Blood pooled on the ground around Boromir, and Maith had to grit her teeth and look away before grief overwhelmed her. She hurriedly wiped away the tears blurring her vision, and knelt beside Boromir, determined not to let her sorrow prevent her from being there in Boromir's last moments.
Boromir's mouth seemed to move, and he uttered a quiet groan. "Frodo...where is Frodo?" he struggled out.
"I let Frodo go," Aragorn reassured him.
Boromir sighed. "Then you did what I could not…"
He frowned, a worry growing in his eyes. Sensing his thoughts, Aragorn said, "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you that I will never let the White City fall…nor our people fail."
"Our people…" Boromir whispered, a look of peace coming across his features, "our people…I would have followed you, my brother-my captain…my King." And with those word passed the Son of Denethor.
"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn sighed. He bent low and kissed Boromir's forhead, but when he turned back to his companions his eyes were hard. "The Uruk-hai-created and bred by Saruman-have managed to capture Merry and Pippin alive."
Gimli sucked in a breath, and Maith and Legolas exchanged a glance. "Well," Gimli said after a long pause, "we best be starting the lad's burial. He doesn't need to lie here among creatures so foul." He spat out the last part of the sentence.
Boromir's shield and the Horn of Gondor were placed onto the boat on which he now lay, and was gradually carried away by the current of the river Anduin to the Fall of Rauros.
Legolas swung onto the final remaining boat. "We need to make haste. Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore."
Aragorn stayed standing motionless in thoughtful silence. Legolas looked back at his friend, "you mean not to follow them?"
"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn said.
Gimli frowned, "then this has all been in vain," he bent his head, "the fellowship has failed."
"No," Legolas corrected quietly, "we are separated, but we have not failed until Sauron triumphs."
"We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have the strength left." Aragorn added and, strapping a knife to his belt threw over his shoulder, "leave all that can be spared. We will travel light."
Maith smiled. "Then let's hunt some Orc," she said cheerfully.
Maith woke to hard boulders beneath her and bruises on her back-probably from the night's tossing and turning. As an Elf, she did not need sleep, but thought it a better choice than sitting in the darkness, waiting for dawn to come.
Little did she know that sometimes Legolas would sit beside her, singing old Elvish tunes until the tears stopped leaking through her closed eyelids at the nightmares that she had.
The elleth sat up, immediately feeling the sharp morning air awaken her. It was not a welcome feeling, but Maith accepted it and woke up Aragorn and Gimli.
"We must go. It is dawn already," she said heavily.
Together they shared a small piece of Lembas and continued on their way, running through the landscape. The Uruk-hai were no longer seen on the horizon; they were gaining speed, while Maith's group was tiring. It was going to be a long chase.
Suddenly Aragorn stopped, and bending over, retrieved a small leaf-shaped brooch form the dirt. It shone with a green light, a reassurance.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," Aragorn turned to his companions, joy and triumph in his features, "they may yet be alive."
With hope renewed, they set off again until finally at noon they settled down on some large grey boulders and shared strips of meat and some Lembas. Aragorn surveyed the landscape, and at his look of satisfaction Maith asked, "What is it?"
"We are at Rohan," the ranger replied, "the land of the horse-lords." His voice seemed almost light, but when he spoke again a shadow had crossed his brow. "Evil has come of these lands. They are in the midst of a dark era." Aragorn started suddenly, "Legolas, Maith, go see where they are head."
Maith searched the landscape. "The Uruk-hai have turned North West," her breath caught in her throat.
"They are taking the hobbits to Isengard," Legolas exclaimed, confirming her thoughts.
And at that they ran again until night-fall, always tracking the black blur of the Uruk-hai ahead, feet pounding against the bristly yellow grass of the plains. When the sky darkened to a deep indigo, the group set up camp again, unrolling sleeping bags and risking a fire.
"You know, Gimli, sometimes I think I could kill for a bed," Maith remarked as the settled down onto the cold ground, immediately feeling hard rocks digging into her back.
"So would I," the dwarf answered grimly, "but more so a pint or so of good, dark ale." He laid his axe with a 'thump' to the ground, "but I am here only to kill orcs, and for Middle Earth itself."
The elf and dwarf looked at each other for a moment, and then began laughing. Gimli thumped Maith on the back heartily, "someday, lass, you and your husband must come and visit. We will provide the finest hospitality, ripped meat straight off the bone, barrels of good wine…"
Maith's smile faded. "I do not have a husband," she corrected quietly.
Gimli merely raised his eyebrows, eyes sparkling, "ah, my lass, but you will do after all this is over. There will be plenty of suitors at your door." And at that, before Maith could argue, the dwarf turned over and started snoring.
Maith bit her lip. She knew that there was only one elf that she could love, that she could marry. At that, she scolded herself for giving herself false hopes, because imagining things that would never exist would only make the things that she had now dim and fade. There was little Maith could hold onto, and she would not lose that too.
Nevertheless, she resisted the urge to cover her hands over her ears as that thought came into her head again.
It had been pestering her for days, appearing at small instances before being dismissed by her logic. It might not be hopeless, it would whisper, he could like you back. And then it would use the words of other people, twisting their meaning; "How do you like Legolas?" Aragorn had teased. "I bet he likes ya already," Pippin's voice sounded in her head. "You too possess a great gift," Lady Galadriel's clear tone rang in her ears.
Maith shook her head. Aragorn had only been joking, Pippin had only said that to comfort her, while Lady Galadriel's words…could only mean something else. Your just afraid, the voice started again, but this time Maith managed to cut it off. To distract herself, she lay back and let the brilliant and piercing glow of the stars, studded across the night sky, calm her thoughts.