Walk No More In The Shadows, But Awake! (Aragorn/Faramir, Lord of the Rings)
Title- Walk No More In The Shadows, But Awake!
Author- Jackie (blackat_t7t )
Fandom- Lord of the Rings (books only, since I've only seen bits of the movies)
Spoilers- entire book series
Disclaimer- the Lord of the Rings trology was written by J. R. R. Tolkien, and is propety of the Tolkien Estate.
Notes- I wrote this because it's a free month and I'd like to see the pairing get some love. If anyone else wants to do a more in-depth one, they're welcome to!
Faramir
Faramir is the younger son of Denathor, Steward of Gondor. Less favored by his father, he is nevertheless steadier and more reliable than his older brother, Boromir. While Boromir had always wanted to use the Ring in the war against Mordor, and eventually was corrupted by it to the point of attacking Frodo, Faramir never wanted to use it, and aided Frodo in his travel to Mordor to destroy it.
'But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo.'
[Faramir to Frodo about the Ring, The Two Towers; The Window on the West]
While Faramir is not as obviously charismatic as Boromir he is still a natural leader for whom the soldiers of Gondor have a great deal of respect. He is accustomed to deferring to his father, however, and not entirely confidant in his own judgment. He is less proud and more compassionate than his brother and father.
"He had been accustomed to giving way and not giving his own opinions air, while retaining a power of command among men, such as a man may obtain who is evidently personally courageous and decisive, but also modest, fair-minded and scrupulously just, and very merciful."
[J.R.R. Tolkien about Faramir in a draft letter to a reader, in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]
Faramir has absolute and unerring loyalty to his father, even though Denethor does not value him as much as he does Boromir. He regrets Boromir’s death out of fraternal love, and even wishes he had died in his place, because his father would have preferred that. He and the other captains were in favor of manning the gates of Minas Tirith when the siege began, but Denathor wanted to send forces to Osgilath. Faramir felt that he should have been the one to die on the journey to Rivendell and back, rather than Boromir, whom he felt was the more capable leader and thus more valuable to Gondor, and he agreed to lead forces to Osgilath out of guilt.
Faramir and the soliders he lead are attacked before they reached Osgilath, and Faramir is struck by a poisoned dart. He is brought back to Minas Tirith unconscious, fevered and clinging to life. Denathor goes mad and attempts to burn both Faramir and himself alive. Gandalf and Pippin keep him from killing Faramir, but Denathor lights a pyre and throws himself onto it, killing himself. Faramir is then taken to the House of Healing, where Aragorn uses the herb athelas to heal him. With his father dead, Faramir becomes Steward, and the leader of Gondor until Aaragorn accepts the title, though he himself sees Aaragorn as the rightful ruler from the time they meet.
Aragorn
Aragorn is the latest in a long line of descendants of Isildur, and the rightful king of Gondor. He was raised in Rivendell and became one of the Dunedain, traveling the North hunting agents of Mordor. He is a powerful and skilled warrior with a great knowledge of the history and lore of Middle-earth.
Aragorn is very proud of his heritage, as evidenced by his refusal to leave his heirloom sword Anduril at the door of Edoras, as Theoden mandated. He is only convinced to do so after Gandalf left his own sword behind, and still threatenes death to anyone who touches the sword. Although he is proud of his ancestry, Aragorn still doubts his own ability. He fears that he will be doomed to repeat Isildur’s folly by being corrupted by the Ring, or that he will not be able to save Gondor, and indeed, all of Middle-earth, from Sauron. He truly cares for the people of Gondor and Middle-earth, and is afraid of failing them.
After Aaragorn heals Faramir, Faramir and many of the people of Gondor recognize him as the rightful king. Aaragorn, however, does not want to take the title in the midst of a war, because he fears that it will cause competition and debate among the Lords of Gondor at a time when they need to be united. After healing Faramir and others, he leaves the city and refuses to enter again until his coronation, after the war is won.
'Men of Gondor, hear now the Steward of this Realm! Behold! One has come to claim the kingship again at last. Here is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor, Captain of the Host of the West, bearer of the Star of the North, wielder of the Sword Reforged, victorious in battle, whose hands bring healing, the Elfstone, Elessar of the line of Valandil, Isildur's son, Elendil's son of Numenor. Shall he be king and enter into the City and dwell there?' And all the host and all the people cried yea with one voice.
[Faramir the Steward announcing the coronation of King Elessar]
Their Relationship
Suddenly Faramir stirred, and he opened his eyes, and he looked on Aragorn who bent over him; and a light of knowledge and love was kindled in his eyes, and he spoke softly. 'My lord, you called me. I come. What does the king command?'
'Walk no more in the shadows, but awake!' said Aragorn. 'You are weary. Rest a while, and take food, and be ready when I return.'
'I will, lord,' said Faramir. 'For who would lie idle when the king has returned?'
[from: Return of the King; The Houses of Healing]
From the moment he first saw Aragorn in the House of Healing, Faramir accepted him as his king. Aragorn didn’t just heal Faramir physically; his return was also an emotional balm for Faramir, who had waited his entire life for the king. Faramir was raised to believe that the Stewards were simply protecting Gondor until the heir of Isildur returned, and that the king would set right all of the problems in the kingdom. He has subconsciously come to hope that the king would not only help the kingdom, but also Faramir himself. Although he expresses it surprisingly little, his father’s constant comparing of him to Boromir and disregard for Faramir’s own virtues has made him doubt himself. Faramir needs someone who can see past his apparent confidence to the emotional wounds, and help him to heal them. He has a great deal of respect for Aragorn as his king and is proud to serve him in any way.
Aragorn, for his part, admires Faramir for his ability to lead men by earning respect rather than commanding it, and for his fairness tempered by compassion. He needs the help of someone raised in Minas Tirith to know what is best for the people there, and turns to Faramir for this. They work together to repair Gondor after the War of the Rings, and Faramir continues to serve as Steward of Gondor, advising the king and ruling in his place when he is not in Minas Tirith. That Aragorn keeps Faramir as his Steward and advisor, even though there is no need for such a position after the king has returned, shows how much he values Faramir’s input. That it is Faramir whom he chooses to lead the kingdom in his absence, even above his wife and consort, Arwen, shows just how much trust he has in Faramir, and confidence in his judgment and ability to lead.
Why I Ship Them
Well, when I first started reading the series, I read a lot of Aragon/Legolas fic. It’s the most popular LotR pairing, probably because of the attractiveness of the movie actors. As I got to the part of the books where Faramir appeared, in The Two Towers, I immediately liked the character, and wanted to read fics about him. Faramir is probably most obviously paired with Aragorn or Boromir, but I wasn’t really all that fond of Boromir, so I started reading Aragorn/Faramir fics, even though I wasn’t even to the part where they met yet (I’ve never really been so obsessive about a series that I cared a great deal if I was spoiled for it).
Now that I’ve read all the books, I think that Aragorn/Faramir is probably the most canon slash pairing, except maybe for Frodo/Sam. Their relationship of mutual trust and respect is obvious, and Faramir’s admiration for Aragorn could certainly be called bordering on infatuation even within canon. I’m really surprised the fandom for this pairing isn’t bigger. I mean, the scene in the House of Healing is the kind of thing fan girls go crazy over!
The Fandom
Some degree of emotional abuse might be canon, but in a good many fics Faramir is characterized as having been physically and even sexually abused by his father. It’salso not uncommon to also see themes of polyamory, with the cannon pairings of Aragorn/Arwen and Faramir/Eowyn combined with Aragorn/Farmir, Arwen/Eowyn, and sometimes even Arwen/Faramir and Aragorn/Eowyn.
Minx and Iris, particularly Minx, are probably the most prolific authors. Mcguffian has only written two, but both were notably long and plotty.
Fan Fiction Archives-
Library of Moria’s Aragon/Faramir fics
Library of Moria is an independant archive, with fics organized by character then pairing, or by author. It contains slash and femmeslash in almost every pairing, as well as real-person slash of the actors. It seems to still be regularly updated, though not in this pairing.
Faramir Fiction’s Aaragorn/Faramir fics
Faramir Fiction is an independant archive of Faramir-centric fics. It has various slash and het pairings, as well as general fiction. It is regularly updated and hosts contests. It has an associated LJ comm you can friend for updates or go to for any Faramir-centered discussion.
Fan Fiction-
Walk no More in the Shadows
By Minx and Iris, NC-17
Faramir is overworked, but hides it from Aaragorn, and becomes sick. Aragorn feels guilty for not noticing, and takes care of Faramir. Past abuse comes to light as their relationship slowly develops.
The best of the abused!Faramir fics. A WIP, which will probably remain that way, even though the authors have mentioned they would like to finish it.
Trial and Judgment
By Mcguffian, NC-17
Post ROTK. How exactly is the race that is to rule the new age chosen?
A long, somewhat plotty fic, which touches on polyamory but doesn’t specifically mention it.
Family Honor
By Mcguffian, NC-17
Pre Fellowship. Denethor sends Faramir on a mission to Khand. Gandalf provides a Northern ranger to guide and advise the Steward’s son.
The longest fanfic I’ve ever encountered, quite long enough to be published as a novel. Very plotty, and also touches on polyamory.
Loyalty
By Minx, NC-17
Faramir decides to prove his loyalty to Aragorn.
My favorite PWP fic for this pairing. I think it definitely expresses Faramir’s absolute and unquestioning love and loyalty to Aragorn.
Courier
By Geale, NC-17
One could argue that a new secretary was enough, but then the courier came.
An AU PWP, notable because it’s the only top!Faramir fic I’ve read.
The Fool, The Tower, and the Hanged Man
By Kassandra, PG-13
“Tell me, what could I have done to make you stay?” - “You could have simply asked me to.”
A sweet, angsty piece that’s probably more pre-slash than slash.
Prelude
By Minx, PG
Aragorn looks after Faramir when he hurts himself in a fall
It somewhat resembles Walk No More in the Shadows, I think, in that it also has Faramir injured but insisting he can still work, and Aragorn making him rest and take time for himself. Obviously it doesn’t have that abuse and angst of Walk No More in the Shadows.
Please note, I’m not good at analyzing canon evidence, and just made this on a whim because it’s a free month. If anyone thinks they can do better, I’d really like to see what they can do!