Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry, it's been a bit longer than usual. I'm a little busy with midterms and such. And I've been reading a million Lothiriel/Eomer fics. I think I might write one of those next. He's like, my dream man. At least, I'll write him that way :P

Just a heads up, I'm not going to spend too much time on the events of where the fellowship go, what battles they have, etc. I, personally, get very tired of reading about Caradhras in nearly every fan fiction, and seeing as this is only "sort of" and 10th walker, there won't be too much emphasis put on that. It gets dull anyway, in my opinion.


Life continued much as it had been in Rivendell. Soon, it was nearly time for the Fellowship to leave Imladris, and set off for Mordor. The thought sent chills down Aria's spine, especially when she thought of the breaking of the fellowship. She tried to push these thoughts from her head, especially when she practices with her spear. Hopefully, with some more training, she would be able to help him when he needed her most.

And so, the day came when they were to depart on the greatest journey of the age. Aria tried to gather her meagre belongings as quickly as she could, before meeting up with Boromir and heading off with the others. She was pulling on her last boot, and sat up nervously to pull her hair into a single braid. She was struggling with the end of it when she heard a soft voice from the door,

"Let me help you with that, my lady." Ethiriel said quietly, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. Aria got up quickly and held her friend to her. The elleth hugged back eagerly, and let out a small sob. "Oh, you'll go off on your adventure and you'll never return!"

Aria couldn't help but laugh, "Ethiriel, I'll be fine. Really, I will. I'm travelling with some of the best warriors in Middle-Earth...I'll be alright."

Ethiriel sniffled against Aria's shoulder. She pulled away at last, and gave her dearest friend a kiss on the cheek. Ethiriel and Aria had grown quite close in the time that Aria had spent in Imladris. She had told the elleth of everything: of her and Boromir, of the future (some of it), of her life on Earth, or everything and anything. She would miss her ever-present caregiver and best friend. Ethiriel smiled sadly at her, and went over to the door, where she bent down and picked up a basket laden with fabric and cloths.

"Here. I had these made for you. Those men may be satisfied with only having one set of clothing, but I will not let you leave with only the clothes on your back." she said primly, and plopped the basket onto the bed. Aria beamed and bent over to see the contents of the basket. Inside, she found the softest leather boots she had ever felt, lined with a bit of fur. She looked down at the worn boots that Boromir had bought for her in Dol Baran, and she kicked them off quickly. Next, she found a soft linen tunic and a heavier over-vest.

"It will not always be warm." Ethiriel said, practically. Aria smiled and thanked her, and thought of Caradhras. Under the vest was a pair of thick cotton leggings, and a long overcoat of leather and wool. Ethiriel had thought to include a belt, complete with extra loopholes for a small pouch made of leather.

"What is in here?" Aria asked her friend, pulling on the draw strings. Ethiriel took the pouch from her and opened it. Inside was a small scroll, tied with a simple piece of twine, and a small stone carving of a white flower. "What are these?"

Ethiriel smiled, "This,"she said, holding up the scroll, "is a letter to someone very dear to me. His name is Lairion, I wrote it on the scroll for you. If you ever go to Lórien, for you said you would, I ask you to give this to him. It would mean very much to me. And this," she said, holding up the small carving, "is Elanor. It is the flower that grows in Lórien. My mother gave it to me when she sailed to the West to protect me and bring me lucky. It has done so, and now I give it to you. May it bring you the same fortune."

Aria hugged her tightly, "I will do this for you. Thank you so much. This means so much to me."

"You're welcome, mellon." she smiled back at her, "Now go, the fellowship cannot depart without you."

Aria nodded, and pulled on her new boots. She relished in the comfort of them, and packed up her old ones and the new clothes. They made her pack heavier, but she knew she would be thankful later on. Besides, she had seen Legolas's bag, and she knew for a fact that she had packed lightly. Looking back at her old room, she walked out the door, and shut it behind her. Looking forward, she heard a door open. Boromir stepped out of the room down the hall from hers. He smiled at her, and held out his hand. She walked over to him and took it, lightly. He gave her hand a squeeze, and they began walking forward to the dais where they were all to meet.

Boromir let go of her hand when they got there, a practice they had began when it occurred to them that since they were not officially courting, and it would seem odd to the people of Gondor visiting Imladris. However, they stood side by side, both tall and quiet against the cool breeze that was the only sign that winter was approaching. Legolas and Gimli were both there now, and Frodo and Sam. Gandalf was sitting calmly on a bench nearby, smoking some pipe weed and grumbling about something. It appeared that they waited on Aragorn and the two other hobbits.

Finally the rest of them arrived, and Elrond came up to them. He wished them a safe journey, and bestowed upon them some small gifts. Aria got a light, but balanced and strong spear,

"I hear you have been practising. I hope this furthers your progress." he said, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Some advice for you, before you leave. Do not let your knowledge change what is in your heart, for your heart can change what you know."

He gave her a wink and a fatherly smile, before he set them off at last. They all waited for Frodo to go ahead, and the hobbit turned around to Gandalf,

"Mordor, Gandalf...is it left or right?" he asked unsure of himself. Gandalf chuckled,

"Left!" he whispered hastily.


The first few hours were as uneventful as Aria remembered when reading about them. Very little happened: the hobbits complained that they were hungry, Aragorn stopped to sniff the ground a few dozen times, Gimli talked about malt beer and salted pork, which in turn, made the hobbits complain more. Legolas and Boromir discussed the different ways to properly sharpen a sword, and Aria hummed a familiar tune to herself. Gandalf was at the front of the company, muttering to himself about why the elves couldn't make proper roads coming to and from Rivendell like the rest of Middle-Earth. After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped for lunch, which was meagre, much to the hobbits' disappointment.

"Do not worry, it gets much easier after the first few days." said Boromir to Aria, handing her a piece of bread and a small chunk of cured meat. She took it gladly and stuffed the meat in her mouth. She had been starving for what seemed like hours. She'd forgotten to eat breakfast before they left. Boromir eyed her and raised an eyebrow. Aria chewed slowly and shrugged,

"I forgot to eat breakfast."

"The hobbits ate three breakfasts, you know." he responded, laughing a little to himself. They sat for a while, resting their feet, and then they were off again.


Caradhras was exactly how she remembered it in the films: cold and snowy. Her new winter boots weren't serving her here as well as she would have liked them, and she watched Legolas prance around on top of the snow. In his defence, there really wasn't much he could have done about it, but still, it upset her cold feet to see him atop the mounds of snow, dry and warm.

She turned around quickly, seeing Frodo fall in the snow. Aria sighed audibly, and Aragorn threw her an annoyed look. Aria hadn't sighed at Frodo's falling, but rather what she knew would happen next. She looked over to Boromir, who was bent over the snow, staring at the ring, glinting in the harsh sunlight reflected off the snow.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing." he said, holding the ring in his hand. Everyone seemed to eye him cautiously, and Aria had a look of pain on her face that did not go unnoticed. Boromir held the run up to the light, "Such a little thing."

"Boromir, give the ring to Frodo." said Aragorn, with a hand on the hilt of his sword. Aria looked at Boromir, who looked back at her a smiled nervously. He went over to Frodo and handed him the ring,

"Very well. I care not." he ruffled the hobbit's hair and stood beside Aria. "Tell me of another song from your world, Aria. Perhaps it will get my mind off this blasted cold."

Aria smiled at him, but it was less sincere than usual. She had expected this, but not in this way. Seeing the effects of the ring in real life was not the same as watching it on a screen. The look she had seen on Boromir's face was unfamiliar to her, and she hoped it stayed that way. She had a sneaking suspicion that the cold was not her love's greatest worry, but rather the shadow that he knew was growing in his mind. Still, she complied.

"There's an old song I haven't been able to get out of my head for days now." she replied, squishing her feet around in the snow, "It's about a General –a Captain– who died in battle. It's the song his men sang for him."

She cleared her throat and began to sing it. She didn't mind so much now, as it wasn't really a song that required a lot of skill to sing. It was a drinking sort of song, but it reminded her of home.

"Well General Taylor gained the day
Walk him along, John, Carry him along
Well General Taylor he gained the day
Carry him to his bury'n ground

Tell me way, hey, you stormy
Walk him along, John, carry him along
Tell me way, hey, you stormy
Carry him to his bury'n ground

We'll dig his grave with a silver spade
Walk him along, John, Carry him along
His shroud of the finest silk will be made
Carry him to his bury'n ground."

When she had finished, Gimli piped up, "A fine song, lass. A fine tale indeed."

She smiled at the dwarf in thanks, and patted Boromir softly on the arm before jogging ahead to talk to Merry and Pippin.


A booming voice could be heard on the air. Aria looked around in panic before she felt a weight of snow fall onto her shoulders and crush her to the ground. She tried to push through it, but more snow came. When it stopped, she pulled herself up and looked around. Pushing herself up as far as she could, she helped the others get the hobbits out of the snow.

"We must make for the Gap of Rohan, then take the west road to my city!" she heard Boromir yell.

She vaguely heard other voices before Frodo finally spoke up beside her, "We will go through the mines."

"So be it." said Gandalf.

Aria shuddered at the though of the mines. Everything had become so much more real to her now, and though she knew what to expect, she was terrified of what it all would actually be like.


Two days later, the fellowship reached the West Gate of Moria. Aria snickered to herself watching Gandalf struggle at guessing the password. She walked over to Merry and Pippin who were tossing pebbles and stone into the lake behind them. She saw Aragorn look back at them, and make to go over but she stopped him.

"Don't throw anything into the water. You wouldn't want to disturb anything inside." she said, stopping Merry's hand from throwing another rock. He looked at her with confusion, then realization dawned on his face. He glanced warily back at the pool, and moved away quickly.

"Mellon." she heard Gandalf say clearly, and the doors began to open. Everyone made their way into the mines. Unlike the rest of the fellowship, Aria stood face the opposite direction poised for battle.

The fellowship looked around shiftily. Aria's eyes met Boromir's then, and he looked worried as well. Gimli, on the other hand, did not. Gimli looked to Legolas then, a cheerful smile on his face,

"Soon Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone." he said, rubbing his stomach hungrily. Aria could swear she saw Pippin's eyes glaze over. "And they call it a mine! A mine!"

Boromir looked around cautiously, "This is no mine," he said, softly nudging a piled of bones with his boot, "It's a tomb."

Legolas pulled an arrow out of the skeleton of a deceased dwarf. "Goblins." he spat, just as Gimli let out a pained cry. Boromir looked at the bodies strewn around them,

"We should never have come here. We make for the Gap of Rohan." he said, motioning for them to leave quickly. "Now get out of here, get out!"

When the giant tentacle soared out of the water and grabbed Frodo, Aria was ready. She yelled and charged at it with her spear. Legolas shot at the Watcher and the rest of them stabbed wildly at it.

The rest of the company moved quickly now, to get Frodo safely into the mines. When they reached the doors, they pulled them shut quickly. It grew silent, then. Aria heard Gandalf's staff knocking on the floor, and then the space was filled with a dim, grey light.

"We have but one choice," Gandalf said looking around," We must now face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard, there a darker and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the earth. It's a four day journey to the other side, let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."


"You should eat something." Boromir whispered to Aria, and nudged a cup of broth at her. She shook her head quietly.

"Not right now."

Boromir looked at her worriedly. He lay down his cup, and pulled her up by the elbow. He placed his hand on the small of her back, and pulled her away from where the fellowship were sitting around the small cooking fire. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, and remained silent.

"Aria, what is wrong? You have barely spoken or eaten for two days." he said to her, running his fingertips over her cheek. He bent his head low to speak to her quietly.

"It's these mines. I knew of all of this before hand, but I never expected it to be this way. It's so different than what I expect, and so much darker. Nothing like this exists where I'm from." she said quietly, looking around them at the dark mines.

"You are afraid?" he asked, pulling her a little closer to him. She nodded,

"Yes and no. Not afraid of what might happen, but this place gives me this frightened feeling."

He pulled her into an embrace, and stroked her hair quietly. She breathed in his scent. He smelled of leather and wood smoke from the fire, and there was also the distinctly 'Boromir' smell that she couldn't place. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and squeezed him close. He pulled away only for a moment to draw her head up to his, where they met in a kiss. She sighed into him, and he deepened the kiss only briefly, before pulling away, conscious of their proximity to the rest of the fellowship.

"I hope that was a pleasant enough distraction for you." he whispered into her ear, sending light shivers down her spine. She laughed softly, and gave him a peck on the cheek. Her took her hand in his, and they walked back over to the fire.

Sam looked at Boromir and grumbled to himself, shaking his head. Aria giggled. Sam, for some reason, couldn't hold with the idea of Boromir and Aria together. She drank the broth now, and Boromir sat down beside her, and casually threw his cloak around her shoulders. Hers was still damp from being rolled up after their fight with the Watcher.

That night, when they unrolled their cloaks to lay down to sleep, Boromir lay down in the dark behind Aria, and pulled his cloak over the both of them, "I will rest with you tonight, you have no reason to fear the darkness when I am here."

She kissed him softly before drifting off into a strained sleep, but it was still better than any other night she had slept since they left Rivendell. She knew what was lying ahead of them in the mines, and she was glad it was still a day away from them.


She woke the next morning (she assumed, based on the fact that Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf were also up, not because she could actually tell in the dark if it was morning) and Boromir was still sleeping behind her. His arm was draped across her waist, and one hand was holding her protectively. She had yet to open her eyes, and held them shut for a moment, savouring the moment. After a few moments, she could hear the rest of the fellowship getting up a ways away from them, and she could hear Boromir stirring behind her.

When he woke up, he pulled her closer, and buried his head in her hair. She smiled, and turned around to face him.

"Good morning." she whispered. He groaned,

"Morning? How in Elbereth's name can you tell in this place?" he asked before sitting up. She sat up, too, cross-legged and facing him.

"I'm not sure. Gimli says he can tell right away when it's morning in the mines, though I suspect he's had more practice."

Aria shook off her cloak, which was dry now, and threw it around her back. Boromir did the same, and they began to pack up their things. Boromir went off to talk to Aragorn about their journey for the day, and Aria decided to spend some time alone while she ate some of the bread recently handed to her by Frodo.

After a while, they had finished packing up their things, and covered up the traces of their being there, should they be followed.

Somewhere, at sometime, Gandalf decided that they were lost. They appeared to walk around aimlessly for hours, following the staircases and passages deeper into the darkness. Gimli did not know where to go, and all memory Gandalf had of Moria seemed to be lost. At great length, he finally exclaimed, "Oh! It's that way."

Aria laughed as Gandalf told Merry that "when in doubt, follow your nose." and they set off in the direction of Dwarrowdelf. The dwarven city was majestic at the very least. Its gleaming columns and pillars stretched so high, that Aria thought they must reach all the way to the tip of the mountain. The walls of the cavern were dark but not as ominous as the rest of the mines. Aria found herself dumbstruck by the dwarven construction, and stared open mouthed at its grandeur.

"There's an eye-opener, make no mistake." said Sam, in complete awe. What struck them most of all was how empty the grand, dark hall was. They walked through the ancient hall, going deeper into its depths, until they reached a smaller room. A stream of moonlight from outside shone into the cavern, right over top of what looked like a tomb.

"No!" Gimli cried before running wildly into the room. The rest of the fellowship followed, and Gandalf read the epitaph on the tomb. Balin's tomb was covered in dust an debris, and the scattered remains of a great battle fought were strewn across the room and throughout the hall. The sound of Gimli's grief echoed between and around the massive pillars, and Gandalf read from the final logs of Dwarrowdelf.

"Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."

Everything was silent then, until a clatter rang through the room and echoed in the halls. Pippin looked down, sheepishly. Moments later, Legolas cried out,

"Orcs!"

"Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn shouted to the hobbits. Aria readied her spear, and stood at battle stance. Boromir was running towards the door, barring it shut with the help of Aragorn. He came back and stood beside her, holding his sword with both hands. They waited there, until finally, a loud pounding could be heard at the door. Aria eyes grew wide when she saw the door splinter and break, and arrows being shot at them from outside. The door was ripped open and from the other side, a massive cave troll barrelled in.

"They have a cave troll." Boromir said dryly, gripping his sword a little harder.

The goblins began to pour in then, and Aria found herself in the midst of battle, stabbing away and throwing her spear at goblins. She parted with her main weapon for a while, after it skewered her opponent across the room. As quickly as she could, she pulled a small dagger out of her boot, and turned around quick enough to dig it deep into the goblin coming at her from behind.

Nearby, Boromir was trying to protect the hobbits while still keeping a careful eye on Aria. He saw her spin around and stab at a goblin with her boot dagger. Despite the mess of battle, she turned and spun quite gracefully on the floor slippery with blood and grime.

From the corner of her eye, Aria could see Frodo's small body being carried off with the giant pillar that was torn from the floor by the troll. Aria looked around her, and took aim with her spear, straight for the troll's back. She fired it at the beast, narrowly missing a vital area, and the spear embedded itself into the troll's side. Yelling in pain, the troll turned around and headed straight for the young woman.

Legolas fired two arrows at the troll's face then, in an attempt to stop it from going after Aria. The troll, wounded and stumbling, turned towards Frodo and rammed a giant stake into Frodo's stomach. Frodo gasped, and lost his breath.

With only a few goblins left, and the cave troll nearly finished, the fellowship cleared off whatever of their enemy was left. Finishing off the last goblin, Aragorn ran to Frodo. Moving the stake away from the hobbit, Frodo coughed and tried to regain his breath, but seemed intact.

"That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn exclaimed. Gandalf smiled,

"I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye." he said, gesturing to Frodo's vest of Mithril.

They paused only for a moment, before more screeches could be heard. Pulling Frodo up by the arm, Aria ran after the others away from the smaller room, and towards the Bridge of Khazad-Dum.

Chased by orcs, they ran quickly towards the bridge that would lead them out of the mines. As they approached the thin bridge, a bellowing roar could be heard from below them. The orcs and goblins following them seemed to scatter by the time the second beastial roar was heard from the deeps of the mines. A red glow drew nearer, and Gandalf looked back in fear.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir exclaimed, pulling the hobbits further out of harm's way.

"A balrog of Morgoth. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" Gandalf exclaimed. Boromir raced ahead, Legolas, Gimli and all the hobbits but Frodo in tow. Aria, unafraid for Gandalf, but acutely aware of the dangers of the Balrog, ran quickly towards the bridge. As they approach the bridge, Aria sees Gandalf stop in the middle. In front of her, Boromir and the others are tossing hobbits to the other side, and Aria runs after them, looking over her shoulder at Gandalf.

Aria leaped across the gap, onto the other side, and was caught by Aragorn. Looking back at Gandalf, she caught his confrontation with the balrog just before she heard him yell his most iconic line,

"You shall not pass!" the wizard yelled, thrusting his staff into the ground below him, sending a wave of vibrations throughout the chasm. The balrog took a step forward, and the bridge collapsed underneath him. Gandalf caught onto the ragged edge of the broken bridge,

"Fly, you fools!" he said hastily, before the balrog's giant whip snapped up and pulled Gandalf into the dark depths beneath them.

Aria could hear the cries of the fellowship as Gandalf plummeted further into the dark. She pushed them forward and out of the mines, dodging arrows as she fled to the outdoors.


Outside, the hobbits cried for the loss of their friend, and Aria wiped the dark blood from her weapons. She began to rouse the hobbits from their grief, helping Aragorn to get them up.

"Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Boromir exclaimed, holding his head in his hands.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" Aragorn responded, helping Sam up.

Aria walked down the side of the mountain in silence. Boromir came over to walk beside her. He saw no traces of grief on her face, but could sense that she was troubled anyhow. He walked silently beside her for some time. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder,

"You knew of this?" he asked simply. Aria nodded at him, and continue forward, following Aragorn towards Lothlorien.

It was at this moment that Boromir truly understood the depth of Aria's knowledge, and how much it would come to pain her in the future. He resolved to help her bear this burden as long as he was able to.

A/N: Yeah so, when I said I didn't wanna spend a bunch of time with the fellowship doing stuff we already knew they were gonna do, I meant I was getting it over with in like, one chapter. Hopefully it wasn't too boring, and yes, I realized I rearranged some of the dialogue, so don't kill me lol. It flowed better in my story this way, I think. The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise :)

Btw, that song, is called General Taylor by Great Big Sea, and amazing traditional Canadian band that I love. I was listening to it when I decided to include it lol. I know it's random :P Review! Because I love you!