Return to our Destiny.

30. The Breaking of the Fellowship

The Fellowship sail towards a great, roaring waterfall. Coming up to a section of land, they disembark on a gravel beach, Boromir looks troubled and appears to be fighting a conflict within him, and Frodo glances at him, looking afraid. But he then turns to Thilia, who is already looking between the two of them and Frodo feels a bit better. The Fellowship starts to make camp. 

After discussing their next move, Aragorn and Thilia address the group, "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Gimli sitting with his things and watching the others, speaks up, "Oh, yes?! It's 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 looks up, alarmed.

"Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!" Gimli adds and Thilia growls at him, "That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf." she bites out, teeth having elongated with her annoyance. "Recover my...?! Phrrr..." but he is now ignored at this point. "We should leave now." Legolas says to Aragorn and Thilia, the Dragon-Dwarf, adjusting her gear as she stands nearby.

Aragorn looked to Thilia for a consensus, she looks up from her armguard and shakes her head, something Aragorn was hoping for, "No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness." Aragorn says turning back to Legolas. "It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near... I can feel it." Legolas's gaze wanders over the dark pine woods, 

With a dark, brooding statue nestled amongst their needles. "No dwarf need recover strength! Pay no heed to that, young Hobbit." Gimli says to Pippin, still bitter about being told to relax by Thilia. Merry, returning with some wood for the campfire, looks around. "Where's Frodo?" Merry asks remembering that he's left with Boromir to get wood for a fire, but they'd separated for better finds. Sam, who was half-dozing, rouses with a start.

Aragorn looks over the camp. His gaze stops on Boromir's shield, lying with his baggage. Thilia is instantly rushing off, grabbing Boromir's shield as she goes, to find the two members. Everyone else also running off as well to follow. 

***

Frodo wanders into the forest. He stands by an immense stone head, long aged and lost from its body, lying with its side in the ground. Boromir, gathering wood, sees Frodo and approaches him across the leaf-littered earth. "None of us should wander alone, you least of all. So much depends on you. Frodo?" he says startling the Hobbit. Frodo is instantly wondering where Thilia is, she would be able to keep him safe from Boromir. 

"I know why you seek solitude. You suffer. I see it day by day. You sure you do not suffer needlessly? There are other ways, Frodo, other paths that we might take." Boromir says hoping, like the time on the mountain, that Aragorn and Thilia would agree on the direction if Frodo asked to go that way, "I know what you would say. And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart."

"Warning? 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?" Boromir says trying his hardest to convince Frodo, "There is no other way!" Frodo says sternly, knowing that Aragorn and Thilia are using the direction that Gandalf had set before dying. "I ask only for the strength to defend my people!" Boromir snaps, throwing the wood in his arms to the ground, 

"If you would but lend me the Ring..." he adds while stepping towards Frodo, the latter recoils and shakes his head with a firm, "No." Boromir frowns, "Why do you recoil? I am no thief." Frodo keeps eye contact trying to figure out if this is actually the Gondorian speaking of the Ring's influence, a strange glint flickers and Frodo is affirmed that it isn't Boromir, and that it is the Ring, "You are not yourself! I need to find Thilia," Frodo says.