~ Sightseeing in Middle-Earth ~
~ Disclaimer: ~
Blerg. *points previous chapters* What they said.
~ Chapter XV~
~ Minas Tirith ~
We reached Minas Tirith early the next morning, sometime before what would have been sunrise. We entered quietly, with Boromir hiding within his Elven cloak so as not to be recognized. He had said something about not wishing to be held up when I'd asked him. But as it was, we were still delayed when Gandalf suddenly appeared in front of us. Boromir looked startled, but I just waved to the wizard.
"Hi Gandalf." I said, and Gandalf nodded at me before walking briskly over to Boromir's horse. The two talked quietly for a few moments, and then Gandalf stepped away, turning his attention to me.
"I am afraid you will have to wait to meet Boromir's father, Lady Erin. I need to speak with you, and I do not have much time." Gandalf said, and I nodded.
"I will find you once I have spoken with my father, Erin." Boromir said, steering his horse back towards me and catching my hand. He smiled at me, and I was glad I was sitting on a horse, because otherwise I was quite sure my knees would have given way. Then he let my hand go and kicked his horse into a trot, his attention now focused on reaching his father. When Boromir was out of sight, I turned to Gandalf to see him looking at me in a thoughtful way which I did not like. I had a very nasty feeling Galadriel had already beat me to the punch in telling Gandalf about Boromir, though the wizard had not mentioned it.
"Come, let us find someplace more private to talk." Gandalf said suddenly, glancing around and seeming to notice that there were people, albeit a very few, on the streets. I steered my horse to follow him, and gradually we made our way to the house in which Gandalf and Pippin were staying. Tying the horse out front, we went in, and Gandalf sat down by the banked fire, motioning for me to join him.
"As I'm sure you know, I traveled through Lothlorien after my battle with the Balrog." Gandalf began, getting right to the point. "When I was there, I had a most interesting talk with the Lady Galadriel." Gandalf looked at me with a piercing gaze, as if trying to use Galadriel's ability to read minds. "I believe I asked you to inform either Aragorn or I when something went too far astray in the quest from what you knew was to happen."
"Indeed. But I haven't had the opportunity." I replied.
"You know very well that there were many opportunities - the success of the quest merits an interruption into ANY conversation." Gandalf told me sternly. I didn't have an answer for that, so I just stayed silent. "You have the opportunity now to tell me." Gandalf pointed out after awhile, and I sighed.
"Boromir and Haldir are both alive when they're not supposed to be." I said, and Gandalf seemed startled that I said two names.
"Both were supposed to die?" Gandalf asked.
"Yes. Boromir was supposed to be tempted by the ring and try to take it at Amon Hen before dieing while defending Merry and Pippin from the Orcs. Haldir was supposed to die on the wall at Helm's Deep." I answered.
"Why did this not happen?" Gandalf asked, an unreadable mixture of expressions on his face.
"Boromir was not tempted by the ring because he has fallen for me, and I was there to help him defend Merry and Pippin, actually taking one of the arrows meant to kill him. Haldir didn't die because I took him off the wall to help me find Boromir, who had been on the wall when it had blown up." I answered. Gandalf stared into the fire for a few moments.
"You have willfully changed the quests path." he said after awhile, and I drew a ragged breath.
"Only in saving Boromir." I replied.
"And yet, in choosing to do so, you have changed many things. The changes you have caused will spread and create more changes, getting ever larger, more significant, and harder to control, like ripples in a pond." Gandalf said, and suddenly Sauron's first words to me came back.
'So you are who is at the center of the ripples.' The oily voice came back to me clear as if the eye was right in front of me, and I shuddered involuntarily. Gandalf glanced at me.
"What is it, child?" he asked.
"Sauron - he said something about ripples, as well." I said softly, and Gandalf's expression softened.
"Ah yes. The other reason I wished to speak with you." he said. "Sauron is very powerful, Erin, and if even Galadriel is able to detect that the quest does not go as it should, then Sauron will know exactly what is not and why it isn't happening as it should. Perhaps I should have warned you sooner, but I believed your presence would not cause changes."
"Fool of a wizard." I mumbled to myself, then grinned as Gandalf looked at me questioningly.
"What was that, Lady Erin?" he asked.
"Nothing I'd care to repeat." I said cheerfully, and Gandalf eyed me.
"I will not press then." he said. "I would, however, like to know of what Sauron spoke to you about."
"Want a complete blow-by-blow account of what happened? It's burned in my mind so strongly I can't forget it, anyways." I said dryly, and Gandalf nodded.
"Yes, please tell me all you can remember." he said, and so I told him the tale, starting from where I'd gone back into Theodens hall with a headache and an upset stomach. When I was done, Gandalf nodded thoughtfully.
"You did well, though despite your best attempts, he has learned something he shouldn't." he said, and I looked at Gandalf in surprise.
"What?" I asked.
"I will not tell you, for it will do you no good to brood over it." Gandalf replied. "For now, I must go wake Pippin and take him to Denethor. He has sworn himself as a soldier of Gondor, you know."
"Oh, he has!" I said happily. "That's wonderful! This quest seems to be going along it's proper course even without my help!"
"Perhaps you are helping subconsciously." Gandalf said gravely as he rose. "For even Pippin could not cite a reason as to why he swore himself as a soldier of Gondor. And Aragorn has told me that Frodo seemed slightly confused as to why he was so determined to go off to Mordor by himself."
"Are you saying that I'm, like, affecting what people decide to do somehow?" I asked, cocking my head to one side, and Gandalf nodded.
"It is very possible." he said. "Galadriel herself has said that she felt some deep power within you." I blinked.
"OK, that is just FREAKY." I said.
"But very possible. From what little I know of your world, I know that there is no magic there. Indeed, there could even be something there that stops magic from occurring. But here magic is quite common - and it could be that you have some magical talent that is surfacing only now once you are away from your magicless world." Gandalf said.
"Like I said - freaky." I commented. "Go wake up Pippin before you freak me out anymore." Gandalf smiled.
"If you will prepare some breakfast for us, then I shall go wake Pippin." he said, and I rolled my eyes.
"There's always a catch." I said. "Oh well - point me in the direction of the food to be prepared, and I'll do my best." Gandalf told me where the kitchen was, and then disappeared to wake Pippin up. He reappeared a minute or so later, closely followed by the hobbit.
"Lady Erin!" Pippin said happily, rushing over and giving me a hug. "It is so good to see you again!"
"It's good to see you, as well, Pippin. Did you have fun with Treebeard?" I asked, and Pippin looked up at me in surprise, but then shook his head, obviously thinking I'd learned about the Ent from Gandalf.
"Yes, it was quite interesting." the hobbit said. "What's for breakfast?"
"Bread, milk, butter, and...well, actually, that's it." I said, and Pippin and I made a face at the same time.
"That's not a very wholesome breakfast." Pippin said.
"I know - I ate better on my ride here." I replied. "But it's all there is in this house."
"And it is all there will be for quite awhile. Food is now doled out by order, and this must last you until lunch." Gandalf said, and Pippin's face fell. It fell even more when he saw the amounts of the food I set in front of him.
"Why did you bring me here?" he asked Gandalf.
"You know quite well," Gandalf replied. "To keep you out of mischief; and if you do not like being here, you can remember you brought it on yourself." Pippin didn't reply to that, and we finished our breakfast in silence. Then Gandalf and Pippin excused themselves.
"I am afraid you will be very much on your own today, Lady Erin." Gandalf said just before he left. "For, though I'm sure Boromir will want to come find you, his father has need of him, and I do not believe he will be able to get away any time soon."
"I'll take the opportunity to wander around and get myself lost." I said dryly. "As for you - watch the gates. Faramir is coming." Gandalf nodded, and he and Pippin left. I stood outside the house for a moment, glancing about, wondering what to do, and then yawned tiredly.
"Well, that's decided." I said cheerily, and disappeared back inside the house to sleep.
---
I woke later to hear a horrible screeching noise on the wind - like fingernails on chalkboard, only worse. I jumped up, and, after listening for a moment, determined that it had to be a Nazgul, which meant Faramir was arriving. I looked down at myself critically, and decided that, as much as I'd love to go see Gandalf scare off the Nazgul, I'd never make it in time, and I needed to get changed and cleaned up, besides. The rest of the Fellowship could handle being dirty - I, however, felt like I had an inch of grime on me, and it was not a pleasant feeling.
After exploring the house, I discovered a bathtub, as well as a well for water. Realizing I'd have to go about preparing a bath the hard way, I set some water to boil, then wondered about what I'd have to change into. I realized, then, that somehow my pack had made it here, and it was now resting in the corner of the main room. I figured Gandalf must have brought it with him, and I dug through it to see what it now contained.
The sword from Galadriel, as Boromir had said it would be, was missing. There was some lembas in there still, however, along with random pieces of equipment that I'd been carrying when traveling with the Fellowship. My sword from Gandalf was also in there, as was a large collection of very muddy and dirty clothes. There was, however, a few pieces of clean clothing - enough for an outfit, thankfully.
I realized, as I was pouring the water into the tub, that it was really actually quite silly to get myself clean, since I was just going to get myself extremely dirty and muddy when the orcs attacked in a few days. But I shrugged. I needed a break from the chaos that was Middle-Earth at the moment, and there was no better way to take a break then to have a nice relaxing bath. It did, however, take awhile to fill the tub. Which was actually fine, since it took me almost all that time to find some soap. Finally, however, the tub was full, and I stripped off my dirty clothes and slipped into the water, sighing happily. It was good to be warm again.
When I was done my bath, I got dressed in the clean clothes I'd found in my pack, then tried to sort out my hair. I really did not spend much time on my hair - never had - but having it in knots was too much for even me. It took me a good while, but I had it mostly sorted out when I heard the sound of a knock from the door downstairs. I headed down and opened the door to find Pippin there.
"Lord Denethor wants to see you." he said promptly when I opened the door, and I chuckled.
"Alright then." I said. "Let's go." Pippin looked surprised as my prompt response, but then nodded, and we set off. Pippin was silent for a total of ten steps before he started talking and asking questions. Grinning, I answered his questions and listened to him talk, enjoying the company of the bubbly hobbit.
"One thing I like about this place, Lady Erin - you can't get lost in it. Or at least, it's very hard, especially if you're walking outside. On the inside it gets trickier, but one can learn their way about well enough if they pay attention." Pippin commented as we approached the Citadel.
"I'm sure I'll still manage to get lost without a guide." I commented dryly.
"Then we shall just have to make sure you are never without a guide." Boromir's voice came from beside us as we approached the gate to the Citadel, causing me to jump.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" I complained, but smiled to take the edge off it.
"I would not be able to if you kept your ears open instead of listening solely to a talkative hobbit." Boromir teased.
"I resent that." Pippin commented.
"Hush now, no talking back to your superiors!" I said, waggling a finger at Pippin, and Boromir grinned as well. We continued along, teasing each other back and forth and generally having the best time we'd had since the Fellowship set out from Rivendell, until finally we came to some large doors. From the way Boromir and Pippin immediately went serious, I knew that beyond the doors was Denethor, and mentally prepared myself. Denethor, in the book, had always seemed to be a scary crazy old guy to me, and that really wasn't helped by the fact that he burned himself to death in the end. So it was with some nervousness on my part that I entered the hall behind Boromir and Pippin.
"Ah, you have finally returned!" Denethor said warmly as we entered, and I blinked. I realized that it figured he'd be cheerier then in the book, since Boromir hadn't died, and prepared myself for anything. As Boromir greeted his father again, I took the time to note that Gandalf was in the hall, along with another man who looked so much like both Boromir and Denethor, while still managing to look different, that it could be no other then Faramir, Boromir's younger brother.
"And this, father, is the Lady Erin, one of the traveling companions that I have told you about." Boromir finished, and Denethor turned to me. I considered bowing, but decided not to, having had enough of strange looks. Instead I waved.
"Yo." I said. I saw Gandalf shake his head, and I swear I heard Boromir stifle a laugh. Denethor, for his part, looked at me just as strangely as he would have if I had bowed. Then he seemed to be sizing me up, and I shifted my weight from one foot to another in the silence.
"Many interesting things I have heard and seen about you, Lady." Denethor said finally.
"Once more I repeat - unless it has to do with getting lost, I didn't do it." I said seriously, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pippin struggling to keep a straight face. Denethor, for his part, raised an eyebrow.
"Then you would call my son and Mithrandir liars?" he asked, and I eyed him, trying to figure out if he was serious.
"No, I would call myself confused." I said finally, and to my surprise, Denethor smiled.
"I wondered why Mithrandir had let a woman come along on such a perilous journey, but now I see the wisdom behind his ways." he said, and I blinked. That was actually quite an odd comment to come from him. In the book, he'd always seemed to be warring with Gandalf, trying to prove himself the wizards equal, but never succeeding. Yet here he was admitting that the wizard was right about something. The comment also made me aware of the fact that Gandalf had not told him about where I'd come from - but then, that was no surprise. Only four people in Middle-Earth knew where I came from - possibly five - and I wasn't quite sure about Galadriel, or about how much she'd shared with Haldir. Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I discovered that Boromir was now telling his father and brother of my many deeds.
"Hey now, Haldir was the one who found your shield." I said in protest when Boromir over exaggerated my 'coming to his rescue' at Helm's Deep.
"Ah yes, but he would not have found it if you had not had him looking for it." Boromir replied, arching an eyebrow.
"And I wouldn't have been able to have him look for it if I hadn't, by some freakish chance, noticed that you were on the wall when it exploded." I said. "It was really luck."
"All battles depend heavily on luck." Faramir commented. It was the first time I'd heard him speak, and his voice was startling. So much like Boromir's, and yet...there was a quality to it, like many years of experience lay behind it - sort of like Aragorn's when he decided to show his kingly heritage.
"Then your brother's very lucky." I said.
"He has proved that many times." Faramir said, and I saw a smile start to appear on his face. Somehow, Boromir managed to stop the conversation from turning towards his past deeds, and finished telling about what I had done. There was silence when he finished his story, and then Denethor turned to me.
"You have had a great journey, Lady Erin, with many hardships. We shall have to talk again, soon. But for now, I am weary, as I know my sons must be." he said, suddenly looking as weary as he claimed. "Let us go and find rest as we may, tomorrow we shall look to the defenses of Gondor." Then he said goodbye to us all, and left the hall, us following quickly. Faramir almost immediately excused himself, seeming just as tired as his father. I glanced over at Boromir and realized he was almost asleep on his feet. It occurred to me, then, that while I'd had a chance to sleep and have a bath, Boromir had been talking with his father all day.
"I think I'll help Boromir get back to his room without falling on his face." I said, turning to Gandalf, and the wizard nodded.
"I will see you tomorrow, then." he said, and I said goodbye to Pippin as well before the hobbit and the wizard went off to their house in the city. Turning to Boromir, I eyed him.
"You, sir, should have excused yourself and gotten some sleep." I said, and he smiled wryly.
"It is as you said - Minas Tirith needs me. There was no time for rest." he said.
"Well then lets go get you some rest now. With you to steer me in the right direction, and me to keep you upright to you don't end up asleep on the ground in some side passage, we'll get you to your bed." I said cheerfully, and Boromir chuckled.
"Then let us go." he said, and we headed off.
~ Disclaimer: ~
Blerg. *points previous chapters* What they said.
~ Chapter XV~
~ Minas Tirith ~
We reached Minas Tirith early the next morning, sometime before what would have been sunrise. We entered quietly, with Boromir hiding within his Elven cloak so as not to be recognized. He had said something about not wishing to be held up when I'd asked him. But as it was, we were still delayed when Gandalf suddenly appeared in front of us. Boromir looked startled, but I just waved to the wizard.
"Hi Gandalf." I said, and Gandalf nodded at me before walking briskly over to Boromir's horse. The two talked quietly for a few moments, and then Gandalf stepped away, turning his attention to me.
"I am afraid you will have to wait to meet Boromir's father, Lady Erin. I need to speak with you, and I do not have much time." Gandalf said, and I nodded.
"I will find you once I have spoken with my father, Erin." Boromir said, steering his horse back towards me and catching my hand. He smiled at me, and I was glad I was sitting on a horse, because otherwise I was quite sure my knees would have given way. Then he let my hand go and kicked his horse into a trot, his attention now focused on reaching his father. When Boromir was out of sight, I turned to Gandalf to see him looking at me in a thoughtful way which I did not like. I had a very nasty feeling Galadriel had already beat me to the punch in telling Gandalf about Boromir, though the wizard had not mentioned it.
"Come, let us find someplace more private to talk." Gandalf said suddenly, glancing around and seeming to notice that there were people, albeit a very few, on the streets. I steered my horse to follow him, and gradually we made our way to the house in which Gandalf and Pippin were staying. Tying the horse out front, we went in, and Gandalf sat down by the banked fire, motioning for me to join him.
"As I'm sure you know, I traveled through Lothlorien after my battle with the Balrog." Gandalf began, getting right to the point. "When I was there, I had a most interesting talk with the Lady Galadriel." Gandalf looked at me with a piercing gaze, as if trying to use Galadriel's ability to read minds. "I believe I asked you to inform either Aragorn or I when something went too far astray in the quest from what you knew was to happen."
"Indeed. But I haven't had the opportunity." I replied.
"You know very well that there were many opportunities - the success of the quest merits an interruption into ANY conversation." Gandalf told me sternly. I didn't have an answer for that, so I just stayed silent. "You have the opportunity now to tell me." Gandalf pointed out after awhile, and I sighed.
"Boromir and Haldir are both alive when they're not supposed to be." I said, and Gandalf seemed startled that I said two names.
"Both were supposed to die?" Gandalf asked.
"Yes. Boromir was supposed to be tempted by the ring and try to take it at Amon Hen before dieing while defending Merry and Pippin from the Orcs. Haldir was supposed to die on the wall at Helm's Deep." I answered.
"Why did this not happen?" Gandalf asked, an unreadable mixture of expressions on his face.
"Boromir was not tempted by the ring because he has fallen for me, and I was there to help him defend Merry and Pippin, actually taking one of the arrows meant to kill him. Haldir didn't die because I took him off the wall to help me find Boromir, who had been on the wall when it had blown up." I answered. Gandalf stared into the fire for a few moments.
"You have willfully changed the quests path." he said after awhile, and I drew a ragged breath.
"Only in saving Boromir." I replied.
"And yet, in choosing to do so, you have changed many things. The changes you have caused will spread and create more changes, getting ever larger, more significant, and harder to control, like ripples in a pond." Gandalf said, and suddenly Sauron's first words to me came back.
'So you are who is at the center of the ripples.' The oily voice came back to me clear as if the eye was right in front of me, and I shuddered involuntarily. Gandalf glanced at me.
"What is it, child?" he asked.
"Sauron - he said something about ripples, as well." I said softly, and Gandalf's expression softened.
"Ah yes. The other reason I wished to speak with you." he said. "Sauron is very powerful, Erin, and if even Galadriel is able to detect that the quest does not go as it should, then Sauron will know exactly what is not and why it isn't happening as it should. Perhaps I should have warned you sooner, but I believed your presence would not cause changes."
"Fool of a wizard." I mumbled to myself, then grinned as Gandalf looked at me questioningly.
"What was that, Lady Erin?" he asked.
"Nothing I'd care to repeat." I said cheerfully, and Gandalf eyed me.
"I will not press then." he said. "I would, however, like to know of what Sauron spoke to you about."
"Want a complete blow-by-blow account of what happened? It's burned in my mind so strongly I can't forget it, anyways." I said dryly, and Gandalf nodded.
"Yes, please tell me all you can remember." he said, and so I told him the tale, starting from where I'd gone back into Theodens hall with a headache and an upset stomach. When I was done, Gandalf nodded thoughtfully.
"You did well, though despite your best attempts, he has learned something he shouldn't." he said, and I looked at Gandalf in surprise.
"What?" I asked.
"I will not tell you, for it will do you no good to brood over it." Gandalf replied. "For now, I must go wake Pippin and take him to Denethor. He has sworn himself as a soldier of Gondor, you know."
"Oh, he has!" I said happily. "That's wonderful! This quest seems to be going along it's proper course even without my help!"
"Perhaps you are helping subconsciously." Gandalf said gravely as he rose. "For even Pippin could not cite a reason as to why he swore himself as a soldier of Gondor. And Aragorn has told me that Frodo seemed slightly confused as to why he was so determined to go off to Mordor by himself."
"Are you saying that I'm, like, affecting what people decide to do somehow?" I asked, cocking my head to one side, and Gandalf nodded.
"It is very possible." he said. "Galadriel herself has said that she felt some deep power within you." I blinked.
"OK, that is just FREAKY." I said.
"But very possible. From what little I know of your world, I know that there is no magic there. Indeed, there could even be something there that stops magic from occurring. But here magic is quite common - and it could be that you have some magical talent that is surfacing only now once you are away from your magicless world." Gandalf said.
"Like I said - freaky." I commented. "Go wake up Pippin before you freak me out anymore." Gandalf smiled.
"If you will prepare some breakfast for us, then I shall go wake Pippin." he said, and I rolled my eyes.
"There's always a catch." I said. "Oh well - point me in the direction of the food to be prepared, and I'll do my best." Gandalf told me where the kitchen was, and then disappeared to wake Pippin up. He reappeared a minute or so later, closely followed by the hobbit.
"Lady Erin!" Pippin said happily, rushing over and giving me a hug. "It is so good to see you again!"
"It's good to see you, as well, Pippin. Did you have fun with Treebeard?" I asked, and Pippin looked up at me in surprise, but then shook his head, obviously thinking I'd learned about the Ent from Gandalf.
"Yes, it was quite interesting." the hobbit said. "What's for breakfast?"
"Bread, milk, butter, and...well, actually, that's it." I said, and Pippin and I made a face at the same time.
"That's not a very wholesome breakfast." Pippin said.
"I know - I ate better on my ride here." I replied. "But it's all there is in this house."
"And it is all there will be for quite awhile. Food is now doled out by order, and this must last you until lunch." Gandalf said, and Pippin's face fell. It fell even more when he saw the amounts of the food I set in front of him.
"Why did you bring me here?" he asked Gandalf.
"You know quite well," Gandalf replied. "To keep you out of mischief; and if you do not like being here, you can remember you brought it on yourself." Pippin didn't reply to that, and we finished our breakfast in silence. Then Gandalf and Pippin excused themselves.
"I am afraid you will be very much on your own today, Lady Erin." Gandalf said just before he left. "For, though I'm sure Boromir will want to come find you, his father has need of him, and I do not believe he will be able to get away any time soon."
"I'll take the opportunity to wander around and get myself lost." I said dryly. "As for you - watch the gates. Faramir is coming." Gandalf nodded, and he and Pippin left. I stood outside the house for a moment, glancing about, wondering what to do, and then yawned tiredly.
"Well, that's decided." I said cheerily, and disappeared back inside the house to sleep.
---
I woke later to hear a horrible screeching noise on the wind - like fingernails on chalkboard, only worse. I jumped up, and, after listening for a moment, determined that it had to be a Nazgul, which meant Faramir was arriving. I looked down at myself critically, and decided that, as much as I'd love to go see Gandalf scare off the Nazgul, I'd never make it in time, and I needed to get changed and cleaned up, besides. The rest of the Fellowship could handle being dirty - I, however, felt like I had an inch of grime on me, and it was not a pleasant feeling.
After exploring the house, I discovered a bathtub, as well as a well for water. Realizing I'd have to go about preparing a bath the hard way, I set some water to boil, then wondered about what I'd have to change into. I realized, then, that somehow my pack had made it here, and it was now resting in the corner of the main room. I figured Gandalf must have brought it with him, and I dug through it to see what it now contained.
The sword from Galadriel, as Boromir had said it would be, was missing. There was some lembas in there still, however, along with random pieces of equipment that I'd been carrying when traveling with the Fellowship. My sword from Gandalf was also in there, as was a large collection of very muddy and dirty clothes. There was, however, a few pieces of clean clothing - enough for an outfit, thankfully.
I realized, as I was pouring the water into the tub, that it was really actually quite silly to get myself clean, since I was just going to get myself extremely dirty and muddy when the orcs attacked in a few days. But I shrugged. I needed a break from the chaos that was Middle-Earth at the moment, and there was no better way to take a break then to have a nice relaxing bath. It did, however, take awhile to fill the tub. Which was actually fine, since it took me almost all that time to find some soap. Finally, however, the tub was full, and I stripped off my dirty clothes and slipped into the water, sighing happily. It was good to be warm again.
When I was done my bath, I got dressed in the clean clothes I'd found in my pack, then tried to sort out my hair. I really did not spend much time on my hair - never had - but having it in knots was too much for even me. It took me a good while, but I had it mostly sorted out when I heard the sound of a knock from the door downstairs. I headed down and opened the door to find Pippin there.
"Lord Denethor wants to see you." he said promptly when I opened the door, and I chuckled.
"Alright then." I said. "Let's go." Pippin looked surprised as my prompt response, but then nodded, and we set off. Pippin was silent for a total of ten steps before he started talking and asking questions. Grinning, I answered his questions and listened to him talk, enjoying the company of the bubbly hobbit.
"One thing I like about this place, Lady Erin - you can't get lost in it. Or at least, it's very hard, especially if you're walking outside. On the inside it gets trickier, but one can learn their way about well enough if they pay attention." Pippin commented as we approached the Citadel.
"I'm sure I'll still manage to get lost without a guide." I commented dryly.
"Then we shall just have to make sure you are never without a guide." Boromir's voice came from beside us as we approached the gate to the Citadel, causing me to jump.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" I complained, but smiled to take the edge off it.
"I would not be able to if you kept your ears open instead of listening solely to a talkative hobbit." Boromir teased.
"I resent that." Pippin commented.
"Hush now, no talking back to your superiors!" I said, waggling a finger at Pippin, and Boromir grinned as well. We continued along, teasing each other back and forth and generally having the best time we'd had since the Fellowship set out from Rivendell, until finally we came to some large doors. From the way Boromir and Pippin immediately went serious, I knew that beyond the doors was Denethor, and mentally prepared myself. Denethor, in the book, had always seemed to be a scary crazy old guy to me, and that really wasn't helped by the fact that he burned himself to death in the end. So it was with some nervousness on my part that I entered the hall behind Boromir and Pippin.
"Ah, you have finally returned!" Denethor said warmly as we entered, and I blinked. I realized that it figured he'd be cheerier then in the book, since Boromir hadn't died, and prepared myself for anything. As Boromir greeted his father again, I took the time to note that Gandalf was in the hall, along with another man who looked so much like both Boromir and Denethor, while still managing to look different, that it could be no other then Faramir, Boromir's younger brother.
"And this, father, is the Lady Erin, one of the traveling companions that I have told you about." Boromir finished, and Denethor turned to me. I considered bowing, but decided not to, having had enough of strange looks. Instead I waved.
"Yo." I said. I saw Gandalf shake his head, and I swear I heard Boromir stifle a laugh. Denethor, for his part, looked at me just as strangely as he would have if I had bowed. Then he seemed to be sizing me up, and I shifted my weight from one foot to another in the silence.
"Many interesting things I have heard and seen about you, Lady." Denethor said finally.
"Once more I repeat - unless it has to do with getting lost, I didn't do it." I said seriously, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pippin struggling to keep a straight face. Denethor, for his part, raised an eyebrow.
"Then you would call my son and Mithrandir liars?" he asked, and I eyed him, trying to figure out if he was serious.
"No, I would call myself confused." I said finally, and to my surprise, Denethor smiled.
"I wondered why Mithrandir had let a woman come along on such a perilous journey, but now I see the wisdom behind his ways." he said, and I blinked. That was actually quite an odd comment to come from him. In the book, he'd always seemed to be warring with Gandalf, trying to prove himself the wizards equal, but never succeeding. Yet here he was admitting that the wizard was right about something. The comment also made me aware of the fact that Gandalf had not told him about where I'd come from - but then, that was no surprise. Only four people in Middle-Earth knew where I came from - possibly five - and I wasn't quite sure about Galadriel, or about how much she'd shared with Haldir. Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I discovered that Boromir was now telling his father and brother of my many deeds.
"Hey now, Haldir was the one who found your shield." I said in protest when Boromir over exaggerated my 'coming to his rescue' at Helm's Deep.
"Ah yes, but he would not have found it if you had not had him looking for it." Boromir replied, arching an eyebrow.
"And I wouldn't have been able to have him look for it if I hadn't, by some freakish chance, noticed that you were on the wall when it exploded." I said. "It was really luck."
"All battles depend heavily on luck." Faramir commented. It was the first time I'd heard him speak, and his voice was startling. So much like Boromir's, and yet...there was a quality to it, like many years of experience lay behind it - sort of like Aragorn's when he decided to show his kingly heritage.
"Then your brother's very lucky." I said.
"He has proved that many times." Faramir said, and I saw a smile start to appear on his face. Somehow, Boromir managed to stop the conversation from turning towards his past deeds, and finished telling about what I had done. There was silence when he finished his story, and then Denethor turned to me.
"You have had a great journey, Lady Erin, with many hardships. We shall have to talk again, soon. But for now, I am weary, as I know my sons must be." he said, suddenly looking as weary as he claimed. "Let us go and find rest as we may, tomorrow we shall look to the defenses of Gondor." Then he said goodbye to us all, and left the hall, us following quickly. Faramir almost immediately excused himself, seeming just as tired as his father. I glanced over at Boromir and realized he was almost asleep on his feet. It occurred to me, then, that while I'd had a chance to sleep and have a bath, Boromir had been talking with his father all day.
"I think I'll help Boromir get back to his room without falling on his face." I said, turning to Gandalf, and the wizard nodded.
"I will see you tomorrow, then." he said, and I said goodbye to Pippin as well before the hobbit and the wizard went off to their house in the city. Turning to Boromir, I eyed him.
"You, sir, should have excused yourself and gotten some sleep." I said, and he smiled wryly.
"It is as you said - Minas Tirith needs me. There was no time for rest." he said.
"Well then lets go get you some rest now. With you to steer me in the right direction, and me to keep you upright to you don't end up asleep on the ground in some side passage, we'll get you to your bed." I said cheerfully, and Boromir chuckled.
"Then let us go." he said, and we headed off.