Chapter eleven
"You did what?" Arwen gaped at Boromir.
"I hit Lis." He whispered quietly.
Arwen just stared at him in disbelief. Galadriel sat calmly on a stone bench, nodding quietly. Arwen had spotted Boar lying on his side on the porch and, with Drili adamantly by her side, had helped him to a little ivy- covered arbor near the dinning hall, away from prying eyes.
"I warned you…" Drili lilted, shaking her head. Boar just stared at her, his face fallen.
"Please, don't give me an 'I told you so' speech, because I don't want to hear it. Not right now." He moaned, running a hand through his hair.
"God, Boar," Arwen said, her face vacant with shock, "You act as if you don't even care."
"Of course I care!" He burst, rising to his feet suddenly, his eyes flashing. "Of course, I care. Do you have any idea how I feel right now? I hit her, Ari. I reached back, and smacked her half way to Mordor. She's crying right now probably, and it's my fault. Of course I care." He panted a bit, calming down. "And now Lee hates me. God, I didn't know he could hit so hard." He groaned as he rubbed his side, wincing.
"I think there is much to your friend that you do not yet know." Drili said.
"Damnit! Why can't you once, just once, give a straight answer? If you had told me anything near what I needed to hear tonight, none of this would've happened!" Boar boomed. Drili's cloudy eyes flashed. Arwen saw this and ducked out quietly, heading back for the dance before the inevitable broke loose.
"What you need to hear? Alright. Sit down." She barked, and he obeyed, his eyes gone suddenly wide and almost, fearful.
"Here's what you need to hear. Did you know that you failed the Fellowship in Middle Earth?" Boar shook his head, somewhat dumfounded. Drili seemed to wait for his unseen reaction and continued.
"You, and you alone tried to steal the Ring from its bearer. You betrayed your brothers-in-arms, your family, your land, and most importantly, you betrayed yourself. All because of one little Ring. And now, here you are, years later. Doing the same thing."
Boar just stared at the ground, despairingly, when something occurred to him.
"But that's not what happened, Drili. All I went after was Lis," his voice faltered for a moment, "not the ring."
"You still do not see the plain truth, do you?"
"What plain truth? You tell me that I betrayed the Fellowship for the Ring. I don't even know where the ring is." his voice was quiet and steady, a world of painful truth wrinkling across his young face. "I betrayed them for Lis."
Drili nodded quietly, and suddenly the world fell into place for Boromir, and he collapsed onto the bench, awe-struck.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * *
Lee stopped moving once they entered the clearing in the Willow Grove. The moon was the only one watching the two now, the moon and the trees, and they never told secrets. He set Lis down on the grass, leaning her up against a lithe tree trunk.
"I'm alright, really. You don't have to make such a fuss," she protested and tried to get up. She winced in pain, grabbing at her side, and resigned herself to staying on the grass, for now.
"See? What did I tell you?" Lee whispered, a reassuring smile on his face. "You need to trust me. I'm your caretaker, remember?" Lee shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Lis's propped up knees. He tugged at the tie around his neck and pulled it off, dropping next to him as he unbuttoned the first few buttons on his dress shirt.
"Man, I hate dances, don't you?" Lis smiled.
"Yea, I guess so."
Lee sat across from her, his eyes calmly glued to her face. She's exquisite, he thought, I'll kill Boar for this.
"Thank you." Lis whispered, her eyes on the ground.
"Don't thank me. I did what any good friend would do."
Lis nodded slowly, and Lee wondered if there wasn't even the slightest bit melancholy in her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
"Sore. But it heals. Trust me, I know." She offered him a sheepishly reassuring smile, but Lee couldn't find it in him to return it. "It'll bruise pretty bad for a week of so, probably be sore. Then nothing. I'm a fast healer."
"Please, Lis. I… I don't like seeing you like this." He reached out a hand, almost as if to touch her cheek, but seemed to think better of it and let it rub her knee instead.
"it's alright, really. Don't worry so much. I'll be right as rain in a few days, no worries."
"Yes, worries. What if Boar tries something again? He's way bigger than you are, Lis, he could crush you if he wanted."
"But he doesn't want."
"what do you mean, he doesn't want? Of course he does. What do think he was doing tonight, asking you to dance?"
"Damnit girl, I love you…" his words echoed in her mind like knife stabs. Why would he do that if he loved her? But then again, why did Sauron do it? She shivered at the thought of comparing Sauron to Boar, they were nothing alike. Were they?
"Lee?"
"Hmm?"
"Why were you outside tonight? I didn't see you earlier, and then all of a sudden, you show up."
"Well, I saw you, my little princess," he teased, getting a smile from Lis. "and I decided to follow Boar when I saw where he was going."
"So," she smiled "You were spying on me?"
"Of course I was." He joked, his eyes hinting at something serious. "You're my business, remember? Besides, I don't trust Boar. Not now. Not ever again." His face fell, and he suddenly got up, pacing.
"Ya know, he warned me about this, Boar did. He told me I was throwing away everything on a girl I didn't know. Which is true. I don't know anything about you except for this one, terrifying incident that's implanted in my brain. I don't know you're favorite color, or what your third grade teacher's name was, I know nothing about you. But you're in here all the time." Lee pointed to his head, then let his hand slide, slightly uncertain, to his chest.
"And the truth be told, I love it. God Lis, I know you've been through more than I can ever hope to understand, and that this is the last thing you need to hear, but I've got say it. I can go on being just your protector anymore." He lowered his voice slightly and the gentle, rumbling cooing made a quick blush bloom in Lis's cheeks. "I cant pretend to be something I'm not. And I'm not your friend, Lis."
She gasped slightly, her eyes flying open wide. Lee responded by quickly kneeling by her side, bridging the gap that had stood between them for far too long.
"You are like, oxygen to me now. I cant breath without you around. I can't think straight when you're near me, and I can't think of anything but you when you're not. I hate Boar, probably the best friend I've ever had, because he hurt the only thing I've ever wanted," Lis's eyes widened even more.
"And because he's done the one thing I've waned to ever since I saw you."
Lee's voice grew low as he leaned into her. Lis's let her eyes close, and was soon reveling in the feel of his lips against hers. Soft and smooth, and warm. He tasted like the forests, like volumes of wood-lore was locked inside of him, escaping in tiny breaths that he shared with her alone.
Boar hadn't kissed her like this. Neither had Sauron. But neither of them had loved her the way he loved her. And that made all the difference.
Lee pulled away, finally, his face calm, but his eyes stormy with the kindest of emotions. He smiled at her and pressed his forehead against hers with a small sigh. Lis smiled, relieved, and let a hand snake its way up his body, her fingers tapping against his well-chiseled stomach and chest muscles, his long, smooth neck, and finally resting on his cheek, warm and soft.
"Did you know that 'cormacolindor' is elfish for 'ring-bearer'?"
Drili's sweetly drawling voice broke through their peace. They both looked up, startled, to see Galadriel sitting in a nearby tree-root, Boromir by her side.
"What do you want?" Lee asked defensively, immediately standing as if to prepare for battle.
" 'cormacolindor' pretty, isn't it?"
Lis stared up at the blind seer, speechless.
"Do you know how the words break down from that? Conlido means bearer, and Corma," Drili paused, turning her blind gaze on Lis, "means Ring."
Lis looked at Drili for a moment, dumbfounded, when she suddenly realized.
"I'm apart of the Fellowship too," she muttered, as Drili nodded, smiling.
"I'm the Ring."
"You did what?" Arwen gaped at Boromir.
"I hit Lis." He whispered quietly.
Arwen just stared at him in disbelief. Galadriel sat calmly on a stone bench, nodding quietly. Arwen had spotted Boar lying on his side on the porch and, with Drili adamantly by her side, had helped him to a little ivy- covered arbor near the dinning hall, away from prying eyes.
"I warned you…" Drili lilted, shaking her head. Boar just stared at her, his face fallen.
"Please, don't give me an 'I told you so' speech, because I don't want to hear it. Not right now." He moaned, running a hand through his hair.
"God, Boar," Arwen said, her face vacant with shock, "You act as if you don't even care."
"Of course I care!" He burst, rising to his feet suddenly, his eyes flashing. "Of course, I care. Do you have any idea how I feel right now? I hit her, Ari. I reached back, and smacked her half way to Mordor. She's crying right now probably, and it's my fault. Of course I care." He panted a bit, calming down. "And now Lee hates me. God, I didn't know he could hit so hard." He groaned as he rubbed his side, wincing.
"I think there is much to your friend that you do not yet know." Drili said.
"Damnit! Why can't you once, just once, give a straight answer? If you had told me anything near what I needed to hear tonight, none of this would've happened!" Boar boomed. Drili's cloudy eyes flashed. Arwen saw this and ducked out quietly, heading back for the dance before the inevitable broke loose.
"What you need to hear? Alright. Sit down." She barked, and he obeyed, his eyes gone suddenly wide and almost, fearful.
"Here's what you need to hear. Did you know that you failed the Fellowship in Middle Earth?" Boar shook his head, somewhat dumfounded. Drili seemed to wait for his unseen reaction and continued.
"You, and you alone tried to steal the Ring from its bearer. You betrayed your brothers-in-arms, your family, your land, and most importantly, you betrayed yourself. All because of one little Ring. And now, here you are, years later. Doing the same thing."
Boar just stared at the ground, despairingly, when something occurred to him.
"But that's not what happened, Drili. All I went after was Lis," his voice faltered for a moment, "not the ring."
"You still do not see the plain truth, do you?"
"What plain truth? You tell me that I betrayed the Fellowship for the Ring. I don't even know where the ring is." his voice was quiet and steady, a world of painful truth wrinkling across his young face. "I betrayed them for Lis."
Drili nodded quietly, and suddenly the world fell into place for Boromir, and he collapsed onto the bench, awe-struck.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * *
Lee stopped moving once they entered the clearing in the Willow Grove. The moon was the only one watching the two now, the moon and the trees, and they never told secrets. He set Lis down on the grass, leaning her up against a lithe tree trunk.
"I'm alright, really. You don't have to make such a fuss," she protested and tried to get up. She winced in pain, grabbing at her side, and resigned herself to staying on the grass, for now.
"See? What did I tell you?" Lee whispered, a reassuring smile on his face. "You need to trust me. I'm your caretaker, remember?" Lee shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Lis's propped up knees. He tugged at the tie around his neck and pulled it off, dropping next to him as he unbuttoned the first few buttons on his dress shirt.
"Man, I hate dances, don't you?" Lis smiled.
"Yea, I guess so."
Lee sat across from her, his eyes calmly glued to her face. She's exquisite, he thought, I'll kill Boar for this.
"Thank you." Lis whispered, her eyes on the ground.
"Don't thank me. I did what any good friend would do."
Lis nodded slowly, and Lee wondered if there wasn't even the slightest bit melancholy in her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
"Sore. But it heals. Trust me, I know." She offered him a sheepishly reassuring smile, but Lee couldn't find it in him to return it. "It'll bruise pretty bad for a week of so, probably be sore. Then nothing. I'm a fast healer."
"Please, Lis. I… I don't like seeing you like this." He reached out a hand, almost as if to touch her cheek, but seemed to think better of it and let it rub her knee instead.
"it's alright, really. Don't worry so much. I'll be right as rain in a few days, no worries."
"Yes, worries. What if Boar tries something again? He's way bigger than you are, Lis, he could crush you if he wanted."
"But he doesn't want."
"what do you mean, he doesn't want? Of course he does. What do think he was doing tonight, asking you to dance?"
"Damnit girl, I love you…" his words echoed in her mind like knife stabs. Why would he do that if he loved her? But then again, why did Sauron do it? She shivered at the thought of comparing Sauron to Boar, they were nothing alike. Were they?
"Lee?"
"Hmm?"
"Why were you outside tonight? I didn't see you earlier, and then all of a sudden, you show up."
"Well, I saw you, my little princess," he teased, getting a smile from Lis. "and I decided to follow Boar when I saw where he was going."
"So," she smiled "You were spying on me?"
"Of course I was." He joked, his eyes hinting at something serious. "You're my business, remember? Besides, I don't trust Boar. Not now. Not ever again." His face fell, and he suddenly got up, pacing.
"Ya know, he warned me about this, Boar did. He told me I was throwing away everything on a girl I didn't know. Which is true. I don't know anything about you except for this one, terrifying incident that's implanted in my brain. I don't know you're favorite color, or what your third grade teacher's name was, I know nothing about you. But you're in here all the time." Lee pointed to his head, then let his hand slide, slightly uncertain, to his chest.
"And the truth be told, I love it. God Lis, I know you've been through more than I can ever hope to understand, and that this is the last thing you need to hear, but I've got say it. I can go on being just your protector anymore." He lowered his voice slightly and the gentle, rumbling cooing made a quick blush bloom in Lis's cheeks. "I cant pretend to be something I'm not. And I'm not your friend, Lis."
She gasped slightly, her eyes flying open wide. Lee responded by quickly kneeling by her side, bridging the gap that had stood between them for far too long.
"You are like, oxygen to me now. I cant breath without you around. I can't think straight when you're near me, and I can't think of anything but you when you're not. I hate Boar, probably the best friend I've ever had, because he hurt the only thing I've ever wanted," Lis's eyes widened even more.
"And because he's done the one thing I've waned to ever since I saw you."
Lee's voice grew low as he leaned into her. Lis's let her eyes close, and was soon reveling in the feel of his lips against hers. Soft and smooth, and warm. He tasted like the forests, like volumes of wood-lore was locked inside of him, escaping in tiny breaths that he shared with her alone.
Boar hadn't kissed her like this. Neither had Sauron. But neither of them had loved her the way he loved her. And that made all the difference.
Lee pulled away, finally, his face calm, but his eyes stormy with the kindest of emotions. He smiled at her and pressed his forehead against hers with a small sigh. Lis smiled, relieved, and let a hand snake its way up his body, her fingers tapping against his well-chiseled stomach and chest muscles, his long, smooth neck, and finally resting on his cheek, warm and soft.
"Did you know that 'cormacolindor' is elfish for 'ring-bearer'?"
Drili's sweetly drawling voice broke through their peace. They both looked up, startled, to see Galadriel sitting in a nearby tree-root, Boromir by her side.
"What do you want?" Lee asked defensively, immediately standing as if to prepare for battle.
" 'cormacolindor' pretty, isn't it?"
Lis stared up at the blind seer, speechless.
"Do you know how the words break down from that? Conlido means bearer, and Corma," Drili paused, turning her blind gaze on Lis, "means Ring."
Lis looked at Drili for a moment, dumbfounded, when she suddenly realized.
"I'm apart of the Fellowship too," she muttered, as Drili nodded, smiling.
"I'm the Ring."