A/N: Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! We're finishing up with The Fellowship of the Ring and will soon be in Two Towers (yay!). I am extremely pleased with the response I am getting for this story, and I hope that it will continue! Sooo...let's begin shall we?
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 7
Anariel helped Legolas pull the boat onto the shore. They had paddled all day, though she understood why. Gollum was close behind them, and they had failed again to lose him. He was simply too good a waterman. After fixing the boat onshore, she looked about warily. She had a bad feeling.
"We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot…we approach Mordor from the North," Aragorn said quietly.
"Oh, yes, just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impossible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks. And after that it even gets better…a festering, stinking marshland, far as the eye can see," Gimli grumbled gloomily.
Anariel threw an amused glance at Legolas and he just shook his head. "That is our road," Aragorn said sternly. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."
Gimli huffed indignantly, "Recover my…"
Legolas looked to the forest behind them. "We should leave now," he said urgently to Aragorn.
"No. Orcs patrol the Eastern shore. We must wait for the cover of darkness," Aragorn disagreed.
"It is not the Eastern shore that worries me," Legolas said quietly, casting a glance at the forest again.
"A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it," Anariel said quietly, glancing at Legolas who nodded in agreement.
"Where's Frodo?" Merry asked suddenly.
Anariel's eyes quickly glanced around. "He is not the only one missing," she said quietly. "Boromir."
Sam sat up quickly and the hobbits looked at the others worriedly. "I will find him," Anariel said and she started into the woods before Legolas grabbed her hand.
"I will go with you," he said quickly, but Anariel shook her head.
"It's better if I go alone," Anariel argued gently. "He needs a…" she paused thinking of the right word.
"Mother," Pippin said quietly and Anariel smiled.
"More or less," she said before turning back to Legolas. "Stay here. I'll find him." Anariel gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he sighed before letting her go.
Anariel ran through the trees, listening to everything around her. She saw heavy footprints and began following them. Soon she was close enough to hear Boromir's voice, "Why do you recoil? I am no theif."
Oh no. Anariel ran harder, and the voices became clearer. "You are not yourself," she heard Frodo say warily.
Finally, Anariel burst through the thick of the trees, and her eyes immediately sought Frodo. Frodo's eyes locked onto hers, and Anariel saw the panic in them. "Boromir," Anariel said sternly, causing the man to wheel around to face her.
"Stay out of this she-elf!" Boromir spat before turning to Frodo.
Anariel leapt in between them, putting herself between Frodo and Boromir. "Boromir, Frodo is right. You are not yourself! Remember who you are!" she urged.
"What chance do you think he has? They will find him, they will take the ring, and he will beg for death before the end!" Boromir yelled, his voice growing louder with every word.
"Frodo," Anariel said quietly. "Go. Go back to Aragorn," she heard Frodo take a few steps back.
"You fool!" Boromir shouted and he pushed Anariel out of the way and leaped at Frodo. "It is not yours save by unhappy chance…it might have been mine. It should have been mine! Give it to me! Give me the ring!"
Anariel got back on her feet and dove into Boromir, knocking him off of Frodo. "Go Frodo!" she shouted as she struggled with Boromir. She heard Frodo's scurrying feet, and looked up to see that he had gone. Instead she saw the stirring of leaves as he moved, but not him…he'd put on the ring. Regrettably, Boromir used this distraction to his advantage and backhanded her across the face.
Stunned for a moment, she heard Boromir yell. "I see your mind…you will take the ring to Sauron! You will betray us! You go to your death and the death of us all!" Boromir yelled to Frodo.
"Boromir!" Anariel shouted slapping him across the face. "Think of what you are saying! What you have done!"
Anariel didn't know if it was slapping him across the face (which she would happily do again), or if his mind had finally caught up to his actions, but Boromir slowly seemed to come back into his right mind. "Frodo?" he whispered. "Frodo! What have I done? Please, Frodo…" he looked around frantically.
"He's gone Boromir," Anariel said quietly.
Legolas and the rest of the fellowship waited impatiently for Frodo, Boromir, and Anariel's return. However, after a few minutes, Legolas grew restless. He got up to go find her when Aragorn put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "I will go find them," Aragorn said. "Stay here."
Aragorn didn't give him time to reply before he started into the woods. Legolas stared after him, until Aragorn was lost even to his eyes. He turned around to see Gimli gripping his axe. "You're really not going to stay here, are you laddie?"
Legolas grabbed his bow and slung his quiver over his shoulder. "No. No I am not," he said and he immediately went into the forest. Gimli huffed, mumbling something about elves before jogging in after him.
This left the hobbits all to themselves. "What are we going to do?" Pippin asked.
"Wait here," Merry said, sitting down on a rock.
"I'm not leaving Mr. Frodo!" Sam said determinedly.
Pippin smiled and unsheathed his little sword, "Well? What are we waiting for?" he said before darting into the trees. Merry and Sam looked at each other only a moment before hurrying after him.
Aragorn heard a scurrying through the forest and began to follow it. Then, out of nowhere, Frodo appeared with a thud at his feet. "Frodo?" he questioned warily.
"It has taken Boromir," Frodo said sadly.
Aragorn took a step towards the hobbit, but Frodo took an immediate step back. "Where is the ring?"
"Stay away!" Frodo cried, grasping the ring tightly in his palm.
"Frodo," Aragorn said, stung by the hobbit's actions. "I swore to protect you."
"Can you protect me from yourself?" Frodo asked, revealing the ring in his palm. "Would you destroy it?"
Aragorn glanced at the ring, before kneeling at Frodo's feet. "I would have gone with you to the very end…into the very fires of Mordor."
"I know," Frodo said quietly. "Look after the others…especially Sam. He will not understand."
Aragorn nodded, but noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. "Go, Frodo!" he urged. "Run!" he said drawing his sword. "Run!" he said again as the Uruk-Hai swarmed him.
Anariel and Boromir began walking back to the boats when Anariel's ears picked up the unmistakable sound of clanging metal. Fighting. "This way!" Anariel urged and Boromir immediately fell into step behind her as she ran towards the sound.
Anariel unsheathed her sword as she ran, seeing the Uruk-Hai in front of her. They were quick to notice her arrival and charged at her. She met them head on and cut down the first two in her path. She heard Boromir fighting beside her, and felt a little bit more at ease. She quickly blocked a blow that would have taken her head off and kicked the orc to her left. She slashed the throat of an orc to her right, but sighed as she was sprayed with orc blood. Dang. She and Boromir continued fighting until all the orc lay dead at their feet.
In the distance she heard the cries of two particular hobbits. "Merry and Pippin!" she cried and began to run towards them, but at the same time she heard more Uruk-hai running behind her. She glanced at Boromir. "Go!" she shouted. "Go find them! I'll hold them off!" Boromir hesitated and Anariel rolled her eyes. "Do as I say!" she ordered and Boromir nodded before taking off in the direction of the hobbits.
Anariel turned to face her own fate. There were maybe about twenty. She just might make it out of this one alive. Granted, not completely unscathed…but alive nonetheless. She beheaded the first orc that charged at her, "foul," she muttered as she stabbed another through the heart, "loathsome." She paused to behead an orc to her left, "evil." She punched another orc in the face, "little." She made a grand sweeping motion with her sword and disemboweled three orcs at once, "cockroaches!" she finished stabbing another orc in the gut.
Aragorn attacked the leading Uruk-hai like a madman, cutting down several in his path. Soon however, he was completely surrounded. He fought with gritted teeth as he slashed an orc across his chest. Suddenly, an Elven arrow hit one of his attackers in the head. Aragorn glanced up and saw that Legolas and Gimli were throwing themselves into the fray. Gimli was swinging his axe left and right, muttering all the while. Legolas was firing arrow after arrow after arrow. The three of them slowly battled their way down the slopes. Then a sound rung through the air.
"The horn of Gondor!" Legolas exclaimed.
"Boromir!" Aragorn cried and began to fight relentlessly towards the man from Gondor.
Anariel jumped up into a tree to escape from the Uruk-hai. There were still ten, but she needed a break, and a better vantage point. She jumped down to the lowest branch and began battling with the remaining orc. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of blonde hair. An arrow hit an orc in the chest and Anariel jumped down out of the tree, swinging her sword wildly. Once all the orc were dead she looked towards her savior.
"What took you so long?" Anariel grinned.
Before Legolas could answer all sounds of fighting ceased. "It's over," Legolas murmured.
"Come on," Anariel said taking his hand and he led them to where Aragorn could seen kneeling in front of someone. Anariel moved to the side to see, and she gasped. Boromir was propped up against the tree, three orc arrows in his chest.
"They took the little ones," Boromir gasped painfully.
Anariel's eyes widened in horror. Merry and Pippin…
"Where…where is Frodo?" he gasped.
"I let Frodo go," Aragorn told him quietly.
"Then you did what I could not," Boromir said sadly. "I tried to take the ring from him. If it were not for Anariel…" he coughed violently and tried to catch his breath which was coming in labored gasps.
"The ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn answered.
"Forgive me…I did not see. I have failed you all…" he sighed.
"No Boromir," Anariel said kneeling beside Aragorn. "You fought bravely. You have kept your honor," she said quietly as Aragorn tried to bind his wound.
"No! Leave it! The world of men will fall and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin…Aragorn…" he began but Aragorn interrupted him.
"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you…I will not let the White City fall, nor your people fail…"
"Our people," Boromir corrected. "Our people…" he repeated.
Anariel placed Boromir's sword in Aragorn's hand, which Aragorn in turn gave to Boromir, who grasped it's hilt tightly. "I would have followed you my brother…my captain, my king," he choked out before he gasped out a final breath.
"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn whispered before kissing the fallen man's forehead.
Aragorn turned to see Legolas and Gimli behind him. He slowly stood and sighed, "They will look for his coming from the white tower…but he will not return."
Anariel watched as Boromir's body floated away down the river in one of their boats. They had piled the weapons of his foes around him, and laid his sword and horn with him. Anariel turned away after she saw the boat go over the waterfall, disappearing in the vapor.
Legolas looked across the shore and saw Sam and Frodo hurrying out of their boat. He rushed to the remaining boat and began to push it into the water. "If we are quick, we will catch Frodo and Sam by nightfall."
No one moved and Anariel looked at Aragorn who sighed. "You mean not to follow them?" Legolas asked.
"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn replied quietly.
"Then it has all been in vain…the fellowship has failed," Gimli said defeat in his voice.
"Not if we hold true to each other," Anariel argued gently. "I will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death, not while I'm still breathing."
Anariel glanced at Aragorn and watched as a steely determination entered his eye. "Leave all that can be spared behind," he said as he strapped a hunting knife to his belt. "We travel light," he said grimly. "Let's hunt some orc."
"Yes!" Gimli cried. "Ha!"
Anariel and Legolas looked at each other. Legolas stroked her cheek, noticing the bruise that was developing. Anariel placed her hand on his to hold it there. "We have to find them," Anariel whispered.
"And we will," Legolas answered and they quickly followed Gimli and Aragorn into the forest to pick up the Uruk-hai's trail.
And onward we go! Two Towers is next...
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ArthursCamelot
