I'm afraid Boromir still isn't coming off very well here. I really don't have it in for him - I swear!

Ithilien – Boromir

Boromir was still brooding, even after successfully escaping from Minas Tirith. His father had decided to see him off – not out of any fatherly concern – but to remind Boromir once again that failure to bring back The Fox was not going to be tolerated. That his father had restrained himself from doing it in front of the troops did not help in the slightest. When Boromir captured this Fox, he was going to make sure he suffered a bit before he got turned over to his father. He could always claim he resisted being taken.

He looked over at Camcir, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Camcir had wanted to take more time to prepare for going after The Fox. He cited the lack of success made by previous hunters who knew the area far better than they did as his reason, but Boromir had overruled him. He stated that sheriffs were trained to deal with town bullies and pickpockets, not bandits and robbers and that was the end of the debate. Camcir had not agreed with this bit of logic, but finally resigned himself to following Boromir to Ithilien.

Boromir shifted restlessly in the saddle, trying to ease his stiff muscles. He had spent way too much time in a saddle lately. He was looking forward to being in one place for a while, and Ithilien was certainly a beautiful spot. The hunting lodge that he and Camcir were to use was situated about half a mile from the small town where the rest of the men were to be quartered and should afford him some privacy. He loved his men, but right now he could use a little peace and quiet.

Fortunately for his posterior, the hunting lodge came into view around the bend in the road. He heaved a huge sigh of relief and kicked his horse into a trot. Camcir followed suit and they were soon riding into the small courtyard outside the lodge. A young boy came out to take their horses and Boromir and Camcir dismounted. An older man came out – the resemblance making him likely to be the boy's father – and bowed deeply to Boromir.

"My lord, it is an honor to have you here. My wife has prepared rooms for both of you and hot baths will be ready shortly. Food has been sent to your rooms as you are no doubt hungry from your journey. If you will follow me, I will show you to your quarters. " The man bowed again and proceeded both men into lodge.

Boromir smiled for the first time all day. A hot bath and a meal was exactly what he needed right now. He followed the servant down the hall to his rooms and was pleased at what he found. A plentiful meal had been laid out and a bathtub waiting to be filled had been placed in front of the fire waiting to be filled. The servant bowed and said "With your lordship's permission, I'll head out to the horses and get your bags." Boromir gestured his approval while he began piling a plate with food. Clearly the servants here knew how to take care of people, as there was a small chicken along with cheese, fresh bread and butter and several apple tarts.

Boromir dug in happily and found the last of the day's tension began to fall away. He was miles from his father and would remain so for at least a couple of weeks. And he had nothing more to do than bring in a common cutpurse. He could take care of that in a week and spend the next couple enjoying the hunting. Life was definitely good…

Ithilien – Faramir

Faramir was in a back nook of the cave system taking inventory. While it was always important to keep an eye on their supplies, this time he was doing it more for the solitude. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. Something that would change everything.

Faramir had been having premonitions from the time he was a small boy. It was a gift he had inherited from his mother along with her coloring. Usually they came in the guise of dreams and showed him hints of what might be. Other times they were not quite so clear, just hints and flashes that he had to strain to figure out. But this was something entirely different. There were no images to tease him, but still he felt certain that what he was feeling was real. Something had changed and now things had been set into motion that could not be undone.

He shook his head. Thinking about it would not make it come any clearer. That was not the way the gift worked. Try to force it, and it slipped even further out of reach. The only thing to do was to put it aside and wait for more to come. He sighed and went back to counting food supplies.

Looking over his tallies, he was pleased to note that they had enough food to last for a month. He would feel much better if his men only left the base to do routine patrols. The cave of Henneth Annun was extremely well camouflaged but there was no point in taking unnecessary risks. This wasn't the first time they had to lay low for a while to let the heat die down and his men were use to finding ways to keep themselves busy. Though, he hoped for all their sakes that Pippin didn't take it into his head to try decorating the cave again. His attempts to make the place a little more cheerful had left everyone ready to throttle the little hobbit. If it weren't for the fact that Pippin was such a sweet creature, he would never have survived the attempt. Chuckling to himself, he made his way back to the main part of the cave.

Boromir

Boromir was in a very good mood. The bath had soaked away his stiffness from his time in the saddle and he was now enjoying a very nice wine while sitting with his feet propped up on a footstool. Camcir had joined him in his rooms after he had completed his own bath and now the two of them were sitting by the fire in companionable silence.

Camcir had wanted to go over Boromir's plans, but he had waved that away, saying that he was tired of hearing about the damn Fox and wanted one night without the slightest mention of his name. Camcir had looked mulish for a moment and then sighed and gave in. There was just no reasoning with him when he got in this mood. He would just have to tackle him in the morning and hope he could keep him from going off on some half baked capture attempt.

Boromir was pleasantly contemplating the prospect of hunting. The man servant had told him that the deer was quite plentiful around here and even the fishing was good. Boromir hadn't hunted in years since it was unbecoming of a Captain (or Captain-General) to hunt while out on the road. He had to admit that part of him missed the days when all eyes weren't on him and he was allowed to do things for himself. These days he always had to be "on". He could never have bad days or seem less than completely in charge. And everything had to come through him. Endless requests and even more endless reports. And while he managed to fob the bulk of the paperwork onto Camcir, there were some jobs that only he could do. Like go before his father and the Council to report on the troops. Why they bothered to ask, he had no idea since none of them had ever served in the army, but ask they did. Sometimes for hours. Sometimes it was all Boromir could do not to strangle them as they questioned every request for money or resources he asked for. Did they think armies could be maintained for nothing?

He shook his head angrily and took a large swallow of wine. He was not going to think about them either. Looking over at Camcir he said "Camcir, talk to me. Left to my own devices all I can think about is work. How about you tell me about that bar maid you've been seeing whenever we make it back to Osgiliath…" He grinned as a flush crept over Camcir's face. The man was far too easy. He watched as Camcir shifted in his seat and tried to decide if he was going to deny the accusation. Clearly realizing that Boromir would never let him off the hook, he sighed and said "Do you mean Muriel?"

Boromir raised his eyebrow in feigned shock and said "You mean you have more than one waiting for you?" Camcir's flush got deeper and Boromir just laughed. "My good man, you really are much more of a dog than I ever imagined. And you look so straight laced and proper too…"

Camcir shot him an irritated look and said "Why is it whenever you get bored, it becomes open season on me?" He took a sip of wine from his glass and then continued. "And you know damn well there is just the one. Like I'd have time for more the way you drag me from pillar to post."

Boromir laughed and said "Ah, but traveling around means you can have more of them – a girl in every town. Really Camcir, I'm doing you quite the favor. If you were around more often, she'd only get bored with you. This way she's always glad to see you and you reap the benefits. You should be thanking me" he said with a smirk.

Camcir just looked at him witheringly and continued to sip his wine. When Boromir realized he was not getting any more from the man, he changed the topic. "Ok Camcir. Truce. How about we discuss the hunting prospects. There is apparently deer a-plenty just waiting for us to shoot them and even the fishing is prime. Which do you want to do first?"

Camcir looked across at Boromir and had to bite his tongue. They were not on leave and while Boromir seemed inclined to ignore that, he could not. The only hunting they should be focusing on was hunting a certain Fox but Boromir was determined to treat this assignment as quick and easy. But there was no getting through to him tonight and he resigned himself to a discussion on the finer points of deer hunting.

Faramir

After dinner was completed, the men occupied themselves with a variety of things. There was a small cluster of them huddled around a table placing wagers on the outcome of a game currently being played by Mablung and Damrod. The wagers were for various chores and Faramir could see that Damrod was currently the favorite for winning. He just smiled and shook his head. Whatever keeps them amused.

He looked around for Eomer and saw him in the corner playing chess with Beregond. Eomer's face was frowning as he studied the board in front of him and he touched several pieces before finally making his move. Beregond, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. Eomer had only learned to play chess since coming to Gondor and he still occasionally made rash moves. It wasn't really in the blonde Rohirrim to be patient and crafty and the game was still a challenge for him. However, he had improved enormously and Beregond could not rest on his laurels anymore when he played him. He decided not to distract the players and made his way through the tunnels to where he had his bedroom. He walked over to his bed and picked up his book of elvish stories. He had very few possessions here at Henneth Annun but his books were the one thing he horded. They were a reminder of better days and he treasured each one. Opening the book he settled back on the bed, but found he couldn't bring himself to read.

His mind wandered back to other days spent pouring over books curled up in a chair by the window. Life had been so simple then. In those days he could never have imagined the life he was living now. Those days were happy and carefree and he had imagined that they would always be. He believed that the world was a good place and that everyone lived honorably. He shook his head, he had been so naïve back then.

Life had taught him that the world is not always a good place and there are those who are in power that have no honor at all. The strong preyed on the weak and many stood by and allowed it to happen. He was no longer a carefree boy but a man who had seen too much injustice to ever go back to what he once was. That boy died a long time ago. Now he was The Fox with all the burdens that came with that.

He sighed and put down the book. Sometimes he wished there was a way back. Sometimes he wished he could turn a blind eye to all that was happening. With each raid the risk became greater and with the passing of years came the increase to the price on his head. Denethor had sent more sheriffs to Ithilien in the hopes of catching him and the chance that some day there would be a slip that would lead them to him was not something that made it easy to sleep at night.

He knew that what he was doing was important. The people suffered and there was nowhere they could turn to for justice or relief. He could no more turn a blind eye to them than he could learn to fly but he wished there was another way. Because it wasn't just his life that was on the line anymore. He had others who followed him, who believed that he would keep them safe. Every decision he made now impacted so many and now had come this premonition of potential disaster. He was just going to have to be extra vigilant while they laid low. There was just too much at stake to make a mistake now…