A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still reading this, sorry it took me so long to update, Real Life got in the way for a long time! I hope to update sooner and get it all finished!
Chapter 5
Tithe's Tale
All I remember is spinning. That and a great wind blowing me towards somewhere. At last the wind seemed to slow. I had reached where I was going. My eyes wouldn't open, though I tried, my legs wouldn't work and it was then I realised that I had not stopped. The howling wind that had encircled me for weeks, months, was still going strong. After what seemed like another eternity I did stop, though I still swayed and still my eyes wouldn't work. I felt myself falling backwards, and I waited for the inevitable smack as my body hit the ground. But it never came.
When at last my eyes would allow me to open them, I saw deep emerald orbs staring down at me. I blinked, the light stealing behind the eyes was bright and I was not used to it. Another pair of eyes joined the first, though this time they were a deep blue. A voice called out.
"She has a woken. Get Elrond. Quick."
I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts and emotions swirling and drowning my brain. I opened my mouth to speak, trying to get my throat to work again. I croaked. Almost immediately a glass of water was trust to my mouth and I drank eagerly. These people were kind. I sat up and looked round. The room was beautiful, elegant carvings were all round the walls and beautiful paintings adorned the walls. These people also had taste. A door stood directly in front of me and as I was admiring it, it opened. What looked like a human floated through it. He was tall with straight brown hair and a wizened face. He was followed by an elderly gentleman who wore a pointed hat and long grey robes. His hair was long and also grey as was his beard which hung down from his chin, long and bushy. He walked with a staff.
"Elrond. The girl has a woken."
The brown haired man spoke. "Yes thank you. I can see that as she is sitting upright in her bed." Elrond turned to me. "Good day my lady. How are you feeling?"
"Fine. Better than I have ever felt in a long time. Umm..." I hesitated. "Excuse me from sounding rude but where am I?"
"You are in the house of Elrond in Rivendell. I am Elrond. Now is there anything I can get you? A drink? Some food?"
Now he mentioned it I was rather hungry.
"Some food would be nice thank you."
Elrond nodded and someone ran from the room. I looked closely at Elrond. He resembled a human but in some small ways he was different. He was taller and slightly slimmer and he had pointed ears. I frowned and Elrond must have noticed for he told me,
"You are wondering what I am? I am an elf. Aragorn and Boromir are not. They are men." He pointed in the direction of the 2 men sitting at my bedside. I had not noticed them. I recognised them by their eyes. Boromir-green eyes. Aragorn-well he had eyes that change, sometimes brown, sometimes blue. I smiled at them before turning back to Elrond who had carried on talking.
"There are some things I wish to discuss with you but they can wait until you have rested."
He bowed and left, the older man following him. Aragorn and Boromir stayed. They seemed nervous, not sure what to say. Aragorn glanced at Boromir before clearing his throat.
"Excuse me miss but I am afraid I don't know you're name."
"Oh right. I'm Tithe. Nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out for him to shake and Aragorn looked at it curiously before hesitantly stretching his own hand out. I grasped it and shook it, then moved onto Boromir who caught on pretty quick.
"Umm...where am I?"
"You are in Rivendell."
"Yes I know that but where is Rivendell? I mean what world am I in?"
"You are in Middle Earth."
"Where?"
Middle earth. I had never heard of that before. Aragorn looked puzzled so I waved the matter away with a shake of my hand.
"It doesn't matter. So you are Aragorn. That is an interesting name. What do you do?"
"Me? I'm a Ranger."
I wish I hadn't asked. I didn't bother to ask what a Ranger did; he already thinks I'm strange for asking about Middle Earth. I went back to looking round my room and finding my bed sheets very interesting when there was a knock on the door and a reddish mop of hair popped round.
"Faramir." Boromir stood up to welcome the guest. I had to only look once at them to know they were brothers. They looked so alike.
"Faramir this is...Tithe?" I smiled and nodded. Faramir bowed.
"Nice to meet you. I am Boromir's brother."
"I could tell. You look alike."
Aragorn was looking out of the window.
"Tithe would you like us to leave so you can get some rest?"
I nodded though I was not tired, I just needed time to myself to think this through and get my head round it all. They stood, bowed and left me. Sunlight was fading fast and it turned my room a reddish glow. I settled down in my bed and drew the snug covers around me. The pillow was soft and I closed my eyes and fell into the dream world.
When I next woke the sun had risen again and yellow sunshine stole into my room and bathed everything it could reach. I sat up and stretched. I felt so much better. It is amazing what sleep can do for you. Now all I had to do was figure out where the heck I was and what I was supposed to do here. There was a soft knock on the door.
"Hello?" I called out.
The door was pushed open cautiously and Aragorn peered round. Seeing me awake he smiled and entered the room, a dark-haired elf following him.
"Good morning Tithe. Did you sleep well?"
He was so polite; actually everyone I had met was so polite. Was everyone in 'Middle-Earth' like this? I smiled up at him, looking into his dark eyes. I was starting to fall for this guy. That couldn't be good. I shook the thought from my head.
"Very well thank you."
"I thought you might want someone to talk to so this is Arwen. She lives here and is Lord Elrond's daughter. I didn't think you would want to me or Boromir or any other man."
So considerate.
"Thanks. I think I do need to talk to someone."
He smiled and left the room, bowing to us both before he left. Arwen sat down by my bed.
"Is there anything you wanted to ask me about? I know this place is new to you so if you are feeling up to it I thought I could show you around, just so you don't feel so lost."
"That would be great thanks."
"Well I'll leave you to change." Arwen got up and left the room. I looked round and found a dress hung up on a chair for me to wear. A dress? I wasn't pleased but I didn't want them to think me ignorant, I would ask for my other clothes later.
Aragorn was waiting outside when Arwen came out.
"It's alright Aragorn. She's just changing and then we are going for a walk. Now you aren't meant to be here so off you go." she half scolded him. He laughed and went off down the hall, to attend other business.
We walked down a deserted path. I loved this place; it was just so beautiful and tranquil. You could lose track of time here so easily. The path opened out to a crystal clear lake. The surface was undisturbed and you could see the fish dart and dance in the water. Arwen settled down on the grass by the water side and I joined her. She turned to me.
"So is there anything you wish to know?"
I laughed. I wanted to know so much about this magical place. "Yes there is so much I want to know. I don't know where to begin."
"Well let me begin then. You are in Middle Earth. There is something big that is going to be happening soon but I am not sure if I am the one to tell you about that. Ask my father. Rivendell is going to be a busy place soon. We are having guests from all the Races in Middle Earth."
"All the races? What do you mean?"
"Well we have 3 main races in Middle Earth. First there are the Elves. The first born, we are immortal but we can die of a broken heart or we can be slain in battle. Then there are men. They will rule when the elves are gone. Their time is coming. Then we have the dwarves. They are funny creatures and don't like us elves very much but the feeling is mutual. But that is not all the races we have for we have Hobbits, orcs and many more. Hobbits are like smaller versions of men. You will meet them soon enough, we have 4 staying with us. They are lovely creatures, so full of fun and mischief."
"Why are you having guests? What is the big occasion?"
"That is not my place to say. You can ask my father when you meet with him. Which will be soon, for he wishes to talk to you. Gandalf also."
"Gandalf?"
"You haven't met Gandalf? He is a wizard. One of the best. He is tall, has a long grey beard with hair to match."
"Oh I have seen him but he wasn't introduced. So for this meeting Aragorn will represent men. What has Boromir and Faramir got to do with it?"
"It is a long story that is not my tale to tell. Boromir and Faramir are sons to the Steward of Gondor, one of the greatest countries in Middle Earth. They are very important. Aragorn is also important but it is complicated."
"You and Aragorn? You have something going don't you?"
Arwen blushed and smiled at the thought of Aragorn. "Yes, I love him and he loves me. It has been a tough relationship. My father did not approve and forbade it at the start. But hopefully he has now seen sense."
"I could tell even from the way he looked at you." So that's him out of the picture. Dam. He was one of the best looking guys I had ever met. And I had seen a lot of men in my travels around the universe.
I fell silent, not knowing what to say next. But the silence was soon broken by loud voices heading our way.
"Merry, give that back! That was mine!"
"Pippin, get off. You know this is my carrot!"
2 small men burst out off the trees, one holding an orange carrot away from the reach of the other.
"Hobbits." Arwen whispered to me.
I smiled. They were so sweet. The one holding the carrot suddenly saw us and stopped his argument. He elbowed the other in the side and pointed over. Arwen stood up to greet them.
"Hello Merry, Pippin."
The smaller one, Pippin, piped up. "Hi Arwen. Who's this?" Merry groaned and again hit the other hobbit, Arwen laughed.
"Ow! Merry, what was that for?"
"Merry, Pippin, meet Tithe."
I smiled at the hobbits and I was rewarded with two big grins.
Merry turned back to Arwen. "Arwen Frodo is up and walking now. Do you want to come and see him? Would you like to see Frodo?" He asked me.
I glanced at Arwen who nodded discreetly. "That would be brilliant thank you. Lead the way."
He dashed off in front with Pippin. Arwen filled me in on the way up to the house.
"Frodo is their friend. He was wounded but he is recovering. He's also a Hobbit and Sam, his servant, should be there to."
"Thanks."
When we reached Frodo's room Aragorn, Elrond and Gandalf were already there as was another burly Hobbit who I presumed to be Sam. They were crowded round a large bed with a small Hobbit in it. Frodo. Aragorn stood up as we entered and went to speak to Arwen in the corridor while I was introduced to Frodo. He may have been recovering from an illness but his eyes stood out. They were so big and blue; they seemed to suck you into him. He looked round warily and kept Sam next to him at all costs. Must have been a pretty big injury to make him so scared of the world. Elrond excused himself when I entered and when I had been introduced I was asked to go and speak with Lord Elrond in his room. Gandalf came with me.
Elrond had a spacious office with a great view but I got the feeling that I wasn't there to enjoy it. I sat own opposite him.
"Tithe I am interested to know how you got here. Where do you come from? Your own home?"
I thought for a moment before answering.
"I don't know. I have never known my home. I got sent here by the wind. I have no idea who my parents are if I had any, I don't know why I was sent here in the first place. I get sent places but when I go to somewhere new I can't remember the last. I get sent of a special purpose, the land is in trouble, someone has a problem, anything really. It can be a big or small problem. My job is to sort it and then the wind blows again and off I go. I can spend weeks in the wind, months even. I don't need food or drink when I am there, I don't need sleep, all I remember is spinning. I assume the shape of one of the dominant beings that live on the planet so as not to arouse suspicion, so I am not discovered. When the job is done I leave without a trace and no one remembers me. The glory falls to someone else. I can't leave until what I am sent for is done. No one has ever noticed so I don't know what will happen now. I may leave again or I may have to carry on. That is all I know. I am sorry I cannot tell you more."
Elrond laced his hands together and stared at me thoughtfully. I could practically hear his brain struggling to digest what I had told him. Sure he may have seen some strange things in his time but I had completely knocked him back. I looked over at Gandalf. He had produced a pipe from somewhere and the smoke swirled around his head, giving him an air of mystery. His gaze flickered back and forth from me to Elrond. His face held no clue to what he thought of my tale, his brows nearly covered his eyes so I could not read them though I found that I thought they would give nothing away either. At last Elrond spoke.
"Your tale is a strange one and I would usually find that I would dismiss it and tell you to stop lying and tell me the truth. But your voice swayed me. You whole heartedly told me your story and I found no cause to believe that you were lying. Your eyes shined with truth. So I will believe. I also found that your story matched with the situation we are facing here in Middle Earth. Do you wish to hear it?"
Did I wish to hear it? In some ways I was dying to hear it as it was what everyone was talking about but deep inside me I didn't want to as something scared me. But I pushed my fear away and nodded my mouth to dry to talk.
"It began with Sauron. In the land of Mordor he forged 19 Rings. 9 for the Kings of Old, 7 for the Dwarf Lords and 3 for the High elves. But he also forged another Ring. And into this one Ring he poured all his hate, all his evil. He forged the One Ring. He bred an army of orcs. He was determined to rule over Middle Earth. A last alliance of men and elves went to try and defeat him. Victory was at hand when The Dark Lord Sauron came out himself with the One Ring. It was hopeless to try and defeat him. But by chance Isildur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron was defeated. I led Isildur to the heart of Mount Doom, the one place that the Ring could be destroyed but the Ring had already corrupted him and he decided to keep it. It led him to his death. The Ring vanished for thousands years, many forgot about it but it was found by the creature Gollum. He kept the Ring for many years as the Ring prolonged his life. Then by chance it left Gollum and fell into the hands of a hobbit. Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo has had the Ring for a long time but he has let it go and it has gone to his nephew and heir Frodo. Gandalf found out that it was the One Ring and Frodo has brought it here. We are holding a council in a few weeks to decide what will be done with it."
A ring? One little band of gold held all the evil and power in this land? What had I got myself into this time? Elrond was looking at me and I decided I had to say something.
"So...what are you going to do with the Ring?"
"I'm not sure. This falls on all the races of Middle Earth and the must decide what must be done with it."
"Can...can I come to the council?"
Elrond thought for a moment and I babbled on.
"I mean only if you don't mind because if you do then I wont come it's just I think that this might be why I was sent here. To help you out and..."
Elrond held up his hand to silence me and I fell silent, embarrassed.
"I think it would be good for you to come along. Some may object as to why a woman is there but we will have to cross that bridge when it comes. That is all I wished to talk to you about."
This was clearly my cue to leave and I took it, bowing as I left the room. I heard Gandalf chuckle as I closed the sound oak door.
I headed out to the gardens and back down to the lake to think it all through. I sat by the water and dipped my toes in. Was I sent here to help get rid of this Ring? I thought it must be as I didn't see anymore problems with the world. But I had been wrong before so maybe I was wrong and my mission was completely different. Maybe I was to go on the journey to Mount Doom. It sounded scary even to me. And who was this Sauron guy? Why did he want to wipe out the whole of Middle Earth? It seemed a lovely place to live. And these orcs everyone talked about? Were they servants to Sauron who helped him complete his evil deeds? I had a lot of questions and I didn't know anyone who could answer them for me. Arwen might have done but it seemed to me that women weren't as high up as men in this world. She would advise me to go and speak to Elrond but I didn't feel like I could turn to him. I was pondering on going to ask maybe Aragorn when I heard footsteps walking this way. Faramir appeared from the path I had taken. I don't think he had seen me at first, for he walked almost straight past me before I stopped him.
"It's Faramir right?"
He looked round startled before blushing when he caught sight of me.
"Sorry I didn't see you there. Yes it's Faramir. And you're Tithe."
I nodded.
"Can I sit here?"
"Sure." Again he was so polite, asking me before he sat down.
"Listen Faramir I know I haven't known you for long at all but I have some questions and I was wondering if you could answer them for me?"
He looked at little surprised but he nodded all the same.
"Thanks. Well could you tell me what orcs are?"
"Orcs?"
"Yes orcs. Elrond and Arwen mentioned them but they never told me anything about them."
"So you know about the Ring then and what we are all here for?"
"Yeah I just got told by Elrond."
"Oh. Right. Well orcs were elves taken by the dark powers and tortured and mutilated. They are the creatures of Sauron. They are also pretty ugly and they don't like anyone, not even themselves."
"Tortured? Mutilated? Gross! So have you had to fight any?"
"All the time. Gondor, my city and home, is right next to Mordor so the orcs are constantly on our door step."
"Gondor? Sorry I don't know much about Middle Earth and I have no idea where you are talking about."
"Well let me show you. Rivendell has some really good maps. Come. I will show you."
Faramir stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, pulling myself up and following him back
up to the house. Boromir was in the courtyard with Aragorn, 2 horses stood saddled beside them.
"Boromir. Aragorn. Where are you off to?"
"Aragorn offered to show me around Rivendell and the surrounding country and today I took him up on that offer. But where are you going, Faramir, with Lady Tithe?"
"Lady Tithe was asking me some questions about where Gondor is and I am on my way to show her some of the maps Lord Elrond has in his collection."
"You don't know where Gondor is?" Boromir turned to me astonished.
"Boromir. Not everyone knows where you're beloved city is. Calm down." Aragorn told him, smiling at the Gondorian warrior's behaviour.
I laughed calmly before following Faramir out of the courtyard. He led me up to a dusty old room, filled with books. On a table in the centre of the room there were piles of rolled up pieces of parchment. He selected one and unrolled it.
"You've been here too many times." I mocked him causally.
He merely smiled guiltily before beckoning me to look at the piece of paper. It was a map of Middle-Earth, intricately designed by hand, all the place names written out perfectly beside them. It must have taken someone a long time to produce this. Faramir was pointing to a small place near some mountains. I looked closer and noticed it said Rivendell.
"Hey that's us! And those mountains are the Misty Mountains right?"
Faramir nodded.
"So where is Gondor?"
He pointed to a huge area that was sure enough marked Gondor.
"The capital is there. It is called Minas Tirith. My father the Steward of Gondor is there right now. That is where Boromir and I used to live."
"What's that big piece of land beside Gondor? Mordor. Who lives there? It sounds evil."
"That's because it is. Sauron lives there. That is why we have such a lot of trouble with the orcs. All the time they grow stronger and we grow weaker."
I studied the map for a minute; Middle Earth didn't look that big, not as big as some of the places I had been to were. I thought back to what Faramir had said.
"What do you mean used to live there? Do you not live there right now?"
"No...It's hard to explain but Boromir and Denethor (my father) had a disagreement and Boromir left. Myself and Sendil went with him."
"Who's Sendil?"
Faramir bit his bottom lip.
"She was Boromir's lover. But she was killed by orcs on the way here. It affected both Boromir and I greatly. She had been my friend for all my life."
Tears pricked at my eyes. I hated being so sensitive sometimes. I sniffed and turned away from Faramir but he didn't seem to notice as he was caught up in some memories of his own, probably about Sendil.
The door to the library opened and Aragorn and Boromir stood there, both arguing about something. The riding trip had evidently been cancelled. These were men on a mission, both out to prove the other wrong about something or other. Faramir stirred and looked up at them. His brow creased in confusion, but I could see the slight up curl of his mouth, showing that he fought to stop from grinning broadly.
Both men looked up and saw myself and Faramir there and stopped talking at once, both slightly embarrassed at being caught bickering like little kids. I snickered.
"Now Boromir, Aragorn, why do you disturb the peace of the library with your argument?" Faramir spoke to them, meaning to tell them off but they both heard the laughter in his voice.
"Oh no reason little brother. Well nothing you would understand." Boromir retorted.
If looks could kill Boromir would be lying dead on the floor at this minute.
Again I laugh. I love it, to see two people so at ease with each other. I have never experienced that sort of closeness with anyone. Any friendships I had made during a journey were lost when the job was done. I knew no one I could confide in, I had no friends. I had never had someone to love me, to care about what I did, to worry about me. And I felt saddened, watching the way Boromir treated Faramir, under the jokes, he held so much love for his little brother and any fool could see he would do anything for him. I could see it in the way Aragorn looked at Arwen. I could see it in the faces of Merry and Pippin and in the way Sam cared for Frodo. I could see it in the way Elrond looked at his daughter. Everyone here seemed to have someone to love and care about except me. Once again tears prick at the corner of my eyes and I took my leave from the 3 men, running out into the gardens to think about it. I have never done that, sat and thought about what my life is, what my purpose for life is. Why was I chosen to travel? For the first time I wish I was just a normal person, living with someone, having a family, not having to travel constantly. For the first time I feel anger at my upbringing. I knew nothing about myself. I had never known my parents or my family, not properly anyway. Just a few vague memories of a woman and a man. My mind was in turmoil, thoughts rushing all over the place, mixing with others, crashing into each other. I forced myself to calm down. I lay on my back, trying to bring my messy mind into some sort of order. I failed. I looked up at the bright sun, the blue sky, the fluffy white clouds drifting lazily here and there. I felt drowsy, the sun warming me and making me sleepy, making me feel as though I am made of lead. I closed my eyes, thinking sleep will calm me down and off I drift back into my favourite place. The dream world.
A pale green sun rises above me and I stand up and take a look around, wondering where my imagination has taken me this time. The grass is blue beneath my feet and purple hills roll in the distance. The land looks surprisingly like Rivendell. In front of me a yellow lake glimmers and sparkles as a light breeze ruffles the pink leaves on the top of the white trees. The grass was soft as sand beneath my feet. I wore a white dress made out of some sort of soft material that floated off that person. I turned round towards where the house should have been standing but there was nothing there except a silver horse. I frowned. My dreams usually meant something and my brain was working over time, trying to figure out what this would mean. No one else was nearby. The place looked deserted so I walked up to the white horse. Maybe it would talk to me. Well you never know with my dreams. But as I came closer to it, it moved slowly away. I stopped and so did it. I held out my hand to it, hoping to tempt it forward. There was a silver thin cord hanging round its neck. If I could just grab hold of it. But the horse wasn't having it. He tossed his head and in the blink of an eye it was gone. Not running over the fields but just gone. Vanished with a puff of smoke. I blinked a couple of times but it didn't return. I looked round again. Nothing moved now, the breeze had gone. And I for one was getting bored. There was nothing to do here and I had fallen asleep to escape thinking about my problems. I sat down in a huff. God could nothing go right just now? I would just have to wait for the dream to take its course. I was settling down to think about my life again when I heard the rustle of feet on grass. Yes someone was coming! I sprang up quickly and looked round. To my surprise Faramir came through the trees. He was dressed as he always dressed with the addition of a cloak around his neck.
"What are you doing here?" I blurted out. Great way to get a conversation going Tithe.
But he ignored me for the moment and walked straight past me to the water's edge where he took of his cloak and set it down. Then he turned to me and motioned for me to come and sit by him. I did. He stared out into the waters and I followed his gaze. The water looked the same to me apart from the fact that it was yellow. I was about to speak when something happened. Pictures were forming in the water. I leant forward, studying them intently.
A group of 8 sailing down a river in a boat...passing 2 tall statues, barring the way for intruders...Frodo wandering off...Boromir following...Boromir tackling Frodo to the ground, grabbing at his neck...Frodo running off in terror...Boromir running to Merry and Pippins' aid...him lying with 3 arrows stuck in his chest…Aragorn running towards him…Boromir slipping away from him…Aragorn lying him in a boat, tears in his eyes. I sprang back from the water and looked at Faramir.
"What must I do?"
"You must save him. His heart is hidden. Open it up and you will save him."
My dream faded. I opened my eyes. The sun was still shining brightly, birds were still singing and the soft sound of elves chanting whispered to me. But I was cold. I could not warm. I rushed to my feet and fled to my room. Did Faramir know he had come to me in a dream? I had to save Boromir. I had to find out who he loved, bring them together. I wrapped my blanket around me and thought hard before realising that I could not think of this just now, my mind was too tired so I fell once again into the land of sleep.
When I next woke I sat up and looked around. My dream came back to me. Boromir, who did he love? I had to find out. Maybe Faramir would know, Boromir seemed to confide everything in Faramir, I would have to ask him. I felt much more refreshed and thought I could handle communication with other people again. I somehow managed to find my way to the hall to get some food. Boromir sat there by himself, deep in thought. Maybe I should become friends with him and he might confide in me. My brain was running away from me and I urged it to calm down, luckily it obeyed me for once. I walked over and sat down beside him. He didn't seem to notice me but at last he looked up and smiled.
"Sorry I didn't notice you there. None of the others seem to be awake yet as it is still quite early in the day. I got woken early by a dream and I could not sleep. You? Or would you like some food first?"
I reached for a cup of water but I wasn't hungry.
"I went to sleep quite early in the afternoon and so I woke early also. So what are you thinking of doing today? The weather looks fair. A ride?"
"I have been sitting for some time thinking but still my mind seems no clearer. I may have to think for some more but for the moment my mind needs a rest."
"Well I was wondering if I could ask you a favour."
He nodded.
"Well I have noticed that a great deal of people here carry swords and weapons of some sort but I cannot wield anything so I was wondering if you would teach me to fight with a sword. You seem at ease with one."
His eyes widened in surprise. "You...want to fight?"
I nodded.
"But you are a girl!"
"Yes I do realise that. But that does not mean I cannot fight does it?"
"No...well...no it does not. It is just that in my city the women do not fight. But if you wish to learn to fight then I will teach you. It would help take my mind off my troubles."
Boromir had troubles? Were these the clues I needed to help solve my mystery? But I said nothing at the moment, I merely stood and smiled.
"Can we begin now? Will Elrond have any swords?"
"I'm sure he does but Aragorn has better ones. We will go and ask him. He may wish to come along later and help me out. Come."
He stood and led me out of the hall and along the corridors to a wooden door. He knocked softly in case the occupants inside were asleep. But the door opened shortly afterwards and Aragorn stood there in his shirt and trousers. He raised an eyebrow at us but said nothing. Boromir quickly explained the situation and Aragorn agreed to maybe come along later after Arwen had woken but he fetched a light sword from his room and gave it to me. We left and Boromir led me down past the lake to a clearing in the woods he had found earlier. It was private and it would not disturb anyone enjoying the peace of Rivendell. I looked at the sword in my hand. It felt strange and alien.
"No, no. You don't hold it like that. Here watch me." He held his sword loosely in his hand and I copied him, or tried to. He laughed gently and came across and moved my hand into the correct position. Suddenly the sword felt much more comfortable in my hand.
"So now that you are holding the sword right I will show you some swings and training moves. Aragorn gave you a good sword, the right size and weight for you. Try swinging to the right and then pull back hard, onto my sword. Go"
I swung lightly round then pulled back hard onto Boromir's sword. Metal rang and my hand shook under the impact but Boromir didn't even flinch.
"Very good. You are a natural at this. Let us try some more."
We spent the rest of the morning clashing swords and by the time the sun had risen high in the sky I was so tired I could hardly lift my sword and my hits were becoming weaker and weaker. Boromir sensed my fatigue and halted.
"Would you like a break?"
"Yes please. I'm so tired and my arm feels like lead. Are you not tired?"
He laughed.
"Tithe remember that I have seen many battles and fought many times. I have spent hours, even days on the training grounds at home. This is nothing to me. But you did very well for a first time. A lot of men wouldn't have lasted as long as you. We shall go and get something to eat and then you may rest for a while and if you are willing carry on afterwards."
I nodded and followed him back up to the house. I had learnt a lot about him during those couple of hours. Not much about his life but I had learnt a lot about his character. Of his personal details I knew only about his brother. He cared so much for him and would do anything to protect him. He spoke nothing of his father or mother and I was loathe to ask. Some things should wait until later I thought and this was one of them. He spoke little of his friendship between Aragorn and Legolas and he said no word at all about Sendil. Maybe his heart hadn't changed, maybe Sendil still kept his heart in her keeping. He was growing to trust me I could tell, he didn't treat me so much like a lady, more like a friend and for that I was glad. I really liked him and wanted him as my friend, someone I could come to during my stay here. But that did not mean he was perfect, far from it. He had a darker side to him, something that lurked just below the surface, something that could be set off at any given moment by any little thing. Perhaps it was still the grief of losing his lover but I felt it went deeper.
In the hall sitting on his own, with a book propped open in front of him, sat Faramir, a piece of bread and cheese and a glass of water lay untouched beside him. There were a few scattered elves sitting in groups talking quietly. We went over to him and he looked up. A smile crept up at the corners of his mouth and he moved down the bench to let myself and Boromir sit down. But Boromir did not want to stay, he wanted to speak with someone so he left us, telling me he would be back in a couple of hours, I should be rested by then. An elf brought me over some food and a drink. Faramir placed a mark in his book and turned to me, his grey eyes shining gently. His copper hair hung down to his shoulders, curling slightly at the bottom, framing his face. A light trace of a beard wound up his jaw line and round his mouth. I sat down and he pushed his plate away, turning his full attention to me.
"So what had you and Boromir been doing?"
I heard the smirk in his voice and I gave him a withering look. He held up his hands in mock defeat and grinned.
"If you must know," I told him, "I had asked Boromir to teach me how to fight and he agreed. We were both awake early and I have been training with him for several hours. So there."
I stuck my tongue out at him and his eyes widened in surprise before he burst out laughing, I joined him. When we had both calmed down Faramir spoke,
"Well you have a good teacher. He is the best warrior in Gondor. You will have a tough time though as he doesn't let anyone off with second best. He demands the best from you whether you are on the training courts or on the battle field."
"He didn't seem so bad with me." I picked at my food- not really hungry. Faramir noticed.
"You don't like the food? I could get you something else of you wish."
"No thanks. I just don't feel like eating. Really." I assured him.
"Are you feeling okay then? Because I always feel hungry after fighting with Boromir. Even just a short fight."
"Ah Faramir you need to get fit! I could help you there." I shot up and bolted out of the hall, Faramir right behind me. I ran through the corridors of Rivendell and found myself on the path Boromir had led me down that morning. Maybe I could lose him in the woods. I put on a spurt of speed and headed off. I ran swerving in and out of the trees. I was almost at the clearing when I heard the clash of metal on metal. I crept forward and I could hear Faramir behind me, the chase forgotten, curiosity getting the better of us both. Creeping forward so we could see through the last ring of trees, silently so we weren't discovered. Aragorn and Boromir were there, fighting one of the fiercest battles I had ever seen. Faramir seemed to agree with me by the look of wonder in his eyes as he beheld the two men fighting savagely. One wrong move from either man could result in them both getting killed but they were too caught up in their fight to care. Swords flew, blurred by the sped of them, against each other. It was like watching an intricate and complicated dance. One moved-the other followed. At last the pace slowed until the two men stood facing each other, panting heavily, and swords hanging loosely by their sides, sweat dripping down their faces. Neither moved for a second and time seemed to slow and then stop altogether. The moment was broken by Aragorn speaking, his eyes never leaving Boromir's face.
"We have company."
Faramir stepped into the clearing. I followed him.
"That was incredible. I have never seen anything like it."
I added my two cents worth. "Yeah! I hope I get to be a 1/5 as good as that."
Boromir looked uncomfortable at the praise but Aragorn laughed it off.
"So you have finished your lunch? That was quick I must say."
I felt my cheeks heat up slightly and I sneaked a glance at Faramir whose grey eyes were sparkling with mirth. Aragorn glanced suspiciously between the pair of us.
"Hmm I'm not sure I want to know, not when you are looking as guilty as that. But since you are here do you want to carry on with some more lessons." He directed his question to me and I nodded eagerly.
"Yes please. It is so cool. I love it!"
Faramir laughed. "I've never known anyone so eager to learn to fight, except maybe you Boromir. I remember when you were going for your first lesson. You didn't stop talking about it all week and then when you went you couldn't stop saying how great you thought it was!"
Boromir flushed slightly. "That may be true Faramir but I remember clearly that you were hopping around all week like you had ants down your trousers" he retorted quickly at his grinning brother.
Laughter filled the small clearing as everyone shared the teasing of the two brothers.
"Ah but we seem to be forgetting someone. What about you Estel?" A silky voice came through the trees and a golden elf entered. Faramir smiled.
"None of the others were here to see Estel but I remember."
"Legolas, creeping up on us again are we?" Aragorn sighed knowing full well he would have to sit through his friend's ribbing of him. He settled down on the grass to listen.
"Yes I remember. Your first encounter with a sword hadn't gone well at all had it Estel? I was at Rivendell just after. You were about 3 I think, maybe a little older. You'd ignored the warnings of Elrond and your mother and gone to investigate one of the suits of armour and in particular the sword. You were fascinated. You picked up the sword but it was too heavy for you and you dropped it. But you dropped it, hilt first thank god, right on your toe. My, I could hear the screams all the way out in Mirkwood!"
The silence lasted for all of 2 seconds before Boromir snorted and everyone except Aragorn burst out laughing. Aragorn was turning redder by the second and trying not to throttle his friend. But that just made it funnier for myself and Faramir. Legolas struggled to carry on with his story.
"And he...was ...limping for weeks afterwards. He kept away from all swords after that."
I slumped to the ground, holding my stomach and tried to stop laughing. I failed miserably.
"But if he was so scared of swords how did he become one of the best swordsmen around?" Faramir had regained the use of his voice. Legolas recovered quickly and continued,
"Elrond wanted him to learn how to fight so he made him go to a weekly lesson. But little Estel didn't want to go so every week he would go and hide somewhere and it could take up to 7 elves to find him! But he soon found out that he had a natural talent for fighting and began to love it. But I still remind him of that little story when he gets on my nerves." Legolas grinned at Aragorn who stood, his face still slightly red.
"Thank you for that Legolas. Now if you have all finished laughing at me shall we get on? Do you wish to stay Legolas?"
"I wish I could but I have other arrangements at the time being. I will see you all later."
With that he disappeared into the trees and was gone. I spent the rest of the afternoon being taught by both Aragorn and Boromir while Faramir looked on, occasionally adding comments of his own. When light began to fade we stopped and sat down for a break. The air was still warm and as we listened in silence we could hear the noise of the nocturnal creatures coming out. There was a rustle of leaves and Legolas and Arwen came through the trees.
"See here they are. I thought you might still be here. The house is very quiet." The elf grinned mischievously and dodged a hand from Faramir. Arwen went over to Aragorn and curled up beside him on his lap. He stroked her hair softly and whispered to her in the elven tongue. I looked over at Boromir. He had a strange look in his eye. I couldn't quite place it. Perhaps he was wishing Sendil was here with him and they were whispering shared secrets together under a full moon. Legolas broke the silence.
"The council is tomorrow. Elrond will expect all of you."
The council. At last. Now something must be done. I couldn't wait.
To be continued...