Disclaimer – No recognizable characters belong to me. They belong to Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, and/or J.R.R Tolkien and Tolkien Enterprises.

So, here is the second chapter of my "Mines of Moria" part of the story: and it's entitled "First Fight".

There is going to be a whole lot of bloodshed in this chapter, so be warned!

Chapter 10 – First Fight

"I shall be glad. I have looked on Moria, and it is very great, but it has become dark and dreadful; and we have found no sign of my kindred. I doubt now that Balin ever came here."

~ Gimli, "A Journey in the Dark"

The main hall, or what was left of the main hall of Dwarrowdelf, was much longer than it appeared, although it did have an ending.

When we finished our march and reached a large room at the end of the cavern, Gimli let out a cry of outrage, and ran forward ahead of us.

Mithrandir shouted a warning. "Gimli!" But the dwarf did not listen: he ignored the wizard and lumbered into the chamber. As we cautiously entered after him, I saw the dwarf collapse next to a crypt in the center of the room, and start sobbing uncontrollably.

And I didn't have anything to say to that. Because I recognized the scene: it was what I had done when I had watched my own Ammë die…so many centuries ago.

Boromir moved to clasp the dwarf's shoulder, silently comforting the distressed man as I stood a few feet away, silent in respect.

Mithrandir leaned over the slab of stone, translating the runes aloud. "'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.'" He sighed grimly. "So he is dead then. It's as I feared."

Gimli slumped against his cousin's tomb, as the istar picked up a decaying and crumbling book from the grasp of a fallen dwarf. That was when I began to hear the drums. I could not place the evil that lurked here, but nevertheless, I needed to warn Estel. "We must move on." I said urgently to my friend. "We cannot linger here!"

Estel looked as if he would speak, but Mithrandir's reading interrupted the man. "'They have taken the bridge…and the second hall.'"

Gimli ceased sobbing, and looked up at the wizard with a blank expression. "'We have barred the gates…but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes.'" He read on, horror creeping into his voice. "'Drums…drums…in the deep.'"

He looked up slowly, before turning a blood-stained page. "'We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark.'" Those words sent a chill up my spine. "'We cannot get out…they are coming.'"

A loud clang echoed to my right, shattering the silence. Pippin had twisted the hand off of a decaying corpse, and the skull, helmet and all, bounced down a deep hole. Before anyone could stop it, the body fell in after, and then, a metal pail and chain.

It felt as if that clamor could have awoken anything in this world. The metal objects crashed down the abandoned well, and with every echo, the guilty Halfling flinched.

We all held our breaths for a few, tense moments: not daring to move, and praying that the commotion would go unnoticed.

Silence.

Mithrandir shut the book in fury as we all exhaled in relief. "Fool of a Took!" He said, clearly angered and relieved. "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!"

The hobbit did look very apologetic and ashamed, but even more relieved that his misadventure did not cause any danger to us.

This, was unfortunately, going to change very quickly.

Mere seconds after Mithrandir's outburst, the ground began to rumble and quake ominously. It was an army, come to destroy us. Frodo pulled his sword out of his sheath, and it was glowing bright blue.

"Orcs!" I hissed, alerting the others to Frodo's luminous blade.

Boromir whipped about, running towards the doorway. I heard the distinct sound of an arrow flying through the air, and a loud thud as it embedded itself in the door (and thankfully, not Boromir's flesh).

Estel ushered the hobbits back, to the center of the room. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" He dropped the torch, and ran to the entrance to help Boromir shut the door.

I searched about the floor for axes to barricade the now closed doors. I heard a loud bellow from outside, and then the son of Gondor saying sarcastically, "Oh good, they have a cave troll!"

Well that just makes it so much more interesting! I thought to myself.

I tossed the axes I had found to Boromir, who quickly wedged them into the doors with Estel's help.

Mithrandir threw aside his hat, and drew his weapon, the Elvish sword Glamdring (1), and let out a fierce warrior cry, while bending into a standard fighting stance.

Boromir, Estel and I backed away from the doors. As I drew an arrow from my quiver, and set it into my bow, I noticed that the orcs were now beginning to penetrate the rotten wood.

Gimli leapt atop Balin's tomb, brandishing his axe dangerously. He snarled. "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

A spear broke through the door, and a gnarled hand reached through the splintering hole. I narrowed my eyes in concentration, and shot my arrow. A shrill cry pierced the air, and the orc retreated back, only to be replaced by another.

I notched another arrow in my bow as Estel fired, and struck yet another orc.

Suddenly, the beasts broke through the door, and I fired my second arrow. An orc fell to my blow, and another to Estel's. I used my archery as long as I could, before switching to my knives for close-combat.

That was when the bloodlust set in.

I do not remember much after that, it was all a blur, really. All I was aware of was my deadly waltz. I felt Elbereth's power surge through me, and I forgot all. It was a familiar feeling, and felt disturbingly good.

Once I regained my senses however, after shooting the cave troll to save Gimli, I tried to watch my companions, particularly Estel. If that confounded man could get into trouble in Imladris, then he could definitely get into trouble here.

It was not as if I didn't trust Estel's ability to fight: it's just that I didn't trust his (very questionable) ability to stay out of trouble.

I was atop a crumbling terrace setting into my old routine (parry, step, turn, thrust… Glorfindel's voice recited in my mind) when a long, heavy chain flew through the air towards me. "Ethiri | Watch out |, Cá…!" Estel yelled to me, but I ducked as the chain swung around above my head before he could finish.

It circled around again, but the third time it wrapped itself around a pillar and I secured it with my foot. Being my "usual, reckless self" (as my Adar says) I leapt unto the troll's shoulders and shot it in the back of it's head.

It roared in pain, and I jumped off before the monster could throw me off.

As the battle surged on, I caught glances in my peripheral vision of my companions, fighting fiercely and bravely (especially the hobbits).

I began my bloodthirsty dance once again, and I did not emerge for many deaths of orcs. Even after I began seeing red spots flutter across my range of view.

The only thing that shocked me out of my stupor, was Frodo's voice shouting. "Aragorn! Aragorn!"

I heard my friend answer back. "Frodo!" A growl was ushered from the cave troll, somewhere behind me. But I was already fighting five orcs at once: if I moved from my position, one of my enemies would surely run me through.

Oh, but how my soul cried out to me! Ellacári, they're in danger! You have to help them!

But the sensible, calm, confident warrior who had been trained by the famous Balrog Slayer himself, argued against my heart. You won't be much good to them dead!

So all I could do was listen, and pray to the Valar that I wouldn't hear the fatal blow being ushered to any of my friends.

I heard a loud roar from Aragorn as I parried a scimitar and stabbed an orc in it's throat. There was a loud thump, and for a split second, I didn't feel my brother's feä | soul |.

Frodo screamed in alarm, and my heart completely shattered in fear. "Aragorn! Aragorn!"

And the next thing I saw, when I whipped around, was the cave troll running Frodo through with a spear.

My gut sank, making my stomach physically hurt. Oh, Valar. To our horror, he gasped in pain once, before falling to the floor.

And yet…his feä did not wane. There is no way Frodo could have survived that…could he?

Sam rushed to his friend as I witnessed Merry and Pippin leap onto the cave troll's shoulders. Merry was thrown off instantly, but Pippin held on, tightening the chain around the creature's neck.

I set an arrow, positioned it just right, and fired. It went straight up his nostril and struck his brain. I felt like laughing in triumph, but as I was still furious about Estel and Frodo, all I could manage was a glare.

The cave troll wobbled, and tipped, before finally collapsing. Dead.

With the death of our last enemy, my bloodlust and adrenaline faded, and I was left alone in the darkness once again.

Estel reached Frodo first, and sighed in sorrow. He grasped the hobbit by his shoulder, and…by the Valar, he was alive!

Samwise sputtered, his eyes widening in surprise, before he practically dove to Frodo's side.

Thank you, Elbereth. You have truly been gracious this day.

"I'm all right," Frodo gasped out. "I'm not hurt." Aragorn looked at the Halfling in awed disbelief. "You should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar!"

Mithrandir smiled knowingly. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye." As if on cue, Frodo revealed his secret: a beautiful, glimmering Mithril shirt.

I smiled. Bilbo, you old rascal! Thank the Valar that he was wearing that though…if he hadn't been…I refused to think of that outcome.

We soon had no time to admire further, however, for the clamor and growls of goblins reached our ears; and they were much closer than I expected.

Mithrandir straightened. "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!"

Translations –

(1) Glamdring – Gandalf's sword (translated as "Foe-Hammer" in English).

Ethiri – Watch out

Feä – Soul

Word-Count: 1,656

Okay, I have a lot of things to say in these last, departing messages.

First: I am so sorry it took me so long to update! There's just been that flurry-of-things-you-do-in-the-first-week-of-school going on with me lately. But, since I'm going into my second week, it'll settle down a little, and maybe I'll be able to get some serious work done.

And on the topic of serious work, I decided to cut off this chapter instead of going on like I planned, because I couldn't really work on the next chapter (serious writers-block and I've been busy, of course), and I didn't want to deprive you guys of the next chapter because I couldn't find the time to finish stupid chapter 10.

All right, I'm done with my whining about school, but here's my other matter that I have to address: I have found an interesting bit of trivia on line.

First, it may surprise you that while I have read ALL the Appendices in Return of the King, and have persevered through the Hobbit, I can not physically bring myself to finish the Silmarillion. Yeah, I know: it's pretty sad. I just cannot finish it! So, that's why I didn't know this: one of Elbereth's names…is Elentári! Isn't that really close to a certain fanfiction she-elf name you know? And I didn't even do that on purpose! Strange, huh…well, great minds think alike (not that I'm comparing myself to Tolkien…oh no, far from it…) Anyway, Elentàri roughly means "Star-Queen." And I found out that Ellacári roughly means "All Heavenly". Huh; who knew?

Alright, that's it! Pretty long A/N. I am sorry that it took me so long to update (again, school's been a killer). I've already started on the next chapter, so I should be done sooner (and I've found a technique: bring a book to school and write during free periods! Isn't it brilliant?!)

Naamarie!

CC.

P.S. To both of my friends, Roxi and Bianca who are reading this, thanks you guys! I'm dedicating this to you (for your birthday, Roxi! See, told you I'd dedicate it!) Happy birthday!