Faramir Fiction Archive

Vengeance or, an attempt on it gone awry (R)

Written by Suryallee

09 January 2012 | 15449 words | Work in Progress

Disclaimer:
Tolkien and all of his works do not belong to me in any form or way, I never planned in the past to make money from this nor do I plan or want to do so in the future! This is just plain Fan-work, nothing more.
Type; continuation
Rating; Mature, R
Summary; One’s loss is another one’s gain. Faramir gets lucky while having a misfortune, Aragorn has to learn a lection, Glorfindel gains a new friend, Erestor gets a little helper and all that chaos happens only because of one bottle wine.
Pairings; Faramir / Glorfindel
Characters appearing in the story;, Aragorn, Erestor, Elladan, Elrohir, Estel, Faramir, Glorfindel and many more (Less in person but mentioned) Ecthelion of Gondolin, Turgon, Gandalf, Gimli, Boromir, Thranduil, Legolas, Elrond, Galadriel, Isildur, Elendil, Anarion, and many others.
Genre; AU
Warnings, This is slightly AU! My grammar and stile since I am Native German and this has not been beta read! I suppose that my bad Humor deserves an extra warning ^^;
Other; Please do not use my story without my permission given, thank you.
Notes: I took on a challenge again.
Challenge: 25 Prompts by December.

I took on two phrases, number 8. Vengeance and number 25. Running Barefoot. The inspired me to write this mess. I hope you enjoy it, I certainly had a lot fun writing this first part!
Your Suryallee

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Part one,

“Oh Valar…my head hurts!”

A rather dirty and strangely haggard looking Glorfindel, formerly of Gondolin and lately of Imladris let out another grunt of pain whilst cradling his all too much hurting head within both hands carefully. Why did his head pound so much? …Oh…oh! The sudden recollection of a grinning Aragorn who gave him a bottle of Thranduil’s finest Dorwinion did fast the trick to make the Elf Lord remember the Why, he was possibly in such pains right now. What it did not explain at all was why he had a half-naked Faramir of Gondor bound in ropes resting next to him. As alluring as the sight of the beautiful young man normally would have been to the Eldar. Right now, it did just confuse Glorfindel endlessly even more if that was possible.

It did also not explain it in any rational way, why he and said Prince of Ithilien looked like both had wadded through every mud and dirt-hole on their way to here. And how they both had ended up inside of a cave on the way between Gondor and Imladris that was well known to Glorfindel eluded the Elf Lord too.

Another low curse and more sounds of pain made it past the lush lips.

Suddenly the ugly feeling to have to throw up came over the now slightly greenish looking Immortal. What gave him an even more oddly complexion as before., Glorfindel got out of the cave in a record time even for his standards. To finally turn around a corner outside to then give into the sick demands of his poor stomach.

Sadly His bad luck for the day did not end there.

Meanwhile the golden haired Lord mused grimly about it what foul concoction Estel could have put into the fine Dorwinion wine to make him this drunk, he did not watch his stepping for a moment as usual. Of course, he had to step into another pool of mud; the universe just seemed to love ironies. He had learned that valuable lection already long time ago in Gondolin when Turgon had caught him and Ecthelion sleeping away their drunken state right inside the empty main fountain right in front of the palace doors…stark naked.

Elrond’s ancestor had not been a happy camper that day and a truly gruesome sight to the roughly woken couple of Gondolin’s resident pranksters. The universal rule certainly explained too why the mud had to smell like a warg had pissed on it sometime prior and why, of course, he did not seem to wear any shoes and was running around barefooted… out of a point that Glorfindel really, really did not even want to know!

How the hell he wondered shortly, did those Hobbit’s keep their hairy feet clean all the times anyways?

Cussing worse as any sailor in all languages that he currently could remember the normally composed and dignified…What everyone else besides of those who knew him better, thought him to be… Eldar hopped around clumsily on his other foot whilst shaking his muddy one madly like a dog would do to get rid of the awful smelling mud all the time. His fair face set into a grimace of equal horror, disgust and fury.

Right in front of the cave, he had left the still sleeping Faramir in.

Said man had been woken up from his own wine infused coma unpleasantly from a lots of loudly cussing. Coming from the outside and now Faramir looked somewhat bleary eyed at the bizarre sight that the Elf unknowingly gave him so freely. Deciding in his still somewhat messed up brain that it really was not worth it to be up this early and that it sometimes really was better not to ask, Faramir who still was drunk like a sailor, fell back down onto his bedding of moss and an odd smelling cloak to promptly fall back into sleep.

The sudden movement of Faramir falling back into the bedding stopped Glorfindel for a moment dead in his tracks to stare aghast at the mortal for being caught in this embarrassing situation. Before he continued his eccentric little dance, albeit now cussing a lot less loudly. No need to embarrass himself more as he had done so already. Hopefully the man would have forgotten it when he woke up the next time. This went on until he reached the small river that he knew did run in the near of the cave.

He was in a dire need for a bath!

There he slipped suddenly on the wet river sand on the bank to practically fall, face forward, into the icy cold water. For moments, only the bubbles reaching the surface gave any indication that something was in the water that did not belong there. Then the elf did burst through the surface. Well, Glorfindel thought, at least I am fully awake now! Slicking back his long tresses with one hand, Glorfindel glared up at the sky for a long moment in his silent fuming.

He did begin with the hard task to strip out of his wet clothing in order to get clean.

Only to remember suddenly that he had no change of dry clothes! Right when he had finally gotten rid of his leggings that now merrily joined his only tunic and other clothing in its rather fast adventure downstream. A new a set of curses, this time in Orcish rung loudly thought the surrounding Forrest while the Elf Lord in his birthday suit frantically hunted down his elusive clothing.

The sun was already setting when Glorfindel finally made it back to the cave. Wet as a rat, in a foul mood and with such a murderous expression on his fair features that he even scared the squirrels and birds away. If they had not already deserted the area before, that was.

At least, the Elf mused he had been lucid enough to have taken his hunting knife with him. He had tossed it on the riverbank before stripping and found it still laying there a long while later on his way back. He had cut and cleaned the fishes with it that had been accidentally caught in the sleeves of his undershirt. At least the human and he would not starve this night.

Said man was nowhere in sight when he reentered the cave. Then a sudden dull thud and a sudden pain on the back of his head made him loose his bearings. Oh, Glorfindel thought, there had Faramir gone to, then everything went black.

The mortal looked mortified down at his captive.

He had somehow deducted that someone had kidnapped him and somehow his still dulled mind had made him believe it that it must have been Orcs or Haradrim. He had gotten rid of his bindings and had positioned himself on the rim of the inside cave entrance with a few heavy rocks. To catch his attackers unawares and simply had thrown one onto the head of the first being that dared to enter.

What, unluckily for Glorfindel, had been him.

What in the name of Arda and the One, did Gimli’s folk mix in their three times cursed brews!? However, it did not explain why he and the Elf were here in the first place. Or why in the name of the Valar he had been bound, without shoes, dirty as an Orc and the Elf…being wet? He must have taken a bath Faramir concluded rightfully. But why had he left Faramir inside the cave?

Dimly the man remembered a strange vision from his former dreams. With Glorfindel hopping around on one leg…maybe he not dreamt that at all as he first had thought. Shaking it off, he jumped down. The man shortly checked on the tall Eldar before he heaved the surprisingly heavy Elf over to the bedding to dispose him onto the same and then to cover him with the cape. With a shrug, Faramir left him there. He would be fine from what Faramir did know about elves and instead he went back over to the entrance to take the several fish from the ground. If a Balrog had not managed it to keep that Elf for longer inside the Halls of Mandos in Glorfindels past then this should heal quite fast. Besides that, Glorfindel was an Elf; they were more resilient as Humans.

For a second time in a relatively short amount of time, Glorfindel woke up with a huge headache in the size of an Oliphant.

Although, he was definitely less drunk this time as he figured out quite fast. The crackling of a merry fire made him carefully move his head to the side to look at it for a moment. “Feeling better, I hope?” Faramir’s worried face came into his vision and Glorfindel could not help to note that the human looked absurdly cute when he bit his lower lip in worry like he did it currently. “Yes…I think. How big was that stone that you threw on my poor head?” He sat up with the carefully help of the man.

“Big enough it seems.” The man chuckled softly. “It knocked you out instantly, sorry for that. I thought you to be some evil being that had kidnapped me.” At that, both Elf and Human chuckled softly.

“Well, considering what my poor brain likes to remember of the night before, it would seem that I indeed somehow well…I kind of abducted you?” Faramir looked confused at the tall Eldar. “Huh? I mean pardon me?” The Elf ruefully laughed quietly again and rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner what made him look like a boy and amused and puzzled Faramir.

“Uhh, as much as I remember, I got under the impression to have to bring you back with me to Rivendell in order to save you from something nasty that I can’t remember right now…sorry!” Both looked at each other incredulously for a few seconds before both broke out in pearls of laughter.

It took a longer while for Glorfindel and Faramir to calm down again from their mirth.

“Alright! You and I, my friend, without doubt got too drunk for our own good last night that much I do understand. I was stupid enough to drink Gimli’s ale and what is your excuse?” The mumbles of killing Aragorn later and the word wine were all Faramir could make out. Faramir finally found his legs back and managed it to get into a sitting position with some difficulties after their next laughter attack. His stomach hurt from the laughing and he rubbed it awkwardly while he addressed the mighty seneschal of Lord Elrond thoughtful again.

“What I don’t understand is why you got so drunk in the first place. Since elves normally need a lot of beverage to even get slightly tipsy at all and what on Arda made you believe, that you had to kidnap me right out of the citadel of Gondor? Not to mention that I wonder how we both managed to get past the guards in the first place and I can’t remember walking here either.”

The Elf could just shrug his wide shoulders at Faramir’s questions with a pout; he had no clue either.

Rescuing one of the fishes from being burned to ash, he handed it over to Faramir to lay it aside before he did the same with the rest of them too. Then Glorfindel laid one fish onto one separate leaf out of the several large and leafs that the mortal must have gathered outside whilst he was out for this purpose . To cool down.

So he could eat the fish later. He turned back to Faramir.

“I only remember some aspects of the time before I got drunk. One of them was Estel; pardon Aragorn, giving me a bottle of Dorwinion wine with a grin. I bet my arse on it that the cunning brat did pour something nasty into the wine that must have made me this drunk to get back on me for getting him drunk the night before the fellowship set out!” Faramir laughed madly at the deft choice of words and the scowl of his elven companion’s face. “However, the rest eludes me as much as you I fear. I can only imagine that I got somewhat befuddled from the drugged wine and mixed up my memories in my head…” He trailed off and starred blindly into the fire next to Faramir and him.

A hand on his shoulder brought the elf out of his reflection again.

For a moment, Glorfindel could only stare into the worried grey eyes of Faramir before he got himself back under his iron control. Covering Faramir’s hand with his own, much bigger one, he tried to reassure his human friend with a hesitant smile. “Worry not for me, my friend. I am fine. Just some unpleasant memories of my past raised their ugly heads. T’his is nothing new to me, Faramir. It happens more often as I would like them to do so and they will do so for the rest of my life, I fear.”

Faramir just nodded at that and with a final squeeze, he let go on the Elf to settle back down next to Glorfindel to eat the now cooler fish. The Elf chose to do the same. One of the things that Glorfindel liked so much on Estel’s Steward was his silent way to deal with everything around him. No matter how strange the situation was that he was in, Faramir would always analyze it first and then react. It was a fine character detail for a warrior or for a Lord to have. Glorfindel knew this all too well. This had been one of the details that had attracted Glorfindel to the silent Faramir on Estel’s coronation. When Glorfindel first had laid eyes on the young Steward and both had become fast friends in the following weeks that the Eldar had stayed in Gondor.

That and the stunning loveliness of the human, if Glorfindel was honest with himself here.

Faramir was witty, good-natured and an honest soul. He was a strong warrior, a reliable advisor and friend for Estel and simply pleasant to have around. The human was stunningly wise for his age and a sensual and artistic soul… and Glorfindel refused adamant to admit it that he was babbling like a lovesick fool inside his mind right now!

In short, he was all the things Glorfindel preferred in a partner or had always searched for in a mate. Just why, in the name of the Valar, had he to be a Gondorian?! Not that, that had stopped Glorfindel in the past from taking a lover, oh no. Just this time he did not dare to go too far.

He could feel it, he would risk losing himself too deeply in the human if he gave in and that was not something he had ever experienced like this before in his very long life.

What said a lot.

Only one had ever come almost this close to him before and that had been Ecthelion. Although in a different way. When he had seen his lover die Glorfindel had felt his heart break apart. He never recovered fully from the loss and Faramir was getting much too close to him without even knowing it. Glorfindel shook his musings off. He could not solve his dilemma out now anyways. Furthermore, the customs of Gondor did not exactly work in his favors here too. He knew that.

They strictly forbade having relationships of the same gender there and those laws practically made all efforts spend in vain in the beforehand.

The penalty for such a thing was to become a pariah of Gondor and the lands that belonged to the Kingdom. The poor ones who were caught were stripped of their ranks and then flogged in public before they were thrown out in front of the gates of the mighty city of men. The rule had been established from one of the first King’s in the far past who had a phobia of this and it stood in order ever since. He would never wish that fate to the noble man, so he kept his mouth shut and his desires under control. Not that Glorfindel thought that this particular rule would stay in order for much longer. Estel had grown up in Imladris and with elves.

He would remove it as soon as he could, Glorfindel was sure of that.

And if it just was to make his dealings with the Elven realms easier in general, whose visitors had to hide it until then if they had spouses or lovers of the same gender.

Especially the twins had to hide the true nature of their relationship from the humans. Since the two had one soulmate together. What was not all too unexpected for the Elves, the two shared one soul after all and that was bound to the said elf. Glorfindel highly doubted it that Faramir or any other Gondorian would understand this as easily as the Elves did it.

“How is the fish? I found some salt in the stored things in the back of the cave.” Faramir gave his companion a questioning look. Clearly, the kind man wanted to distract him from his musings, Glorfindel rightfully thought. He smiled back at Faramir. “Good enough I suppose. They would have tasted better with spices for certes but one has to take what one can get when being foolish enough to run around drunk, I guess.”

Both looked at each other again before they both broke out in rueful chortles.

“So Aragorn wanted to have a little revenge on you?” The innocently asked question brought some more memories of the last night back to Glorfindel. Memories that made him blanch and drop his fish in shock. Alarmed Faramir turned to his friend. “What ails you?!”

But the Eldar did not really hear Faramir right now, too busy was he to recall fully what had happened last night.

The night before had begun innocently enough, with a feast like many other in the late in Gondor.

Aragorn had invited the Eldar and had given him the wine. After that, Glorfindel recalled to have rapidly become drunk and he had wandered around in Gondor for a while. Glorfindel remembered to have pestered several shop owners on his way down the city but all had just smiled the drunken elf and shooed him away from their shops with a smile on their lips. He knew he could behave really silly when drunk. Sometime later in the night he had spotted Faramir, equally tipsy as he was and he had happily gone to the man who had sat hidden away inside a small alcove of one of the gardens of the many taverns in the city.

From there it got a bit fuzzy but in the end, they had just talked as usual, he figured out with some difficulty. Until a group of drunken guards off duty had showed up. They had found both sitting in there and begun to make lewd comments about them. Glorfindel had become increasingly enraged at them and all had ended into an ugly street fight that he had easily won. In the end, there had been several broken noses and other bones and Glorfindel still thought that those men had deserved every single one of them.

At least he was a happy drunk. Those men had been not.

One of them had accidentally beaten Faramir over the head when he tried to stop the fight from breaking out, what had rendered him unconscious and made Glorfindel lose his temper fully. The fight had attracted some of the sober guards who promptly took the side of the drunken ones. The new guards had gone so far to believe their drunken ramblings and had bound Faramir and the elf to bring the two to the prison of Gondor.

They had been no match for the Elda who had faced down Sauron’s witch King of Angmar in the recent past and who had killed a Balrog of Morgoth in the first Age in Gondolin!

He had gotten loose and taken them out faster than lightning. Cursing all the time in old Quenya and then had simply thrown the still lifeless Faramir over his shoulder to run out of the city. The guards on the entrance to the city had looked at them oddly but had been sensible enough not to try to stop an enraged Elven Elda. They had been older and obviously wiser as the ones in the city.

One had just run back into the city to alarm the King of the oddly behavior of the living legend and their beloved steward.

How and when both had lost their footwear was not clear to Glorfindel, but somewhere between here and Gondor they had. Along with the upper and under tunics of Faramir as it looked. Most likely inside the swamps that lay on the way to here. He even recalled a friendly horse that had let the two ride on it for a while. Although Glorfindel could not tell for the life of him where he had lost it or better said, the horse, them! Now it made sense to Glorfindel why he had felt like he had to rescue Faramir in the first place.

If those fools had already, spread the rumors around that they had invented the last night, then even Estel would have a hard time currently to get this sorted out.

Not to mention that Faramir now really could not go back until this was solved! Glorfindel groaned.

The next hour he explained this all to the shocked Faramir who by the end wanted nothing other as to strangle those guards for getting him into this crazy position in the first place. He was white as a ghost. He in turn explained to Glorfindel how the rumors had started to begin with.

“My father started them on purpose when he was losing his mind, Glorfindel. Back then, he was consumed from the Seeing Stone already too much and did in his madness everything he could to mar my reputation when Boromir was not around to keep him from it. He called me names in public like being too womanly or being too soft to be a true man and such…in the end some believed me to have unnatural urges.”

The man gripped his hair with both hands in his frustration. Then he stood to pace agitated around and closed his eyes for some long minutes before he did speak again.

“Some of the city guards worshiped him and followed his lead and often made my life a living hell. Those ones we met must have been a few of the left ones. Aragorn thought he had gotten them all sorted and straightened out. I am sorry that you had to witness that, my friend! They were not so far off I fear. To be honest, I found out a long time ago that I like both genders in some way I do not understand. I always hid it in the past. I know that it is wrong, please don’t be mad and don’t hate me now?”

Glorfindel simply could not help himself; he got up and enfolded the man into his arms as instantly as Faramir’s anguished eyes met his.

“Hush! It is not wrong at all, Faramir. Your people just chose to make this rule one day in the past to forbid such pairings because one of your former Kings thought of it as wrong. However, the truth is that it is not in the slightest way wrong or unnatural at all…Valar I wish you had grown up under elves like Estel did it, then you would have known that my people often have such relationships.

As do the men of Rohan or everywhere else besides Gondor do have them too, or at least they permit such pairs to have them as long as it does not affect the majority negatively, what they almost never do. We all actually find it rather perplexing that in Gondor the people condemn such pairs and force them to become outcasts.” He fell silent and simply held the man until his crying fit ceased after a while. Then he made him lay down to sleep.

Although Glorfindel was rejoicing inwardly, outwardly he showed nothing of his glee besides the soft glow that suddenly surrounded them both and that seem to come from the inside of the golden haired Elf.

Later, whilst guarding Faramirs sleep, he simply marveled at the new knowledge that maybe, just maybe he still had a chance in wooing the human over and into his arms. And said arms felt extremely empty since Faramir had gone to sleep!

Still Glorfindel did not dare to approach Faramir yet, to fresh were the wounds of his friend to deal with more confusing news now, and the man had first to get more to terms with what he had been taught to be wrong for all of his life and what he desired. The journey to Rivendell would do that trick of that Glorfindel was certain. If not, then living there for a while certainly would. Especially when he introduced Faramir to Elladan, Elrohir and Erestor. Those three would take a good care of Faramir and would make a short work on his fears.

He could woo Faramir over slowly and in the end, he would get what he wanted if he was clever and patient enough to get it. Glorfindel had enough patience for both of them, and then some if needed be. If he played his cards right, he would have the man in the end but he was not certain if he would give him back then to Estel then without a fight. If he had his way, Faramir would stay in Rivendell with the twins and him forever.

Elrond planned to sail in the next years, to much the Elf Lord missed his wife.

It was not surprising Glorfindel at all. He had seen the love between the two in the past and only wished his old friend and his wife happiness and an end of their pain and sorrows. He would stay as he once had sworn it to the Valar and protect Eärendil’s line until the last member had left Arda, then and only then Glorfindel would leave too.

Both twin’s and their mate wanted to stay until their sister and foster brother had gone from Arda to the realm where the souls of the mortals go after death.

Surprisingly many Elves out of the different realms wanted to stay a while longer in the now, evil free world. To help it recover and see what the humans made out of it. The most of the Greenwood Elves and their King for example did not even want to leave forever. Feeling deprived of their time in Arda by the Valar and Sauron they did not accept it that they should not life in the peaceful times now too that they had helped to earn with so much pain, blood and death. They had mostly chosen to fade with their beloved wood. Much to the sadness of the Valar as much as Glorfindel did know of. To choose from what Gandalf had told him before the powers still tried to find a way to get those elves to Valinor. He shook his head. Many of the other Elves would go. Tmajority of the reminding elves in fact felt weary of their time in Arda. Mostly the Noldor would leave, but even from them, some wanted to stay for a while longer, feeling a lot like the Sindar and Sylvan of the green realm of Thranduil or the golden wood in this.

It made a lovely mess, Glorfindel thought.

He could understand their arguments. Having once lost his own beautiful city of stone in the far past. For a moment, his eyes misted over from all the memories that still lived on vividly in his mind. With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and face. No good it did him to think of this now, Glorfindel realised that. Sometimes the true age of the Elda showed.

His un-freely stay in the halls had muted some of his memories and pains but they were always there. Forever branded into his mind and soul.

Sometimes, Glorfindel felt so incredibly old and lonely that his entire being was arching in the shocks of the pains that came from his very soul then.

His entire life had been dedicated to the happiness of others. He rued it not; it had made life interesting for sure. For example, he would never have seen the Hobbit’s if he had stayed dead. Or meet Faramir, a hand found its way into the soft curls of the sleeping man to pet them for a moment. His blue eyes closed for a minute. And if it only was for a short time if given maybe a while longer, agreed Faramir would life the longer life of the Numorian, Glorfindel wanted to keep the man with him for as long as the Valar saw fit and be content.

For one time only, Glorfindel wished that he could keep someone for himself that he would not have to lose again. Although he knew too well that, the man would die one day and leave him anyways. Well if he could woo him over that was…with another groan, the Elda reopened his eyes. He wished the Valar would let him know a little happiness too for once. He was tired of this lonely life, so unbelievingly tired!

In the beginning, he had still hoped to find the someone made for him.

With the centuries, he slowly gave up. When Erestor finally found his mate in the twin brothers soul his hopes had recovered for a short while only to be crushed again. He had been ready to sail or to omit suicide when the Valar had seen it fit to let Faramir run over his way!

It was simply not fair!

Laying down with a troubled mind the Elf Lord tried to think of nothing at all and to find some rest for himself. He would need his bearings tomorrow. He was rudely awoken a little while later from a wildly trashing Faramir next to him who hit him accidentally in the stomach with his elbow. The man surely had a bad case of nightmare, Glorfindel rightfully figured.

With a sudden gasp, the former ranger awoke and sat up.

It was not the first time that Glorfindel had witnessed that the man had nightmares; he knew Faramir had them frequently since the ill-fated battle and the war. Partly it was survivor’s guild and partly it was the horror he had witnessed. As a fellow warrior who had seen his own fair share of such wars, Glorfindel could easily understand the man and relate to this. He had his own devils to fight off every night. Wincing and rubbing his sore belly, he kept his voice low and soothing to not spook the man more who now tried to get out of the grip of the fading nightmare when he addressed Faramir. “Are you well?” “Gods, Glorfindel! That was one of the worst! Sorry did I hurt you badly?” “No, just my pride.” The Elf grinned. It did the trick with a first hollow laugh that grew rapidly more honest the man began to relax again.

Falling down backwards Faramir fell silent. Then, gradually over the next minutes, he told Glorfindel in a silent voice of some of the things that he had seen and that had happened to Faramir in the past and had lead to the nightmares for him in the end. In turn, the Eldar did something that he rarely did since his return. He told Faramir of some of the things that he had experienced in the halls and before. Of his fear of fire, that still he harbored, although he had it under control now. That he still missed his old friends and his house and foremost of all of this that he still was mourning over the dead of his best friend and lover.

The latter had Faramir look at him with surprise and sadness.

He had not known that Glorfindel had a male lover in the past. It put his fears a little at ease. Getting up a little while leaning on one arm, he looked down on the stunningly attractive Elf next to him. The hair had fanned out like a halo around the lightly tanned face with the sapphire blue eyes. There was no denying it: Glorfindel was radiant in all his glory and beauty!

Blessed with the body and looks of a god and with such a beautiful soul to add, which seemed to shine brightly out of his eyes he was a stunning example of the Elven perfection that Faramir had been told about in the past.

Not many elves had the powerful build that his friend possessed. The most Faramir had meet where more slender in build but not more graceful as his friend.

Glorfindel on the other hand was truly a product of another age, the man realized suddenly. An age, filled with harsh battles of that were songs sung about still until this very days and he had been part of the most of them too. He had seen beings like the Feanorian’s and most likely even known some of them as Faramir did know from his teachings of the ever patient Gandalf in the past. Now all that teachings did him a good service. Not for the first time he mused about this all. He had done so before, tongue tied as Faramir had been around the Eldar in the first days of their strange friendship. While wondering why such a renowned legend had sought him of all people out to befriend him.

It was hard to come to terms with the knowledge that the being you just had met was practically older than dust and had seen the most things you had only read about in history books before with his very own eyes!

Eyes that had a drowning quality Faramir thought and he rigorously got himself in check again before he lay down once more to get a better rest this time hopefully.

“What is running through your mind my friend?”

Glorfindel had barely restrained himself from it to simply kiss Faramir senseless when he had looked down at him with his grey and thoughtful eyes. There had been a look in them for a moment that had made his pulse racing but then the man had lain down again.

“Just the ironies of life, I think.”

Now it was Glorfindel that propped himself up with a laugh to look down at Faramir in confusion. “Huh? Now what do you mean with that please?” His curios eyes made Faramir squirm a little around before a soft blush begun to color his face. What the Elda found irresistibly endearing. “Uhm, it is just that I sometimes forget how old you are exactly. Not that it really matters, mind you but I seem to become reminded of it at the oddest moments you see. Like a few minutes before, when you told me about your city and lover.” He fell silent for a second then he looked up at the ceiling to partly avoid the too alluring eyes and partly to gather himself.

“Sometimes I wonder how it must have been for you. It must have been very hard to adjust to that all. I know that I would have gone insane if I had to face all of what you have had to in the past.” Suddenly the grey eyes went back to the Elf Lord with an intense look in them. Getting up he fixed Glorfindel with them like a spider would her prey and the Eldar found himself spellbound by the look in them.

“Glorfindel? May I ask you a personal question?”

At the stunned look and hesitant nod of the Elf Faramir gulped and then he took all his bravery together.

“Why in the name of the Valar are you still alone? Isn’t that highly unusual even for elves?”

For minutes, the Eldar found no adequate answer to that question himself. Finally, he sat up fully to then stare into the embers of the fire for a while, deep in thought. Faramir did not disturb him. He felt that his friend needed his time to answer and was determined to give it to him. After all, he had asked a rather rude question but it was one that had pestered his agile mind since he had met the stunning creature on Aragorn’s coronation.

Finally, after a longer while the elf’s voice filled the cave out again.

“At first, when I crossed the Hellcaraxe with Fingon’s host, I gave it no mind at all. We had other troubles a plenty to deal with and I was young. Barely past my majority. Turgon finally approached me together with his most trusted advisor and asked me to join him under his rule in Arda as one of his Lords. That day was one of my best in my live.” He looked over his broad shoulder at the silent Faramir who in turn simply looked back at the Elf with a soft smile.

Turning so he could see Faramir better Glorfindel settled and stared off into space again for a while.

“I meet Erestor for the first time in those days too. He had come with the host of Feanor and his sons. He had not partaken in the slayings of Aman being much too young then and for that, I am eternally grateful. He was just twenty-five years old then, but his parents had and they had been on one of the ships that Ulmo and Osse had sunk in his ire of the crossing and theft. An aunt had taken him in and that one had sided over with Turgon the same moment we reached them on the shores of the lake. She was kin to the head advisor of Turgon and so he went with us in the end first to Nevrast and then Ondoline.”

The more Glorfindel talked the more his eyes seem to mist over, Faramir did not mind. He simply stayed silent and listened calmly to what his friend was willing to tell him from his past.

“Another one I meet in those days had partaken, sadly and he rued it to the day of his dead.” He gave Faramir a lopsided grin, one of those sad ones that make the hearts ache of those who see them. Faramir was no exception from that rule. “Ecthelion. He was a strange elf that one. He just walked over to Turgon when we arrived, in his full armor I might add and told him all that he had done. I never found out how the two knew each other but they seem to do and vanished together for hours after that in the surrounding Forrest. When he and Turgon came back, Ecthelion had become part of his court and that was that. I soon learned that he had the same tendency to play pranks that I had too and as you can rightfully figure from this, we both soon became inseparable.” A chagrinned grin run over Glorfindel’s features when he told Faramir that. Both chuckled at the words.

“However, in the following years we became friends, lovers and maybe would have even become mates if not Sauron had not found us first.”

The Elf lord fell silent and this time Faramir could see real pain flash shortly over the fair face.

“The halls are not what one expects, Faramir. It is cold there and strange to say at last. You do not really see the fea in them and still somehow, you sometimes do and know that they are there with your own. You no longer have feelings in a way or hands and a body, just the impression that you do. What is left are the simple fea and your memories. It is hard to explain even to other Elves. I…I saw Ecthelion in there. It was a lot time later. At first, I had searched for his soul under the many others around me but Namo forbade me to do so, telling me that I first should come to terms with my own problems and so I tried to head the Vala of dead.

When I finally did, I did not know how much time had went by, it is impossible to tell of that in there. He had changed Faramir, so much!” He gave the man an anguished look that made Faramir get up and over to the elf to take him his arms. Suddenly Faramir wished he had never asked!

“He had begged to see me before he was released from the halls.

Not to pain me but to ask for my forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness? But for what?” Faramir could not help but to ask, with a sick feeling building suddenly in the pits of his belly, which told to him of a bad insight that he would hear more sad things in the next minutes.

“For leaving me there and having found someone back in the halls that had been his soulmate in Aman. He wanted not to go without me knowing this. I knew him good enough, Faramir; he was always an honest soul. He would never have left me out in the open. He had even tried to tell me once but I have not listened, as I should have or many things had been different.

Instead, I have always wondered why he had refused to bind with me in Gondolin. At that moment, I realized why and I even understood it. It hurt no less to hear him say those words. I have let him go at that moment, what else could I have done? I even wished him happiness. He deserved it after all he had gone through, trust me I know it best.

When we parted, Namo showed me the elf-fea that had been waiting for him in the halls for a long while. He was one of Cirdan’s people. A Noldor had slain him that day when Ecthelion had tried to protect him. What was also the reason why he had sided with Turgon in the end. I had not known of that, nor that, he had been unconscious when someone dragged him with him on one of the ship, thinking he had fought with other Noldor and not against them.

For a long while, I was still hurt beyond words.

But then I resolved myself to that if he could find his soulmate, that I surely would too and so it stayed until I was asked to return to Arda to serve the heir of Turgon’s daughter child.”

Glorfindel snuggled more into the caring arms of Faramir.

He knew that he was acting partly selfish here but the truth was that he needed to tell someone about this and that he needed someone to hold him right now. Why he told Faramir of all people when he had even refused to tell Elrond and Erestor of this, was not clear to him, just that it felt right.

“Of course I took the chance. They would have let me go to Aman if I wished it, but there I would have to face Ecthelion eventually and I did not want that.

In Lindon, I met Elrond and Erestor was there too, so I did not feel too alone. He had survived the fall and gone with Idril and Tuor. And later he had served their son until the sons of Feanor came for the reminding Silmarill. He then had gone with the twin sons of them to Maglor and raised them there with the poor tormented Maglor and his brother until they were given into the care of Ereinion.

There I finally met them after my return.

In the following years and centuries I still believed I would find someone, and Faramir, gods did I try to find one!”

He looked up into the grey eyes of his friend.

“You are right, elves are not meant to stay alone and live in solitude. I had my share of lovers, male, female that does not matter to us. It is the soul that counts, not the hull. I had many partners even some relationships that lasted a while. Somehow, there was never one who sparked the wish in me to keep that soul with me for eternity, and never was one under them who wanted to keep mine.

I think Ecthelion’s soul was nearly the one that was meant for me, but not quite the one, do you understand?” At the hesitant nod of his silent listener and comforter, the elf went on.

“I never found another that was this close or the real match…so I simply kept to myself after some time. The most just wanted to have me only to show me off to their friends like a trophy or were so awestruck that they confused love with admiration. I soon tired of them and simply staid alone.

That is why I am still un-bound. Even for my kin this is rare. I know that, but it simply… happened?”

He felt it more then seeing it when Faramir nodded slowly.

“I am sorry Glorfindel, I should not have asked.”

The Elda shook his head. “No! I think it was good that you did. For a long time I did try to forget this all, so hard in fact that I finally nearly did. But that was wrong. I should have headed Namo’s advice in the halls better. He told me before I left that I had to come to terms with it. I choose to ignore it in my pain and want to escape. You just happened to help me reflect on it. I think it will help me, Faramir. I needed to tell someone anyways.”

“You never before did? Not even to your friends?”

The elf shook his head sadly.

“No, I never did. I don’t know why either.”

The man shook his head in silent wonderment and Faramir silently vowed to never tell a soul of this. He instead did choose to feel honored for the trust that he was shown and with a smile, he left it at that. Although he wished, his friend would find someone to keep too.

The two staid like this until the first rays of the morning sun reached over the horizon.

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