Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly enough. It's all Tolkien's.
Author's Note: This story is the result of various ideas I had for characters, none of which were long enough to be their own story. So this fic will eventually be told from the point of view of each member of the Fellowship.
Chapter One: Frodo
One foot in front of the other. Just keep your mind on that. Don't think about the darkness around you, or what might be hiding in it. Just listen to the others' footsteps and watch Gandalf's staff.
Frodo swallowed hard. The darkness of Moria was heavier than any night he had ever lived through, despite his sharp vision. It seemed to be weighing them down, trying to prevent them from going any further. Gandalf's staff helped to fight it off, but the light it emitted only extended so far. Anything could be hiding in the darkness outside their tiny circle of light.
Frodo shook his head, trying to put that thought out of his head. As he did so, he realized that he had been unconsciously fingering the Ring for comfort. Shaken, he quickly drew his hand away from it and let it hang by his side. He felt, rather than saw, Sam glance at him briefly, but neither made any comment. The company had fallen silent in the past few hours, so that the only sounds were those made by their footfalls. Even Merry and Pippin seemed to be lost in thought, drawing close to one another in an attempt to feel safe in the dark caves.
Frodo jolted as Gimli stopped in front of him, causing the hobbit to bump into him. He would have fallen backwards had Sam not grabbed his elbow to help steady his master. Smiling his gratitude, Frodo looked to Gandalf to see why they had stopped.
The wizard raised his staff so that the light reached as far as Aragorn, who was at the back of the line. "We will stop here, I think. We have walked far, and this seems like as good a place as any to sit and rest for a bit."
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and Frodo let himself sink to the ground. Next to him, Sam nearly threw himself down in an effort to get his rest as soon as possible. They had walked far, and Gandalf had allowed few rests. Neither he nor Aragorn seemed to want to remain in the caves any longer than necessary. All the same, the hobbits' energy was starting to wear thin, and Frodo wished the others would try to keep that in mind.
Leaning against his pack, Frodo looked up to see Merry standing a few feet away, frowning at Pippin, who was sitting nearby, looking thoroughly exhausted. After a moment, Merry walked over to Gandalf and sat down next to him.
Gandalf glanced down at the hobbit, raising his eyebrows. "Meriadoc. Is something on your mind?" Frodo could just make out what the wizard was saying. He tried not to seem like he was listening to their conversation and turned to rummage through his pack for food.
"Gandalf, is there no way for you to stop more often, or set a slower pace?" Frodo heard Merry ask.
"I would rather not do so. It would be best for us to pass through the mines as quickly as possible, so as not to be noticed by anything living here." Frodo turned around as Gandalf finished, a piece of bread in his hand. He chewed on it, grateful for a bit of food, while he watched Merry frown and shift around a bit on the ground.
"I. I think it would be best if we at least traveled a bit more slowly, Gandalf," Merry said, looking both determined and uncomfortable at once. He gave Pippin a meaningful glance. "Some of us are having trouble keeping up."
Frodo smiled to himself. Typical, using Pippin as an excuse. It was true that they all loved their young cousin and wanted to protect him, but a good deal of the time he didn't need the extra help. He was just someone the other hobbits pointed to when they did not want to admit that they couldn't do something as well as the bigger folk. Frodo turned to look at his cousin and saw that Boromir had sat down next to him. The two seemed deep in conversation.
Frodo turned back as Gandalf started to speak again. The wizard's eyes twinkled in amusement, but his face remained somber. "I understand your worries, Merry, but I really cannot afford to spend any more time here than is absolutely necessary."
Merry looked annoyed at Gandalf's stubbornness, but he did not seem willing to press the matter any further. With a sigh, he stood up and walked over to Frodo, sitting down heavily at his side.
"That wizard," he muttered angrily, "is one of the most stubborn people I have ever met." On Frodo's other side, Sam ducked his head to cover a smile of agreement.
Frodo grinned slightly. "I know a certain Brandybuck who could easily rival him in that area." He smiled innocently as Merry glared at him. After a moment, his cousin smiled as well, though it faded as he looked over to where Gandalf was now speaking quietly with Aragorn.
A cracking noise far above caught Frodo's attention, though it was so soft he barely heard it. Neither Merry nor Sam seemed to have noticed anything. Frodo glanced around at the others. Aragorn and Gandalf had not paused in their conversation, nor had Boromir and Pippin. Gimli was off by himself, muttering something or other into his beard.
Legolas, however, was looking upward, squinting into the darkness. This told Frodo that he had not been hearing things, for Legolas had the best hearing of any of them. He supposed the fact that he had heard it as well had something to do with the way his senses had become keener as a result of the would he had received at Weathertop. He watched nervously as Legolas walked over to Gimli, who was closest to him, and nudged him with his foot. The dwarf jerked indignantly, but Legolas silenced him as he whispered something to softly for Frodo to catch. Gimli responded by muttering angrily, and Legolas gave a heavy sigh as he turned away to find someone else to talk to.
Before he could do so, there was a loud crack that made the company jump and leap to their feet. Then an immense noise echoed through the caves, and bits of rock began falling around them. Both Gandalf and Aragorn shouted something inaudible above the sound of stone breaking and crashing to the ground. Frodo barely had time to register that this was a cave in of sorts before Sam knocked him to the ground, shielding Frodo with his own body as the larger rocks began to fall.
Frodo felt something large hit the ground next to him. The floor seemed to shudder, and suddenly he was falling. The fall lasted only a few seconds before the floor came up to meet him again, knocking all of the breath out of him. He heard a soft bumping noise and a grunt next to him that was Sam hitting the ground. He lay, hardly daring to breathe. The pandemonium continued for a few seconds, then tapered off as quickly as it had begun, subsiding to the sound of a few small stones bouncing off of the pile.
Darkness.
Author's Note: This story is the result of various ideas I had for characters, none of which were long enough to be their own story. So this fic will eventually be told from the point of view of each member of the Fellowship.
Chapter One: Frodo
One foot in front of the other. Just keep your mind on that. Don't think about the darkness around you, or what might be hiding in it. Just listen to the others' footsteps and watch Gandalf's staff.
Frodo swallowed hard. The darkness of Moria was heavier than any night he had ever lived through, despite his sharp vision. It seemed to be weighing them down, trying to prevent them from going any further. Gandalf's staff helped to fight it off, but the light it emitted only extended so far. Anything could be hiding in the darkness outside their tiny circle of light.
Frodo shook his head, trying to put that thought out of his head. As he did so, he realized that he had been unconsciously fingering the Ring for comfort. Shaken, he quickly drew his hand away from it and let it hang by his side. He felt, rather than saw, Sam glance at him briefly, but neither made any comment. The company had fallen silent in the past few hours, so that the only sounds were those made by their footfalls. Even Merry and Pippin seemed to be lost in thought, drawing close to one another in an attempt to feel safe in the dark caves.
Frodo jolted as Gimli stopped in front of him, causing the hobbit to bump into him. He would have fallen backwards had Sam not grabbed his elbow to help steady his master. Smiling his gratitude, Frodo looked to Gandalf to see why they had stopped.
The wizard raised his staff so that the light reached as far as Aragorn, who was at the back of the line. "We will stop here, I think. We have walked far, and this seems like as good a place as any to sit and rest for a bit."
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and Frodo let himself sink to the ground. Next to him, Sam nearly threw himself down in an effort to get his rest as soon as possible. They had walked far, and Gandalf had allowed few rests. Neither he nor Aragorn seemed to want to remain in the caves any longer than necessary. All the same, the hobbits' energy was starting to wear thin, and Frodo wished the others would try to keep that in mind.
Leaning against his pack, Frodo looked up to see Merry standing a few feet away, frowning at Pippin, who was sitting nearby, looking thoroughly exhausted. After a moment, Merry walked over to Gandalf and sat down next to him.
Gandalf glanced down at the hobbit, raising his eyebrows. "Meriadoc. Is something on your mind?" Frodo could just make out what the wizard was saying. He tried not to seem like he was listening to their conversation and turned to rummage through his pack for food.
"Gandalf, is there no way for you to stop more often, or set a slower pace?" Frodo heard Merry ask.
"I would rather not do so. It would be best for us to pass through the mines as quickly as possible, so as not to be noticed by anything living here." Frodo turned around as Gandalf finished, a piece of bread in his hand. He chewed on it, grateful for a bit of food, while he watched Merry frown and shift around a bit on the ground.
"I. I think it would be best if we at least traveled a bit more slowly, Gandalf," Merry said, looking both determined and uncomfortable at once. He gave Pippin a meaningful glance. "Some of us are having trouble keeping up."
Frodo smiled to himself. Typical, using Pippin as an excuse. It was true that they all loved their young cousin and wanted to protect him, but a good deal of the time he didn't need the extra help. He was just someone the other hobbits pointed to when they did not want to admit that they couldn't do something as well as the bigger folk. Frodo turned to look at his cousin and saw that Boromir had sat down next to him. The two seemed deep in conversation.
Frodo turned back as Gandalf started to speak again. The wizard's eyes twinkled in amusement, but his face remained somber. "I understand your worries, Merry, but I really cannot afford to spend any more time here than is absolutely necessary."
Merry looked annoyed at Gandalf's stubbornness, but he did not seem willing to press the matter any further. With a sigh, he stood up and walked over to Frodo, sitting down heavily at his side.
"That wizard," he muttered angrily, "is one of the most stubborn people I have ever met." On Frodo's other side, Sam ducked his head to cover a smile of agreement.
Frodo grinned slightly. "I know a certain Brandybuck who could easily rival him in that area." He smiled innocently as Merry glared at him. After a moment, his cousin smiled as well, though it faded as he looked over to where Gandalf was now speaking quietly with Aragorn.
A cracking noise far above caught Frodo's attention, though it was so soft he barely heard it. Neither Merry nor Sam seemed to have noticed anything. Frodo glanced around at the others. Aragorn and Gandalf had not paused in their conversation, nor had Boromir and Pippin. Gimli was off by himself, muttering something or other into his beard.
Legolas, however, was looking upward, squinting into the darkness. This told Frodo that he had not been hearing things, for Legolas had the best hearing of any of them. He supposed the fact that he had heard it as well had something to do with the way his senses had become keener as a result of the would he had received at Weathertop. He watched nervously as Legolas walked over to Gimli, who was closest to him, and nudged him with his foot. The dwarf jerked indignantly, but Legolas silenced him as he whispered something to softly for Frodo to catch. Gimli responded by muttering angrily, and Legolas gave a heavy sigh as he turned away to find someone else to talk to.
Before he could do so, there was a loud crack that made the company jump and leap to their feet. Then an immense noise echoed through the caves, and bits of rock began falling around them. Both Gandalf and Aragorn shouted something inaudible above the sound of stone breaking and crashing to the ground. Frodo barely had time to register that this was a cave in of sorts before Sam knocked him to the ground, shielding Frodo with his own body as the larger rocks began to fall.
Frodo felt something large hit the ground next to him. The floor seemed to shudder, and suddenly he was falling. The fall lasted only a few seconds before the floor came up to meet him again, knocking all of the breath out of him. He heard a soft bumping noise and a grunt next to him that was Sam hitting the ground. He lay, hardly daring to breathe. The pandemonium continued for a few seconds, then tapered off as quickly as it had begun, subsiding to the sound of a few small stones bouncing off of the pile.
Darkness.