This one has been on serious hiatus mostly because of laziness. But this has been put back in the writing schedule so there should be semi-regular updates again.
When Faramir rejoined his men, he saw the way they all attempted to pretend that they hadn't noticed him come in. He smiled to himself at this show of forgiveness. Even though he had been short with them, they had understood and were showing him that all was forgiven and forgotten. However, he wasn't going to let it stand at that.
He cleared his throat to get their attention and his smile grew larger as he watched the men "suddenly" notice his arrival among them. They all gave him innocent looks as if they had no idea what he was going to talk to them about. He felt a surge of affection for these men who had come through so much with him. He was lucky indeed to have these men with him.
"I want to apologize for my tone earlier. I let the uncertainty of the last couple of days catch up to me and I took it out on you. Please forgive me. It was inexcusable." He made eye contact with each man as he spoke, making sure that Damrod especially saw his contrition.
The men all protested with Beregond being the first to pipe up. "Now Captain, you hardly took anything out on us. You had a nasty surprise sprung on you, what with finding the Captain-General a prisoner here. And we all know how those visions of yours can be hard to deal with. You've got nothing to apologize for." The other men were quick to add their agreement to this.
Faramir smiled and said "You are all too forgiving, but I am grateful for it none the less. I will confess, I am not yet sure how to handle our "guest". There are a lot of risks involved in trading for a ransom and I'm not sure the money will outweigh the costs. As of now, we have public sympathy on our side because we only rob those who can afford it. To take a hostage, especially one who is as popular as Boromir of Gondor, may sway support away from us at a time when we are finally gaining some ground. I'm inclined to think that the best possible thing would be to let him go."
Damrod groaned at that and said "So we went through all of this for nothing?" Mablung patted him sympathetically on the back and said "It was a well done capture. Not everyone could have taken the Captain-General of Gondor"
Faramir smiled at the show of support. It had taken a lot of time and effort to create a sense of teamwork between these men and now it was paying off. It was clear that everyone was rallying around Damrod to make him feel better. Faramir decided it was time to add his bit.
"Not entirely for nothing. We have taken the Captain-General of Gondor. Even if we don't hold him for ransom, the fact remains that we were able to take him. Us, the Outlaw Band of Ithilien. It shows that none are safe from us… should we chose to take them. And that is how I plan to play this. That we choose to let him go as a warning to others. Next time, of course, we will not be so lenient. Plus, let us not forget about the embarrassment factor. The pride of Gondor's army has been taken. This will cost Denethor a lot of respect with his noblemen and that can be used to our advantage. No, Damrod, it has not been for nothing." He put his hand on Damrod's shoulder and smiled down at him. Damrod smiled back in return and the last bit of tension drained from his body.
Seeing Damrod finally let go of the last of his guilt, Faramir stepped away and said "So what is there to eat? I'm starving." He plunked himself down on a bench and made himself comfortable.
Pippin jumped up from the small stool he had been sitting on and said "There's some stew still left in the pot and I think we've got some cheese that managed to survive this scavenging horde." There were snorts and sounds of protest from the rest of the room and Faramir chuckled to himself. It never ceased to amaze him that little Pippin could put away far more food than any one of them given the opportunity.
Soon a bowl of stew, a piece of bread and the aforementioned cheese was placed in front of him. Having made peace with his men, he found his appetite quite healthy indeed. He ate steadily only stopping to smile briefly when Pippin clambered up on the bench next to him. He wasn't surprised that the hobbit had come to join him. Now that Faramir was in an approachable mood, Pippin likely wanted to make sure that there was nothing else he needed. Like Eómer, Pippin wasn't one to just leave Faramir alone when something was troubling him. In fact, Eómerand Pippin had been known to gang up on him, each one "attacking" in turn until Faramir opened up and told them what was wrong. No doubt, Pippin knew that Eómer had "softened" him up and now he was going to make sure all was well again.
The moment he finished the last morsel of food, Pippin turned to him with a winning smile and said "Well, it's good to see you back to your usual fine fettle. Not that you were all that bad. Believe me, your little snit fits are scarce worth mentioning. Not like some I've known." A momentary shadow crossed his face and Faramir knew he was remembering times from when he was a slave in Lossarnach. But like a cloud passing over the sun, it was swiftly gone and Pippin was his usual cheery self. "So, I heard what you said about our guest. When do we set him free?"
Faramir looked at Pippin in surprise. While the hobbit was a valuable member of the band and did his share of patrols and raids, he didn't usually show much interest in the strategy of it all. He looked thoughtfully at Pippin and said "Well, we can't let him go right away. Between our recent raid of the Rohan shipment and the troop of soldiers already in Ithilien, it would be madness to venture out with him right now. We'll have to hold him until things settle down a bit and then take him somewhere far from here and release him. It's not the most ideal situation but there's not much to be done for it."
Eómer, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, sat down on the other side of Faramir. "So we're stuck with the bastard until the heat dies down. Damn it! That's going to be bloody inconvenient. We are not exactly set up for prisoners."
Faramir grimaced and said, "I'm well aware of that, which is why I've always avoided the whole hostage thing. But we've got one now so we are just going to have to make it work."
Pippin cocked his head and said, "Well, you know you can count on me to do my part. Anything to give Denethor a taste of his own medicine is good in my book. Let him see how it feels to know your child is out there somewhere and have to worry if he's alright."
Both men looked at Pippin in surprise. This was an uncommonly bitter statement coming from the normally cheerful hobbit. Still, Pippin had as much reason as any of them to want to strike back at Denethor so they could hardly fault him.
Faramir nodded and said, "I hadn't really thought about that, but you are right. Maybe he will come to understand the pain of what he has done so easily to others." He patted Pippin on the shoulder and the hobbit just nodded and looked down at the table.
Eómer frowned and said, "I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for The Crow to see the error of his ways. He doesn't look at his son and heir in the same light as other people's children. And with the sheer arrogance of his heir, I doubt Boromir of Gondor will learn that lesson either." He picked up the mug he had been drinking from and drained it.
Faramir shrugged and said, "I doubt a strong blow to the head would get through to Boromir of Gondor. Never have I met a more proud, arrogant man. He has little use for any of us and would gladly see us hung from the nearest tree."
Pippin frowned slightly and said "Don't think I've ever seen you take such a dislike to someone before. Rather surprising, really, since you never let anyone get under your skin. One of your more aggravating traits really." A grin split Pippin's face at the last bit and it lifted the mood of the table a bit.
Faramir just chuckled and said "And who are you to talk when everyone knows you to be unrelentingly cheerful, even when we are forced to stay within doors for days? You are even in good spirits first thing in the morning."
Pippin and Eómer joined in the laughter. "Can I help it that hobbits are naturally cheery folk? You should be grateful to have me about since the lot of you can turn as dour as a spinster at a wedding." Pippin gave Faramir a mock-innocent look that quickly cracked as Faramir only laughed harder. Pippin grinned happily knowing that he had gotten Faramir past the remainder of his anger.
Thinking about the man who had sparked all of this, Pippin became quite curious. What was this Boromir of Gondor really like? That he had succeeded in upsetting Faramir was no small thing. Years of hardship had taught Faramir the value of keeping his emotions under control and even encounters with some of the worse bullies who worked for Denethor had never seen Faramir lose his temper. Yet one short interaction and Faramir was angry enough to take off heads. Eómer hadn't needed to use sex with Faramir in a long time – not that the blonde complained about it. Pippin smirked to himself and listened with half an ear to Faramir and Eómer make slighting comments about each other's habits.
Pippin looked towards the tunnel that would lead to their reluctant guest. He thought about what Damrod had told him of the encounter and how Boromir had taunted Faramir about lack of honor and courage. While this was a common enough assumption made by the sheriffs who pursued them, as a soldier, Boromir should have been able to recognize the quality of organization and leadership Faramir provided. In fact, in many ways, he and Boromir were similar. Equals almost. Were they on the same sides, they would likely be shield brothers. But they were not on the same side and so Boromir would now prove to be a thorn in Faramir's side and that wasn't something Pippin could allow.
Pippin's loyalty to Faramir was unquestionable. Faramir had saved him from being beaten to death and had offered to figure out a way to get him back to the Shire. Pippin had refused, knowing that the outlaw could not afford to lose men to such a long and perilous journey. Especially one that would likely end with him being sent back to Gondor as a runaway. He instead pledged himself to help in any way he could. At first it was mostly doing the cooking and other domestic chores but in time he learned how to use a sword and demonstrated his hobbit ability to move silently and swiftly though the woods and fields. He was now considered a valuable scout and a full member of the team. But he never forgot that it was Faramir that insisted that he be given his chance. He was determined to repay the man for giving him the way to strike back at those who had harmed him. Who had taken his love from him.
He looked thoughtfully at the tunnel and made his decision.