"Frodo!" Gimli yelled into the woods.

Legolas was following tracks, and he had surely spotted something since he was walking so fast. Míriel and Gimli were a little further behind him, let him lead them on while she focused on trying to spot Frodo. Míriel called Frodo's name, but Legolas hushed them both quickly.

"We don't know what else is out here," Legolas said to Gimli and Míriel.

Míriel quickly realised that she had been foolish to shout, for she could have attracted anything malicious in the forest. Miriel flinched as she heard something, but it was not a sound of the outside. It was a faint voice, a whisper, and it came from within her own head.

"All of those you care for will die if you do not join the Dark Lord, Lady Mírel."

Míriel froze and knew instantly that this was the ring speaking to her.

"Your people will die, one by one. Join the darkness as you were born to do."

"Míriel?"

She blinked as Legolas grabbed her hand. He must have noticed the blank expression on her face as the ring spoke to her and Míriel forced herself to meet Legolas' eyes. Míriel had never been so frightened in her life, not because of Sauron, but because the ring had managed to ensnare itself into her mind as well. She was just as vulnerable as Boromir. Legolas, Boromir, Míriel... they had all felt it and that was when Míriel knew that the Fellowship was doomed. But be damned if Míriel was going to let that happen without seeing Frodo one last time.

"We need to find Frodo now," Míriel said to Gimli and Legolas.

Just as she spoke, they heard footsteps of the strange Orcs not far away - the same way that Aragorn had taken to look for Frodo. When Míriel glanced at Legolas she saw that he had heard the same as she and this meant that they needed to hurry.

"Come, quickly that way!" Legolas said and began running.

Míriel and Gimli hurried after him until they reached a ruin where Aragorn fought by himself against dozens of the huge Orcs. They were much different from those they had encountered in Moria who were smaller and seemed to fight more in groups. These Orcs were almost as big as a man and they could put up a lot of trouble by themselves which made them harder to defeat.

Míriel drew her bow and shot two Orcs quickly. She drew her sword and dagger and started helping Aragorn to fight. One of them came from behind and Míriel swung her dagger into its throat and tried finding Frodo with her gaze. She could not see him so she assumed that Aragorn had not found him yet. From the corner of her eyes, she saw how Gimli knocked down Orc after Orc with his axe, not letting anyone come near him. Though an Orc tried sneaking up behind him and Gimli did not notice it. Míriel quickly shot it and then continued to fight on her own.

Time passed by and the fellowship fought hard, but the Orcs just continued to come at them all the time. The only hope for the others, Boromir and Frodo that were still out there, was that they had not spread out in the forest and found the Orcs. Hopefully, Frodo had gone back to the camp and heard the battle which would have forced them to leave for the other shore which was safer for the other Hobbits.

Míriel turned her head as she heard a loud horn. This was not an Orc horn but a horn of Gondor coming from down the hill. Someone was calling for their aid and who else could it be if not Boromir who had presumably met another herd all by himself. They needed to help him.

"The horn of Gondor," Legolas said and glanced in the way where the horn sound had come from.

"Boromir," Aragorn mumbled with worry in his voice and started running fast to Boromir's aid.

Aragorn did not get very far though for more Orcs came and stopped him. Míriel shot some with her bow and then started running by herself to help Boromir. Unfortunately, she failed to get very far as there were just too many of them. The fellowship tried to fight off the rest of the Orcs, and for them, it was the last time they ever heard the horn of Gondor.

*

It would not have surprised Míriel if she had gotten lost in the very dense forest were it not for her sublime hearing that she used to track Aragorn and Boromir. Aragorn had left the others behind long ago as he had run for Boromir's aid, and Míriel and the others had tried to cover him.

All Míriel could hear were the deep breaths of two Men, but it was too quiet. Where was the fight? Had they already succeeded in defeating all the Orcs by themselves? It was not until she arrived by a glade, where no light seemed to be able to enter through the branches, that she realised what had happened. In front of her was Boromir, lying on the ground with three arrows piercing his chest. Aragorn was leaning over him, trying to tend to his wounds but knowing that it was impossible to survive such an injury. Boromir was still alive, though, and every breath was a battle of its own.

There were bodies of Orcs all over the ground and Míriel jumped to not step on them as she hurried to her companion's side. Boromir glanced at Míriel and attempted to give her a smile as a tear streamed down his cheek.

"Boromir..." Míriel whispered, and choked on her own words as her throat filled with tears.

The loss of another companion, another friend, was just too painful to grasp. Míriel knew that she had to do something; she could try to use her powers to heal him.

"Let me heal you," Míriel insisted and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"No," Boromir insisted and shook his head, wincing at the pain. "No... you are not strong enough, not yet Míriel. One day you will be and then nothing will be able to stop you. For now, I could not forgive myself if something happened to you."

Míriel frowned as the tears began streaming down her eyes. Deep inside her heart she had feared that this day would come - that Boromir would be lost to them. Ever since he called the One Ring a gift they had known his weakness for it and now it had become his doom.

"They took the little ones," Boromir said, panic in his eyes. "Merry and Pippin."

The fact that the Orcs had taken Merry and Pippin, not killed them, was strange but a sort of relief. It meant that they were alive and valuable in a way - perhaps the Orcs would not harm them. At least not yet.

"Hold still," Aragorn mumbled to Boromir.

"Frodo, where is Frodo?" Boromir asked.

"I let Frodo go," Aragorn admitted.

Míriel glanced at the ranger and realised that Aragorn had indeed found Frodo, but not had time to tell them about it. By the tone of his voice Míriel assumed that 'letting go' meant letting Frodo leave the Fellowship. In fact, Aragorn had told Frodo to go alone to Mount Doom when they met at Amon Hen before the others arrived for the ranger knew that it would not be long for the ring to take them all. Frodo was the only one strong enough to carry it further.

"Then you did what I could not," Boromir said and nodded slowly. "I tried to take the ring from him."

"The ring is beyond our reach now," said Aragorn.

It was the only right thing to do for now the ring would not be able to take any of them ever again. The ring was the reason that the fellowship was broken, it had taken them a lot faster than expected. Míriel wished that they could have gotten a sort of warning before they left, something that could have helped them to keep Boromir with them for a much longer time.

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

"No Boromir," Aragorn said. "You fought bravely. You've kept your honour."

It broke their hearts to hear Boromir so disappointed with himself when in reality they were very proud of him. There were not many brave and honourable Men left in Middle-earth, but Boromir was certainly one of them. During the journey, he had been one of Míriel's closest friends and for that, he would be missed more than he could imagine.

Aragorn tried to grab a hold of the arrows to pull them out but Boromir stopped him.

"Leave it," he said and shook his head. "It is over, the world of Men will fall. And all will come to darkness and my city to ruin."

"I do not know what strength is in my blood," Aragorn said, slowly. "But I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall. Nor our people fade."

"Our people," Boromir mumbled, he seemed pleased to hear Aragorn say this. "Our people." Aragorn placed Boromir's sword on his chest so he could pass away with his honour. "I would have followed you, my brother. My captain... My king."

Míriel's sight was blurred by all the tears and she grabbed Boromir's hand as he took his last breath. Life left his eyes and soon there was only a shell left of the man from Gondor for his soul was somewhere else, somewhere better.

Rustling was heard behind them and as Míriel turned she saw Legolas approaching them slowly, Gimli not far behind. Both of them looked distraught by the scene in front of them and Legolas even patted Gimli on the shoulder comfortingly. Míriel walked toward them slowly, leaving Aragorn on the ground.

Aragorn stood up and looked into the light that slipped through the trees, its rays lighting Boromir's body up as a sign from some higher power. Aragorn turned to the others and walked towards them slowly - every step he took was full of grief. Aragorn patted Legolas on the shoulder and Míriel saw that he had tears in his eyes for he had cried for his lost friend.

"They will look for his coming at the White Tower," Aragorn said sadly. "But he will not return... We do not have time to bury him either."

"But we can't leave him here," Legolas said and shook his head. Boromir deserved much more than being eaten by wild animals until there was nothing left of him than bones. The best thing would have been to take him back to Gondor, but it was too far a journey to do that. There had to be something though.

"A real send-off he deserves," Gimli said and nodded in agreement. "We should put him in one of the boats, with his armour and let the river take him. Then the filthy bugs will not find his body and he may rest in peace."

"Yes, you're right Gimli," Míriel said and nodded. "Let's carry him to the river."

It took a little while, but Aragorn and Legolas carried Boromir to the shore where they laid him in one of the boats with his shield, broken horn and sword. Míriel gave the man a last look before pushing the boat out into the river where he floated away toward the waterfall where he would fall into peace at the end. They stood there, looking at him for as long as they could until he was only a spot very far away.

As Míriel turned around he noticed that one of the other boats was gone which must have meant that Frodo and Sam had taken it to the other shores. Míriel's eyes roamed across the woods of the opposite shore and somewhere far away he could see two figures stumbling in the forest. Míriel looked to her three other companions; Aragon was cleaning his blade, Legolas was staring at the forest and Gimli was muttering something under his breath. The fellowship was broken and Míriel was torn by her duty to follow Frodo and her need to find Merry and Pippin.

"Frodo and Sam have already reached the eastern shore," Legolas said and turned towards Aragorn, waiting for him to make a decision as of what to do next.

The expression on Aragon's face told them all everything they had to know. This was how it was supposed to be from now on; Frodo and Sam were going alone and Aragon had no intention of following them. Though it hurt to know that they might never see the two Hobbits again, they knew that the ring would have eventually destroyed them all as it did with Boromir.

"You mean not to follow them," Legolas said sadly.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn said and sighed, hurt filling his voice.

"Then it has all been in vain," said Gimli bitterly. "The fellowship has failed." Aragorn watched the two and stepped closer, smiling.

"Not if we hold true to each other," he said. "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not when we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We will travel light - let us hunt some Orcs."

"Yes," Gimli said with triumph and smiled widely.

Míriel smiled faintly and began gathering her things. This was what they needed to do, this was their new task. They were going to bring back Merry and Pippin and help at least two of the Hobbits to return to their home. Míriel knew that they would face greater obstacles on the way, this was not the end for the War of the Ring had barely begun. Far away in Mordor, the evil was still growing and their fate now laid in the hands of two little Hobbits who had an even harder journey ahead of them. They would think of the Hobbits every day, and somehow hope that they were going to meet again when all of this was over.

Míriel glanced back at the shore one last time, but the Hobbits were of course not there anymore. In her head, he imagined a reunion when the ring was destroyed, how happy they would all be and what stories they would share with each other. It could be far in the future, it might not even happen at all, but she would cling to that image during the rest of her journey. Míriel thought this before she began running into the forest as fast as her Elf-legs could bear her.