Disclaimer: I don't own anything, it all belongs to the
estate of JRR Tolkien. I do, however, claim the Hawk and other original
characters and would like to be told if they are used elsewhere.
A/N: This story is set in an alternate universe created by Evendim. She has
graciously allowed me to play in her sandbox, and I am very grateful for it.
A/N 2: In order to understand this universe, and chiefly to understand how
Boromir was able to survive Amon Hen, you really should read Evendim's fics,
Behind Closed Doors, Beyond Closed Doors, and Beyond the Fourth Age. This fic
ties in with the occurrences in those fics.
Dedications: To Evendim, who created this wonderful universe where Boromir gets
to live, and to my darling AJ who gave me the courage and strength to post this
story. I love you guys so much!
**********
Boromir groaned. "So what do you suggest we do now, Captain," Boromir growled. "No oars. And even if we had oars, we would still have a problem. How do we get drinking water out here? We can survive without food, but without water we haven't a very good chance."
Hawk almost grinned at him as she loosened her leather vest. "That's why I'm the pirate and you're not," she said bluntly. "I've a way of collecting water, and if we're lucky it will be enough for us to reach Cair Andros. Just pray we don't have a squall in the meantime, this boat was never meant for rough weather."
The vest hit the deck of the little craft and she swore. "What we need is water. We can reach Cair Andros by nightfall, two days from now, if we can find something to row with. But if we don't have a water source, we won't make it." She shaded her eyes and glared toward the horizon. "I think we can manage the water, but you won't like it."
He scowled back at her. "I'll do what must be done to protect Faramir and my King," he spat. "But while you are plotting, find a way for us to steer this thing in the right direction. We've no rudder, either."
"Don't need one." Hawk had lain down in the bottom of the boat and was inspecting the seats carefully. "We'll steer her straight enough with the oars."
Boromir was sure she'd gone mad. "The sun's gotten to you," he grumbled as he watched her closely. "We *have* no oars, Hawk. Do you understand that? We - have - no - oars!"
She came upright quickly, the bench held in her hands. "We'll use these," she explained patiently. "I'm the pirate, you're the soldier. I know how to survive out here, and you don't. This isn't a training mission, Boromir, it's survival, pure and simple. If you want to live, you'll have to follow my lead." Gone was the insecure, frightened girl she had seemed only moments ago. It was as if, by making the decision to atone for her mistakes, she had unlocked a core of strength that had long remained hidden. "Will you, or are we going to argue over this more while that scurvy bastard is using *my* ship to plunder and kill? And let's not forget your darling little brother, either. He'll be on his way to Cair Andros by now, maybe already there. Which will it be, Captain-General of Gondor?"
Boromir hid his shock well. This was the brat who had kidnapped him. But the strength of her will was iron, and no longer was she playing at being a pirate. By betraying her and stealing her ship, Arthond had taught her a hard lesson. This was no game they were playing, and they both needed to be hardened and decisive to survive it.
Hawk would survive, he knew. She seemed to have tapped into some inner source of confidence and steel. He took the other bench apart and moved to the port side of the boat. "We'll need to share the remaining bench, and I do much better with the left arm," he said simply. "If you know of a reliable source of water, then we should make Cair Andros in good shape indeed. But will we be there in time?"
She yanked her hair up off her neck and secured it with a leather strip she had found in their meager supplies. "The wind is against Arthond and Aergil," she explained as they began to row in unison. "We have a chance. But we're not heading for Cair Andros, not directly."
"We're not." Boromir felt his fury rising again and struggled to subdue it. "And why not? In case you have forgotten in the last few moments, Faramir is going to his death."
"I hadn't forgotten." She shielded her eyes again and glanced slightly to the starboard of straight ahead. "It appears that your King values your hide quite highly, sir. Is that not his banner on that ship?"
Boromir followed her eyes and cursed explosively. "How long have you known that Barcque was in these waters?" he demanded. "Never mind, sit down. Row. We might just make it to Faramir before Arthond does."