Hello again! Thank you to everyone who left reviews, it means a lot! It inspired me to write the next chapter early! I'm trying not to make this cliché, which is why I wanted to write it about a girl who grows up but not the typical 'they were best friends as children and fell in love'. I also avoided the whole 'love at first sight' thing and the 'wow this girl is so beautiful'. Please tell me if my writing is getting cliché! In this chapter she is still about 12 but it will pick up soon, don't worry! Please enjoy and review at the end! Also if you have any suggestions for things you want to see happen in the story I will gladly try to put them in if I think they fit (but you need to review for that to happen).
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 2:
The next time Boromir saw her was a few months after the first. He hadn't given much thought to her after that day and his duties had made it difficult to for him to go out and look for her. It had seemed to be purely by chance that he saw her again, but later Boromir began to wonder if it had been divine intervention that brought her to him once more. Boromir would never know.
It had been a long, rough day and he had called for a hot bath. There had been another Orc attack. They were getting more and more frequent. This worried him to no end but did not seem to concern his father in the slightest.
Boromir sighed at the thought of his father. He loved him as any child should love their parents but he was beginning to wonder if Denethor really had the city's best interests at heart or only his own.
He ordered the servants to bring him supper in his quarters on his way there. He entered the room to see a small blonde female with her back to him, drawing his bath. She turned at the sound of the door opening and her face contorted into an expression of surprise that matched his. It was her.
"Tora?" He asked, forgetting to be formal.
She bowed her head, refusing to look up at his eyes. "Yes, sir?"
"What are you doing here? Do you work here? How come I've never seen you around before?" he wanted to know, all his questions coming out at once.
"My mother works here but she has fallen ill and without her we won't have any money to survive. I'm taking her spot until she gets better." She lifted her head and looked at him desperately. "Please do not throw me out. I will work as hard as I can until she is able to return to her post." She begged.
He shook his head. "I will not throw you out." He told her. He offered her a small smile, "and I won't mention it to my father."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, my Lord," she said, her eyes clearly showing her gratitude before she curtsied and left the room.
Boromir removed his clothes and lowered himself into the tub, his thoughts no longer on Orcs but rather focusing on the young girl. He had noticed she had been wearing the same dress she had the first time they had met. Clearly it had been washed but stains were still visible on it. He thought back what he had seen with the old man and smiled without even realizing he was doing it. This girl intrigued him. He wanted to find out more about her.
He washed away the grime covering his body and stepped out of the tub, water dripping down his back. He took the towel that had been laid out for him and dried himself off. He had just finished putting on a simple tunic and trousers (he did not plan on re-emerging from his room that night) when he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," he called. The door opened and Tora entered hesitantly. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the man in front of her. He was in less formal attire than was proper and his hair was dripping wet. She lowered her eyes to the ground as she handed him his meal, a small blush tinting her cheeks.
"Thank you," he replied when she handed him his food and ale.
"Is that all you will be needing, my Lord?" she asked, eyes still on the ground.
He ignored her question and instead, implored one of his own. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
Tora looked up at him in alarm, forgetting her place for a moment, "what?"
"Are you hungry?" he asked again, patiently.
She shook her head, looking back down at the ground just as her stomach rumbled. Her face turned bright red as if embarrassed but Boromir just laughed. "Come," he motioned to a chair, "share my meal with me."
Her eyes became even larger as she realized he was serious. "Oh no, I couldn't, my Lord! The meal is meant for you. Servants get dinner later."
"What do the servants get?" he wanted to know. He had never really thought about it before.
"Whatever's left," Tora said quietly.
"That settles it," Boromir decided. "You shall eat with me." He held up his hand as she began to protest. "Servants eat too late for a 12 year old girl and you're too thin. The older servants probably get there first and get the most and the best of what's left, am I right?"
She hesitated as if thinking about whether she should answer or not before nodding, looking somewhat resigned.
"Then you shall eat with me." He repeated and gestured to the chair once more as he took a seat across from the one he had chosen as her's. "If its food you're worried about, there's more than enough to go around."
She shook her head "Then what is it?" he wondered.
"It-it wouldn't be proper," she stuttered, not meeting his eyes.
His eyebrows shot up to what she was implying. "I won't try anything," he said kindly.
"It's not that that I'm worried about, my Lord," she whispered. "But what will the other servants think? What would your family think? A lowly servant girl eating with the Lord of Gondor, it would be unheard of, especially in your current attire."
"They won't find out and if they do, it's my decision and they have no say over it. Now sit." She hesitated once more and he sighed. "That's an order." He said.
She raised her eyes to his, surprised that he had insisted so much. She gave a small nod before taking a seat.
He pushed half the food to one side of the plate and told her to eat. She gave him a look that seemed alarmed.
"But...it's so much!" she exclaimed, staring at the plate.
His eyebrows knit together in worry. It really wasn't that much. He wondered how much she ate on a regular basis. "Eat as much as you can," he told her.
"I cannot eat before you, my Lord-" she began before she was cut off by a stern look. She lowered her eyes to the plate and cautiously picked up a piece of bread, nibbling on it.
Slowly but surely, she became more comfortable with her surroundings as she continued to eat until everything on her half of the plate was gone. He watched in satisfaction as she finished eating before taking the plate back and eating his fill. She sat quietly as he ate. The silence was a comfortable one that didn't seem strained or awkward and it pleased them both as they just observed one another.
Once Boromir had finished his meal he addressed her. "From now on you will be the one bringing me supper. Starting tomorrow you will bring a large plate of food and two cups; one with ale, the other with water." He stood, "you will be dining with me until your mother gets better." She opened her mouth and he wasn't sure if it was to protest so he cut her off. "This is an order."
"Yes-yes sir," she managed to get out.
"Good," he replied, pleased. "Goodnight."
She gathered up the plate and empty cup he had drunk from before heading to the door. "Goodnight, my Lord." She said quietly as she slipped out.
It went on this way for a week or two before Boromir decided it was time he knew more about the girl. He waited until she finished eating before asking her about her family.
"It is only my mother and I," she told him while looking down at her hands.
"Why do you do that?" he asked suddenly, surprising even himself.
"Do what, my Lord?"
"Look down whenever I speak to you," he replied, "you can look at my face. I'm not that ugly, am I?" he joked.
Tora's cheeks flamed as she shook her head, "not at all, sir." She still didn't meet his eyes as she spoke.
He sighed and made his way over to her, crouching in front of her. He lifted her chin to look at him. It suddenly occurred to him how long it had been since he had touched another person on purpose. The last time had been her, coincidently. It had been when he had offered her his hand after knocking her to the ground.
"Look at me," he requested softly and kindly. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "I don't bite, alright?" She nodded and kept her eyes on his face this time. He offered her a smile before returning to his seat.
"What part of the city do you live in?" he asked, attempting conversation once more. She responded while looking him in the eyes. They talked a bit more until he finished his meal and she bid him farewell.
As the weeks wore on she became more and more comfortable around him and their conversations became more animated and lively. Boromir learned Tora was quite smart for her age and he often forgot he was talking to a 12 year old and not an adult. He had grown accustomed to her presence, so much so that he had begun to feel a bit lost on the few days she had come to supper late. He knew his father was worried about all the time he spent in his room but he showed no signs of wondering why he was there in the first place. Faramir, on the other hand, was becoming very suspicious. Boromir knew Faramir was wondering why he never ate with the family anymore and why Boromir constantly made excuses. He enjoyed his time with Tora, who brought beauty to even the smallest things and twisted his perspective to see the world differently. He wasn't about to give that up.
One night, a couple months after they had begun to eat together, she showed up happier than usual. He immediately saw the change in her. She was smiling when she walked in and she was more eager in their conversation. No matter how much time he spent with her, she always seemed a bit reserved but on that night she let her emotions have free reign across her features.
Boromir was itching to know what had happened to make her so happy. He waited until she had finished before asking.
"My mother is no longer ill!" She smiled widely. "She will return to work in a few days and I will go home."
"That's wonderful news," he told her with a quick smile. It really was great news but he couldn't help but feel his stomach sink a little. He would miss his new little companion, as selfish as it was of him to want her to stay.
They made small talk for the rest of the meal and when it was time for her to leave she gathered the things from the meal as usual.
"Goodnight, my Lord," she said with a curtsey as she opened the door to leave.
"Wait!" he called.
She turned around, confused. "Yes, my Lord?"
"I have a request," he said, stepping towards her.
"Yes?"
"Will you grant me a weekly visit when you return home?" He knew it was a lot to ask but he didn't want to let her go completely. His life had been so much more boring and lonely before he had met her and though he knew the friendship was odd, he had slowly become dependent on it.
She smiled, "of course, just name the day."
His face broke out into a grin that he had no control over. "Are Tuesdays alright with you?"
Tora nodded, "perfect, my Lord." She was about to leave once more when he stopped her again.
"Call me Boromir," he told her.
She gave him a curious look before agreeing and leaving at last. He stared after her, wondering what had possessed him to say that. He shook his head to clear his thoughts but they just landed on her once more.
The last thing he thought before he fell asleep was 'I'm going to miss her'.
Love it? Hate it? PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean a lot to me! I just want to clear up the fact that he is not attracted to Tora in any way yet but he enjoys her company. We don't know what Tora thinks of him, since the story is mainly in Boromir's point of view. The next chapter will be set a few years later. I hope you liked it! Write a review if you have anything you want to see happen in the future or any suggestions.
Reviews mean more chapters!
Thanks
~Liliana