He stood on the edge of the river, the grass below his feet damp with the morning dew. It was morning, the rising sun glittering on the rippling water as it flowed into the alcove. It was here his boat rested, here that he had woken.

A forest surrounded Boromir, and edged the other bank. He stood at a curve in the river, and could see no further than half a league in either direction. He knew that he should follow the path that led into the depths of the golden forest, that he would be happy there, and at peace, but each time he took a step in that direction, he felt drawn back to the river bank. He had to wait.

Waiting gave him time to think. He was pleased that Frodo and Sam had escaped. He hoped Merry and Pippin were safe; he had liked their easy ways. An image flickered in the back of his mind, the hobbits staring at him in horror, their cries echoing in his ears, but the thought was gone before he could focus on it. He shook his head as he thought of the Ring. He resented it, resented challenge it had set him, the power it had held over him. It was the Ring that had brought him to this place, eternal life, across the Great Sea. And still he waited. He remembered Daya, regretted leaving her, and he wished that he had had longer with her. He thought of the children they should have had together. A family. And later he would have taken his place as Steward of Gondor. He wished that he had been a stronger man.

The sun was high above his head now, but he had no idea how long he had paced this river bank. He lifted his head and saw the boat approach. From the bank it appeared empty, but Boromir knew that this was what he waited for. Slowly it trailed along the current until it was swept into the alcove. It bumped gently against the shore, to its resting place.

He approached the small vessel. As he came closer he saw the figure lying in the base of it. She wore the same sheer blue gown as when she had first come to his chamber, the first night that they had shared together. One shoulder was bare, as were her arms and feet. The circlet he had given her reflected the sun above, her hair spread around her face, eyes closed, dark lashes pressed against her cheek. He stared at her, and she opened her eyes, and he saw the life in their depths once more.

Boromir waded into the water, and helped her to stand, helping her to step lightly onto the river bank. He caught her in his arms, heard her laugh, and he kissed her smiling lips. The length of her body was pressed against his, and he wondered that she was so small, the top of her head resting a few inches below his chin. He could feel her warmth, and he closed his eyes.

Suddenly he remembered the pain that had brought him here, the burning agony of the arrows, and he clenched her to him, wondering what horror she must have gone through to come here. He pushed the thoughts away once more, and he did what he never thought he would do again; he brought his lips down to his wife's.

Finally the kiss broke, and Boromir, Son of Denethor took the hand once more of Daya, his wife, and together they entered Eternity.

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A/N: Well... my first fanfic. Up and complete. Completely and utterly twee (as my friend likes to put it) but mine, all mine! Written completely for my own selfish pleasure, and challenged to put it on her by fore-mentioned friend. There's a few points I'd like to make: (bear with me!)

a.) Daya is not a Mary Sue. She has elements of Mary Sue, yes, but as I've discovered it's very difficult to write a female character without putting elements of yourself into it. Daya can play with a sword. I can't!

b.) The likelihood of her turning up at Helm's Deep isn't that realistic... but I wanted her to have a love for Boromir so strong that she would die to be reunited with him... Helm's Deep seemed like a good place for her to get her revenge on his killers.

c.) I didn't want to offend anyone with this. Even if you hate Mary Sue's, I hope you will see that Daya doesn't really effect the action of the novels/films. She doesn't take the place of any major character, she doesn't have an unpronounceable name, and she isn't one of Elrond's long lost daughters. She doesn't turn up at the Council, she doesn't fight the Balrog, and she doesn't stop Boromir dying just so she can go and have lots of babies with him. Ok, so she's good with a sword, but obviously not that good because she dies! She has to be a strong character, or else Boromir wouldn't have anything to do with her, you can't really imagine him with a wallflower can you? Damn... actually I can! Well, that's messed up this story. Oh, and even I don't like all

that stuff about them as children and growing up to love each other, but it kind of took over at some points. Oh, and she's not an elf either. And she only has very slight psychic powers. She can't bloody control them. She's only human!

d.) If you liked it, please review! If you don't like it, please review and explain why! Oh, and if you've picked up any glaring errors, continuity or historical stuff... you get the idea!