The hike up the path takes its toll on the Company as they walk up the path Gandalf has chosen for them. Mírien notices that the Hobbits are starting to fall behind.

"Come along little Hobbits, we will soon stop to rest," she calls to them in the almost complete darkness. When each pass her by she takes up the rear behind an exhausted looking Frodo.

They soon come upon a massive hallway with pillars carved into the natural rock. Gandalf slows a bit with Gimli right behind him. Mírien ushers the Hobbits right behind where Boromir and Aragorn stand.

They come around the corner of the hallway and Gimli stops, gasps and runs toward whatever he saw. The rest come around the corner and Mírien gasps at what she sees.

Skeletons. They are all around with arrows or spears sticking out of the armor that remains. Mírien glances at the others who look at the skeletons with varied expressions.

"Gimli!" Gandalf shouts and Mírien sees that he has run into another room. She walks past the others and sees the stone coffin illuminated by a eerie light. All around the coffin are the skeltons of dwarves, discarded and forgotten weapons, and fallen stones from the ceiling.

Gimli falls to his knees with his head bowed in front of the stone coffin, "No, No," he cries. Mírien moves forward and places a hand on Gimli's hunched form. She turns to see the rest of the Company cautiously entering the room.

Gandalf moves past her and peers at the stone coffin. "Here lies, Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I feared," he says removing his tall pointy hat and glancing solemnly at each member.

He looks down and must have noticed something because Mírien sees him hand his hat to Pippin and stoop to pick up something. Mírien's eyes light up with curiosity and dread as she studies the dusty old book that one of the skeletons must have held.

"We must move on…we cannot linger," Legolas whispers to both her and Aragorn, both of whom had moved to stand at her other side.

"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. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. There coming," Gandalf's voice echos around the room as he reads from the dusty book.

Mírien glances at the faces around her. Frodo, Merry, and Sam look at Gandalf in complete disbelief as they glance around at the skeletons. Legolas is expressionless, as usual, and Aragorn and Boromir just gaze off like they is imagining what Gandalf speaks of.

Than there is Pippin. With Gandalf's hat and staff he slowly backs up as he looks around the room with his mouth hanging open.

He stops when he gets to a spider-web covered skeleton sitting near one of the pillars. Mírien moves to stop him as he touches it but is too late. The head of the skeleton rolls off and into an old well hitting the walls as it falls.

Gandalf whirls around and so does Pippin just as the rest of the skeleton, a long length of chain, and a bucket fall in as well. As they fall down the seemingly deep well they clang very loudly.

To her left the other Hobbits shift nervously at the noise but Mírien just shakes her head at the pure stupidity of the Hobbit. Aragorn groans softly, Boromir looks at the ground shaking his head, and Legolas just stares incredulously at Pippin who just winces at each bang.

All is silent as Gandalf moves slowly toward Pippin, than he speaks. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" He closes the book roughly and tossing it down before taking his hat and staff from Pippin and turning away.

Drums sound in the distance.

Mírien's head shoots up at the sound as does everyone elses. Gandalf turns back to face Pippin who turns to look at the well in horror.

There is screeching and Mírien takes her hand off Gimli and backs away looking about. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Aragorn assessing the situation in his head, Boromir looking about frantically and Legolas, well-being Legolas.

"Frodo!" Sam says and Mírien looks to see Frodo draw his sword, more like a dagger, halfway out. It glows blue. Frodo's wide eyes meet hers and she motions the Hobbits to her side.

"Orcs!" Legolas says, contempt dripping from his voice.

Boromir, being the fool that he is, tries to run out of the room before Mírien can say anything two arrows come flying at his head only to embedding themselves in the door.

"Get back!" Aragorn yells at the Hobbits who are trembling at Mírien's side. "Stay close to Gandalf."

Gandalf ushers them to stand behind him and Mírien draws her sword.

"Your left-handed?" Legolas asks moving to her side.

"Now is not the time for questions, Elf," she smirks, "But yes, obviously I am."

Aragorn and Boromir pull the doors shut and Boromir turns to Aragorn, "They have a cave troll."

Just the way he says it makes Mírien snort very unladylike making everyone look at her confused. She waves them off and Legolas moves to toss axes at them to hold the door.

Behind her Gandalf draws his sword with a yell and the Hobbits draw their swords, or rather daggers. Boromir and Aragorn fall back to stand on either side of Mírien and Legolas forming a sort of front line.

Behind them Gimli stands up on the stone coffin with a very determined look on his face, "Let the come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

As the banging continues both Legolas and Aragorn nock arrows in their bows and point them at the doors. Boromir shifts uneasily on his feet wilst swinging his sword around. Mírien, however, just stands there with her sword in her left hand and her right one of her hip.

The axes start piercing the wooden door. To her left Legolas takes aim and once the hole is big enough releases the arrow through the hole. A squeal comes from the unsuspecting victim. Aragorn shoots his arrow through another hole wilst Legolas pulls another from his quiver.

Just as the door gives away and the Orcs burst through both Aragorn and Legolas release arrows at them, both of which, hit their marks. They shoot again before the Orcs are upon them.

Mírien swings at the first orc only to have it clang against its crude sword. A grin appears on the Orc's face as it realizes its opponents sex. "Sexist pig," she mutters under her breath as she pulls her sword away and under the other's ax into its gut. The Orc gives a squeal, its eyes widening at its mistake before Mírien pulls out her sword and steps over the body.

Immediately two Orcs attack her both swinging for her head. She ducks under the swinging swords. Twisting around she stabs her sword into the back of one Orc before swinging at the head of the other. The sword connects and the head rolls to the floor, blood splattering on her clothing.

She looks down in disdain at the blood dripping off her blade and wipes it on the dead Orc. She looks around and sees the others with their own battles. She spots Aragorn slashing an Orc's head off before gazing up. She follows his gaze just in time to see the cave troll burst into the room.

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