When he was sure that Frodo was away, Aragorn walked out from beneath the ruin and found himself face to face to a troop of Uruk-hai advancing towards him while screeching and roaring. Calmly, Isildur's heir walked towards them, touching his sword to his forehead. But one Uruk got his attention : among the troop of ugly beasts was one who seemed bulkier than the rest an Aragorn knew it was their Leader.
Soon the Uruks attacked but Aragorn managed to cuts several down before he was forced up the stairs of the seat to avoid being surrounded by his attackers. As Strider was defending himself and dodging his attackers' weapons, the Uruk Leader, Lurtz yelled out an order which was pretty simple " Find the Halflings! Find the Halflings!"
At this order, some Uruks rushed forward and began to head toward where Frodo went but suddenly, a chorus of angry roars echoed in the air which caused the Beasts to pause as they looked around to find out what made such a powerful sound . They instantly got their answer when ,without warning, two large forms bursted out of the bushes before charging the Uruks with fury.
At first surprised by the turn of event, the Uruks quickly regained their composures as they attacked the two Lions who used their claws to tear their flesh apart. Kopa and Vitani were following Orc's scent when they heard the sound of fighting in the distance which caused the two to quickly ran toward where it came from. When they arrived, the two Large Felines were shocked to find their comrades Aragorn fighting all alone a large group of Beasts who looked like Orcs but bulkier and uglier.
Seeing this, they threw themselves into action. Aragorn stopped fighting for a second as he let a relieved smile appearing on his face but then quickly ran to the edge of the ruins before jumping off it yelling "Elendil !" In his fall, he knocked out two Uruk-Hai before quickly turning around to drive his sword into another one who was charging him just as another Uruk was shot by an arrow.
It was at this moment , as the smoke dissipated, that Legolas and Gimli appeared from nowhere. The Blond Elf armed his bow and shot another arrow to take down another Uruk-Hai while Gimli threw an axe into another of those disgusting Beasts.
The fight went on and everyone were fighting bravely. Kopa and Vitani were coordinating their fighting combats skills as they killed any opponents who dared to come to close. Legolas ,for his part, killed most of the enemies with his arrows but if they got too close , he used his daggers. Gimli the Dwarf slammed his two-sided battle axe into an Uruk as Aragorn stabbed another one with his elven dagger.
"Aragorn ! Go !" Legolas yelled to his longtime friend who didn't complained as he headed off to go after some Uruks ,who managed to sneak past the two enraged Lions, chasing after Frodo while the others kept taking down the remaining Uruks still present on the summit. Gimli took out an Uruk with a swing of his axe while Legolas shot another one as his arrow went straight into through its chest and piercing another Uruk behind it.
Kopa roared a challenge as he pinned an Uruk down before slashing its neck with claws while Vitani ripped another one's head off with her fangs. Legolas took out another arrow but stabbed a charging Uruk in the face before pulling it back on his bow and firing it to another one.
Meanwhile, Frodo was running through the woods but the moment he turned his head to look behind him, he tripped on a root and fell on his back as a group of Uruk-Hai were running after him. Thankfully, they were stopped by Aragorn who appeared from their right, swinging his sword directly on the leg of the leading Uruk ,sending it flipping forward.
At the same time, Frodo quickly scrambled back on his face before hiding behind a tree to avoid being spotted by the incoming Uruks. Aragorn, for his part, was throw back into the wall of a ruined archway and as another Uruk attempted to kill him, he drove his dagger straight into it, killing it in the process.
The Ring-Bearer pushed himself further against the tree as a few Uruk-Hai ran by and ,thankfully, failed to noticed him. Then, across the way, Merry and Pippin popped their heads from a space under some fallen tree trunks. " Frodo !" "Hide there ! Quick ! Come on !" The two quietly yelled at him as the two gestured for their comrade to join them.
Frodo looked at them sadly and Merry's eyes narrowed his eyes worriedly as Pippin didn't understand why the Ring-Bearer wasn't coming "What's he doing ?" he asked his friend who still looked at Frodo closely. When Mr. Baggins shook his head, Merry understood what he was about to do " He is leaving..." he replied in a shocked tone as he looked at Frodo who had an anguished look on his face as he looked away from the duo.
"No!" Pippin yelled in denial as he gritted his teeth in anger before jumping out of their hiding place toward Frodo "Pippin !" Merry called him out as he jumped after his comrade to stop him. Sadly, it was too late when they both heard a screech in the distance and they turned their heads to see a group of Uruks running down the hill toward them.
Frodo looked at them as they both looked at him : the two Hobbits knew what they had to do right now. The Ring-Bearer wore a worried look on his face as if he instantly seemed to know what they were about to do " Run Frodo. Go on !" Merry shouted to him as he and Pippin looked back at the incoming Uruks "Hey ! Hey you ! Over there !" Merry yelled as he cupped his hands to signal their presences to the Uruk-Hai " Hey !" "Over there !" "This way !"
Then the two brave Hobbits turned around before running away from Frodo with the Uruks on their tails as they ran farther and farther away. The Ring-Bearer seemed unsure about what to do but then he got up before running away in the opposite direction down the hill, leaving his friends behind. "Its working !" Pippin remarked happily while running " I know its working ! Run !" Merry inquired loudly as the two drew more and more Uruks toward them as the two ran away as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, Legolas , Gimli , Aragorn , Kopa and Vitani were still fighting near the ruins. The Blond Elf ducked under a charging Uruk's sword before coming back up and driving both his elven daggers straight into the Beast's neck. Then he ducked down again before spinning around to swing his lames into another Uruk's back. Gimli intercepted an Uruk who was charging Aragorn by blocking his sword with his axe. Then he pushed it away before slamming his axe straight into the Beast's stomach.
Aragorn ducked under an Uruk's sword before stabbing it with his dagger ,stunning it as he stood back. Then he grabbed its head before slamming it against a wall. Kopa took a swipe with his clawed right paw and sent another Uruk flying in the air toward Vitani who caught him with her mouth before tossing it on the ground and slashing its neck. The Brown Maned Lion smiled at his mate as he watched her fight but then he saw a Uruk charging him from the corner of his eye and delivered a powerful blow which sent the ugly beast flying in the air before crashing hard against the ruins. Gimli , for his part, knocked away another Uruk's sword before elbowing it across the face , knocking it to the ground.
Merry and Pippin were running across an old stone bridge but at its far end, they stopped in their tracks when they saw many Uruk-hai running towards them, both in front and behind. An Uruk ran up to them, raising his battleaxe when suddenly, Boromir charged in, knocking the Uruk back before killing it with its own axe. He threw a knife at another one's neck when the Beast was charging him.
Meanwhile, Aragorn found himself pinned against a tree by an Uruk while Legolas shot arrows after arrows , killing every Uruks who tried to charge him or to get away from him. Kopa growled threateningly at an Uruk as Vitani jumped above him before pinning down another one who was charging her mate. Then she lifted her paw, her claws shinned under the sunlight, before swiftly slashing the Beast's neck.
Aragorn then managed to push the Uruk away before turning it around so its back was facing Legolas who gladly released an arrow into its enemy who fell limp on the ground. Gimli then approached the duo while Kopa and Vitani killed the last Uruks. When it was done , the two Lions approached their comrades when three loud horn blasts were heard echoing in the air. "The horn of Gondor !" Legolas stated in surprise as he looked toward the woods.
At those words, Aragorn became worried as he shouted "Boromir !" Quickly he took off toward where the sound came from, followed by Kopa and Vitani. But then they were stopped in their tracks as Uruks charged them. They had no choice but to fight their way to Boromir.
Speaking of the Gondorian, he picked up an Uruk before throwing it to the ground with a cry. Falling to the ground, he swiftly got up as he stabbed the Beast before it could get back up. As he backed away, Boromir bring out his horn before blowing into it for the second time , sending out the three horn blasts. At the same time, Aragorn leaped over a fallen tree and ducked under an Uruk's sword before punching it in the face . Then he ran away, stabbing another one of his attackers in the process through its stomach. Many Uruk-Hai chased after him but then two Large Figures posted themselves between Saruman's Beasts and Aragorn, growling.
"Go Aragorn ! We can handle this !" Kopa shouted as he charged the Uruks with a roar of fury. "Go help Boromir !" Vitani added hurriedly as she clawed an Uruk across the face. Isildur's heir nodded and took off running, killing the Uruks whoo dared to be on his path.
Meanwhile, Boromir had dropped his horn to fight an Uruk, blocking its sword before cutting its arm off as it fell backwards on the ground. The Beast attempted to get back up but Pippin jumped onto it with Merry behind him as Boromir turned around to take down another Uruk , sweeping it off with his sword before driving his lame right into it.
Boromir's horn had not only called out Aragorn and the others but also drawing the attention of all Saruman's soldiers for miles around. A massive horde of Uruk-Hai could be seen running down the Hill toward them. "Run ! Run !' Boromir inquired the Hobbits who did what they were told as they ran away for safety while the Gondorian Soldier faced their attackers alone.
But as Boromir fought bravely, another figure came into view. Lurtz calmly walked down the hills with an armed bow in his hands. Denethor's son swung his sword across an Uruk's chest, taking it down while Merry and Pippin were throwing rocks , hitting two more Beasts. Suddenly, something flew in the air before landing right into Boromir's left shoulder which caused the Man to grunt in pain as he jerked backwards.
Merry and Pippin stopped what they were doing to look at Boromir in shock as they saw a black arrow sticking out of the Man's shoulder. The Gondorian Soldier groaned in pain as he fell on his knees , breathing hard for air. But then he got back up with a battle cry before swinging his sword at a charging Uruk who fell on the ground.
Lurtz slowly began to walk down the Hill as more Uruks ran from behind him. The Captain Uruk then lifted his bow, and shot again, as Boromir turned around to look at him. A black arrow flied right into Boromir's stomach who instantly dropped to his knees again, gasping for air while groaning in pain. Merry and Pippin stood there in shock, rocks in hand.
Boromir stared into their eyes and saw the sadness and shock from them. Knowing that if he gave up, the Hobbits would be killed or taken, the Gondorian Soldier got back on his feet with a cry swinging his sword at another incoming Uruk. The captain , who grew irritated by the fact that this Man was still alive ,shot him one more time, this time in the chest.
Boromir fell back on his knees and this time, he won't get back up. He was slowly breathing for air but he was unable to move due to the extreme pain he was enduring due to the arrows he received. Merry and Pippin then gathered all their courage as they grabbed their blades , pushing their shock away to replace it by anger, before charging the Uruks. But then two of the ugly Beasts easily picked them up without problems which caused them to drop their lames.
Merry and Pippin waved their arms frantically as the two were carried away by the Uruks. Boromir couldn't do anything but watch in sadness when he saw the troop of Uruk-Hai running away with Merry and Pippin. More and More of those awful Creatures ran past him as they followed their comrades, ignoring the wounded Man completely. All of them….no . Lurtz slowly walked in front of him with his bow and arrow in hand , and with him were four more Uruks who seemed to act like the bodyguards.
Boromir looked up at Saruman's Beasts , especially to their captain, who pulled out an arrow back on his bow , ready to finish the Man off as the Lurtz growled at him.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed in the forest and Lurtz was sent flying by an unknown force. As he got up , his eyes narrowed as he looked at a familiar Brown Maned Lion who was standing in front of Boromir protectively. "Kopa..." The Wounded Man mumbled in pain which caused the Lion Prince to glance at him worriedly.
He was horrified when he saw the three arrows sticking out of the Man's chest and he glared hatefully at the Uruks who snarled at him. Then Vitani appeared and stood next to her mate growling. Lurtz was about to order his soldiers to attack the two Felines when something crashed into him : Aragorn.
While their comrade was busy with the Captain Uruk, Kopa and Vitani attacked the remaining Uruks with nothing but pure hatred in their eyes. Meanwhile, Aragorn lose his sword and was thrown to the ground by the Bulky Uruk but when he got up, Lurtz threw a two-prong shield at Isildur's heir , pinning him by the neck against a tree. The Uruk rise his sword and striked, attending to behead his opponent, but thankfully Aragorn slipped beneath the shield before pulling out a knife and stabbing the captain straight on the leg.
The Uruk-Hair Soldier roared as he pulled out the knife before licking the blood (his blood) on it, and throwing it at Aragorn who batted the knife away with his sword. The Man closed in on the Uruk and ,in a flurry of swordplay, sliced his arm off before stabbing him through chest. However, as if he felt nothing, Lurtz pulled himself up on the sword, closer to Aragorn, snarling. This caused Isildur's heir to grimace as he pulled his sword out of the Uruk before swinging it, and hacking off the Uruk-hai's head. Lurtz's headless body felt limp on the ground leaving a panting Aragorn behind as he looked at Kopa and Vitani who just killed the other remaining Uruks.
Looking away of the two Lions, Aragorn's eyes landed on Boromir against a tree with three arrows laying on his body "No..." he mumbled in denial as he raced toward the wounded Man. Kopa and Vitani huffed at the dead bodies of their fallen enemies before looking back Boromir.
Strider kneed down in front of the wounded Man , putting his sword away as blood came out from left side on his lips " They took the little ones !" Boromir announced him painfully as his body was really pale. At those words, Vitani's eyes widened in alarm while Kopa looked horrified by the news.
Aragorn, him, managed to hide his shock as he examined Boromir's body " Be still" "Frodo… Where is Frodo ?" The Gondorian Soldier asked him weakly which Strider responded by saying "I let Frodo go..." "Then you did what I could do not… I tried to take the Ring from him" The Wounded Man explained weakly but also with a shameful tone.
"The Ring is beyond our reach now" Aragorn told him calmly but Boromir was filled with guilt for what he had done earlier " Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all" "No, Boromir, you fought bravely! You have kept your honor !" Aragorn said in attempt to reassure him as he reached out to pull out the arrows. But then he was stopped when Boromir grabbed his hand with his own " Leave it! It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness… and my city to ruin..."
"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall… nor our people fail!" Aragorn promised Denethor's son who seemed to brighten a bit at those words "Our people? Our people..." Boromir said as his gasp seemed more and more frequent. Then the Wounded Man reached for his sword and Aragorn placed the hilt in his hand before helping Boromir to clasp it to his chest.
"May you find peace in the After-Life , Boromir son of Denethor..." Kopa said as he bowed his large head respectfully for the brave Man while his mate pressed her face deep against his mane as tears were starting to fell from her eyes. Boromir looked at the Lions with a smile before nodding in gratitude. Then he looked back at Aragorn just as Legolas and Gimli joined them "I would have followed you my Brother… my Captain… my King!"
It was the Man's last words before he breathed for the last time. Aragorn touched his hand to his forehead, then to his lips in respect , putting both hands on each side of the Fallen Man's face " Be at peace, son of Gondor..." Strider murmured softy before bending down and kissing Boromir's brow. Legolas wore a saddened look on his face as he looked at Aragorn and Boromir while Gimli bowed his head before turning away with an equal sad face.
Kopa was silently shedding tears while comforting his mate who had pressed her head farther into his brown mane, crying. Both of them , despise having suspicion about him, still respected Boromir as he was a great companion. Aragorn then stood up before saying loudly as a testament " They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return..."
Kopa then took a deep breath before unleashing a powerful roar which echoed in the forest. Vitani looked up at her mate sadly before opening her mouth to let out a roar of her own. A roar filled with sadness and sorrow. Gimli , Legolas and Aragorn stood there in silence. It seemed like back after they crossed the Bridge of Khazad-Dum...after Gandalf's disappearance.
/
Meanwhile, Frodo stood at the shore of the river with the elven boats before him, staring at the distance with the Ring lying on his palm. He didn't even hear the roars echoing in the distance. Sam ran through the woods as he successfully manage to escape without being noticed by the Uruks before yelling " Frodo !"
Weeping silently, Frodo heard his voice speaking from his conversation with Gandalf in Moria " I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." was what he said that day until Gandalf responded " So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you"
Frodo closed his hand over the Ring, and putted it into his vest pocket before pushing a boat into the river and jumping in. At the same time, Sam emerged from the woods before running after him "Frodo, no! Frodo! Mister Frodo!" The Hobbit yelled as he ran into the shallow ends of the water.
Frodo looked at him before saying quietly as he paddled away " No Sam..." Sam stood there for a moment with a stunned silence but then ran into the river after Frodo who looked back when he heard the splashes "Go back, Sam! I'm going to Mordor alone!" Frodo shouted back to his comrade who replied with determination " Of course you are, and I'm coming with you!"
Samwise Gamgee then went deeper and deeper into the water until it reached its stomach "You can't swim! Sam!" The Ring-Bearer said in attempt to stop him but it was pointless as Sam struggled to swim then sunk into the water "Sam !" Frodo yelled as he tried to turn back as fast as possible but the boat turned around to slowly.
As Sam sunk farther, a hand reached down and grabs Sam's wrist. Feeling this, the Blond Hobbit tightened his hand around Frodo's who slowly pulled him out of the water and up into the boat "I made a promise, Mister Frodo. A promise! 'Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to! I don't mean to..." Sam explained as he looked at the Ring-Bearer who smiled at him with happiness "Oh Sam..." and then the two friends hugged each other.
After a moment, they broke the embrace, and Frodo inquired "Come on !" then the two grabbed the paddles before paddling towards the eastern shore.
/
Boromir was laid to rest in one of the boats. His sword rested with him, his shield was above his head and his split horn at his side. The boat slipped over the falls of Rauros before disappearing into the mist below. Gimli watched silently as the boat disappeared while Aragorn putted on Boromir's vambraces in his honor. Kopa and Vitani stood there , watching the other side of the river where we could see the shapes of Frodo and Sam, with a sad expression.
The silence was broken by Legolas who shoved a boat into the water before saying with haste " Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore !" But then he stopped as he noticed the look Aragorn's had in his eyes as the Man turned around to look at the other side to see Frodo and Sam walking into a path in the forest before disappearing.
"You mean not to follow them?" Legolas stated as he understood the Man's behavior which Strider answered by " Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands..." Legolas seemed a bit stunned by this and the Lions had exactly the same look of surprise on their faces. None of them said something until Gimli spoke in a defeated tone "Then it has all been in vain! The Fellowship has failed..." At this instant, Vitani felt bad : she had promised herself she wouldn't lose another comrade after Gandalf and right now…. She felt useless… Kopa was thinking the same as he hung his head down in sorrow.
Aragorn , noticing the state they were all in, putted his hands on their shoulders Gimli and Legolas's shoulder "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 ! " At those words, Kopa and his mate looked at Isildur's heir as he turned around to a small rock before picking up his elven daggers " Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light !"
Then he looked at his comrades with a serious look on his face " Let us hunt some Orc!" Aragorn said as he turned around before running off in the forest. The others stood there looking at each other with a grin of their faces "Yes ! Ahah!" Gimli chuckled as he chased after Strider quickly followed by Legolas and soon by Kopa and Vitani who laughed.
All of them ran into the forest in the direction the group of Uruk-Hai went in. As she ran side by side with her mate, Vitani promised to herself " Hold on Merry… you too Pippin… We are coming for you !"
/
While their comrades chased after the Uruks, Frodo and Sam walked up a rocky hill until they finally reached the top to find themselves into the vastness of Emyn Muil. Far in the distance, they could see the dark clouds and and high mountain walls of their destination.
"Mordor. I hope the others find a safer route..." Frodo said as he looked at the horizon "Strider will look after them….as well as Kopa and Vitani..." Sam replied in an attempt to comfort his troubled friend who added "I don't suppose we'll ever see them again..." "We may yet, Mister Frodo. We may"
Then Frodo looked at his friend with a smile " Sam, I'm glad you're with me..." The Ring-Bearer said gently before walking onwards. Sam stood there for a moment but then followed him down a rocky slope as the two Hobbits began their long journey towards Mordor.
(To be continued…)