They reached the room in which she felt the presence of Sauron just as Aragorn took the Orb, the one which Saruman had held, from a writhing and screaming Pippin and immediately fell to the ground. The Orb fell from Aragorn's hands and rolled away. She felt Boromir step towards it from behind her but barred him with her body. She could feel Sauron there, in the room with them, his dark presence filling her up, invading her mind...

"I see you."

She heard his voice in her head and instantly stumbled back; Boromir's support the only thing keeping her upright. Gandalf threw a cloak from the floor onto the Orb and instantly the presence of darkness vanished. Lianna gasped at the lifting of the weight and looked over to Gandalf who shouted,

"FOOL of a Took!" at Pippin. However Pippin was not listening. He was lying on the floor, eyes open and unseeing, white as a sheet and unmoving. Lianna raced over and then dropped to the Hobbit's side. Merry quickly joined her.

"Pippin?" she whispered, stroking his small face - which felt terribly hot. His eyes showed no recognition as he lay there. Gandalf pushed Merry aside and dropped to the ground beside her, taking the Hobbit's hand and murmuring words she did not understand. Pippin gasped, once, twice and continued to do so as his eyes focused once again and he looked around in fear.

"Look at me," Gandalf murmured, "Look at me."

"Gandalf," breathed Pippin, his voice filled with fear, "Forgive me..."

"What did you see?" The Wizard asked. Lianna reached over and took Pippin's free hand, gently stroking his small palm with her thumb and murmuring,

"It's alright Pippin – just tell Gandalf what happened." His eyes darted to her and then returned to the Wizard as the tiny Hobbit whimpered,

"A tree. There was a White tree..." Lianna looked over her shoulder to Boromir; whose brow was furrowed. She knew of which White tree Pippin must be speaking of. Her gaze returned to the Hobbit as he continued "...in a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith?" she heard Boromir ask urgently from behind her.

"Is that what you saw? Did you see Minas Tirith?" Gandalf asked gently.

"I saw..." continued Pippin, his face contorting anew with fresh fear, "I saw him. I could hear his voice in my head." Lianna squeezed Pippin's hand. He was so very terrified.

"What did you tell him?" pressed Gandalf. When he got no reply he shook the Hobbit roughly and snapped, "Speak!"

"Gandalf!" exclaimed Lianna, "Please..." The Wizard gave her a warning look and she fell silent. However she still disagreed with Gandalf's treatment of Pippin. Yes the Hobbit had been a fool but still...to treat him thus after such a terrible experience was too cruel.

"He asked me my name," whispered Pippin, his voice still shaking with fear, "I didn't answer. He hurt me..."

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?" There was a pause filled with fear from all those present before Pippin whispered finally,

"Nothing." Gandalf hesitated before sitting back with a sigh.

"He tells the truth." Lianna cupped Pippin's cheek in her hand and pulled the Hobbit onto her lap so that she could face the others whilst comforting him.

"Poor Pippin," she murmured, "Poor, brave, darling Pippin – what horrors you have faced." He turned his head and buried his face in her chest. She stroked his curls rhythmically, rocking him slightly, murmuring words of reassurance. She looked up and her eyes met with Boromir's. She knew he too was afraid. Pippin had seen his city burn...she wished the Captain's of Gondor's fears could be allayed with a soothing motion and comforting words. However she feared Boromir's terror would be much less easily placated.

"We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the palantír a glimpse of the enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith."

Lianna reached over from where she sat in the Hall and fleetingly brushed her hand across Boromir's. She saw him flex his fingers as she did so and she knew that, despite his lack of acknowledgement, he appreciated the gesture. They had all assembled in the Hall; Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Théoden, Aragorn, the Hobbits and herself, in order to decide what was to be done with this new information.

"His defeat at Helm's Deep shows our enemy one thing; he knows for certain that the heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still; strength perhaps enough to challenge him. Sauron fears this." Gandalf looked to her before continuing, "Have you seen anything of Minas Tirith, Lianna?" She shook her head.

"This news concerning the city has taken me by surprise as greatly as it has all of you. I had no inkling that Minas Tirith would..." she stopped herself and yet Boromir finished her sentence for her.

"Burn...you had no idea my city would burn." He stood, violently pushing back the bench upon which he sat – despite the fact that Lianna was still upon it, and strode from the Hall. Lianna, on her feet thanks to Boromir nearly knocking her to the ground with his quick exit, hesitated in going after him. As usual she looked to Gandalf for guidance.

"Leave him a few moments – you may be needed here." counselled Gandalf. She nodded and took her seat once again. "Sauron will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a King return to the throne of Men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit then Rohan must be ready to go to war." There was a pause in which all eyes turned to Théoden.

"Tell me," murmured the King, "Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?" There was silence as all present took in the King's words. Aragorn looked as if he were about to speak but Lianna beat him to it.

"What is this?" she asked the King, "I had thought you an honourable man, Théoden; King of Rohan. Do you not see what it is that Sauron wants? He WANTS division! He wants Men to turn upon their brothers and races to leave one another out in the cold – alone and defenceless." She looked to each of them in turn as she spoke before finally allowing her words to land squarely, once more, with the King.

"Gondor is my country. It is the place in which the bodies of my mother, my father and my brother lie. It is the country of my King." She looked to Aragorn before finishing, "More than that. It is a kingdom of Men and it is dying – slowly but surely, as your own kingdom was dying before aid came unbidden to your door. I swear to you now that I will arm myself, when the time comes, and I shall march to Minas Tirith – whether it be with an army of Rohan beside me or alone. Yet either way I shall, sword in hand, defend Gondor and the White City with everything I am. Not because I must but because it is what anyone with any honour would do."

She finished her speech and steadily glared at the King. When she saw no reaction she turned to Gandalf and murmured, "I shall stay no more in the presence of cowardice." and strode from the room.

As she left she turned the corner, coming out of sight of the Hall, to crash into a lingering figure. She looked up to see the familiar face of...

"Boromir?" he was looking at her strangely. There was a small smile on his face however and this made her hope that his momentary despair had abated.

"I heard you," he murmured, "Yet I fear I must destroy your perfect speech."

"Oh?" she replied, "Why would that be?"

He took her hand in one of his own and raised it to his lips before pressing a kiss to her fingers. She smiled as he did so, feeling a shot of warmth go through her hand and tingling creeping up her arm.

"You would not be alone." She took a step forward and stood on tiptoe so that her eyes were almost level with his, her lips barely separate from his own.

"I never doubted it." She whispered.

"Never?" he asked, "Not even last night?" She frowned slightly before replying,

"You must understand, Boromir; that though my mind pressed me to doubt you my heart never could and, I do not think, ever will. I did what had to be done and I cannot regret it – yet I am sorry you were upset." He nodded slightly.

"Well then..." he breathed. She could hear Gandalf speaking in the Hall behind her and vaguely heard the words 'Minas Tirith' and 'alone' being spoken. However Boromir's proximity to her made almost everything else trivial.

She leant forward slightly and he matched the move. She felt his lips gently brush hers and smiled as she pulled away a little to gauge his reaction. She met his eyes and felt his hand cup her cheek, pulling her closer as his lips met hers again; a little more forcefully this time. They were warm and a little rough but it wasn't important. Not really. She kissed him with all the love she had felt for him for the many months she had known him – all the times they had spoken in the firelight of things she could never have thought of with any other, all the times he had protected her and she him, all the times she had looked at him and felt her heart contract because of who he was and what he could be.

A cough behind them caused them to break their kiss as she spun around quickly to see Aragorn standing, smiling, behind them.

"I apologise but Gandalf would wish to speak with you, Lianna." She flicked her gaze back to Boromir who nodded his head slightly as a sign that he did not mind her leaving and she breezed past Aragorn – not quickly enough to avoid hearing him murmur, "At last."She smiled slightly but said nothing.

She left the men outside as she entered the Hall. All were gone now but Gandalf and a few servants who were busying themselves elsewhere in the room. The Wizard gestured her over to him and said quietly,

"That was quite a speech, Lianna." She lowered her eyes to the floor and replied,

"I fear I was overly harsh with the King..."

"No!" exclaimed Gandalf, "No indeed – that was precisely what Théoden needed to hear. He must understand that this is no petty game where friends help friends and those who have no friends sit and suffer alone. This is the very future of Middle Earth, Lianna; all our lives depend upon it." She nodded, biting her lip and smiling a little at the memory of Boromir's lips on hers...

"Boromir will wish to go to Minas Tirith." Gandalf added in a matter of fact manner. She looked up quickly wondering for one moment whether Gandalf had read her mind. That she should think of Boromir at the very moment that the Wizard mentioned him...

"I believe so." she replied. Gandalf nodded for a moment before countering,

"I think he should not go." Lianna raised a brow in confusion and Gandalf clarified, "There is now bad blood between he and his father. I think his presence will not help our cause. Not yet." Lianna thought over the Wizard's words...there was truth there.

"You wish me to persuade him to remain in Edoras?" she asked. Gandalf smiled.

"I think no other could possibly complete such a task with any success." She let out a deep breath and replied,

"I know not whether even I shall be able to persuade him to remain here when his home is so endangered." Gandalf reached over and took her hand, before murmuring,

"I think you will find, Lianna, that love is stronger than any other emotion – even the loyalty to ones father and country. This is why only you can persuade him of the path he must take. For only you hold his heart – no other." She squeezed Gandalf's hand before letting it go.

"Who shall go to Minas Tirith in his place then; who shall warn the Steward?"

"I shall," Gandalf replied, "Along with Pippin."

"Pippin?" asked Lianna incredulously. She watched the Wizard for a moment and, when no answer was forthcoming, finally murmured, "I expect you have your reasons."

"I expect I do." countered Gandalf. Lianna hesitated.

"Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Merry will be staying with us, here, in Edoras?"

"They will. Their fate, along with yours, I think lies within these walls for the time being." Lianna thought for a moment. Her Sight had shown her little of late – half glimpses and odd feelings being the full extent of their reach. However somehow she knew Gandalf was right in his words – the road to Minas Tirith was not yet one which she and the rest of the Fellowship should follow.

"Very well," she replied finally, "I shall try to persuade him, Gandalf, though I cannot promise my entreaties shall be heard." He smiled happily.

"That is all I ask of you, dear girl - try and I feel sure you shall succeed."