The Odyssey of the daughter of the forest

Chapter 17 : The Breaking Of The Fellowship

She had just one dagger. She put the next enemy's sword to the ground with a quick move of her wrist, and cut his throat. Another was running to her. She hit his knees and he knelt, so she killed him by putting deeply her last dagger in his chest. She heard another coming in her back. She had the time to take her other dagger from the dead orc's eye. She heard another one coming in her back. Without looking back, she turned her daggers in her hands and planted them fiercely in the stomach of his enemy, that she could now feel his breath in her neck. As the orc was collapsing, they all heard a bass sound, making them unable to move.

Boromir's horn.

She turned in the noise direction, worried. Boromir was in danger. Pippin and Merry too, because they had gone that way. And it seemed like the orcs were following them. The had to hurry.

'' The horn of Gondor ! ''Legolas said, turning slowly his head.

''Boromir ! ''

Without losing a second, Aragorn went to follow the nose, the two elves behind him with the dwarf. Tauriel killed an orc with her daggers while she kept running behind the ranger. They got down the hill, killing all orcs that stood in front of them. Two enemies were coming to her in the same time. She planted her left dagger in the shoulder of the first one, and without turning around, hit the stomach of the second one with her foot. The first one quickly fell to the ground without noise, his throat cut, and she turned to face the second one. He was down on his knees, and it did not take a lot of time to pierce his heart. If he had one, of course. She ran again, killing as many orcs as possible.

They heard the horn again, pushing them to run faster to join his owner. Aragorn left one more time to go quicker, and the two Mirkwood elves protected him by behind. The dwarf was supposed to be close, but she did not see him. The orcs were more numerous step after step, and they seemed to come from every corner of the woods.

Tauriel had just bump off an orc when the horn had been heard for the third time, more urgent than the first times. She was fighting to Legolas' side, in a natural way, relaxed to know they were protecting each other. Gimli s'en donnait. They were advancing as fast as possible, killing many orcs on their way. The battle noises were coming closer.

Finally, when there were no enemies in front of her anymore, she ran as fast as she could in the battle direction, as Legolas was bumping off the last one. When she arrived, no orcs were standing anymore. But in fact, they had failed. Because Boromir was laying there, dying in the ground in front of Aragorn, with much more than one black arrow in his chest. She immediately stopped a few meters before the two men, shocked of this vision.

Aragorn helped Boromir to grab his sword, and put it on his chest. In her back, she heard the blond elf's footsteps. She turned around a second, and met his blue gaze, full of a real sadness. He stopped to her side, looking at the man from Gondor dying in front of them. It was too late, they could not do anything.

''I would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king. ''

With a last sigh, his gaze darkened, and his breath stopped. It was over. Boromir was dead. They had just lost another member of their fellowship, and Pippin and Merry were not visible, perhaps taken by the orcs.

Even if he had shown his attraction for the ring of power, he was a strong and courageous man. The kin of men we do not meet enough. He was still fixing the ranger, but now there was no life into his eyes.

'' Be at peace, son of Gondor '', whispered Aragorn.

He bent to him and kissed his forehead. Behind them, Gimli arrived with heavy breath, meaning that no enemy was standing anymore. She felt him stop a few meters in her back, silently. She looked down, praying the Valar to give him an eternal rest.

''They will look for his coming from the White Tower...

Aragorn turned to them ,tears shining in his lightly eyes. He was exhausted, but still sanding courageously with his last strengths, as he always did. He had some bloody injuries on his arms.

''But he would not return'', he finished.

Silenly, Aragorn, helped by Legolas, carried Boromir to the boats. Tauriel took his sword, and the dwarf his horn. When they arrived at the little beach, they put him into one of the boats, his weapons and his shield to his side. They pushed the boat into the water, that quickly fell at the fall of Rauros, before disappearing for ever.

As soon as the boat had vanished, Legolas went to pushed another one into the water.

''Hurry ! Frodo and Sam will reach the eastern shore ! ''

He stopped when he noticed that Aragorn did not move. On the other shore, the two hobbits got down of their boat and entered the woods, taking the way to Mordor.

'' You mean not to follow them'', she whispered, looking at Aragorn.

'' Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands ''he answered, wrapping his injured arm with bandages.

Tauriel looked at him. She could not believe it. Then she looked at the hobbits, on the other shore, who swiftly disappeared behind the trees.

''Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed'', Gimli said, walking to Isildur's heir, who did not move at all.

Tauriel came closer to him too, and Legolas stood at her right. Aragorn walked to them, and put a hand on the blond elf's shoulder, the other on the dwarf one's. He looked hem one by one.

'' Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spares behind. We travel light. ''

He stepped back to take his dagger. Then he turned to the two elves and the dwarf, waiting for thr end of his little speech. They had all understood what he was saying.

'' Let us hunt some orcs ! ''

With a smile, he turned around and began to run in the woods, following the orcs, in the south direction. If the fate of Frodo and Sam was no longer in their hands, they still could try to save the two other hobbits, taken a few minutes sooner by the orcs. Another journey was beginning for the ring-bearer and his friend, without a doubt much dangerous that the one they were about to do. So it was there, on the shore of the Anduin that was they took different paths. The two hobbits to the east and the Mordor to destroy the ring of power, and them to the south to save Pippin and Merry.

''Yes ! ''Gimli yelled happily, hitting the ground with his axe.

He stared at the two elves and ran after their friend. Tauriel smiled when she saw him go. She meet Legolas' stare and she immediately went after Gimli and Aragorn in the woods. She heard the blond elf's step behind her. She soon overtook Gimli and kept running to Aragorn's side. They ran south, again and again , to save Pippin and Merry from their enemies.

The fellowship had already lost two of its member, but they were still united against the enemy. They would face together courageously what was coming, as they always did, and until their last breath.