Chapter 24: Boromir's betrayal, Frodo makes a hard decision

The Fellowship, as they unloaded their supplies, made camp on the lawn of Parth Galen: a fair place in the summer days of old. Kenshin sat down at the edge of the beach, to keep watch for the Uruk-Hai.

Saito lit a cigarette as he sat down on a log, also intending to watch for the Uruk-Hai. Sanosuke went beside Saito.

"Hey Saito," he said, "you didn't think I was going to let you out of my sight for a moment, did you? I told you I'd be your personal bodyguard. I'll sit down on the sand beside you, if you don't mind."

Saito glanced in Sanosuke's direction as he replied, "…don't feel free to relieve yourself of the job on my account, moron."

"I'd wish you'd stop calling me a moron," Sanosuke said with an embarrassed expression.

Saito couldn't really care any less about Sanosuke's reactions.

Sanosuke went on, "well, speaking of which, I think I'm going to miss that Lothlorien place. Are you going to miss it too, Saito?"

"What for?" asked Saito.

"Just wondering."

"Wonder all you like… I don't really miss anything… or anybody for that matter."

"So in other words you don't miss it, especially that Galadriel broad?"

Saito blew smoke and answered, "…no moron, I don't miss that Galadriel woman. But I'll say this… she kinda reminds me of Tokio."

"Huh," asked a puzzled Sanosuke, "who's she?

"…She's my wife."

"WHAT!?!" Sanosuke exploded as he crashed onto the ground, "y-y-you have a wife?"

"That's right," Saito replied, "didn't the Battousai tell you?"

"Man," said a mortified Sanosuke, "Kenshin doesn't tell me anything these days."

Saito smirked, taking pleasure in Sanosuke's humiliation.

Yahiko took practice swings with his new Elvish wooden sword to keep himself up with his swordsmanship. Kaoru watched Yahiko practice, but it seemed like while she was watching Yahiko… her mind was somehow… somewhere else, wandering away.

'I think,' thought Yahiko, as he continued swinging, 'something's really wrong with Frodo. He's never slept or had anything to eat when we left Lothlorien. We may have been sailing along the river and we may have been far apart from each other… but I've been able to watch closely at Frodo while he sat with Sam and Aragorn.

He's been like this ever since Galadriel told him he had to go on his own. I personally don't care what Galadriel said… I came to this world to save my world from Sauron, not to come here and do nothing. I promised myself and Kenshin that I would… and I intend to do just that.'

Sam was sitting bleached against a stone, fiddling around with his sword as well. Misao, Gimli, and Pippin sat together, near a campfire.

Aragorn gathered the last of their supplies as he announced, "we cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh yes?" interjected Gimli, "just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better!"

Pippin and Misao looked up alarmed, as everyone else had their attention towards Gimli…

"…Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!" finished Gimli.

"That is our road," returned Aragorn, "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength Master Dwarf."

"Recover my…?!" huffed a perturbed Gimli, "Phrrrrr…"

"Hey don't sweat it Gimli," Misao said to Gimli, smiling, "we don’t always get what we want in the end."

"Don't sweat it?!" Gimli huffed even more, "…don't…? You know young lady, your mannerism of speech is starting to overwhelm me greatly indeed."

Misao smiled and giggled back at Gimli.

Legolas, in an alarmed state… went up to Aragorn to warn him.

"We must leave now," he said urgently.

"No," countered Aragorn, "Orcs patrol the Eastern Shore. We must wait for cover of darkness."

"It is not the Eastern Shore that worries me," Legolas said as his gaze wandered over the dark pine woods, with a dark, brooding statue nestled amongst their needles…

Legolas went on, "a shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near… I can feel it."

"Legolas," interjected Kenshin, "Aragorn and I appreciate your concerns. But for now… we must trust in Aragorn's strategy, that we do."

"…I only hope," Legolas said to Kenshin, still full of despair, "that will be enough Kenshin."

While that was going on, Gimli was still full of unrest as he continued tending to the fire. Merry returned, gathering firewood.

"No Dwarf need recover strength!" Gimli huffed to himself.

Fearing that he may have insulted Merry, Gimli added, "pay no heed to that young Hobbit."

Then Merry looked around… to see that Frodo was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Frodo?" Merry inquired.

Everyone was startled knowing that Frodo was gone. Sam, who was half-dozing, rouses with a start. Aragorn looked over the camp. His gaze stops on Boromir’s shield, lying with his baggage. Boromir was missing as well.

Yahiko also looked around him for Frodo's whereabouts. While he was looking, he noticed… that Kaoru was missing too, as if she went off in the middle of practice.

"…Kaoru?" wondered Yahiko, "…Kaoru?"

Frodo went on, wandering through the woods of Amon Hen, the Hills of Hearing and Sight. He may still intend to go off on his own, leaving the others behind. Frodo stood by an immense stone head, long aged and lost from its body, lying with its side in the ground.

Just when Frodo thought he was alone…

"None of us should be wandering alone."

A voice emitted from a distance. It was Boromir gathering up firewood, as he approached Frodo across the leaf-littered earth.

Boromir went on explaining, "…you least of all. So much depends on you."

Then Boromir stopped gathering wood, looking perplexed at Frodo.

"Frodo?" he asked, even more perplexed.

Frodo and Boromir paused for a moment…

Boromir broke the silence, "…I know why you seek solitude. You suffer, I see it day by day. You sure you do not suffer needlessly?

Frodo gave no answer to Boromir's concerns.

Boromir then added, "There are other ways, Frodo, other paths that we might take."

While they were having their conversation, Kaoru wandered off deep into the woods, needing time for herself just as Frodo wanted time to himself, because of her encounter with Galadriel's revelations about the future.

Suddenly… she heard faint talking from a distance and proceeded further to see who was talking… perhaps it was Frodo.

Boromir and Frodo continued their argument.

"I know what you would say," said Frodo, "and it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart."

"Warning?" asked Boromir as he started to come up to Frodo, a little ominously, "against what? We're all afraid Frodo… but to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have… don’t you see that is madness?"

"There is no other way!" Frodo returned fiercely.

"I ask only for the strength to defend my people!" Boromir said even more fiercely as he threw down the firewood that he gathered.

"If you would but lend me the Ring…" Boromir pleaded, with his hand outward toward Frodo.

But… Frodo stepped back. "No," he said cautiously.

"Why do your recoil?" Boromir asked, getting fiercer, "I am no thief!"

"You are not yourself," Frodo realized…

Kaoru was getting closer to where she heard the talking…

She saw two people apparently having an argument. Kaoru went up further to see that it was Boromir and Frodo talking to each other and Boromir was apparently trying to force himself upon Frodo. But Kaoru didn't like it one bit…

Frodo was right. Boromir was acting differently. The ring was finally getting to him.

Boromir started to snarl at Frodo, "what chance do you think you have? They will find you… they will take the ring… and you will beg for death before the end!"

But Frodo wouldn't give in… and he started to walk away from Boromir because he was unaware of his growing madness.

Boromir couldn't take any more…

"…You fool!" Boromir growled as he started to come after Frodo. Kaoru was instantly startled to see this…

Frodo looked behind him to see that Boromir was starting to come for him fiercely. He, in turn, started to run from Boromir…

"…It is not yours, save by unhappy chance!" Boromir said, closing in on Frodo, "It could have been mine…"

Then… Boromir tackled Frodo!

"It should be mine… GIVE IT TO ME!" he shouted at Frodo, as he struggled to take the ring from him…

"Frodo!" Kaoru yelled out as she started to come to Frodo's aid.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Boromir continued to shout and struggle with Frodo.

"No!" Frodo countered, as he wrestled the ring into his hand, clutching it.

"Give me the ring!"

Kaoru continued to run towards Frodo.

"Hold on, Frodo!" she cried…

Boromir continued his struggle with Frodo as Frodo puts on the ring…

And vanished in front of Boromir. Kaoru immediately stopped where she was, seeing Frodo disappear again. Frodo then kicked Boromir aside and ran away from him…

Boromir, still full of madness, lifted himself a little and started ranting…

"…I see your mind," Boromir's ranting became worse, "…YOU WILL TAKE THE RING TO SAURON! YOU WILL BETRAY US!"

Kaoru was greatly frightened to hear Boromir's ranting. The end result of those who greatly desired the ring…

Boromir went on ranting, "…you will go to your death… AND THE DEATH OF US ALL! Curse you… CURSE YOU… AND ALL THE HALFLINGS…!"

Then…

Boromir tripped… slipping and tumbling down into the ground. Moments later…

Boromir slowly lifts his head up, recovering his senses. The madness of the ring has left him. However… Kaoru was convinced that he was not to be trusted now.

"…Frodo?" Boromir began stuttering, looking around for Frodo, "…F… Frodo? Pft!"

Kaoru, scared of Boromir, began to run away from him, leaving Boromir to his pitiful, horrified state.

Boromir continued to look around for Frodo

"…What have I done...?" he asked himself, regretting what he has done, "please Frodo…"

Frodo, shocked by Boromir's betrayal, continued to run away from Boromir in the shadow world, with the surroundings blurring away around him. He heard Boromir's screams from faraway…

"…FRODO, I'M SORRY! FRODO…!"

Nevertheless… Frodo continued to run from him. He began to run atop a stone platform framed by two stone eagles in the woods, for a hiding place.

A great shape loomed before him from afar…

The image of Mordor rushed towards him and his vision rose to a pinnacle. He saw it…

The dark tower of adamant, Barad-dûr, the fortress of Sauron, was laid before Frodo's eyes, where he saw an army of Orcs. The vision went up the tower…

Wall upon wall… battlement upon battlement… black, immeasurably strong Iron Mountain, gate of steel…

Revealing the burning, unsleeping Eye of Sauron at the top of the tower, which stared menacingly… back at Frodo…

Frodo, rushing to remove the Ring before Sauron could get to him… fell off of the seat…

Reappeared while falling… and landed hard on his back. He slowly sat up, trying to catch his breath. Before him was high structure on the cliff edges of Amon Hen, surrounded by the pines. A stairway runs up through its center, to a seat dwarfed by stone eagles on top.

Suddenly… a footstep came behind Frodo.

"…Frodo?"

Frodo quickly looked behind him. He saw Aragorn, along with Kenshin behind him.

"Is anything wrong, Sir Frodo?" asked Kenshin.

"It has taken Boromir," answered Frodo.

"Where is the ring?" Aragorn asked intensely as he and Kenshin began to walk up to him.

"Stay away!" Frodo cried as he started running from him and Kenshin as well.

"Frodo!" Aragorn called out, chasing after the Hobbit.

"Sir Frodo, what's wrong?" Kenshin also called out and went after him as well.

Frodo stopped at the base of the structure, cowering from Kenshin and Aragorn's reach.

"Aragorn and I have no intention of harming you Sir Frodo, that we do not," said Kenshin, trying to reason with Frodo.

"Kenshin is right," agreed Aragorn, "we have sworn to protect you."

Frodo countered them both, "can you protect me from yourselves?"

After hearing this, Aragorn and Kenshin take Frodo's question seriously because of the fact that they both have had bad pasts.

Frodo brought out his hand and showed them the ring, and challenged them, "…would either of you destroy it?"

Taking the Hobbit's challenge, Kenshin and Aragorn start slowly towards the ring. The ring spoke out in its frightening black speech to them…

"…Aragorn…

"…Kenshin…"

The ring was tempting them as it did to Boromir. Frodo's concern grew greatly as Aragorn and Kenshin slowly went up to the ring. Both of their hands were reaching out for the ring in Frodo's hand as it continued to speak…

"Aragorn… Kenshin…

"Elessar… Battousai…"

Suddenly…

Kenshin and Aragorn slowly and gently kneeled in front of Frodo… and softly enclosed the ring in Frodo's hand with their own hands, fighting the ring's temptation. Frodo has clearly made his point to them. Still holding Frodo's hand, they both pushed it gently onto the Hobbit's chest, saying their peace…

"I would've gone with you to the end," said Aragorn, solemnly, "…into the very fires of Mordor."

"I also would have gone with you to Mordor, Sir Frodo… that I most certainly would," Kenshin sadly added as he and Aragorn gently let their hands release Frodo's own hand.

"…I know," Frodo replied silently, "…look after the others… especially Sam. He will not understand."

Kenshin slowly nodded to Frodo's request.

Then Aragorn looked below him and gasped, "…go, Frodo."

Kenshin looked down and gasped as well. Aragorn drew his sword as he stood up. Kenshin matched Aragorn's move as he stood. Frodo checked Sting and saw it glow blue. Orcs were approaching…!

"…Run," Aragorn commanded Frodo, "…run!"

"You must leave now, Sir Frodo!" cried Kenshin.

Heeding their warnings, Frodo re-sheathed Sting, and ran away as Kenshin and Aragorn instructed.