Author's Notes: I don't own anyone from Lord of the Rings. If I did Frodo wouldn't have gone on to the Grey Havens. Legolas would be teaching me how to use a bow and arrow. Aragorn and Arwen would have been married long before the Ring was found. I don't own any of the Inu-Yasha characters. If I did, Sesshomaru would be joining Legolas in teaching me how to use a sword. Enjoy.
If you're reading this I'll tell you like I tell everyone else. This story is of my design, and me drinking one too many wine coolers, and the question "What would happen if…?". If you don't like whom I've hooked up or how I spell some of the names, don't review about it. I don't follow the stuff that others write. I like to stick to the books. If I find that they are spelled a different way then I will go ahead and change it. But until that day arrives, take your purist thinking, wad it in a tight little ball, and stuff where the sun don't shine. If you don't like my tales then you don't have to read it. Also when I finally get more than one chapter up, please don't just read the first chapter and then tell me that it sucks. How the bloody hell would you know anyhow? Are you Stan Lee, J.K. Rowling, Rumiko Takahaski, or George Lucas? I didn't think so. If you are the above people, my apologies for using your ideas and thank you for not suing me.
Sorry it took me so long to get his out. This is one of my least favorite scenes of the entire movie of The Fellowship of the Ring but I think I did a hell of a job. But that is not the only reason it's taken me a while. Real life is slowly taking over. No matter how often I try to allot a section of time to writing it never seems to happen and next year it may even get worse as I am pulling my child out of private school and home schooling her myself. So please understand that this story is not being dropped or put on hold. I just have a lot in my life with driving three elderly folks around and trying to keep all the appointments straight in my head. Sometimes I think I'm just losing it. I need a vacation, folks, and since it doesn't seem like I'm going to get one anytime soon, I'll just take a trip in my mind. See ya!
Chapter 14
Battle on the Anduin
Merry and Koga came back from gathering more firewood from the ripped apart logs. Merry dropped his load far enough from the fire that they wouldn't catch on fire and looked around. "Where's Frodo?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around the camp. Tori noticed that one other person was missing as well. "Never mind Frodo. Where's Boromir?"
Silence echoed through the clearing. Tori, Sango, and Aragorn looked at each other before running into the surrounding forest. Tori feet slipped on the leaves as she followed Aragorn and Sango up a hill but there was no sign of Frodo or Boromir.
--
Frodo had left the camp and was looking at the various broken statues and ruins scattered among the hills. He heard a twig break behind him and whipped around with his hand on the handle of Sting. Boromir was bending over to pick up a log to add to the rest in his arms.
"None of us should be alone, least of all you, Frodo." Boromir put the wood in a small pile next to his feet. "Have you decided what you will do now?"
"What do you mean?" Frodo tried to look around for a way to escape.
"Will we cross the river and head to Mordor or will we continue south toward Minas Tirith?" Boromir didn't catch Frodo's frantic look. "If we go to Minas Tirith, the Ring would be well protected."
"Your words would be wisdom if not for the warning in my heart." Frodo was starting to panic.
"What do you mean by that? Do you not trust the people of Gondor?"
"I do not deny your trust or that of the people of Gondor but I must destroy the Ring."
"Why not take it to Minas Tirith and then decide on what to do?"
"Because there is not hope as long as the Ring survives. Sauron will take over the lands one by one." Frodo started to inch his way from near Boromir.
"Why was it given to you? A mere Hobbit knows nothing of the world and yet they entrust you with such a task." Boromir started to pace. "If I had the Ring, I would push back the hordes of Mordor. Men would flock to my banner. I would be made King!" He whipped around to face Frodo. "Give me the Ring!"
Frodo spun around and started to run. As he ran he slipped the Ring onto his finger and disappeared. Boromir stumbled when it happened. Frodo pushed past Boromir, making Boromir fall to the leaf strewn ground.
"Curse you! Curse all Halflings!" Boromir slammed his fists into the ground before looking up to try and find Frodo. "Frodo! Frodo!"
Boromir's voice echoed behind him as he ran up a set of ruined steps. Suddenly a giant burning eye was before him. He ripped the ring off his finger and fell off the small floor that he had been on. Aragorn, Sango, and Tori crashed through the bushes and saw Frodo on the ground.
"Frodo, where is the Ring?" Aragorn stomped toward the little Hobbit.
"Why so that you can take it as well?" Frodo scrambled back along the ground away from Aragorn, Sango, and Tori.
Tori laid her slender hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "What happened, Frodo? Where's Boromir?"
"The Ring has taken Boromir. He tried to steal the Ring from me." Frodo's eyes filled with tears as he held out the Ring to Aragorn, Sango, and Tori. "Would you take it? Would you destroy it?"
Tori looked frightened as Aragorn knelt before Frodo and took his hand. He folded Frodo's fingers around the Ring. "I would have followed you to the fires of Mount Doom."
"Frodo, any of us would have followed you but you know what must be done." Tori pulled Frodo toward her and hugged him tight. "Keep safe, my friend."
Several trees fell, causing Aragorn and Tori to pull out their swords and Sango to grab her Hiraikotsu. "Run, Frodo!" Aragorn saw Frodo still standing behind them. "Run, Frodo!"
Frodo nodded before turning and running into the forest. Aragorn pushed Tori behind him and Sango as the ugliest creatures burst through the trees opposite of where Frodo had run.
Tori suppressed a shudder. "Disgusting! It looks like someone tried to clone Naraku and failed miserably!"
"Take the blonde woman alive! Kill the Ranger!" The leader of the Uruks started to swing his sword. "Find the Halflings!"
"Tori, go and warn the others!" Aragorn started to lop off various appendages of the Uruks. "Sango, go and protect Frodo!"
Tori sheathed her sword and took off toward the camp. Along the way she heard battles happening deeper within the forest. Sango barely looked at the Uruks as she hurried after Frodo.
--
Sango ran into the forest looking for Frodo when she heard voices talking nearby. She slipped behind a tree and listened to the conversation.
"Remember not to harm the Halflings, the woman with blonde hair, the kids, the cat, or the man with the black hair." One of Orcs looked around the clearing that held him and some of Uruks. "Saruman wants them alive."
They don't know about me, Miroku, or Sesshomaru. The three of us might be able to take them by surprise. Sango slipped silently away from the clearing and ran back toward camp.
--
Tori dipped and ducked between the trees trying to avoid the Uruks. She stumbled once as she skidded into a clearing. Legolas and Gimli were battling another group of Uruks. Suddenly Miroku appeared from between the trees. She ran into the clearing, drawing her sword along the way.
"Legolas! Gimli! Grab a hold of Tori and anchor yourselves!" Miroku's left hand was holding the prayer beads that were wrapped around right hand.
Legolas grabbed Tori around her thickening waist and grabbed a low hanging branch. Gimli sliced through another Uruks before grabbing a tree. Tori recognized the swirling cortex that was Miroku's Wind Tunnel. Until this time no one in Middle Earth had seen it so no one had come up with a defense for it. That meant the Uruks were getting sucked in quickly. Of course being the ugly and unintelligent creatures that they were, that was a vast improvement. Once the last of the Uruks had been taken care of, Miroku wrapped the beads back around his hand before falling to his knees. Tori pulled herself out of Legolas's arm and hurried to his side.
"Are you okay, Miroku?" Tori laid his right hand in her lap before shoving the sleeve of his tunic up to see if there had been any poison sucked in along with the Uruks.
"Just too many ugly beings at once, my lady." Miroku gave her a slight smile.
"Good." Tori smacked him across the back of his head. "Why did you have to do something so absolutely brainless? Don't you know they could have killed you?"
"I was thinking that Lord Sesshomaru would hurt me if anything happened to you." Miroku smiled as Tori rolled her eyes.
"I believe now is not the time for this banter." Legolas's arrow flew above their heads to embed itself into the neck of an Uruk.
Tori nodded, drawing her sword as she scrambled to her feet. "We've got to get some help to Aragorn. He's that way." She pointed back the way that she had come.
They began to fight their way through the Uruks toward their friend.
--
Sesshomaru growled as the ugly Uruks tried to cut him down. His poison whip cut through the Uruks as Koga jumped through the air cutting down several Uruks. He hurried through the forest to Sesshomaru's side.
"Where are the others?" Koga dodged an attack for an Uruk.
"I believe they are fighting." Sesshomaru sliced through one of the Uruks trying to sneak up on him.
"Let's go and help." Koga followed Sesshomaru through the forest while battling the Uruks.
--
Shippo was huddled behind a tree with Merry and Pippin while Rin was up in the branches where Sesshomaru had put her. Frodo slipped sown the hill and hid behind a tree across from them.
"Frodo, over here." Pippin waved his cousin toward them.
Several Uruks came over the hill looking for Frodo. Frodo looked over at Merry, Pippin, and Shippo and shook his head.
"What's going on?" Shippo looked at Merry.
Merry looked at Frodo and saw the determination in his eyes. "He's leaving us. He's going on alone."
"No way." Shippo hopped out from behind the tree. "He's not going without me."
Merry and Pippin jumped out to grab Shippo as the Uruks caught sight of them. Merry turned to look at Frodo. "Go, Frodo." Merry withdrew his sword and ran toward the Uruks. Pippin and Shippo followed his example as Rin scrambled down from the tree and watched Frodo hurry back toward the camp.
Rin slipped through the trees after Frodo while Merry, Pippin, and Shippo fought with the Uruks filling the clearing.
--
Sam ran through the woods looking for Frodo. Rin ducked under several branches as she ran past Sam. Sam managed to grab Rin's arm before she got out of his reach. "Where are you going, Rin?"
"I'm going after Frodo. I think he's going to go on by himself." Rin pulled her arm from Sam's grasp and took off toward the trees again.
"He's not going without me." Sam ran after Rin.
--
Frodo stood on the bank of the river and looked at the Ring that sat in his hand. It's now or never. I need to go on alone. Frodo put the Elven chain around his neck before pushing one of the boats into the rushing water. He scrambled over the side of the boat and grabbed the paddle. He started to paddle to the eastern shore as Sam and Rin burst through the trees from the right of camp and Sango pushed aside brambles from the left.
"Frodo!" Sam waded out into the river. "I'm coming with you, Frodo!"
Rin splashed through the water after Sam. "So am I!"
Frodo turned to look at his friend. "Go back, Sam! I have to do this alone!"
"I'm coming with you! I promised Gandalf!" Sam struggled slightly as he tried to swim to Frodo.
"But you can't swim." Frodo watched Rin strike out with a strong stroke as Sango dove into the water.
Sam started to flounder but Sango reached him and pulled him along with her toward the boat. Frodo hauled Sam over the side as Sango half lifted him. She grabbed the side of the boat and pulled herself over the side as Frodo and Sam pulled Rin into the boat.
"You're not doing this on your own." Sango saw Kirara sitting on the bank with several bags in her mouth. "Meet us on the other side, Kirara!" Kirara took off into the air and landed on the opposite shore. She put down the bags and tilted her head slightly before taking off again. She turned and headed toward the forest where the clanging of swords could be heard. "I guess she's going to stay with the others."
"Maybe it's better. I don't think we need her causing any distractions for us." Frodo picked up the paddle he had dropped and started to paddle once again.
--
Boromir ran down the hill brandishing his sword. The Uruks turned and looked at the man that dared prevent them from taking their prisoners. Boromir's sword slid through the gullet of one of the Uruks as he passed it. He lifted the Horn of Gondor to his lips and blew on it three times calling for help. One by one the Uruks fell, until a huge black arrow flew through the air and slammed into Boromir's shoulder. Koga bounded from the trees and sliced through the Uruks as Boromir climbed to his feet. Together they sliced through the Uruks until one of them slammed the hilt of its sword against the back of Koga's head. Koga went down like a ton of bricks. Boromir knelt long enough to grab Koga's sword and stood over him to protect him as well as Merry, Pippin, and Shippo.
"You're… not …taking… them!" Boromir fought through the Uruks slowly. Suddenly another black arrow slammed into his shoulder just below the first one. He fell to his knees for a moment before climbing to his feet and returning to the fight.
The leader of the Uruks was getting angry. Why won't that man just die already? He notched another arrow into his bow and pulled back on the string. He smirked as the arrow embedded itself into Boromir's stomach.
Boromir fell to the ground one last time. Merry, Pippin, and Shippo shouted in rage and attacked the Uruks. The Uruks dodged the attacks and scooped the three small bodies into their arms and ran into the forest. Two of the Uruks carried Koga after them. Boromir watched in horror as those that he had been protecting were carried off. The Uruk that had been firing the arrows at Boromir drew his sword and slowly made his way down the hill. Boromir watched and knew that his death was on the horizon. Suddenly Sesshomaru and Aragorn crashed through opposite sides of the clearing, effectively distracting the Uruk.
Aragorn and Sesshomaru attacked the Uruk as several more flooded the clearing. Slowly they made their way through the Uruks until only the leader was standing.
"You'll never destroy me." Lurtz's sword swung at his side as Aragorn and Sesshomaru circled him. Lurtz watched the two. One he knew. He was the Ranger that helped keep the Hobbits from the Nazgul. The other was of no consequence to him whether he lived or died.
Sesshomaru pulled Tokijin from its new sheath as Aragorn held his sword at the ready. "You may have dealt with men and elves but you have yet to deal with an Alpha who has yet to find the rest of his packmates."
Aragorn raised his sword and rushed toward Lurtz with Sesshomaru right behind him. Lurtz blocked both swords and grabbed Aragorn around the neck. Sesshomaru's fist flew through the air and broke Lurtz's nose causing him to drop Aragorn. Aragorn scooped up his sword and attacked Lurtz. Together he and Sesshomaru slowly pushed the Uruk away from Boromir. Together they were a force to be feared. Lurtz however wasn't the smartest of the bunch.
He shoved Aragorn back toward a tree before scooping up a shield and flinging it at the Ranger. The shield pinned Aragorn to the tree and Sesshomaru lunged for Lurtz as Aragorn tired to push the shield off of his neck. Lurtz managed to hold his own against Sesshomaru before tossing him into a tree. The tree cracked in half as Sesshomaru slammed into it. He shook his head slightly and climbed to his feet. Aragorn had managed to loosen the shield just enough to slip out from behind it before Lurtz destroyed it. He swung his sword at the Uruk, slicing off his arm. Lurtz screamed in agony and anger as Sesshomaru raked his poisonous claws across his shoulder. Aragorn drew his dagger and slammed it into Lurtz's leg before staggering away. Lurtz screamed as he pulled the dagger from his leg. He looked at the blood dripping from the blade before licking it off. He flung the dagger in Aragorn's direction but Aragorn managed to deflect it with his sword. Lurtz stomped over the fallen leaves toward Aragorn as Sesshomaru raked his claws across Lurtz's back, crossing over the first set of claw marks. Lurtz ignored Sesshomaru as he stood over Aragorn. Aragorn shoved his sword into Lurtz's stomach and Lurtz simply pulled him closer and growled in his face. Aragorn withdrew the sword quickly and sliced Lurtz's head from his shoulders.
He looked around the clearing and saw that the rest of the Uruks were either dead or had fled. His blue eyes landed on Boromir. His sword clattered to the ground as his ran across the clearing. "Boromir." Aragorn knelt next to Boromir.
"They took the little ones." Boromir's voice was so soft that Tori had to strain to hear him. "As well as Koga and Shippo."
"Merry and Pippin?" She dropped to her knees on the other side of Boromir and gripped his hand. She looked up at Sesshomaru. "Kagome's gonna kill me."
Boromir grasped Aragorn's hand tightly. "Farewell, Aragorn. Go to Minas Tirith and save my people. I have failed."
Tori gripped his other hand. "You haven't failed Boromir. You helped to keep us safe. The Uruks are the ones that are to blame for your pain not you."
"She is right. Minas Tirith will not fall. I will not allow it." Aragorn felt the slight squeeze of his hand as Boromir took his last breath. Tori gasped as Aragorn picked up Boromir's sword and laid it across his chest. "So ends the life of Boromir, Son of Denethor."
Tori closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. "First Gandalf and now Boromir."
Aragorn climbed to his feet as Sesshomaru pulled Tori to hers. "Let us take him back to the river and give him a proper burial."
Legolas and Sesshomaru picked up Boromir's body, making the sword clatter to the ground. Tori scooped up the sword and followed just behind Legolas. Gimli walked behind her as Aragorn and Miroku brought up the rear. Legolas and Sesshomaru laid Boromir on his cloak as Tori ran to the river and scooped some water into one of the battered pots they had. Miroku knelt beside the body and began to offer prayers to the gods as Tori cleaned the blood from the body. Legolas and Gimli emptied one of the boats of everything and quickly made it ready to lay Boromir's body in it. Tori ran her fingers over the fine tooling of the golden leaf belt before clasping it around his waist. Aragorn carefully cleaned Boromir's sword of all the Uruk blood before laying it next to the boat. Miroku said one final prayer before letting Sesshomaru and Legolas lift the body to lay it in the boat. Aragorn waited for Tori to straighten the cloak wrapped around Boromir's shoulders before picking up his sword and laying it on his chest. Tori folded Boromir's hands around the hilt of the sword as Gimli placed Boromir's shield over the blade of the sword. Kirara ran into the clearing with several white flowers in her mouth and jumped onto the railing around the boat. She dropped the flowers on Boromir's hands before jumping back to the ground. The men gently pushed the boat into the rushing waters of the river and watched as it was taken over the Falls of Rauros.
"Now what do we do?" Miroku looked around the group. "We can't follow Frodo."
"If we hurry we can catch up to him." Legolas started to push one of the other boats into the water.
"No! Frodo must do this on his own." Tori took a deep breath as she scooped up Kirara.
"So the Fellowship is broken." Gimli leaned heavily on his axe. "We've come all this way and failed. Are we going to leave the others to their fate?"
"No, we haven't failed. As long as we stay true to our mission and each other we will succeed." Sesshomaru looked around the group. "We will save them soon."
"Besides Frodo is not alone. Sam, Sango, and Rin are with him. They will protect him." Aragorn picked up his dagger that was now cleaned of Uruk blood and slid it into place. "He's right. We must save the others."
Sesshomaru looked across the river to the eastern shore. "They will make it. We must have faith."
Aragorn looked around the group and smiled when Kirara jumped from Tori's arms and transformed in a flash of fire. "Let's hunt some Orc!"
Author's Note: I decided that I'm going to make this into three parts. The next will be called Realms of Middle Earth Part II. This way I can keep the movies and books straight in my head and only have to carry one notebook around with it. Remember just because I haven't updated doesn't mean that I'm dead. It just means that life has gotten in the way.