Sucked Into Middle Earth...Just My Luck!

Chapter 16

So here we were, in a long ass line travelling on a long ass trail towards a huge ass fortress. Gimli was explaining about his home and dwarves culture to a mildly interested but mostly just polite Éowyn who helped lead his horse that he was far too small to be atop.

"It's true you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they often get mistaken for dwarf men!" Gimli chuckled and Éowyn cast an amused look back to where Aragorn was riding just in front of Boromir and I.

"It's the beards" he whispered to her and made a gesture with his hands to signify a beard. Éowyn laughed and silently berated Aragorn for his humorous remark before turning back to Gimli.

I rode up beside Aragorn and said in a low voice "you should know that she has fallen for you. I know you're just being friendly but I would advise you to not give her false hope when we all know you don't feel the same".

He turned to me and was about to reply when Gimli fell off his horse shouting "nobody panic, it was deliberate! It was deliberate!"

"Just thought I'd give you the heads up. Heartbreak is probably unavoidable but at least now you know how your actions affect her" I whispered quickly and then dropped back in line with Boromir once more.

"What was it you told him?" He asked and I sighed.

"Just that a certain princess has a little unrequited crush" I told him and he glanced at Éowyn who was still helping Gimli from the ground.

"Poor girl, it is a shame she will feel the sting of rejection so young" said Boromir and I looked to him curiously.

"Have you ever been turned down by someone you loved?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Not yet" he stated glancing away, and I felt like there was something more he wasn't saying. Maybe a girl back in Gondor he hoped to wed perhaps? For some reason that thought made me feel like scrunching my face up like I'd tasted something sour...weird. When an awkward silence threatened to fall he spoke up again, asking "what about you? Ever been in love with someone?"

I laughed dryly and said to him, "in my world I didn't really get along with many people, let alone love them. The only person who loved me is Karma and that's platonically. Besides, I probably wouldn't recognise the feeling even if it ever struck me. Romantic love seems like such a foreign concept".

"So you don't think you would ever marry?" He asked me and this time I laughed genuinely until I could feel my eyes threatening to water.

"Dear god, who would be stupid enough to wanna marry me?" I joked but with a hint of truth. Boromir chuckled at that but didn't have an answer so instead he let the conversation give way to a far more comfortable silence than earlier.

A few hours passed before king Théoden called for us to stop and set up camp for the night. I saw a woman with a mass of children, like 7 of the damn things, who looked to be struggling to set up while carrying a baby, probably no more than 6 months of age, and a toddler who looked to be around 2. I wandered over to her and decided she could use a little help.

"Hey, do you need a hand?" I offered and she looked up at me in awe.

"You're the witch, the one who sees the future?" She asked instead of answering and I shrugged with a small chuckle.

"Yeah I guess so, why?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Please, will we survive? Will my children survive the upcoming war?" She asked desperately and I looked around at the children, ranging from around 10yrs down to the baby she carried.

I looked her in the eyes and said truthfully "you'll be fine. I won't allow you to suffer the loss of a single child in this war, that's a promise" and I meant it.