Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Tolkien's. I'm just playing around with them a bit and will put them carefully away when I'm done. The Sea Hawk, however, is all mine and please ask before using in other fics.
Dedications: I wouldn't have had the nerve to even start this without Evendim and my darling AJ reassuring me that it was decent. This entire story is dedicated to them.
A/N: This piece is set in Evendim's wonderful AU. Any questions can be answered simply by reading her wonderful fics. Which should be done anyway because they are simply excellent!
A/N 2:This being an AU piece, there are several discrepancies from the Professor's works. Not the least of which that Boromir lives!
A/N 3: My thanks to all my reviewers! I try to answer reviews as they come in, but if you don't leave an email I can't answer them!
*** Eight"All right, we're clear of the cove, now let me see that cut." The Sea Hawk's voice was terse, even impatient. "And stop giving orders on my ship, damn you!"
Boromir allowed her to lead him below. "Then give the orders when they're needed!" he snarled. "If you're going to be a pirate, or a Captain, Captain, then by Eru's sweet sake, be one! Your hesitation almost cost us dearly." He stormed about the Hawk's cabin, his temper clearly beyond restraint.
She grabbed him and pushed him down onto the bunk, her own fury easily a match for his. "Don't you dare make this my fault!" she raged at him. "It wasn't my fault that the slavers found us!"
"Of course it wasn't your fault! But that doesn't excuse your behavior!" Boromir felt as though he was back in the barracks, dressing down a recruit, and for a moment, the image held firmly. "If you're going to command, you have to command! Hesitation is not acceptable. And if you're not willing to kill to stay free, you've no business being a pirate!"
"Well, if we're down to finding flaws in each other's character, Boromir, you've a few not so savory traits yourself! Such as being a sneak and a liar!" Her open palm connected with his face with a solid crack. "You told me you'd sabotaged my ship!"
"I did, didn't I?" he replied as he stood, hoping to intimidate her by sheer size. "You are far too trusting, girl. I was bluffing in hopes of an early release!" He took a step forward, forcing her to fall back, and his voice took on a low, menacing note. "You are no more than a spoiled brat who needs a good spanking. Is that why you became a pirate, Fileg? Because someone didn't let you have your way? Eru, girl, you don't have the stomach to be a pirate!"
She blanched and backed away from him, turning to leave the room. "There are bandages in the chest, there, and some solution to clean the wound," she said woodenly. "After you've tended yourself, see Arthond. He'll set you one of the small boats, and you can go where you wish. I release you."
Boromir shook his head. He had meant to frighten her, to scare her out of what wits she possessed, but now he was feeling just a bit guilty. "I cannot tend myself, I'm afraid," he said slowly, willing her to turn and face him again so he could see her expression. "Would you reconsider taking care of it for me?"
She turned, slowly, and stepped over to the chest, taking the supplies from it and turning to face him again. "Fine." Her voice was tight with fury. "I'll tend your wounds. Sit down." She approached him only after he had seated himself again, as though a touch fearful of him, but her expression spoke of anger more than fear.
Her hands were gentle as they cleaned and dressed the long cut, but her expression told him he should stay quiet, at least until she was finished, for she seemed sorely tempted to take more of his hide in payment for her services!
He thought back over their previous shouting match and realized her behavior had changed from the moment he had mentioned she would not kill. That in itself seemed so bizarre for a pirate that he almost couldn't credit it. But the reputation of the Sea Hawk confirmed it. She had no more than a dozen kills to her name, and all of those unavoidable.
Her honor had remained intact, and his was in shreds over his duty to his King. No, no, he had committed no wrong. But he was coming to realize how driven by honor and duty she was, almost as much as he himself. He had made the mistake of seeing her as an enemy without honor, and that had shamed him. Not his actions. His presumptions.
She was finishing up with the wound and set the supplies down, coming to stand in front of him again. "You're lucky. Last time I threw a dagger at someone, it took off his ear. You didn't even need stitching." Her voice was still tense, rage underlying every word. "Now, let's get you off this ship."
"Not yet, please." Boromir kept his voice neutral, although the words were bitter in his mouth. However, he needed to see this through. "I've been an absolute swine to you without knowing the truth. And I am prepared, now, to give you a fair hearing." He settled himself a bit more comfortably. "Whenever you are ready, my lady."
"Oh, Eru, we're back to that again." She threw up her hands. "I am no lady, Captain-General, nor do I expect you to treat me like one. I am what I am, nothing more." She stalked across the cabin, stopping at another small chest and unlocking it with a hidden key from somewhere on her person. Then she stood and offered a cup to him, setting the other on the table and following it with a dusty bottle. "This is going to be a long conversation, so you might as well enjoy. I only ask that you give me the promised fair hearing, though much of what I'll say won't be easy on your ears." She handed the bottle across to him, nodding toward the label that was almost indecipherable. "Wine from Harad, one of the finer vintages. Go on, settle in and pour a cup. We're going to be here a while."
TBC…