Leila felt like she was dying. The pain was tearing through her lower body and her mouth was making noises her mind did not recognize. She could feel herself ripping in two, and she yelled, thinking no one could hear her. However, she was mistaken. Through her blurred vision, she saw an elf enter her cave, looking quite stricken by her being there. So much so that he exited as quickly as he entered, making her wonder if he had ever really come at all. Her mind was put at ease when he returned, with another elf, a woman this time. Behind the two of them followed several more people, but Leila could not make them out through her pain.

"Can you hear me?" the she-elf asked. Leila nodded weakly. "I'm going to help you," the woman continued. "My name is Soriel."

Soriel gave the others commands, and one of the men made Leila a shelter, and after what seemed like hours, Leila saw Soriel holding what seemed to be a baby in her arms, but Leila had no more strength. She whispered her name to Soriel before everything went black.

Leila was between consciousness as they traveled down the mountain. She was not aware of where they were or where they were going until several days later when she finally awoke. She was on horseback, and she was very confused. She looked around for a moment when she finally made eye contact with Soriel, who rose and went to her. "Hello again," she said.

"I remember you," replied Leila, in a hoarse whisper.

"That is well," Soriel assured her, and a man joined Soriel to help Leila from her horse. Leila felt her heart rate pick up in her chest and she flinched away from him as quickly as she could. His face was too familiar. Soriel noticed this, and sought the elf who first found her to help her down from the horse. They took her aside so that she would not feel so conspicuous with everyone staring at her.

Finally, she asked, "The baby, what happened to it?"

Soriel gave Leila a funny look, which Leila could understand as confusion, and the man answered her question. "He was stillborn," he answered. "I'm very sorry. We buried him in the cave before we left."

Leila looked away from the two people in front of her. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief and sadness all at once. Even though this was a child she never wanted, she had still carried it for nine months and bore it. She felt maybe she was being incredibly selfish, but she did not care that much. She was still so exhausted from the birth and travelling that she just decided she would think about it later. She felt Soriel's hand on her shoulder.

"If you need a moment to grieve," she began, but Leila cut her off.

"No," she said. "It is better this way."

There was a moment before Soriel spoke again. "Well, there is one more question," she began. "The father. How can we get you to him? Was he not on the mountain with you?"

Leila winced at her words, and shook her head. "There is no father. I was alone. Please, ask me no more."

After another awkward pause, the man spoke again. "You are welcome to part ways now," he said. "You are under no oath to continue with us any further. You may not want to, as we are headed under the mountain."

Leila thought this over. She genuinely did not know what to tell these people, as she had no home to go back to, but nowhere to go from here either. She had not expected to live after childbirth. "Where to after that?" she asked.

"We cannot yet say," Soriel answered.

Suddenly, the old man joined them. Even though their conversation was in Elvish, he switched them over to the Common Tongue. "I'm sorry, but I must interject," he said, leaning on his staff. "Now that she has seen our company, I cannot permit her to leave. Secrecy is imperative and we do not know to whom she may speak after she leaves."

Soriel argued for her. "Mithrandir, she has been through enough. You would take her prisoner?"

"Please," interrupted Leila. "I would continue on willingly. I have nothing to return to."

The old man looked her up and down, and she felt the eyes of the other two elves on her as well. "Very well. Can you handle those swords you have?" he asked.

She felt herself swell with pride a little. "Yes," she answered. She did, in fact, still have something that was hers. Even though the old man would not let anyone tell her what their purpose was, he allowed her to come along. Leila did not mind not knowing. She was happy someone would have her in her current state, and anything was better than what she left behind in those cursed mountains.

As they continued towards the mines, Leila and Soriel walked together. Soriel caught Leila up on everyone's names, and Leila tried her best to keep them in mind. The easiest for her was Legolas, for had she known she was talking to her own Prince, she may have acted differently. The others were easy enough as well, as long as she kept the hobbits straight. Merry and Pippin were her favorite, for she found them to be quite funny, and enjoyed their tales of pipe weed, ale, and the Shire. This was especially the case when they reached the Mines of Moria, and Gandalf the Grey could not figure out how to get the door open. He tried many passwords and spells but none would open the gate. While this was going on, Aragorn had Sam bid Bill the pony goodbye. Leila was also sad to see him go, and sent a prayer with him, for he had kept her safe and she hoped he would return to his home safely too. Soriel went to sit with the man named Boromir, and so Leila stood next to Legolas.

"I'm sorry, your grace, I did not realize it was you who traveled with this company. Otherwise I would have addressed you sooner," she said.

Legolas smiled at her. "Please, you have nothing to feel sorry for," he told her. "You are from Mirkwood, then?"

"Yes, but I have been away for quite some time," she answered him. "I wanted to see more of the world, so here I am."

"Well, I know you-"

"It's a riddle!" the hobbit called Frodo cried, causing everyone to look at him, as he gazed at Gandalf. "What's the Elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon," answered Gandalf, and to everyone's relief, the doors began to swing open.

Leila felt the winds from the mines blow through her hair and a chill came over her. Every fiber of her being told her not to take the steps forward into those mines, but she would follow them nonetheless. Hesitantly, she followed Legolas inside the doors as Gimli the dwarf went on and on about the warm welcome they were to receive, but Leila could only feel cold. They walked in and then everything became clear.

When Gandalf lit up his staff, Boromir was the one who spoke. "This is no mine. It's a tomb." Gimli began to wail in grief for his kin.

Leila heard Soriel let out a gasp as they all readied their weapons and slowly began to back out. From behind them they herd to hobbits begin to call for Frodo, and Sam called out for Aragorn. When they turned around. Frodo's leg was in a tentacle and he was dangling in the air. Legolas whipped out and shot an arrow before anyone even saw it. Aragorn and Boromir sprang into action, as did the hobbits, chopping and slicing the creature until it finally dropped Frodo and Legolas delivered another blow to its head. The creature herded them into the mines, destroying the front door, trapping them in the darkness.

As Gandalf lit his staff for light, Leila felt fear crawling over her like spiders. She hated this place, and hated it even more with all the dead dwarves surrounding them. She took many deep breaths and told herself that in a few days' time they would be on the other side, and she would see the sunshine again. During this time, she was often carrying Merry or Pippin on her back. She did not mind, as they were not heavy, and were constantly bringing her joy. She could not remember the last time she laughed before she met them, and she felt as if she was becoming herself again, for the first time in years.

Two days into the journey, they reached a place where Gandalf did not remember the way. They took a break to let his mind try to remember, and this break lasted many hours. Leila sat down on a rock and rested her head in her hands. Legolas sat down next to her, as she felt her eyelids drooping.

"Are you weary?" he asked, causing her to sit up.

"No," she lied immediately, stretching her arms above her head to wake herself up. He smirked.

"You may rest your head on my shoulder for a while if you like," he offered.

She felt herself physically relax at the suggestion, and she took him up on it. Not long after, she was asleep. Leila had no idea how much time passed between the time she fell asleep and when Legolas gently woke her. Gandalf apparently decided on the path that smelled the least foul. Down the path, they walked through a ballroom. It had magnificent pillars and the carvings were very intricate. Leila felt her mouth drop in awe, in spite of herself. Even for dwarves, there was beauty in this. To their left, was a room that had a light shining through that glowed on the tomb of Balin, Gimli's cousin. They entered the room, and Gandalf began reading from a huge, leather-bound book that described the demise of the dwarves that were there. It was when Pippin accidentally knocked a skeleton down a mine shaft that they all felt the reality of their situation. Everyone stared at Pippin, except for Leila, who was trying to hold back her laughter, but was doing a very poor job. The skeleton, which was still clad in armor, clanged all the way down the shaft until it finally landed with a thud.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf scolded him. "Throw yourself down next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

Leila opened her mouth to defend Pippin, but the pounding of drums halted her speech. At this moment, everyone knew that Pippin had awoken whatever was sleeping in the mines. And it was angry. Aragorn and Boromir began barricading the door with whatever materials they could find, and then they prepared themselves for a fight. Leila stood in between Legolas and Soriel, and kept her eyes on them as the monsters broke down the door and began to swarm in. Leila proved herself very worthy of her swords as she slashed orc after orc that came near her. She looked around and saw that Soriel was unaware of an orc behind her, and Leila felt a sense of urgency pulse through her body. Swiftly, she ran it through, just before it delivered a fatal blow. Soriel's terrified eyes met Leila's.

"You saved me," Leila told her, and Soriel nodded in return.

Leila returned to battle, when she heard Boromir say something about a cave troll. Then it came into the room, heading straight for Frodo. Aragorn attempted to attack it first, and it cast him aside like a pest, knocking him unconscious briefly. Leila took her turn next, as its back was turned, she held her swords in each hand as she sliced both its legs in unison. It cried out and she felt the impact of its hand hit her in the stomach, taking the wind out of her lungs, and flinging her to the ground. She coughed a little then sat up, just as the troll speared Frodo, and she felt breathless once more seeing him fall to the ground. Finally, Legolas shot it in the throat, bringing it down for good. Her heart was breaking for the Hobbits, and as they went to their friend, Legolas came and helped her from the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked, as she stood.

"Yes," she told him. "How is Frodo?"

"I do not yet know," he told her, and hey joined the company, only to find Frodo sitting up, revealing that he was wearing mithril underneath his shirt, which saved his life.

When they got Frodo to his feet, they rushed out to the ballroom again to get to the bridge that would take them out of the mines. Running as fast as they could, they could not outrun the goblins and orcs that trailed them. Suddenly, they were surrounded. The creatures hissed, growled, and spit threateningly at them, and Leila positioned herself once again between Soriel and Legolas. Legolas stood in front of her, and she had herself back to back with Soriel. Leila felt adrenaline coursing through her and she told herself she would not die here, when they heard another sound, more terrifying than anything so far. She could see Legolas's breath begin to be more staggered. She could feel the fear rising in him as he began to panic, but he hid it well. Leila had no idea what was coming, but it must have been really bad because all the orcs and goblins disappeared and Gandalf commanded them to just run for their lives. Through the chamber they fled, as a red glow chased them. Leila couldn't believe her eyes.

"Is that a Balrog?" she yelled to Legolas, whose eyes were wide with terror, and he nodded his response.

Leila picked up her pace, and was now in the front with Soriel and Boromir. Boromir tore through the door at the end of the hall, only to find there was not much of a floor on the other side, and almost fell off the flight of stairs.

"No!" Soriel cried, as she and Leila each jumped to grab a shoulder and pull him back to safety.

Leila turned to the left to flee down the staircase before Boromir could thank her, and they all continued to the bridge of Khazad-dum. They continued on the path until they reached a break. Legolas was the first to jump it, making Leila hold her breath, but he landed gracefully and turned to them to join him, which Gandalf did right away. Next to Leila were Boromir and Soriel.

"You next!" Boromir told Soriel, taking her waist, and tossing her to Legolas on the other side.

Soriel looked horrified, but she also landed safely. Boromir looked next at Leila, who again recoiled from him. He extended his hand for her to take to assist her across, but she rejected it, for she could still not get past his face, and she hurled herself away from him into the waiting arms of Legolas. Next came Gimli, and then Boromir with Merry and Pippin. Aragorn threw Sam over, then it was just Aragorn and Frodo, who waited too long and the gap broke even more. Then, the path broke on the other side of them, and they leaned their body weight so they would fall towards the rest of the fellowship. Once everyone was safely across, they took off once again for the bridge.

At long last, they reached the bridge and everyone crossed, Aragorn and Boromir last, making sure everyone else got across safely. Gandalf was the only one who remained. He turned and faced the Balrog, refusing it access to the company. The firey demon whipped at the wizard and nearly took him down. With a slam of his staff, Gandalf broke the bridge and the Balrog fell. Unfortunately, it was not the end. Its whip came back up and wrapped around Gandalf's ankle. Watching this unfold, Leila felt Legolas take her hand and he squeezed it. She squeezed it in return, as Gandalf once again told them to run and fell from the cliff, following the Balrog to his demise. Legolas and Leila did not hesitate to turn and run as arrows began flying all around them. Legolas shot back as Boromir grabbed Frodo, who was resisting leaving Gandalf behind. When they reached the outside of the mine, nearly all had tears in their eyes. Leila and Soriel looked at each other, even they had heavy hearts despite not knowing Gandalf for very long.

"Legolas," Aragorn called. "Get them up." He was referring to the Hobbits, as all of them had fallen to the ground in their sorrow.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake," Boromir protested. Leila felt her heart soften for him. The Hobbits were obviously devastated, and Leila had to agree with him.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs," Aragorn argued. "Get them up." They now made their way to the woods of Lothlorien.