"Tharbad has long been deserted. A hundred years ago there was a terrible winter; the coldest and harshest ever known in the area. When spring came the thaw caused the river to flood and it led to Tharbad becoming nothing more than a ruin. I would not cross there if there were a safer route but the only other way to Rivendell would take us past Moria and I have no trust for dwarves."
Lianna smiled at this final remark. Of course he had no trust for dwarves. One of the things that had come across most strongly to her during her time with Boromir was that he held the race of men above all others; even the Elves. She did not find it arrogant per say but she did think it came from a life spent under the influence of his father.
They reached Tharbad quickly and when Lianna saw the city she once again saw her village, in her mind's eye, deserted of all people and left looking forlorn and empty. Tharbad was far worse than that for she could see it had once been a place which was, if not great, certainly interesting and full of life. The ruins of buildings and empty houses caused her to wonder what had happened to her little village after everyone else had died and she had left.
The Greyflood was terrifying to behold. Not because it was deep for she was almost sure it was not...not excessively so at any rate. It had a current but she was almost sure it would not be able to drag anything other than small branches along with it. However it was filled with rubble and though much protruded above the water's surface what lay beneath it worried her most. Plus as the river was fed from the sea she knew it would be freezing cold. Falling in would most certainly have dire consequences; especially for her as she was weaker than her companion.
"How will the horses get across? The bridge is all but gone and certainly not safe to use."
"We shall have to use the bridge as best we can. If we are careful then we should cross within the hour and from there meet the Great East Road."
Lianna did not voice her reservations any further. She knew it was of no use. Boromir had convinced himself that they would be able to cross the Greyflood without problem. So as they approached the edge of the ruined bridge she tried to temper the feeling of fear which threatened to cause her to turn away and find another manner of crossing.
They dismounted and began to gingerly cross the bridge. After the first few steps Lianna knew it was a bad idea but as Boromir went first she could hardly turn back and leave him on the bridge alone. As they went on further and further and nothing untoward happened Lianna began to chastise herself for her doubt. Of course Boromir knew what he was doing; she was being foolish to doubt it!
She was wrong to doubt herself.
His horse fell in an instant. Some of the bridge simply fell away from the weight of the animal and the creature fell screaming in horror into the water. Unfortunately Boromir had a tight hold of its reigns and had no time to let go before being tugged with it.
Lianna instantly let go of her own horse's reigns and dived towards the gap where her companion and his steed had fallen. To her relief she saw that, although his horse was gone, he was clinging onto the supports at the base of the bridge. She reached out; knowing full well that the supports would not hold the mighty Captain's weight for long.
"Take my hand!" she cried. He reached out shakily but almost instantly the support gave. The weight was too much. He dropped sharply and she grabbed his hand and clung on. As a result she almost tumbled into the river with him and, stupidly, she had used the arm which had previously taken an arrow to try to pull him up. Lianna could not stop herself screaming in pain as her shoulder was wrenched by Boromir's weight. She only managed to stay on the bridge by using her other arm to brace herself against what was once the handrail. It was now only disjointed pieces of wood but, to her relief, it held firm.
"Hold on." She gasped, trying to ignore the searing pain in her arm. He was up to his waist in the water now and the shaking of his own arms showed her that his strength was failing. No doubt the water was freezing and was taking its toll on him. He slipped again and now she was through the gap in the bridge to her waist. He had gone to his shoulders in the water and even if he managed to keep his strength and hold on she was not sure she could do the same.
"You have to help me; I can't pull you up on my own." She was breathing in great gulps now. Slowly he tightened his grip on her hand and, using his other hand, pulled himself higher using the lower beams which had not yet given in. He slipped again and she pulled with all her might, taking her other hand from the edge of the bridge where she was bracing herself and using all her remaining strength. Slowly he slid onto the bridge's surface. Once she was sure he was safe and wouldn't fall back into the water she let go and took in several deep gulps of air and massaged her shoulder. It was paining her in a way it had not since the arrow had been embedded in her flesh.
"Come on," she finally breathed after she had sat and he had lain on the bridge for a few moments, "Let us cross this damned river and get our feet on solid ground again."
Shakily Boromir rose and she watched him carefully but did not offer help. She thought it would be patronising to do so; plus she was too tired to support him. Her horse had, to her surprise, remained where she'd left him. No doubt he had been too terrified to move. Slowly she guided him off the bridge with Boromir following behind. Once they were clear of the bridge she heard a soft thump and looked round to see the Captain sitting on the ground looking a little dazed.
"Are you well?" she asked. She was concerned; she would expect this from herself after such a shock but not from him. He stared at the ground for a moment before replying,
"My leg." She fell to her knees on the ground beside him and gently moved the material of his surcoat so she could see his leg. It was clad in some thin material; she thought it was a familiar sort of a cross between stockings and breeches. There was a tear there and blood surrounding it. The skin beneath was torn violently in a deep gash. She also noticed that his skin was deathly cold. Quickly rising she went to the river's edge and dipped a hand inside. Instantly she withdrew her fingers with a gasp; it was cold as ice. How long had he been in there? Three minutes? It was probably closer to four. Yet his leg was her first priority; it needed to be cleansed.
"I need to bind this;" she announced, talking to him to keep him focused,
" I know not what you cut it on but without cleansing it could fester." She stood and shushed her horse as she removed some bandages from the saddlebags. She had found many within her saddlebags on Durfaer when they had set out from Minas Tirith – most likely in concordance with the expectation of womanly needs, but they were lost now and she had been rationing the linen bindings ever since.
She took the paste he had applied on her arm the day he had saved her, which he had later told her was a concoction his father had been given by a travelling healer, and applied it with a gentle touch before binding the wound carefully. He had been from the water for some time now and yet still he had not warmed up. It caused her worry; had he caught a chill? It was true that he had regained a little more vigour but he was also now shivering slightly.
"You need to get warm." She smiled, trying to be reassuring as she ushered him further into the sunlight and pulled a blanket from her bags to cover him with. She then applied herself to making a fire, despite the warmth of the day. There were plenty of small braches in the surrounding area and it took but a moment to find an area of ground covered with dirt as opposed to grass. She didn't want to set the entire riverbank on fire. Once all was done she sat down beside him, only then giving in to the exhaustion she could feel settling into her bones.
"Do you feel any better?" she asked. Just by looking at him she could see that her ministrations were having some effect. His face had regained some colour, his shivering had lessened and he appeared to be returning to himself.
"I do." There was a pause before he continued, "I think if you had not acted so quickly; both on the bridge and on land, I would have died this day. At the very least I would have been deathly ill. Thank you, Lianna, though you risked your own safety to fight for my own which you should not have done."
She chuckled at the response and replied, "You have saved my life twice now and I have only saved yours once. I think, therefore, I am still indebted to you. At any rate, Boromir, what chance would I have of reaching Rivendell without you?"
He looked better and even offered a smile at her last comment. She was glad – she had thought nothing could faze him; this had proved her wrong.
"We should rest here a while" he looked as though he were about to protest so she intervened quickly, "I know you may be able to come away from that running but I'm tired and my shoulder is aching. I need a little while. Please?"
This, as she knew it would, caused him to agree instantly. They sat in silence and she only made to move when she began to feel herself drifting towards sleep. If she slept now they wouldn't move for several hours as she knew after saving his life Boromir would not wake her unless absolutely necessary. Their journey was too important to both of them to waylay.
"Come," she patted Boromir on the shoulder to draw him from his reverie and smiled, "We have a road to reach and I hope for both of our sakes it is better laid that that which we are used to."
They finally decided to ride double on the horse for most of the time, with Boromir occasionally leading the horse whilst walking alongside. She did not feel uncomfortable by the close proximity although at times she found herself holding her posture stiffly without knowing quite why. Eventually it became second nature to have her arms round his waist and let him lead the horse onwards. They certainly travelled faster with him, an experienced horseman, leading the animal than they ever could with her in charge of the reigns.
After travelling unmarked land for more than a month they finally found the road. Sure enough the Great East Road was in marginally better condition than the Old South Road but it was similarly deserted. They did not pass any travellers in the twenty days it took them to cover the ground and she had by this point lost track of how long it had been since they had left Minas Tirith. She felt lucky to be travelling with Boromir; any other travelling companion may have become tiresome as the only available company but he seemed to maintain the correct balance between silence and chatter which kept her from feeling overwhelmed or alone.
It saddened her slightly to think that soon they would part; most probably indefinitely. After they reached Rivendell and she gave her account of her dreams they would no doubt want to keep her there for a time. Boromir however would want to return to Gondor to protect his people. However she decided eventually that fate would deal what it saw fit and if she never saw Boromir again after they reached Rivendell at least she could remember him fondly.
When they crossed the bridge, which Boromir told her was called the, "Last Bridge." She knew Rivendell was not far away. Within ten days they had passed the Ford of Bruinen and finally Rivendell was before them.
It was beautiful. Before they entered she could see the small houses set amongst the highest of trees and green, crisp leaves everywhere. It was as though Rivendell was the epitome of life. Whereas Minas Tirith had been majestic and noble Rivendell was its female counterpart. It was soft, beautiful and completely enchanting.
"I have seen many things in my life," Boromir said quietly as he dismounted and offered her a hand to help her down. "Yet never have I seen a city quite so..."
"Breathtaking?" Lianna supplied, her eyes still fixed upon that which was before her.
"Breathtaking." He agreed. "It is so breathtaking in fact that we seem to have lost the ability to enter. Shall we change that?" She smiled and nodded. She reminded herself that she was soon to see her first elf and, after seeing their beautiful outpost, she had very high expectations.
