Chapter 7- An Unexpected Attack

They began riding a short time later, moving slowly across the plains. Marina was tired; and ontop of that, she had a driving headache, that pulsated through her cranium every time the horse took a step. She set her pride aside and leaned back against Boromir.

He noticed her new submissive manner, and wondered what was the cause of it.

"You know," he said tauntingly, "I think I rather like you better when you're quiet. You think you could stay like this?"

She rolled her eyes, though he didn't see. "For your information, Captain, I have a headache- and your talking is not helping it in the slightest."

Boromir decided to keep quiet, so as not to agitate her any further. When he did speak again, it was much later in the day. The sun had passed overhead, and was now making its way to its resting place in the west.

"How long have you been fighting for Mordor, Marina?" he asked her.

"Nearly four months," she responded, forgetting to be cold or cruel.

"And they didn't discover you?"

She shook her head.

He snorted. "Pretty amazing. So I take it you didn't act like a spoiled little girl when you were with your battalion?"

"Spoiled-?" She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by spoiled?"

He had struck a nerve.

She sat up, moving away from him again. "I do NOT act spoiled," she said. "I was not raised that way."

Boromir sniggered again.

She hated him.

"I loathe you, Captain," she said, expressing her thoughts verbally.

"The feeling's mutual, lady," he said back.

"Of all the brutes in Middle Earth I could have been captured by, it had to be you," she said maliciously.

"Yes- why me of all people?" he asked to no one in particular.

"You know what they say about fate," said Marina cooly. "That everyone gets what they deserve in life."

"So I suppose the question is what did I do in my life to deserve this curse sitting infront of me," he said sarcastically. "You know," he said as an afterthought, "I don't think I would even wish you upon my worst enemies- even they do not deserve to put up with you."

His words stung her slightly, but they attacked her pride and not her heart, only making her more crotchety.

"If I'm so terrible, then why can't you just let me go? What's the point of keeping a simple Mordor soldier in your posession. What will happen when we reach Minas Tirith that could not be accomplished out here in the Wild?"

She never heard his response, because at that moment, a volley of arrows came flying out of nowhere.

"Orcs!" someone yelled.

Boromir swore in Elvish. "Looks like your people have come for you," he said to Marina.

She snorted. "Orcs are not my people. They are deliverers of death, no matter where your homeland lies."

"Then we stand united against them then?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Then take this," he said, putting her sword in her hand. "And should you run," he added scathingly, "I will find you."

The battle intensified. Boromir and the rest of the soldiers rode on, firing arrows off in rounds.

"Take the reins!" Boromir shouted to Marina.

"You sure you want to do that, Captain? Remember what happened last time?" she added, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Take them, Marina, for the sake of the Valar!"

She grasped the leather strips as Boromir turned and fired off several more shots.

Suddenly, he felt Marina yank the reins to the left, cutting into the trees, away from the battle.

"Where are you going?" he yelled.

"Getting out of there," she replied.

"We can't leave the rest of the men!" he said. "Its my duty- I have to fight with them!"

"You're almost out of arrows!" she retorted. "You will not live more than a moment in battle!"

"If I am meant to die in battle, then I will!" he said, grabbing the reins from her and pulling the horse back around.

She swore under her breath. They rode back to the battle at full speed. The Gondorians had retreated to the treeline, most of them now horseless. It was a hopeless fight, Boromir knew. The Orcs were too strong, too resilient.

He jumped off of the horse, yanking it to a stop. A wounded soldier was lying nearby. Boromir picked him up, and put him on the horse infront of Marina.
"Take him away from here," he said. "Take him into the woods- just get him out."

Marina looked at the captain strangely. "Why save him when you could save yourself?" she asked.

"Just go!" he said. "May the gods protect you."
He turned his back to her and ran toward the rest of his men. Marina stared after him, then dug her heels into the horse's side, cantering away from the sound of battle.

She found a calm clearing somewhere in the wood; she lifted the soldier off the horse and laid him down. His wound was not bad- but he had lost some blood and was weak.

"I'm going back," said Marina, covering him with her cloak and dropping the saddlebag near him. "There's food in there, should I not return."
And with that, she mounted the horse and galloped back to the battle, her sword grasped firmly in her hand. The fight had moved into the woods. The Gondorian army had been reduced to fifteen or so, fighting near fifty Orcs. Without thinking, Marina spurned the horse on, sword raised, ready to strike. She plowed into the crowd of Orc soldiers, slashing and cutting anything that her sword came in contact with. They were not anticipating an attack from her direction, and she slayed many of them before they realized what was happening. Her attack turned the tide of the battle. The men seemed more alert, they charged at the Orcs madly, vigorously. After killing another Orc soldier, Marina rounded her horse to look deeper into the forest. Under the shade of the thick trees, Boromir was fighting a tall, muscular Orc. There was a cut on his forehead, blood was running down the side of his face. She saw as he knocked the Orc's dagger away, but the beast grabbed him by the neck and threw him back. Boromir hit a tree with a sickening noise. The Orc picked up his sword again.

Marina jumped off of her horse, and ran as fast as she could toward them- her speed increased due to the absence of her armor. She threw herself infront of the Orc's blade, which was coming down in a straight path to Boromir's head. She met his blade with hers, holding him off, thinking with some annoyance that she was growing tired of throwing herself infront of the blade of an assailant for some helpless man. The Orc snarled angrily at her, and broke contact, moving quickly to strike her down. She blocked him, twirling her sword expertly, attacking and defending. Marina saw the Orc take out a small knife and hurl it toward her. She ducked just as it hissed by her ear. Then, straightening, she launched herself at the Orc, faking a lunge at his throat and striking him instead in the stomach. With her free hand, she knocked the blade from his hand, and used it to cut off his head. When her adversary had fallen, she stood over his body, catching her breath, and wiping the sweat from her brow. The battle was nearly done- most of the Orcs were either dead or retreating into the opposite side of the wood. Behind her, Marina heard Boromir stirring. Damn, she thought, he was still alive.

"Marina," she heard him say. She turned to face him. He was struggling to sit up. There was still blood on his face. He met her eyes, and knew that she was the reason why he was still breathing. "I-er... thank you," he said, mentally kicking himself for sounding so stupid.

"Don't thank me, Captain," she said cynically. "We're even now."

He immediately understood why she had stepped in when she had. It wasn't because she had cared about his life, but to repay him her debt for saving her life before. He was about to reply, but she walked off, bloodstained sword still in hand. She did not look back. Moments later, the other soldiers were crowded around their captain. He stood up, ignoring their comments, and stared after her. She strode over to the horse, and mounted. For a split second, he thought she was going to run, but then he saw her walk the horse over to the group of men. "I took one of the men into a forest clearing. I suggest we camp there tonight."

The men looked from her to Boromir, not wanting to take orders from one who was not their captain, much less a woman from Mordor. Boromir nodded. "Follow her," he said.

"Get on the horse, Captain," she commanded.

"I will walk," he said, though she could see that it pained him to do so.

"Don't be a fool. You'll not make it five feet yonder. Get on."

It was not a request. Boromir pulled himself up onto the horse infront of her, for at the last moment, she pushed herself farther back on the saddle. "If I let you sit in the back, you'll fall off the moment the beast moves," she said sarcastically. He was not amused.

Marina rode slowly, making sure that the men were behind her the whole time. When they came to the clearing, Boromir slid off the horse first, and Marina jumped down after him. He looked at her as though wanting to exchange words, but she made an excuse to take the horse down to a nearby stream to water him.

When she returned, Boromir was helping to tend to the wounded. When he saw her, he stood up and walked over to where she stood.

"How many are hurt?" she asked him.

"Nearly forty of the men, out of our company of one hundred. Thirty were lost between the two battles.

"Alas that I should live while your good men perish," Marina said quietly.

"Had it not been for you, I would have perished as well," he said meaningfully.

"I did not what you would not have done for another."

"And you are sure of this?" he tested her.

"Would you rather I left you for dead?" she snapped angrily.

"No," he said, not in the spirit to fight with her.

He would have said more, but she chose that moment to stalk off, facing away from the men, staring into the forest.


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