A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! Y'all rock! ^__^ Hope you enjoy this chapter! I was kind of uncertain as to how this chapter should go, but I think it turned out all right. On a personal note, my Tolkien books came today, FINALLY. I've wanted to read the Silmarillion for forever, but thanks to incompetent librarians, bookshop owners, and Amazon.com, I have been denied. Hah, not any longer!

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Disclaimer: Steph is mine, Boromir is Tolkien's. Happy day.

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**Chapter 11**

Boromir leaned closer to Aragorn, wondering what was wrong. He had gone suddenly deaf, and the sinking feeling in his stomach told him the ominous 'voice' would be paying him a visit.

'This is the worst possible time!' he thought, his face showing his distress, 'To swoon like a weak female in front of these warriors! Curse the voice!'

Suddenly the voice was in his ear, and the scene around him seemed to freeze. "Ah, Boromir! You should show me more respect. After all, I am the one who brought you back."

Boromir reached out to touch the frozen face of Aragorn. "And what good has it done me? None! Barren wasteland, the abominable Steph, and uncertainty. Good? Hah! I see no evidence of-"

"Be silent!" the voice commanded, a steely note Boromir had never heard before in its voice, "Do you see nothing Boromir? Are you really so ignorant?"

Boromir glared at the frozen air around him. "You speak in such riddles! How can I learn from your meaningless words?"

"You do not listen to my words! You hear them, yes, but you refuse to listen. You do not even know why I have sent you back, do you?"

The man of Gondor clenched his hands into fists, his eyes flashing fire. "No, I do not!"

"Then you do not know why Steph is here either?"

His lip curled into a sneer. "Only to torment me, I suppose."

"Then you have much to learn, Boromir of Gondor. There is a reason for everything, and you must look for the answers."

"Tell me the answers! I do not know what you mean!"

The voice laughed coldly, sarcasm obvious in its voice. "What good will it do you? What kind of warrior are you?"

Boromir was persistent. "Why did you send us back! Tell me!"

The voice laughed again, infuriating him. "Tell me who you are!" he demanded.

"All in good time, Boromir. You must learn to be patient." The words faded onto the wind, until Boromir began to wonder if he had heard them at all.

The outside world was released from the spell, and Aragorn advanced on Boromir, sword drawn.

"Who are you?"

Boromir fumbled for his sword, furious with himself for being so slow. He hoped that being dead hadn't dulled his fighting skills and reflexes. He hadn't fought (physically at least) with anyone since he had died.

"Then you do not recognize me?" he asked curiously, surprised to see that the ranger hadn't welcomed him with open arms.

Aragorn's face remained serious, though in his eyes a dull flame of hope flashed. It was quickly extinguished as the Elf joined him, muttering something to him in Elvish and giving Boromir a distasteful look.

"Answer truthfully." Aragorn said with a sigh, watching every movement Boromir made, "Who are you?"

"I am Boromir of Gondor, son of Denethor II, the Steward of Gondor."

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "I believe he told you to answer truthfully."

Aragorn peered at him in the darkness. "I do not deny that you look uncannily similar to the late Boromir of Gondor. Perhaps my eyes deceive me in the dark."

Boromir shook his head. "They do not deceive you, Aragorn. But, perhaps if you were to view me by the light of fire, you would believe me."

Aragorn was obviously surprised to be called by his true name by a stranger, but before he could speak the dwarf broke in.

"And who might this be, sitting so silently?" he edged toward Steph, squinting up at her.

Boromir's face lit up. Steph! Of course, that was how he could prove he was Boromir! "That would be Lady Steph, my friends. Surely you remember her?" he untied the blue ribbon from its place on his scabbard. "And surely you remember this?"

Steph was pulled down from her perch on the horse, much too roughly for her liking. Legolas and Gimli began staring at her, peering at her face, and touching her hair. She slapped at the hands.

"Of course I'm Steph, you morons! He's Boromir too, and yes, we're back!"

This was all the proof Aragorn needed. Needless to say, even with the truth, it was hard to comprehend.

"It is impossible!" cried Gimli, searching Boromir's face for any trace of a lie, "I cut the boughs for your funeral raft! I put your fallen enemies' weapons at your feet! You were dead!"

Boromir smiled half-heartedly. "I have been awoken from death."

"How can this be?" Aragorn asked, running his fingers over the ribbon, "What happened after we...disposed of you?"

Boromir took the ribbon from Aragorn. "I would be all too pleased to tell you my tale, but it would be much better with a meal. Steph and I have lived on meager rations these days..."

Aragorn understood immediately, sending the other warriors back to find some food for the weary travelers. He clapped Boromir on the back as the small group headed back to camp.

"I am glad to see you alive again, Boromir."

Boromir started to say that he was glad to be alive, but thought better of it. He wasn't really glad to be alive, in truth. He settled on a nod and a smile.

Steph followed all of them, feeling irritable and unhappy. Riding along the plains following someone was good for her. No killing, no getting chased, no fear...and now she was riding into battle. As pissed off as she had been that he had tried to leave her in Edoras, she would have rather been there than getting killed.

Why was Boromir so determined to bring her along? When he left her, it was as if it would take a pack of Nazgul to get him to bring her along. Now it was like it would take a pack of Nazgul to get him to leave her. Men were so crazy.

Steph crossed her arms, a frown pulling at her mouth. "Guys piss me off."

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Naturally, the hobbits were surprised to see the two. Merry had declared that Steph look too thin and sickly, and set off to find some extra bread or something to get her up to standards. Steph had always interested the hobbits, as it seemed like a hard thing to quarrel with a man who could easily pick them up and cart them through the snows of Caradhras.

Steph was in no mood to talk, but instead of telling them so, she decided to suck it up and have a bit of a chat. It was interrupted numerous times though, because beside her Boromir was telling their tale, and he kept telling it wrong.

After correcting 'but Lady Stephanie had' to 'but Steph had, you assclown, get it right!' she had gotten rid of the hobbits, who had hobbit-y business to attend to. She didn't really care what they were doing, so long as it didn't involve her, and when they left, she enjoyed the peace.

It was then that she noticed the old man smoking a pipe. He had a grey cloak drawn about him, though every time he moved slightly, a sparkling white robe could be seen beneath it. She figured that he was probably Gandalf, and she frowned at him when his stares did not falter. 'He looks like a mind reader or something,' she thought to herself, hoping that next time he decided to bathe in bleach it would burn his eyes or something. But, having the short attention span she had, she was soon bored again, listening to Boromir drone on and on.

Boromir was having a good time, and for the first time in a long time, he enjoyed being alive. Seeing that Steph was bored out of her mind, he sent her to bed, and she happily obliged.

Once Steph was asleep, Aragorn gave Boromir a long, unreadable look. He had been alternating between long, serious conversation with Gandalf and then light hearted ones with Boromir. When Boromir finished retelling the part of his journey Aragorn had missed, Aragorn sighed heavily.

"Why did you bring Steph along?"

Boromir was taken aback. He had forgotten about the question he knew would come eventually. "Well," he said quietly, stroking his small beard in thought, "she appeared on top of my dead body. I had no other choice..."

Legolas cocked his head to one side. "You could have killed her. Then she would not have been such a burden."

"Or you could have left her in Edoras." Aragorn said, "Why were you so foolish as to bring her along, Boromir? Surely you had a reason."

Boromir bit his lower lip, uneasiness settling on him. He had left out the part above trying to leave her in Edoras. "I tried."

"You tried?" the three others chorused.

"Yes, I left her under the care of Éowyn and rode towards Helm's Deep by myself."

Gimli grunted. "What was the problem then?"

Boromir took a deep breath. "There is a voice. The...being, I suppose, that brought me back. It speaks to me."

The three leaned closer, interested. "What does it say?" Legolas questioned.

"It often speaks to me, though only in riddles. In fact, it spoke to me after you saw me Aragorn. Everything seemed to pause. I touched your frozen face as it spoke to me."

The three exchanged glances. "What does this have to with leaving the girl in Edoras?" asked Aragorn.

"The arrows...they came back." Boromir looked at their startled faces, feeling very foolish, like a child being laughed at by adults for a silly misunderstanding. It was hard enough for him to believe it, and he doubted that others would.

"Did the voice speak to you?"

"Yes, it said that we are bound, Steph and I, and leaving her would..." he faltered. It almost felt that saying it would kill him in itself.

"Yes?" the three prompted, hanging on his words.

Boromir took a deep breath. "It will result in my death."