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 3

The rain had snuck in on them and suddenly they were both wet and afraid when Veihar, that damned stubborn Haradrim, had kissed him.

At first Faramir turned abruptly wide eyed away and took a few steps in a start to run away as fast as he could, but as he comprehended, he turned around again and whispered with desperation revealing he was on the brim to give in.
“You must leave, Veihar. Please. There is no other choice.”

As the Haradrim only stared pleadingly and tired on his love, Faramir wanted to walk over to him and grab him by the head to prove to him he felt the same and that all his strivings were not a waste, but wanted him safe, so he stood still and afraid while speaking shakily.
“Do not let this rash rapture make your decisions, my friend. You must go to safety; you cannot love me while dead.”

“I cannot just leave right now without showing you how much I love you. This is not enough.”

Faramir took a step back when the kiss was mentioned and the darkness in Veihar’s eyes increased.

“I cannot die before having you.”

Just when Faramir was about to argument on that the Haradrim spoke with raised voice.

“And I will die fighting for your love.”

“You do not understand!”
Faramir barked. He continued with the same intensity though having the anger switched with plead.
“Hopefully we will both live for several more years if you will just run away this one time and I know you never succumb to such resorts, but you must this time and if it be by the gods’ will we shall meet again. I do wish to see you again, but now you must leave Gondor. Please, there’s not much time.”

They both stared at one another; Faramir just as pleading and sorry and Veihar seemingly a bit calmer though tense with anger, fear and hope.
They longed to touch each other and the silence that followed with the moaning wind and dusky rain was titillating, but the Haradrim tightened his fists and took a deep breath before he turned hurriedly to his village to run away with his family.

Faramir stood still on the narrow ground with the river almost vanishing in the fog behind him and his grey eyes drowned in tears who didn’t fall until he had gone through courtesy with his men, accepted berating from his steward and sat face down on his desk while writing an expanded arrest warrant that was to be done if the man would show himself in Gondor again. A small traitor wanted poster was also at hand.

The youngest steward was so tired and the weeping kept his attention away from the arrest warrant in front of him.
He stood up and dried the tears, but just as he had made his cheeks dry when reaching the middle of the floor, tears flowed once again.
The embarrassing trial in front of his father would only be the first of many.

~ Flashback

“You say the man escaped?”

“Yes, Sire. He is gone.”

“Gone?”

The silence was heavy for the Captain of scouts in the middle of the hall as he could feel his brother’s scowling eyes at him as well as his father’s, but it wasn’t his father he was the most afraid to disappoint. Faramir damned himself for the secret his older brother would push out of him later that evening if not being forced out in this trial by his father.
The steward kept on with his cold and disbelieving voice.

“You did not see him at all? No reports of his presence?”

After a revealing silence from Faramir, Denethor added:

“There was no trace? You didn’t see anyone who might know him and where he was off to?”

These were only questions to taunt his youngest for being disobedient. The silence came back and had not Faramir trained his breath to be silent, everyone would have heard his distress.
While the young captain strived to come up with an explanation good enough for the questions and, by the gods, with no lies in it, the steward spoke. “There’s no one who has ever escaped the squad and when I put you into charge for capturing this Harad friend of yours he simply vanishes. Do you not think I saw it coming?”
Faramir felt everyone’s eyes make his blood freeze with fright and loneliness. After a tormenting while of eyes staring expectantly, and regret and desperation roamed his very being, he simply put it out as the honorable man he wished to be and hoped his father would be gentle.

“I sent him off.”
A young counselor aspirant gasped and made Faramir jump. Everyone else in the room jumped or was shot aback by Faramir’s sudden confess. Boromir had just gotten confirmed what he had guessed along with his father, though Boromir was more understanding and merciful than the steward.

Faramir strived to keep his eyes on his family and the council in front of him, but as he spoke and saw the calm, but disappointed face of his brother he kept on with pride and determination.

“I did not want to send this man into a death trial as it would be unfair and against what Gondor stands for.”
A drop of sweat climbed down his neck when seeing his father’s raged mind.
“I ask my lord to see this as an eviction rather than a run away.”

The steward was far more pleased as he did not need to fish for the truth anymore. But did not like this hostile man free.
“You take your own decisions out to act behind your lord’s back and dare not admit it before he squashes it out of you.”
The steward raised his voice and pierced his youngest with his angry eyes.

“I hereby degrade you from captain and send you back to camps in Ithilien, Faramir.”
Boromir shifted and rubbed his face annoyed while his father stomped on his little one.

“Before that you will be good to hear: Disloyalty repaid with vengeance! You know this! This is a chance for you to regain your honor. I hope you make the right choice this time.”

If the people had not gasped earlier they did now as they watched Denethor send his youngest son, who’d fought his way up for so long, down in both rank and respect among the council. Faramir simply and understandably, though quite shakily and sweaty responded: “I understand and accept, sire.”

Denethor kept on right after. “Before you leave with the next group to Ithilien you will make up for yourself by writing an expanded arrest warrant for this traitor to see if you truly do understand, Faramir. And if I di not find this warrant acceptable, I place you in his stead.”

He nodded and hoped his shaking lips was hidden and bowed before he left at once for his dormitory with three guards on his heels.
Everyone in the room did not utter a single word except the steward and a few others from the council when they got up to leave; mostly to get the steward on other thoughts and some to perhaps go easier on his son.

Boromir had discreetly hurried to his own room before planning to pay his little brother a visit later.
~End of flashback

It was fourteen days until the next group of aspirants were to move out for the first time out on patrol in the dangerous, but beautiful route of Ithilien near Minas Morgul and the dark mountains. This time however, would be a normal route for our Faramir, though with his pride and state far lower than earlier.

He did not look forward to the curious gazes the men probably would give him as they saw him wander of three years ago while they were still in classes, to now go along with them. He thought perhaps he could act like a second teacher if the leader would let him. He hoped for someone who knew him and therefore would.

His thoughts had dried his tears, but he was still tired and leaned to the bedpost. At least he had fourteen days or so, after the punishment, to relax and get his mind on other things now that Veihar was safe. The door was knocked at and he readied himself for whoever might come in when he called for it.

He was glad to see Boromir, but his shame made him give only half the smile intended. He turned to walk over to his desk and sat on the edge of it while looking out in the night through his huge window with red long curtains by each side. He crossed his arms and nervously asked oratorical.

“Are you proud of me, brother?”

Even though Boromir understood why Faramir had done it, he could not help it but to wonder why his little brother had sacrificed that much to save a man, though Denethor had gone far longer than anybody expected.
He had the scowling and disappointed face still and when walking over to his brother’s side, he answered.
“I am proud you spoke the truth, though it took a while for it to come. But I do not understand why you would set yourself in this situation for a mere Harad, Faramir. I know you put yourself in danger for many. But this man?”

Boromir saw the angry face of Faramir when speaking so lowly of the race and darkened his gaze as he thought back at all the times he’d seen his little one along with the people of Harad. Even though they had managed to keep peace between the countries and somewhat the people for some time now, even though their past said otherwise, many Gondorians did not appreciate having so many of them within their borders. Many of them didn’t even know why they resented the people so. It seemes to linger in their blood.

The Harad were mostly a free minded people, but had not been for decades as they had been enslaved, followed and what more. Faramir did not know that his older brother had kept his knowledge of Faramir’s mingling with the Harads from their father, so he did not figure out why Boromir stared so skeptically and wondering at him. He looked up at him in surprise and fear when he saw the darker lines in his face from above.
“What? Did I disappoint you that bad?”

He got up and walked to the middle of the room again while apologizing to his older brother who he wished to please even more than his father.

“Please, brother…I did only what I judged to be right as I am the only one here knowing what really happened.”

He turned to him with a hand outstretched in the air below. “Father overdue the situation and so does everyone else just because he is…a Harad. I am mere fighting for justice.”

As the look on Boromir did not change, Faramir stopped and saw there was something else bothering him. The young man studied his brother from the chagrined face down to his dark boots and up again while grimacing to tell whatever could be on his mind.

The older brother frowned in reluctance while dropping his gaze likewise and placed his hand insecure on the desk before raising his gaze hurriedly to his little one while throwing the words at him accusingly.
“I recall you spending a lot of time with this Harad, Faramir.”
Faramir took in a defensive psyche and regretted he’d let his brother speak.

“He must mean a lot to you apparently.” The older made to add right before the young man was about to answer.
Faramir used the abruption to gain time for a better answer than the first.
“You know I would have done this for anyone. I cannot let injustice go past me if I can do something about it.”
“That damned Harad attacked you, brother! He deserves punishment. And you let him go! You denied father!”

Faramir did not fear the mighty man who dashed a few steps towards him, but he quickly berated himself for evaluating his ribs for a possible target for defense where he knew he was weak from earlier injuries. He calmed his voice though his body trembled in fright for gaining a bad end with his big brother.

“It is just as I said earlier. No one but I and he understand that it was naught more than a small quarrel with two young boasting men fighting for honor. If it was a man from Gondor we’d be laughing at it.”

“That’s it. Father is right!”
Boromir still struggled with his temper as he’d always done and made Faramir’s heart flinch.
“You do not know how to keep your position and he damned well did right to degrade you, little brother.”
Faramir never thought his brother would say such things and felt a sting in his heart he’d not felt in a long long while. Boromir continued.
“I see you need more training and lecture to understand exactly what kind of position you are in.”

Faramir’s gentle face was shocked and he frowned in disbelief while his mouth twitched in hurt. The older brother lowered his hand and spoke gentler, but still with the angry and berating voice of a frightened and protective older brother.

“Forgive me, little one, but this has to stop. You can’t do as you wish…”
Boromir wished Faramir happiness and prosper. Something he could not attain behaving like this and he feared what relationship he might have with this foreigner.

Faramir’s anger grew by every word and he yelled like he’d never ever done to his older loving brother.

“Cannot do as I wish?! What have you done in Harad, Boromir? What have you done to the Haradrim?”

At first the young General looked quite confused at the sudden attack, and as he prepared for a counterattack, he tightened his back and raised his chin so his strong neck revealed the strength of the body which Faramir could never ever overcome and it vibrated while the dark and low voice asked.

“What are you referring to, little one?”
It was a threat, but the little one kept on with nerves shivering underneath his skin.

“What did you do in Harad, Boromir? You know well what I speak of. Your actions aren’t exactly by the book either. But this is what I want to know: How can you stand here to berate me about my actions for good and justice, when you do things for your own gain?”

“Own gain?”

Faramir had really pushed it this time, and he knew it. He wanted answers. The silence before the storm was far worse than all the berating. A thunder of anger and defense roared inside the General and he dashed towards his brother once again while pointing at him and yelling as the storm unleashed.

“I have never used my position for my own personal gain, Faramir! Every order, action, swing of my sword and every step I have taken; has been for my people’s sake and nothing more! Damn it, Faramir I could have beaten your puny ass for saying such!”

Suddenly Faramir felt like the precocious little pestering brother he’d so many times feared to be and was shot quite a back at his upset older brother, for he believed him, but needed answers. He gained a red color in his face and watched Boromir pace uneasy around the room while massaging his face as if to wipe the anger off of him. He was so close to give his brother a beating he’d not done for years. Being far more stronger and bigger he could really hurt him. Faramir calmed and spoke.

“Then what business did you have with a dozen female Haradrim in your tent…?” Faramir started backing when Boromir came towards him with the anger still lingering, but the frightened little brother kept his eyes fixed on him. He had not often gotten to the end of his speech when telling his older brother off, so his voice accelerated in panic “…and how do you explain a certain slaughtering of several male Haradrim?”

As Boromir heard the mentioning of the females in his pace, he’d stopped and turned abruptly towards his little one, making the younger one back away by the hostile and scary face. He walked slowly towards him while gazing at him warningly before the mentioning of the slaughtering caused him to burst to his brother’s front to stare him in the eyes.

“How did you know about that?”

The younger eyes stared with trembling fright and his voice was tight as a string when speaking stubbornly, though he was ready for a swing in the face.

“Answer me.”

“The only reason I have kept this from you, little one, is for your own good. But I see now that I have to stop protecting you. I will tell you what I have done. You mustn’t tell anyone. Not father.”

Faramir knew now why he had not told him. Faramir couldn’t lie to Denethor.

Before Boromir continued after stepping away, Faramir raised his hand to grab him by his tunic, but the general grabbed the arm and held him firmly while speaking.

“I will not let you believe such things about me, so I will tell you. There is little chance that this will burst from your lips as long as you keep to your normal self.”

Faramir nodded and blinked before Boromir let go of him and started speaking.

“Those men we slaughtered were killed rightously. They had done severe damage and got what they deserved, when it comes to the women…”

Boromir’s voice softened and he looked sincerely at his pleading brother who looked at his older brother for hope and explanation.

“They were not only meant to be sold to us as slaves for our silence, but also other cruel things, but I sent them home, though som eof them…stayed. It took a while to sort it out as chaos had inflicted us, but I…I made to arrange everything as best I could.”

“I know father would not have liked that so I kept it to my chest.”

Faramir smiled alittle and nodded. He now saw the brother he knew once again. He even let out a releaved moan before embracing him.

“Thank you. That was all I needed to know.”

Boromir was not pleased.

“How did you know? Was it Veihar who told you?”

Faramir held on to Boromir for safety and dared not look him in the eyes.

“Yes.”

“Who is this Veihar? This Harad which you give so much for? Now you must tell me, Faramir!”

To be continued…

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