Disclaimer: I do not own LotRs only my character Deorwynn.
Thank you to all those who have reviewed my story. Yes I know the spelling is crap and I should spell check more. But still thank you for still reading.
Another Loss
The day we were to leave, the Lady Galadriel had arranged for three boats to be given to us for a journey down the river. Our provisions were replenished and Lord Celeborn had given us knowledge of the safest route to Mordor.
Tumulir gave me a new shirt, as my old one had been beyond saving and was now too small for me. The colour was a lovely light green that contrasted greatly with the dark leather of my over tunic, but I didn't mind. I gave Tumulir my greatest thanks and said my goodbyes.
We were also given new cloaks of the finest make. They were light and quite thin, but at the same time I felt warmed as it sat on my shoulders.
Before we boarded the boats, we were told that Lady Galadriel wished to give us each a gift. I had never seen the Lady, but as a boat appeared along the bank, carrying the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, with long golden hair that fell like a waterfall, adorn with a silver headpiece of intricate designs and blessed with the most perfect of features, the was no doubt in my mind that she was the Lady of Light.
To Legolas, she gave a bow of the finest make along with a set of thin arrows. To Merry and Pip, two small daggers, and elvish rope for Sam. Gimli, who was awe struck by Lady Galadriel's beauty, only asked to look upon her one last time. I grinned at him.
When she stood before me, I averted my eyes. I felt so shy before her.
"And you, Deorwynn of Gondor," Her voice was like a thousand years of whispers twisting into one single sound, "Your strength is the faith and trust in all those you know and love." It frightened me how she seemed to speak as though she had know all my life.
She pulled from within her robes a silver chain. On it hung a small blood red stone that was so deep in colour it looked almost black in the center. She placed it around my neck and stood back.
"To you, I give the Ondo en' Rina. The Stone of Memory." I touched the stone and looked up into her mysterious blue eyes. The stone cool to touch. "When you feel alone of afraid, the memories of those you love will bring them closer to you, even from the other side of Middle-Earth, their hearts will show the truth."
"Thank you my lady." I said meekly, bowing my head deeply.
She gave me a glorious smile and moved on.
To test what she had meant. I held the stone between my thumb and index finger, and thought of the first person that came into my head.
Faramir.
My other older brother.
I thought hard for one second, and the stone became warm.
As the last of the farewells were said, we headed for the boat. I was put with Legolas and Gimli while Aragorn and Boromir shared with the hobbits.
xxxxxxx
For a good solid day we traveled down the river. Occasionally I felt Legolas tense up behind me, like he saw something. I asked him what was wrong but he said nothing, still looking out at the shore with troubled eyes. We stopped along the western shores, just before the great waterfall. My legs had cramped up and frankly Gimli looked a little sea sick. I helped Legolas pulled the boat up onto the banks as Aragorn and Boromir did.
I could see the black clouds on the horizon. Mordor was closer now.
With a little help from Pippin and Gimli I got a fire going. It wasn't much, but enough to warm our damp cloths.
"We cross the river at nightfall." Aragon said, taking out some of the bed rolls and placing in front of the flames, "Hide the bouts and continue of foot. We approach Mordor from the north."
"Oh yes?" Gimli shifted next to me, "Just a simple matter of making a way through Emyn Muil, an impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks, and after that, it gets even better!"
Pippin stopped chewing on the food he had already tucked into and we both casted a wary look at one another.
"Stinking, festering marshlands, far as the eye can see."
"That is our road." Aragorn simply stated. "I suggest you take some rest Master Dwarf, and recover your strength."
Gimli went into a huff about it, ranting to Pip about he does not need to recover anything.
While he did that, I suddenly noticed that Boromir was not in the camp with us, nor was Frodo. My instincts told me to look for them, something wasn't right. While no one was paying me any attention, I slipped away and began to look for my brother.
I soon found myself lost in a mixture of trees and crumbling statues of the Old Ages. After searching and searching, I finally heard something. Boromir's voice engaged in conversation with another. He sounded desperate.
"I ask only for the strength to defend my people. If you would but lend me the Ring."
"No" Said the smaller voice.
Oh please don't let it be...
I started to run and found within a clearing Boromir advancing on Frodo, who looked scared. "Why do you recoil? I am no thief." Boromir said. "You are not yourself." Frodo cried.
"What chance do you think you have? They will find you. They will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end!"
Frodo walked away from him, enraging Boromir who followed after him, yelling how the Ring should be his. I wasted no time in running over and pulling Boromir away from him. "Boromir, no. This is madness! Please!" But he was stronger than me and easily pulled away.
"Give it to me!" He tackled Frodo down and tried to grap the the chain which held the Ring. I again tried to pull Boromir away, but he turned and hit me in face, sending me backwards onto the ground. I could already feel the sting of the open cut on my lip and the taste of blood. I looked up in time to see Frodo slip the Ring on and ... disappeared.
I gasped, so did Boromir, and he was knocked back in his moment of distraction. Some leaves flew up from the ground and a small branch was kicked away by something.
"I can see your mind. You will take the ring to Sauron! You will betray us!" Boromir screeched, looking around wildly for Frodo. "Boromir, stop." I tried to speak, but my face still hurt.
His face was twisted and monstrous, his eyes blazing. This was not the proud son of Gondor, nor the hero of Osgiliath, this was a madman, trapped in a delusion.
"Listen to what you're saying Brother!"
"You will go to your death, and the death of us all! Curse you! Curse you and all the Halflings!"
Seeing no other way to stop him, I punched him in the gut. I feel to his feet and looked up at me, like a wild animal being caught in a trap. I stood there panting for moment.
Eventually Boromir blinked and looked me up and down, like he was seeing me for the first time. "Deorwynn?" He whimpered pathetically.
I backed away from him slowly, unable to comprehend what he had done, what I had done. I punched my own brother. Granted he hit me first but still, I had punched him.
So, like a coward, I ran.
I went back the way I came, but might have gotten lost again. Regardless I kept going like the scared little girl I felt like at that moment. I had just partaken in my first battle, with dozens of orcs and goblins, been close to getting killed, and what scared me the most, my own brother. It was unsettling and I didn't like it one bit.
I finally stopped and lent against a tree, wiping the blood that trailed down my lip with the edge of my new tunic, staining the beautiful fabric. I heard a twig snap from my left and I tensed up. It was hard to focus between all the trees but I could just make out the black of an orc's skin running through the forest. I automatically reached for an arrow and aimed. I held my shot as I noticed that these orcs were bigger than the ones from before. So I followed it and found myself hearing the sounds of clashing swords and the battle cries of the orcs.
The orc I was following turned out to be as large as any man with full armor and markings all over his body. It sniffed the air once and snarled, turning on its heels to face me. It didn't give it a chance to attack and shot it in the head.
When its massive body fell, I could clearly see what was happening now. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli were engaged in combat with more of these super orcs. Legolas stood shooting at them as they kept coming, but failed to see one sneaking up behind him, I never knew such creatures could sneak.
I shot the orc in the back before it could reach him. Legolas looked round to see only the crumpling body of the orc and myself. He gave me a nod of acknowledgement and continued fighting.
I had returned the favor from before.
Switching to my sword, I found it easier to fight these creatures, as they kept coming and coming. My arms ached terribly and there was no sign of our smallest members. I only prayed that Frodo was safe from Boromir.
Boromir.
Where was he?
In the distance there was the sound of a horn, calling out for help. We all stopped and turned in the direction the sound was coming from.
"The Horn of Gondor." Legolas was the first to speak, and I was the first to run. The orcs, or whatever these things were, also massed towards the sound of the horn. Once again I was caught in the fighting.
"Deorwynn, duck!" Aragorn cried. As I did he beheaded another foe that was behind me.
"You go on ahead. We'll deal with this." I said. But Aragorn looked at me like I was insane.
"Go help him, please!" I begged this time, and he was off cutting his way through the black mass. I resumed my work killing them too, only finding each swing getting heavier and more difficult.
What seemed like hours passed and soon the orcs began to disperse or were finally dead. I ran as fast as I could to find Boromir, tripping over bodies and fallen trees. I eventualy found Aragorn kneeling over one of the dead orcs, but as I looked closer and saw the red and black armor and the guntlets emblazened with the White Tree, I was overcome with a dread brewing in my gut and my breathing speed up.
I dropped my sword and ran to Boromir's side. Three black arrows petruded from his chest stomach and his skin was deathly white, yet he was still alive, only just.
"Boromir." I whispered, for my voice was caught in my throat. I attempted to pull one of the arrows out but Aragorn stopped me.
"Why aren't you helping him?" I cried.
"I'm sorry," He said softly, "It's too late."
"No," I could already feel the tears spilling down my cheeks, "No, I won't let him die."
Boromir was stuggling for breath, and I cried even more when I saw blood slowlin spilling out his mouth.
"Do not cry, Deorwynn," He said in a raspy voice, causeing more blood to form,"I am not worthy of you tears. Nor your forgiveness."
"I forgive you, alright? You going to be fine."I sniffed,
"You were far more wiser than I could ever have been."
"Boromir, don't talk like that,"
There was no fooling anyone. He was slowly slipping away from me and there was nothing I could do. I looked at Aragorn, and he looked at me with the same look of pain.
Boromir reached out from his sword but struggle to grab the hilt, his hand was trembling. I picked it up and placed it in his grip, only to have him push it towards me. "You must forfill our oath on your own now, Deorwynn."
"No Boromir, I can't." I tried to place the sword back with him, but he once again forced it upon me.
"Take it. This way ... I can still protect you." His hand dropped from the hilt and he looked up at Aragorn.
The Ondo en' Rina around my neck that was burning through out the whole battle began to grow colder and colder with each breath Boromir took.
"I would have follow you to the end, my brother," He said with a small smile, "My captain, my King." Aragorn nodded to him.
I felt his hand tighten around mine for a brief moment and, like the stone, I felt it grow cold and limp, and very slowly. "I will always be with you, my sister." He looked at me the whole time and I watched the life in his eyes fade until ... there was nothing.
A bleak, empty nothing.
My tears landed on his lifeless face and Aragorn stood back, letting me have my moment.
"Be at peace, son of Gondor." I heard him say.
I hadn't noticed that Gimli and Legolas had caught up with me and stood a little off, not wishing to intrude.
"I will remember you, my brother." I brushed the droplets of tears from his face and kissed his forehead tenderly.
Pain was the first emotion to come. The tight, twisted pain in my chest and my stomach that forced the sobs up my throat, but I stopped them doing so, and took steady breaths.
"They will look for his coming from the White Tower," Aragorn said aloud, so that the others could hear, "But he will not return."
I stood up and clutched Boromir's sword in my hand. For so long, Boromir had always told me never to touch it, for it was too dangerous for me, but now ... now it was mine. It didn't feel right.
Everthing became a blured as my tears built up and fell silently down my face and I could not see who had place his hand on my shoulder.
I didn't care.