Faramir Fiction Archive

Love is... (NC-17)

Written by Sairalinde and Anorienbean

19 November 2009 | 145965 words

Chapter 19

Tucking a lock of hair impatiently behind his ear, Rahl frowned and made another note in his latest book of spells. Unlike his late father who only ever followed spells in the old wizard’s books, Rahl spent hours or sometimes even days creating spells of his own. The right words and gestures, when put together carefully, could accomplish anything from covering the entire world with snow to breaking any other wizard’s protective spells and killing those the wizards were protecting.

He was thinking, specifically of course, of the seeker, whom the prophecies said he had no power over. He could kill anyone in the world; it seemed, with a simple spell – anyone except another wizard. Protection spells weren’t easy to cast or maintain, which was why a part of Rahl was always steadily probing his own spells that kept his castle and those who lived in it safe, making sure there were no weak spots.

Several weeks after he’d finally allowed Faramir to see his scars, Rahl had woken in the middle of the night, this time not by a nightmare, but by an idea. He’d been working for so long on trying to kill the seeker and the wizard who traveled with him; he’d failed to even consider that the boy had a family. A brother, if he recalled correctly, who could very well be put to good use with the right spell.

Unable to wait for morning, Rahl gently untangled himself from his lover’s embrace (which was easier said than done since he’d stopped turning his back toward Faramir as they slept), wrote him a note explaining where he’d be and even produced a rose from the garden to lay with the note, hoping it would put a smile on Faramir’s face.

With that, he was off to the Garden of Life, a room at the center of the Palace where the power of magic was heightened. The room was built for the specific purpose of using the gift of magic and the best place by far to create new spells.

He wrote another line down in his spell book, but just as his pen lifted to write the last word, something crashed din the hallway. Probably Corrine’s cat, but just in case, Rahl knew he couldn’t afford to not make certain. In doing so, he left off the last word of the spell. When he came back, rolling his eyes at Merry and cursing under his breath, he didn’t even notice the missing letters.

Faramir had grown accustomed to sleeping every night next to Rahl. Even when they had argued in the garden they had still shared a bed, though they hadn’t slept closely in that time, Faramir always knew his lover was there and could still steal heat from his body as they slept. The Ranger tended to get chilled in his sleep and had grown used to Rahl chasing those chills away. This night, even though he crept closer to Rahl’s side of the bed there was no heat. No solid body that he could snuggle against. No softly citrus scented hair and… no Rahl. Faramir blinked when instead of the scent of his lover the scent of a rose got his attention. He blinked several times in the still darkness of the room and rose up on his elbow. “My lord?” he asked softly. He frowned and moved slightly, his hand brushing against the parchment on his lover’s bed pillow. Faramir wished then for Rahl’s talent for magic when he had to move to the table and use the small enchanted stone there that Rahl had shown him how to use once. He touched the stone and dim light cast around the room and then he touched it again, his fingers lingering on the oddly warm surface until there was enough light to read the parchment. The note explained that Rahl had awoken with the idea for a spell and would be back in time for breakfast. Faramir sighed softly and went tot he wardrobe to get one of his robes and picked up a book. He would read until Rahl returned then because he was certain he would not fall back to sleep now. He picked up the rose and smiled at the sweet gesture, sniffing it before setting it aside and curling up on Rahl’s side of the bed to read.

In the Garden of Life, just as Faramir was curling up with his book, Rahl was reading his spell over one final time. The spell would allow him to control Michael, the seeker’s brother, who held a position of power in the small village he’d grown up in. He was so far away, however, the spell had to be powerful, and even more so because it had to reach beyond the boundaries of the Mid Lands.

Taking a deep breath, Rahl slowly began reading the spell aloud, letting his mind reach across the miles in search of this man who would, like it or not, have a part in the death of his brother.

The spell seemed to be working perfectly, light radiating out from the dark wizard in a soft blue glow, his own natural abilities heightened by the room itself. One missed word, however, was all it took – the word he’d failed to write down when the castle cat had overturned a vase in the hallway. As soon as Rahl started the next sentence, he realized something was wrong. The spell faltered, its’ entire purpose altered by the word that wasn’t there, and every bit of the power Lord Rahl had been projecting bounced back to him with a vengeance.

Every window in the room exploded into thousands of deadly shards of glass and Rahl’s spell book itself was hit with the brunt of the backlash, bursting into a ball of flame which burst almost at once. Rahl was thrown across the room, temporarily blinded by the very fire he hated so deeply, though the pain that ripped through his body made blindness the least of his worries. As he slid down onto the floor in an ungraceful heap, he had the presence of mind to unlock the locks on the door so Bergan could reach him and hopefully, find a way to help.

Faramir had no idea what was going on deep within the chamber Rahl was in, but he heard a resounding boom that even rattled the paintings hanging on the wall of the bedchamber. “Gods…” he stood and went to the window to see if it was storming but the night was clear when he looked outside. He shook his head, wondering what could have caused the loud sound and a part of him beginning to worry about Rahl. Had his magic done that? Faramir began to fret and started pacing the room. He had no idea where the magical chamber was that Rahl had went to and worse still he could not travel the halls without knowing where he was going nor without being invited. He would simply have to wait on Rahl to return and ask him then what the noise had been. For some reason Faramir felt unsettled though, as if something was very wrong and couldn’t seem to stop pacing the room. He even went so far as to make the bed just for something to do.

Meanwhile, Bergan rushed into the Garden of Life to find shattered glass scattered everywhere and his master crumpled on the floor. He’d never seen Rahl’s magic do such a thing and he wondered if another wizard had been able to hurt him from a distance? He knelt at his master’s side and saw the man was dazed. “My lord, I will… take you back to your chambers and call a healer to come to you,” Bergan said, hoping that Rahl understood enough that he could pick him up and not be killed by Rahl’s own protection spells… if they were even still in place after what had happened.

Barely conscious, Rahl managed to lift his hand in Bergan’s direction. He simply nodded, then suddenly remembered his own spells. They hadn’t protected him because the spell that had caused the explosion had been his own, yet they were still firmly in place. He hesitated even then to lift them for Bergan – just in case someone had gotten to him – but realized he had little choice. He was almost certain he was bleeding internally and his chest ached so badly he could barely breathe. He’d been protected from the glass and the fire, but the force of the explosion had done more damage than he could fathom at the moment. Though it took every ounce of concentration, Rahl gritted his teeth and lifted his own spells so his guard could touch him and take him to safety. “it’s… safe,” he whispered. “Help me.”

Bergan swallowed hard when Rahl whispered ‘help me’, he had never heard his master utter those words before and carefully but quickly lifted the man into his arms. He had no idea what to do really, he knew little about healing himself so he carried Rahl as fast as he reasonably could up the stairwells to his master’s bedchambers. “I will take you to Faramir, I think he will know what to do…” he reminded Rahl that he was forbidden to speak to the slave but in this case he knew it was allowed. It seemed to take ages though Bergan knew every shortcut in the castle, having planned with Rahl for years the best routes to take his master to safety should anyone invade the castle. When he arrived at the door, of course it was locked and Rahl was nearly helpless in his arms. He kicked at the door roughly.

Faramir startled out of his pacing and nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard the loud bang on the door. “My lord?” he called out, afraid to open the door for anyone but Rahl.

“Faramir it is Bergan… Lord Rahl has been hurt!” the guard said only loud enough to be heard through he door, not wanting any others in the castle to hear.

Faramir went to the door and started to unlock it but stopped. “How do I know it is you… how do I know you are telling the truth?”

“You gave master a rose in the garden that he keeps in his study on a shelf inside a glass case. You gave it to him to thank him for the garden he made for you,” Bergan said quickly. “Lord Rahl gave me a dagger for staying with you when you could have been lost, now open the door.”

Upon hearing those things, Faramir quickly unfastened every lock on the door, not nearly as fast as Rahl could with magic but when he swung the door open he almost cried out when he saw his lover in Bergan’s arms. “Gods, put him on the bed,” Faramir said quickly, taking Rahl’s hand that was hanging loosely. “What happened?”

Only vaguely hearing the words, Rahl felt his heart lighten at the sound of Faramir’s voice and used the last of his strength to wrap his fingers around his lover’s, glad for the safety and comfort they offered. “Faramir.” The word was barely intelligible around the blood that filled his mouth and ran from the corner of his lips. “Fire. Spell didn’t…” He coughed up more blood and would have strangled on it if someone – he couldn’t be sure if it was his lover or his guard – turned his head to the side. “Hurts. Think… ‘m dying.”

When Rahl coughed up blood, Faramir gasped and quickly turned his lover’s head to the side to clear it from his lips. “Quickly, Bergan get me towels from the washroom,” Faramir said. “No, love, no… no you are not dying,” he whispered. “Shhhh, just concentrate on breathing, love. Let me do the rest.” He pushed his own hair away from his face and realized his hand was covered in blood. Bergan handed him a towel in moments and he wiped his hands and then took a thankfully damp washcloth and wiped Rahl’s face gently. “Bergan, I want you to find a healer… a real healer with a gift for it,” Faramir said, meeting the guards eyes. “Do you know of one truly loyal to our master?”

Bergan nodded as he laid several more towels on the bedside. “Yes, yes I know of someone,” he said as he rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Faramir quickly went to it and set several of the locks but not all of them before returning to Rahl’s side. He brushed hair back from Rahl’s face and tried to hold his own emotions in check. “Where do you hurt?”

It would have been easier, Rahl thought, to tell Faramir where he didn’t hurt, since about the only things that hadn’t been nearly destroyed by the explosion were perhaps the bottoms of his feet. “Chest…” he whispered. “Head. Stomach. Bleeding… bleeding inside…” His words were cut off as another round of coughing racked his already broken body and he could do little but cling to his lover’s hand. “No healers. They… don’t trust anyone but you…”

Faramir felt tears well up in his eyes and he shook his head as Rahl coughed and squeezed his hand so weakly. “I cannot heal you inside, love. I… I do not know what to do,” Faramir said softly. “I need a healer to help me.”

Rahl still couldn’t see, but he could hear the pain in Faramir’s voice. “Watch him then. Don’t let him kill me though…” He tugged on Faramir’s hand and pulled him closer, too tired to keep talking. It took him nearly a minute to regain enough breath to speak. “Don’t worry… spell… I have a spell in place. If I die, you will…” He turned his head aside, coughed again and felt even more blood trickle down his cheek, but he didn’t release Faramir. “You will wake up in your world … won’t be stuck here…” Before he could even finish the thought, he ran out of air and slid into unconsciousness, never seeing the stricken look on his lover’s face.

Faramir winced when Rahl asked him not to let the healer kill him. He shook his head, not knowing that Rahl really couldn’t see him and leaned closer to his lover as his voice grew weaker. The wet sound of the cough made Faramir wish he knew some sort of healing magic and he gasped when Rahl spoke his last words. “Oh Gods, I don’t care about that… all I care about is you,” he said softly, though Rahl was already oblivious to him. In that short time, Faramir cleaned away the blood again and carefully unfastened Rahl’s robe. When the knock came on the door, Faramir reluctantly left his lover who was struggling to breath and wheezing to unlock it after he verified who was there. He let Bergan in who had a young healer with him. He questioned the healer for a few moments, afraid to keep aide from Rahl but also afraid the healer could do more damage. Once he was satisfied with the young man’s answers he returned to Rahl’s side, taking his lover’s hand in his own and kneeling beside the bed. “If you do more damage to him, I’ll make sure you suffer so much you will beg me to let you die. Magic or not, I’ll rip you apart, do you understand?”

The healer was startled by the slave’s words and simply nodded. “No more harm will come to him… I swear it,” he said. “I… I cannot do anything, he has too many protective spells.”

Faramir sighed. “Love, wake up,” he whispered into Rahl’s ear and shook him just a little bit. “Wake up… we need you to lift enough of your spells so you can be healed. Please, love, please… do this for me,” he whispered.

Rahl heard voices, but could only distinguish Faramir’s, asking him to do something. Forcing his eyes open, he realized he still couldn’t see and reached blindly out for his lover, who was startlingly, and thankfully, leaning just over him. He clutched at Faramir’s robes and tried to hold still. “I… the spells. Who… I cannot see who… do you…” A sharp pain in his side made him moan softly and grit his teeth. “Do you trust him?” he whispered against his lover’s hair.

Faramir blinked when Rahl said he could not see and felt his heart almost stop for a moment. He swallowed hard and took his lover’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I do trust him… Bergan trusts him as well and we are both here to make sure you are protected. We need you to drop some of your spells love, he cannot do anything to help you until you do,” Faramir said softly for only Rahl to hear. “I promise I will not let him hurt you.”

Licking his lips and trusting in the only person he had any trust in, Rahl lifted a weak finger from where it rested on the bed and whispered a few words. He felt the spells lifting one by one and before the last one fully fell away, he drifted back into unconsciousness, the hand holding Faramir’s robe dropping slowly away.

Faramir reached out and clutched at the hand that fell to the bed and looked up at the healer. “Now, his spells are gone but do not think he is completely unprotected. His vision is gone from the spell… and he is bleeding internally. Can you truly do this without making things worse?” He asked the healer seriously and the young man nodded.

“Yes, I may be young, but I can do this. I must work quickly though, my magic is drained by the castle itself… another protection on the house of Rahl,” the young man explained and began to chant a spell as his hands moved over Rahl’s body, not touching him, just skimming over the top of his robes. Blue light seemed to flow from the healer to Rahl slowly and Faaramir watched as the young healer broke out in a sweat as he worked. After a few minutes the man began to weave on his feet and pulled away.

He was panting when he looked up at Faramir. “I… have done all I can for now but he is not completely healed yet. I will have to wait and regain my strength before I can do more but most of the internal damage is fixed. He needs more healing though and his vision will still likely be impaired until I can try again,” the man said weakly.

Bergan stepped forward and took the man’s arm. “I will take you back home and you can rest until your strength has returned and come back to finish your task then,” Bergan said softly. “You are exhausted.”

Faramir looked slightly sympathetic at the younger man. “I am sorry I forgot to ask your name.”

“Darien… I am Bergan’s brother,” the young man explained.

Faramir was relived then when he said who he was and smiled. “Thank you. Please… go get some rest and I will tend him until you can return.”

The pain that seemed be everywhere was slowly lifted and bit by bit, Rahl felt consciousness returning. Before he was even aware of it, his hand tightened on Faramir’s and he began breathing easier. He tried to speak, but his mouth was too dry and it took him a moment to orient himself. “Faramir?” He turned his head toward the healer who was breathing heavily even as he cast his protection spells again, not even realizing he was clinging to his lover.

“I’m here,” Faramir said softly. “The healer has done all he can for now, but he will return when his strength does to make sure you are fully healed. For now you will just have to rest and let me take care of you. Bergan is taking the healer back home now, it was his brother Darien,” Faramir explained as he carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding Rahl’s hand. “He said you should be able to see but your vision would still be unclear… if you need anything I will get it for you. Do you need anything? Water or perhaps a healing tea?”

“Water.” Rahl tried to lick his lips, but his mouth still tasted of blood. His eyes slowly opened and he could just make out Faramir’s face. “I will be fine now. He has stopped the bleeding and I can see again. I just…” He closed his eyes again, hating himself for being weak, but knowing he was in no position to protect either himself or Faramir should something unexpected happen. A spell fell from his lips automatically and his chamber door locked, the last one clicking slowly but firmly in place before he could continue. “Stay with me for a while?”

Faramir turned and poured a glass of water, not even realizing that Bergan had brought it and left it there for him. “Here love, I’ll help you tip your head up, I don’t want you to sit up just yet,” Faramir said leaning down and helping his lover. “And of course I will stay, you have me worried sick.” He watched as Rahl winced as he drank. “Here, spit it out into this towel… there was a lot of blood,” Faramir said, unable to completely repress a shiver at the memory of his lover coughing up blood. “How did this happen? Should I have the guards stand ready for an attack?”

Rahl tried to shake his head, but ended up coughing instead after he spit into the towel. grateful for his lover’s support when Faramir simply held him and helped him drink more water. “No. One of my spells… something went wrong. I got distracted, missed a word…” He drank more water then lay back down, resting his head on the pillow. “The spell came back, hit me… there was fire… Gods, Faramir, there was fire, just like…” He shivered violently and reached reflexively for Faramir, pulling him close with surprising strength. “Wizard’s fire. I thought for a moment it was wizard’s fire and I was going to die.”

Faramir set the glass and soiled towel in the floor and turned back to his lover as he rested. He was surprised by the strength of Rahl’s grip when he grabbed him and he gasped. “Oh love,” he whispered, brushing soft dark hair back from his lover’s face. “But you did not and you will not die,” he whispered. “Just rest, rest and heal and let me hold you and take care of you.” Faramir moved a little closer on the bed and reached out. “Would you like me to remove your robe and clean you a bit, you are still covered in blood and sweat… you can’t be comfortable. I can get a clean robe for you or a clean pair of the breeches you liked to sleep in before and you can lay here with me and rest, sleep or I can even read to you… whatever you like, my love.”

Exhausted and still a bit disoriented, Rahl released Faramir and pressed one hand over his lower abdomen, forgetting completley that he was no longer hiding from his lover. “No, the robe must stay. You of all people cannot see my scars. You will want to go home and I don’t have the heart to force you to stay… not anymore.” His eyes drifted closed once more and he frowned. “Want you to stay, Faramir. I am… I think I am happy when you are here.”

Faramir stared at his lover for a moment in complete surprise. “Darken… love, I’ve already seen your scars, remember… you have been sleeping without your sleep pants or a robe for a few weeks now. Remember that morning we fought… you were so angry but I explained that I love you no matter what and we had… well… whenever we make love it is incredible but… it was quite spectacular that morning and we stayed in bed most of the morning… remember, love?” Faramir asked, frightened that Rahl had lost his memory of one of the most special days of Faramir’s life.

The memory came slowly back to Rahl and he opened his eyes again. “You saw them,” he said with a half smile. “And you didn’t want to leave. You loved me anyway.” He nodded, holding on to the memory and finally moved his hand away. “Yes… If you would help me bathe, I would feel… better, I think. I…” Another bout of coughing racked his body and he rolled over onto his side. “If there are new scars… you will not mind?” he asked almost pleadingly, something he never would have done had he been completely aware of everything.

Faramir smiled in relief when Rahl remembered, his shoulders sagging with the release of tension. “Yes, I love you anyway,” he answered and then gasped. “Oh love,” he whispered as he rubbed his lover’s back. “I think some of the blood got in your chest…” Faramir murmured. “No, I will not mind if you have new scars though it seems most of the damage this time was inside you rather than outside,” Faramir explained. “All the blood was mostly from your coughing it up… in face I cannot find a single cut on you, despite Bergan saying there was broken glass everywhere.” He waited until Rahl’s coughing fit subsided; rubbing his back and helping him lay back down before he began to strip him. Faramir worked slowly, removing only the top part of his robe. “I need to get some warm water… oh… are you able to use your magic or should I ask Bergan to send… Corrine’s mother with warm water from the kitchens?”

“No, no one else…” Rahl’s fingers moved against the bed sheets and he whispered spells to not only produce a basin of warm water by the bed but a book and tea as well. “I don’t want anyone else to see me like this. “ He blinked, rubbed at his eyes and his memory seemed to fade again. “Will you stay Faramir? And keep everyone else away?”

“Yes, love,” Faramir said, surprised that Rahl seemed to already forget that he offered to stay. “Did you hit your head when you were hurt?” Faramir asked. He leaned down and lifted Rahl’s head gently from the pillow and felt the back of his head. His fingers came away red with blood and he had felt a large knot forming. “No need to answer that,” Faramir frowned as he wiped his hand and wet another cloth. “I need to take care of the cut on the back of your head… it may sting a little so promise your magic will not hurt me?”

“My magic…” Rahl slowly let his gaze travel over Faramir’s face and this time, his smile was more genuine. “I have no spells against you anymore,” he whispered. “I let the last one fall a few weeks ago… never done that before with anyone…”

Shocked, Faramir just looked at his lover for a moment before smiling lovingly at him. “Thank you,” he whispered and leaned down to brush his lips sweetly against Rahl’s. “Tell me if this hurts too much, love,” he whispered before helping Rahl turn his head to the side and cleaning away the blood that was starting to mat in his lover’s hair and staunching the flow of blood from the knot. He pressed the folded cloth against the wound and had his lover lay back against it. “I will not fasten it, so do not move around too much,” he whispered.

Doing just as he was told for a change, Rahl tried to relax, wishing a wizard could heal himself. “I meant what I said earlier. If I die, you will go back to your home. i would not endanger you by keeping you here without my protection. “

“You are not going to die,” Faramir scolded lightly, though he knew the potential for it had certainly been there this morning. “I do appreciate you thinking of me that way… but I am not going to lose you, I just refuse to. So Darken, you must simply learn to put up with my fussing over you and taking care of you until you are well again,” Faramir told him as he sat back and resumed working on cleaning his lover’s chest. “And, since that knot on your head keeps making you forget things, I will just have to remind you over and over again how much I love you.”

Rahl’s smile widened and he reached up to touch Faramir’s arm. “Don’t call me “lord” anymore,” he said softly. “I like it when you call me Darken or… love. That’s nice too. You are clearly more than a slave these days, especially given the way you talk back to me.” Before Faramir could respond, Rahl squeezed his wrist. “It really is nice… to have someone love you, so I am glad for the reminders.”

Faramir hadn’t even realized he’d been calling his lover by his given name and swallowed hard when Rahl said that he liked it. He smiled and even laughed a little, his face coloring. “Clearly, I am a bit bossy when I am worried or upset,” Faramir admitted with a grin. “And it is a good feeling to love someone as well,” Faramir said softly. He waited until Rahl released him and set to work cleaning him again, wiping away blood and traces of ash as well. “There is ash, you said you saw wizard fire… was there a fire?”

Yes… fire. There was an explosion. I am… glad Bergan brought me to you,” Rahl whispered, shivering as the water touched his skin despite the fact that it was hot. “Before… I would have had no one else to go to and would not have trusted anyone, even Bergan to bring me a healer.” He shivered again, this time violently as he remembered the last time a healer had touched him, when he was much younger and in even more pain than he’d been in after the explosion. “I would have stayed there and hoped for the best.”

“Then you likely would have died,” Faramir said sadly. “I am glad I was here… but I do trust Bergan. He is loyal to you and I can tell it is not just because of your magic and so I trust his brother as well… he is young, likely why he could not do enough tonight. Barely even old enough to shave I’d gather,” he said grinning and continuing to clean his lover. “You know, the boy is young enough that he will be the sort to influence… someone to shape as an ally,” Faramir said softly, “It may be worth some thought, I know you do not trust other wizards but… he seemed sincere to me and Bergan did not even get mad when I threatened him.”

“That is a good…” A painful breath made Rahl pause – “idea. I will speak with him, perhaps read him, when I get my strength… wait.” He blinked, wondered if his memory was failing again and frowned. “You threatened him? I cannot imagine you threatening anyone.”

Faramir smiled when Rahl said it was a good idea though the smile faded as he realized Rahl was struggling to breathe. He shifted a bit on the bed and used the warm damp cloth to lie over his lover’s chest to soothe him. “Yes, I told him magic or not that I would rip him apart if he hurt you.”

Had Rahl not still been in pain, he would have laughed. As it was, he merely smiled, though somewhere deep inside him, he was perfectly delighted that Faramir had chosen to protect him. His breathing came easier and he rested his hand over Faramir’s as it lay against his chest. “You are a good man, Faramir,” he said, wheezing slightly. “I am glad I kept you.” Closing his eyes again, he gave his lover’s fingers a slight squeeze. “I should go back and fix my spell, but I’m so tired. I think… think I will rest for a bit. Will you stay?”

Faramir smiled when Rahl’s hand rested over his own and said he was a good man. “I’m glad you kept me too,” he whispered and then shook his head. “You, my dear, are not going anywhere until you are well,” he said sternly. “And yes, Darken, I will stay with you, always.” He was concerned that his lover’s memory seemed to still be fuzzy, the bump to his head obviously having the man addled. He continued to clean him and worked his way to his lover’s waist. “I need you to lift your hips for me a little and I will get this dirty robe off of you and get something clean for you to wear.”

It only then occurred to Rahl that a simple spell would clean him and remove his robe, but he was enjoying the feeling of Faramir’s hands on him too much to give it up just yet. His lover’s words rang in his ear about staying always. “Always, Faramir is a very long time. You will wish to leave one day, and our lives will go back to normal.” He lifted his hips up as he spoke and felt his robe being removed. Without thinking, his hand came down and covered his scar, as if it had a mind of its own. Sighing led to another round of coughing and when he was finished, he lay back on the bed, struggling for air. “I do not… look forward to… that day,” he managed before dozing off again, growing more and more exhausted with every breath.

“Yes, it is a long time and let us not talk about either of us leaving or dying or anything else depressing like that. I came close to losing you today and I am still trying to deal with how badly that frightened me,” Faramir said as he worked to remove the robe. He frowned and felt his heart ache when Rahl struggled for breath again and coughed. He sounded terrible and Faramir wished he knew how to help him more than he was. He felt helpless and frustrated with his own lack of magic. When the robe was gone, he was surprised that Rahl still felt the need to cover his scar, his hand only able to span a small portion of it across his lower abdomen. Faramir couldn’t say anything else though because his lover dozed off again and the former Ranger sighed and continued to clean him and redressed his lover in the soft pants he used to sleep in.

Rahl was clean from head to toe when he next opened his eyes and Faramir was putting the basin of water on the nightstand. Reaching out to wrap a hand around Faramir’s wrist, he tugged gently. “You know how I have allowed you to sleep with your head on my shoulder recently? And let you put your leg and arm across my thighs and chest?” He smiled just thinking about it, and let his eyes drift up to his lover’s still slightly blurry face. “If you wanted to…” He had to pause for air and figure out a way to get his point across without making himself sound too needy in his own mind – “I would allow you to lie next to me like that now. It might… it might make you feel better.”

Faramir turned to look at his lover when he awoke again and reached out for him. He found himself unable to suppress the grin that crossed his lips as Rahl spoke and nodded. “Yes, of course,” he whispered. “Thank you, it would make me feel better.” He wasn’t about to tease his lover, all of this was new to Rahl really and Faramir didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable for wanting or even needing his touch right now. He had after all, almost died. Faramir stood and removed his own robe, which was wet with water and stained with blood. He crossed to the other side of the bed and slid into it, pulling the covers on top of them both and snuggling up against his lover’s side. “You are not too sore for me to hold you?”

One arm came up to rest comfortably around Faramir’s shoulders, hand on his bicep, in what was now a familiar embrace. “I will manage,” he said softly, melting against his lover, drinking in the warmth and strength and the gentle touches that, from what he could tell, were all given freely and out of love. Rahl didn’t understand it, couldn’t fathom how it would feel to the one loving instead of being loved, but he couldn’t deny that it felt wonderful, especially after he’d nearly just lost his life. “Wake me when the healer returns. I should be well after he works his magic on me again, then he and I will have a talk.” His eyes drifted shut again, and then a moment later he shook his head. “And you. You should be there. I want to know what you think.”

“Oh I will be there, you will have a difficult time getting me from your side for a while, Darken Rahl. I almost lost you today and as you know I can be a very stubborn man,” Faramir chided warmly. He leaned up and pressed his lips to his lover’s forehead and then moved to rest his head against his shoulder. “I love you so very much,” he whispered. It was terrifying really to think he almost lost his lover to a dangerous spell and he was determined that he would do everything he could possibly do to make sure nothing like this ever happened again. “Now, rest, love. I have you… you are safe,” he whispered.

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