Disclaimer: I have no creative rights over the characters and places you can identify in this story and have no way profited from this work.
14/01/2013
Thanks everyone for waiting for this chapter. My new job has had me rather busy.
This chapter is largely based around events at Amon Hen, but it is not an exact transcribing of the relevant scenes in the movie trilogy. I have had to make some compromises so events flow better given the three Avengers in the Fellowship.
Brad W: Bruce will give the full story behind the Hulk to members of the Fellowship but that is still a few chapters away.
AurannaGreenleaf: You are right about this Crossover being something of a strange experiment. Hopefully it has been as enjoyable for readers as it has been for me.
Chapter 13 – Fellowships Broken & Remade
The Fellowship had set up camp on among some old stone ruins that dotted the western shore of the lake. Gimli and Pippin tended to a small campfire the Fellowship had started. Rogers was speaking to Legolas. Banner joined Sam in resting against what remained of two corner walls trying to have a small nap. Sam was not performing his customary duty as cook because the Fellowship had not made camp for the night.
As he unloaded gear from the Galadhrim boats, Aragorn told the Fellowship around him; "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."
"Oh yes?" Gimli sarcastically asked which drew Aragorn's attention.
Gimli had never been there, but he had heard stories from other dwarves what the terrain of Emyn Muil was like. None of these stories made for happy listening.
"It's a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil?" he continued. "An impossible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks. And after that, it gets even better!"
Pippin looked at Gimli in alarm. The Dwarf's description of what the Fellowship faced made the Took stop chewing the bit of lembas bread he was snacking on.
Gimli gave his final thoughts on the route that Aragorn had chosen. "Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!"
"That is our road," Aragorn calmly but tersely reiterated. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."
"Recover my?!" Gimli was slightly outraged by Aragorn's response. As if a Dwarf was ever at anything other than full strength!
Rogers and Legolas approached Aragorn. The three spoke in hushed tones.
Rogers told his Co-leader, "Legolas wants to say something to the both of us."
Seeing he had the full attention of both men, Legolas said with considered urgency, "We should leave now."
"No," Aragorn replied looking eastward across the lake. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness."
"Celeborn said the eastern shore's crawling with orcs," Rogers revealed. "Legolas, we know it's a risk. But night's our best time to sneak past them."
"It's not the eastern shore that worries me," Legolas explained. "A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind." After a pause, the Elven Prince added; "Something draws near – I can feel it!"
Rogers knew that a lot of 'gut feelings' were badly mistaken, not just in war but in all aspects of life. However, he had come to know how keen Elven senses often were. Legolas was the best thing the Fellowship had in terms of an early warning radar.
"Can you sense what it could be?" Rogers asked him.
While Aragorn, Legolas and Rogers were talking, Merry and Thor had returned to the campsite after collecting firewood. The amount of firewood the Fellowship needed could have easily been collected just by Merry. But Thor volunteered to go and help Merry, while quietly assigning himself to be the Hobbit's bodyguard. As the pair put down their bundles, they could hear Gimli murmuring to Pippin to "Take no heed of that young hobbit." Thor concluded that another member of the Fellowship had said something that had slighted Gimli. He wondered if Gimli and Legolas had resumed their battle of insults. Seeing Legolas was in deep conversation with Rogers and Aragorn this seemed unlikely though. Merry's thoughts were focused on other Fellowship members too.
"Where's Frodo?" he asked the group.
Merry's question stirred Banner and Sam from their naps. The discussion between Aragorn, Legolas and Rogers also immediately ceased. Rogers also saw that Frodo was not the only member of the Fellowship missing.
"Boromir's gone too," Rogers commented.
He and the remaining Fellowship members saw that Boromir had left his pack and shield leaning against a tree.
"Did either of them speak where they were taking their leave?" Thor asked to which all shook their heads.
Aragorn and Rogers gave each other a quick look before the former spoke.
"We need to split up and find them," Aragorn decided. "Who knows what danger they could be facing unawares?"
Aragorn did not want to speak his fear that the greatest danger facing Boromir and Frodo was from each other.
To Rogers' surprise, Aragorn asked him to be his search partner. Aragorn said he and Boromir had still not reconciled from their argument the previous evening. Aragorn thought if he found Boromir, the Captain of the White Tower would be more likely to say what happened if Captain America was also present.
Not long after the Fellowship had embarked on their search, Aragorn and Rogers came to an area where the head of a giant statue lay on its side. Aragorn spotted Frodo's tracks as well as a single pair of man sized ones. These tracks were made by footwear and came from the opposite direction of Frodo's. Aragorn could not be certain what made them but given the footwear imprint there was a good chance they were Boromir's. Whatever made them, it had struggled with Frodo before the Hobbit had got away by heading southwards up the hill. The other's tracks went to the southwest. Aragorn told Rogers the name of the hill was 'Amon Hen'. As Rogers was himself a competent tracker, Aragorn suggested they split up with he following Frodo's tracks and Rogers following what was likely Boromir's.
Unfortunately for Rogers the trail seemed to go cold as he entered a sizable glade within the thick forest around Amon Hen. Rogers understood why Aragorn seemed to be more concerned about Frodo than Boromir. Frodo was the Ring-bearer after all. Despite the Fellowship's battles in Moria, the Hobbit could still be reasonably called a 'non-combatant'. Boromir on the other hand was one of the Free People's greatest warriors. But that still did not diminish the current concern that Rogers had for his fellow soldier.
Despite having met him just over two weeks ago, Rogers had developed a close bond with Boromir. Boromir had often confided to Rogers about Gondor's dire situation and it was plain to Rogers the great stress Boromir was under. Men under great stress could say and do things they would normally not even consider. Rogers had no doubt that just as the Ring tried to play on his fears to make him claim it for his own, it would have subjected Boromir to the same line of attack. Whereas Rogers' fears could be just hypothetical, the relentless advance of Mordor on a daily basis would give Boromir sound cause to believe his country's fall seemed imminent. If Boromir were to be alone with Frodo…Captain America shook his head that, again, he harshly doubted one of his friends.
I've only known Boromir a fortnight, Rogers thought. But he's one of the most honourable people I've ever met. No matter the temptation, in the end he'll do the right thing.
Due to his worry about Boromir, Rogers at first did not notice he had company. He only knew when he felt the hairs standing on the back of his neck. He may not have had the senses of Legolas, but to Rogers that was a pretty good indication that danger was nearby. After whipping his shield off his back Rogers spun around to see thirty yards away a group of a dozen orcs that had been trying to take him by surprise.
Similar to the first ones he, Thor and Banner encountered these orcs had skins of ugly brown, black and grey. But unlike those orcs, every one of these was at least two inches taller than Rogers was. They were all armed with steel falchions and wore sturdy looking plate armour. Some of these orcs wore visored helmets and carried long sided pentagonal shields. On each of the bottom corners of these shields was a long metal spike whose tip was seven inches longer than the shield's bottom edge. Rogers thought these spikes made the shields look like they had a pair of fangs like the ones these orcs were now baring at him.
So, this is what Uruk-hai look like, Rogers thought as he pulled his mask down.
A bald, grey skinned Uruk sneered at Rogers; "A mask won't protect you from the might of the Uruk-hai, Man!"
Rogers remembered what he'd told him of the Uruk-hai's creation as he insulted back, "With your faces, Saruman should've given you one right from the start."
Rogers then released his shield with a powerful fling at the neck of one of the Uruks to his right. The Uruk made to block Rogers' shield with its own. The armour and shields Saruman had given the Uruk-hai could protect them from a great many weapons used the Free Peoples. But the Uruk-hai's armour was well below what was needed to protect them from the weapons used by the Avengers. In the clash of shields, Rogers' vibranium one cleanly sliced through the Uruk's steel one. Rogers' shield then inflicted a mortal cut on the Uruk's neck before deflecting from the impact. Rogers' shield killed three other Uruks in a similar fashion by the time it returned to his hand. These Uruks had tried to take Rogers by surprise. Instead, Rogers had surprised the Uruks as they stood momentarily befuddled by how he used his shield to dispose of four of their brethren.
"I guess we know who's got the better shield?" Rogers mockingly asked them.
The remaining eight Uruks roared and charged at Rogers with their falchions raised. The Fellowship's first battle with a force of Uruk-hai had begun.
Thor and Sam were searching together. They had come into a dense section of woods. Thor wondered why Frodo would have left the safety Fellowship and gone off on his own. Maybe the Ring had begun to warp Frodo's better judgement?
Just like it did with Gollum, Thor uneasily thought.
"Mr Frodo!" Sam called out.
Thor understood Sam's urgency to find his best friend. However, it was imperative the Fellowship search for its two missing members as quietly as possible. It did not know what resided in the forest around them. Before Thor could tell this to Sam, their mutual attention was drawn by the sound of clashing steel to the south. Both of them shared a worried look. The sound of battle was universal.
"You keep looking for Frodo," Thor told Sam. "I shall aid the rest of our friends".
"Good luck, Mister Thor," Sam replied.
Thor gave Sam a supportive pat on the back before they went their separate ways.
Banner was with Merry and Pippin as the three of them entered a large clearing slightly east of Amon Hen. As the Fellowship split into search parties, Legolas quietly asked Rogers if it was wise that one was solely comprised of non-warriors. Rogers replied that Merry and Pippin had formed a close connection with Banner. Besides, given that Hulk came out in Moria when he was needed, Merry and Pippin had the best protection available. Rogers would come to lament his complacency at the time.
Merry, Pippin and Banner halted the clearing to see if they could find any trace of Frodo or Boromir. Banner compared the clearing to a shallow natural amphitheatre as tree dotted ridge surrounded the clearing to its north, west and south.
"It's not like Frodo to just run off without telling any one," Merry remarked his companions as well as himself.
"He was always very sensible, even if he is a Baggins," Pippin concurred.
Banner knew nothing of Hobbit bloodlines to judge the veracity of what Pippin had just said. He did know enough about ecology though that forests usually echoed with the sound of birdsong. Banner thought the woods in his and the two hobbits' close vicinity was eerily quiet.
Most birds only stop singing to hide from nearby predat…
Before Banner had a chance to worry about the implications of his conclusion, from the west the sound of battle echoed down the slopes Amon Hen. The trio looked in the direction of the sound.
"Would Aragorn and Steve want us to help?" Merry asked Banner.
Out of the corner of his eye, Banner could see something moving towards them over the ridge to the north.
"Too late for that, guys," Banner replied.
Following Banner's gaze, Merry and Pippin saw half a dozen Uruk-hai streaming in their direction. Lurtz had gambled by dividing his force of Uruk-hai to attack the Fellowship from different directions. Given that the Fellowship had split up into small search parties Lurtz's gamble was to be well rewarded.
Banner willed the Other Guy to come out. In keeping with his experience since coming Middle-earth, Banner found that Hulk did not want to comply. He inwardly berated the Other Guy.
Give me something to work with!
As if Hulk gave a grudging concession, Banner grew four inches taller and his skin became the palest green. His leg and arm muscles expanded but not so much as to tear through his outer clothing, only feeling tighter to wear.
Banner stood between Merry and Pippin and the two Uruks that reached them first. Even though he presently may have had only a fraction of Hulk's strength, Banner still had enough to crush one of the Uruk's helmets with a powerful right punch. Drawing on his martial arts training Banner then tried blocking the downward swing of the other Uruk's falchion with his left forearm. Both Banner and Uruk were surprised at the result. Banner at the pain he felt due to the bloody gash on his left forearm. The Uruk that the blow it delivered should have at least cut the Man's arm off. It was further surprised when the wound healed itself immediately without leaving a scratch. After this happened, Banner gave the Uruk a backward blow with his now healed forearm that immediately broke its neck.
The next Uruk that moved to attack Banner did not wear a helmet but carried a two-handed battleaxe. Banner prepared to intercept the axe as the Uruk raised it while running towards him. As the axe swung at Banner's head its movement suddenly halted due to the blade of a sword across its handle.
"Boromir!" Pippin cried in relief as Gondor's Captain-General had come to trio's rescue.
Boromir quickly looped his sword out of the axe before using it to split the Uruk's skull open. He then threw a dagger at the exposed neck of another Uruk that killed it instantly. Banner dispatched the two remaining Uruks with powerful blows to their chest plates that noisily cracked open their ribcages.
"Thanks," Banner said to Boromir in a gravelly voice that was a mixture of the Other Guy's and his own.
Boromir did not seem to give even a second thought to Banner's strange voice or appearance.
"I don't deserve anyone's thanks for anything ever again," he bitterly replied.
Before Banner could ask Boromir what he meant, at least some twenty Uruk-hai came over the northern ridge. Merry, Pippin and Banner immediately obeyed Boromir's command to them.
"Fall back!"
At the summit of Amon Hen, Aragorn fought a desperate solo battle against a multitude of Uruk-hai. He was standing atop a small ruined monument that was some twelve feet high called the 'Seat of Seeing'. Aragorn sought to draw the Uruks attention so as to allow Frodo to get away unhindered. He was too busy fighting for his life to decide if respecting Frodo's choice to go to Mordor alone was the right thing to have done.
Saruman had created the Uruk-hai to be more intelligent than the average orc. They realised only some needed to fight Aragorn while the rest carried out Lurtz's orders to "Find the Halflings!" Aragorn noticed a number of the Uruks running towards the eastern slopes of Amon Hen. Narrowly avoiding being stabbed by the Uruk he was currently duelling, Aragorn ran to the momument's edge and launched himself at the Uruks running below. Aragorn cried out the name of his great ancestor Elendil as he crashed into three Uruks, knocking them to the ground.
"For Odin! For Asgard!"
At Thor's loud war cry, Aragorn realised he was now not alone. Thor had reached the summit and attacked the Uruks' northern flank. The Asgardian dispatched three Uruks with Mjolnir in as many seconds. The God of Thunder smiled contemptuously at the Uruks.
"At least make it a challenge for me!" he taunted them.
As Thor hoped, his insult angered the Uruks and more turned their attention away from Aragorn to him. Aragorn thought the Valar must be in a generous mood as more reinforcements for the Fellowship arrived in the form of Legolas and Gimli. Legolas quickly killed two Uruks each with an arrow while Gimli dispatched another with a throwing axe before engaging in melee with his two handed battle axe. Between the four of them, Aragorn thought they could contain the Uruks on the summit from pursuing Frodo. Unfortunately, this left all the other Uruk-hai that had earlier gotten away when he'd faced them alone.
Thor cleared a path of death through the Uruks to get to the other three Fellowship members. His initial impression of the Uruk-hai was they were stronger and better equipped than the orcs he had previously fought. Still, they had a long way to go to be a match for him. The Uruks' armour and helmets cracked under the force of Mjolnir, their heads and bodies being brutally crushed.
With the summit having been cleared, Aragorn told his three comrades, "We must stop them before they reach the others."
"Where's the rest of our Fellowship?" Thor asked.
"Steve was heading towards the western slopes," Aragorn replied before slightly fudging the truth. "I'm not sure about the others."
As if in response to Aragorn's statement, the sound of a loud horn came from the east slopes. All knew only one member of the Fellowship carried a war horn.
"The Horn of Gondor," Legolas calmly identified the sound.
"Boromir calls for aid," Thor grimly concluded.
The four urgently rushed in the sound's direction. All the Uruk-hai in the vicinity had heard Boromir's horn as well and also began heading towards it. A strange foot race developed between the four Fellowship members and the Uruks around them. A number of Uruks reversed course and sought to hinder Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Thor. The later three stopped to deal with Uruk-hai attacks while Aragorn was fortunate that he did not as yet have to break stride. Thor found these attacks to be more a nuisance than a real danger. However, every attack he had to deal with wasted further time in getting to Boromir.
As he closed on the bottom of Amon Hen, Thor noticed a narrow stone stairway snaking down the slope. A number of Uruks were running down the stairway to get to Aragorn who was just in front of them. Thor still couldn't project Mjolnir over great distances. But the hammer still made a deadly short-ranged weapon. The narrow stairway the Uruks were forced to run down in single file provided the perfect opportunity.
Thor threw Mjolnir with great strength and deliberation. The legendary hammer picked up speed as it went down hill. The Uruks that Mjolnir hit in the back fell like dominos before it came to rest near the bottom of the stairs. Aragorn turned around at the commotion made by the crashing orcs. His eyes widened when he saw Mjolnir fly ten yards up hill of its own accord back into Thor's hand.
"Go, Aragorn!" Thor shouted at him. "We'll deal with any pursuers."
After he saying this, Thor twirled about face while holding Mjolnir in his outstretched right arm. Such was the power of Thor's swing, that Mjolnir cleanly hit off an Uruk's head from the rest of its body.
Aragorn turned back towards the direction of Boromir's horn leaving Thor, Legolas and Gimli to fight the Uruks. Aragorn thought he now understood how Frodo felt when he told the Hobbit to flee the summit of Amon Hen.
Boromir sounded the Horn of Gondor once again as the group he was part of kept retreating southwards. Unlike what Rogers thought when he first saw it, the Horn was crafted from a wild ox horn. It had been an heirloom of the Stewards of Gondor for generations. Legend had it that if it were blown within the bounds of Gondor; its call for aid would not go unheeded. Boromir hoped the legend was true because right now all the Horn seemed to be attracting is more Uruks. His tactic for the moment was to fight enough of a delaying action before the rest of the Fellowship arrived to aid them. Even if no other member of the Fellowship heard the Horn, Boromir had no doubt that his friend Steve would.
Inwardly, Boromir admitted that the situation was a lot better than if he had been protecting Merry and Pippin alone. Even though the Other Guy had not fully broken out, Banner seemed to have harnessed enough of its power to be more than a match for the attacking Uruks. Fighting left of Boromir, the wounds that Banner received would've seriously wounded or even killed the most hardened soldier. The guttural cries that Banner released on occasion showed the wounds still caused him pain. But the wounds disappeared from Banner as quick as he received them, dispatching the offending Uruk with his bare hands. Merry and Pippin had wisely not joined the melee but supported Boromir and Banner by throwing stones to disrupt the attacks of any oncoming Uruks.
It was at this time that Lurtz arrived on the scene and took stock of the battle. He had relayed to the Uruk-hai under his command Saruman's order to capture the Halflings and the shortest Man. As the Fellowship had feared, crebain had been tracking their movements along the Anduin and relayed the information back to Saruman. Saruman in turn used the crebain to pass this information along to Lurtz. One piece of information was the man that Saruman was after wore a green Elven shirt that had a pattern of vines. Lurtz could see the Man less than fifty yards away from where he stood.
As Lurtz pulled an arrow from his quiver, he also reached into a pouch on his belt. The pouched contained a small vial that Saruman had given him. Saruman instructed Lurtz to use the vial's contents in order to subdue the man. It was imperative that the man received the vial's contents before he, as Saruamn put it, 'fully transformed'. Practically ignorant about the Other Guy, Lurtz was unsure what stage of transformation the man was in given his pale green skin. But Lurtz did not want to face his master without being able to say he at least tried. Removing the vial's stopper, he sprinkled some of its white solution on to the arrow's tip. He then pulled the arrow back with his bow and aimed it at one of the man's non-vital areas.
Despite the temporary pain he felt from each wound he received, Banner's fighting ability was still effective. The Uruks focusing on him also spared Merry, Pippin and Boromir a lot of their wrathful attention. Just after he pushed back a pair of Uruks, Banner felt a sharp stinging pain in his left arm. Banner and his three friends noticed that an arrow sticking in his bicep. Drawing on the Hulk's strength, Banner effortlessly pulled the arrow out and tossed it away. However, Banner began to worry when he immediately started feeling drowsy. Having the Hulk as part of him, Banner was normally immune to any diseases, toxins or poisons that might enter his bloodstream. As he willed himself to remain in the fight, a drooping Banner pondered if the vortex might have weakened this ability of Hulk also. What Lurtz had coated his arrow with was a powerful sedative that Saruman believed would pacify a mumakil.
Banner tried to steady himself to fight a group of oncoming Uruks. He let out a pained shout as another arrow struck him, this time in the left thigh. He pulled the arrow out but this action seemed to have greatly sapped his strength. Banner weakly dropped the arrow from his right hand as he felt consciousness slipping away. Boromir and the two hobbits watched in shock as Banner shrunk back to his normal size and colour before collapsing face first into the ground. Lurtz gave a satisfied snarl before barking orders to nearby Uruks in their harsh tongue.
Stunned, Boromir looked at Banner's prone form for only a few seconds – it was still longer than he should have. Out of the corner of his eye, Boromir saw two Uruks almost toe to toe with him. He only had time to dispatch one of them. Without his shield though, Boromir had nothing block the fist to his face delivered by the other Uruk. The strength behind the blow made Boromir spit out a wad of blood as his head spun right. In a daze, Boromir tried to refocus but another Uruk smashed its shield into his face that caused him to drop his sword and topple backwards into the ground. Boromir's head was spinning in excruciating pain as blood trickled into his eyes from the gash on his forehead. As he struggled to get back up, Boromir was horrified by what transpired before him.
Seeing Boromir and Banner had been neutralised, Merry and Pippin valiantly tried to protect them both with their short swords. With an angry and saddened cry, the two hobbits charged at the incoming Uruks. The Uruks did not even break stride as they disarmed Merry and Pippin of their weapons. Boromir last saw them each being carried over the shoulder of a running Uruk flailing their arms towards him and Banner. Then one of the taller Uruk-hai picked up a sedated Banner and slung him headfirst over its shoulder. Boromir managed to roll himself onto his hands and knees. With blurred vision, he saw the Uruks start running away from him. He frantically crawled towards his dropped sword. As he gripped its hilt, he was prevented from lifting it by a heavy leather boot that stood on the blade. Despite his daze, part of Boromir had been wondering why the Uruks hadn't killed him. As he looked up at the boot's wearer, he understood why.
Lurtz sneered at Boromir who was on his hands and knees in front of him. He had ordered his Uruks to apprehend Saruman's desired captives and to leave the twisted pleasure of killing the man with the horn to him. Lurtz drew an arrow with his bow and pointed it at Boromir's face.
As he waited for his end, Boromir felt that he had never failed so many people so badly. He had failed to protect Banner, Merry and Pippin from the Uruks. He failed Frodo when he tried to take the Ring from him in a fit of unreasoned anger. He failed his father and brother that he would not be able to help them defend their beloved Gondor ever again. Most importantly, he felt he had failed himself. Even if Mordor emerged triumphant, Boromir felt he would at least die with his honour intact. But his actions towards Frodo prevented him from having even that small comfort.
As he waited for the arrow to penetrate his skull, Boromir inwardly pleaded for mercy. His plea was not towards the Uruk. Even if there was a slight chance the Uruk would relent, Boromir still had enough pride that he would never beg to an orc for anything. Boromir's plea was to Eru Iluvatar that his soul be mercifully judged in whatever awaited Men after death. Lurtz gave him an evil, triumphant grin as he prepared to release his arrow.
At the last possible moment, Boromir saw a flying body to his right push the Uruk into to the ground. The Uruk's arrow flew out in a random direction away from him. Despite wanting to get up, the stress of the situation and the pain he felt caused Boromir to faint face first.
Silently, Aragorn thanked the Valar that he was able to arrive just in time to save Boromir from certain death. This left the more immediate problem that he now had to engage the Uruk that just tried to kill Boromir. Enraged that he had been prevented from claiming his kill, Lurtz quickly picked up a discarded Uruk falchion and shield and commenced fighting Aragorn.
Aragorn was taken back by the strength and quickness of Lurtz's attack. It had been a long time since he encountered an orc with the melee skills that Lurtz seemed to possess. Seeing an opportunity, Lurtz pinned down Aragorn's sword with his falchion before giving him a brutal head butt. Aragorn was stunned by the blow, involuntarily dropped his sword and stumbling back a few yards into a tree. As Aragorn was now where he wanted him, Lurtz threw his shield at the Ranger. The shield pinned Aragorn to the tree by catching his neck between its two bottom spikes. Aragorn quickly tried to remove the shield but Lurtz had thrown it too strongly. He began to panic as Lurtz approached raising his falchion ready to slice off Aragorn's head. But before Lurtz could do this, a circular blur from the west cut off the Uruk's head instead. The first of the Uruk-hai to walk in Middle-earth was no more. Still pinned by Lurtz's shield, Aragorn couldn't turn his head to see who his rescuer was.
"Sorry for being a bit late," his rescuer politely apologised.
It was Captain America. He effortlessly pulled the shield out of the tree to free Aragorn.
"I heard Boromir's horn." Rogers said before dryly explaining. "I could've gotten here earlier. But you guys missed a lot of orcs."
Aragorn accepted this in good humour. "Apologies, my friend. If it helps me atone, an Uruk's shield doesn't fly as gracefully as your own."
The pair gave each other a quick smile and pat on the back before running over to Boromir. They gently rolled Boromir on to his back. While he still had a regular pulse, Boromir's face was covered in dry and fresh blood. Dirt had stuck onto the sticky surface of Boromir's face. From what Aragorn felt of Boromir's face, one positive was that there did not appear to be any broken bones. Rogers quickly took off his Galadhrim cloak and offered it to Aragorn to use as a crude tourniquet. While Boromir's wounds were nasty, Aragorn was confident he would heal and recover from them. To the relief of both men, Boromir began to stir and opened his eyes.
"Lay still," Aragorn gently told Boromir who ignored him.
"They took the little ones!" he rapidly reported through his bloodstained teeth. Glancing over to Rogers, Boromir also added "Bruce too."
Aragorn and Rogers shared a concerned look. But they both knew which Fellowship member currently needed their attention the most.
"Steve, go back to our campsite," Aragorn began. "In my pack you will find a black pouch containing my medical supplies. Bring it here and get some fresh water!"
Rogers bolted off in a north east direction once Aragorn had finished speaking.
"Where is Frodo?" Boromir asked Aragorn.
"I let Frodo go," Aragorn replied.
"Then you did what I could not," Boromir revealed guiltily. "I tried to take the Ring from him."
"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn advised.
"Forgive me, I did not see," Boromir pleaded. "I have failed you all."
"No, Boromir!" Aragorn insisted. "You fought bravely. You have kept your honour."
"Because of my folly, Frodo now goes to his doom," Boromir said as some fresh blood gurgled from his mouth.
"He told me what happened between you, Boromir," a non-judgemental Aragorn told him. "He did not blame you for what transpired. I think he has been planning to leave us ever since we left Lothlorien."
Aragorn then began to apply Roger's Galadhrim cloak to stem the bleeding from Boromir's forehead. He glumly thought treating Boromir's guilty conscience would be a lot harder.
Captain America could run at a speed that would leave an Olympic sprinter gasping. Rogers was nonetheless grateful that the Fellowship's campsite was not too far from where Boromir was. He pulled back his mask before searching Aragorn's pack and easily finding the Ranger's medical pouch. He then picked up a full waterskin. As Rogers slung the water skin over his right shoulder his eyes widened at a disturbing discovery. One of the Fellowship's four boats was missing!
Looking around, Rogers saw the missing boat several hundred yards out on the lake moving eastwards. It appeared it was being paddled. Even with his Super Soldier sight, he wasn't sure by whom as dusk approached. Frodo and Sam could be the boat's crew, as they were the only Fellowship members currently unaccounted for. Then again, it could have been stolen by orcs who were now going to report the Fellowship's presence to their kind patrolling the eastern shore. Worse, maybe Frodo had been captured and orcs were now ferrying him towards to Mordor. Rogers thought about calling out but the water skin subtly tapped his side as if to remind him what his priority should be.
"Damn!" Rogers whispered to express his view of the situation before heading back to aid Boromir.
Rogers was back in the woods about halfway between the Fellowship's campsite and where Aragorn and Boromir were. He suddenly halted when he heard a loud but familiar voice call out "Steve!" from behind him. It was Thor who was accompanied by Legolas. They were not less than ten yards away as they ran up and stood next to Rogers.
"We heard the Horn of Gondor," Legolas explained.
"Aragorn and I helping Boromir now," Rogers replied quickly.
"How does he fare?" Thor asked with deep concern.
"He's wounded but he should be ok," Rogers advised.
Much earlier, Rogers had finally gotten around to answering Merry's question when he told the original Fellowship members that by 'ok', he and Banner meant things were alright. Both Thor and Legolas began to ask questions simultaneously but Rogers raised his hand to stop them.
"I appreciate the concern but we've another problem," Rogers told the pair. "No one seems to know where Frodo and Sam are."
Legolas and Thor quickly exchanged a look.
"I saw one of our boats being paddled east over the lake," Rogers continued. "It could've been them but I'm not sure. The best help you can give right now is to find the Ring-bearer and his gardener."
"Leave it to us, Captain," Legolas promptly responded.
As the three of them parted ways Gimli just arrived on the scene. The Dwarf noticed that Legolas and Thor were heading to the Fellowship's campsite. He stopped and shouted at them, "Where do you think you going? The Horn came from where Steve's running!"
"Change of plans, Gimli!" Thor called back to him.
"It seems fair-haired Men and Elves have no sense of direction," Gimli grumbled to himself before racing off after the pair.
Meanwhile, Aragorn was reasonably satisfied with how he had staunched the flow of blood from Boromir's wounds. Boromir's greatest danger now came from the threat of infection. However, Aragorn's pouch contained fresh bandages and herbal remedies to prevent this.
"It would appear you are as strong as the walls of Minas Tirith," Aragorn said to Boromir to console him.
Boromir gave a weak smile in response.
Aragorn then spoke his prognosis. "Your face will bear witness to your wounds for a time. But you should be at full strength before too long."
Boromir's lip began to quiver and a tear began to run from his eye as he lamented, "It would have been better if I had been slain."
"Do not speak such a thing, Boromir!" Aragorn gasped in shock. "The Fellowship is honoured to count you among its number. It's our greatest fortune that you are still with us."
"No, it is over," Boromir tearfully argued. "The world of Men will fall and all will come to darkness". He then painfully chocked out, "And my city to ruin!"
Moved by his words, Aragorn took a deep breath before firmly taking Boromir's hand. It was time to concede Boromir had a point during their recent argument.
"I do not know what strength is left in my blood," Aragorn began. "But I swear to you that, together, we will not let the White City fall. Nor our people fail!"
Boromir's eyes widened.
"Our people?" he repeated "Our people?"
Aragorn confirmed his epiphany to Boromir with a firm nod.
Rogers arrived just in time to hear Boromir speak an epiphany of his own.
"I will follow you, my Brother," Boromir firmly vowed to Aragorn. "My Captain. My King."
Aragorn responded with a humble smile before taking his medical pouch that Rogers was offering him.
As Aragorn began to treat Boromir's wounds, Rogers reflected on the situation and gave a tiny smile of his own. Boromir may currently be a patient, but his sincere promise to Aragorn had finally healed a deep wound that had been festering in the Fellowship's heart. The Uruk's attack had broken the Fellowship likely into separate groups. But the bond between its members had never been stronger. Rogers thought that, somewhere, Gandalf would be proud of them.
By the time the three men arrived back at the Fellowship's camp Gimli, Thor and Legolas were waiting for them. The later two were especially anxious.
"Hurry!" Legolas urged them before confirming a suspicion of Rogers. "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore!"
Both Thor and Legolas began to push one of the Galadhrim boats in to the water but halted when the others made no attempt to join them.
"You mean not to follow them?" a stunned Legolas asked Aragorn
Aragorn looked out across the lake to see where Frodo and Sam had beached their boat.
"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," he plainly stated.
"Frodo and Sam walk to certain death if we abandon them!" Thor strongly argued.
"Their death is no more certain than if we accompanied them, Thor," Aragorn calmly advised him.
Thor was about to remonstrate further when he suddenly noticed that Frodo and Sam weren't the only members of the Fellowship currently missing.
"Where are Banner, Pippin and Merry?" Thor asked with concern.
"Captured and taken by the Uruk-hai," Rogers regretfully reported.
"Then it has all been in vain," Gimli bitterly concluded. "The Fellowship has failed."
After a momentary pause Aragorn walked over to Gimli and placed his left hand on the Dwarf's shoulder.
"Not if we hold true to each other," Aragorn reassured Gimli with Galadriel's words.
Aragorn then turned to address the rest of the Fellowship. It may have been a trick of the setting Sun, but in Thor's eyes a halo of light seemed to surround Aragorn. It gave Aragorn the stature of a king equal to the Argonath's pair.
"We will not abandon Merry, Pippin and Bruce to torment and death," Aragorn strongly stated before fixing his gaze on Boromir who was now wearing a bandage around his forehead. Aragorn raised his eyebrows knowingly at the Gondorian before adding, "Not while we have strength left."
Boromir gave an understanding smile in response as Rogers placed a hand on his shoulder as a show of support.
"Leave all that can be spared behind," Aragorn commanded as he picked up his pack. "We travel light. Let's hunt some orc!"
Aragorn then rushed into the woods heading westward quickly followed by Boromir and Rogers.
Legolas and Gimli gave each other a mock glare as if to fool each other there was racial antipathy between them.
Thor asked them a severe tone, "Why do you remain staring with our friends in danger?" The God of Thunder then grinned and said with restrained enthusiasm, "After all. We've a competition that needs settling."
Legolas and Gimli burst into smiles themselves before the latter loudly proclaimed "YES!"
The three of them then charged into the woods, following the other Fellowship members that had preceded them.
Where the story is now would, by movie canon, mark the end of 'The Fellowship of the Ring'. I can't give an exact date for its release but I assure readers they won't have to wait 12 months to wait for the first chapter that marks the start of 'The Two Towers' part of the Trilogy.
Like a few reviewers have asked, quite early on I decided to have Boromir survive the skirmish on Amon Hen. I just didn't want to spoil what surprise there would be for readers.
Of course Boromir's survival and his oath of fealty to Aragorn mean that politics in Gondor is likely to get very interesting later on in the story. There is the more immediate question of what role the Avengers will have in the imminent war that Saruman is about to wage on Rohan. Also to be revealed is the extent that Thor and Hulk's powers will continue to return to aid them in this task.
There has been some reviewer speculation if any of the Avengers would accompany Frodo and Sam. There has never been even the slightest chance in my mind that this would happen. IMHO one of, if not the, greatest themes of The Lord of the Rings was that Sauron was not directly destroyed by the actions of great warrior-kings, powerful wizards or mighty elf or dwarf lords. The Dark Lord's downfall ultimately came at the hands of two unassuming and steadfast hobbits (count Gollum too if you must). I shall not detract from this most important of lessons.