Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I only own my OC's.

Chapter Nine: Fallen to Shadow

The air in the tunnel was musty, and what little light they had emanated from Gandalf's staff. The ragged group shuffled through the enclosed space one by one. They went down several flights of stone stairs, then up another few flights. Finally they exited the tunnel into an open antechamber. Light streamed through a skylight in the ceiling, illuminating a stone coffin resting the the center of the room. A loud wailing cry came from the back of the group, and Gimli raced towards the coffin as quickly as his short legs could carry him.

"No! NO!" He broke down in sobs as Gandalf read the runes engraved in the stone.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." He stated gravely. "It is as I feared." He bent down and pried a thick leather tome out of the skeletal hands of a fallen dwarf who was leaning on the coffin. As he studied the pages, Elle took the oppourtunity to look around. The room was high ceilinged, made of stone, of course.

Pippin carefully studied a skeleton perched on the edge of what seemed to be a stone well. He reached a hand towards it carefully, but as he stepped forward, he knocked a chain that had been attached to the skeleton down the well. It clattered down into the black depths, making a rather larg racket. Once the dust had settled, and all was quiet, Gandalf approached Pippin, glowering fiercely.

"Fool of a Took!" He spat harshly. "Next time, throw yourself down, and rid us all of your stupidity!" Pippin cowered, and Merry and Shayna glared at Gandalf.

A deep thrumming interupted their spat. It was coming from the depths of the Mines, whilst getting steadily closer. Shayna, Merry and Pippin all looked at each other, their eyes wide.

"Oh no." Frodo drew Sting out of it's holster to find the metal glowing blue.

"Orcs." He whispered, as Sam hefted his frying pan a little higher above his head. Gimli swung his axe a few times to limber himself, Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, and Legolas strung his bow. Shayna steeled her resolve and stood stoically, waiting for the Orcs to come. Aragorn handed Elle a dagger, and she weighed it experimentally in her hand. Quinn just cowered behind Frodo.

The stomping and banging became louder, and soon they could hear the excited shrieks of the Orcs and Goblins as they approached the room where the Fellowship stood, awaiting them. A loud roar could be heard, and Boromir raced to the door, sticking his head out to survey the oncoming threat.

"They have a cave troll..." He muttered exasperatedly. Suddenly, an arrow pierced the wooden door of the chamber. An axe followed, and soon the door was reduced to splinters. The army surged in, screaming and shouting various profanities. Legolas let fly the first arrow, then there was chaos. Swords glinted in the dull light, and shouts of both pain and triumph could be heard echoing around the room. Elle danced around her opponent, striking out with the dagger. Shayna was a whirling dervish, fists and feet flying. The cave troll shrieked, and swung a massive chain he held in one hand. It hit the wall, and stone and dust exploded. From her vantage point, Elle could see Frodo hiding behind a stone pillar. An Orc encroached on him from behind, wielding a spear. He thrust with all his might, and the spear hit Frodo.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as Frodo clutched his midsection, gasping. The Fellowship looked on in horror for a moment, before resuming fighting with renewed vigour. Legolas raced up the wall and onto the cave troll, sending arrows shooting through it's skull. With one last roar, it swayed and fell. Quickly the Fellowship rounded up the remaining stragglers before rushing over to Frodo worriedly.

He lay gasping for breath, his eyes half-open. Aragorn discarded the spear as Frodo opened his eyes.

"By golly!" Gimli exclaimed.

"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye..." Gandalf mused knowingly. Frodo gave a guilty grin, before pulling the fabric of his tunic aside to show a shirt made of shining metal.

"Mithril..." Gimli breathed reverently. "You are full of surprises, young Master Baggins." Frodo gave another half smile.

"We must hurry." Gandalf insisted, the moment of relief passing quickly. The Fellowship stood and made their way out of the chamber. Gandalf led them through many dark passages before they emerged into a room with a high ceiling.

"Welcome to the great Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." He annouced grandly. The room was quite something. Large stone pillars stood ten feet apart, everywhere in the room. They were exquistely carved. However, the Fellowship had no time to sightsee. They hurried on their way. As they made their way to the end of the room, a orange light began to glow in the distance, accompanied by the thrumming of war drums.

"A Balrog of Morgoth." Legloas breathed. Spurred on by this new threat, the Fellowship moved ever faster.


AN: Alright, this chapter is now finished. It was originally longer, but I thought I would just get it up now, to make up for the long delay in posting. It's not exactly my best work, but I seem to be losing my inspiration for this story. Don't worry though, it will get finished! There might just be longer spaces in between updates. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed so far, and I hope you liked this chapter! Leave me some thoughts!

-T