Chapter 8: The Breaking of the Fellowship
The Argonath, the massive statues of Isildur and his younger brother Anarion on opposing sides of the river Anduin. The statues once marked the border of Northern Gondor, but while the kingdom had diminished in size, they still stood defiant with their left hands raised.
To Boromir, they reminded him of an example he had to live up to, of past glories achieved by his kingdom. However, no matter how awe-inspiring the statues were, his eyes had continued to wander to the only female member of The Fellowship and her wide-eyed stare at the fabled landmark.
Many a woman had crossed Boromir's eyes and as the charismatic, adventurous and inspiring Captain of Gondor, who had retaken the river city of Osgiliath for the kingdom, many a woman had crossed Boromir's eyes and been in his arms. He was thus, certainly not inexperienced with the fairer sex and had his fair share of courtships. Some ended badly, some ended amicably. All of which had been with the most beautiful women of Gondor, tall, pale, doe-eyed and dark haired, with large bosoms or shapely hips. None of these women were slouches in the intelligence department either as they were all well-spoken, adept at making their own decisions, and knew how to care for their families.
Arturia. Knight of Camelot and Britain… was nothing like the women Boromir had courted. She was short for one, and didn't even quite reach his shoulder. Her short fair hair that was braided into a bun, was pretty, but apart from the complicated way it had been done up, it was not very well cared for. She had very small breasts, impossible to discern underneath her chestplate, and only barely discernable when she took her armor off. Her features weren't particularly gorgeous either as they were of a young girl, not of a more mature woman.
However, Boromir hadn't fallen in love with Arturia just for her looks. It had simply started with admiration of her sword technique and battle prowess when he had first sparred with her. His respect grew as she revealed her cool, logical mind in decision making, and her beliefs on how a kingdom ought to be ruled with righteousness. Her bravery in battle had impressed him, but he was more struck by her care for her comrades. Not only did she save him and Aragorn, she comforted Gimli as they journeyed through Moria and took on the cave troll without a second thought, the most difficult of their opponents.
No, Boromir definitely had not fallen for Arturia's looks. He had fallen for her strength, her willpower, her loyalty and her righteousness. He had fallen for a kind and caring girl who was wise beyond her years and who was brave enough to always do what she believed was right, no matter what stood in her way. Once that had happened, Boromir had suddenly noticed how Arturia's green eyes made such a beautiful contrast with her fair hair, how her features were young, but radiated an unmatched purity. He also rather liked how imposing she could look in her shining armor.
But with that love, came worry. Unlike the more talkative women Boromir had been with, Arturia was often rather silent, and set herself apart from the others. So the occasions when she smiled always brightened Boromir's heart. Most of the time though, she seemed withdrawn and overly stern. She never shied from battle, but she would never stop to rest. And from what she'd told him of her past errors… it seemed she never stopped regretting the mistakes she made.
How Boromir wished he could take Arturia's worries away from her and make her happy, make her… his to protect, to stand by, if she wanted to be his. But he knew not how… except for perhaps one method… the one thing that could save Gondor, but also save the girl he loved from her own guilt.
The One Ring.
Which is why Boromir, while gathering firewood for their camp on the lakeside, found himself drawn to a contemplative-looking Frodo.
"Frodo, you shouldn't wander alone," said Boromir. Frodo glanced at him, surprised, but relaxed and sighed.
"I know, but I need to think," said the Ringbearer sadly.
"Too much depends on you, Frodo." Boromir pursed his lips as he picked up another stick. "I know why you wish to be alone. The Ring weighs heavily on you, but…" Boromir looked Frodo in the eye. "You do not need to suffer alone. There are other ways, other paths to take, and other options to consider."
Frodo's eyes narrowed and he backed away from the man. "Boromir, I know that you say it out of good intentions and with words that sound like wisdom, but there is a warning in my heart."
Boromir shook his head in exasperation. "Warning against what? I do not wish to keep the Ring." Frodo blinked at that.
A part of Boromir told him that he should not want it at all, but he didn't want to listen to that part of him right now. He needed the Ring, he needed it for Gondor, to stop Arturia from looking and feeling what sorrow availed her.
"No… it is a burden that is not mine." He set the wood down gently and knelt on the grassy floor. "But I need it. Not for myself, but for my people, for Gondor, for the men… and women, that I hold most dear!" begged Boromir.
Frodo cringed and continued to back away. "No. Boromir, snap out of it. The Ring won't save them! It'd only drive them as mad as you are now!" The Ringbearer knew the situation was bad. Boromir was being sincere, but the Ring… it was warping his intentions, driving him to desperation.
Boromir shuddered at Frodo's statement that seemed to resonate with the truth he deeply knew, but that he ignored. "But Frodo, please. I truly do not wish the ring to be mine! I only want it for the woman I love!" Shaking, Boromir threw himself at Frodo's feet, his eyes fixated on the chain around the hobbit's neck. "I need it to save Arturia!"
The declaration took Frodo aback and he stared. "Boromir… you love her?"
"Yes! Yes! More than anything! Please Frodo, you've seen her sadness, her sorrow, her guilt! It eats away at her like a massive maggot. It is killing her from the inside!"
"Boromir, no! I know she's sad, but you won't make her better by giving her the Ring! Even now…" Frodo recalled Arturia's smile as she rowed down the Anduin and her hand hiding her smile when Pippin cracked a joke yesterday evening. "She gets better, not because of the ring, but because of her friends." Frodo then remembered the night at Lothlorien, while he was walking back to his sleeping roll. He had seen Boromir cover Arturia with a blanket and her content smile as he did so. "And because of you! Can't you see, you don't need the Ring!"
But while Boromir heard Frodo's reasoned answers. The madness and hysteria in his mind refused to register it. He crawled forward through the leaves, eyes only for the place where he knew the Ring was.
"It is the only way!" cried Boromir, lunging forward.
"If you truly love her, then you'd know she'd hate you if you offered it to her!" Frodo yelled as he dodged Boromir's grasping hands, making him slip and bury his face into the ground.
Like a slap to his face, the fog surrounding Boromir's mind lifted and as he rose, he blinked twice, before looking at himself, crawling on the leaves like some beggar.
"Oh no… Frodo… what did I do? I almost…" Boromir shook his head and shuffled away from the Ring like it had turned into the most fearsome object in the world. "I'm sorry. Take it away, get it away from me! I'm sorry. I was too weak! I… The Ring, it's driving me to madness!"
Frodo exhaled in relief as he saw Boromir was back in his senses, but there was a sad look on his face. "I know. It will drive all of us mad. So I must leave."
"What?" gasped Boromir.
"Leave The Fellowship. I can't stay any longer. The Ring's power grows. Even Arturia, with her powers, will eventually succumb to it. Do you understand, Boromir?" asked Frodo.
Boromir hesitated, but grasped Frodo's hand pleadingly. "But you'll die! You can't possibly do this alone!"
"I'm sorry Boromir, but I have no other choice," said Frodo and with that, he slipped on the Ring and flung his hand away from Boromir's grasp.
The man, a stricken expression on his features, crawled around, hands and knees on the forest floor, and the trees echoed with his cries.
"Frodo! No! Don't leave us! Frodo! I'm sorry!"
Mordred grunted as a massive Uruk'Hai, taller than her by more than two heads and armed with a bow, stomped up to her. As per Saruman's orders, they had been travelling almost non-stop in order to intercept the "Fellowship of the Ring." But now, as they arrived at the Amon Hen, a hill known as the Seat of Seeing, they reached striking distance. She could see the party was scattered for some reason, in a sort of search. No matter, it was an excellent time to strike.
"Lurtz, take your company and attack the man, elf and dwarf on the hill. Search for Halflings while you are at it. I will deal with the girl and the man near her," ordered Mordred, drawing Clarent. The red and silver sword had been meant to be given to Arturia's heir. She had stolen it from the Royal Armory and while it never fully acknowledged her ownership, she could still use it to deadly effect.
"Yes, mistress," grunted Lurtz. He bellowed several orders and the company of Uruk'Hai began to move, weapons at the ready.
"Time for me to remind you of whom is the better knight, father," snarled Mordred.
When Frodo had been found missing from the campsite, The Fellowship had gotten worried, but when they realized Boromir was missing too, they became frantic. Boromir had expressed less interest to take the ring as their quest continued, but the possibility was still a worry for the rest of the companions.
So Saber, taking her friend's shield, for Legolas had sensed a shadow near their campsite, had struck off into the forest at a breakneck pace. She feared for what Boromir could do to Frodo. He was a good man, but all good men could be corrupted by the Ring and his love for his people could easily become the weakness that the Ring would exploit.
She found Boromir, hunched over, half covered in forest loam, crying into his arms. Fearing the worst, she grabbed Excalibur.
"Boromir? Where's Frodo?" demanded Saber.
"I… I…" Guilt. Boromir's voice was filled with it, confirming Saber's worst fears.
Gritting her teeth Saber glared at Boromir. "You tried to take the ring, didn't you?"
The man shook his head fervently, his eyes wide with fear and shame. "I wanted to, I argued with Frodo, and I did try, but I… I told him to leave me, to run away. And he said he would, but he said that he was leaving us."
Saber stared, glad her friend had managed to come to his senses, but more worried about Frodo's actions. "Wait what? Why?"
Boromir threw his arms up into the air. "I don't know! All I know is that he's been very quiet since Lothlorien, but that's it!"
The answer hit Saber like a troll's mace and she cursed. "I think… I think he is afraid the Ring will drive us mad, like it did to you. Galadriel must have warned him…"
Turning back to Boromir, she grabbed his arm. "Get up." Still sniffling a bit, the man stood up, leaves still in his hair. Roughly, Saber brushed a few of them off.
"I'm sorry I don't deserve your trust, Arturia…" whispered Boromir, eyes averted. The remorse in Boromir's voice made Saber wince, so she thrust the shield into his arms, making him look up.
"You resisted it didn't you? So your honour lies intact. Now help me find Frodo before he does something stupid to himself, again!"
Wiping his eyes, Boromir inhaled sharply and nodded. "I think he went that way—" Growls and yells echoed throughout the forest, freezing the blood in the hearts of the two companions.
"Orcs! And it sounds like Merry and Pippin are in trouble!" exclaimed Saber, hearing the voice of the two Hobbits.
"And that's where I think Frodo went!" cursed Boromir.
Having led the orcs away from Frodo, who was probably slipping away, Merry and Pippin ran as fast as their short legs could carry them. The orcs were gaining on them, but the hobbits were sure they could get away. When they reached a small stone bridge across a stream though, they only found more Uruk'Hai bearing the white hand of Saruman, waiting for them.
Drawing their barrow blades (short swords), Merry and Pippin quickly stood against each other, back to back, but they trembled as the growling Uruk'Hai advanced with their black swords.
Which was when Boromir and Arturia charged in. Arturia's invisible sword quickly claimed the lives of two Uruk'Hai, while Boromir used his shield to stop another Uruk'Hai from cutting down the Hobbits. Three more Uruk'Hai charged the quartet, but Boromir used his shield and sword to fight a delaying action, buying time for Arturia to come at their flank, dispatching them with three well-timed slashes.
"Run, run!" yelled Boromir, blowing the Horn of Gondor as the Uruk's continued to attack them. But they couldn't flee as the horde was unending, forcing the companions to fight a rearguard action. Arturia stayed on point, using her superior speed, agility, and the tactical advantage of Invisible Air's indiscernible length, to engage multiple groups of Uruk'Hai and surprise them with Excalibur's invisibility. Boromir stayed close to the hobbits and dealt with any Uruk'Hai that managed to bypass Arturia, his redirection technique allowing him to conserve his strength, which he used to hack down the Uruk'Hai. Whenever he had the chance, he blew the Horn of Gondor, its loud trumpet blasting through the air, bolstering the morale of the fighters, but also striking fear into the orcs and making them pause. Merry and Pippin supported the fight of their taller friends with well aimed rock throws that slowed the oncoming mass of black orcs.
After sidestepping to stab a Uruk'Hai through the chest, Saber took another step back and grimaced. There was a lot of orcs and they were far stronger and skilled than the ones she had encountered in Moria. Maybe now was the time to use Excalibur's Noble Phantasm. She had the space to do so, but then again, they weren't in any real danger right now. Boromir was protecting her rear and the Hobbits. Merry and Pippin were fending quite well for themselves as well. Not to mention, she'd use a lot of her prana to unleash the attack.
Severing a Uruk'Hai at the waist-level, Saber made a decision and turned to Boromir. "We need to break out and meet up with Aragorn! He must be pinned down if he can't go to our aid!"
Then, over the clashing swords and Uruk'Hai grunts, Saber heard a voice that was all-too familiar to her.
"I can't have you doing that, your majesty."
As Saber's eyes settled on the approaching figure, it was as if her heart had stopped beating. That silver and red plate armor, with imposing spikes. The ruffled blonde hair, the same shade as her own. Those green eyes and facial features that mirrored hers precisely.
There was only one person who fit the description of the girl charging toward her, the silver and red sword known as Clarent, in her hands. The person who had used the instability caused by Lancelot's defection to tear Britain asunder. The person who was responsible for destroying Britain and permanently ending her rule, as well as her life.
Saber's calm expression vanished, replaced by a mask hardened through countless bloody battles.
"Mordred!"
The Knight of Treachery sneered, her silver sword slashing down toward the King of Knights. Saber blocked, whirling around to slash at Mordred's head, but she leaned back to pass under the blade and responded with a wild swing at Saber's head.
"Surprised, father?" giggled Mordred, almost like a child. Saber blocked her daughter's strike, and was forced to retreat as Mordred continued attack with wild abandon.
"What? Father?!" gasped Boromir.
Mordred raised an eyebrow as Arturia continued to give ground in measured steps. "Oh? So you haven't told them about your heir, your majesty?
"Majesty?" gasped Pippin and Merry simultaneously, momentarily distracted from throwing rocks.
The red knight's eyes widened and she snarled at Saber. "You really told them nothing at all, didn't you? Are you that ashamed of me! Of your own mistakes!" screamed Mordred. Her slashes increasing in tempo and in ferocity, Mordred drove Saber to retreat with her berserk attacks.
"Answer me! King Arturia Pendragon! You who brought upon the downfall of your own kingdom!"
Saber's eyes widened. "I…" Camlann… where she and Mordred had clashed, where Britain was destroyed, by her failure, and… Mordred's coup.
Anger surged into Saber's arms and with a titanic release of prana, she hammered Excalibur into Mordred's Clarent, nearly knocking the sword out of Mordred's hands and hurling her back.
"How dare you accuse me of what you did!" roared Saber. Pressing onward, Saber counterattacked with deadly, precise strikes. Mordred's berserk sword form had lots of holes and Saber exploited them mercilessly. Mordred blinked, frightened for once in the battle as the invisible Excalibur nicked her armor, cut her armguard and left a thin slash on her cheek.
"You split the knights of the Roundtable and killed your comrades, Gawain, Kay and Tristan, noble knights all. You helped drive Lancelot, the best knight in the world mad with grief. You broke Britain in half, leaving it to sunder in flames, and for what? So you could sit on a throne you cannot rule?" asked Saber coldly, knocking aside Mordred's sword with a contemptuous one-handed parry.
"I said it once and I will say it again. You do not have the capacity of a king." Taking her sword in two hands, Saber smashed it into Mordred's Clarent, sending her flying head over heels and into the ground.
"So whatever dark sorcery brought you back from the grave. I will end you and it for good. For the knights you slew, for the crimes you have committed. I will have you answer to them!" declared Saber, advancing cautiously.
"You think I wanted to come back like this?" coughed Mordred wiping the dirt from her eyes. She lunged at Saber again, locking hilts with Excalibur. The two struggled to overpower the other, but Mordred one hand letting go of her sword, seized Saber's neck. Struggling to breathe, Saber grimaced as she was pushed up against a tree and was forced to release one hand from Excalibur to try to stop Mordred from strangling her.
"Saruman, brought me back from death itself! Broke nearly every bone in my body until he tricked me into swearing myself into his service!" screamed Mordred. Saber blinked, were those tears at the edge of Mordred's eyes. "But I don't care! I am but a homunculus born from "the evil witch Morgan's" sorcery after all? I'm worth nothing to you or anybody! I never was!" Saber coughed, her vision was fading, but was it her… or was Mordred somehow… sounding almost desperate? And why was she feeling just a bit sorry for Mordred?
Mordred's grip on Saber's throat tightened, causing Saber to croak. "But even if I lose my free will, I can still claim something. I can claim to be your killer, twice over. I can claim to succeed you, if not by your recognition, then by combat!" Cursing, Saber seized Excalibur in both hands and using her Prana Burst ability, mustered enough strength to point the wind-sheathed sword at Mordred's head.
"Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King!" croaked Saber.
Invisible Air released its howling winds into Mordred's face, blowing her away from Saber, who took several deep breaths. Turning to Boromir, she bit her lip. He was beset by orcs and while he and Merry and Pippin were fighting bravely, they were getting tired, and very near to being overwhelmed.
"Boromir, grab the Hobbits and get away!" ordered Saber, managing to bring Excalibur's golden blade up to block another rage-bolstered strike by Clarent.
"No! I will not leave you!" roared Boromir. Once more, he blew the horn of Gondor, before blocking a strike with his shield and stabbing below it to skewer the orc.
Unable to take her eyes off Mordred for a second, Saber yelled. "You will die!"
But Boromir's reply was equally as stubborn. "Then I will die with you!"
"How touching, did you find yourself a suitor, father?" spat Mordred, as she blocked Saber's attempt to hack off her arm.
Saber's eyes opened to the size of plates. She wanted to look to Boromir, to see his expression, but Clarent slashed at her leg and then toward her head, forcing her to parry.
"What."
Snorting, Mordred knocked Saber's parrying sword aside and tried to impale her leg. "You are even more pathetic than I thought if you can't even notice the look he gets in his eyes every time I try to skewer you."
Saber dodged the stab and disengaged from Mordred, finally getting a good look at Boromir's eyes. Despite the fact he was beset by orcs, he continued to send worried glances at her. His concern though, was interfering with his concentration. Several times, blades nearly crashed down on his back or his neck.
"Your opponent is me, father!" screamed Mordred. Saber sidestepped, dodging Clarent and countering with Excalibur.
Saber grimaced, she needed to end this now. Boromir, Pippin and Merry would not last much longer. It was time to use her Noble Phantasm. The situation was dire enough and enough people were in danger that she could feel enough of the restrictions lift. After a brief exchange of blows, Saber managed to deflect Clarent away with a clang. A hole in Mordred's defenses opened up, allowing Saber to give Mordred a prana-infused kick that sent her flying backward.
It was time. Saber raised Excalibur high in both hands, charging the sword with prana. Golden lights, spirits of all the dead warriors that sought glory, flocked to Excalibur's shining blade. Yet, Saber hesitated.
In the heat of battle, and her mind still reeling from the realization of Boromir's feelings, Saber had forgotten to check her surroundings thoroughly. Boromir, Pippin and Merry, stood right behind Mordred, who was struggling onto her feet.
"Arturia! Attack! Don't worry about us!" roared Boromir, seeing Arturia's indecision.
"He's right, do whatever you need to do!" yelled Merry as he stabbed another orc in the foot. Pippin was nodding as he followed up his friend with a wild slash.
But Saber couldn't. The seal had unlocked as enough restrictions had been lifted. Even Caradoc's problematic restriction that only allowed her to use Excalibur's Noble Phantasm for Britain's glory had unlocked, as she was facing an enemy from Britain and who had brought the kingdom's downfall. Yet, Saber didn't.
That hesitation was enough to give Mordred the time to point Clarent at her throat. The silver and red knight wore a triumphant smile, wide with anticipation of victory.
Sneering, Mordred chuckled. "Saruman was right. You are changed. Softer, weaker. I was right to manipulate the fight so that you would end up facing your comrades." Nonchalantly she put a hand on her hip relaxing her posture a bit.
"So father, will you unleash Excalibur and kill your suitor and your friends to save your life, or will you let me kill you and spit on your corpse, while your suitor screams?" Mordred smirked as Saber's arms began to tremble. Saber tried to ignore her qualms, to abandon her code of chivalry, to ignore the happy moments she had spent with her friends, with Boromir… but she couldn't.
"Well then, father? What is your answer?"
Saber took a deep breath and looked over Mordred's shoulder to meet Boromir's horror-filled blue eyes. "If you truly admired me, then you would know my answer."
"I thought so, d— Argh!" Two stones courtesy of Merry and Pippin, hit Mordred's head, followed by a hand and a half-sword that seemed to grow from her shoulder, Boromir's. Not wasting her chance, Saber dodged to the right so that she was turned away from her friends and raised Excalibur. Mordred, seeing what was about to come, lifted Clarent too in both hands. The handsome silver-red sword warped, growing in size, but also changing into a grotesque shape, while emitting a terrifying blood-red aura.
"Excalibur!"
"Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father!"
The attacks of the two swords smashed against each other, Excalibur's golden light breaking against the fork of red lightning fired by Clarent. It was clear from the outset though on who would win.
Excalibur's bright light lit the entire forest, collapsing onto the red of Mordred's like a tsunami. Century-old tree trunks shattered, earth flew, and winds howled as the terrifying destructive power of Excalibur drove the red back. Gradually, to Mordred's scream of pain and frustration, her attack was eaten away and she was herself enveloped in a tower of golden flame.
After what seemed like an eternity, the lights faded to reveal Saber, panting heavily, Excalibur glowing a bit dimmer, smoking. Yet, despite her exhaustion, there wasn't a new scratch on the King of Knights.
Mordred, had lost that exchange, and her expression was twisted by the agony of the cost for using her own attack, not to mention the damage inflicted by Excalibur. Her armor was ripped off, its front almost completely shattered. Saber could see Prana gathering to repair the damage to the armor, but it would take a long time. Mordred's left arm dangled limply at her side, mangled and twisted. Her right hand rested on Clarent, which was stuck into the ground, point-first. Behind her were the vaporised remains of the many Uruk'Hai that had been caught by Excalibur's attack. The rest of the orcs were paralyzed with fear.
"There will be another time where I will kill you father!" Reaching behind her, Mordred used what seemed like her last bit of strength to tear Boromir's sword from her shoulder and fling it at Saber like a javelin. Moving as fast as she could, Saber managed to get her body out of the way, but the sword punched into her right arm and carried her backward until the weapon embedded itself up to its hilt into the tree.
"Arturia!" Boromir cried out.
Saber gritted her teeth straining to pull the sword out of the sticky wood. "I'm fine! Watch out!" Mordred was charging in Boromir's direction, using her prana. Worry filled Saber's heart, for Boromir was only using a shield and a dirk, but instead of fighting him, Mordred dashed past Boromir.
Realizing what Mordred was about to do, Saber cursed and redoubled her efforts. "Merry, Pippin!"
Too late, despite her mangled left hand, the Knight of Treachery seized Merry and Pippin in a scoop of her arm and sneered at Saber and Boromir. "For now though, father, I will be content in stealing your friends away!"
Saber glared at Mordred as she continued to try to wrestle the sword from the tree, not caring that the blade continued to cut into her arm. "Mordred, this is between you and me—"
"Wrong! You dared to care about these people when you rejected me as your heir, and for that I shall make you pay!" The knight laughed as the Hobbits struggled and Boromir tried unsuccessfully to get past the Uruk'hai fighting him. "Catch me if you can, father!" And with that, Mordred fled the scene, taking the two hobbits with her. The Uruk'Hai followed her, enough managing to delay Boromir so that by the time he dispatched them with his dirk, the rest were gone.
"Merry, Pippin! I will find you! I will save you! I swear it!" screamed Saber as her friends disappeared into the distance, with the person who hated her the most.
"Where were you?" demanded Boromir tiredly as Aragorn and the others arrived on the scene.
"The fifty or so Uruk'Hai we were fighting and their commander were very tenacious," said Aragorn. Boromir took a moment to examine Aragorn and winced. The ranger sprouted an ugly gash on his arm made by what appeared to have been an arrow, while Gimli and even Legolas bore all manner of injuries and cuts. Their blades were also dripping with orc blood.
"Merry and Pippin were taken, and I don't know where Frodo and Sam are. I am assuming Frodo has decided to cross the lake on his own," said Boromir. Aragorn sighed and his eyes narrowed with concern as he spotted Arturia. The girl was slumped against a tree, bleeding from a number of minor wounds and a hole in her arm, but it wasn't the wounds Aragorn was worried about, it was the dead look in her eyes.
"Arturia, are you…"
"She's been like that ever since she fought Mordred," said Boromir, his brow furrowing.
Aragorn blinked. "Mordred? The man who tried to usurp Arturia's king? Didn't he and her king die in single combat, thus causing her kingdom's ruin?"
"The girl," corrected Boromir. The man turned to Arturia. "The girl who tried to take the throne Arturia held and who apparently killed Arturia in single combat."
Aragorn stared at Arturia, aghast. The guilt, the regret, the constant questions and discussions Arturia would bring up regarding kingship and her stance on them. The puzzle pieces all fell into place, though more questions sprang to mind as they did.
"Then you are…"
"A king from another world who failed her country and let it fall to ruin," sighed Saber. She looked at her companions, a look of resignation on her exhausted features.
"I am really pathetic, am I not, Aragorn? I had the gall to lecture you on how to be a king, while I never told you about how I was unable to save my own kingdom."
"And Boromir…" Saber swallowed and averted her gaze. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way." Slowly, painfully, Saber rose to her feet facing the direction Mordred had taken Merry and Pippin. "Aragorn, take everybody else and find Frodo. I will deal with Mordred myself—" Saber suddenly found herself spun around to look into Boromir's furious eyes.
"I am not leaving your side, Arturia. Not until I get some answers." He held Saber's hands firmly, but in a tender fashion and brushed some of the orc blood from her pale features that were starting to redden. "I am a man of Gondor, have a little more faith in me."
Saber shook her head uncomprehendingly as she saw her companions surround her, supporting her with their tired smiles.
"Frodo and Sam… they are going on their own journey, and I have let them leave." Saber opened her mouth to protest, but Aragorn shook his head. "We have taken them as far as we can, but as we draw closer to Mordor, the Ring's influence gets stronger. We would have become more of a danger to them instead of protection." Aragorn firmly clasped Saber's shoulder. "But Merry and Pippin are in real peril now, and regardless of whom you are, I want you to help me save them, Arturia."
Saber felt her eyes moist up slightly. "What… what do you all possibly see in me?" After all, was she not a king, who could not understand people? Who tried to shoulder the burden of her people, but failed to do so anyway? Did she not just fail now against one of the biggest mistakes of her past life?
"You may have made some rather big mistakes lassie, but have you figured out yet? We like you that way, mistakes an all," said Gimli. He punched Arturia's side lightly.
"Though, we could do without the guilt," commented Legolas.
"The regret,"said Boromir.
"The lecturing," said Aragorn raising an eyebrow.
"And we would really like an explanation," added Boromir.
Saber laughed, she laughed despite the tears in her eyes and her aching body and arm. She laughed because she didn't have to hide anymore and because nothing had changed. Her friends were still with her.
She wasn't alone anymore.
"I will tell you, but first, let us be off," said Saber letting go of Boromir's hands, still smiling at him. She turned to Aragorn. "Mordred and her company will be travelling quickly. Do you think we can keep up with them?"
"Your majesty, I think we'll be easily able to chase them," said Aragorn with a bit of a mock bow and grin. The Fellowship springing into action, they quickly bound up Saber's arm and retrieved their supplies. Then, feet pounding on the ground, the two men, the elf, the dwarf, and the girl, started their pursuit of the Uruk'Hai and the knight of treachery.
As they left Amon Hen though and moved toward less forested lands, Saber couldn't help but glance thoughtfully at Boromir. She didn't quite know what to think of his feelings for her, but she instinctively knew that would work itself out in time.
Besides… the idea that Boromir was in love with her… though confusing and completely inexplicable… wasn't an unpleasant one.
Author's Note: Well that's the Fellowship of the Ring Completed. Stay tuned for Book Two, The Two Towers. I'm afraid we are departing from Frodo and Sam now, but they'll be here in the Omake and in Flashbacks.
Also, updates will also not be likely until the ENTIRE Two Towers Arc is completed, which isn't actually too big of a challenge, but it's those pesky dialogue scenes between Mordred, Arturia, Pippin and Merry that I have planned that will be a challenge. Also have yet to have any idea of how to write the Warg ambush scene...
Alternate title: The King and her Son
Omake, Carnival Phantasm LoTR Edition Opening Performance Act 1 "Casting Part 2"
Aragorn: Alright, when Eowyn finally gets here we will have three LoTR females, so let's just leave it with them. We need females from Fate/Stay Night though.
Everybody stares at Saber
Saber makes a fist: No matter, I will do the work of three women.
Mordred: Oh don't worry about that father
Saber: MORDRED! WHERE DID YOU TAKE OUR HOBBITS!
Mordred: Ask Legolas.
Legolas: ?
Mordred: You'll get it eventually….
Aragorn: Oh whatever. Saber, Mordred, you're both up as you're all we have right now.
Saber and Mordred are too busy fighting with swords to listen
Gimli: But according to the script, we need four cartoony shortish cats from this… Abhernabe Cafe to pop up and yell "hey?"
Boromir: Can't we use the Hobbits for that? I don't know how Frodo and Sam are here, but we did have four Hobbits.
Sam and Frodo, somehow still here, wave: Apparently because we won't get any screentime, the author decided that we can stay, but since Mordred kidnapped Pippin and Merry, they can't appear for this Omake.
Aragorn turns and draws his sword:... MORDRED WHERE ARE YOU TAKING OUR HOBBITS!
Mordred, still duelling Saber: I TOLD YOU! ASK THE POINTY EARED FRIEND OF YOURS!