8
(Note: there is mention of swastika's in this chapter and to all of my Buddhist readers and friends, so offense was meant to your religion, in this document it solely represents the Nazi's, which I normally don't take sides in discussions on war but swastikas wearing hats were too cute to pass up. Don't look at me like that, read on and you'll see)
Life continued on as usual until one day, orcs attacked. All of the hobbits and Gandalf were deep in the forest at their secluded campsite while Legolas and Gimli had gone to scout ahead. They could not agree on a direction so Aragorn was summoned, then Boromir as they debated which way to go. They all knew Gandalf could easily clear up the misunderstanding and point them the right way but he'd been in a foul mood all week on account of Sam taking nearly half the food supplies and cooking them at once for Frodo's "health". Poor Frodo of course could not eat all of the food and the wizard knew, that thanks to Sam, it would run short soon enough. So the warriors of the party stood at a crossroad of trails. Both Aragorn and Legolas (amazingly) decided on east, while Gimli was dead set on north. Boromir had sided with Gimli, leaving their decision locked.
As they were quibbling, orcs began to surround them. Unfortunately, it was Gimli's day to scout the area for danger and despite being well meaning, once he left their secure clearing, he had trouble seeing over many of the bushes and rocks and was able to check only a small distance. Aragorn and Legolas saw them at the same time, Boromir a second later. Gimli still argued for north and when the others went silent he thought he had finally won. Turning around he saw his companions engaged in a pitched battle, which he immediately joined.
All of the hobbits gathered around Gandalf's feet as he sat on a boulder. "Storytime!" Merry and Pippin chorused.
The orcs seemed to be endless. They knew they had to fight their way to the hobbits before the part of orcs found their campsite.
"Once in the land of Rohan, a very long time ago..." Gandalf began, all of the eyes of his audience in rapt attention on his face.
Gimli ran in swinging his axe brutally. Aragorn fought back with perfect grace, and though he did not employ the fancy twirls Legolas added to his maneuvers, they seemed to work well enough. Boromir slashed and stabbed at his opponents, using his shield as a weapon as well. He seemed to close in quickly and hack them apart brutally while looking into their eyes, making each of their deaths personal. Legolas spun about, sometimes using bow, sometimes daggers. "Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One!" He called out in a singsong voice. "Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty!" Gimli grunted back. Aragorn rolled his eyes as he dispatched the last of the orcs in his vicinity. The others seemed to be finishing up as well. He left them and ran to the campsite.
"And then the lady warrior smote the fiend with her sword, bending down and picking up her opponents head from the bloody field, his eyes still opened wide in surprise, that a maid like her could defeat the great..."
Aragorn ran through the woods at breakneck speeds until he reached the campsite. "Gandalf!" he called.
"The evil sorcerer's body began to rise up without it's head, dripping blood and gore it ripped a head from the shoulders of another corpse on the field and placing it between its own. He then turned to face the warrior maiden."
"What happened? What happened? Is she going to be OK?" Sam asked frantically.
"Well he moved towards her, her back already turned walking away, her job of killing the evil sorcerer finally at an end when he began to bring his blade down upon her with a cry of-"
"Gandalf!" Aragorn cried again.
The hobbits looked confused.
"Orcs attacking, there may be more"
The hobbits continued to look confused.
Merry said loudly in a confidential tone (for this is possible for the great Meriadoc) "I don't think this is part of the story."
Gandalf quickly processed the information and stood with Aragorn, putting the hobbits in between them. They heard them crashing through the bushes, nearing closer and closer. Aragorn held his sword at the ready. They finally reached the clearing. It was Boromir who crashed through the bushes. "They are dead," he called out, "all of them."
"And Legolas and Gimli" Strider asked.
"Both safe and arguing loudly over whether Legolas got thirty-eight or thirty-nine"
"Storytime is over" Gandalf said to the disappointed hobbits.
"But how does it end?" Frodo called.
"Ask Allison" Gandalf replied slyly.
The confused hobbits turned to Allison.
"Woman's intuition" she said smiling
They shrugged, and listened to her ending of the story as they walked. Gandalf leading the way, Boromir soon after, and Aragorn taking up the rear, shepherding stray hobbits.
Aragorn noticed Boromir's back as the human walked ahead; there was a deep brown stain across the usually red tunic, too light for orc blood. He was an idiot if he thought he could continue with a wound of the size. What if their camp was attacked? He wouldn't be able to fight again anytime soon if that was not cared for immediately. "Stupid, proud, ignorant, arrogant human" Aragorn grumbled to himself as he walked. As soon as they found the others, still in a heated argument, Gandalf separated them and said the way was northeast, which merely confused all of them further (as far as the poor hobbits confusion, they were too far gone to notice by this point). They made camp not far away.
"Allison", Frodo said, "I need to talk to you." He eyed Sam. "Alone"
She nodded acquiescence and they walked into the forest, taking care to stay nearby.
"Look" Frodo said, "I'm unsure about this whole thing, about us I mean. I know I like you a lot but I was wondering if this was the best idea, you and me being together I mean. We can hardly have a relationship and be on a quest at the same time. None of the others have managed it."
"That's because I'm the only woman here and Aragorn still refuses to sleep with Legolas."
"Well, yeah but maybe there's a reason that no other women came, maybe it's not a good idea to be involved emotionally with someone while you are out here."
"Only emotionally?" she asked seductively.
"Well, no, I mean yes, I mean, oh hell" He pulled her to him in a searing kiss. When they separated he said, "Just forget everything I said ok."
"Mmm hmm" she murmured, enjoying being with him far too much to care.
Meanwhile Legolas and Gimli pursued their argument, in lower tones, sneaking looks at Gandalf in case he would try to clout them with his staff again for arguing. The three hobbits sat down to making supper, second supper being outlawed by Gandalf. They also set about making t-shirts that had a picture of a swastika with Gandalf's hat perched atop it. The writing beneath the design said, "HASS" Which stood for "Hobbits Against Semi Starvation". The hungry little hobbits were becoming mutinous, muttering "Hiel Gandalf" beneath their breath whenever they passed the wizard. If they didn't get their elevenses and tea soon, or Gandalf didn't clout the spirit out of them with his staff, things were going to come to a head.
Aragorn approached Boromir as soon as they had made camp. "You idiot!" he hissed softly, "You are injured badly, why didn't you tell someone."
"It's nothing"
"You are covered in blood. How are you supposed to protect Frodo if you've died from fever and infection"
"With difficulty"
Aragorn dragged Boromir to a nearby stream, no one was in sight. "Take it off" Aragorn said
"Well that's something I never thought I'd hear"
Aragorn glared
"Fine, fine" Boromir said. Wincing he peeled the tunic off, pulling it over his head, gritting his teeth as the flesh on his back came off with it. Aragorn had brought his back and so tore some strips of cloth, then wetting the tunic in the stream he began to wash out the wound. Boromir remained stoic though Aragorn knew the pain had to be excruciating. Strider scrubbed hard at the dirt and blood on his skin, uncovering a back covered in old scars. Aragorn himself carried many a battle scar, but these were too frequent, all shaped the same.
"What happened to your back?" Aragorn asked
Boromir remained silent
"These are lashing marks. You were whipped. What happened?"
"It was punishment. I deserved it."
"Who did this?"
"None of your damn business" Boromir intoned lowly.
"I'm sorry this happened to you"
"I told you I deserved it damnit, now drop it!"
Aragorn ran his fingers over the webwork of scars, what could Boromir have done to deserve this?"
Later Gandalf and Aragorn talked over the campfire, Aragorn relating the story of Boromir's scars to the older man.
"Yes, I knew of them"
Aragorn's heart tore to speak so of a friend but he knew it needed to be said. "Boromir cannot continue on the quest with us. He's jaded, damaged somehow. He thinks he deserved that punishment and this quest seems to be some way to atone or escape that. He is not interested in the destruction of the ring."
"I know that, he thinks the ring should be a weapon for Gondor's use against Mordor, but I also know he has a noble spirit, hidden well though it is. His scars merely prove that."
"How did it happen?" Aragorn asked.
"Denethor, the steward of Gondor, always doted on Boromir, but despised his younger son Faramir. Boromir and Faramir were inseparable as children and remain good friends to this day. Boromir was off on quests and could do no wrong in the steward's eyes, but Faramir remained at home and couldn't seem to escape the constant cruel taunts of his father. One day Denethor was at breakfast with Faramir, making him miserable as usual, when the steward realized that a serving maid had brought him the wrong type of wine. He went to strike the girl but Faramir intervened. He ordered that Faramir receive two hundred lashes as due punishment. Faramir was barely into his teens, and such a lashing would have killed him, but he was determined to bear it. In a sick joke the Steward called out to the people gathered watching in the hall, 'Who here will defy my wishes and take this punishment for thyself in Faramir's place.' No one came forward. Then a voice the steward recognized came from the crowd. 'I will' the man said softly. It was Boromir, back from the practice yard just in time to hear the sentence but not to hear Faramir's wrong. Placing complete faith that his brother was in the right he took Faramir's punishment for him, further enraging his father. He was taken to the dungeon and beating brutally, though Faramir tried to keep Boromir from taking the beating for him, it was done. Boromir smiled at Faramir throughout the entire ordeal. And that" Gandalf concluded, "was our Lord's terrible crime"