Chapter 9 - The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
We cannot get out. They are coming. Orcs were now audible, approaching the room we were in. We were trapped.
Boromir ran to the only door in the room. An arrow almost hit his head.
"Get back!" Aragorn shouted to the Hobbits "Stay close to Gandalf!"
Gandalf started to gather all the Hobbits, who remained close to each other. Aragorn ran to the place Boromir was, next to the door, and both of them closed it.
"They have a cave troll!" Boromir exclaimed, with an ironic tone.
Legolas started gathering axes and throwing them to Boromir, in order to bar the door, to delay the enemy's entrance inside the room. I inched forward, waiting to help them with keeping the door shut.
"You too, Elariniel!" Aragorn said "Stay close to Gandalf!"
"I can fight!" I protested, as I drew my bow, getting my first arrow for that battle ready.
Gandalf drew his sword and held it tight as well as his staff. The hobbits followed Gandalf, doing exactly the same with their own swords. Frodo's one was shining in blue.
Gimli had jumped to the tomb, roaring, with an angry and mad expression on his dwarf-face.
"Let them come!" He roared "There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"
I was standing, turned to the door, with my bow ready to start shooting. On my left side, Aragorn stood with this bow ready, as well and, on my right side, Legolas did exactly the same as us. By the other side of Legolas, Boromir was looking intently at the door, holding is sword on one of his hands and his shield on his other one.
Orcs started to break the door, trying to bring it down.
Legolas shot his first arrow, through an opening of broken wood, in the door. He hit an orc on his neck, causing it to try instant death. Legolas got another arrow ready. Aragorn shot too, hitting another orc. It was my turn. I shot fast, through an opening, and my arrow hit an orc right in the eye.
The orcs managed to break the doors, and spread inside the room as fast as strong wind. Legolas kept on shooting arrows and Aragorn shot another one, which hit another orc on its neck, piercing it.
I started to shoot arrows after arrows, as well. I had a natural ability to move fast. I had good reflexes. That made pretty difficult for the orcs to hit me.
An orc came to me, trying to hit me with his sword, but I downloaded myself, escaping his sword.
"Be Careful, Elariniel!" I heard Aragorn shouting in the middle of the deafening noise from swords hitting themselves, mutually.
Gimli was fighting the orcs bravely, with his ax, while standing on the tomb, like if he was trying to protect it.
Gandalf and the Hobbits roared as they started to fight, joining me, Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir and Gimli. The hobbits did not seem scared at all, killing bravely the orcs, defending one another, with an unmatched willpower.
I shot a few more orcs on the head, making them die. Legolas was doing the same as me. Aragorn, on the other hand, had already switched back to his sword. An orc tried to attack him, but he decapitated the attacker, and the orc's head flew across the room, as blood began to flow from the decapitated body. Some of the orc blood spotted my dark-green tunic.
"Eww" I muttered, but it wasn't time to care if I had my clothes impregnated with the enemy's blood or not.
Suddenly, everyone stopped fighting, staring at the door with a frightened expression on our faces. The orcs were pulling inside the Cave Troll Boromir has mentioned before. My expression hardened, as I concentrated on the new enemy- the Cave Troll.
Legolas shot the troll right on his chest, but the troll did not care about having an arrow craved on his body. I looked at everyone, desperately. Everyone was fighting bravely. Would we be able to defeat a cave troll?
The troll took his truncheon, in order to hit Sam.
"Sam! Watch out!" I yelled at him, while shooting an arrow at the troll.
Sam narrowly escaped, running under the Troll's round and big legs. Meanwhile, Frodo, Merry and Pippin hid behind a column, trying to go unnoticed. Gimli threw his ax to the troll's chest, causing it to moan loudly.
The troll used his truncheon, once again. This time, he hit Balin's tomb, breaking it and almost hitting Gimli. The dwarf jumped to the floor and rolled over, escaping from the new onslaught of the troll. I ran to Gimli and helped him on his feet.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"I am; I can handle it myself! I won't let a pointy-ears surpass me!" he roared and I couldn't help but giggling. I had the feeling that I was going to be good friends with the dwarf, as the time passed. I had to admit that I kind of liked his attitude. He was funny.
Legolas was now shooting the troll from a higher place than we were. I was shooting two arrows each time. The troll fell slightly, then going back on the load.
Gandalf was fighting some orcs with his sword and his staff and I joined him. Gimli no longer needed help. Legolas was still fighting some orcs on the higher spot on the wall, with the help of his bow and his white knives. The troll had his eyes set on him, at the moment. I tried to hit Legolas with his truncheon, but Legolas easily escaped. Like me, fast movements were a piece of cake, for him. After some failed attempts of hitting Legolas, the elf held the chain that the Cave Troll was using with one of his feet and then, gracefully hoisted himself to the back of the troll and shot a few arrows to his head, jumping back to the floor shortly after. The troll broke the chain that was around his neck.
Sam had decided to use, as his weapon-choice, a pan made of hard iron.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" He commented, looking at his pan, after hitting several orcs with it.
I giggled at his comment. At least, even with a pan, he was doing a great job.
More orc bodies and heads flew across the room.
The troll had now focused on Frodo.
"Frodo!" Called Aragorn, without stopping his slaughter.
Frodo tried to hide once again behind a column made of bare and hard rock. The troll started playing "hide-n-seek" with Frodo and Frodo lost. The beast picked Frodo by his leg, like before. Frodo screamed in pain.
"Aragorn! Aragorn!" Sam called, desperately.
I ran to Frodo, and I took my dagger out of my belt and threw it to the troll's neck. He only moaned, but did nothing. Frodo hit the troll on his hand and the troll yelled in agony, giving a little break for Frodo to escape, as the troll distracted himself with the wound caused by Frodo. I shot a few more arrows at the Troll, but it looked like the arrows did not bother him. His skin was too hard for our arrows to be successful.
Aragorn ran to me and Frodo.
"Help us!" I asked him.
Aragorn picked a lance and pierced the Troll's enormous body with it, with all his strength. Merry and Pippin, from the other side of the room, started to throw rocks at the Troll's head, trying to disturb it or make it collapse. But the troll remained strong. Even with me shooting arrows completely non-stop, with Aragorn piercing as much as he could the beast's body with the lance and with the hobbits throwing rocks.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The troll hit Aragorn with one of his outsized hands and Aragorn was thrown back and fell down, unconscious. Without him, it would be harder to defeat the troll.
Frodo ran desperately to Aragorn's side, trying his best to wake him up. I tried to climb up to the troll's back, but it was unsuccessful, because the troll pushed me to the ground.
The troll was now staring at Frodo once again. He took the lance that Aragorn had used out of his body and used it as his weapon.
Frodo was trapped. We kept trying to distract the troll, but his attention was only set on Frodo. The troll used the lance to hit Frodo's abdomen. He moaned out loud.
It was the end. Frodo was going to die. Everyone stopped fighting. Frodo was lost. That lance could kill even an enormous beast.
"For Frodo!" I yelled out loud, and everyone joined me. He would not loose against Frodo's murderer.
"Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, while hitting even more orcs than before. "Frodo!" he repeated.
Merry and Pippin had jumped to the troll's back. The troll picked Merry by his leg and started to spin around. Then, the beast threw Merry across the room.
"Elariniel, help me!" Legolas screamed "I shot to his head by the front side and you from the back"
"Got it!" I answered, running behind the troll, while picking two arrows out of my quiver and getting them ready on my bow.
"Now!" Legolas ordered, and we shot our arrows at the same time. Legolas' one hit the troll's mouth and mines hit the back of his head.
The troll staggered and then fell heavily on the floor. With the fall, Pippin, who was still hanging on the troll's back, was thrown forward.
Aragorn had awakened from his unconscious state and began to crawl closer to Frodo.
"Oh no" he mumbled, as he picked Frodo and turned the hobbit's face to himself.
Surprisingly, Frodo sighed. He wasn't dead! A smile came to my face and I ran closer to both of them. Sam did the same as I did.
"He's alive!" Sam exclaimed, relieved.
Everyone felt alleviated after learning that Frodo was alive. Frodo took his hand to his chest, breathing heavily.
"I'm all right" he said "I'm not hurt"
This time I was really surprised! How did he manage to escape unharmed?
"You should be dead!" Aragorn stated "That spear would have skewered a wild boar!"
"I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye" Gandalf added, as he approached.
Frodo began to unbutton his shirt, revealing, under it, Mithril.
"Mithril!" Gimli muttered, absolutely fascinated "You are full of surprises, master Baggins!"
I hugged Frodo.
"Thank god you're alive!" I exclaimed.
But the attack wasn't over. The noise of orcs approaching became louder and louder.
"To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" Gandalf ordered.
We got outside the room, running. Gandalf was guiding us. Lots of orcs started to pop out and began immediately to chase us. Even from the ceiling, orcs popped out. The creatures created a close circle around us, surrounding us. I stepped backwards, getting closer to the Hobbits. The orcs were staring at us, menacingly.
A horrible roar echoed through the mines. The orcs looked at each other and began to run away.
"Ah!" Gimli exclaimed, with a victorious laugh.
Gandalf had turned his head to the spot from where the noise came from. Legolas drew is bow and adjusted an arrow, ready to shoot. But no monster appeared, and he lowered his weapon.
"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked.
There was a long silence. The roar echoed once again.
"A Balrog" Gandalf declared, finally "A demon of the ancient world"
Legolas' eyes now looked fearful, as he scanned the place where the noise came from.
"This foe is beyond any of you" Gandalf said, as he turned round "RUN!"
We started to follow Gandalf through the dark mines. The passed an archway. Boromir was now in the front. He didn't notice that the stairs were divided in too and kept on running forward, as he reached the end of the stairs, losing his balance. The torch he carried in one of his hands fell off his hands and flew through the abyss.
Legolas hastened to catch him by his back, pulling him to the ground, safely. We stopped. I was staying close to Aragorn and Gandalf.
"Gandalf!" Aragorn whispered.
"Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near!" Gandalf commanded.
My eyes fell on a bridge on the other side of that enormous room. Aragorn was about to drew his sword and ignore Gandalf's orders.
"Do as I say!" Gandalf insisted "Swords are no more use here!"
Aragorn leaded the way, after that. We started to run quickly down the stairs, till we got to a place where there was a big hole in the middle of the stairs, separating the top of the stairs from the bottom.
Legolas jumped over the hole easily. I followed him and he helped me balancing myself, as I reached the other side.
The Balrog roared once more, causing the walls of the mine to ruin. Gandalf was observing it carefully.
"Gandalf!" Legolas called, making him signal for the wizard to jump over the hole. Gandalf jumped and Legolas and I helped him to balance himself, as Legolas had done with me previously.
Arrows started to hit the spot where we were. Some of them almost pierced the Hobbits' feet.
I drew my bow, and Legolas and Aragorn did the same. We started to shoot the orcs. Some of them fell from the places they were, so I suppose that our shots were precise and successful.
"Merry! Pippin!" Boromir yelled, while grabbing the two hobbits and jumping to the other side with them.
The stairs broke a bit more, making the hole bigger than before. The orcs kept on trying to kill us. I set another arrow and shot it. An orc fell from the place where he was hiding.
"Sam!" Aragorn said, while grabbing the hobbit and tossing it over the whole. Boromir caught Sam safely.
Aragorn was getting ready to toss Gimli as well, but the dwarf raised his hand, forbidding Aragorn to do what he was intending to do.
"Nobody tosses a dwarf" Gimli affirmed.
Gimli jumped over the hole with a roar. He almost fell into the hole, but Legolas caught him by his long beard.
"NOT BY THE BEARD!" Gimli complained, loudly.
Aragorn got his bow ready, once again, and shot. Gimli was pulled up safely. I was shooting arrows as well, when I had the chance.
The stairs broke a bit more. Aragorn and Frodo had to climb up in order not to fell.
Everyone was now worried.
"Steady!" Aragorn said "Hold on!" he advised, as he put his arm around Frodo, helping him to balance himself.
The Balrog roared again, and the walls crashed down, making the top of the stairs break.
"Hang on!" Aragorn said, as they tried not to lose balance "Lean Forward! Steady!"
"Come on!" Legolas said.
The top of the stairs crashed with the bottom and Aragorn and Frodo had the perfect chance to jump safely. He caught them and started running down the rest of the stairs, aiming for the bridge of Khazad-dûm. The top of the stairs ruined completely behind our backs.
"Over the Bridge!" Gandalf commanded.
The bridge was now close. We started to run desperately to it. I followed Legolas and Gandalf did not come immediately after me. He turned to an immense quantity of flames, staring at it. An enormous black beast emerged from the Fires.
Gandalf started running after us, as the creature chased him.
We had reached the so wished bridge and we began to cross it.
Gandalf was the last one of the group, running just behind me. When I finished crossing the bridge, I turned round and noticed that Gandalf had stopped in the middle of the bridge, ready to face the Balrog.
"You cannot pass!" The wizard yelled.
"Gandalf!" Frodo exclaimed.
I wanted to run and help Gandalf, but I felt Boromir's arm pulling me back.
"You can't help him, Idiot!" He said, rudely, as he pushed me back, closer to the group.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor!" Gandalf declared, out loud, while taking his staff up and creating a protector circle around him with it "The Dark Fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!" Gandalf continued with his speech.
The Balrog hit Gandalf's protector circle, but the wizard kept on steady, without yielding to the force of the dark fire.
Aragorn's eyes were open wide, as he observed everything, fearful. Boromir was also scared, still pulling my arm back, in case I tried to run after Gandalf once again. The hobbits were close to each other, scared. Gimli and Legolas were observing everything, frightened, like every single member of the fellowship. We wanted to help, but our abilities had no use against the Balrog. The beast roared once again.
"Go back to the Shadow!" Gandalf ordered.
The creature used its whip of fire to hit the bridge.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf yelled out loud, with a powerful tone noticeable in his strong voice.
The place where the Balrog was standing, on the bridge, broke, and the Balrog fell to the darkness of the abyss, under the bridge. Gandalf turned his back to the hole he created, ready to join us and get out of the Mines safely.
But, suddenly, the unexpected happened. The Balrog used his whip to grab Gandalf's ankle and pulling him to the abyss where the creature had fallen.
My eyes opened wide, as I saw the wizard trying to hold on to the bridge and trying to climb back up.
"GANDALF!" Frodo shouted, trying to run back to the bridge. Boromir distracted himself from holding my arm for a few seconds, in order to catch Frodo.
I wasn't going to let Gandalf die. Not like that. He fought the Balrog courageously. He couldn't die.
I ran to the Bridge. I reached it and started to run closer to the place where Gandalf was still holding himself.
"You cannot do anything!" I heard Legolas' voice behind me, as he tried to grab my arm and pull me back. I lost my balance and I slipped, almost falling myself into the abyss. I fell over Legolas and I started to feel a terrible pain on my right foot. My eyes turned immediately to Gandalf once again.
"Gandalf! Hold on!" I begged, trying to get up once again, but my foot wouldn't let me. It was hurting way too much.
"Fly, you fools!" Gandalf said, and he let go.
"NOOOOO!" Frodo yelled.
Boromir ran out of that place, taking Frodo on his arms. Only my, Legolas and Aragorn were still in there.
"Aragorn!" Boromir called.
Aragorn turned round, ready to leave, with an emotionless expression covering his brave face.
"Legolas, Elariniel! Hurry!" Aragorn ordered.
"I cannot get up!" I complained.
Legolas picked me up and took my outside, on his arms.
Once we got outside, everyone sat on the floor, covered with snow, crying.
Legolas put me down. My eyes were emotionless, with tears running down my face, uncontrollable. All the hope I had, had now left me. All the happiness I had, had left me as well.
"Don't cry" Legolas asked "I can't stand seeing a beautiful and strong girl like you crying" he said.
I was too sad to react to what he said. My tears just wouldn't stop.
"Legolas! Get them up" Aragorn ordered.
"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir complained against Aragorn's command.
"By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with orcs" Aragorn explained "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien" Aragorn sheathed his sword. "Como Boromir, Legolas, Gimli! Get them up!"
Aragorn approached the place where Sam was crying and pulled him back on his feet.
"On your feet, Sam" he said. After that, he went to look for Frodo.
Legolas looked at me, once again. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I hugged him tight and started to cry like a baby. He surrounded my back with his arms.
"There, there" he whispered on my ear.
"I can't walk" I whispered back, with my face all wet from the tears.
Aragorn and Frodo approached the place where I was with Legolas.
"She can't walk" Legolas told Aragorn "I believe she sprained her ankle when she fell, inside the Mines"
"I'll carry her" Aragorn offered himself.
"No, I'll do it" Legolas countered, with a grin.
"Time to go!" Aragorn shouted.
Legolas picked me up piggyback, and joined the others running to the woods of Lothlórien. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, with my head buried on his silk platinum-blonde hair. I was going to see my grandparents, and Haldir.
