Raven: Thank you! I do rather have a slight obsession with what will happen or what people will say if ever Aragorn and Faramir’s relationship became public knowledge in many of my stories, but as of yet I’ve not actually managed the patience to write a proper ‘reactions’ story yet…but I think I would make it difficult (oh no, am I getting addicted to angst now? :P) So what I mean by all that is I wanted to go for a more perhaps realistic view of things within the world- Aragorn will need heirs, so it’s a big problem, and there are ways of solving that problem but none without difficulty where he and Faramir are concerned. I’m not sure which solution I’d choose (yet)…though I am dealing with it in another work-in-progress (don’t get excited, it’s been 6 months and I’m maybe halfway through? Ha!) But yes, bags of kittens taken into account, and despite the fact I doubt I’ll write a ‘what happens next’ to this story…I guess I’ll always go for the happier ending, at least in my head. But happier for the men, or happier for the realm? Thank you so much, I’m really glad you enjoyed it!

Geale: Oh, rest assured I’m not sure I really have it in me to turn exclusively to angsty stories (though I really do want to write that fabled ‘reactions’ fic now…and it will not be flowers and sunshine either!) So, yes, it did hurt! But I promise that happier endings are on the horizon, in one way or another ;) Thank you so much for your compliments on my angst-writing skills…I always have the dilemma of not knowing if I’ve gone too far with the pain or not far enough. I think I venture on the tamer side of things (because I just can’t bring myself to have a truly sad ending) But I’m sure, one day, I may dare to set foot past that line.
And surely Faramir must know on some level that Aragorn loves him back? …you didn’t hear it from me but…in my head, at least…I think so :) (as close to a happy ending as I think we’ll get with this one!) I think that (and reading all these lovely comments has really set the wheels of my imagination in motion…I’ve been thinking about this story and all the what-happened-next possibilities a lot recently) were they to end things, not everything would be lost. There would be pain, and heartache, but they would still have that time together, their memories, and that love though never properly spoken would still exist, even if just in the form of friendship and respect. But then I think what if it ended and Faramir disappeared off to Ithilien forever, unable to live with seeing Aragorn each day with a new wife? I’m really not cut out for this angst stuff!
Thank you again for such a wonderful comment! :D

Oh, but this one hurt, didn’t it?! I do believe, my dear, that you have some excellent genes in you paving the way for more angtsy stories to come! Though I would put in a plea for happy endings before too many of them are written ;)

This was truly a beautiful read! As for quotes I’m with Nerey Camille – I loved that particular line too. Ah, the pain! That heartbreakingly sweet pain that comes with that utterly inconvenient need of heirs. Yet, somehow I wouldn’t be without it… Now, I’m sure the boys could work something out but even if they didn’t and Aragorn did indeed end things with Faramir in this fic, it’d still be worth it, in a way. Of course, I’m not the one getting my heart crushed here, but there is still so much beauty and love that it must balance the scales in some respect. (Yes, I firmly believe that in some parallel universe this is all happening for real, and that is not to be debated! ;))
And surely Faramir must know on some level that Aragorn loves him back?
That embrace at the end said it all… In fact, I do think that Aragorn wouldn’t even have needed those words for Faramir to understand… perhaps.

Thank you for this lovely piece!

So tender and atmospheric! To me reading your fics is like taking a little time out in a comfortable corner of my favorite bar after a long day of work. ;)
And I agree with previous comments that there are so many issues that actually there is no happy end. The heirs, of course, and probably the fact that the royal court already suspects what´s going on… I greatly appreciate the way you regarded all those non-romantic though nevertheless very important things – and yet it pains me to feel Aragorn´s predicament struggling with all those absolutely comprehensible reasons.

On the other hand: A man who would be able to reject Faramir (particularly when he´s wearing that very special puppy gaze) would also be capable of drowning a bag of kittens – And no, it wasn´t me who said that! ;)

Iris: Oh, I’m very much a glass half full person too, but I really wanted to do something a bit different, and while I’m still unsure whether or not I can actually write a story with an unhappy ending I think this is as close as I’ll get, and while I won’t say what ‘what happens next’ scenario I had in mind after finishing I think it should be fairly obvious if anyone has read my other stories ;) Thank you for you kind words!

Alex: Thank you so much! I’m glad I managed to write the hurt and difficulty aspects in a way that was recognisable by others, and I’m finding it really interesting to see what conclusions others draw from the ending :D Thank you, I’m glad you liked it!

Trixie: Exactly! While I have my own choice of ending in my head for this story, you’re right…both choices are equally difficult, I think. One path has what’s ‘right’ for the realm and the future, while the other has what’s ‘right’ in matters of the heart; no matter the choice there will be pain in the future, I think :( But thank you, and thank you for reading and I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Nerey Camille: Like I said above it’s really interesting to see other people’s conclusions…and I’m very flattered to see that I’ve left some people still unsure or thinking about the story afterwards, so thank you! And thank you for the compliments on that line; I had to get in the taboo of their relationship somehow, not explicitly, but I needed to emphasise the magnitude of Aragorn’s choice, and I’m glad you thihk it worked so well :)

Mira Took: Well, like Stockton I’ve left that little point entirely up to the reader ;) Thank you!

Ack! Was it the Lady or the Tiger? … Thanks for the story!

Lovely story (though I’m not sure which words he chose in the end). And I completely admire this phrase: “A King’s guilt, heavier than the crown, more painful than the sword and more oppressive than the laws they are breaking.” Wow. Powerful. Bravo!

Maybe it’s because I’m in an unsettled mood myself, but I can’t see either path being easily followed. Oh the possibilities!

You always create a mood and draw me into your stories :)

This is so lovely! Hurts in the best way, and I chose to believe Aragorn left it at those three words. Thanks for a great read!

Hmmm… I’m usually a glass half full kind of person, but I’m not sure about that third box… especially in the long run. But then, (besides awkward situations in bedrooms) I also love ambiguous open endings that have me thinking about what might be happening next all day…
Brilliantly written as always! Thanks for sharing!