Murphy's Law
Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start (don't they always?)…getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind…BoromirOC.
Wow. Don't I feel bad…I haven't updated in awhile…I just hope you all can accept my most sincere apologies. I literally finished 'Something Special' and then got right on writing this. Things in the family department have been crazy during the year '05. I have a new kitten! Dance practice has started up again at 6:00 a.m. (cries). In any case, I have brought you the next chapter.
Getting Denethor's consent to let me go to Rivendell with Boromir was hard. Really hard.
It involved days of bugging and compromising. Not that I did any of this, no way. Boromir did it all. Though I'm not sure that 'bugging' was the right word. It was probably more like 'father-son begging'.
I don't know how Boromir even changed Denethor's mind. I mean, he seemed very stubborn and stuck in his ways. But he reminds me of myself, in the sense that if I had been told that I couldn't go, I would have probably found my own way out. But doesn't Gondor have gates or something around it? I couldn't remember.
I came upon Faramir some weeks before Boromir and I were due to leave. I noticed as the days went by that no one really paid much mind to Faramir, and he was actually a great person. Whenever his father was near or someone talked down to him, his eyes got faraway and obeying and his face just tightened up. However, around people who never judged him, like servants or Boromir, he was relaxed and playful.
It didn't take him long to open up to me, mainly because right away I could sympathize with him. His mother was gone, like mine, and our fathers didn't exactly see eye to eye with us either. Our siblings always seemed to get the glory and love that we craved. He was probably the person I hung out most with when I was in Minas Tirith.
About a week before Boromir and I had to leave, his father sent Faramir on a scouting trip. He left without complaint, but I secretly knew that he was upset that he couldn't come to Rivendell. From what I had heard from Boromir and Faramir, it was Faramir's dream of Isildur's Bane first, and it was unfair that Boromir was chosen to go instead of him. Boromir had argued Faramir's case with their father, but his will was firm and Faramir was to remain in Gondor.
To my delight, Faramir showed up the day that we were to leave. I was packing some traveling clothes given to me and was gathering things like brushes and…girly things…when I heard voices outside in the hall. Whoever it was, they were being really loud. I popped my head out of the door to see the commotion, and to my surprise, it was Boromir and Faramir, laughing and hugging.
"Faramir!" I squealed and took off running down the hall, undergarments draped over my shoulder and a comb stuck in my untamed morning hair. To make matters worse, I practically jumped on him as a hello.
"Why, hello, Ivy!" He said, grinning much like his brother.
"Hi! I'm so glad you made it!" I said, squeezing him tightly. "I hoped that you'd make it back in time to say goodbye!"
"I could never truly part from my brother and my friend without saying my farewells," He said pulling back, still smiling warmly. "What have you left to pack?"
"Oh, things," I said, forgetting the comb and undergarments.
"We see," Boromir said, amused. I was confused for a few moments before the swinging weight of the revealing corset around my arm caught my attention. I was also aware of my horrible, tangled hair. I suddenly blushed.
"I…um…" I turned around. "Oh…" Then I scrambled back to my room without a word. Talk about embarrassment. I hadn't even known these dudes for a full month and here I was, torturing myself with underwear and a bad hair day.
I hastily shoved the offending corset into my saddlebag and plucked the comb from my hair, dragging out a few hairs painfully. I was so wrapped up in my task that I didn't notice Boromir and Faramir watching me from the doorway.
"Stupid, stupid…and its not like I'm going to wear you as some kind of item of seduction, anyway," I muttered, burrowing to the bottom of my bag for some hair bands to tie my hair up with. "Yeah, great, Ivy. Seduce Boromir with underwear to make a prostitute blush while we're out camping in the middle of nowhere." I started laughing at the thought of Boromir and I being alone in the wilderness, without people around or anything. His father must have been REALLY confident in him to let him travel from Minas Tirith to Rivendell alone, or at least with a lady who had NO previous self-defense training.
I turned around to find a mirror so I could see my mess of a mop that I call hair when I saw the two men regarding me strangely from the door.
I gaped.
How much did they hear?
I squeaked.
They cracked smiles.
"Though I would like to have you try out that rather alluring item of clothing, I fear that it may take too much attention from our travels," Boromir stated wryly, Faramir behind him grinning.
I looked hopelessly on at them.
"Leave," I said, my face cherry-red. "Just go and spare the rest of my dignity."
His expression softened, but he did back up and out of the doorway.
"We will come to get you when we must depart," Boromir said, and bowed. "Come, brother." And so Faramir and him left, turning a corner and out of sight. I let out a breath of air and closed the door. I felt badly for having them leave the way they did, but this really wasn't the time for their jokes. I was seriously frazzled, waking up early but seemingly having no time at all to get anything done. My hair had decided that today would be the day that it would not cooperate and I angrily ripped the hair tie from my locks when a huge section of hair just fell out from it.
I decided to not bother with my hair, as I was getting nowhere with it, and resolved myself to finish packing. I still had my school swimsuit and I now held it up. I ultimately decided to take it with me. If I got the chance to bathe, and I prayed to GOD that I did, I would rather have that on than be totally nekkid. And after the problem with Boromir just now, it wouldn't do too well to be in nothing but my skin while I was near him. Even if bathing suits were just a step up from nudity and showy underwear, it was better than nothing. He'd deal.
After nearly forty minutes of obsessing and nail biting, I found myself lugging my saddlebags out and down the hall. Though I had stayed here for about a month, it was still like a maze to me, and I never wanted to run into Denethor or someone equally unpleasant, so I usually just stayed in my room. Unless, of course, I was in the presence of Boromir or Faramir. Faramir was more likely to hang out with me, as Boromir was always busy, being a Captain-General, you know.
But now, I would make up for lost time with Boromir by traveling with him to a common destination. I had read the books and knew that Boromir would take at least three months to get to Rivendell. I'd like to think that we would have done some serious bonding on the way there.
I frowned. Being alone with Boromir for three months could be strange to most. I wondered how the nobles and townspeople must think of me. They would obviously think that we would have something going on…
I shrugged. Let them think what they want, I thought. However, it did make me feel a little upset to know that people were judging me before they got the whole story. What frustrated me even more was that I couldn't tell anyone else of where I came from and what I planned to do to get back. It was as if I wasn't in control.
It reminded me of that one time when I was ten and I wore this awesome dress for picture day, but my friend Amber spilled milk on it. For the rest of the day I walked around, trying to cover up the stain with my sweater, but people kept pointing and laughing. To make matters worse, Amber had told everyone else that I was clumsy and spilled in on myself, so no one believed me say that it was HER fault. I didn't feel like I was in control of the situation.
I felt this way now.
Oh, and being pulled into Middle Earth - THAT was TOTALLY not in my control, either.
But I was going to go to Rivendell and fix the problem now. Everything would be better, eventually. This wasn't my world, and as horrible as it was for me to admit it, I needed to go home. Even if Middle Earth was really kick ass.
Before I knew it, we were outside the Citadel getting ready to leave.
"Do you ride?" Boromir asked as he prepared a horse. I opened my mouth to tell him no, but then shut it and opted for a little head shake instead.
"Not at all?" He asked, seeming distraught. I shook my head again.
"No," I said, eyeing the sturdy chocolate stallion that he was readying. "Why, is that a problem?"
He regarded me carefully, then shook his head.
"I doubt it will be hindering to us, as this horse is built for labor and strength," He sighed. "It would have helped, though, if you had some riding experience."
I grew angry at being talked to that way. "Excuse me," I said in defense. "but maybe you could have asked me this sooner during the past MONTH that I was here and maybe then you could have given me pointers! Then we wouldn't be in this situation." I folded my arms. He looked slightly hurt at being yelled at. Really, I didn't yell at him. Just kind of reprimanded him.
"I apologize, Lady," He said, taking my saddlebags and hooking them nicely onto the horse. "It is only my concern that we may take longer than expected to reach our destination, as this horse may tire from all our weight. There are times, I'm afraid, where we must walk instead of ride. I hope you aren't reconsidering your decision to come with me."
I managed a small smile, and tried to salvage the rest of my pride. "Well, it isn't like I have a choice, anyway." I said lightly and left the stables to find Faramir.
We were both walking down a path outside the Citadel overlooking all of Minas Tirith. There were bulky white stones all around and when you compared it to the diversity of the city below and the green of the grass in the courtyard behind, it was all very beautiful.
"Well, Faramir," I spoke softly, not wanting to break the peaceful trance that I was in. "I suppose that this is goodbye." He turned to me, a sad smile.
"Not forever," He said, cocking his head and looking down at me. I suddenly felt really sad.
"Yes, actually…" I said, and the look he gave me then broke my heart. "Maybe forever."
"But why?" He cried out, stepping away from me.
"I'm going to Rivendell to find out how to get home," I explained. "If I get the help I'm looking for…then I'll be gone. And I don't know how I'd get back." I was very depressed. Why couldn't Faramir come with us?
"I see," Faramir spoke quietly in a resigned voice. "I see that you must go, for your own good." He stepped nearer to me. "You have been a valuable friend to me, Lady Ivy. I thank you for your company and wish you good luck on your quest."
I smiled. "Thank you, Faramir. It's wonderful that we aren't parting on bad terms." I looked over the city thoughtfully. "But you never know. The world works in mysterious ways. We may end up meeting again."
He took hold of my hands and held them gently for several moments, and then after sharing one last warm smile, he released his hold and went off to find Boromir.
I came upon them, talking to each other in the stables. Not wanting to ruin their moment, I stole away in one of the stalls and waited for them to finish so that I could announce to Boromir that their father wanted to speak to him.
"I cannot help but wonder if this is right," Faramir was saying to him, looking very disheveled and worn. "It was my dream first! How could father—"
"Little Brother, we have been over this before," Boromir said, and patted his shoulder tenderly. "Father is only concerned about making certain that I have fair experience dealing with these matters. Do not take him personally, for I am sure that he has high expectations for you also."
"Not bloody likely," Faramir turned his head down. "Everyone can plainly tell that you are his favorite, not me."
"Do not say that!" Boromir said, chastising him. "This is not how I want to remember my little brother: a bitter man with resentment towards myself and our father."
There was silence. Then Faramir laughed. "I apologize, Boromir. I am making a downpour out of a drizzle, and feel silly for doing so."
They shared a manly hug for a few moments, then Faramir spoke.
"You're coming back soon, aren't you, Brother?"
"Aye, of course," Boromir said, incredulously. "Why would you ask that?"
"It's just…" Faramir laughed again. "My apologies. Why bother with intuition? I know that you will be safe and sound upon your return."
"Do not forget it," Boromir said airily. Then more seriously, "Faramir, I promise, I'm coming home. Do what you can to keep yourself preoccupied and eventually, it will be like I've never left."
As they left the stables, they past me, sitting on the ground in pure shock, tears gathering in my eyes. I never let them run, but the pure heartache of knowing that Boromir would never come home unleashed an unmeasurable sorrow in me for Faramir. Those two obviously loved each other very much. In the books, wasn't Faramir the one to see Boromir's body in the boat floating out to sea?
I took several minutes to compose myself, and when I was sure that I wouldn't burst into tears the moment I left stall, I exited and walked in the direction of the two brothers.
Denethor found Boromir and Faramir on his own, as I probably took too long waiting for them to finish their conversation. Wee, one more reason for him to find me suspicious. I would have argued with him that I was going to tell them if he hadn't been so darn impatient, but then I seriously thought.
Arguing with the Steward of Gondor, who is practically royalty as far as ruling the city goes…nope, rather not.
Besides, I was still holding him to his word about the entire 'execution' deal. I mean, he was basically a crazy old crackpot in the books and movies, so why wouldn't he hesitate to command guards to take hold of my arms and pull until I was ripped in two? Or worse, he'd make me stand outside the citadel and make me wear a humiliation mask like they did in medieval times.
In any case, I avoided him as much as I could until he came to see Boromir and I off on our journey.
Boromir gave me a leg up and I swung onto his horse first, then he followed, tugging the reigns slightly. The horse ventured close to the line of people seeing us off, though I wished we could just leave already because it was making me nervous.
"Hail Lord Boromir, Son of Denethor, Captain-General of the Gondorian forces, prince of the City, " A guard belted out and several people raised their hands in prayer. Denethor spoke next, his voice dripping with pride for his oldest and firstborn son.
"May the Valar watch over your treacherous journey and give you the blessing of safe travels," He said, raising his hand once more.
"Hail!" Several people cried out.
And then something altogether unexpected happened.
"And may the Valar watch over Lady Ivy, and bless her quest to find a way home!" Faramir suddenly called, apparently miffed in the sense that Denethor was going to ignore me this whole time. The said Steward turned to his son and gave him an icy glare, but I was too embarrassed to really notice. People had turned their attention to me, and I wasn't sure I liked it.
"Here, here!" Boromir called out appraisingly, and several others did also, to my surprise. In fact, most of them appeared to be high-ranking servants who I had befriended when I had no one else to talk to. Sometimes it pays to be nice.
A few noblewomen were staring at me oddly and jealously as Boromir and I rode past them. I supposed they would kill to be riding on a horse with him. I really hoped that they didn't know that I would be on this horse with him until October. A richer woman who looked more his age, if you know what I mean, stepped up to the horse and presented him with some wildflowers.
"Have a safe journey, my lord Captain," The woman said, eyeing him longingly as he took the flowers from her jeweled hand.
"Thank you for your generosity," He responded, and I noticed that his voice had gone straight into 'Hero' mode. That is, it got deeper and more authoritative. It was really funny to hear him talking that way. I didn't bust out laughing, but damn, it was hard not to.
The woman smiled sweetly and stepped back into a line of other noblemen.
Then Boromir scared me half to death and kicked the horse into high gear, meaning that he literally kicked it and it took off galloping down through the seven tiers of the city. I had never really ridden horses before, so this first experience scared the HELL out of me.
"Do not stiffen," He said, trying to calm me. "Horses know your fear of them and that fear causes their misbehavior and unease. You must relax."
So I tried my best to. I closed my eyes and thought back to how peaceful it had been when Faramir and I were overlooking the city while saying our good-byes. Though it was a pretty day, it was sort of breezy, and I was glad that Gondorian traveling clothes were fit for harsher weather conditions. The wind rushing past me because of the horse's rampant speed only increased this fact.
And as we flew past the gates of Minas Tirith and into the Pelennor Fields, I never once noticed that Boromir had placed a perfectly formed daisy into my hair.
Author's Note: I hope that was long enough for you guys to suck on until I make more! Of course, you would all like me to update right away no matter what…but this takes lots of time. I wrote this in two days, after I resigned myself to finishing this chapter. Now we just have to get through the three months of traveling…110 days and 400 leagues to go! Romance? Maaaaaybe…
Please review!