"And after a while, he spoke to them; but
they were slow and cautious in answering. They named themselves Mablung and
Damrod, soldiers of Gondor, and they were Rangers of Ithilien; for they were
descended from folk who lived in Ithilien at one time, before it was overrun.
From such men the Lord Denethor chose his forayers, who crossed the Anduin
secretly (how or where, they would not say) to harry the orcs and other enemies
that roamed between the Ephel Duiath and the River."
The Two Towers page 299.
Mablung was the first to remove his mask and take deep breaths of fresh air. Like all the Rangers of Ithilien, he dressed in shades of brown and green and covered his face with cloth to match. In his green garb, he was like a tree or a shrub, he saw but was never seen. His partner touched the back of his hand lightly and he turned his hand palm up and for a moment, their palms met. Neither made any sound as they pulled their masks back in to place and stole silently along the tree shaded glade.
They were a part of a scouting group, sent that day from the secret places where they dwelled to spy upon the Gates of Mordor. So many armies had come to stand before the gates and they were admitted without preamble. Daily, Sauron's forces grew strong and daily the men of Gondor, those rangers living on the edge between Mordor and the last safe refuge of men, despaired.
Lying flat on their stomachs, they watched as far below, a large group of Harad, the Southrons, marched in double file through the gates. They counted the men and looked closely at the armor. Every detail must be memorized and reported on. The lives of so many depended upon the accuracy of the scouts such as Damrod and Mabluug. When the last man slipped through the gate and the portals closed with a resounding boom, the rangers moved.
Quickly and silently they went from the glades and walked unseen trails and followed unknown signs until they came at last to the sacred falls where the rest of their forces hid. Faramir was among them, Captain of Gondor and brother of the Captain-General, second son of the house of stewards. They took off their masks and went unchallenged through the secret doors behind the waterfall. They were known to all living within the stone fortress.
Both men were of equal height, tall and slender in the ways of the elves. And this was a sign of their Numenor blood, for they were the Dunedain. They boasted fair complexions and dark hair and gray eyes. Eyes of such color and scope that they appeared to see through to the soul.
"What news?" Faramir looked up from the map open on a table.
"We counted one thousand Harad," said Damrod.
"They did not bring their behemoths?" Faramir was relieved that his scouts had not reported such yet, but he needed to make absolutely certain. The great beasts could carry upon their backs another hundred or so men and were as well trained as any Rohan horse.
"Nay, we counted none of the beasts.," Mablung replied.
Damrod pulled his mask through his fingers. "They counted the loss of one beast high."
Mablung gainsaid him. "They will come."
"Good work, then. Go find your dinner and your rest. You have earned it." Faramir turned back to his maps.
Damrod and Mablung retrieved bread, cheese and a flagon of wine as their ration and retreated to a spot high above the waterfall. They sat side by side, watching rainbows form in the water spray as they ate and drank in silence. They learned long ago, for they were older than they appeared, that their lives were nothing. Any moment could take the spark of life from them and they had dealt with it, as all who face such must. On the outside, this made them hard and cold. On the inside, though, the story was a different tale altogether.
Living fast and hard, as they did, they learned to depend on nothing and no one. They learned to need no one. Yet in their secret hearts they hoped. And they needed that which they did not have: safety and security. So they fought for it, unknown, unsung. Some took comfort where they could find it, others preferred to live in solitude. And no one criticized for the choices made by his fellow warrior.
Damrod laid his head on Mablung's shoulder and watched the pool below. "I feel the changes coming. The seasons turn."
Mablung's gray eyes roamed high and low over the pool. He counted three archers at a glance and knew a dozen more were hiding and could not be so easily seen. "The Captain worries. He does not say, for he does not share all he knows, but he worries."
"The halflings brought ill-tidings, think I. Ere autumn comes, the drums of war shall rumble across the Dagorlad plain, as of old."
"Pray you Gondor is ready."
Damrod lifted his head and laid a kiss upon Mablung's jaw. "Captain Faramir will make us ready."
Mablung smiled. "But we are not all of Gondor." He draped his arm around his friend's shoulder and pulled him close. They had no fear of being seen, for there was no shame among the warriors in such things. All knew of Mablung and Damrod and they were accepted as a couple. "The fern is soft."
Damrod grinned as he allowed himself to be pushed back in to the soft ferns. His legs parted for Mablung and he felt the weight of the other settle on him. He welcomed the weight pressing him in to the ferns for it represented security and comfort. His hands roamed over Mablung's shoulders, kneading the muscles and bones. One of his legs slid up along Mablung's calf and settled comfortably atop his thigh, pinning him close.
Mablung placed soft kisses along his partner's smooth jaw, tasting the sweet skin that was like honey. He nuzzled along the long neck, searching out Damrod's tender spots with his lips and teeth. As he settled more comfortably between Damrod's legs, he felt the other's erection pressing insistently into his belly and he moaned softly. His own erection pulled tightly at his breeches and he squirmed with the sweet torture. Fingers tugged his thick hair and Damrod's encouraging whispers tickled his ears.
His fingers sought and found the laces of Damrod's shirt and he pulled them open so that his lips could taste more of his lover's flesh. His own hands roamed over the warm skin and felt the tightening of nipples as his fingers grazed lightly over the flat disks. His tongue followed his hands and he lapped eagerly, hungrily, at Damrod's nipples. Mablung felt his lover's hands on his back, fingers digging brutally in to his shoulders. Far from being uncomfortable, the pain was a sweet sensation and spurred him on. He ground his hips against Damrod's groin and grunted as his lover's leg tightened around him.
"I want to touch you," breathed Damrod against Mablung's thick, dark hair.
Mablung raised himself and scrambled backwards. Hastily, they shed their tunics, baring muscled chests beneath rippling skin. Their breeches were tented with their erections and the laces strained. Mablung dropped his head back as calloused hands roamed his chest. He shivered as a warm, wet tongue licked and suckled his pebbled nipple. When teeth bit sharply and deeply in to the same nipple, he hissed his pleasure and jabbed his fingers hard against Damrod's shoulders.
Damrod kissed and licked his way down Mablung's chest until he reached the small indention of his navel. His tongue poked roughly in to the opening and he chuckled as Mablung's breath caught. He continued slipping his tongue in and out, his saliva slicking Mablung's abdomen. He felt his lover begin to tremble and slowed his ministrations. With a final nip, he moved down and placed his face to the bulge in Mablung's breeches, inhaling deeply of the masculine scent. His tongued traced the bulge from top to bottom and he felt the cock beneath the cloth stir responsively. He looked up from beneath his thick lashes and caught Mablung looking at him with lust-filled eyes.
Soundlessly, Mablung pushed Damrod back in to the ferns and tugged the laces of his breeches. The thick shaft sprang free and he lovingly ran his hands up and down the length. Damrod moaned softly and Mablung dipped his head to kiss the head of the cock. He tasted pre-cum and groaned deep in his throat. Better than nectar was his lover's essence. He sat up again and unlaced his own breeches, breathing easier once the straining material was loosened.
He moved around the shrubbery until he could place his groin over Damrod's eager mouth and sighed with pleasure as wet heat enveloped him. Pushing aside the material, he tookDamrod into his hand and held the base of the cock with thumb and forefinger while the rest of his fingers splayed over the tight sac. He opened his mouth wide and lowered his head, pushing Damrod deeper in to his mouth. He slid his tongue over the swollen head. He swallowed. He allowed Damrod to raise his hips, pushing and straining deeper in to his mouth until his eyes watered.
Damrod accepted the cock in to his mouth and his hands slid beneath Mablung's breeches. He caressed and needed the taut ass and pushed Mablung down, forcing the heavy cock further back in his throat. He moaned at the taste of Mablung. He sucked greedily, brushing his tongue over the slit. On either side of his head, Mablung's knees churned in to the rich loam and his hips jerked. Damrod locked his arms tightly around Mablung's hips and lifted his head, taking as much of his lover in to his mouth as he could. He hummed as he feverishly sucked Mablung, encouraging him with lips and tongue to spill his seed.
Mablung raised his head and hissed loudly as his hips jerked. He could not stop the thrust of his hips as he felt the tension building deep within him. He could feel his sac draw and tighten as Damrod's steady rhythm brought him closer to climax. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, forcing a measure of control back on his body. Dipping his head again, he recaptured Damrod's cock in his mouth and his teeth razed along the length until his lover's hips lifted clear of the ground and both men grunted.
Damrod tasted the salty cum as his lover's climax spilled in to his mouth. The cock between his lips twitched and held it steady with his tongue and used his mouth's powerful suction to milk the sweet fluid from his lover. He clutched the hips above his head tighter and rode the waves of his lover's pleasure even as his own climax rocked through his body.
Mablung wrapped his arms around Damrod's thighs and clung like a drowning man to a raft. The heavy shaft bobbed and jerked at the back of his throat and he swallowed reflexively as pearly fluid spurted from his lover and spilled down his throat. He groaned and his body shook with his climax even has he held tight to Damrod. And when his lover was spent, he let the cock slip from his mouth and licked and slurped along the soft curls at its base, savoring the precious drops of cum that had escaped him.
Pressing lightly on Mablung's hips, Damrod forced
his lover to relax as he continued to suck the softening cock in his mouth.
He was loath to release his lover just yet. One hand roamed along Mablung's
spine, feeling the ridges of bone and teasing lightly at his
crack. He felt Mablung nuzzling him and he wriggled.
Mablung at last lifted his head and made to lift himself from Damrod. But his lover latched his limps more firmly around his tender flesh. He laughed and pulled harder, forcing his lover to release him. He turned so that he and Damrod lay cheek to cheek once more. A feeling of contentment washed over him and he traced lazy circles on Damrod's body. Lifting his hand, he traced Damrod's swollen lips and when the lips parted, pushed his finger inside. He felt desire string again as Damrod paid homage to his finger in the same manner as his cock. Removing his finger from the warm mouth, he slipped his hand beneath Damrod's leggings and quested for the tight opening.
With one hand, Damrod shoved at his leggings, forcing them down around his knees. He growled his frustration when his boots stopped them and his hips cleared the ground as he vainly sought for the laces that would loosen his boots. Mablung kissed him lightly and laid his head on his chest, effectively stilling his movement. The dark hair spilled over his eyes like a silk blindfold and Damrod relaxed as the single finger probed his puckered hole.
Almost absently, Mablung inserted his finger inside Damrod's body, pushing past the barrier ring until his finger was deep, past the second knuckle. He wriggled his finger and watched as Damrod's cock began to grow hard. He felt his own body respond.
High on a ledge above them, one of the archers
that Mablung had not been able to see, squirmed uncomfortably in his perch.
He was used to the two Dunedain. His training supposedly allowed him to avoid
such distractions. That was not always the case. His loins stirred as he listened
to the soft moans and whispers coming from among the ferns. The cool breeze
brought to him the scent of bruised grasses and cool water and male essence.
His eyes cast longingly at a small opening in the rock. Soon, he hoped, the
object of his desire would emerge to go below to the sacred pools.
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