Faramir Fiction Archive

If you can't see me as who I am, then why bother? (NC-17)

22 April 2012 | 74699 words | Work in Progress

Chapter 8

The giant doors of Minas Tirith opened as the guards recognized their fine and strong general return. Being the mid of the day, people swarmed around the giant doors and bowed as their future steward entered. His horse slowly walked in, making his lord able to nod back to most of them.

Giving his abrupt escape in mind, he smiled with a slight insecure in the beginning, but as he noticed none of them looked other than happy to see him, he smiled more and more gladly back at them.

The women welcomed him with gentle voices and loving greetings while the men raised their fists and greeted him by shouting his name virile. Some children didn’t dare to say his name too loud, and hid behind their parents while watching the great warrior ride pass them. They had rarely seen him, only heard so much about their strong general, captain and lord.

They’d heard stories of how he’d sway away twenty orcs singlehanded, and made an army run away just by splinting their leader in four pieces and roaring in anger and amusement. Some stories were exaggerated of course, but not too distant from the truth. Boromir smiled at the young gasping faces as he knew many frightful stories of him went through their little minds. They got a bit confused seeing him smiling so friendly and being so polite, but they did not doubt the stories for that reason. He saw some smaller ones hid between their moms and dads with an accepting smile.

After Boromir had left the herd of people, the children went off playing, with the strongest kid among them being their great general captain Boromir. Some kids had problems saying the entire title “General Captain Boromir sir, thank you!” a child proudly yelled to another as he pumped his chest after the other kid had stuttered in the title.

Boromir entered the great halls looking for his father, the steward. He was having a conversation with two of his best entrusted in the council, but when Boromir walked smiling towards him, the steward opened his arms and welcomed his son. When Boromir left the hug he noticed he’d only smiled and met his father with politeness out of habit, and thought of Faramir’s blue cheek.
He frowned thinking his father could have done such a thing. He knew Denethor had punished Faramir as a child whenever he’d make their father angry or simply breaking the rules or misbehaving, but didn’t approve of him beating Faramir like that.

And more over the fact that Faramir had accomplished more during the past days than most captains would have during twice the time. Boromir was not as trained as Faramir to hide his emotions, so Denethor asked Boromir “What’s wrong, lad? Are you not happy to see me? Is that why you couldn’t wait leaving off again?”

Widening his eyes and lifting his brows, as he always did when lying, he spoke “No father I was just wondering how you keep yourself so young!” Denethor waved him away laughing
“Do not give me that nonsense. Come, I must speak to you. If you’ll excuse us gentlemen”
He nodded to the bowing men, and walked to his tower along with his eldest son.
“Explain to me, Boromir, what is going on between you and your brother? And most of all why you left with not a single word to explain after your behavior earlier.”

Denethor asked Boromir while sitting down in his chair, and the light from outside was dimmed by the wavy window. The steward’s dark desk had a single candle to the right with a green cloth underneath, and some parchments kept company by a few thin books to the left.

Boromir leaned on his hip while crossing his arms, and sighed with a frown down at the floor. He shook his head in apology and once again raised his brows when speaking “I’m sorry, father. We argued, and I became so frustrated I left. There’s nothing more to it than that. It’s all of my stupidity, really.”
Denethor noticed something wasn’t right, and tilted his head up the way he did to show Boromir he wasn’t pleased
“Go on.”
Boromir started to sweat and turned to the window. As he started slowly to walk against it, using it as an excuse to move away from the tenseness, he spoke with the same clear voice he did when lying to his father only to protect his brother
“I tried to tell him not to expose himself of anything since I didn’t like the idea of having him out in the fields. Even though I know he is a great warrior and Captain, he is only 21 summers.”

This was true to Boromir, but it had not been the reason for his leaving. He waited for this heavy situation to loosen up. Denethor spoke with the same low creaky voice
“you told me earlier to put more trust in Faramir, but you dwell on this matter yourself? And to that extend that you leave town out of frustration.”
Boromir placed his hand on the window sill to act more relaxed as the sweat made him damp and nervous. He sighed once more and looked out of the window as he spoke “I am very worried of him, father. But I know he’ll do fine out there, I just need time to get used to it. And when it comes to my temper I am working on it.”

Denethor knew his sons were still hiding something from him, but saw no way to blurt it out of this son at the moment. With a bit of waver in his voice, Denethor spoke looking at the grey stone floor

“Yes, he will do fine. Do not worry of your brother, Boromir.” This time he spoke louder
“I want you to worry for your duties and responsibilities. If Faramir get you out of control one more time I must separate you as I did four years ago.”
Boromir stared out the window, hoping this would be the end of it and hoped nothing would happen that would make him send Faramir away again, he would not bare it. Forgetting his manners he abruptly lowered his head
“Yes, father.”
Denethor stared suspiciously at his eldest son “that would be all, now tend to your duties.” Boromir shot himself from the sill, bowed politely from the midst of the room and left for his chambers.

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