Though far away,
We're still the same
"Eccaia. They are coming. Quickly, we must go."
Large, brown eyes flickered upwards, meeting those of the taller girl who had spoken.
"What do you mean?" The small voice was riddled with fear. As the larger hand grasped hers, Eccaia was pulled to her feet. "Who is here?"
The older girl pulled Eccaia towards the door, which had been thrown open so hastily that there was a small dent in the wall.
"They have found us," the girl's voice was strangely calm as she hurried down a long hallway, tugging Eccaia along with her. "Do you remember what we are to do?"
Eccaia pushed her hair out of her eyes with a small hand, wide eyes unable to hide the anxiety that swirled throughout her body.
"Yes."
"Caia."
With a jolt, Caia's eyelids were thrown open as she sat up, hand flying to her chest. Her heart was pounding quickly, and she struggled to keep her breathing under control.
Her eyes met those of Pippin, who was frowning down at her, concerned.
"Gandalf has remembered the way," he said, puling back the hand that he had used to shake her arm previously. "Are you alright?"
The damp, musty air of Moria was heavy, and hard to inhale. Still, Caia took a deep breath, and nodded.
"Yeah," she replied. Even as a whisper, her voice seemed too loud. "Sorry."
Shuffling to her feet, Caia rubbed at the back of her neck, which was cramping from the awkward position that she had fallen asleep in.
The altercation with the nightmarish creature had left her aching and exhausted. The air inside Moria was so thick that it lulled her to sleep the second she sat down. Caia placed a hand on her midriff, where she had been hit, and rubbed her hand over the sensitive skin. It hurt with the slightest touch.
Still sleepy, Caia made her way down a set of stairs with the rest of the Fellowship. The walls extended out much farther, vanishing in the darkness that Gandalf's light could not reach.
There were destroyed structures littering the ground, but that did nothing to diminish the beauty of Moria. Even in its state, it reflected what had once been its prime time. Caia could only imagine what it would have been like before it faced its destruction. Though the stones were all the same, dull grey, they still boasted intimate, beautiful architecture of a magnificent city.
"Behold," Gandalf held up his staff, and the light began to glow brighter, "the freat realm and dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."
The ceilings were so high up that Caia couldn't see them, and large columns framed the way. Even knowing the evil that Moria hid, she couldn't help being awestruck.
"Now there's an eye opener," Sam breathed, head turning slowly as he attempted to register what he was seeing.
As they continued down the large hallway, Caia looked between the columns at her side, into the shadow that lay beyond.
She could have sworn that they were pulsating with evil, and whispering amongst themselves. It was as if something was moving just beyond her line of sight. Making sure to stay close to the Fellowship, Caia tried to ignore her tingling instincts.
Gimli let out a shout so suddenly that Caia nearly jumped out of her skin, heart freezing to a stop. She turned her head to see the dwarf running into a room, dodging the skeletons that were laying around the doorway.
"Gimli!" Gandalf's yell fell on deaf ears.
Once Caia had filed into the room, she found Gimli kneeling in front of a stone coffin, groaning in anguish. A light was shining on it from a window, illuminating the carvings of words that she could not read. More piles of bones littered the room, coupled with the damp smell, and Caia stuck close to the Hobbits, accustomed to staying out of the way as Gandalf stepped forward.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," Gandalf read solemnly, as Gimli continued to release cries of grief.
Caia's heart felt heavy as she regarded the Dwarf, who sobbed with his head rested on the coffin.
"He is dead, then,"
Handing his hat and staff to Pippin suddenly, Gandalf took hold of a large book, which had been resting in the hands of a skeleton. Dirt and dust fell from its pages as Gandalf flipped through them with narrowed eyes.
As he did so, Caia looked around the room. She was completely unable to remember how they were to be ambushed, and she was anxious. Aware of the chaos that was about to come, but not knowing how it would arrive, Caia bit at the inside of her cheek.
"Did you see something?" Sam asked in a whisper, drawing her attention.
Caia turned towards him and Frodo, who were both looking up at her, and shook her head.
"Not really," she replied in a hushed whisper of her own. "But I have a really bad feeling. Like there's something in the shadows."
A small silence fell over the trio at Caia's words, and she felt suddenly as if she was obligated to retract the worry that she had just expressed.
"Are you okay, Frodo?" She asked lowly. "You know, after earlier."
The memory of the creature from the lake must have left his mind, and it returned along with a small frown. His voice was soft as he replied, "Yes, I'm alright."
Caia nodded, before awkwardly looking away. Small talk wasn't her strong suit, and this was not the place to improve on it.
"We must move on," she heard Legolas say to Aragorn, eyebrows narrowed. "We cannot linger."
Gandalf began to read from the book, dust flying from the book as he spoke.
"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums.. Drums in the deep."
Caia tried to swallow the lump in her throat, deeply disturbed by the narration. She unknowingly shuffled closer to the Hobbits, clenching her teeth. After flipping the page, Gandalf continued to read.
"We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."
A sudden clang stole Caia's attention, drawing a gasp, and she whipped to her side to witness Pippin standing still, having gone completely pale. A skeleton, which had been sitting by a small, well-resembling hole, tipped backwards and fell, dragging with it a long chain and metal bucket. A racket ensued as it fell, banging around against stone. The noises echoed for what seemed like an eternity, and was replaced by a long, tensed silence.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf hissed, slamming the book shut as he glared at Pippin. "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" With that, the wizard yanked back his hat and staff, leaving the halfling to stand still, clearly embarrassed.
Caia continued to stand with wide eyes.
Once again, she had remembered too late.
A distant, ritual thud began to echo from down the hole, causing everybody to freeze up. Caia's chest began to heave as the tried to will herself not to panic. The thumping of drums was soon accompanied by screeches, seemingly coming from everywhere, causing the entire group to look around in apprehension.
"Mr. Frodo," Sam breathed.
Caia looked to the ringbearer to see him draw his sword slightly.
It was glowing a bright, icy blue.
Fear struck into Caia's heart as yelling and chanting sounded louder.
She had spent so much time worrying about Gandalf's death that she had forgotten about the likelihood of her own.
I can't fight.
Oh, my God. I'm going to die.
"Orcs!" Legolas hissed.
An arrow whizzed past Boromor, who had hurried to the door. It just barely missed him, and he immediately slammed the wooden doors shut.
"Get back!" Aragorn shouted, stepping in front of the Hobbits and Caia. "Stay close to Gandalf!"
Caia felt her eyes burn as they watered in terror, but she filed backwards, legs shaking so hard that she could barely stand.
"They have a cave troll," Boromir stated, almost too calm, as Aragorn and Legolas sprung into action. They took weapons which had long since been abandoned on the ground, and began bracing them against the doors. The wild yelling was growing closer, and Caia felt herself growing smaller by the second as she looked around in a panic, trying to find any sort of plan.
Gandalf pulled out his sword, and Caia soon followed. Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir stepped back from the door, which was shaking with the force of the orcs banging against it. The sound, akin to thunder, took Caia's breath away as adrenaline and terror filled her mind.
Why did I go with them?
Caia felt as if the door would burst at any second, and the fact that it held up for so long left her completely rigid with anticipation.
Gimli released a growl as he climbed atop the coffin, holding up an axe. Malice bubbled over his voice. "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath."
Small, sharp weapons began to protrude through the door, which was slowly crumbling. An arrow, presumably from Legolas, flew neatly through one of the holes in the door. Whatever was behind it let out a high-pitched screech.
In a split second, the doors gave way, and fell to the ground. Chaos erupted throughout the room as orcs raced into the room with yells, swords in hand. Clanging, screeching, and shouts filled Caia's ears, and she tried to take a deep breath as an endless amount of Orcs filled the room.
Before she knew it, Caia was separated from the Hobbits, who had raced off into battle. An orc raced up to her, drawing up a sword, and a sudden desire to live filled Caia's veins with courage. She side-stepped the orc's swing, and heaved her sword into its side, between plates of armor. With a squeal, the orc fell to the side, and Caia couldn't help the pride that swelled her heart, forgetting that the battle had only just started.
A massive, guttural growl caught the attention of nearly anyone in the room as a large, humanoid creature was tugged into the room by a chain. The cave troll was absolutely massive, and a bloodthirsty yell escaped its throat.
Caia's attention was quickly drawn away from it as a figure came towards her. Another orc, seemingly identical to the one before, came at her with a shout. Caia hardly managed to lift her sword in time to parry its hit, her focus completely destroyed by the arrival of the cave troll.
Letting out a scream of fear as the orc's sword swung at her again, Caia hit it with her own, before thrusting her sword into its neck. With a gurgle, the orc fell, and Caia struggled to pull her sword back out.
Orc after orc came after Caia. Her mind was completely filled with trying to stop them from killing her, and the rest of the Fellowship fell from her focus. It was as if, in that moment, all that existed was Caia's struggle for survival.
The troll's grunts and yells were so loud that they filled the room, but never once did it come near Caia, who was on the other side of the room from it. Arrows were shot into it time and time again, but the massive creature still stayed standing, swinging around a massive club. Caia didn't have much time to look at it as she scrambled towards the walls, hoping to escape the heart of the battle.
Panting heavily with sweat dripping down her face, Caia found a moment's peace, looking around quickly, trying to cover all of her bases. Out of nowhere, something was shoved into Caia's back. The force took her by surprise and sent her flying to the ground on her stomach. Her sword had left her hand by the time she landed, air expelling itself from her lungs.
She was completely vulnerable.
Flipping over to her back, Caia found an orc standing above her, sword raised over its head. As it brought the weapon down, Caia screamed and rolled to the side, hitting the wall. The sword raised and came back down in a split second, giving her no time to flee, and she raised her arms over her face as everything within her froze.
Caia's hands began to burn, and a wild energy filled her veins.
A bright, blue light permeated Caia's sight.
Sitting down and writing this chapter was so exciting. The second I got into it, the chapter just seemed to write itself.
I've said this time and time again, but one thing that I'm not familiar with is writing action or describing fighting. I tried my absolute best to make it realistic without her dying (though, let's be honest, all of here wouldn't live through Moria lol).
But! Now, something about Caia that she doesn't know herself is starting to emerge. I want it to come slowly and naturally, rather than so suddenly that it's completely out of place, so let this be a little taste of what's to come. My worst nightmare is Caia becoming a Mary-Sue, so please let me know if you think that's happening!
Thank you to O-O-Octopus and yasminasfeir1 for reviewing on the last chapter! And thanks again to yasminasfeir1 for letting me know what kind of updates you prefer. I will stick to shorter chapters and faster updates. :) I hope you both liked this chapter, too!
Thanks everybody for reading this chapter. I hope I did well. ^^ Good luck to those of you who are going back to school, like I am! We can all suffer together, haha.
If you liked this chapter, or have anything you want to say about it, please leave me a review! It means the absolute world to me, and I do best after reading what everyone has to say. You guys influence the story more than you think you do. :)
Until next time!