Faramir Fiction Archive

When Darkness Falls (NC-17)

Written by Sairalinde and Anorienbean

10 April 2008 | 42956 words

Title: When Darkness Falls Chapter 7/?
Authors: Sairalinde & Anorienbean
Fandom: LOTR
Characters: Faramir/Haldir
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Non-con in later chapters, violence
Disclaimer: No money was made from this, and the characters all belong to the late, great Mr. JRR Tolkien and his estate.
Summary: Faramir and Haldir join the Fellowship and vow to do everything in their power to see the one ring destroyed. Things get complicated, however, when they fall in love almost immediately, and vow to protect one another as well. When the ring accidentally falls into Faramir’s possession, Haldir realizes that he can’t do both.
Warning: TOTALLY non-canon.

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It had been several weeks since Faramir and Haldir had left the safety of Lórien to begin their trek to Mordor alone. Though Galadriel had told them their companions were quite far behind them, they found that they stopped more often than was necessary in the hope that the others would catch up.

A part of Faramir deep down didn’t want to destroy the ring though, he knew that part of himself in his dreams; dreams that became darker every passing day as they walked on. It was about three weeks ago that Faramir had almost lost the ring, it fell out of his pocket somehow and he’d taken to wearing it around his neck as Frodo had. With its solid weight against his chest he at least knew where it was all the time. He told himself it was for that reason alone that he wore it, though he’d managed to keep it hidden from Haldir.

At night before they stopped for rest he would remove it and put it back in his pocket, not wanting the ring to touch Haldir. He knew it bothered him to even touch it, so Faramir thought it was best to simply not let his lover know he was wearing it around his neck as he was.

Each day he found himself less inclined to want to keep heading toward Mordor though and wished to simply go home to Gondor. He hadn’t brought that up to Haldir, besides the way to both were the same path.

Sitting alone at the campsite as Haldir collected firewood, Faramir continued to prepare a few snare traps to perhaps get them fresh meat for breakfast. Though anymore, Faramir’s appetite hadn’t been very strong. He attributed that to the fact that they were simply so tired each day.

Haldir gathered the last pieces of wood and knelt at their campsite, quickly piling the wood and small twigs for a fire before sitting on the cold ground next to his lover. He’d noticed that at least Faramir had stopped constantly checking his pockets for the ring, a fact which he was more than grateful for, though he did act a bit odd when Haldir tried to put his arms around him during the day. At night, Faramir seemed a bit more himself, though he often was restless, and Haldir had to whisper and soothe him back to sleep several times before the sun rose.

Resting one arm around Faramir’s shoulders, Haldir saw how seriously he was concentrating, and leaned over to kiss him. “You aren’t still wondering how Lady Galadriel knew we were bonded are you?” he teased, remembering how they had both blushed furiously when she had congratulated them the morning after their faers had joined in Haldir’s talan.

Laughing softly as Haldir spoke, Faramir shook his head. “No… just… thinking about our journey and wondering where the others are,” he said softly as he continued to twist the rope for the snare. He turned and gave Haldir a light kiss on the cheek before setting back to work and Haldir moved away to start the fire. Faramir’s mind kept drifting to thoughts of home, his father and brother, they would pass so near to Gondor. Though the Lady Galadriel had warned them to not go there, Faramir couldn’t help wanting to. He was married now, should his family not at least meet Haldir? Using his knife to cut through the thin rope in his hand to shorten it, and he leaned down to pick up the next piece of rope. He found his gaze lingering at a dark puddle forming on the dirt and opened his hand to see a deep cut bleeding freely from where he’d cut the rope. It was as if his hand didn’t even belong to him though, he didn’t feel it at all, and he knew… knew that he should. He swallowed hard and realized exactly why he didn’t feel it. Why lately he’d truly felt less and less. The tears came so quickly he didn’t even notice them.

Haldir gazed into the fire for a moment before turned back to his lover with a smile. The smile was quickly erased, however, as he saw Faramir staring dully at his hand, which was covered in his own blood as it flowed freely to the ground. “Faramir! What happened?” he cried as he fell to his knees before his husband and grasped his hand. He grabbed their water bottle and quickly rinsed the wound, then tore off a long strip from the bottom of his tunic to carefully wrap it around Faramir’s palm. The cut was deep, yet Faramir hadn’t made a sound, and even now, was simply staring from his hand to Haldir’s panicked face. “Faramir? Guren, speak to me! What happened?”

“I… I don’t know. I must have done it when I cut the rope,” Faramir whispered. “I… I didn’t… I don’t feel it, Haldir.” He looked up into his lover’s eyes and knowing that he’d never be able to explain this. Knowing he would have to admit that he no longer carried the ring in his pocket as Haldir thought. He simply stared at his husband as Haldir gently tended his hand, though in truth if he’d been brutally rough with him, Faramir doubted he would have known.

Worrying his bottom lip, Haldir finally managed to slow the bleeding and sat down beside Faramir once again. Gently pulling his husband into his lap, he reached up with shaking fingers and traced over Faramir’s face, his heart feeling heavy at the disheartened expression in beloved blue eyes. “It is… it is the ring,” he whispered. “It is taking on a life of its own, and it is trying to get to you, to make you want to keep it, to protect it. You… you haven’t put it on again, have you, meleth?”

Faramir slid into Haldir’s lap and sighed softly. “Not… not on my finger,” he whispered. “I almost lost it a few weeks ago. I don’t know how it fell out of my pocket while I was gathering firewood but it did. It frightened me that I hadn’t noticed, and that it would be somewhere in the woods for anyone to find it, so… so I took to wearing it as Frodo had. I… thought that it would be safer that way.” He explained softly and oddly felt thankful as Haldir held him that his hand began to throb slightly.

Haldir closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. “I had no idea,” he said sighed. “I only saw that you weren’t checking your pockets like you used to, and thought… no, hoped, that you did not think of it as often.” Slowly, his hands moved over Faramir’s back, and Haldir rested his head on his husband’s shoulder, careful to avoid his chest, just in case the ring was there even now. “That is why you were so reluctant to let me hold you the past few days,” he continued. “Oh, gûren, you could have told me. You don’t have to bear this alone. I will help you in any way I can. Would it help if… if I carried it for you?” The mere though of touching the ring made Haldir sick to his stomach, but it would be better than watching Faramir slowly fall under its spell… anything would be better than that. Perhaps he could wrap it in blankets or…

Faramir stiffened as Haldir offered to carry the ring. “No, it is already tainting my dreams and making me feel unlike myself. I won’t have it do that to you as well,” he said firmly and he dearly hoped that Haldir did not offer again. “I know the ring bothers you… and I didn’t want you to know. I did not think it would affect me like this… but then the closer we move to its master it may get worse before it gets better. Maybe… maybe you should return to Lórien? Maybe you’d be safer away from the ring and from me.”

Haldir began shaking his head before the last words had left Faramir’s lips. “No,” he said firmly. “I told you that no matter what happens, we are in this together. If it gets worse, then we will deal with it. I will not let the ring take you. I will fight Sauron himself before I lose you, and I certainly will never, ever walk away from you.” Gently taking his husband’s injured hand in his own, Haldir pressed a kiss to each fingertip and tried to smile. “I love you, Faramir. Nothing will ever change that… not even the ring.”

Faramir nodded as Haldir spoke, even after he’d said the words he’d known his lover would never agree to leave. As Haldir kissed his fingers gently he smiled, glad that though he’d not felt the knife cut him, he could feel when Haldir touched him. He didn’t even want to contemplate that torture of not knowing his lover’s touch. “And I love you… and I only wish to protect you. I’m… I’m afraid, Haldir. My dreams… I am afraid things may get much worse. This… this is nothing compared to what may come.” His words were ominous he knew, but he could feel the truth in them.

Reaching up with both hands to cradle Faramir’s dear face, Haldir smiled sadly. “I know,” he whispered. “I am frightened as well. It would be easier, I think, if the others were with us, but, as Galadriel said, if we wait for them, it may be too late by the time we reach Mordor.” His thumbs trailed lightly over his lover’s lips and the very thought of the ring trying to hurt Faramir made Haldir want to rip it from his body and leave it far behind them. But, he knew they could not so easily shirk their duties. The ring had come to them for a reason, and he’d meant what he’d said… he would not allow the ring to take over Faramir. If it did, it would take Haldir as well, for he would follow Faramir to any end – even if it were as a servant of the Dark Lord. “I will watch over your dreams, and hold you when you are afraid, and we will get through this. We will destroy the ring and start our lives free from its power, somewhere safe and happy, love, I promise.”

Faramir could feel the ring’s weight around his neck when Haldir spoke of destroying it, as if it knew and understood his lover’s words. “We will do this together, just as Lady Galadriel said we should… but after this I’m even more afraid. I can feel the ring growing heavier each day… and I fear that if it causes what it did today that it will only grow worse, even if I take to carrying it in my pocket again.” Faramir leaned his head against Haldir’s shoulder and closed his eyes tiredly.

Wrapping both arms around Faramir’s body, though still careful to avoid the ring, Haldir pressed a kiss against his soft dark hair and closed his eyes. “If anyone can resist the pull of the ring, it is you,” he whispered. “You know, Galadriel told me that our bond would give you even more strength. I didn’t know it at the time… it was just something I wanted to have with you, but before we left, she pulled me aside and told me that as our faers had become one, so had our hearts, and our strength. And you know you have my undying love and I will do everything within my power to help you through this.”

Faramir smiled and wrapped his uninjured arm around Haldir. “I know because I can feel when you touch me, even when you pulled me close earlier, I began to feel my hand again. Your touch, your love, somehow they push away the effects of the ring and I think it probably doesn’t like that, if that makes sense… that a thing like that can have likes or dislikes. That is why I am worried… we both know that Sauron wants it back, and I fear that it will fight against us to return to him.”

Haldir pulled Faramir closer and closed his eyes. “It does make sense, but nothing, not even the dark lord himself can tear us apart. I think the ring loses a little of its power every time I hold you, for it would hate something as pure and strong as the love we share. No matter how hard it, or Sauron, tries, they cannot make me stop loving you, and that, my dear one, means half the battle has already been won.”

Faramir smiled even as he could imagine the ring burning against his chest. “It is,” he whispered. “Just hold me for a while longer?” Faramir felt slightly childish for asking but he felt so much better in Haldir’s arms. The desire to go to Gondor he’d had earlier seemed to disappear now, and he was more determined to follow the path that he knew he needed to. “Maybe we can take a full day to rest here, it is a beautiful spot and we can both use the rest.”

Though Haldir wished to be rid of the ring as soon as possible, he knew Faramir needed rest, and, honestly, could deny him nothing. That might be a problem later, but for now, he thought, one day’s rest would do them both good. Settling more comfortably against the tree, he reached for his pack and pulled a thick blanket from inside, then wrapped it gently around his husband. “Close your eyes and relax,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss against Faramir’s temple. “I will keep the bad dreams away, I promise.” Rocking his lover in his arms, he began whispering of their future, whispering of all the places they could see, all the things they could do, and all the happiness they would find once their journey was over. He didn’t make any mention of the ring, or their quest, but concentrated on only the good things, and smiled as he felt Faramir slowly relaxing against him.

Faramir closed his eyes and simply listened to his lover’s voice that seemed to conquer any and all fears he had. After long moments he began to relax more and more and before he even realized it he had slipped into the first truly peaceful sleep he’d had in several days.

Haldir continued whispering for hours, watching Faramir closely for any signs that he was having a nightmare. Never closing his eyes, he smiled, gently combing his fingers through soft hair and pressing kisses against Faramir’s forehead. The first rays of morning light began filtering through the trees many hours later, yet still, Faramir slept, and Haldir was more than happy to give up a day of travel so his husband could find some peace.

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