I just checked my stats page and I have been listed in "the worst of the worst" C2 page. Ouch… I didn't think it was that bad. So my faithful readers…if you are in the mood to send some hate mail…. please don't hesitate to rush to my rescue. Ha ha, kidding.

I hope u enjoy this chappie. Someone, (cough Samantha-Girl Scout cough) guessed what I was planning to do…so I have to think up something else to keep u all and myself guessing…ha ha. winks at Samantha-Girl Scout> …what's that saying? Great minds think alike…?

Oh…and lets get one thing clear. I am actually a big fan of Boromir; I think he is a great character because he has flaws and I know he means well. So bear with me; he has a reason for being so awful.

I keep forgetting disclaimers… so lets get one thing straight…I own Serafina…that's it…so far.

Chapter Eleven

Serafina awoke well past dawn the next morning. She had woken in a cheerless mood and quietly set about packing her things.

She was in the process of stealing away from Imladris quietly when she found herself directly in the path of one Boromir of Gondor. They were standing about a foot away from one another. Serafina dared a glance into his eyes, she felt quite small so near to him. She thought to herself that he had this way of looking down on people, of making them feel less than their worth, and he had perfected it.

"What is your business here?" he jeered at her, "What could a person of your integrity, or lack of, be doing in Rivendell? The likes of you are never welcome here, no matter what the elf-lord said last night."

The hackles on her back went up, and her skin crawled. Serafina remembered just how much she despised this man. Though she didn't respond to his provocative comments.

"What is it you petty thief? Cat got your tongue?"

When she didn't reply he started circling her, like a shark before it attacks its prey. Serafina did not let her eyes stray from him.

"I could kill you now. No one would miss you. No one would care." He chuckled at the thought.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he paused as if to consider what to say next before continuing, "You be surprised how easy it is to kill someone. If you don't think about what you're doing, it just happens. If you don't think, or if you don't care, killing is as easy as anything. That is until you realise the consequences of your actions, or until you realise the seriousness of what you have done. And then it starts to affect you, and the ones that did care." By this time his voice was naught but a whisper and he had stopped walking around Serafina and was standing by her side talking into her ear. Serafina stood defiantly, staring straight ahead, back rigid and unyielding. After a short pause Boromir continued, "But then, you know this already don't you." It wasn't a question, just a confirmation of what they both already knew, a reminder that he hadn't forgotten and a warning.

The sound of footsteps broke the still pair but the sombre mood lingered in the air after Boromir left the room. The thief stood still, trying to gather her wits enough to move. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped and whirled to face the culprit.

"Strider!" she exclaimed, relief washed through her body, as the images of Boromir seep out of her mind and the unspoken threats disappeared.

"What was that about?" he inquired. It occurred to Serafina that he was genuinely concerned—he certainly seemed to be. Yet since their last encounter, the thief was not feeling particularly warm towards the mysterious man. Besides her mood was in a frightfully bad state, and the chances of the gods themselves getting a nice word from her at this point in time was not strong.

"That is my business, and my business is none of your concern." She snapped.

He raised his eyebrows at her comment but did not refute it. Instead he nodded at her rucksack, "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm leaving." She said blankly. "It appears that you and the others were right; there is nothing for me here. I am going where there is a place for me, somewhere where I can be who I am."

"You're a thief, no place will welcome you."

"Ah, you see, that's just it" Serafina grinned at him; it was her fully-fledged thieves grin, that told of mischief and an unquenchable thirst for adventure and strife. "I'm not asking for welcome. Just a place where there are some stupid, wealthy, fat people, and maybe some more pompous lords I can bother, if I'm lucky."

Strider grinned at her and shook his head, then the smile faded from his face. "What did you do to anger the son of the Steward of Gondor so? He is not an evil man, he is a lord, lords can be cruel and cold, but not without reason. He is too young to know the bitterness that plagues great leaders of men, he is not yet cold and cruel. What did you do?"

Serafina did not meet his grey eyes when she replied, "I tried to steal from him, and I took more than necessary, more than I wanted to." She paused and looked up at him, "I regret it, and I am sorry for what I took."

"Why did you not return it?" Strider asked, clearly perplexed. To him this was an easily fixed scenario, unless she wasn't telling the whole story.

"Some things you can just put back. Some things you take, you take forever. You should know that. I can see just by looking at you that you are not the simple man you seek to be and wan to be seen as. Who are you?"

"That is none of your concern." Their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. They stayed like that for almost a minute. Each too stubborn to move, for that would mean forfeit.

"Ahem," came a deep voice somewhere behind the pair. Serafina spun on the spot to see who their company was. She was stunned to find an old man in dark, dirty grey robes. He had a ridiculously long beard, though there was something about his eyes. His eyes were a clear blue and held in them wisdom and youth. Serafina was thrilled with the amount of interesting people she had been meeting lately. 'Perhaps,' she thought, 'I should travel more often.'

"Come Aragorn, or we shall be late for the council."

'Aragorn.' She thought she knew that name. Serafina could swear she'd heard it before. Presently the old man turned to her and stated talking.

"I am disappointed we did not get a chance to meet properly, Serafina. Though I do not doubt that our paths will cross again in the not too distant future. Take care, little one."

Serafina's mind was whirling with thoughts. She knew she had to respond to his greeting so she yelled after him the first thing that came into her mind. "I am not little!" In hindsight Serafina knew that it wasn't the best option for a response, yet what was done was done.

……………………………

As Serafina made her way through the halls of Imladris she came across the archery practice field. She remembered watching the sons of Lord Elrond practice their archery with love and enthusiasm. She grinned as she realised the field was deserted, and set about finding Elrohir and Elladan's personal bow, bowstrings and quivers. She had a score to settle.