Chapter two
The company sat restlessly about Lisaura's bed; Arwen paced at the foot. A new figure reached a hand out and calmed her, his piercing gray eyes speaking peaceful sentiments. Arwen, as if understanding, nodded and sat down next to him. His hand slipped down her arm and enclosed her hand, which grabbed onto his eagerly. Neither of them looked at each other, their eyes instead focused on the young girl laying, sleeping now, on her bed; Lisaura.
Frodo sat by her side, his eyes steadily gazing at her face, so calm now that it had given way to dreams. He reached out a hand to sweep away a tendril of hair that had fallen across her face. His fingers lingered on her hair, its smoothness playing gently against his thick, almost stubby fingers. Unaware of anyone else's presence, he let his hand slide down her cheek and touch down into the nape of her neck. So smooth, almost downy, he thought. Frodo's experience with girls had been almost non-existent, his reclusive nature making him a fell playfellow at most. But something about this girl, this new girl from Mordor, made his courage rise with his hopes of finding a friend in her. He smiled down at her sleeping form and let his hand fall down into his lap. A fake cough Shook Frodo into awareness of the room's eyes and his previous actions. He turned around to see the slightly amused faces of his friends, especially Arwen, and blushed crimson as he walked quickly to the window, hoping to escape their gazes.
Legolas, who leant silently against the doorframe, his icy blue eyes fixed on Lisaura, pushed off the wall and walked over to Arwen.
"She'll be alright, wont she?"
Arwen noted the concern in the young man's voice, a flash of quiet understanding beaming in her soft brown eyes. She nodded, and patted her friend's shoulder
"Yes Legolas, she'll be fine. She just fainted is all. Girls used to do it all the time."
The young man sitting next to Arwen laughed lowly at that, and Legolas turned his keen, quick gaze to him
"Strider. Why weren't you at the game?"
"Because it wasn't a game," Strider returned, his voice soft yet commanding. "It was merely practice."
"yes, but you know its all the same to us. You should've come out. Almost got Boromir to the ground, didn't I?"
Legolas turned an amusedly mischievous face to the large boy sitting on one of Lisaura's trunks. He looked up from his usual brooding and smiled at Legolas.
"That's not the way I remember it, Legs. But, delude yourself if you must, I wont hold it against you."
Legolas chuckled and waggled a finger mockingly at Boromir.
"You may be bigger than I am, Boar," at this, the entire room erupted into muffled giggles, trying not to wake the girl. "But I'm the quicker one. You'll have to be careful. You never know what you'll wake up missing one of these days." Legolas now dangled a wallet from his slender, nimble fingertips, a cat-like grin spreading across his face. Boromir's face, on the other hand, erupted into a pair of wide eyes and gaping mouth as he felt around his empty pockets for his lifted wallet.
"Why you little…" Boromir whispered, getting up and snatching his wallet away from the grinning twig. He gave Legolas a playful slap in the shoulder and returned to his spot on the trunk, a wide grin on his face.
The room's spirit's lifted for a moment, but a slight rustling of bed sheets, and everyone's attentions were turned back to Lisaura, who rolled onto her side, unaware of her visitors. Boromir got up and took Frodo's place by her bed, his harsh eyes melting onto her soft features. Frodo noticed this quietly, and walked up behind Boromir, laying his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"She's angelic, isn't she?" Frodo whispered, and all Boromir could do was nod slowly.
"I do not understand you men," Arwen laughed quietly from the foot of the bed, getting up and strolling to the bedside pair. "How is it that a little girl can make you loose your tongues and senses all in one afternoon?" At this, Strider laughed outright and was quickly hushed by Merry and Pippin, who sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor playing cards.
"You do not understand because you do it yourself."
Strider's dark eyes were fixed on Arwen, who seemed to falter her constantly cheerful and controlled demeanor at his words. Her own eyes softened as she dared a look back at him. Kind words were not a rarity from him where she was concerned, but he rarely spoke them in company. The room knew this and all turned away ever so slightly, while Arwen, as if entranced, made her way back to his side. The two whispered two each other, every now and then Strider would laugh or Arwen would blush, but their doings became veiled from the rest, as they had been for years.
Frodo and Boromir turned their attentions to the card game, while Legolas stared melancholy out of the window, as was his way. Bilbo bustled into the room, unnoticed by the rest. He carried in his stout arms a wash basin filled with cold water and towels, which he set up on a nightstand by her bed. He hummed quietly to himself while everyone else, wrapped up in their own doings, let him alone. He was the first one to notice the stirring bed sheets and the body that sat up in them.
"Ah, Lisaura! You're awake then!"
Bilbo's happy voice lilted through the room, and instantly eight heads snapped towards the head board, where a pale, tired looking face sat propped up, smiling weakly at them all.
Everyone sprung to their feet, encircling the bed. Smiling faces shone down at her, all their voices, quitting their cautious restraint, mixing into a loud cacophony of well-wishes and "who are you's."
"Lis, are you alright? You had us worried sick?" Arwen's comforting voice rose above the rest as she kneeled by her side, her smooth hand gently stroking Lisaura's warm forehead.
Lisaura managed a nod before a cool compress was wept onto her forehead by Bilbo's ready and willing hands. The attention she was receiving was incredible, but not just a bit frightening for her. Through the crowd, she caught a pair of warm brown eyes, smiling down at her. Frodo grinned, relieved and let his fingers touch hers, ever so slightly. The touch turned out to be more than she could bear. Her fingers instinctively curled up to meet his, and grabbed on in an iron grip. Her actions startled Frodo, but only for a moment as he, in return, slipped his hand around hers comfortingly. Suddenly, the room didn't seem quiet as imposing as it had before, and Lisaura was bale to answer the group's questions cheerfully.
She didn't have answers. What happened when she fell, she couldn't say, and after all was said and done, they decided it was just the excitement of the day.
It was decided, by Bilbo the great caretaker, that some dinner would do all them good, to which Merry and Pippin heartily agreed and offered to hurry ahead to the cafeteria to save a table. However, Lisaura found that walking was not something she was prepared to do, and offered to stay behind when a pair of arms swept around her, lifting her out of the bed and through the door.
She was shocked as all to see Boromir's face, handsome face she admitted to herself, smiling down sheepishly at her.
"We can't have you not eating, especially after taking a fall like you did."
Lisaura nodded, a little dumbfounded as to his friendly behavior.
"I, um, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. It was rude of me, and I'm sorry."
"No, no," Lisaura protested, "If anyone was at fault, it was I. I know what sort of a reputation Mordor has. But please understand, I do not defend the place, merely my brother and I. Our days there were… the worst of our lives, Boromir. And if possible, I would wipe the memory of the place from Ridely's mind forever. I cannot, however. So I am content to protect him from its name, at whatever cost."
The entire company had gone quiet at her words, each of them mulling silently over their own thoughts. Boromir's thoughts her on the girl in his arms.
"You and I are not very different then, it seems" he whispered as they made their way down the stairs, unaware of Frodo's and Legolas's eyes one them.
The company sat restlessly about Lisaura's bed; Arwen paced at the foot. A new figure reached a hand out and calmed her, his piercing gray eyes speaking peaceful sentiments. Arwen, as if understanding, nodded and sat down next to him. His hand slipped down her arm and enclosed her hand, which grabbed onto his eagerly. Neither of them looked at each other, their eyes instead focused on the young girl laying, sleeping now, on her bed; Lisaura.
Frodo sat by her side, his eyes steadily gazing at her face, so calm now that it had given way to dreams. He reached out a hand to sweep away a tendril of hair that had fallen across her face. His fingers lingered on her hair, its smoothness playing gently against his thick, almost stubby fingers. Unaware of anyone else's presence, he let his hand slide down her cheek and touch down into the nape of her neck. So smooth, almost downy, he thought. Frodo's experience with girls had been almost non-existent, his reclusive nature making him a fell playfellow at most. But something about this girl, this new girl from Mordor, made his courage rise with his hopes of finding a friend in her. He smiled down at her sleeping form and let his hand fall down into his lap. A fake cough Shook Frodo into awareness of the room's eyes and his previous actions. He turned around to see the slightly amused faces of his friends, especially Arwen, and blushed crimson as he walked quickly to the window, hoping to escape their gazes.
Legolas, who leant silently against the doorframe, his icy blue eyes fixed on Lisaura, pushed off the wall and walked over to Arwen.
"She'll be alright, wont she?"
Arwen noted the concern in the young man's voice, a flash of quiet understanding beaming in her soft brown eyes. She nodded, and patted her friend's shoulder
"Yes Legolas, she'll be fine. She just fainted is all. Girls used to do it all the time."
The young man sitting next to Arwen laughed lowly at that, and Legolas turned his keen, quick gaze to him
"Strider. Why weren't you at the game?"
"Because it wasn't a game," Strider returned, his voice soft yet commanding. "It was merely practice."
"yes, but you know its all the same to us. You should've come out. Almost got Boromir to the ground, didn't I?"
Legolas turned an amusedly mischievous face to the large boy sitting on one of Lisaura's trunks. He looked up from his usual brooding and smiled at Legolas.
"That's not the way I remember it, Legs. But, delude yourself if you must, I wont hold it against you."
Legolas chuckled and waggled a finger mockingly at Boromir.
"You may be bigger than I am, Boar," at this, the entire room erupted into muffled giggles, trying not to wake the girl. "But I'm the quicker one. You'll have to be careful. You never know what you'll wake up missing one of these days." Legolas now dangled a wallet from his slender, nimble fingertips, a cat-like grin spreading across his face. Boromir's face, on the other hand, erupted into a pair of wide eyes and gaping mouth as he felt around his empty pockets for his lifted wallet.
"Why you little…" Boromir whispered, getting up and snatching his wallet away from the grinning twig. He gave Legolas a playful slap in the shoulder and returned to his spot on the trunk, a wide grin on his face.
The room's spirit's lifted for a moment, but a slight rustling of bed sheets, and everyone's attentions were turned back to Lisaura, who rolled onto her side, unaware of her visitors. Boromir got up and took Frodo's place by her bed, his harsh eyes melting onto her soft features. Frodo noticed this quietly, and walked up behind Boromir, laying his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"She's angelic, isn't she?" Frodo whispered, and all Boromir could do was nod slowly.
"I do not understand you men," Arwen laughed quietly from the foot of the bed, getting up and strolling to the bedside pair. "How is it that a little girl can make you loose your tongues and senses all in one afternoon?" At this, Strider laughed outright and was quickly hushed by Merry and Pippin, who sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor playing cards.
"You do not understand because you do it yourself."
Strider's dark eyes were fixed on Arwen, who seemed to falter her constantly cheerful and controlled demeanor at his words. Her own eyes softened as she dared a look back at him. Kind words were not a rarity from him where she was concerned, but he rarely spoke them in company. The room knew this and all turned away ever so slightly, while Arwen, as if entranced, made her way back to his side. The two whispered two each other, every now and then Strider would laugh or Arwen would blush, but their doings became veiled from the rest, as they had been for years.
Frodo and Boromir turned their attentions to the card game, while Legolas stared melancholy out of the window, as was his way. Bilbo bustled into the room, unnoticed by the rest. He carried in his stout arms a wash basin filled with cold water and towels, which he set up on a nightstand by her bed. He hummed quietly to himself while everyone else, wrapped up in their own doings, let him alone. He was the first one to notice the stirring bed sheets and the body that sat up in them.
"Ah, Lisaura! You're awake then!"
Bilbo's happy voice lilted through the room, and instantly eight heads snapped towards the head board, where a pale, tired looking face sat propped up, smiling weakly at them all.
Everyone sprung to their feet, encircling the bed. Smiling faces shone down at her, all their voices, quitting their cautious restraint, mixing into a loud cacophony of well-wishes and "who are you's."
"Lis, are you alright? You had us worried sick?" Arwen's comforting voice rose above the rest as she kneeled by her side, her smooth hand gently stroking Lisaura's warm forehead.
Lisaura managed a nod before a cool compress was wept onto her forehead by Bilbo's ready and willing hands. The attention she was receiving was incredible, but not just a bit frightening for her. Through the crowd, she caught a pair of warm brown eyes, smiling down at her. Frodo grinned, relieved and let his fingers touch hers, ever so slightly. The touch turned out to be more than she could bear. Her fingers instinctively curled up to meet his, and grabbed on in an iron grip. Her actions startled Frodo, but only for a moment as he, in return, slipped his hand around hers comfortingly. Suddenly, the room didn't seem quiet as imposing as it had before, and Lisaura was bale to answer the group's questions cheerfully.
She didn't have answers. What happened when she fell, she couldn't say, and after all was said and done, they decided it was just the excitement of the day.
It was decided, by Bilbo the great caretaker, that some dinner would do all them good, to which Merry and Pippin heartily agreed and offered to hurry ahead to the cafeteria to save a table. However, Lisaura found that walking was not something she was prepared to do, and offered to stay behind when a pair of arms swept around her, lifting her out of the bed and through the door.
She was shocked as all to see Boromir's face, handsome face she admitted to herself, smiling down sheepishly at her.
"We can't have you not eating, especially after taking a fall like you did."
Lisaura nodded, a little dumbfounded as to his friendly behavior.
"I, um, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. It was rude of me, and I'm sorry."
"No, no," Lisaura protested, "If anyone was at fault, it was I. I know what sort of a reputation Mordor has. But please understand, I do not defend the place, merely my brother and I. Our days there were… the worst of our lives, Boromir. And if possible, I would wipe the memory of the place from Ridely's mind forever. I cannot, however. So I am content to protect him from its name, at whatever cost."
The entire company had gone quiet at her words, each of them mulling silently over their own thoughts. Boromir's thoughts her on the girl in his arms.
"You and I are not very different then, it seems" he whispered as they made their way down the stairs, unaware of Frodo's and Legolas's eyes one them.