This prompt was also a pain in the arse to figure out. But, as always, reading a couple chapters from the book inspired me and an idea came to my head. So I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you all in 2007! :)

Prompt 26: Duty
Fic: East or West?
Rating: G
Lothlórien, February 15th, 3019 TA

"'On which side will you journey? The way to Minas Tirith lies upon this side, upon the west; but the straight road of the Quest lies east of the River, upon the darker shore. Which shore will you now take?'" -FOTR, Farewell to Lórien

They were all thankful to the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood, but out of all of them, perhaps he was the most gratified. After Gandalf's fall in Moria, the leadership of their Company had fallen to him, and had left him with more doubt than ever before. For while he truly wished to go to Minas Tirith with Boromir and help deliver Gondor, he could not abandon the Ring-bearer or his treacherous burden.

Once they had reached their pavilion, they had debated about what they should do and which road they should take, but he had not participated nor heard much. Aragorn was lost deep within his thoughts about what he should do. He knew that his decision could- nay, would- greatly impact the outcome of the fate of the world. Lady Galadriel's words, spoken but some days ago, still echoed in his head.

'Your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all.' Her foreboding words still echoed in his head. He feared that his decision would be wrong, and that he would doom Arda with his ill choice. But truly, he did not know where to go! He was thankful that, for the time, he could delay this important decision; but time would soon pass quickly, and a choice had to be made.

Which way should he go? Should he go to the west, where he could help save his country? Or should he turn east, where only lay the hopeless void of Night?

Eleven days later...

"'All that I have done today has gone amiss. What is to be done now?'" -TTT, The Departure of Boromir

Boromir is dead. The thought hit him like a ton of bricks. His choices that day had led to an evil even he could not have predicted. The heir of the Steward was dead, two of the hobbits were taken captive, and Frodo had gone to Mordor with only Sam by his side. The Fellowship was broken, and while Minas Tirith did not look to be a road that he would follow now, he still had a choice to make, and he had to make it quickly. Gimli was correct; both roads looked hopeless, and precious hours had been lost.

Nevertheless, he had to make the right choice, and make amends to the evil that had already occurred. As the leader of the Fellowship, it was his duty to go after the Ring-bearer; however, Frodo had voluntarily left him, and if he did follow him, he would have to abandon Merry and Pippin, and that he could not do. Frodo's fate was no longer in his hands, but perhaps he could change the fate of the other hobbits.

He would turn to the west and follow the orcs. While the darkness of doubt still lay upon him in this decision, under all of that his heart was clear to him, and he kept alive the hope that not all of this would be in vain.