imogen ran with the greatest speed imaginable of an elf, her heart now was set towards the company left by the campsite. as she ran asphodel came to her eagerly, at once imogen mounted the mane and directed her to go back to the camp where her companions were. ill aimed arrows flew everywhere, imogen decided to let asphodel go, in fear that she might get hit by the aimed weapons. "waane asphodel, noro lim, dartho an nin yello." (go asphodel, ride swift, wait for my call.) asphodel disagreed, but imogen had dismounted her quickly. " im terevatha,, nin mellon, han tereva, waane sii!" (I will be alright, my friend, it is alright, now go!) the mane could do nothing but obey her master's will. asphodel pranced and started to ride away from the she-elf. imogen quickly sprang to her feet and leaped to the tree beside her, she moved swiftly from one branch to another, skillfully getting away from the aimed arrows. "this is humiliating, why don't I get down and fight those foul creatures?" she thought to herself. the ill aimed orc-goblins were no match for her preciseness, afterall. she touched the earth once again by doing a backflip from the top of the tree, the enemies paused a moment upon seeing her, she decided to use her bow first, and the sword when she run out of arrows. "we are the fighting uruk-hai! greatest army of the evil!" the orc goblins jeered.they wished to startle imogen, but she had shown not a bit sign of fear, though they were really great in number, she still was determined to fight them alone. the first assault came and it was aimed directly at her heart, but she was too swift and caught the arrow by her bare hand. "you claim yourselves the greatest?" she asked insultingly, with an eyebrow raised at the one who dared to loose the arrow at her. imogen darted the arrow back to the assailant and hitting it right in the throat. the uruk hai were raged and swarmed towards imogen with weapons ready to assail. but unfortunately, they drop dead even before they could make sensible aims towards the she-elf. one had the luck to bruise imogen slightly on the cheek, the stinging cut on her skin heightened her anger,thus making her grow more deadly. about 20 orcs lay dead on the ground, the others had gone to the direction of the company, which was actually near. "where are the others?", she asked an oak. "down the hill imogen, hasten, the man of the south is in need!" "boromir!" she gasped. imogen sprang down the steps and away, leaping down the path, a few unfortunate orcs crossed her direction, enormous blades hurled towards her, but she was good in defense and got away from all the vehement flinging of the weapons wishing to hit her. a strong looking uruk hai came out of a huge tree and charged it's blade towards her from the left, to miss the assail, she climbed up 2 steps to the bark of the tree beside her and did an amazing backflip once again, she landed behind the hurling uruk hai and stabbed the whining creature from it's back. then suddenly imogen heard a deep throated call from down the path, she distinguished the harsh voices of the orcs, and with it came blasts of a horn. she doubled her speed for she knew that boromir was in desperate need, and while leaping down the path, she saw her kindred legolas come out of the foliage in line with her. legolas was now beside the she-elf, he spoke to imogen while catching up with her speed. " where have you been? and where are the halflings? are you unhurt?" he asked while taking a quick glance at her. legolas noticed at once that she had been bruised in the cheek, and blood drew out from it. "now is not the time to talk, legolas, our companions are in danger." imogen sharply told her kindred. then there came another band of orcs, and this time imogen battled them off with legolas. both went busy fighting the assailants. imogen was now using her sword as her weapon, the last orc was killed by her beheading it. she turned her eyes to where legolas was, he was ducking from the blows of the ugly looking uruk hai, but he was suddenly thrown back against the tree beside him, the enemy had cast his shield at legolas, and it stuck his body to the it's bark. "NO!" imogen cried. the uruk hai was about to hit him with it's blade when an arrow suddenly punctured it's neck. the she- elf had pulled an arrow from the dead orcs and quickly loaded it into her own bow and aimed at the orc threathening legolas. in a split second, the creature lay dead. she ran towards legolas and removed the shield pinning his body to the tree. he did not know what to say. "watch your back, master elf, these are not ordinary orcs" imogen said with a bit of concern in her voice. she turned her back towards the elf and started to stride down the path again. the blowing of the horn grew fainter and fainter. "boromir is in need! seek for him! I will go find the little ones!" she yelled as she continued leaping downwards. legolas did not want to let her go alone, with all the orcs at loose. she had indeed proved herself to be an efficient fighter, and that she could protect and take care of herself, but legolas could still not understand himself being so worried (or is concerned the right word?) about her being let alone to fight such evil creatures. He watched Imogen stride down the hill graciously, momentarily forgetting the danger of his surroundings. He found it rather amazing that such a beautiful and delicate looking creature could supplely become an all swift and skilled warrior and assassin in one. A strong admiration for the she-elf seized Legolas' heart, this lady had shown genuine bravery and strenght. And he found beauty in everything she does, for to him, the lady herself was the absolute embodiment of pulchritude. Her fairness was indeed ethereal, and he fathomed it to the likeness of Luthien Tinuviel, of whom was said to be the fairest child of Iluvatar to set foot on middle earth. He appeared to be frozen in whimsical yearning, and he seemed unable to draw his eyes away from her, until, at last, his thoughts darted back to reality. His head jerked slightly as he head the horn blew once again. The ringing was not faint this time, it now echoed clearly to the woods, disturbing all the lifeforms that rests in it. Imogen was not very far away from Legolas, when she annoyingly snapped aware of him not doing any movement of progress from his place at all. "What is it that you await for? Have you not heard of anything I have said?" she asked her kindred sullenly in thought as she took a sidelong glance at him. Legolas began to walk swiftly in long steps towards her. " I did hear you, my lady, but my ears are telling me that the sounding of the horn comes from down this hill, hither I shall go also," he said spontaneously, his face showing faint anxiousness. He drew out his long knife to use as an alternative weapon for the battle because all his arrows were already spent. "Good! I thought that your hearing had already failed you!" imogen replied back, quite glad to see her companion alive of his senses. She smoothly sprang up to the bough of the elm tree in front of her,"hon en taareth waane an " (go look for him then!) she told Legolas, leaving him to rove the grounds in search of his other companion alone. Legolas looked up to where she leapt troublesomely, with a bit of annoyance in his face. He thought he had succeeded in his plan to go down the hill with her but no. Imogen tried to depart from him once again, and this time she had really gone by herself. Legolas continued his trek down the woods alone. The blasts of the horn had stopped, and he had a feeling that an ill fate is upon Boromir. He tried to go faster to rescue his companion but he was hindered by the other orc soldiers on the loose. The yells of the Uruk hai grew fiercer and more shrill. His assailants suddenly doubled in number, they swarmed towards him like moths drawn to a candle. Legolas did not retreat, he remained on his foot, willed to fight until he meets his end. "Bring it forth" he bravely told his enemies who looked as if they had already finished him off. "Oy! He stands not alone! Now come you filthy brutes! You wouldn't want to feast upon just one do you?" Gimli the dwarf heroically went for his companion in need, he swung his axes violently towards the enemies, but being careful all the same not to hurt any other "living thing" as the Lady Imogen told him, for he had not forgotten her threats and how he would dearly pay if he even intend not to abide her rules. "Where is that horrible she-elf when you need her?" he thought blatantly as his axe propelled back to his right hand. It is impossible for Legolas not to hear the dwarf's boisterous question. He managed to smile weakly as he was combatting a massive yet stupid looking Uruk Hai. " She has gone to look for the halflings. Where is Aragorn?" he asked him back. "Huhr! I thought you should know!" Gimli flatly answered, furiously defending himself from his foes. They continued on fighting until the last remaining Uruk Hai fell to Legolas' knife. And then they head swiftly to where Legolas thought Boromir might be. Meanwhile, Imogen was wasting any moment. She leapt hastily from bough to bough, but halted when her keen sight had picked up a sudden movement to the right. It was not an enemy for she knew that all the orcs had fled into the left side of the hillwoods. Out of the dense foliage came out a bewildered hobbit. It was Master Samwise looking around the environment nervously, seeming frightened that he lost both his master and his companions. Imogen kept leaping on to the branches of the woods until she was over to where Sam was. So subtle was her moves the hobbit stood unaware of her coming. She jumped down from the tree lithely, landing right in front of Sam. "AAAARRGGGRRHH!" screamed the terrified halfling upon imogen's abrupt appearance. He cowardly made himself fall backwards, hitting the ground butt first. "Be quite Sam! It's only me!" Imogen had seized cover of the halfing's mouth, blocking any noise emitting from it, then she pulled him up into a stance. Imogen's face was suddenly captured by the bright sunlight, her emerald eyes settled upon the halfling with a luminously striking sense of alertness. The lushness of her dark hair fell over her shoulders in a tangled mass. Her skin's luster made her features sublimely beautiful, in an exquisite way that any mortal or immortal creature alike could ever imagine possible. Sam thought that he had gazed upon which was fairest. His fright immediately deserted him the moment he saw her face and knew that it was the fair lady Imogen. "Holy Daffadowndilly! You scared the shadows out of me lady Imogen! Please, please do not do that again!" he gasped with his hands fluttering at his chest. "Forgive me, I did not wish to frighten you. Quickly now, Sam, you can not be seen by the enemies." She needed to hide Sam, she heard one of the orcs ordering the others to capture the little ones and to kill the rest of the fellowship. Their pursuit is of the ringbearer, true, but they are not wise enough to know which one so they had to get all of them to Orthanc, as what Saruman ordered them to do. "Come! Put your arms around my neck, you should take cover." Imogen earnestly looked around, finding a perfect place to hide Sam. The trees had offered Imogen their help, suggesting that the hobbit could be kept safe in their tops. "It's safe enough in the treetops, i'll hide you there" she told Sam while carrying him on her back and climbing up the tallest tree there is at the time. When they reached the crest, Sam asked Imogen dazedly. "Where is Master Frodo? Is he safe too?" She avoided his lonesome eyes. "I can not tell Sam, but my heart is hopefully saying that he is" A fear seized Sam that his master would be dead. He can not let him alone down there with orcs chasing him. A black despair came over him, his mind was throbbing, his heart was in agony, and he wished to be where Frodo was, to know that he was safe, and that he is still alive. He wearily crawled the branch and looked below the tall tree, trying his luck to find his master somewhere down in the woods. "Sam! You will not go down looking for the ringbearer!" Imogen sternly told him, she had read his thoughts. By this the hafling wept, and curled himself up of disgrace and failure to do what is tasked of him. "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee... I don't intend to Master Frodo.. I don't intend to" he heavily said in between sobs. "Listen to me Sam, Frodo's feet is no longer in our hands my friend. He decided to go on alone, for our own good, to keep us out of peril. You see, we matter to him, you matter to him, and I know that he wants you be safe too. It was a very brave decision he made Sam and I deem we should respect it." Imogen's voice was now of comfort. "You would understand him, I know you would. Now listen, I will leave you here for a moment, while I seek for Merry and Pippin, but I will be back for you. Do you hear me? Stop weeping my friend, my heart ails for Frodo too but naught can be done about his decision" she went on, holding the halfling to an embrace. Imogen thought that she had made Sam understand Frodo's parting, she thought that he had accepted the ringbearers decision to journey alone. But she was fooled, Sam had momentarily and falsely pretended to agree with Imogen in thought so that she would go on and leave him at once. And when she had separated with him, he asked forgiveness of him deceiving the fair and kindly she-elf. " I hope you'll forgive me, my fair lady, but I just can not abandon my master." Imogen was in battle when she felt that something amiss was going on about Sam. She could not go back to where he was for it was then far. The Uruk hai did not seem to lessen in number, she was beginning to tire but still kept on. Every now and again the orcs blocked her path, attacking her wildly, but every assail was met by a tragic death. She did not like what her senses were telling her, for she felt that Boromir had indeed come across an evil fate. The blowing of the horn had ceased, and the enemies were still at large. Suddenly, the orcs had stopped attacking her, they merely ignored her as they raced down the hill all at the same time. She ran towards them, smiting her enemies as she passed. Doubling her speed from them, she finally caught sight of Boromir desperately fighting, three arrows protruding his body. "No!" an anguish pinched her heart as she saw him valiantly fighting to his death. Worse, she also saw Merry and Pippin being seized by the other orcs. She struggled to get to them as fast as she could but she failed because of the other adversaries she had to finish. All was sluggish during that time, it was as if the world went in slow motion. Imogen could not catch up to the hobbits, they were taken away swiftly. Boromir was kneeling to the ground as the last Uruk hai stood before him, intending to spend his last arrow to end the man's existence but Aragorn went in time and killed the remaining foe by beheading it. Aragorn sped down to where Boromir lay. He knelt beside his companion with a presence of aflamed burden. Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak, "They took the little ones... forgive me Aragorn, I have failed.." Aragorn took his hand tightly. "No Boromir, you have conquered, none had claimed such a victory my friend.. speak no more. I will heal you.." A tear rushed down Boromir's cheek. "No my King, it is done, I have fought, and now my time has come.. Go to Minas Tirith and save the rest of our people. Farewell my brother, my King.." Aragorn closed his eyes and wept. "This is a bitter end! The company has fallen. Vain was Gandalf's trust in me. Where are the others? Where is the ringbearer? How shall I find them and save the quest from disaster?" He remained there kneeling for a good while. Imogen's burden was as heavy as Aragorn's. She stood there, beside an oak, letting her body and the side of her face lean sorrowfully upon it's bark. She was also weeping, for she saw how desperate Boromir fought and how painfully he departed, she saw the hobbits being seized by evil hands and she had done nothing to save them. An ill fate had indeed come upon them all. She wept silently, closing her eyes to shut it from all the wrong things she had seen just a while ago. It was as if the oak she was leaning on comforted her, the vines entwining it had lowered itself to touch Imogen's shuddering back. Her right hand was pressed upon it's bark lightly but she slowly closed it to a fist when she remembered how she failed to rescue her companions. It was when Legolas and Gimli found them, silently walking to their companions with heads bowed in grief. Legolas looked heavily at Imogen, with furrowed brows and teary eyes he had never before looked so grieved. He wanted to come up to her for shared comfort but he did not. Instead, he squatted and put his hand to his eyes, blocking any tear that would come out of them. He stabbed the earth with his long knife, griping it by the handle firmly. " Alas! we have slained many orcs up there but we should have been of more use here!" Gimli broke the silence (as always) but it was a gloomy outcome. "We came when we heard the horn, but it seems too late.." he continued. Aragorn finally stood up, his face flushed with tears, "Boromir is dead, I am not hurt for I was not here with him" he said at lenght. "He died defending the hobbits, but I do not know where they are now." Imogen suddenly remembered Sam, she gathered herself and darted away from the oak tree. "Sam!" she cried making the three companions look at her. She patiently looked around but then rested her gaze down the dwarf. "Gimli, I need you to call Asphodel, yell the loudest that you can, she is just around, she will hear you!" Gimli was about to disagree once again when Imogen had said the magic word. "Please.. please Gimli, I am not threatening you this time, I am in need of your help, I am asking you pleadingly. Call her by her name, she will come." Gimli had seen Imogen in a different aura now, gone was his perception of the "horrible she-elf", he had now seen her beauty and mildness, her purity as the hobbits had unearthed of her. He nodded upon Imogen's wish and loudly called on Asphodel, his clear voice rang to the forest in a manner like the horn of Gondor did. Before long there came a sound of hoofs and heavy galloping. And there she was, Aphodel came trotting up to where her bearer stood. Imogen bowed low to Gimli as a sign of apppreciation. Gimli held his hand up in return. "But where are you going? Have you decided to divide from us?" the dwarf asked as Imogen mounted her horse quickly. "Nay master dwarf! I am to fetch the other halfling Sam. I will be back, I will come to you!" she shouted as Asphodel rode away from them. They were not given time to ask her anymore questions for she had gone so swiftly it was like a lightning flash. Aragorn's heart was gladdened to know that atleast one of the haflings are with them, he hoped indeed that Imogen would find the hobbit to be safe where she had left him. Legolas heart throbbed once more. "What is it that she is into now?"