The Changing Destinies Series: Book Two

by E4me100

Aka "Innocence and Instinct." The War of the Ring has begun, with new heroines at the center of it all. The adventure of a lifetime is at their feet, and they're fully prepared to take it head-on. They know the lore and legends. Surely, everything would play out as expected...right? REMASTERED EDITION. Self-inserts, but with a twist. I do not own the original cover image.

10. Step Out to the Water

A/N: Chapter title: "Step Out to the Water" by Wolves At The Gate.

Innocence & Instinct: Chapter Ten

-Kathryn-

Not long after the decision was made, we began backtracking down the mountain, turning to head towards Moria. Of course, I wasn't too thrilled about it, knowing the journey through there would be horrific in nearly every way. I hated the concept of being trapped underground with nowhere to run, particularly when there were lots of Orcs and a fiery demon thing involved. Gimli seemed pretty damn happy about our new destination, though, which was a small comfort. I actually liked listening to his stories about his relatives and old memories from when he'd last been down there.

"So what's Moria like?" I asked him as we followed the rest of the Fellowship down a snowy, slanting pathway. He and I were currently at the end of the line, with Legolas just ahead of us. Erin was somewhere further up, talking with Aragorn and Sam.

"Oh, you'll love it, lass!" he grinned. "It's been long since I walked in my cousin's halls, but I promise ya it's lost none of its glory. Once we're through here, you'll know the true meaning of celebration." He winked, and I laughed. "Legends say the walls sparkle in the light of the blazing torches mounted on the walls...but from what, none can be sure. Some say it's dwarven magic." I heard Legolas scoff from in front of us. "Even I do not know the whole truth of it."

I nodded. "Sounds awesome! I'm excited to see it." I hated having to lie through my teeth to Gimli, but what else was I supposed to do? I knew Gandalf, Erin and I were all aware of what was really going on in the underground realm, but obviously we weren't supposed to tell the others about it. Especially our dwarven friend. I didn't want to be the one to crush his spirit so harshly. My gaze dropped to my feet as we walked, and I frowned slightly. The longer our journey went on, the more I resented knowing things about the future of the story. I don't want to know about all the horrible things that happen if I can't tell anyone else about them.

Just then, however, a sudden thought came to mind, and I voiced it in an attempt to cheer myself up. "Hey Gimli?"

"Yes, lass?"

"Are there dwarf women? And do they have beards, too?"

He smiled. "Aye, they do. Thick and full, though perhaps not as exquisite as a warrior's beard like this." He loosely tugged at his own mass of auburn hair. "But not many men ever notice if they see dwarf women! It is said that they are too similar to the dwarf men to be recognized!"

"Wow, that sucks," I said, laughing. "You'd think the dwarf women wouldn't have any beards at all."

Gimli almost cringed at the idea. "No respectable dwarf has ever been beardless! It'd be disgraceful."

"True," I admitted. "I guess in dwarf culture, it would be. But if you do spot any dwarf women while we're down here, let me know. I'd love to see one for myself."

He grinned again from underneath his thick red beard. "I can do that."

–

It took us several days to reach our new destination after we began our descent from Caradhras. Nothing too interesting happened during that time, and I didn't know whether to be thankful for it or not. The days were marked by lots of walking, random conversations, and...more walking. If nothing else, though, I was at least able to sleep peacefully for most of those nights, which was great. I certainly didn't want to be exhausted before we even got inside Moria. But even though we were finally escaping the cold clutches of the snowy slopes, the new scenery didn't do too much to brighten my mood. As we worked our way further down, snow gave way to dirt and slush, and then transitioned into lifeless grey stone. The terrain was pretty depressing, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "fifty shades of grey." It was still just as bleak and dreary as Caradhras had been...only less cold this time.

At one point during the final night of our hike, I noticed a certain someone a few steps in front of me, quickly moving to match my pace with his. "Boromir!"

The man of Gondor turned, smiling when he saw me approach. "Hello, Kathryn," he said. "You seem to be in better spirits than before."

"Yeah, well I'm a lot warmer and less tired than I was earlier," I said. "Sleep does wonders."

"That it does," he chuckled. But his laughter died away, and he glanced in my direction with a tight smile. "I am glad you've found your rest these past few days."

I stared at him, frowning. "And you have, too, I hope." He didn't answer right away, and my expression changed to one of concern. "Boromir-"

"It is nothing to worry over," he assured me. "Just a few restless nights here and there."

"Yeah, and I know why they're restless," I said in a low whisper. "It's the Ring, isn't it? I've felt it, too." At the mention of the golden band, his eyes locked with mine. "You can fight this, Boromir. You're stronger than it wants you to believe."

He sighed, a sudden weariness evident in every crease of his face. "I know," he said quietly. "It is not a battle of wills I as prepared for, is all. Especially not in this place." He looked around as we brushed by Gandalf and Frodo, passing under a large stone archway that looked like it'd been standing there for hundreds of years. "There are too many shadows here for my liking. If it had been up to me, i would've taken us south through the lands of my won people."

"We would probably be safer there," I agreed. "But it doesn't matter now. We'll be fine." I glanced over at him again. "You'll be fine," I added as an afterthought. Boromir smiled faintly again, but my attention suddenly shifted when Gimli gasped and abruptly stopped walking, causing me to bump into him. "Hey, Gimli! There are people behind you, you know."

But he wasn't paying any attention to me. His gaze was set on what lay before us. "The Walls...of Moria!"

I looked up, expecting to see some grand, extravagant display of architecture and stuff, but frowned a second later. It was just a solid wall of rock, with a stony bank running along the side of a dark, gloomy looking lake. There were like...two or three trees nearby, but that was seriously it. It was dark, everything was shrouded in mist, and the sickening smell of decay hung over the place like a thick cloak. "Seriously? That's it? There's not even a door!" I kept walking as we began moving along the rocky shore, wondering how we were supposed to get inside.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli replied, like he was stating an obvious fact. He paused to tap his axe on a part of the rock, and I stepped past him.

"Yes, Gimli," Gandalf said, also scanning the rock for any kind of sign. "Their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten!"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas asked sarcastically. I laughed and ran ahead to catch up with Erin, who was trailing just behind the wizard.

"What happens next?" I asked. "How do we get inside?"

Erin just smiled and jerked her chin towards Gandalf. "Wait."

Out of nowhere, a loud splash came from behind us, and I turned sharply at the noise. It was Frodo, who was behind us and looking really freaked out about having accidentally stepped in the lake. I looked out at the inky black water, unable to see the other side of it through the fog. I laid a reassuring hand on the hobbit's shoulder, drawing him away. "Don't worry, it's just water. it won't hurt you." Frodo glanced up at me uncertainly, but said nothing as he moved on. I kept staring at the lake, a sense of unease starting to creep up my spine as I glanced at Erin. "...We're okay here, right?" She also stayed quiet, surveying the expanse of the water before turning away.

After a moment, Gandalf stopped at a smoother surface between two trees which had somehow managed to grow tall and strong amidst all the stone. The wizard reached up, starting to rub the wall, and I shot him a confused look. "What does that do?" I asked. "All of the rocks are going to be dusty."

He chuckled. "I am not concerned about the cleanliness of the rocks, Kathryn. I believe I have found our way in. Now, let's see..." His fingers began to trace swirling patterns in the wall, and in an instant my memory of the films came back to me as I recognized where we were at. "Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight..." He turned, looking up at the sky. "...and moonlight."

I followed his gaze, and as if Gandalf had willed it, the moon miraculously appeared from behind the clouds. Looking back at the door, my eyes widened. "Oh, shit!" I exclaimed softly. "It's glowing!" Right in the side of the mountain, a pattern of shining, swirling lines appeared, reflecting an ethereal silver-blue in the darkness of the night. The lines stretched up a few feet past our heads, taking the form of two pillars, with the branches of two trees wrapping around them on either side. An arc at the top connected the two pillars, and a bunch of writing in a foreign language that looked like elvish was written there. Right underneath of the arc, there was a peak of seven stars, with a crown set underneath the middle one. Under that, a hammer and anvil was drawn, and between the two trees there was a four-pointed star with rays shining out from it. At the very bottom, there was a single elvish letter of some sort.

Gandalf stepped back, smiling. I looked around to see the rest of the Fellowship looking at it with as much awe as I was. Well, except for Gimli. He was looking at it like he'd seen the face of God or something. "It reads: The Doors of Durin: Lord of Moria. Speak, friend...and enter!" Gandalf announced, tracing the larger arc of lettering with his staff.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry piped up from behind him.

"Oh, it's quite simple! If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open." With that, Gandalf faced the door and touched the tip of his staff to the star. His loud voice echoed off of the walls with demanding authority. "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!" [Gate of the Elves, open now for me!] Merry and Pippin exchanged excited grins, the rest of us holding our breath in anticipation...

…and nothing happened.

A deep frown appeared on Gandalf's face as he stepped back, and he moved to try again, now saying something different and raising his arms to the door. "Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth ammen!" [Door of the Dwarf-folk, hear my words!] Still, the doors didn't budge. Gandalf dropped his arms, and Legolas looked away, sighing in exasperation.

"...Nothing's happening."

I laughed, turning to grin at the observant hobbit over my shoulder. "Way to state the obvious, Pippin." Gandalf ignored him and leaned forward to try pushing on the doors, which also didn't work. There was another stretch of silence, until I squinted a little closer at the second line of text engraved in the stone. "Wait, what about the rest of the words? What does that part say?"

"It's talking about the doors themselves," Erin spoke, stepping forward. "It says 'I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs.'"

"Wha-" My brow lifted in surprise. "You read elvish?"

She smiled, laughing softly to herself. "Something like that."

Gandalf continued to struggle for a few more minutes, but made no progress. "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves, Men, and Orcs," the wizard muttered, growing frustrated.

Well, wouldn't it make sense to say it in Dwarvish? I opened my mouth, about to speak up, but Pippin called out again before me.

"What are you going to do, then?"

"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took!" Gandalf snapped, lashing out angrily. "And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words."

I closed my mouth and looked down as Erin shot Pippin a sympathetic look. Guess I'd better keep my mouth shut.

–

-Erin-

We waited along that godforsaken bank for hours. The night dwindled on at an inconceivably slow rate, which was especially bad since we'd gotten there pretty late to begin with. It was so aggravating, especially since I knew what the password was. But I knew I couldn't say it, even to help speed things along. We had to get attacked by the Watcher in the Water so it would shut the doors and force us to go through Moria. There was no choice there. Once the rest of the Fellowship realized what was in those mines, they'd turn and run unless they were forced to go through. To kill time, I started climbing around on the rocks just off to the right of the shoreline, but eventually I got tired of moving around. In the end, I planted myself on a large cluster of boulders sticking out into the lake, waiting for Merry and Pippin to start throwing rocks and awaken the beast. I probably looked kind of creepy, staring at them like I was, but I was just so bored.

After awhile, I ended up completely zoning out, which was probably why I didn't notice someone headed my way. I was finally pulled back to the present as I heard the scuff of boot against stone, and turned my head to see Legolas climbing up next to me. "Do you know what the password is?" he asked quietly, glancing out at the dark water.

I nodded, resting my chin in my hand. "Yeah. I can't say it, though."

His brow furrowed. "Why not?"

I hesitated, wondering if it was safe to tell him about the attack. "...Something else has to happen before we solve the riddle."

Thankfully, he understood, simply nodding and turning away. There was silence for a moment longer as we both stared straight ahead, until finally I sighed and looked back at him. "Okay, I'm tired of watching the hobbits. For once, they're actually not being very entertaining." Legolas chuckled, and I stuck my arms out behind me, leaning back on them as my legs dangled just above the lake's surface. "So...how's life?"

He raised an eyebrow at the random question. "I am sitting by a dark, dank, foul-smelling lake on an uncomfortable rock with an annoying human next to me. Does that answer your question?"

I smiled at his joking insult. "Cute. And I'm sitting next to an elf with hair that isn't naturally blonde and smells funny."

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "All of us lack proper hygiene."

"Sadly, this is true," I agreed with a dejected sigh. "And to think, we have to put up with this for the next several months or so."

"Do not remind me."

I laughed at his stifled groan. "You know, you're pretty funny...for an elf."

He looked at me curiously, a small smile on his face. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing..." I teased, looking away.

"Erin."

"What?"

"Are you suggesting that elves are not normally funny?"

I gasped. "Stop making horrible accusations! I'd never say such a thing!"

He laughed. "But you just said that-"

"I didn't say a thing. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Erin!"

"Legolas!" Both of us burst out laughing again, and I suddenly leaned back a bit too far, grabbing his shoulder to keep my balance. This, in turn, caused him to lose his own stability, and Legolas ended up falling backwards, sliding down until he was stuck between a few of the rocks. He tried to get out, but couldn't push himself up far enough. The sight of him squirming around down there made me laugh even harder, until tears started welling up at the corners of my eyes.

"Erin!" he cried, still laughing a bit. "Help me!"

"Hang on," I said, looking away and trying to catch my breath. Once I thought I had calmed down enough, I turned back to him, ready to pull him up, but then started laughing all over again. "L...Legolas!" I turned where I sat, leaning back for him.

He was still laughing just as much as I was. "Get me out!"

"I'm trying!" I said, gasping for breath between giggles. I grabbed one of his arms, about to pull, but then stopped short. "Wait! What if I fall into the lake?"

"Then I will valiantly dive in and save you," he said, grinning. "Now pull!"

I smiled, tried to get my footing set up properly, and then pulled as hard as I could.

"Ah! Stop!"

I let go. "What?"

He looked up at me, rubbing his shoulder. "If you were trying to dislocate my arm, you were doing well." We laughed again, and I pulled him out properly this time, hoisting him back up to his perch.

My laughter finally died off as he righted himself, and I shook my head, a stupid grin still lingering on my face. "I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard."

"Neither can I," he said, smiling as well. I turned to look at him, and he to me, opening his mouth as if he'd been about to say something, but it fell silent. The wide grin on my face slowly began to fade as I sat there, holding his gaze. As the moments passed, time seemed to slow, and I felt the strangest sense of peace flood my body unexpectedly. Even in the low light of the moon, I could still see his calm blue eyes staring back at me, like a cloudless sky on a brilliant summer day. They were so constant; so consistently caring and reassuring, and although those eyes were the most familiar things in the world to me, it felt like I was seeing them all over again for the first time.

But then Legolas' gaze shifted just a tad downward, and his brow creased as he frowned ever so slightly. "Your lip," he commented, voice barely above a whisper.

I blinked, feeling heat rush to my face as I realized I'd been openly staring at him. "Oh! Uh, it's, it's nothing," I said, looking down. "It's no big deal, I just cut it - I clipped it on a piece of rock in that avalanche we hit on Caradhras-"

My entire body went rigid as I felt a hand cup my cheek, words turning to ash in my mouth as I raised my head again. He was staring at it intently, though his frown had vanished, and my eyes once again locked on him in wonder. Slowly, his thumb grazed over my bottom lip, brushing past the cut, and I felt like my heart had jumped up into my throat, feeling every quiver of my hammering pulse. I could hardly breathe, and again his gaze lifted to meet mine. But now there was a softness in his eyes I hadn't noticed before, and I didn't know what I was doing, and I couldn't move, but I suddenly wanted to lean closer, tilting my head the tiniest bit into his hand-

A loud splash completely shattered the moment, and Legolas drew back sharply (how close had he been?) as my head snapped towards the source of the sound. I felt a breath of relief leave me as I saw Merry and Pippin standing at the water's edge, tossing rocks out as far as they could for amusement.

When I looked back at the elf, however, my face fell. For a split second, I saw him staring at his hands, eyes wide, looking for terrified and confused than I'd ever seen him. As soon as he noticed me turn, though, all trace of emotion was gone, glancing up at my split lip once more. "It will heal," he said quickly, then immediately turned and abandoned his place on the rocks, returning to stand with the others on the shore without looking back.

I stayed frozen in place for a few seconds, completely dazed, and then swamped with embarrassment and shame a moment later as I also began to leave the rocks. I slowly navigated my way back to shore, screaming on the inside. What the FUCK did you do?! You absolute idiot! You kiss him? That's your genius plan, you try and kiss him?! Oh my God, I want to die. I blew it. I just completely ruined everything. He looked horrified. Of course he did, because I tried to lean in and steal a goddamn kiss! A KISS! What was I thinking?!

I deliberately avoided all eye contact with Legolas, instead turning to Kathryn, who was sitting on the ground nearby. I watched Pippin as he drew his arm back for another shot, but was stopped mid-throw by Aragorn. "Do not disturb the water," I heard him whisper. My eyes flicked out to the water, where I could see the ripples of the rocks still moving. Right. Now we've got this to deal with. I forced all thoughts of the blond prince to the side as everyone turned to watch the lake with wary eyes. The water had not gone still.

I heard Frodo get up behind me, and didn't even need to turn around to know what was going on as I heard him speak. "It's a riddle."

Kathryn stepped up beside me. "Is that what I think it is?" she whispered quietly. It was more than a ripple now...it was a wave.

I narrowed my gaze, tracking the movement as I gave her a single nod. "Get ready."

"Speak 'friend' and enter," Frodo was saying. "What's the elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon," Gandalf, Legolas, and I answered in unison. As the single word was spoken, a loud cracking from behind us. My attention was temporarily drawn away from the water as all eyes turned to see the doors swing outwards smoothly, pushed by some unseen force. Gandalf gave a chuckle of amusement, stepping forward and setting a crystal in the top of his staff. One by one, we all filed inside, though I was more than ready for what was to come. I trailed behind Kathryn towards the back of the group, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword.

It was silent as we slowly moved forward. You could barely see where you were going, with the only light being the light from the moon that still shone outside. And the smell...oh God, don't even get me started. To put it simply, it was obvious no one was living here anymore. No one had lived here for an extremely long time. Already I could make out the shapes of dwarf skeletons strewn across the floor in the dark, and it was unsettling.

Gimli seemed to be the only one who didn't notice it. "Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves!" he said over his shoulder. "Roaring fires! Malt beer! Ripe meat off the bone!" Gandalf whispered a spell into the crystal of his staff as Gimli went on, oblivious to the already bismal conditions. "This, my friends, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" He said it like he thought this place was some sort of heaven. More like hell, I thought grimly. The glow of Gandalf's light grew stronger, revealing even more bodies long dead and some still rotting. They were everywhere. There was barely even any room to walk freely without stepping on someone.

Boromir finally said what we were all thinking as the true horror of Moria was revealed. "This is no mine...it's a tomb."

I heard the hobbits gasp as they nearly tripped over one skeleton, my expression grim as I observed the genocidal remains of the past. Gimli's distressed cries rang out loudly in the hall, and I could see Kathryn cringe in horror. "Oh, God!" I unsheathed my sword along with all the other men, slipping off into the shadows and away from my previous position without a word. Slowly and silently, I started working my way towards the entrance, throwing a backwards glance over my shoulder every now and again to look outside. Even now I could see the horrible, slimy thing working its way through the water.

"Goblins!" I heard Legolas announce, drawing his bow. I looked backwards again. I was now far behind everyone else, only a few yards away from the door.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan," Boromir ordered. "We should never have come here. Now get out of here, GET OUT!"

"Wait!" I heard Kathryn suddenly shout. "Where's Erin?"

As soon as she said it, I turned and bolted to the door, flying through the archway and skidding to a stop as I severed the tentacle that would've wrapped itself around Frodo's ankle. I heard a shriek of pain from its owner, and it took all I had not to shudder as the thing rose out of the water, its massive head dripping in slime. It moved as close as it could to me in the shallows, but didn't strike just yet. I wasn't what it wanted.

It roared in displeasure, to which I just smirked, tightening my grip on my sword. "Hello, Beastie."

–

-Kathryn-

I heard the roar of the water monster not ten seconds after Erin had disappeared, turning towards the doorway as fear gripped me hard. The rest of the Fellowship was headed out to the lake in an instant, and I took a deep breath before whipping out my own knives and running after them. "Come on!" I called back to the frightened hobbits who still remained. They obeyed, but I realized I probably should've kept them inside a moment too late. As soon as Frodo stepped onto the shore, a tentacle lashed out and grabbed him by the waist, sending him up into the air as he screamed while being dangled over the water.

I slowed in my run, coming to a complete stop as I got outside. "Oh...my...fuck." The thing in front of me was at least five times bigger than I remembered it in the movies. It looked like a killer octopus from hell. Tentacles were coming at us from all sides, and there were so many of them, I didn't even know where to start. I caught a brief glimpse of its massive head, but tried not to focus on it and forced myself to be a part of the action. Since I had no idea what to do, I followed everyone else's lead and ran out into the water, knee-deep, cutting into various slimy things that tried to touch me.

"Kathryn!" I looked up for a split second to see a tentacle about to crush me, and I screamed as I jumped out of the way, bringing my blade down on it as it crashed to the water's surface. Water sprayed up and almost completely soaked me from head to toe. I ripped out my knife from where it had gotten wedged in the mottled grey flesh as another larger blade appeared out of nowhere and sliced clean through it.

I raised my head to see Erin right in front of me, giving her what I'm sure was a look of pure terror. "What the fuck is going on?"

She opened her mouth to answer me, but a familiar scream cut her off. "ARAGORN!"

We looked up to see Frodo being dangled above us, screaming at the top of his lungs. "OH MY GOD!" I screamed. Without thinking, I found the tentacle that was holding him, ran over, and sliced through it. Aragorn reached out to catch Frodo as he fell, and a moment later the hobbit was in his arms, shaking.

Boromir shouted for Legolas, and I ducked out of the way as he let an arrow fly. He frowned, shot again, and I turned to get a good look at the beast this time, instantly regretting it. Its head was right behind me, with two massive black eyes bulging out of their sunken sockets to stare at me. Tentacles sprouted from every single space imaginable on it, and it opened up its mouth to reveal at least two sets of razor sharp teeth that were each bigger than my head. "Holy shit!" I screamed, whipping a knife out of my belt and throwing it, putting out one of its eyes before I turned and ran back to shore.

"Get inside!" Erin yelled over the chaos. I followed right behind her as we sprinted for safety. The monster roared in anger at the sight of its prey escaping, and I grabbed Merry as he lagged off to the side, shoving him in front of me to get him into the mines. Just as Erin and I were about to reach the doorway, I heard the sound of crumbling rock, and screamed as several tentacles latched on to the doors, ripping them down with incredible force. As dirt, rock, and dust came crashing down around me, I dove forward, scrambling in and latching onto Erin's cloak just as the great boom of the entrance caving in was heard. The light of the moon began to disappear, and I skidded to a stop behind Erin as we turned, watching as our only exit was destroyed right in front of us as everything went pitch black.

–

-Legolas-

I halted behind Aragorn, stumbling as I grabbed his shoulders and watched the Watcher in the Water destroy the doorway, sending large boulders down to block our way out. The last snatches of moonlight disappeared, and for a moment I could hear only the heavy breathing of my companions and myself as we all tried to get our bearings. For several seconds, no one made a sound, and I felt a jolt of panic as I realized our predicament. We were trapped.

"We now have but one choice." The voice of Gandalf was the first to be heard as he produced light from his staff once more, his expression grave. "We must face the long dark...of Moria." He stepped forward, and I was the first to follow behind him. "Be on your guard. There are older, and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."

I glanced over my shoulder as we began moving, fearing the worst as I counted how many of our company had survived. What I did not expect, however, was to accidentally look Erin directly in the eye as I turned. I stiffened, quickly facing forward and tightening my grip on my bow. Even looking at her was enough to ruin me now, after what I had done.

"Quietly now," Gandalf spoke again. "It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

My focus returned to our new surroundings as the wizard led us up a flight of stairs. If the legends I had heard of this place were true... My jaw clenched. Valar be with us. We are in grave danger.

A/N: You know what's great? Writing until 4 AM. I am so not a responsible college student.

Hope you all enjoy! Next update will come soon.