Sword and Arrow

Chapter 26

Aragorn and Boromir maintained a frigid silence through the next morning as they loaded their boats and set off once more, neither ready to extend an olive branch. Beruthiel uneasily glanced between both of them as she sat in the prow of the boat, the rhythmic splashing of the oars accompanying them downstream where the thick forest ended and lime cliffs began.

Today the water was a beautiful bluish-green, and clouds obscured the sun in thin, hazy veils. All was still; they had passed through the rapids early in the morning and were now floating across a flat, smooth part of the river.

Boromir had a dark look on his face, Beruthiel noticed that he would steal looks at Frodo and longing glances at Aragorn when no one was looking — no one but her. She was still looking out for Gollum (and she had to admit, Faerthurin, he scared her to hell), and so far she had thankfully found no trace of him. Now, she supposed, her job was to keep an eye on Boromir and make sure that he did not a) hurt Frodo or b) hurt Aragorn in any way, physically or emotionally.

Aragorn lifted his head and blinked as a ray of golden sunlight broke through the thick cloud cover and shone on his face. The clouds slowly drifted away and the golden evening light illuminated the statues of two men, hundreds of feet tall, one on each side of the river. Each had his hand up in a warding gesture, and both were dressed like kings. They both wore tall helms and long robes; one carried a sword, the other, an axe.

"Look, Frodo," Aragorn said, nudging the dark-haired hobbit with his hand. Frodo looked up, he had been silent all day long. Beruthiel imagined he was thinking about something, but of what, she could not tell. No, not thinking... he had the look on his face that she often wore. He was worried. About what? Was it something Galadriel had shown him? Something Boromir had done? "The Argonath!"

Aragorn gestured toward the towering statues that loomed above them. As they got closer, Beruthiel saw the fine workmanship — small details like hair and skin wrinkles were carved onto the statues. It was remarkable, she thought, that they had survived all these years. The Numenoreans must be great craftsmen indeed. "Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin." He sat a little taller, a little straighter in the boat, and yes, Beruthiel could see it, see him as a kind and just and benevolent and fiercely brave king, sure as daylight.

The sun set behind the Fellowship as they passed the Argonath into the rapids beyond, painting the white-grey stone pink and gold. It was a beautiful sight, but one that Beruthiel feared she would never see again if her vision came true. One that three of the Fellowship would never see again, if hers and Legolas's visions came true. The thought shook her, but she firmly pushed it into a dark corner of her mind and focused on drinking up the beautiful sight in front of her. The wispy clouds that still drifted across the sky looked like spun gold. The pillars of Argonath struck imposing figures against the sky painted with fire and the blue-green water below.

As dusk fell, Legolas, Aragorn, and Boromir began turning their boats from the fast-flowing center of the River to the calmer currents by its edges. Once again the Fellowship grounded their boats and carried their supplies to the forest beyond. The coniferous forest had thinned out by this point, and while it was still dense, it was nowhere as close-packed as it had been on their first few nights on the Anduin.

Beruthiel lightly stepped over the ground, made springy by the pine needles of years thickly strewn. The first thing she did this night, as she did all nights, was scout out the area. This land would be perfect for moving silently, but she would have switch out her standard Ranger cloak for one of her new ones — shades of green with uneven vertical brown and grey stripes. If need be, she and Legolas could stand on one of these hillocks and defend Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli as they engaged the enemy. And yes, here there were plenty of rock formations where the hobbits could hide.