Hello again!

This chapter is very sad, but do try to enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this? Oh well. I do not own anything other than Kayden, Robin, and Peyton.

Chapter 13: Say Goodbye

The Fellowship stopped to rest on an island in the middle of the river. Boromir was gazing worriedly out on the river. Robin, Peyton, Merry, and Pippin had all fallen asleep. Sam was attempting to get Frodo to eat. Eventually, everyone lay down to sleep, except for Legolas and Kayden, who were keeping watch. Suddenly, Legolas asked, "What is that you wear around your neck?"

Kayden whipped around. "Oh this?" she queried, fingering her necklace. It was a simple chain with only one pendant: a bronze eagle. "My father gave it to me when I was younger. I've worn it ever since."

"It is very beautiful," Legolas commented.

"Thank you," Kayden replied. Soon, the sun rose in the sky, and the Fellowship made way to depart.

For days they paddled on the river, through canyons, by cliffs, and past forests. Nothing much happened, so Robin had taken up singing again. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream…" As usual, Merry and Pippin joined her. "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. Row, row, row your…whoa." The hobbits stopped singing and gazed up in awe at the sight before them. Two humongous stone statues loomed above them, one on each side of the river. Their robes seemed to hang gracefully off their left arms, outstretched in a sign of warning and welcome. Upon each of their heads was an ornate helm, the crown of the kings of old.

"What is that?" Peyton whispered.

"'Tis the Argonath," Boromir replied. "A gateway of kings."

Kayden stared in wonder at the two statues. "That is so awesome."

The Fellowship soon passed under the statues' shadows and into a wide lake. At the far end of the lake, the river drained into a large waterfall. They docked their boats on the western bank and made camp.

"We cross the lake at nightfall," Aragorn announced. "Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh yes," Gimli stated, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "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! Festering, stinking marshlands as far as the eye can see!"

Peyton collapsed onto a rock. "Oh, great. Not more marshes!" She still hadn't forgotten the journey to Rivendell.

"That is our road," Aragorn confirmed. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."

Gimli looked astounded. "Recover my…?" he spluttered, before letting out an insulted growl.

Merry and Robin left to find firewood. Peyton lay down on the ground, muttering something about "stupid marshes." Kayden and Legolas shared a glance, before approaching Aragorn. "We should leave now," Kayden suggested, rather forcefully.

Aragorn shook his head. "No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for the cover of darkness."

"It is not the eastern shore that worries us," Legolas stated. "A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind and in Kayden's too. Something draws near…I can feel it!"

Gimli was still hurt by what Aragorn had suggested earlier. "No dwarf need recover strength!" he mumbled turning towards Pippin. "Pay no heed to that young hobbit."

Merry and Robin returned, piling wood onto the ground. "Hey, where's Frodo?" Robin asked, looking around. Peyton immediately bolted upright. She surveyed the camp. Frodo was nowhere in sight. Peyton then noticed Boromir's belongings abandoned by a tree.

Then it clicked. "Boromir!" Peyton yelled, running into the woods behind them. She knew now. She knew why Boromir suggested giving the Ring to Gondor at the council. She knew why Boromir had acted strangely on Caradhas. She knew why Boromir looked more pained of late.

Boromir wanted the Ring.

Peyton tore through the forest until she came across Boromir down on all fours in the middle of a clearing. "Curse you!" he yelled. "And all the Halflings!"

Alarmed, Peyton ran up to him, slapping him hard across the face. "Boromir! What happened?" she demanded.

Boromir looked up, startled, before he began to break down into tears. "Oh, Peyton, what have I done? I tried to take the Ring from Frodo!"

"It's alright. You are not the only one the Ring has tempted." Boromir stared at Peyton, surprised. "Yes, the Ring has tempted me, but I did not have a whole nation at stake. Now come on, we have to find Frodo!"

~o*o*o*o~

Kayden ran after Aragorn, trying to find Frodo. Finally, they came upon the elusive hobbit, lying on his back in front of a large stone structure adorned by stone eagles. "Frodo!" Kayden cried, stepping towards him.

Frodo jumped in surprise. "It has taken Boromir," he informed them.

Aragorn began running towards him. "Where is the Ring?" he demanded.

"Stay away!" Frodo yelled, scrambling away.

Kayden ran after the two. "Frodo! We swore to protect you!"

"Can you protect me from yourselves?" Frodo yelled, holding out the Ring in his palm. "Would you destroy it?" he asked, his voice filled with anguish.

It whispered to Kayden, drawing her nearer. Possibilities of protecting her friends flashed through her mind. Both Aragorn and Kayden reached out for it, but realized what they were doing just in time. They knelt down and closed Frodo's hand over the Ring, gently pushing it back towards the young hobbit. "We would have followed you to the very end," Kayden stated.

"Into the very fires of Mordor," Aragorn added.

"I know," Frodo sighed. "Look after the others, especially Sam. He will not understand."

Aragorn and Kayden nodded in understanding. Kayden noticed a faint blue light on the hobbit's belt. Aragorn had seen it as well. They both jumped up, drawing their swords. Frodo unsheathed his partially, revealing that its blade glowed blue. That only meant one thing: orcs.

"Run!" Kayden and Aragorn chorused. "Run!" The two of them turned around to find 200 orcs marching towards them. But these were no ordinary orcs. They stood taller, with bigger muscles and larger fangs. They bore a white handprint on their armor and faces. They were the fighting Uruk-Hai, Saruman's army of super-orcs.

Aragorn raised his sword and swung at the nearest Uruk, slicing him down. With a yell, Kayden sprang into battle as well. The two of them fought, but there were too many, and they were forced onto the top of the stone structure. Over the din of battle, Kayden heard a rough voice shout, "Find the Halflings! Find the Halflings!"

~o*o*o*o~

Merry, Robin, and Pippin dove under a bush to hide. They saw Frodo dash down the hillside and behind a tree. Suddenly, the Uruks charged past them.

"Frodo!" Robin called.

"Hide here! Quick!" Merry beckoned. "Come on!"

Frodo gazed at them sadly and shook his head.

"What's he doing?" Robin asked, worried.

"He's leaving," Merry realized.

"NO!" Pippin shouted, running out of their hiding and Merry also jumped out, trying to pull Pippin back into hiding. Unfortunately, the Uruks noticed them.

Merry turned to Frodo. "Run Frodo!" He then turned to the Uruks. "Hey, you, over here!"

"HEY!" Robin shouted, understanding Merry's plan.

"Over here!" Pippin yelled as the hobbits began to run away from Frodo.

"It's working!" Pippin cheered.

"I know it's working!"

"RUN!"

Suddenly, more Uruks charged towards them. The hobbits were surrounded.

"YAHHHHH!" With two loud cries, Boromir and Peyton charged into the clearing, beginning to slice down Uruks.

"Run!" Peyton ordered. "Run!"

Boromir took the ivory horn from his belt and blew it three times. The sound echoed through the entire forest. "The Horn of Gondor," Legolas remarked.

Kayden looked up from the Uruk she had just slain. "Boromir! Peyton!" she cried, sprinting off in the direction of the horn.

~o*o*o*o~

The fight raged on. The hobbits had found shelter from the battle amid the trees and had begun pelting rocks at the Uruks. Peyton was doing her best to fight off the Uruks, but more kept swarming the clearing. She could no longer see Boromir. "Ow!" she yelped as an arrow grazed her cheek. She couldn't see who sent it; there were too many Uruks. Suddenly, Peyton heard Boromir gasp in pain. "Boromir!" she screamed, slaughtering Uruks furiously in an attempt to reach him. Two more gasps of pain were heard, followed by three shrieks from the hobbits. Peyton looked to see Merry, Pippin, and Robin being carried off. "No!" she cried, trying to reach them, but an Uruk slammed her into a tree. Dazed, she watched as the rest of the Uruks left the clearing, and was shocked at what she saw.

Boromir was on his knees, three arrows protruding from his chest, while the Uruk captain aimed another arrow at him from point-blank range. "AW HECK NO!" Peyton yelled. Without thinking, she drew her dagger and charged at the Uruk, causing its arrow to fly astray. The Uruk roared, swinging at Peyton. She blocked the blow, but the force of it was too much and she was knocked into a tree, her dagger flying from her hand. The captain threw his shield at her, its two-pronged format pinning her, before charging.

Kayden broke through the foliage in time to see this. With a loud cry, she assaulted the Uruk. She knew that the beast was too close to her friend to get a clean swing; so instead, she landed a swift punch to its gut. It growled in pain, knocking her to the ground. Veryan slipped from Kayden's grasp as she rolled, dodging the captain's blows. She delivered a swift kick to the beast's leg, simultaneously pulling out her boot-knife. Quickly, she drove the knife deep into the Uruk's thigh. It snarled, punching Kayden in the face in retaliation. The Uruk lifted her off the ground by the collar of her shirt, giving her a violent headbutt and throwing her to the ground. Blood streaming from her nose, Kayden watched in horror as the Uruk wretched the knife from his leg and licked the blood off of it before chucking it at her. Swiftly, Kayden drew Brethil, deflecting the knife. She then scrambled to her feet and charged at the Uruk. The two exchanged blow after blow until Kayden lopped off the Uruk's arm and thrust Brethil into its chest. The Uruk pulled her in closer, snarling defiantly in the elleth's face. Kayden yanked herself back as the Uruk's head suddenly flew off. The dead body collapsed, revealing Peyton standing behind it, wielding Veryan. "Here you go," Peyton panted, handing Kayden back her sword. "You alright?"

Kayden nodded her head, wiping the blood from her face. She noticed she had also sustained a small cut on her arm. Quickly, she began rearming herself, cleaning her knife off in distaste before placing it back in her boot.

"Boromir!" Peyton suddenly cried, running over to where Aragorn was leaning over a body.

"They took the little ones," Boromir gasped, clutching Aragorn's shoulder.

"Be still," Aragorn instructed, examining Boromir's wounds.

Boromir paid no heed. "Frodo, where is Frodo?"
Kayden stared sadly at him. "We let Frodo go."

"Then you did what I could not," Boromir replied, breathing heavily. "I tried to take the Ring from him."

"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn whispered.

"Forgive me. I did not see. I have failed you all." Boromir looked up at them, grief in his eyes.

"No, Boromir," Peyton reassured, dropping to her knees beside him. "You fought bravely." She reached out and tried to pull an arrow from his body.

"Leave it!" Boromir ordered. "It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness, and my city to ruin."

Aragorn looked the dying man in the eyes. "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!"

Delight seemed to fill Boromir's eyes. "Our people," he sighed. "Our people." Boromir clasped Aragorn's shoulder. "I would have followed you my brother…my Captain…my King!" He then turned to Peyton. "Peyton, forgive me. I am sorry that we will never ride into the White City…together." With that, the light left Boromir's eyes, and the brave warrior passed away.

Peyton stood up, tears forming in her eyes. Kayden walked over to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. "He died protecting his friends. There is no nobler way to die," she said, rephrasing Galadriel's words.

Aragorn stood up, looking distantly into the forest. "They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return."

~o*o*o*o~

The company of five now made their way back to camp. Aragorn paused upon realizing that the two girls had some minor wounds. "Here," he stated, handing Kayden a black cloth bandage. "The cut on your arm is just a cut, nothing more. This should help it heal fast." He then turned to Peyton, who only had a small mark on her cheek where the arrow had grazed her. "Thankfully, the arrow did not do any damage, but you will have a scar there for the rest of your life." Peyton nodded solemnly, helping her friend with her bandage.

Soon, Boromir's funeral boat was prepared. Peyton and Aragorn carefully laid his body in, arrows removed. At his head rested his shield, and in his hands he held his sword. Aragorn, Peyton, and Kayden all watched sorrowfully as the boat was carried over the falls. Legolas and Gimli, however, were rushing to get the remaining boats into the water.

"Hurry!" Legolas shouted. "Frodo and Sam had reached the eastern shore."

Aragorn gazed forlornly at the opposite shore, where two figures could be seen running into the foliage.

"You mean not to follow," Legolas stated, staring at Aragorn.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn replied.

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

Aragorn walked up to them, placing a hand on Kayden and Legolas's shoulders. "Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry, Pippin and Robin to torment a death. Not while we have strength left." Aragorn stepped back, beginning to grab a few supplies. "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light."

A fierce smile spread across Kayden's face. "Let's go hunt some orc!"

And so ends the Fellowship of the Ring. Two Towers is next.

Peyton: I'm so excited!

Kayden: Whoo!

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