Aria extended her hand, but Frodo waved his hand with a smile. "I simply wish to be alone for a little while. I shant be long." Aria nodded, but called out as she walked down the hill, "Do not stray too far little hobbit. It is not wise." Frodo watched her walk lightly down the hill, then began to walk deeper into the forest. Aria walked towards the edge of the forest, gathering brushwood. But even as she bent down to fetch more wood, she heard heavy breathing coming up behind her. But before she could turn to face the person, a low voice murmured, "You were talking to him about the Ring weren't you? I heard you." Aria dropped the wood she held in the crook of her arm as she turned quickly to face Boromir. He stood behind her, his hands crossed at his chest, watching her.
"What are you talking about?" She asked scornfully, beginning to stoop to pick up the dropped wood. But Boromir grasped her hand. Aria stood erect and tried to pull her hand from his grasp. "I know you were talking to him about the Ring. Simply hear me out this once." He wheedled, keeping a firm grip on her hand. Aria ceased to struggle, but she stood as far back from him as she could. Boromir drew her closer to him so that she could barely hear his whispers. "You want the Ring for the same reason as I, to help your people. We could both ask him together. He could not refuse us if there was two of us. We could share the Ring, own it together. You could help your people, and I mine." He whispered, his eyes intense.
Aria stared at him in horror. "Share? You are mad. Even if we had the Ring, you know very well that it would overtake one or both of us and neither of us would want to share!" Boromir shook his head. "You don't understand. We could do it. We are doing good after all. We could do it. We could own it together." The last few words caused a shiver to run up and down Aria's spine as she tugged at her captive hand. "Neither of us could own it or rule it! That Ring is run by one and that is Sauron. We could do nothing against his power! Instead of helping our people, it would destroy them!" Aria protested, pulling as hard as she could. But Boromir kept coming closer keeping a firm grip on her hand. "We could do it. We could take the Ring from Frodo forcibly. He could not resist a sorceress or a strong man like myself. He would be no match for us." He whispered. Boromir was only a few feet away from her now and the look in his eyes chilled her body. "The Ring takes hold of all who look upon it. I has taken hold of one of us this day. You are not in your right mind Boromir." She whispered. The fire in Boromir's eyes blazed and he threw her to the ground angrily. "Very well then! Think that! But remember that when I have saved my people, I offered you the chance to do the same!" He snarled as he stomped off into the woods.
Aria lay back on the leaves of the forest floor, her legs spread out in front of her. Finally she picked herself up and walked slowly back to camp. She sat down on the spot where she had laid her things and rested her head on a spare blanket. She closed her eyes and listened to the buzz of commotion around her.
"Do you think there are any mushrooms here Merry?" Came Pippin's anxious voice.
"I should say so. These woods are probably crawling with mushrooms!" Merry replied confidently.
"I wish there was some shortcut through this dank forest." Gimli muttered.
"This dank forest is centuries old, friend Dwarf. Think of it as walking through ages past." Legolas said cheerfully.
"Something's not right here." Aragorn muttered under his breath.
"Where's Frodo?" Merry called out suddenly.
Aria slowly opened her eyes, thinking of what Boromir had said a moment ago. We could take the Ring from Frodo forcibly. He could not resist a sorceress or a strong man like myself. He would be no match for us.
Aria rose quickly and jumped to her feet. Aragorn's eyes were fixed on Boromir's shield and empty spot. She quickly approached him. "Boromir has gone after Frodo. I sense it. He left not long after he spoke to me. I fear for Frodo's life." She whispered in his ear. Aragorn's head rose up sharply. "Why is this?" He asked. Aria met his gaze squarely and firmly. "I fear that he has been taken into the possession of the Ring. You must go after him." Aragorn lay his hand to the hilt of his sword, his blue eyes grave. "I will. I have long suspected this, ever since we left Rivendell. You will stay here with the others. I will be back soon." He said, running swiftly into the forest. Aria watched him go, her heart praying that he reached Frodo and Boromir in time. "Where's Strider goin'?" Aria looked down at knee-high Pippin, who stood below her, looking up at her. "Nowhere Pippin. Just going to find Frodo." She said, as she walked back to camp. Pippin frowned as he ran to catch up to her long strides. "But why? Has Frodo done somethin' wrong? Is he in danger? What?" He asked rapidly, trying to draw a breath, speak, and run at the same time.
Aria looked down at the hobbit and halted so that he could catch his breath. "I do not know if he is in trouble Pippin. But if he is, I'm sure that Strider will save him from whatever it may be." She reassured him. Pippin gave her a grateful smile and held an object out to her. "Mushroom? Merry says that the woods are crawling with mushrooms, an' I believe him. Because we just found a huge patch of 'em over there. Quite lovely they are, not nearly as big as Farmer Maggot's of course, but every bit as delicious. Go ahead and taste! They aren't poison! Anyway, those mushrooms are lovely. Cherry mushrooms Sam calls 'em seein' as they're so little," With that, Pippin continued to rattle out his thoughts, and the Elf-queen listened patiently as they walked back to camp, a curious pair, Elf and hobbit, side by side.
A little less than a half an hour later, Aria's ears pricked up, trying to hear over the sound of Merry and Pippin talking. Legolas jumped up from his spot on the ground and stood by a tree on the edge of the forest. He stood still a moment, listening. "What is it Elf? Getting tired of speaking with us?" Gimli asked loudly. Legolas turned and held up his hand. "Please, be quiet for a moment." He whispered. The group was silent. Aria jumped to her feet and took a few light steps towards Legolas. "Legolas." She asked, her tone wavering only slightly. Legolas turned around and his face was slightly pained. "Orcs." He said aloud. Gimli roared and jumped to his feet, grabbing his battle axe. "Come on hobbits! It is now the time for battle!" He yelled, rushing off towards the woods. Legolas drew his bow and held an arrow in his other hand. Aria did the same and looked back at the others. They stood back at camp, their swords held awkwardly in their hands, their faces pale. "Come on now! I know you can do it!" Aria yelled, raising her bow in the air. "Come on then! If the lady says we can do it, then we can! Come on Merry!" Pippin shouted loudly, running towards where Aria and Legolas. Merry took off after him with a whoop and the two Elves ran ahead of them.
When the company reached the clearing at the top of the hill, they quickly sprang into action. Orcs swarmed the hillside, choking the beautiful green of the forest with their hideous black bodies and upraised swords. Aria sprang atop a large boulder above Legolas and Legolas stayed beneath. Together they took down many orcs, each warning the other of oncoming danger. The hobbits did as best they could, attempting to slay the huge Orcs above them with their swords. But when Aria saw a unusually large Orc, running at the hobbits, arms outstretched, she quickly aimed and shot, hitting him in the eye. "Merry, Pippin! Get out of here! Now!" She yelled over the battle cries. Pippin alone heard her, but he smacked Merry as he brought down another Orc and the two ran off into the underbrush. Legolas and Aria covered them, making sure they were not followed.
Aria finally sprang off the boulder, making her way through the masses of orcs to help Aragorn as he tackled yet another Orc. "Aragorn look out!" She yelled, aiming her bow and letting the arrow fly before she even had a chance to think. Aragorn saw her at the last minute and ducked as an arrow whizzed over his head and plunged the Orc's chest. As the Orc spluttered and choked, trying to rise from the ground, Aragorn ran his sword into him, ending his life. Aragorn straightened and smiled as he plunged his sword through another Orc, it's black blood falling over him. "I didn't think the rest of you would ever get here." He said with a smile. "We would have found out eventually. There's no way we'd let you have all the fun." She yelled between shots. "Where is Frodo?" Aria asked, eyeing Aragorn. Aragorn paused midstride before answering. "I let him go." Aria lowered her bow to look at Aragorn. "I had to. I'll explain later. Now is the time to fight or you're dead. They're stronger this time. Some kind of cross-breed." Aragorn muttered as he plunged his sword through an unlucky Orc's midsection. Aria fought to clear the haze around her troubled mind as she fought, trying to focus on the task ahead of her.
Not far away from her, Aria saw Gimli fighting bravely, though the Orcs were a great size larger than he. She had to smile as she heard his gruff voice taunting the Orcs that rushed towards him angrily, but were quickly dismembered by the Dwarf's bloody battle axe. But her smile quickly turned to a frown as an Orc climbed a boulder behind the Dwarf, his arrow pointed directly at Gimli's heart. Aria quickly aimed and shot. Gimli jumped to the side as the Orc fell alongside him. Aria nodded, then heard a voice call her own name. She whirled around to face an Orc standing in front of her, his sword raised menacingly. But he did not strike. He simply stood above her, his yellow eyes fixed upon her menacingly. Aria took a slow step backwards, unsure of what to do. Slowly, black blood began to trickle from his mouth, and the Orc finally dropped to the forest floor, an arrow stuck in his heart. Aria searched the crowd of Orcs to see Legolas on a high branch of a tree lowering his bow. She raised her hand to him gratefully and he returned the gesture.
But the entire company, including the Orcs fell almost silent as a horn rang out from the hill below. "Its the horn of Gondor!" Aragorn yelled loudly, gesturing to the hill below. But it was hard to follow Aragorn's lead, for even as he yelled, the Orcs began to rush towards the spot feverishly in a hurry to get there first. Aria tried to fight her way through the crowd, trying to keep the orcs back. Finally, she shot at one of them and his companion upon seeing him fall, whirled around to face her. This was one of many that she was able to keep on the hill top as Aragorn ran to the spot where the horn of Gondor wailed aloud.
But soon Aria's arrows did not stop the Orcs from rushing down the hill. They ignored her arrows, fleeing down the hill with reckless abandon toward Boromir and Aragorn. Aria stood still, staring around her in aggravation as the Orcs rushed past her. She looked about her one more time, before she closed her eyes with a sigh. Her hands, lying still at her sides, stirred, and raised upward. A departing Orc turned around and stared at her. The Elf-queen's hands were rising slowly, her lips moving slowly, then faster and faster as her voice rose. The Orc looked around him suddenly as a strong wind began to blow around him. He looked back to the Elf. Her hair was flying back behind her, her curls falling all about her, giving her a regal appearance, though she was covered with the stains of battle. The trees above her began to wave softly, then violently, their leaves falling from their bows as they crashed into each other. The Orc then saw the branches cease their crashing together. There was silence. He smirked at the Elf, fitting an arrow to his bow.
A large branch swooped down and knocked him from his feet. He looked up again just in time to see the branches, now almost like arms swooping down upon him. They grasped him with their hard fingers, tossing him into the air and letting him fall. Aria stood still, panting, but seeing that the Orc's neck was turned at an odd angle. She peered down the hill and watched as the Orcs were swept up into the boughs of the trees and thrown to the ground. She did not smile in satisfaction, but dropped her head. She did not like to see her magic used to destroy life, even if it was the life of an Orc, who had once been her kinsmen.
Aria brushed her hair away from her red face, covered in the blood of orcs and sweat. Her hands were black with blood, her bow in much the same condition. She leaned up against a tree, trying to catch her breath. "I tried Aragorn. It's up to you now." She whispered under her breath. So deep in rest was she, that she didn't even hear the Orc behind her. Not until she heard the song of the arrow as it sliced into her shoulder did Aria realize the danger. Aria cried out once, then fell to her knees, the arrow biting deep between her shoulder blades. She fell from her knees to the forest floor, then raised herself up. Every part of her was trembling as she slowly reached up and yanked the arrow out quickly. She gasped as it came out, blood pouring down her back.
But she stood and turned to face her enemy. The Orc was now running towards her, his sword raised, his black teeth and yellow eyes gleaming. Aria blew a strand of hair from her face as she winced, reaching around her to get an arrow, fighting the pain in her back. She fit the arrow to the bow and waited, waited till he was no more than three feet away. The arrow whizzed through the air, right on target as it plunged into his heart. The Orc stopped in midair and fell to the ground. Aria looked down at his fallen figure and to her surprise, saw another arrow in his back, right across from her own in the Orc's chest.
Aria looked up and saw Legolas and Gimli rushing towards her. She smiled and waved. "A little late aren't you?" She joked, wincing at the pain in her back. "Is it bad? I'm sorry, I wasn't watching you. I was helping Gimli. They swarmed him." Legolas explained, his fingers probing the wound as she turned around for him to see. "It wasn't my fault that they don't take well to criticism!" Gimli protested. Legolas shook his head and frowned, gently placing his fingers over the wound in Aria's back. Aria winced as he tugged at the small hole in her shirt. Finally he lifted his knife, ripping the hole in her shirt, making it wider. "What are you doing Legolas?" Aria finally whispered over the waves of pain.
"The arrow head is still inside your back. Let me work. It's not in very deep, but deep enough to make things difficult." Aria sighed and bit her lip as a scream rose in her throat as Legolas pulled at the object. She clenched her hands so tightly that her nails made an imprint in her palm. Aria breathed deeply, frantically as she felt the arrow-head slide slightly. "Almost, got it." Legolas whispered between breaths. Aria heard Gimli suck in his breath as he watched the proceedure. A small cry rose in Aria's throat as he pulled, pulled harder and harder till she whimpered quietly. "It's out." Legolas breathed, staring at the object in his hand. "Luckily, it wasn't poisoned." He pointed out, before tossing it to the ground. Aria nodded, still numb from the pain that came in waves over her body. She reached into her quiver and pulled out a clean strip of cloth that she would have used to clean her arrows with. Legolas grasped it and dabbed it on the wound. Aria bit her lip once more as the pain bit and nipped at her body. He extended his hand, but Aria waved it away. "I can make it. I can still walk." She reassured him, walking slowly down the hill.
When they reached the bottom, a sad sight was folded out before them. Aragorn, kneeling beside Boromir, who lay on the ground, pale as death, whispering to him softly. Legolas stared in confusion and Gimli shook his head, turning around to take his eyes away from the scene. Aria and Legolas continued to stare though. Aria barely felt the pain in her back as she stared at the scene unfolding between Aragorn and Boromir. Aragorn knelt over Boromir and gently kissed his forehead, then sat back on his heels, his eyes never leaving Boromir's pale face. Aria gasped and placed her hand to her mouth, realization finally coming to her. Legolas stared, his head cocked slightly to the side as he looked first at Boromir's still form, then at Aragorn's hunched form. "What has happened?" Legolas whispered in wonder. "Boromir has perished." Aria whispered. Legolas looked down at her, his eyes still confused. "First Gandalf, now Boromir, and Frodo gone. The Fellowship is breaking apart." She whispered through her cupped hands as she walked towards Aragorn.
She paused a few feet in front of him, dropped her hands and waited. "They have taken Pippin and Merry. Boromir fought to save them, but he, he couldn't." Aragorn murmured. Aria stared at Aragorn in shock. "What are we to do?" She whispered. Aragorn turned to face her, his face pale, but his eyes aflame. "First we shall dispose of his body as befits a warrior. And a warrior he was." Aragorn murmured as he got to his feet. A while later, his treasures surrounding him, his sword in his hands, Boromir was sent down the river and down the waterfall, lest the foul Orcs misuse his body. The rest of the Fellowship rushed back towards the bank where the boats lay. "Was Sam taken with the rest? I didn't see him in battle." Aria asked, as she attempted to run down the hill. Aragorn shook his head. "No. I assume he left with Frodo. He would never leave him after all." Aria nodded. "I pray it is so, for I would shudder to think how being captured by the Orcs would affect dear Sam." She murmured hopefully. They stopped on the shore. Aria looked across on the east side of the river. There rested the other boat, small hobbit tracks leading away from it. Legolas rushed to the boats and began to push one into the water. "Come, they will have already reached the eastern shore!" He said, pushing with all his might.
Aragorn looked down as Gimli and Aria looked to him. Legolas looked up when no one followed his example and gazed questioningly into Aragorn's face. "You don't mean to follow them?" He asked quietly. Aragorn shook his head. "We must let Frodo go his own way. I can no longer protect him." He murmured. "Then everything has been in vain." Gimli protested. Legolas looked to Aragorn wistfully and silently. Aragorn raised his head. "But we cannot abandon Merry and Pippin to the mercy of the Orcs." Aragorn looked at Aria. "You have finished the task you started. You no longer have to lead us to Mordor. You may return to your home." He said generously, but with disappointment in his gaze. Aria stepped up to Aragorn and looked him in the eye. "I will finish what I started. I would rather travel with you to help Pippin and Merry than return to Lothlorien where I can do nothing. I will continue on this journey Aragorn and neither you or our companions can talk me out of it." Aria said firmly. Aragorn smiled and gently he placed his hand on her wounded shoulder. "Never let it be said that the Elves shrink from a challenge or a fight." Aria raised her head proudly. "And never let it be said that there is a mortal man greater than Aragorn." She said strongly.
Aragorn smiled and bowed slightly before turning to the others. "Take only what you can carry. From now on, we travel light." Aragorn lifted his pack to his back, a fierce gleam in his eye. "Lets go hunt some Orc." He said fiercely. Gimli gave a great cry of joy and shouldered his axe, following Aragorn as he headed once more into the woods. Legolas smiled broadly and shouldered his bow and arrows, following them.
Aria stood alone on the shore, her bow in one hand, her pack in the other. She stared at the eastern shore where Frodo and Sam had departed, gazing as far as she could into the forest. For a brief moment she caught a glimpse of Frodo as he hacked through the brush, Sam at his heels. His face was firm and determined. "Farewell then Ringbearer. Our paths will cross once more. I guarrantee it. For I shall not allow you to escape me that easily. Be safe and watch for the dangers Frodo Baggins." Aria whispered. A hand rested on her shoulder, but Aria did not look up, for she knew who it was. "We will catch up with them eventually. Don't fear." Legolas reassured her. Aria smiled and nodded. "I know. I just wonder when." She murmured. "We will meet them again." Legolas repeated quietly, his hand squeezing her unharmed shoulder gently. Aria looked up at Legolas and patted his hand that rested on her shoulder. "I am glad I am traveling with you friend, for I trust you more than any other Elf or being in the world, my dear friend." She said softly. Legolas smiled. "I am honored by your words, for I assure you that I feel the same my friend." He replied. "Then come. We must follow our leader, and go where he wills." Aria said, scooping up her fallen quiver. The two Elves walked swiftly, side by side up the hill, before long, catching up with their companions, little knowing that Frodo and Sam were making their way to Mordor and Gollum.
Will continue as long as interest is kindled. :-)