Disclaimer: Nope, not mine, I'm broke, don't sue!
Thanks to: Fox of the Nova (I love how you make it sound like a boxing match, that's wicked!!! I think you'll find that Aragorn pretty much wins this round too, but don't forget, Tari's a diplomatic kinda girl…and Boromir wont take this lying down!); Amarthiel of Dor Lomin (thanks for the compliment…If I think of something new, I'll be sure to write something more original for you. We can't all like everything, but I appreciate your candour. Thanks for the review.); and dark child99 (thanks for the praise!! I hope you like this next one!)
Chapter 12
Upon reaching the far railing of the terrace, Aragorn released Tari's arm and placed his two hands on the marble railing, leaning into his palms. Tari crossed her arms, rubbing her small hands up and down quickly to rid them of the sudden chill they felt from the cool autumn evening. The moon was full; its silvery beams the only thing illuminating the vast stone and marble terrace.
Tari leaned her back against the railing to Aragorn's right. Keeping her arms crossed, she attempted to organize her jumbled thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she began.
"You looked like you wanted to kill Boromir in there, Aragorn." Tari decided to go with the direct approach. Why beat around the bush? They both knew it was coming anyway. "Did I?" Aragorn queried, "I wasn't aware." She snorted very ungracefully, surprising Aragorn, who was more used to the soft spoken and polite lady-like behaviour. "Yes," she retorted sarcastically, "and I'm an ugly, smelly, hairy orc!" This elicited an amused grin from the highly uncooperative Aragorn. "Your point is well taken, my lady." The handsome ranger replied with a slight growl.
"So what's the problem then?" Tari asked, nearing exasperation. "I don't know exactly, " Aragorn began, "I just sense something off with him, I can't pinpoint it, but he just rubs me the wrong way." (A/N: wouldn't I like to rub him the right way ;) !) he finished softly. "Well, I guess I can understand that." Tari replied thoughtfully, knowing that Aragorn was not being completely forthcoming. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was jealous! "I don't have such strong, negative feelings about Boromir like you do, but he does make me uncomfortable. He stares at me a lot, and he was pretty blatant with his flirting. It was like he was trying to picture me without my gown on!" she shuddered, feeling slightly disgusted. Tari heard a low grunt come from beside her as he replied, "So I noticed."
Tari turned to look at him, leaning her right hip against the railing. "Aragorn, we have to figure out a way to at least tolerate him. We will be traveling together for quite a while, and it would go a lot smoother if you could refrain from sticking your sword at his throat every day, threatening to kill him! We need to kill the enemy, not an ally, no matter how arrogant or annoying he may be." She explained, putting her hand on his rather large and firm bicep (A/N: (author wipes drool off her chin…). Aragorn furrowed his brow as he considered her words. Tari continued, "Besides, we wouldn't want your head to burst from the effort of not killing Boromir!"
Aragorn laughed loudly at that. "Yes, I suppose you're right, Lady Tari. What do you suggest I do?" he asked. Tari thought for a moment, then made a suggestion. "Well, you'll be giving me some weapons training, yes?" Tari waited for Aragorn to confirm her statement. "Well, then, why don't I ask Boromir to help as well? Wouldn't it be better for me to have experience for more than one battle style?" she suggested slyly. Aragorn considered this as she continued. "Besides, we may discover that Boromir is more than just a stuck-up, conceited warrior and find that we actually like him!" she said with a laugh. Aragorn rolled his eyes sarcastically and grunted, "Yeah, right!" Tari chuckled, and she and Aragorn arranged to meet after breakfast on the training field.
They stood outside for a few more minutes, enjoying the quiet beauty of the night. Aragorn was significantly calmer now, so Tari made one last suggestion. "Now that you've cooled down some, why don't we go back inside and have that dance we talked about earlier? You do owe me one after all!" Aragorn smiled down at her, noticing the amused twinkle gleaming there. "Yes," he replied, "I suppose I can handle that! Shall we?" he asked, extending his left arm to the petite blonde in front of him. "Aye!" she answered, slipping her arm into his as he escorted her back into the ballroom.
As they slipped back into the room, Boromir was making his way over to them. Tari could feel Aragorn stiffen, trying not to get angry, so she muttered to him under her breath to calm down. He began taking slow, deep breaths and Tari smiled toward Boromir. The Gondorian smiled back and, upon reaching her, kissed her hand again. "I see you've cooled off a bit. Glad to see you're back." He stated cautiously. Tari and Aragorn both noticed the change in his approach, and Tari could feel Aragorn actually relax a bit. She smiled more genuinely now as she replied, "Yes, I'm much better now. All that dancing was making me look like a huge tomato, and I was really overheating. Lord Aragorn and I discussed my training schedule. We were both hoping you could meet us after breakfast to help me with my training, since my first sword session was today and I'll need more." Tari asked him hopefully, wanting to come to some sort of unspoken peace agreement. With a look of surprise, Boromir graciously accepted, looking pleased.
"Aye, my lady, I would be honoured. I was feeling uncomfortable with you coming on this fellowship, but I would feel better if I saw some of the skills you have and to help you in some new ones. Thank you very much for asking me!" Tari nodded, an amused smile on her face. "Very well, you shall see some of my skills tomorrow after breakfast." Listening to the new song that was beginning, Tari grasped Aragorn's arm, tugging him toward the dance floor, exclaiming, "Oh! I love this song! C'mon, Aragorn, you owe me a dance, and I'm claiming this one!" Aragorn laughed as he allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor.
Elrond watched Tari pulling Aragorn to the dance floor, and was surprised. Aragorn was smiling and laughing, far more than he ever seemed to with his daughter. Elrond hoped against hope that Aragorn would listen to his request to leave Arwen so that she could be with her own people. Elrond couldn't bear the thought of being separated from another family member for eternity, like he had his brother, Elros. He dreaded the thought of leaving his only daughter behind forever, even if Aragorn was a good man. Elrond liked to see the interaction with Lady Tari because it gave him hope that Aragorn could fall for a mortal woman, and he could take his daughter with him to Valinor.
Boromir, however, was not enjoying the view. He couldn't stand that Aragorn seemed to be her choice for male companionship for the evening. He could see Aragorn's growing affection for the lovely golden haired lady, and he was disgusted. He had been informed of Aragorn's betrothal to the Lady Arwen, and felt that this…display…was indecent. Boromir saw only competition, and was confident that he could appeal to her seeming sense of decency in order to pull her away from his so-called king. "King, ha!" Boromir muttered to himself angrily, "There is no way I'd ever let him take the rule of Gondor away from my family!"
