Eyes of the Goddess

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As the remaining fellowship followed Gandalf to the stables Gimli could contain his frustration no longer.

"Helm's Deep! They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight. Who will defend them if not their king?" Gimli criticized.

"He is only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm's Deep has saved them in the past." Aragorn responded.

"Aragorn you know that Helm's Deep could well be a trap...everyone knows the Rohan flee to that hole. Something is amiss." Boromir warned.

"Boromir is right. There is no way out of that of ravine. Théoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he is leading them to safety but what he'll get is a massacre. Théoden has a strong will but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan. He will need you before the end, Aragorn. The people of Rohan will need you. The defenses have to hold." Gandalf said sternly.

"They will hold." Aragorn stated with conviction.

Boromir shook his head. This is madness. He thought to himself. Gandalf had turned to him. "The defenses will hold, Gandalf." Boromir backed his King even if his path was pure folly.

Gandalf pulled the blond man aside much to Aragorn's shock. "You remember our talk in Fangorn?" Gandalf asked in a hushed voice close to Boromir's ear.

"Yes." Boromir replied softly.

"Goostanstand by him. Aragorn will need you, Boromir." Gandalf warned.

"I will follow him into the very fires of Mordor if I must." Boromir said nodding his head with confidence. In his heart he knew until the end of his days where Aragorn went he would go.

Gandalf clasped his shoulder lightly. "Good."

"With luck my search will not be in vain. Look to my coming at first light of the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East." Gandalf told the group before he rode out of the stable on Shadowfax.

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The remaining fellowship began the march for Helms Deep with the Rohan people. Boromir and Aragorn walked together leading their mounts and listened as Gimli shamelessly flirted with the Lady Éowyn in front of them. Boromir laughed along with Éowyn when Gimli explained about dwarf women and men looking so similar people had a hard time telling them apart. When Aragorn whispered, "It's the beards." Boromir and Éowyn both laughed quite loudly.

Later Éowyn fell back in step with Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir could still not bring himself to meet the young woman's gaze. She started to say something to him but then refrained. Instead she turned to Aragorn.

"Where is she? The woman who gave you that jewel?" Éowyn asked curiously.

"She is sailing to the undying lands, with all that is left of her kin." Aragorn answered sadly.

Boromir looked at him, he knew about his relationship with the elf but did not know she was leaving Middle Earth, leaving Aragorn behind. He would not leave him so easily he thought. Then Boromir looked ahead of the lines to Legolas who was standing on the hilltop. He watched as Legolas drew his bow.

"Something is wrong." Boromir said softly grasping Aragorn's arm before he mounted his horse.

Aragorn quickly mounted his horse as well and they rode ahead toward Legolas.

"What is it?" Aragorn called to the elf.

"Wargs!" He responded loosing an arrow.

"We are under attack!" Aragorn yelled to the King's men. Gimli rode past and Legolas mounted with him.

Boromir drew his sword and shield and nodded to Aragorn who had drawn his own sword.

"Draw them away from the women and cren!ren!" Boromir called to the riders as he followed Aragorn to the head of the column. Aragorn couldn't help but smile, Boromir always thought of the safety of the people first and foremost. He knew he was the same in Gondor but it wasn't from years of training. Aragorn knew it was because Boromir had a good heart. He had proven himself over and over now, and Aragorn now saw the strength that lie in the hearts men. Boromir was flawed as any man but he tried to make the right choices and to live with honor.

The battle was fierce and went on for quite some time. Aragorn was thrown from his horse but continued to fight on foot. mir mir tried to stay close to him but Aragorn leaped on a warg in an attempt to unseat the orc rider. During the fight the orc was thrown off but Aragorn's hand became caught in the beasts girth.

Aragorn frantically attempted to tear himself from the entrapment but was unable to. The warg ran twisting and spinning dragging him along the ground, trying to get away from the man. In the beasts fury it ran full speed off the cliff top.

Boromir, who had been closest to Aragorn had leapt onto the back of the nearest mount and was trying to catch up to him as he saw both he and the warg go over. Boromir screamed his name. Legolas, Gimli, and Théoden all turned to see Boromir racing toward where the hillside ended abruptly above the river.

Gandalf's words came back to Boromir about making the right choices. Now was not the time to do something rash but he had made up his mind. He would follow Aragorn to whatever end he led him to...even if eanteant certain death. Boromir headed straight for the cliff where Aragorn had been dragged over by the warg.

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Anaranë watched in horror...the man was mad! She thought, he is actually going to follow him over the cliff! She quickly whispered a spell into the seeing pool to ease their flight. This man was certainly keeping her busy, but she was proud that she had saved his life, he felt so bound by his honor he was willing to go anywhere for KingKing. This she thought was as it should be.

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"Let's hope you can fly boy...or this might be a short ride." Boromir whispered to the horse as they plunged off the cliff to the river below. Legolas, Théoden, and Gimli stood stunned on the field watching in horror. They prayed that both of their friends would come back alive.

When the stallion and Boromir hit the water the horse immediately surfaced with Boromir still holding his reigns. Boromir released his hold and the horse and he swam for shore. He felt the horse surge forward and he knew it was able to touch bottom...he soon followed it and scrambled out onto the riverbank. Boromir leapt up quickly and hugged the horse's neck.

"Thank the Valar that you can both fly and swim my boy." He said shakily and then looked up. How they had survived he had no idea, but he prayed that Aragorn had survived too. After leading the horse several yards along the bank of the river he saw a dark shadow in a small pool.

"Aragorn!" He called running to his friend.

He was uscioscious but alive. That was all that Boromir could have asked for. He sent another prayer up to the gods, "Thank you for preserving him."