Title: Eyes of the Goddess
Author: Sairalinde
Type: FPS & FPH
Pairing: Main pairing: Aragorn/Boromir later: Aragorn/Boromir/Arwen/Éowyn
Rating: Explicit Sex
WARNING: A.U. and LONG!
Beta: Glorfindel
Disclaimer: Obviously these characters are not mine...never were...the only characters that are mine are the gods and goddesses I made up to make my version "work". This was written in fun that's all. No profit, not associated with Tolkien.
Feedback: Yes please send to sairalinde@hornofgondor.com
Archiving: Yes but ask first please.
Summary: A.U. where a Goddess intercedes and saves Boromir.
Notes: Giving credit where credit is due. I needed to give credit to Batter My Heart by Raederle a truly wonderful A.U. that inspired me. Anyway Raederle's story is archived at www.squidge.org/fellowship/fic/raederle_battermyheart.htm while I did not copy them I still wanted to offer credit since there are similarities and it was my inspiration for this story. Also P.R. Zed's song vid "Gods Better People" inspired my re-writing on this. It's been a horribly long haul on this story…longest I ever wrote. Hope you enjoy if you do read it all. ;-)

---------------------------------------

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10]

---------------------------------------

Eyes of the Goddess-Prologue

Anaranë stood watch from her bower before the seeing pool as the man of Gondor fought desperately against the dark foes. She knew before the final arrow was notched of this man's fate.

Anaranë averted her eyes when the final arrow plummeted home, not because she found the sight too gruesome, but because she found the heartache too much to bear. Anaranë the goddess of time and the guardian of history past and future did not wish to see this man die. Elendiran her husband and the god of light grasped her shoulders lightly.

"His death pains you so my beloved." He said softly as he stood behind her caressing her arms.

"It is not his death in itself that pains me, but the heartache that is within him and the heartbreak his death will bring to those who love him so dearly." Anaranë responded with tears in her lapis colored eyes.

"And whose heartbreak do you feel so acutely my love?" Elendiran asked in his deep soothing voice.

"The love of his brother, Faramir, and his future King, Aragorn. This man should not die here, not now, not like this. His heart is pained, he believes he should die for his betrayal, and for that my heart weeps. The ring possessed him, but it was not of his doing. It called to him for the reason that it sensed his desire to end the suffering of his people. He did not want the ring for himself never truly; he wanted it to save his people. And a small part of him mayhap desired the ring to make his father proud. His father is a man who could never bestow a single kindness on either of his children not without pitting one against the other. That is not Boromir's failing; he has been a good and loyal son even when he was given no reason to be. Boromir's soul is worth more than this, my love." Anaranë said reverently.

Elendiran knew this tone in his wife and he knew what she meant to do.

"Do not interfere my love." He warned.

"I know that you mean well my husband, but in my heart I know I cannot let this man die." She said softly.

They continued to watch the seeing pool as Isildur's Heir absolved Boromir of his sins and both their hearts caught in their chests when Boromir declared his allegiance to his King, as he passed from Middle Earth to the Halls of Mandos.

"I cannot let this happen." She said finally and flicked her hand over the water of the seeing pool. Sparks danced and flew from her fingertips and then time froze, followed by the events being played back in front of the two gods.

"But Anaranë you must not, his death is what forces the Ranger to believe he should be King." Her husband warned.

"This will change nothing and everything, my love... have faith in me." She stated already knowing what even the altered future will hold. A gift her husband as powerful as he was, did not have.

"All I will do is deflect the archer's arrows away from my son of Gondor. He is mine beloved, his mother entrusted his soul to me and I have failed him. Goddesses do not fail so I must right this wrong. I could not protect him from the ring; I will protect him from death. He will still loose the battle but will not loose his life...he will redeem himself before his King. He will regain the hope he has lost." She said turning to her husband.

Elendiran relented at this. She was right, this mortal had been entrusted to her, and somehow her magic this day had failed to protect him from the lure of the ring. The ring was so evil it tainted everything around it. The Hobbit wasn't even safe from the ring's whims. Not even with five other gods and goddesses overseeing the young Hobbit.

"So be it." Elendiran relented.

Anaranë's graceful fingers spread over the seeing pool yet again and time rolled back to immediately before the first arrow released. The scene played out anew before the two gods in the seeing pool.

-------------------------------------
Chapter 1

Boromir fought and fought some more. The Uruk-Hai seemed to spring out from the very ground there were so many of them. He did not see the archer but he saw the arrow sail past him into the ground and heard the creature howl. Boromir continued to fight against overwhelming odds praying, praying that his companions would arrive soon. He could not continue to defend the little ones on his own against this onslaught.

The second arrow sailed past Boromir as his head snapped up to see the archer roar with fury. Each time the archer had loosed his arrow the man had managed to spin away from his usually perfect aim. Boromir however was in fact quickly weakening, his sword arm throbbed and burned and his shield felt like heavy lead upon his arm. His lungs burned like the very fires of Mount Doom with each labored breath.

A resounding sword blow glanced off his own blade and slid into his upper arm opening a deep gash nearly to the bone with such force that it rendered the proud warrior to his knees. As he looked up and saw the faces of his little ones staring at him with eyes wide and mouths agape he knew he could not let them down. He righted himself and continued to fight even though he knew the odds were not in his favor particularly now that his blood had been spilled.

He vaguely wondered how he could still wield his sword but continued to fight. He sent up a silent prayer to the Valar for strength to continue until his companions arrived. A third arrow was released and this one grazed his other arm sending stinging pain to his wrist. Yet again the archer snarled angrily closing the distance between himself and the human. Boromir again was rendered to his knees by two attackers. One of the orc's scimitars slid along the top of his hip cutting him but not too deeply. He managed to defeat both attackers, but by this time the archer was upon him and this time he knew his luck had run out. The archer could not miss this time.

Boromir's heart sunk when he saw the little ones being scooped up and carried away but he could not rise now. He was too weary. He felt his heart lurch in his chest when he saw one of the Uruk-Hai pick up the Horn of Gondor and sling it over his shoulder as he retreated with the group who had taken the little ones.

The archer had notched his arrow before him and was about to finish Boromir when a screaming shadow burst from the trees and sent the archer tumbling. The archer's arrow again narrowly missed its mark.

"Aragorn." Boromir gasped.

Boromir tried to rise up in aid to his companion but was struck in the head by someone. His world turned black and he collapsed against the leaf-strewn ground. Perhaps he was dead...that would be for the best he thought just before blacking out completely.

"Boromir! Boromir!" Aragorn yelled shaking the wounded Gondorian. Wearily Boromir opened his eyes.

"Thank the Valar, I thought I had lost you." Aragorn said letting loose a sigh of relief. When he had seen that Uruk-Hai archer standing over a bleeding Boromir he had nearly lost his mind with rage.

"They took the little ones." Boromir said trying to rise but Aragorn pushed him back.

"Stay still." Aragorn commanded as he assessed Boromir's wounds.

"Frodo. Where is Frodo?" Boromir asked frantically.

Aragorn frowned. He knew that the ring had caused Boromir to take leave of his senses.

"I let Frodo go." Aragorn replied.

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the ring from him." Boromir admitted, though it pained him greatly to say it.

"The ring is beyond our reach now." Aragorn replied still assessing the wounds on Boromir's arms and head along with the wound on his hip.

The wound on his right upper arm was quite deep but would heal well if infection could be kept down, the other a wound from an arrow had torn a deep gouge into his opposite upper arm but though it was deep it wasn't as bad as it looked. He knew Boromir had survived much worse, and the wound on his hip was not bad. It would not leave a scar. The blow to his head had left a nasty knot and no doubt addled him, it would make him feel worse than he actually was. What worried Aragorn was poison.

"Forgive me. I did not see. I have failed you all." Boromir said sadly as he gasped for breath.

Yes, Aragorn thought, the blades and arrow were indeed poisoned.

"No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You have kept your honor." Aragorn replied shaking his head.

Boromir could not blame himself, the ring was pure evil, Frodo had told him even Gandalf and Galadriel had been tempted by the ring. How could mere men hope to not succumb to its whims? Boromir may have been wrong but he was not entirely at fault.

"Leave me be. It is over. The world of men will fail. All will fall into darkness, and my city to ruin." Boromir said wishing that Aragorn had not saved him but let him die with honor. Let me die, Aragorn! He thought. Aragorn stared at him for a moment, such despair! He knew Boromir had been troubled even in Lorien but had not realized to what extent Boromir had lost hope.

Then Aragorn said something that Boromir could not believe. "I know not what strength lies in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

"Our people? Our people!" Boromir gasped...the poison was already starting to take effect and his vision was blurring badly. Aragorn noted this and began searching his pocket for the dried athelas and other dried herbs he kept there for drawing out poison from wounds such as this.

Boromir was beginning to slip from consciousness, but before he slipped into the dark he clutched Aragorn's arms tightly. Boromir could not believe that Aragorn had finally embraced the people of Gondor.

"I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king..." Boromir was unable to finish what he was trying to say before he slipped into unconsciousness again. Boromir had thought before he blacked out that now he can die, in peace and with honor on the field of battle, under the eyes of his King.

Aragorn smiled tenderly and placed a soft kiss on his comrade's forehead.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor. Once the athelas begins to work you will come back to us again. The poison is strong, but we can defeat it." He said as he began to sprinkle the herbs into his wounds. This would buy Aragorn time before getting him back to camp, where he could do a more thorough job tending Boromir's wounds.

Aragorn heard Legolas and Gimli approach. "Hurry...help me carry him back to the fire...he needs these wounds tended before the poison takes him!" Aragorn said gathering up Boromir's weapons and handing them to the dwarf.

Legolas helped Aragorn pick up Boromir's seemingly lifeless body and carry it back to their camp on the shore of the Anduin.

Aragorn tended his wounds at the camp and the three remained watchful over Boromir's fitful sleep. The poison caused horrible spasms, but Aragorn assured the others this was normal. Within a few minutes Boromir's writhing had calmed and Aragorn noted that the blood was now red and not black as it seeped from his wounds.

"He will live." Aragorn announced to his companions as he walked back to the Anduin to gather more water.

Both Legolas and Gimli were relived to hear this. After loosing Gandalf they did not want to loose another member of the fellowship.

"But what of Sam and Frodo? They have already reached the eastern shore!" Legolas stated pointing across the river.

Aragorn ignored the question and the statement instead he knelt down beside Boromir to change his bandages again.

"You mean not to follow them." Legolas realized suddenly that Aragorn did not intend to follow the ring bearer.

"Frodo's fate no longer rests in our hands." Aragorn announced standing back up to face Legolas.

"Then it was all in vain. The Fellowship has failed." Gimli said sadly as he leaned against his axe handle.

"Not as long as we remain true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Just as we will not abandon Boromir now. He will awaken soon and I believe he will be able to travel. His wounds will not render him helpless. We should leave all that can be spared behind, we will travel light." Aragorn responded replacing his knife in its sheath. The same knife he used to cut more deeply into each of Boromir's arms and his hip to remove the poison. Aragorn felt the pain, as acutely had it been his own body he had cut into.

When he saw that horrible Uruk-Hai archer standing over Boromir he had prayed for speed to get there before the archer loosed his arrow. Then rage took over him and all he wanted was to kill that Uruk-Hai for even daring to touch one hair on Boromir's golden head. The younger man meant a great deal more than a friend to Aragorn. He loved him. He knew Boromir cared for him as a friend…and that he would take as long as the warrior offered it though he longed for more. So much more that he felt ashamed of himself most times. He was after all old enough to be the other man's father.

Legolas and Gimli began breaking camp and packing only what provisions they would need. Aragorn did the same unburdening his and Boromir's packs of unessential items. When Boromir began to stir Aragorn rushed to his side.

"I am not dead? Why are you still here?" Boromir asked groggily as he sat up only to be pushed back down.

"No my dear Boromir you are not dead. We are still here because we needed to tend to your wounds." Aragorn explained as he continued to assess his patient. He had a difficult time holding the warrior down and decided that the younger man seemed well enough to travel.

"You should not have done so. You should have let me die, I betrayed you all." Boromir responded sadly casting his eyes away from the blue gaze of Aragorn.

After a moment of checking Boromir's wounds Aragorn decided they could wait no longer to go after their friends.

"You do not mean that Boromir. Now come, we are almost ready to leave. We must go after Merry and Pippin. Do you think you can run?" Aragorn asked helping Boromir to stand.

"Gods, I feel like I have been skewered." Boromir said shaking his head, which was still foggy, and his vision was still blurred.

"The blades and arrow which cut you were poisoned, but I have cleaned the poison from your body. Plus you took a blow to the head of which I am sure is not helping matters. Do you think you can run?" Aragorn asked again hoping that Boromir would soon stop feeling guilty about his self described betrayal. Neither Aragorn nor Frodo felt betrayed they knew what the ring was capable of.

"Yes, yes I think so." Boromir said then straightened himself more. He could do this...he has ran and tracked and rode injured before. Injuries worse than these...though never before did his head feel as if it were inside a water skin. Nor did he ever have such a great pain in his heart like he did now. He had to get the little ones back though; he loved both Merry and Pippin as if they were his own brothers. He could not let them die at the hands of those damnable orcs, he would not fail them a second time.

"Good. Let us hunt some orc." Aragorn replied lightly to the remaining fellowship.

Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas heartily agreed. Before leaving Gimli presented Boromir with his weapons and Legolas presented him with his lighter pack. The four then set off into the woods to track the little ones.

Go to Chapter 2