((Okay, none of these guys are mine except for Kara, blah blah. By the way, since I know some of you are probably gonna ask, this is by NO means the last chapter. Oh no, no, no.))
Kara slept for a long time. In her deep dreamworld, everything fell together. For hours on end she floated in a blissful state of uncaring ignorance, never wanting to know or see or do anything again.
After a time had passed, however, she began to feel restless. There was something she needed to do, she was sure of it. Fighting against her own mind that above all else desired a ceasure from pain, she broke through the surface of consciousness.
She was outdoors. Everything in Lothlorien seemed to be outside. Her bed was a patch of soft grass beneath an ancient old tree. The breeze brushed her face gently, bringing with it the sweet smell of greenery and earth. Kara stirred and turned her head.
Boromir sat at her feet, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The pain dwelling there made Kara want to go to him. Her body, traitor that it was, refused to cooperate. All she could manage to do was reach out and touch his arm. Boromir twitched slightly, then turned to look at her.
"You've been asleep all day." Kara nodded.
"It helps me to escape the nightmares." Boromir twisted slightly, eyes searching her face.
"Nightmares are not an uncommon occurrence nowdays. Most of the little ones cannot sleep any more."
"It is upon waking that my dreams begin...some good, some frightening." Kara struggled for a moment to sit up, returning Boromir's gaze.
"And you...what haunts your sleep?" Boromir looked down.
"Why should anything disturb my dreams?" His tone was guarded. Kara reached out and took his chin in one hand.
"Don't try to avoid me. What did you see when Galadriel touched your mind?" Again, Boromir tensed. Kara immediately felt a wave of regret for asking that of him.
"I'm....sorry. The vision was your own, not mine to ask." Kara drew her hand away and focused her vision on the ground. Boromir touched her shoulder.
"Don't try to avoid me." A half-smile broke past the pain in his expression. Kara chewed her lip and met his eyes silently.
"I saw...many things I did not want to see. I saw Gondor in ruins, its people enslaved. I saw my father impaled on her towers." His eyes began to fill with tears.
"...And I saw you. Herded among a vile mass of creatures...servants of Sauron. I did nothing to stop them...couldn't move." His face was beginning to pale again. Kara heard his heartbeat as it thudded against his ribs.
"...Then I heard the queen speak to me, and the vision faded into...something else. It seemed to me that she was giving me a chance to go home, to preserve myself...and the ones I love." Kara's breathing stopped. He hesitated, then continued.
"What she offered me was terrifying in the ease with which I could grasp it. It was so close...but then everything faded away." Boromir seemed to be focusing on the horizon again, dark eyes drilling into the clouds as if they held some secret from him. His jaw was tight with suppressed emotion, from love to hate and every impulse in between. Kara knew his confusion, shared in his anguish. Wordlessly, she reached out and touched his arm. Boromir turned toward her again, a single tear working its way down his face.
"You asked me what haunts my dreams...the only one that haunts my dreams stands in front of me now. It is my nightmares that are unhaunted, empty and meaningless." Boromir reached out and put an arm around Kara, drawing her closer. Kara's eyes were doing their best to drill into his soul as she listened to his breath.
"Why do you pursue me?" She whispered. "I'm a farm girl, nothing more. I am certainly not a great lady. That is what you deserve. Why should a great man like you hold any interest in me?" Her eyes burned, almost daring him to give her a satisfactory answer. His gaze caught hers and held fast.
"You are no more a farm girl than I am a great man. I do not deserve you, but I cannot bear to let you go." Boromir tilted her chin back, stroking her cheek with one finger. Leaning down slightly, he let his lips brush against her face. Kara tensed. A floodgate of emotions stood ready to burst. She feared his gentleness, terrified that betrayal was emminent, expecting affection to turn into pain and greif at any given moment. She felt torn in two. The deep scar on her heart shrank from even the possibility of another wound. In the past, love had been nothing more than a razor-sharp knife pressing into her breast. Why should she expect it to differ now? Her mind raced, thoughts coming and going with each explosive heartbeat. Tears slipped past the iron wall she had erected, sliding down her cheeks in crystal trails. The warmth snapped her out of her panicked spin.
Boromir still held her gently. It was not the viselike grip of her uncle, nor the chilling public embrace of her aunt. His eyes were alight with genuine affection---not searing anger or disgust. A calm voice spoke inside her head, pointing these things out to her one by one. Kara relaxed, and gently placed a hand on Boromir's chest. He smiled just a little, then bent down and pressed his lips against hers softly.
Kara's eyelids fluttered. She hesitated at first, then found herself leaning into the embrace. Boromir ran a fingertip over the angle of her jaw, drawing her closer, deepening their kiss. Kara sighed deeply, smoothing her hand across his shirt up to his collarbone. Boromir caught her hand with one of his, threading their fingers together. With infinite care, he broke the kiss, then pressed his lips to Kara's temple. Another jerky sigh squeezed from her throat. She nuzzled his hair, inhaling the comforting scent of sweat and dried grass and rain.
Still clasping her around the waist with one arm, Boromir leaned back against the kind old tree that spread its branches over them. Kara sighed softly and snuggled against his chest. She heard Boromir chuckle softly, and opened one eye.
"What's so funny?" The hand at her waist squeezed comfortingly.
"I was just thinking...how many are able to say they have kissed the morning light?"
Kara smiled at the whimsical statement. Heaven knew they had had too much reality lately. She was glad to hear a play on words, and a lovely sentiment to boot. All too soon, they would have to leave the little sanctuary. The real world would impose itself, weave its cruel threads into their existance, shatter the cut glass window of tranquility. The only question was, how and when would this pressure come?
And if they did love each other, would it stand the test of fire?
Kara slept for a long time. In her deep dreamworld, everything fell together. For hours on end she floated in a blissful state of uncaring ignorance, never wanting to know or see or do anything again.
After a time had passed, however, she began to feel restless. There was something she needed to do, she was sure of it. Fighting against her own mind that above all else desired a ceasure from pain, she broke through the surface of consciousness.
She was outdoors. Everything in Lothlorien seemed to be outside. Her bed was a patch of soft grass beneath an ancient old tree. The breeze brushed her face gently, bringing with it the sweet smell of greenery and earth. Kara stirred and turned her head.
Boromir sat at her feet, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The pain dwelling there made Kara want to go to him. Her body, traitor that it was, refused to cooperate. All she could manage to do was reach out and touch his arm. Boromir twitched slightly, then turned to look at her.
"You've been asleep all day." Kara nodded.
"It helps me to escape the nightmares." Boromir twisted slightly, eyes searching her face.
"Nightmares are not an uncommon occurrence nowdays. Most of the little ones cannot sleep any more."
"It is upon waking that my dreams begin...some good, some frightening." Kara struggled for a moment to sit up, returning Boromir's gaze.
"And you...what haunts your sleep?" Boromir looked down.
"Why should anything disturb my dreams?" His tone was guarded. Kara reached out and took his chin in one hand.
"Don't try to avoid me. What did you see when Galadriel touched your mind?" Again, Boromir tensed. Kara immediately felt a wave of regret for asking that of him.
"I'm....sorry. The vision was your own, not mine to ask." Kara drew her hand away and focused her vision on the ground. Boromir touched her shoulder.
"Don't try to avoid me." A half-smile broke past the pain in his expression. Kara chewed her lip and met his eyes silently.
"I saw...many things I did not want to see. I saw Gondor in ruins, its people enslaved. I saw my father impaled on her towers." His eyes began to fill with tears.
"...And I saw you. Herded among a vile mass of creatures...servants of Sauron. I did nothing to stop them...couldn't move." His face was beginning to pale again. Kara heard his heartbeat as it thudded against his ribs.
"...Then I heard the queen speak to me, and the vision faded into...something else. It seemed to me that she was giving me a chance to go home, to preserve myself...and the ones I love." Kara's breathing stopped. He hesitated, then continued.
"What she offered me was terrifying in the ease with which I could grasp it. It was so close...but then everything faded away." Boromir seemed to be focusing on the horizon again, dark eyes drilling into the clouds as if they held some secret from him. His jaw was tight with suppressed emotion, from love to hate and every impulse in between. Kara knew his confusion, shared in his anguish. Wordlessly, she reached out and touched his arm. Boromir turned toward her again, a single tear working its way down his face.
"You asked me what haunts my dreams...the only one that haunts my dreams stands in front of me now. It is my nightmares that are unhaunted, empty and meaningless." Boromir reached out and put an arm around Kara, drawing her closer. Kara's eyes were doing their best to drill into his soul as she listened to his breath.
"Why do you pursue me?" She whispered. "I'm a farm girl, nothing more. I am certainly not a great lady. That is what you deserve. Why should a great man like you hold any interest in me?" Her eyes burned, almost daring him to give her a satisfactory answer. His gaze caught hers and held fast.
"You are no more a farm girl than I am a great man. I do not deserve you, but I cannot bear to let you go." Boromir tilted her chin back, stroking her cheek with one finger. Leaning down slightly, he let his lips brush against her face. Kara tensed. A floodgate of emotions stood ready to burst. She feared his gentleness, terrified that betrayal was emminent, expecting affection to turn into pain and greif at any given moment. She felt torn in two. The deep scar on her heart shrank from even the possibility of another wound. In the past, love had been nothing more than a razor-sharp knife pressing into her breast. Why should she expect it to differ now? Her mind raced, thoughts coming and going with each explosive heartbeat. Tears slipped past the iron wall she had erected, sliding down her cheeks in crystal trails. The warmth snapped her out of her panicked spin.
Boromir still held her gently. It was not the viselike grip of her uncle, nor the chilling public embrace of her aunt. His eyes were alight with genuine affection---not searing anger or disgust. A calm voice spoke inside her head, pointing these things out to her one by one. Kara relaxed, and gently placed a hand on Boromir's chest. He smiled just a little, then bent down and pressed his lips against hers softly.
Kara's eyelids fluttered. She hesitated at first, then found herself leaning into the embrace. Boromir ran a fingertip over the angle of her jaw, drawing her closer, deepening their kiss. Kara sighed deeply, smoothing her hand across his shirt up to his collarbone. Boromir caught her hand with one of his, threading their fingers together. With infinite care, he broke the kiss, then pressed his lips to Kara's temple. Another jerky sigh squeezed from her throat. She nuzzled his hair, inhaling the comforting scent of sweat and dried grass and rain.
Still clasping her around the waist with one arm, Boromir leaned back against the kind old tree that spread its branches over them. Kara sighed softly and snuggled against his chest. She heard Boromir chuckle softly, and opened one eye.
"What's so funny?" The hand at her waist squeezed comfortingly.
"I was just thinking...how many are able to say they have kissed the morning light?"
Kara smiled at the whimsical statement. Heaven knew they had had too much reality lately. She was glad to hear a play on words, and a lovely sentiment to boot. All too soon, they would have to leave the little sanctuary. The real world would impose itself, weave its cruel threads into their existance, shatter the cut glass window of tranquility. The only question was, how and when would this pressure come?
And if they did love each other, would it stand the test of fire?