I am so sorry for the late and rather unimpressive update! My computer broke on me, a day before the intended release of this chapter. After many unsuccessful attempts at fixing the darn thing and multiple weeks of no writing, I finally decided to take initiative and find a new computer! So, again... Sorry. :(

I don't own Lord of the Rings.

(Sophie)

"Oh, this is going to look lovely on you!" Alessa, the dressmaker/overall appearance improver smiled as she held the finished dress up to my skin. "Lord Boromir made a fine choice."

"Yes," I sighed. "I suppose he did."

At the moment, Boromir was up at the Citadel with the rest of my friends. I was left alone at home to get ready for tonight's celebration. That is, if the celebration will even continue after today's events. I can't imagine celebrating after watching men get thrown up into the air by giant dragon beasts.

Alessa and her assistant set to work on making me pretty, throwing the heavy blue dress over my head and smoothing out the skirts. It wasn't some giant poofy ball gown, just so you know. Much of the Gondorian styles resembled the old Byzantine clothing, only with a more modern and refined design. They tied my hair into a long fishtail braid decorated with little jewels.

Dang. Boromir doesn't mess around when it comes to impressing people.

"These are such fine clothes, milady." Sighed Nora, the assistant. "I dare say, you must be a very important person. Pray tell, where are you from? Minas Tirith is a big city, but we've met most ladies with our business. Besides, it would be hard to hide a woman of such importance from society for long."

"I'm from Rohan." I replied as believably as I could. "But I can assure you, I am of next to no importance."

Alessa laughed at this. "Oh, nonsense. It is hard enough to get the Lords of Gondor in for new clothes, yet here is the eldest son of the steward coming to buy a foreign lady clothes! Forgive me for prying, milady, but I was never one to keep silent once my curiosity has been piqued. Are you betrothed to Lord Boromir?"

"Wow, you don't beat around the bush!" I laughed, and the lady blushed.

"I have never heard such word usage, but I believe that I understand what you are trying to say. Forgive me, I should not have asked, but my curiosity got the better of me."

"Oh, no, please!" I laughed at the slightly flustered woman. "You're one of the very few people I've met who isn't afraid to speak her mind. I respect and value that, believe me. So by all means, speak your mind."

Alessa smiled gratefully as she continued to braid my hair. "Why thank you, milady. I've always thought that the world would be a better place, should women be allowed to speak out more in society."

Goodness, I can see the spark of a womens rights movement already. "Well, nothing's ever stopped me. But I've been quite fortunate in terms of the company I keep, so it probably doesn't work out well for most people." How it ever worked out for me, I hardly know. I guess that my friends are even more awesome than I already knew.

"You certainly have been fortunate, then. To find yourself in the presence of such an admired man." Commented Nora.

"Aye, very fortunate indeed." Agreed Alessa. "You have yet to answer my question, milday. Lord Boromir...?"

Poop. Thought I'd dodged that one. I like this Alessa woman. "It's supposed to be a surprise, but I'm sure that the two of you can keep a secret. The answer is, yes. We're gonna get married."

The two women gave each other excited smiles.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Cried Alessa. "And here, we though that the Captain had been sent on this mission of great importance."

"A mission of great importance, indeed!" Cried Nora. "'Tis about time he found himself a wife!"

I shook my head as best as I could, considering the fact that they were still working on it. "No, no, it's not like that! We didn't just meet or anything, I've known Boromir for years!"

"Years?" Alessa's eyebrows shot up. "Then why has it taken so long for us to discover you? Word travels quickly in this city, surely news of Boromir's courtship would have gotten around. Not only that, but his lordship has not made a trip to Rohan in quite some time!"

"Well, funny story, actually..." I sighed. "You see, I met him years ago when I was visiting Minas Tirith for the first time. I had no idea who he was or how popular he was, but I fell for him, either way. Then, I had to leave unexpectedly the day that I was to meet his father, and we thought that we would never see each other again. Then, later last year, I was up north in Rivendell visiting some elven friends that I had met through Gandalf. Boromir was there as well, having been sent for counsel with the lord of Rivendell. We fell in love all over again, he proposed, and the rest is history!"

Wow. Why don't I just go ahead and finish my life story?

Nora let out a girlish giggle. "Oh, that would be so wonderful. A love that lasts for years, despite the absence of your beloved. I wish that I could find such a love."

"You will." I gave her a reassuring smile. "One way or another."

As the women finished getting me ready, I heard the front door open, and the chatter of my friends began to seep through the walls.

"How am I supposed to party after everything that's happened?" I could hear Collin sigh in frustration.

"There is no stopping it now." Gandalf's voice was full of distaste. "We will have to wait until morning to do anything useful."

"Am I the only one excited about the feast?" Pippin questioned quietly, more to himself than anyone else. I swore I could hear his stomach grumbling all the way from my room.

"Thank you very much!" I smiled in the mirror as the Alessa and Nora prepared to leave. "And remember, keep it a secret!"

They laughed and reassured me of their honor before finally heading out. Not long after they left, Collin was leaning in my doorway.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" He grinned.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Awhh shucks."

Collin pushed himself off of the door post and fell atop of my bed. "But really, Soph. My eyes are sore. Can't a man get some eyedrops around here?"

"Sorry, Ollie. You're gonna have to wait another thousand years or so and hope that this world will eventually evolve." Even though I hope that it never does. I like things the way they are! We've got trees, we've got birds, and I can finally look at the sky without seeing a jet streak.

My friend groaned banging his head against the cushions. "In another thousand years there won't be a party for me to stay up for! You do realize that this could be the last bit of fun we have for a while? Especially if Minas Tirith gets razed to the ground by Sauron. That'd be a bummer."

"Only slightly." Laughing, I stood up and picked at my dress. "Does this make me look fat?" I asked teasingly.

Collin lifted his head up and dropped his jaw. "Goodness, woman! You've really let yourself go!"

That earned him a hairbrush to the gut. "Shut up!" I giggled, even though the paranoid part of me was taking it to heart. "And when do you plan to get ready?"

"Eh. I don't know." He yawned, rolling over to nuzzle the covers. "Your bed is amazing. Why didn't I get this bed? Maybe I'll switch our matresses when you're not looking..."

"We're leaving in ten minutes!" Gandalf called up, still sounding as frustrated as ever with the old steward.

"That's my que to go!" Collin hopped off the bed and ran for his room down the hall, and Pippin had to dodge him upon entering the room.

"Hey, Pip! Well, don't you look schnazzy!" I grinned upon seeing the little hobbit, for he looked like a little gentleman.

Pippin looked down to his fine clothes, looking so proud to finally be wearing something new. Where he got his paws on this thing, I had no idea, but it was quite the outfit. He was wearing a dark shirt with the white tree stitched into the front, as well as some elaborate silver sleeve embroidering. His pants were brand new, and he had a nice and shiny belt clasped across his stomach, with a nice velvety cloak to top it all off. The only thing that was missing were shoes, but I doubt that they could have found any for him if they tried.

"What does 'schnazzy' mean?" He asked, his eyebrows slightly raised. "I hope it's a good thing."

"Oh, it's the best of things." I laughed. "Where'd you find such fine clothes?"

Pippin smiled and readjusted his belt. "Lord Faramir! These were his clothes, when he was a young lad. Fortunately they had kept them, or I would have been going to the feast looking something dreadful! He is quite a fine man, you know. After everything that happened to him today, he still went out of his way to find me a decent outfit for tonight! Such a noble man, and you know he saw Frodo and Sam just days ago!"

"I heard! It looks like the odds are still in our favor!" For the moment. I was just hoping that Frodo and Sam would get to Mordor before Sauron attacked us! But that was just wishful thinking. "And if Faramir is anything like his brother has described, he's one of the best. I already know that the two look very similar. Speaking of, where is Boromir, exactly?"

"He had to get ready for the party! I suppose he was tired of wearing his dirty travel clothes, which is understandable. I'm quite excited for a change in clothes, myself! Not to mention the exquisite feast we are about to have! I've heard that Gondor has some of the best wine!"

"Ohh, Pip. You wait for my wedding! We're gonna have all the wine you can imagine, and all of the food you can eat!"

The hobbit's eyes widened with excitement. "Ah, it's a shame you are not a hobbit! I would have swept you off your feet, by now!"

Funny. I've had similar thoughts! "Oh, don't tell poor Boromir that! He might get jealous!" Or he could laugh. Probably both. After all, there's not too much of a height difference between the hobbits and me!

"Don't tell Boromir what?"

Speaking of the devil... Pippin and I looked up to see Boromir standing in the doorway, arms crossed, trying to hide a smile.

"Pippin and I are running away to get married and there's nothing you can do to stop us!" Wouldn't that be something?

Boromir let out a small laugh, as if he had known all along. "At least I am losing you to a worthy soul!"

"Oh, nonsense!" Pippin chuckled. "You're not losing her to anyone! But now that you're here, may we go? My stomach is grumbling louder than Merry snores!"

"Of course!" I could tell that Boromir was fighting the urge to ruffle Pippin's hair by the way he fiddled with his gloves. "My father is expecting us to get there early, so we had better go now."

We descended the stairs to find Gandalf and Collin waiting at the door. And boy, was Collin looking schnazzy!

I had almost expected him to wear something from Gondor. After all, we were going to a Gondorian party, and we were guests of honor... In Gondor! Yet he never ceased to surprise me. He stayed true to our 'background' and dressed up in finery from Rohan, something he'd never worn before. A deep red top with gold embroidering, and a nice gold belt to go with it. On top of it all was a dark cloak with even more gold embroidering. He looked so fancy, yet his hair remained in its usual faux-hawk... I wouldn't have changed a thing.

"Ah, Lord Collin!" Boromir nodded in approval. "You will steal the hearts of many young women, tonight!"

"Nope!" Collin shook his head. "I don't want their hearts! Tell 'em to keep it to themselves!"

"I don't know about stealing hearts, but he will surely charm the lot of them." Gandalf laughed. "Let us get this over with..." He sighed, opening the door.

Is it just me, or does Gandalf seem a heck of a lot more uptight in Gondor? Honestly, he was just fine everywhere else!

"You look beautiful, you know." Boromir nudged me with his elbow as we walked up to the Citadel.

I scrunched my nose, doing my best to hide the redness flowing into my cheeks. "You look pretty awesome, too. It's just weird seeing you look so fancy! In a good way, though!" Honestly, after months all I'd seen him in was his travel clothes. And those were fancy enough! But now he looked like a true prince, even though he wasn't a prince at all.

"You prefer me a smelly old traveler?" He laughed.

"No! But that's the Boromir I fell in love with, so I guess clean and fancy Boromir's just a plus!"

"I don't know, guys..." Collin sighed, interrupting whatever cute conversation we were having. "I still can't decide on what personality to have. Should Rohan Collin be funny, or serious? Blunt, or mysterious? A total jerk or the nicest guy you'll ever meet?"

Sigh... "Collin, you do realize that you already have tons of friends in Minas Tirith. Sure, it's been years since they've seen you last, but you're kind of hard to forget..."

"Aye," nodded Boromir. "My brother remembered you immediately! I think that it is too late for you to make a new name for yourself."

"Besides! We like the normal Collin!" Pippin agreed.

Collin laughed, shaking his head. "Ahh. I guess you're right. I am pretty awesome!"

Oh, goodness. "I'm sure these Gondorian women love that kind of self confidence." I teased. "You can just sit around telling them how awesome you are all night. I'm sure they'll be throwing themselves at your feet!"

As it turned out, the women needed no encouragement, nor would any discouragement phase them. With the eldest son of the steward engaged, it was only natural for nearly every eligible woman in the city to turn her eyes to the new 'nobleman,' fresh from Rohan. Who could blame them? Collin was more handsome than most men, not that good looks were needed. He had enough charm to make any woman's heart tingle. In all reality, Collin's presence probably softened those who would otherwise critique me for stealing the most eligible bachelor in the country. I took one man and brought them another one. We were even!

We had been introduced as guests of honor, and Denethor was quick to announce my engagement to his son. My heart had been pounding, my palms were sweaty, and I felt like I was literally about to die. The moment Denethor introduced me, all eyes turned in my direction. They were critical, judging, excited... Curious. Imagine how people react when their favorite celebrity gets engaged. Some people are pumped, others are heartbroken. It is such a silly thing, but what else do they have to do? You get your entertainment wherever you can find it.

Conveniently, as I mentioned before, Collin took a lot of the heat off of me. He was introduced as the man who saved Boromir's life, a man tough enough to take multiple arrows to the gut and live. If anything excites eligible women, it's a handsome traveler. At first, Collin rather enjoyed the attention. Hordes of people wanted to know his story. Where did he come from? How much money did he have? How important was he, really? And what is going on with that ridiculous hair? Well, he was happy to answer all of these questions.

He was from Rohan, was very close to the royal family, yet he preferred to avoid the topic of wealth, for he had been raised to be modest. As for his hair, he simply shrugged and stated that it was all the rage up north. A total lie, actually. In all of our travels, Collin had yet to convince one person to adpot the faux-hawk.

In any case, Gandalf had been quite concerned with the reliability of our blonde friend. Of course, he was an amazing man, one of the finest! Still, Collin's peppy attitude and eccentric responses to everything was quite a danger. He had to stay true to his 'noble' background, or Denethor might have become suspicious. As it was, many of the men in Denethor's court rememberd Collin, though many of them had never wondered over his homeland. For this, we were grateful, for it allowed us to keep up with the whole 'cousins from Rohan' gig. And I dare say that Gandalf was pleasantly surprised with Collin's ability to act relatively normal!

Relatively normal is a bit much... Let's just say that Collin toned down his strangeness a bit.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this." Collin whispered to me at one point as we stood in the corner, watching the rich and important citizens dance. "My brain's getting boggled with all of this funny that I'm not letting out. Pretty soon, I'll explode."

"I'd almost rather you let it out." I sighed, fiddling with my wine cup. "You do realize that we're going to have to keep this whole act up forever, now?"

Collin frowned. "We never had to lie to King Theoden about our origins. I feel dirty."

Me too...

Sigh...

"Sophie?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna drink that?"

I looked down to my glass and swished the drink around. "Yeah. I think I need this."

"Dang." Collin snapped his fingers, falling back to lean against a pillar. "I need some, too. These Gondorian girls just won't give me a break!" He turned his head to look at a group of young girls who stood in a huddle, just waiting to pounce on him. "Honestly, these girls are too young for me!"

"In this world, there's not much for a woman to look forward to, asides from marriage." I laughed, shrugging it off. "Cut them some slack."

"I suppose that in your world, things are quite different."

Collin and I turned to this new voice, only to come face to face with Faramir. A much nicer looking Faramir than I'd seen, before, now that he wasn't getting attacked by Nazgul and the like.

I gave Boromir's brother a smile. "Oh, no. Rohan's not all that different..."

"I have been to Rohan, milady." Faramir laughed. "And it is not the homeland of either of you. In fact, I do not even believe that you are cousins."

"Bravo!" Collin shook Faramir's hand. "So what gave us away?"

"My brother."

Dang it! I should have known!

"Remind me to punch your brother in the gut, Faramir." Collin huffed. "I've been working on hiding my identity all day!"

Seriously! Faramir sounds like an amazing guy and all, but I thought that our strange origins were supposed to remain a secret? Looks like someone doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut! *cough cough* BOROMIR!

Faramir chuckled, shaking his head. "There will be no need for that. It must have been years ago when he first spoke of you, milady, and years since I've seen you, Collin! Of course, I could have sworn that my brother had called you by the name 'Juliet.'"

Oh yeah! "Long story, that one." I laughed awkwardly, wondering what Boromir might have said about me. "So what'd he say? Did he mention my awkward mannerisms and super-cool slang?"

"If I recall correctly, I remember him mentioning a stubborn young lady traveling with Gandalf. He did, however, mention your beauty, but he did not do you justice!"

Move over, Legolas. Kristy's marrying this guy. "You're a lot more charming than your brother, I can tell you that! Instead of flattering me he tried to buy my love."

Faramir laughed, searching the room for his brother. "Is that so? Well, he never was one for wooing women. He was always more of a warrior than a charmer."

You can say that again! But I guess it works out that way. After all, I suck at gushy romance. Which is why Boromir and I just so happen to be perfect!

"I like to think of myself as perfectly charming!" Boromir argued, appearing from around the pillar.

"Yes, which is why you never courted a woman before Sophie came along!" His brother laughed. "You've already won her over, you have nothing to hide, brother!"

Just as it looked as though Boromir was going to partake in a very immature act of brotherly rivalry, something incredibly odd and rather horrifying took place. Once I knew what it really was, I felt every urge to run and hide. Though, at the moment, I thought it was nothing more than an earthquake of some sort. It was not a powerful shake, but there was just enough vibration to be noticed. The abandoned glasses shook ever so slightly on the table, but with their numbers it was enough to create a clinging sound all throughout the hall. It lasted hardly long enough to be noticed, but it was followed by a bright green glow that flowed through the windows and illuminated the dimly lit room.

My friends and I looked to one another, eyebrows raised, wondering if we were all going crazy. Odds were, it was only a matter of time before Collin and I went bonkers. When we caught sight of our old wizard swiftly heading outdoors, we knew that something was up. Either something bad had occured, or Gandalf just really didn't like the party.

Collin was betting on the latter.

So, what better way to figure things out than to go and inspect them for yourself?

Collin, ever so curious, was the first to run off, followed by the rest of us. The party was gradually following behind us, the green light continuing to filter into the room. We all were greeted by the cool night air, and a giant beam of light shooting out from behind the mountains. The guards of the Citadel were all in a huddle, staring wide-eyed at the bright light, clutching onto their spears like their lives depended on it. The sky looked as though it was naturally green, and the sun was simply rising to illuminate the sky. Well, sort of. If you take the giant laser beam out of it.

Collin ran forward, heading for the tip of the stone courtyard that jutted out into the city, more curious than frightened. As for me, I followed him, simply to make sure that he wouldn't fall off the cliff. Boromir and Faramir came, too. Probably thinking that I'd be the one to fall off. Gandalf and Denethor followed, one for a closer look, and the other to feel important.

"What is this?" Denethor asked, turning to Gandalf.

"They are coming." Gandalf sighed. "It was only a matter of time."

"It's odd that the enemy should set off to something so beautiful." Collin mumbled to himself, leaning against the wall as he looked up to the bright green sky. "You would think that he'd want to catch us off guard."

"Oh, he has no need." Said Gandalf. "He will be sending a mighty army, one he does not expect us to defeat." Then, he turned to Pippin, who I'd completely lost in the giant crowds of people. "Pippin, go back to the house with Sophie."

"Allow me to walk you..." Boromir began, but I cut him off.

"Pippin and I will be fine. There are more important things to take care of at the moment." I let out a sigh and quickly bowed my head to Denethor and the others. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

Taking Pippin's hand, I started off for the sixth level, cutting through the crowds of concerned citizens as we went. The hobbit struggled to keep up, his eyes constantly wandering to the green sky.

"Are the others going to come help us, now?" He asked, hopeful.

"I don't know, Pip. But if I know Aragorn at all, he'll be here in a heartbeat." And if Aragorn comes, Legolas will follow. That means that Gimli and Kristy will tag along. And if Kristy tags along, so will Merry. That's the good thing about our friends. We're one big package.

Pippin sighed. "I'm starting to wish that we were back in Rohan. At least there we'd be safe."

Oh, Pip. I don't think that anyone's safe, now.

.

.

The front door creaked open, nailing me in the back of my head.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my throbbing skull as Gandalf let out a gasp.

"Sophie, is that you?" He lit up his staff, lighting the dark room. "What are you doing on the floor?" He helped me to my feet as Collin and Boromir shuffled in behind him.

What was I doing on the floor? "I guess I was sleeping? You see, I was pacing, waiting for you guys to get home, but that got rather tiring..."

Gandalf shook his head. "Say no more. In any case, you should be getting some rest!"

"I was stressing out!" So was Pippin! Poor hobbit was passed out at the kitchen table.

Gandalf sighed, shaking his head and lighting a candle. "I see. Well, come. Let us join young Peregrin at the dinner table. Perhaps we can have a bite to eat and talk about upcoming events, seeing as how we're all awake."

Soon enough, we were all seated around the kitchen, munching on fruits. Gandalf was smoking his pipe, along with Boromir, who declared that he'd rather be with us than back at the Citadel. The smoke slivered up to the ceiling, creating a grey haze in the dimly lit room. Gandalf turned the smoke clouds into little figures that silently danced about the room, something I hadn't seen him do in years. I sat at the table with my head in my hand, watching the smoke clouds dance until they disappeared. A fire crackled in the chimney, the only sound in the room asides from Pippin's tired yawns.

Collin himself sat backwards in his chair, occasionaly stoking the fire with an iron rod. "I thought we were going to talk about current events." He commented blankly, rubbing his drooping eyes.

"We were." Gandalf nodded. "But I feel as though this will be the last bit of peace we will have for a while. It does not seem right to ruin it."

Collin sighed, resting his head in his arms. "We just can't get a break, can we? I can assure you, I'm writing Sauron a strongly worded letter about this."

Gandalf almost laughed. "Feel free to tell us how that goes."