The Mayor of the Shire sat on marble steps in the garden of the King's Palace at Annuminas and watched the sun set behind the Evendim Hills.

"Sam." he looked up to see the High King looming over him. Started to get up but Aragorn pushed him back down and sat next to him on the steps.

"I just got a letter from Merry." he said handing it over.

Sam started to read but the first line shocked him into looking back at the King. "Boromir! But he died. Faramir saw his body in the boat and found his broken horn."

"And that was strange in itself." Aragorn said quietly. "Not even an Elven boat should have survived the great falls. Yet Faramir saw it a dozen leagues downriver on its way to the sea. I've always wondered what it meant... It seems I am about to find out."

Sam read the rest of the letter, an ominous frown building. "Nobody said anything to me about trouble in the Old Forest!"

"Or to me." Aragorn said a little grimly.

"Drat that Merry! The Brandybucks seem to forget they're still part of the Shire, even if they are on the wrong side of the Brandywine!"

The King smiled down at him. "I thought you might like to come to Buckland with me."

"Try and stop me!"

A laugh. "I wouldn't dare."