AN: Have a chapter of mostly-filler, but with relationship development.

Chapter 19: Relationship Advice for Dummies

If the ride to the Fords was awkward, the journey south-east made me want to fall off the horse and knock myself out. With the flight of our unarmed friends and family there were even fewer horses to go around; Frelaf and Eomer had to double up, and I reluctantly climbed into the saddle behind Boromir.

His shoulders and back were tense against me for several minutes at the beginning. Then he let out a great, tired sigh and slumped slightly.

Enough happened over the past week that I was surprised we were even awake and still in the saddle. I'd make a goddamn blood sacrifice for a good, long sleep in my own bed. Maybe promise my firstborn child to whatever deity provides.

So sleepy I was nauseous, I laid my head against the broad back in front of me and closed my eyes. The saddle was high against my back and I trusted Boromir to not let me fall. Blitzen's rhythmic trot rocked me to sleep within minutes.

When I stirred the sun was much lower in the sky and we were still riding, myself still seated behind Boromir. At first I wasn't quite sure what woke me up, but then I heard my name.

"Cass was most insistent on separation," Theodred was saying in a low voice, clearly trying to not wake me, "She seemed to think it obvious."

A huff left Boromir. "Of course. Our situation is very difficult and this caught us both by surprise. I was unaware that your people's old ways are still recognized," he said smoothly.

"It is uncommon now but situations still happen. Often it is an elopement, sometimes an actual rescue is necessary. Which side of that are you planning to show?" Theodred asked; he wasn't taking any bull.

Boromir's shoulder shifted by my face and I felt his hair move. "I do not know," he replied heavily, "Libby was serious when she talked of Cass being banned from Minas Tirith and Father is unlikely to change that for any reason; he talks of her in the same tone he uses for Faramir, and that tone worries me for both of them. It is safer for us both if she stays in Tharbad. That makes a relationship impossible and Cass deserves the chance to be with someone."

There was a noise from Theodred that I interpreted as pondering. "It is a very difficult decision ahead of you, friend. I have no envy of you. Many factors weigh on you both, and above all uncertainty of the future," he mused.

"Mordor," Boromir breathed.

The unnatural shadow that hovered over those mountains would put the fear of godzilla in anyone. It must have been terrible to live beside it, eternally fighting like David against Goliath. I couldn't blame anyone for being cautious about starting a family with that kind of trouble next door.

"Perhaps she will wither under the Shadow, or perhaps she will be the support you need in your labors against that evil." I was impressed by Theodred's ability to portray a capital letter in speech. "If you would listen to my counsel, I suggest that you take the time of the festivities to be together and see what Cass is made of. If you must separate even after that, I will help you then."

"Thank you, Theodred. I have much to think about, if you will excuse me," Boromir replied.

Quiet fell aside of the horses' hooves and their occasional snort. It left me with no distraction from what I had just heard.

Despite Denethor's own words, it was quite the surprise that I was really banned. As a teenager I was put on a Fred Meyer wall of shame after I got caught shoplifting, but that had more to do with me being on the edge of starvation than being awful. That one disbelieving, radiated thought was biting me in the ass.

Damn my temper.

In a tower not far away, a wizard brooded angrily over a crystal ball. The image was that of a woman in her mid-twenties, auburn haired and leaning her scarred face on a man's broad back. Her expression was troubled but that was of little satisfaction.

If only he had realized earlier the trouble these people would mean! Now the Wild Men were slipping from his control and a corridor had been opened from Eriador to Rohan, hiccups in his plan for world domination. They were already close to the Rohirrim, trading partners with the Wild Men, and provided refuge to those ragged rangers in the north; further headaches to be dealt with.

Saruman's nostrils flared with his temper at these set-backs. The uruk-hai he was making were still inferior to those damned horsemen, according to what he had seen. Even the women hadn't a scratch on them! Clearly his creations needed much more work.

How to solve these problems… The obvious move was an orc raid on Tharbad while it was still a seedling of a colony.

Yet the Prince of Rohan and his family were already suspicious. Immediately they would know he had something to do with this, even if the king continued to be cautious of such claims. There would still be those in Rohan left to knot his twine.

And Gondor, Saruman mused with a scowl. The scarred one and the red-grey haired woman had not only survived an encounter that should have left them in pieces, but thrived- and were expanding their influence throughout Middle Earth in ways that haven't happened since the Second Age. If they were allowed to continue, they would marry into every royal and noble house on the earth!

No, Saruman decided. That could not be allowed to happen. Only he was allowed to rule Middle Earth, and most certainly no arrogant upstarts from nowhere.

The twins, Matt, Stithulf, and Dezzie were half-way to Helm's Deep by the time we caught up and from there we proceeded at a quick trot along the well-marked road to Edoras. There were questions (which I mostly avoided) and chatter about what would happen later (which was much more interesting.)

Thankfully all that was expected of the guests was to be quiet during the ceremony, stand and sit when asked, and have a good time. The confirmation of a sparring tournament was the most exciting part; I couldn't wait to properly put my new relatives on their asses.

I managed to avoid getting cornered by the twins right up until we hit Edoras. There was a great big fuss about the new princess finally arriving and the raid's success and all that rot, and I made the mistake of thinking that it would distract them for the rest of the day.

Once all the ceremony and greetings were done I wandered around the Golden Hall looking for Rohesia, no matter how weird it felt to think that she was (would be) my great-grandmother, when I was intercepted. I had just turned a corner when I was seized under each arm and briefly lifted for a few steps backward; only a flash of burgundy several inches up spared the twins from my fists. "What the hell?" I squawked at them.

"We've got a few questions," Andy declared.

"And you've been avoiding us," Mackey added sternly.

Guiltily I let them shuffle me into some vacant room and watched Mackey firmly shut the door behind us. Tiredly I plopped onto a stool. "You know I could always go out the window," I teased.

"You won't," Mackey stated with startling surety.

I was tempted to do it just to prove her wrong, but they deserved answers. "What are the questions?" I asked instead.

First Mackey, then Andy plopped down on the bed beside me and seemed to have one of their silent conversations before Andy asked, "Are you okay?"

Huh? What could she possibly mean by that? "Everything's a bit weird with the whole 'going to be related to royalty' thing, but I'm alright. Why?" I said awkwardly.

"You've been avoiding your husband even more than us," Andy said, carefully gauging my reaction with clever green-gold eyes.

At the mere mention of being married, I flinched. "Yeah, about that…" I mumbled. Uncomfortably I fiddled with my silver ring.

Patiently my favorite sisters waited for me to find the words.

"I don't know what to do about this!" I exclaimed suddenly, thoughts rushing, "Boromir is a good person as far as I've seen, but I barely know him! And I've never even thought of getting married, and now I am married, and I have no fucking idea what to do!" After days of stress and a battle and everything with Boromir, I was completely overwhelmed.

I burst into tears. Embarrassedly I tried wiping my face, but they just kept coming!

Startled, the twins traded looks and then Mackey leaned forward to wrap a long arm around me. "That's a lot, yeah," she said sympathetically. Thankfully she only gave a short squeeze and withdrew.

"You don't even get the benefit of a nice father-in-law," Andy added, wrinkling her nose.

"Way to gloat." I laughed weakly.

Andy smiled ruefully and shrugged. "I never expected to get married either," she confessed, "At sea all the time, independent, not willing to put up with a man's bullshit. And I don't know Theodred very well, and I'm also really nervous. But if I've got the courage to deal with this, you definitely do."

Touched, I sniffled. "I may be more than willing to die for a cause, but we know I suck with emotions." I gave Andy a slightly watery smile. "I don't want to mess this up, but I'm sure I already have, with the whole Denethor thing. And…" I bit my lip, wondering if I should say what was on my mind.

"I don't know if I can live in the place Mum killed herself," I eventually blurted out.

Utter shock was on the twins' faces as they looked at each other. Horror took over right after.

Too late, I remembered the agreement that Aunt Libby and I had come to. With a groan I slapped my forehead and dragged my hand down my face to muffle a swear.

"She jumped?" Mackey asked. Her voice cracked.

Sighing, I nodded. "A guard who was there told me and I decided that it would be hard enough on Pitaajee as it was, so I… kept that part to myself," I explained, carefully leaving Aunt Libby's part out. No need to put her in the line of fire too.

"Cressie and Dezzie would lose it if they ever found out," Andy said, shaking her head, "I would feel bad, but…"

"She's been trying to passively die for years," Mackey finished, "At least it was just over, for her and us." There's a reason they often call drug overdoses 'deaths of despair'.

For a long moment we brooded. I wondered if I made the right decision, whether I should have told the truth in the first place. It was all moot, I decided after a few minutes; what was done, was done, and we all had to live with it.

"Anyways, back to your unexpected marriage," Mackey said helpfully, "Does that mean there'll be six days of celebration instead of five? Cause I think we might be wearing out the Rohirrim's ability to party as it is."

Even as I laughed at the idea, I shook my head. "We still need to figure out what we're even doing."

Understandingly Mackey nodded. "You don't have much time," she stated.

"No, we aren't able to go on about ten dates before we figure out that they were dates," I teased.

Mackey colored. "We got there eventually," she said, grinning sheepishly.

"Fair. At least you know your soon-to-be husband, that's a bit of comfort," I told her, patting her hand, "You nervous too?"

The time until dinner was spent commiserating over our pre-ceremony nerves. Despite that I wasn't involved in any of the upcoming events, I was still terrified that I'd manage to mess up the whole thing. The twins had actual worries to be listened to and comfort was needed, so at least I wasn't able to psych myself out too badly.

In the hall Boromir and I stuck to our own circles, awkward when we realized how far those overlapped these days. Then, very obviously to anyone who had eyes, Theodred said pointedly, "Andy, Mackey, and Matthew are staying in Edoras. Desdemona will go to her husband's village. Where do you suppose marriage will take you, Cassandra?"

Mentally I cursed him. "I dunno, I suppose I'd try to put that off at least a year until Tharbad is fully established," I said evasively, "What about you, Brise?" I elbowed my younger sister, who had been more playing with the remains of her meal than eating it.

"I guess I'll probably stay in Minas Tirith since it's where I work," she answered on a shrug. She gave me a questioning look.

I gave her a sheepish, pleading sort of look.

Brise nodded but her eyebrows demanded an answer later.

Ah, the benefits of growing up in enforced quiet.

"You're not married yet? I thought that you and the innkeeper's boy…" Boromir squinted, clearly trying to remember the name.

"I'm not getting married, nobody would want to put up with me forever," Brise answered with a nervous laugh, "If for some reason Lance asked I'd say yes, but that's a pipe dream."

I clicked my tongue in disapproval of her putting herself down like that. Besides, they've been together for four years now and he's stuck in Middle Earth with us.

"I dunno, he just might," Andy teased, "I never expected to get married, and look whose wedding you're here for?"

Now that Brise and I were both saved from humiliation, I sort of passively listened. Wedding plans, living quarters, Matt's posting in the Eastfold… It all went in one ear and out the other. Very little imprint of anything was left.

The fugue was finally broken when I asked a passing maid which room was mine, and the door revealed Boromir undressing. "Sorry!" I yelped, face burning. Then I slammed the door on my own face and decided that today wasn't my day.

Gingerly I touched my nose and it smarted, but at least there wasn't any blood.

Right then the door was opened again and at least this time Boromir had his tunic on. "Are you alright?" he asked politely.

"Must have been a misunderstanding, the maid sent me here," I mumbled and if anything, my face grew warmer.

"I also thought something strange," Boromir said thoughtfully, "Usually when I visit Rohan my room is on the other side of the hall, close to Theodred and Eomer."

An hour ago I'd seen Dezzie and Stithulf enter this hallway and suddenly I was suspicious. "I think Theodred is playing matchmaker. He put you in my room," I said, annoyed.

Boromir huffed out a quiet laugh. "He is nothing if not determined," he replied.

For a long moment I decided, thoughts buzzing in a way that made the time seem so much longer than it was. "Why not go with it while we're here?" I suggested, "Let's take his advice and see how we fit together."

Let's see if my foot-in-mouth syndrome and your pride don't make this really impossible.

Many different thoughts and emotions flickered through Boromir's eyes, bright as they glinted in the dim corridor. "My thoughts exactly," he murmured.

Overheating woke me in the middle of the night and half-aware, I tried to lean up and push a blanket off. Only after I moved did I come to my senses and realize I wasn't alone. In fact, someone's broad back was partially leaning on me from shoulders to rump, and he was snoring softly.

Cautiously I moved the hand near our heads and felt his. A familiar smell confirmed that it was Boromir so I relaxed.

I could see myself waking up that way a lot more in the future, and that scared me.

Over the following days I was utterly pampered; I didn't have to heat up my own washing water and there was always someone interesting around, or something to help with. The cooks even used me as a taste-tester to subtly see if the planned food would be to Andy's liking. I assured them that she would be delighted with everything except maybe the local version of haggis.

Occasionally I would run into Boromir, exchange a few words, but we rarely got time to ourselves in the bustle of event planning. We had our own duties that kept us generally on opposite sides of the building, if not of town.

Of everyone I spent the most time with Eowyn, both absorbing what was expected of a royal lady and keeping an eye out for Grima. She was a fierce little lady still growing into her role, facing every challenge with proud determination. The more I lurked at her side, the more I admired those qualities in her. Eowyn would be among the great when her chance came, I felt it in my bones.

Maybe I was just desperate for female company I wasn't blood-related to. I certainly enjoyed my evening chatting with Godiva over the promised beer- a pungent, herbal, honey-sweet blend that sent me out the door with a stumble to my step. Her observations about life at court were helpful, even if I could only remember the funny bits when I woke up the next morning.

The idea of Theodred ever falling off his horse seemed like a horse with the face of a boy: wrong. But also absurdly funny, especially when the thought suddenly returned in the middle of breakfast the next day and I choked on my potatoes.

Things almost seemed routine by the time Aditi arrived a week later. "Everything is fine," she told us, waving our concerns aside, "We thought someone should come ahead to tell you when we were ten leagues out."

Preparations began frantic once it was understood that they were only a day out. I was shanghaied into holding things, finishing the decor, approving things for Mackey and Dezzie when they got overwhelmed, and dealing with Grima whenever someone timid saw him get creepier. With that handful, I shambled off to bed after midnight.

I had expected Boromir to be asleep. I had even been quietly bemused about how used to him I had become, as I slipped into the room.

"I was wondering if you'd gone to sleep somewhere else," he said quietly, wrecking my thought process.

"Nah. There's just so damn much to do." I sighed and scrubbed a hand down my face. "I always thought weddings were beautiful, but I'd only ever been to Stevie's and now I'm starting to see how much of a bother they are." Grateful that it was dark, I changed quickly into pajamas.

Boromir smothered a laugh.

"No, really," I insisted, starting to laugh with him, "Why should anyone care what shape the napkins are folded into, or what color the dinnerware is? It's all beautiful and nobody will remember it anyways." I certainly didn't recall anything of the sort from Stevie's, just the happy couple and the amazing mango sorbet.

Suddenly I really wanted mango. And I really, really missed being able to eat anything I wanted.

"If you'll believe it, weddings in Gondor are even more exacting. This is a breath of fresh air," Boromir commented.

Considering my memories of the white city, I could believe it. "Yeah... no," I told him as I crawled into bed.

"I heard you've been talking to the blacksmith and leather-worker," Boromir said, thankfully changing the subject before it could get awkward.

I grinned with satisfaction. "Mhm. It'll take a lot of us, it's a big project for the times, but I think this will be good," I said, half to myself.

"What is it?"

"There was an accident and I had to amputate Stevie's arm," I explained, waving away Boromir's hiss, "He's doing well but he's already miserable about not being able to play his violin. So the rest of us all thought, what if we make him a replacement?" I waited a beat for the delivery, then added, "Today I was explaining the project and our ideas for it, business will start at the end of the wedding."

The silence was pondering. "In Minas Tirith I've seen some old soldiers make something like that so that they could hold a shield and return to the army. It all looked very uncomfortable," Boromir said and rolled so that we were facing each other.

"I doubt anything is comfortable in that situation," I said sympathetically, "This isn't to wear all day and every day, just when he really needs both hands. Like to play a sonata, or get rid of orcs."

"A sonata?" Curiosity invaded Boromir's voice.

In the quiet, I could vaguely hear Glenn Miller being played. "Mhm. Beautiful, sad, sultry music that tastes like a kiss you've never had but still miss." I hummed along to the song playing in my head, tapping the beats against Boromir's arm.

"I look forward to hearing it one day," he said, running a hand up my arm. It landed on my ribcage, stretched, and settled, elbow resting on my hip. My skin tingled even though my pajamas.

"One day," I promised, and hoped I could keep it.