Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 10- A Fellowship Broken
The sun is slowly rising over Lothlorien. The Fellowship woke from their sleep a few hours ago, and have been preparing to depart ever since.
The Galadhrim had prepared several of their small wooden boats for the Fellowship to use to make their way down the river Anduin. They had also provided them with better supplies, and with extra food rations, including their Elven bread known as Lembas.
The Galadhrim had also given each one of the members of the Fellowship one of their cloaks, which Celeborn had said would help shield them from unfriendly eyes. Jakan, wanting to honor the Galadhrim's gift, had temporarily removed his jetpack to allow the cloak to be fastened around his shoulders, and then replaced the jetpack over it.
After the Galadhrim fasten the cloaks, they step back, and Galadriel steps forward to give gifts to every member of the Fellowship. Jakan watches as she gives each member of the Fellowship their gift.
Finally, she reaches him. Jakan has his helmet tied to his belt by the straps, and he bows his head respectfully.
Galadriel reaches her hands out, in which are Jakan's two blaster pistols, which Elven attendants had asked Jakan for that morning.
"Jakan Shan, I return to you your weapons. They have been enchanted so that they will never run low on their power," Galadriel says.
Jakan's eyes widen. He takes the blasters in his hand, spins them in his hands a few times, then returns them to their holsters. He smiles at Galadriel, then bows to her. "Thank you, milady. It is much appreciated," he says.
Galadriel smiles a bit. "Your path will be laden with trials, and your skills will be tested as never before along this journey. But when your greatest trial comes, you will overcome it, and grow to be greater than near any Mandalorian has before you," she says before moving on.
Once Galadriel has finished giving her gifts to the Fellowship, the rest of the Fellowship prepares to depart. Celeborn, knowing Aragorn and Jakan had become essentially co-leaders of the Fellowship, had asked to speak to the two of them alone.
"Every league you travel south, the danger will increase. Mordor Orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin. Nor will you find safety on the western bank. Strange creatures bearing the mark of the White Hand have been seen on our borders. Seldom do Orcs travel in the open, under the sun, yet these have done so," Celeborn says, turning to them with the last remark as the urgency in his tone increases. Jakan is familiar enough with Orcs by now to know that this is irregular.
Celeborn then hands Aragorn a knife, which Aragorn draws to inspect. Jakan feels a tiny bit jealous, but also realizes how many more weapons he already has.
Celeborn says something in Elvish, then says, "By river, you have the chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros."
Jakan nods. "We thank you for the warning, Lord Celeborn, and for your aid," he says.
Celeborn simply nods. Then, Aragorn and Jakan turn to return to the rest of the Fellowship.
All of their supplies have been loaded into the boats. The group separates across the three boats. Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam take the first boat. Boromir, Pippin, and Merry take the second. And Legolas, Gimli, and Jakan take the third.
As Legolas paddles the boat down the river after the other two, Gimli speaks up and says somewhat wistfully, "I have taken my worst wound at this parting. Henceforth, I will call nothing fair save it be her gift to me."
"What was her gift?" Legolas asks.
"I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three," Gimli says, again somewhat wistfully.
Jakan smirks slightly. "Gimli, I think you've fulfilled your own words and fallen under her spell," he says.
"You're right there, laddie," Gimli says.
The Fellowship continues down the Anduin, making rather good time. None of the Fellowship notices anything out of the ordinary along the banks, but they remain vigilantly alert for any sign of any enemies.
Three days into their journey, they camp along a stretch of bank. It's relatively well covered from view from further up the bank, but not so well shielded from the river.
Jakan crouches down beside Boromir, who is watching the water intently. As Jakan scans the water as well, he spots a piece of wood floating down the water. His helmet zooms in, and the sensors show a life form hidden behind the wood.
"Some kind of creature is hiding behind the wood," Jakan mutters.
"It's Gollum." Boromir and Jakan glance back, and see Aragorn leaning down behind him. Boromir and Jakan look back at the river as Aragorn continues, "He has tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would lose him on the river. But he's too clever a waterman."
"If he's careless in his pursuit, he could give up our location," Jakan mutters.
"Agreed," Boromir says.
Boromir then stands up and turns to Aragorn. "Minas Tirith is the safer road. You know it. From there we can regroup…strike out for Mordor from a place of strength," he says in earnest.
"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us," Aragorn says.
"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," Boromir says.
Aragorn turns away, wanting to avoid a further argument. Boromir, however, takes that as him brushing off Boromir's point. Boromir grabs Aragorn by the arm and whips him back around as he says, "You are afraid! All your life, you have hidden in the shadows! Scared of who you are, of what you are!"
"Boromir, enough!" Jakan says, grabbing his friend's hand and making him let go of Aragorn.
Aragorn takes a step back, then says, "I would not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!" He then then turns and walks away.
Jakan turns to Boromir, who is fuming at Aragorn. "You have to see this from his point of view, Boromir," he says.
Boromir looks at Jakan quizzically, but still with his anger at Aragorn on his face.
"Aragorn has spent a lot of his early years among the Elves for his own safety, so he was raised influenced by the Elves' philosophy, which is critical of Men. He knows the story of Isildur, and feels ashamed of it because he is Isildur's descendant. Not only that, but we all have seen the effect the Ring has on you, and we know you argued for Gondor to receive the Ring so it could be used against Sauron. While I do not condemn you, I believe there are many officials in Gondor that have that point of view. You have to see how dangerous Aragorn sees the possibility of taking the Ring to Gondor, especially if your father were to desire the Ring and try to use force to stop us from leaving with it," Jakan explains.
As Jakan talks, Boromir seems to calm. As Jakan ends, Boromir sighs. "You are right, Jakan. But…I only seek the best for my people. And Aragorn does not seem to care," Boromir says.
"Just give him time, Boromir. Maybe being around you and seeing how much you care for your people will rub off on him," Jakan says. This finally brings a bit of a smile to Boromir's face.
"Thank you, Jakan. You are a very good man," Boromir says.
(The following day)
Jakan sighs a bit as he takes a turn paddling for the day. He's really come to enjoy and appreciate Middle-Earth's scenery. He finds it so beautiful here on this world.
As they round a corner, Jakan pauses rowing and his mouth almost drops open. Up ahead are two massive statues, hundreds of feet tall and cut out of the cliffs on either side of the river. The statues are of two kings, with one of their hands thrust outwards.
"Boromir, what are these?" Jakan asks in amazement.
"The Argonath, Jakan. Statues of the great kings of old, Isildur and Anarion," Boromir says respectfully.
"I've never seen anything like it," Jakan says in awe. Boromir, recognizing what kinds of things Jakan must have seen during his travels, takes that as great praise.
The Fellowship paddles a short distance beyond the Argonath and, at a direction from Aragorn, paddles to the bank of the river and begin pulling the boats onto the shore.
As they fix the boats in place on the bank and gather their supplies, Aragorn says, "We cross the lake at nighttime. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North."
"Oh, really? 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 marshland as far as the eye can see," Gimli says with a definite air of sarcasm. Merry and Pippin look a little nervous and Gimli continues.
"That is our road. I suggest you rest and recover your strength, master dwarf," Aragorn says.
"Recover my-?" Gimli scoffs, feeling insulted as if Aragorn had insinuated he's ever less than full strength.
Legolas walks up to Aragorn and Jakan, an urgent look on his face. "We should leave now," he says.
"No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness," Aragorn says.
"It's not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near. I can feel it," Legolas says grimly. Jakan, knowing of the Force, and that Elves seem to be gifted with incredible senses, begins to feel a little uneasy.
Merry, walking back into the camp with a load of firewood, glances at the three, then glances around the rest of the camp. "Where's Frodo?" he asks.
Everyone whips around. As he can scans for Frodo, Jakan sees something, and says, "Boromir's gone too."
He then turns to everybody. "Alright. Separate groups. Fan out and look for them. We can't take any chances," he says. He also doesn't want to voice his worry about the risk of Boromir turning on Frodo.
Aragorn and Jakan go off together. As they hike through the forest, moving slowly up the hill, Jakan scans the ground using his helmet, searching for signs of Frodo and Boromir. Spotting some traces left behind in the leaves, Jakan points up the hill. "Frodo went that way," he says.
"I will follow him. You continue searching for Boromir," Aragorn says.
Jakan nods and splits off from Aragorn, heading in a different direction to try and look for Boromir.
As he searches, he sees a spot where there are multiple footprints of Boromir's size, as well as signs of a struggle.
Jakn's fears that Boromir may have snapped under the Ring's influence begin to rise again. Then, all of a sudden, he begins to hear sounds of combat beginning to echo down from the summit of the hill.
Jakan reacts instinctively. He whips his two blaster pistols out their holsters, then activates his jetpack and flies up towards the summit. As he approaches the summit, he sees Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli engaging in combat with Uruk-Hai, wearing thick armor and wielding huge swords and shields.
Jakan fires his blasters several times, killing two of the Uruk Hai. He then puts one of his blaster pistols away and whips out Hadhafang.
"For Mandalore!" he bellows as he deactivates his jetpack, falling right towards one of the massive orcs. Every combatant glances up at this new arrival as Jakan cleaves open the head of the Uruk Hai beneath him.
Jakan whips around and sees an Uruk Hai raising its sword. He thrusts his fist out and sends a quick jet of flame at the Uruk Hai, burning his face and setting his hair on fire. The Uruk runs away in a panic.
Shifting his grip on Hadhafang, Jakan lunges into the Uruks, slashing his way through them with Hadhafang as he fires his blaster into the ranks of the Uruks with abandon.
One Uruk gets in close and brings his falchion down on Jakan's arm. However, to the Uruk's shock, the blade is blocked by the alloy durasteel-beskar armor with little more than a scratch. Jakan dispatches the Uruk with a blaster bolt to the face.
As they dispatch the last few Uruks on the summit, they suddenly hear a horn blowing in the distance. Legolas turns in the direction of the sound, and identifies the sound, "The Horn of Gondor!"
"Boromir!" Aragorn says as he charges down the hill, sword in hand. Jakan, Gimli, and Legolas race down after him.
Uruks charge up to meet them, and the four Fellowship members engage them in a fury.
After about half a minute, as they're still fighting, Aragorn turns to Jakan and says, "Go, Jakan! We will handle the Uruks! Save Boromir and the others!"
Jakan immediately activates his jetpack again, flying as fast as he can down the hill and over the heads of the Uruks on the hillside, who growl up at him angrily.
Flying down the hillside, Jakan sees something up ahead that makes his blood chill. A group of Uruks are running off into the distance, but one of them is standing in front of Boromir, who has three arrows in his torso. The Uruk is drawing an arrow back with his bow.
Jakan raises his blaster, takes careful aim, and fires. The bolt hits the Uruk's hand, causing it to jerk back. The arrow is released, but due to the blaster bolt hitting the Uruk's hand, the arrow misses Boromir.
The Uruk quickly grabs hold of a fallen falchion and shield and turns to engage Jakan as the Mandalorian deactivates his jetpack and prepares to bring down Hadhafang on the Uruk.
The Uruk brings his shield up, blocking the Elvish sword. He then swings his falchion at Jakan. Jakan blocks several blows, but the Uruk punches him and sends him flying back into a tree. The Uruk then throws his shield, and the shield pins Jakan against the tree.
Jakan struggles to pull his head free. The Uruk races towards him, falchion raised. Realizing he won't get free quick enough, Jakan raises his left fist and sends a jet of flame at the Uruk, who stumbles back, badly burned.
Jakan then manages to wrench the shield free. He reaches for Hadhafang, which has fallen to the ground, but the Uruk lunges for Jakan, pinning him to the ground by the throat.
Jakan struggles against the Uruk as the monster tries to choke the life out of him. Then, Jakan manages to reach back to his jetpack, grabs the Darksaber, and activates it. Then, with one clean stroke, he beheads the Uruk.
The Uruk's corpse falls off of Jakan, who struggles back to his feet. Immediately, he remembers Boromir, and turns to his friend.
"Boromir!" he cries as he removes his helmet and kneels down beside Boromir.
Boromir tries to speak, but Jakan says, "Don't move!"
Jakan looks him over quickly, then reaches into his belt and removes a shot of painkillers. He slides the needle into Boromir's arm and presses down on the plunger. "This should help with the pain," he says.
"I failed you all," Boromir chokes out.
"Don't say that, and don't say you're gonna die, 'cause you're not. If you just stay still, I might still be able to heal you," he says.
He examines the arrow wounds, then removes a bacta spray he has on him. "Alright, Boromir. Stay still. I'm gonna have to remove the arrows. This may still hurt, as the painkiller may still be taking effect. Ready?" he says, grabbing the first arrow as he finishes.
Boromir just nods. Jakan then pulls the arrow out. Boromir cries out in pain, but it's not as bad as he thought it would be. Jakan sprays the bacta spray on the wound, and it begins to slowly close.
Jakan quickly repeats the process with the other two arrows. As he finishes spraying bacta on the third wound, Aragorn finally arrives on the scene.
Aragorn runs up to Boromir. Seeing Aragorn, Boromir chokes out, "They took the little ones!"
"Calm down. Stay still," Aragorn says.
"Frodo. Where is Frodo?" Boromir asks.
"I let him go," Aragorn says as Jakan gives Boromir another shot of a different substance.
"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him," Boromir says.
"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn says.
"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all," Boromir says.
"No, Boromir. You have fought bravely. You have kept your honor," Aragorn responds.
"No! I betrayed Frodo. It is over! The world of Men will fall, and my city to ruin!" Boromir says in distress.
Aragorn looks at him for a moment before saying, "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."
"Our people?" Boromir asks. As he realizes what Aragorn meant, he begins to smile and says, "I will follow you. My brother. My captain. My King."
Aragorn looks down at Boromir, truly touched. Boromir starts to move as if to sit up, but Jakan says, "No. Stay still. You have to rest while the bacta and the other serum I injected you with to work. If they work, you should be back on your feet in an hour or so." Boromir reluctantly obeys.
Almost an hour later, Boromir is able to get back on his feet, and with help from Jakan, is able to walk with the Fellowship back to their campsite.
As they reach the site, Legolas calls out, "Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore!" The elf starts shoving one of the boats into the water, but stops when he realizes neither Aragorn nor Jakan is moving to follow.
Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir look at the two, and Legolas asks, "You mean not to follow them?"
"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn replies.
Gimli sighs as he says, "Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed."
Aragorn stares off into the distance for a moment, then turns to Gimli and Legolas. He rests his hands on their shoulders and says, "Not if we hold true to each other."
Gimli claps his hand onto Aragorn's as the man says, "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left!"
Aragorn then turns to his belt as he says, "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light." He then looks up at the Fellowship and says, "Let's hunt some Orc!" Aragorn then hurries off into the trees.
The other four look at each other. Then, Jakan asks, "Umm, are you guys waiting for an official invitation to follow him? Or are we gonna go rescue our friends?"
Everyone is quiet before Gimli loudly and cheerfully says, "YES!" He then charges off into the trees, Legolas following close behind.
Jakan turns to Boromir and asks, "You up for this?"
Boromir smiles. "Of course," he says. He and Jakan then run off to join their companions, the next phase of their journey beginning.
And, there we go. That's the end of this chapter.
So, yes, I had Boromir survive. Me and my family have watched the movies for years, and that was something that always made us really sad was watching Boromir die. So, I decided to have him live. Plus, I think the Star Wars universe has advanced enough medical supplies to heal Boromir.
Alright. Next chapter will be up soon.