The Fellowship was heading south floating along Anduin river. Boromir was with Merry and Pippin, Aragorn with Frodo and Sam, and Legolas with Gimli and Ithilwen. Legolas was rowing and at some point Ithilwen turned her head upset and looked at him without saying a word. He immediately looked at the west bank and sensed the same danger as she did.
"Can you feel that too?" she asked. Ravens started crowing and Aragorn and Boromir sensed too the danger that was approaching.
"Yes" replied Legolas and looked worried towards the forest.
"What have you both felt and now you are talking with riddles?" interrupted Gimli.
"There is a grave danger following us in the forest" said Ithilwen with her gaze roaming among the trees of the west bank. "We should be wary of this".
Legolas nodded and continued rowing. They should hurry and their night stop should be brief and discreet. The following day they continued rowing down the Anduin. The two elves felt more uneasy than the previous day sensing the danger coming closer to them. Only at the sight of the Argonath, the majestic statues of the old kings, their minds were drawn for a while from the approaching darkness. The three boats approached the Rauros Falls, and they reached the West Bank of the lake.
"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north", said Aragorn.
"We should cross the lake now" said Legolas after looking around the forest.
"No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness."
"We have been both sensing a danger Aragorn" said Ithilwen. "This darkness is coming closer, I can feel it. We should leave now."
They were interrupted by Merry who noticed the absence of Frodo. Aragorn looked around and noticed that Boromir was missing too and went inside the forest.
"Pack again your things" said Ithilwen to the hobbits. "We will leave very soon again. And stay close to us. Be sure not to be out of our sight." Legolas looked at her worried.
"I hope that we have not lost valuable time by now" he said to her, and she sighed.
"Where they have all been all this time!" exclaimed Gimli. "Let's go and find them".
Legolas, Gimli and Ithilwen headed towards the Seat of Seeing and found Aragorn fighting alone a troop of Uruk Hai. Immediately Legolas and Ithilwen started shooting their arrows to the enemies and Gimli blows the one hit after the other with his axe.
"Where is Merry and Pippin?" asked Ithilwen, while she was aiming at an orc. The image she had at Galadriel's mirror made her feel unrest concerning the two hobbits fate.
"They must be with Boromir",replied quickly Gimli, while chopping an orc's head.
Suddenly they hear the deep sound of Boromir's ox-horn.
"The Horn of Gondor", said Legolas.
"Boromir", uttered Aragorn and started running down the hill towards the source of the sound. Ithilwen, Legolas and Gimli quickly followed. The Uruk Hai were swarming from around the forest and they were delaying them. Aragorn kept running and Ithilwen was backing him so the enemy wouldn't attack him while he was trying to reach Boromir. Indistinctive battle cries were heard. Legolas shot another Uruk Hai in the head and Ithilwen pierced another's chest with her dagger. The remaining Uruk Hai started fending off.
"They seem to go away" noticed Gimli with his axe hanging from his hand. They run down the hill.
The troop had indeed left and the hobbits were nowhere to be seen. Boromir was lying under a tree, in Aragorn's hands, heavily wounded by the arrows that had hit him. Aragorn kissed Boromir's forehead, stood up and looked at his companions with tears in his eyes.
"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return" Aragorn said.
"We should honour him properly" said Ithilwen and approached Boromir's body, while tears were running down her cheeks. She pulled away the arrows and cleared his face from the dirt and blood of the battle. Gimli and Legolas approached and helped Aragorn to carry Boromir's body to the bank of the lake and place it inside one of their boats. They laid in his hands his sword, next to him his horn and above his head his shield. Ithilwen sang a lament for their lost companion as they pushed the boat to the lake. Ithilwen stood still, following with her eyes the boat, which carried Boromir at his last trip. Another death. Frodo and Sam had gone. Merry and Pippin were captive. She felt like hope was abandoning her. 'You should not despair. For if you stop believing, the others will give up hope too. Shield your heart with courage and never stop hoping that in the future will dawn days full of life, not death.' The words of the Galadriel came to her mind. 'Indeed', she thought. They was no time for desperation.
The boat disappeared from their eyes, falling from the Rauros Falls. Legolas started preparing the third boat and shoved it into the water. Aragorn stood still and nodded towards the eastern shore. They could see the figures of Frodo and Sam entering the forest. Legolas understood.
"We have failed then!" exclaimed Gimli. "Everything this Fellowship was meant for went in vain."
"No" Ithilwen. "This Fellowship hasn't failed yet." She picked her bow from the ground. "Come, we do not have much time. We have to save Merry and Pippin. We should not leave them at the hands of the Uruk Hai and Saruman."
Aragorn grinned and picked up his dagger from the ground. "We travel light" he said. "Let's hunt some Orc".