Chapter 37
Sorry I haven't updated in a while and I mean a while, but school work has been burying me, but after reworking my schedule a bit I should be able to post weekly… Sorry once again for the delay, if you're still reading this you deserve a medal, you're much more patient then I would be…
Aragorn had convinced me to eat, forcing the first piece of bread past my lips. He had then tried to get me to sleep, but I had been adamant about staying by Franchette's beside, even if I had agreed to close my eyes, my mind wouldn't stop churning, it refused to slow down.
I sat on his lap in the chair, my head resting on his broad chest while my eyes remained fixed on Franchette's face. The sound of his heartbeat helped soothe me somewhat and the slow circles he drew on the back of my hand with his thumb sent pacifying waves, relieving my tense muscles. We'd been silent for hours before I finally broke it.
"She…" I inhaled deeply, "She's the closest thing I have to a mother. My birth mother died before I was old enough to remember her; it tore my father apart… But Franchette, she just joined us" I paused; Aragorn let me have a moments silence. "She never tried to replace my mother, but she filled the hole that was there. She advised my father and taught me everything she knew… Her wisdom began my knowledge"
"She'll recover" Aragorn assured me. I tried to smile, but grimaced in the end.
"What you know of me isn't perfect, far from it, but everything that's good about me stems from her" I managed a weak smile as I looked up to him. A small groan pulled my attention away from him and towards the stirring figure in the bed. Her right hand twitched as her eyes began moving behind the lids, the determined old lady forcing herself awake once again. A sound of muffled delight escaped my lips as I lurched from Aragorn and grabbed her hand. Her eyes fluttered open, brief confusion danced across her face before she spotted me and smiled weakly. Tears of happiness glazed over my eyes.
"You look a mess" She greeted me her voice hoarse; her eyes scanning my tangled hair and dirt speckled face "Why are you always a mess?" All I could do was laugh, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"I prayed you would find your way back" I murmured.
"I had you to guide me" She raised her hand to my cheek, stroking my hair as she did. Her eyes strayed from mine and found Aragorn who was standing a few feet behind me. "You're the man" She spoke; Aragorn stared at her in confusion. I stood up and laced my fingers with his, gently encouraging him to join my side. "You're the man Colette came back for" Aragorn looked down at me, an inner amusement flashing through his eyes, whilst I tried desperately to hide the growing blush on my cheeks.
"Franchette, this is Aragorn de Isildur" I introduced. Franchette's eyes widened before a rebellious smile lit up her face. I smiled at her reaction, glad to see she approved.
"A pleasure to meet you Aragorn de Isildur" She nodded to the tall man. She turned back to me, "You should rest" She eyed the dark circles under my eyes and the drained posture of my body.
"You should rest Colette" Aragorn agreed, tugging at my arm slightly.
"I will, go on ahead I'll rest in a few minuets" I smiled up at him. I was sure that they both saw through my false words, but he left anyway. I watched him leave before sitting down next to Franchette.
"You're not going to rest?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Why did you come to Gondor?" I asked quietly. Franchette's lips pursed.
"Did I ever tell you the story of the city man I met one summer?" She tried to change the course of the conversation.
"Do not avoid my question" I spoke gently, yet with an undertone of force. "And yes you have" My eyes twinkled with amusement; the romance she had shared with that man was frowned upon by the entire clan, when they eventually found out.
"I needed to see it again, at least one more time… To cast my eyes on this pure white city" She sighed contently.
"Why didn't you tell me? Why stay hidden?" I leant forward in the chair, desperate for an answer. She cast her eyes to me.
"Because I knew you would over react, you mother me more than I mothered you" She replied. I opened my mouth to argue before snapping it shut, very much aware that she was right. I slumped back in the chair and thought back to my argument with Buion.
"And you trusted Buion over me?" I didn't look at her as I spoke.
"No, he found out by chance… found me in the stables readying a horse. He tried to tell you actually" She replied. I looked up at her, eyebrows creased, "You spoke to him before you left for the Path of the Dead. But you never let him speak his news" My eyes widened briefly before relaxing as I exhaled heavily, running a hand through my hair.
Franchette yawned, her eyes drooping as she tired quickly. I watched as she slipped carelessly into a peaceful sleep, her body taking its own time to recover. I continued to sit by her bedside, my mind at peace now I knew she was away from the immediate danger. Slowly my eyelids grew heavier, drooping more and more until I could no longer hold them open, my chin dropped to my chest and my breathing grew slow, sleep finally catching up with my body.
Aragorn knew me well enough to know I hadn't gone to a room to seek a bed and rest, but he gave me time to speak with Franchette nonetheless. So when he returned he made sure to open the door quietly, careful not to disturb the slumber of either of the inhabitants. His eyes softened as they caught sight of my sleeping figure, a few strands of hair falling across my cheek. He walked forward and picked me up, one hand slipping beneath my knees and the other supporting my back.
He froze as I stirred gently, but relaxed when all that came of it was me snuggling closer to the warmth and comfort of his well formed chest. He took me from Franchette's room and out of the houses of healing, taking me to his own room since I had yet to sort out my own arrangements.
He laid me on the soft bedding; even in my sleep I missed his warmth. I stirred once again, shifting my head to my right as I snuggled into the heavenly, feather filled pillows.
Aragorn faulted in his step as he caught sight of the pale line of white that ran down the left side of my face. A cold chill ate at his heart and he swallowed thickly, his eyes downcast in shame before he retreated out of the room.
It was hours before I even came close to awaking, my body relishing as it finally got a chance to recuperate. I blinked awake, the evening sun still pushing its way past the drapes on the window, casting lazily onto the well polished floor. I sat up, eyebrows creased, unable to recall how I ended up in the room, or even who's room this was. My eyes fell to a pile of belongings on the corner; I easily recognised them as Aragorn's.
I got up from the bed, slipping my worn boots onto my feet and smoothing my hair down somewhat with my fingers. I made my way into the corridor and looked curiously left and right, the lack of healers made it obvious to me that I was no longer in the houses of healing. A chamber maid passed by at the end of the right corridor carrying pristine bed sheets, each neatly folded.
I turned to the left and walked silently along the corridor, it was now that I wished I knew more about the lay out of castle. I reached the end of the corridor and took the sharp right turn, gasping as I almost collided with a tray littered with food and water. Out of reflex I gripped on the persons arms to help them steady the tray.
I glanced up and smiled weakly with obvious guilt at the sight of Buion, he took my smile gratefully and relaxed his tense muscles.
"How are you?" he asked,
"Better" I replied,
"I was just taking this to Franchette" He indicated to the tray but paused as he eyed me, "Colette I'm sorry-"
"No, you have no reason to be sorry" I shifted and glanced to the floor. "I'm the one that over reacted" Silence fell between us. I raised my hands to head and pressed my palms against my temples, exhaling heavily. "How am I supposed to do this?" I asked, looking up at Buion, desperation flickering over my eyes.
"Colette?" Buion eyes softened and he put the tray down on a table near by.
"How am I supposed to do this properly? How am I supposed to guide the Gitana? I struggle to guide myself!" I continued, the flood gates having been opened and all worries that had been building behind my inner walls came spewing out. Buion's face was of pure shock, he had suspected that I doubted myself, but never on this scale. "I've hardly left the houses of healing, I haven't been to any council with the leaders, I don't know how the people are-"
"Colette it's in your blood" He tried to soothe interrupting my rant.
"People keep saying that" I sighed heavily, pulling my hands from my face and gesticulating. "But how will blood make me make the right decision?" Buion was silent. "It won't! It's nothing but a red liquid that keeps me alive!" I answered my own question. "You need someone with experience, someone who my father trusted in his council, someone that he began to train to become the next Guía"
"Don't you think we tried that?" Buion asked, I paused in my rant and stared at him, my lips parted slightly in brief surprise. "The council was constantly trying to get your father to choose an apprentice, but he always replied 'I have my successor, separated by distance, joined in blood'"
"He said that?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"He believed in you Colette; he believed in you more than you believe you yourself" Buion paused, "That's why the people are so willing to follow you anywhere, you're your fathers' legacy, you're the only person he believed in; so you're the only person that they believe in" My eyes were wide as I stared at him. He nodded to me, placing a warm hand on my shoulder reassuringly before picking up the tray and continuing his route to the houses of healing.
I stared wide eyed at the floor as my mind churned, thoughts swirling around before I could fully grasp them. I leant back against the wall, my head rocking back causing me to the look at the pearly white ceiling. Buion's account of my fathers words echoed in my ears, even after his death my fathers advice still lingered, he still guided me…
A door opened to my right, my head rolling lazily to the side to see who it was. But the sight caused me to jump to attention my jaw hanging slack in shock. Walking away from me at the end of the corridor was a man I knew so well, his shoulder length dirty blonde hair was neater now and his chest heavily wrapped with bandages. A firework of hope exploded in my chest as I started towards him, sprinting towards the man.
"Boromir?" I gasped, as I grabbed the mans' arm and gently turned him around. My smile dropped as I wasn't met with Boromir's face.
I had seen what I had wanted to see. I knew that I was infatuated with Aragorn, but that didn't mean to say that I didn't wish Boromir was alive, he was a dear friend and I did love him, even if it wasn't in the romantic fashion anymore.
I looked up at the man in front of me, his face was remarkably similar to Boromir, the same jaw line, the same lips, the same nose, even the same hair, but his eyes they were different. They didn't hold the spark Boromir's had when he looked at me. My mind worked quickly, this man had to be related to Boromir and I remembered the stories he had told me of his younger brother.
"I am not Boromir" Faramir spoke sadly. I let go of Faramir's arms and swallowed thickly.
"I'm sorry" I glanced over his face once again before finding his eyes. "You look like him" Faramir's brow creased slightly and he stood straighter.
"Who are you?" his voice was quiet, but with an assertive undertone. I smiled weakly; even his mannerisms were a lot like Boromir.
"Colette de Luca" I introduced with my full name for once. "Guía of the Gitana and a close friend of Boromir's" Faramir was stunned somewhat with the amount of information that I lumbered on him in one sentence. He had grown used to seeing his newly acquainted yellow eyed comrades around the houses of healing, but to meet their female leader, the heir of Luca, who claimed to be a friend of his late brother, was a lot to comprehend. "You must be Faramir, he told me a lot about you"
Faramir's eyes roamed deep into my eyes, seeing nothing but honesty and sincerity. He smiled weakly and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I returned the smile and placed a kiss on his forehead.
"You… you knew him well?" He asked with a degree of hesitance as I pulled away from him.
"I did" I nodded. Faramir opened his mouth, but closed it again, having a mental debate with himself before he spoke once again.
"Did he… was he alone? When he died was he alone?" I could see the pain in his eyes, not to mention the waver in his voice.
"He fell protecting those he cared for, and in the end we were there with him" I answered empathically. "He was an honourable, noble man"
"I know" Faramir spoke softly.