give Faramir time to answer, to his relief, as she run into his arms and screamed his name in joy and excitement.

Faramir laughed, but shushed her as he did not want the entire village to know about a Faramir who’d visited.
He was lucky that many of them had been sent to the festival ground to clean and mostly women and children were inside in the cold and grey weather.
Veihar’s family was not stopped by anyone or anything. That was a trait Faramir didn’t know if he loved or hated about Veihar.

The tall and troubled dark Harad youngster on the same age as Faramir, came out from behind the house in his own thoughts. He stopped and took another step to regain balance as he saw Faramir. He’d wondered if he’d show up there with either a bag to run away with him, or a group of soldiers to arrest him, but now as he saw him without any of them, just holding his little sister in his arms smiling and laughing along with her, he calmed in wonder.

Shivanja’s long and black hair swayed in the wind and a dusky rain flew with the moist air which made Faramir’s hair curl in those splendid small curls which Veihar dreamt of so often. Turmoil of emotions went through him; he loved Faramir, but he was afraid of what business Faramir could have after their quarrel and it didn’t help as his instincts of having a white man of Gondor so close to his family and home making him wary, but the fact that it was Faramir made him ashamed of that thought and walked towards him with seemingly high confidence, but he kept his hands in his pockets not to show how much he trembled.

While he let the hyper and cute little muddy girl down, he greeted Veihar with cheer still in his face, but was reminded of his mission by Veihar’s expression of annoyance and regret.
“Well met, Veihar.”

“Remember you’re in our village now, you don’t need that politeness.”

Faramir noticed Veihar’s insecurity and tense fright, so after he beckoned with a jerk of his head towards the south to take a walk, Faramir kept quiet until they got way behind the barn and further down the field with the great Anduin river in front of them in view. It would have been so wonderful had it not been for their distant positions and Mordor to the left to remind them of the evil wars making their nations clinch.

Faramir took a deep breath while resting his gaze on the ground and now it was he who had put his hands in his pockets making his black and green long tunic wrinkle while hiding his hands. He’d sent soldiers for Veihar’s arrest to another direction while he himself told them a lie of his. He had not much time.
He turned shyly and apologizing with a narrow smile at the annoyed Harad who rolled his eyes and threw his hands down with a ‘give it to me’ look.
Faramir looked away and wished none of this happening. He didn’t know where to begin.

“Come on, Faramir.”

Veihar pleaded and didn’t dare touch his shoulder which he stared at: that lovely soft shoulder he’d managed to touch when they had taken that bath in the river together, which he did not know whether he regretted or not as he had frightened Faramir by the way he both looked at and had touched him.
Faramir responded bittersweet and startled Veihar as he could have read his mind.

“What happened to Fara-mine?”

The questioning and insecure eyes that pierced Veihar were mistaken for mock and suspicion, and the darker man barked in defense.

“Don’t attempt your mind tricks on me! You know now how I feel. It is up to you to make up your mind. Do you want to live your life behind that white wall of yours with your nice clothes and fancy soldiers with shiny metal protecting them from savages’ sticks and stones, then fine by me. I am sure lots of fancy girls in silk and milky white skin and…and…and all that which makes up your appetite just fine doesn’t it? Yeah, I know, that is much better, and of course…”

“Shut up! Gods, please, there’s no end to your tongue.”

The tension between them the earlier day boosted up, but Faramir spoke calmer than his emotions.

“You were not born with that sharp tongue to speak rubbish, Veihar. I know you speak like so because you are nervous and frightened. Your words are far better than this. I know you are nervous, for so am I. It is not easy for me to deal with this.”

He lowered his voice.

“You claim to love me, then why do you put me in this situation you damn well know can cost both of our lives, or one of them, but I will be damned if I ever let your execution come forth and I have no intentions of dishonoring father or myself for that matter.”

Veihar had gotten his answers: there was a death sentence on him and he stared at Faramir in fright. Faramir threw his hands out in defeat.
”I do not know what to do. I…I do care for you, for you are a dear friend of mine.”

Veihar gazed softly at him with his deep dark eyes and listened as he spoke while turning his head at the river.

”We have been through so much together and you made me sure of the greater good in men by their heart and not by nation…” Faramir’s eyes filled with tears and he looked lost, and just when Veihar was to place his hand on the longed shoulder, Faramir barked in anger and pointed on him and towards the city, depending on whom he spoke of. “…but now you dare tell me that Boromir is breaking our most sacred rules in war and therefore you accuse him not worthy of his place and dishonoring him with your…” He stopped as he saw Veihar’s sorrow and fright while stepping away from him. He took a few breaths still angered. Then he spoke.

“…you are telling me that my brother, who I have loved all my life and I dare tell you, is the only real family I have and the first person after mother died who actually deeply and truly cared for me, that he deserves a penalty of death because of his actions which you accuse and told me of only right after I showed the slightest wavering reaction after you…”

Now Faramir screamed and he forgot both place and time.
“…and you dare call me spineless because I actually think of others than myself!”

A stunned and calmed Veihar answered while Faramir panted not far from his face with fury covering his expression.

“It sure did take a while for your tongue to finish as well, dear friend.”
Faramir moaned in hurt and surprise by the easy way he spoke after he’d let it all out on him, but turned back to him to listen when he continued so soft and loving.

“Though your words ended like stones crashing on mountain walls, they started like soft cotton embracing my harsh mind.”
Faramir swallowed and studied him in confusion and the Harad in love continued.

“For my love for you is like a mountain; unable to be moved: it cannot be destroyed. I only wish to receive it back from you.”
Faramir wished this bittersweet song to stop, but as he could not utter a word he blushed and tossed his gaze to the grass and turned away with a knot in his throat.

“Faramir.”

Veihar whispered and finally dared to place his hand on his shoulder for comfort and to the Harad’s surprise Faramir looked at him before he embraced him, but only shortly as he moved back again and asked with a fierce voice.

“Tell me it is a lie about Boromir. Tell me it was just something you said to mess with my mind as you always do!”

“I am sorry, my friend.” Veihar said sincerely while sharing a gaze of sorrow with Faramir, though his was covered with hatred as well.
“Boromir did order that slaughter and I saw those women be forced inside that tent against their will.”

“What were you doing there anyway?”
Faramir knew the question rather stupid, but he was so confused and angry. So he asked this question while shoving himself away from him.

“I think I have the right to see my own country, but I understand why you ask as I have lived most of my life in Gondor. After all it was you who saved my life. See, Faramir? Already as children we met with this…whatever it is.”

Faramir smiled a sad confirming smile.

“I must admit I felt your eyes stronger than anyone else.”

“Oh, so you gave away money as a daily good deed?”
Faramir laughed by the cheering and joking youngster with the dark and funny brows, but the mood fell just as it rose as he remembered Boromir.”

“I must be honest with you, Veihar.”
Veihar brightened as he hoped Faramir would admit his love for him, but as the words reached his mind, the disappointed expression quickly made it to a frightened one, but the stubbornness seemed to never leave him.

“I have been ordered to arrest you and take you to court, but I know father will have your execution. Every Harad in the country is taken by the tiniest cause. You must flee with your family. And by that I mean right now. I am ordered to arrest you.”
Veihar stared heartbroken at his friend, but did only meet his grey depths for a few seconds before they flew off to the river again trying to stay calm.

“Faramir, I cannot leave you. I will die.”
Faramir stared at him in desperation and was about to attack him with his anger and frustration, but stood still hearing him out as he quickly went on.

“…if not by heartbreak then by an arrow or sword piercing right through my hollow gaze when thinking of you.”
Faramir stepped to his friend’s front and stared him in the eyes.
“If you stay, I will be executed or punished alongside with you, and when your head falls to the ground…”
He stepped back and took a breath before he said “I will not let that happen.”

Faramir stepped over to the Harad once more and no one, not even themselves, ever figured out who of them was the tallest, but now Faramir seemed the tallest at least while speaking with all the authority he could.

“You will leave.”

Veihar stepped back as Faramir’s presence by itself pushed him, but he stepped forward again meeting the ranger’s eyes in a stern stare.
“No. There’s nothing for me anywhere than here. My family can leave.”

Faramir pushed Veihar to the ground and screamed down to him after the Harad got up on his elbows.

“You will leave with your family and therefore save both yourself, them and me. Do you care for me and even love me as you keep saying, then leave!”
Veihar had landed with no harm done other than to his heart and jumped when Faramir’s arm threw itself towards his family when mentioning them.

He saw that Faramir was in pain and regret, so he used that to
slowly rise and close in on him.
It was like closing in on a snake ready to bite. Not to kill though, but to give never ending warnings.
Faramir kept screaming.

“Leave! Leave before…!”

He noticed he’d screamed a lot and hoped for god’s sake no one in the village had noticed. He calmed when reassuring no one saw them and spoke lower.
“If you do not leave today there will be others coming for you, they know you have offended the noble and as I said earlier father will have you killed. He will also let me meet terrible consequences and you don’t want that do you? You love me you say. What kind of love is this? I do at least care for you and that is why you have to leave. Please leave, Veihar.”

Faramir stood his ground when Veihar closed in on him with a stern gaze as well, but with fright of what might come if he did what he planned.
Faramir suspected his actions, but was surprised nonetheless when the lips brushed his.

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