Rise (Lord of the Rings)

26 - "Let Us Hunt Some Orc."

There were eight remaining in the Fellowship, Boromir and Gandalf had fallen. Now, Merry and Pippin were taken by Orcs, so there was a chance that the Fellowship would be down to six members soon.

Just because we lost two does not mean that we'll lose any more, I told myself harshly. Try to find a happy thought in this. Frodo is most likely safe, and since we haven't seen Sam, he's most likely with Frodo even though Frodo wants to head to Mordor on his own. It was a somewhat comforting thought.

There was an eerie silence upon returning to camp. To think, we had been resting here not too long ago before Frodo had snuck off, causing a chain reaction with the rest of the Fellowship. I couldn't put the blame on Frodo for causing what happened following his disappearance. There was no way he snuck off by his own mind; no doubt the Ring had influenced him in some way.

Once we entered camp, Aragorn laid Boromir in one of the boats. He then went to retrieve the Man's shield, placing it in the boat with him. I put Boromir's sword with him.

It took the effort of Aragorn and Legolas to get the boat off shore. With no human guidance, the vessel drifted towards the waterfalls.

To busy myself, I dipped my bloody sword in the water, letting it clean the blade. Tearing my eyes from the water, on the opposite shore, I saw a flicker of movement through the trees. I caught a glimpse of two cloaks—Sam and Frodo. Now I could rest a little, knowing that those two were safe. Take care of him, Sam, for me and everyone else.

"Hurry!" Legolas said suddenly, snapping me out of my emotional state. He was already pushing another boat towards the water. "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." Gimli, Aragorn, and I didn't move. Legolas noticed no one was following. He looked back at all of us. "You mean not to follow them."

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn said.

"Then it has all been in vain," Gimli groaned. "The Fellowship has failed."

I looked at the Dwarf, amazed by what I was hearing. "I can't believe you're saying that," I snapped, yanking my cleaned sword out of the water.

Gimli looked at me, startled by my outburst. "It's true, though, lass."

"No, it's not. We may be fractured, but as far as I'm concerned we're not dead."

"You must think that the Fellowship will fall eventually."

"Never!" I snapped. "Don't try to find hidden meanings in my words, because whatever you think of isn't true."

"Lass, I applaud your faith in whoever is left, but it is not needed."

I snorted through my nostrils, agitated. "Listen to me. Things may seem bad right now. True, we've lost a few members along the way, and there's the possibility that we'll lose one or two more. But you know what? As long as the Fellowship remains, then there is still a chance for the end of the reign of Sauron!" My voice raised a level with each word I spoke.

Nobody had their mouths on the floor by my sudden passionate speech, but nobody spoke a word in response, either.

I started pacing; three pairs of eyes watched me curiously. "Sam and Frodo have their job to do, and we have ours. We're going after Merry and Pippin."

"Marlena," Aragorn butted in calmly. "Maybe it would be best if you—"

"No, Aragorn. I know what you're going to say: 'Maybe it would be best if you headed back home.' Well, the truth is, I can't. I doubt there is a home to go back to. Besides, I wouldn't know how to get back, I'm terrible at directions."