Authors Note: Thank you all for the continued support through these 24 chapters. We are nearing the end of the fellowship in this penultimate chapter and I cannot wait to start on the next leg of the journey. I was going to start a new story for continuing on with the Two Towers so I will let you all know the title at the end of the final chapter . Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 24 - The Light Passes
Her heart had begun to slow down, her breath becoming more uniform. But as the adrenaline subsided and her body regained it's composure the pain that it had been suppressing shot through her in waves. For now though she would not succumb she could push it to the back of her mind.
Her face was wet and the tears continued to fall, blurring her vision as the man in front of her lay on the cold hard earth, drawing what would be the final breaths of his life.
He was brave. That she had never doubted. Through all they had been through he had never been a coward, never balked at the sight of danger and now was no different.
She was not sure if she would have managed to stay as calm as he was when he clearly knew that he was not long for this world.
There was nothing that any of them could do. The same helplessness that filled her at Gandalfs death greeted her once more like an old friend.
The arrows were too many and too deep. Piercing vital organs so that a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth and through his bristled cheek.
Aragorn still crouched by him, holding onto his arm, keeping contact so that the son of Gondor knew that he was not alone. They had started this journey as a fellowship and till the last moment that is how they would remain.
Legolas and Gimli were silent by her side, watching, awaiting the inevitable.
"They took the little ones" Boromir sputtered, finding it increasingly more difficult to speak through the pain whilst trying to shift himself into a better position to look at Aragorn clearly.
"Be still" Aragorn told him, moving himself closer to the man.
"Frodo, where is Frodo?" Boromir asked suddenly his eyes growing wide and fearful.
It was a good question, in all the commotion she had forgotten about their original search for the Hobbit. But Boromir had said that the Uruks had taken the little ones, did that not include Frodo? That left Merry, Pippin and Sam.
Had they followed them into the forest, or had the Uruks found them waiting at the rivers edge?
"I let Frodo go" Aragorn answered him solemnly.
"Then you did what I could not" Boromir answered with a breath of relief "I tried to take the ring from him" he continued, the guilt clearly breaking an already broken man.
She remembered how he had once held the ring in his grasp before on the snowy slopes of Caradhras, what seemed almost another lifetime ago. Had his mind always been set on that prize since then? How had Frodo managed to evade the man who would have easily overpowered the small Hobbit? Where was he now? Aragorn had let him go on his own, with the enemy so close. It did not make sense. She had so many questions flowing through her mind but she stood silent. Feet rooted to the spot.
"The ring is beyond our reach now" Aragorn said as Boromir briefly closed his eyes.
"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all" Boromir coughed, giving a quick glance to where she, Legolas and Gimli stood.
His look seemed to beckon them closer and they all shuffled slowly towards the two so that they stood still behind Aragorn looking over them both like stone guardians.
"No Boromir you fought bravely, you have kept your honor" Aragorn reassured him, his hand hovering over the plume of the nearest arrow trying to determine whether he should pull them out from the mans heaving chest.
" Leave it, it is over" Boromir spoke weakly his face almost drained of all colour.
" I could give you something for the pain" Arwen offered, finally finding her voice.
" No Milady, it would be a waste" he smiled vaguely.
She nodded, shaking lose a tear that had formed at the corner of her eye so that it ran down the side of her nose.
"The world of men will fall and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin" he said desperately as though some horrific vision plagued his mind.
Aragorn took a firm grip of Boromirs shoulder, bringing him back to reality for just a little longer.
" 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" Aragorn said to him, sounding like the true leader he was, a speech of a King that he was born to be.
"Our people? Our people" Boromir repeated as though testing how the words felt upon his tongue.
He moved suddenly, reaching out with his left arm towards his sword that was discarded on the floor to his side. But his reach was not far enough and his fingertips grazed off the hilt.
She understood. It was the way of any warrior, they would often say that that they wished to depart this world with sword in hand. A brave and honor filled way to go. They meant in the throes of battle but lying here in the aftermath was just as good.
Aragorn leaned towards the blade, picking it up lightly, showing it the proper respect before handing it to its owner who clutched it tightly to his chest.
"I would have followed you my brother...my captain... my King" Boromir said as the light finally left his eyes. Eyes that remained staring but unseeing, as his chest stopped it's heaving and he would forever remain still.
The sob that she had been holding back finally escaped her lips and a torrent of tears were unleashed. From beside her she felt a pair of lithe arms envelop her and draw her close to their chest against the soft blonde hair that fell there. Hushing and soothing her, rubbing her back firmly.
She remembered a time when he had held her like this before, when her mother left for the undying lands. Under the dirt, sweat and blood he smelled the same as he had then and she found some comfort in the memory even though it was painful.
"Be at peace son of Gondor" Aragorn spoke to the man who was no longer listening and he leant across him to place a small kiss on Boromirs forehead and then gently closed his eyelids for his final sleep.
"They will look for his coming from the white tower but he will not return" he said aloud although she was not sure to who.
They stood silent and still for a few moments paying their last respects to a brave man, a comrade, their friend. The forest once more had returned to its peaceful state. Gone were the clattering of swords, the screams of pain, the thudding of a hundred feet. In the distance she could here the first signs of the birds returning. Singing, chirping, flitting from branch to branch on the breeze. Coming back to this place as though none of this had happened , it would be lost in the thick of the forest for evermore.
But she would remember. She would remember the fear, the panic and the loss.
"What shall we do with the body?" Gimli asked when Aragorn stood up from where he had been crouched.
"We will take the body back with us to the boats" he replied bending back down to gather the man in his arms.
Legolas left her side to help him , taking a hold of Boromirs other side so that he was stretched between them his feet dangling over the ground. Lifted up like this Boromir looked merely unconscious, like he would awaken any second with some quip or comment on how they could improve their fighting skills. But she knew that no matter how hard she wished for it , this was one wish that could not come true.
Aragorn held out Boromirs sword for her to take as he struggled to get a good grip on the man. He glanced at her briefly, his eyes heavy and filled with woe before looking away as he and Legolas started off back towards the river. They were moving slowly , Boromir was still clothed in all his armor so he would be quite heavy. What surprised her more however was the weight of his sword. How he managed to get a good swing with this hulk of a blade just proved how strong he had been. It hurt her arm just carrying it although to pick a point of her body that did not ache from the attack earlier was few and far between.
" I'll bring this" Gimli mumbled behind her and she heard him scrambling around in the leaves.
" What did you find?" She asked him, halting and turning back around.
"Just his horn" he replied sadly looking down to his hands that held the ornate horn that was now split down the middle, only connected by a small amount of binding around the mouthpiece.
"He would want that with him" She said nodding at the dwarf.
" Yes he would, at least then he will be able to call for us...wherever he is" he replied as he tried to reunite the two sides back together again.