Faulkner: This chapter is a tearjerker. Get out the Kleenex everyone!!
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Ratchet wasn't quite sure when she first heard the battle cries. All she knew was that one minute she was running through the forest, the next, she was shooting orcs as fast as she could. Except, these orcs were a lot bigger, and stronger, maybe just a little bit smarter too.
Soon she ran out of arrows and had to shoulder her bow and use her sword. But all too soon she also heard something that made her blood run cold.
A horn.
Boromir's horn.
Ratchet looked up from her last fallen enemy and turned to face the direction that it came from.
"Boromir...." she whispered.
She didn't think, she didn't look, she just ran. The horn sounded again, orcs ran past her. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for her. Tears were running down her face as she ran.
'Boromir. Don't die, please don't die. Boromir. Boromir!' she yelled in her mind.
That's when she saw it.
A particularly huge orc stood in front of Boromir with a bow nocked with an arrow, ready to fire. Boromir already had three arrows in him, and was kneeling, his face pale.
Aragorn came out of nowhere and knocked the orc over, the arrow missing its intended target. She watched as Boromir crawled over to get his sword, but fell short and ended up laying under a tree. Even from this distance, Ratchet could tell he was fading.
Fast.
Then she turned back to see Aragorn cleave off the giant orcs head. Aragorn staggered over to Boromir and they started talking. All Ratchet could do was watch. It was like being in a nightmare, only worse. She felt nothing, and everything at the same time.
Then Boromir's head turned in her direction, and everything rushed back to her.
"Boromir!!" Ratchet's strangled cry brought Aragorn's attention to her.
Ratchet ran over to the one other man that had known her love. The one other man that had touched her heart in a very profound way.
"Ratchet." Boromir coughed and a little blood came up.
"Ssshhh." Ratchet knelt down next to him and couldn't help but let the tears fall. She reached out and grasped his hand.
"Here. Take this." Boromir reached for his neck and pulled out a necklace. On it was a black cat with big emerald eyes.
"No. Keep it. I gave it to you, and it is yours. Remember that day Boromir? Do you remember?" Ratchet whispered.
~*Flashback*~
Boromir and Ratchet had found a nice secluded hill to watch the stars on, and were laying next to each other on a blanket. They had been sitting there for a good while now, and still hadn't spoken. But it had been a comfortable silence.
"Boromir?"
"Hmmm?" The man turned his head so he could see the one he loved.
"I have something to give you." Ratchet said quietly. She reached behind her neck and undid the clasp that held Kuroneko's necklace on her.
She took him off and showed the good-luck charm to him.
"It was a good friends, and he gave it to me. Now i'm giving it to you." They both sat up and Ratchet put it on him. "The cats name is Kuroneko. It's a strange name, but I like it."
Boromir looked into her eyes. "Thank you." he whispered.
"I hope he gives you as much good-luck as he gave Kokuyo."
~*End Flashback*~
Boromir smiled up at her in the memory. Then he looked up at her with sorrow.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to take it from Frodo. I tried, I swear I tried. But it wasn't enough." he confessed.
"Sssshhh. It's all right Boromir. I forgive you." More tears threatened to fall from Ratchet's eyes.
"Ratchet?"
"Yes love?" Ratchet choked out.
"Could you sing me one more song. Please?"
Ratchet gave him a crooked smile. "Of course."
"Now I want to protect you
Since my heart has become stronger
As tired as I used to be
I haven't learned to fly
The faraway star
Releases a blinding light
As you embrace your Angel
You look up to pray
"Though i'm small"
"I won't lose to anyone"
I see the passion in your eyes
And I want to talk to you
During the fight
You make a bet
For the sake of a dream
Now i'm dedicated to you
Not only through love and courage
You fly higher than anyone else with your wings
But where are you flying?
I truly believe
In the power of dreams
Someday i'll be where you are
I'll definitely follow you
This season, I want to see
Your shining smile
My heart throbs
With a bit of that pain
Though it's tough
And it hurts
I'm not alone
Now I want to protect you
Since my heart has become stronger
As tired as I used to be
I haven't learned to fly
Now i'm dedicated to you
Not only through love and courage
You fly higher than anyone else with your wings
But where are you flying?"
Ratchet nearly choked out the last note. Boromir was smiling and watching her. He was still just barely alive.
"Thank you Ratchet." he whispered.
Ratchet watched him closely as one last white hot tear fell from her eye.
"It's Aerin Boromir. My name's Aerin." she whispered to the dying man. He just smiled all the while.
"Thank you. Aerin." He took one last shuddering breath before leaving his body.
Ratchet hung her head over her hands clasped in Boromir's dead one.
"Be at peace, son of Gondor." Aragorn whispered before kissing Boromir's forehead and closing his eyes.
Ratchet gasped as the pain came back, full force. The last few things happened in a blur. Legolas and Aragorn carrying Boromir's body and putting it in a boat and then pushing it to the middle of the river. Then the boat going over the falls.
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli looked at Ratchet in worry. She hadn't spoken one word, and hadn't acknowledged their presences.
"She cannot come with us. Her leg is badly wounded, and I don't think she could take much more." Legolas whispered to Aragorn. The elf, man, and dwarf watched Ratchet as she watched the falls.
"We could send her back to Lorien. The Lady would surely let her stay there where it is safest and let her grieve in peace." Gimli whispered back. They all agreed on this and walked over to Ratchet.
"Ratchet?" Legolas stood in front of her and looked her in the eyes. "We are going to follow the orcs that captured Merry and Pippin. You are too wounded to follow." He glanced at her arm and leg wounds. "We are going to give you directions to find Lothlorien. There, you will be healed and safe."
Ratchet nodded her head slightly to show that she understood. Legolas quickly explained to her how to get back to Lothlorien while Aragorn got together what few things the three would need to track the group of orcs.
Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas all said farewell and ran of to catch up with the band of orcs.
Ratchet watched them run off and silently wished them luck. Then she turned to the provisions left in the last boat. Legolas had told her to scavenge all she would need and put it into one pack. Then hide what was left, and head for Lothlorien.
She did this, without feeling anything. Totally in denial. She kept thinking that Boromir would walk out of the river soaking wet saying he was playing some cruel joke. But the alwats logical part of her mind told her that he was never coming back.
Ratchet felt a strange warmth on her chest and looked down. The pendant that Galadriel had given her was glowing brightly. Ratchet put her hand over it and let the warmth wash through her hand and up her arm. Then down through the rest of her body.
Ratchet looked down at her still slightly bleeding leg wound. After tending that, she got to work on her arm wound. When that was done she picked up her pack and slung it over the shoulder that didn't have the injured arm.
One thought continuosly pounded in her head.
'Is there such a thing as Hope and Love?'
With that question and her sorrows her only company, she set off for Lorien, still holding the sun pendant, even though it was burning her skin.
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Faulkner: I actually cried while writing this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to my good and faithful dog Jasper. He was the best collie and best dog a person could ever ask for.
~*Rest In Peace Jasper*~
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Ratchet wasn't quite sure when she first heard the battle cries. All she knew was that one minute she was running through the forest, the next, she was shooting orcs as fast as she could. Except, these orcs were a lot bigger, and stronger, maybe just a little bit smarter too.
Soon she ran out of arrows and had to shoulder her bow and use her sword. But all too soon she also heard something that made her blood run cold.
A horn.
Boromir's horn.
Ratchet looked up from her last fallen enemy and turned to face the direction that it came from.
"Boromir...." she whispered.
She didn't think, she didn't look, she just ran. The horn sounded again, orcs ran past her. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for her. Tears were running down her face as she ran.
'Boromir. Don't die, please don't die. Boromir. Boromir!' she yelled in her mind.
That's when she saw it.
A particularly huge orc stood in front of Boromir with a bow nocked with an arrow, ready to fire. Boromir already had three arrows in him, and was kneeling, his face pale.
Aragorn came out of nowhere and knocked the orc over, the arrow missing its intended target. She watched as Boromir crawled over to get his sword, but fell short and ended up laying under a tree. Even from this distance, Ratchet could tell he was fading.
Fast.
Then she turned back to see Aragorn cleave off the giant orcs head. Aragorn staggered over to Boromir and they started talking. All Ratchet could do was watch. It was like being in a nightmare, only worse. She felt nothing, and everything at the same time.
Then Boromir's head turned in her direction, and everything rushed back to her.
"Boromir!!" Ratchet's strangled cry brought Aragorn's attention to her.
Ratchet ran over to the one other man that had known her love. The one other man that had touched her heart in a very profound way.
"Ratchet." Boromir coughed and a little blood came up.
"Ssshhh." Ratchet knelt down next to him and couldn't help but let the tears fall. She reached out and grasped his hand.
"Here. Take this." Boromir reached for his neck and pulled out a necklace. On it was a black cat with big emerald eyes.
"No. Keep it. I gave it to you, and it is yours. Remember that day Boromir? Do you remember?" Ratchet whispered.
~*Flashback*~
Boromir and Ratchet had found a nice secluded hill to watch the stars on, and were laying next to each other on a blanket. They had been sitting there for a good while now, and still hadn't spoken. But it had been a comfortable silence.
"Boromir?"
"Hmmm?" The man turned his head so he could see the one he loved.
"I have something to give you." Ratchet said quietly. She reached behind her neck and undid the clasp that held Kuroneko's necklace on her.
She took him off and showed the good-luck charm to him.
"It was a good friends, and he gave it to me. Now i'm giving it to you." They both sat up and Ratchet put it on him. "The cats name is Kuroneko. It's a strange name, but I like it."
Boromir looked into her eyes. "Thank you." he whispered.
"I hope he gives you as much good-luck as he gave Kokuyo."
~*End Flashback*~
Boromir smiled up at her in the memory. Then he looked up at her with sorrow.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to take it from Frodo. I tried, I swear I tried. But it wasn't enough." he confessed.
"Sssshhh. It's all right Boromir. I forgive you." More tears threatened to fall from Ratchet's eyes.
"Ratchet?"
"Yes love?" Ratchet choked out.
"Could you sing me one more song. Please?"
Ratchet gave him a crooked smile. "Of course."
"Now I want to protect you
Since my heart has become stronger
As tired as I used to be
I haven't learned to fly
The faraway star
Releases a blinding light
As you embrace your Angel
You look up to pray
"Though i'm small"
"I won't lose to anyone"
I see the passion in your eyes
And I want to talk to you
During the fight
You make a bet
For the sake of a dream
Now i'm dedicated to you
Not only through love and courage
You fly higher than anyone else with your wings
But where are you flying?
I truly believe
In the power of dreams
Someday i'll be where you are
I'll definitely follow you
This season, I want to see
Your shining smile
My heart throbs
With a bit of that pain
Though it's tough
And it hurts
I'm not alone
Now I want to protect you
Since my heart has become stronger
As tired as I used to be
I haven't learned to fly
Now i'm dedicated to you
Not only through love and courage
You fly higher than anyone else with your wings
But where are you flying?"
Ratchet nearly choked out the last note. Boromir was smiling and watching her. He was still just barely alive.
"Thank you Ratchet." he whispered.
Ratchet watched him closely as one last white hot tear fell from her eye.
"It's Aerin Boromir. My name's Aerin." she whispered to the dying man. He just smiled all the while.
"Thank you. Aerin." He took one last shuddering breath before leaving his body.
Ratchet hung her head over her hands clasped in Boromir's dead one.
"Be at peace, son of Gondor." Aragorn whispered before kissing Boromir's forehead and closing his eyes.
Ratchet gasped as the pain came back, full force. The last few things happened in a blur. Legolas and Aragorn carrying Boromir's body and putting it in a boat and then pushing it to the middle of the river. Then the boat going over the falls.
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli looked at Ratchet in worry. She hadn't spoken one word, and hadn't acknowledged their presences.
"She cannot come with us. Her leg is badly wounded, and I don't think she could take much more." Legolas whispered to Aragorn. The elf, man, and dwarf watched Ratchet as she watched the falls.
"We could send her back to Lorien. The Lady would surely let her stay there where it is safest and let her grieve in peace." Gimli whispered back. They all agreed on this and walked over to Ratchet.
"Ratchet?" Legolas stood in front of her and looked her in the eyes. "We are going to follow the orcs that captured Merry and Pippin. You are too wounded to follow." He glanced at her arm and leg wounds. "We are going to give you directions to find Lothlorien. There, you will be healed and safe."
Ratchet nodded her head slightly to show that she understood. Legolas quickly explained to her how to get back to Lothlorien while Aragorn got together what few things the three would need to track the group of orcs.
Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas all said farewell and ran of to catch up with the band of orcs.
Ratchet watched them run off and silently wished them luck. Then she turned to the provisions left in the last boat. Legolas had told her to scavenge all she would need and put it into one pack. Then hide what was left, and head for Lothlorien.
She did this, without feeling anything. Totally in denial. She kept thinking that Boromir would walk out of the river soaking wet saying he was playing some cruel joke. But the alwats logical part of her mind told her that he was never coming back.
Ratchet felt a strange warmth on her chest and looked down. The pendant that Galadriel had given her was glowing brightly. Ratchet put her hand over it and let the warmth wash through her hand and up her arm. Then down through the rest of her body.
Ratchet looked down at her still slightly bleeding leg wound. After tending that, she got to work on her arm wound. When that was done she picked up her pack and slung it over the shoulder that didn't have the injured arm.
One thought continuosly pounded in her head.
'Is there such a thing as Hope and Love?'
With that question and her sorrows her only company, she set off for Lorien, still holding the sun pendant, even though it was burning her skin.
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Faulkner: I actually cried while writing this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to my good and faithful dog Jasper. He was the best collie and best dog a person could ever ask for.
~*Rest In Peace Jasper*~