A/N: Saw Rotk today, finally! It came out late Down Under so I was forced
to wait while my overseas friends whispered spoilers at me tauntingly . . .
grrr. Anyhow, this most probably won't be finished today so I'll finish
this A/N when I finish off the chappy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: A Place Of Her Own
Chapter: An Acceptance Of Worlds
Rating: PG 13 or M/normal PG for those who DON'T conform to American measures.
Summary: I denounce the tenth walker impression any are getting here! I will not conform to the Mary Sue! This is about the girl not her influencing Middle Earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I want you to know who I am so you can trust me a little better than you did last time."
"And?"
Boromir looked hard into Nat's eyes and saw mockery.
"I am a Man of Gondor."
"You know that means nothing to me."
"Aye, your geography skills are to be desired. Gondor is one of the two kingdoms of Men. The other is Rohan, whose people are born into the saddle. Gondor lies to the south. I am heir to its Stewardship."
"So?"
Boromir nearly sighed with exasperation at the girl's incompetence.
"I am held in high stead. I am honour bound to protect my kin and allies."
"I am neither."
"You are my kin."
The girl stared at him.
"But I'm not . . . I don't even belong here! This place is a freak house!"
"You will not speak that way about the people who took you in and cared for you."
"I know nothing about this place, I want to go back to what I know! I've never heard of elves except for the short-assed ones who help make toys in the North Pole. I don't want to be here, I want to be back with what I know! And if you're so high and mighty, how come I've never heard of you and your precious kingdom of Men? I know nothing of this world."
"Then accept it, you can do nothing else."
"I do not come from here, this is a mad world of fantasy!
"And yet nonetheless, you are my kin."
He gripped her arm harder as she tried to pull away.
"Listen to me in this; Lord Elrond has done many things for you and your brother, I would not be so ungrateful if I were you. Be a bit more accepting of the unknown. Not everything is out to harm you."
"He has taken me under his roof yes, but has treated me like a prisoner!" she whispered fiercely.
"He knows your spirit and would not have you wandering off by yourself. Nor have you harming your brother by taking him with you."
Nat threw a hard punch at Boromir's face, which he dodged easily.
"Violence is not acceptable in Rivendell, girl."
"I would never harm my brother!"
"Oh? And how do you think that little runaway jaunt cost him? He has already lost his legs, most likely from you pushing him too far . . ."
Nat didn't hit him this time, she stared at him hard and trembled. Fighting back the tears she spat into his face and hissed at him.
"His legs have been useless since he was three. That's the reason why I left. Why I ran away. I didn't want him hurt any more. We survived for months on the street after dad . . ."
Boromir loosened his grip and Nat tore away from him and ran back towards her room.
Her heart was pounding and her feet flying over the path. She was about to turn into the corridor when she stopped and watched Jluvien. She did not want him to talk to her. She couldn't stand his snarky smile whenever he looked at her. She bit her lip stubbornly and turned to go further into the household.
Perhaps she should visit her brother again, but she felt too angry and the tears were threatening her steel. She did not want to have him wake up and see her face seething over something that had nothing to do with him.
On the other hand, she did not want him waking up to no one. She breathed deeply as she approached her brother's ward. And began to walk down the corridor.
She stopped in her tracks as she saw her brother, walking on his two legs. Supported slightly by the elf that had taken them in.
"What are you doing to him?" she yelled and ran for her brother.
"Stop, Nat. It's ok," Thom told her before she could lash out at Lord Elrond.
"What have you done to him? Does it hurt, Thom? How can you . . . ?"
Lord Elrond smiled benevolently and let go of Thom who walked across to Nat carefully. Not quite trusting his legs.
"He's a strong one, that's for sure. I wasn't sure if those legs of his would heal . . ."
"Thom?" Nat asked slowly.
"'Rond helped me! I can walk, Nat!" he grinned joyously and hugged his sister around the waist, "When I was asleep he did something to my legs and now I can walk, Nat! I can walk!"
Nat was staring into Elrond's eyes and he nodded carefully to her. She knelt down in front of her brother.
"It seems you can walk, Thom. Do you like walking?"
"Oh yes!"
"Would you like to go for a walk in the garden with me?"
"Ok, Nat." Thom's eyes were still full of the trust and confidence in his sister. Nat wasn't sure about sharing this with the Lord of Rivendell, but for now, she was glad her brother was smiling.
She paused at the doorway and turned to her brother.
"What do you say?"
Thom turned around shyly to Lord Elrond.
"Thank you, 'Rond."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They had made there way into the inner courtyard slowly with frequent rests for Thoms untested legs. When they reached the gardens, they found that they were not alone.
"Hey, Merry! O'er here! O'er here! Oof! Ah hah!!!" yelled a small boy who looked to be around Thom's own age. Nat wondered if he was an elven child.
"I'll get you for that, I will," said another one, looking a bit podgy. He ran towards the first trying to catch him.
"Oi, Pip! Quickly! He's gainin'!" another emerged.
They ran in circles with the larger one trying to get at the object the other two were throwing around.
Nat stood up.
"Hey, leave him alone!" she knew bullying when she saw it but another had as well.
Nat turned to see another child standing there with a serious look in his eyes.
"Give Sam his tool box back."
"Aww, but we was only tryin' to get a bit o' exercise out o' 'im," quipped the one called Pip.
"Yeah, exercise do be god fer you, you know," said Merry.
Sam snatched the toolbox out of the hands of a wide-eyed and innocent looking Pip and glared at the two of them as they appealed to him.
"Aww, c'mon it was on'y a bit o' fun."
"Yeah, don' lock us oot, we be your kin 'ere."
Nat left them to their cajoling and saw the one who had spoken up waiting politely for her to notice him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You go on and play if you like," she said sweetly.
"I'm not a child."
Nat blinked.
"I am a hobbit, a halfling. I am not a child and my name is Frodo, milady," explained the boy . . . hobbit patiently. "These are my kinsmen." He seemed to have had to explain it many times before.
"I'm Nat, and this is my brother Thom," Nat replied, quite bewildered.
"Can I play with you?" asked Thom, oblivious to Frodo's previous clarification. He saw someone his own age that had a spark of fun to be had.
"Of course," replied Frodo graciously and led Thom over to the other three hobbits and introduced them.
"Why do you have pointy ears?" asked Thom, ever curious.
Merry shrugged.
"S'cos we was born wit 'em, I guess."
Thom nodded, satisfied. Merry and Pip soon entertained him while Frodo and Sam walked off into the Halls.
Yelps and laughter followed as they began to play hide and seek. It had always been one of Thom's favourite games to play with Nat.
Nat would hide in the area and he'd yell out where she was. If he was right she had to come out and give him a prize. Now, he needed no prize, he had the joy of finding them himself, of crawling into the out of the way places, exploring the garden.
Nat waited for a while, watching her brother smile genuinely for the first time in ages. He giggled and mucked around like a boy his age should. Nat knew that he had never known childhood. She'd seen no reason to hide truth from him, and he had bore it well.
Or had he?
Now, she wasn't sure. Had she done the right thing in leaving her father? He had harmed them, sure and was a poor drunk old man who tangled with whores off the street. But there was a safety at home when he hadn't been around. Didn't that outweigh the dangers?
But no, her father still would beat them when he felt like it. They had to hide when he brought women home and heard them groan. She had been alone with a babe in her arms in a dank and musty cupboard. It would have been no place for Thom to grow up in.
Her thoughts turned to the present. Of what Boromir had said.
"Accept it."
This world, how could she? She knew nothing and when they spoke in that strange tongue of elves, she felt left out. She knew they only spoke English for her benefit.
"Accept it."
How could she accept it? How could she accept something she had never known or been prepared for? How could she?
"Accept it."
His words seemed to drown her and she felt the tears of nostalgia prick at the corners of her eyes. She blinked quickly and ignored the throbbing in her temples.
She would have to make do. Like she'd always done. This was no different from the streets she'd taken Thom to. Thom had not been prepared, and neither had she. At least this time they had friends and the world was kind.
Thom turned then and yelled at her happily. She could not make out his words but nodded once. He grinned and turned to run off with Merry and Pip. His legs grown strong with the joy of regaining something he'd thought lost forever.
Nat sat there for a time and felt someone sit beside her.
"It is hard to let someone go."
She nodded.
"He will grow into a fine young man, I think. And he'll make friends easily."
Nat turned to the person who was sitting next to her.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
"Apologising," Boromir said simply, "I was wrong to accuse you of hurting your brother when it is evident that you love him so much."
Nat nearly winced at the word love. It was not for him to talk about.
"I know you were wrong."
"I'm not sure that you did, you seem unsure about a lot of things."
Nat didn't answer. She wanted him to leave her, he was some sort of terrible conscience that pushed at her to say or do something nice. To go back on her words or go and accept what fate had brought her.
"This world is alien to you, that much I know. But you haven't helped yourself by ignoring it."
"I know it's there, it doesn't mean I have to like it," she told him, looking back into the garden.
"You know nothing of it."
"I know enough."
"You cannot hide here all your life."
"I will not be here my whole life."
"And how are you going to do that, then? This is the only safe haven you know. No one else would take you."
"I will go back to what I know."
"I doubt you very much that you will."
"I will!" she insisted fiercely.
"How?" he demanded, "It would be better if you learnt some crafts here to make yourself useful. Carve yourself a place in this world. Learn the elven tongue and the elven ways. Lord Elrond will take you under his wing, I am sure."
Nat sneered.
"Or do you fear Lord Elrond?"
"I fear no one."
"Do you fear he will take your brother's trust from you?"
Nat stayed silent.
Boromir waited companionably before getting up to leave her with her thoughts.
"Carve yourself a place here and strike out on your own. Your brother will be cared for here and you will have your independence. Know the ways of the elves and of Middle Earth and I am sure that you will eventually find your home . . . Where ever that is."
Nat ignored him as he walked away. How could she leave her brother? She would never leave her brother! The man be damned if he thought he could tell her what to do!
"My lady?"
Nat groaned inwardly as Iluvion came up behind her.
"It is getting late and I have been looking for you all over if my Lord Elrond had not told me you were here."
Nat sighed and stuck out her hands.
"So cuff me and lead me to my cell," she said in a weary voice.
"No need for that, lady," he told her, "There's a feast to be held tonight. For the Fellowship that was chosen at this day's Council. You will need to be made ready."
"Feast?" Nat asked stupidly.
"That's right. Now if you'll follow me, we'll need to get you ready."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Will she find true love at the ball? Will she finally meet Legolas like so many other AU fics have done so before? Will I make her the tenth walker (which I doubt
sincerely)? What will be her reaction when she finds that she must wear a dress? Will Iluvion rub it in? Will she hit him if he runs it in? Will I update within the week or forget about it unless I threaten you for 50 reviews? Find out next time . . .
Oh yes, Shaitan would like to say a little word . . .
THANK YOU FOR THE HAMMER SQKYOo7
*HEFTS HAMMER THREATENINGLY AND TESTS IT ON NEARBY WALL*
*WALL COLLAPSES*
THIS IS A MIGHTY GIFT
*GRUMBLES FOR HAVING TO BE REDUCED TO COMMON COURTESY BUT IS
NONETHELESS EXTREMELY GRATEFUL*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: A Place Of Her Own
Chapter: An Acceptance Of Worlds
Rating: PG 13 or M/normal PG for those who DON'T conform to American measures.
Summary: I denounce the tenth walker impression any are getting here! I will not conform to the Mary Sue! This is about the girl not her influencing Middle Earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I want you to know who I am so you can trust me a little better than you did last time."
"And?"
Boromir looked hard into Nat's eyes and saw mockery.
"I am a Man of Gondor."
"You know that means nothing to me."
"Aye, your geography skills are to be desired. Gondor is one of the two kingdoms of Men. The other is Rohan, whose people are born into the saddle. Gondor lies to the south. I am heir to its Stewardship."
"So?"
Boromir nearly sighed with exasperation at the girl's incompetence.
"I am held in high stead. I am honour bound to protect my kin and allies."
"I am neither."
"You are my kin."
The girl stared at him.
"But I'm not . . . I don't even belong here! This place is a freak house!"
"You will not speak that way about the people who took you in and cared for you."
"I know nothing about this place, I want to go back to what I know! I've never heard of elves except for the short-assed ones who help make toys in the North Pole. I don't want to be here, I want to be back with what I know! And if you're so high and mighty, how come I've never heard of you and your precious kingdom of Men? I know nothing of this world."
"Then accept it, you can do nothing else."
"I do not come from here, this is a mad world of fantasy!
"And yet nonetheless, you are my kin."
He gripped her arm harder as she tried to pull away.
"Listen to me in this; Lord Elrond has done many things for you and your brother, I would not be so ungrateful if I were you. Be a bit more accepting of the unknown. Not everything is out to harm you."
"He has taken me under his roof yes, but has treated me like a prisoner!" she whispered fiercely.
"He knows your spirit and would not have you wandering off by yourself. Nor have you harming your brother by taking him with you."
Nat threw a hard punch at Boromir's face, which he dodged easily.
"Violence is not acceptable in Rivendell, girl."
"I would never harm my brother!"
"Oh? And how do you think that little runaway jaunt cost him? He has already lost his legs, most likely from you pushing him too far . . ."
Nat didn't hit him this time, she stared at him hard and trembled. Fighting back the tears she spat into his face and hissed at him.
"His legs have been useless since he was three. That's the reason why I left. Why I ran away. I didn't want him hurt any more. We survived for months on the street after dad . . ."
Boromir loosened his grip and Nat tore away from him and ran back towards her room.
Her heart was pounding and her feet flying over the path. She was about to turn into the corridor when she stopped and watched Jluvien. She did not want him to talk to her. She couldn't stand his snarky smile whenever he looked at her. She bit her lip stubbornly and turned to go further into the household.
Perhaps she should visit her brother again, but she felt too angry and the tears were threatening her steel. She did not want to have him wake up and see her face seething over something that had nothing to do with him.
On the other hand, she did not want him waking up to no one. She breathed deeply as she approached her brother's ward. And began to walk down the corridor.
She stopped in her tracks as she saw her brother, walking on his two legs. Supported slightly by the elf that had taken them in.
"What are you doing to him?" she yelled and ran for her brother.
"Stop, Nat. It's ok," Thom told her before she could lash out at Lord Elrond.
"What have you done to him? Does it hurt, Thom? How can you . . . ?"
Lord Elrond smiled benevolently and let go of Thom who walked across to Nat carefully. Not quite trusting his legs.
"He's a strong one, that's for sure. I wasn't sure if those legs of his would heal . . ."
"Thom?" Nat asked slowly.
"'Rond helped me! I can walk, Nat!" he grinned joyously and hugged his sister around the waist, "When I was asleep he did something to my legs and now I can walk, Nat! I can walk!"
Nat was staring into Elrond's eyes and he nodded carefully to her. She knelt down in front of her brother.
"It seems you can walk, Thom. Do you like walking?"
"Oh yes!"
"Would you like to go for a walk in the garden with me?"
"Ok, Nat." Thom's eyes were still full of the trust and confidence in his sister. Nat wasn't sure about sharing this with the Lord of Rivendell, but for now, she was glad her brother was smiling.
She paused at the doorway and turned to her brother.
"What do you say?"
Thom turned around shyly to Lord Elrond.
"Thank you, 'Rond."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They had made there way into the inner courtyard slowly with frequent rests for Thoms untested legs. When they reached the gardens, they found that they were not alone.
"Hey, Merry! O'er here! O'er here! Oof! Ah hah!!!" yelled a small boy who looked to be around Thom's own age. Nat wondered if he was an elven child.
"I'll get you for that, I will," said another one, looking a bit podgy. He ran towards the first trying to catch him.
"Oi, Pip! Quickly! He's gainin'!" another emerged.
They ran in circles with the larger one trying to get at the object the other two were throwing around.
Nat stood up.
"Hey, leave him alone!" she knew bullying when she saw it but another had as well.
Nat turned to see another child standing there with a serious look in his eyes.
"Give Sam his tool box back."
"Aww, but we was only tryin' to get a bit o' exercise out o' 'im," quipped the one called Pip.
"Yeah, exercise do be god fer you, you know," said Merry.
Sam snatched the toolbox out of the hands of a wide-eyed and innocent looking Pip and glared at the two of them as they appealed to him.
"Aww, c'mon it was on'y a bit o' fun."
"Yeah, don' lock us oot, we be your kin 'ere."
Nat left them to their cajoling and saw the one who had spoken up waiting politely for her to notice him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You go on and play if you like," she said sweetly.
"I'm not a child."
Nat blinked.
"I am a hobbit, a halfling. I am not a child and my name is Frodo, milady," explained the boy . . . hobbit patiently. "These are my kinsmen." He seemed to have had to explain it many times before.
"I'm Nat, and this is my brother Thom," Nat replied, quite bewildered.
"Can I play with you?" asked Thom, oblivious to Frodo's previous clarification. He saw someone his own age that had a spark of fun to be had.
"Of course," replied Frodo graciously and led Thom over to the other three hobbits and introduced them.
"Why do you have pointy ears?" asked Thom, ever curious.
Merry shrugged.
"S'cos we was born wit 'em, I guess."
Thom nodded, satisfied. Merry and Pip soon entertained him while Frodo and Sam walked off into the Halls.
Yelps and laughter followed as they began to play hide and seek. It had always been one of Thom's favourite games to play with Nat.
Nat would hide in the area and he'd yell out where she was. If he was right she had to come out and give him a prize. Now, he needed no prize, he had the joy of finding them himself, of crawling into the out of the way places, exploring the garden.
Nat waited for a while, watching her brother smile genuinely for the first time in ages. He giggled and mucked around like a boy his age should. Nat knew that he had never known childhood. She'd seen no reason to hide truth from him, and he had bore it well.
Or had he?
Now, she wasn't sure. Had she done the right thing in leaving her father? He had harmed them, sure and was a poor drunk old man who tangled with whores off the street. But there was a safety at home when he hadn't been around. Didn't that outweigh the dangers?
But no, her father still would beat them when he felt like it. They had to hide when he brought women home and heard them groan. She had been alone with a babe in her arms in a dank and musty cupboard. It would have been no place for Thom to grow up in.
Her thoughts turned to the present. Of what Boromir had said.
"Accept it."
This world, how could she? She knew nothing and when they spoke in that strange tongue of elves, she felt left out. She knew they only spoke English for her benefit.
"Accept it."
How could she accept it? How could she accept something she had never known or been prepared for? How could she?
"Accept it."
His words seemed to drown her and she felt the tears of nostalgia prick at the corners of her eyes. She blinked quickly and ignored the throbbing in her temples.
She would have to make do. Like she'd always done. This was no different from the streets she'd taken Thom to. Thom had not been prepared, and neither had she. At least this time they had friends and the world was kind.
Thom turned then and yelled at her happily. She could not make out his words but nodded once. He grinned and turned to run off with Merry and Pip. His legs grown strong with the joy of regaining something he'd thought lost forever.
Nat sat there for a time and felt someone sit beside her.
"It is hard to let someone go."
She nodded.
"He will grow into a fine young man, I think. And he'll make friends easily."
Nat turned to the person who was sitting next to her.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
"Apologising," Boromir said simply, "I was wrong to accuse you of hurting your brother when it is evident that you love him so much."
Nat nearly winced at the word love. It was not for him to talk about.
"I know you were wrong."
"I'm not sure that you did, you seem unsure about a lot of things."
Nat didn't answer. She wanted him to leave her, he was some sort of terrible conscience that pushed at her to say or do something nice. To go back on her words or go and accept what fate had brought her.
"This world is alien to you, that much I know. But you haven't helped yourself by ignoring it."
"I know it's there, it doesn't mean I have to like it," she told him, looking back into the garden.
"You know nothing of it."
"I know enough."
"You cannot hide here all your life."
"I will not be here my whole life."
"And how are you going to do that, then? This is the only safe haven you know. No one else would take you."
"I will go back to what I know."
"I doubt you very much that you will."
"I will!" she insisted fiercely.
"How?" he demanded, "It would be better if you learnt some crafts here to make yourself useful. Carve yourself a place in this world. Learn the elven tongue and the elven ways. Lord Elrond will take you under his wing, I am sure."
Nat sneered.
"Or do you fear Lord Elrond?"
"I fear no one."
"Do you fear he will take your brother's trust from you?"
Nat stayed silent.
Boromir waited companionably before getting up to leave her with her thoughts.
"Carve yourself a place here and strike out on your own. Your brother will be cared for here and you will have your independence. Know the ways of the elves and of Middle Earth and I am sure that you will eventually find your home . . . Where ever that is."
Nat ignored him as he walked away. How could she leave her brother? She would never leave her brother! The man be damned if he thought he could tell her what to do!
"My lady?"
Nat groaned inwardly as Iluvion came up behind her.
"It is getting late and I have been looking for you all over if my Lord Elrond had not told me you were here."
Nat sighed and stuck out her hands.
"So cuff me and lead me to my cell," she said in a weary voice.
"No need for that, lady," he told her, "There's a feast to be held tonight. For the Fellowship that was chosen at this day's Council. You will need to be made ready."
"Feast?" Nat asked stupidly.
"That's right. Now if you'll follow me, we'll need to get you ready."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Will she find true love at the ball? Will she finally meet Legolas like so many other AU fics have done so before? Will I make her the tenth walker (which I doubt
sincerely)? What will be her reaction when she finds that she must wear a dress? Will Iluvion rub it in? Will she hit him if he runs it in? Will I update within the week or forget about it unless I threaten you for 50 reviews? Find out next time . . .
Oh yes, Shaitan would like to say a little word . . .
THANK YOU FOR THE HAMMER SQKYOo7
*HEFTS HAMMER THREATENINGLY AND TESTS IT ON NEARBY WALL*
*WALL COLLAPSES*
THIS IS A MIGHTY GIFT
*GRUMBLES FOR HAVING TO BE REDUCED TO COMMON COURTESY BUT IS
NONETHELESS EXTREMELY GRATEFUL*