IV the company journeyed south, travelling alongside the great river of Sarn Gebir. the halflings were weary, all of them were forcing their aching feet to go on. "could we not rest, aragorn? I am nearly dead of my aching feet and limbs!" pippin cried out to the ranger. aragorn acridly glanced at the hobbit. "hold your patience master sluggard, I see that we are near the great falls of rauros, we will make a camp there until the dawn comes. by the morn we will be travelling through Emyn Muil" the dwarf, not for the very last time, retorted angrily, "Emyn Muil? you really wish to see us suffer, do you aragorn!" the halflings did not understand why gimli made such a statement for they do not know what kind of land Emyn Muil was. "why gimli, what's wrong with our path?" frodo asked the skulking dwarf. "oh nothing is wrong with our path ringbearer, I deem that your feet would greatly enjoy the razor sharp rocks along the road, the towering steep hills, and the chilly mountains that are greatly inhabited by wolves!" the halflings gulped all at the same time and looked at aragorn. the ranger glared down at gimli, pissed of him frightening the halflings of their path. "that is our road master dwarf, I say you take a nice rest when we camp near rauros, so that you could recover your strenght, maybe then you would keep silent." "recover my strenght? huhr!" gimli kept uttering words that greatly annoyed the rest of the company. imogen kept silent but she had this strong urging to push the dwarf down the river and let the company have at least a moment of peace. legolas seemed to be thinking of the same thing, he rolled his eyes and shook his head in irritation of his companion. after two hours of nonstop walking, they finally heard the rustling waters of the falls of rauros. "I told you pippin, we were not far." aragorn said smiling at the halfling. "oh yes strider, we were not far because we were very far! look my feet are swollen!" pippin demured. "our feet are always swollen, master took! we are hobbits!" merry said laughing at his friend. boromir was acting unusual, he threw frodo unclear glances and this frightened the hobbit. suddenly he remembered what the lady of the woods told him, "they will try to take the ring.. one by one they will fall to it's power.." he felt that boromir was indeed planning some sinister act and so frodo seeked solitude in the woods not very far away from the company, just to get away from boromir's hard stares. gimli, aragorn and the hobbits rested their feet and limbs for a while. all were silent from exhaustion. meanwhile, imogen walked asphodel towards the woods, hoping to find some peace by her own. suddenly a chill drooped down her neck indicating that danger is approaching. she seeked help from the trees once again and found out that orcs are nearby. legolas being her kindred, also knew that something was amiss. he jogged down to the campsite and told the company that his thoughts are menacing him. at the same time, boromir had secretly followed frodo in the woods. a madness took over him making him try to take the ring, but he failed because the halfling had put it on and went invisible. boromir had said words to frodo that greatly inflicted the haflings heart with extreme fear, pain, and sorrow. this caused him to decide to go on with the quest alone, afterall, bearing this Ring of power is being alone. frodo does not want to see his companions fall under the power of the ring one by one, he does not want them for suffer the consequences it would bring either. and so he tried to get away from the fellowship. swiftly, upon putting on the ring, he ran to the opposite direction from where the company was. his surroundings were blurry but he could clearly see the vast lands of mordor, he was like in a world full of mists and shadows but he could vividly see the great eye searching for him. a deathly fear came over his being when he saw the great eye, he could not move his body for it went stiff, he was about to loose consciousness, when, just in time, a bright brilliant light shone from his side, contrasting the fiery red flames of the lidless eye. for a moment he thought that arwen undomiel had come again to save him from the shadows, but he was wrong, it was lady imogen standing upon the summit of Amon Hen. the halfling struggled hard with the evil whispers of sauron, fear flooded his heart and soul, but his mind was alive and was aware of the environment he was in. he turned to look at imogen, and he saw her transcend the mists of the shadows, her aura was illuminating a glorious light. with eyes deeply shut she called out to the ringbearer. "frodo.. come out... come out of the world of shadows. take off the ring... listen to me... take off the ring now." frodo, upon hearing imogen's call, finally gathered up his senses and took off the ring at once. he went back to reality with a cowered body stumbling to the ground. "frodo!" gasped imogen immediately leaping down from the summit, and walked in strides to where frodo laid. "hasten ringbearer! we must get out of here, great evil haunts you!" she said while making an attempt to carry the halfling. frodo did not respond to her concerns, he stood up by himself, warding imogen's hands off him. she knew at once that something amiss was troubling his thoughts, and so she tried once again to read his mind. frodo determinedly shook his head, a tear rushed down from his left cheek. "I beg of your forgiveness my lady, for I have put you in an even bigger peril, forgive me for doing ill of your real journey." he said wearily. imogen knelt down before him and answered in a soothing voice. "you speak wrongly, frodo, you have not done ill of my quest, you have not put me in a bigger peril either, if there is one thing you are to be guilty about it is that you have given me a greater and yet nobler task to go about with my real mission." imogen tried to comfort the halfling of his weariness. "now come, frodo, we must go now, we can not afford to spend much time in here..." she stood up and gestured frodo to follow her, but he still did not move. " I must... I must go alone." he said heavily. imogen halted and turned her face to the halfling. "you carry the fate of us all frodo, what madness are you uttering now? you can not go on with this alone, did you not hear me swear to protect you?" she responded in disagreement of frodo's words. "can you protect me from yourself?" frodo held out the ring, as if challenging her to refuse it. imogen's birthmark gave her an unusual frozen feeling, she held it by her left hand and found out that, that particular part of her skin was indeed cold. the ring's inscriptions ablaze once more, like it did when he first saw imogen just hours ago. frodo was confused why the ring responds that way before imogen, he was also wondering how she was able to see him even with the ring on, for he knows that it causes invisibility. "how was it that you can see me even when I have the ring on?" he asked curiously, not meaning any offensement. "I did not see you, I just felt your presence at this place, I had a feeling that you had put it on." she answered honestly. frodo spoke again " my lady, this quest is my burden alone, we both know that the task is solely fated to me, I must endure the sufferings by myself, I do not wish to cause my companions pain," he paused for a moment because he remembered gandalf, "or death." once again galadriels voice echoed frodo's thoughts, "the fellowship is breaking... it has already begun... this task is appointed to you, and if you do not find a way... no one will." imogen knelt down again before the ringbearer, she cupped her hands under his fist and she gently closed it. "frodo baggins, you know I would have gone with you into the very fires of mordor itself.." she said sincerely looking into his deep blue eyes that are full of anxiety. frodo forced himself a weak smile and sadly said " my heart had told me you would". imogen froze, it was not because of what he had told her, but for a certain ill feeling that menaced her senses at the moment. " go on frodo, leave now, let your heart be your guide, and take courage, let not this be the end, go on! blessed be, bearer of the ring of power! blessed be my friend!" imogen leapt up and drew out her sword. the trees were in panic, telling her that orc goblins are on the way. frodo saw his sword gleam in blue, it means that enemies are near, but he still did not move, he stood there watching imogen's retreating back. "leave now frodo, they are coming!" she told frodo and glanced at him one last time. "farewell, my fair lady, this will not be the end." he whispered to her in thought, knowing that imogen would hear it.