Chapter 4 - I just wanted to thank everyone who has been reviewing and commenting. You are all so lovely to take the time to offer feedback and encouragement - it means a lot to me.
Getting to the Caradharas pass itself was hard work, at least the elves assumed so for the others. They themselves being agile and light on their feet walked briskly along the snow covered mountains. Stopping every now and again to let the others catch up. At one point when they looked back Boromir was holding the ring. They shared a glance both thinking the same thing, and walked back towards the others. They watched as Aragorn demanded Boromir return the ring to Frodo and relaxed slightly when he did so, but Legolas did not miss the sight of Aragorn's hand on the hilt of his sword.
They kept going, and at last reached the path that would take them through the mountains. The path looked perilous and dangerously narrow, but they set off, this time the two elves walking at the back, watching as the others battled with the waist deep snow, feeling great pity for the heavy footed men, dwarf and hobbits. Tauriel shivered, she had never been a fan of the cold, preffering the nice warm weather of the spring. "Tauriel?" Legolas asked gently, although he knew there was not much he could do to help.
"I'm fine." she replied, wrapping her arms around herself. They had walked but a few more steps and snow began to fall, it began suddenly and violently, the wind howling around them and sending the snow blowing into their face and eyes.
Legolas walked to the front, looking over the side of the cliff, his head tilted slightly, for a moment Tauriel wondered what he was doing, before her own elf ears picked up what he had heard. "There is a fell voice on the air" Legolas warned, and Gandalf immeadiatly replied, shouting out a warning "It's Saruman."
"He's trying to bring down the mountain." Aragorn shouted. "We must go back"
But Gandalf refused, instead stuggling out of the snow and beginning to chant. All of a sudden, lightning struck the top of the mountain and an avalanche of snow poured onto them. Legolas and Tauriel darted forward and pulled Gandalf away from the edge, Legolas grabbing his right and Tauriel grabbing his left, bringing him back before they were burried in the snow.
Legolas dug his way out, his thoughts immeadiatly going to Tauriel. Where was she? Tauriel did not deal well with the cold, having almost frozen as a child before Legolas' father found her and took her in, so he knew burried under a great deal of snow was not the ideal situation for her. Elves were generally more resistant to the extreme weather than men but Tauriel was an exception, and he knew if her couldn't find her this would be serious. He dug frantically around him, and didn't even register the others popping out of the snow behind him. Suddenly he felt his hand touch flesh. He looked down to see her own hand and he lunged forward, helping her scramble out of her snowy surroundings. Her teeth were chattering and her skin was tinted slightly blue. Legolas pulled her up and wrapped her in his arms. She was about to recoil but he held her tight and she couldn't resist the feeling of warmth and protection she felt in the embrace. She relaxed in his arms, allowing herself to do so for a little longer than she should have. His hands rubbed her back, trying to warm her up and it was only after everyone else had been dug out that he relaxed his arms and she - regretfully - moved back. "Thankyou," she whispered, for although she was still freezing cold, her teeth no longer chattered and her skin had returned something nearer to her normal shade. As they started tuning in to what the others were shouting about, Tauriel promised herself that would be the last embrace she would permit herself to have with him - for she felt if she was ever in his arms again, she would never be able to give him up.
She turned her attention fully to what was being said. It seemed Gimli was again suggestin the Mines and this time, Gandalf did not refuse. He suggested the ring bearer decide, and Tauriel felt herself tensing as the young hobbit decided their path. She did not want to continue on this path but neither did she want to go through the mines. "We will go through the mines," Frodo announced and the company set off again, battling through the snow to reach the West Gate of Moria.
As they walked towards the location of the gate, they heard the hobbits whispering about how they would get in, there didn't seem to be a door. But as the elves looked once more at the stone they could make out carvings in the rock and realised it was a dwarvish door, that would be visible by moonlight. Sure enough they only had to wait for the clouds to pass and the gate shone brightly before them. Gandalf read out the inscription "The Doors of Durin Lord of Moria, speak friend and enter." Gandalf then pressed his staff to the door and spoke what he thought was the password. To everyone's dissapointment it did nothing. Legolas sighed, sitting down on a nearby rock, and watched as everyone waited for Gandalf to remember the password. Aragorn and Sam set the pony, Bill go and Pippin started throwing rocks into the pond, Legolas' eyes glimpsed something move in the water and he was about to speak up when Aragorn beat him to it, warning the hobbit aainst throwing more stones. Tauriel sat on another rock, and struck up a conversation with Merry. Gandalf suddenly declared "It's useless" and threw down his staff. It was then Frodo stood up, "Its a riddle," he said and everyone's eyes turned to him. "What's the elvish word for friend?" he asked.
"Mellon," Gandalf replied and the doors immediatly opened.
They crowded in, and Gimli announced "Soon my two elves you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves." He started describing a great feast and Tauriel found herself thinking of the young dwarf Kili. A frown came across her face, and when Legolas glanced at her he knew what she was thinking. He too frowned and looked away, only then noticing the skeletons and bodies that lay around the floor. "This is no mine." Boromir spoke up. "It's a tomb!" Gimli started shouting, and Legolas bent down and picked up an arrow from the body of a fallen dwarf. He saw the make of it and threw it aside. "Goblins," he shouted to the others and everyone started backing towards the door. Something was said about the Gap of Rohan which suddenly didn't seem like such a bad plan, but before they could debate it, Frodo screamed and they turned to see him sliding out of the cave towards the water, picked up by a tentacle. The other hobbits shouted in dismay and more tentacles caming slithering out of the water, batting the hobbits away and pulling Frodo towards it. Legolas and Tauriel shot at the same time, their arrows hitting the tentacle but it appeared to do nothing, the monster's hide was strong. Boromir and Aragorn rushed into the water, while the two elves covered them, bows aimed and eyes searching for weak points. Boromir sliced the tentacle holding Frodo and caught the young hobbit as he fell. They retreated back to the door, and Aragorn shouted to the elves "Aim for the eye." Within a second two arrows were embedded in the eye of the beast and everyone was running back to the mines.
Legolas sighed, it looked like they were going this way after all. "It's a four day journey to the other side." Gandalf announced, and lighting his staff, set off, leading the way through the arching caverns of the once great mines.