Chapter 15

"Boromir... Boromir!"

Boromir's eyes shot open in shock. He moved to sit upright and took in his surroundings. The pounding in his head was immense and a hand quickly came up to inspect the rather large bump on the back of his head. Last he remembered there was a great battle. He was fighting to save them; Merry, Pippin, and Samantha... Samantha.

The fighter stood, Aragorn's words couldn't reach him, as Boromir seemed to be in his own world. Aragorn looked at the fighter almost impatiently, he needed to know what had happened! Though, he was sure he already knew. The ranger could find no evidence of Merry, Pippin, or Samantha. He did though clearly remember her scream. It was bone chilling, as if she were fighting for her life. It was a scream he would not soon forget.

Boromir's heart was racing and his breathing was labored. He took a few steps forward and turned, inspecting the area. Orc upon orc scattered the landscape around them, though his eyes were fixated on locating a hobbit, or fair skin and fiery hair. He had to find them. After a few awkward steps he turned toward Aragorn, "Where are they?" His heart grew cold, fearful of what his companion would tell him.

Aragorn looked down before looking in the direction he had heard Samantha's screams. "They are gone." It was the best observation he could make. They had left as swiftly as they had come. If Boromir did not remember then it was the most logical conclusion, they were captured for a reason.

It took a moment for Boromir to process what Aragorn had said. "Taken?" Boromir stated again, his heart chilled at the thought.

Just then, Legolas and Gimli ran down the hill toward them. Legolas looked frantic, he was sure he had heard Samantha screaming, though he didn't see her there. His heart raced and his eyes were frantic. The elf went up to the two men immediately, "What happened?"

Legolas did not receive an answer. Aragorn couldn't meet his eyes and Boromir's face was focused on Aragorn. His expression contorted into one of disbelief and sorrow. Several long moments passed and Legolas couldn't bring himself to speak even though ever fiber of his being wanted an answer. After the information finally seemed to sink in for Boromir he turned to the panicked elf, "...Gone." He said in a weak voice.

He wouldn't take that for an answer, "Gone?" Legolas urged. "What do you mean? You must tell me!" He grabbed Boromir by the shoulder roughly, urging Boromir to tell him what happened. The fighter could still not bring himself to look Legolas in the eye. He had failed them.

Aragorn placed a hand on Legolas's shoulder in an attempt to calm him, "She and the hobbits were taken by the Uru-kai."

Legolas's usual pale face turned white as a sheet. Those things had taken her. With every moment, they were taking her farther away from him, to a fate he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. To be beaten, starved, tortured or... worse. She had already endured so much, he wasn't sure if she could handle what the Uru-kai had in store for her. Or, if she would even survive. Would he ever see her alive again?

He should have been there. He should have stopped her when she went off alone! They had just started to reconnect as they used to. Legolas fondly remembered the time they had spent together. Watching her improve and grow as a person in an unfamiliar place.

He let go of Boromir, unsure of what to do next. They surely could not leave them to such a fate! They had to leave now! They had to go after them, try to save them! On their own they would all perish. Legolas wanted nothing more than to set off right then and there but there was a problem.

The ring.

Frodo.

He had made a vow to protect Frodo and the ring, as well as a vow to protect Samantha. Though he knew his vow to Frodo was more important for the safety of the realm. He wasn't sure how long silence hung in the air before he spoke, "And... what of Frodo and the ring?"

Boromir looked down at the mention of Frodo. He couldn't believe he had done such a thing. He was willing to kill the hobbit to get the ring... He was a man of honor and there had been no honor in his actions as of late. Samantha was right, he was not himself. His mind went to their own confrontation in the forest, he had treated her so harshly. Why? Jealousy? Delusion? He was not sure, though he was beyond remorseful that their encounter would be the final one the two of them would have. There would be no way for her or the hobbits to survive.

Aragorn looked up into the green eyes of Legolas. Aragorn could plainly see Legolas wanted to take off and save them, to not leave them to their fate. He was also well aware of the feelings both men in front of him had for Samantha, even if they would not admit it. He admired their restraint. Had it been Arwen, he did now know if he could put duty before her. She was his world, and letting her go was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. No physical wound could ever compare. He looked to the elf, and then to the fighter before him. He saw pain in their eyes. Aragorn was uncertain though. Was this what Galadriel meant when she said the quest hung on the edge of a knife? If so, then their actions now mattered greatly. Follow after Frodo, or continue on to save their companions?

Boromir, Legolas and Gimli watched as Aragorn turned and headed in the direction of their camp on the shore. Where was he going? Were they going to leave their friends to their fate? Legolas couldn't believe what he was seeing, surely there was something Aragorn could say at the very least. The elf took a few steps forward but felt Boromir grip his shoulder, causing him to turn and look back at the man. "What is it?"

"I am sorry." Boromir blurted out, his eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

"Sorry for what?" Legolas questioned him, the hair on the back of his neck standing up in nervous anticipation.

"So much." He looked between the eyes of Gimli and Legolas who both stood listening to him. "I could not save them. The four of us, we were fending them off, even with our few numbers. I knew our chances were slim, but I fought on... Then I heard my name." He paused, vividly remembering Samantha running up to him, giving him no time to react. "Samantha pushed me down, the force of her body ramming into me..." He paused, remembering his world fading to black, "I dreamed she was there, screaming my name, but I could do nothing. They took them all, and I fear I will never be able to apologize for what I have done."

Legolas's eyes narrowed, "Apologize for what?"

Boromir looked down and shook his head, "I... I scared her. I let my own emotions get the better of me and said things I did not mean."

Legolas could tell that was all the more he was going to say on the subject. Just then his eyes picked up on a thick black arrow plunged into the ground. There were no others. There was nothing else Samantha could have saved him from. Putting two and two together Legolas ripped the arrow from the earth and held it up, "Perhaps, she saved you from a worse fate." He held out the arrow for Boromir to take.

The man took the arrow and he too noticed there were none like it on the battlefield. None of the Uru-kai had attacked with bows, until this one. Boromir's grip tightened, realization dawning on him. 'She saved my life...'

Gimli took a step forward, clearing his throat to gain their attention. He too mourned the loss of their three companions but they could not dwell on it. There would be a proper time and place to mourn their loss. "We should catch up with Aragorn." He said lowly.

There was silence as the two agreed with the dwarf and they headed out to catch up with Aragorn. When they reached the banks of the river Aragorn was standing there, mending the few cuts he had received. Legolas saw one boat was missing of the three and immediately searched the other side of the river. There he saw the boat, and two figures run into the trees. "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore. We must hurry if we are to catch up to them." Internally, his heart was torn, he knew they had to go after Frodo and Sam to ensure the safety of the ring, but he wanted so much more to go after Samantha and the others. The thought of not seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, or feeling her hand in his made his chest tighten and his knees weak. He had never felt this way about losing someone before, at least, not since his mother.

Silence hung in the air before Legolas turned toward Aragorn. A reluctant and troubled look had settled upon the Ranger's face that Legolas was quickly able to decipher. "You mean not to follow them?"

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." He knew that Frodo planned to leave. The ring was something far beyond any of them. A burden the hobbit had to bear alone, though he was relieved Sam had gone with him. Frodo would need someone by his side, who better than his closest companion.

Gimli stepped forward, "Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed."

Boromir stepped forward as well, "What more can we do when all has been lost?"

The four stood in a small circle and Aragorn looked at each of them. He placed a hand on the shoulder of Gimli and Boromir who stood closest to him, "Not if we hold true to each other." He looked to Boromir and Legolas, "We will not abandon Samantha, Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left." A new sense of hope welled within them. They could no longer help Frodo, but they could at least help their captured comrades. Aragorn moved to grab more supplies, "Leave all that can be spared behind, we travel light." He turned to them and there was a drive in his eyes and a determination that could not be wavered, "Let us hunt some orc."

As Aragorn went ahead into the forest the three remaining looked to one another. Small smiles graced their lips and Gimli let out an excited shout as he followed after Aragorn. Legolas took after the dwarf quickly. No, he would not leave them to torment and death. With Frodo and the Ring out of their reach he had only Aragorn and Samantha to whom he held vows to. He would not fail her now. Not when he needed her most. 'Please be safe. I'm coming for you.'

Boromir took one last glance at the black arrow in his hand, an ominous feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as he gazed upon it. Tossing the arrow aside he quickly gathered the few things he needed and took off after them. Through the pounding in his head he pushed forward. He could not stop now, he had to push himself. Samantha's face flashed in Boromir's mind, urging him forward, 'You saved my life, I will not allow you to die!'

~0~

A fierce pounding in her head was the first thing Samantha registered when she came to. Very shortly after she realized she was on the back of something that was running, causing the pain to be worse. Opening her eyes she realized what had happened and where she was. She looked around at all the Orcs around her, all running as if their lives depended on it. Her eyes locked with those of Pippin who was strapped to the back of an Orc in a similar fashion as she was.

"Samantha!" Pippin said in relief. He was so glad to see Samantha awake, now if only Merry would do the same. He turned toward Merry who's head was hanging back limply. The wound on his head covered with dried blood.

Samantha couldn't help but look around wide eyed. Here she was with Merry and Pippin, were they supposed to be taken as well? Would they have been taken if she wasn't there? Was this her fault? Out of all the thoughts in her mind the one that haunted her most of all, 'Is Boromir alive?' She knew better than to hope for a good outcome for her friend, but she had to hope. She could see it, the rest of the scene play out in her mind. A helpless unconscious Boromir prone on the ground, skewered with not a shred of dignity. While it wasn't the exact scenario Galadriel had shown to her, it was the same outcome. And now, she had been captured and she was being taken off to die, and Merry and Pippin were dragged into the mess as well.

Even with the odds stacked against them, she knew they had to escape. Where they were going, no good could come of it. Samantha wracked her brain for what she could do when the band of Orcs came to a stop. A head of the group more smaller orcs came out from behind rocks and cliffs. She strained her years to try and hear what they were saying but it was no good, they were too far away and she couldn't make anything out of the gibberish she could hear. When the two Orcs were done talking, the larger one started to walk back through the ranks. As if to check on his troops though she couldn't imagine an Orc leader caring about the state of his troops.

Pippin was looking around, fearful for Merry who still had not woken up. He noticed one of the Orcs pull out a pouch of what he assumed was water and begged the orc, "My friend is sick! He needs water, please!"

The leader of the pack heard Pippins plea and laughed, "Sick is he? Give him some medicine, boys!"

Samantha gasped as the Orc took the pouch and poured a sickly dark colored liquid into the poor hobbits mouth, making him sputter. Samantha could feel her anger rising at her friends mistreatment and fought with her binds. How could they treat them like this? Obviously, they had taken them for some reason or another. Didn't they realize they could kill him by pouring that down his throat? He could choke!

Pippin looked on aghast at the sight of the brown liquid spilling out all over Merry. "Stop! Leave him alone!" Pippin shouted over the orcs laughter.

"Why?" The leader asked Pippin, "You want some?"

Pippin fell silent, not wanting the wrath of the orc to fall on him. Samantha had never been good at biting her tongue when she was angry, and she was about to wish she had worked on that long ago. Against Samantha's better judgment she spoke, "If you haven't harmed us yet why would you start now?"

The leader's head spun toward her and she instantly knew she had fucked up. He took several intimidating steps toward her, "And, what makes you think we won't?"

Samantha stared into it's eyes and swallowed, the anger she felt subsiding as she took in the orcs monstrous appearance. He really did look like he could eat her. "Y-you haven't killed us yet, its obvious you're taking us somewhere for some reason."

The leader gave a nod to the orc who Samantha was strapped to and she felt her bonds be cut, causing her to fall to the ground in a heap. Before she could even register her fall she felt a massive blow to her gut, making her curl up into a ball. She heard Pippin cry out for her as tears welled in her eyes from the sharp pain that now radiated from her torso. The quickest of moments passed before she felt a large hand grip her hair and hoist her head up. She let out a shrike of pain that was silenced by a hit to the jaw. She clenched her eyes shut in pain as tears escaped, doing her best to ignore the other orcs laughter.

The orc smiled in satisfaction at Samantha's pain. He watched the tears fall as he spoke, "You are to be alive and unspoiled. Saruman will care little about bruises and broken bones." He turned to Merry and Pippin whiles still keeping hold of Samantha, causing her hair to be yanked more and one of her hands went to the Orcs wrist to try and support her weight. "That goes for you as well. Any back talk, and this will be the response you get!" He turned back toward Samantha and noticed while one hand was on him, the other was gripping a pendent around her neck. "What's this?" He said in a mocking tone as he ripped it out of her hand.

"No!" She shouted but was thrown to the ground, feeling the chain of her locket snap. Her head collided with the ground, sending stars across her vision as she lay there groaning for a few moments. Samantha looked up through her hair at the beast who inspected the locket. She had just gotten her family back in the only way she could, she didn't want them taken away from her again! She wanted to beg, plead with it to give it back to her, but the sharp pain in her side and throbbing of her jaw kept her silent. All she could do was let the tears fall as silently as she could muster.

"Where you're going, you won't be needing anything like this." The leader threw the pendant to the ground and barked the order to tie Samantha back up, they had to get moving again.

Samantha could feel her side burn with every move they made, and she found if hard to catch her breath. Each deep breath she took caused her side to hurt worse. 'Is this what a broken rib feels like? Or am I just badly bruised?' Samantha wondered to herself as she was again hoisted on the back of an orc once again.

"Samantha, are you alright?" Pippin asked her frantically. He couldn't take his eyes away from the spectacle and he knew she had to be in pain. The orc had kicked her far too hard! It was all uncalled for!

The woman looked up and met his gaze, looking past Pippin she saw Merry who was now awake and looking at her in concern. Though, Merry was obviously in his own pain as well. "Fine, Pip." She said and tried to muster a grin. They were going to die. No need to make him worry any more than he was already.

Their attention was drawn to the sound of deep inhaling. The troop leader also picked up on this and stopped, "What is it? What do you smell?"

The other orc took another sniff, "Man-flesh."

There was an uneasy stir in the orcs. They didn't know how many men there were or how far away they were either. The leader knew they had to get their cargo to Saruman as quickly as possible. They would deliver his prize. "They've picked up our trail!"

Pippin's head perked up at the news. There was only one person he could think of that would come after them, "Aragorn." He turned excitedly to his companions in an attempt to lift their spirits, "They're coming!" He whispered to them.

Samantha could only nod, too exhausted and in pain to give a proper answer. The news was a relief to say the least but it brought to her painful memories. Would they make it in time? Could they get out of this alive? She turned her head away from her hobbit friends and freely let the tears fall. After everything, her mind wondered back to a particular elf and her heart clenched in her chest. She did her best to think of him and not focus on the reality of her impending death. All the dancing around each other they did in Lothlorien, what was it even for? If she knew then that she was going to die, perhaps she would have done things differently.

Fast update this time! Three years into writing this story and we are finally to the few chapters that inspired me to create it! Thank you so much to everyone who reads, I appreciate all of you. I'm hoping I can continue updating every month/every other month kind of time frame. But if I get done early (Like this chapter) I will post. I recently moved and started a brand new job in the last few months so my life has been through a lot of changes. And man, three years... Since starting this story I've been through 3 cars, 4 moves, 2 boyfriends and even got a cat (My flooffy baby boy Jasper)! Hopefully in three more years I can add a completed fanfiction to my list!

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Posted: 1-19-2021