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gondor treason conspiracy

These characters all belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien. This story was written for pleasure and not for financial gain

Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it:
Think'st thou that I, that saw the face of God,
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells,
In being depriv'd of everlasting bliss?

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus - Marlowe

Warning - This chapter may offend sensitive readers

“I would have expected you to strike him harder after all you had endured at his hands,” Fosco commented suspiciously, leading the Steward back up the worn steps. “Why, pray, did you don your gloves?”

“After touching a man such as he, I would have needed to wash my hands again before dinner, had I not done so!” Faramir replied. “There was a time when I had great strength in my arms, but that was before I was beaten up in prison on that tyrant’s orders!”

Faramir hoped his excuse would sound convincing. It was most unlikely that the Lord of Lamedon would guess the true reason that he dared not touch Aragorn with his bare hands, was that he feared lest the strong mental bond he shared with Aragorn might give his plans away. He did not dare risk Aragorn inadvertently betraying him, so the King’s shock and hurt had to be genuine, painful though it was to deceive him.

He shuddered inwardly as the full impact of what he had done sank in. He has struck the King, his liege lord, whom he was sworn to protect and not only than that, a chained and defenceless man whom he loved. He was now a traitor not only in words, but also in deeds.

“Are you quite well, Lord Faramir? “ Fosco enquired solicitously.

“It is cold down here,” Faramir replied. “I am also taken aback to see that Elessar still lives. He caused me so much injury!”

Fosco seemed convinced as he laughed bitterly. “You will learn we all have good cause to hate him. He caused my beloved father’s death. He rode to Elessar’s cursed banner on his return from the Paths of the Dead. It was more than mortal man could bear! He survived the war, only to die by his own hand a few months later, unable to endure the memories of what he had seen. What man, however valiant, could endure such horrors? Mark my words, Elessar only got where he is by using dark magic!”

Faramir nodded mutely, following Fosco into the dining room, which surprisingly, was cleaner and better furnished than the one at the mansion had been. The meal was already in progress.

He looked with interest around the table, which as expected, was presided over by Dervorin of Ringlo Vale. Also there, confirming his suspicions was the Lord of Lebennin together with the tenant farmers he had met earlier. The only females present, apart from serving maids, were Hanna and Elbeth.

Hanna was now wearing an ever more elaborate gown of orange silk, the low cleavage adorned with Aragorn’s Elfstone brooch.

“That trinket suits you well, Lady Hanna,” Fosco commented, his eyes drawn to the huge green jewel.

“It suits her eyes, do you not think?” said Dervorin, “A beautiful jewel for a beautiful woman!” He reached out to fleetingly touch the jewel before starting to fondle Hanna’s ample bosom.

Hanna giggled coquettishly, half heartedly batting his hand his hand away.

Faramir struggled to hide his disgust as seeing Aragorn’s priceless heirloom being treated with such scant respect.

Fosco, noticing that the Steward’s eyes were fixed upon Hanna, fortunately misunderstood his expression.” I see you envy Dervorin’s good fortune, Lord Faramir,” he said, chuckling indulgently.“ I can find you a pretty wench to keep you entertained tonight. I promise you, she knows quite a few ways of pleasuring a man that no well brought up wife would have heard of! I can vouch for her, seeing as I taught them to her myself! I’ll have her sent to your room later.”

Faramir swallowed hard to hide his disgust. He had heard some of his Rangers boasting about the dubious pleasures that a whore could give a man. Such tales sickened him, being far from the wholesome joys he had expected from and found fulfilled in marriage. It was bad enough that he was betraying his King. He was certainly not planning to betray his wife as well. “That sounds delightful,” he said with feigned anticipation, “ I fear, though, I am too weary after my journey and recent illness to do justice to your kind offer tonight.”

“Tell me when you change you mind, you’ll not regret it!” Fosco replied, the way he licked his lips making it clear he had no reservations about betraying his own wife.

Dervorin’s hand had now found its way inside Hanna’s bodice. This time, she purred with pleasure and bent her head to kiss the exploring fingers.

Elbeth, despite her youth, looked troubled at her mother’s behaviour and scowled, distracted from eating her soup.

“Cheer up, Lady Elbeth!” Fosco said jovially, “Now that Lord Faramir is here to help us, we should soon have your marriage to Prince Eldarion arranged.”

“I don’t want to be married!” Elbeth protested, “Boys are noisy and dirty!”

“But you will be a queen then!” Fosco assured her, “You will have lots of pretty jewels, like that one your mother is wearing!”

“I hope there are better jewels in the Royal Treasury than this cheap bauble!” Hanna snorted. “Here, take it to play with and stop whining!” She unfastened the brooch and tossed it carelessly to Elbeth.

“This is pretty, but I want my favourite dolly that you wouldn’t let me bring!” Elbeth pouted. She pinned the brooch to her gown and twisted it around for a few moments so that it sparkled in the candlelight. Then, growing bored, she returned to scowling at her mother and Dervorin.

“Where is the Lord of Lossarnach?” Fosco asked, abandoning his attempts to appease Elbeth, ”If he has betrayed us, it will be the worse for him!”

“Betrayed us to whom?” Dervorin said dismissively, “The Steward is on our side now and the Prince of Dol Amroth and the few lords that support him could not hold out long against us. Have no fears of treachery! He is, after all, married to my daughter. I received news earlier that he had fallen ill with the fever. It is a setback for us but will not affect our plans.”

Dervorin looked nervous. “The fever seems to be spreading.” he fretted, “One of the maids has fallen ill after visiting her mother in the City. Lady Elbeth must be kept safe at all costs. Keep the wench away from us all as none of us have had it!”

“I have recovered from the fever,” said Faramir, wondering if he should have kept the information to himself, or whether it would grant him more access to Elbeth.

“At least someone here is safe from the contagion, then, “ said Fosco clapping Faramir on the back.

“We hope you can help us now that you are here, Lord Faramir,” Dervorin said, as if noticing the Steward for the first time. “We need to get Elessar’s signature or seal on a document authorising Lady Elbeth’s marriage to Eldarion, before we can rid ourselves of him .The Elven witch will obey her husband’s last wishes. I’ve heard the creatures are absurdly devoted to their mates. I was going to have your secretary plant it amongst Elessar’s papers, Lord Faramir, but it will be easier to fulfil the plan, now you here in person. We shall be the real power in Gondor, while Eldarion is so young. We can ensure he grows up thinking of nothing but idle pleasures. If he grows difficult once he reaches maturity that can be dealt with easily enough too. We have tried every method of persuasion we can think of to make Elessar sign. However, the obstinate fool will not yield. Do you know how his signet ring works, my Lord Steward?”

“Only that it uses some Elvish arts to move the seal to the correct angle,” Faramir told them, “Elessar guarded its secret jealously. I was given the hard work of compiling the documents for him to sign and seal but never trusted with his ring.” He found even the memory of such mundane tasks was painful, as he remembered how he and Aragorn would companionably work long hours together, planning a better future for Gondor.

Faramir knew exactly how the ring worked, two twists to the left, followed by one to the right and a further half twist left, which turned the emerald over to reveal the Royal Seal. Lord Elrond had designed the ingenious device and had given it as wedding present to his son in law. Faramir had greatly approved of the design. Several times during his father’s reign, unscrupulous secretaries had been bribed by those anxious for some decree or other to be passed. It would be impossible for any man to wear a heavy ring of office at all times, which meant any could use it when it was laid aside.

He found himself remembering his father with something resembling gratitude tonight. Without the practise of endless years spent hiding his true feelings; whenever his father scorned Mithrandir’s Counsel and chided him for his love of books and Elvish lore, he would be hard pressed indeed to maintain a calm demeanour in such a gathering!

“Maybe, now that Elessar knows that you have joined us, he will come to his senses and earn himself a speedy despatch, rather than something more painful and lingering.” Dervorin mused hopefully, “He may have held out some hope that you would be bringing troops to free him.”

“My family ruled Gondor for almost a thousand years, then he came and took what should have been mine!” Faramir said resentfully. “The people were blinded by his military prowess, as was I at first, to my endless regret. He is on his own now without …omer’s army to enforce his will. He should sign now and spare himself pain!”

“You are all too soft with him!” Hanna interrupted, “He still has clothing and a blanket. His body is still whole. You should let me try to persuade him!”

“And what would you do, my lady?” Dervorin asked stroking her chin and letting his fingers fondle her throat.

“Strip him naked, have a bit of fun with him, then take his manhood!” Hanna giggled gleefully, brandishing the knife she was using to cut up her venison. All the men gave an involuntary shudder at her gesture.

Faramir well remembered that mad laugh from the night she had attacked Aragorn. He was quite certain she was capable of carrying out her threat. It shocked him that an innocent child should be present during such talk. However, Elbeth merely looked bored and rearranged the vegetables on her plate into a pattern. He forced himself to try to eat, though he had little appetite in such company. There were no dogs here to surreptitiously feed.

“A good idea, my lady!” Dervorin laughed. “We will try it very soon, if Lord Faramir’s presence cannot change Elessar’s mind. Tomorrow, we will begin by taking his clothes and blanket .Few men can be proud when naked, especially not after what I shall to do to him!”

“He is growing weaker, so we cannot wait longer than three days at the most.” Fosco commented, “Even his infernal pride can be broken, if we inflict sufficient pain and humiliation upon him until he breaks! However we will see if Lord Faramir's presence has any effect upon him first.”

TBC

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