The morning dawned clear, and soon the company was roused by Aragorn who had remained on watch after Miril woke him. He looked troubled, and she understood why. Today was the day; the Fellowship had to make a decision about where to travel and there was no more postponing it. Miril knew she would accompany Boromir to Gondor, so she didn't feel as worried as her mentor must've been feeling.

"Today we must decide what we are going to do," he said, getting right to the point. "Either we go to Gondor and Minas Tirith, or down into the Emyn Muil. Or do we split, and each go his own way?"

"I for one plan to go to Minas Tirith," Boromir insisted. "But this you know already."

There was long silence. Everyone thought about their own path and which they would choose, but none spoke. At last, Aragorn interrupted the cold silence.

"I fear the burden falls to you, Frodo," he said with a sigh and a look of pity.

Miril looked at the hobbit closely. Which would Frodo choose? She could not imagine what it was like being the Ring-bearer. Often she had thought of it, longed to touch the Ring. After all, surely with that much power someone who was good could mend the hurts of the world? But then she would remind herself that this was what the Enemy wanted. He wanted to find the Ring and corrupt its user or pursuer. No one could use it for good. The Ring was evil by its very nature, just as the Silmarils were good.

Frodo finally spoke, "I cannot choose."

"You must." Aragorn shook his head. "For you are the bearer."

Frodo sighed. "Very well. Give me one hour alone to think, and then you shall have your answer."

Aragorn nodded. "You shall have it. Do not stray too far or out of earshot, for I fear orcs may even be on this side of the Anduin."

Frodo nodded and wandered out of sight into the trees. Miril, lost in thought, also stood and walked away, though she moved towards the water instead, sitting on a large boulder that stuck out into the water. She unpinned her new star-shaped brooch and held it in her hand absentmindedly. The others went about their business, some digging through their packs, others sitting and thinking. Sam sat muttering something to himself that no one else quite caught.

Aragorn came over to Miril about half an hour later. He looked tired, but less out of fatigue and more from stress. He leaned against the boulder that she sat on and looked out over the river onto Tol Brandir just like his other Ranger companion.

"I have a sinking feeling in my heart, Miril." He sighed and shook his head. "Gandalf should've been here. He would've known what to do."

"Gandalf put you in charge when he died," Miril reminded him. "He had faith in you."

Aragorn nodded. "I know. You see my heart yearns to go to the Tower of Guard, but I cannot abandon the Ring-bearer despite my yearnings."

Unbeknownst to the Company, Boromir was now missing. Legolas and Gimli walked over to Miril and Aragorn.

"Why should we not help Frodo make his decision? Ease his burden and vote, perhaps," Legolas suggested.

Gimli agreed. "I would vote for Minas Tirith, but if Frodo wishes to go to Mount Doom, I would follow him."

"Indeed." Legolas nodded. "Faithless is he who says farewell when the road darkens."

"Frodo must make the choice himself," Aragorn argued. "He is the bearer. This is his quest."

Miril turned to where Boromir had been standing. "What do you think Bor- wait, where is he?"

"Boromir?" Aragorn looked around but saw him not.

Suddenly he returned out of the trees. "I went to find more firewood."

Boromir dropped some sticks down by the fire and nodded to them. Aragorn looked at him suspiciously but nodded.

"Did you see Frodo?" She asked him.

Boromir hesitated. "Yes, and no. I urged him to choose Minas Tirith. He grew angry with me and disappeared. Put the Ring on. I searched for him but could not find him."

"How long ago," Aragorn snapped quickly, worried now knowing that Frodo had used the Ring.

"Half an hour, maybe an hour? I don't know," Boromir sighed.

Instantly the camp was in an uproar. Merry and Pippin rushed out into the forest calling Frodo's name. Legolas and Gimli ran in another direction. Aragorn turned immediately to Boromir.

"Follow Merry and Pippin! Go!"

The Gondorian nodded without complaint and raced off to find the youngest hobbits. Aragorn then turned to Miril.

"Search the other end of Amon Hen. Find Frodo," he ordered quickly. Then, turning to Sam he spoke again. "Sam, follow me."

Aragorn tore off followed by Sam. Miril, grabbing her sword, raced away into the trees, eager to find the missing Ring-bearer. If he'd put on the blasted ring, that meant he'd likely be detected by servants of the Enemy like Nazgul, if they were anywhere nearby. Unlikely, but possible.

As she ran through the trees and underbrush, she felt a sting as a branch whipped across her cheek, giving her a small cut. She growled in annoyance but kept moving, constantly calling Frodo's name.

That's when she ran into a group of orcs. It was a small company, no more than ten, but some were larger than the other types of orcs she was accustomed to. Some were goblins of the Misty Mountains, others from Moria. There were some that bore the sign of the Red Eye of Mordor. But the big ones, they had on their shields a small white hand. Miril had never encountered this insignia before.

Without even thinking, she plunged her mithril-hilted sword deep into the first orc's chest. Leaping backwards with a duck, she managed to dodge a hefty swing from a large orc before she cut his sword arm off and kicked him backwards. She heard a bow being pulled back just in time, using another orc's body as a shield to block the incoming arrow. Three dead, six to go.

A small Moria orc had crept up behind her but she heard his little footsteps in time to stab backwards and slice through his neck. Orc blood sprayed everywhere, staining her hands. Removing her sword she dodged to the right and swung as hard as she could, decapitating the other Moria goblin.

Four orcs remained, including the former archer. As he backed up to try and release a second arrow, Miril reached to her belt and pulled out a throwing knife. She pelted it at the orc and it hit him right between the eyes. Three left.

They were rather large ones, and two had the white hand on their helms. Too well armored to go for chest blows, she realized she'd have to focus on the joints in between armor pieces. At that moment, one ran at her and she side stepped, bringing her sword down on top of his sword arm. She knocked the blade and his hand clean off, before kicking him into his companions. This threw them off enough to give her time to slay them.

Miril was panting from exhaustion when she heard it. The horn of Boromir echoed across the the sky and through the air, but no horn returned. She listened to the next blast and took off towards it despite her fatigue.

Blast after blast rang until one was cut short. She shouted that she was coming and she careened down some natural steps in the hill side. But it was several minutes until she reached the place where Boromir was.

When she arrived, she found Aragorn kneeling before a peaceful looking Boromir. Had it not been for several arrows sticking out of his chest, one might of thought he was simply resting against the tree.

Miril marveled at the number of dead orcs that lay around the Boromir. Two dozen at least lay there. She walked forward and cane next to Aragorn. She saw he was weeping.

Legolas and Gimli soon appeared and both realized immediately what had happened, seeing Miril standing with her head bowed and Aragorn kneeling, weeping into Boromir's hand.

"Alas," Legolas said. "We have slain many orcs, but we would've been of more use here, it seems."

"Indeed." Aragorn nodded, standing up. "I was not here either. He died defending the hobbits."

"The hobbits," Miril gasped. "Where are they?"

Aragorn nodded. "He told me the orcs bound them and carried them off. I sent him after Merry and Pippin, but I do not know if Frodo or Sam were there, too!"

"First things first," Legolas insisted. "We must tend to the body of our fallen comrade. Then we shall investigate."

"But we must be quick," Aragorn said. "Orcs can move very fast in large groups. And we need to find the Ring-bearer."

"Let us place Boromir in a boat and give him to the Falls of Rauros," Miril suggested. "Return him to Anduin with the weapons of his vanquished enemies."

And so they agreed. While searching the ground for weapons to place in the boat, Aragorn found Merry and Pippin's elven daggers and sheaths. He decided to keep them to return them to the hobbits if hope did not elude them and he managed to see them again. It took about an hour before they paddled out with Boromir in a boat and sent him down Rauros. Miril stayed on Parth Galen, investigating the tracks in the sand. For it muddled their mystery indeed. But once she made sense of them, it all became clear to her what had happened.