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Chapter 1

Boromir stretched out his hand towards Frodo, a glimmer of madness in his eyes. For a split second, Frodo saw the deep green irises turn to bright red, as though Sauron was seeing through his eyes.

"Boromir, you don't know what you are saying!" Frodo said, staring wide-eyed at the man.

"I only ask for help!" Boromir yelled. "I ask for help for my people, aid to fight the forces of Sauron! That is what you want too, is it not?"

"I want to destroy the Ring, not use it!"

"And I seek to destroy Sauron! Why not use the Ring to do so? It is far safer, far more sensible, than wandering blindly into the Black Land, where you have far more chance of delivering it straight back to Sauron than ever reaching Mount Doom alive bearing it! To take it there is to throw it away, to give it back to Sauron, and then, what chance do we have? What chance do any of us have?"

"If you took the Ring, you would seek to destroy Sauron with a power created by Sauron, which has allegiance to Sauron!" Frodo shot back. "The Ring would turn on you, and destroy you first. No, this is the only way."

"What, because a bunch of elves said so?" Boromir's face was deranged, he looked like a wild wolf, rabid and starved. "And yet they would forbid anyone doing anything else! This quest is folly! We have already lost Gandalf, how many more lives need to be wasted before you see the truth?"

"Boromir, you are not yourself!" Frodo started to walk back.

"Frodo, give me the Ring!"

Boromir made to lunge at Frodo when suddenly–

"BOROMIR!"

Frodo breathed a sigh of relief as Aragorn came striding up the hill.

"What on earth is going on?" Aragorn snarled, as he faced them, his eyes flashing dangerously as he glared at Boromir.

Frodo stared at the man who he had just witnessed fall from grace to insanity. It was only then that he realised how much he was shaking. He hadn't seen the man who had defended him so readily in Moria, he had seen Sauron take that soul, and twist it into something evil.

"Frodo, go back to the camp," Aragorn said calmly. "I wish to have a word alone with Boromir."

Frodo all but fled the scene, but he didn't reach the camp. He collapsed on the ground, and sat there shaking until dusk.

"What is the meaning of this?" snapped Aragorn. "What did you just try to do?"

"All I desire is enough strength to save my city!" Boromir retorted, his tone much the same as Aragorn's. "Is that really so much to ask?"

"Boromir, you just tried to take the Ring from Frodo! Do you have any idea about the damage that could have been caused had you succeeded?"

"You would so readily abandon your own city to a fate of destruction? Gondor will fall without the Ring!"

"And it would fall sooner with it!" Aragorn yelled.

"Middle Earth will be destroyed if you carry on with this quest!" Boromir changed tack. "Sauron will reclaim the Ring before you get within a hundred leagues of the Black Gate! How do you propose to enter Mordor undetected?"

"I-"

"You know what? I've had enough of this! I will not travel with a band of idiots any longer, who are on some foolhardy mission that can only end in disaster, none of whom will listen to reason! I will return to my own land, and when Sauron has the Ring on his finger once more, I will be the first to say 'I told you so.' You will never be a true leader of men, if you cannot lead a group of seven willing followers down a path of sense, choosing instead the way of insanity!"

With that, Boromir turned on his heel and walked into the forest. Aragorn stared after him, understanding fully the gravity of the situation. The Ring had corrupted the heart of a good man, and now that it had a hold, it would be a long time before it let go. One thing was certain: they had not heard the last of this.

He stood there until twilight shone above him, staring in the direction that Boromir had gone. When he noticed that the forest around him had darkened, he turned back towards the camp.

He reached the bank to find Gimli smoking, Legolas glaring at the dwarf, Sam cooking dinner, and Merry and Pippin staring at the food longingly.

"Boromir has decided to leave us," he said tersely as he threw himself onto the ground.

"And Frodo?" Gimli said, taking his pipe out of his mouth.

"What do you mean, Frodo?" Aragorn said, glancing around.

"Do you see Frodo amongst us?" Legolas asked.

"I thought he was with you..."

"We thought he was with you," Merry said.

Panic began to rise amongst the camp.

"Well there's no point arguing about who we thought he was with," Sam said, taking his eyes off the sausages. "The big question is: where has he been all this time?"

"Walking," came a voice, and Frodo entered the camp. The tension was suddenly released. "And my heart speaks clearly now. I wish to go to Mordor."