It didn't seem to take as long going down the mountain as it did going up. Maybe it was because they didn't have to do so much work with clearing snow; they could just stumble their way back down their already made path. Once they made it back down, they took a quick break to warm up beside a fire before continuing on their way towards the mines.

The closer they got, hopefully they were getting closer, the darker the sky got. The moon was soon shrouded by clouds, hiding their main source of light. Gandalf lit up his staff, giving off a faint glow that barely penetrated the thick mist that covered the ground. The only thing that seemed better about this was the fact that there was no thick snow and cold winds to whip their faces. Reaching the door, the group proceeded to break into small groups and sit down. After the comment about invisible Dwarf doors, Legolas had his fair share of doubts, but he trusted Gandalf to know where he was leading them.

Gandalf stepped up to the large stone wall, running his hand across it. "Ah – Ithildin, it only reflects starlight and moonlight." The clouds moved away from the moon, shedding light upon the Fellowship. A pale blue glow crept up the wall and soon revealed the door in all it's glory. Everyone looked up as the door glowed brightly. Gandalf looked up at the Dwarfish text atop the door. "It reads: 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria, speak friend and enter.''"

Lindir stepped forward slightly form his position near a rock by the water, one eyebrow quirked in curiosity. "Friend'? Well, who was and/or are friends of the Dwarves?" he asked quietly. "Master Gimli do you know?"

Said Dwarf looked up, surprised at being addressed in such a way. "Ah – I hate to say it, but no I don't," he responded gruffly, looking down at his feet. He was a Dwarf! And a Keeper! Why did he sound so pathetic right now? He let out stressed sigh, probably emulating how everyone else felt at the moment.

Gandalf took up his staff and started to try different words and incantations. None work. Everyone could tell the answer was staring them down, but no one could think of anything new to try. A friend of Dwarves? As of now, the Dwarves didn't have any friends but their jewels. Merry, being the curious and short attention spanned Hobbit that he was, turned to the water and stared to toss rocks into the water, watching the ripples as the rolled out off the shore. Aragorn heard this and rushed over, stopping the hand before another rock could be thrown. "Do not disturb the water," he muttered. The two Hobbits immediately stopped and stared as the water rippled slightly, though be it of wind or creature they didn't know.

Frodo suddenly stepped forward, eyes curious and questioning. "What is the Elvish word for 'friend'?" he asked simply. Everyone turned to face him, curious as well. Who knew if it would actually work. And hadn't Gandalf already tried that? They had lost count of what he had said, so it was as good of a guess as any. Only thing that bothered a few of them was the fact that a Hobbit was the one to think of it and not themselves.

"Mellon," the wizard answered simply and gazed at the door. All eyes turned towards the door as it lit up and slowly swung open. Who knew a Hobbit could be so smart? Then again, we're talking about Frodo, not Merry and Pippin. The group quickly assembled again and started to slowly make their way inside of the dark tunnel. Gandalf used his staff to create a small amount of light in the dark mine.

"A mine!" Gimli was saying, his voice echoing all too loudly off the walls of he cast hall. The other members stopped dead in their tracks and looked around. Gimli, who was too excited for his own good, kept walking with a smile on his face.

After a short moment, a voice confirmed their suspicions. "This is no mine, it's a tomb," Boromir said, his voice unusually steady. That's when they realized that the bodies around them were that of a large population of dwarves with arrows stuck through them. For every six dwarves, there was one goblin skeleton. That explained the silence in the hall.

The Dwarf dashed to the nearest skeleton and collapsed to his knees. "No! Nooooo!" he cried out in agony, making a few of them flinch at the loud sound.

Legolas pulled a dusty arrow out of a skeleton and took a short moment to inspect it. "Goblins," he spat out with disgust lacing his voice. Aragorn and Boromir draw their swords while Legolas knocked his bow, glancing around for any signs of he hapless, but dangerous, creatures.

"We make for the gap of Rohan, we should never have come here," Boromir said in a commanding tone. "Now get out of here! Get out!" Suddenly, Frodo fell down and let out a yelp of surprise. A large tentacle was wrapped around his leg, dragging him forcefully out of the mine.

"Strider!" Sam called, drawing his sword and hacking away the tentacle that had taken hold of his friend. Frodo fell to the ground. "Get off him!" Aragorn and Boromir fought their way to the squid, cutting off the tentacles with clean strokes. Frodo was once again snatched up from the ground again only to have Aragorn cut him loose. The Hobbit fell into Boromir's arms and the soldier carried the Hobbit away from the squid.

"Into the mines!" Gandalf called, ushering with his staff as the Fellowship continued to ward off the creature. The group complied and rushed into the dark hall.

"Legolas!" Boromir cries as the squid tries to catch him and Frodo. Before the Elf could fire an arrow, a shadowed pulse of energy hit it dead on, immediately knocking it back. The squid sank back under the water, but not before one of it's tentacles hit the mine entrance, causing it to collapse.

"Thank you graciously," Boromir said to Lindir in the dark, his voice heard clearly.

"Thank me when we get out," the Elf replied, looking around. Due to having powers that deal with shadows and darkness, his eyes were stronger than most and he could clearly make out the walls and dead bodies around them. "Unlucky for us, the entrance has caved in."

The wizard lit his staff, the small, but bright, light illuminating a small circle around them. "We now have but one choice: we must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things orcs in the deep places of the world."

The group continued in relative silence, the only noise being their footsteps and gear moving about. They all glanced around nervously at regular intervals and only Gandalf seemed confident enough, him being the leader. They soon reach a junction of three doorways, each leading down a different path. "I have no memory of this place," Gandalf said calmly. The Fellowship sat down among the rocks while Gandalf pulled out his pipe, glancing between the three passageways.

"If I may inquire, how is your vision in the dark?" asked Sam, always curious. He was sitting on one of the rocks near Aragorn and Lindir, the latter looking off into the darkness.

Lindir turned to face the Hobbit, a small, but kind, smile playing on his lips. "It's beyond the average of any regular Elf," he explained. "Before Gandalf used his staff to bring us light, it could see every rock and crack."

Sam beamed. "Woah! That's marvelous!" he explained, albeit quietly.

Frodo was vaguely listening to the duo talk to each other, though he was busy looking at something in the darkness. After a few moments he said, "There's something down there."

"It's Gollum," Gandalf answered simply without turning away from the passages.

"Gollum!" Frodo exclaimed.

Gandalf gave no hint of emotion as he responded, "He's been following us for three days."

"He escaped from the dungeons of Barad-dûr!"

The wizard turned towards the young Hobbit, a grave look in his eyes. "Escaped or was set loose; and now the Ring has drawn him here." Gollum reached a hand up one rung on a rusty ladder, his large eyes staring intently at them. "He won't ever be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. Smeagol's life is a sad story. Yes, he was once called, before the Ring found him. Before it drove him mad."

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance," Frodo commented bitterly.

"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve, death and many that die, deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play, yet for good or ill…before this is over." Gollum stared at them for a few more moments before slipping back into the shadows of the caves. "The pity of Bilbo, may rule the fate of many."

Frodo sighed quietly, a distressed look coming to his face. "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened," he said sadly.

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it and that is an encouraging thought." After a silence in which Frodo didn't say anything else, Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "Oh! It's that way," he said, swiftly rising to his feet and gesturing for everyone else to do the same.

Merry smiled brightly. "He's remembered!" he exclaimed.

Gandalf stepped to one of the three doorways. "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." The group walked single file down the passage before coming out into a large cavern. Collums rose from the ground to support the high ceiling and a vast number of engravings were carved into the stone. "Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf tapped his staff lightly and the glow illuminated the large cavern. "Behold the great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

Gimli suddenly charged forward towards one of the rooms off to the side. The group follows after, concern on their faces. They found Gimli kneeling in front of a tomb in the center of the room. "No no no no," he said gruffly.

Gandalf walked up the tomb and read the runes that were in scripted upon it. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then, as I feared." Gimli cried out in sorrow. Gandalf glanced at the skeleton that lay leaning against the tomb. He grabbed the book that the skeleton was holding and opened it.

"We muse move on, we cannot linger," Lindir said along with Legolas as the two looking around the room, alert.

Gandalf seemed to ignore them. "They have taken the Bridge and the second hall. We have barred he 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. They are coming," he reads before closing the book.

Pippin, who had backed up behind Gandalf, turned to look at a skeleton that sat on the well. Dust and cobwebs hung off the bones. The young Hobbit reached out and touched one of the bones. The head shook and fell down, banging against the sides of the well. Soon, the whole body went with it, it's shackles echoing loudly. After everything settled, everyone waited with baited breath, praying that nothing was around to hear. Aragorn and Boromir are the first to let out relieved sighs.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf exclaimed. "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf turned away from the Hobbit as a drum sounded. The drums got louder and faster, filling up the silence with a devastating noise. Everyone looked around, trying to find the source. Frodo unsheathed his sword; the blade glowing blue.

A screech was heard.

Aragorn and Boromir readied their swords while Gimli went to work barring the doors to the tomb. Legolas set an arrow in his bow while the Hobbits rushed behind Gandalf, their respective weapons at the ready. Lindir formed a bow and took a ready stance next to Legolas, the shadows swirling around him with the wind.

One more screech.

"Orcs!"

Author's Note:

Ack! I am so sorry! I didn't forget about this, but I almost gave up on it. I kinda lost track of where I was going with this, but I'm back! Hopefully I'll get to write more chapters, but I have testing, so we'll see how it goes.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the story thus far.