"What are you up to this time?" he asked quietly, returning to his reading. "Do I know her?"

"I am not going to see anyone" Faramir replied, walking towards the couch where Boromir had settled himself, and halted a few footsteps away. A wicked grin made its appearance on his face. "There is a feast down in the city."

Boromir nodded absentmindedly, still buried in his book. He was afraid to know where this was going. "I know. So?"

"So we are going too."

Just like he thought. Boromir's head snapped up. "What do you mean we?"

"Don't tell me that you are to waste a chance to drink, dance and meet many beautiful, young maidens.." Faramir said, showing the most enticing smile he could manage. Boromir, though, didn't seem overly impressed. "They would identify us, and I don't think it would be that much fun."

The other answered by grabbing his brother's cloak, carelessly abandoned on a nearby chair, and then throwing it to him. "Then cover yourself. I'm sure you don't want to deny a little enjoyment to your little brother, after all. I am boring myself to death here, and I am not going without you."

"I almost hate you right now."

"Yes, but only almost."

"I hate you, then."

"You know you don't really mean it."

"Oh yes, I do."

"Put on the cursed cloak and stop grumbling, will you? At this rate it will already be over by the time we get there."

Amarie had put on her best dress, and was laughing and chattering in a corner of the big square with her friends and Istion.

Said man was looking longingly to Elenath, a young maiden who was busying herself with a goblet of wine a few steps away, seemingly bored to death.

"Why don't you simply go and ask her to dance?" Amarie was trying to convince her brother. A difficult task, indeed. He was way too shy to do it, but to waste an occasion like that was foolishness.

"What?" he asked her, energetically shaking his head. "No, no. I'm just staying here. She would laugh at me..."

"Oh, Istion!" a young man than said, patting his right shoulder and, nodding towards the maiden.

"Go and ask her to dance. Now. Or I'll do it by myself".

"You wouldn’t dare...." was Istion's answer, actually hissed at him.

"Try me..."

Istion seemed to struggle for a moment, sighing deeply, while Amarie looked quite amused in seeing him so distressed. Then, finally, the decision.

"All right. I'm going."

"Valar! I thought you would have never done it!" Amarie enthusiastically said, smiling brightly at her friend.

"But" he continued, looking deadly serious. "Don't you even try something on my sister. Understand?"

"Me? On Amarie?" the other man grinned, pretending disconcert. "I would never do it, my friend. She's much too dainty for me..."

"Yes, I am, so don't ever think about it!" Amarie just laughed, playfully pushing her brother towards Elenath, winking at him when he finally smiled at her.

In the meantime the two brothers, both cloaked and hooded, were sneaking their way through the crowd. Boromir was grumpier than ever, more than sure that anyone could have identified them by simply looking at their boots or leggings if not their face, that both were keeping low most of the time. Their clothes were way too refined for two peasants, that was sure. And he was going to blame it on Faramir if someone would have spotted them, their father would have certainly--

He froze right in place when he caught a glimpse of her. She was on the opposite side of the square, beyond the dancers and musicians, chattering with some people, probably her brother's friends. She was wearing one of the dresses he'd given to her, smiling brightly, and she looked happier than he'd ever seen her before. Almost beaming in the beauty of her youth, and much more at ease than between the walls of the King's House. He found himself with an idiotic smile painted on the lips, staring at her. And he was suddenly very grateful to his cloak, sheltering him from his brother's inquisitive gaze.

Faramir, too, had noticed her. Of course. "Why don't we go and greet her?"

"Wha--are you mad?"

"Why?"

"Because" Boromir began, stopping a moment to sigh and lower his voice. "Because no one must know that we are here."

"But we can trust her" Faramir retorted, "And you know that."

"Yes, I know. But the answer is no if you don't want me to turn around and go straight home. I don't want to ruin her night, she sees us every day and I'm sure she's had enough of our faces."

Sipping her wine, the girl looked around, still laughing as her brother was dancing with Elenath.

But she almost choked when she saw who was trying hard to hide at the other side of the square.

Boromir and Faramir.

It could not be possible. They were nobles and rich. What were they doing there?

Her eyes hadn't deceived her. The two brothers were trying hard not to draw attention on them.

Taking two more goblets of wine, she snuck around to reach them, smiling brightly when they almost jumped out of their skin.

"Good evening, milords!" she greeted them merrily, handing her the goblets. "I've brought you some wine. Why didn't you tell me you were coming there?"

The two brothers exchanged a quick glance, as they took the goblets from Amarie.

"It was Faramir's idea" Boromir replied with a small shrug, as if to justify himself. "He's almost dragged me here, really."

The younger brother rolled his eyes in response. "Don't pay attention to him. He's grumpy and tense just because he's afraid that someone could spot us and report it to father.. but we've done this a thousand times before, and no one has ever spotted us. Never. Well, no one except you, of course." he said, matching the last sentence with a broad smile and sipping his wine.

"I could recognise your faces in a crowd of thousands" she smiled back, glancing at Boromir.

As she was imagining, the older brother wasn't happy to be there, at all. Probably because he was not accustomed to stay among peasants and lower classes.

"Do you want some cake?" Amarie asked Faramir after a while, pointing to a large table, almost deserted. "Here you will find many good ones. You can serve yourself if you want some.."

"I will for sure" he mumbled, eyeing the plates set on the table with the utmost interest. He was certainly not going to refuse such an enticing offer, and mere moments later he was already making his way to the other side of the square, head cautiously hung low beneath the hood.

When he and Amarie were alone, Boromir seemed to relax the tiniest bit. He even hinted a smile.

"It's good to see that you are enjoying yourself." he began a little awkwardly, but still smiling nonetheless. "I only wish I could.. take this cursed cloak off, I can't even ask you for a dance thus.."

"A...dance? " she repeated, smiling and quietly taking his hand.

"Oh, well...there's a field not far from there. We could watch at the stars and...we could dance there. We'll hear the music from there...Is...it a stupid idea?"

"No, at all" he replied softly, "But 'tis better if I warn Faramir. Wait."

Upon saying that he walked towards his brother, who was busy surveying and sampling the cakes, and mumbled something in his ear. Faramir then turned to glance at the girl, a strange half smile on his lips, and nodded. Since his mission was accomplished Boromir hurried to cross the square again, and took Amarie's hand to lead her away from there.

A strange and awkward silence fell on them while they crossed the deserted and dark streets. Amarie glanced down at their entwined fingers now and then, not daring to raise her eyes to Boromir's face.

Still she was scared. They weren't supposed to be like that. They weren't supposed to feel so at ease and be happy even without saying a single word.

Once in the field, the girl turned to look at him, pointing at a bench and smiling softly.

"Here we are...we could have a sit or...I don't...know what..."

"Would you dance with me?" he asked with a smile while pushing back the hood, and offering his hand again. "Then we could lay my cloak on the ground if you want to look at the stars, so that you won't soil your dress."

"Yes. That would be beautiful, milord" she smiled back, taking his hand and nearing him almost awkwardly, wrapping her other arm around his neck.

Her face was now dangerously near to Boromir's one and their mouths were only inches apart. Sighing softly, she turned her head , so that their faces were now side by side. Better.

Boromir's arm tightened slightly around her, and his eyes closed for a moment when the fresh scent of her hair filled his nostrils, eliciting him a contented sigh. It was almost perfect. Almost. That 'milord' had somehow sounded wrong, he didn't really know why, but he had not liked it.

"I must ask something of you" he said softly then, "Call me just by name.. at least when we are alone. You are an equal to me."

"Equal?" she asked, baffled. Then she smiled. A bright smile.

It was magic to be there with him.

"All right, Boromir...you are really a good dancer, you know that?"

"I've been taught." he replied humbly, still holding her tight. When the song was over he drew back to smile and look at her, as he unfastened his cloak to set it on the grass. "There. Thus your dress should be safe, it would be a pity to stain it.. since it looks so good on you."

"Do you really think it?" she asked, once sitting on the cloak and looking up on him.

When he nodded, Amarie smiled at him, patting the soft fabric at her side.

"Why don't you sit down with me?"

He was so gallant and chivalrous that she couldn't help but desire to kiss him breathless. Yet she restrained herself.

It was a bad idea.

Boromir sat quietly at her side, lifting his gaze to stare at the sky for a while. He was feeling good, better than ever before. Probably even too much. And the need to close his lips over hers was still there, relentless. The only thing that still prevented him from actually doing it was the thought that it would have ruined it all, Amarie was too different from all the other women he'd been dealing with. He just couldn't forecast her possible reaction to such an outburst, so he kept quiet, laying back on the cloak and still staring at the stars overhead, giving her a glance and a smile now and then.

A quiet, grim Istion walked to the table were the cloaked man was eating alone.

His friend had kidnapped his sister. He was sure of that. Otherwise she wouldn't have vanished with a stranger.

Stopping a few paces away from him, he crossed her arms on his chest and looked sternly at him.

"Where's my sister? Your friend has kidnapped her, but you won’t go anywhere if I do not find her. You can be sure of that".

Faramir almost choked with the cake when he identified that voice, but he didn't dare to turn and look at the other. He took hold of his arm instead, leading him a away from the revel and then into a nearby alley, despite his remonstrance. It was then that he showed his face to Istion, pulling back the hood as he faced him.

"No one has kidnapped your sister. Does that comfort you, Istion?"

"Wha--what are you doing there, milord?" Istion asked then, wide eyed and utterly confused.

"And where's my sister? I've seen her talk to a cloaked man and then vanish..."

"She is with my brother. They're in the field behind the Houses of Healing, if you care to know." Faramir explained as calmly as he could, but he didn't miss the alarmed expression that had appeared on Istion's face at his words. "She's safe with him, they are nothing more than good friends." he added, hinting a reassuring smile. In fact he didn't know if they were actually only friends, he had never asked his brother about the matter, but he didn't feel like giving worries to Istion. And even if they were more than friends, he knew that she was indeed safe with Boromir.

Istion didn't seem happy about the matter. He was sure that the Lord was trying to seduce his sister, and was about to go and search them.

Then sighed deeply. Amarie wasn't easily fooled. More, the Lord Boromir wouldn't have done anything wrong to her. He was not that kind of man.

"All right. I'll try and believe your word. But do not play with her. I would never forgive you..."he said in a menacing fashion.

Faramir nodded, now smiling widely, and patted Istion's shoulder friendly. "I swear on my honour. She'll be safe."

Said that he settled the hood over his head again, and was ready to go back to the feast.