Author's note: Hey, everyone, I'm still here! I should let you all know that there are time differences in this chapter. I know you'll figure it out, but I wanted to at least warn you. :p Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed, and as I promised there will be some more Haldir...as well as a little confrontation between Boromir and Aragorn. Enjoy!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Images flashed through Rhiannon's mind as she slept uneasily, some good and others that disturbed her deeply that she could make no sense out of until finally they all merged into a single vision, that of a great burning eye seeing all that was real and all that was not in the world. It seemed to be calling to her, mocking her heritage as from it swept a black swarm of evil creatures bent on destroying everyone and everything and her helpless to stop it as it washed over her.
She awoke with a startled gasp, sitting straight up in her bed and hissing as the sudden movement caused a white hot lance of pain to shoot through her leg. As she touched it, she suddenly realized that she was only looking through one eye since her other one was covered by bandages, and that her head throbbed in time with her frantic heartbeat. What had happened to her? And where was she anyway? Her momentary lapse in memory scared her, especially with an apparent head wound.
"Here, you might not want to do that for awhile," a soft voice spoke at her side.
She saw a cup being offered to her, and she looked up to see who it was, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was Haldir standing there. Taking it gingerly, she held it up to sniff at it and just as quickly thrust it away when she smelled the pungent odor of herbs.
He smiled patiently. "Elena, please, it will help you heal faster."
She swallowed deeply and tried to hide her grimace of distaste as she caught a whiff of it again. "I know, and it tastes bad so others won't abuse them," she stated, her voice cracking from her parched throat. Finally gathering up her courage, she downed the foul tasting brew in two quick gulps, ending up coughing as the mixture burned a trail down the back of her throat, her eyes watering heavily. But it helped ease some of her pain, that much she was thankful for.
Haldir tried his best not to smile at her obvious discomfort as he patted her gently on her back. "The benefits far outweigh the negatives though, don't you think?"
She tried her best to glare at him, but with only one good eye to do it with it didn't have the effect she intended. "You're getting too much enjoyment out of this, aren't you?"
"Would I do that?" he laughed.
"Yes, you're doing it now, you ridiculously vain elf," she retorted as she made a grab for the lock of hair that always hung over his shoulder. "Just you wait until you're injured in a battle. I hope I'm there to be the one to tell you to swallow this stuff, and then I'll be the one laughing." By then she had joined in his laughter, but soon quieted when she noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Legolas?" she asked.
"He had to return to Imladris before the danger became too much for him to bear alone," the elf replied. "He felt terrible that he could not stay longer."
She nodded solemnly. "I would expect nothing less from him, and if he had stayed then I would surely have sent him packing myself." Then she reached up towards her bandaged face, but Haldir prevented her by taking hold of her hand instead. Her face felt tight, like dried blood over her skin. "What happened to me, Haldir?" she whispered.
"You don't remember anything of the battle?" he asked, sighing when she shook her head. He told her of her injuries and what had been done to treat them. "You have been asleep for two days alone because of the amount of blood you lost."
She sat there quietly for some time, taking in his words and wondering what was to come of her after she got back on her feet again. Would she be able to fight again as she once did? She had never been a vain person a day in her life being she was a ranger, but after meeting Boromir...what would he think of her now? She knew that one of the things that had attracted him to her was her ability with a sword, and if her skills were somehow lessened would he still love her the same? Would he still find her desirable?
Mentally shaking herself back into reality, she knew she shouldn't be worrying about trivial things right now. It was enough that she was alive and in one piece with all her senses intact. She had fared better than some she had seen in all her years as a ranger.
Boromir stood there facing Aragorn, wondering what was going on as he had seen Legolas return without Rhiannon. Ever since she had left with the Mirkwood elf, he had resigned himself to the fact that she was who she was and that he could never change that...nor did he want to. He had mostly been angered by the fact that she had lied to him all this time, but he had had plenty of time to think and realized why she had done what she did. He still loved her deeply, and missed her more than he thought he ever could. His life was not the same without her. He wasn't the same person, and he began anxiously awaiting the day when she would return to him. After seeing Legolas' arrival, he had waited to see her appear, but when she hadn't he became worried.
"Aragorn...what's wrong? Where's Rhiannon?" he asked.
The ranger held out his hand to halt any more questions. "She didn't come back, Boromir," he said simply.
Boromir wondered what he meant by that. It had been no secret that after Rhiannon's departure Aragorn had not spoken to him, not before he had left nor after he had come back, and Boromir knew that his silence was a result of his words at the council to the future king of Gondor and to Rhiannon. He still didn't know what to think of Aragorn, but his foremost concern was Rhiannon right now and other matters could wait until later.
"Dammit, Aragorn, don't play words with me," he growled. "I know she didn't return with Legolas, so it's obvious there's some reason why she didn't come back."
Aragorn set his jaw firmly, Boromir's words striking the wrong chord within him. "And why do you care all of a sudden? I thought it was obvious at the council how you felt about her."
He took a deep breath to calm his temper before it got the best of him since it was what got him in this situation in the first place. "I admit that my words were spoken in haste, but since then I have realized that it was wrong of me to judge her so hastily. Please, Aragorn, tell me. Is she all right?"
He waited a moment before replying since he was having some trouble controlling his temper as well. There was something about Boromir that didn't sit right with him, and after seeing the way he had treated her at the council he had liked him even less. "Would it ease your mind to know that she lies in Lorien, suffering from wounds she received in a battle against wargs? To know that she will live with them for the rest of her life, and all because of your damned pride."
He was taken aback at finding out that she was hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to be by her side. But there was no way that he was going to let Aragorn blame him for what happened to her. "I believe that it was her choice to leave," Boromir pointed out. "And where was Legolas when all this happened? I believe it was his duty to protect her, was it not?"
"Legolas did all he could to protect her, which was more than what you did for her during the attack of Osgiliath," Aragorn challenged, staring the other man straight in the eye.
Boromir would've loved to have replied to that, but at that moment Gandalf appeared to let them know that Elrond had called another council together to discuss a plan of action. Both of them silently agreed to let things lie as they were, being that there were more important matters to discuss right now. But deep down they knew that there was unfinished business between them, and perhaps one day when the time was right would they resolve their differences.
******************
Well, they weren't literally fighting at least. Next chapter: The fellowship comes into Lorien...but will she be reunited with Boromir? Thanks for reading!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Images flashed through Rhiannon's mind as she slept uneasily, some good and others that disturbed her deeply that she could make no sense out of until finally they all merged into a single vision, that of a great burning eye seeing all that was real and all that was not in the world. It seemed to be calling to her, mocking her heritage as from it swept a black swarm of evil creatures bent on destroying everyone and everything and her helpless to stop it as it washed over her.
She awoke with a startled gasp, sitting straight up in her bed and hissing as the sudden movement caused a white hot lance of pain to shoot through her leg. As she touched it, she suddenly realized that she was only looking through one eye since her other one was covered by bandages, and that her head throbbed in time with her frantic heartbeat. What had happened to her? And where was she anyway? Her momentary lapse in memory scared her, especially with an apparent head wound.
"Here, you might not want to do that for awhile," a soft voice spoke at her side.
She saw a cup being offered to her, and she looked up to see who it was, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was Haldir standing there. Taking it gingerly, she held it up to sniff at it and just as quickly thrust it away when she smelled the pungent odor of herbs.
He smiled patiently. "Elena, please, it will help you heal faster."
She swallowed deeply and tried to hide her grimace of distaste as she caught a whiff of it again. "I know, and it tastes bad so others won't abuse them," she stated, her voice cracking from her parched throat. Finally gathering up her courage, she downed the foul tasting brew in two quick gulps, ending up coughing as the mixture burned a trail down the back of her throat, her eyes watering heavily. But it helped ease some of her pain, that much she was thankful for.
Haldir tried his best not to smile at her obvious discomfort as he patted her gently on her back. "The benefits far outweigh the negatives though, don't you think?"
She tried her best to glare at him, but with only one good eye to do it with it didn't have the effect she intended. "You're getting too much enjoyment out of this, aren't you?"
"Would I do that?" he laughed.
"Yes, you're doing it now, you ridiculously vain elf," she retorted as she made a grab for the lock of hair that always hung over his shoulder. "Just you wait until you're injured in a battle. I hope I'm there to be the one to tell you to swallow this stuff, and then I'll be the one laughing." By then she had joined in his laughter, but soon quieted when she noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Legolas?" she asked.
"He had to return to Imladris before the danger became too much for him to bear alone," the elf replied. "He felt terrible that he could not stay longer."
She nodded solemnly. "I would expect nothing less from him, and if he had stayed then I would surely have sent him packing myself." Then she reached up towards her bandaged face, but Haldir prevented her by taking hold of her hand instead. Her face felt tight, like dried blood over her skin. "What happened to me, Haldir?" she whispered.
"You don't remember anything of the battle?" he asked, sighing when she shook her head. He told her of her injuries and what had been done to treat them. "You have been asleep for two days alone because of the amount of blood you lost."
She sat there quietly for some time, taking in his words and wondering what was to come of her after she got back on her feet again. Would she be able to fight again as she once did? She had never been a vain person a day in her life being she was a ranger, but after meeting Boromir...what would he think of her now? She knew that one of the things that had attracted him to her was her ability with a sword, and if her skills were somehow lessened would he still love her the same? Would he still find her desirable?
Mentally shaking herself back into reality, she knew she shouldn't be worrying about trivial things right now. It was enough that she was alive and in one piece with all her senses intact. She had fared better than some she had seen in all her years as a ranger.
Boromir stood there facing Aragorn, wondering what was going on as he had seen Legolas return without Rhiannon. Ever since she had left with the Mirkwood elf, he had resigned himself to the fact that she was who she was and that he could never change that...nor did he want to. He had mostly been angered by the fact that she had lied to him all this time, but he had had plenty of time to think and realized why she had done what she did. He still loved her deeply, and missed her more than he thought he ever could. His life was not the same without her. He wasn't the same person, and he began anxiously awaiting the day when she would return to him. After seeing Legolas' arrival, he had waited to see her appear, but when she hadn't he became worried.
"Aragorn...what's wrong? Where's Rhiannon?" he asked.
The ranger held out his hand to halt any more questions. "She didn't come back, Boromir," he said simply.
Boromir wondered what he meant by that. It had been no secret that after Rhiannon's departure Aragorn had not spoken to him, not before he had left nor after he had come back, and Boromir knew that his silence was a result of his words at the council to the future king of Gondor and to Rhiannon. He still didn't know what to think of Aragorn, but his foremost concern was Rhiannon right now and other matters could wait until later.
"Dammit, Aragorn, don't play words with me," he growled. "I know she didn't return with Legolas, so it's obvious there's some reason why she didn't come back."
Aragorn set his jaw firmly, Boromir's words striking the wrong chord within him. "And why do you care all of a sudden? I thought it was obvious at the council how you felt about her."
He took a deep breath to calm his temper before it got the best of him since it was what got him in this situation in the first place. "I admit that my words were spoken in haste, but since then I have realized that it was wrong of me to judge her so hastily. Please, Aragorn, tell me. Is she all right?"
He waited a moment before replying since he was having some trouble controlling his temper as well. There was something about Boromir that didn't sit right with him, and after seeing the way he had treated her at the council he had liked him even less. "Would it ease your mind to know that she lies in Lorien, suffering from wounds she received in a battle against wargs? To know that she will live with them for the rest of her life, and all because of your damned pride."
He was taken aback at finding out that she was hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to be by her side. But there was no way that he was going to let Aragorn blame him for what happened to her. "I believe that it was her choice to leave," Boromir pointed out. "And where was Legolas when all this happened? I believe it was his duty to protect her, was it not?"
"Legolas did all he could to protect her, which was more than what you did for her during the attack of Osgiliath," Aragorn challenged, staring the other man straight in the eye.
Boromir would've loved to have replied to that, but at that moment Gandalf appeared to let them know that Elrond had called another council together to discuss a plan of action. Both of them silently agreed to let things lie as they were, being that there were more important matters to discuss right now. But deep down they knew that there was unfinished business between them, and perhaps one day when the time was right would they resolve their differences.
******************
Well, they weren't literally fighting at least. Next chapter: The fellowship comes into Lorien...but will she be reunited with Boromir? Thanks for reading!