Disclaimer: not mine, etc, as usual

Summary: See Previous Chapters

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Mairi had always been good at last-minute packing (usually because of procrastination, very early flights or someone adding things at the last second), but that was turning out to be a good thing, since she was good at attending to fine details in a hurry.

Urgency or not, the path leading from the city of Edoras to the plains of Rohan was a rocky one, and only a fool would take it in the dark, no matter what horse they were riding. Therefore, they were waiting until a least pre-dawn, still about half an hour away, before riding to Gondor.

This gave them time to at least pack, and for Mairi to run to the kitchens and pack some food. She met Boromir in the stables, where he was organising a horse for himself. Not even Shadowfax could ride for three days straight, but messenger horses, bred for speed rather than battle, required only a brief respite between runs of up to four hours.

Mairi handed him the bundle of food as Boromir finished saddling his horse, spotting Gandalf heading down the hill toward them, followed by Merry and Pippin. "I wonder who this will be harder on."

Boromir followed her gaze. "You mean the Hobbits? I think it will fall hardest on Merry. He is older and supposedly had been the semi-responsible one."

Mairi stifled a laugh at his choice of words. From the tales the fellowship had shared in their lighter moments, 'responsible' was a term that Merry and Pippin had only recently formed even a passing acquaintance with. Boromir matched her smile for a fleeting moment, before growing serious again. "Now he faces his younger cousin going into danger without him, and no certainty of when they will see each other again."

Mairi matched his seriousness. "You sound as though you speak from experience."

Boromir nodded. "Given the choice, my brother would have been a scholar. Faramir has little liking for battle, though he is a good tactician, and that makes our father reluctant to listen, fearing that Faramir will advocate a more peaceful approach, when decisive action is needed. I worry how Faramir will fare without me to distract our father."

Well, that put a new spin on the character that most fans loved to dislike. Mairi laid her hand on his arm, hearing voices coming closer. "I'll keep an eye on Merry, if you'll look out for Pippin."

She knew that he would do that anyway, but the atmosphere was becoming far too heavy. Boromir gave her another fleeting smile, and Mairi did something impulsive. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I apologise if that was too bold. If it makes you uncomfortable, you may simply consider it a wish for good luck."

Perhaps it was selfish of her, to act without knowing if her feelings were returned, but they were heading toward the ultimate showdown, and perhaps Boromir was already living on borrowed time. Nothing was certain, and she had missed out on many things because she had been afraid to take the first step. For once, Mairi was willing to be reckless.

Boromir caught her hand as she started to turn away, spotting a very grumpy Gandalf stalking over to where Shadowfax was stabled. "It was not too bold, but perhaps now is not the time to talk about it. We will meet again in Gondor."

Mairi smiled, drawing a visibly upset Merry back from Shadowfax as the mighty horse cantered out of the stable, followed by Boromir's new mount.

Merry took off toward the guard post, nearly bowling Aragorn over, and Mairi left for the Hall, hoping to find something that would keep her mind off what was to come.

Of course, it didn't work.

For someone with a tendency toward obliviousness, Suzi-Maria could spot 'it's complicated' love from a mile away, and Eowyn had her own romantic woes to be distracted from. Mairi didn't even make it through the throne room before they cornered her.

Suzi-Maria threw an arm around her shoulders. "Somebody's got a crush! Come on, tell us all about it."

Mairi glared as Eowyn looked confused. "You are injured? Crushed by what?"

Mairi shook her head. "A turn of phrase where we are from. It means to feel affection which may or may not be returned, and the risk of crushed hopes, hence the term."

Eowyn's expression cleared. "Ah. You are missing Lord Boromir, then?"

Mairi buried her face in her hands. "Am I really that obvious?"

The Lady of Rohan smiled gently, not having had the chance for this kind of conversation since she was a young girl. "It is obvious that you hold him in high regard, and that he admires you greatly, which is more obvious because everyone seemed to think he was a confirmed bachelor, married to the army."

Suzi-Maria grinned. In a way, it was reassuring to know that Mairi could make errors of judgement or do silly things on occasion. It certainly made the blonde feel a lot better about some of her earlier actions, which she could admit in hindsight were monumentally stupid. "Is it really the wisest thing, though? All things considered."

Mairi looked up long enough to glare at her, before dropping into a chair and burying her face in her crossed arms. "No, in fact I'd call it a foolish and even selfish thing, considering that Sauron is about to hit Gondor with everything he has; that we don't even know if we are staying here or going home on the off chance that we even survive the war; that no-one is going to like the eldest son of the steward being involved with a random women that came out of nowhere; and a dozen other things that I haven't thought of."

To make matters worse, Sam's voice interrupted whatever Eowyn was about to say. "What's going on with Lord Boromir? I assume that's who we're talking about, since this is the first time I've seen Mairi look this close to dramatic angst."

Everyone turned to stare at him. Rowan, coming up behind him, blinked. "You'd know, of course. Please tell me I'm not going to actually have to step up as your protector."

Mairi spluttered wordlessly as the other youth flushed at the jibe toward his own dramatics. "I'm not totally un-observant! It's obvious that they have some kind of chemistry, even if she's been trying to deny it since Amon Hen!"

Mairi's response was a muffled groan as Suzi-Maria smirked. "Yes, I remember that. I have to say, this was probably the last thing any of us were expecting."

Eowyn finally took pity on the brunette. "Oh, leave her alone, I'm sure it isn't quite that bad."

Mairi sat up. "Thank you, Lady Eowyn. I'm going to check on Merry and shoot something. Get the gossip over with before I get back, please."

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A/N: Ok, short chapter, I know.

Question, should I stick with what's happening to the four from earth, or branch out to what is happening in Gondor, as well? I debated a lot on whether or not to include any romance, so opinions on whether you liked it or not are much appreciated.

Thanks,

Nat