Boromir and Emily were still in the same position when Aragorn and the others returned from the forest. Aragorn took in the sight of her sleeping peacefully draped across the equally peaceful Boromir before he heaved a deep sigh and took a step forward to separate them. He had only taken a step forward when he was stopped by a gentle, yet insistent, hand on his arm. He turned to see Legolas standing there, looking at him with sad eyes.
"Leave them be," Legolas said with a sigh, slipping into Elvish once more. "They both need the rest and they are doing no harm."
"I . . . it is improper. I should not have even allowed them to ride together or to remain here without a chaperone," Aragorn argued. "They . . . I cannot allow this. The harm that it will do to her honor—"
"What honor?" Legolas asked harshly anger burning in his blue eyes once more. "You know as well as I what will have happened to her, Aragorn. There is nothing that Boromir could take from her even if he would. Let them be. They deserve a bit of comfort after what they have both been through in the past few days. Would you deny Emily the comfort of one who loves her after her ordeal?"
"I would not," Aragorn replied. "But what of her reputation? It would not do to have it said that she was lying with him outside the bonds of marriage."
"Who here would say such a thing?" Legolas asked. "We know the truth of the matter and there is no one else to see. And again, it is irrelevant. Any who learn of her capture will already believe the worst. They can do no damage to her good name. It is already tarnished beyond repair. Let them take what solace the other can provide. I know that it is not truly my place, but I have already given him my blessing to court her. He is a good man, Aragorn, and he loves her deeply. And she has made her love of him quite clear through her actions. If they still desire one another I will not stand in their way. Will you?"
"I will not," Aragorn sighed. "And you are correct, as usual, my friend. It will do no harm to allow them this respite. I will leave them in peace." With that, Aragorn moved to pass Emily and Boromir and see to the horses. Again he had only taken a couple of steps when he found his passage blocked once more. This time, it was Gimli who stood in his path.
"You leave that lass alone, Aragorn," the dwarf said glaring up at the Man. "She has been through more than enough the past few days and needs to sleep. They both do. I do not believe that Boromir has gotten more than a couple of hours sleep in the past three days. If laying together affords them that rest I will not stand by while you separate them."
"Peace, Gimli," Aragorn said with a smile. "Legolas has already dissuaded me from separating them. I will let them sleep as they will. I am merely going to see to the horses." The Dwarf nodded and shifted his stance to allow Aragorn to pass but turned to watch the Man walk by, prepared to interfere the second his words were revealed to be a subterfuge.
"This is an interesting development," Gandalf said from behind Legolas with a laugh. He had watched all of this unfold from the sidelines and was only entering the conversation now that it was over. "It seems that I have missed much in the time that we were parted. When did that occur?" He gestured with his staff at Boromir and Emily.
"Nothing has actually occurred yet, Mithrandir," Legolas replied with a fond smile. Gandalf raised an eyebrow and gestured at the couple once again. His expression clearly saying 'that is nothing?' Legolas laughed, a light clear sound before he amended his statement.
"Until today nothing had occurred," he said. "They began growing close—"
"In Moria,"Gandalf said with a smile. "I saw a closeness between them but I was not aware that it was love. This may be good for both of them."
"So far it has not been good for Emily," Legolas said sadly. "Or Boromir for that matter. It was her love for him that led her to change his fate. Mithrandir, Boromir was to have died at the Falls of Rauros attempting to prevent the capture of Merry and Pippin by the Uruk-hai. Emily . . . she deceived him and tried to rescue the hobbits herself. That was what led to her capture and . . ." he gestured vaguely at her, her injuries speaking for themselves.
Gandalf closed his eyes, feeling sorrow for her well within him. He had warned her of the risks of changing the order of events. She had already paid the price for this change. He only hoped that she would feel that the price she had paid was worth the gain and that her changes would have no grave consequences to the outcome of this war. He was not sure how things had ended in her time but he now could only hope that her changes would not sway the battle in favor of the darkness. Even so, he could not bring himself to hope that her changes would kill her. He hoped that she would live to learn from her mistake.
"How grave are her injuries," he asked with a sigh. He was surprised to see Legolas' fair face darken in anger.
"She will survive," he said. "She will bear scars from her time with the Uruks but she will survive." Gandalf nodded. He had yet to see her injuries but he knew that an Elf in the hands of Uruks would have been harshly treated indeed. His heart ached for her as it did for all the innocents that were caught in the middle of a war that should have been settled Ages ago when Sauron was only a minor servant of Morgoth grasping for power. So many lives had been lost, so much that was good destroyed for the mercy and foolishness of a few. He vowed in that moment that he would do what he could with the new life he had been given to rid the world of the darkness forever even if it did mean the eternal end of him.
"We will give her time to rest," Gandalf said suddenly shocking them all. The wizard had been still for too long and had slipped into one of his meditative states. His statement seemed entirely unrelated to the current topic which had been whose turn it was to cook dinner now that they had time to do so.
"Pardon?" Aragorn asked wondering if Gandalf would feel inclined to let the rest of them in on his private conversation.
"Emily," Gandalf said. "All of you, actually. I know that our business in Edoras is urgent but it will do no harm to rest here for the night and get an early start with well-rested bodies and mounts on the morrow. After you have finished with dinner you should all rest. I will take the watches tonight."
"You and I can split them," Legolas countered. "I do not need rest."
"If you are taking a watch I will take one as well," Gimli said resolutely. "I am weary but if an elvish princling can take a watch so can I."
"Neither of you will take a watch," Gandalf said with a laugh. "Master Dwarf, while your people are hardy you still must rest. I, on the other hand, have rested much too long as it is. I will take this night's watches and that is that." None of them argued. Partially because none of them had any desire to take a watch because they were weary and partially because none of them had the heart to defy this new, more powerful, version of Gandalf. Instead they turned back to their meal, the first hot meal they had had since before the breaking of the fellowship. Gandalf smiled as he listened to their friendly banter—especially the exchanges between Legolas and Gimli. He wondered what else he had missed that Glóin's son would become friends with the son of the man who had imprisoned his father. Even so, it did his heart good to see that Dwarves and Elves were capable of friendship. Perhaps there was hope for them all yet.
ooOO88OOoo
Boromir awoke as the smell of food wafted towards him. He smiled in his half-sleep state and wondered what his brother had decided to cook that day. He shifted his weight in an attempt to stretch only for his bed to shift below him and to find that his movements were inhibited by a warm weight against his side and on his shoulder. His eyes flew open as he wondered if Faramir had played another prank on him and preparing to lecture his brother on appropriate ages to do such things. Rather than his room, he was met with open sky of a fiery orange hue.
Suddenly it all rushed back to him. The quest, and the past few days with Emily and the hobbit's capture and her rescue. He glanced down quickly and saw that she was still curled up against him where she had been when he had fallen asleep. She was peaceful in sleep and he smiled gently down at her, he could get used to waking with her in his arms.
His smile faded as he realized that the bruise that marred her face seemed to have darkened while they slept and it seemed to have swelled even farther. No matter what she had said, he could not be absolved for his part in her injuries so easily. With a sigh he gently brushed along the bruise, applying no pressure but skimming along the skin before shifting and pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.
"Never again," he promised. "Never again will a bruise mar your skin for my sake. Even if it takes me from this earth I will allow no harm to come to you again, I swear it. I owe you my life, Emily. If I have to give it to save yours, so be it." She let out a quite sleep noise at his words and shifted against him before stilling once more. His smile returned as he gently brushed back the short hairs framing her face that had already escaped from her braid. He did have to admit that he was fascinated by the color. He had never seen it before.
It was the second time that he had done it that she released a little noise of protest and twitched away from his hand. He pulled his hand back not wanting to wake her and hoping that she would drift back to sleep. She didn't. Instead she twitched again, this one more violent than the first had been, and another noise came up her throat, this one of clear distress. Her breathing had begun to speed and small sobs were not leaving her.
It was with great sorrow that he realized she was in the throes of a nightmare. His sorrow only increased when he reached out to wake her and she batted away his hand with a desperate cry before she tried to curl in on herself and began to plead with unseen foes.
"please," he heard her sob. "Please . . . no . . . don't . . . not 'gain."
"Emily," he said grasping her shoulder and giving it a firm shake. He released her in shock when she let out a pain filled scream at the contact. "Emily," he said suddenly his tone repentant. "I am so sorry. I was unaware that your shoulder was injured or I would never . . ." he trailed off as he realized that she was not awake, that scream had been a product of her dream. She was still twitching against him and begging not to be hurt, her pleas becoming more clear and more desperate the further she slipped into the memory.
"No," she sobbed, her words as clear as if she were speaking to him and he felt anger and shame coil in his stomach as he realized what it was that she was dreaming about. "No, Don't! Please! I . . . anything else! Not again! PLEASE!" Her screams had drawn the rest of the company who were looking at him with accusing eyes until they looked more closely and realized that Emily was still fully clothed and very much asleep.
"Please," Boromir begged, "help me wake her." No matter how much he knew that he deserved to be forced to listen to this he could not bear it. It was torture enough to know that she had been violated but to have to bear witness to it . . . it was too much for him. He knew that it was worse for her to endure and be forced to relive but . . . this was a task that was beyond him. He knew that he needed to wake her but was at a loss for how to do it. Every tactic that he knew of involved a part of her that bore an injury.
In the end it was only when Aragorn grabbed her shoulder while Boromir held her wrists to keep her from striking the other Man that she was awakened. He watched as the blind fear faded from her eyes as she recognized him before they filled with tears.
"It . . . it was just a dream?" she sobbed. "But . . . it . . . it felt so real. I . . . I could feel his hands on me as he—" she cut herself off with a sob and buried her face in Boromir's shoulder as she wept. Her hands throbbed at the memory of the Uruk leader snapping the bones. It had been bad enough the first time, why did she have to relive it in her nightmares?
"Hush," Boromir soothed stroking her hair as she wept and feeling grateful that the others had moved off to give them a bit of privacy. He wasn't sure what she was about to say but he was glad that they had not remained to hear it. Even if it did not matter to him what may have been done to her, the others had no need to know explicitly, if only for her sake.
"Hush," he repeated. "You are safe now. No one will ever treat you so poorly again. I swear it. I would kill anyone who tried. Calm yourself, dear one. You are safe." He continued in this manner until her sobs quieted and only the occasional sniffle betrayed the fact that she had wept at all.
"Do you wish to discuss it?" he offered hoping that the answer was 'no' but willing to listen if she felt the need to talk. He felt guilty for the relief he felt when she shook her head to indicate that she did not wish to talk. He knew that it was wrong of him to be relieved that she did not want to share her burden with him. She was forced to bear it . . . he should be able to share it with her. But all the same, he was relieved and did not press her. He contented himself with the knowledge that she would share when she was ready to do so.
"I believe that there is food," he said gently. "Would you like to move over to the fire with the others?" She raised her head and glanced towards the fire before shaking her head. It was too far. Her feet throbbed at the thought of walking on them and there was no way that she would ask him to carry her to the fire like a child. She wasn't helpless. She would find a way there on her own or she would remain where she was. But she knew that she was wrong. She was helpless. At least for the moment. There was no way that she could get to that fire on her own power. She couldn't walk there and with her broken hands she couldn't even crawl there. She was helpless.
She felt cold fury well within her as the true measure of what had been done to her sank in. It wasn't just the beatings—which had been bad enough—or the threats, or the mistreatment . . . the Uruks had taken far more from her than enjoyment of her pain: they had taken her ability to care for herself. She had worked so hard to prove that she was useful—the sewing, learning to fight, the fish—and the Uruks had taken any progress that she may have made and destroyed it. No, she amended, I did when I didn't think things all the way through. Dad always warned me that my lack of planning would get me in trouble. Well, Dad, you were right. I only wish that you were here now, or that I was home. She felt tears fill her eyes at the thought of home.
Home: where there were no such things as Uruks, or evil Rings with masters bent on world domination and where there was coffee, painkillers and family that loved her. Where the biggest decision she really had to make was what she wanted to eat, not wonder if she was going to get to eat anything and if she was where would be the best place to find it. Where no one had ever raised a hand to her in anger or hurt her just to be cruel. Where no one that she knew was in imminent threat of death on a daily basis. Where she hadn't been sucked into a war.
She tried to curl in on herself in an attempt to stave off the misery that she could feel creeping in on her but the movement stretched the skin of her back and her wounds flared to painful life where they had been a dull ache only moments before. For a moment her world was agony, every breath sent fire through her back as it moved and then it faded once more to the dull ache and she could breathe. She felt a sob tear up her throat and tried to stop it, not from embarrassment for her tears—there was no way that the fellowship could think any less of her than they already did—but because the sobs hurt as they shook her body and forced their way up her abused throat. It hurt.
Despite her best efforts, once they had started, she was unable to stop the sobs that wracked her body. She had lost everything: her home, her friends, her family, her sense of security, her autonomy. She had nothing left to lose. She was Emily, the shell of Emily when everything else had been stripped away. For the first time she saw herself clearly and didn't like what she saw. She was weak, selfish, petty, and useless. She never through things through, her pride was too easily wounded and she was too damn stubborn to take help where it was offered because her pride would not allow it. All she had left was her life and if that was how she truly was at the core, she wasn't sure that she wanted to keep it. What good was a useless life?
She jumped as she felt a gentle hand on her arm and opened her tear-filled eyes to see Boromir staring down at her with pity in his grey eyes and a plate of food in his hand.
"Don't," she sobbed. "Don't look at me that way. I . . . I don't deserve your pity. I don't deserve anything. I'm . . . I'm worthless."
"No," he argued gently. "You are not worthless, Emily."
"I am too!" she snapped. "I'm a horrible person. All I do is make mistakes and cause pain. None of you would have been stupid enough to be captured by Uruks. You would have been smart enough to write the note days earlier and . . . I don't know, change course entirely and just avoid the Uruks in the first place. Not march right into their clearing and basically say 'Here I am! Take me with you! I know that you will need a punching bag and I volunteer!' You would have done something different." He reached out in an attempt to stroke the side of her face only to have her pull away sharply so instead he knelt beside her with both of his hands on the plate.
"I am sorry, Emily," he said with a sad smile. "I am afraid that I must disagree with your assessment of the situation. If you remember, in the version of events that you know I behaved just as you did. Did I not charge into the clearing with the thought of rescuing the hobbits single-handedly and get myself killed?" His tone was bitter and Emily couldn't help but smile sadly at it.
"Your death was a little more noble than that," she argued. "You were only trying to make up for what you did to Frodo and—"
"You know of that as well?" He asked breathlessly, his face a mask of horrified shock. "That was my worst moment and you know of it."
"It wasn't that bad," she said. "You were just trying to save your people and thought that it was the best way to do it. People have done worse for less."
"I assaulted a friend because he refused to do as I wished," Boromir snapped not noticing the way Emily flinched at his raised voice and ducked as if expecting a blow. "I attacked one who was smaller and weaker than me in an attempt to rob him of something that was rightfully his. There is no justification for that. I would not have my city saved in such a way: at such a cost. I was a fool." His anger faded and regret for his actions took its place. Regret that only deepened when he saw the way that she was cowering. His eyes filled with sadness as he saw the fear that was in her brown eyes as she looked at him, and the wordless pleading for mercy in her expression.
"And now you fear me," he muttered, his tone soft. "Please, do not fear me, Emily. I will never raise a hand to you. I swear it. I will never strike you. Nor will any other as long as I still draw breath." She released a breath that she hadn't realized that she was holding. She hadn't been aware of the fact that she had expected him to strike her and she was confused by it. When had she grown so afraid of others?
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I . . . I didn't mean to . . . no one had ever hit me before," she explained. "Not like that. There was no sense to it. I mean . . . there was one time that I might have truly deserved it—when I stabbed him—but . . . there were times they hit me just to see me in pain. Or . . . if I fell . . . before they would drag me back to my feet there were always a few kicks . . . I . . . no one ever treated me that way at home."
"No one should have done so here either," Boromir told her. "I . . . I should have taken better care of you. I apologize that you had to learn of the cruelties of this world, Emily."
"It's not your fault," she reminded him. "If I was to blame anyone for this it would either be myself of the Valar for dumping me here in the first place. I wish they'd just left me the hell alone. I was happy where I was. There was no war, no pain. Just . . . I want to go home."
"Do you truly regret coming here so much?" Boromir asked with hurt in his eyes. "Does nothing here please you? I know that the past couple of days have been difficult however, I believed that you were growing used to this world, perhaps even coming to enjoy your time here . . . before you were captured."
"I was," Emily replied. "I even managed to forget what we're doing. Boromir, I'm not cut out for this. I . . . I'm not cut out for war and death and . . . I can't do this." The last words were so filled with despair that they broke his heart. She was right. She didn't belong here. Not in the middle of a war. She should be somewhere safe where she could not be hurt again. She should go home if she could. It was what was best for her, even if it broke his heart to think of her leaving.
"I know that I bear no fault in this," he told her with a sad smile. "Even so, I am sorry that this has happened to you. If it is within my power I will see that you are returned to your home. Even if I would have you stay with me to the end of my days. I know that it is unfair and unkind of me to seek to bind you in such a way. I will aid your return in whatever way I can." She thought through what he had said for a moment before the meaning of his words sank in.
"Boromir?" she asked suddenly, causing him to look up at her once more. "Did you just ask me to stay with you forever?" He was surprised to see a small smile on her face. Even though it pleased him to see her smiling in the face of what she had just said it almost made him feel that she was mocking him.
"Not as such, no," He replied. "I would never ask that of you, Emily. It would be unfair of me to seek to keep you here for my own pleasure when you desire to return to your world. However, the offer is there if you choose to take it. You are welcome to remain in this world with me until such a time as you are able to leave for your own."
"So you would take pleasure from me?" She asked, her eyes going wide as she realized just what she had asked him. She felt a flush creep up her face and wished that she hadn't said it, especially when he began to blush as well at the implications of what they had both just said.
"I . . . not take," Boromir stuttered, clearly thrown off by her casual mention of the word 'pleasure' in such a context. "However . . . if such a thing were offered freely . . . I . . . I would not decline such an offer. Not from you."
"Relax," she laughed, even if she still felt miserable and was quite homesick seeing Boromir so flustered amused her. She had never seen him stutter before. "I didn't think that you meant that you would try to take me by force. I know you would never do that." He nodded to her in relief, some of his blush beginning to fade. When it was nearly gone she smirked wondering how little it would take to bring it back.
"Just so you know," she said innocently, "such a thing . . . it would be offered quite freely. In fact, as soon as I have healed up a bit . . . well . . . we might see what we can do about an offer, if you get my drift." His eyes went wide at her words and he looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Had she just propositioned him?
"Emily, I . . ." he tried to find the words to demonstrate his shock at what she had just said. It was entirely improper for her to be suggesting that they should lie together in that way. It was not how things were done.
"I do not know how to reply," he answered honestly.
"Don't worry about it," Emily said with a sad smile as she realized that she had just crossed some boundary that she had not known was there and that she ought not have crossed. "Just like your offer for me to remain here, mine is open to you whenever you ever decide that you want it. If you figure out how to answer me, all you have to do is say the word." Neither of them said anything for a time, Emily's suggestion hanging between them and making the atmosphere tense.
"So," she said suddenly, "What's on the plate? Smells good."
"They recooked some of the fish that you caught," he said his tone revealing the awkwardness he still felt. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving," Emily corrected sadness in her eyes as she remembered the past couple of days though she kept her voice light. "I haven't eaten in a couple of days. Apparently, escape attempts take away your rights to food as far as Uruks are concerned."
"In that case it is a good thing that I brought two plates, is it not?" he asked with a half-grin as he offered her one. She reached for it only to realize that she had no way to take it with her broken hands. Or to eat it for that matter.
"Damned Uruks!" she snarled as she stared longingly at the fish, the smell of which was wafting to her nose and causing her neglected stomach to stir to painful life. She was ashamed of the whimper that left her lips but she could not stop it. Food was so close and it didn't matter. Her choices were either to go hungry or to eat it off the plate with her teeth like an animal. Just like with moving to the fire she had no desire to ask him to feed her . . . especially not after what had just passed between them. It could quite easily be taken the wrong way.
Boromir nearly laughed as her expressions shifted as she studied the plate. First with longing then frustration then resignation and finally determination. He was surprised by just how expressive she could be without saying a word. And then her eyes flicked up to his face and she smiled crookedly at him.
"Can you put the plate on the ground, please?" she asked, her voice level despite the shame that she felt at how she was about to eat her food. She wondered if she could ask him to go away and let her eat in peace without offending him.
"No," he replied with a laugh, "I will not put your plate on the ground and force you to scrounge on the floor like a dog. I will hold your plate."
"Well I won't eat out of your hands like one either," she snapped some of her fire coming back at her indignation that he wanted to hold the plate while she ate from it, even as part of her mind whispered that she wouldn't be able to bend to eat it off the ground anyway and that she should take his offer, no matter how much it hurt her pride.
"Emily, you have to eat and I have no intention of placing your plate on the ground," Boromir replied with a sigh.
"And I have no intention of eating out of a plate that you are holding!" she snarled. "One of us is going to have to give in on this and it will not be me. Will you deny me food?" she asked knowing that it was below the belt to paint the choice that way but if it would spare her a bit of shame she would do it.
"I will neither deny you food nor concede the matter," Boromir returned with a sardonic smile in place once more. This banter was familiar, comfortable and gave both of them more comfort than all their apologies and confessions had. It cleared both of their heads and as they fell into a familiar pattern Emily nearly forgot her homesickness and she began to see things a bit more logically. Everything in Middle Earth was not pain and death just as things at home were not all sunshine and daisies. Both places had their evils. Evils which she did not wish to dwell on so threw herself whole-heartedly into their banter.
"I don't see how you can do both of those things," Emily snapped with a grin, her eyes dancing with mirth for the first time since she had been rescued. "I will not eat with you holding the plate and you won't put it down so . . . you are now standing between me and food. What do you intend to do about it, Boromir?"
"Feed you," he replied with a smirk. The look of shock on her face was priceless but was only there for a moment before she snorted and replied.
"No you damn well won't!" she said incredulously, both laughter and steel in her words. "If I refuse to eat from a plate in your hands what the hell makes you think that I would eat directly from your hands?"
"You did just offer to allow me to do other things with my hands," he purred with a raised eyebrow pleased to see that he had shocked her once again. "How is what I am proposing any worse?"
"It . . . It just is," she said, trying to get her feet back under her metaphorically. His seductive side always took her unawares and left her feeling flustered. "I won't let you feed me like a child! I am capable of feeding myself!"
"Are you?" he asked with a wry smile. "Feel free then, my lady. Take your plate and feed yourself."
"That's not fair," she glared at him. "You know that I can't do that."
"Precisely," he replied his smile falling a bit as her mood shifted once more. "Allow me to aid you in this, Emily. Just open your mouth." With a sigh and feeling decidedly foolish she opened her mouth so that he could place a small piece of fish inside it. For some reason her mind suddenly flashed an image of blind, naked, ugly baby birds cheeping for their mothers to feed them with their little beaks open wider than should be possible. She hoped that she at least looked a little better than a baby bird. Despite her shame at the situation she couldn't deny that the fish was the most delicious thing that had ever hit her tongue. She felt a moan rise up her throat as the flavor of it washed down her throat.
"Do you see now?" Boromir asked with a laugh. "There is no shame in accepting help when it is freely offered and you are in need of it. If you would not have agreed you would not have gotten to eat that fish and I would have been denied hearing such interesting noises come from you."
"If the others make fun of me for this I will never forgive you," she said glaring at him as soon as her mouth was clear before taking another bite from his fingers.
"If they attempt it I will avenge your honor," Boromir promised lightly. "Now, stop your complaining and eat. You are far too thin."
"It was only two days," Emily argued. "I can't've lost that much weight in two days."
"Then we will just have to make sure that you eat a bit more, will we not?" Boromir replied, his eyes twinkling at her indignation at being called thin.
"Or perhaps not," he amended, the purr that unnerved her so back once more. "I believe that you would be nearly irresistible with a bit more meat on your bones. We might just have to find out is your offer was in truth or just bravado in that case. But that is no matter at the moment. Open your mouth." She opened her mouth just wide enough to snap another retort at him only to have a piece of fish pushed into it silencing her reply.
Fine, she thought, if this is how he wants to play it. . .
He was worried when her brown eyes lit with what appeared to be mischief but wasn't sure what it was that she could be plotting. Her hands were broken and she could barely move . . . it wasn't as if she could be planning anything too evil. He watched as she swallowed the bite that he had just placed in her mouth before opening her mouth and looking at him expectantly. Her smile and the light in her eyes made him wary but he could not deny her and broke off another small piece of food to place into her mouth. He was shocked when her lips closed around his fingers before her tongue ran across them.
"What are you—" His question was bit off in a small moan as she scraped her teeth along his finger, an emotion that he did not recognize burning in her eyes that were locked on his own. Suddenly he felt unbelievably dirty. The look on her face as her mouth closed around his fingers . . . for the first time he understood why she did not want the others to see him feeing her. This had taken a decidedly wicked turn. He felt himself being to stir at what her mouth was doing to his fingers and pulled his hand free in shock. He hadn't known that fingers were an erogenous zone.
"What . . . what were you doing?" he breathed pulling his hand against his chest as if her warm mouth had burned him.
"I was giving you a down payment on my offer," she replied insecurity at his rejection beginning to take the place of whatever that other emotion in her eyes had been. "Did I . . . are you . . . are you angry with me?" She sounded generally upset at the idea that he was angry with her. And she was. She had not meant to upset him. They had been teasing and she thought that . . . well, he had been the one to bring her offer back up so she had thought that it would be ok . . . clearly she had been wrong. He seemed panicked by her actions.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I crossed the line again, didn't I?" He nodded slightly beginning to relax as she showed contrition for her actions.
"Just a bit," he replied. "What was that, Emily? What were you doing to my fingers and why—" he cut himself off as a deep blush crept up his face and neck at the fact that he had been about to ask her why he had found it pleasurable.
"You mean that y'all don't do oral here?" she asked in shock as she realized just how much she had crossed the line with this one. It wasn't a toe over, she had taken a great flying leap and could no longer even see the line that she had crossed. Color rose up her face until she matched him: both of them a fiery crimson color because of her actions.
"Oral?" he asked in confusion. "I am afraid that I do not understand what you mean, Emily. Can you explain it to me?" She laughed hysterically at the idea of trying to explain that to him. Ending in a small moan as the laughter jarred her injuries.
"No," she said once she was able. "I can't explain it. If you ever do decide to take me up on my offer I can show you. Deal?"
"It is a deal," he agreed. Her words confused him and he wondered what she was talking about that she could show him but not tell him. And why he would have to take her up on her offer first.
"Can I please have another bite?" she said with a contrite smile. "I would get it myself but," she held her hands up pathetically. He eyed her warily and she sighed. "I will be good, I swear," she sighed. "I won't do it again until you ask, ok?" He nodded and broke off another piece of fish to place into her mouth. She took it without a repeat of her previous actions and he smiled at her. She returned the smile and once more they fell into light banter broken with companionable silence as they both finished their meal.
Little did they know that their entire exchange had been witnessed. Gandalf had been seeking solitude among the horses and had heard every word that was said. He shook his head fondly at the exuberance of youth and hoped that the two of them would both be alive and happy at the end of it all. How quickly Emily seemed to have bounced back from her ordeal gave him hope that she truly had been sent for a reason and he knew then that there was something that he needed to correct before it was too late. He only hoped that she was actually up to the task that had been set out before her.
ooOO88OOoo
Well. . . I have nothing to say about this one. . . I don't even . . . yeah . . . *scoffs* All I can say is that I hope you enjoyed it :) I don't even know where this one came from . . .
Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter or to add it to your alerts or favorites.
And a special thank you to those of you who reviewed.
Kilataia: I'm glad that you loved it! And yeah . . . resetting bones with no painkillers . . . poor Emily :(
KrystalSky: Same here . . . poor dear :(
Padme4000: That it was! I mean it IS a war, after all :) and I am glad that you did like the darkness :) And I'm glad that you are enjoying the helpful Boromir moments. And yeah . . . it was bad for her but for my plot . . . well it works well there. Poor Emily :( And actually I like Eomer as well! And I am glad that you liked what I did with him (as I said I was quite nervous about it) And I'm glad that you loved it! I figured that it was high time to give y'all a bit of Boromir/Emily goodness ;) especially after all the evil things that I had done to them in the past couple of chapters :( And they will eventually talk about that and you're right, that will do miracles for his conscience . . . if not his peace of mind later. And yeah . . . resetting bones is VERY painful . . . I figured I would have a little mercy on her after the last few chapters :) And yep . . . damn hero complexes. . . *sigh* and that she does. She needs all the help that she can get. The Valar really did kick her out of the nest like a fledgling bird cackling "fly or die little bird! Fly or die!"(Sorry my mind is on baby bird analogies at the moment). Let's just hope that she figures this out before she goes *splat* . . .
Michelle: I'm glad that I could get a little Boromir love going :) He's not really well treated in most fics :( and I'm not even sure if he will believe her when she does tell him . . . we'll just have to see, won't we? ;)
UntilNeverDawns: Thank you! And yep, she's safeish :) and yeah . . . there are all kinds of repercussions just from that . . . my poor brain is working overtime trying to figure out just what all needs to change now . . . there's LOTS!
Eviline: If you made it this far I will assume that she is not a Sue but I would still like to hear what you think of Emily at this point in the story :) And that was almost the point. I wanted to see if I could take all the elements that make a Sue and make a not-Sue if that makes any sense . . . probably not. That sentence was a bit muddled :/ And I'm glad that you liked the mix with the humor . . . this would get entirely too dark without some humor :) And she does a good deal more than befriend Boromir ;) And yep . . . Poor Gandalf has to die :( and yep! Good job on the ages :) And poor Frodo indeed! And she's got A bra . . . poor thing. And the Elves gave her a few more Middle-Earthy undergarments . . . and yeah … no razor for her :( And I knew that! I read an article on that recently . . . I'm not a fan of giving it a go though :) And yep :) Fathers out to protect her honor :) And . . . I may have to have Aragorn do that! It would be beyond funny! And in the book it was a pebble in the well, not a skeleton :) That's why I left that out :) and as to what she know . . . she's seen the movies but that is it. I, on the other hand, have both seen the movies and read the books and am going to use her lack of knowledge to my advantage *laughs evilly* I'm glad that I managed to give her a bit of depth . .. and yeah . . . Aragorn's meddling . . . perhaps it's sweet?
Estelle Lumene: Everywhere could do with a little more unconditional acceptance. We'll just have to see how well he holds on to that philosophy once he learns that she is not a virgin and wasn't raped . . . somehow I don't see that going well :/ And I am glad that you enjoyed the breath of fresh air in that chapter. Hopefully this one isn't too bad either :)
Lira-leigh54: I know what you mean . . . Poor dear :( he is trying he just . . . he's out of his element with this one. He loves her and he doesn't really know how to help her with this :( She did . . . now he needs to talk some sense into her . . . or someone else does ;) And yay Aragorn! And I'm not sure if they will believe her or not . . . we'll just have to see ;) and Thank you! I hope that you enjoyed this one as well :)
Angel Bells: "SPICY CAT GOD"? Really? I'm glad that you loved it! And they will all eventually get it all out in the light when she is a little less embarrassed and they are a little less . . . yeah . . . anyway . . . that is NOT going to be a fun conversation for either of them. .. I have a feeling that he is NOT going to take that near as well as he took her "being raped". And I'm not sure how those three are going to get on . . . we'll just have to see :) I think that her race will truly hinder a friendship with Eowyn . . . but we'll see. I could be wrong ;)
19seventythree: Awww! That is such a sweet thing to say! Thank you! And I'm glad that you loved that chapter. And there might be ;) They do have it all out there now . . . I hope you liked the newest one :)
LOTRfan: I'm glad that you loved it! And there will be a bit more Boromir/Emily coming up in the next chapters :) I deprived y'all far too long ;) And I'm glad that you liked their conversations. And she will eventually. We'll just see how he takes it when she does :)
Guest: I'm glad that you are now onboard! Thank you for your kind words. I hope that you continue to love it!
That's all for now folks. I hope you enjoyed it and would love to know what you think (even if you hated it) so please leave me a review if you have time and/or feel so inclined.
Stickdonkeys