**Author's Notes:
It was Liam's night off, so we got several pages written. Enjoy, it may be the last for awhile.**


***************Chapter 27***************


She was beginning to worry about him, the long hours she sat there, trying her best to bring him some sort of comfort. But she had sat there, counting the minutes, the hours as they passed, making note of them with a rock on the floor, lines she would later erase before leaving. But every time they would walk by the door, or look in, she marked it. She had a 12 hour cycle, but they would need the other 12 to be certain. He had only awoken once, to moan something about his back at which time she moved her hands there and with a sigh he had fallen asleep. Now as she waited for him to awaken, she kept her hands moving across his body, hoping to help him in any way. She would carry him if she had to. She would not leave him here.

He groans softly as he finally starts to come awake on his own. He felt odd. For one his head was on something soft, and something warm was rubbing against his shoulder. Then he remembers and a soft smile crosses his face. It was Eowyn. Ah he could get used to this. But then he remembers something else. She was betrothed to Faramir. He ignores the new feeling rising in him, jealousy, and instead pulls away and sits up, yawning and rubbing at his eyes with his left hand. "How long have I been asleep? And forgive me but I must say, you are much nicer to wake up to than an empty cell. And a good pillow as well. Did you sleep at all?"

She shakes her head, smiling, glad to see that he was in good spirits after his sleep. "No, but I do not need sleep, you did. You have been asleep about 12 hours, as far as I can tell. I have been counting the minutes and the rounds. There are a few times that they are gone at longer periods. However, we still need the next 12 hours, just to make sure." She sighs and puts her head back against the wall, closing her eyes wearily. "I may need you to count a little while, you can guess the minutes, if you listen to your heart. I know you have been in here a long time. That makes you loose track." She opens her eyes and sits up, holding her hand out for his. When he takes her hand she puts it against her breast. "Count from here, listen to the beats." She sighs again as she lays her head back on the wall, her hands dropping from his, but not removing it. "Just count the beats for a little while. Mark when they come around. I need but a few minutes."

He nods but he wasn't looking at her, instead he was looking at where his hand was. Oh this had to be a dream. He quickly pulls his hand away. "Yes. I will do that." He shifts around till he is sitting beside her, then he puts his good arm around her. "You can rest your head on my shoulder if you'd like."

She lays her head on his shoulder and in minutes is asleep.

Instead of counting with his hand on her heart he instead just counts in his head. Since she was leaned against him but sitting up he was able to use his left hand, so he marks off each minute with a piece of stone. When he gets to an hour he marks that off as well. He keeps this up, listening for the men as he counts, marking on the floor in another section when he hears one pass or nearby.

Her sleep is fitful though, she finds no peace in it. In her mind there are images of Faramir, his smiling face turned to her, the love shining clearly in his eyes. She whispers his name in her sleep as she snuggles closer to Boromir. The images change, causing a moan to pass her lips as she pictures his face, sweaty from their lovemaking. She could almost feel his arms wrapped around her, her legs around him as she sits in his lap, speaking softly to him in the aftermath. They were pleasant images, but images that soon change, change to something, someone, different. She didn't remember meeting Boromir as a child, the images she sees of his face are all from the dungeon, the dirt and grime from their cell wiped across his brow. She reaches out, wanting so clean the blood and dirt from his face. This time it is his name on her lips as she moans in her sleep. His face is almost instantly changed to one of her brother. His face causes her to cry in her sleep, for his was filled with worry and saddness. She knew she was causing that face, causing the pain that was reflected there. And it broke her heart to know that. It also jolts her awake when he cries her name. She sits straight up, blinking and sweating, pushing her hair from her forehead and trying to catch her breath. She hears Boromir calling her name softly and at first she thinks it too was a figment of the dream she just came from, that is until she feels his hand on her back. Instantly she turns and burrows her head into his chest, her tears silent, tearing at her soul. "I saw Eomer. He is worried for me. We have to get out of here, Boromir. We have to get out before my brother indeed does something stupid. He knows I am gone and is looking for me. I can not endanger him any longer.

He looks at her when he hears his name, a smile crossing his lips. He very much liked holding her like he was. Maybe in time he would hold her more while she slept. But then he remembers about Faramir and is filled with not only jealousy but guilt as well. With a deep sigh he continues counting off the minutes, waiting. When Eowyn wakes up he reaches out and touches her back, rubbing it lightly. "Eowyn?" He wraps his arm around her when she buries her head against his chest. "Do not cry, Eowyn. We will escape. I have been counting. No one has come this way for a long time. We could leave now."

She wipes at her eyes, shaking her head. "No, if they have not been this way for a long time, then we must wait till they come once more. We have to leave a few minutes after they stop by, so they don't check on us. Show me what you have counted, I hope I haven't slept too long." She tries to busy her mind with the minutes and hours, the marks he had on the ground compared with the ones that she had made. So far they followed a definite pattern. If they came by in 15 minutes, then it would be another 2 hours before someone came by, according to what they had down so far. That would be the time to sneak out. For the first time since she had found herself down in this hole, she had a glimmer of hope. She pushes away the images of her dreams, not wanting to think what they all might mean, only focusing on that of her brother. She needed to get out, she didn't need her brother doing something foolish. Nor Faramir. Though she knew that there was not enough time passed that he would even know she was missing. Even if Eomer sent his fastest riders he still would not know she was right now in danger. For some reason that saddens her heart even more and she stares through the tears at the ground, watching as a few drop to wet the marks. "He does not even know I am missing." She says it so softly that Boromir may not even hear, for she hadn't meant to even say it out loud. Her heart broke, once more cursing the fact that he had to be in Gondor, away from her.

He looks at Eowyn as he sees her tears hit the floor. He gives her a confused look. "Who does not know? My brother? Oh I am sure he knows." He sees her look and shrugs, frowning. "He knew when mother died and that was with father banning him from the room. He knew when I supposedly died. Or so that's what they tell me. He knows a lot of things. I do not know how or why but he does. So he more than likely knows you are not safe and is more than likely either on his way to Rohan, or pacing a ditch into the floor of his study, while trying to decide if he should leave or stay."

She shakes her head, defeat in her eyes. "No, Boromir, he does not know. He is blind to it, but that is just how it is. Because he is there, and I am here." She gives a laugh that is humorless. "It will always be that way, for now. He has things he must do for Gondor, I have things that I must do for Rohan. Boromir, it is something that I have to just come to terms with. We will be apart for a long time. Even when married, he will be there and I will be here. That is the only way it can be." She gets up and starts to pace.

He watches her, frowning slightly. And the words are out of his mouth before he knows it. "Then why are you marrying him if it will just make you miserable?" He notices a thought that passes through his mind. If she was married to him, he would never be away from her for more than a day.

She turns and looks at him, speaking softly. "Because I love him and he loves me. We do things for the one we love without thinking. We do it because we love them. So if I can only see him one day a year, then so be it. I rather be one day a year with a man I love then never love at all. With love comes pain, that is the cruel facts." She hears a noise at the door and moves again between him and the door, once more in a protective gesture. "Shhh," she whispers. She holds her breath as the key turns in the lock, knowing that after this, it would be a few hours till they came around again. Yet now she had to hope that she wasn't going to be taken, it would make them have to start all over when she returned, if she returned.

He frowns, shaking his head, about to say something when she tells him not to. He stays silent, watching as the door opens and a tray is shoved across the floor. His eyes widen and he starts to move but is stopped by Eowyn. When the door is closed again, he scrambles over across the floor to the tray and looks at the contents. He picks up a piece of bread and starts pulling the mold off it. "I think they feed me their garbage."

She looks at what they had been feeding him and shakes her head sadly. She had eaten far less when at Helms Deep yet had still eaten better. "Soon, Dear Boromir," she says as she kneels by him. "Soon you will have a feast for a King. I will see to that myself." She leans in and kisses his forehead then turns and stands. She starts to pace again, trying to think of how, once past the door, they would get farther. "Eat, you will need the strength, then we will leave." She saw nothing in the room to help them, not even something for him to use as a crutch. She was strong though, so she was not worried, she could probably carry him if she had to.

He finishes pulling all the mold he could see off the piece of bread, holding it up close to his face a few times to see it. When he is sure it was ok he starts to eat, eating like a man who hadn't have any food in a long time. And that was just what he was. Hungry, starving. He looks at her, holding up a piece of bread he had just pulled mold off of. "Hungry?" He leaves the meat, not even bothering with it. Even his stomach couldn't deal with rotten meat. Just the smell sometimes made him sick.

She shakes her head, pushing his hand back to at him. "I ate yesterday. You need to eat today. I am fine. You need the strength more then me because this isn't going to be easy on either of us. And for that, I say sorry ahead of time, and forgive me if I get upset or yell at you to get you going." She gives him a playful smile to let him know that she was just joking with him. She noticed how he was avoiding the meat and could smell why. Even a few feet away it was bad. She points to the potato, which she was sure was probably hard as a rock. "If you can stomach that, you should eat it, to be on the safe side. I don't want you dying before I can get you back to the Golden Hall and real food."

He looks at where she is pointing and picks up the potato. "I would much rather hide it and use it as a weapon." He knocks the potato on the floor. "Hard as a rock." He shrugs, his right shoulder moving slightly, and then brings the potato up to his mouth and tries to carefully take a bite out of it. He makes a face and pulls it away, shaking his head. He had got a little bit off, but it tasted terrible. Oh well. It was food.

She falls to her knees in front of him, her heart going out to this man, who had gone through so much with no hope of ever being rescued. She takes his head in her hands and smiles a tearful smile at him. "Boromir, it will soon all be over. Have faith, because even though no one knew you were here, I have found you now, and I will make it right." Then without thinking she leans in and kisses him. It wasn't a passionate kiss, yet it wasn't a brotherly kiss either. It was a kiss to seal a promise, filled with softness, tenderness, and hope. A kiss to try to heal a wound she knew she could not. Even though none of it was her fault, she felt as if it were, as if somehow she and all of Gondor had failed him. She would make it right, if it was the last thing she did.

When she kisses him his eyes widen and he can do nothing more than to just sit there. When she pulls back he stares at her. Why had she done that? He had to admit it had been nice. Again that guilty feeling creeps up inside him and he looks away from her, smiling slightly. "I am done eating." He no longer had an appetite. All he could think about was what Faramir might think if he saw Eowyn kissing him. Pushing those thoughts aside he smiles at her. "We should go now. I do not wish to stay in this cell any longer."

She doesn't take his pulling away from her as a bad sign, merely as a man intent on getting out of a place he had been for too long. She smiles and stands, holding her hand out to him. She takes his hand, putting her other hand on his forearm and almost pulling him to his feet alone. She puts up a hand as if to stop him. "Hold on a moment." Making sure that he was leaning against the wall, she reaches down and gets the key, holding it out to him with a wink. "We are going to need this." Then she moves next to him and puts an arm around his waist. "Come on, we may have time before they find us, but we don't know how far we have to go before we are safe and you can not run."

"I can hardly walk." He lets her help him to the door and after listening for a moment he carefully unlocks the cell door and lets her pull it open before he looks out. There was one guard but he was currently asleep. Looking back at Eowyn he whispers, "Come on." He lets her help him out of the cell, then looks around. He starts to feel slightly panicked. Where now?

She can almost feel his panic as he seems to stiffen. She turns her head ever so slightly and kisses his cheek, trying to get him to be a little more calm, not knowing if a simple kiss would work, but she didn't want to speak. So she lets the kiss speak for her. It at least draws his attention to her and using her free hand she puts a finger on his lips, indicating he shouldn't speak. Then she just goes by her gut. She knew they were under ground, so they needed to go up. She had an uncanny sense of direction though it probably wasn't going to do them any good as she didn't know where the danger was but she did know they needed to go up. There were three ways to go. Straight, to the left, or to the right. She closes her eyes and listens. Nothing. They would have to chance it. She nods to him, indicating they go straight. She tightens her arm around his middle and starts to slowly walk forward, listening carefully to anything that might be danger.

When she kisses his cheek he turns and looks at her, about to say something but stops when she puts her finger against his lips. He nods, knowing what she meant, so he doesn't say anything, just follows as she helps him along. He hoped she knew where she was going. And when they reach a old stone staircase he smiles slightly. This had to be the way out. He starts up the stairs with her, going slow since this was the first time he had to climb any type of stairs since his trip over the falls. By the time they had gone up two stories, or what seemed like it, he has to stop. His knees were killing him, so much so that he was having trouble bending them.

She shifts her weight, pulling more of his weight against her. When he starts to protest, she glares at him, letting him know that she would not stand for any argument. Then she motions for him to lean more on her, when he pauses her eyes narrow more and a fire burns in them. She was not a weakling and the adrenalin was already pumping through her from the fear of getting caught, so she was stronger then normal. She would do what it took, even if that meant carrying him. Or die trying to.

She lets him rest a moment more, then tucking her shoulder under his arm more and pulling him tighter against her, taking more of his weight as she has him use her as a crutch. They keep going, the air starting to not be so damp and muggy. That little fact gave her hope, and the hope was all she needed to keep pulling him up the stairs. The next flight that is exactly what she was forced to do, pull him up each stair, slowly and painfully, though she didn't feel the pain now, she would later. Right now all she could think about was not stopping, because if they stopped she wouldn't get started again. And she knew he couldn't take another step up.

He winces when she helps him back up. But he doesn't make a sound. No. He was a soldier. A little pain wouldn't stop him. So he starts to climb the stairs more on his own, not leaning on her so much. He doesn't know how much time passes before they reach the first door. He looks at her as they stop and whispers. "In there?"

She looks at the door and nods. If they were lucky, this would be the door out, but she knew the most she could hope for was that it was the door to the first floor. She leans her ear against the door, listening, closing her eyes as she listens. Finally with a nod she opens the door and looks around. Seeing it clear she lets out a slow breath. "Come," she mouths, then smiles for he didn't have much say in the matter as she drags him through the door. Once through she doesn't stop, going forward, not wanting to stop till they were across the open hall and around the corner of the farthest walkway. Once there she pauses, leaning him back against the wall. "Can you hold yourself up?" she mouths to him.

He nods and leans back against the wall, breathing heavily. His whole body was filled with pain. His head was spinning as well. He felt sick to his stomach but he ignores all that and watches as she quietly and quickly moves around, searching for a window or a way out. He stiffens suddenly as he hears footsteps.

She had to find something that would show her the way, she felt like he was relying on her and when the footsteps come, she hears them too. Quickly and silently she moves back to him, looking to the right she grabs him and half drags, half helps him through a door. She closes it silently and leans against it, her ear to the door, listening for anything. She hears the footsteps pass and she turns, smiling at him. That is when she sees them. Boromir was on his knees, his head bowed almost in defeat or pain, she knew not which. And standing over him was the ugliest orc she had ever seen, his sword held high. She reacts, not even thinking as she grabs the first thing she can get her hands on, a wooden chair that sat by the door. Running at the creature, not making a sound she smashes the chair down on it's head just as it brings it's sword down on Boromir. It grunts and the sword drops, but she hears Boromir also grunts and she knew he had been cut. NO! NO! They were not going to take him! Not now! Not when she just found him! She was still holding a piece of the broken chair leg and she jabs it at the orc, stabbing it through the neck, silencing it as well as killing it. It falls to the ground and she looks around quickly for others, but he had been a single one and her eyes light on the reason he had been there. There was a window that was half boarded up, a hammer laying near it. The thing must have been in the process of boarding it up. She rushes over and carefully looks out, drawing back quickly before she is seen. Damn! There were more out there, she wasn't sure how they would get out. THEY! She runs over to Boromir, dropping to her knees and gathering him up against her chest. "Boromir! Boromir! Please! Speak to me!" She brushes the hair back from his eyes in a caressing manner, her face full of worry that he was injured or worse, dead. "Boromir?" She whispers softly as their eyes connect, her's briefly flicking to his lips, then back to his eyes, searching for answers, some to questions she did not know.

He lets her pull him into the room but when she lets go of his arm he stumbles and falls to his knees. His good eye focuses on something and he slowly looks up from the large foot and straight into the face of an orc. Oh no no no. This was not good at all. He starts to try and move away but the troll grabs his bad shoulder as it reaches for it's sword. He gasps and then grits his teeth against the pain. He bows his head as he sees the sword flashing. He should have known this wouldn't work. He squeezes his eyes shut, wincing as he feels the cold steel cut into his shoulder. He faints before it can get more than an inch in. So he misses Eowyn coming to his rescue. He doesn't awake until she moves him and the pain flares in his shoulder again. He opens his eyes and looks up at her, smiling slightly, though he was obviously in pain. "I think....we should find another way."

She was crying now, but she didn't care. He was alive! She kisses him again and then rests her forehead against his. "I think we might be able to make it out the window. They were boarding it up. I don't know if we should trust leaving the room. Come, I will help you up, we can check the window again. I saw a few orcs out there, but they could be gone by now." She kisses his forehead, a sigh escaping her lips against his forehead, a sigh that was like a breath of hope. She swallows and gets up, once more grabbing his hand and his forearm, this time having to lean back as she pulled him up, and the moment he was to his feet again she had her body under his arm. "Lean on me, do not be afraid." She helps him to the window, motioning out it. "It is dark, it will make it easier."

He winces when she takes his arm, pulling on the cut on his shoulder. But he ignores it. Actually his mind was on that kiss she had given him. She was kissing him more and he had to admit, he liked it very much. Looking at the window he nods and then tries to get out it. But he can't seem to so he looks at her. "Help?"

Luckily the bottom part of the window was not boarded or she would be having a lot more problems then she did. As it was, she nods to him and looks outside. They seemed to be alone, the lights to the right of the building were gone. Putting her arms around his waist she gives a huge shove, not caring how it looked or what she was touch as she grabs his butt next and pushes even harder, till finally she has him out the window with an grunt. Taking several deep breaths, she jumps out the window after him, hoping he had rolled out of the way.

He had indeed rolled out of the way. Actually slide was more like it. As the minute his body came free from the window he had gone sliding straight down the muddy embankment. He had tries to stop his decent by grabbing onto a rock or branch but the rocks were too slippery and the branches broke. So he really has no way to stop himself. And when he hits the icy cold water of the river he gasps and then coughs as he surfaces. He tries to keep his head above water. But it was hard with only one arm. But he battles along, wincing when his body goes over the rapids. He soon blacks out, the pain and ice cold water causing him to lose consciousness.

It was too dark for her to see there was a slope, but she felt it the instant she hit it. The wind is knocked out of her and she is dizzy, but then her surroundings come in clearer as she is lashed at by the branches trying to tear at her clothing and skin as she slides down the muddy bank. She doesn't dare scream for fear of drawing attention to them, but like Boromir she tries to grab onto something to slow her decent. But it is to no avail, everything she touched slipped through her hands, ripping into her palms. She winces as she feels a branch slice the side of her face open, a fleeting thought that that was going to leave a scar passing through her mind right before she went sailing into the air. The next moment she was in icey water, sucking in her breath from the shock as she goes under.

She struggles to get to the surface, sputtering and spitting as she reaches it. She wanted to scream for Boromir, yet still she dare not. She tries looking around for him, struggling agianst the current that kept pulling her under. She slams into a rock, wincing as she feels something break. The pain was gone almost instantly, covered by the numbness of the intense cold that was taking over her body. She had to find Boromir, it was the only thought in her mind. Once more she slams into another rock, this one bigger, lifting her out of the water slightly, giving her a better view for a moment. That was when she sees his head, bobbing in the water just a little ways in front of her.

BOROMIR! Her mind screamed for him as she saw his head go under. NO! NO! She had to get to him! She struggles now to swim with the water, her broken wrist causing her a lot of pain, but she grits her teeth and plows on through the water.

She reaches him just as he is going under for the last time, grabbing him with her good hand and wrapping her arm around his neck. She was lucky he was out cold, for it kept him from struggling against her. They both slam into a few more rocks and she thinks for a moment she is going to loose him. But then almost as suddenly as the ride had started it ends. The rapids become smaller then nothing.

She lays back in the cold water, knowing they had to get out before they both froze to death. However she knew she also had to push it to the last second, getting out right before she lost it. Because the longer she was able to let the water carry them away from Saruman, the closer they would be to help, she hoped.

He stays unconscious, not feeling her holding him or even the ice cold water. And when they do finally wash up on shore, he still doesn't awake. His body however shivers and shakes, trying to get warm. He looked cleaner though, which also showed the many scratches and cuts he had, including the new one he got from the orc, his cut shoulder, that was oozing blood.

She had pulled them to the shore several miles down the river, laying there panting and shivering along with him. However she knew they could not lay there forever, she needed to get him up and moving.

Sitting up, she rips once more at her gown, this time to tear off a piece long enough to wrap up his shoulder. She had to stop the bleeding. Then she starts to rub his arms and chest, calling out to him softly.

"Boromir, Boromir, wake up. I need you to wake up." She keeps rubbing at his arms and chest, trying to get his circulation going. "Boromir, please wake up. I need you to wake up long enough to get up." She didn't know if she could do it, as bruised and scraped and sore as she was, but she was going to have to lift him if he couldn't limp on his own. They would soon find them missing and if they were to succeed, they had to keep going until they were well away from them.

He moans softly, his head moving from side to side as he slowly comes out of it. He opens his eyes and slowly look up at Eowyn. "Eowyn?" He says her name softly, then tries to speak again, though it's not as clear this time because his teeth kept chattering. "I.....think....." He stops talking when she touches his mouth and tells him not to speak. He sits up, coughing and nodding when she asks him if he could get up. "I think so." He lets her help him up, then slowly limps along with her, frowning as he notices the blood on her cheek. "You are hurt......" He stops and looks her over.

She stops him, shaking her head and putting her hand on his chin, moving his head to look at her. "Boromir, I am okay. A few bruises and cuts, far less then you. So come on, we have to keep going. I know it hurts, trust me, I know. But we have to keep going." Her eyes implore him, begging to keep going. "I need to get you home."

He nods, letting her help him to walk again. He winces as his sore body protests the movements. He knew she wished that they could go faster but his body just wouldn't move any faster than it was. But he manages to limp along with her until she stops, hours later. He drops down with his back against a tree and slumps over, so exhausted and filled with pain that he actually topples over onto his side. But at least he felt warmer. He was covered in sweat. "Eowyn?" It was barely a whisper, but with his good eye so close to the ground he couldn't see much.

She was as tired as him, but when she falls to the ground it isn't to topple on her side. She falls forward, tears of frustration and pain coursing down her cheeks. When she hears her name she is instantly up and by his side. She very tenderly pick him up, moving him so that he was as comfortable as she could get him, laying his head in her lap. "Yes, Boromir?" She smiles down at him, her own tears forgotten as she brushes the hair off his forehead with her good hand. She didn't even want to look at her other wrist, it had swollen up and was black and blue. She knew it needed to be set, any slight jarring or movement caused pain to shoot up her wrist. But she didn't care, they had gotten away. She would let him rest awhile, she could ask no more of his broken body then she already had. "What can I do for you, dear Boromir?" She tenderly pushes his hair behind his ears, her eyes soft as she gazed down at him, wanting only to comfort him. At that moment she would do anything for him to make him happy, for he had pushed his broken body beyond that of a normal man, she knew that. She knew what pain she was in and she was not nearly as hurt as he. She had been almost completely carrying him the last hour, yet she didn't even think of that. She didn't think of what she had done, only what he had. He had been through hell and returned, walking on at her mere asking. She would not ask him again, not till he rested, they were far enough ahead to chance that.

He moves so his head is on her lap, a soft moan escaping his lips. He was having trouble breathing. His lungs felt like they were on fire. He coughs and then looks up at her. "You...must tell my brother....tell him....I tried." He reaches up to lightly caress her cheek, his hand trembling. He figured he was dying, since he was having such a hard time breathing. "He will be.....good....to you." He coughs again. "You must.....leave me.....Eowyn. Save...yourself....." He trails off as he loses consciousness again, his hand drops from her cheek.

She looks down at him in fear. "NO! Boromir! NO!" She leans down and kisses him, not realizing what she was doing, wanting only to wake him. "No, Boromir," she says softly now, crying, her tears falling to his face. But then she hears it and a smile breaks through her tears. She can hear him breathing! He was alive! "Oh Boromir, do not scare me so!" She kisses all over his face, ending by leaving her cheek to rest on his forehead, sighing softly. The sound of his breathing was comforting to her, but what bothered her was that she could not wake him. When she straightens and shakes him slightly, he will not waken. She sighs deeply and leans back against the tree, a moan escaping her lips as she closes her eyes tight. The sun would be up soon, she knew that. They would have found them missing by now. If she could not wake him, then she would have to hide him and leave him. Go ahead and get help. She didn't want to leave him. And as she looks down into his sleeping face she sees the tears wet his cheeks. Her tears. Tears she quickly wipes away, a small laugh coming from her. "Look at me, Boromir, acting like a love sick cow. I love Faramir. But in two days I have come to care for you. I admire your strength, your will to live. I see a kindness in your eyes when you look on me. You think I do not see it?" She laughs softly, rubbing her thumb across his bottom lip. "I do not love you, Boromir, I can not love you." She didn't know if she was telling him or herself. "But I know that I must get you to safety. For Faramir." She kisses his sleeping forehead and carefully stands up.

Looking around she sees a rather scraggily bush. She could push him under that and no one would be able to see. It was big enough and the branches reached far enough that she knew no one would see even from the ground standing next to it. She leans down once more and kisses him, as if to say she was sorry for what she was about to do. Then getting up she drags his body to the bush.

It takes her some time to get him under it, then walking away from it she scuffs up the dirt so there were no signs that a body had been dragged to it. So it is with a firm nod that she turns and walks away, holding her breath as if afraid to breath she would shatter into a million pieces. She knew she was his last hope, no one but she knew where to find him now, and he needed help before he could be better. It was a heavy weight she bore, but she did it proudly, her shoulders back, she spine straight. She would do this, for her beloved. She would bring his brother back to him if it was the last thing she did.

She didn't know how long she had been walking, for this time it was her turn to loose track of time. She only knew that she was wet, for it had started raining on her about an hour ago. She hoped it wasn't raining on Boromir as well, but there was no telling, since distance now seemed to be measured in hours, not feet.

It was as she was stopped by a tall pine that she heard them. Horses! Her heart skipped a beat and she hoped it was help! But fear clutched at her heart as well and she ran and hid, finding the fattest pine she could. She thought of trying to climb it but she didn't have the strength. It was taking all her strength just to put one foot in front of the other, to try to climb would be asking her body far too much. So instead she just hides behind the tree and watches, listening as the horses draw nearer.

When they come into view she almost faints, for they wore the coat of Rohan! There were six and riding at full speed, almost by her before she can move. She could see the one in front as he rides by her, it was Eomer, her brother. She almost faints with relief, her voice calling to him. "Eomer!" But it was but a whisper, so tired and beaten was she that she could barely speak. They were passing her before she realized it and she rushes through the trees, coming into the trail behind them. NO! They hadn't seen her.

"EOMER!" This time she yells louder, trying to make him hear her over the pound rain and the thunder of the horses hoofs. Once again they do not pause and she feels all hope fleeing. She takes one last breath. "EOMER!!!" She screams his name at the top of her lungs, falling to her knees with a sob, feeling a fool for having hid in the first place. They would keep going and leave her there, her brother never even having heard her and Boromir would die. She puts her head in her hands and sobs, hope leaving her.

He frowns deeply, rubbing his eyes, acting like it was just the rain he was wiping. But it really was tears. He should have gone with Eowyn. He should have made sure she would be safe. He sniffles a little, glad the hoof beats drowned the sound out from his men. In one of his hands was a bloody piece of cloth, one of the pieces Grima had taken off Eowyn. He had received it the night before and had instantly set out with 5 of his best and most trusted men. He had even sent his fastest rider to Gondor to inform Faramir. He figured that would be what Eowyn would want. And if he couldn't find his sister, he'd want all the help he could get.

It is an hour later when they ride past Eowyn. At first he doesn't hear her. But when she screams his name he stops his horse and runs in his saddle to look back. When he sees her he quickly starts to turn his horse around, and that is when he sees it. Right behind her, coming out of the woods, were orcs. "Eowyn!!!!! Get down!!!!!!!" His men react instantly, all turning and racing towards the orcs. When they get to them they make a quick fight, killing all the orcs. There were only about 10 of them so no big danger. The orcs were more than likely a patrol or search group. He figured a search group by the way they were watching Eowyn.

Jumping down off his horse he races over to his sister, kneeling down beside her and touching her face, taking note of all her injuries. "Eowyn? Eowyn what happened? Please tell me, Sister." He sees her shivering and he instantly pulls off his nice warm cloak, wrapping it around her. He then picks her up and carries her over to his horse. Putting her up first he then follows and sits behind her, holding her back against him. "Do not worry, Eowyn. We will be home soon."

When she hears him finally she doesn't even think twice, she merely drops to the ground, covering her head and there she lay until he picks her up. She was shivering from shock as much as from the cold and she takes comfort in his warm cloak, wishing she could pull her legs and feet up into it as well. When he mentions going home she starts to shaker her head. "No, Eomer, no. I am not alone. We have to go back, I was not the only one captured." Her teeth were chattering so bad that she could barely talk, but she knew she had to turn him around. Her eyes plead with him to listen to her. "Boromir was there too, I hid him, under a bush. We have to go back. I will show you." She was fighting sleep now that she was warming up, exhaustion building up as she lays her head on his chest. "Back the way I came, Eomer. To Boromir."

He calls to his men, then starts out for home. When she speaks he frowns. "Eowyn, if you speak of Boromir of Gondor, he is dead. You know this, as do I." But when she keeps insisting and actually starts to act panicked he stops. Fine. He would go back, and look and show her there was nothing there. "Alright, Eowyn. We will go back." Calling to his men he turns and heads back in the direction that Eowyn points him in.

When they arrive there, hours later, he sees nothing. "Eowyn?" But she insists that Boromir is there before she falls asleep. Not wanting to disturb her he orders his men to search the clearing, and to make sure they check under every bush. Eowyn had said something about a bush.

He is skeptical as the men turn up nothing. He is about to go when one of the men think they hear something. Getting down on his hands and knees beside a rather large bush, the man looks down under it. He instantly jumps back, exclaiming there was a man under the bush. Eomer instantly calls for his men to get the man out and onto one of the horses. Once they have the man out from under a bush they all stop and stare, for all of them knew who that man was. Boromir....and he was alive! "Quickly now!!!! We ride hard to Edoras!!!!!" He turns when the men have all gotten back on their horses, Boromir held securely by one of them, and rides back down the trail to the main roadway.