Thanks for the reviews! I have 21! Yay! Anyways, this chapter needs no introduction. Enjoy!
Note: there is one author's note in the chapter (A/N) to give you a better image.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 7:
Boromir was not in the mood for a meal with dozens of women, one of whom he was supposed to choose as his bride. How was he supposed to do that in such little time? At least his father made sure the meal was 4 courses and afterwards he had organized a dance in which Boromir was required to dance with each of the ladies. That gave him a little more time but it also meant that the evening would drag out much longer than he had hoped.
His mind was still reeling over what had happened the day before. How could Tora leave him? He knew she hadn't felt the same way; that much was clear, but he had thought that their friendship meant a little more to her than that. He would've never guessed that something as simple and stupid as a small argument would be what tore them apart after all these years.
He didn't know what to do with himself. He had become dependent on Tora; he realized that now. He felt lost and lonely and somewhat broken and they had only parted ways yesterday. He was worried about what would happen over the long run. How long before he completely lost it without her? He was quite sure that it would be soon.
He heard a knock on his door.
"Come in," he called. One of the servants entered.
"Lord Denethor requests you come to supper." They told him before leaving.
Boromir sighed and made his way to the large hall where supper was being served. The table was laden with food. Denethor sat at the head of it with an empty seat on either side of him; one for Faramir and one for Boromir. There was also one more empty seat next to the Faramir's.
A total of maybe 40 ladies were sitting around the long table, all in their best dresses. Boromir knew that the lady in the seat closest to him was the one that was the best option and the one farthest from him was the worst option. That was the way it had been organized.
All the women and his father stood as he entered. The ladies curtsied and his father greeted him with a smile, gesturing to the spot next to him, the one without the extra seat beside it. Once he had taken a seat, everyone else sat down as well.
In a matter of moments the hall door opened and Faramir entered. Boromir's jaw dropped as he saw who was holding on to Faramir's arm.
Tora.
She looked absolutely gorgeous. Boromir had never seen her dressed in such a fashion before. She wore a very simple dress of dark blue and silver that fit perfectly and made her eyes stand out even more than usual. Her golden hair was in some sort of updo, which was not unlike how the noble women of Rohan wore their hair at funerals [A/N so similar to how Eowyn wore her hair at her cousin's funeral]. She so looked regal that Boromir could almost believe she was a queen. Boromir could say without a doubt she was the most beautiful woman in the room and he was entranced by her.
Everyone stood as they walked to their seats. Denethor said something, probably an introduction but Boromir wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at Tora. Their eyes met once they had sat down again and it was her turn to look surprised. He guessed that her expression of awe had to do with his formal attire and how nicely groomed he was. It was now she who was staring.
"Boromir," Denethor hissed and Boromir forced himself to tear his eyes from Tora to look at his father.
"Yes?"
"Make conversation." Denethor demanded. Boromir's eyes had slid back to Tora.
"Mmhm," Boromir agreed distractedly.
"Who are you staring at?" Denethor asked before following his gaze. He sighed. "Boromir, that is Faramir's addition to the table. That is the lady he brought to converse with himself so he had someone to talk to. She is not one of the options for a bride." Boromir pursed his lips.
"I know," was all he said.
For the rest of the meal he tried to please his father by speaking to many different ladies and trying to keep his focus off Tora. It was difficult for him, however. His eyes kept finding themselves back to her and her's to his. The women at the table weren't doing anything to help him. Most of them were alright but he just found them, to put it simply, boring. Speaking to them didn't even give him a third of the excitement that speaking to Tora did.
There was so much he wanted to say to Tora, so much he needed to say to Tora. He needed her back. He couldn't live without her. Boromir decided that he would dance with her later and get her to understand why she couldn't leave. With that thought in mind he found the rest of the evening much more bearable.
The food and table were cleared away and the dancing began. Men came in to dance with the other ladies so they wouldn't become bored and Boromir made small talk with every woman he needed to dance with.
Finally the last dance came. Boromir was supposed to dance with the one he was going to chose to marry but he had long ago decided that he would never have any woman as a bride unless it was Tora. At this point he was being selfish. He knew that he wanted her to be his wife, despite all the misgivings he had before.
Denethor watched him with a smile on his face as he went through the crowd searching for Tora. Boromir supposed that Denethor was smiling because he thought that Boromir had chosen a wife. Denethor was wrong. Boromir made his way to Tora and tapped her on the shoulder. The smile fell off of Denethor's face. Tora turned and once again, her expression was one of surprise.
"May I have this dance?" Boromir asked, holding out his hand and bowing formally. Tora looked conflicted but she knew she couldn't say no.
"You may," she said before hesitantly placing her hand in his.
He took it and placed his other on her waist, pulling her close; possibly closer than was proper. He swept her around the room as the music played, spinning and dipping her when necessary.
"Tora, you can't leave." Boromir told her seriously.
"Boromir, I have to." She said, a somewhat desperate edge to her voice.
"Why?" he asked, desperation creeping into his voice as well. "I'm sorry, alright? Can't we just move past it?"
Tora shook her head and tears welled up into her eyes. She looked so fragile and broken. Boromir wanted to scoop her up in his arms and take her to away from all this. He wanted to do everything in his power to make her happy again.
"You don't understand," she whispered, looking down.
"Then explain it to me." He said. "Please. Just try." She sighed and opened her mouth, about to say something when the music stopped.
Denethor was at the front of the room on a raised platform. He was glaring at Boromir and gesturing for him to come to the front.
"Meet me near the Healer's Ward at midnight," he brought his lips close to Tora's ear. He thought he felt her shiver but it might've just been his imagination. Then he let her go and turned to walk towards his father, not waiting to see if she had agreed. He just hoped for the best.
"What do you think you're doing?" Denethor hissed when he reached him.
"I wanted to dance with her," Boromir said with a shrug. Denethor sighed.
"Don't do it again," he warned. Boromir nodded. Then Denethor turned to the crowd.
"Thank you all for coming. I hope all of you have enjoyed yourselves." Everyone applauded. "Fantastic. Now, on to the matter at hand. As you know, you were all called here so Boromir, my firstborn and most beloved son," Boromir saw hurt flash in Faramir's eyes but it passed quickly. Boromir hated that he was his father's favourite. Faramir deserved it more. Faramir was a better person then he was. If only his father could see that.
"Could choose a bride from amongst you," Denethor continued. He looked at Boromir. "Who have you chosen?" Boromir took a deep breath before stepping forward.
"I choose," he paused and found Tora in the crowd. She was crying. "No one."
Her head snapped up to look at him, confusion written all over her features.
"No one?" Denethor repeated disbelievingly.
"Yes, no one." Boromir said, still looking at Tora who was now clinging to Faramir for dear life. He addressed the crowd. "You've all been wonderful and I appreciate you coming here but I do not believe any of you could make me truly happy and I am certain that I could never make you happy. Some of you might be alright with that but I could never marry someone I didn't love. I'm sorry." And with that he walked out of the room, his father frozen in shock behind him.
He grinned to himself and made his way to his chambers, asking a servant the time on the way. It was almost midnight. Boromir changed his course to head towards the Healer's Ward. He hoped to Valar that she would be there. He entered the small courtyard close to the Ward and waited.
A few minutes later he heard a twig crack beneath someone's foot. He spun around and came face to face with Tora. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her hair had fallen out of its fancy style. Her cheeks were tear stained and flushed and Boromir thought she looked more beautiful than the moon or the stars.
"Hello," she greeted.
"You came," he said with a smile that he couldn't contain.
"I came," she agreed
"Let's go somewhere more private." He suggested.
She nodded and he took her hand, leading her away from the courtyard. They went through back halls and empty rooms until they reached a small yard outside the servant's quarters. The side of the mountain was lined with shrubs and the like. Boromir lead Tora to a particularly large bush.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, quietly. She nodded once more. "Good. Come on."
He lifted some of branches of the bush and gestured for her to enter, letting go of her hand. She looked at him, confused. He gestured again. She looked at the opening and took a deep breath before getting down on her hands and knees and moving into the small entrance. He followed.
It opened into a tunnel in the side of the mountain that no one knew about except him. He took her hand again and walked up the slanted tunnel. Eventually they emerged from the mountain, now at the top. Tora gasped at looked around at the beautiful clearing they had entered. The entrance of the tunnel was hidden well and Boromir never worried about anyone attacking them from this angle. This was his special place.
Boromir sat beside a clear pool that contained all sorts of odd fish and patted the seat next to him. Tora was looking around in wonder.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" he commented once she had taken a seat. She turned towards him, eyes shining.
"It's like a whole other world!" she exclaimed excitedly as she looked up at the sky. "Even the stars seem brighter here!" He laughed at her amazement.
"So, are you ready to explain to me why we can't be friends anymore?" All the happiness and wonder drained from Tora's face and she looked sad and resigned.
"Boromir, I can't be friends with you because..." she seemed to have difficulty getting the words out. "I can't be friends with you-" her voice broke and she was crying again.
He hated seeing her this way. For once he threw propriety out the window and swept her up in his arms, wanting to comfort her. She sobbed into his shoulder and placed one of her arms around his neck, her other hand on his chest. He stroked her hair and whispered comforting things in her ear until she calmed down.
"This is why we can't be friends," she choked out. He was confused.
"What?"
"This!" she gestured between them before standing and moving away from him.
"What about this?" He asked. He needed to know why she wanted to sever their relationship. "What's wrong with us?" She looked up at the sky and blinked back tears.
"You're so blind," she whispered when she looked back at him. He looked at her blankly. "I can't risk being around you anymore. The longer it is, the worse it gets and it's becoming unbearable."
"What is?" he wanted to know.
"You!" she said loudly, finally letting the words she had wanted to say for a long time, flow. "Everything about you! I always want to be with you. I always want to touch you or talk to you or spend time with you! I crave the sound of your voice. I crave your touch. I crave you!" She paused. "I am in love with you!"
Boromir was rooted to the spot, shock not being a strong enough word for what he felt.
"How long?" was all he could get out.
"As long as I can remember. But it doesn't matter, does it?" she asked bitterly. "You love someone else. I was such a fool for thinking you could love me." She turned away before hearing his mirthless laugh. She looked at him.
"It was always you," he told her. "I loved you."
Her eyes widened and she opened and closed her mouth, unable to form words. He smiled and walked towards her until he was right in front of her. He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb. She looked up at him in awe. They were too close for it to be proper but he didn't care.
"It was always you," he whispered before pressing his lips to hers.
Love it? Hate it? Please review! It would mean a lot and it would mean a new chapter for you. :) What do you think? They finally admitted it! Yay! The next chapter will be him leaving for Rivendell and after that there will only be 2 more chapters. This story will have 10 in total. I'm just going to let you all know that none of the original events of the Lord of the Rings will change. The idea of this story is that it happened but was never told.
Anyways, tell me your thoughts! Thanks!
~Liliana
