A/N: One-third of the way done, guys! :DDDD And man, am I proud. I've gotten so many faves! ^w^ Thank you all so much for the reviews and support you've given me this far, and I hope I can make this story better for you. With that said, enjoy the final chapter taking place in FotR!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! GGGAAAWWWDDDD. (except Íverin, of course. :3)

We had been paddling down the Great River for two days. Aragorn was paddling, and I sat behind him, basking in the sunlight, absentmindedly twirling my elven cloak from Lórien, thw warmth of the afternoon sun beckoning me to sleep. I'd had much time for thinking, and many times my mind had strayed to the words of Galadriel. Did she really think that there was hope left for me in Gondor? What in the name of the Valar caused her to think that? I knew that she was telepathic, but I did not think that she was ever concerned in the affairs of Men.

Suddenly, Aragorn touched my arm, and Frodo's as well. "Íverin, Frodo." I looked up, and my jaw dropped slightly at what I saw. I seemed to do that often these days. "...the Argornath," Aragorn said quietly.

In front of us, there were two massive statues, carved out of rock. They were two tall men, standing proudly in the sunlight, each of them extending a palm outward, as if to prohibit others from passing through. They had been chipped and cracked in places by the weathering of thousands of years, but still they loomed over us as towering giants of stone.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"They were two of the old kings of Gondor," Aragorn said, "a long time ago."

Despite my cruel feelings towards Gondor, even I had to admit that the statues were very impressive. As we rowed past them, I thought of my father. I wonder if he had ever seen these before.

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Eventually, we pulled the boats up alongside the western shore near a great waterfall, and set up a camp for the afternoon. Gimli was able to get a fire going, and before long, Sam had warmed up some meat and lembas bread for lunch.

I sat in the shade of a tree, alongside Sam and Legolas. I watched the sparkling river as we ate. "I wish I had time to go for a swim. The water looks beautiful."

"Maybe," Legolas replied, "but the current is cold and swift. It would be dangerous, especially with the Falls of Rauros so close."

Sam sighed. "Just the sound of it makes me think of the old mill back in Hobbition."

I looked at him sadly. "Are you homesick, Sam?"

He nodded. "How couldn't I be? Don't get me wrong, all these lands have been beautiful, but I've not seen the lush, green grass of the Shire in too long."

"Would you leave, if you could?"

Sam shook his curly head. "Of course not! I wouldn't leave Mr. Frodo for anything."

"You are very loyal, Sam," I smiled. "Frodo is lucky to have a friend like you."

He smiled back. "Thank you, Íverin. That means a lot." He finished the last of his lembas and walked away. That left Legolas and I to ourselves.

As we finished our lunches, I looked over at him. "Legolas, may I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Go ahead."

I hesitated for a moment. "...What is your life like back home in Mirkwood?"

"It is...nothing special, really. Well, I guess it might seem special to those that are not of the royal line, but truthfully, much of my time is spent by my father training me to become a good future king."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No," he said quickly. "I do not."

I cast him a suspicious look, but he said nothing more, so I asked something else. "Have yo always been a warrior?"

"Not always. I could not fire an arrow when I was only a year old," he said with a smile.

I laughed and playfully punched him in the arm. "Oh, you know what I meant!"

Legolas laughed along with me. "In all honesty, yes, I guess I have been a warrior most of my life. I have been captain of the archery division of the army for a long time now."

"And they allowed you to go on this quest? Wouldn't they need you?"

"They have others. My father thought that I would only be attending the Council, but he was alright with letting me go for this. He knows it is important."

"What about your mother? Did she feel the same way?"

Legolas was silent for a long while. For a moment, I thought he had not heard me. And then, very quietly, he spoke. "My mother...died...when I was just a boy."

I gasped and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry...I did not mean to-"

"It is fine," he whispered.

After a bit longer, I let him go. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

He looked up at me and smiled. "Yes. Do not worry about me, I will be all right." He stood up and walked over to Aragorn.

I watched him for a moment longer. How much did I really know about my companion? What else was Legolas hiding?

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The next day, there was an odd feeling in the air. Legolas seemed uneasy. I was standing at the water's edge with Aragorn when he walked up to us.

"We should leave now."

"No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore," my cousin disagreed. "We must wait for cover of darkness."

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat have been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it."

I nodded. "I feel it, too. It feels dangerous, lingering here. We should not delay any longer."

"...All right," Aragorn finally said. Turning to the rest of the Company, he said, "Pack up your things. We leave within the hour."

I went to roll up the blankets that had served as my bed last night. As I shoved the last of my belongings into my leather bag, my eyes wandered around the campsite, and my heart froze when I realized that two people were missing. I snapped my head up. "Where are Boromir and Frodo?"

Aragorn looked nervous. "I do not know. I will search for them." He ran off into the woods, searching for a trail, but not before grabbing his sword.

The rest of us were silent for a moment, and then went back to cleaning up, but now the sense of nearby danger clouded my mind. I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. I stopped what I was doing and looked at my companions for a moment, then back in the direction that Aragorn had gone. I also grabbed my weapons, making sure my knife was secure in my belt. "I'm going with him," I announced, and took off before anyone could stop me. I could've sworn I heard the growl of an enemy not too far away, and I hoped I was not already too late. But as I darted through the unfamiliar territory, the growls and roars grew louder, and the ringing of metal against metal could faintly be heard. I veered left, and ducked behind a large tree trunk. Catching my breath, I peered around the rough bark to see what was going on.

I had come up to a clearing in the trees, with a large stone fort-like thing in the center. Dozens of black things that looked like much stronger, tougher Orcs crawled all over it, and Aragorn was at the top, trying to fight them off. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a glimpse of an elven cloak disappear amongst the trees.

Gripping my sword tightly, I burst into the small clearing and started cutting through the creatures that had bombarded my cousin. I raced up the stone steps, punching, slicing, and kicking as I went. When I finally reached the top, a monster threatened to chop my head off. I answered his growl with a stab to the stomach and pushed him off the edge. Another one swung his blade at my arm, but my own sword clashed with his, and I kicked him off the stone building.

Yet another beast was running towards me with his sword held high, but before I could make a move to kill him, and arrow pierced the side of his head, and he fell. I looked up while I grabbed the head of another to see Legolas looking back, smirking. "8," he said proudly.

I grinned back as I snapped my opponent's neck. "9!" Pulling my knife from my belt, I stabbed the next one in the arm, brought my knee up, and once he was down, finished him with a stab to the chest.

I heard Gimli's roar as he swung his axe across one's back, laughing. "That's 5, elf! What about you?"

Legolas grunted and shot another one. "13!"

"And I'm working on 14!" I chimed in. Aragorn beheaded one close by.

Suddenly, the sound of a blaring horn rung through the woods. Our heads snapped to attention, even those of our enemies.

"The Horn of Gondor," said Legolas.

"Boromir!" Aragorn cried, running off towards the sound.

Legolas shot yet another in the head. He then looked over at me. "What are you waiting for? Go! I will take care of the ones behind you!" Whipping out his knives, he slashed another across the face.

I nodded and ran another beast through, then jumped off the stone fort, landing lightly on my feet. I chased after Aragorn, my heart pounding in my ears, hoping again that we were not too late.

I crashed through the trees, not caring about being stealthy anymore. The Horn of Gondor sounded again. "Oh Valar, please let them be all right," I panted. I could faintly hear the sounds of the creatures growling as they followed me, but heard Legolas and Gimli's shouts also, as they finished the battle behind. From ahead, I heard a cry, and then the ringing of swords, and even more screams. But they did not sound like the screams of a man. They sounded like...hobbits. I ran faster, towards the battle. If Frodo was dead...no, he could not be dead. He must not be. We cannot fail, not now! Fear overtook me, and I willed myself to run faster.

When I finally arrived at the scene in the woods, all was quiet. Bodies of the monsters that attacked us lay everywhere. There were no traces of a hobbit to be seen. I saw Aragorn kneeling on the ground and ran toward him, but my steps faltered when I saw who he was kneeling over. Boromir. He had three black arrows protruding from his chest, and was deathly pale. A bit a blood trickled down his chin. I stood behind Aragorn.

"Frodo. Where is Frodo!" Boromir panicked.

"I let Frodo go," Aragorn replied. I looked at him in confusion, but he did not see me.

"Then you did what I could not," the soldier of Gondor said. Now it was him I stared at. What had I missed?
Aragorn reached to pull out the arrows, but Boromir stopped him. "Leave it!" he cried. "It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness, my city to ruin."

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

"Our people..." Boromir whispered. "Our people...I would have followed you, my brother...my captain...my king..." And with those final words came the passing of Boromir, son of Denethor.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn whispered. He bent forward and kissed Boromir's forehead. Again I found myself greiving, though I did not know why. Boromir and I had always hated each other, but still my heart was heavy over his death. After a moment of silence for the young man, I turned to Aragorn. "I do not understand. What happened here?"

He stood and wiped his eyes. "Uruk-Hai. Created and bred by Saruman, the White Wizard. They did not harm Frodo or Sam, but managed to kill Boromir and capture Merry and Pippin alive."

My heart cried out in sorrow for the little Shirefolk. They did not deserve a fate so cruel.

Legolas and Gimli arrived, and stood behind me. "Well," said the dwarf, "we best be starting the lad's burial. He doesn't need to lie here amongst creatures so foul." He spat on the nearest fallen beast.

Aragorn nodded, and with some effort, the four of us managed to get the body of Boromir back to the campsite and into a boat. We placed his shield under his head, and the Horn of Gondor, now cloven in two, at his feet. Then we cast the boat off, and before long, the current carried it down the Anduin, and over the Falls of Rauros.

Legolas grabbed the final boat, for the remaining hobbits had taken the other. "Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern shore!"

But Aragorn did not move a muscle.

Legolas looked back at his friend. "...you mean not to follow them."

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," he said, but was looking wistfully at the other side of the river.

"Then it has all been in vain," Gimli said sadly. "The Fellowship has failed."

"No," I replied. "We were separated, yes, but we have not failed until Sauron wins."

"Íverin is right," Aragorn nodded. "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left." He walked back to the campsite and grabbed a spare knife, strapping it to his belt. "Leave all that can be spared. We travel light." He looked back at us with a smile. "Let's hunt some Orc."

Gimli returned the mischievous grin. "Yes!" He took off after Aragorn.

I looked at Legolas, and he at me. "Well?" he asked. "Are you coming or not?"

I smiled, and ran into the woods with him, grabbing my pack along the way. "Oh, please. Do you know me at all?"