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Warning for mentions of war, and character death. The word count is 4,027 words. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Adora: Soldier of Gondor.

The sounds of the hoofbeats of the galloping horses severed to drown out the beating, no, pounding of my heart. I knew if I was caught I would be sent back to Gondor. But after overhearing the dream of not just my older brother Faramir but Boromir as well, I knew that I needed to go along and help my people.

"Rodric," my brother Boromir called, waving me forward. He didn't know that Rodric was me or that I was Rodric. Which was a good thing because as I mentioned before I would be sent right back home if he had.

I rode my horse over to my brother's side trying to keep close enough to hear but far enough that he wouldn't notice that I was me. "My lord," I answered, trying my best to make my voice sound more manly and less like a prepubescent boy.

"I want you to take a few others and go scout ahead of us," he said, reigning his horse to a stop. "Report back to me."

I nod, kicking my horse to a gallop after choosing a few men I thought I could trust. We rode a bit ahead watching out for any sign of orcs or wargs or any other foul beast of Mordor. But we could find none. The journey had gone like this since we'd left Gondor months ago. Boromir told me to take a few men and ride ahead reporting our findings back to him when we returned.

It was during my search of the area that I noticed the hoofprint of a rather giant horse. It looked like the horse and rider had been there rather recently. But it was hard to tell how recently they'd come by this road.

"What do you see here, Grimbold?" I asked, motioning one of the men over to me.

Grimbold lumbered over to me after jumping off his horse and handing the reigns to his friend. He towered over me on horseback which meant on foot he was taller than the horse. He looked at me with pale blue eyes full of confusion.

"Hoofprints," the dark-haired man said, tilting his head up to look at me as he examined them. "Why do you ask?"

"Can you tell how fresh they are?" I asked, feeling my heart leap into my throat. I don't usually get afraid of things like hoofprints. They are a normal everyday appearance and aren't very scary in their own right. But if the rumors are true and the darkness growing over Mordor to the south of us is Sauron returning that could only mean one thing.

"They look like they're a few weeks old," he told me. "You can tell from how dry the earth in hoofprint is. They seemed to have been in a hurry."

"Then we also must make haste," I told Grimbold, nodding him towards his horse. "Boromir will want to know this. I'm sure."

I could already hear Boromir's voice in my head. He took the dream seriously but not as seriously as Faramir. Or for that matter not as seriously as I did after overhearing the conversation between the two.

You're worrying over a trifle of a thing, Rodric.

Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Rodric.

You're starting to sound like my younger sister, Rodric.

I really wished that Father had allowed Faramir to take this trip. I'm sure that if Faramir were leading the expedition I wouldn't have to hide who I was. Faramir would let me do anything. He trained me up a bit in fighting. After all, if the rumors were true and power was returning to Mordor then it was better to have me trained than not.

"What news?" a guard asked as we cantered closer to where Boromir had set put an impromptu meal. "What news have you for our captain?"

"We found hoofprints," I said, watching Boromir stiffen in concern. "Grimbold says that they are a few weeks old. The riders were in a hurry to get somewhere rather fast."

"It could be riders from Rohan," someone whispered, waving my concern off. "They make their way through here often."

"Or it could be servants of Mordor," I said, glaring at the man. "You know as well as I do that the shadow of Mordor has returned."

"We will have a bite to eat and then be on our way," Boromir said, stopping the fight before it even got started. He turned toward me. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Rodric. You might be right but he may be right too."

I grumbled as I took some of the offered food. I sat upon a fallen log near the forest and ate in quiet contemplation. Not too long ago I was eating my meals at a long table in Great Hall. Now I was eating meals out under the sun and moon.

"You seem somewhat familiar to me," a voice broke me out of sullen thoughts, causing me to look up and find my brother Boromir standing over me. "Have we trained together before? Or perhaps I have led you into battle?"

"I doubt it," I said, wishing my voice didn't sound like a young child's just entering their teens. "I'm rather new to the army. I fight for Gondor in my father's stead."

It wasn't truly a lie. It had been many a year since Denethor sone Ecthalion had ridden into battle with his men. Currently, he was sitting back in his hall thinking that he and his daughter were both in safety not knowing that I was with Boromir.

"Oh." He sounded rather disappointed. "It's just your eyes look very familiar. The grey of them looks much like the grey of my younger brother's and sister's."

"That's rather kind of you to say, sir."

I couldn't help but be glad that I had decided to hide my hair under my helmet or he'd have figured me out before we even reached the front gates. Boromir was keen. His eyes were sharp and he was always on the alert.

"You seem nervous, Rodric. Do I make you nervous?"

"It's just we heard rumors that you were much like your father—"

"I'm not all that much like my father," Boromir said, watching me. "I think that I'm a rather fair commander to be stationed under. You've only just started with the company. You will come to see in time that you can trust me."

"I do trust you, sir," I said, stifling the urge to call him brother and blow my cover. "But I'm only telling you what other people say of yourself and your family."

"Is that all, Rodric?" he asked, a wane smile crossing his face making him look much older than he was.

I nodded.

"Good," he said, slapping me on the back and almost causing me to tumble face-first to the ground. "Keep that up and there will be a promotion in for you."

"Thank you, sir," I said, finishing my meal quickly. I knew that as soon as possible we would be moving out. Better to be finished eating than have to leave the food to waste.

It was towards the end of our journey that things went wrong. Very wrong. We'd been riding hard towards Rivendell since the afternoon when the arrows started to rain down on us.

"Ride!" Boromir shouted, urging his horse onward. "Ride as fast as you can!"

I kicked my horse into a gallop feeling a shock of sharp pain in my shoulder. I didn't have time to look now and see how injured I was. I had to concentrate on getting to the safety of Imladris. The Last Homely House. Then I could allow myself to see how bad the injury really was. Then I could relax at last.

The terrifying sounds of orcs and wargs growling in the distance caught on the air and assailed my ears. I felt my heart thundering as hard as the hoofs of my horse. It felt like my heart was going to explode from my chest. The pain in my shoulder was a blazing fire and all I wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep.

"Rodric, we're almost there," the comforting voice of Boromir floated to my ears as though brought on summer's breeze and not the haze of a battle.

The sounds of people shouting in a foreign tongue sounded from in front of us. Elvish. That must be elvish. We were in the lands of Imladris after all. I had always wanted to meet the elves of Middle Earth before. But I certainly hadn't wanted to meet them wounded and running for my life as I was at the moment.

As we neared a rather ornate gateway I could feel myself getting woozier and woozier by the minute. I could feel the sting of the arrow in my shoulder. Was I going to die right here at the gateway to the Last Homely House? I certainly hoped that I wasn't going to.

I could see a group of well-dressed people waiting to take care of the horse and then I could feel myself tumbling off my horse. Darkness overtook me as I went down. My fake name being called by my older brother being the last thing I heard.

In my unconscious state, my mind filtered back to the day Boromir and I had left Minas Tirith for Imladris. It had been a bright sunny day. Or as sunny day as can be found near Mordor. The birds were singing and the world seemed at a sort of peace with itself. Which only meant this was the calm before the storm.

A knock had sounded at the door. The timid one of my lady in waiting who had been trying to get me to leave my room for the last hour or so. I had refused to leave my room because I had to finish my preparations. If my father had said he'd send someone else in Boromir's stead the preparations would be for naught. But he insisted upon going through with sending him I wasn't going to let him go alone.

I checked my preparations once more. I had hidden a stash of armor and a helm and some clothes in a secret passageway out of the castle of Minas Tirith. If I was lucky I could quickly change out of my female clothes and into my male disguise.

The knock sounded again. This time it sounded much more different. Like that of a male. Maybe my lady in waiting had gotten one of the male servants to knock for her.

"I'll be there momentarily," I said, pushing closed the secret passageway and going to my bed and sitting down upon.

The knock sounded once more. This time it was rather more insistent of an answer that wasn't I'll be there in a minute.

"I said—"

"You'd be there momentarily," my older brother Boromir said, walking into my room with my other older brother Faramir behind him.

Faramir and I were twins. Boromir was older than us by four years or so. But Boromir and Faramir looked like they could be twins. I was just the odd one out. The only girl in a household of men.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked, looking up at Boromir with the saddest eyes I could put on. The look that usually got me whatever I wanted with both of my brothers. The look that even my father couldn't deny anything to.

"Father is rather insistent," Boromir said, sinking onto the edge of my bed and putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You do know that it's only going to be a matter of a few months before I return to you, don't you, Addy?"

I let out a breath that I hadn't even realized that I was holding. My eyes met Boromir's and I could see that if he could have said no he would have. "I know," I said, feeling the tears prickle the back of my eyes. I blinked so as not to allow Boromir to see them.

Thankfully at this point in time, our father had come looking for us. He stood at the doorway of my bedroom and looked at the three of us.

"Adora, your brother Boromir is leaving the city in a few hours and you were expected to come down and have breakfast with us," he said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. He always tried to keep his voice even with me. I was after all his only daughter. "What kept you here for so long that your brothers felt the need to find you themselves?"

"I—I was just wondering something, Father," I said, feeling my whole body begin to shake because no one had ever tried to counter anything father had ever said.

"What was that?" he asked, walking over to a chair in my room after I nodded permission for him to enter the room and sinking into it.

"Couldn't perhaps someone else go to Imladris in Boromir's stead?" I asked, feeling the air grow tense as soon as the words were out of my mouth. "Boromir is the captain of the defenses. And yes, Faramir could take over until he returned but he hasn't trained as long as Boromir has. What if something was to happen to both of them? Then what? We would be without a captain to take the defense of the city. The whole army would fall to pieces and we would be easily overrun like that."

"You know as well as I do that that won't happen," my father said, arching his eyebrow as he watched my mind working on a way to keep my brother with me and Faramir in Minas Tirith. "You will stay this madness and come eat breakfast with me and your brothers before Boromir has to leave for his journey. I will hear no more of this talk about any other going in his place. No other would be able to explain the plight of our people, as well as our captain of the guard, could." He stood up and walked out of the room leaving no room to argue.

I could feel my blood boiling at this point. But thankfully no one had discovered my secret way out of the castle or my stash of armor and clothes. If father was going to be like this I would be going along with Boromir.

"Come now, Addy," Boromir said, putting his hand upon my shoulder once more, "it won't be that long until I return. Plus I will see if I can bring something nice back from my journey for you and for Faramir. Would you like that?"

I nodded. I wasn't about ready to tell him if everything worked as I planned I would be able to bring back my own treasure from Imladris and the lands that we passed through. If I had Boromir would surely have stopped my plan before I could implement it.

Like the dutiful sister and daughter I was, I went down to breakfast. I kept quiet while my father and Boromir talked about the journey. I could feel Faramir watching me in concern but right now all I wanted to do was eat breakfast and get back to my room and change for my journey.

"You'll keep up Adora's training, Faramir?" Boromir asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I looked to where my father sat eating to see an unpleasant look crossing his face. He didn't like the fact that his only daughter was being taught to fight as the men did. I, however, was very grateful for the training. This meant that I wouldn't be forced to flee to safety like the other women. I could defend myself if the need should arise.

Faramir nodded. "I will," he said, giving me a small smile when father wasn't looking.

I smiled back. If everything went according to plan then there wouldn't be an Adora to train in fighting. I would be traveling to Imladris with Boromir.

The rest of breakfast was passed with Boromir and Faramir discussing defenses and my father glowering every time my training was brought up. If only he knew what I was planning to do. I rose from the table.

"Could I please be excused so that I may dress for the day?" I asked, looking at my father.

He nodded and turned back to listen to the conversation between my brothers. I would have to write a note to Faramir and put it in the one place only he and Boromir would think to look for something from me. Mother's rooms.

I felt guilty leaving Faramir like this. But hopefully, he would be able to forgive me when he sees what a big help I'd be to Boromir. Hopefully, he would be able to forgive me when he sees what his and Boromir's training helped me do.

I closed my door and quickly wrote the note to Faramir before sneaking it into our mother's rooms. I snuck back into my own room and went to the secret passageway. I quickly ducked into the unused passage and changed into my disguise.

The armor felt heavy and hot. Not that I hadn't worn armor before. I had my own special armor that Boromir and Faramir had made for me during my last birthday. I looked at the armor that I was wearing now. This armor befitting a young male. Mine was armor befitting a young woman. This armor was going to take a little getting used but if it meant that I got to go with Boromir and help my people I would endure.

I slung the pack of clothes for when we reached the journey's end and food to be eaten upon the journey over my shoulder and left the castle. The breeze blew my hair and I quickly pulled it up before slipping the helm over my head.

Making my way to the stable I made ready a horse that wasn't being used. I could my mare prancing indignantly in her stall as I readied the horse I was going to us. I hoped that she would understand. I couldn't take her or someone would grow suspicious of me and start questioning who was riding Steward's daughter's horse.

"You," a man with wild curly dark hair shouted, making me jump and look around, "you're late. Hurry up about it and get your horse ready. We're almost ready to leave for Imladris."

I quickly finished my preparation and rode after him, falling into formation with the rest of the rangers that Boromir was taking with him. I sat atop my borrowed horse and watched as my brother rode down the line of us. Making sure that everyone was in order and prepared for the journey. I almost thought I was caught when he got to me. He did a double-take and shaking his head continued on down the line. I didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he rode to the head of the line and led us out of Minas Tirith and on our way to Imladris.

I could hear hushed voices whispering overhead as a bright light flittered across my eyes. I blinked as the voices become clearer and clearer to make out. They were the voices of the elves. I couldn't make out what they were saying but they sure seemed very concerned about something.

I finally opened my eyes and could see that I was in a house of healing. I had only been in one once when I had gotten severely ill having followed my brothers to Osgiliath. But I had never seen such a house of healing as this one. It was one of the most beautiful sights that I had ever seen in my entire life.

The walls were pure ivory as though they had been carved into the very cliffside they stood upon. The windows were tall and looked out upon the greenery of the valley. A very gorgeous sight to wake up to. The greens and soft greys they were draped in only served to bring the outdoor feeling indoors.

"You are awake," a soft voice said, causing me to look over to my side. "I had figured that you would be asleep for quite a while longer."

The elf who sat by my side looked kind. His grey eyes shown with a caring that not many men of Middle Earth had.

"Are you the Healer?" I asked, sounding drowsy to my own ears.

"I am."

"How bad is it?"

"You, My Lady, were very lucky," he told me, watching as I tried to register what he was saying to me. "The arrow did not puncture anything of importance and you should be healed properly before your journey."

"I should?"

He nodded. "I will have some of my people find proper quarters for a young woman of your station," he said, putting a gentle hand upon arm. "But for now you should rest and recuperate here."

I wanted to thank the elf Healer properly but I didn't even know his name. Not that he actually knew mine either. Unless he'd discussed my being here with my brother Boromir.

He must have realized what I was fearing because he gave me a soft smile. "I haven't told your brother that you are here yet, Adora of Minas Tirith," he told me. "I am hoping that when you are able to you will do the right thing and tell him yourself."

I bit my lip nervously. It's not like it wouldn't come out sooner or later who I really was. I had been injured after all. And it wasn't like I wouldn't have had to make the return journey anyway either. At least now I could actually travel as me.

"You know my name, Master Elf," I said, looking up at him with curiosity, "but I seem to not be knowing yours."

"Lord Elrond," an elven healer said, running up to him urgently, "Boromir of Gondor is here to check up on the injured 'man' we cared for."

"Show him in," Lord Elrond said, sending the elf back the way he'd come.

I lay back on the pillows of the bed and prepared myself for the yelling that would happen when Boromir entered the room. I looked up to find Lord Elrond studying me. I found it rather odd that of all the wonderful things in this building I would be the one that he focused on. I was just a girl. A girl who was in deep trouble with her family when they found out what she'd done.

"Where is Rodric?" Boromir was asking the elf who'd led him into the room.

"Boromir," I said, drawing his attention to me.

"Adora!" he raced over and carefully looked me over. "How did you get here?"

I gave him a look that clearly stated that he should know how I got here. "I disguised myself as Rodric to prove my strength in battle upon our journey," I said, watching as Lord Elrond took his leave of us. I couldn't help but hope that we would meet again during my stay at Imladris.

"What were you thinking?" Boromir yelled, looking more frightened than when mother had fallen ill. "You could have gotten yourself killed. Is glory really worth losing your life over?"

I rolled the question around in my mind. I had told myself that glory was what had brought me on this journey. But was that what it really was? Was something bigger than glory the reason behind my leaving the safety of Minas Tirith? Was I supposed to be here at this time on this journey for any reason beyond the one that I had given?

"I don't know," I whispered, feeling the tears prickle my eyes. And for the first time since I'd found out about Boromir's journey, I wept in confusion about what I had done and what I had yet to do.

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Adora: Soldier of Gondor as much as I enjoyed writing it.