A/N: Yes, okay so I am admitting that this isn't my best chapter. I'm blaming it on the fact that right in the middle of writing this my bff called me to tell me that she won tickets to the Warped tour and that we were going to barbque with My Chemical Romance! So...that's why this chapter is late also.
Thanks to my beta reader, Kit without you I don't think this story would be on track. Thanks to all of you who read and review. This story wouldn't exist without you.
A New Beginning
The lingering feeling that this path was all wrong did not bode well with Boromir. They should have taken the way protected by men. Out of all of them he expected Aragorn to grasp the concept that they all were safest there. He sat on a bumpy rock and thought...and thought some more. Even since they reached shore he had found himself caught in thought.
Why was it that so many thought the race of men to be weak? Had they not fought battles and won? Had they not declared peace in many lands and built bridges to many other races? So many things had progressed in Middle Earth because of men. Boromir was done with keeping thoughts to himself.
He pushed himself from the rock and moved to Aragorn. He would try to convince the Ranger that his way was the correct one. He would try to get Aragorn to see that the path they took was unnecessary and foolish. He stood next to Aragorn and was silent for a short minute while he looked out at the water.
"Minas Tirith is the safer road. You know it. From there we can regroup...strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."
Aragorn sighed. It seemed to him that Boromir cared more about trying to lead the Ring to his home than getting the ring to Mordor. Aragorn knew that Boromir was eager to prove to the world that men were a trustworthy race, but in this case they simply were not.
"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us."
"You were quick enough to trust the elves. Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage alas, and honor to be found in men. But you will not see that."
Aragorn turned away but Boromir caught him by the arm quick enough so that he would not walk away from him. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to get his point across.
"You are afraid! All your life you have hidden in the shadows! Both you and your sister were afraid."
It was true that Amara had too been like her brother. She cowarded in libraries and locked herself in her room just so she did not have to face the world out there that was waiting, watching. She didn't want the world to know her true potential and did not want to live up to anyone's expectations of herself. The difference between her and her brother was he knew who he was and the lineage he came from. She did not.
Boromir continued, "What would she say if she were alive today, I wonder? Let her memory serve you as an example to you. Should you take the path she has taken you die."
The words Boromir spoke did not just reach Aragorn's ears but everyone's. The tone of his voice troubled all around. There was tension in the air when Boromir mentioned Amara. No one said a word about Amara since they left Lothlorien because the memory of her was still fragile. To bring her up again in such an unpleasant way was stepping on already shattered glass.
Aragorn turned towards Boromir once he had released him. His sister should have not been dragged so carelessly into this discussion. It was Boromir who wanted them all to walk the paths of his land and it had nothing whatsoever to do with Amara. Why would he so willingly trample on such a person that had become so dear to his heart so quickly? It was not Boromir's place to bring her up again and use her as a pawn in his game.
"Do not," he said in a dangerously slow tone. His eyes flashing with an anger no one before had witnessed. "Bring my sister into your troubles. Speak nothing about her, for you know nothing about what she went through."
Boromir could only look on angrily at Aragorn.
"I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city."
Boromir turned away from Aragorn and grabbed his pack from the rock he had been seated on. As he stood straight, he came to face Legolas. He saw no particular emotion within the elf's face. Legolas had loved Amara, everyone knew that, but Boromir failed to feel sympathy towards him. Not that he was an unsympathetic person, but because he knew that it would happen to the elf.
Truth be told, Amara had been human. Eventually, she would have passed like every human and Legolas would have had to face her passing. Boromir was more then sorry of how she died, but it was the inevitable. Whether it had been sooner or later, her life had been in the hands of the Valar. Her life was not in the hands of Legolas, nor would have ever been.
"Why did you loathe her so?"
Boromir only made his way to his boat and ignored the elf. It wasn't what he needed right then. It wasn't what his mind had been set to. Legolas followed the man expecting an answer. He wanted to know what it was about Amara that made Boromir hate her so much. He despised to admit it but a part of him wanted to know so that maybe he could hate Amara too and take some of the pain of missing her away.
When no answer came he asked again. This resulted in Boromir turning around from the boat to him. "Why do you continue to let her haunt you?"
"All I wish to know is why you dislike her so? Did she do something to annoy you?" Legolas' voice was light and clear of emotion.
"If you must know," Boromir lowered his voice and looked around as if her were speaking in a forbidden zone. "I was not too fond of her because she insisted she had a place within the fellowship when she did not." He turned away from Legolas. There, he had spoken the words about the woman he had wanted to say from the moment he had learned she was going with them. They were not too pleasant but they were the truth.
"Amara did not want to join the fellowship, but whether she liked it or not she had a place within this fellowship," Legolas countered.
More and more Legolas had tried to battle his emotions and keep himself sane. When he heard the name of his love on the tongue of Boromir in such an unbefitting way he wanted to know how he could hate her. Who could hate a gentle creature such as herself? She had given them relief while on such a dangerous journey.
Amara had acted as a safety net, letting them know when danger was just up a hill or around a corner. How could Boromir act as if she had contributed nothing to the fellowship?
"You mean she had a place by your side."
Legolas felt a storm rise within himself, but when he made to advance he was stilled by a certain dwarf.
"Don't go chasing for answers that'll anger you lad."
Legolas looked down at Gimli. His words had never been as wise. When he looked into Boromir's eyes he had seen what the man really wanted to express not just to him but to everyone.
Let her go.
But Legolas could simply not let go. His heart would know no other and would feel for no one else. Her death had him lost for words for the longest. He had found his way through the thickest of forest for a while, only to have lost his way once more. It was tragic.
Once more he had to continue on through the darkness without light. He understood that he wasn't the only one missing her presence. Aragorn had found his closest of kin, his sister, only to have her ripped away from her again. Even as he stood looking at nothing in particular, Legolas could feel the sorrow Amara had left on them all. Amara had indeed left an imprint on them.
To simply let her go would be like letting go of the sun or the moon. It was letting go of something so pure and distinct that it was beyond the definition of pain. One could look into the eyes of any remaining member of the fellowship and see that things were different without her. The seriousness of the matter at hand had sunken in to its full extent. The death of Gandalf and Amara had proved an example of how powerful the evil they were facing could be.
Let her go?
Would it not be like letting go of hope? Amara had originated from the bottom of the barrel and had grown so much only for her life to end so abruptly. Did she mean nothing to the world? Did Gandalf mean nothing to the world? To them it seemed that Middle Earth was playing a cruel trick upon them.
Still, Legolas kept the faith the Lady Galadriel had bestowed upon him through her words. Amara had cheated death once before, why not once more? She had survived a bloody ordeal, why could she not break through the darkness had claimed her as its own? The last image of her pale face and darkened eyes survived to haunt him. Was he doomed to see that image for the rest of his life?
Gimli called to him. They were preparing to depart from the small island they had been resting on. The pace they had been taking had become increasingly faster. Legolas worried not for himself but for the hobbits who he could tell were not accustomed to such travel. The speed was necessary as he felt something coming.
Legolas climbed into the boat behind Gimli and tried to forget about all that troubled him.
"You, my friend, have changed quite a bit. You're not the frizzy haired, four eyed, brace faced, awkward girl I used to know."
The ghostly image of a red headed girl floated along side of the empath. She studied her friend feeling immensely surprised and proud. She was doing the unthinkable, the unimaginable and Brittany was damn sure proud of her. Forever she had known Amara to be the one who did not step up and grab life by the reins. Her friend was the one who stood back and watched others live their lives. It was refreshingly new to see her friend in a new state.
Amara ran amongst the bramble almost out of breath. The sun beat its rays down, making her a bit warm but she pressed on. For the sake of reaching the fellowship she had to get their before the enemy did. She had to warn them of what was coming so they could prepare. The interruption of fate had long since passed her mind.
By fate she was here and she was going to help prevent things the best way she could. If they were meant to happen...they would simply happen. She was done holding back and keeping information to herself. This she had decided on her own. Screw what everyone else had told her. This was HER life and she would decide things, no one else would.
"Can you hear me!" Brittany looked at the focused woman she floated beside. She watched as a branch scrapped across the skin of her cheek. She didn't expect Amara to answer her. Sometimes being corporeal sucked. Brittany missed her friends terribly but had come to truths with it having been her time.
It had been her time to depart from Earth and now it was time for her to depart from limbo, where she waited. It had hurt watching from a totally peaceful life, watching Amara walk through life without many friends after Nathan cheated on her. Brittany had come from limbo to say her last goodbyes to Amara. The ghost smiled to herself as she spotted determination in Amara's eyes. She was no longer the Amara she had known but a different person.
"You're representing all those who haven't come from their shells yet. All the people who feel insecure with themselves. They will be able to look at you and see that this isn't just it for them. They can become something much more. God, you've changed so damn much."
Amara slowed her pace until it came to a complete stop. She heaved in air and put her hands on her knees. A slight smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes.
Brittany the ghost stopped herself and looked down at her friend. "I wish that you could hear me. I'm telling you, basically, that I'm proud of you and you can't even hear me. This is silly not to mention stupid. The big guys up there keep ranting on and on that you are an empath that's leverage to the good side, so why can't you hear a ghost? It only seems natural that you would hear me.?"
"I guess your brain is too clogged up with thinking about getting to that hott little elf." Brittany snickered. At that point she was glad Amara hadn't heard her because she would have slapped her if she could.
Amara stood up straight, the smirk on her face never leaving.
"I can hear you, you stupid idiot."
Brittany jumped back with a gasp. She quickly got over it and laughed. Amara's smile got wider.
"What about...can you see me?"
Amara simply nodded. Something like this had never happened before to her. Was seeing ghost something that came with her power? She certainly felt the giddiness of Brittany. It could have been no one other than her.
Once she felt her, she had glanced over and saw her! Could you imagine what she felt when seeing the image of her dead best friend? She could only smile, not knowing what else to do. She didn't want to interrupt Brittany saying all those nice things about her either. She decided not to question how this whole meeting was possible, but just let it be.
"I can see you. I'm really sorry Brit, but you caught me at the worst of times..." She didn't want to make it seem like she wasn't happy to see her best friend but she had something of great importance up ahead of her.
"I know, I know. I'll make this snappy. I just wanted to tell you bye. I'm leaving there." Her ghostly finger pointed skyward and there was a twinkle in her eye.
Amara looked at her confused.
"I'm being reincarnated. Usually the process takes really long but...I dunno. It wasn't for me, I guess."
All Amara could think of was saying into who?
Brittany smiled mischievously. "You'll know in the end." She laughed evilly and began slowly to disappear. "By the way," she said as a last note. "I met your real parents. Nice blokes they are. Get moving or you'll be behind!"
The ghost of Brittany was gone. Amara was confused. She had met her parents? Time she did not have to dwell on the matter so she took off running once more. An even bigger smile was plastered to her face.
The meeting with her best friend boosted her excitement even more.
The fellowship was quiet as they sailed towards a great waterfall. Not too far from them was a beach. This was where they were to stop. Once their boats hit the gravel of the beach, everyone shifted from them. The hobbits quickly started to set up camp, for it kept their mind off the roughness that must lie ahead of them.
For far too long, nothing eventful happened. It did not sit well in the mind of Legolas. This journey was a dangerous one no doubt, which was why the quietness they had been experiencing could not be real. As they had sailed, something dark and sinister had passed the elf's mind. He thought surely Aragorn would have sensed it.
Something was coming for them; with such a speed it shocked him. For more than a minute he could do nothing but stare into the woods around them. It was not safe to set up camp here nor to stay a moment longer. They were long overdue for an attack and as harsh as it might have been it was true. This was not simply a walk in the garden.
Enemies were every where and all around them!
"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."
Gimli looked up at his traveling companion. Was Aragorn out of his mind? They would never make it through Emyn Muil! Emyn Muil would take them decades to find their way through and this concern the dwarf voiced.
"Oh, yes! It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better!"
This made Pippin looked worried who had been listening with rapid attention. He felt his days of making skeletons drop down wells were over. In fact, Pippin had been maturing quite speedily through the journey. He didn't have a choice for the road was dangerous and left no room for being silly and childish. Pippin looked to Aragorn for reassurance.
"Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see," Gimli boomed.
Aragorn almost rolled his eyes at the dramatics of the dwarf. "That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."
This comment left Gimli sputtering. Aragorn crossed his arms and looked out onto the water. Of course they had another choice but the path he had chosen was the better one. He only wished he knew what lied forward for them all. He could do nothing more than to make the decisions that were thrown his way.
Legolas came to stand next to him. Aragorn could see the serious look in the elf's eyes. "We should leave now."
Aragorn glanced at Legolas before turning to look at the water once more. "No," he said simply. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness"
"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near...I can feel it!" Legolas' eyes strayed to where he felt the disturbance. Aragorn, he knew, at times could be stubborn. It reminded him of Amara. At this he shook his head. There was no more room on this journey for grief.
Middle Earth was at stake and Amara was no more.
Merry looked around after returning with wood for the fire. Something was definitely not right to him. He observed Sam, who was dozing off, Pippin was right next to him, Gimli was still flustered about Aragorn, Aragorn was speaking to Legolas but there was something missing.
"Where's Frodo?"
Aragorn looked over the camp. He noticed right away, Boromir was missing too. This was not a good sign at all, given that he knew Boromir's weakness and that he was missing from the group. Without a word he started for the woods in search of the Ring-bearer. Sam jousted awake at the mention of Frodo being missing.
Everyone gathered their weapons and went off in a mad search for Frodo.
It had to have been hours that she had been running with little rest and still she had not caught up to the fellowship. The evil though, she was right on their heels. In fact, she could feel their ways pour through her. It was not long before she had to unsheathed her sword with caution. Breathing deeper, she sped up and saw what she was to face.
They were stragglers. They had to have been because they were alone and moving slowly forward. Amara stopped her running and looked around the woods. There were no more orcs insight other than the ones a few feet in front of her. She felt ahead for the emotion of any more orcs or creatures of their nasty nature.
They were too far ahead and that brought a small bit of relief to the empath. Amara stayed stock still, afraid that if she moved any more they would hear her. Her heart sped up ten times faster than it had already been going. She was alone. There was one to help her defeat the three creatures ahead of her.
Why were they behind with their group? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that these creatures were orcs and not Uruk-hai. She'd have more trouble trying to defeat them than orcs. Amara remembered the sacrifices that were made to get her to this very point.
Did she dare disappoint so many others? There was no way that she was going to cower away and let these creatures reach the fellowship before she did. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and let her presence be known. On that day, at that very moment she had abandoned who she had been in stepped into her family's line. At that moment, as she raised her sword high above her head she became Amara daughter of Arathorn and Gilraen.
The creatures sensed her, but sensed her a moment to late. Amara sent her sword through the back of one of the foul creatures. It dropped dead to the ground as her sword slid from its flesh. The other two orcs screeched and drew up rusted swords of their own. Before either of them could strike, they smelled her aura.
Amara raised her sword in defense and studied the ugly creatures. The memory of her brother teaching her a few things about handling a sword came to mind. All the books she read of fighting techniques and what not helped a lot but it was much different from going out and actually performing them. There was a fierceness inside of herself that she began to feel and thrive on. It was like caffeine to her and only fueled what she was about to do.
She stepped forward but abruptly stopped when one of the orcs spoke out.
"She is it! The empath our master has been in search of!"
Confusion marked her face and the orcs only snickered.
"You are right," the other said. "We must bring her with us."
She was wanted? Why would anyone want her? Then it clicked. Why it had not clicked earlier on, was a mystery for she was a smart woman. When she understood this she lunged forward and dove her sword into the orc that had suggested bringing her with them.
The other orc was not as easy to defeat as the other two had been. He swiped his blade at her head but was not successful at what he wanted to do, which had been to cut her head clean off her shoulders. The woman ducked and kicked the orc so that it stumbled back. The adrenaline surged through her and it felt incredible. She never imagined that fighting an orc was so fulfilling.
Once she stuck her sword through the stomach of the orc, the seriousness had touched her and touched her hard. Frodo wasn't the only one who was wanted in this quest. Saruman wanted her as well. She was the upper hand to the fellowship. She could tell them whenever something dark was approaching way in advance.
Plucking her sword back and sheathing it, she realized she wasn't the only one hunting. She was being hunted!
He was drawn to it like no other. It was a magnet and he was forced into its weightful pull. It blinded him beyond comprehension, beyond what the mind could handle. As he watched Frodo slip the golden treasure onto his finger, he felt his need for it worse than ever.
"Give me… Give me the Ring!"
The need of it burned his heart. Why could no one see that with it, he could do so much good for the world? Frodo kicked him and he looked around wildly. If the Ring was gone there would be no chance for him. His father would not respect him anymore because he failed to bring the Ring to him and his land.
"I see your mind. 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."
As soon as the words came from his mouth he regretted them. When his words hit his ears he heard how insane he sounded. What had he been thinking? The Ring was nothing but evil. He was evil for thinking such horrid thoughts.
He pledged to become a member of the fellowship to bring down the one Ring as was decided, not to force the Ring from the hobbit. Boromir turned in all direction as if he could catch a glimpse of the invisible Frodo. The sound of crunching leaves met his ears but he saw absolutely nothing which was what Frodo intended. This had been the biggest mistake of his life and he felt it tearing at him. It was such a coldness he thought himself never to experience.
Frodo heard his name being called out by the man but he dared not turn around and go back. Even with his pleadings and apologies he did not look back. He could see it in the way he looked at him. Boromir had the look of greed in his eyes that went beyond the standard definition and bordered on wickedness. A weary feeling over took him and he stopped running to climb onto a stone looking seat.
With the Ring on it never failed to frighten him. Even as he sat trying to catch his breath, he could make out a shape coming towards him with amazing speed. The image of the dark tower took over his eyes and he saw it. The thing that made him snatch the Ring from his finger.
The Eye of Sauron.
Frodo sat up breathing heavily. Sweat glistened on his forehead as fatigue began to wash away from him. A voice called out to him and he swiveled around. It was Aragorn. He approached him with caution seeing that there was something wrong with the hobbit.
"It has taken Boromir," Frodo said standing. He timidly back away from Aragorn as to keep distance between them. Aragorn was a man himself and could fall into the Ring's spell. Frodo became more aware of that. This he did not want to happen to the Ranger or anyone else in the fellowship.
Aragorn looked at Frodo. His eyes mirroring concern to the greatest extent. It scared Frodo and he took another step backwards.
"Where is the Ring," Aragorn asked.
"STAY AWAY!" Frodo took many more steps back only to have Aragorn stride towards him.
"Frodo!"
The hobbit stopped in his tracks and looked up at Aragorn. Was this the way he wanted things to be? He had to be weary of everyone while carrying the trinket with much power he knew, but was this the right way to do it? He did not want to treat everyone as if they craved the Ring for themselves.
"I swore to protect you!"
"Can you protect me from yourself!"
Frodo pulled the Ring into view and held it in the palm of his hand so that Aragorn could see. Aragorn walked closer to Frodo, his eyes never leaving the Ring. "Would you destroy it," Frodo asked. He hoped against hope that Aragorn was stronger than Boromir. He awaited the answer.
Aragorn heard it. It was something he expected to hear but did not want to. His name was being called out to him in the softest of whispers. It was trying to bait him. It wanted to lure him in and become a pawn of evil.
He reached for the Ring and Frodo thought the inevitable. The temptation had become too much for Aragorn. He was going to snatch it from him and claim victory. Darkness would rule over the land and it would be just how he saw it in Galadriel's mirror. It would be all his fault because of this one moment.
Aragorn folded over Frodo's hands with both of his own and surprised him. This action stopped the whisperings and the pull. He looked into the eyes of the hobbit and could not have been any sincerer.
"I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor."
The temptation was refused and he knew the road Frodo must take. It included no one.
"I know. Look after the others, especially Sam. He will not understand."
Aragorn nodded but then something on Frodo caught his eye. Frodo's sword, Sting was glowing a bright blue. He stood on his feet and drew his sword. "Go, Frodo." Aragorn faced where he knew the enemy was coming. He did not hear the hobbit move and so turned back to Frodo. "Run. Run!"
Frodo made a dash from the hilltop, not questioning the ranger. Aragorn walked further towards the old stone stairs to see an advancing troop of Uruk-Hai. Never before had he seen such creatures. They were more larger in size than orcs. Aragorn half smiled and touched his sword to his forehead.
He was not the least bit frightened and showed so by hurling himself toward the enemy.
Boromir struggled to fight off as many Uruk-hai as possible. How many times he had blew his treasured horn of Gondor for help, he had lost count. He could tell that the hobbits were tiring but he fought on for the sake of them. Boromir knew he had made a mistake with Frodo and he would try desperately to make it up to him. One foul creature after another began to come out at him. it got so bad that he could no longer see Merry and Pippin.
"RUN!" Boromir shouted after killing another enemy. He was sure his words met their ears.
The air stood still. Boromir was oblivious to the fact that the Uruk-hai leader was coming towards him. He fought on like any brave warrior. Merry and Pippin continued throwing rocks, having ignored Boromir's warning. They wanted to help him stand and fight.
The leader of the Uruk-hai aimed a black bow at the battling Boromir. He was much bigger in size than the following Uruk-Hai and appeared even more menacing if possible. The creature pulled the bowstring back until it could go back no farther.
The arrow was released.
It struck Boromir in his shoulder. As he fell to his knees, the hobbits stop throwing their rocks to look on horrified. Boromir breathed hard and let out a battle cry. He stood up and drew his sword into the nearest enemy. Nothing at this point would stop him.
The Uruk-Hai chief looked on in disgust and walked closer to the man. He aimed another arrow at him and shot again. This time Boromir turned to get a look at the captain. The arrow pierced him in the stomach. Boromir let out a groan and dropped once more to his knees.
He could do nothing more but gasp for air. His eyes connected with Pippin and Merry. It was them that he had to protect. He could not let them fall into the hands of evil. Every ounce of strength he called to once again and stood.
When his eye fell upon who was behind the leader it shocked him.
Amara had ran, her sword held tightly in her hand. She knew that it was only a matter of minutes that she would reach them. She breathed in heavy air and smelled the stench of blood. She hoped and prayed she was not too late. Nervousness aroused in her but was pushed back.
Her senses told her to turn and run right and she did. Pretty soon she was faced with the unthinkable. She could not have imagined it. Amara knew if she looked in the mirror she would have seen herself pale just like in the cartoons. There was no way on either Earth or Middle Earth that she would be successful in beating twenty or so more orcs.
They all tromped forward towards what she knew was the fellowship. She held her sword so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Was she afraid? Yes, beyond belief. No ideas struck her at the moment and she cursed her brain.
She was supposed to be smart! Something surely would come to mind. Something had to some to mind and fast. She thanked the Valar when something did pour into her brain. It was reckless and stupid, but what else did she have?
The Uruk-Hai were all traveling together to go to the same place. She knew they would capture Merry and Pippin so they had to end up where they were. She hated the plan and wished something else would come to mind. Fighting off all of these super orcs was just not an option. She bit her lip and ran forward making herself known.
An Uruk-Hai grunted after sensing something. He jabbed another comrade in the arm and looked back. The other Uruk-Hai followed his league and saw a woman running before them with a sword in her hand but not raised. The Uruk-Hai snarled to her making her known by a few more. The one that spotted her turned around and drew its blade.
Amara threw down her sword and listened to the thud it made once it hit the ground. To be honest, she wanted to turn and run but that would bring shame to her family. So, she faced her fears head on but could not shake the feeling that she was in a horror flick. The orcs she had killed before had sensed something within her so she was banking on the Uruk-Hai sensing something within her too. The few Uruk-Hai facing her snarled on but did not make a move.
Amara had long since stopped breathing. She regretted throwing her sword down but did not have the guts to pick it back up. The Uruk-Hai who first spotted her sheathed its sword and started for her. It had sensed and seen the brightness coming from her. It was the same brightness their master had warned them about.
"Dead or alive it does not matter," one of them grunted to the advancing Uruk-Hai.
"Why not keep her alive and have fun with her?" The Uruk-Hai laughed harshly.
Amara's eyebrows rose. What if her plan failed? She could not afford to think in that way. The Uruk-Hai grabbed her roughly by the arm and warned her not to try anything. She allowed herself to be pulled by the creature and prayed that she had made the right choice and not a stupid one.
The Uruk-Hai pulling her along caught up with the rest of its troop and shouted that the empath was found. Amara wondered how they knew she was an empath and what was wanted of her, but her thoughts stopped. Everything stopped once she saw what was happening a little ways before her. She gasped in horror and felt her stomach turn into knots. There was Boromir standing before the last arrow that would bring him doom.
His own eyes met her and he stood, visibly shocked. He looked from Amara and all her mystery to the Uruk-Hai in front of him.
"Don't stand there," Amara yelled. She had once hated Boromir but every feeling she had for him had stood aside at this one moment. She never wished his death and thought all that running she did would change that. She thought she could change his death but she reached him too late. Amara felt the Uruk-Hai grasp her arm even tighter.
"Silence you foul being," it spat.
The Uruk-Hai had all gone forward but the one that was holding her and she knew why. He wanted to receive honor for being the one to have found her. She could do nothing but watch as the creatures charged towards frightened looking hobbits and carried them away. Amara wanted to help them so badly. The only thing that brought her comfort was knowing that they would be alright.
Boromir faced what was to come with bravery. Amara hung her head so that she would not have to watch. The Uruk-Hai grasped her cheeks with one rough hand and forced her to look on. He smiled a gruesome smile.
"Look at what you failed at."
And to her horror she saw with wide eyes as the last arrow struck Boromir.
Aragorn and Gimli ran ahead as Legolas covered them both. There were only a few stray Uruk-Hai and orcs and did not serve much of a challenge for the elf. He killed the last orc in his sight with an arrow and went quickly to recover it. He bent down and pulled the arrow from the orc and placed it in his quiver. Legolas was about to move on in case Aragorn needed him but he spotted something shiny beneath a few blades of dry grass.
He walked forward and crouched down. Uncovering the object, he recognized it as the sword that had been Arwen's. The princess of Rivendell had given it to Amara though. That would mean... He picked it up and studied it.
There were bits of dried black blood on the blade. Amara couldn't be alive could she?
'Perhaps someone had stolen it from Lothlorien,' Legolas reasoned, but who would do such a thing under the watchful eye of Galadriel?
He had no time to dwell on the matter and stuck the sword in his belt. Legolas moved forward like he had been.
Aragorn saw her in the grasp of evil. He also saw Boromir on the brink of death. How his sister came to be standing there he could not focus on. He sent a quick look to Gimli and in understandings rushed forward to aid Boromir. The Uruk-Hai was distracted from Boromir by Aragorn and a fight between them blazed on.
Gimli did not hesitate in swinging his axe at Amara's captor. If this had been another situation he would have been all smiles. The Uruk-Hai stepped out of the way of the axe and pulled out his sword, never taking his hand from Amara's arm. The creature would be damned if it let a dwarf take it down. The sword was held to the empath's throat.
Whether she lived or died really did not matter to the Uruk-Hai. The only concern was getting her to Saruman.
Amara tensed at the feeling of cold metal pressed to her throat. The creature would not hesitate in killing her once it had made up its mind. This left Gimli wondering what he should do. The battle between Aragorn and the Uruk-Hai did not let up and he glanced at the dying Boromir beneath a tree. Gimli stood there watching the Uruk-Hai being to pull Amara away.
Aragorn was having difficulty too. The chieftain was not afraid of death and knew nothing of pain. Aragorn realized this once he hacked off the creatures arm and it continued to advance at him with attacks. He prayed that Gimli was successful in rescuing his sister. He wanted to know how she came from death.
He also feared that Boromir was on the brink of death like his sister had been. Tiring of the on goings with the beast before him, Aragorn sent his sword through its chest. To show that it did not fear him and feared nothing, the Uruk-Hai pulled himself onto the sword and snarled at Aragorn. Aragorn withdrew his sword and sliced his head clean off his shoulders.
It was dead.
Aragorn heaved and looked between Boromir and the Uruk-Hai that still held his sister captive. The Uruk-Hai was pulling her in the direction that the rest of them had went. He was torn between choosing a fallen partner and his own blood. He looked at her and saw in her eyes the answer to his dilemma. Aragorn turned and strode quickly to Boromir.
"Let the lass go."
He heard Gimli shout. Aragorn was torn. Here Boromir laid with arrows prodding from him. Death was here to meet him and he knew there wasn't anything he could do to stop the process. A few feet from him was his sister, who had somehow evaded death and was being dragged away no doubt, back towards it.
The sound of an arrow hitting a target met Aragorn's ears and he took his eyes from Boromir to see Legolas standing in the clearing with his bow raised. At the sound of Boromir's dry cough he turned back to him.
"They took the little ones," he rasped out.
"Be still."
The cold blade slid from Amara's throat and fell to the ground along with the Uruk-Hai. She breathed as if she had never breathed before and rubbed the spot where the point of the blade had been. It was the dumbest plan she had ever had and it had not worked much to her liking. She had hoped to save Boromir and or help the hobbits to get away. Amara stepped back into the clearing and found Legolas' eyes on her.
Oh how she had missed them. Despite the fact that she had missed him more than the world she looked to Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir was dying and now was not the time to rejoice and to tell her tale of how she was brought back to life. Legolas felt the sadness emitting from the clearing. He did not want to look away from Amara but did.
Had someone thought it funny to place a ghostly image of Amara before him, he had thought when he first came into the small clearing. It had not been a ghost though, it was her and she was being taken away yet again. Without having to think, he drew an arrow and let it fly straight towards the Uruk-Hai. His heart soared from the shackles that it had been locked under for what seemed like thousands upon thousands of years. Relief, swept through him at not having to live without her anymore.
He walked to her side and watched Boromir on his death bed.
"Frodo! Where is Frodo?"
"I let Frodo go," said Aragorn.
Boromir wheezed out, "Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him."
"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn said sadly.
"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all."
"No, Boromir, you fought bravely! You have kept your honor." Aragorn reached out to pull the arrows from Boromir but the dying man's words stopped him.
"Leave it! It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness… and my city to ruin."
Aragorn did not wish to hear him speak such words for they were not true, only a fear the man had. He would not see it become true.
Amara unconsciously slid her hand into Legolas' hand making his heart soar. Despite all the sadness of what was happening he felt himself become elated at her touch. He glanced down at her to see that she had the look of sadness all of them carried. The wonder never left him of how she came to be standing there. He squeezed her hand in response and looked back to Boromir.
"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!" This Aragorn said strongly. All who heard it was forced into believing it. He was ready to take up any challenge if it meant freedom to all Middle Earth.
"Our people? Our people." Boromir realized that Aragorn was facing who he was and his heritage. Through the pain he smiled and looked past him. He saw that the color had drained from Amara's face and that she was holding on to the elf quite tightly. He realized that she cared about him.
"Give your sister my apologizes."
Aragorn nodded. Boromir reached for his sword and with some help from Aragorn, he placed it to his chest.
"I would have followed you my Brother…my Captain…My King!"
With one last breath his soul went into the wind.
"Be at peace son of Gondor," Aragorn whispered and kissed his brow.
