Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.

Boromir and Rose were already at dinner when I reached the townhouse and changed into a clean dress. I heard the Steward's throaty laugh as I entered the dining room, and smiled at the domestic scene. They did indeed make a handsome couple, sitting together and chatting, holding hands across the table. She reminded me strongly of Anna Popplewell, with her brown hair and striking eyes, and he really did resemble Sean Bean. I gave mental props to whoever had casted the actor in the Steward's role.

They looked up as I entered, and Boromir rose politely as a butler pulled out my chair for me, sitting only when I had been seated. Rose waved for a maid to bring me a plate. "What have you been up to all day," she asked curiously as I filled my goblet.

"I was learning to ride a horse," I replied.

"Smart," Rose sighed. "I wish I had thought to learn when I first came to Middle Earth." At that, Boromir choked into his wine and Rose threw him a dirty look. I raised an eyebrow questioningly at the Steward as he laughed.

"I would share the story, Lady, yet I fear my lovely bride would flay me," he said dryly, sending an amused look to his wife. She rolled her eyes.

"So what have you two been up to," I asked conversationally as a maid put a plate in front of me.

"The Council is finally departing for the summer," Boromir replied with a sigh. "My ears relish the reprieve. Listening to everyone try to out-shout each other is tiring, though the King and I have made a game out of who is the loudest. There is nothing so satisfying as having your sovereign owe you money."

Rose and I laughed. "I wish my day had been so entertaining. I spent the morning buried in paperwork with Ungoliant, and the afternoon with the Queen and the Head of the Tailor's Guild. Evidently, we are supposed to become fashion plates, and we spent the time learning how important corsets and petticoats are. As if Arwen and I don't have more important things we needed to be doing," Rose said with a roll of her eyes. "Speaking of, our dresses have been delivered," she added as an afterthought to me.

I smiled. "Welcome to the world of nobility. I actually had a really good time learning to ride. I ran into Romeo, who offered to teach me."

Rose raised an eyebrow in speculation, but Boromir frowned. "Romeo," he asked. Rose explained the Shakespearean play to him as I dug into my food. When she finished, he turned back to me, frowning again. "So a strange man has been coming to my home at night and speaking to a Lady from my household on her balcony, without my leave?"

"Easy there, Tiger," Rose placated, patting her husband's hand. "I'm sure he's harmless. Besides there are plenty of guards within shouting distance if anything were to happen." Boromir didn't look thrilled, but Rose turned to me before he could reply. "So, did you learn his name?"

"Yes, actually. He said his name was Leona." Boromir choked violently on his wine, drawing our attention.

"You know, you should really stop doing that. It can't be good for your health," I said dryly as I took a sip of my own wine. Rose was frowning at her husband, pounding him hard on the back as he choked.

"Do you know Leona," she asked quizzically when Boromir could breathe again.

"So do you," he said with an amused smile. "Leona is what the Rohirrim call Eomer." Rose's mouth fell open and she looked at me, a smile slowly creeping across her face.

I set down my wine. "Wait, Eomer….as it King Eomer?"

"The one and only," Boromir said.

"I'm gonna kill him," I said decisively.

Rose smiled and eyed me knowingly. "No you won't. You like him. And the lack of names was your idea, not his."

I thinned my lips, but knew she was right. "Are you sure you're only 18?"

Boromir snorted. "I ask that daily."

Rose rolled her eyes at both of us before meeting my eyes again. "I know the Horse Lord well. He is a good and honorable man. "

"You're starting to speak like you're from Middle Earth," I pointed out, instead of acknowledging her point.

"I've been here for a while. And don't change the subject," she retorted. She looked down at her plate for a moment, then back at me, and her eyes were veiled. "Leigh, for all I love that man dearly, I cannot approve of this match. Enjoy your time with him, but know that we leave in a week, and you may well never see him again."

I stiffened, momentarily insulted, but then relaxed, knowing she was right. "Don't worry," I sighed. "I'm not one given to romantic flights of fancy."

Boromir frowned at his wife. "I must disagree with your disapproval, Lady. It is well known by now that Lady Leigh is your kinswoman, and is, therefore, tied to the House of Hurin. Her relation to you gives her status enough to reasonably marry a king of Rohan, and more ties between our two countries can only strengthen our alliance."

Rose smiled, but I could see she was hiding something. "Of course," she said cheerfully, smiling and squeezing her husband's hand. "It's probably just a mood swing or something. I think I'm going to bed early tonight. I'm exhausted." Boromir stood as she rose. "Come to bed soon," she murmured, kissing him before leaving.

"The plight of being married to a Seer," he muttered as he took his seat again. I looked at him questioningly, and he elaborated. "Those who know her greatly respect her knowledge of the future, and her long sight served us well during our quest. Still, I find myself frustrated when she clearly knows something, yet refuses to speak of it."

"She's only doing what she thinks is best," I said.

He sighed and nodded. "She has changed much since first we met in Rivendell. Rose was childlike in her innocence then, and did not yet shoulder the cares and burdens she does now. I respect her as my equal in all things now, for a more courageous or intelligent woman I have not yet met. But were it in my power, I would banish the shadows from her eyes."

I leaned back in my chair. "I can't imagine Rose being childlike. How did you two meet?"

A servant reached over him and took his empty plate, and the Steward stood and poured himself a glass of whiskey from a decanter in the corner. "I had arrived in Rivendell mere hours before, and was breaking my fast alone in the great dining hall of Elrond's household, for I knew no one there. Suddenly, this tiny woman quite literally fell into the seat beside mine and struck up a conversation." He laughed and shook his head. "She was, and is still, a whirlwind of loveliness and laughter and light. Never before had I met so bold and unusual a woman, and I knew that I was helpless against her from the first moment she smiled and greeted me with that strange accent."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You sound like a lovesick puppy."

He smiled at me. "It has been long since I remembered those happy times, and she was the first person in a while that did not seem careworn from the War. I saw her several times after that, and found her spontaneity and enthusiasm enchanting. Still, as refreshing as she was to be around, I did not take her seriously, though she joined the Fellowship and proved her worth time and again on our journey. She constantly warned us of perils, and even risked her own life to save Gandalf's."

He finished his drink. "It was not until we reached Lorien, and she kissed me, that I realized that something fueled my protectiveness other than duty. Gradually, though, Rose became more formidable and self-aware, shouldering more cares from her duties. She grew a will of iron and has gained the respect of even great kings. Gone is the carefree girl who took me on a quest for breeches in Imladris," he said, before shaking himself and smiling at me. "Alas, the great love of my life is a force of nature unto herself. Forgive me, I fear I grow wistful when I have indulged too much in drink."

I smiled in return. "I was curious," I pointed out. "Besides, she seems ridiculously happy, and I know she loves you dearly. But I think I am going to hit the sack, too. I'm tired from all the riding today." We both stood, and I wished him a good night before heading up to my room.

I had ordered a bath drawn while I was at dinner, and was thankful now to see it waiting for me. I slipped into the water, and scrubbed myself as hard as I could to get the grime off of me. I had always been a fastidiously hygienic person, and not bathing every day was driving me up a wall. I shaved using a knife that Rose had given me for that purpose.

When I was finished, my hair smelled like rosemary and mint, and I felt cleaner than I had in days. I dried off and slipped into my nightgown, and picked up a hairbrush to take it outside. Night had fallen by now, and I could see easier by the light of the moon than by candlelight, so I brushed my hair out on the balcony, combing my fingers through the more stubborn knots as I waited for Eomer.

My hair was naturally curly, but not in the whole tamed-natural-waves thing. No, I had been graced with my mother's hair, so I knew from experience that it would turn into a giant red afro when it dried. If I didn't braid my hair or twist it up into a bun, my head would look alarmingly like a mushroom cloud.

I was in the middle of wrestling my hair into some semblance of a braid when I heard rustling below me. Releasing the unruly mass, I leaned over the railing to see Eomer starting his ascent.

"Hold it right there, Mister," I snapped, pointing The Mom Finger at him. Working with predominantly male scientists, I'd learned that The Mom Finger works on most men. It seemed he was no exception to the rule, for he dropped back down and looked up at me in surprise.

"Lady Leigh, what—"

"You aren't going to set foot on this balcony without some serious explaining first, King Eomer," I growled.

He scowled. "Who told you?"

"YOU should have told me," I snapped. "Instead, you lied to me."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and glared up at me. "Stop waving that brush at me, woman! You are not my mother."

"Excuse me," I gasped incredulously. "Oh, I should throw it at you for that crack. You spend days pestering me for my name, only to tell me that you knew it the whole time, and then you LIE to me about your own identity? You don't get to be irritated, buster!"

"If I may remind you," he growled, "you were the one who insisted on anonymity. And cease looking at me like I killed your puppy, woman! You look like an enraged harpy with all that hair."

"Oh!" I threw the brush at his head, but the jerk dodged it, looking like an affronted cat. Scowling, he started to climb up to me. "Don't you dare come up here," I hissed.

"Or what," he hissed back sarcastically. "You have nothing else to throw at me."

"Challenge accepted," I snapped, whirling and storming into my bedroom to look for more projectiles. Lacking anything smaller, I grabbed the tennis shoes I'd arrived here in and flew back to the balcony, only to see him gracefully leap over the railing.

"Don't you—" he started warningly, then ducked when I chucked the shoe at his head, which sailed harmlessly into the night. "WOMAN!"

"Stop calling me that," I snapped. We kept our voices hushed so that we didn't wake up the house, but the fury contained in our whispers would have fit a screaming match. "My name is Leigh. I, at least, was honest!"

He growled something in Rohirric that sounded suspiciously like a curse. "I didn't lie!"

I crossed my arms and stared at him sarcastically. "Oh, this should be good."

"I didn't! I told you that my people call me Leona, and they do," he snapped.

"Really, Eomer? A technicality? That's the best you got?"

I could almost see him switch tactics in his mind. He drew himself up to his full height, towering over me. "I am the King of Rohan."

"Yeah," I said dryly, unimpressed. "Pull rank. See how well that works for ya'."

He rolled his eyes and deflated. "Fine, madam," he sighed. "Yes, I lied."

"That doesn't sound like an apology," I said, not letting him off the hook.

He looked like he wanted to strangle me, but gave in. "You are right. I apologize for purposefully misleading you, my lady."

"Apology accepted. And I apologize for throwing a shoe at your head."

"And a brush," he muttered.

"You deserved that one," I countered wryly, but I couldn't resist smiling. "Alright, Horse Lord. Why did you lie?"

He gestured for me to join him on the balcony, and I acquiesced. "I am new to this role, and am unused to the attention and formality required by my rank. When you failed to recognize me, I enjoyed speaking with someone again without our titles looming over our heads."

"I'm pretty new to this, too," I admitted. We were silent for a few minutes, leaning next to each other on the railing, staring at the stars. Finally, I broke the silence, but kept my gaze on the sky. "I have a proposition."

"I am listening."

"We both need a person, someone we can speak freely with without fear of repercussion. No rank, no romance, no titles, no judgments, and no rank pulling," I added dryly. He had the decency to look embarrassed. "I propose that we be each other's person."

He stayed silent, considering my suggestion, and I didn't pressure him. I figured it was an entirely new concept for him, especially given that I was a woman. Several minutes passed, and I kept my gaze on the stars, idly beginning to speculate about constellations.

When he finally spoke, we'd been quiet for so long that it made me jump. "I accept your proposal," he said simply.

"Excellent. Now, Pony Boy, tell me what constellations are up there."

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