Disclaimer: I don't own Gimli, or any of the other LotR characters...Tolkien and the publisher does. Neither do I own this particular scene in the movie, but I wish I did. ^_^
A/N: Gimli's thoughts. Slight Legolas bashing on the part of our dwarf friend. Sorry about that, Legolas fan girls. Please don't hurt me. Please?
Fall
This was supposed to be easy. Easier than crossing the Caradhras, at any rate. Balin was supposed to be here--should have been here. But the orcs were, instead. And now that dratted Balrog creature. Chasing us, for intruding in his domain. His domain? This is the domain of the dwarves, and the dwarves alone! How dare he stalk us so, in the very halls my ancestors created with their own hands?!
And now look at us. Two of our Company trapped on one side of a broken bridge, the rest of us on the other side, with the Balrog and the orcs close at hand. The Man and the Ringbearer. Aragorn and Frodo. And the bridge could fall at any moment, judging by the looks of it. It's starting to sway already.
I can't believe Aragorn sent the rest of us to safety before the Ringbearer. What is he, a fool? Can't he see that, if the Ring should fall into the gaping chasm below us, all is lost? Frodo should be safely here on the other side. With the rest of us. Perhaps Aragorn should be here, as well. He is the Isildur's heir, is he not? And if Gandalf should fall, if he should be taken down by an orc or the mighty Balrog, Aragorn must be the one to--no! Gandalf will not fall, he will not tumble. He is a wizard. Wizards don't from anything, not unless they intend to.
Aragorn, what are you doing? Throw Frodo over to us! The bridge is breaking, fool of a Man! Trying to bend your knees with it won't help! They're going to fall. I know they are. There's no possible way they can escape that piece of bridge before it tumbles into the abyss. The fall will surely kill them. Not even I know how far down the drop is, into the darkness. It must be crawling with orcs down there, at any rate. One of them will seize the One Ring, take it to Sauron, and then all will be lost. There's no way out of this.
Why can't someone else be trapped on the other side of that bridge? Why not me, or that blasted elf? What good has he been for, anyway, besides prancing around on top of the snow? All right, all right, so he managed to shoot a few arrows into a few orcs. I'll give him that. But he's an elf. Just a simple elf, who happens to be part of the Company now. If he were on the other side and fell, surely the others--not me, I will not mourn an elf!--would mourn him...but we could still make it to Mordor. Without Frodo, we might as well lay down at the Balrog's shadowed feet, for all the rest of Middle-earth cares. It would be doomed anyway, by then.
Wonderful, now the falling bridge is tilting towards us, thanks to Aragorn's brilliant idea. Does me mean to make us fall, as well? Fool of a Man! But maybe--just maybe--this might work. I don't think even Aragorn knows for sure. There is fear evident on that strong face. I'd thought the only ones of us allowed to show fear were the hobbits. Perhaps I was wrong.
Closer, closer--this is taking too long! The Balrog is practically right at their heels! Jump, you fools, jump! Make this work, or all of Middle-earth is doomed!
Please, don't let them fall.