A Second Chance

A Second Chance Part 12

The ride is long and incredibly boring and tiring. I spend a lot of my time sitting in front of Boromir sleeping or thinking about Aragorn and Legolas, trying to work out what to do, what to feel. The truth is I felt strange around both of them, they confused me a lot being both protective and irritating, caring and rude, both handsome in different ways.

"Boromir," I whisper after many hours of silence once I realise that I wouldn't be sleeping until my brain had sorted itself out a bit.

"Yes my little friend," he replies,

"Who do you think I am better suited to, Legolas or Aragorn?" I ask, very glad that I am facing away from so I can't see the amusement that I can sense is on his face and he can't see the blush blooming across mine.

"So they are fighting for your heart then?" he asks with a chuckle and I shake my head immediately.

"I don't think it's like that," I reply quietly and then sigh heavily, "maybe it is the war, the thought of death and the fact that I am the only woman around," I add and he laughs even more.

"For one so clever and with so much knowledge you are incredibly blind to the things going on around you my friend," he laughs and I turn slightly to look at him.

"What do you mean?" I ask and he simply points to Aragorn some way ahead of us and the way he is speaking to Eowyn, she has yet to take her eyes from him and it causes a flash of jealousy to roll through me but as I continue to watch them I notice that whilst he is pleasant to her and answers her questions he does not seem very interested in her and I notice he glances back this way more than once.

"I would suggest that as long as you all know where you stand you should enjoy what time we have, any of us could be taken at any time during this war," Boromir says and I almost choke as he does so, well that's one more thing that the stories lied about, I mean I know that Aragorn was not as prudish and innocent as a lot of the stories made out but this, I was not expecting him to suggest that fuck buddies was a thing here.

"Are you suggesting...?" I ask in a whisper and then feel my face flush furiously as it is Legolas who answers from beside me.

"He did not mean to alarm you tarien, in Middle Earth, it is quite normal for people of all races to enjoy the pleasures of the body before marriage but if it is unlike that in your world..."

"No," I interrupt, fully aware that my face is flaming and his proximity is making me feel uncomfortable and giddy all at once, "no, it is normal, more than normal in my world it is just that the stories I have read about your world, well, it made it seem as if that was not the case here," he nods and gives me a small smirk before riding off to catch up with Aragorn which makes me flush even more and bury my head in my hands I am just grateful that we stop shortly after to make camp and I am able to find a little space to myself to sit and calm myself down.

It is as I am staring around at the activity going on around me that I am suddenly struck by the thought that if things were so different could the story be different, have I learnt the wrong one? Has my coming here changed it all?

"Fin," the voice is quiet and I start a little as I turn to see Aragorn sitting beside me and offering me some lembas bread.

"Thanks," I say as I take it, "where is Legolas?" I ask after a moment.

"He is patrolling for enemies," he replies and I nod as we fall into a silence for a while, "what has you thinking so that you are frowning like that?" he asks after a minute and I turn to face him.

"I was thinking about whether I really know anything about what is to happen," I say and he pauses before turning to face me more fully.

"Why do you question yourself?" he asks as he takes my hand in his so gently that I am struck by the comparison between the way he is now and the way he treated me when we first met and for a moment I cannot speak.