+A Cheap Shot+ ZChan

"You are good with that little sword, Pippin." Boromir smiled viciously as the Hobbit huffed and puffed to keep up with him. "To the left…make sure you are always blocking with the point up instead of down because being so short –' Pippin's brows came down even further and Boromir corrected himself. " – the height that you are, it would not do good to have the blade down now, would it?"

"No." Pippin's eyes cast downward, but in a seconds time Boromir raised his blade high above his head and narrowly missed chopping Pippin in two. His blade screeched against the rock, and from across the camp site Aragorn looked up. Seeing it was nothing of any real importance, he resumed his talk with Gandalf. Pippin's eyes were as big as one of Sam's frying pans and he stared at Boromir. "What was that for?"

"For not paying attention. Now sit down. Merry, your turn."

The Brandybuck got to his feet and picked up his own sword, standing next to Pippin. "Why don't you take us both on at once?"

"What a challenge.."

Merry smirked this time and started smacking at Boromir's sword with his own until he had to back up to avoid the slashes. Pippin giggled when Merry retorted,  "Are you afraid we might just beat you?"  This time Boromir laughed loudly and Frodo and Sam turned their heads to see what the commotion was about, and immediately found themselves interested.

Still somewhat amused, but willing, Boromir positioned his sword. "Alright little hobbits. Attack!"

Merry drove his sword straight past the human's inner thigh (had it not been practice he would have skewered the man's leg) while Pippin clashed with the actual sword. Things were looking up for the hobbits when Pippin 'cut off' Boromir's right arm, but in one quick sweeping motion the human sent Pippin rolling into the brush. The youngest hobbit wailed as he tumbled down the grassy slope, and Boromir dropped his sword and bent over with his palms on his leather covered knees; laughing once more.

"Pippin, you might want to try jumping next time – " Boromir never got the chance to finish, for Merry (had dropped his sword as well) rounded his left shoulder and plowed his little body into the tall man's groin. His laughter turned into a sharp cry and he fell flat on his back, onto the ground and curling up into a ball while groaning in pain.

Pippin, who had made his way up the hill in time only to see Boromir on the ground, looked at Merry with a huge grin. "What did you do?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures!" Merry assured his cousin, and thrust his sword back in his hand. "Come on Pip – let's get him!" Pippin brushed the leaves and grass off of him and out of his light hair with his free hand and gripped his sword with the other. Aragorn and Gandalf were now standing, watching to make sure nobody was seriously hurt. Sam and Frodo were cringing as they ate.

The hobbits pounced. Boromir was lying on his side now, still moaning and groaning and cringing, so Merry took a seat on his arm and Pippin straddled the human's thigh with his little legs and together the hobbits repeatedly swatted him with the handles of their swords. Boromir finally found a voice (that was a few octaiives higher).

"Enough! Enough already, I give up!" his face was drawn and pained now, and he pulled himself to a sitting position effortlessly  -  the hobbits slid off and their bottoms thudded against the rock, a pair of ouches following. Boromir looked at Merry with an evil eye. "That was a cheap shot…"

Merry looked straight back, legs in front of him and resting with his palms to the ground. "Yes, but if an Orc did that to you, it wouldn't consider your feelings, now would it, Boromir?"

Pippin gazed at Merry in sincere admiration, then furrowed his brow. "Merry…that's what he always says to us."

"I know Pip. It's like I'm giving him his own medicine."

Boromir rolled his eyes and (still gasping somewhat) glanced over his shoulder – Gandalf and Aragorn were watching with huge smiles on their faces. They even had the nerve to wave at him! He nodded back, sourly, and muttered something under his breath about being beaten by two Halflings.

"You're still a good sword fighter, Boromir!" Pippin chimed in, eyes still holding a glow from their victory.

Merry strayed a look at Aragorn and Gandalf, then brought his eyes back to Boromir. His voice was low. "I wonder…do you think you're better than Strider at sword fighting?" the hobbits eyes were meant to show nothing but curious innocence, and had Boromir not been purely focused on his…manhood and the pain that still lingered, he may have seen the mischievous want for vengeance in them.

Boromir, still somewhat steamed over the fact that Aragorn was to one day take his throne, nodded menacingly. "I would have to say yes."  Merry nodded and glanced at Pippin, who looked clueless, and trotted off somewhere with Pippin. Boromir pulled himself to his feet and brushed himself off. The other members of the fellowship were doing nothing but talking and eating. Gimli was speaking to a disinterested but politely listening Frodo and Sam about the splendor and magnificence of the Mines of Moria while they ate and nodded.

Legolas was gazing over the horizon, standing on a rock and only every now and then straying a glance his way. When their eyes met it seemed that the Elf was holding back a smile – a very smug smile. Damn, even Legolas found a bit of a laugh in his humiliation. He went back to his gazing, and Boromir noticed Merry and Pippin talking with a very interested looking Gandalf and Aragorn. The ranger (or monarch replacement, Boromir bitterly corrected himself) met his eyes, then looked back down to Merry and Pippin.

The two hobbits marched back up to Boromir with two big grins.

"What did you two do?" he asked, voice holding a hoarse note instead of it's playful one before.

"Nothing." Merry piped.

"We told Strider that you thought you were a better swordsman than he was!" Pippin told Boromir, honestly thinking it meant nothing. Boromir looked down to see Aragorn making his way up the path that lead to their little self-made training arena.

"Oh… marvelous, Halflings, marvelous." Boromir snapped, pulling his sword out and raising his eyebrows at Aragorn. The ranger drew his own sword, but his eyes held no malice. The taller man slipped a glare at Merry and pointed to a section of rock away from the two dueling men. "Go stand over there with your girlfriend."

Merry's jaw dropped and he glared at Boromir in rage, and Pippin (having realized what Boromir said) glared as well, but both of them moved out of the way.

"Merry says you wish to challenge me." Aragorn said simply, and Boromir nodded. A man of Gondor did not dare turn down any kind of duel. The fighting commenced, and both men were thoroughly skilled when it came to the actual art, but in speed Aragorn was certainly not Boromir's equal.

Aragorn snapped his blade over Boromir's, who quickly evaded the blow and slipped his own lunge at Aragorn's side. The ranger moved to the side with ease and gave a hard sweep right at Boromir's fingertips – the blade slit through the leather gloved and even drew blood; thus causing Boromir to drop his sword.

The steel point of Aragorn's weapon grazed his vulnerable throat and the ranger smirked. "Do you surrender?"

Boromir leered back and brought a hand up to push the blade away. "For now, ranger. We will settle this matter later." Aragorn nodded and retreated with a good grace, back to Gandalf, who was giving the man of Gondor a stern look for how he addressed Aragorn son of Arathorn. The old Wizard said nothing.

"Strider plowed you into the rock." Merry laughed, coming to stand beside Boromir. Seconds later his smile vanished into a frown as he looked up into the grey eyes of one of Gondor's finest soldiers. "That's what you get for calling Pip my girlfriend."

"Yeah, Boromir!" Pippin whined, aiming a kick to the back of Boromir's knee. "Watch what you say about me and Merry. We're stronger than we look. We took you down, didn't we?"

Boromir snorted. "I let you win."

"Did not!"

The human once again took a seat on the rock, and to his surprise both hobbits joined him. Without looking at them, he said, "One of these days you two will be glad I am part of this company."

"Yeah," Merry rolled his eyes. "Sure we will."

Boromir just laughed.