Yes…I know I accidentally marked the previous chapter as 29…that was wrong.
But here is the REAL chapter twenty-nine!
Enjoy it none-the-less :D
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Of Borders and Doors and Gates
"You must wake now, dear child," the soft but stern voice invaded her mind, dragging her from the darkness clouded over her mind.
"Five more minutes," she asked stubbornly, trying to bury her head into her pillow.
"Hmm, she is peculiar just as you said she was, Nienna," it was a woman's voice, and for all purposes Naomi distinguished it as a sound not unlike bells. Blue eyes snapped open to take in…
"Nothing? Oh! Did I say that out loud? But my lips aren't moving…?" there was nothing but white everywhere she looked. She could hear light laughter and a 'hmm' of amusement but couldn't see anybody.
"Sorry, you are not officially here so we cannot allow you to see us," said the bell like voice again.
"As for your unmoving lips, there is no need, where we are your thoughts are freely available," another woman said, her voice very different to the first. It was calm and somber, reminding Naomi of the string section in an orchestra. And absolutely no less beautiful.
"Unfortunately we do not have much time, your companions are already worrying," the second continued.
"Speak for yourself, Nienna, I refuse to let her go until she is healed," said the first voice.
"Estë, if you hold her for too long she will not be able to return," countered the second, Nienna, apparently.
"Wait hang on…I'm hurt? Or gone? Where am I?" Naomi asked, unsure if it was with her mouth or her head.
"I apologize, child, we meant not to speak without you," Nienna said softly, Naomi was about to ask more questions but the first voice, that of Estë, piped up quickly.
"Your physical body is fine, but your mind is scarred after his tramp about in it,"
"You are currently residing in a place between the Void and your dreams, Estë's husband has given us a brief time so that we may speak with you," Nienna answered her question.
"Who is, uh, him, and what is the Void?"
"I am sorry, we do not have time to answer those questions, but when you awaken seek out Olórin, he will be able to explain,"
"You must ask him to also tell you about The Door of Night and The Gates of Morning," Estë said lightly.
"I don't-," Naomi tried to tell them she didn't understand, but Nienna cut her off again.
"It is vital that you remember to ask him these things, no matter if you do not understand them, child,"
"Wake up, find Olórin, ask about him, the Void, The Door of Night and The Gates of Morning, I got all that but-,"
"You are tied to the Dark Lord," Nienna said morosely and it shut Naomi up in a second.
"Those evil words whispered, I cannot rid your mind of them, you must do that yourself," Estë said and it was the first time she heard the bell like voice dip in pitch.
"Nienna! He cannot hold on much longer, her body is pulling-!" Estë breathed.
"Dear child, if we do not meet again, I wish you luck," Nienna's voice was fading, as if she was moving further away.
"And make sure you rest your leg," Estë's voice was but a whisper too. Naomi felt dizzy, her eyes scanning the nothingness for any sort of movement.
"Now, child," She jumped at the deep male voice that surrounded her.
"It is time for you to WAKE UP!"
/\\
All at once everything rushed.
Colours and shapes leaked back into her vision.
Loud sounds were ringing in her ears.
Her chest, which felt abnormally heavily, was rising and falling with quickly gasps of air and for the first time she noticed her heart beating.
"B-beating," she breathed out, her hand clumsily finding its way to the spot on her breast where she could feel the pulses of the organ through her skin. People were trying to talk to her, blurry faces trying to get her to concentrate, but she was too interested in her heart.
"I-It's beating," she mumbled to herself again.
"Yeah! No thanks to you! You fucking idiot!" the amount of emotion in the voice managed to draw her attention away from her chest. Naomi blinked her eyes sluggishly, it took several goes, but she managed to clear away the fuzz and faces came into being. Leaning over her was Tess, salty tears trailing down the woman's cheeks and dripping onto Naomi's stomach. It had been her who had spoken, she was sure, no one else in Middle Earth knew about the word 'fuck'.
'Or maybe it's catching on…?'
"What is? What are you talking about?" Tess asked, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion and worry.
'Oh…I said that out loud by accident,'
"That doesn't matter," Naomi mumbled, her eyes rolling around the small, windowless room. At the foot of the bed was Aragorn, his shoulders slumped with what looked like relief as he dragged a hand across his weary face. By her left side was Gandalf, the man leaning slightly on his staff as he watched her with calm, blue eyes.
"Gandalf…do you…d-do you know…," Naomi frowned when she couldn't get her voice to go above a hoarse whisper. She was just sliding her hand up to her throat when she noticed the aching.
"Aching…m-my chest," she rasped, trying to move her arm back to where it was before so she could relieve the pain that was starting to pulse along her sternum.
"Easy, take it easy," Tess said softly, any trace of anger she'd had before disappearing into concern. With gentle hands she moved the woman's arm back to her side, whilst using her own to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
"Wh-Why…why are you-ugh," Naomi managed to rasp, the words scratching up the back of her throat. Her friend moved swiftly to fill a mug with water from a pitcher nearby and as she helped her drink Naomi noticed how much she was shaking. The fluid slid down her throat and almost made the woman smile.
'So cool and nice,' were her exact thoughts at the time. When the empty mug was lifted from her lips she sighed, blinking her eyes slowly and concentrating on her friend.
"Why are you crying?" She asked again, her voice strong enough now to finish a sentence.
Tess stiffened before putting the mug down on the crate nearby and turning around.
"You had a heart attack," she told her bluntly, "Your chest hurts because I had to do CPR,"
Naomi felt her eyes go wide.
"You are extremely lucky none of your ribs fractured, scratch that, you're lucky to be alive," Brown eyes were glistening with tears again but the woman did not let them fall. Naomi nodded her head softly, understanding the gravity of the situation.
'-her body is pulling!' a memory, or was the whole thing a dream? It hadn't seemed like a dream at the time; although it seemed the more she thought on it the more confusing it all became. Her eyes found Gandalf's and she prepared to ask him again if he knew who Olórin was when the door to the little room opened. Legolas rushed through the opening, his tongue running off in a long Elvish monologue when he found Naomi looking up at him with surprise. A little smile lifted Tess' lips as she took a step back, allowing the distressed Elf to move to Naomi's bedside.
"Melamin! Lle tyaya quell? Lle anta amin tu? Main marte-?'
"Legolas!" Aragorn interrupted, firmly grasping his friend's shoulder. The blonde's head snapped up and for the first time Naomi was able to see just how close she'd come to death, the look in the Elf's dilated eyes was heart breaking.
"Tampa dina, adon, mellonamin, she does not speak Elvish," the Ranger said calmly, squeezing his friend's shoulder before releasing it and stepping back. Legolas took a breath and released it before turning back to Naomi.
"I love you," he breathed, taking her hand tightly in his and kissing it gently. Her heart lurched and she couldn't help the smile on her face. His other hand came up and traced her cheek softly, his fingertips brushing over the reddening skin.
"I-I love you too," she stuttered, turning her head slightly so she could brush her lips against his wrist. Naomi smiled at him once more before looking up at Gandalf.
"Do you know who Olórin is?" she asked him. She didn't know why but out of all the questions she had, this seemed to be the most important.
"I've not been called by that name for many years, pray tell how it is you know of it?" the wizard asked with a small frown on his face.
"You're Olórin?" she asked, her eyes wide with amazement and confusion. She had thought it would be some big task to find him.
'Guess not…,'
"I-uh-well, Nienna told me to find him-or really I guess you…," Naomi fidgeted under the wizard's gaze, so concentrated she was surprised she didn't spontaneously combust.
"Sh-She and Estë told me that he-ah well you- could explain what happened to me, they said something about me being between the Void and my dreams?" her mouth continued on, despite the wizard's gaze getting harder and harder. She didn't realize she was crushing Legolas' hand until he tried to wiggle his fingers and encourage blood to flow back through them.
"Gandalf…what is she talking about?" Tess' voice sounded small in the otherwise silent room and Naomi noticed how it wasn't just Gandalf with a perplexed look on his face.
"Nienna and Estë are both Queens of the Valar, two of fourteen Ainur who entered Arda after its creation to give order to the world and combat the evils of Melkor," It was Aragorn who answered, his eyes far away as he recalled history he had learned when he was but a boy in Rivendell.
"Okay…," Naomi said unsure, hoping he would explain more.
"Queen Nienna was a great teacher of mine, when I once dwelt in the gardens of Irmo. The Lady of Mercy, as she is also known, is concerned with mourning and pity," Gandalf responded, his eyes far away.
"Queen Estë the Gentle is a healer of hurts and weariness, grey is her raiment and rest is her gift, she is the wife of Irmo; the Master of Dreams and Desires,"
'Estë's husband has given us a brief time so that we may speak with you,'
"Oh!" Naomi exclaimed, remembering Nienna's words as well as the masculine voice she had heard before waking.
"The guy…Master Irmo, he was the one that made it possible for me to speak with Nienna and Estë," she explained and Gandalf's eyes snapped to the present again, his frown growing ever deeper.
"Not often are the Valar allowed to interfere with those not on their way to Undying Lands," Legolas said softly, his hand tightening on Naomi's.
"Well, now I know why she went into cardiac arrest," Tess said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest. Her face was carefully neutral but her eyes clearly showed the worry and strain.
"Oh my god! They killed me so they could get into my head!" Naomi exclaimed, her chest renewing its throbbing when she tried to sit up.
"Take it easy!" Tess scolded but moved to help Legolas prop her upright anyway. She felt better sitting up, almost as if her shock and anger drained away so that she could think clearly again.
"Okay, Estë and Nienna are Valar people, Olórin is Gandalf, Irmo gave me a heart attack so that he could take me to the place between my dreams and the Void- what is the Void Gandalf?" Naomi asked suddenly, looking up from where she'd been counting her thoughts on her fingers.
"The Void is a place far beyond Middle-Earth and beyond the world; where thought and time have no importance," the wizard spoke with a wistful tone and Tess picked up on it.
"You've been there before?" She asked, her head tilting as she tried to picture this place.
"Course he has! You would have known that if you'd not gone runnin' off in that forest!" Gimli exclaimed from beside her.
"Oh dear lord!" The woman cried, tripping slightly on her feet as she whirled around to see the Dwarf standing right next to her.
"Gimli! When did you get there!" she asked perplexed, her head swinging from side to side as if she could see his path. Gimli just grumbled at her before leaning against his huge axe again.
"Ahem, anyway," Naomi bristled, too focused on the task at hand to care about anything else.
"What is The Door of Night?"
"It is a place set at the utmost west of Arda, the very border between Middle-Earth and the Void," Gandalf said evenly, shifting his staff to his other hand.
"It is the Door that holds the first Dark Lord to his prison; Melkor is his true name, though in these times he is known mainly as Morgoth,"
"Okay, Morgoth was the first Dark Lord, he obviously did something bad to be trapped in the Void blah blah Door of Night holds him there blah blah, what about Sauron? Is he like Morgoth's son?" She questioned, ignoring the sudden tenseness in the room because of Sauron's very name.
"The current Dark Lord was Morgoth's most devoted lieutenant," Aragorn explained after clearing his throat.
'You are tied to the Dark Lord,' Nienna's words came to the front of Naomi's mind and her brow fell low over her eyes.
'But how? The only contact he has had with me is through my mind and that only happens with a Palantír…,' her thoughts continued on to Saruman and how he had used his power to bring Tess and herself into the world of Middle-Earth.
She felt her body go numb.
"Gandalf…Saruman said he brought Tess and I here because the people of our world are weaker than those here?" she stated more than asked, but waited for the old wizard's nod before she continued on.
"Is that possible? For someone with his power to pull people from a different world? Or do you think he had help?" Everyone else in the room seemed confused at the change in subject, however, Gandalf paused just as she had when she first started on her current train of thought. Nobody spoke for a long time, waiting for Gandalf to finish thinking over the blonde woman's question, until Tess made herself move forward on stiff legs.
"Naomi? Does this have something…to do…with me as well?"
Naomi swallowed before telling her everything she had thought up when Sauron had control of her body. She told her how they were not used to the Darkness in Middle-Earth and were therefore easier to control. She told her how if not for Tess bouncing whatever power had snatched them from their world, she would have ended up in Saruman's very clutches. Naomi told her how she had started growing immune to the Darkness of Middle-Earth and of how Sauron managed to finally make a connection through the Palantír when they were in Rohan and used that connection when Aragorn had uncovered it in the Great Hall. Tears exploded from her eyes when she remembered what she had almost done to Aragorn. It had taken her a moment but she was able to ask the Ranger for forgiveness, which he had willingly given immediately, before she continued on with her discovery of Saruman's connection to the Darkness so that he had enough power to pull them through the Void and into Middle-Earth.
"It wasn't Saruman's idea at all," Naomi managed amongst her tears.
"I-It was Morgoth's-! H-He resides in the Void and knows our world exists b-because that's what's on the other side of it," All the colour had drained from her friend's face and she stood as stock still as she had for the past hour.
"If Sauron gets his hands on the One Ring of Power, he could free Morgoth from his prison," Gandalf admitted morosely, his hand as white as the staff he gripped tightly.
"And t-together they would be strong enough to pull everyone from our world through the Door to Middle-Earth! If they wanted to they could use our inability to cope with the Darkness here to become even more powerful," another sob shuddered through Naomi's body as she struggled to get all her thoughts out into the open.
"Then Frodo carries not only the fate of Arda…but of your world as well," Aragorn murmured from the corner of the room. Heavy tears rolled down Naomi's cheeks as she remembered all the people she used to know, the huge sobs making her ribs burn. Tess had gone so pale she almost seemed transparent.
"Lass? Are y-," Gimli couldn't finish asking her if she was alright, because the moment his hand touched her arm Tess was running, barely managing to open the door before she was bolting down the hall.
She made herself stay numb, made sure she didn't think as she moved, yet unbidden the faces of all her friends from her previous world flashed passed her eyes, making it hard for her to breath. Her legs moved unconsciously, she didn't know where she was going and didn't bother to apologize when she accidentally knocked over a group of maids carrying silverware and fruit. The loud clashing as the metal hit the floor sounded dim to her ears, but was apparently loud because it drew the attention of other people passing by the hall. Tess found she just couldn't care.
As long as her legs kept moving she didn't care.
Her body crashed against the massive doors that separated the Great Hall from the outside, her hands slamming against both doors to fling them open so that she could get outside.
'Breathe! I-I can't breathe!'
The doors moved and the bright light of the burning orange sunrise blinded her as she slid through them, stumbling down the stairs as she tried to keep running. She passed the dying tree of Gondor and its four faithful guards without thought, her legs stretching as she ran beyond her fastest speed. The citadel moved swiftly under her feet and she was at the very edge in a matter of minutes.
Only then, with the wind whipping her short hair around her face.
Only then, when her feet had no more stone to run along.
Only then did she allow her thoughts catch up to her.
Shallow gasps of breath were the only thing she could snatch among strange half-screams and she soon found herself fighting to stay conscious. Too many faces swam through her mind, all of them screaming in terror. When she wasn't being swamped with images she found herself looking across the body hewn fields of Pelennor to the dark mountains beyond Osgiliath, to Mordor.
'That's where Frodo is headed! The weight of two worlds on his shoulders…and we don't even know of he's still alive!' tears coursed steadily down her face as her head kept swimming. It was the thought of her little sister in the clutches of orcs that made her legs finally give out, her knees slamming painfully into the stone. Burning trails streamed down over her cheeks as she lost her previous meal and then the meal before that and then she was just gagging painfully, bile dribbling over her quivering lips. Her arms gave one last tremble underneath her weight, before giving out and she winced when they did because she knew she would land in the mess she has just created. She didn't, however, and was surprised when warm arms surrounded her, pulling her away and setting her down against the wall so that she was sitting upright. Another choked sob rattled through her chest, making her cough when what little breathing she had was disrupted. Her arms lay uselessly against her sides, her shoulder's heaving with her cries as a cloak was wrapped around her violently shaking body. It was a Lothlòrien cloak, her Lothlòrien cloak in fact. She tried to form words but her tongue felt too thick in her mouth and she gave up, letting her head droop instead.
'Is this what it's like to have a panic attack?' she wondered vaguely. Her breaths were hiccupping and for a minute she thought she was going to be sick again.
"Tess, listen to me," two hands gripped the sides of her face, bringing it up so she could see the speaker.
"I need you to take a deep breath," the person told her. She complied, blinking away her tears as she took in one deep, shuddering breath. Teal blue eyes finally swam into focus and, doing as she was told, let go of the air she held in her lungs slowly. Her shaking hands rose to grip the sides of Aragorn's face, similar to how he had hers, in an attempt to ground herself.
"You are doing well, Tess, keep listening to me, I want you to take another slow breath in," he told her and she nodded her head stiffly in understanding, following his instruction and gradually filling her lungs. Silent tears still dripped off her chin but her chest was rising and falling more evenly now, her body relaxing as the adrenaline faded away, leaving her feeling shaky and weak.
"I trust him," she whispered as her forehead rested against Aragorn's, her eyes closing as she pictured a dark haired Hobbit and his companion.
"I trust Frodo a-and Sam…they'll complete their mission…that stupid Ring will be destroyed…and they'll be safe, everyone…everyone everywhere will be safe," she managed as more scalding tears escaped from her eyelashes. She took another deep breath and pulled herself away, opening her eyes and letting her hands slip down to the Ranger's shoulders.
"And we'll give him the chance he needs, when we march to the Black Gates," she stated, more for her own benefit than Aragorn's, who was nodding reassuringly anyway.
"I want so badly for everything to be okay… I'd gladly give my life up…so-," she gritted her teeth when more tears rolled down her cheeks.
"So why am I so scared…?" a tiny sob escaped her, but other than that she was able to somewhat maintain the level of calm that had been achieved. Aragorn pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping around her securely to stop the shaking.
"It is okay to be afraid, courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength we discover within ourselves when we realize we have something more important to fight for," He murmured into her ear, his hand brushing down the back of her head. A small smile moved on Tess' mouth and she let out an airy laugh.
"You're turning into Gandalf," she told him and he chuckled slightly. He gave her a last tight squeeze before pulling back and helping her to her feet.
"Come, let's get you back inside," It was a slow processes, but they eventually made their way back through the halls to Naomi's temporary room. Tess didn't feel any less shaky and her worries still pressed against her mind but somehow she felt lighter, as if she could move forward again. Tess suspected that this was largely due to her Ranger friend.
"Okay, I'm passed my moment of-," both she and Aragorn paused when they opened the door. Gandalf and Gimli had both left the room, leaving the two blondes to ogle at each other lovingly.
"-panic," Tess finished bleakly, her mouth pressing into a flat line when she was completely ignored. Naomi was wrapped securely in Legolas' arms, head tucked under his chin, eyes fixed on the hand that was tracing circles on her forearm.
"I can see I was dearly missed, no, really, please contain your relief at my return," she continued in the same dull tone, rolling her eyes when Naomi lazily looked up.
"Hmm? Did you say something, Tessy?" the brunette woman sneered at the nickname before shaking her head and turning around, murmuring words of parting as both she and Aragorn left the room, closing the door behind them. Naomi simply shrugged before snuggling back down, her eye lids drooping contently as Legolas kissed the top of her head. She could not deny the relief she felt, however, at the knowledge of her friend still being in one piece.
"No ce ammaer ab lû thent," he whispered, carefully tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Wassat mean?" she asked from her comfortable haze.
"May you be better soon," he translated, his cheek resting gently against her head. Naomi's hand on his chest tightened and she used the material as leverage so she could reach up and press her lips against his. Warmth spread across her chest and everywhere that her body touched Legolas' she felt sparks. His mouth moved smoothly over hers and her breath hitched when his tongue ran slowly along her lower lip. Timidly she raised her own tongue to his, the feeling making her sigh delicately. Dimly in the back of her mind she recalled the fact that this was their first heated kiss since their moment in Fangorn, that time having been interrupted when Tess had exclaimed they find a more private place to 'swat spit'.
'Wish granted, Tess,' was her last coherent thought before she let herself melt. Her right hand slowly inched up around his neck and across his cheek, the feel of the soft skin there again making her sigh again. She could feel his arm wrapped securely around her shoulder, hand resting carefully against the back of her head while his thumb traced feather light circles against the bare skin of her neck, making her shudder pleasantly. Without thought, Naomi's hand found Legolas' ear and with slight interest she let her fingers trace along the pointed shape. His deep moan made them both pull back in surprise. A pink flush was spread across Naomi's cheeks, her breaths heavier than normal, and she was intrigued to find a light flush across Legolas' cheeks as well. They smiled shyly at each other and Naomi let her hand trace along his ear again. His eyes closed and he let his head fall into her neck, allowing her continue her exploration.
"I've never touched your ears before," she admitted softly after some time and the Elf raised his head to look at her again.
"Not many people ever have," he confided in her, his fingers trailing across her cheek lovingly. Naomi let her eyes wander over his face, her fingertips doing the same. She didn't know she was crying until he was brushing the tears away.
"Do not cry, melamin, I am here," he said, kissing her forehead soothingly.
"I love you so much," she told him, her arms wrapping around his midsection as her face disappeared in his chest.
"I'm so afraid you won't come back if I let you go," she whimpered, it was slightly muffled but Legolas was able to understand it anyway. He didn't say anything, but his arms tightened around her considerably. A sad sigh escaped his lips and he pressed his head into Naomi's hair, inhaling the scent and placing a kiss there.
"If I could promise you of my return, I would, but I do not ever wish to break a vow I make to you," she could hear the sadness in his voice and she immediately pulled back.
"O-Okay," she told him, her eyes hard as she gripped his sides.
"Then I will vow, if you do not come back to me," her voice cracked slightly on 'not'.
"Then I will hunt you down, wherever you are, a-and…and I will smack you!" she declared, her palm hitting his chest to emphasize the point. A smile broke out on Legolas' face.
"I'm not kidding! I'll smack you really really hard!" she told him, her face turning slightly red. She swallowed then, her bottom lip quivering.
"And then I'll kiss you and we'll live happily ever after, the end," she let her lips brush over his briefly to seal it before she pulled back.
"I will not take no for an answer," she finished and Legolas hugged her tightly.
"Then I shall hold you to your word, should I not return," he promised.
"Which isn't going to happen, because I've made up my mind and you're coming back anyway," she informed, her own little grin lighting up her face. Legolas grinned back before letting his lips drop onto hers again.
/\\
Her face felt thick and disgusting from so much crying.
So it was only natural for Tess to trek down a level to the training yard.
Several soldiers were milling about the place, some training to better their skills whilst others were there to talk and kill time. She passed all the males and went straight to the weapons storage house. Rows upon rows of swords, armor, shields, daggers and other such weapons lined the walls, but all she was after was a wooden training sword that felt comfortable in her hands and once she had procured what she was after she left without a word. The yard was cleverly divided into four sectors, with wooden barriers separating one sector from another. Two medium sectors were just plain sand arenas for training and sparring matches. Along the back and facing the mountain was an archery range, devised so that if a stray arrow went beyond its target there was no chance of accidentally hitting anyone. But it was the fourth sector that Tess was after, the sector with both wooden and stuffed training dummies. It was less that she wanted to practice her skills and more that she wanted to beat the crap out of something, so that sector was the one for her. Yet just as she was reaching the fence, someone called out and a large hand found her shoulder.
"Excuse me, but I do believe the kitchens are that way, darlin'," a cocky voice stated and when she tilted her head up to the person connected to the hand, she found him pointing in the other direction. Suppressing a sigh she glanced at the hand clamped around her shoulder.
"Good, you know which way you're headed then don't 'cha, darlin'," she told him monotonously. The hulk of a man behind her apparently saw this as an insult because his arm shifted to tighten around her bicep and a scowl set in on his face.
"It would be wise for you to watch that tongue of yours," he growled, his shaggy brown hair falling into his heated green eyes. Her own brown eyes rolled at the whole display.
"Or what?" she asked rhetorically, he obviously felt the need to answer regardless.
"Is that a challenge!" The tone and volume of his voice attracted onlookers. That or perhaps it was the fact that he was getting angry at a woman half his size. She was literally half his size, her head only just clearing his elbow. It was almost comical.
"I didn't say that, you're just making this out to be bigger than Ben Hur," She explained calmly, trying to peel his fingers away from her arm. She had to admit, her heart raced with excitement at the thought of fighting this monster of a man.
"My name is Findegil! I am the first son of Barathorn! I do not back down from a fight!" He roared indignantly.
"Look, Findy, you're obviously flustered, why don't you let me go so I can have a whack at the dummies and you can go on your merry way-,"
"So now you are backing down?" He smirked in a way that made the female want to slap him across the face. Hard.
"I didn't say that," she said through gritted teeth, face flushing slightly with anger.
"Excellent, why don't you choose a weapon and meet me in the second sector…that is if you are not too flustered," He backed away from her, proud grin sitting on his arrogant face. Oh, how she hated arrogant men.
"Give me five minutes," she hissed, turning on her heel and stomping back to the weapons shed. On her way there she passed Faramir, his arm still in a sling, who seemed unsurprised to see her in the training yard..
"Good morning, Tess," the man said pleasantly, following her as she stalked over the threshold of the storage house.
"Hey, Faramir, what's up?" she asked moodily as she tossed her wooden sword back into the barrel she'd found it in, her eyes set upon the rows of metal and leather gauntlets. The man of Gondor wasn't sure what she meant, but told her he was on the one daily walk he was allowed as a means to keep the conversation going.
"You seem rather focused, what mischief are you up to?" He asked jokingly.
"Ruining a man's dignity," she replied in all seriousness.
"I see," he said calmly, an interested look on his face as he watched Tess pull correct sized gauntlets on over her forearms.
"Who, if I may ask, has brought your wrath upon themselves?" he questioned, following her as she stalked the isle of swords.
"Some beast named Findegil…shouldn't you be discouraging me from fighting?" she paused in her search to look at the man curiously.
"Nonsense! I enjoy a good match, and besides, I have utter faith in your abilities," Faramir grinned cheekily and Tess got the feeling he was very much enjoying himself. The woman rolled her eyes and selected a short sword off the rack. It was light but strong, the blade about the size of her arm from the elbow to her finger tips and it ended in a wicked sharp point.
"Alright, I'm gonna go kick this guy's butt, you gonna watch and cheer me on?" She asked as she turned for the door.
"Certainly," Faramir agreed amiably, following after her as she stalked back to the second sector. A small crowd had formed, no doubt Findegil's work, and she had to push her way through to get to the fence.
"Hold this," she muttered to Faramir, shoving her sword into his uninjured arm so that she could use both hands to hop over the chest high rail. Her feet touched down in the sand and she heard chuckling.
"It seems you did not back down after all," Findegil stated, his smirk making Tess frown.
"And disappoint you, Findy? Never," The male's smirk dropped at this and he glared while she collected her sword from Faramir.
"It will be a shallow win, you are nothing but a female, after all,"
"You keep telling yourself that, darlin'," she grinned when he visibly bristled. The man pulled his sword free of its sheath and stalked towards the center of the sector. The chainmail beneath his tunic glistened in the morning sun, his arms and shoulders covered with leather armor and his shins with metal. She wore boots and a white, open collared shirt tucked into brown breeches. Her only defense being the leather gauntlets on her forearms. They stood several meters apart and again their noticeable difference in size was made known.
"Conditions?" She asked, shaking her limbs to warm them and twirling her wrist to get a feel for her sword.
"Fight until the loser yields," he growled, settling himself down into a defensive stance. She raised an eyebrow and shrugged, dropping into her own stance.
"On my mark," Faramir declared from the sidelines.
"Three…two…one…fight!"
Neither of them moved.
Tess grinned; she was used to her attackers charging in at her, this was an interesting change of pace.
Findegil frowned; he would wait for her to make the first move.
And move she did.
She ran so fast towards him, Findegil was sure she was going to crash right into him, but when he swung to defend against her swinging sword he was surprised. At the last second the woman had dropped and she slid right through his open legs. Her foot raised and she kicked the back of his knee, knocking him out of his stance, the proceeded to sweep his legs out from under him. Findegil crashed onto his back and Tess easily placed her sword against his neck.
"Yield," she told him. The area was completely silent for a moment, before the man answered with a growl and swung at her legs. The woman danced back and waited for him to pull himself back to his feet.
"I was going easy on you!" he yelled, bringing his sword up in front of his body.
"Well…that was a dumb idea," she said listlessly, twirling her wrist once again.
"No more," he told her, taking quick steps forward and taking a downward swipe at her. She blocked the attack, gritting her teeth as the vibrations of metal against metal hurt her hands, before pulled her leg up and around in a turning kick. Her foot narrowly missed his side, Findegil had moved back at the last moment. He renewed his footing and swung down at her again. Tess' body was still turning from her kick, so she pushed around and completed a fully circle, her sword meeting his again in an upward block. The force of this attack sent her down onto one knee.
"You shall not best me!" The man said through gritted teeth, his arms straining as he pushed down against her blade. Tess didn't reply, instead pushed up onto both feet a moved sideways, allowing Findegil's blade to slide down passed her side and into the ground. She let her right fist fly towards his face, but he dropped to one knee and used the momentum to bury his left elbow in her gut.
"Ugh!" She grunted, making herself dance back several meters before stopping to catch her breath again. Her midsection ached from the blow and she let herself lean forward to breathe easier. Findegil rose to both feet again and stalked towards her, his sword in a downwards arch. Tess' sword came up to meet his and for a long moment the two tried to best each other by moving around, their swords clashing loudly against one another as they met and parted.
"Still think you're going to win?" she asked breathlessly when they parted for an extended period of time, circling each other and trying to find a weakness.
"I will not fail!" He growled, though his breaths were just as short. They ran at each other again, Findegil's blade sliding passed Tess' close enough to slice through her sleeve and leave a bleeding wound. It was not nearly enough to stop her but it did sting. They parted briefly again and Tess glanced at her left bicep. Blood was already seeping through and leaving a patch of bright red on her white sleeve. She couldn't give it any more attention than that because Findegil was once again upon her. Their swords locked and Tess gritted her teeth, trying to think of a way to get the upper hand.
And then Findegil smirked at her.
With absolutely no other warning the man reached forward with one hand and gripped her sword around the handle, crushing her fingers in the process. She snarled and ripped her hands away, forgetting about her blade, and let her leg lash out to create some distance. Findegil took an evading step back, his sword in his right hand and hers in his left, while Tess danced back several paces as well.
"You have no weapon! Yield!" he laughed, holding his sword out at her, the other shorter blade tapping leisurely against his shoulder.
"Like fuck!" She growled and surprised everyone by sprinting towards him. The man tossed her blade several yards to his right so that he could use both his hands against her. Tess brought both her forearms up to cover her head in an X-shaped block and they clashed. The man's blade skimmed over the top of her left forearm, creating a deep groove in the leather, before sliding passed her head so closely that the edge grazed her cheek. A thin line of blood trailed down her cheek and Findegil's eyes followed it. Her hot breath fanned against his face and he realized just how close she was to him. He prepared to move back to create space but she moved first. Her knee arched up sharply into his groin and he bent over from the pain. One of his hands came away from the hilt of his sword as he moved to protect himself from further damage. Tess' hands clamped around his right wrist and she twisted it so sharply that he heard it pop. It was a painful and unnatural position, but nothing had been broken. Though he did not realize this until after the woman had finished her assault. In the mean time, Tess had continued to use her new leverage to make him drop his sword into her right hand, her left easily holding his wrist at the awkward position that brought him to his knees. For a moment the only sound was both their haggard breathing, but then metal tapped against the base of his neck and he swallowed.
"Yield," she told him in a sharp, clear tone. He refused to answer for a moment, his teeth clenched together and his brow low over his eyes.
"Yield!" She commanded, tweaking his wrist just a little further.
"Y-Yield! I-I yield!" He cried desperately and both his wrist and neck were released. His left hand shot to his neck, his eyes rising up to where she stood above him, a wipe grin planted on her sweaty face.
"Good match," she told him, offering her free hand to him. He scowled and turned his glare to the ground. Tess rolled her eyes before looking over at the small cheering crowd. Her heart thumped hard when she saw several familiar faces next to Faramir. Pippin and Merry both sat on the fence, their fingers in their mouths making sharp whistles and beside them stood Gimli, his stout frame heaving with his chuckles. She even spied Aragorn and Éomer further down the line. She grinned at them with a swell of pride before turning to the man behind her again.
"Findy, are you sure you don't-,"
She was cut off when his left fist smashed into the right side of her face.
The force knocked her off her feet and Findegil's sword flew from her hand when her back smacked into the ground. It took a moment, but after her head finished spinning she was able to make mental assessment of her face. Her nose wasn't broken, but it was gushing blood and a lot of it. She wasn't completely sure, but it felt like her lip had split open…again. Slowly she moved her jaw up and down, then side to side. Defiantly hurting, but not broken, which was lucky. Her teeth were all fine and her tongue didn't appear to have any holes in it so she'd avoided damage there too. She wouldn't know if her cheek bone was in one piece until she touched it. It had defiantly started swelling but that just may be due to the sheer force of the blow.
'Damn…I'm gonna look like a cow again,' she thought dimly as she sat up, a hand pressed gently to the right side of her face.
"You vile whore!" Findegil spat as he took a hold of her shirt collar and hoisted her up, her feet dangling beneath her and not quiet touching the ground. The sudden movement made her feel queasy but she pushed passed it for the moment.
"You cheated!" He screamed at her. Over her shoulder she could hear back up arriving.
She spat to the side to clear enough blood so that she could speak.
"I played dirty, yes, but I didn't cheat," she told him calmly, her fist clenching at her side.
"You didn't define any rules before the start of this match, that was your fault," with a grin that looked more like a grimace she let her right fist fly. The contact with the side of his face was perfect, the blow knocking the absolute sense out of the man. He dropped to the ground just as she had, hands letting go of her collar and allowing her feet to touch the sand once again.
"I expected more decency from a soldier of Gondor," she spat at him, turning her back on him and moving to meet Aragorn and Éomer as they came to her aid. Findegil was trying to say something through his broken jaw but Tess was too busy shaking out her right hand to care.
"Bastard's face almost broke my knuckles," she hissed as Aragorn and Éomer arrived at her side, two other soldiers moving forward to grab the disoriented Findegil. She spat at the ground again, trying to clear her mouth, but the sickly sweet taste of blood still pierced her tongue.
"Are you alright?" Aragorn asked, his hands hovering around her face as if he was unsure where to start.
"I don't know if my cheek bone is broken or not," she told him as she pressed the cuff of her sleeve against her nose to stem the bleeding.
"What were you thinking?" Éomer asked her, hazel eyes filled with anger and worry.
"That I needed to defend my honor," she told her as Aragorn trailed his thumb along her right cheek bone. She hissed when he touched a particularly sensitive spot.
"And you needed to risk your life for it?" The horselord asked, his brows lowering more every second.
"I would have gladly defended your honor, my lady!" Pippin chimed as he and Merry arrived with both Faramir and Gimli in tow.
"So would have I!" Merry put in, a grin plastered on his cheeky face.
"A knight of Gondor and an esquire of Rohan, both willing to fight for my honor? Oh, I may swoon!" she announced theatrically, throwing her right hand against her forehead for added effect. The only problem was the quick movements really did make her head spin.
"Steady on, lass," Gimli grumbled as he placed a firm hand against her back. She gave the Dwarf a quick smile of thanks before pinning her eyes on Éomer again.
"The real point is, I have an ego to maintain and Findy just helped me boost it," she shrugged and groaned quietly when the wound on her left bicep stretched uncomfortably.
"He also nearly broke your face," Aragorn muttered under his breath as he pressed against her cheek bone again.
Tess rolled her eyes after hissing.
"Thankfully you seem to be highly durable, the bone is in one piece, go clean the blood off and then I shall see to your arm," he told her, hands resting on his hips as he surveyed the mess that was…well, her.
"I will take care of it," Éomer volunteered. Tess glanced at him dubiously, sensing an ulterior motive. Aragorn saw no problem with it, however, and left it up to the man of Rohan.
"Faramir, could I ask you to show me to the library? I must seek out Gandalf," the Ranger asked, turning to the man with the sling.
"Certainly," the healing man replied, his countenance as pleasant as always.
"I think it's about time for second breakfast, don't you Merry?" observed one Hobbit, his eyes focused on the suns position in the sky.
"Indeed, Pip, just about time I'd say," his cousin agreed, nodding his head vigorously and making his strawberry blonde curls bounce against his forehead. Gimli muttered something about joining them and so it was in three groups that the seven of them departed from the area. Tess and Éomer walked silently to the seventh level, the quiet between them not completely comfortable but neither was it so awkward that it required someone to break it. It was just reaching the middle of the morning now and so far the weather was holding out, though the ever present clouds over Mordor still rolled and cast a dark shadow of the mountainous border. She swallowed heavily against emotions trying to rise again, squashing them thoroughly. Éomer must have sensed her discomfort because he opened his mouth to say something. Tess quickly cut him off, not wanting to talk about her panic attack earlier that day.
"I didn't mean for it to go so far," she blurted, thinking of the anger he had displayed when he discovered she'd been fighting. His lips pursed in a way that asked what she was talking about.
"I believed that underneath that stupid attitude of his…he still had a good heart," her eyes dropping to her feet as they entered the Great Hall. Real remorse laced her tone for a moment, but then the anger she felt rose to dominate again.
"I had no idea he was going to be such a bad sport," she laughed bitterly, her hand rising to rest on her swollen face.
'I really have to start taking better care of it, I'm lucky there hasn't been any permanent damage so far…,' she thought idly, stopping to shudder when a large blood clot slid down the back of her neck. Éomer worried over her for a second but she waved him away and they kept walking. They spent the rest of the short trip in more silence, with only Tess' quiet words of thanks breaking it when Éomer held the door to her quarters open and waved her through first. She swept over to her closet and threw aside the doors. She scowled as best she could without aggravating her face further and sorted through the shirts she had left. Clearly white and cream were bad ideas, not that she had any left now that the one she wore was dirty and the others were in a laundry somewhere. That left her with a wide variety of Gondor colours.
"Great," she sighed, her fingers trailing over the colours.
"Blue…lavender…more blue…navy, lots of colours to help bring out bruises on my face," she mumbled, though to her great relief she found a wine red shirt with an open collar towards the back. Picking up a pair of brown breeches and a cream singlet undershirt she was ready to go re-dress.
"You wait here a minute, I'll go change and, well, drown my face in bowl of water," she told him, her hand brushing over her blood crusted face. The horselord nodded with a small smile and moved over to the window to wait. Brown eyes lingered for far longer than they should have before she made herself turn and walk into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A sight she didn't expect welcomed her when she turned. In the middle of the left hand side of the room was a silver bathtub that Tess had only used twice since being in Minas Tirith. Evidentially someone had heard about her sparring session and informed the maid in charge of her quarters as the tub was filled almost to the brim with steaming water. She couldn't get her boots off fast enough, a giant grin plastered on her face. She was just pulling her shirt up when she remembered Éomer waiting for her. With quick steps she moved to the door and stuck her head out.
"Éomer! Go have a walk, okay? Someone filled my bathtub!" She told him gleefully. The horselord jumped before turning with an amused look on his face.
"All right, I will visit my sister and return before lunch," he stated, giving her a quick bow. Tess had disappeared back into the bathroom, however, sliding her pants off as she closed the door behind her. Her shirt was tricky to get off; the material had stuck to the drying wound on her arm. Other than that she managed to get it off in record time, her underclothes coming of just as quick. She snatched the bar of soap on the bench and all but catapulted herself into the tub.
"Oh, sweet mercy," she moaned, submerging herself completely. Her left bicep throbbed with the extended use of rushed movements although the warm water soon soothed that.
She scrubbed away the dirt, blood and grime from her body, dunking her head under several times to clean her hair as well. Her face was a delicate area, pulsing harshly if she rubbed too hard, the same situation with her arm and she hissed when a clump of dirt came free and a trickle of blood ran down her arm. Nevertheless, cleaning the wound was vital if she didn't want infection to set it.
'Who knows where Findy's sword has been,' she sneered before pushing him from her mind. The asshole may have turned her cheek purple but he wouldn't ruin her bath. When, finally, her body was pink and squeaky she let her head fall back and her eyes close, spending the rest of her time drifting and just enjoying the water.
Sharp knocks woke her up some time later.
"Tess? Are you alright? You have been in there for some time…," it was Éomer calling through the door. The woman in question was shaking her head slightly to wake herself and pulling her shivering body from the now cold water.
"I'm fine! I just dozed off," she called back loudly, lest he not hear her and come barging in thinking she'd drowned or something. The thought made her face go pink and she quickly secured a towel around her body.
"I-I'll just be a minute," she told him as she patted the cloth down over her body to absorb the moisture. She paused briefly to survey her face in the mirror and gave a little smile when she found she didn't look quite as ghastly as she had first thought. Her underclothes and pants were easy enough to get on, but her cream singlet proved too much too soon and her bicep started to bleed again.
"Oh, shoot," she muttered, grabbing and holding a wash cloth against her arm so she wouldn't stain her singlet. She didn't bother with her top shirt and instead exited as she was, bare feet and all.
"It's started to bleed again," Tess announced as she re-entered her bedchamber, eyes fixed on the wound as she pulled back the cloth slightly to observe it. Her hands were gently nudged out the way and Éomer's gloved ones replaced them, his hazel eyes looking over the wound for the first time.
"It looks good, not too deep and no signs of immediate infection, although Éowyn insisted I bring herbs to apply," he muttered and Tess smiled when it seemed like he was talking more to himself.
"How is she doing?" she asked as he led her to the writing desk on the opposite side of the room. There were a couple of rolls of bandages and a small granite bowel filled with a green, pasty looking substance sitting ready for use on the dark wood.
"My sister does well," he told her, pulling the desk chair over from where Tess had put it against the window so that she could sit. She did so and watched as he pulled his hands from his gloves, putting them aside so that he could work more straightforward.
"She sits up easily now and is eager to start moving again," the man frowned here and when he kneeled before her to smear the green paste along her bicep, Tess could easily see the worry in his eyes.
"I know you don't want to hear this but…you won't always be able to protect her, Éowyn is a Shield Maiden of Rohan, caging her is the worst thing you could do," her soft words made Éomer stiffen, hazel drifted up to meet brown and Tess' heart squeezed when his guilty look pierced her.
"I would only wish for her safety," he mumbled lowly, his eyes going back to what he was doing.
"That may be so…but don't you wish for her happiness as well?" the man snorted here while he reached for a roll of bandage.
"I think she may have already found that," he said gruffly as he started wrapping her arm. Tess laughed outright; she knew he was talking of Faramir.
"He has a good heart, I promise, his head is in the right space too…well, most of the time," she mumbled the last part, her thoughts straying to his blatant happiness when she announced her aim to squash Findegil's ego.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Éomer asked as he looked up, an eyebrow raised incredulously.
Tess held back a cheeky remark and just grinned.
The man finished wrapping her arm swiftly and when he stood Tess yawned loudly, wincing when he mouth opened too wide and she stretched her cheek unpleasantly.
"Perhaps you should rest?" Éomer suggested as he gathered up the spare bandages and bowl into a pile.
"That is a very good idea," she nodded wearily, standing to walk Éomer to the door.
"If I'm not at dinner, send someone to get me," she instructed as he exited. He nodded and turned to leave but paused and reached for her right hand instead.
"If it had been asked of me, I too, would have fought for your honor, my lady," he bent slightly and raised her hand to his lips, brushing her knuckles in a soft kiss. Tess swallowed heavily, her heart beating furiously under her ribs.
"Th-thank-I-uh-you-I would-ah-thank you…," her tongue wouldn't co-operate very well with her and she ended up stuttering her way through her thanks. Éomer smiled at her briefly, nodded and then was gone. Tess managed to close the door and then stumbled her way over to the bed, face flushed. She crawled onto the mattress and let her face fall into a pillow, trying to block out the obnoxiously loud beating of her heart.
"Butterflies in my tummy…," was her last coherent thought before her eyes slid closed.
Author's Babbling:
Oh ehm geeeeee~!
Anyways, I don't normally do this but there are four people that left reviews that I COULDN'T REPLY TO! (rage face)
So, as such, I will post replies here, since I have no other way of expressing my love to you.
To: Marissa:
Glad you like it, enough fluff in this chapter? ;) thanks for the review!
To: Sami:
Good! Happy you found Frontline again! I hope questions you had about Tess and Naomi's appearance have been explained and I'm pleased that you are able to feel that way about my OC's, I worked hard to try and make them realistic and relatable.
P.S. Sorry, I just love putting in suspense! It keeps everyone on the edge of their seat hahaha!
Thanks for the review
To: Kate:
Howdy!
I am indeed a woman…unless my boobs have been lying to me…..which would be a liiiiiiiiittle bit awkward :S
I'm happy you like my story so much! And I'm trying to write faster now-a-days, chapter 28 took so long because it's getting so close to the end and I don't wanna mess anything up (freaks out)
I hope this chapter came out soon enough for you without being under-done :D
P.S. YES! High-five fellow LOTR junkie! I don't think I could ever go back to the normal DVDs (which I own….along with the extended edition…hehe) when I have 12 wonderful hours that make my life complete.
P.S.S (or is it p.p.s …?) ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE HOBBIT! :D
Thanks for the review
To: Yay:
Wonderful! Delighted you're still with me!
You should defiantly attempt the books, they are truly a work of art (snuggles books) and yes! There should have been waaaaay more Éomer in the movies….just sayin'
And HUZAH! Happy I got Éomer's character close, it's tough to figure out how he would react to a female character, since the only one he has contact in the movies with is his sister…
Enough fluff in this chapter do you think? I'm not really used to writing so much, I'm better with slightly tender moments and battles haha.
I think my OC's might have been a bit mary-sue-ish in the beginning, but I was still figuring out how to write their characters. I hope I've progressed (I feel that I have) and I've been writing with these characters for so long that they've become more realistic.
And I took your advice and changed the rating to 'T' until I do write something that deserves the 'M' :)
PLEASE NOT THE WARGS!
I really hate those manky mutts, they scare the absolute crap outta me O.O
Thanks for the review
THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO READS, REVIEWS, ALERTS AND FAVORITES MY STORY. It makes me so happy :D
Awww shucks! I'm getting all sentimental…..
AxM