Hello all! I couldn't sleep very well so far tonight, so, I thought I'd work on this chapter and sure enough I finished it. Well, seeing as I have to be up in four hours for work, I'd thought I post it just to have it up for you all. As always, thank you all very much for your reviews for the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one, even though it was kind of sad for me to write. Let me know what you think!

Note: Dialouge in bold is spoken in Elvish.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 15

Carita ran through the trees wildly. Something was happening, but where she wasn't certain, that was until she heard Boromir's voice echoing from the trees. "I see your mind!" his deep voice echoed from her right and she took off towards the sound of his voice. "You will take the Ring to Sauron! You will betray us! You'll go to your death and the death of us all! Curse you! Curse you and all the halflings!" Boromir exclaimed as she came upon him. She saw him slip and crash to the ground. "Frodo? Frodo? What have I done? Please...Frodo! Frodo, I'm sorry! Frodo!"

"What have you done?" Carita asked as she walked up to him and he looked up at her with tear filled eyes from where he stood on his knees on the leaf covered ground. "Boromir?" she asked and the man sighed as he looked away from her.

"I tried to take it from him. I attacked him for it," Boromir told her quietly and she sighed as she kneeled before him.

"Its power is strong, Boromir, Frodo knows that it was not you that attacked him," she said and he looked at her like she was crazy. "I am speaking the truth. The ring pulls at your deepest desires and promises to make them happen, but they won't ever happen so long as it exists."

"I know that . . . now," he said and Carita smiled as she put her hand on his cheek and held his weary and soiled stain face in her hand.

"You are a good man, Boromir, and you have been tested," she said gently. Boromir sighed and she lowered her hand. "You failed only by a little, but I can see it in your eyes that you will pass any other test." Boromir gave her a small smile and she returned it until she felt what had been nagging at her mind come full on. She gasped and looked to her right.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Follow me," she said and she turned quickly taking off in a run. Boromir was soon on his feet and chasing after her. "Hurry and draw your sword!" she said as she pulled her own sword from its sheath. Her heart was racing and they had to move quickly. She could use her speed, but she would lose Boromir, and she wanted to keep the man close by. They came over a hill and Carita stopped with widened eyes at the swarm of large creatures were charging down the hill. Boromir, however, did not stop, he continued on and saved Merry and Pippin from one of the large creatures blades.

Shaking herself from her stupor and surprise, Carita used her speed and sliced through several of the creatures sending them falling to the ground. Stopping with her sword at the ready, she swayed a bit. She had gone to fast for too long and she was weakened a bit, but not enough to stop her from blocking one of the creatures' blows. It let out a low growl as it looked at her. Carita narrowed her eyes and parried his sword before she cleaved its head from its body. Another roar caught her attention and she turned around, her sword in hand, suppressing a gasp at the many creatures that charged their way. Boromir was blowing the Horn of Gondor loudly and it echoed off the trees. She hoped that their companions would come soon.

She swung her sword bringing down as many as she could until a burning searing pain ripped through the right side of her back. She growled and spun around freeing the large creature that struck her of its arm. It cried out as its black limb fell to the ground and she stabbed her blade deep into his stomach. She turned the blade inside of it before she pulled it out and kicked the creature onto the ground. Gasping she closed her eyes as pain ripped through her body.

Suddenly, she heard Merry and Pippin cry out over the pounding of the enemy's armor. She turned around slowly, because her back burned and she could feel her blood trickling from her back. Her eyes widened.

"Boromir!" she called when she saw his stomach embedded with a three thick black arrows. She was amazed he was still fighting. She moved towards him, but as she ran towards the man, something hit her head hard and she crashed to the ground in utter blackness. Merry and Pippin at seeing Boromir struck with deadly arrows and Carita laying lifeless on the ground, they charged with their swords drawn, but they didn't get far before they were scooped up by the attacking creatures and carried off fighting to be free and help their friends.

Aragorn moved as fast as his legs would carry him to where he heard the Horn of Gondor. He battled as he went and then he saw Boromir, three arrows in his body, on his knees and looking up at one of the Urks who held another thick black arrow in its bow and pointed directly at Boromir with a sneer on its face. With a surge of speed, he shoved his body into the Urk sending both he and the Urk to the ground. Aragorn was quick to recover and on his feet and at the ready.

Their weapons clang as their battle rages on. Aragorn falls to the ground, losing his sword in the process, but he is soon on his feet once more. However, the Urk threw a shield toward him and pinned him against the tree by the neck. He struggled to free himself, and watched on as the Urk came closer. As the Urk raised his sword to shop Aragorn's head from his body, Aragorn slipped from the shield and the Urks blade struck the tree.

Aragorn stabbed the Urk in the leg and rolled away as the Urk roared loudly. Aragorn looked at him as the Urk pulled the blade from his leg and licked the black blood from it. Aragorn furrowed his brow before he saw his sword in the grass near his feet. Quickly grabbing the blade, he deflected the dagger that the Urk had thrown back at him. Getting to his feet once again, Aragorn charged at the Urk once again engaging in another fierce sword battle before Aragorn sliced the Urks fighting arm off and then stabbed the Urk in the stomach with a loud growl.

The Urk growled loudly, but slowly pulled Aragorn closer by drawing the blade deeper into his body with a low growl. Aragorn stared him straight in the eyes before he pulled his sword free and sliced its head off with a loud growl of his own. Catching his breath, he looked to where Boromir had been and quickly ran over to the fallen man.

"No," Aragorn said as he kneeled down next to the other man and took his trembling hand.

"They . . . they took the little ones," Boromir managed and Aragorn shook his head.

"Be still," Aragorn told him gently.

"Frodo!" Boromir exclaimed. "Where is Frodo?" he asked hopefully and Aragorn sighed quietly.

"I let Frodo go," Aragorn told him gently and Boromir sighed.

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the ring from him," Boromir said.

"The ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn told him and Boromir nodded.

"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all, no matter what Carita says," Boromir said shakingly. Aragorn frowned but shook his head heatedly.

"No, Boromir, you fought bravely! You have kept your honor," Aragorn told him honestly and moved to take the arrows from Boromir's body.

"Leave it! It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness… and my city to ruin."

"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall…nor our people fail!"

"Our people? Our people," Boromir said proudly and reached for his sword. Aragorn picked the broken blade up from the ground and put it in Boromir's hand and the man clasped it tightly to his chest.

"I would have followed you my brother . . . my captain . . . my king," Boromir said slowly losing his breath. Aragorn watched as the life left Boromir's eyes and sighed before he raised his fingers to his forehead and then his lips. He took Boromir's head into his hands and looked closely at the lifeless man.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn said before he kissed Boromir's forehead. Legolas and Gimli arrived only to stop and watch the scene with saddened eyes. Legolas looked down and away from Boromir and Aragorn. It was the second time he felt grief for the loss of yet another friend. He looked around at the many fallen Urks, but a body that laid in the distance stood out more than any other. He felt as if his heart had stopped and he could not move.

"Lad?" Gimli asked at seeing the suddenly horror stricken face of the elf who usually kept his face unreadable. Legolas paid no head when he found his feet moving on their own accord and quickly. Aragorn turned around from where he stood and saw Legolas running and his heart too stopped when he saw the thin figure Legolas picked up from the ground.

"Carita," Legolas said as he gently lifted her limp body from the ground. Blood slowly trickled form the wound on her back and he turned her slightly so she was facing the sky. He raised his left hand to her pale face and gently ran his fingers down her cheeks and rested his hand on her neck. Her pulse was weak as it beat against his hand and her breath was slow. "She's alive," he thought joyously. He looked up and saw Aragorn and Gimli moving to where he kneeled. "She's alive, but wounded," Legolas said quickly as Aragorn kneeled next to them.

Legolas quickly removed the Elvin cloak she wore and laid it out on the grass. The beautifully woven material was unmarred, and he figured the blow to her back came as she turned and the cloak uncovered her. He laid her gently back onto the ground, but this time on top of her cloak while Aragorn looked at the wound on her back.

"I cannot tend to her here," Aragorn said as he looked to Legolas whose eyes were quickly on him. "You and Gimli stay here, and make something proper enough to bring Boromir's body to the river, we cannot let him lie with the enemy. I will take Carita to camp and tend to her there." Legolas hesitated but Aragorn shook his head. "You and Gimli bring Boromir to the riverbank and I will tend to Carita. Do not worry and do as I instructed." Legolas looked down at Carita and then looked back at Aragorn. He gave the man a curt nod and Aragorn nodded in turn.

With Legolas' help, Aragorn carefully gathered Carita into his arms. Surprised by how light she was, Aragorn easily made his way back to camp leaving behind a worried dwarf and an elf who did not know what would happen if Aragorn could not help the injured Maiar.

"Come on lad, we have a friend to take care of," Gimli said when Aragorn was out of his sight. Legolas, however, could still see the man moving quickly, but he looked away and nodded before he let his eyes fall to Boromir.

"Let him pass to the halls of his forefather safely, and guide Carita back into my arms," Legolas said gently as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"What did ye say?" Gimli asked and Legolas looked at him.

"A prayer for Boromir and Carita," Legolas told him and the dwarf nodded. With a gentle sigh, Legolas stepped forward followed by Gimli and the two set to making a suitable bed to carry their fallen friend down to the river's edge.