abnormal tragedy

Chapter 22: boromir

As he twisted and reeled through the woodlands of Amon Hen, Boromir was in his absolute element. With the hobbits at his back, the three of them had fallen into an unexpected rhythm, moving together to hack and slash their way through the seemingly never-ending waves of Uruk-hai. Pippin and Merry's skills with a sword were rarely matched and they handled there long-sword with finesse and sensitivity. But they were also fond of kicking kneecaps and gouging at eyes. Which made Rowan laugh.

Boromir sounded his horn, hoping that Rowan and Legolas would follow them to the lakeside where they could escape across the water.

An Uruk-hai, tall and gangly, lurched towards Boromir, Pippin and Merry dashed forward to intercept. Boromir jabbed his elbow into its nose then, when he doubled forward in pain, smashed the pommel of his sword into the base of its skull with a satisfying crack. As the creature fell, he twisted away and punctured an Uruk's knee-cap with a small dagger in his off hand before pushing the narrow point of his long-sword through the eye-slits of the Uruk's helmet. 

He smirked, finding the guttural, wet splutter reverberating from inside the helmet oddly satisfying. He moved again, Boromir ducking under his sword arm as he turned, in order to push his sword into the exposed armpit of his next target, when suddenly he heard a dull thuck.

Pain blossomed beneath his left shoulder and Boromir looked down to see an arrow protruding from between the plates of his armour. He had to save the hobbits he thought to himself as he pushed on. A scream, shrill and terrified, rang through the forest and Boromir turned to see Rowan's stricken face as she was helped over to were he and the hobbits were. Her bandage wouldn't hold for much longer but she needed to help him, her friend. Too focused on Boromir's injury, Rowan didn't notice the Uruk-hai approaching her from behind. Boromir lunged forward, pushing Rowan out the way and piercing the beast's throat with his sword. His shoulder throbbed with pain and without the full strength of both hands, he struggled to push his sword through the dense flesh. Rowan felt a tear fall down her cheek.

He heard another thuck and looked down to see a second arrow sticking into his armour. This one hadn't penetrated down to the skin but the hit distracted him long enough for an Uruk-hai to back-hand him viciously. He sprawled to the ground and was only just able to stab him below his sternum before he brought his massive broad-sword down upon Boromir. 

That was close. As he staggered to his feet, Boromir saw the massive arms of an Uruk-hai surround the hobbit's tiny form and lift her from the ground. Merry drove his dagger into the orcs shoulder blade but the orc merely shrugged off his attack and maintained his hold on them. Pippin was screaming and wailing his arms around- which of course, was not helping. Boromir lurched forward with his sword but he felt someone kick him in the shin and as he flinched in pain, his sword went wide of its mark.

As the Uruk-hai crowded around him, Boromir could only hope to keep up with their assaults. He lunged and kicked with feral intensity but there seemed to be no opening in their attack, no opportunity to move or assert control. He could only stand helplessly, fending off attack after attack, as the hobbits was carried, kicking and screaming, into the forest.

The circle of attackers parted for a moment and Boromir briefly hoped that this was a break in their offensive, some moment of weakness which he could exploit to his advantage. Boromir's hopes were quickly dashed as he turned to see an Uruk-hai, taller and fiercer than any other, step forward. A broad-sword was strapped to his back but he held a bow in his hands, an arrow already notched. The first two arrows had only been inconveniences but at this close distance, the third would surely kill.

Legolas was too busy shooting arrows at the other orcs and Gimli was too busy stabbing orcs with his axe and counting them to boast to Legolas about later that night. Rowan was still holding onto her bandage which Legolas had quickly and kindly wrapped around her stab wound. She looked down and saw the blood oozing out of it, red spilling onto her clothes. Where was Aragorn when you needed him?

The Uruk-hai let the third arrow go and all could be heard was Rowan's scream filling the forest. With all her might, she ran over and crashed into the orc from behind. Abandoning his bow, the Uruk-hai general took the broad-sword from his back and clashed swords with Rowan. Of equal size and strength, the two fighters circled and pushed but neither made significant headway. Circling the general, Rowan tripped on a root and fell to the ground, her sword skittering to a stop a few feet from where she lay. She rolled to avoid a downward slice from the Uruk-hai's sword, kicked the sword from the general's hand and then pulled a small dagger from her boot to plunge into the general's knee. 

The beast didn't even flinch. The hulking Uruk-hai reached down to throttle the human before lifting her from the ground. Rowan thrashed in his hold, desperately gasping for breath. With a roar, the Uruk-hai threw her to the ground. 

Rowan hit the ground with a sickening thud; Legolas flinched at the sound. When he risked a glance in her direction, he could see blood streaming from a split lip and her left shoulder sticking out from its socket at a disturbing angle. While he was somewhat preoccupied with his own onslaught of Uruk-hai, he knew that if he didn't help, Rowan would not last long, as she had already been badly wounded. 

He broke away from his attack and rushed towards Rowan. He screamed as he felt a sword come down across his back, the skin splitting under his armour and his tunic becoming warm and slick with blood. Still, he pushed forward until he reached Rowan's sword where it had fallen. "Rowan!" he yelled as he threw the sword with all the strength he could muster.

Prone on the ground, Rowan groped for her sword. When her hand curled around the hilt he pulled himself unsteadily to her feet just in time to block a downward stroke from the general's broad-sword. With renewed fervour, Rowan slashed at the Uruk-hai again and again, pushing him back further and further with each step. With a final push, Rowan sliced off the Uruk-hai's sword arm and plunged his great-sword satisfyingly into the beast's fleshy stomach. 

The creature did not fall, did not even waver, merely stood, grinning eerily at Rowan with the sword protruding from her front. With a disdainful sneer, Rowan pulled her sword free once more and swung her weapon full force to decapitate the Uruk-hai in one fell swoop.

The Uruk-hai's head, nestled between burnished leaves on the forest floor, still grinned. Rowan then rushed towards Boromir's lifeless body. Boromir, pale and bloodied, is now lying on his back. Rowan kneels near Boromir, who grabs Aragorn's shoulder. "They took the little ones." He cried. "Be still." Rowan ordered fighting back tears. "Frodo... Where is Frodo?" Boromir questioned as he looked down at the arrows which were sticking out of his chest. "I let Frodo go." Rowan responded as she let tears escape her eyes. "Then you did what I could not." Boromir replied. "Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all."

"No, Boromir, you fought bravely! You have kept your honor." Rowan declares as she reaches out to pull the arrows from his body. "Leave it! It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness... and my city to ruin." Once he had finished talking Rowan added, "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!" She then burst into tears. Boromir looked up into Rowan's dark brown eyes. "Our people, our people." He reaches for his sword. Rowan places the hilt in his hand, and helps Boromir clasp it to his chest. "I would have followed you, my sister... my captain... my Queen." He said as he took his final breath. "Be at peace, Son of Gondor." Rowan whispered. Boromir died and Rowan touched her hand to his forehead, then to her lips in respect.

Legolas and Gimli arrive at the scene a bit too late. Legolas looks sadly at Rowan and Boromir, as Rowan's pale cheeks are stained with tears. Gimli bows his head and turns away as Rowan stands up. "They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return." Rowan declared as she turned and began to walk off.