Disclaimer. Not mine. Never was, never will be.
A/N: Well, I got one of those free internet services, so I can update. But it also means I only get a few hours of net time a month. (Makes face) Lord and Lady, this chapter was hell to write. I hope you're not disappointed with it. At least it's kind of long. Fourteen pages (not counting a/n's or review responses), so be ready to sit there reading for a while. That should count for something. (Smiles hopefully at readers. Readers glare while holding torches and pitchforks. Swallows hard.) I'm sorry, you guys. I really am. If I had been able to get this to you any faster, I would have. I know how irritating it is to have to wait forever for a story to update. Oh, and there's a little more Aragorn out-of-characterness in this chapter.
I'm also in a foul mood for a couple of reasons. One: I might be moving again soon, which totally sucks. This time, it's probably gonna be out of state. Two: I have horrible, horrible writer's block. Not just on this story either. All of them. And three: I have Jury duty later this month. Ick. And they don't care that I don't have a car or anything. No. They are being oh, so generous and paying my bus fare. Oh, goody. :P (Grumbles lots of profanities that would make even Valora blush) Just thought I'd share that with you.
Eagle Took: Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you have that resolved by now. It's been a while, after all. --
Ashley Lauren Potter: I'm glad you like it. Can't guarentee I'll use your suggestions. We'll have to wait and see.
sweetlittlecherry: Well, I hope it lives up to your expectations.
Corgidog88: No kidding, it's long. But the responses make it worth the effort to keep writing it.
TrekieGreenieShannaraElfofME: (Yeesh, you have a long name. 'Course, so do I, so...) (Blushes very badly.) Wow. Do you honestly mean that? That is such a huge compliment. I am honored that you feel that way. Though, I can't say that I think of what's going on in this story as really sane. But thank you so much.
Lea: Yeah. She shares my temper, too. I know it's not good to keep things bottled up like that, but I do it anyway.
Tracy: Hi. Yeah, it always sucks, doesn't it? Well, in Aragorn's defense, she did kind of get on his case about not telling them who he really is. Yeah, he could have been more considerate, but, quite frankly, he's hurt. As for the singing thing, I've always found it a great way to let off steam. I firmly believe music can heal your soul. Better than punching a wall. Don't do that, by the way. It hurts. Trust me, I know.
Cindy17, Tinne, Sapphire2988, WildBlackWolf and Viva, and Tina7610813: Thank you for your kind words and taking the time to review. I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story.
Has anyone out there watched the show "Lost" by the way? If you haven't, you should. It's really good. Dominic Monaghan (Merry) is in it. He's really good, too. And, of course, he's really cute. "The X-Files" it ain't, but it's a good show.
You know, it's recently come to my attention that I've been working on this story for about a year. And it's only about halfway done. And I have to write the other two stories to complete the trilogy as well. Dear Lord and Lady, What have I gotten myself into!?
Well, on with the story.
It had been two days. Valora and Aragorn were still not speaking unless it was necessary. Or to trade insults. And they always tried to stay on opposite ends of their camps. This was proving very frustrating for everyone else. But, considering that they had both been in foul moods since Valora had told them the truth about herself, no one dared say anything about it to them. Besides, they were a little busy trying to keep Gandalf from whacking them both over the head with his staff.
The camp Gandalf had chosen was near to a small pool with a waterfall. Valora, who desperately wanted to be clean, eyed it somewhat warily. "Is that water safe to swim in?" she asked finally. They had already filled their water skins and would probably do so again in the morning just in case. And the waterfall would keep the water clean enough. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to pee in there.
"Yes, but I wouldn't recommend a bath so close to nightfall. It will be too cold," said Gandalf.
"I'll be okay."
"If Gandalf says you shouldn't, then you shouldn't," said Aragorn in the same irritated tone he'd been using on her for the last two days.
Valora had been about to reluctantly take Gandalf's advice, but a sudden need to defy Aragorn changed all that. "Listen, just because I'm traveling with a Ranger doesn't mean I have to smell like one." She returned the favor of using an irritated tone.
Merry and Pippin snorted. Boromir smothered a grin.
Aragorn scowled. He opened his mouth.
"Ahem," said Gandalf loudly. "Perhaps you can bathe in the morning, Valora. As I said, it will be cold tonight. It will take you a long time to dry completely. I do not think it is a good idea."
Reluctantly, she nodded in agreement. "Alright."
The next few minutes passed without incident. Camp was soon ready.
A very frustrated Valora stayed at one end of the camp, casting both sad and angry glances at the Ranger, who remained on the other side of the camp. All day today, all day yesterday and the whole night the day she had told them had been spent like this. Why couldn't he let this go? If anyone really had any reason to hate her for her deception, it was Frodo. Yet he and the other Hobbits had forgiven her the next day.
As expected, it hadn't changed much between she and Boromir. The only difference now was the strange looks he gave her. Gimli had been curious about what her world was like, along with Legolas, and had been questioning her about it. He seemed to not be angry with her. Legolas had asked his own questions. He believed she should have told them much sooner, but could see why she would be reluctant to do so. It hadn't put much strain on their slowly growing friendship.
Only Aragorn remained unwilling to try to look at things from her point of view. Or to forgive her.
Well, she could be pissed at him later. Right now, she had more pressing matters to think about. She hadn't practiced with her sword for two days now. If she skipped tonight, that would be three days in a row. She was still learning. If she didn't practice, she would begin to lose what little skill she had gained. She didn't want and couldn't afford that. But damned if she was going to ask that stuborn Ranger to help her right now. She wondered who else she could ask. Gimli used axes and didn't even carry a sword. The Hobbits were still just learning themselves, so that would be rather pointless. Gandalf carried a sword, but he was pretty pissed off with both her and Aragorn for refusing to speak to each other, so that didn't seem like an entirely good idea. Legolas probably knew how to use a sword, and was probably good at it, but he carried Elven knives rather than a sword in addition to his bow. So that probably wouldn't work either. And that only left...
Terrific, she thought sourly.
Well, it was either that or not practice at all. Groaning inwardly, she got up and slowly made her way over to him. She went slowly so she could work up the nerve to ask for his help. It wouldn't surprise her at all if he told her to go away. Eventually she stood right in front of him. She cleared her throat slightly. "Boromir?"
He looked up from the horn he had been polishing. He raised his brow, silently asking what it was she wanted.
"Um, I need to work on my sword fighting. I was wondering if you could help me?" She gave him a somewhat hopeful look.
Surprised, he glanced around at the others. Their surprise mirrored his own. His eyes rested on Aragorn for a moment. The Ranger gave a half-shrug and made a gesture of dismissal, clearly stating that he didn't care one way or the other. Turning back to Valora, he gave a short nod. "Very well. Just give me a moment."
She nodded and left him to finish what he was doing.
The Hobbits glanced at each other worriedly. She must be really upset to ask Boromir for help rather than Aragorn. The others must have realized it, too. They had never seen Valora stay upset this long. Even at Merry and Pippin. Of course, Aragorn wasn't exactly making it easy for her to do anything else. Not that he didn't have the right to be upset, but... He had said some things to her the other night that they knew had gotten to her more than she had let on. He had hurt her badly with both his harsh words and his rejection. She hadn't been very nice about her responses to his words, either. Of course, with her temper, that wasn't surprising. They were just thankful that it hadn't been a repeat of the incident with Boromir.
When they began to spar, Valora realized that, though they were both master swordsmen, Boromir had a different fighting style than Aragorn. She remembered hearing that fighting styles were as distinctive and different as fingerprints when she was younger, but she hadn't really given it much thought since then. It worried her a little, since she was used to fighting Aragorn, but realized that this was actually a good thing. Not everyone, or everything, whatever the case may be, would fight just like Aragorn. Knowing how to defend herself against different fighting styles would give her an edge in battle. Maybe she would ask Legolas to help her with her training later, after all.
Though he didn't like her very much, Boromir was impressed. She'd made very good progress in a relatively short time. And she was very focused. That was very important. They could worry about teaching her how to be alert to her surroundings as well as the fight later. For now, she needed to learn the basics. She was holding up well against him, despite the fact that he wasn't going quite as easy on her as Aragorn tended to.
Aragorn couldn't help but watch. She still wasn't alert enough to her surroundings when she fought. That would have to change. And she still favored her right leg to carry the majority her weight and balance, leaving her left side open to attack. That wouldn't do if there was more than one opponent against her. Making a decision, he picked up a small stone and moved closer. When he was close enough to do so without really injuring her, he tossed it at her. It hit her squarely between the shoulder blades. She let out a yelp caused both by surprise and the sudden stinging sensation on her back. Boromir, his sword in mid-swing, started slightly. However, there wasn't enough time to stop his sword as it headed for Valora. To his immense relief, she managed to deflect the blow despite whatever had caused her to cry out like that. He may not have any real affection for the girl, but he had no desire to see her hurt, either.
Legolas couldn't believe what he had just seen his longtime friend do. What had gotten into him lately? It wasn't like him to behave this way. Well, maybe with Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's twin sons, on occasion, but they usually deserved it.
Furious, Valora whirled around. Pippin pretended to to rub his nose while actually pointing at Aragorn, a trick he had picked up from her.
"Aragorn!" said Gandalf, not sounding or looking at all amused.
"What the fuck is your problem?" she demanded, giving him a glare that would have made an Orc shrink back from her.
"You need to be more alert," he said flatly. "Had that been an arrow or a sword, you would be dead."
"Oh, and I'm sure you'd be real upset about that," she responded sarcastically.
"Not especially," he said coldly.
Legolas and Frodo were the only ones to see the flicker of emotion pass through her eyes. In an instant, it had vanished, her eyes showing only anger once again. "Then don't bother doing me any favors, Ranger."
"Fine. I won't bother in the future. Go ahead and get yourself killed."
"At least I wouldn't have to deal with your sorry ass anymore."
He glowered at her. "And at least the rest of us will be free of one spoiled brat."
Her grip tightened on the sword. He had hit a sore spot. That was one of the things the kids at school said about her. That she was spoiled and stuck-up and thought she was better than everyone else. None of that was really true, of course. At least, not the way they all meant it. She didn't ask her mother for all those nice things. On occasion, she found something expensive that she wanted, like the occasional concert tickets or a collector's item, but was usually hesitant to ask. Her car had been a surprise gift when she had gotten her license. She might believe she was better than some people, but it had nothing to do with how much money they had or how good their grades were. It had to do with the person themselves. And at the moment, Aragorn was not ranking high on her list of likeable people. "Eat shit, asswipe!"
"Enough!" ordered Gandalf before they could continue. He gave them both a look that put the look Valora had given Aragorn to shame. "You are both behaving as though you were only put on this earth days ago. If you have any brains or care about the quest at all, you will put your petty differences and disagreements aside. Start behaving your age!"
Aragorn groaned inwardly. If Gandalf was planning to lecture them, they were in a lot of trouble. Gandalf gave the worst lectures in all the land. He could go on for hours when he was annoyed enough. Luckily, Valora didn't give him the chance to continue. "Look, Gandalf, I'm really not in the mood for a lecture right now, so save it."
Everyone was taken aback. No one had ever really spoken to Gandalf that way before. Least of all Valora, who plainly admired Gandalf to a great degree.
"But if it makes you feel better, I'll cut a deal," she continued. "He stays on his side of the camp and keeps his mouth shut, and I'll stay on my side and keep mine shut. Agreed?"
"Agreed," said Aragorn quickly, only too happy to end this conversation and avoid Gandalf's lecture.
Gandalf did not look appeased, but said nothing as they both retreated to opposite ends of their camp.
Valora wanted to keep practicing, but didn't trust herself at the moment. She didn't want to hurt Boromir when it wasn't his fault she was in such a pissed off state. That just wasn't right, no matter how much she didn't like him. Besides, he had taken her news much better than expected. Hadn't used it as an excuse to break their truce or make fun of her. And he could easily have refused to help her practice with her sword. He had earned a break from her attitude towards him.
The others looked at each other. Merry sighed heavily. "Are they ever going to stop fighting?" he asked wearily in a low voice. This was getting very old very fast. No one could answer his question. Who could say if they would or not?
Gandalf, himself sick of this nonsense, sent Aragorn to look around for any possible danger. He then sent Merry and Pippin out to forage for food, basically to get them out of his hair, as he now had a throbbing headache. Last, he sent Boromir and Valora to gather some firewood. He knew that he might just be asking for trouble with that last one, but at the moment he thought she would react better to Boromir than being around Aragorn. Besides, it was safer for both her and Aragorn to be out of his sight right now. He had only one nerve left and they were leaning on it very heavily.
Boromir glanced at Valora from time to time. He didn't say anything. She was absolutely livid. While it was not him she was angry with, he wasn't about to give her a convenient target at which to direct her anger. Silently, they gathered piece after piece of dried wood from the ground.
"Am I really that bad?" she asked suddenly.
"Sorry?"
"Am I really all that bad at sword fighting?" she asked. "I know I'm not an expert, but I just started learning. I'm not supposed to be that good. Did I do anything really wrong enough to justify having a rock thrown at me?"
"No," he answered slowly, but honestly. "It is true that you will need to learn to be more alert in battle, but as of now you should be concentrating on just learning how to fight at all." He paused, debating whether to say anything else or not. "And the fact of the matter is," he said eventually, "you are learning quickly. You are not yet ready for battle, I think, but you will be in time." He wondered if she might perhaps clout him over the head with one of the branches she carried.
She had stopped gathering to listen to his answer and study him as he gave it. He seemed sincere, which surprised her. Finally, she nodded. She tried to keep her mouth shut, otherwise she was going to start ranting about a certain Ranger. Going back to gathering wood, she told herself over and over, don't say anything, don't say anything. So, of course, she ended up saying something. "I don't know where he gets off, anyway. That hurt. And if I had moved, it could've hit you."
Boromir remained silent. He wasn't about to point out that Aragorn probably had very good aim, otherwise he wouldn't bother carrying a bow. She would probably maim him for it.
"And I have never lied to him. Not once. I may not have told him my life story, but I didn't lie to him."
Reluctantly, he had to agree with that. They had not asked, so she hadn't answered. Simple as that. Still, it would have been better if she had told them. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked suddenly. "If you had warned Gandalf or Frodo about the Ring, it would have saved us time in realizing it has to be destroyed."
She remained silent, standing there with an armload of branches, not looking at him. "I was afraid," she answered softly after a tense few moments. "I didn't know what would happen if I warned anyone. I just thought... I had to let things run their course. I thought that, maybe, if I didn't, I might change the outcome. I didn't know if it would change things for better or worse. So, I just kept my mouth shut. It's not that I didn't want to tell anyone, I just didn't know if I should. Or how to."
Her pain practically radiated off of her, though she tried so hard to hide it. He decided to be merciful and just drop the subject. They finished gathering wood in silence and headed back for the camp.
By the time they returned, Merry and Pippin had returned. They had found some mushrooms and some more berries. These they deposited near where the fire was to be built. In no time, the fire was lit and Sam and Merry were cooking. Aragorn did not return until fifteen minutes later, having thouroughly scoured the area for possible danger and finding none.
When their meal was divided, Valora frowned down at her plate. Sausage. Again. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it, it was just that she was sick of it. And, truth be told, she wasn't much of a sausage person, preferring bacon. But she wanted something that wasn't made from meat. Just once. Now, the berries on her plate looked rather tempting. There were two kinds, mostly dark colored and a few red ones. She didn't really mind the mushrooms either. "Hey, Pippin."
"Hmm?" He looked up at her, a bite of sausage already in his mouth.
"I'll trade you half of my sausage for some of your berries."
"Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Really."
He eagerly agreed, knowing the sausage would be more filling than the berries. He gave her half of his berries for the meat.
"I'll trade," said Merry.
"Fine by me," said Valora. The same exchange was made. Her meal wouldn't be as filling as the others perhaps, but she would be happier about it. The berries tasted so good to her. The darker colored berries tasted better than the red, but they weren't too bad either. There were considerably more of the dark ones anyway.
True to their agreement, Valora and Aragorn were staying as far away from each other as possible. And avoiding eye contact. Or even looking at each other at all. The others were truly annoyed by their childishness, but said nothing, for fear of yet another outburst between the two. It was the last thing their rather strained nerves needed at the moment.
Once she was finished, Valora sat there and thought. Thought about how ironic it was that, of all the members of the Fellowship, it was Boromir who she had finally voiced her feelings to. Not only that, she realized that it was the first time they had been able to have a conversation, albeit a bit one sided, without her feeling badly disposed towards him. He hadn't seemed the least bit hostile towards her, either. Maybe their truce would stick after all.
A slightly uneasy feeling settled in her gut as she thought again of Aragorn. It wasn't really dark yet, so she didn't see why anyone would object if she took a short walk. She needed to clear her head. She wouldn't go far. The others, having finished their dinner, were all preoccupied. Hoping no one would notice, she quietly got up and started walking. She headed for the waterfall, hoping the sound and sight of the water might soothe her nerves. Unfortunately, after ten minutes or so, the feeling in her gut had not gone away. It seemed to be growing steadily worse, in fact.
"You should not wander off alone."
Valora jumped and spun around, hand over her heart. Irritated, she glared at the speaker. "Legolas, could you maybe not sneak up on me like that?"
"I apologize. I did not mean to frighten you."
"Yeah, well."
"You should not wander off alone," he repeated, frowning a bit. "It could be dangerous."
"I didn't go far," she protested. After all, the edge of the waterfall was in plain sight of their camp. She had stayed in a place where they could see her, if only faintly in the growing darkness, as the sun would set in about fifteen minutes.
"That does not matter," he told her. "If I had not seen and followed you, the others would not have noticed you had gone. Had something else been out here, they might not have realized you had disappeared until it was too late."
"Yeah, yeah. The old 'you might get hurt' bit. I'm not stupid, Legolas. I just needed some time alone."
"Indeed." He had noticed that she had not even brought a weapon with her.
"Yes, indeed." She frowned and placed her hand on her belly, the feeling in her gut having reached the point of actual physical discomfort. She turned away from him and stared at the waterfall again, the water taking on many colors as it reflected the dying light.
Legolas stepped in front of her, knowing she was upset, but needing to make her understand. She couldn't go wandering off. Not even relatively short distances, especially unarmed. A short distance didn't necessarily make the danger any less. "Valora," he told her firmly, "I understand that you wish for privacy, but placing yourself in possible danger will not help anything. You cannot wander off without one of us nearby at all times. It is not only yourself, but all of us that are placed in danger if you are taken by the enemy."
The truth of his words was not lost on her. It wasn't worth the risk, she knew, of revealing their plan to the enemy. Still, she couldn't help her need for privacy.
"Do you understand what I am telling you?"
She nodded.
The nausea hit her suddenly and powerfully. Both hands flew over her stomach, as if she could somehow fight it that way. The feeling quickly rose.
Legolas frowned as some of her color drained away. "What is it?"
"Oh, god," she said softly. The next thing either of them knew, she pitched forward. The last of her sense made her grab Legolas by the shoulder and push him aside a bit. As she leaned past him, the nausea reached a fever pitch. Then, she was emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground. Her stomach heaved, and she might have lost her balance had she not still been holding tightly onto Legolas' shoulder, who was staring at her, obviously taken aback.
When she finished emptying her partially digested dinner, she gasped for breath. After a minute, she stood up straight, still feeling quite miserable.
"Are you alright?" asked Legolas, a bit concerned.
"I'm fine," she assured him. The dizziness, growing quickly, contradicted that statement. Struggling against it, she repeated, "I'm fine." She swayed. Her knees gave out and she began to fall.
Reacting quickly, Legolas caught her before she could hit the ground. As he caught her, he felt the unnatural warmth of her body. She was developing a fever. Developing it quickly. Scooping her into his arms, he turned and ran back to the others, aware that her breathing didn't sound as it normally did, as if she were struggling for it. "Gandalf! Aragorn!"
Everyone looked over at his cry. They were all surprised by the sight that greeted their eyes. Legolas had an almost panicked look on his face as he ran to them with Valora lying limply in his arms. They regained their wits in a hurry and hastened to the Elf.
"What happened?" demanded Gandalf.
"She became violently ill in an instant. I do not know the cause."
Gandalf looked at her. Concern washed over him as he saw the state she was in. "Put her down," he commanded.
Legolas hurriedly obeyed, placing her on the ground and stepping back so that Gandalf could see what was wrong with her.
Aragorn joined Gandalf beside Valora, fear in his eyes. "Legolas," he asked, looking up at him, "what exactly happened?"
Legolas hurriedly told them what had happened. How the sickness had come without any real warning. What could have caused it? He wasn't sure.
Valora coughed and hauled herself onto all fours. She had been sure there was nothing left for her to throw up. Apparently, she had been wrong. Her body kept attempting to expel whatever might have been inside her digestive system long after it was completely emptied. Finally, her body couldn't hold itself up anymore. It was all she could do to avoid the puddle of her own vomit as she collapsed, utterly spent.
Unsure of what else to do at the moment, Aragorn had held her hair back as she puked. All his anger was forgotten for the moment, replaced by worry. What was wrong with her?
Gandalf wanted the answer to that question himself. As luck would have it, his eyes averted from her for a moment and happened to land on Frodo's plate. There were a few berries left on it. The two red ones caught his eye. He moved to the plate and snatched them up. He looked at them closely. Yes, he recognized them, alright. He himself hadn't gotten any red berries. Unfortunate, for he would have been able to warn the others not to eat them if he had. But, why was no one else sick? "Frodo, how many of these did you eat?"
Frodo looked at him, confused. Why was that important right now? "They weren't to my liking. I only had two, and I left the others."
"Did anyone else eat many of these?" asked Gandalf urgently. No one seemed to have gotten many, if any of the red ones.
"I didn't find many of those," said Pippin, not sure where this was heading, but pretty sure he wasn't going to like it.
"How many?" demanded Gandalf.
"Only a handful."
Gandalf cursed softly. Since what everyone else had of them didn't add up to a handful, Valora must have gotten most of them. "Have you never seen these berries before?"
"Well, no," admitted Pippin.
Gandalf cursed again. "These must be what made her ill."
The others looked at him. Aragorn groaned as he looked at the berries closely. He recognized them now. "What do you mean?" asked Merry.
"These berries are toxic."
Stunned and horrified faces stared at him.
"They're poisoned?" asked Merry.
Gandalf nodded grimly. "Yes."
"But why is no one else sick, then?" asked Sam, confused.
"I suspect Valora ate most of them."
"The rest of us didn't eat enough to get sick," explained Aragorn.
"What's going to happen to her?" asked Frodo fearfully.
"We will do what we can for her," said Gandalf firmly.
Soon enough, Valora had been laid out on her bedroll. Aragorn had sent Merry and Pippin to get some water and, when they returned, he soaked a bit of cloth and began to wipe her face with it, trying to cool her rapidly rising fever. Her skin was already burning hot to the touch. If they didn't keep her cool, the fever might kill her. The others helped in any way they could, which consisted mostly of trying to make her as comfortable as possible.
It soon became apparent that her condition might be more serious than they had originally thought. She could keep nothing down. Not the bread they gave her. Not even water. Not being able to keep down water was a very bad sign indeed. Even with Aragorn's healing skills and Gandalf's vast knowledge, they could not do much for her at all. Eventually, Gandalf pulled Aragorn aside, where they spoke in low, urgent tones.
Pippin took the opportunity to sit down next to Valora. She looked up at him and he felt even worse. She was quite pale. Sweat was covering her face and neck, beginning to soak her hair and shirt. Her weak state was quite obvious. And it was all his fault. "I'm sorry," he told her.
"It wasn't your fault," she told him weakly, her voice somewhat hoarse.
"I never should have picked them. I'd never seen berries like them before." His guilt was written all over his face.
"You didn't know," she assured him. "I know you'd never try to hurt me, Pippin. It was just an accident."
"You're not angry with me?" He was torn between hopefulness and disbelief.
"It was an accident," she repeated as firmly as she could. She reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. "It'll be alright Pippin. Whatever happens, none of it was your fault." She began to cough as the water she had drunk less than two minutes ago was forced back out. Pippin leapt out of the way just in time.
Boromir came up and gripped Pippin's shoulder gently. "I'll watch over her. Go wait with the others."
Reluctantly, Pippin obeyed and joined the other Hobbits, who were waiting anxiously for Gandalf and Aragorn to tell them anything.
Boromir propped Valora's head up. "Easy," he told her as she shifted a bit. "Is there anything you need?"
"Water. I want some more water," she said weakly.
He frowned slightly. "You won't be able to keep it down for more than a few minutes."
"Boromir, if I don't drink water, I'll just keep throwing up whatever fluid I have in my body. When that happens, I'll dehydrate. If I dehydrate too much, it can kill me. So please, just give me some water. It might buy me some time."
He nodded, not really understanding much of what she'd said, and picked up a water flask. He propped her up a bit more and held the flask to her lips as she drank. After a few mouthfuls, she pulled away.
"Thank you."
"You will be alright."
She looked at him for a few second. "We don't know that." She glanced at the Hobbits. "Boromir, if anything happens to me, I don't want Merry and Pippin thinking this was their fault."
"Nothing is going to happen to you," he said firmly.
"If it does, don't let them blame themselves. I don't want them to believe they killed me."
He froze at her words. Apparently, he hadn't given her nearly enough credit. She knew there was a chance that she would die and was worried about what the Hobbits would feel if she did. No mere child would think this way. "You will be alright," he repeated gently. He got up and walked over to the Hobbits and Gimli before she could say anything else.
Valora was terrified. She didn't want to die. She was only sixteen. She was too young. And if she died here, her mother and friends would never know what happened to her. She would end up an unsolved missing person case. All kinds of stories and theories would be said about her and what might have happened, but no one would ever know the truth. No one could ever possibly guess. There were worse ways to die, she supposed. But the poison could still take hours or even days to kill her. There were even a few cases where people lived for weeks before dying from poison, though it was rare.
But she couldn't let anyone else see how scared she was. Just like she couldn't let those kids at school see how much they could hurt her. Only this time, it wasn't for her benefit. If those kids at school saw how much their petty insults and scorn bothered her, they would never leave her alone. They would do everything they could to make her feel as bad as possible. Now, she had to hide it for her friends. The Hobbits were scared enough. If she had to guess, she would say Legolas was afraid, too. She couldn't make them even more afraid by letting them see how afraid she was.
Legolas had gone over to Aragorn and Gandalf sometime during Valora's talk with Boromir. He regretted that he didn't have very strong healing skills. Cuts and bruises, maybe even a broken bone he could at least help with. But this, this was something else entirely. His greatest skills had always lain in hunting, battle, things of that nature. That didn't mean he couldn't recognize a serious condition when he saw one. Now, he spoke in low tones with them, being sure to speak in Elvish so that the others wouldn't understand if they overheard.
After a few minutes of debate about what they should tell the others, they were interrupted by the sound of retching. They looked over to see Valora throwing up water yet again. Gandalf and Legolas went to tend to her while Aragorn told the others exactly what the situation was.
"Well?" asked Frodo anxiously as they approached. They were all on their feet in an instant.
"We have no real way to know how much poison she ingested, or how badly it will affect her," said Aragorn grimly.
"Will she be alright?" asked Frodo.
"I don't know, Frodo. I just don't know."
"Is she going to die?" asked Pippin anxiously, hoping it wasn't going to happen. He didn't think he could bear it if he had killed his friend.
"I cannot answer that, Pippin. She may be alright, or she may not. We cannot be sure yet. But we will do everything we can for her."
"Is there any chance for her?" asked Merry.
"Yes. She reacted quickly to the poison. That may mean it was purged from her body fast enough for her to survive it."
"But what's going to happen to her if she..." Sam trailed off.
Aragorn hesitated. He was spared from answering by Gandalf calling him over. "Watch over her," Gandalf told him when he arrived. He then dragged Legolas off and made him get more water. Aragorn settled himself next to her and sponged at her forehead and neck with the wet cloth. Guilt for how he had treated her the last few days assaulted him. He had been such an ass.
Valora, whom he thought had been sleeping, opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Hi," she said quietly.
"Hi."
"Aragorn, what's going to happen to me? Gandalf wouldn't tell me hardly anything. Tell me the truth. Am I going to die?"
"I don't know," he answered after a silence.
"That and the look on your face is a yes if I ever saw one."
"I don't know that you're going to die or not."
"But I probably am. Right? That's why no one wants to tell me everything and keeps telling me I'll be just fine."
He didn't say anything? What could he say to that? 'Yes, you're probably going to die and there's really nothing we can do about it?'
The look in his eyes said it all. She let out a long, shaky breath. "My mother must be so worried about me," she said softly after a time, her eyes misting over slightly.
He looked at her. "I imagine so."
"She'll never know what happened to me. I don't want that for her."
"I will not let you die," he said firmly.
"You don't have a say in it, Aragorn. None of us do." She paused. "Aragorn, I'm so sorry."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
"For what I did. I should have told you the truth back in Rivendell. I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "No. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. Your past is yours to share with whomever you wish. You had no reason to tell us. Please, forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive, Aragorn. You were right to be angry."
"No. Rest now."
She groaned softly in response, feeling as though she might throw up again at any given moment.
He made his way to where Gandalf now stood as Legolas carefully set down some water near Valora and laid a hand on her forehead. "We should tell them the truth," he said in a low voice.
Gandalf didn't look convinced. "I think, perhaps, that should wait."
Aragorn shook his head. "We cannot give them false hope. We should at least tell Valora. We owe her that much."
"I do not think it wise. It would only frighten her."
"Gandalf, Valora is no small child. She deserves to know what her chances are." He realized, once he had spoken, that the others were staring. He had forgotten to lower his voice. Cringing inwardly, he looked at Gandalf, awaiting his decision.
"Gandalf, we want to know what's happening," spoke up Frodo. He was very anxious to know if his young friend would be all right.
After a few minutes or so of mental debate, Gandalf sighed. "Several of the berries may make one ill, but will not kill them. Almost a handful may kill a grown man."
Worried glances were exchanged at this announcement. Valora was much smaller than a grown man.
"While I cannot say for certain that she will die..." he trailed off. He shook his head sadly. "The poison is strong."
After a while, Frodo asked, "How long will it take?"
Gandalf looked very grim indeed. "She may not live through the night."
The news was greeted with utter silence. All eyes turned to the sick girl when she began to retch again.
It was decided that they would take turns watching over her during the night, in addition to the usual watch. If anything happened, Gandalf was to be alerted immediately. Frodo offered to take the first watch. For over an hour, he watched over her, hoping that she would somehow survive. They spoke quietly on and off.
No one really wanted to sleep that night. They were afraid that when they woke up, she would be gone. As it was, she had begun to drift in and out of consciousness, sometimes whimpering or thrashing about in her sleep. Always, perspiration coated her skin, letting them know that the fever had not gone down, despite their efforts to keep her cool.
When his turn to watch her came, Aragorn settled himself down beside her. After a moment, he took her hand in his and held onto it tightly. He felt an answering squeeze and knew that she was at least partly awake. She pried her eyes open and looked up at him. He gave her a very weak smile. "How do you feel?"
"I'm scared," she whispered hoarsly. To no one but Aragorn and Frodo would she reaveal this weakness to. Not too long ago, she had confessed her fear to Frodo, but not before he had confessed his.
"So am I," he answered softly.
"I'm only sixteen."
"I know."
It wasn't too long before her grip went slack as she fell unconscious yet again. He didn't let go of her hand the entire time he watched her. When Sam came to relieve him, he very reluctantly let go.
The combination of traveling and worry had exhausted him, yet he fought to stay awake. Eventually, like all the others did, Aragorn fell into a dreamless sleep.
The sun began to rise, casting it's light across the land. As the first rays of light touched his face, Aragorn stirred.
It took his a few moments to remember the events of last evening. As soon as he did, all traces of sleepiness vanished instantly. He sat up quickly. Unfortunately, this proved to be a mistake, as he grew dizzy from the sudden movement. He wobbled slightly and raised a hand to his head. A few moments later, he regained his equilibrium and scrambled to his feet.
Valora still slept, beads of sweat still dotting some of her skin. A reminder of the ordeal she had gone through last night. Aragorn was relieved to see that she still breathed. However, he knew that there was still a chance that she would not wake up as a result of her accidental poisoning. If that happened... well, he didn't want to think about that. If she did not wake up, they would not have the time or the means to take her to someone who would watch over her. They would be forced to leave her where she had fallen. But that wasn't what he feared the most. If she didn't awaken, he couldn't be sure if she really did forgive him, or that she knew how truly sorry he was for how he had treated her.
He now understood why she hadn't told him... them the truth. She had been afraid. Of this. Of the people she had been forced to trust and had grown to care for would turn her away. Like he had done. It didn't completely justify her hypocrisy, of course, but his reasons for keeping his identity to himself had been far different than hers. Her reasons had been more justified.
"How is she?" he asked Merry, who was taking his turn watching over her. Not that it really mattered. None of them had gotten much sleep, and the sleep had been restless, thanks to their worry for Valora. Even Boromir did not look very well rested.
"I don't know," said Merry, a grim note in his voice. He poured a small amount of water onto a damp cloth and gently sponged at Valora's forehead. He had dark circles under his eyes and his forehead wrinkled a little as he frowned. "She hasn't even opened her eyes for hours. She's barely even moved."
That wasn't a good sign. Aragorn drew in a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.
"Has there been any change?"
They looked over at Frodo, who had sat up and was looking tiredly and worriedly at his young friend. Merry shook his head.
The same process was basically repeated as everyone else woke up. Most of them simply looked over at them, the question on their faces, not actually needing to ask. Truthfully, only Sam actually asked after her. "Is Miss Valora alright?" he asked as he sat up, rubbing sleep from his bleary eyes. The response was always the same. As was the disappointment for them all.
Aragorn sat down next to her, ignoring his hunger and his bladder's demand to be emptied, as Merry went to fetch more water. Lord Elrond had taught him long ago that if one survived the first night after being poisoned, their chances of survival increased. However, if they did not regain consciousness, there were other problems to worry about. One in a slumber induced by either head injury or poison could awaken at any time, but the longer it took, the less likely it was to happen.
She cannot die, he thought to himself. She is too young. If she is to die, she should be in her own world, in a place she knows, with her loved ones. And he also had no idea if she remembered much, if anything from the night before. Or if she had meant what she said when she had claimed she was no longer angry with him.
Resting his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head into his hands. Despair began to overtake him.
Valora stirred. So slightly that they almost believed it had been imagined. Then she stirred again, more obviously this time. Aragorn scrambled into a kneeling position and leaned partially over her, a hopeful expression on his face. A very soft, very faint moan escaped her dry lips.
Slowly, very slowly, Valora came to consciousness. She did not open her eyes, sensing that the light would sting. She was faintly aware of someone sitting beside her. Her instincts told her that she was being watched by more than one pair of eyes. Her belly felt empty and a bit like it wanted to expel whatever little might be in it. Again. Eventually, she forced her eyes open.
Aragorn closed his eyes for a moment to try to get his emotions under control. When he opened them, he found Valora looking up at him. Her eyes were a bit glazed and unfocused, but open. She let her eyes roam over the rest of the camp and the others.
Aragorn let out an audible sigh of relief as the others breathed theirs.
She had survived through the night.
Come on. You guys didn't seriously think I was going to kill her off that soon did you? Well, I hope this was worth the wait you people had to go through. Let me know. There's one more chapter of my own stuff and then I'm going back to the initial movie storyline. At least, until they get to Lothlorien. That'll be such a relief. But I brought this on myself by deciding to have a more realistic bonding experience for them. (Realistic? Who am I kidding. This is a fantasy story.) Anyway. Please read and review.
BTW, did you guys want another preview for the next chapter? I won't do it for every chapter, you understand. Just the ones that I'm adding in so you have some idea of what's coming up that wasn't in the original story. Let me know either in a review or e-mail me. The adress is in my bio. (Damn site won't let me post it here.) Bye.