A/N- thanks very much for your input Abnormal-Amy8D. I rewrote the first chapter so hopefully it's better now. Anyways, on to chapter 2

Chapter 2

She awoke with a start, shooting upright and narrowly missing the man who it seemed had been kneeling over her. She froze. The man! He was alive! She stared over at him and he stared back at her, wearing a shocked expression. He looked perfect. Whole. Her heart soared for an instant, then she remembered why he was healed...what she had done.

She shot up, pushing some heavy material off of her—what was it, a cloak?—and sped off , headed for a nearby stream. The man reached out to stop her but missed, and so he hurriedly stood to make chase. He needed to speak with this strange woman who seemed to be responsible for his miraculous recovery. He needed answers, and he was going to get them. His exhaustion from the battle had not dissipated though, and he wore heavy armor so he lagged behind her.

"My lady, wait! Please, come back!" But she barely heard him, her distress was so great. Trees flew by, just a blur, as she sprinted through the forest. The rocks and twigs on the ground hurt her feet, the wind whipped her hair into her eyes, that voice behind kept yelling for her to stop, but she noticed none of it. Her mind was only on one thing. How much had she changed? How much had the Valar now stripped from her?

When she arrived at the small stream, she fell to her knees and peered down at her reflection. She was still pretty to be sure, but she was not the same. That mystical quality, that utter perfection she had been was gone. Her hair no longer shimmered. Dirt and leaves already clung to it. Her eyes had transformed from an entrancing violet to a warm brown. Warm? Who was she kidding? They were dull and muddy and ugly. Her eyes were not the worst of it, however. The inner light that had once shown from inside of her, that light that made her skin, her very being, seem to glow, was now completely and utterly absent. The magic was gone. She was pale and bland. Sickly, she thought. Human.

She looked up in desperation. She had to speak to the Valar again, beg them to turn her back, to reverse this curse. Surely she could convince them this was all just a foolish mistake made when she was overwhelmed. Before she could speak a word, however, a hand came down on her shoulder. She jumped in shock and quite nearly fell into the water, but the mysterious hand caught her and pulled her upright again. She turned away from the stream and came face to face with that man again, that horribly bothersome man. What more could he possibly want from her?

"Why... did you... run... from me?" He asked between gasps for air. He was still trying to get his breathing back to normal after that sprint. Ridiculous woman. Healing him and then making him run after her. No regular healer would have him overexert himself like that. This was all very peculiar.

She eyed him for a moment, making up her mind about him. She supposed she should try to befriend him seeing as she had very few options now. She would answer his questions.

"I wasn't running from you. I needed to come here, to the stream." A confused expression passed over him.

"May I ask why you had to depart so suddenly?" She thought this a strange question. She wanted to go, so she left. Did he expect her to ask permission or announce her departure? She would try to remember to do that in the future. Humans must just have strange customs.

"I needed to see how changed I am. I needed to see what I will look like from now on." If it was possible, he looked even more puzzled.

"What do you mean? Changed from what exactly?" She was beginning to get annoyed with these obvious questions. Had she sacrificed everything for an idiot?

"From a dryad of course." Her tone slightly clipped now.

"A dryad? My apologies for now you have lost me entirely. Perhaps we should start from the beginning." He gave her a small smile. "I am Boromir son of Denathor." He looked at her expectantly. She didn't say anything. "Now it's your turn," he prodded.

"My turn for what?"

"To introduce yourself."

Silence.

"What's your name?"

"My name? I…I…" She searched her memory. The Valar had called her something hadn't they? Of course they had, but what? "I can't remember," she admitted slightly embarrassed.

"You can't remember?"

"That is was I said, isn't it?" She was defensive now. "It has been too long since anyone has used my name. I don't remember anymore." The look on his face said he did not believe her. Why should she lie about this? "Just call me Laurel for now. I'm sure my name will come to me."

"Laurel? As in the tree?"

"Exactly."

"Very well then."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine." There was an awkward pause.

"How long is 'too long'?" he finally asked.

"What?"

"How long has it been since someone called you by your name?" She thought about that for a second.

"Hmmm. I'm….. not sure about that either. A few centuries perhaps?" His eyes bulged at this response.

"Centuries? Either you jest or you are a mad woman." She stood up, affronted, and walked a few paces away. He quickly averted his eyes from her.

"I assure you I am not mad and this is certainly no jest! I have lived here for more than a few centuries." She turned back to face him and saw his back was to her.

"I do not understand," he said. "How can that be?" Her anger did not calm.

"I was a dryad, a protector of the forest, blessed by the Valar with immortality." The words were difficult to get out now as she realized she would never have that life again. The Valar don't give gifts like that every day. That life was lost forever.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was in the presence of an immortal being! One that was not an elf. It was incredible. But something about what she had said bothered him…quietly he spoke again.

"Was?" She was brought out of her reverie.

"Excuse me?"

"You said 'was a dryad'." Her anger faded replaced with sad longing.

"Yes, that's right. The girl who stands before you now is only human. I gave up my beauty, my life here in the forest, my immortality, everything."

"Forgive me but what possible reason could you have to do that?" Her anger flared up again. His tone implied he thought her decision was a foolish one. He thought her foolish did he? Well she would have to agree.

"I did it for you, to save your life. You were dead, and I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't myself." Even at this news, he didn't turn to face her. This angered her even more. "The very least you could do now is look at me when I am speaking to you!" She quickly quieted, ashamed of her outburst. Just because he was acting uncivil did not mean she should. He turned around slowly but closed his eyes.

"Forgive me madam, I did not mean to offend. I simply….ah…" He paused awkwardly "You see…in Gondor the clothes you are wearing would be considered scandalously… inappropriate. Please, take this." He held his cloak out to her.

She looked down at herself. She had once made a dress out of deerskin but she found the fabric confining. She felt infinitely freer while running through the forest in the light-weight vines she had tied around herself that she now wore. They were tightly wrapped all around her body. Before today, they never snapped or withered. They stayed perfect as if by….she sighed. Magic. Now, however, the regular passage of time was beginning to take its toll, and the vines were browning and falling apart. They still covered everything important though, so she did not see the problem. If it made him uncomfortable though, she supposed she could wear that silly cloak. She took it from him and draped it around herself. It was so heavy! How would she ever get used to this?

She looked up at him. His eyes were still closed. A small smile graced her features. How ridiculous this man was. Perhaps she wouldn't always regret her decision to save him…maybe. "You may open your eyes now." By the time he opened them, her smile had vanished. "What now?" she asked.

"Now I must find my friends, and rescue the hobbits." She saw it. That grandeur, that determination he had fought with before—the reason she had saved him—was back in his eyes. She wasn't expecting him to want to rejoin the fight so soon after his life was restored but she supposed she should have guessed he would. His fighting spirit had survived just as much as him. Well then she would join him. Perhaps she could still do some good even as a human.

"The hobbits, those were the little beings those monsters carried away?"

"Yes, yes. Those 'monsters' are Uruk-hai, and they are surely many miles from here by now so I must make haste." He began swiftly walking away but turned back after only a few steps. "Do you know where my friends were headed after they left me? It is very important I meet up with them as soon as possible." She walked towards him but continued past him.

"Yes, I believe they were headed back this way towards the Anduin. I believe they were going to chase after the, what did you call them, Uruk-hai?" He strode past her in a rush.

"They must have been headed towards our place of camp. I'll start there. Thank you." She reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait! I'll come with you, help you find them." He looked down at her, incredulous.

"It will be dangerous, certainly no place for a woman." She stared back up at him, a fire in her eyes.

"You can't just leave me here. You have to take me with you."

It was true. He couldn't leave her here alone. More of those foul beasts could still be near. She had just saved his life. Was he to repay her by abandoning her to die?

"Very well, you may accompany me." She faced forward again, keeping pace with him, a contented gleam in her eye.

He kept his eyes on her for a moment longer. He didn't trust her. He believed she had saved his life, there was no other explanation, but the other parts of her story were a tad difficult for him to believe. She could be, and probably was, a spy sent by Saruman to befriend him and learn secrets of their quest. Well, he would not fail his friends a second time. No, he would have to keep a very close eye on her.