A/N Okay who here thought we'd make it to the end of Fellowship this weekend? If you had told me last week it would happen I would've thought you were lying your ass off but here we are.

Also fucking bless every single one of you for putting up with my half assed beta work. I was rereading stuff this morning and had the realization that I'm going to have to re-beta like...all of it for grammatical errors and spelling mishaps. So thanks for just skimming over those and still reading cause yikes. There were some doozies.

So anyway, yes. This includes Parth Galen.

Sorry.

*Drops chapter and runs*


Nearly a week into their journey and every day was darker and darker in her mind. She was relieved of her watch and curled into her bedroll to sleep, nodding off quickly. Sometime later she woke with a start, gazing to the woods behind them first and then to those across the river. It was one thing to wonder about orcs and another to know they were out there somewhere. Another to dream about them running through the woods after everyone, a handful of days in their future. The Fellowship was about to break.

Aragorn got up from his seat by the river and came to her side, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Another dream?" He asked quietly so he didn't disturb the others.

She sat up with a sigh when she saw how little the moon had moved since she fell asleep. It seemed like there were eyes on them from all sides. Mordor in the east, Isengard in the west, and Gollum in the river though she'd yet to see him.

"Want some company?" She finally offered, resigned to a few more sleepless hours. Maybe then she'd be able to get some sleep.

He stood, hand outstretched to help her up. "You need never ask."

They walked back to the water's edge and sat on the rocky shore. Shoulder to shoulder they watched the moon reflect over the river in silence. He was still, calm but watchful after years of nights like this.

She on the other hand was coiled tight like a spring and it wasn't long until she felt his hand rest on her back, a warm assurance on a cold night.

"Will you tell me another story from your world?" He asked. "Or shall I tell you one?"

Josephine thought about it, coming to the conclusion that they could both use something maybe a little more removed from Middle-Earth. "What kind do you want to hear?"

"You said there was still a great deal to be told of Harry Potter. I believe you last spoke of Hagrid being sent to Azkaban?"

She chuckled, still finding it amusing to hear him say names like Hagrid and Harry Potter. It had taken her weeks to get used to him saying Luke Skywalker. "Right. So he'd told Harry and Ron to follow the spiders…"


Three days later they came to a set of rapids too dangerous to try and pass in the boats. They pulled ashore and Legolas went with Aragorn to scout ahead and try to find where the river calmed. Merry and Pippin glanced warily over their shoulders at Boromir as he stood by the water, chewing his thumbnail and staring at the eastern shore. They'd become uncomfortable being in the boat with him now that the Ring was so close to taking control.

A couple hours later Legolas and Aragorn returned, having found the end of the rapids. Unfortunately it meant they'd have to carry the boats and the baggage a mile and a half down the riverbank. It took them two trips and by the time they were finished it was late and they were too tired to make any more headway.

After lugging three boats and all their luggage over rough terrain, Josephine laid down to sleep without much worry about getting enough. Or would if she couldn't hear the conversation taking place between Aragorn and Boromir down by the shore.

"Minas Tirith is the safer road. You know that. From there we can regroup. Strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."

Aragorn's voice stayed calm, his eyes had been on Boromir for days already, having seen the same nervousness in Boromir that Merry and Pippin had. "There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us."

"You were quick enough to trust the Elves. Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage also, and honor to be found in Men. But you will not see that."

Josephine rolled over, wondering if she should intervene after all. She could settle it once and for all. When Aragorn turned to walk away Boromir yanked him back it made up her mind.

"You are afraid! All your life, you have hidden in the shadows. Scared of who you are, of what you are."

Her boots crunched over the shore and her presence gave them both a moment to pause. She opened her mouth to tell him the Ring could not and never would go to Gondor and then swallowed her words. It was doubtful anything she said at this point would counter what the Ring was telling him, but on the off chance it would, she couldn't tell him that. He had to make an attempt at taking the Ring.

"Enough, Boromir." She snapped instead.

"This does not concern you."

"It does when you're standing around in the middle of the night, yelling." She hissed. "Are you trying to let the entire valley know where we are?"

Boromir glared at her but he didn't argue back, her point was made well enough. Aragorn walked away and she waited to make sure Boromir wasn't planning to follow before she turned back in.


The next day she switched places with Pippin, taking his spot in between Boromir and Merry instead of sitting with Legolas and Gimli. They came around a bend in the river and she nudged Merry, staring up at the statues ahead. "The Argonath."

There hadn't been a scene in the entirety of the first movie that had awed her like seeing the Argonath had. Her frequent searches for the bookend replicas seemed petty now as the current brought them closer to the real thing.

"What are they?" Merry asked.

"Kings of old." Boromir answered.

Josephine looked behind her and saw him staring up at them with the same awe she had, and just for a moment, he was himself again.

"Isildur and his father Elendil. They're Aragorn's forefathers." She elaborated for Merry's sake, watching with wide eyes as they passed the base of the statues. "This land used to be part of Gondor."

"And may yet be again." Boromir added darkly.

They left the Argonath behind them and came to the lake. As they approached the shore Josephine stilled. It was like she was leading Boromir to his execution. An execution she'd ordered.

They made camp quickly, lighting a fire and unpacking some of the rations. After one last look at Boromir, Josephine positioned herself with her back to the camp, facing the falls. She couldn't be there watching as Frodo slipped off and as Boromir went after him. It had to remain the same.

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Aragorn said as he brought some of his things from the boat.

Gimli rebuffed him quickly. "Oh, yes? It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands far as the eye can see.

"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."

"Recover my…?!"

It was getting easier, in a way, to wait for the moments to happen. But was it really better to stand there with steady hands, numb to what was about to occur?

Gimli continued grumbling. "Recover strength? Pay no heed to that, young Hobbit."

A stack of firewood was tossed noisily onto a pile and then Merry spoke. "Where's Frodo?"

The entire camp began to shuffle and stand up, trying to see where he might've gone or if he was just out of sight.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam called worriedly.

"Aragorn," Legolas said. "Boromir is not here either."

Josephine still wouldn't turn. Not until Aragorn's hand gripped her shoulder and she was forced to look at him.

"Did Boromir go after Frodo? Is he going to try to take the Ring?" He stared at her with fear in his eyes when she didn't answer him. "Josephine, what is he going to do?"

"Go after Frodo." She said finally. "You'll find him but you have to go. I can't tell you anything else."

The rest of the camp had already begun to hurry into the woods and soon she was alone. In their haste no one had seemed to notice except for Aragorn. But Josephine couldn't stay in the camp. It was too out in the open for the Uruks to see and Frodo and Sam needed a safe point to leave from.

So, following their lead, she ran into the woods. If she could find a ruin or a copse of trees to hide in she could wait it out, that was her plan. To stay out of the way and let things happen like they were supposed to. It was all set up properly and she just had to let the dominoes fall.

But she wasn't sure where she was going and suddenly the sound of battle came down the hill. Above her she just see the tips of old stone work. She was too close to Amon Hen!

Leaves crunched and slid under her boots as she fled, skirting the way she'd come when she caught sight of an Uruk-hai down on the path she'd just taken. Swords clashed in the distance and she made for the river, she could only hope to stay out of things and not cause any trouble. Any hope of that soon dissipated and she didn't go unnoticed as the woods filled with heavy boots. The Uruk-hai moved faster than she did and they were hot on her heels when she broke into a clearing.

Goblins in Moria had been one thing, but four Uruk-hai were going to be a whole different story. They stood well over six feet and their arms were like tree trunks. No amount of skill was going to help her here, not with the strength they'd have behind their blows. But her sword was in her hand despite that, she had to at least try.

They cornered her, grunting and snorting in their helmets. This was it, the end to her journey that had been in the back of her mind since the day she'd agreed to come. They could see she was scared and they were reveling in it.

Then a thought occurred to her. She was useful to Saruman. If she could get them to take her with Merry and Pippin the Rohirrim would slaughter the Uruks and she could escape with them into Fangorn.

But the thought came too late for her to start bargaining and the largest of the three raised its blade, clashing down on hers so hard it knocked her down on her knee. The fight would be short and it raised its arm to strike again.

Then someone yelled. The head of the Uruk closest to her fell to the ground and Boromir swept up beside her, striking out at the next.

Boromir? Her heart lurched. If he was here, who was going to fight for the Hobbits? They'd be taken either way but if any one thing in their journey was thrown off it could easily lead to their death. Or worse, they might make it to Isengard.

For better or worse, there wasn't much time for her to consider the possibilities. More Uruk-hai were filtering into the clearing, drawn to the sounds of battle. While she cut the hamstring of one, Boromir sounded his horn in three blasts, and she turned and slashed at another's throat.

They were gaining ground when she saw something over Boromir's shoulder. She knew that Uruk-hai's face in an instant. He was taller than the others, broader, and drawing the string on a tight black bow. Boromir didn't see it, his clear eyes focused on the Uruk in front of him.

She couldn't do it.

Running at him she grabbed the collar of his hauberk and pulled, dragging them both onto the ground as a thick arrow rushed just past his ear. Boromir looked over his shoulder, seeing what she had. They had to get up there soon, before another arrow came their way.

With no discussion or confusion as to what they needed to do, Boromir barreled towards the Uruk with Josephine fast on his heels. He slammed his elbow into the Uruk's face and raised his sword to strike but he wasn't fast enough. The Uruk blocked and kicked him back, but when he raised his own weapon to strike Boromir down, Josephine brought her blade down on his wrist, her new sword cutting through it in a clean slice.

Boromir was about to swing out again when a pale arrow shot into the Uruk's eye socket. Behind them Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn stood at the tree line, the former with a second arrow ready just in case.

The clearing behind them was empty, save for the Uruk-hai she and Boromir had managed to kill. The forest around them was uncomfortably silent now and she knew that the battle had ended. Boromir was still very much alive.

Aragorn scanned the forest and cleaned his sword. "They've taken Merry and Pippin. I saw them being carried off from afar but could not get to them. For Frodo and Sam, I cannot say. They were likely taken as well or else the Uruk-Hai would not have left so quickly." He watched her, seeming to place his comments as a question to her.

She silently ticked through the events of the past fifteen minutes. Merry and Pippin had been taken as they were supposed to be, and until she was told otherwise she'd assume Frodo and Sam had departed to the Eastern shore. All as planned. All except for Boromir. The thought sent her reeling through the ways his death impacted the events in Gondor. How much his survival would challenge what she knew, made her panic.

"Josephine?" Boromir said worriedly, grasping her arm. "Did you see something?"

"Did you try to take the Ring? And Frodo put it on and ran from you and escaped?"

Legolas and Gimli turned towards Boromir, gripping their weapons.

Boromir shrank, looking at the ground. "I did such as you say. And my guilt for it is deeper than I have ever known."

"Oh thank god." She sighed. "At least that happened correctly" She shook his hand off, cleaned and sheathed her blade, and cleared her throat. "You all need to do exactly as I say."

"What is it?" Aragorn pressed.

Before it had been better to keep everyone in the dark, but now that the event had passed she had to do damage control and she couldn't do it alone. "Boromir wasn't supposed to survive the battle."

Eyes around her widened and Boromir took a step back from her. "What?"

Aragorn drew close, his voice low as if someone out in the woods could overhear them. For all they knew, someone would. "Josephine, what do you mean?"

"Merry and Pippin were supposed to be taken and Boromir was supposed to die trying to protect them. The Uruk-hai leader we were fighting was supposed to kill him." She turned to Boromir with a tense expression. "The impact of your death for what takes place in Gondor is complex and I can't mitigate the damage without help."

"Mitigate the damage!" Boromir spat, his fear coming through in anger. "You knew all this time that I would die here?"

Legolas intervened before Boromir could work himself up further. "And yet here you stand. It would seem you owe her your life, not your anger."

Aragorn nodded, passing his gaze from Boromir back to Josephine. "What would you have us do?"


Despite Boromir's grumbling that they were wasting time they could better use to rescue the Hobbits, they carried the weapons of the Uruks they'd slain with them as they headed back to the beach. Boromir lagged behind, trying to take in what had just happened.

"At the forge in Rivendell," Aragorn said softly, not wanting to draw Boromir's attention. "You were speaking of Boromir as well, not just Gandalf."

"Turns out it's pretty hard to let someone die when the choice is right in front of you. I just hope I didn't screw us all by doing it."

At the camp they found one boat to be missing, resting empty on the eastern shore, just like she'd hoped. They piled the weapons in one of the two left and added to it, Boromir's shield. Her first order, that they weren't going to follow Frodo was taken in stride, but her last request didn't go over so well.

"No! I absolutely refuse it!"

"Boromir…" Aragorn sighed tiredly.

"This is an heirloom of my kingdom, of my house. To let it float down the river to the sea is one thing, but cleaving it first into pieces?!"

Josephine rubbed her hand across her face and dug her fingers into her hips. "I know, I'm not really happy about it either! But we have to give them every reason to think you've died for as long as possible or else I can't see what'll happen anymore and we'll really be fucked."

Boromir mumbled something under his breath and thought for a moment. But finally, with a look of trust he nodded to her and took the horn of Gondor from his belt. He laid it carefully on one of the cracked landing stones and raised his sword above his head, bringing it down and breaking the horn into two pieces. He laid it in the boat beside his shield and stepped back.

"Are we done here?"

Josephine nodded, hoping she was right by doing this. She grabbed the side of the boat and heaved, Boromir joined on the other side and helped her guide it into the water where it slowly drifted towards the falls. He watched it for a moment, then turned away.

"Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed." Gimli sighed.

Josephine grabbed her pack and began emptying out everything she could go without for the next week, two steps ahead of Aragorn.

Aragorn clapped his hands on Legolas and Gimli's shoulders. "Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left."

"And what of a companion whose weakness betrayed their vow?" Boromir said with his shoulders low, standing apart from them all.

Slinging her nearly empty pack over her shoulder she stood. "You follow your king." She told him with a nod towards Aragon.

Boromir looked at Aragorn for a moment, all eyes on him for several long seconds until he bowed his chin. "As I should have, long ago."

She smirked and punched him lightly on the arm. "I knew you had it in you."

Taking her by surprise he pulled her into a bear hug, whispering to her, "You have given me a chance I may not deserve."

Hugging him back she caught a shake of tears in his voice. "You'll prove that you do." She couldn't truly know that now, given the sweeping change she'd just made, but she believed what she said.

"Thank you, little sister."

As Boromir pulled away and wiped a hand under his eyes, Aragorn cleaned the knife he'd been gifted by Celeborn.

"Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light." He slid the blade into its sheath in one swift move. "Let's hunt some Orc"