*** Referring to the review of Winterfox: If a person is stabbed in the chest, the lungs are not necessarily flooded with blood. But even if there's blood in the lungs, the person is (in most cases) able to speak at least a few words, if not even more. I asked my boyfriend who is a paramedic and has to care for people who got stabbed every now and then, I guess he knows what he's talking about. So much for that.
Guess what, I have a beta-reader now. So I really would like to thank my beta for reading through my work and helping me so much! Thank you, Anne!!! :ox
Somebody (Alon, I think) asked whether or not Boromir and Aerilyn got to "finish their business" before the kidnappers got them. Now here comes the answer... hope you enjoy it. ;o) ***
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Slowly Aerilyn opened her eyes and could only see a blur. Her whole body was aching and it was hard to keep her eyelids open. Her mouth was totally dry and she had problems swallowing. She softly groaned when she tried to move and felt a wave of pain washing through her body.
Where was she? What had happened? She lay still, trying to ignore the terrible headache and the sharp pain in her chest so she could concentrate on her thoughts and search her mind for memories. Slowly bits and pieces came back. She remembered Boromir's loving kisses, the passionate expression in his green eyes, his tender caresses. And his voice that was so full of courage, strength and determination, but yet so soft and comforting to her ears.
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//
"We will be married in less than only a day. I am tired of waiting...," he said, his voice thick with desire, as he kissed her neck. His lips softly brushed over her skin and his short beard tickled her slightly. She closed her eyes and concentrated on this unexpectedly wonderful sensation.
"Me too. I want to be all yours," she heard herself say, surprised at her own words. But it was true, she wanted it so badly. But she was not sure what to do. What did he expect? She was afraid that he would not like it, or that he would laugh about her clumsiness due to her lack of experience. She wanted to make him happy and was scared that she would fail.
"I want to please you, but I do not know how," she whispered, a blush creeping over her face. He backed away a bit and smiled when he saw the huge concern in her eyes.
"Do not worry, Aerilyn. I will show you."
She wanted to reply somehow, but he captured her lips quickly and stifled her words with a slow and deep kiss. He produced feelings inside of her she had not known of before. Aerilyn felt like vanishing inside his fiery kisses and melting underneath his caressing hands. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when he carefully moved his hands to spots of her delicate body that had been untouched yet. A low groan escaped from her lips when his fingertips gently ran over the soft curve of her breast. His touch was light as a feather, but the effect it had on her was massive. She felt her body starting to react heavily to his caresses and kisses.
She wanted to touch him like he touched her, please him like he pleased her, but her hands were too shaky to get his clothes open. Her shivering fingers struggled with buckles, straps and buttons, trying to get through to his skin. But the harder she tried, the more nervous she got. When his hands joined hers to help she opened her eyes again and stopped kissing him.
"I am sorry," she whispered.
"What for?" he asked in confusion, undressing the upper part of his body.
She was ashamed that she was so clumsy because of her excitement, not even able to get the largest buckle of his clothes open by herself. This was only the beginning of what was to come, and she already failed. He surely would be greatly disappointed...
She could not speak out loud her fears, but it was not necessary because Boromir could read it in her eyes. He took one of her hands, lifted it to his face to gently kiss her palm and then put it on his bare chest, holding it tight to his glowing skin. A little smile spread on her face when she felt his heart pounding madly.
"See?" he asked softly, "You are not the only one here who is overexcited and nervous."
She freed her hand from his tender grip and then framed his face with both of her hands, pulling his head down again until their noses touched.
"I love you," he suddenly whispered and Aerilyn felt tears of joy welling in her eyes. She could not say anything, and so she demonstrated her strong feelings for him with a kiss that took his breath away.
//
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Tears started to fall when the memories came back, but this time there were no tears of joy, but tears of grief and fear. Would she ever again hear him declare his love for her, and in return tell him she felt the same? Would she ever again sense his skin upon her skin, his lips upon her lips? If not, would she ever be able to love again? She knew she would never feel these deep and true emotions for another man. If anything happened to Boromir he would leave her behind with a heart broken for eternity, too heavily ripped to ever heal again.
"May I sit with you and share your sorrow?" a voice suddenly came from behind her. She turned her head abruptly, startled to see Faramir standing right next to the bed. She had been too caught up in her thoughts and had not heard him enter the room.
"Yes," she only said, wiping away her tears. She fought hard to prevent them from continuing to flow as she was rather embarrassed to cry in front of her Lord's brother. Faramir sat down on the corner of her bed and took both of her hands in his. He stared down at them, softly stroking the back of her hands with his thumbs.
"I am glad and relieved you woke up," he told her. She didn't respond as she was still concentrating on keeping back the tears.
"Do you remember anything?" Faramir asked after a long moment of silence at he looked up to her face. She could hear the tension and desperation in his voice when he spoke, and he pierced her with an expectant gaze full of hope.
"Yes, I do," Aerilyn replied, her voice only a whisper.
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//
She watched in amazement how an intense wave of pleasure washed through Boromir and took control over him completely, sending shivers up and down his body while his muscles tensed heavily. He shut his eyes tight and couldn't suppress a groan of relief. When it forced its way out of his mouth his hot breath tickled her ear and the fingers of his right hand locked with hers, squeezing them tight. The strong outburst was gone as quickly as it had started and he sank down on her body, breathing heavily. She felt that his body started to relax again, and when his hand stopped to grasp her own she softly pulled it from his now exhausted grip to embrace him with both arms. When he had caught his breath again after a few moments he wanted to let his body roll from hers, but she held to him tightly and quickly wrapped her legs around his waist to prevent him from withdrawing.
"Please, stay like this for a little longer," she begged in a low voice. She wanted to feel the throbbing heat between her thighs and his glowing skin pressed against hers for a few more moments. She wanted their bodies to remain fused and enjoy the sensation of loving intimacy.
"I am too heavy for you," he replied and softly kissed her lips.
"May I be on top then?" she asked. Boromir couldn't help smiling and then turned around on his back, holding her body in his arms, until she sat on top of him. She lowered the upper part of her body and snuggled up against his heaving chest, burying her face in the warm and soft hollow between his neck and shoulder.
"Do you feel well?" he asked with concern, running his hand over her slender back that was partly streaked with earth and grass as he had pressed her to the ground heavily during the last hours.
"Yes, very well. And you, my Lord, do you feel well?" she asked back with her eyes still closed. When she heard him chuckle softly she had to smile too.
"I believe I never felt better in my life so far," he said dreamily, winding one of her dark curls around his finger. And so they remained lying on the ground together for a wonderful while, enjoying the peace and bliss of the moment silently.
"We need to go back soon," Boromir finally said. Aerilyn only gave a small and disappointed sigh, her breath hot against his skin.
"The sun will set soon and it starts to get cold."
"I do not feel cold when I am close to you," Aerilyn said and let herself glide next to him on the grass. When he rose her gaze ranged over his frame, trying to capture every curve, every muscle, every scar his body revealed. She watched him getting his clothes back on, layer after layer, quickly closing all buckles and straps with proficient fingers.
"So, my Lady, you wish to go back to Minas Tirith all naked?" he asked with a grin. She blushed slightly because he had noticed that she was staring.
"Here..." he said, squatted down to her level and handed her a purple piece of her clothes that lay spread all around the spot they had made love in minutes ago. As soon as she had pulled it over her head he leaned closer and kissed her, his hand running around the back of her neck.
"If you kiss me every time I put the next piece on, I will not be finished with dressing before dawn," Aerilyn said with a smile. Boromir backed away a bit and chuckled, a cheerful sparkle in his eyes. She grabbed some more clothes of hers but didn't shift her gaze from his face.
Suddenly something happened that made her frown in confusion. The expression in his eyes turned from joyful to painful, his soft chuckle changed to a gasp of both surprise and anguish. Before she could ask what was wrong he twirled around and she covered her mouth with one of her hands to suppress a scream of shock when she saw that an arrow had penetrated the upper part of his back. It was a rather small one, obviously not designed for the purpose of killing. Boromir tried to get up on his feet to pull his sword, but his legs didn't carry him anymore and he all of a sudden broke down back on his knees in front of his betrothed. The world started to spin around him and he blinked hardly to keep his mind and thoughts clear. The poison worked fast.
"Aerilyn..." Boromir panted and grabbed her wrist.
"What is happening?" she whispered in panic when she saw some men approaching quickly. Two of them had already gotten hold of their horses.
"Listen Aerilyn, you need to get away. Try to flee." A shiver ran through his body and she saw that his eyelids started to flutter as he fought against the faint that tried to overwhelm him.
"No, I will not leave you," she declared and then jerked when his grip got so firm that it hurt and his sharp gaze seemed to pierce her.
"Do as I tell you!" he hissed, his eyes suddenly dark and intimidating. She knew he was not willing to have any arguments about it. As soon as he let go of her arm she rose and started running. She looked back in fear and saw how a few men knocked the heavily tranquilized Boromir out and lifted his limp body up in the air to carry him away. And she saw that one of the men was chasing after her. She didn't notice that tears were streaming down her face, she didn't notice that the soles of her bare feet were starting to bleed, she didn't notice that she had no idea in which direction she should run. Massive fear was the only thing that occupied her mind and made her move.
She cried out when the man got hold of the fine fabric of her top and struggled hard to get rid of her attacker. The fabric ripped with a loud sound and she almost fell when she was released so suddenly. Despite the fact that her pursuer was far stronger and faster than she, Aerilyn continued to run, driven by pure dread. When she reached a small clearing, the attacker threw himself on her back and made them crash to the ground together. A wail came from Aerilyn's mouth when the huge weight of the man crushed her torso and she heard one of her ribs crack. She would have screamed at the top of her lungs, but she had not enough air to develop a strong voice. The man turned her around on her back roughly, still pinning her down to the ground with his heaviness. She tried to hit him, but he easily captured both of her wrists with only one hand and pressed them down over her head.
"Please, let me go," she begged while heavy sobs made her whole body shake. When she saw the dagger in his other hand her eyes widened in mortal agony and she took a deep breath to scream for help, but before she had a chance the blade was thrust in her chest with one strong and abrupt movement. The overwhelming pain took her breath away and instead of the scream there was only a tiny whimper escaping her throat.
Everything turned into a blur as dizziness and tiredness slowly took control of her mind and body. The last thing Aerilyn saw was the cold expression in the assassin's eyes, so full of hatred that she couldn't stand the sight and closed her own eyes tightly. Her mind was drawn into unconsciousness quickly, and she only could escape the darkness again for a few moments when she heard the voice of her dear brother.
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"Your brother and my cousin set out to find Boromir. They are accompanied by Aragorn and Legolas, two men greatly experienced in battle. They will bring my brother back to Minas Tirith, and he will live," Faramir said soothingly.
"How can you be sure?" Aerilyn replied in a low and shaky voice.
"Boromir is brave and strong, he survived worse threats than this one."
"I hope you are right, Lord Faramir," she said and couldn't fight back the tears any longer.
"Do not cry, Lady Aerilyn. Tears do not suit a pretty face like yours."
She had to laugh softly about this statement, but the low chuckle quickly changed into a heavy sob and she freed her hands from his grip to cover her face with them. Faramir felt the urge to pull her into a protecting embrace, but she was not allowed to move or be moved as the wound in her chest was still healing and in danger of breaking open again. He put a hand upon her head and softly caressed her until she had calmed down a bit again.
"I will go and tell your father that you regained consciousness again. He surely wishes to see you and also send out a messenger who brings the gratifying news about your wellbeing to your brother Lord Atalar."
"Please stay for a little longer, Lord Faramir. I do not wish to be alone now," Aerilyn whispered, exhausted from the crying.
Faramir didn't reply, but he remained seated, stroking her dark hair soothingly and holding her hand until she had fallen asleep again. Even now as she was sleeping the tears didn't cease.
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*** Before anybody starts complaining about the color of Boromir's eyes: I know that Boromir has gray eyes in the books! But in this story I picture him like in the movie, and the wonderful and very talented Sean Bean has eyes colored in green.
A few people asked whether I could inform them via e-mail every time I post a new chapter of this story, so I set up a mailing list. If anybody wants to join it, just tell me so in a review and leave your e-mail address, or drop me a line (Galbadia@gmx.net). ***
