~ Sightseeing in Middle-Earth ~
~ Disclaimer: ~
I own Erin, Irundin, and his family. The rest, I don't.
~ Chapter X~
~ Irundin's Home and Galadriel's Watching ~
Boromir woke up when we got close to Edoras, and we talked with Irundin for a short while. He told us about his family - he had a wife and two daughters - and then we were close enough to Edoras that Irundin told us to raise the hoods of our cloaks. Those watching may have passed over Boromir, he looked vaguely like the rest of the riders, but I was a woman, and besides, I had short red hair and was wearing Elven clothes - definitely wouldn't blend in that easily. So we just hid within our Lorien cloaks, and nobody gave us a second glance. Gotta love those cloaks. They blend into practically anything.
Once Eomer was arrested, the riders milled around angrily for awhile before drifting off, each to their own homes, and Boromir and I followed Irundin to his. Before we reached Irundin's house, he turned to Boromir and advised him to use another name until Eomer was cleared and Theoden welcomed us properly. The name of Boromir was too well known, especially added with Boromir's very Gondorian looks, and it wouldn't take him too long to be recognized and questioned if he used his own name. Boromir quickly decided to go by Arodin, and Irundin accepted the name readily, as we were approaching his house and didn't have any time to debate.
Irundin's home was a common one, about halfway down the hill on which Edoras stood. It was plain, but it wasn't grubby, and I liked it the instant I saw it. It made me think of what a home SHOULD be like - friendly, inviting. When we rode up to the house, two children came running out of it and latched onto Irundin as he dismounted. Following at a more respectable pace was Irundin's wife. Boromir and I dismounted and watched at a distance as Irundin greeted his family, then he motioned for us to come forward.
"Kista, this is Erin and Arodin. Our host found them on our travels, and Eomer bade me house them until he could properly introduce them to Theoden King." Irundin introduced. "Erin and Arodin, this is my wife, Kista, and my two daughters, Geona and Atora."
"Hi!" I said, raising a hand in greeting, and Boromir nodded slightly in the families direction. Atora, the younger of the two children, let go of her father and came and looked up at me.
"Is that Elvish?" she asked after a pause, pointing to the brooch on my cloak. I blinked in surprise, then grinned.
"Indeed it is." I said, and Atora's eyes went wide. From that moment on, I was the girl's best friend. During the midday meal with the family, Atora asked me billions of questions about Elves. I don't think she even noticed that Boromir had the same cloak. Boromir didn't look as he minded, however, preferring to sit off with Irundin, talking quietly and smoking his pipe, reminding me very much of Aragorn's first appearance in the Fellowship of the Ring movie.
Atora tried to drag me off to see the city and her friends in the afternoon, but Irundin told her I was not to leave the house, and I shrugged in response to her pleading look. Atora then decided she would bring her friends to the house to talk to me, but Irundin told her she couldn't do that, either, and the girl stormed off, annoyed. Irundin apologized, saying his daughter was very strong willed.
"So am I," I said with a grin, and Boromir and Irundin chuckled. Geona, for her part, stayed around the house, quietly sitting in a corner doing mending or sewing, or in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, and seemed almost afraid of Boromir and I. Kista explained that, unlike her youngest daughter, her older daughter was quite shy and usually took a few days to warm up to strangers.
Boromir and I, in the afternoon when Irundin went out, sat by the window in the main room and talked quietly of the quest. Boromir, at one point, tried to start a conversation about Gandalf falling, but I quickly changed the subject, and Boromir didn't bring it up again, for which I was grateful. He probably thought I was still grieving, but I really just didn't feel like talking about the wizard like he was dead when he wasn't.
When the sky began to darken, Atora reappeared, dirtier for the wear, and was ordered to wash up before supper. When she was done, she started bombarding me with questions again. Then she saw the Elven sword from Galadriel. She oooed over that until supper time, though from the longing look she gave it when I put it away, I knew she would have loved to see it used, or use it herself. After supper, Geona disappeared up to her room for bed. Atora was all ready to bombard me with questions again, but Kista sent her off to bed, as well. Now that it was just Boromir, Kista, Irundin and I up, Kista turned to her husband, planted her hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow demandingly.
"Now that the children are in bed, you shall have to tell me the REAL story of how you came upon these two travelers, and what their real names are." she announced, and Irundin grinned sheepishly while I tried to hold back a giggle. Boromir just watched, amused, as Irundin told the story of how we'd been found and why we'd been brought home with him. When he was done, Kista stared about the room thoughtfully, then politely excused herself and went to bed. Irundin, concerned, told us where to find the guest room, then followed his wife.
"I wonder how long we shall be staying here." Boromir said idly as he gazed into the fire.
"Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli will arrive sometime tomorrow," I said, and Boromir glanced at me in surprise.
"How do you know this?" he asked.
"My secret," I said with a small smile, and Boromir shook his head, a smile twitching on his lips.
"Very well then, I will not pry," he said. "I will, however, go get some rest." Then he rose, and I nodded a goodnight to him. I stayed out in the main room for awhile, watching the fire, making sure it didn't die out completely. I got slowly drowsy, and I must have slipped into sleep, because next thing I knew, I was standing in Lothlorien, with Galadriel in front of me.
"Well this is a lovely dream," I said sarcastically. Galadriel simply stared implacably at me.
"He is still alive," she said when I started to shift uncomfortably under her gaze.
"Uh, yeah. But everything's going as it should, anyways," I said.
"For now," Galadriel said icily.
"And as long as I can, I'll make sure that it does," I continued, annoyed.
"Even you cannot predict the changes that Boromir's living will create in the quest. And you most certainly cannot be there to fix them all," Galadriel said, her eyes boring into me.
"No. But there hasn't exactly been a way I could believably let Boromir be killed, either," I said, getting more annoyed.
"Hasn't there?" Galadriel asked. "Perhaps you will just not let yourself see the chances that come."
"Very possible," I replied, and Galadriel's eyes flared. I couldn't help but smirk. Galadriel was apparently very used to getting her way, and me refusing to co-operate was not making her happy.
"Does the success of the quest mean nothing to you, child?" Galadriel demanded.
"Yes, it does," I said. "And right now the quest is succeeding very nicely. When it starts to go astray, I'll be the first person there to fix it, even if I have to storm the gates of Mordor to do so. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my time in Middle-Earth." Galadriel gaped at me, and then the dream faded. Opening my eyes, I shook my head and looked up to see Boromir looking at me curiously from across the room.
"You were dreaming?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied, startled. "How did you know?"
"You were speaking in your sleep," Boromir replied.
"Did you hear anything?" I asked, worried, and was relieved when Boromir shook his head.
"You spoke too quietly," he answered, and I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I ran my hand through my hair then, and stood.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked.
"I do not know, but the sky is beginning to lighten, now," Boromir replied, and I blinked in surprise.
"Well. I guess I can get an hour or two of sleep." I said, then headed off to the guest room. There were two beds in it, I realized as I entered, and was rather grateful. I liked Boromir - but I wasn't quite sure if I liked him that way, or as much as he claimed to like me. I picked the bed that didn't look slept in - the one on the outer wall, underneath the window, and curled up on it. I pulled the blankets over me, and went to sleep.
~ Disclaimer: ~
I own Erin, Irundin, and his family. The rest, I don't.
~ Chapter X~
~ Irundin's Home and Galadriel's Watching ~
Boromir woke up when we got close to Edoras, and we talked with Irundin for a short while. He told us about his family - he had a wife and two daughters - and then we were close enough to Edoras that Irundin told us to raise the hoods of our cloaks. Those watching may have passed over Boromir, he looked vaguely like the rest of the riders, but I was a woman, and besides, I had short red hair and was wearing Elven clothes - definitely wouldn't blend in that easily. So we just hid within our Lorien cloaks, and nobody gave us a second glance. Gotta love those cloaks. They blend into practically anything.
Once Eomer was arrested, the riders milled around angrily for awhile before drifting off, each to their own homes, and Boromir and I followed Irundin to his. Before we reached Irundin's house, he turned to Boromir and advised him to use another name until Eomer was cleared and Theoden welcomed us properly. The name of Boromir was too well known, especially added with Boromir's very Gondorian looks, and it wouldn't take him too long to be recognized and questioned if he used his own name. Boromir quickly decided to go by Arodin, and Irundin accepted the name readily, as we were approaching his house and didn't have any time to debate.
Irundin's home was a common one, about halfway down the hill on which Edoras stood. It was plain, but it wasn't grubby, and I liked it the instant I saw it. It made me think of what a home SHOULD be like - friendly, inviting. When we rode up to the house, two children came running out of it and latched onto Irundin as he dismounted. Following at a more respectable pace was Irundin's wife. Boromir and I dismounted and watched at a distance as Irundin greeted his family, then he motioned for us to come forward.
"Kista, this is Erin and Arodin. Our host found them on our travels, and Eomer bade me house them until he could properly introduce them to Theoden King." Irundin introduced. "Erin and Arodin, this is my wife, Kista, and my two daughters, Geona and Atora."
"Hi!" I said, raising a hand in greeting, and Boromir nodded slightly in the families direction. Atora, the younger of the two children, let go of her father and came and looked up at me.
"Is that Elvish?" she asked after a pause, pointing to the brooch on my cloak. I blinked in surprise, then grinned.
"Indeed it is." I said, and Atora's eyes went wide. From that moment on, I was the girl's best friend. During the midday meal with the family, Atora asked me billions of questions about Elves. I don't think she even noticed that Boromir had the same cloak. Boromir didn't look as he minded, however, preferring to sit off with Irundin, talking quietly and smoking his pipe, reminding me very much of Aragorn's first appearance in the Fellowship of the Ring movie.
Atora tried to drag me off to see the city and her friends in the afternoon, but Irundin told her I was not to leave the house, and I shrugged in response to her pleading look. Atora then decided she would bring her friends to the house to talk to me, but Irundin told her she couldn't do that, either, and the girl stormed off, annoyed. Irundin apologized, saying his daughter was very strong willed.
"So am I," I said with a grin, and Boromir and Irundin chuckled. Geona, for her part, stayed around the house, quietly sitting in a corner doing mending or sewing, or in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, and seemed almost afraid of Boromir and I. Kista explained that, unlike her youngest daughter, her older daughter was quite shy and usually took a few days to warm up to strangers.
Boromir and I, in the afternoon when Irundin went out, sat by the window in the main room and talked quietly of the quest. Boromir, at one point, tried to start a conversation about Gandalf falling, but I quickly changed the subject, and Boromir didn't bring it up again, for which I was grateful. He probably thought I was still grieving, but I really just didn't feel like talking about the wizard like he was dead when he wasn't.
When the sky began to darken, Atora reappeared, dirtier for the wear, and was ordered to wash up before supper. When she was done, she started bombarding me with questions again. Then she saw the Elven sword from Galadriel. She oooed over that until supper time, though from the longing look she gave it when I put it away, I knew she would have loved to see it used, or use it herself. After supper, Geona disappeared up to her room for bed. Atora was all ready to bombard me with questions again, but Kista sent her off to bed, as well. Now that it was just Boromir, Kista, Irundin and I up, Kista turned to her husband, planted her hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow demandingly.
"Now that the children are in bed, you shall have to tell me the REAL story of how you came upon these two travelers, and what their real names are." she announced, and Irundin grinned sheepishly while I tried to hold back a giggle. Boromir just watched, amused, as Irundin told the story of how we'd been found and why we'd been brought home with him. When he was done, Kista stared about the room thoughtfully, then politely excused herself and went to bed. Irundin, concerned, told us where to find the guest room, then followed his wife.
"I wonder how long we shall be staying here." Boromir said idly as he gazed into the fire.
"Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli will arrive sometime tomorrow," I said, and Boromir glanced at me in surprise.
"How do you know this?" he asked.
"My secret," I said with a small smile, and Boromir shook his head, a smile twitching on his lips.
"Very well then, I will not pry," he said. "I will, however, go get some rest." Then he rose, and I nodded a goodnight to him. I stayed out in the main room for awhile, watching the fire, making sure it didn't die out completely. I got slowly drowsy, and I must have slipped into sleep, because next thing I knew, I was standing in Lothlorien, with Galadriel in front of me.
"Well this is a lovely dream," I said sarcastically. Galadriel simply stared implacably at me.
"He is still alive," she said when I started to shift uncomfortably under her gaze.
"Uh, yeah. But everything's going as it should, anyways," I said.
"For now," Galadriel said icily.
"And as long as I can, I'll make sure that it does," I continued, annoyed.
"Even you cannot predict the changes that Boromir's living will create in the quest. And you most certainly cannot be there to fix them all," Galadriel said, her eyes boring into me.
"No. But there hasn't exactly been a way I could believably let Boromir be killed, either," I said, getting more annoyed.
"Hasn't there?" Galadriel asked. "Perhaps you will just not let yourself see the chances that come."
"Very possible," I replied, and Galadriel's eyes flared. I couldn't help but smirk. Galadriel was apparently very used to getting her way, and me refusing to co-operate was not making her happy.
"Does the success of the quest mean nothing to you, child?" Galadriel demanded.
"Yes, it does," I said. "And right now the quest is succeeding very nicely. When it starts to go astray, I'll be the first person there to fix it, even if I have to storm the gates of Mordor to do so. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my time in Middle-Earth." Galadriel gaped at me, and then the dream faded. Opening my eyes, I shook my head and looked up to see Boromir looking at me curiously from across the room.
"You were dreaming?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied, startled. "How did you know?"
"You were speaking in your sleep," Boromir replied.
"Did you hear anything?" I asked, worried, and was relieved when Boromir shook his head.
"You spoke too quietly," he answered, and I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I ran my hand through my hair then, and stood.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked.
"I do not know, but the sky is beginning to lighten, now," Boromir replied, and I blinked in surprise.
"Well. I guess I can get an hour or two of sleep." I said, then headed off to the guest room. There were two beds in it, I realized as I entered, and was rather grateful. I liked Boromir - but I wasn't quite sure if I liked him that way, or as much as he claimed to like me. I picked the bed that didn't look slept in - the one on the outer wall, underneath the window, and curled up on it. I pulled the blankets over me, and went to sleep.