The Quest

The Quest: Chapter 8

"I will gather more wood for the night, stay here." Boromir whispered to her as he slipped away from the camp as well. Alannah sat quietly as Aragorn and Gimli began to bicker about which course to take to Mordor and Alannah knew whichever path they took, it would be difficult and dangerous. Legolas turned his attention to Aragorn as Alannah decided that she too could also use a quick stroll through the woods.

~

Boromir tracked Frodo's steps carefully as he bent over to pick up dry twigs to use for a fire later that night. He thought of how to convince the hobbit to give him the ring, at the very least lend it to him so that he could save his people in Gondor. After a few minutes he spotted Frodo beside the ruins of an old temple, statues of past rulers laying in rubble on the ground. He tried to reason with Frodo the best he could, regretting his anger as he threw the wood on the ground at Frodo's denial of his request for the ring. As Frodo began to run from Boromir he was quickly tackled to the ground, a struggle ensuing between them. Frodo slipped the ring onto his finger and vanished, leaving Boromir to his regret and disgrace.

Alannah heard the raised voices in the distance and ran towards it, the fear in her heart growing that her friends were in danger. She pulled her sword from its sheath, ready to attack before she saw Boromir kneeling on the ground covered in dirt and leaves.

"Boromir?" She called out to him as she returned her sword to its sheath. "Are you hurt?"

Boromir glanced over his shoulder at Alannah, trying to hide his anger and despair from her.

"I am fine." He stammered. "I just fell." Alannah quickly ran over to him and grabbed his arm, helping him to his feet. She looked around worriedly. "Where is Frodo?" She asked as she stepped away from him, feeling something off about the scene. The look on Boromir's face was enough for Alannah to understand that something had happened to cause Frodo to flee and she turned to run back to the rest of the fellowship to alert them of his departing. She gasped as she was yanked back violently and slammed against the trunk of a tree.

"Why do you run from me Alannah? I have done nothing to raise caution in you." Boromir breathlessly questioned her. She tried to push him away, sensing the ring had tainted his state of mind.

"You're not yourself right now, Boromir. Please move." She stated forcefully as she shoved his arm away from her. Her silver band glistened as she moved, catching Boromir's attention and igniting his anger.

"You would pledge yourself to man you've known for a few weeks and not to a man that has known you a year, longed for you for a year, fought for you for a year?" Boromir asked desperately. Alannah wanted to turn and speak to him, try to explain how her feelings differed from how she saw him in comparison to Legolas but knew that it would be of no use. She began to walk away once more only for Boromir's gloved hand to reach around to cover her mouth as he pulled her back against him.

"You mock me!" He seethed as he whipped her around to face him. Alannah panicked as she watched the darkness consume his eyes, leaving no trace of her close friend. She struggled against his hold as he pulled her back to the fallen statues, pushing her roughly against the stairs. Alannah kicked her feet against the ground struggling to get away from him. He grabbed her ankles and drug him back to her, brandishing his dagger. He held the blade against her throat, pressing it into her flesh hard enough to leave an imprint.

"I've grown wary of everything being teased at my fingertips just within my grasp only for them to be denied to me." He began to rant to Alannah as she kept silent, fearing he would take her life if she spoke.

"If I cannot use the ring to help save Gondor, I will use you. If you scream, I will cut your throat where you lay." He threatened, even his voice not resembling his own. Alannah nodded as he began to use his other hand to untie her tunic. Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks as the cold, autumn air hit her bare breasts.

"Show me what you do with the elf when you sneak around. He hasn't made you his wife so I shall." He squeezed her breast angrily, clasping his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams of pain before he pulled her to her knees. "Undress. I want to see you without all that elf garbage on you."

Alannah hesitated before he grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking it back with enough force to lose her balance off her knees. Her head whipped to the side as he struck her, only to pull her by the hair to face him once more. He pressed his open mouth to hers, invading it with his tongue. Blood began to fill her mouth as he struck her again, causing her body to fall to the forest floor.

"Boromir." She managed to whisper as blood filled her mouth. "Please." Boromir ignored her plea as he pulled her tunic open the rest of the way, moving his trembling hands to untie her pants.

"Is that how you talk to your elf prince in the middle of the night?" He ridiculed her in response.  "Like I told Gandalf before, you owe a debt to Gondor and it will be repaid."

He began to pull his belt off, giving Alannah the chance to run. She scurried to her feet and flew in the direction of the camp. Boromir was able to catch up to her quickly and pulled her back down to the ground. He kicked her body several times as she lay helplessly, her hand desperately outstretched in the camp's direction.

"Legolas! Aragorn! Help me!" She finally screamed hoping they would hear her cries. He squeezed her once broken arm tightly as he covered her screams with his gloved hand. He moved his arm to her neck and bore his weight on it as he began to pull his pants down his hips, cursing her as well as himself.  Alannah struggled to breathe as she waved her arms above her, striking her attacker with her failing strength. Her vision grew hazy and she let her arms fall to her sides, slipping into unconsciousness.

Boromir stopped removing his clothes as he looked upon Alannah's beaten and ravaged body beneath him, suddenly snapping out of the ring induced frenzy. He looked at himself and back to her, the realization of what he was about to do crashing into him like a tidal wave. He moved to quickly pull her tunic closed with shaking hands and cradled her body, trying to wake her up.

"Alannah!" He called to her. "Please forgive me. Forgive me. It was not me!" He cried into her tangled hair. He knew what happened to elves if they were attacked in such a way, they would lose the will to live and pass on to the afterlife. He prayed she would open her eyes, continue her will to live. He watched her chest faintly rising up and down, relief flooding him as she continued to live.

The sounds of uruk-hai quickly approaching caused Boromir to panic as he cradled Alannah, looking around for a place to hide her. He pulled her elven cloak off and wrapped it around her as he lay her body by the fallen statue. She was concealed perfectly for when he could return to aid her, and beg for her forgiveness.

~

Aragorn and Gimli followed Legolas as he ran through the trees, desperate to locate Alannah. They had begun a search for Frodo and Boromir as they realized they left the camp, only to discover that Alannah was out of sight as well. During their search, her screams echoed throughout the forest, raising an alarm between the three.  Dozens of uruk-hai swarmed them as their search was interrupted. Legolas quickly killed any and all enemies in his path so he can locate his betrothed as fast as possible, fearing the worst had happened to her. Alannah's screams branded itself in his mind as he launched arrow after arrow into his enemy's skulls before pulling the dual blades from his back to slice through the horde.

Alannah opened her eyes and tried to scream as she watched the battle waging around her only to find fear had paralyzed her voice. The pain in her body confined her to the ground, shoved close to the fallen statue. She watched as her friends battled the uruk-hai, her eyes widening as Legolas appeared, mere footsteps away. The fierce look on his face as he fought confirmed that he had heard her calling for him as he glanced at his surroundings for any sight of her before turning his attention to an orc swinging an axe at him. The sound of Merry and Pippin in the distance began to draw the remaining orcs away from her, as well as Legolas and Aragorn with Gimli quick to follow. She tried to lift herself up to scream for Legolas once more before falling unconscious again, concealed to all by her Lothlorien cloak and left alone in the battle torn woods.