Untitled - BoG-Archive

covering of snow; the ever-blowing winds had not yet wiped away all trace of
previous travelers.
“They must be just ahead of us,” Boromir said, eyeing these tracks. “We
might overtake them.”
Faramir saw his expression and suppressed a laugh. He knew his brother’s
nature well, but he did not share his need to be first in everything he did.
They found themselves walking along a trench between stony walls, with
snow to the top of their boots. Around a bend, they suddenly did come upon
Daeron and Hador. The two men were sitting, resting on a small boulder facing
the south, so that they did not see the brothers for a moment.
“They rest so often that they are overtaken!” Boromir suddenly called out,
laughing. The two men whirled around wide-eyed and jumped up to greet them.
Hador bowed slightly, his hands on his breast. “Mayhap it is so, but there
are leagues to go yet,” he said. “And how fare you?”
“Well enough,” Faramir answered. “And you?”
“Not badly, but for this cold! When I reach the other side, I will petition to
have this testing moved to Belfalas. Much more comfortable weather!” Hador
said, feigning a shiver.
“Don’t mind him; he’s too soft,” Daeron said, glancing sideways at his
companion and smirking.
“Yes, so you keep telling me.”
Boromir and Faramir exchanged an amused look over their banter, and
after only a minute more, the two pairs parted ways; Daeron insisted on finishing
their rest, and Boromir was itching to go forward again.
The brothers trudged on for some time. The snow grew deeper as they
went until they sank up to their knees in it, and they felt as if it clung to their
boots, so slow was their progress. Boromir panted with exertion; his pack had
grown heavy and his head had grown light, but with the cold, he did not want to
stop. At least walking kept him a little warmer than he would have been, he
thought. Then he glanced over to see Faramir nearly stumble, dragging his feet
through the snow as if walking while sleeping, hunched over against the wind.
“We should rest,” Boromir said, pausing to catch his breath. “We spent too
much of our strength away… yonder…” He gestured down the mountain.
“No… it is just the air… too cold, too thin,” Faramir said. “We will grow
used to it…” He was resting his hands on his knees as he tried to keep himself
upright.
“Here, sit… we will rest for just a few minutes… not for too long,” Boromir
said, sinking down into the snow, unable to care about the seeping cold. He had
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