A/N: OK we are FINALLY going to arrive at Helms Deep. Things are getting interesting. You're welcome. Enjoy!
(March 4th. 8 days since Boromir's "death")
Boromir packed his saddlebags as the sun rose in a much cheerier mood than the night previously. The stables had a comforting air about them, as he had a great love for riding. He'd had a fine horse growing up in Gondor. The Rohirrim do not sell their horses so Boromir had never owned one of their famed breeds but all the same, his stallion, Greymane, had been magnificent. He had lost Greymane on his way to Rivendell so many months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago, like he was remembering a dream. Everything had changed after Rivendell. He had no longer been the magnificent High Warden of Gondor admired by all. His role in the fellowship had been much simpler. He'd been a friend, a protector and in the end…a traitor. His heart clenched and he nearly dropped the saddlebag in his hands. He had never felt such shame. How could he face his friends again? How would they treat him? They would surely cast him out, never trust him again, and he would deserve that.
No.
He would redeem himself. He would prove he was not weak. If they gave him a second chance, he would never let them down again. He pushed those thoughts away for now. Worrying about the future would achieve nothing, or so Faramir would have told him. The important thing now was to focus on getting to Helm's Deep.
He finished readying the horses that Godwine was lending him and Daphnaie. They were fine steeds. He had let Daphnaie check up on her patient one last time while he went ahead to the stables. The man's health was much improved. He had even regained consciousness for a brief time. His name turned out to be Cenric. He was one of King Theoden's scouts. Thanks to Daphnaie, he was expected to make a full recovery.
Boromir was more conflicted than ever. He could not see how she could be the enemy he knew she certainly must be. It was well he had the trip to Helms Deep to find out more about her, perhaps finally put the pieces together. He glanced up as he strapped the last pack onto his horse's saddle. Daphnaie ought to arrive any moment, likely followed by her pet Leofric, he thought with some annoyance then checked himself. He was being uncharitable. What had Leofric done? Nothing, and he was behaving in an ungracious way unbefitting a captain of Gondor. He resolved to think better of Leofric in the future.
Just then Daphnaie hurried through the stable doors with, sure enough, Leofric following close behind. Boromir greeted them both extra courteously.
"And good day to you Boromir." Daphnaie said grinning broadly. "I have news. Leofric will be joining our party. He offered to help guide us, and Godwine thought it an excellent idea. Isn't that wonderful?"
Bothersome, impertinent boy. "A guide my arse," Boromir thought. Helm's Deep was only about 60miles from Edoras, one day's ride. Boromir knew he could handle the short trip to Helms Deep with about as much ease as a trip to the bathroom. He opened his mouth to say as much but was momentarily distracted by Daphnaie's appearance. She was striking. She wore some form-fitting, black riding pants and a sea green tunic just a bit too big for her tucked in. Her long black tresses were tied in a braid down her back, but some pieces around her tanned face were already free. Mostly though, it was her smile that did it. She practically glowed with happiness. It was almost mesmerizing. Any other time he would have put Leofric in his place, but at that moment he just couldn't make himself be the cause of removing that smile from her delicate features. Instead Boromir mustered all the gratitude he could and said,
"Indeed? My thanks to you then, Leofric. In these dark times, two soldiers together are certainly better than one alone for any journey no matter the distance." Leofric inclined his head at Boromir.
"Oh damn." Leofric said with a self-deprecating smile. I'm supposed to bring a message to King Theoden from Godwine. I've left it in the Hall. Forgive me. I'll be right back." He hurried out before either Boromir or Daphnaie could say anything. An awkward silence followed his departure. Boromir glanced back over at Daphnaie who was putting the last of the saddlebags on the mare she would ride.
"I suppose we'll need to ready another horse then?" Boromir said completely disguising his annoyance. It was lucky that Boromir had considerable self-restraint. He was confused when Daphnaie suddenly looked embarrassed. It was easy to tell as she blushed fiercely. She was a bit of an open book.
"That won't be necessary." She said looking anywhere but Boromir.
"Oh?" Boromir couldn't resist such an opportunity to tease her. "Will Leofric be walking then? Or yourself? Do you mean you can run as fast as the horses? I am both shocked and impressed." He offered her his most convincing "awe-struck" look. She lost her fascination with the floor, and gave Boromir a cold irritated stare. It was almost enough to make Boromir regret his words…but not quite. She was just so easily wound up!
"No, of course not. We don't need another horse because I will be riding with Leofric." Boromir was no longer amused.
"What?" Daphnaie repeated herself loudly and slowly, carefully enunciating each word.
"I. Will. Be. Riding. With. Leofric." It was Boromir's turn to look annoyed.
"Whatever for?" She mumbled something, but Boromir didn't quite catch it. "What was that?"
"I can't ride!" She looked him in the eye now, but she blushed tellingly. "I don't know how, and I thought since we are in a hurry now would not be the most opportune time to learn." So she had asked Leofric to ride with her. That made sense, Boromir supposed. Except—
Why didn't she ask me?
Where had that come from? It didn't matter to him in the least whom she chose to ride with. He stared at her for a moment. She was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to comment. A little pinkness still lingered on her cheeks.
"Oh. Well. Very well then. Do you need any help mounting?" He wasn't sure what else to say. He didn't want to upset her any further.
"Um…" She looked at her horse uncertainly for a moment, then gave Boromir a small smile. "Yes thank you." He walked over to her, stopping beside the front of the horse.
"Okay, stand very close to the horse." He told her in a soft but commanding tone. She complied somewhat nervously. "Grab the horn of the saddle with your left hand and the other end of the saddle with your right. Make sure you have a firm grip." He watched on amused as she slowly grabbed the saddle, keeping a wary eye on the horse the whole time. "Now put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your other leg over the horse." She hesitated.
"Are you sure about this?" Boromir smiled encouragingly.
"Yes of course. Trust me." She took a deep breath and placed her foot in the stirrup. Boromir was about to tell her to secure her footing a little more, but she launched off the ground before he could. Her foot slid out of the stirrup as soon as she did so. She gave a surprised yelp as she began to fall backwards, but Boromir was beside her in an instant a caught her before she could hit her head on the stable wall.
Warm brown eyes looked up at him, wide with shock, as he held Daphnaie in his arms. They were so deep, like you could sink into them and never return. They revealed all of her thoughts, all of her emotions—beautiful, honest eyes.
"Thank you." She said breathlessly. A small, relieved smile lit up her face.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Boromir thought and released her. It was good timing too because Leofric came jogging back into the stables just moments afterword. He didn't want Leofric to get the wrong idea. "Or the right one," a little voice in Boromir's head added. Boromir stoutly ignored the voice. Its appearances were becoming more frequent, and bothersome, everyday.
"Are we ready to go?" Leofric asked, oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the stables.
"Yes, we were just waiting on you. Let's be off," Boromir answered as he mounted. Leofric hopped on the back of the horse with the ease one would expect of a horse lord and then skillfully helped Daphnaie mount up behind him. She looked nervous on the back of the tall beast but just wrapped her arms around Leofric's waist without complaint. Boromir and Leofric steered the horses out of the stables and began the downward trek out of Edoras. Boromir inclined his head at Godwine, who stood on the steps of the Golden Hall to see them off.
They rode the horses at a slow walk down the hillside. There would be plenty of time for hard riding once they reached the plains. The empty buildings were just as eerie as when he and Daphnaie had first arrived. When they had nearly reached the gates of the city, Leofric led his horse off the path towards one of the nearby houses. Boromir opened his mouth to command him to fall back in line, but thought better of it. Leofric was not one of his men to be ordered about. It was not Boromir's place to give him commands. He kept silent and watched as Leofric led the horse to the side of the small dilapidated building and grabbed a handful of morning glories that were growing up the wall. He handed them backwards to Daphnaie who blushed and smiled broadly. Boromir thought she seemed inordinately pleased about the small offering. Then Leofric said something to her and she laughed and punched him lightly on the arm. Enough was enough.
"Leofric! If you're quite finished, perhaps we could go to Helm's deep now?" Boromir called over to them. Embarrassed, Leofric looked quickly over at Boromir, his boyish grin gone.
"Yes of course, Lord Boromir." He hastily brought his horse back beside Boromir. Daphnaie was not cowed in the least. She looked right at Boromir and gave him an irritated glance. Her anger only amused him. She was hardly an intimidating person, being so small and averse to violence, so her attempts to threaten Boromir with a hard look came off a little ridiculous. He chuckled to himself and winked at her, which only seemed to annoy her further, and she turned away from him.
"Boromir: 1, Daphanie:0." He thought to himself with a small smile.
…
"He probably thinks he just won that little battle," Daphnaie thought to herself. Well she would make sure that was the last of his victories. How maddening he was, though, really she was more amused than mad. Still, she'd get some respect sooner or later.
Once they exited the city, they picked up the pace, which was a little uncomfortable for her. They rode mostly in silence, with only a few comments here and there, as their anxiety grew with every step closer to Helm's Deep. Hours later, they began to ascend a small hill. The smell hit them first, then they saw it. At the top, bodies lay rotting in the sun—men, orcs, horses, and wargs. It was a gruesome sight. A wave of nausea swept over her, and felt light headed. She needed to get off the horse.
"I need to get down." She choked out. She and Leofric were stopped a few paces behind Boromir. Leofric didn't seem to register she'd spoken. He was too lost in his grief.
"I need to get down." She repeated between shallow gasps for air.
"Daphnaie look at me." Boromir commanded from in front of her. Her head jerked over to Boromir. He looked calm, completely unaffected by the horrifying scene.
"Just hold on to Leofric, swing your right leg over, and drop down."
"Okay" she said quietly, only too happy to listen. The second her feet touched the ground she bolted to a spot several yards away and retched. She felt terrible, weak, and her throat burned. She never got sick before. Her new fragility was becoming only too clear. When the worst of the nausea passed she stood up only to find Boromir waiting patiently behind her holding a wineskin, bless him. She needed a drink bad. She grabbed it eagerly and took a long drink of the cool water within. When she was finished, she handed the wineskin back and squatted down resting her head in her hands. Without the distraction of her queasy stomach she was struck with the full force of the scene. So many men dead. It was almost more than she could bear. Before this, the only dead man she had ever seen was Boromir and she had reversed that, but this? This was permanent. These men were gone and there was nothing she could do about it. She sensed Boromir kneel down beside her. He rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" He asked kindly. She lifted her head but didn't look at him. She couldn't face him yet. She was shamed of her weakness. No one else got sick. No one else felt this paralyzing sadness for men they had never even seen before. Boromir was so much stronger than she was. She took a deep breath before answering.
"Yes. I'm sorry. It's just the—"
"The smell. I know. You'll feel better once we move on." His voice held only understanding, no judgment. He stood up beside her.
"No I won't," She answered. She wouldn't feel better about this for a long time, if she ever felt better about it at all.
"What?" Boromir asked, his confusion evident. How could she make him understand the flurry of emotion inside of her? She was almost at the breaking point.
"Those are men out there Boromir. They're real. They mattered. They lived and breathed and now they are the sport of crows." She was disgusted with it all. Then her strength failed and tears began to slide down her face. "I've never seen dead men before." She confessed. Boromir pulled her up into his arms. A sob wracked her slim frame.
"Shhh. It's alright." She gripped him tightly. She just needed something to hold onto. "These men were soldiers. They fought and died honorable deaths. They fought for their wives and their children and their deaths will not be in vain."
"What about me?" He real fears were surfacing now, and she couldn't find it within herself to keep them silent.
"What do you mean?" Boromir asked. He gripped her shoulders and stepped back from her to look her in the eyes.
"I mean will I die in vain? Will I end just a corpse on a battle field before the end of this war?"
Boromir just looked at her. She couldn't quite discern the haunting look in his eyes.
"No." He said after a long moment. "No, that will not be your fate." She didn't believe him. He was just a man. He did not know what the Valar had planned for her, if they cared for her at all anymore. She looked wistfully away from him. His gripped tightened on her shoulders. "Look at me Daphnaie," he commanded. She looked back at him, wary of his forceful tone. "I promise that won't be your fate. I will protect you. You don't have to be afraid. I will protect you." His compassion moved her. She wasn't entirely convinced, but she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe him more than anything.
"Okay." She offered timidly. "Thank you, Boromir." She gave him one last watery smile before by silent agreement they both headed back to the horses. Leofric was still just sitting there, a forlorn look on his face. While Boromir mounted again, she put a comforting hand on Leofric's knee.
"Leofric?" she said quietly. "Leofric we must get going now." His eyes met hers then and the lost look in them almost made her burst into tears again.
"These men were my friends. I respected and admired them. They won't even get a proper burial. He closed his eyes. Her heart bled for him.
"Leofric, I—I'm so sorry. But we have to go now. There's nothing we can do for them except go on." Slowly he opened his eyes.
"Yes. You're right." He gave her a small smile but his eyes were still sad. "Let us leave this place." He helped her back onto the horse and the threesome set off again towards Helms Deep. They rode faster now, anxious to see if the scene on the hillside was a foreshadowing of worse things to come.
Hours later they finally spotted their destination in the distance. Both Boromir and Leofric exclaimed at the sight of a large forest bordering the fortress, though Daphnaie wasn't sure what was so strange about that. The forest did make her nervous, however. It had a darkness to it absent from her own forest. She was not about to stroll through these trees any time soon. As they approached the Keep, a dark look passed over Boromir. He seemed to grow more agitated the closer they got. They stopped when they reached the edge of the large cove Helm's Deep was built into.
It was clear that a great battle had been fought there, and though it seemed the Rohirrim had been victorious in the end, they had clearly suffered heavy losses. Scores of men and horses littered the field. A few soldiers walked among the bodies searching for survivors. A great hole had been blown out of the wall of the Keep. How had that happened? Daphnaie felt a little sick, but she was able to suppress the queasy feeling this time. Boromir surveyed the scene with an intense gaze.
"Boromir, let us go on." She said encouragingly. His head snapped in her direction, a harsh look in his eyes. Gone was the friend that had held her only hours before. It was like she was dealing with two different men.
"You!" He snapped at her, his face contorting with rage. Reflexively, she shrunk back behind Leofric. "You knew this would happen! How many more will die before you are done hmm? Am I to be next? Your dear Leofric perhaps?" Leofric reached an arm back around her protectively, but mostly he was too confused by Boromir's sudden outburst to do anything. Daphnaie was too shocked to come up with any clear defense. How could she? She had no idea what Boromir was talking about.
"Me? What have I done? You're mad!" Boromir laughed a sad, humorless laugh. "Yes I was mad." The harsh look in his eye dissolved into one of sorrow. "I was mad to fool myself into thinking I could trust you if even for a moment." With that, he turned from her and she watched his back as he rode for the Hornburg.