Summary: Two ex-rangers with problems in their marriages and lots of wine to loosen their tongues.
* * *
�Something feels terribly
wrong, don�t you think so, dear.�� The queen�s brow was furrowed
with concern as she spoke these words. �Faramir and Eowyn really acted
quite strange today. It almost seemed like they wouldn�t want us to
visit Ithilien.��
�Yes, love, I got the same
impression. It�s been by far the oddest welcome I ever received. Something
is amiss but they won�t speak about it. I really tried to get something
out of Faramir but he simply kept telling me that everything�s just
fine. As I could find out the country seems to be at peace, all the
counselors I spoke to truly knew nothing about problems within the realm
or the palace. But did you notice how Faramir and Eowyn seemed to hide
behind formalities when all the times before we were greeted as dear
friends? Did you see how the avoided any eye-contact with us, like they�d
feel embarrassed by our visit? I�d really like to know what�s going
on here. They are our friends and maybe they need our help. I wouldn�t
like to see them suffering.� The king�s voice trailed off, he was
almost speaking to himself.�
Arwen smiled fondly at her
husband. She knew how much he cared for their friends, how much he wanted
everybody to be happy. With a regretful sight it came to her mind that
although he tried so hard he was far from happy himself. Maybe it would
be good for him to have some friends to care for.�
�We�ll find out what ails them.� She said reassuringly, �I�ll invite Eowyn to my rooms this evening to have a little chat with her, you know like from girl to girl. And you, dear I think you should take some bottles of wine and have a manly talk with your steward. They can�t refuse if summoned by their liege. I�m sure ere the night is over we�ll know every single one of their secrets and then we�ll figure out how to help them.�
Aragorn and his wife were on
their annual visit to Ithilien. They had both been looking forward to
spend a great time with their closest friends like they�d done all
the years before. But this time there hadn�t been a warm and friendly
welcome instead their hosts had strictly kept to the formalities of
a royal visit. Eowyn had been barely able to utter the words of greeting
her cheeks flushed and her eyes erring around, never ever looking at
her regal guests. And Faramir hadn�t done much better, his face pale
like he�d see a ghost and his whole body shaking. The body language
of the couple spoke clearly of utter discomfort and the desperate attempt
to hide something which they thought to be embarrassing beyond measures.
After only the basic phrases of welcome Eowyn and Faramir both had almost
fled the presence of their bewildered friends leaving them to the servants
to be shown to their rooms.�
Dinner passed on in uncomfortable
silence. As much as the king and the queen tried to involve their hosts
into light conversation all the got were monosyllabic answers and timid
sidelong glances as Faramir and Eowyn still weren�t able to meet their
eyes openly. The downcast couple barely touched their meals and it was
clearly visible that only the respect for their noble visitors kept
them from fleeing out of the room in a rush. As soon as hospitality
allowed they excused themselves from the table and tried to make a silent
retreat. But their guests had just been waiting for this moment. As
if she hadn�t noticed that something was direly amiss Arwen approached
Eowyn with a beaming smile and chatting amiably about a �charming
evening just for ladies�, slung her arm around her friend�s shoulder
and gently ushered her towards the door. With a beseeching look at her
husband, the eyes wide in her suddenly pale face, the young woman allowed
herself to be led out of the dining hall. �
Faramir managed an involuntary
half-step towards his wife but there was nothing he could do. Inspecting
the tips of his toes he clenched and unclenched his fists in a helpless
gesture.�
�So there seems nothing to
be wrong between them,� Aragorn muttered silently to himself, �they
still act like a couple. But there obviously is something they try to
hide from us, something they dread us to know so much that they dare
not to be alone in our presence. I�m really curious to find out what
it is. And find out I will, even if I have to make him drunk until he
gets sick.��
�A word, steward!� Swiftly
moving towards the still dumbstruck man the king blocked his way towards
the door. �There are some matters which I would like to discuss with
you. Would you please join me in my rooms where we could talk in private
and maybe share a glass of wine or two?� �
Faramir turned round with an
expression of sheer anguish on his face. This was the moment he had
feared the whole evening. His first impulse was to gainsay his liege�s
wish, to tell him that he was otherwise occupied or that he was coming
down with a fever, or that he had just died or anything that kept him
out of the dreaded presence. But this was his king he was speaking to
and not only his king but also his best friend and as far as Faramir
knew him he would never cease to insist to know everything what was
going on. He already had the awful suspicion to have given away too
much of his miserable condition. So the only thing he could do was to
straighten his shoulders and nod his agreement with what he hoped to
be a reassuring smile.�
When they arrived at Aragorn�s
rooms everything had been arranged for a restful encounter.� Two
comfortable chairs were placed in front of the fire and on a small table
stood an already uncorked bottle of the potent red wine of Rivendell�s
vintages together with two glasses. Some more bottles were to be found
on a shelf beside the door.�
�Take a seat and relax, my
friend.� Pouring two glasses of wine the king took a seat himself
and started what he hoped to be a pleasant conversation to loosen up
his mate�s troubled mind. Ignorant to the monosyllabic answers given
only reluctantly he went on and on talking about mostly unimportant
incidents and matters of the kingdom, from time to time mingling his
words with really lame jokes just to test Faramir�s state of mind.
Every now and then he would bring out a toast, to their friendship,
to the kingdom, to whatever came to his mind, thusly making sure that
his companion drained glass after glass of the heavy beverage�
The steward still seemed to
be in quite some nervous tension, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair,
eyes darting nervously around the room ever avoiding to look straight
at his regal company he clung to his glass like it would be his only
source of safety. And said glass was kept well filled by a very attentive
monarch.�
Only when the first bottle
was emptied and replaced by a second the wicked treatment showed the
first results. Faramir�s body rested more relaxed in his chair and
from time to time a slight smile graced his lips. �
Aragorn felt very delighted
by the way his plan worked and slightly intensified his efforts. Although
he was careful not to get too drunk himself he could not stay behind,
having to take at least a sip of his own wine with every toast and soon
felt the slight dizziness of too much alcohol.�
When the steward giggled loudly
at a really very lame joke the king thought him ready for the next step
of his interrogative endeavor. �
�Now tell me, my friend,�
he asked sternly but with an openhearted reassuring smile, �what�s
going on here. I can clearly see that you have some severe problems.
You can�t deny that you have been acting quite, ehm, strangely since
we arrived. Still I couldn�t find out something to be amiss in Ithilien.�
So you�ve got me really curious. You�re my friend and you know you
can tell me everything, maybe I�m able to help you with whatever it
is.��
Faramir looked like an animal
which had found out that it had been caught in a trap. His whole body
tensed and he made a sudden movement towards the door as if he wanted
to try to break free but he knew that all his efforts to avoid Aragorn�s
questioning would be in vain.�
�Stop fidgeting,� he was
told friendly, �you should know me well enough to be aware that you
have no chance to get away until I have heard what ails you. I can�t
imagine it to be so bad that you can�t tell me and I�m sure you�ll
feel much better once you�ll have relieved your heart.��
�It,�it�s nothing, really!�
the young man stammered blushing vividly, �Nothing that concerns you.
Just� just some personal matters, just something between my wife and
me. Personal matters which shall be sorted out soon. Really, nothing
to bother you.��
�Don�t think I�m a fool,
Faramir,� Aragorn sighted pouring them both another glass of wine,
�I believe you, that it�s something that�s occurred between Eowyn
and you but I just can�t imagine it hasn�t got to do something with
Arwen and me. The way both of you acted towards us this whole day, all
this squirming and blushing whenever we were in the same room, you couldn�t
even look at us! You treated us like strangers who you were forced to
welcome not like the friends we thought us to be .Don�t think I haven�t
noticed the way you� tried to avoid our presence. And don�t tell
me your problems haven�t got to do with us.� Taking a deep gulp
of his wine he added with a slight grin in order to let his words sound
less harsh �Well, you know, you surely wouldn�t have acted like
this, if it would only have been the, ehm, you know, the certain little
problem every man has to deal with from time to time. I can�t and
won�t press you to tell me but I really want you to trust me and allow
me to give you any possible help.��
For some minutes the two men
sat in silence sipping their wine. From time to time Faramir opened
his mouth as if he was going to say something but every time he closed
it again, shaking his head in� a slightly desperate motion and
clinging to his glass even more ardently.�
Finally the king broke the
silence: �Look at me, mate! If happened what I think that happened,
stay assured that I never ever encouraged Eowyn when I noticed that
she thought to feel something for me. I�ve never touched her or even
spoke to her other than in an official and friendly way. I ever told
her that I was not hers to have. So if� if she happened to � to
utter the wrong name when you were �ehm� performing your � ehm
well �your matrimonial duties it doesn�t need to mean anything at
all. Maybe her mind was still full of the preparations for our visit.
Well �don�t know if this was very helpful.� His voice trailed
off insecure of what to say to not embarrass his friend further.�
Shivering with discomfort the
younger man listened. He had known about his wife�s desperate love
since he�d first met her, in some way this very fact had brought them
together in the first place and he never held it against her when she
cried out the wrong name at the summit of pleasure. Actually this happened
on a quite regularly base and he was almost used to it. But what had
happened to him last night had been quite another thing, mortifying
him beyond any measure made even worse by Eowyn�s fuming reaction.
It had been clear to them at the very moment that they had to keep this
indignity� secret from their royal visitors but they had not been
able to shut it out of their minds whenever they were nears their guests,
thus making it impossible for them to act like their usual selves. Cold
sweat of utter terror broke out of every single one of Faramir�s pores
as the picture of Eowyn being led away by Arwen for a �chat among
girls� came back to his mind. No way that his wife would be able to
withstand an elven interrogation, everything would be out in the open.
And the queen would tell the king, tomorrow morning he would know the
whole thing. Thick drops formed on the desperate man�s forehead as
he tried to imagine Aragorn�s reaction to the shameful news. Maybe
it would be best if he confessed everything right here and now.�
�Well yes,� I know this,
it�s happened before but � but this time, this time �it�s just
that �that�� The steward�s murmured words faded away as he was
not able to finish his sentence. Perhaps he just wasn�t drunk enough
so he quickly drained another glass and appreciated the dizzy numbness
which started to set his mind at ease. �
�Faramir, my friend, always
keep in mind that it has been you who brought her so much pleasure.
Ah, my friend how much I envy you.� Lost in his own thoughts Aragorn
sipped his wine as words started to flow freely out of his mouth, his
mind slightly overruled by the strong beverage. �How much I envy you
that you can make your wife loose her mind thusly! All I ever get from
Arwen is a silent �Oh�. Just �Oh�, never more as hard as I try
. � �Oh� � can you imagine this? � �Oh� � How much I
whished to hear her cry out just once, unimportant which name she would
choose. I wouldn�t even mind if it were the name of the Dark Lord
himself of one of his orcs, if they have names at all. Everything would
be better than this damned �Oh�.� Giggling in a bitter fit of
laughter the king buried his head in his hands like a man in utter desperation.�
Shocked by this sudden revelation
but on the other hand glad that his secret was save at least for the
moment Faramir willingly jumped on this new thread of thought, eager
to soothe his friend.�
�This doesn�t have to mean
anything at all! Maybe � maybe it�s just an elven thing; maybe they�re
all like this ���
�Ah no, my friend, it�s
not the way of elves.� Bitterness still seeped clearly through the
king�s voice. �You know, when I lived at Imladris I had my room
next to the twins�. I always had to stuff my ears with wax to be
able to sleep whenever they were at home. And believe me, the walls
of the Last Homely House are rather thick. No, my dear friend, it�s
not an elven thing, it�s just that I�m not good enough for her.
Not good enough for anybody I fear.��
�No, Aragorn, no! Don�t
think of you like this. I won�t let you belittle you thusly! I won�t
believe what you just told me! Let me �� Mortified the steward bit
his lips just in time. The words �Let me show you how good you are�
had almost escaped his mouth. Fortunately the king was lost in his misery
and had not noticed the almost fatal near-slip of his steward. Desperate
to give his words no time to seep into his friend�s consciousness
Faramir started to ramble on. �Surely you had many experiences before
you got married, there must have been many opportunities to prove your
maleness. I mean, look at you, look how beaut- ehm � handsome you
are I�m sure you only had to choose, no one would have been able to
refuse you.� �
�You know, I was brought
up in Imladris among the elves and although they ever treated me as
their equal I couldn�t stop myself feeling inferior. Always I felt
clumsy and ugly compared to their beauty and grace. I never would have
approached one of them in matters of the flesh. And then I became a
ranger, lived with the free-roaming wardens of the north for many, many
years. These have been the best years of my life.� Aragorn�s troubled
face softened at the memory of this wonderful time. �I should have
stayed with them,� he sighted, �I never wanted to be king and I
surely never should have given myself into wedlock. � Wedlock �
I hate this word, it has got the term �lock� in it. But I have been
so proud when Arwen agreed to marry me after I�d become king. If I
had only known � I really miss my time with the rangers.��
�Ah yes, I understand exactly
how you feel, my friend! I�ve been a ranger myself for quite some
time. I know how great it is. The company of men, the thrill of danger
and at night sitting round the fire, sharing food and comfort with one
another. Ah how much I miss it!� Eyes bright with blissful memories
a dreamy smile grazed the younger man�s lips.�
Snapping out of his drunken
dizziness the king stared at his friend. Had the steward really just
spoken of the action commonly called �warrior�s comfort� the way
men living on their own shared their bodies freely to deal with their
sexual needs? A shiver ran through his body as an uninvited picture
of a naked Faramir writhing in pleasure in the arms of a bold warrior
clearly settled in his mind. Suppressing a groan he shifted uncomfortably
in his chair, his trousers suddenly much too tight. �
�Yes, that�s been great.
But as you surely know,� still hanging on to his former thread of
thought and lost in his vivid imaginations Aragorn�s befuddled mind
wasn�t able to let go, �rangers always stay silent when pleasing
one another. �T would be too dangerous when they were noisy. �Cause
of the orcs, you know.��
�Do they?� A part of Faramir�s
brain shrilled in alarm at what he was about to speak with his king
and friend, but the bigger part was happily drowning in alcohol ignoring
all warnings. �Well, - they seem to have forgotten to tell me about
this one. But they never complained. They actually seemed quite pleased
���
This time Aragorn could not
suppress a deep moan. The picture in his mind was replaced with the
image of a naked, writhing and MOANING Faramir, crying out his bliss
through the dark woods. Involuntary his hand crept towards the growing
bulge between his legs.�
�Did I say something wrong,
did I trouble you? I didn�t mean to �� The rumbling sound brought
Faramir out of his reverie and he cast a troubled look at his king.
But than his gaze settled on the burgeoning distension in his friend�s
trousers and the finger almost stroking over it and his eyes went wide
in sudden understanding.�
�I�m just mourning my gruesome
fate,� with an effort Aragorn managed to regain a part of his composure
and stilled his naughty hand. �The cruel fate that kept me to the
stern woods of the north with its silent men when I could have roamed
the sunny glades of Imladris with you. What a great time we could have
had.��
�But we still can!� A new
idea was forming in the steward�s head and the words spurted out of
his mouth like a sparkling well. �We can still visit the woods of
Ithilien together only the two of us without an escort. You are the
king you can command that there is no escort.� We could pretend
to be rangers again only that this time we wouldn�t have to care about
orcs. If we start to prepare everything tomorrow morning we could leave
ere nightfall. Well,� suddenly insecurity hit him, �that is if you
want to do this with me, it�s just an idea you don�t have to�.��
�You � you would do this
for me?� Stammering in delightful surprise at the unexpected suggestion
the king was almost unable to form a coherent thought. The picture of
Faramir writhing and moaning in the arms of an unknown warrior being
instantly replaced by Faramir writhing and moaning in his own arms,
an image that enhanced the pressure in his loins to an almost unbearable
degree. �You really would let me take you � ehm � take me there
� ehm � take me out there?��
Gliding out of his chair in
a swift motion Faramir dropped to his knees in front of his friend.
He could feel the heat and smell the musky scent of arousal emanating
from Aragorn�s body and it took all his willpower not to bury his
face in the inviting lap and grace his lips over the straining hardness
clearly evident under the heavy cloth of the trousers. Suddenly he was
very aware of his own urgent needs.�
�Everything �everything
you�ll do to me, my liege, will pleasure me greatly � will be my
great pleasure.��
Kneeling next to his steward
the king put his arms around the broad shoulders, drawing him near until
he was able bury his head in the crook of his neck.�
�Ah Faramir, sweet Faramir,
if I had only known! But,� cupping his friend�s and maybe soon to
be lover�s chin in his palm he looked deep into the blue eyes, bright
with emotion, �what will be tomorrow, will you still think like this
when you�re sober again? Will you still want to roam the woods with
me, will you still want me? Because I know that I will, I wanted, nay
loved you since I first met you, although I never would have admitted
it, contenting myself to have you as my best friend. But how about you,
won�t you regret what occurred between us tonight won�t you be ashamed
of what we said and did in a drunken haze?��
�I won�t, I won�t regret
anything. Alcohol never has this effect on me. It only lowers my barriers,
makes me give in to desires I�d otherwise deny.� Faramir tried to
hold his gaze steadily on the stormy grey eyes although he felt a hot
blush crawling over his face. �I have to confess something too. You
asked my why Eowyn and me acted like �well like we acted today. Well�
you were quite near with your conclusion, only � only that it hadn�t
been Eowyn to whom it happened. � Well it happened to her too, but
that is nothing unusual, but � but this time � this time it happened
to me.��
�You � you called out my
name while you were �?��
�Well, yes,� only for a
short moment the bright eyes were lowered in embarrassment, �you know,
Eowyn was so upset after it had happened to her that she wanted to reward
me with her mouth. She does not like to do this very much, you know.
But I � I just couldn�t stop thinking that she might like it more
when it were you instead of me and � and then � something just shifted
in my mind and � and I imagined you doing it to me and then � then
it suddenly became so good � so very, very good � I came with your
name on my lips. Eowyn was not pleased at all, actually she was quite
mad at me and we decided that you never must find out.��
�Ah Faramir!� With a hoarse
moan the king tried to pull his steward in an even tighter embrace,
a movement which made them both loose their balance and set them tumbling
to the soft fur on the floor. There they laid clutching at each other
like their life would depend on it, kissing and groping, their still
clothed bodies moving like one as needful hardness brushed over needful
hardness.�
�Show me what happened!�
Aragorn breathed into his lover�s mouth.�
At Faramir�s silent nod he
quickly removed the hindering clothes and traced his lips down the quivering
body. Faramir arched his back in a keening wail as his yearning flesh
was engulfed by the hot wetness of an eager mouth.�
�Hush, love, as much as I
appreciate this, we should keep it for the woods. �T wouldn�t be
appropriate if someone heard us.��
�Can�t �feels too good
� maybe if you would give me something to fill my mouth � turn over,
my liege, and let me put my mouth to better use.��
Groaning Aragorn shifted around
gaining his lover access to his aching manhood. The blissful whimpers
ad moans vibrating through their bodies swiftly brought them both to
a fulminate release.�
Snuggling in the afterglow
of their pleasure they shared more soft kisses and tender caresses.
Finally exhaustion, both physical and emotional got the better part
of Faramir and his eyes drifted shut. Aragorn gently shook him out of
his reverie.�
�Maybe you�d better retreat
to your rooms. �T wouldn�t be much fun if we�d be found like this
com morning. Go get some sleep, love, I�ll write a list of the things
we�ll need for our little adventure.��
�Yes, but don�t forget
the oil.��
�Never, this will be the
first and most important item I write down.��