Four: A Bundle of Terror
Title: A Bundle of Terror
Summary: Boromir & and Faramir cower in the face of their greatest enemy. A baby.
Author: Sakura123 (weber_dubois22)
Rating: K
Word Count: 888
Chapters: 1/1
Character(s)/Pairings: Boromir, Faramir, OFC
Spoilers/Warnings: None.
The morning began without incident for the first time in half a week. The birds sang their sweet songs as they hoped from place to place on thin branches, the rays of first sunlight shined down through the tree tops, chasing away the fog of the early hours. Two figures lay sprawled on the ground, oblivious to the world around them, snores falling in and out of unison. The younger of the two, arguably the lightest sleeper, was the first to wake. He regarded the wilderness with bleary eyes, confused for a moment as to how he got there, and then he spotted the head of blonde hair across from him and remembered. Brushing the foliage from his arm, he crawled out from under his blanket and proceeded to stumble around the campsite, cursing softly. The elder of the two men remained sleep, the smile on his face indicated he was having a very good dream. His younger brother seemed not to notice, however, far too busy with trying to steady himself as continued to stumble. His foot bumped the sleeping man hard on the shoulder, startling him awake.
The older brother was upright in an instant, right hand pressed against the tiny body that slept on him while his left grabbed the sword and aimed for the intruder who dared to disturb the first good sleep he had in six days. The younger man stopped dead in his tracks, pulling his foot away from his shoulder. An apologetic expression crossed his weary face. It did nothing to prevent the sudden squawk that escaped the little body against the older brother's chest. Panicked, the older man dropped his sword, stood up halfway and pulled the bundle away from his chest. She squirmed in his grip as he set her on the ground, careful to keep her on his bedroll. This was probably unwise, but he didn't intend on keeping on the ground for long, not if he could help it.
Green and blue eyes observed the tiny creature with fear as it kicked its legs wildly in a way to vent frustration, its red face a warning of what was to come next. Faramir and Boromir hovered over the babe, weary from a lack of sleep and nearly a week of walking without stopping, scared out of their wits. She was clean, she'd been fed and she wasn't thirsty - their empty wineskin's were a testament to that fact - so why was she about throw another fit?
Oh, yes, that's right, his brother woke her up!
"Do something," Faramir whispered, nudging his brother with an elbow, breaking the long and uneasy silence. Boromir tore his gaze away from the infant long enough to shoot his brother a withering look. "Me? What do you expect me to do?" He asked.
Faramir shrugged. "Sing her to sleep, it worked last time," He said. Boromir glared at his brother.
"No it didn't, she hates my singing," Boromir corrected. "This is your fault, you fix it."
"What? My fault?" Faramir blurted, standing upright. Boromir stood as well, ignoring the increasing whines of the child wrapped in his cloak. He was only slighter taller than his younger brother who'd come to the end of a growth spurt upon his 20th birthday. "Were it not for you, she'd still be asleep!" Boromir snapped. Faramir had half a mind to apologize to his brother, if only for disturbing the baby, but he was too tired to be courteous to him at the present and decided against it.
The child, whom they'd found wrapped in a wool blanket in a thicket, left to die in the wild, had been nothing but a source of suffering for both of them and a brutal teacher in the lessons of infant hygiene and pleasing. At first, Faramir took a shine to the babe right away, eager to play big brother, unless it concerned changing her cloth, she wanted nothing to do with him. She'd scream loud enough to scare the Harad into retreat whenever he held her and only fell silent in Boromir's arms, absolutely content with playing with his hair.
It annoyed him, yet it was the only way to pacify her until she soiled herself and wanted to eat or drink; she hated riding with Boromir on horseback or being situated in his backpack as way to carry her when he grew weary of cradling her. He was forced to walk alongside his horse as he and Faramir traveled back to Henneth Annûn, which proved an unpleasant excursion with a baby in tow.
Faramir began to wonder if the mother left the baby behind on purpose.
"She doesn't like me," Faramir said, bending over to pick the child up. Right on cue, the baby began to wail and Boromir sighed warily, looking close to tears. "Eru, give her here," He grumbled. Faramir did so without hesitation, glad to be rid of her. Boromir supported the babe from her bottom and placed a hand on her back, she cried a little longer before stopping altogether, hiccups the only noise escaping her.
Faramir smiled with relief while his brother just looked exasperated. "Like magic," Faramir chuckled.
"For your sake, pray the magic lasts," Boromir grouched.
