Before they reached the gates and called for the guard to open up, Aragorn heard the soldiers across the Pelennor. He turned to Faramir with a guilty smile. "They must have sent a search party for us. Look across the field. They're glad to see us, i'm sure."
"Indeed. Let's ride out to meet them," Faramir suggested.
As the gap closed between Aragorn and Faramir and the seething soldiers, the two on horseback noticed that most of the Gondorians were brandishing swords and looking angry. In a split moment, before they even realized what was going on, they were swarmed, pulled from their horses, and immediately gagged and blindfolded. Both Aragorn and Faramir were too shocked to react very quickly.
They could hear the men talking about Southron spies, but neither father nor son believed for a second that these men, the very men they had both fought beside, would take them for men of Harad. They couldn't. So then what was this all about? There was no way their own men could be so angry at them for simply spending a couple of days away from the city that they would rebel like this. Both were far too confused to panic at the possibility.
They could tell they were being taken up through the city. It was fairly busy for night though. It seemed to take them an hour to pass the seven gates, then they heard conversation regarding where to put them.
Faramir recognized one guard's voice. "The prince mentioned nothing about that. Maybe we should take them to the king's study. He said to keep them comfortable until he came to question them."
'The prince?' thought both father and son simultaneously, believing them to be referring to Imrahil. None of this made the slightest bit of sense. They were pulled into the study, the soldiers having agreed it was the safest place for them.
That was before someone suggested the dungeon cells of Minas Tirith that hadn't been used in years. Aragorn and Faramir were now extraordinarily irritated with their men. How could they have arrested them on a suspicion without even looking at their faces? Being walked along to the depths of the city each man made up his mind about a few of the captains in their companies.
"Split them up, use two cells," called one. "We don't want them helping each other, the prince would be furious."
'The prince would be?! And what about the King?' Aragorn thought angrily. He knew better than to resist at this point, but when he got his hands on Imrahil....
It seemed like maybe an hour later when they heard guards approach again and open their cells. They were silently ushered back above ground, much to their collective relief. The guards walked them a little further, then left them, and they heard doors close behind them. By just the whine of the hinge Aragorn could tell they had returned to his study.
Then there was the sound subdued laughter. Someone removed their gags but not their blindfolds. Aragorn noted that he had not heard anyone step behind him, but that the soft laughter had been heard coming from across the room. Still, the ranger could not sense more than one other presence in the room, an ability he was renowned for.
His first reaction to shout at who he had guessed was Imrahil until he ran out of breath was thought better of. Aragorn had a hint that this was quite a large scale set-up. He nudged Faramir slightly to signal him to follow along. When their blindfolds were removed Aragorn's eyes were as daggers at the irrepressible Elven grin facing him.
Faramir was just left confounded and speechless. He would have expected this kind of joke from Boromir, but from an Elf?
"You've been waiting to get me ever since Rohan, haven't you?" Aragorn fairly growled.
Legolas merely nodded.
"Yes. Very good, i admit, very clever indeed," Aragorn said slowly. "You might be careful of your wine, mellon. It wouldn't be difficult for me a obtain a bit of the water that runs in the Enchanted River, you know."
"Perhaps, mellon, you would do better to have a sip of it yourself. You look like you need some sleep." Legolas's smirk would have been infuriating to the older ranger if it weren't so contagious and if he weren't so used to it.
Faramir was beginning to understand the situation fully and actually to admire Legolas's quick thinking. As the Elven Prince of Mirkwood explained to them what he had put the soldiers through that afternoon, Faramir actually appreciated all that went into the double practical joke on the race of mortal man.
"So you see," Legolas said in closing, "i was actually doing you both a favor, buying you more time to rest. Besides, i thought you could use a diversion, as you are both easily wearied by too much praise and honor, i know."
It was with an almost feral smile that the King swore his revenge to his closest friend as they embraced as brothers. Aragorn had decided that he would bide his time in finding a suitable response with which to catch his old friend unawares. All he wanted at the moment was sleep, and Faramir seconded the motion. The next few days promised to hold more than enough to keep the both of them busy.
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Yes we are getting a little off topic, but by next chapter Aragorn and Faramir will wish for the same sort of light-hearted Elven mischief that wood-elves are notorious for.
