Chapter 4
"Why didn't anyone mention that thing before?" Christina said, whilst trying to catch her breath. Just as the doors opened, a great watcher in the water had grabbed Frodo's ankle and dragged him into the water. They had managed to get him back safely, but the watcher then pulled the door down, trapping them in the mines.
"Well, one reason might be. We didn't know it was there!!!" Aragorn said.
"Don't yell at me. It was a simple question."
"That only a simple person would ask." Legolas said. He automatically raised an arm to block his face, to stop her from slapping him. But he wasn't prepared for what happened next. She walked over to Legolas, paused for a moment and smiled.
"Uh-oh." Pippin whispered. She lifted her right knee back and slammed it into his - to put it politely - elfhood.
"Now then, hadn't we better be moving on." She said, sweetly. Legolas was curled up on the floor, whimpering, but she just walked away as if nothing had happened. They all stood there looking uncomfortable. They all felt extremely sorry for Legolas and wanted to help him but it was his own fault and they didn't want to get on the wrong side of Christina.
"Um, what about him?" Sam said, awkwardly, afraid of the outcome. She glanced over her shoulder and did actually feel a twang of guilt and sympathy for the Elf. She sighed, impatiently.
"Help him up." She said. "I suppose we should wait until he feels better. In that state, he'll only delay us, right Gandalf?"
"Um, yeah, a bit." He replied, nervously.
Being an Elf, Legolas recovered quicker from his infliction than any of the others would have done. Once he was able to walk again, they moved on. But just before they did, Christina surprised them all.
"Sorry Legolas." She said. Every looked at her strangely. She was apologising? Was she feeling OK? "Don't get me wrong," She added, seeing everyone's faces, "I still hate you, but maybe I took it a little too far this time."
"Gee, thanks." He said. 'Well, at least there was an apology.' He thought. 'Even if she didn't go about it very well.'
"Moving on, it's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed." Gandalf said, as they began to walk. They made their way through the darkness at a fairly slow pace. All the light they had came from Gandalf's staff and a small torch that Aragorn held. After a few hours, they came to a standstill. There was a wide dark arch, opening into three passages. They all seemed to head eastward but one went downward, one went straight and one went up.
"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf muttered. So, they rested whilst they decided which tunnel they were to take.
After listening to a conversation between Merry and Pippin, Christina came to the conclusion that she absolutely adored hobbits, especially Pippin, and that she wanted one. 'Bless them.' She thought. 'They're so sweet. I want one to keep. '
"Are we lost?" Pippin said.
"No." Merry replied.
"I think we are."
"Shhh!"
"Merry."
"What?"
"I'm hungry." She couldn't contain a giggle. They looked at her quizzically.
"Sorry," she said, "It's just you two are sooooo cute. It's unbelievable!" She went over and sat by them. Boromir shook his head and turned to Aragorn.
"What does she want with a hobbit, when she can have a manly man? Like me, for example!" He said, quietly so she didn't hear him.
"I know, some blokes have all the luck." Aragorn said.
"I wouldn't let Arwen hear you speaking like that," Legolas said, "Plus the fact, you're about three times Christina's age, aren't you?"
"I wasn't implying I'm not lucky, I was merely making a statement." He said, quickly. "Actually, how old is Christina?"
"I don't know. I'd say about 20, possibly younger." Boromir said. "What do you reckon, Legolas?"
"Something like that. Why don't you ask her?"
"Ask me what?" She said, hearing the last bit of the conversation.
"Er. nothing." They said together.
"Don't mess me about. What did you want to know?"
"Legolas was wondering how old you are." Said Boromir.
"I was not! It was Aragorn who asked."
"But you made the comment about age, in the first place." Aragorn interrupted.
"I don't see what it's got to do with any of you." She said. "But, if you must know, I'm 25."
"You don't look it." Aragorn said, before he could stop himself.
"Really. How fascinating."
"Oh, it's that way!" said Gandalf, suddenly.
"He's remembered." Merry said, happily.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, young Meriadoc, always follow your nose." He chose the tunnel on the left that headed down. It eventually opened out into a great hall. "I think we'll risk a little more light." His staff began to glow brilliantly illuminating a very large proportion of the hall. "Behold the great realm of the of the Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."
"Well, there's an eye opener and no mistake." Sam said and they all stood there in awe.
"Why didn't anyone mention that thing before?" Christina said, whilst trying to catch her breath. Just as the doors opened, a great watcher in the water had grabbed Frodo's ankle and dragged him into the water. They had managed to get him back safely, but the watcher then pulled the door down, trapping them in the mines.
"Well, one reason might be. We didn't know it was there!!!" Aragorn said.
"Don't yell at me. It was a simple question."
"That only a simple person would ask." Legolas said. He automatically raised an arm to block his face, to stop her from slapping him. But he wasn't prepared for what happened next. She walked over to Legolas, paused for a moment and smiled.
"Uh-oh." Pippin whispered. She lifted her right knee back and slammed it into his - to put it politely - elfhood.
"Now then, hadn't we better be moving on." She said, sweetly. Legolas was curled up on the floor, whimpering, but she just walked away as if nothing had happened. They all stood there looking uncomfortable. They all felt extremely sorry for Legolas and wanted to help him but it was his own fault and they didn't want to get on the wrong side of Christina.
"Um, what about him?" Sam said, awkwardly, afraid of the outcome. She glanced over her shoulder and did actually feel a twang of guilt and sympathy for the Elf. She sighed, impatiently.
"Help him up." She said. "I suppose we should wait until he feels better. In that state, he'll only delay us, right Gandalf?"
"Um, yeah, a bit." He replied, nervously.
Being an Elf, Legolas recovered quicker from his infliction than any of the others would have done. Once he was able to walk again, they moved on. But just before they did, Christina surprised them all.
"Sorry Legolas." She said. Every looked at her strangely. She was apologising? Was she feeling OK? "Don't get me wrong," She added, seeing everyone's faces, "I still hate you, but maybe I took it a little too far this time."
"Gee, thanks." He said. 'Well, at least there was an apology.' He thought. 'Even if she didn't go about it very well.'
"Moving on, it's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed." Gandalf said, as they began to walk. They made their way through the darkness at a fairly slow pace. All the light they had came from Gandalf's staff and a small torch that Aragorn held. After a few hours, they came to a standstill. There was a wide dark arch, opening into three passages. They all seemed to head eastward but one went downward, one went straight and one went up.
"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf muttered. So, they rested whilst they decided which tunnel they were to take.
After listening to a conversation between Merry and Pippin, Christina came to the conclusion that she absolutely adored hobbits, especially Pippin, and that she wanted one. 'Bless them.' She thought. 'They're so sweet. I want one to keep. '
"Are we lost?" Pippin said.
"No." Merry replied.
"I think we are."
"Shhh!"
"Merry."
"What?"
"I'm hungry." She couldn't contain a giggle. They looked at her quizzically.
"Sorry," she said, "It's just you two are sooooo cute. It's unbelievable!" She went over and sat by them. Boromir shook his head and turned to Aragorn.
"What does she want with a hobbit, when she can have a manly man? Like me, for example!" He said, quietly so she didn't hear him.
"I know, some blokes have all the luck." Aragorn said.
"I wouldn't let Arwen hear you speaking like that," Legolas said, "Plus the fact, you're about three times Christina's age, aren't you?"
"I wasn't implying I'm not lucky, I was merely making a statement." He said, quickly. "Actually, how old is Christina?"
"I don't know. I'd say about 20, possibly younger." Boromir said. "What do you reckon, Legolas?"
"Something like that. Why don't you ask her?"
"Ask me what?" She said, hearing the last bit of the conversation.
"Er. nothing." They said together.
"Don't mess me about. What did you want to know?"
"Legolas was wondering how old you are." Said Boromir.
"I was not! It was Aragorn who asked."
"But you made the comment about age, in the first place." Aragorn interrupted.
"I don't see what it's got to do with any of you." She said. "But, if you must know, I'm 25."
"You don't look it." Aragorn said, before he could stop himself.
"Really. How fascinating."
"Oh, it's that way!" said Gandalf, suddenly.
"He's remembered." Merry said, happily.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, young Meriadoc, always follow your nose." He chose the tunnel on the left that headed down. It eventually opened out into a great hall. "I think we'll risk a little more light." His staff began to glow brilliantly illuminating a very large proportion of the hall. "Behold the great realm of the of the Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."
"Well, there's an eye opener and no mistake." Sam said and they all stood there in awe.
