"Every really new idea looks crazy at first."
-Alfred North Whitehead

The door to Amelia's room was thrown open with such a bang that she nearly fell out of her bed in shock. She had been slumbering quite peacefully, since Boromir had been kind enough to persuade his father to let a room be made ready for her, and she had stumbled gratefully into it, but not before bidding Boromir a good evening.
She let out a garbled string of displeasured noises at Pippin, making sure to let him know just how much of a nuisance he was.

"Something's happening! We don't know what it is! Boromir…" At the mention of his name, Amelia sprung to her feet, but nearly fell on her face again, since she was still tangled in her sheet.

"Well, get moving then!"

"Right!" Pippin turned on his heel and hurried back down the corridor, with Amelia tagging along. Neither of them realized that she was in nothing but her underwear, her sheet wrapped around her torso and trailing after her like a cape.

Pippin led her to the quarters of Boromir, which had a convenient balcony turned directly towards the glow in the east. Denethor, Gandalf and Boromir himself stood on it, all three with their backs turned towards the door. Gandalf turned when Pippin opened the door and Amelia strode in, as if she were wearing full armor, though she was still rubbing the remnants of sleep out of her bleary eyes.

"Ah, finally." He reached out and clapped her shoulder with one hand, while gesturing towards Mordor with the other. "Our Took seemed quite unnerved by that and insisted on fetching you. Boromir agreed, and quite insistently I might add." As an answer, Amelia yawned him in the face before narrowing her eyes, trying to define what seemed to be the matter. Then, they widened dramatically.

"The fuck?" She gripped the white railing tightly with her left hand and grasped the sheet around her neck tighter. "What is that?!" An unnatural beacon of light was reaching towards the sky from the mountains, seemingly from where Minas Morgul lay hidden, snug and secure, in a sickening shade of light green.

"I was rather hoping you could tell- Oh!" Boromir had finally turned his head to look at her, but apparently found it improper to look at a woman dressed as she was in that moment. He sputtered and spun abruptly, nearly crashing into his father in the process.

"I had not known you to fluster so easily." Denethor seemed surprised and Amelia sighed, looking back at the light.

"I… I don't remember this, but… Uh… Maybe it's a… a sign?" She gestured helplessly with her hands. "That their armies are on the move?"

"Your guess is as good as my own, Miss Jones." Denethor didn't sound too happy about her in general, like she was an annoyance, but not a bother.

"I can see where you get your sunny disposition from, Boromir." He still refused to turn around, even as she addressed him directly. She gave Gandalf a look. "And I see you've been talking about me behind my back. I certainly don't remember telling him my surname." She sighed to no one in particular. "I suppose I should be flattered." With one final, mighty flash, like lightning striking down, the beacon in the east ceased and Amelia blinked in the sudden darkness. "But I think it's a safe bet to assume that Sauron is on the move. Figuratively speaking, of course." Gandalf looked like he steeled himself for a dramatic declaration of some sort.

"So we have come to it. The great battle of our time."

"Boromir, for the love of- I doubt I have anything you've never seen before. You're acting… weird."

"And you act very boldly for a mere advisor." Amelia caught Denethor's goading and refused to give him the pleasure of letting him get to her.

"Boldness is probably a good thing right about now. We need it. You need it. Gondor needs it." Her words didn't seem to make an impression. His casual dismissiveness of her, something he didn't even need words to express, spurred her on. "If- when Sauron comes knocking, Minas Tirith won't be able to hold him." Finally, Boromir turned around, though he still refused to look anywhere near her. Her words seemed to trouble him greatly. "You need help. You can have it without much effort too. You won't find a better bargain." The Steward didn't seem interested, but that only caused her to push even further. "Light the beacons. Please, you haven't seen what-" Immediately, she picked up that those words were a mistake to say.

"Haven't seen?" Denethor's voice was low, but intense, burning with a fire that nearly made Amelia take a step backwards. "I have seen the forces of Mordor, barely held at bay, at the price of the blood of the people of Gondor!" His words reminded Amelia eerily of Boromir's at the Council of Elrond, but they were spat out instead of spoken proudly. "All my years I have lived in its shadow! Do not presume to know anything of me or my people, lest your own experience surpasses that of ours!" Amelia felt that, long ago, she would have shouted at him, or even be tempted to smack him, but something stayed her hand and her tongue, forcing her to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying her outrage out.

"As you wish." Her voice was calm, almost gentle, but anyone who knew her even in the slightest would not have been fooled. "My lord." Boromir gave her a surprised look, but the way Amelia had her eyes narrowed to slits at his father told him everything he needed to know about her feelings. "If there is nothing else," Her voice was curt and cold, "I'll go back to sleep, since you're all giving me the stink-eye. Well, except for you, Boromir. You're not giving me any eye at all."

Amelia stomped out of the chambers with her head held high, nodding respectfully to the guards that she passed on the way. They all seemed puzzled, even unnerved, by her appearance. Amelia couldn't blame them, thinking that was a fair assumption to make, that the Ladies of Gondor usually wore more decent clothes than their undergarments and a bedsheet, but found that she couldn't care either.

Amelia didn't get any more sleep, though she sorely wished she had come morning. Her clothes had been taken for washing, leaving her with the options of wearing the dresses offered to her or nothing at all. She reluctantly chose the first option, which consisted of a dark brown, coarse surcoat over a green kirtle. It was the least complicated of the outfits available to her, resembling the dresses of the servants and maids she had seen around, and she preferred it that way. She went on the hunt for breakfast, but ended up in the courtyard, rather frustrated with her inability to navigate anywhere. By then, it was almost noon, since she had taken quite a while attempting to acquire some pants, and she had yet to see heel or nose of anyone that she knew. She considered asking the guards of the white tree directions, but decided that her dignity had suffered enough.

She aggressively tied her hair back in a low, messy hairstyle that she couldn't define as anything other than a jumbled mess of hair, and she paced restlessly. She could feel the eyes of the guards trained on her, but ignored them.

Then, Amelia got the nagging feeling that her being unable to find Boromir wasn't just due to her poor sense of direction.

Feeling sick to her stomach, she swallowed her pride and stomped towards the guards, who eyes her wearily from beneath their polished helmets.

"Excuse me, but, uh… Do you know where Boromir is? Or Gandalf or Pippin or… anyone important?" The guard spoke clearly and briskly, clearly in his professional state of mind.

"A commotion at the gate to the city required their attention, milady. They left a scant few moments before you came out into the courtyard yourself."

"Son of a bitch." The guard looked quite affronted. "Sorry, that… wasn't aimed at you. Don't mind me. Thanks a bunch. I just have a mouth that likes to get the better of me. Nothing to worry about."

The sound of distant horses caught her attention and she turned, spotting a white figure with a certain hobbit riding towards her, followed by many armored men in silvery plate and holding bows and spears. Their quivers were empty and their faces were weary, a few even seemed to wince with every step their mount took, and she spotted Boromir immediately amongst them. He rode beside a man who looked much like himself, but his face was younger, with a certain purity about it, and he seemed smaller than the eldest son of Denethor. Instead of running towards them and demanding answers that she knew would come regardless, Amelia crossed her arms and tapped her foot, giving them a glare reminiscent of a mother awaiting an explanation from a naughty child. She spotted the man riding beside Boromir asking him a question while inclining his head towards her and Boromir nodded. Whatever the answer, it seemed to amuse the younger man and he smiled, despite his obvious exhaustion.

"Good morning." Pippin greeted cheerily as Gandalf dismounted and helped the hobbit down from the white horse.

"Morning." Amelia drawled. She raised her eyebrows down at the hobbit, pretending that she wasn't watching Boromir dismount his horse too. "And I suppose you've been out playing hero, leaving me all alone here. You could at least wake me up when something exciting happens." Pippin looked so ashamed that Amelia couldn't resist a smile. "Never mind. And I suppose you're Faramir? Yeah, that makes sense." The younger man, who really did take after his brother in appearance, but less stern, bowed his head at her.

"Amelia, this is my brother, Faramir." Boromir clapped his brother's shoulder with a warm smile. Amelia had rarely seen him look so happy before. "Faramir…"

"It's an honor. My brother has told me of your exploits together, though I cannot say that he has told me enough." Faramir bowed slightly to her, but she laughed lightly at his words.

"My exploits? Now you've made me curious. Mostly, my exploits consist of pissing off authority and being a general pain in the ass. What on earth has he been saying about me?"

"That you saved him and his life." The gratitude in Faramir's voice was unmistakable, but Boromir suddenly looked slightly irritated, as if Faramir had revealed more than Amelia ought to know. "And for that you have my utmost and eternal thanks."

"Yeah, well…" Amelia stumbled over her own words. "Don't mention it. And that was probably the only big thing I did on our… adventure? Mission? Quest? My other deeds include getting blown up and saving the most sleazy little shitbird in Middle-Earth… for some reason."

"Faramir." Gandalf's interruption was rather unwelcome. "I must know what has come upon Frodo and Samwise. Tell me everything, from the start."

"Uh… hello?" Amelia waved a hand obnoxiously in his face. "Right here, my guy. They go through the what's-it's-name-pass and Frodo gets stung by a giant spider and abducted by orcs, but Sam saves his ass. Tada?"

"So, what you said was true." Faramir said dryly as Boromir gave her a startled look.

"Yes, but she's rarely so forward about it."

"Right… here, guys. Right here." Amelia sighed to herself. "Besides, there's nothing we can do about it now. It's going to happen, whether we try to stop it or not, so… instead of concentrating on those things that we can't change, how about we focus on those that we can." Gandalf looked like he silently approved of her little outburst, attempting to hide a smile by stroking his white beard, even if his eyes were troubled.

"Again, what you said rings true still. A remarkable woman indeed." Faramir looked like he was enjoying the show immensely as Boromir hid his face in his right hand and Amelia blinked at him, scrutinizing him intensely. "Now, as much as I might not wish it, I believe that it is high time to face my father, is it not?" Faramir was more cheery than Amelia had expected, but she recognized some of the Faramir she had imagined in him and shrugged, putting a hand on Pippin's shoulder.

"If you don't mind, I need to talk to Pippin. And Gandalf. And Boromir. Alone. Not that I don't want to include you, but… yeah. I just need to…"

"Amelia. It is fine." Boromir managed to calm her a bit with those small words alone. She looked him in the eyes and nodded.

"Okay. Just don't pull the disappearing act again. You got a place that we can talk?" She eyed the guards dismounting their tired horses around them. The sound of horses, of metal boots hitting the cobblestones and low murmurs of conversation were all around them. Amelia couldn't be sure of how many were listening in, but she wasn't stupid enough to assume that their conversation was private.

"We can talk in my chambers. No one will disturb us if they do not have a legitimate reason to do so." Amelia nodded to Boromir and gestured with her hand towards the entrance of the keep.

"Lead the way." And so he did, back through the corridors lacking any natural lighting, much to Amelia's chagrin, and up two stairs, until they finally reached the rooms belonging to Boromir, the same ones where they had seen the beacon of Minas Morgul the previous evening. The sheer memory made Amelia rub her eyes and attempt to suppress a yawn.

"Are you tired?" Pippin's innocent question didn't get an immediate answer.

"Yes. I am, Pippin. Very tired. Anyways, talk, right? Is there anything for me to sit on?" Boromir directed her towards an impressive divan, where she gratefully flopped down and blew a few strands of hair out of her face. The room was sparsely furnished, but still managed to be messy, with the bed unmade, despite its fine furs and carvings in the bedposts, and papers were piled on the desk in the corner, adorned with scribbles and sketches of various natures. All were in blue and red colors, a stark contrast to the white stone that everything was built of.

"What did you want to talk about?" Pippin sounded curious and Amelia took a deep breath.

"We need to light the beacon." She doubted the Boromir could have looked more surprised if she had announced that the valar themselves would come to their aid against the forces of Mordor. Gandalf looked troubled, worried for her and for Gondor, whereas Pippin merely looked innocent. "I know it seems… a little rushed, possibly crazy, but there's a good reason for it."

"Lighting the beacon without express permission is cause for arrest. Lighting it against direct orders are grounds enough for an accusation of treason." Boromir sat down beside her, his frown making creases on his forehead appear. Amelia sighed again.

"I thought so, or something like it at least. That's why I wanted to consult you guys first. If you don't want to help me, that's totally cool. I get it and I won't hold it against you, honest." Amelia got the feeling that that declaration came as a surprise and she couldn't blame them for it. Months ago she would also have been surprised at herself. "But by now, so many things have deviated from what I know that I'm… I'm scared, okay? Scared shitless that I'm going to mess things up for everyone. You didn't die, Boromir, but that might have… other consequences… I suppose I can tell you bits and pieces of what would have happened, but… Sorry if I don't hold all the answers." Amelia took a long moment to choose her words and when she did, she still managed to word it in less than a graceful manner. "Basically, your father was a dick after you died."

"Boromir was supposed to die?" Pippin interrupted and Amelia stared at him.

"Right. You didn't know that. Of course. Yes. I saved his ass. Doesn't matter. Anyways, he died and his dad went crazy and kind of tried to burn himself and Faramir alive and he almost did, but Faramir survived, but he didn't and… he was mad in the end. Completely nuts. Accused Rohan of deserting Gondor even though he refused to light the beacon, and… I'm thinking, since you survived…" She nodded towards Boromir, whose face had gone deathly pale at her words. "I don't know how far gone he is at this point. He might be fine. He might not. But what I'm concerned about is that damn beacon. I don't know whether he'll refuse to light it or not, I don't know what he thinks of Rohan, I don't know whether or when I'll find out and I don't like not knowing! I won't wait around to find out either. I'd rather light the beacon now and get help for Gondor as soon as possible rather than…" She stopped her own ranting with the realization of how passionate her words had become and she looked down, not wanting to see the faces of the others. "I don't know what's going to happen. I don't have any foresight to help me. I'm not basing this on anything I know in advance. If we do this… I can't guarantee success. I won't be able to stop it if something goes wrong."

"Were the beacons not lit originally?" Boromir's voice sounded strained, as if he had trouble believing anything that she was saying.

"Yes, but… So many things have changed. Your father won't be happy, that's for certain, but I'm willing to suffer the consequences."

"You do not know of what you speak. My father is a noble man…"

"Your father is a dick."

"I will assume that that is some form of insult." Boromir started to look angry. "You do not…"

"Know what I'm talking about? If that's all that you have to say, the door is right there, buddy."

"I'll help." Pippin broke into their escalating bickering with his light voice, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, but looking quite determined. "That is… I want to help. You. What I mean is… I trust you. And what you're saying sounds… reasonable." Amelia stared at the hobbit, but then she smiled brightly at him, her eyes shining like stars and her face lighting up like the sun.

"Thank you." Her voice was but a humble whisper. "Thank you, Pippin."

"I think it far too soon to be making such plans, but I will help you in this endeavor, Amelia Jones, for I did not bring you to Middle-Earth only to see you lost to your own folly." Amelia chuckled lightly at Gandalf's grumpy offer of assistance.

"And there's the Gandalf I know and tolerate." Amelia glanced uncertainly at Boromir and her smile lessened until it barely existed. "Look, I don't expect you to…"

"I will not help you in this." Boromir's voice was firm and it seemed to Amelia like her stomach had plummeted and landed in a deep basement below them. "But neither will I reveal you. I will not defend nor condone your actions, but for me to condemn them instead would be going too far." Amelia's eyes widened and a bit of her grin returned.

"Thanks. I mean it, this is… thank you. So much." Boromir looked away from her and Amelia couldn't decipher the emotion that flickered over his face for a scant moment. Amelia cleared her throat and shuffled in her seat. "Okay, so… when are we going to pull this off? I'd rather we do it as soon as possible, but if you want to wait…" Suddenly unsure of herself, she trailed off.

"Why wait? We all agree." Pippin thought aloud and Gandalf nodded slowly.

"If I may get but a moment of your time before you begin then…" Boromir butted in unexpectedly and Amelia blinked at him.

"Who, me? 'Course." That was cue enough for Gandalf and Pippin to take their leave of them, with Gandalf exiting quietly, white robes swishing in his wake, and Pippin following him, wringing his hands in anticipation of the upcoming actions.