Boromir, Thou Shall Live
By Priscilla Stafford
Author's Note: Another chapter, wow! I've never written so much at one time before! I think it's because of all the support I'm getting from my reviewers. You guys are sooooo fantastic!
Once again, my personal notes to reviewers are at the bottom of the chapter.
Well, we've left Boromir at a terrible place indeed. But here's a chapter involving the remainder of the Fellowship. Fates are intertwined, how are the fates of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli changed?
Chapter Three: 'Fates Intertwined'
Aragorn's heart clenched as he strained to catch every single sound. It was too quiet, and the horn of Gondor was heard no more.
He ran to the area he thought Boromir had last been. Bodies were everywhere, and it was evident that Boromir had fought to the utmost of his abilities.
Aragorn grimaced upon seeing the dead body of an especially large Uruk-Hai. The body was laying face down and was missing most of his arm. Yes, Boromir had fought well indeed.
Aragorn began to scan the floor using his ranger skills, looking for any signs of where the Uruk-hai, the hobbits, and Boromir had gone.
He believed they were gone, for Aragorn still held hope that they were all still alive.
He found one arrow, obviously not fashioned by elvish hands because it was crudely made. The tip was covered in red blood. It did not appear to be Uruk-Hai blood, which was almost black in color. Could it have been from a hobbit or a man?
He continued to look around as he made wider and wider circles. Why were there no clues? It was as if... as if someone had erased any signs of man or hobbit. But why?
Aragorn looked up to see that Legolas had appeared. Thankfully he was unhurt.
"Legolas, have you..."
Legolas shook his head, and spoke in his soft voice. "There are no signs."
"There must be!"
With even more vigor, Aragorn once again continued his search. Finally, he found something.
Caught in one of the lower branches of a large tree was a torn piece of a cloak. The material was recognizable, for he himself wore the cloak made from the same material. The piece was from the cloaks given as gifts from the elves of Lothlorien.
Gimli, who had arrived shortly after Legolas, spoke up. "Whose cloak is that? It is from no hobbit -- a hobbit cannot walk on air."
"From Boromir perhaps?" Legolas' voice held a small amount of hope.
Aragorn pondered the puzzle and finally reached his conclusion. And the conclusion didn't make him feel any better. "This is from the edge of a cloak, yet it is not likely the fragment is Boromir's. Even though he is larger than the hobbits, he is not that tall. I think it is safer to assume that it's from one of the hobbits."
Gimli snorted. "Have you been listening to anything I've said, lad? No hobbit can..."
"He can if he was being carried on someone's shoulder, an Uruk-hai's for example."
Silence fell. Aragorn could see that Gimli still looked skeptical and Legolas' face was unreadable.
"Boromir could have..." Gimli ventured to suggest.
"But why would he go in the opposite directions?" Aragorn snapped. He was feeling frustrated with the whole situation. What if Frodo had been taken? If so, the Ring was lost to them.
He closed his eyes and bowed his head. The situation was grim and he had no idea what to do. 'You were meant to do this, meant to lead', he thought in his head. But he had never wanted it, because he had never wanted to have this burden.
Aragorn felt a presence in front of him. Looking up, he saw that it was Legolas. The other's face now seemed sad. Aragorn saw why. For Legolas' hands held the horn of Gondor, cloven in two.
Oh, Boromir! Are you lost to us? So many questions, so few answers.
Too much time was being lost. Aragorn spoke. "We should return to the boats to see if anyone is there."
In silence, the man, elf, and dwarf sprinted for the riverside where they had left the boats.
Silently, Aragorn hoped that somehow he was wrong, and that all four hobbits and Boromir would be waiting for them at the camp. But he knew deep down that something was not right.
They finally reached the shore, and as Aragorn had surmised, not a soul was there. There was, however, a boat moving across the river. And the boat was occupied.
"Frodo! And Sam!"
Aragorn released a sigh of relief. They had not failed, and the Ring had not fallen into the hands of the enemy. There was yet reason to hope.
Frodo and Sam had heard Gimli's shout and had turned to face the shores they had left. Sam appeared wet but by the smile on his face showed that nothing was dampening his spirits.
Frodo's face, on the other hand, was austere. Aragorn locked eyes with the Ring-bearer and read a bit of fear in his eyes. It took a moment for Aragorn to understand that Frodo thought that they would try to follow.
And why shouldn't he? Hadn't he been able to resist the Ring? It was his duty to protect Frodo, and it was beyond probability that Frodo and Sam could make it to Mordor on their own.
Aragorn knew that the sooner they got into enemy territory, the more the Ring would try even more desperately to take over his mind. He knew exactly how the Ring would tempt him, for Aragorn knew his responsibilities as the heir of Isildur would be his burden.
How much could he resist? When, and not if, the Ring took over his mind, Aragorn himself would become Frodo's worst enemy. He couldn't let that happen.
Aragorn gave Frodo a small smile and brought his hand up in farewell.
Aragorn saw Sam look puzzled but the ranger had eyes only for Frodo. The hobbit slumped slightly in relief as if he had been holding his breath. Frodo returned the gesture, giving a small smile of his own.
Frodo said something to Sam who then nodded. The two turned their backs and began rowing for the other shore.
Legolas' voice interrupted Aragorn's thoughts. "Hurry, Frodo and Sam are soon to reach the eastern shore." Legolas began preparing the boat then realized Aragorn was not moving. The two faced each other. Legolas suddenly looked startled, as he understood what Aragorn was thinking. "You mean not to follow them." It was a statement, not a question.
Aragorn nodded slowly. "Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."
"Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed," Gimli said in despair.
Aragorn did not answer as he continued to look toward the two hobbits. They had reached the shore and even now were moving out of sight. He waited till he could see them no more.
He put each of his hands on Legolas and Gimli's shoulders. Only then did he speak. "The Fellowship has not failed, not if we hold true to each other. Merry and Pippin have probably been captured by the Uruk-hai. They were always inseparable and I believe they are still together. We will not abandon them to torment and death. Not while we have strength left."
"If they are yet alive," Gimli said in a harsh tone.
Aragorn spoke in certainty. "The only reason they are still alive is because the Uruk-hai were searching for us. Possibly for hobbits specifically. It is likely Saruman, who knows about Frodo and the Ring, sent the Uruks. They would not have been told what they were sent for, only to follow orders. I see no reason why they would know exactly how many hobbits we had traveling with us."
Legolas nodded for what he spoke was logical. His eyes were saddened when he said, "Then there is no reason they would keep Boromir alive."
The heir of Isildur bowed his head, for he too was certain that Boromir could not be alive. "We have no time to search for his body if there is one. Who knows, there is a possibility that he is already tracking the Uruk-hai."
'But it's not very likely', he thought silently.
"Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light."
It took only a short while for the three warriors to pack what was necessary. Aragorn's eyes strayed to the two pieces of the horn of Gondor. Legolas saw the look. "Do not worry, Aragorn, I shall keep it safe," he assured.
Aragorn didn't reply though he was thankful for the elf's thoughtfulness. Aragorn took out his curved dagger and wiped blood off onto the grass.
"If indeed Boromir is alive, he might return here. He is a good tracker, and he will notice that I have cleaned my dagger on the grass. He will know we are yet alive." He saw hope light up the eyes of the elf and dwarf, for he had reassured them there was still hope.
He snapped his dagger back into his sheath. "Let's go hunt some orc."
Aragorn did not need to look behind to know that Legolas and Gimli followed at his heels as they headed to rescue their friends.
Unbeknownst to them, a lone elf watched them vanish through the forest. Haldir was one not to show his emotions outwardly, but here in solitude he allowed himself to sigh in relief. Everything had gone well and better than he would have hoped.
When Boromir had slumped onto his horse, Haldir had feared that Boromir had breathed his last. But fortune seemed to smile upon Boromir and he was still breathing, though his pulse was beating in an erratic matter and his breathing was shallow.
He had quickly retrieved Boromir's sword and taken his arrow from the dead Uruk-Hai. He did not doubt Aragorn's ranger skills, and he had to make all evidence of Boromir's fate disappear. He had quickly jumped up onto a low tree branch and carefully torn a piece of his cloak onto the branch. His elf ears had then picked up someone coming. He silently jumped off the branch and ran to his horse, Maiorama, who was waiting patiently.
Haldir whispered into his horse's ear, telling him to head a short distance away. The horse left, going slow enough not to jostle her passenger.
The elf had remained and quickly erased all horse tracks and finally allowed himself to follow his horse after catching sight of Aragorn approaching.
Using all of his elf skills, Haldir glided through the trees and caught up with Maiorama. He guided the horse and the still unconscious Boromir to a hidden glade. He had gently lowered the wounded man on the ground.
After delicately tending the man's wounds, he then had returned to the shore where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were speaking in low voices. From the few words he could catch, Haldir surmised that they had decided follow Merry and Pippin and had let Frodo and Sam continue on the quest.
Haldir saw Legolas pack away the broken horn of Gondor. He had left that on purpose for he knew Boromir would not have wanted him to leave his sword instead. Besides, the broken horn subtly gave off the impression that Boromir had been killed.
Making sure that Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli would not be returning, Haldir headed for the abandoned boats. Some supplies had been left behind hastily and he searched for something he could use. But at the end of his search he only took a few blankets. He also filled one canteen with water then returned to where he had left Boromir.
Boromir looked even paler than last time, and for second Haldir thought he was viewing ashen face of one who had left Middle-earth. But then he saw the soft rise and fall of the man's chest for he was still breathing.
Haldir began checking the wounds again. Before he had left, he had noted that the serious injuries were only from the arrow wounds. The only thing he had done was hastily bind the injuries to try to stop the bleeding. He now first checked the lower body wound. He brought the cloth away to see it was drenched in blood. But the clothing restricted Haldir from getting a clear view. He unbuckled Boromir's belt, took off his long vest, then proceeded to take off his shirt. Haldir then took off the chain mail which Boromir had worn. Sadly it was not made of mithril. But it was highly unlikely anyone, even members of the Fellowship, would own a coat of mithril.
Now that Boromir's chest was exposed, Haldir could finally examine the wounds more carefully. The arrow had been savagely ripped out from the lower body, thus the reason for the continued bleeding. Haldir stripped the scavenged blankets, dipped one in water and began the tedious task of cleaning the wound. Arrow wounds were complicated, and it was hard to tell if a shard from the arrow had remained in the body, or if the arrow itself was poisoned. The wound was finally fully cleaned and Haldir saw no infection. By that time the bleeding had stopped. There would certainly be a scar left behind, but Boromir should be thankful it wasn't worse.
After putting a healing salve then binding some bandages on the wound, Haldir next examined the other injury. Boromir was again terribly lucky for the arrow had narrowly missed piercing through his heart. Another clean wound, but the bleeding had to stop or Boromir would not survive the day.
He cleaned the wound then with his own hand put pressure on it to try to stop the bleeding.
Haldir kept his other hand busy by using another cloth to clean the cut on Boromir's face. The cut was already closing and it was obvious that there was going to be a nasty bruise.
After a while, Haldir checked to see if the bleeding had stopped. Not entirely, but it wasn't as bad as before. He bound the bandages tightly to provide constant pressure. Finally he covered Boromir with a blanket.
Haldir settled himself on the ground and was finally able to decide on the next course. He must return to Lothlorien as soon as possible, because he couldn't risk Boromir from taking a turn for the worse while still out in the wilderness.
Then again, Boromir had already withstood so much. Haldir spoke softly to the still form and couldn't help letting a little admiration slip into his words, "You are a hard one to kill, Boromir, son of Gondor. I am honored to have saved your life for I believe your life is one worth saving."
Author's Note: Well, I said I would only write about Aragorn and Co. but after writing I just knew I had to write a bit more! I hope you liked this 'slightly longer than I expected' chapter! And I couldn't also help putting in that thing about 'mithril'. How could Haldir known that Frodo had a coat of mithril?
Trivia: The name of Haldir's horse, Maiorama, translated in elvish is 'horse on wings'.
My special thanks to:
Maria It was my greatest pleasure in updating so I could give you another chapter! So glad you like the part about the horn of Gondor. Glad you weren't too shocked with the violence in chapter 2. :D I hope you like new chapter!
Melodist So, I've updated! Am I still your best friend? Hee hee! Anyway, thanks for reviewing again, and it was a long review! jumps up and down for joy! Oh, I totally agree with you, Boromir is not a bad guy (though he's played lots of baddies in his other movies.) I hope I portray him in the stories as we all know he really is without being tempted by the Ring.
iwantboromir Oooh, I can tell you're a Boromir fan by your name! Sorry I've left you hanging on the next chapter! But what's a good story without a good cliffhanger? wink I like keeping my readers in suspense. Anyways, it was my pleasure in rescuing Boromir, though I hope you'll share 'your sweet Boromir' with all of us!
Spry Sprite You should have seen the happy happy hey Boromir isn't dead dance that my friend did when I told her I'm writing a story where Boromir doesn't die! Haldir certainly is a cool elf, I'm totally upset that they had to kill him at Helm's Deep!
RoseRed16 Thanks for the compliment! I try my best and I simply LOVE to write! Thanks so much for putting me on your favorite's list, that's the highest honor you could give me! Thanks again!