The Last Dreamwalker

Lying Snakes

Lessien walked quietly beside Faramir. Her hand still ached and she held it to her chest. 

Both sides of the company were silent.

Lessien began to wonder what Faramir was doing up so early in the morning. She did not trust this man, Faramir. His brother, Boromir, though an honorable man he had been, had easily succumbed to the temptation of the Ring. 

Many times throughout their travels, Lessien had had intense fall outs with Boromir. Faramir's father was, in a word, insane. 

It seemed only natural that Faramir should possess such disagreeable qualities as his kin. 

Lessien knew it was unfair of her to be so prejudiced against him but it was only instinct after all that had happened.

Trust was something to be earned in these dark times.

"Where do you come from?" Faramir asked. He seemed to be leading the way in their walk, though he meandered so.

"I come from Rohan, from a small village bordering the Gap of Rohan called Broadacres, though I am afraid it is not on any maps," Lessien answered simply. She had no intention of telling Faramir who she really was. In fact, she did not plan to tell him much of Eve Cavary either. 

"Ah, that explains the accent," he replied.

Lessien continued on. "What of you, Faramir? Have you seen more than just the white walls of Minas Tirith? Great they may be, the world is ever so large and filled with numberless wonders. I feel that you are a man who would take great interest in traveling. Do I assume correctly, my lord?"

She was quick to adopt fanciful language, speaking in a manner that a pompous, well-educated young lady would.

Quite honestly, she was humoring Faramir, telling him these lies to make him think she was normal. She was not normal. She took care in turning the conversation away from herself.

Faramir laughed. He had a deep, attractive chuckle. "You indeed guess correctly. In fact, I arrived back from an, ah, vacation just a week ago. I feel I would have never returned if my men had not willed me home."

"Errands for your father, that does not count as a proper escapade. I must not allow it. I mean traveling as in running off against the steward's wishes, battling Gondor's enemies without ever being enlisted in an army, and perhaps even engaging in rendezvous with fair-haired ladies with porcelain skin?" 

Lessien immediately recognized that she had responded incorrectly.

Most noblewomen would swoon at the very mention of riding out of the kingdom's bounds in these dark times. Did she really just challenge Faramir's bravery? And suggesting rendezvous? 

If Faramir did not take the mention of rendezvous with fair-haired ladies as flirtation, he most certainly would see it as a scandalous topic for a woman of Eve's status to even know about, let alone mention in small talk. That is the way a man would speak.

Instead of acting outraged or carefully dissecting Seer Cavary's response, Faramir simply raised an eyebrow. "Errands do not count, do they?" he asked, bemused.

Deciding to take on his light personality, Lessien continued," Of course not. I believe that everyone, royalty and commoner alike, is entitled to living. Not just existing but doing something with themself. If everyone just existed, this world would be very boring, don't you think?"

Faramir chuckled again, shaking his head. "You are very strange, Seer Cavary."

Lessien frowned. "Do not call me that. You make me sound like an ancient grumpy priestess. I insist you call me by my first name, as I call you. Besides, surely you must meet more strange a character than I on your father's errands and quests?"