Author's note: Thanks for the great reviews! This chapter will be a little long as a lot happens here. Enjoy!

The Ring of Stars by Shelly

CHAPTER SEVEN


Faramir found it difficult to look her in the eye, a sure sign to her that he indeed knew something that he wished not to tell her. She laid her hand on his arm. "Faramir, please," she pleaded. "If all that I have grown to love about this place is soon to become a prison for me, I need to know now."

He touched her cheek gently, his troubled gaze searching hers, and pulled her into his arms. "You would beg me to do such a thing that would rob me of your fair face, yet I wish not to see it become marred with sorrow and grief." He soon released her and hastened her back to her house, bidding her to be seated in one of the chairs as he took the other. He saw fear in her eyes mixed with questioning and wished that he didn't have to be the one to tell her, but it was best that she find out now from him before the trap was sprung.

"Some time ago your father and mine spoke of such a betrothal between you and Boromir, an arrangement that would bind Silmarion and Minas Tirith together and give to him the aid of your people. But there is another reason behind this one, one I am not sure of but I am sure it involves something he desires very much."

Lillisandra was shocked to say the least, that her father had arranged such a thing without telling her and for Boromir to do the same.

How she hated him now she thought of all the words he had said to her, words she had thought he had meant but were only meant to lure her to him so that when the news was sprung upon her she would accept his proposal. Now her heart ached at how cruel he had been to play with her heart in such a manner when she had finally admitted to herself how much she needed him.

He saw the emotions that played upon her face, and it saddened him further as he saw that she had grown to love his brother very much and with his words he had taken that away from her. "Lilli, I am sorry that things had to turn out this way."

She turned her tortured gaze on him. "Would you have done it, Faramir? Would you have taken part in this foul plot if you had been the one to marry me?"

His breath caught in his throat as he had wished many a time that she would look on him the same way as she did Boromir. He knelt down on the floor in front of her and took her hands in his. "If only I had been offered the chance of a lifetime, I would surely marry you. Not to further my father's plan but out of love would I do it, and for the same reason I would take you anywhere you wished so long as you were happy."

She smiled and touched her hand to his cheek, his eyes closing briefly. "If only my heart had not been taken by someone else would I gladly give you that chance. You are a rare man, and it is a pity that your brother does not share the same qualities."

He fought the joy that rose inside him at her words as he knew he would never have that chance. "Do not be so quick to think so badly of him! It may well be that he has no knowledge of this and would be just as angry as you are. I have seen the way he looks upon you, and it is clear that he would offer his heart to you. That in itself is a rare event as he has never concerned himself with such matters before."

She sighed. "That may as well be as you say. Perhaps I will find some time to speak with him alone tomorrow." Then she smiled. "Dear Faramir, I thank you for being so truthful with me. I envy the woman that becomes your wife as she will have the best of men for a husband."

He rose to his feet and pulled her up with him, his heart aching. "I fear, my lady, that I shall never marry so long as you walk the earth for you hold my heart in your keeping."

She laughed and walked with him to the door. "Do not speak in such ways as there is time yet for your heart to be captured by another."

He shared in her laughter and embraced her, and there she found a small measure of comfort before he released her. "The hour grows late and I must return to the hall else rumors begin circulating." He then kissed her lightly on her cheek. "Goodnight, Lilli."

"Goodnight, Faramir," she replied then closed the door, leaning back against it as she looked forward to a sleepless night in a suddenly strange city, her hand resting unconsciously on her cheek.



What sleep she had that night was troubled with strange dreams, one in which she saw a gold ring held in the palm of a small human, the same one she had seen before in her dreams. Only this time he spoke to her, and his words brought forth only more questions.

Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsels taken
Stronger than Morgul-spells.
There shall be shown a token
That Doom is near at hand.
For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
And the Halfling forth shall stand.


Many things she wished to ask him, but her lips would form no words, and she found herself drowning in the depths of his blue eyes, fighting against it with all the will she possessed but still being pulled under by unseen hands.

She awoke with a gasp, her breathing hard as her heart pounded furiously within her chest. She sat up as she tried to shake the grip of her nightmare but still heard the voice in the back of her mind, and knew the only way to rid herself of it was to go for a walk outside to clear her head. Easing off the bed, she changed into a green woolen gown and slipped outside, the light from the full moon guiding her steps as she walked towards the place she and Faramir had first spoken earlier that morning.

The cool night air brushed across her face as she looked out across the countryside, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the moonlight dance across the flowing Anduin River. Never had she seen a more beautiful sight, and she raised her eyes to the east, fear gripping her when she saw the eastern horizon aflame not from the approach of dawn but from the evil that lived there. She had heard much about it since her arrival, but it became frighteningly real once she saw it with her own eyes, and a shiver raced through her at the thought.

She jumped when she felt hands covering her shoulders with a fur-lined cloak, and calmed when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Frightening, isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, it is," she answered, drawing the cloak further around her. "I am scared, Boromir," she whispered then felt his arms wrap themselves around her shoulders, and she leaned into his embrace.

"You have nothing to fear as long as you are within these walls, my lady. Indeed, you are safe nowhere if not here," he reassured her, glad to have finally found some time to be alone with her without having his father around to interfere. In fact, he had just come from seeing his father as he had had strange dreams that night and had sought his father's counsel, only to find his brother had had the same dream. He had then come out here to ponder the results of that counsel and had found her here, her beauty drawing him as no other had before.

She turned in his arms and brought her eyes to his, losing sense of reality as she lost herself in his gaze. "I am afraid that nowhere, not even here, will be safe. And I also fear that there is no way to defeat this evil."

He smiled as he brought up his hand to brush his fingers across her cheek. "Such thoughts, my lady. Tell me, what brings you out here in such a melancholy mood?"

Her eyes nearly drifted shut as she felt his caress and she wondered at the power he held over her to render her senseless at a mere touch of his hand. Determined to keep her wits about her, she moved back just enough for him to release her, turning her back to him. "I had a strange dream a short while ago. It wasn't so much the images that troubled me but the words that were spoken."

He had been disappointed that she had pulled away from him, but that had disappeared when she had spoke. "What did they say?" he asked, and the words she recited to him sent a shiver up his spine as those were the same words he had heard in his dream. "Strange. I heard the same words spoken in my dream."

She turned to face him, surprise in her eyes. "Did you dream of a halfling holding a gold ring?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I did not."

She tightened the cloak around her even further as her eyes became haunted. "I wonder what they mean?"

"I know not how to answer, Lilli. Faramir, too, had the same dream, and together we sought counsel from our father as to their meaning, but he knew nothing to tell us except to go to Imladris where Elrond is said to live. Perhaps he could tell us what meaning our dream has. If you were to seek my father's advice, I am sure he would only tell you the same."

Her body stiffened as she thought of the conversation she and Faramir had had earlier that evening. "I will not seek the advice of your father as I am already aware of what advice he would give."

He sensed the sudden anger in her voice and wondered what had brought it about. "My lady, I assure you that any advice he would give would only be in the best interest of your safety."

"My safety," she scoffed. "And why would he be concerned about that?"

"You are a royal guest here, and it is his obligation to see that you are kept out of harm's way," he answered.

Her anger had worked itself into a fever pitch by now. "And does being betrothed to you count as keeping me out of harm's way? Is it part of his obligation to confer with my father behind my back and tell me nothing?"

"My lady, I find the tone of your voice unpleasant," he returned just as angrily.

She yanked the cloak off her shoulders and threw it to the ground. "Did you know anything about this?" she questioned, her voice barely above a whisper.

He was silent for a moment as he wrestled whether to tell her the truth or not. "Yes, I did," he replied, deciding to be honest with her.

Unshed tears glistened in her eyes. "Then all those words you said to me meant nothing then? Just as I mean nothing to you except what I bring to your father?"

"Lilli, I knew nothing of our betrothal until after we arrived here. And I wished to wait and approach you in my own time instead of treating it like it was an arranged marriage," he explained quickly.

"And that's exactly what this is, Boromir! A marriage arranged between our fathers for the benefit of both our lands."

He stepped closer to her and took her hand in his. "Lilli, I wished to wait to ask you for your hand out of my love for you. I felt that if it was pressed on you so soon, you would believe it to be an arranged marriage, and I was right judging from your reaction. I also wished to wait as I was uncertain of your feelings towards me and did not want to press you into a marriage where there was no love between us."

She knew if she was to look into his eyes her resolve would melt entirely so she kept her eyes averted from his as her heart cried out her need for him and her mind rejected him just as forcefully. Soon he placed his finger underneath her chin and tilted her head so she had no choice but to meet his anguished gaze. "Please, Lilli, say something," he whispered.

Finally her eyes overflowed with tears as she saw the love shining in his eyes, a love that was matched by the love in her heart for him. "There are no words I could say to ease the pain in your heart. I share in your love, Boromir, but what you ask of me I cannot give. I could only have you for the lifetime of a mortal, but after you have died..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I would have to live without you for the rest of my life. Can you honestly ask it of me, to put me through such pain?"

His eyes filled with sadness as he felt his heart slow to a near stop. "No, I suppose I love you too much to put you through that kind of pain. But don't you think that it would be worth it to find out what kind of love we could realize between us?"

A faint smile teased her lips. "Perhaps. But I am afraid I will go in too far and never be able to come out."

He once again touched his finger to her cheek. "Why would you want to?" he asked, his voice rough with longing.

She found herself unable to breathe as her heart beat furiously within her, forcing her to turn away from his touch. "You're not making this easy on me," she groaned.

He took her by the shoulders and gently turned her back to face him. "You're not making this easy on me, either. I love you, Lilli, with everything I am, and I am willing to fight for it if need be. You have brought something too rare into my life for me to just let it go so easily, and I would give up everything if it means I would be with you."

Tears ran freely down her face as she looked into his eyes, bringing her hands up to touch his face with wondering fingers. "Boromir," she whispered, and saw him lower his head to hers but suddenly look up behind her, his brow furrowed in concentration. "What is it?" she asked.

He pointed out behind her towards Osgiliath. "Look there and tell me what you see."

She turned her gaze to where he pointed, and an icy chill ran up her spine. "Orcs," she breathed.

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I feel a fight scene coming up! And isn't it mean of me to interrupt things between the two lovebirds when things were getting good? Next chapter: The Battle of Osgiliath!