A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! I would like to begin with a big "thank –you" for the immense outpouring of reviews I have gotten since my last update! You are all so wonderful, and it has given me a renewed vigour to keep writing! I am SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! I was much busier this last month than I thought I'd be. However, thanks to all the lovely reviews I have gotten, I had the urge to write again today! Anyway, that's all for now – enjoy!

Disclaimer:I own nothing except Kayla Harris. All rights for Lord of the Rings belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and his family. I also do not own any other references made throughout this story.

Journey to a Curious Place

Chapter Eleven:

War – what is it good for?

Crap.

Crap, crap, crap!

Crap, crappity, crap, crap, fucking crap! Oh, crap!

It was happening.

I had waited too long. The Battle for Helm's Deep was coming, and I had waited too long. I had idled and now I was going to be stuck trekking to Helm's Deep with the others, for what could be days. I really wasn't in the mood for another several days of walking over rocky terrain, especially in the shoes I was now wearing all the time, since I had to keep my regular ones hidden. The ones I wore had next to no insoles, and I was flat footed, which meant that, by the time we reached Helm's Deep, unless I was able to snag a horse to ride on, my feet were going to be absolutely wrecked, and I wouldn't want to walk for the rest of my natural life. I had to decide what I was going to do, and I had to do it quickly.

I was sitting on my bed in the room I shared with Bera, my knees tight against my chest, and my fingers tapping restlessly upon them. Down the hall, I could hear the sounds of voices drifting from the open door to the throne room. I had decided not to eavesdrop on the conversation in the hall, as I knew exactly what was going on. Théoden was being informed by Aragorn that Saruman was planning on invading Rohan with an army of Uruk-hai, and that evacuations would be needing to come into effect very soon.

The two young children, who had come from a neighbouring village not far from Edoras, were being tended to by Éowyn and Bera, which was why I was currently sitting alone. I could hear Éowyn's voice drifting down the hall from the Throne room, and I knew she was telling Théoden what the children had told her, how their village had burned, and the army would soon come for the capital. I knew it wouldn't be long before we had to pack up, and move out. Gandalf would ride to find Éomer and his army to bring to fight the Uruk-hai, and the rest of us would head for Helm's Deep. But was I ready to go with them? I didn't really have much of a choice at this point, but it was still leaving quite the nagging feeling in the back of my mind. The song "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" kept repeating in my head and, as funny as it was to have such a ridiculous song try to make sense of the situation, I was really starting to annoy myself.

I started as the door opened and Bera suddenly walked in. For someone younger than me, she looked like she had aged ten years. Since the children had arrived, she had been tending to them hand and foot, as well as looking after Éowyn with her daily duties, and continuing her others chores around the Keep. She slouched across the room, something that surprised me, since Bera always had the perfect posture of a noble Lady, even though she wasn't one, and flopped down on her bed. She lay there for a moment, and I watched her, an eyebrow raised, until she looked up at me.

"Tired?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. No one in Rohan was happy right now, and I couldn't blame them. No doubt hearing that their capital was about to be ransacked by monsters, and that some of their neighbouring cities had already fallen wouldn't put a smile on anyone's face.

She sighed, "You haven't an idea, Kayla." She sat up, looking at me, her face showing her exhaustion much deeper than I had anticipated. "In addition to caring for Lady Éowyn, as I already do, I have been working myself to the bone caring for the children, as well." She paused, and added quickly, "I do not hold any ill will towards any of them, mind you, but yes, I am tired."

I smiled, "Everyone has been running around like chickens with their heads cut off; I don't blame you for being tired, Bera."

She tilted her head at my comment, "'Chickens with their heads cut off'? That is an amusing way of putting it." She smiled slightly, "Where did you learn that?"

I momentarily panicked, but replied smoothly. "Someone told me about it back in my home." Bera let the matter drop from there, and stood up, dusting off the front of her dress, and striding across the room to gather the wicker basket she carried Éowyn's dirty clothes in; I suspected she was going to do some laundry. It seemed a little unnecessary to me, considering we'd be leaving soon anyway, and things would no doubt get even dirtier at Helm's Deep. Which reminded me…

"Do you know when we'll be leaving Edoras?" I asked, standing up myself and stretching my already tired limbs. If I was sore now, I would certainly be in for some pain later after walking to Helm's Deep with the others.

Bera shrugged as she gathered a few more things to wash into the basket, and made her way to the door. "I do not know. I assume in a day or two at the most; King Théoden is desperate to get his people to safety as quickly as he can."

"How far is Helm's Deep from here? And how much can we bring?" I asked.

"I overheard the King saying that we should bring as much as we can, but not to overburden ourselves." Bera replied; she was idling by the door now, and I knew she was itching to get back to work. "Helm's Deep is a few days from here, or so I've heard, perhaps two."

I nodded, "Alright, thanks Bera. One more thing," I added just as she was about to leave. She fixed with me with a semi-annoyed, semi-amused look. "How will we be getting there? Surely there aren't enough horses for everyone to ride, especially with the Rohirrim gone."

A small smile flitted across Bera's face. "We will allow the elderly and the injured to ride on horses and in wagons with the crops. Those who are well enough will be walking." My heart sank, and I think my face showed my disappointment, because Bera grinned at me. "Do not look so upset, Kayla! It is not far, and we may all rest once we are safe within Helm's Deep."

"What about Lord Boromir?" I don't know what made me ask it, but I had been wondering it for a few days now. With his injuries still healing, would Boromir be allowed to walk with the rest of us to Helm's Deep, or would he be forced to ride on a horse or, Heaven forbid, a wagon? "Is he healed enough to travel?"

Bera shrugged again, "I do not know – that is something you may wish to discuss with King Théoden's Healers. Lord Boromir seems well enough, but injuries such as his take time to fully heal. I suspect he will be riding horseback, or within a wagon along with the other injured."

"Oh, he's going to love that," I said, trying to curb the smirk threatening to worm its way onto my face.

Bera chuckled lightly, "Indeed; I must get back to my work now, Kayla. I have no need of your assistance today with my chores, so I would suggest you begin to pack your things together. If King Théoden is desperate to leave, I have no doubt in my mind that it could be as early as tomorrow morning." She then turned and swept from the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I looked around the room, wondering what to do. Bera had a point: I should start packing. I didn't have much to bring with me, just the clothes I had come here with, the ones I was wearing, another outfit that looked exactly like the one I was wearing, one more pair crappy shoes, the shoes from my world, and my toiletry kit, which I had stolen back out of Boromir's bag, and put into my own leather pack that Bera had given me the day before, just in case we had to leave in a split second. Almost everything I had would fit just fine in the pack, expect maybe the shoes. I was still contemplating if I should leave my old shoes here or not, or if I could get away with wearing them under my dress without anyone noticing. It would certainly help with my feet being any sorer than they needed to be. Since I had so little to bring with me, I decided to just pack now, and get it over with. If we were leaving at any moment, and something was telling me we would, I wanted to be ready, and not have to rush.

Something else had been lingering at the back of my mind since the children had arrived, and since I knew we'd be leaving Edoras soon, and that was the actual battle of Helm's Deep. I knew all the women and children would be left in the caves, and none of them would be hurt, but since I had come here, and evidently fucked up pretty bad by letting Boromir live, and even the slight change in when we found Éomer, would that effect what would happen during the Battle? If I remembered correctly, some of the orcs and Uruk-hai had nearly managed to enter into the caves, and get to the innocents. Would they get in now? Would I die?

I shuddered; I really didn't want to think about that right now. I had made it this far – it had been almost a month since I had come here, and I wasn't dead yet. God knows I had come close a few times, especially with all the damn walking I was, and would be, doing. One thing was for certain: I would have a killer body when this was all over. The thought made me laugh a little, and it cheered me up a bit. I walked to the window, and looked out over Edoras. I really hoped that my meddling wouldn't cause this city to be destroyed.

I turned back, and threw all my things into my bag, and exited my room. At the very least, I was packed now, and ready to go, thankfully. I shut the door behind me, and began to walk down the hall. I had no idea what I was planning on doing for the rest of the day, but I couldn't stay cooped up in that tiny room the whole time; I would go crazy.

As I was walking down the hall, and door at the end opened up, and who should walk out, but Boromir. He glanced to his right as he exited what I assumed was his room, spotted me, and nodded once. I forced a smile on my face, as I walked up to him.

"Good morning, Lord Boromir." I said as pleasantly as I could. We had had no verbal apology to one another since our spat a week before, and had only exchanged strained smiles since then. Now was my chance to say I was sorry. However, before I could, Boromir spoke.

"Good morning Lady," he paused when I fixed him with a look, and a slight smile passed across his face, "Good morning, Kayla." He corrected himself, shutting the door behind him, and stepping more into the hall. "How do you fair this day?"

I shrugged, "Alright, I guess. It's been a busy week; I've just been packing, in case we have to leave suddenly. Knowing King Théoden, he'll want to get his people to safety as soon as possible."

The Gondorian nodded, his face solemn. "Indeed; it has been a trying week for all." He gestured down the hall, and we began to walk together towards the exit of the sleeping quarters. We walked in silence for a moment, before he spoke again. "I also wanted to apologize for my anger towards you last week, Kayla." This surprised me, and I glanced sideways at him. I wanted to say "What" or "Why", but instead I just brushed it off.

"Water under the bridge," I waved a hand, giving him what I hoped looked like a real smile. When he looked a little confused by my statement, I added, "We're fine. Everything is fine." This seemed to appease him, and we returned to silence. After a moment, I had a thought, and glanced sideways at him. "So, do you know when we'll be leaving? Bera, Éowyn's handmaiden, said it could be as early as tomorrow morning."

Boromir nodded slowly, "She is correct, though I do not know myself."

I nodded, "How are you injuries? Your ribs, specifically. Are they healing?"

He nodded, and I was filled with a bit of relief. "They are; the healers say I am about a fortnight, perhaps another week after that, until they are fully healed. The arrow wounds are all but gone, thanks to what you used on them." I felt a smile slide onto my face, but it was quickly replaced with a grimace. Boromir wasn't going to like this next part.

"That's good to hear about your arrow wounds, and that your ribs are almost all healed." I said slowly, "However…" My voice trailed away, and I felt him looking at me.

"What is it?" He asked, and I could hear his voice get a little darker. Great, he was already getting annoyed. We stopped walking, and I turned to face him, beginning to wring my hands slightly.

"Well, the thing is, Bera told me that we would be walking to Helm's Deep," I began slowly. "The elderly and the injured would have to travel by horse or wagon." I saw realization start to dawn on Boromir's face, and I pressed on before he could say anything. "Since your ribs aren't fully healed yet..."

He cut me off, "Surely you are not suggesting…?" He looked so defeated, and I actually almost laughed at him, but kept it together.

"I'm saying it's better than further injuring yourself – and riding in a wagon." I tried to smile at him, but he just shook his head, looking more exhausted than I had ever seen him. "Oh come on, Boromir," I tried, "It's not that bad. You can use the horse we used to get here, and that way it'll be less demeaning than having to ride in a wagon with the elderly and the severely injured."

He sighed, and looked away from me. "I want to argue, but I know that you have a point. Still, I am not pleased with this information."

I held up my hands, "Hey, at least you're hearing it from me and not from King Théoden. I figured it would be a little less patronising that way."

He nodded once, "You are correct; thank you for telling me this, Kayla. I do appreciate it." We had come to the end of the hall now, and were looking into the throne room. I could see Théoden standing near his throne, speaking to Aragorn and the others. "I would speak with the King now, please excuse me." He bowed slightly, and left me standing there, watching him go, and wondering how the events of the next few days would pan out.

Sure enough, almost as I had predicted, the following morning Théoden announced that we would be departing for Helm's Deep as quickly as possible that very day. I was glad I was fully packed, and that way I could help out everyone else as best I could.

We were out of the city by what I could guess was almost noon, judging by where the sun was in the sky. Edoras was slowly becoming a dot in the distance as we began to traverse the grassy, hilly, and rocky terrain of Rohan, towards our desired destination: Helm's Deep. We were travelling north, and I knew that on the other side of the mountains to our left, Isengard rested, waiting to unleash their army upon Helm's Deep.

Boromir had bitched a little bit about riding a horse all the way to Helm's Deep, but I had shut him up with a glare once we exited the city. Now, all of Edoras, and as many refugees from the other cities and villages in Rohan, were on our way towards the one place that would prove the deaths of many men and elves in the coming days, though they did not fully know it yet. Just thinking about it was giving me a migraine again, and I tried to ignore it as we walked, taking care to shield my eyes from the blinding sun, since it only made it worse.

We were a few hours in to the trek when Gimli fell off his horse after it galloped out of control. I saw Éowyn rush to his side, laughing and grinning, while looking back at Aragorn and Théoden, who were deep in conversation. I noted how Éowyn's expression changed when she looked at Aragorn, and I felt my heart ache for her. Yes, she would find love in Faramir someday, but for now she would be subjected to yearning for the affection of a man already spoken for.

I let out a loud snort when Gimli went down, and Boromir, who I was walking beside and who's horse I had attached my bag, glanced down at me. "Is something funny, Kayla?" He asked, his expression part amused, part exasperated.

I shook my head, still giggling slightly. "No, nothing, Gimli just fell off his horse." I pointed, and Boromir glanced ahead of us, and a small smile formed on his face, before he looked back down at me, his expression holding mild amusement, but not for what I was pointing at. He was silently judging what I was laughing at. I threw him an indignant look. "What? If we can't laugh at the little things, what hope is there for us?" I looked back ahead of us, at all the people marching, some to their unknowing deaths. "This is a dark time for these people. We should take happiness where we can find it. Don't you agree?" I looked back up at him, only to Boromir staring down at me thoughtfully. "What?" I asked, and absently touched my face. "Is there something on my face?"

Boromir seemed to snap out of his reverie. "No, there is not. Forgive me, I was taken by my own thoughts for a moment." When I raised an eyebrow, he added. "You are right, we should find peace where and when we are able. These are dark times indeed, for everyone, not just Rohan."

I nodded once, smiling up at him, satisfied with his reply, and we lapsed back into silence again until we stopped about an hour later to make food and rest. I was seated by the fire that Aragorn had built, munching on a piece of bread. I politely declined when Éowyn offered me some soup, since my stomach was all in knots, and I could barely even keep the bread down. I was getting more and more anxious the closer we got to Helm's Deep. I kept replaying what happened in the books and movies over and over in my head. What if things changed drastically because of what I'd done? What if someone else important died because of me? What if Boromir died now? Or Théoden? Or God forbid Aragorn. If Aragorn died then the rest of the journey would get completely fucked. Yes, Frodo and Sam would probably still destroy the One Ring, but there would be no one left to Rule Gondor. What if –

"You look distressed," My head shot up, and I found Boromir standing next to me. He was looking down at me with what I assumed was supposed to be a kindly expression, but it just made me feel a little more uneasy.

"I, what? No I don't." I managed to say as he sat down, and handed me a skein filled with water. I gratefully took it and drank deeply, before handing it back. "I'm fine, thanks for the water." I leaned back on my hands, looking around at all the people with us – from women to children, to young and old. I felt a stab of pity. "How long until we get there, do you think?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"Given the pace we are taking, I suspect we will be there by nightfall." Boromir replied, and I nodded slowly, we returned to silence, and I took to observing Éowyn and Aragorn as they spoke nearby. It was perhaps another half hour before we set out again.

The sun was already getting high in the sky as we entered into what I hoped was the last few hours of our journey to Helm's Deep. My feet were starting to get extremely sore, even if I had managed to hide my sneakers under my dress. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I knew we had to keep going. Part of me wanted to ask Boromir if I could join him on his horse, but the rest of me didn't want to sound whiney, or embarrass myself.

It was about an hour in to the second half of the journey when I heard it.

It was faint, but I was almost certain I had heard it. A horn; not like the one Boromir had had. This one blasted once, faintly, and it sounded deep, and dark, and ominous. I strained my ears to try and hear it again, but was meant with the white noise of everyone traveling around me, instead. Had I imagined it?

"Kayla?" Boromir's voice broke through my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

I kept looking around when I replied, "Did you hear that?" I asked, trying to keep the mounting fear out of my voice.

"Hear what?" Boromir replied, looking around, his shoulders tensing, and his grey eyes narrowed. "Did you hear something?"

I paused, and Boromir slowed his horse until we were stopped completely. People passed us for a few moments, as I stood and listened. After a few minutes of not hearing anything, I shrugged. "I must have imagined it, never mind. Let's keep –"

There was a sudden cry from behind us. I whirled around and saw one of the guardsmen fall from his horse, an arrow protruding from his chest. Suddenly, the rider beside him went down as well, an arrow sticking out of his neck, and blood spurting everywhere. His helmet rolled off when he hit the ground, and I recognized the face of Famon, the guard who had first led me through Edoras a few weeks prior. I felt my heart constrict, as I stared in horror. What the fuck –

"Wargs!" Someone yelled ahead of us.

"Orcs!" Yelled another.

"AMBUSH!" I heard Théoden yell from up ahead. I whirled on the spot, and sure enough, I could see black shapes come running over the hills surrounding us. Giant hyena-like creatures, with Orc riders, brandishing black bows and swords, racing towards the population of Edoras. I was frozen, staring in horror as black arrows flew through the air, piercing any and all targets in their paths. Innocents, and soldiers, were dropping like flies around us, and screams and the coppery scent of blood filled the air.

It was chaos.

I suddenly felt a hand seize the back of my dress, and I was being hauled upwards. I started screaming and kicking, trying to get free of whoever was holding onto me. It wasn't until I had been placed on the horse that I realized it was Boromir who had yanked me off the ground and onto his horse. We were now charging to the front of the group to find Théoden and Aragorn, who had their weapons drawn, and were ushering the people of Rohan ahead, while the remaining guards and men who could wield weapons stayed behind.

"Are you alright?" Boromir yelled over the roars of battle and death.

The world had gone quiet for me. I had just seen two people get killed right in front of me, one of which I had actually interacted with. Yes, I had seen my share of blood since being here, but I had not seen people, good people, get killed. All I could see was Famon's eyes, sightless, open and confused as his body fell from his horse, and life bled from him. I had talked to him, or at least tried to, I had seen him moving, breathing… Living. And now he was… Now he was…

"Kayla!" Boromir's sharp voice brought me back to reality, and all the sound came rushing in.

"I forgot about this part," I managed to say, my voice catching in my throat, and coming out much scratchier than I had anticipated. I hadn't even realized what I'd said until Boromir spoke.

"What are you talking about, Kayla?" He asked, concern in his voice. I realized now that we were at the front with Théoden, Aragorn, and the others.

"She is in shock," Aragorn said stiffly. "Théoden, we must act quickly – the people are in danger." An arrow came whizzing by, narrowly missing Aragorn's shoulder, and we all jumped. I felt Boromir's grip on my waist tighten, and for a moment I couldn't breathe.

Théoden reacted quickly, quicker than I thought he would. He turned to Boromir and I. "Lord Boromir, you are still too injured to remain and fight. Take Lady Éowyn and help her lead the people to safety. We will stay and stop these beasts, and rejoin you at Helm's Deep."

Boromir began to protest. "My Lord, I can stay –"

Théoden interjected, "I gave you an order, Lord Boromir. Do I make myself clear?" There was no room for any arguing, and I think Boromir knew that. He fell silent, and simply nodded once.

"As you wish, King Théoden."

The King of Rohan nodded, "Go, and hurry." We disbanded then, and Boromir led the horse quickly farther ahead to where the rest of the people were, including Éowyn. We rode up, and found that she had already begun to lead the people away from the battle. Boromir and she exchanged a few quick words, and he relayed what Théoden had instructed of them. We would ride ahead and lead the group that way. Just as we were about to move, an arrow flew straight by my ear. I even felt the wood of the shaft graze my skin, and I cried out in terror.

Boromir's grip on my waist turned to iron. "Kayla! Are you alright?"

"Yes," I managed to gasp shakily, "You?" I turned back to look at him, and I knew I was probably as white as a ghost. Tears of terror swam in my eyes, and my vision became blurry, as Boromir's features melded together.

"Yes," he replied, his voice as kind and gentle as he could be given the situation. "We must go now. Keep your head down, and hang on tightly."

I did just that, and even as we galloped away from the horror and destruction behind us, the coppery smell of the innocent blood that had been shed stayed with me all the way to Helm's Deep.

Just as Boromir had said, we arrived at the fortress just as night was beginning to fall. The people of Rohan stumbled into the keep, and began to unpack. Much of what we had tried to bring with us had been left behind when we had been ambushed, so we were short on food and supplies. Those few who had sustained injuries and survived were immediately tended to by the healers, but I could tell that we were in short supply of everything important.

Éowyn was running around, taking care of anything and everything she could, and I was doing the same. Boromir was doing his best to coordinate a plan of attack with the remaining forces within Helm's Deep, in case there was a secondary attack if the others didn't come back. He was somewhere at the top of the Keep, and Éowyn and I were at the bottom with the rest of the people of Rohan. Much to my relief, both Aedre and Bera had survived the attack without sustaining any injuries, and were also helping Éowyn take control of everything.

It was in a moment that I stopped to breathe that I really took everything in. All around us the stone walls of Helm's Deep rose, higher than I thought they'd be. Water and mould seeped inside like a sickness, and parts of the great fortress were falling down. It was just a decrepit as I had feared it would be. There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell that it could withstand that battle that was only days away from happening. I could hear the water trickling down the stones, the distant cries of those who had lost friends and family during the ambush, and smell of the dead and dying.

It was a new kind of Hell; and it was only going to get worse.

It was turning into dawn when they returned – or what was left of them. I was a few floors up in the Keep, tending to a few wounded villagers, when I heard the horn that sounded King Théoden's return ring through the air. Even though I hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, I mustered all the strength I had to race down the slippery stone steps, nearly killing myself in the process, to greet them when the entered into Helm's Deep.

I made it down just as the men were settling in. It made me sick to my stomach when I saw how few of them had returned. I noticed Hàma and Théoden were both alive, thankfully, and that gave me some peace of mind. I kept craning my neck, until I saw the familiar white blonde head of Legolas gliding through the sea of grey and brown. I raced towards him, and threw my arms around the elf, slightly startling him. I pulled back, and did the same to Gimli, who stood beside him. When I pulled away, my face broke out in a huge grin.

"I'm so glad you two are alright! You can't even begin to imagine how relieved I am." When their somber expressions didn't waver, I felt something tightening in my chest. I began to look around, realizing something – no, someone was missing.

No.

No.

NO.

I had forgotten. How could I have forgotten? This couldn't be happening. I thought that maybe, since I had changed parts of this, that maybe it wouldn't –

"Where is Aragorn?" I managed to whisper. When Legolas's eyes met mine, and I saw the pain in them, I felt like I wanted to start screaming. "No… Please, don't say it." I felt tears well in my eyes.

Legolas looked down, and I saw the silver jewel, the Evenstar, glittering in his palm. He held it out slowly, and the pale light of morning caught the gems. They sparkled like the tears that now fell from my eyes. "He fell"

The words were no simple, and yet they impacted me like getting a sledgehammer to the face. I took a step back, and stared at him, my breaths short and painful. "He… He was cut down?" I managed to utter.

"No," Gimli replied, his voice low and sad, and I turned my eyes to him. "He literally fell," his voice broke, and I felt a few more tears leak out. "He was fighting an orc, and became attached to a Warg – his leg was bound to the saddle." Gimli looked like this was causing him a lot of pain to describe, so Legolas placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, and took over. He turned to me, his blue eyes filled with grief.

"The Warg went over the cliff, and Aragorn fell with him."

I couldn't answer. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even more.

Something suddenly opened and willed me to speak.

"I have to get out of here," I managed to croak, before turning on my heel and racing away from the elf and the dwarf. I heard Legolas call after me, but I didn't look back. I tore up the steps again, nearly falling up the stairs this time, and to the highest floor I could get to. There was a ledge near the end of the empty stone room, and I ran to it, holding the edge in a white knuckle grip.

What if Aragorn never came back?

What if I had fucked up so badly that he didn't come back like he was supposed to? What if, because I had chosen to mess with the timeline, and save Boromir's life, this meant that Aragorn was actually dead? Had I costed Gondor their only means of salvation? Had I doomed the entirety of Middle Earth because I had let one person live? Had I –

My stomach lurched, and I vomited over the side of the ledge.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. I hadn't cried like this in weeks – not since my first night in this world. My body shook, and my eyes were squeezed shut so tightly that it hurt. I rocked back and forth, one hand gripping the ledge, the other clamped over my mouth to stifle my sobs.

"Kayla?" The voice cut through the agony like a knife. My head snapped up. Boromir was standing at the entrance to the room, his face filled with concern.

All at once my heart broke. How dare I wonder if things would be better if I had let this man die? Who was I to decide how better off a world would be if he had perished in the woods as he had supposed to? How could I ever feel guilty for saving someone's life?

"Boromir…" I whispered, my face stained with tears and dirt, and my knees covered in dust from kneeling on the ground.

He moved forward silently, and pulled me to my feet. "Kayla, what is it? What's happened?" I tried to look away, but he took my face in his hands, and forced me to look at him. I felt my heart beat speed up as he did. "Look at me, Kayla, what is going on? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

I gently pried his hands away. "I'm fine, Boromir." A pause. "No, actually no, I am not fine." Confusion radiated on his face, and I realized then that he didn't know yet. "Has Legolas not told you?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"Told me what?" The man asked, his face concerned and confused, "I was on my way down to meet with them, when I saw you run by and come up this way. You seemed to be in distress; I wanted to make certain you were not hurt before I spoke with the King."

My face was a mix of emotion. I was grateful for this concern, and agonized by what I was about to tell him. "Boromir," I began, my voice cracking horribly. "It's Aragorn… He… He didn't." Boromir drew back, his grey eyes pleading me not to tell him what he was now fearing. "He fell; there was a Warg running to the edge of the cliff, and he became tangled in its saddle and… He fell." I whispered the last two words.

There was a stunned silence for a moment. Neither of us said anything. Boromir just stood there, staring at me, his grey eyes holding mine, as though he hoped I would suddenly tell him I was joking, or Aragorn would suddenly walk through the door. When I said nothing more, the Gondorian slowly began to turn away from me, and I could tell he was in shock.

"Boromir," I reached after him. "I'm so sorry. I know he was your friend, and I –"

"It is fine." Boromir turned back to look at me, and there was a sad, strained smile on his face. "Aragorn is my friend, Kayla. He is also my captain, and my King." When I didn't say anything out of pure confusion, he pressed on. "We braved the Mines of Moria together, and travelled across Middle Earth together. Aragorn is a Ranger, and a capable man. He has been through far worse than merely falling from a cliff."

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open slightly out of surprise. "But Boromir, he, there was no sign of –"

He held up a hand. "I must seek King Théoden, and give him my condolences for the losses he has faced today." He smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes. I could see the pent up anger and pain he was now feeling for the loss of his friend. "For now, we must do what he would expect of us, and that is to protect the people." His eyes were full of pain, regret, and bitterness, but he did know show it in his posture. He was trying to hide how upset he was by focusing on the tasks at hand. I was so moved by his strength, even if it was painful to witness, that I felt my lower lip begin to tremble again, and fresh tears began to fall. I looked down at my feet, and I didn't notice Boromir stepping forward until he was directly in front of me. I looked up at him, my face streaked with tears.

His face showed the internal struggle he was facing about keeping his emotions in check. He placed his hands on my shoulders, looking down at me. "Now, we must endure."

He looked so angry, and so sad in that moment, and his voice sounded so tired and defeated. I didn't even think about what I did next.

I wrapped my arms around his middle, drawing him into a hug. My face was pressed into his chest, and, after a moment, he weakly lifted his arms and wrapped them around me, as well. We stood like that for a moment, before he pulled back, placing his hands on my shoulders, and looking down at me, that same, strained smile on his face.

"We must have courage, Lady Kayla. We will need it in the coming days." His voice broke slightly at the end, and he squeezed my shoulders once, before turning and walking away from me, and out of the room. He paused as he came to the door, and looked back at me, this time his smile did reach his eyes, a little bit. "We will endure. We must; for Aragorn."

Then he was gone, and I was left alone in the stone room again. I thought I heard a deep sigh, before the sound of his boots died away. I stood for a moment, my eyes burning from the tears I had shed.

"I hope so."

A/N: Thanks for reading, all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We all know what's coming next (at least, I hope you do). Thank you to everyone who has R&R'd and Followed and Fav'd this, even though I haven't updated in over a month! It is appreciated.