Sword and Arrow

Chapter 28

"No," Aragorn cried, racing to Boromir's side. He knelt over Boromir, who reached up and took hold of Aragorn's shoulder.

"They took the little ones," Boromir gasped from between labored breaths.

"Be still," Aragorn softly whispered. He brushed the back of his hand over Boromir's bloodied cheek.

"Frodo," he said. "Where is Frodo?"

Aragorn shook his head. "I let Frodo go."

"Then... you did what I could not. I... I tried- I tried to take the Ring from him."

Aragorn bowed his head. "The Ring is beyond our reach now," he said.

"Forgive me," Boromir continued. "I did not see it... I have failed you all..."

"No," Aragorn said sharply. "No, Boromir, you fought bravely! You have kept your honor." He extended his hand toward the arrow. Maybe, just maybe, he could save him. Just maybe, if he removed the arrows, he could save Boromir before he died of blood loss.

"Leave it," Boromir rasped. "It is... over." He let out a long, shuddering breath. "The world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness... and my city to ruin."

My city. Before, he had always said our city, our kingdom, our people... but maybe he had lost faith in Aragorn. Maybe he believed that Aragorn had lost faith in himself and could no longer be the savior that he needed to be. Aragorn had denied his lineage for so long, maybe it wasn't his city, his kingdom, his people anymore.

Aragorn shook his head. "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." Our people. Our kingdom. Our city.

"Our people?" Boromir looked as surprised as Aragorn himself felt. "Our... people." He reached for his sword, which lay half a foot away from his searching hand. Aragorn found it for him and closed his hand around it, then helped him clasp it to his chest.

Aragorn's eyes widened. No. "Mir," he choked out. "Mir, no!"

"I would have followed you, my love... my captain, my... king!"

And then he died.

He can't just die and leave me here was the first thought that ricocheted around Aragorn's head. Then why him and why not me? And finally Valar, please let Beruthiel be alive and well at the least.

"Be at peace, Son of Gondor," he finally said in a strangled voice, leaning over and pressing a final kiss to his lips. Then, "I love you", a little quieter, a simple sentence just for the two of them.

A quiet crashing and a much fainter sound of feet told him that Legolas and Gimli had arrived and were taking in the scene with just as much shock as Aragorn had first regarded it with.

Legolas sadly looked at Aragorn, bent over Boromir's broken body. Gimli bowed his head and turned away. Death seemed to be everywhere today. Death and Grief.

Aragorn slowly stood up, his usually tall frame broken and diminished. He faced away from Legolas and Gimli, staring off into the distance. "They will look for his coming from the White Tower," he said, his usual deep voice cracking. "But he will not return."

Aragorn turned around to regard Legolas and Gimli. Then his expression shifted to one of horror as he saw the quiver hanging on Legolas's belt. "That's Beruthiel's quiver," he said, shocked, his flat, grieving tones gone for the moment. Aragorn's eyes shifted to the bow in Legolas's hand. He had not noticed that the elf carried two: his own across his back, and another in his hand. "And her bow!"

Accusing grey eyes turned to Legolas. Let her be alright. Valar, please let her be alive at least.

Legolas shook his head. "She's alive, last I saw her," he said quietly.

"Last you saw her?" Aragorn's voice was deadly quiet. "What do you mean, last you saw her?"

"She-" Legolas glanced at Gimli, who shook his head and turned away. Legolas sighed. "She tried to get the hobbits back."

"And?"

"They took her, Aragorn," Gimli broke in. "Knocked her out and carried her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

"And why did you not go after her?"

"We wanted to make sure that you and Boromir were alright," Legolas said. "She was already some distance away. But you and Boromir looked like you were on your last stretch of life."

"You should have gone after her," Aragorn seethed. He glanced at the discarded bodies of the Uruk-Hai, then at Boromir's broken body. "Little use you were here."

Legolas grimaced. "We have broken already, Aragorn," he said a little gently. "I did not wish to fracture the Fellowship further. We can give Boromir a proper funeral, and then we can go after Beruthiel together. If Gimli and I had gone after Ruth, you would have worried for us too."

"Don't call her Ruth," Aragorn snapped at him, but he knew that Legolas was right. Aragorn hung his head in weary defeat. "It's my fault," he whispered. "It's all my fault."

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They carried Boromir to the water's edge and laid him in one of their boats with his sword on his chest, his cloven horn by his side, and his shield above his head. Aragorn and Legolas waded out into the waist-deep water, pushing the boat out into the center of the river. Then they watched the boat slip over the edge of the gold-tinted Falls of Rauros. Legolas touched his forehead, then his heart, then his lips and muttered a quiet prayer for the soul in Quenya.

Aragorn glanced at the bracers in his hands. He had taken them from Boromir to have some material reminder of why he was doing this. Aragorn buckled one, then the other on, turning them up to the sunlight to see the tree motif pressed onto the leather.

"It has all been in vain, hasn't it?" Gimli said. "The Fellowship has failed."

"Not if we hold true to each other," Aragorn said, placing one hand on Gimli's shoulder and the other on Legolas's. "We will not abandon Beruthiel and Merry and Pippin to torment and death, not while we have strength left."

Aragorn straightened and looked over his shoulder, then across the Anduin to the opposite shore where Frodo and Sam must have been climbing up the slope to the crest. "Leave all that can be spared behind, we travel light," he said, setting his jaw. "Let us hunt some orc."

After both the elf and the dwarf nodded, Aragorn turned and dashed off into the brush, leaving the two to follow him. He was tired to the bone and all but dead inside, but he would not rest until Ruth and the two hobbits were safe.

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Short chapter, guys! As I said I'm updating more often than I was! I've just discovered some time to write (AKA health class as the teacher lets us do whatever while he teaches) so more updates should come. And I've (finally) finished the Fellowship of the Ring so I'm happy... And yes I killed Boromir off but I had to, I didn't want to.