Boromir, Thou Shall Live
By Priscilla Stafford
Author's Note: Oh. My. Goodness. I have NEVER gotten so many reviews at the same time! Wow, I'm so grateful to you guys for writing reviews! This next chapter is for all you wonderful reviewers!!!!!
My individual thanks to reviewers will always be at the bottom of every new chapter so if you've written a review, please read my message back to you guys!
Story begins just after Boromir has tried to take the Ring from Frodo...
Chapter Two: 'An Altered Fate'
"Frodo!"
Boromir cried out but the voice in his head and in his heart was even more filled with anguish.
"Forgive me, please!"
He fell to his knees, hands out in surrender, in hope that Frodo could still see him, that Frodo was still close. That Frodo could see his guilt and shame, guilt and shame he deserved.
Once more he cried out the hobbit's name, but Boromir heard no reply. Instead, he heard something else, something calling out to him.
"Boromir…"
It was the Ring, so beautiful, so deadly, so... intriguing. It promised much and expected little. Find Frodo, take the Ring! A hobbit, of all people, should not possess it! Put on the Ring …Put it on... Save Gondor...
Boromir growled in denial, as he willed himself to remain in place. He had already made a horrible mistake, he will not repeat it. He will let Frodo go.
But what was to become of them now? Now, the Fellowship was sundered by a breach of trust, one that could not be mended in moments, or by mere words. Boromir clenched shut his eyes , but this did not help to stop tears from escaping.
The Ring was right about one thing- there was no hope. There was no hope for Gondor, nor for the whole of Middle-earth. Everyone and everything he loved will be lost to the cruel clutches of Sauron. But now he knew the truth, even the Ring couldn't stop the foreseeable. There was only one way, but it was impossible, wasn't it...?
Oh Valar! What had he done? He could still clearly picture the look on Frodo's face as he had reached for the Ring. It held a look of fear, desperation, helplessness... and disappointment. Disappointment! Frodo had been disappointed in him!
Boromir could hardly bear the guilt welling up inside his soul, threatening to overtake his senses. He could hardly blame Frodo, for he would never again be able to look straight into the eyes of the young hobbit…or anybody else for that matter.
Suddenly, as if it were imagined, he felt the ground shake slightly, so slightly he could barely perceive it. As he concentrated on the feeling, it began to grow stronger. There was now no mistaking what was causing the shaking. It signaled the coming of beings in the forest--many, many beings.
It was none of the Fellowship, for all of them, especially the elf with his light feet and the hobbits with their small bodies, could not and would not produce much noise. It could mean only one thing.
Ambush!
Boromir jumped up onto his feet and without thought began to run back towards the river. His sword was already unsheathed, and he was ready to do battle.
Through the trees he caught sight of... what were they? They were not orcs, for they looked more powerful and even more deadly than orcs. He realized then that they were Uruk-hai. Why would they be here? How did they find the Fellowship?
But he did not dwell on the question as he caught sight of two hobbits just a short distance away. Merry and Pippin were being chased by over a dozen of the enemy. Then Boromir saw one Uruk-hai cut off any chance of escape for the hobbits. Merry and Pippin both froze, knowing that it might be their last moments.
Fire seemed to flow through his veins and give him strength as Boromir ran to defend his friends. He would not let Merry and Pippin die, as long as he breathed. To try to block the Uruk-hai's blow would be too dangerous, so instead, Boromir used his whole body weight to throw the other off balance. His shoulder connected painfully with the other's armor, but Boromir quickly dismissed the pain. The pain was a minor issue; he would deal with it later. Right now, he would battle.
He kept the two hobbits in his sight even as he twirled, parried, and thrust his sword, attacking and defeating each and every assailant. Boromir had a certain style of fighting all his own, which was to always take the offensive. He gave no chance for his enemy to put him out of the advantage.
Boromir began to feel as though this battle was different from any other battle he had ever encountered. It wasn't that he was alone against so many No, that did not describe the feeling. It was as if this battle had already been foreseen, like he was living out something predestined.
He paused for a moment, trying to shake off the odd feeling.
The man of Gondor then remembered something. He reached for the object on his belt. Then with all of his breath, he blew into the horn of Gondor, issuing a call for help. More than anything, he hoped to draw the Uruks away from Frodo whom he hoped had reached safety with the other members of the Fellowship. Run, Frodo...
What came forth was a strong clear note, which seemed to silence everything else. Boromir blew once more. The Uruk-hai all seemed stunned, and for an instant, they too appeared to listen to the call of the horn.
But the spell was broken by one Uruk who growled and lunged for the man. Boromir tried to move out of the way but wasn't able in time. The two fell onto the ground. The Uruk-hai got up first and tried to bring his weapon down upon the fallen man.
His sword was out of reach, and Boromir had nothing to block the expected blow. Except one thing.
He brought up his horn to meet the weapon. Well-built and strong, the horn of Gondor deflected the blow. Yet the force of the impact cracked the horn into two pieces.
Boromir had no time to lament the loss of the Gondorrin heirloom, as he rolled out of the way of his attacker to grasp the hilt of his fallen sword. With a quick thrust, the Uruk-hai lay dead at his feet.
He glanced to where the hobbits had been last time he had looked. To his horror he saw that both Merry and Pippin were being closed in on by at least four Uruk-hai. They would soon be dead.
"NO!" Boromir got up with all speed and swiftness. As he rushed toward the hobbits, he cut down two more assailants.
Then, as if in slow motion, Boromir felt eyes on his back. Eyes that wereboring into him so menacingly that without thought he turned to catch a glimpse of the owner. But before he had even made a complete turn, he felt a blow connect sharply with his shoulder, right above his heart. The force was so strong that he jerked back.
At first he felt no pain. He felt only as if the breath had been knocked from him. Then he began to be unable to breathe without gasping. Boromir tried to suck in air, then nearly collapsed as he felt the searing pain. He fell onto his knees and realized his eyes were tightly closed. He opened them and saw the arrow protruding from his shoulder.
As he lifted his eyes they met those of the Uruk-hai who had shot him. The Uruk-hai was now smiling cruelly.
Boromir turned slightly so he could see Merry and Pippin. Their stricken faces were difficult to behold. But Boromir's eyes soon seemed to fail him and he couldn't focus. He shook his head slightly to clear his head. He could now see that a few Uruk-hai had gripped the hobbits by the arms.
He would not give up, not now! Boromir lifted himself from the ground. The Uruks stared at him in shock for they had believed he was finished. Boromir pressed the advantage and killed one, two, then three Uruk-hai in quick succession.
His injury should hurt, but it didn't.
The pain should be unbearable, but it wasn't.
Boromir felt as if he were in a dream, and his sword was moving as if it had its own mind. But the dream was about to take another turn.
Again, his world was jolted to a stop when another arrow pierced his lower body, right below his ribs. He stopped again and tried to keep breathing. It was getting more and more difficult to focus. Boromir leaned heavily on his sword, trying to steady the moving ground. He stole a glance towards the hobbits, and he saw that Merry's face was dirt streaked and grim, his eyes revealing how hard he was trying to remain strong. As for Pippin, he was openly sobbing and tears stained his cheeks as he cried out his name."Boromir!"
At the sound of Pippin's voice, Boromir felt a steely resolve take over his body once again. The Uruk-hai had already hoisted the Halflings onto their shoulders and were quickly getting away. The forest seemed to suddenly start emptying as the others followed.
Boromir then realized the hobbits were being taken alive. The Uruk-hai wanted them alive! But why single them out....
These thoughts were pushed from his mind as Boromir turned around and saw the Uruk-hai approach, bow raised and ready to send an arrow to finish the job. Boromir ducked and it was just in time. Boromir lunged towards the Uruk-hai, sword raised.
The Uruk-Hai then abandoned his bow and arrow, knowing in close combat it would be useless. He sneered and raised his own crude sword.
The two fought, their blades parrying and blocking each blow. Boromir knew in his heart that he was fighting better, faster, and deadlier than ever before. He would have to, if he was to survive.
But in a fight for survival, there were no rules. The Uruk punched and struck the man on the cheek. The blow was aimed well, cutting the flesh against the cheekbone. Boromir knew he was lucky that it hadn't shattered the bone, but the hit had done damage. He felt himself blacking out but willed himself to remain conscious.
Boromir then found himself surprisingly in a wonderful attack position. He sliced his sword across and cut the Uruk-Hai's arm above the elbow.
The Uruk-Hai bellowed in anger then reached out to grasp the shaft of the arrow protruding from Boromir's lower body. Boromir had no time to react, no time to prepare for what was to come.
Boromir cried out in pain for the first time since he began to battle as the arrow was cruelly pulled out. He fell to the ground and this time he found no strength to get up.
Grinning in triumph, the Uruk-Hai readied his weapon to deliver the killing stroke.
Unexpectedly, Boromir felt strangely... relieved. This was the way he had always believed he would die, in battle, fighting for something he believed in. And strangely, he now knew deep in his heart that he did believe in the quest. Once the Ring was destroyed, Gondor would be safe.
He offered a silent prayer to the Valar that Frodo would complete the quest.
But he prayed most of all that Frodo would someday forgive him.
Boromir met the eyes of the Uruk-hai. He would die a warrior, a hero of Gondor.
Suddenly, an arrow struck the Uruk-Hai in the head and Boromir knew he was dead before he hit the ground.
Confusion filled his thoughts.Who...?
Someone knelt beside him and to his utter shock, Boromir realized that it was Haldir. Haldir, the elf who had guided them through Lothlorien. What was he doing here?
Haldir was the first to speak. " Ask no questions. Do exactly as I say." Boromir could only nod, though he did not understand what was happening. "We are leaving immediately. But before we do, I must remove this arrow."
Boromir just closed his eyes. He hoped it was enough of an answer because he found he could not speak.
The moment the arrow was pulled out, Boromir bit his lip from crying out but couldn't stop from groaning. He wasn't going to last much longer, he could feel himself fading. He was getting tired....
He saw Haldir's lips moving but could not comprehend what was being said. Haldir then began to force him to get up.
Oh, how the pain pierced his whole existence! No one should be able to stand so much, and he wouldn't wish it upon his worst enemy. Finally, cooperating with Haldir, Boromir was able to get on his feet though almost all of his weight was leaning on the elf.
Haldir was surprisingly strong and half dragged, half supported Boromir to a horse.
"You must get on."
Boromir shook his head, he couldn't. Never before had mounting a horse looked so difficult. It was such an obvious impossibility in his condition. But Haldir was persistent and before Boromir could grasp what was going on, his foot was in the stirrup.
"That is as far as I can aid you. From here you must mount with your own strength."
Boromir reached up with his arms to grasp the horn of the saddle but could move no farther. He rested his head on his outstretched arms and began to fade...
"Boromir, you must not give up!"
The words 'give up' startled Boromir and struck his heart. He was never one to give up, and he would not start now. He took in a deep breath and before he let it out, he hefted himself up. Yet even before he sat down into the saddle, he slipped into blackness...
Author's Note: So, what do you think? I know it's different from the movie but I'm sort of going by both the movie and the books here. The books never explained clearly what happened so I changed things here and there to fit in with my story.
I wanted so much to really show how much of a hero Boromir was. He did have his weaknesses, for all men have them, but Boromir is still special. He risks his own life to fight to protect Merry and Pippin.
Please review!
My special thanks to:
Maria Ha, I just knew you'd love it (actually, you just LOVE anything with Boromir! Wink!) I hope you liked this chapter with LOTS of Boromir!
galadrielwannabe A Galadriel wannabe? Cool! I hope you like my portrayal of Galadriel. She seemed a bit stiff at times (no offense) in the movies and the books so I decided to give her more emotions. Boromir will ALWAYS live in our hearts!
Foxtrot I fully intend to finish this story!
BoromirDefender I'm glad you think my story's awesome! I updated my story as soon as I could!
cherryfaerie Nope, the character of Isilme is all mine. I looked through the Quenya dictionary to find a suitable name for her. :d Anyway, with Boromir alive, I intend to change a few things, but the changes won't be THAT dramatic (well, I haven't decided if I should).
Spry Sprite Hey, you have a cool name! I totally agree with you, some people enjoy killing Boromir, the poor guy! Well, I'm glad you're glad that I'm giving him a chance in my story!
obsessedgigglingelf You gave me such a great compliment! 'Even in this short chapter, with a change in the story, you have captured the characters well.' Thanks so much! I'm hoping to continue writing out the characters as you all love from the Lord of the Rings books and movies.
Melodist Glad you liked my 'intriguing start'! I'm hoping this chapter shows a side of Boromir never really expressed in the books and the movies. I hope it comes out intriguing enough for you, someone needs to really write Boromir as the hero he really is!