When Fate Strikes

Chapter 11

A/N

DISCLAIMER!!! This is a first draft. Comments and suggestions are appreciated. :) ENJOY

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As we paddle downstream I can't help but let a small tear escape. It's been an hour since we left Lothlorien and I have kept myself busy by arranging the cargo we carry in our boat to evenly spread the weight, but now I have nothing else to occupy me. In another half hour or so I'll spell Eryn and have a turn at rowing but until then I let my mind wander.

I think of how my life would be if I had stayed in Lothlorien with Nathanieel. I imagine us sharing a room and learning the ins and outs of each other's lives. I would get to know all of his friends and give him tips on Elleths. We could stray through the forest, not quite knowing where we are, and talk endlessly about everything. I could take him to visit Rivendell and introduce him to Seth and Laith and Lord Elrond.

But then I think of how guilty I would've felt by leaving the fellowship to go ahead with their dangerous quest whilst I lived in luxury in Lothlorien. I would not be worthy of the title bestowed to me by the prophecy. No, I made the right choice in leaving.

I survey the riverbed. The landscape along the River Anduin is quite beautiful. A vibrant yellow caught my eye and I turned my gaze to notice a delightfully bright flower.

Suddenly a dark cloud of evil gathered in my mind and an intense feeling of hate burnt through my head. Up ahead of us Aragorn's head turned in the direction of a birdcall and behind us Legolas was peering into the forest. I had noticed that both the Elf and the Man had been on edge for some time and I wondered what they could've learnt at Lothlorien.

*****

It was dark by the time we pulled into a small shale-lined inlet. Eryn and I had taken hour shifts paddling and by the time Aragorn called a rest for the day we were both pretty weary. Together we jumped out of the boat and hauled it up the beach till we were satisfied that it wasn't going to drift anywhere.

Aragorn surveyed our work and grunted, unsatisfied. "Better pull it up a bit further. The tide rises quite high in these regions." I noticed how Aragorn and Sam had pulled their boat up past the heavy boulders that protected the inlet. Frodo was standing aside one of the heavy rocks, an unreadable expression on his face.

I felt a wave of loneliness pass through me and I felt for him. He had trusted solely in Gandalf, and now he has to depend on himself. I wanted so bad to walk over to him and let him know that we were all here and we would help him with his burden, but a rough hand on my shoulder stopped me short.

I turn to see Boromir shaking his head. "Let him deal with it the way he knows how, Ireth." I raised me eyebrow and was about to protest when he silenced me with his hand. "Some people just need a little bit of time to themselves. He'll be fine... eventually." I nodded, suddenly too exhausted to even think about arguing when I know he's right.

"You're right." I smiled at him, my face level to his. And that's when I noticed something I didn't before. His face was lined with worry and tiredness ebbed out of him. My smile turned to a frown. "Boromir you look awful. Have you slept at all these past nights?"

"Not a wink." He said. At my questioning gaze he raised a hand dismissively. He still hadn't changed his regal ways since we've been on the road and to be honest it bothered me more then I let on. "It's too much to go into right now."

"Okay. I'm going to go and help set up camp." He smiled at me and stayed where he was. "Try and get some sleep tonight, alright?" He nodded and I walked over to where Eryn was unloading our boat.

Eryn stopped me as I reached in to grab my medicine bag and a parcel of food. "'ll get it. You can go and rest." I shot him an irritated look as I continued to grab my things.