Chapter 1: The Departure of Boromir

Aragorn stood on the hill and looked around. He was calling Frodo’s name.

“Frodo! Frodo!” he shouted.

But there was no answer.

Suddenly, he heard a loud horn. It was Boromir’s horn. Aragorn ran through the trees.

When he reached the clearing, he saw Boromir sitting against a tree. He was wounded. Many arrows were in his body.

“Boromir!” Aragorn cried and knelt beside him.

“They took them… the little ones,” Boromir whispered. “Orcs… they have Merry and Pippin.”

“Where did they go?” Aragorn asked.

“North… to Isengard,” Boromir said. His voice was weak. “I tried… I failed…”

“No,” Aragorn said softly. “You fought well. You protected them.”

Boromir smiled sadly. “I tried to take the Ring… from Frodo… I am sorry…”

Aragorn held his hand.

“You are forgiven,” he said. “You are a man of honor.”

Then Boromir closed his eyes and died.

Legolas and Gimli arrived. They looked at Boromir with sad eyes.

“We must honor him,” said Aragorn.

Together, they placed Boromir in one of the boats. They laid his sword across his chest and set the boat on the river. It floated away, down the stream, into the distance.

Then Aragorn stood tall.

“We have two tasks now,” he said. “We must follow the orcs and rescue Merry and Pippin. Frodo and Sam have gone to Mordor alone.”

“Then we follow the orcs,” said Gimli.

“Yes,” said Legolas. “Let us hunt them.”

So the three hunters began to run through the forest, fast and strong. The sun was rising, and the chase had begun.