They were barely up the mountain, or even in the worst of colds and she was already shivering. She chewed on her lip to keep her teeth from audibly chattering. Soon, they were in knee deep snow. Or at least she thought they were. She found herself atop the snow, along with Legolas, while everyone else seemed to be quite shorter. Despite this advantage, Ireth still found herself lagging behind. She'd never walked in wind so intense before, and she was unused to the sharp pain of the snow stinging her cheeks and eyes.
A shout caught her attention, and when she looked up, she barely had enough time to catch a snow covered Frodo, only she went down with him, and they slid a few feet more back from the direction they came. The dark haired man, Aragorn, she learned his name was, trudged back to them quickly. He helped Frodo up quickly, who seemed to be on the verge of panic as he patted his chest, looking for something. Ireth was about to offer her help when Frodo suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of Boromir. He held a chain in his hands and was fingering a gold band that had been looped on it. He looked entranced. Ireth squinted to get a better look at the ring, and suddenly wished she hadn't. Her heart pounded in her chest, and an irrational fear gripped her. She froze on the spot. Staring fixedly at the ring.
"Boromir." She heard Aragorn call. She paid no attention to it. At the moment, she was trying to fight the urge to either, turn and run as far and fast away as possible or, take the ring and throw it as far away from her as she could. When Boromir brought the ring over to Frodo, she took an involuntary step backward, a sickening feeling washing over her. She didn't want the ring anywhere near her.
Frodo snatched the ring from Boromirs hand, pulling it over his head with a sigh and tucking it into his shirt. Ireth held steadfast. She could still feel the fear. Her insides twisted with nerves. She watched warily where the ring had once been, even after Frodo had left the spot. She wanted to move but found she couldn't. She was still paralyzed with fear.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder. She let out a loud scream, jumping backwards. She blinked in surprise at Legolas, who seemed quite surprised as well. The look was replaced with a worried frown. "Are you alright?"
She lied. "Y-yes." She looked around. Everyone was waiting for her, she realized, and felt her cheeks turn even pinker than they already were. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to keep you."
Ireth quickly started to tread up the path, leaving Legolas behind. He quickly caught up, and pulled ahead of her. She caught the look he gave to Aragorn and Gandalf. Ireth sighed. Now they really didn't want her around. She knew that look, she's seen it many times on her aunt and uncle. A look of suspicion. Looking at her feet as she tread up the hill, she decided to stay quiet and avoid anyone's questioning looks. When the snow got so deep Gandalf had to use his staff to make a path, Ireth chose to trail behind Bill in the trench of snow, despite the fact that she could walk atop the snow without falter. Behind Bill, she could be by herself, and not worry about the eyes of the suspicious.
Ireth heard a shout and then Gandalf's booming voice, "It's Saruman!"
Suddenly, there was an avalanche of snow. Ireth became buried, along with everyone else, and felt her knees buckle from the weight of the snow. She had no idea what was going on. She felt disoriented and tried digging her way out. It was getting hard to breath and her arms were starting to get tired and sore. Just when she thought she would freeze to death, hands shot down from above her and hooked themselves under her arms. Before she knew what was going on, she was pulled out of the snow, blinking rapidly. Legolas, frowning to himself, stood before her, dusting snow from her face and hair. He seemed to be deep in thought, and Ireth was too timid to tell him she was fine and break his trail of thought. He was absently tightening her cloak around her neck and pulling her hood snug over her head. Then, he quickly turned her around and nudged her to walk forward. Were they going back down the mountain? After they came so far? She looked behind her, passed Legolas. Everyone was trudging after her, the hobbits looking a little blue in the face and dejected looking.
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Ireth finally heard they'd be going through the mines of Moria. She noted the look of dread on Gandalf's face. At first she was confused and asked, "Aren't mines dangerous?"
She'd only been laughed at by Gimli, who boasted that the mines of Moria weren't nearly as dangerous as the woods. This only confused Ireth, but she didn't say anything and trudged behind Aragorn. Ireth was beginning to feel the wear and tear this journey was bringing onto her body. She'd never walked or climbed or been so cold in her life! The tips of her fingers had been starting to turn blue and now ached considerably as they began to warm, her legs and somehow her arms throbbed from moving so much. She held her hands up to inspect them, unable to control the glower she gave them.
"Have you never seen fingers before?" A snide voice said beside her. Ireth looked up in surprise, never noticing that Boromir had been walking beside her for some time now. She frowned.
"It is not that. I…I've just never been exposed to the elements for such a long period of time before." She looked at her hand once more before dropping it to her side. "I was simply thinking I might be a hindrance on your quest."
She didn't look at Boromir as she said it, but she knew once it had been uttered she wished she never said it. Quickly, she marched ahead, quickly passing Aragorn to walk beside Gandalf. He only glanced at her a moment, saw the doubtful look on her face, and knew she wished to be alone with her thoughts. By the time they reached their destination it was nightfall and Ireth had never been so tired before. She was sure she could fall asleep standing up and knew definitely if she sat down she'd be out before she even settled.
Ireth looked around at the scenery and quickly decided she didn't like it at all. Fog spread in thickly over the water, and eve around them. The trees seemed dead and there was dead foliage everywhere. In one word, Ireth would call it creepy. She watched curiously as Gandalf whispered to himself and touched the rocky walls in different places, before looking up to the sky. Slowly, the moon peaked from behind the clouds, lighting Gandalf's face and the wall behind him. All at once the stone wall began to glow, revealing what looked to be a door. Ireth couldn't be sure.
Gandalf read the inscriptions on the door.
"What do you suppose that means?' Merry questioned.
Gandalf grinned, "It's quite simple, if you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open!"
Ireth thought it to be quite simple indeed. Until it was revealed that the words Gandalf had spoken were not the password. Everyone sat while waiting for Gandalf to figure out the password. Ireth stood, looking over the water. She felt uneasy about it. There's something in it, she thought. Her gaze looking for something to confirm her thoughts.
"You should rest, Lady Ireth, until Gandalf opens the doors." Legolas voice carried to her ears, though she could swear he was nowhere close to her. She turned toward his voice, surprised to find him closer than she thought as he was standing beside her and not near the doors by Gandalf.
"I am fine. Thank you, though." She smiled at the look of apprehension on his face, before frowning. "Please do not address me as 'Lady'. I do not have such a standing here nor where I am from."
She saw the disbelief right away on Legolas face. "If you are not a Lady, why do you wear a circlet?"
Ireth inhaled sharply, "A what?"
Her hands quickly went to her head feeling the cool metal of an intricate circlet resting on her forehead. How had she never felt it before? It was almost like it was a part of her, even now, when she is aware of it, she cannot feel on her head.
"You did not know?" Legolas questioned.
"Not at all. I can barely feel its presence." Ireth spoke, blinking in surprise.
They both looked over at the sudden sounds of multiple splashes. Ireth gasped, watching in horror as Pippin and Merry were about to throw more stones into the water. That is, until Aragorn grabbed them both, whispering to them it best not to disturb the water.
"There is something in the water." Ireth spoke softly, looking worriedly at Legolas. He watched the water, and she too turned to look at it. There was something moving, she could see it, just barely in the moonlight. It was coming toward the shore.
"What's the elvish word for friend?" She heard Frodo question and then Gandalf's gravelly voice answer.
"Mellon."
Ireth turned, seeing the doors open with a loud groan. Everyone made to enter the mine, Ireth following behind next to the hobbits. She kept an eye on the water, waiting for the hobbits to fully enter the mines. She heard a commotion and turned to look into the mines, barely registering the skeletons littering the ground, when the hobbits started to shout.
"Frodo!"
Ireth looked in horror as a giant tentacle dragged Frodo to the water, knocking the others away from him. She leaped into action, literally. She was up in the air, her arms wrapped around the tentacle.
"Strider!" Frodo yelled, terrified.
"Hold on Frodo!" Ireth whispered, pulling her knife from its sheath. She wrapped her legs around one tentacle and reached across toward the other holding his hand, using it to anchor herself, and quickly sliced at it, ignoring the ugly churn in her stomach. A shriek nearly deafened her ears and she felt a tentacle wrap around her midsection and toss her away. She screamed as she sailed through the air and groaned when she hit the ground—hard. She quickly came to her bearings, watching in horror as it looked like the giant octopus wanted to eat Frodo.
The horror subsided as Aragorn quickly brought the tentacle holding Frodo down, and caught the falling hobbit. He raced to the entrance of Moria, and Ireth quickly followed, wincing at the sharp pain in her hip. Legolas entered behind her and there was a loud roar and the sound of stones breaking and splitting before they were cast into darkness. The only sounds that could be heard were the hobbits heavy breathing and her own.
Gandalf had taken a crystal from the ground earlier, and now had that stone glowing in his staff. Ireth preferred the dark, at the least to spare her sight from the old dwarven bodies that littered the floors. Her eyes travelled to Gandalf who looked around wearily, "Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."
For some reason, this made Ireth nervous. She wasn't sure why, but it did. Her nerves seemed to only twist tighter when Gandalf mentioned it would be a four day journey to the other side of Moria. With a small sigh, Ireth rubbed her aching leg and quickly limped after the old wizard. She couldn't tell the time at all and wondered when exactly they would come to rest; she was beginning to wish she had taken a nap at the doors of Moria. Finally, Gandalf paused, announcing that they would rest, before heading on. Ireth has never felt more relieved in her life. She picked a spot against a wall, preferably where there were no dead bodies and sat heavily, rubbing her leg where she was beginning to think was bruised heavily. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes.
She opened her eyes slowly at the motion of her being shaken. She could barely comprehend the amused look on Legolas face as he spoke, "I apologize Ireth, but we do not have five minutes to spare."
That's when she fully woke up and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly, quickly getting to her feet, forgetting all about the ache in her leg. She gasped, putting a hand to the source of its throbbing. The amusement left Legolas face as he gently supported her.
"You're hurt." He stated.
"It's just an ache. I'd forgotten about it, it just took me by surprise is all." She avoided his gaze, looking to Gandalf and Aragorn, both seemingly ready to go. In all actuality, her leg was killing her, she knew she hadn't broken it, she could walk on it, but there was the possibility that it was fractured. She was hoping though that it was simple muscle bruising. She didn't land that hard on the ground.
"Can you walk?" Legolas questioned. She nodded, determined not to be a burden. When Gandalf motioned for them to move on, she quickly went ahead of Legolas, hoping that he wouldn't notice her slight limp. Ireth could feel herself slowly start to become more irritated, especially when Boromir pointed out her limp to everyone.
"If you were hurt you should have said so." Gandalf spoke, irritation filling his voice. Stubbornly, Ireth shook her head.
"It's just a bruise." At the collective looks of doubt she received she stubbornly let out an irritated gasp. "I am not fatally injured, it's not going to end my life!"
This satisfied Gandalf, and Aragorn. Boromir didn't say anything, turning away with a scoff. Legolas stared at her, for an uncomfortable amount of time until he finally chose to follow Gandalf. She brought up the rear, just in front of Gimli, who was more silent than usual. When they came to a stop, Ireth, bristled. She could feel that they weren't alone in these caverns.
"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf spoke quietly. Ireth thought it strange she could hear him, but thought nothing of it. Seeing that they wouldn't be moving until Gandalf remembered the path they were on, Ireth sat on a stony edge, and rested her leg. It wasn't so painful now anymore. It simply throbbed, and for that she was thankful for. It seemed as if they were waiting for hours, when she felt someone sit beside her. She didn't remember closing her eyes, so she felt a little weird suddenly opening them.
"Are you well?" She was a little surprised to see Boromir sitting beside her, looking at the ground. She looked at her leather bound toes.
"Truly." She said, giving him a small smile, "It simply throbs now."
He nodded, and stood, just as Gandalf stood, a broad smile on his face. "It's this way!"
"He's remembered!" Merry spoke excitedly, but Gandalf quickly corrected him.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul here." He winked at the hobbit. "If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."
For the fruity taste that shows, Ireth thought automatically, thinking of her favorite cereal. She stood, climbing the steps toward the tunnel, when she paused, upon hearing something. When she looked around, her eye caught movement in the cavern below, and she caught sight of a creature that made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. She quickly caught up to the group.
They continued down the tunnel until it suddenly opened up into a great big room. It was the biggest room Ireth has ever seen; surely meant for giants and not dwarves! Gandalf spoke giving them the name of this great city, but it was lost on Ireth's ears as Gimli let out a wail and raced for a room that resided on the far right of the hall. They quickly gave chase, calling out for Gimli to come back. Ireth stopped short upon entering the room. There was a great stone tomb that Gimli wept over, his wails piercing her ears sharply. As Gandalf read from a book he'd picked up from the body of a dwarf, she went over to the dwarf, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. She knew the pain of losing a loved one better than anyone would expect. The screeching of tires and blare of a car horn still haunted her dreams, even when she was awake.
"We must move on. We cannot linger." She heard Legolas voice very well. It was the sudden sound of something crashing and the many echoes and thrashing that had startled her. When she looked over, all she saw was a small hobbit cringing at each echo the noise made until all was silent.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf growled, "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity."
Flabbergasted, Ireth quickly went over to the ashamed looking hobbit and put a reassuring hand on his back. Then she heard something peculiar. It sounded, kind of like, drumming. Boromir ran to the doors, shutting them closed and barely missing three arrows to his head. There was a thunderous roar, and as Boromir caught his breath, leaning on the door, he looked over his shoulder.
"They have a cave troll." He said with pseudo humor.
Quickly, Aragorn and Legolas went to action barricading the doors with old weapons. As Orcs began to pound on the doors they backed up. Ireth wasn't sure who but someone had shouted for the hobbits to stay with Gandalf.
Gimli, in a great rage jumped atop the tomb of his loved one, roaring, "Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"
Being honest with herself, Ireth readily allowed herself to be fearful, she didn't know what orcs were, but just by the sound she knew they were something awful. As the orcs started to break through the door, Ireth took a deep breath and pulled her knife from its sheath. She wasn't skilled in fighting with knives, but she'd make do with what she did know and was glad of the decision her parents made to enroll her in self-defense classes. The only difference now is that she had to avoid swords. Sounded doable. The orcs broke through the door and she quickly went into her center, standing relaxed at the back of the room.
At first, the orcs didn't notice her as she stood off to the side, and this allowed her the time to actually see what these things were. They were hideous in her opinion. Some were hunched over and evil looking; others were large and disfigured. But what they all had in common were the malicious looks in their eyes, the mangled flesh and the awful smell they produced. It wasn't enough for her to get over the possible fact that she may have to kill them. No, what got her over that, was the excited way they tried to slaughter her companions. When she was finally spotted, a chill went up her spine. A handful of Orcs corralled around her. They looked at her differently than when they were attacking the others. She didn't like it.
"This one we keep alive."