so, this part is altered slightly...some parts from the book and some from the movie.
too lazy to put the meaning of each font, and im sure you know by now which each means, yes? hn, oh and i decided to work on the pre-write for the hobbit story. ah, she use to be so weak and curious about everything. and now that i think about it, balmung hasn't really change from when she was little...hm.
you know i don't own the people besides balmung. so don't say i do~
Chapter 10: Fighting for lives.
"Balmung." Gandalf called from his spot, he had just talked to Frodo and tried to console him when he wished that he did not have the ring, it seemed to have worked...even if only a little. Balmung took her attention from making jokes with Aragorn and Legolas, who had joined them half way on commenting on her boyish nature, and looked over at him. He didn't move his head or even glance over his shoulder as he waved his hand to gesture her over. "I seem to be in need of your assistance again, my dear."
"Alright, what would you like for me to do?" she said while getting up and walking over towards him. He smiled up at her, and while she was not looking he sent both Legolas and Aragorn a stern look. They gulped and shifted uncomfortably, seeming to fine something very interesting to look at. Balmung raised a brow as she waited for Gandalf to explain what he wanted her to do, she tilted her head towards Gandalf seeing the narrowed eyes that he was sending the elf and heir. "...Father?" she questioned getting his attention back. "What would you like for me to do?" Balmung asked while looking from her two friends to her father. 'what was that about?' she thought but shook it off.
He cleared his throat as he looked back up to her with a smile, "I would like for you to sniff each one of these passages, and see what you noticed about each." he said while pointing to each with his staff. She nodded and strolled up to the one on the far left, she sniffed it for a few moments, ears twitching and eyes shut, before going to the middle one and sniffed, her brows furrowed and she slightly recoiled from it, then finally the right one. Once she was done she raised an eyebrow at it, tilting her head to the side as she thought, tapping her foot to the floor. Gandalf stood up and walked over next to her, "What is it? What do you smell?" he questioned. She didn't respond as she went back to the left passage and sniffed again before going back to the right one, and finally back to the left.
The company was now staring at her as she did this, they had gotten up and moved closer to see what she was doing. Merry and pippin made there way to the front as Balmung sniffed a few more times to the right one. She grinned and turned to Gandalf as merry was going to ask if she was alright.
"Well, I think we should take this path." she said while pointing over her shoulder with her thumb to it.
"Why do you think that?" Legolas questioned as he eyed the dark passage.
"What if there is an unknown danger down there?" Boromir said hesitantly, he didn't want to travel somewhere he did not have much reason to go to. Balmung chuckled as she looked towards Gandalf, who smiled as well, confusing Boromir. "What?"
"Well, it seems Balmung smelled the same thing I had, except maybe even more so then me." he chuckled out as he put his hat back on and started towards the door.
"And what did you smell?" pippin asked as he also started after Gandalf. Merry right behind him with Frodo and Sam.
"Fresh air pip." Balmung answered, "I could smell air from outside, I know this because this door doesn't smell as much as the others."
"Right you are my dear." Gandalf agreed as he stepped down the stairs, "I just was not sure if my mind was playing tricks upon me or not." he muttered.
After that they traveled more, taking more confusing routes, for a few more hours. Balmung thought about all the things she remembered Balin teaching her about the dwarven culture. She remembered something about braids, how each one braided differently and style in a certain way meant something. She remembered thinking that it was ridiculous, why would they have such deep meanings about braids, until now. She remembered Fili braiding her hair once, and she liked how it looked so much that she kept it in the style, it was sturdy and held together tightly, currently it was wrapped in the long silk ribbon she always had. Now that she thought about it, Fili acted really weird when he was done with it, he had asked her to quickly wrap it up and asked her to not show anyone since she did not want to undo it.
'I guess this type of braid meant something important?' she mused as she looked around. They were now in a hallway, it didn't take long to reach a wide opening where she could hear the echos of their footsteps. By the sound on how far it went, she could imagine the ceiling was very tall.
"Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf said as he tapped his staff and the light gets brighter to reveal the great halls of Moria. "Behold! The great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!" he announced as Frodo gasps at the sight of the vast roof above them. It was held by might pillars of stone with designs on them, before them huge empty halls with black walls, smoothed and polished as glass.
"Well, theres an eye opener and no mistake!" Sam whispered in awe as he looked around. They moved along, Gimli noticed that there were some light coming out from some smashed doors, arrows were embedded in the wood and skeletons at the doorway. He instantly ran towards it with Balmung chasing after him.
"GIMLI!" Gandalf yelled. So the company rushed after them, they came to an empty chamber with a narrow shaft of sunlight beaming in from a small hole near the roof. Both dwarf and goblin skeletons were scattered and piled around the chamber, there was a well to the left of the chamber and in the middle of the room was a stone table. Gimli had fallen to his knees, his face was in pain and Balmung knelt down and hugged him, burying her face into his shoulder. Gimli started to sob as Gandalf came up and started to read the inscription of runes carved onto the stone slab. "Here lies Balin, Son of Fudin, Lord of Moria." he sighed out as he shook his head, "He is dead, then. It's just as I had feared." he said solemnly. To think that Balin had died, he knew this would have happened, but he still hoped that he would have escaped. He looked over towards Balmung, who still had her face hidden from all and sighed deeply as he went over and patted her shoulder. "My dear...I know it is hard to loose such a good friend-"
"No, I know Gandalf..." she said as she got up, her face held no indication that she was going to cry, it was just blank and it concerned Gandalf. "I should have known...After all Balin only took so much dwarves to accompany him to reclaim Moria. After what I saw at the entrance I should not have been so..." she trailed off and sighed. Gandalf looked at her for a moment more before turning as he saw something that caught his eye.
"Balmung." Legolas said as he came up to her, he remembered Balin. He was one of the dwarves that were with Thorin Oakenshield's company. And seeing as he was apart of that group, he knew it was going to effect her greatly. She glanced at him from the side of her eyes before looking back at the stone slab with a sigh. Legolas was concerned as he turned towards Aragorn, "We must move on, we cannot linger." he whispered towards him. Before Aragorn could reply Gandalf read something.
"'they have taken the bridge and the second hall: We have barred the gates...but cannot hold them for long..." he read as Balmung listened to the last moments that the dwarves had before their untimely demise. "The ground shakes...Drums in the deep...we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no-...one save us? They are coming." he finished as he looked up. He took a breath as he looked back into the book, flipping back and paused as his eyes closed, as if trying to block out the pain of something.
"What? What is it father?" Balmung asked as she stepped over towards Gandalf, along with Gimli, and took the book from his hands. There was elvish script, she furrowed her brows for a moment before her eyes widened. She froze on the spot as she closed her eyes and handed the book to Gimli. Slowly she took deep breaths as Gandalf came over and patted her shoulder before pulling her into a hug.
"Balmung?" Legolas asked as he came up to her and put a hand on her back.
"What is wrong?" Aragorn asked before looking up to Gandalf.
"This is Ori's handwriting." Gimli said in realization as he looked up to Balmung with a pained expression. At the questioning looks of the others, besides Legolas who seemed to understand, he explained. "Ori was apart of Thorin's company to take back The lonely mountain. And if this is Ori's handwriting then that means that he..."
"It means that he was also with Balin trying to get Moria back." Balmung said in a lifeless voice as she pulled away from Gandalf, "It also mentions that, by the context inside, Oin was here as well...They had come into this room after Balin was hit from behind with an arrow and tried to hold off the orcs." she took a deep breath as she opened her eyes, looking at the floor. "...As you can see...they never made it back out...three more of my friends...gone because of orcs!" she hissed and practically spat out the mention of the orcs.
That was when they all heard a loud clatter coming from the well. The fellowship looked to see pippin looking guilty and a bucket connected to a chain fall down the well. They froze on the spot as they listened to the clatter, pippin flinching at each one, as Gandalf slowly turns towards pippin. Anger in his eyes. It was silent and they let out a breath as Gandalf slams the book he was holding in anger as he went up to pippin and snatched his things back. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" as soon as he said that pippin looked like a kicked puppy.
"Father!" Balmung hissed at him as she went over to pippin and hugged him in comfort. He did not need to say that to pippin! And even if he did he did not need to say it so harshly. "Father how could you have said such a thing to pippin?!" she growled, Gandalf furrowed his brows at her. Didn't she know better?! She should know why he said that, but before he could open his mouth a boom was heard. Making everyone's eyes widen as they looked towards the well.
BOOM...BOOM...It grew louder and faster. A great horn blows in the deep, other horns answer from a distance and nearby. The sounds of feet running, harsh cries, and other noises reach them.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam said worriedly. Balmung looked to where he pointed and noticed that Frodo had sting on him, and even thought she wanted to ask if Bilbo gave him sting or not, the blade was glowing indicating that orcs or goblins were near.
"ORCS!" Legolas proclaimed, immediately Aragorn and Boromir rushed to the door to barricade it. Boromir caught a glimpse of something that made him make a face, before arrows were embedded into the door next to him. He turned back as they shut the door, lookimg at Aragorn .
"They have a cave troll!" he said matter of factually with an eye-roll. Then Aragorn and Boromir started to jam the door shut with weapons that Legolas tosses them. Balmung brought her thumb up to her mouth and bit it hard, drawing blood before pulling up he sleeve and swiping the blood across one of the markings. It glowed a dark purple before the mark seemed to fade off and remake itself into duel blades in her hands. They were sleek black, a thicker more jagged blade in front with a smaller one in the back that had a hook at the end, the handle was wrapped in light gray leather, trinkets hung from the base of each blade that had draconic runes etched into them.
"Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin!" she called them as she stepped in front of Balin's grave. They looked at her as she twirled her blades, she snarled at the thought of those retched orcs coming back in here! She was going to tear them to pieces. "Stay with Gandalf!" she all but snarled out, seeing her anger the hobbits didn't bother protesting and did as told.
"Let them come!" Gimli yelled as he stood atop of Balin's tomb. "There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" he yelled as he readied his ax. "They shall also know what it means to earn the ire of a dragon!" he declared when he saw balmungs face, Balmung nodded in agreement. The door started to creek as the orcs banged against it as Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir came back to the fellowship. Legolas and Aragorn had their bows out, ready to shoot once they came in, Balmung would have summoned her bow as well, but a dragons bow was at least three to five feet taller then their owner, it was also heavier then a ton because of its sturdy materials it was made from. So needless to say it was not an ideal place to bring it out. The orcs managed to break a small opening in the door, Legolas let go of his arrow and hit one of them as Aragorn let go of his.
BOOM!
The door gave way and the orcs flooded in. without a second thought Balmung immediately ran into the fray, after calming down since she knew that being in a rage while fighting was bad in small spaces, the rest of the company followed with their own yells, even the hobbits joined in, while hacking at the first orc in sight.
Balmung lunged and stabbed one of them in the throat, the other blade going into one of their eyes while she ripped the throat off of another in front of her with her teeth. She grimaced at the taste of orc blood in and around her mouth. Ripping her blades out of the orcs she spun around and kicked another one through its stomach that held its blade up to behead her, some of the blood splattering onto her when she removed her foot before it drop to the ground gurgling. She looked around to see Sam hitting orc with a frying pan, she let a small smile cross her face, it was amusing to see someone fight with a frying pan against orcs, before going back to an emotionless calm one, blocking a sword from her left with her right blade then slamming her left blade into the side of it's skull. There was a growl from her right side, there was not time to bring her weapons up so she dropped to her back onto the floor and spun, knocking it down to the floor before she got back up and kicked its head hard, snapping his neck. Balmung sighed as two more came after her, honestly didn't they see how she just killed those other ones? Are they stupid or something? Twirling her twin blades, to get the blood off, as she waited for them to reach her Balmung looked how everyone was fairing. Gimli seemed to be doing fine, Legolas had his own blades out, Aragorn and Boromir were side by side, and Gandalf was...well he was fine like always. The hobbits were holding their own just fine, but she figured she should go and help them out.
"Annoying." she muttered as the two orc's swing at her from both sides, she blocked them leaving an opening for a third one to try and run her through her front. As he came closer, being only a foot away from her an arrow went through his wrist, making it drop the sword and looked confused as to where the arrow came from. Balmung chuckled as she recognized it as Legolas's arrow, she stepped forward as she brought her head back then rammed their foreheads together, she internally smirked at the sound of a sickening crack resounding when contact was made. The orc dropped to the ground, the two who were on her sides seemed shocked, using this she spun left and brought her elbow to the temple of the left orcs head. She didn't stop when it connected, she kept going and extended her arm back out and sliced the others head off. "He may want this back." she mumbled while pulling the arrow out of the orc that Legolas shot. Then a large BOOM was heard, making her turn to see the large cave troll that Boromir saw. "Oh, thats just fantastic..." she muttered in irritation as the troll saw Sam and brought his club down, missing since Sam jumped in between his legs.
The troll spots Gimli on Balin's tomb and brings his club down again, aiming for Gimli who dodged it with a yell. Aragorn comes up behind it and gets its back, snarling it swept it's club trying to hit Aragorn. Aragorn stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground onto his back with a grunt, before the troll could deal the finishing blow Boromir came up and was able to slice its arm making the troll rear back, dropping the club.
"LEGOLAS! MOVE!" Balmung yelled as the troll decided to use the chain around its neck as a weapon and was ready to attack the elf with it. Said elf headed her and sidestepped in time to avoid being squished into the ground by the chain. He moved again when he saw the troll bring the chain down, Balmung pulled him down when said chain hit the pillar behind him. "Hey Legolas." she chuckled out a little out of breath. "Still alive I see." she joked with a smile, even if she was tired it didn't mean she couldn't fight...or make a few wise cracks here and there. Legolas smirked and chuckled.
"Yes, I am, thanks to your warning." he admitted as they stood up and dodged the chain again. He looked at her then the pillar and finally the chain before looking back at her with a knowing smirk. She quirked a brow at him before ducking down to avoid being hit. "I have a plan!" he said, she grinned and nodded after piecing it together. They waited for the troll to lash at them again, once they ducked and the chain connected to the pillar and wrapped around it Balmung quickly got up and grabbed the end of it. She held it with all her strength to keep it there as Legolas jumped onto it and ran across it to the trolls head. He knocked two arrows and let them go, they broke on contact because the skin of the troll was too hard, it angrier and started to shake around to get Legolas off. He jumped off, landing next to an orc that he just shoved an arrow through its neck. Balmung lost her balance when an orc tried to stab her through the back, it connected but didn't go through since it bent, making her let go of the chain and stumbling backwards.
"By the maker I hate orcs!" she growled out after rolling out of the way of one of the trolls foots. "I hate trolls as well.." she grumbled as she got up, pulling out her twin blades from where she stored them on the belt of her tasset.
"ARAGORN! ARAGORN!" she heard Frodo yell out. She looked up to see that the troll had Frodo by the lag and was dragging him from behind one of the pillars. She cursed under her breath as she lunged and embedded her blades into its back as Frodo was able to slice its hand, the troll dropped Frodo to the ground as he reached back and grabbed Balmung in a crushing grip, dropping her weapons in surprise as they faded back into being the mark on her arm. Frodo looked up to see Balmung snarling and scratching at the arm, "BALMUNG!" he yelled in fear as the troll tightened his grip on her and use his other hand to try and grab Frodo. Aragorn appeared with a spear and jabbed it into the trolls stomach, it howled in pain and anger. Grabbing the spear it lifts Aragorn off his feet and flings him away, making him land harshly onto a pile of rocks and knocking him out.
"ARAGO-AUGH!?" Balmung started before the grip on her tightened, making it harder for her to breath. She saw Frodo run up to Aragorn and try to wake him up, the troll took the spear out and aimed it at Frodo's head. "F-FRODO!" she yelled out in warning in time for Frodo to look and leap out of the way. Balmung watched as he tried to escape but the troll backed Frodo into a corner before slamming the spear into his gut before she passed out from the lack of oxygen.
Its as if time slowed down for the fellowship, Aragorn as he saw Frodo fall to the ground lifeless, merry and pippin had jumped onto the trolls back in anger driving their swords into it, Gimli had started to hack away at the legs so it would drop Balmung, Gandalf had let out a yell of anger as he joined in with Boromir behind, Aragorn and Sam had run up to Frodo in respiration of the hope that he may yet still be alive.
The troll tried to get the hobbits off by shaking rapidly, merry stabbed him again making the troll scream. Legolas quickly knocked an arrow and fired it into its mouth, it seemed confused and startled as it reached a hand up and touched the arrow sticking through the roof of the mouth. Once it registered that there was an arrow, it stumbled slightly with a groan before topples to the floor, dead.
"Balmung!" Legolas gasps as he runs up to the hand that still had her in its grip, he ushered Gimli over to help pry her out. Once free he checked her breathing, she wasn't and that made him panic, before he could do anything they heard some more screeching and footsteps.
"RUN FOR IT!" Gandalf yelled, Aragorn picked up Frodo's body as Legolas picked up Balmung. They ran as fast as they could down the old city, reaching a door that Boromir had slammed against to open so they could use the stairs that went down, as they did Legolas picked up the gasp of Frodo.
"I am alright," Frodo gasped, startling Aragorn who nearly dropped him in amazement. "I can walk. Put me down." Frodo said as he slightly struggled to get out of his grip. The company stopped as Aragorn put him down, Sam immediately at his side.
"I thought you were dead!" Aragorn cried.
"Not yet!" Gandalf said with a smile. "But there is time to wonder. Off you go, all of you, down the stairs! Wait a few minutes for me at the bottom, but if I do not come soon, go on! Go quickly and choose paths leading right and downwards." he said and Aragorn looked at him as if he just said they could defeat sauron with a stick.
"We cannot leave you to hold the door alone!" Aragorn argued. He was not about to leave Gandalf alone, he caught gandalf's eyes flicker to Balmung's still body in Legolas's arms.
"Do as I say!" Gandalf yelled fiercely with a shove to Aragorn's shoulder to get him going, "Swords are no more use here." he warned and with one last looked to Balmung he turned to start enchanting a spell on the door, "GO!" and with that the fellowship fled down the stairs.
'where...am I?' Balmung thought as she drifted back to consciousness, there were sound of feet shuffling and stumbling along. The distant sound of drums and a menacing growl reached her ears, she cracked open her eyes to see nothing but darkness. She also realized that she was being carried, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion she looked around to see that it was Legolas who carrying her. He did not noticed that her eyes had opened all the way now and was staring at him. 'Why is Legolas carrying me?' she wondered before looking around, she had to strain her eyes to see that the rest of the company except for Aragorn was in front. Wondering where the ranger was she looked around more to see that he was just besides Legolas.
"...Aragorn?" she mumbled quietly, her throat really hurt for some odd reason, but seeing as it was so quiet her voice echoed along the walls catching everyone's attention. Legolas stopped abruptly as Aragorn turned to her. He looked down at her with shock before breaking into a relived smile and bringing her closer to himself.
"Balmung!" Aragorn breathed our also relived, "Oh thank the valor you are alive!"
"Legolas, let go!" balmung as Legolas practically suffocated her, "Let me down! i can walk mellon!" she chuckled.
"BALMUNG!" merry and pippin cheered as they ran up and hugged her when Legolas put her down. She grunted but smiled with a chuckle.
"YOUR ALRIGHT!" merry cried out as he hugged her tighter. "WE'RE HAPPY YOUR ALRIGHT!" Pippin nodding furiously in agreement. "W-W-WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE!"
"Why would you think that?" she asked as they let go after realizing that they may have been hugging a little to tightly. Gimli and Gandalf walked up next, Gandalf giving her a hug, a lot lighter one, as he sighed out his worries for her.
"You weren't breathing bal." Gimli said.
"oh, well it takes more then that to take down a dragon." she chuckled out as she looked around, "Frodo? Wheres Frodo? How is he?" she asked slightly panicked. Heads would roll if anything happened to Bilbo's heir.
"Here!" Frodo called out from his spot. "I'm alright. How about you Balmung?" he asked. She let out a breath before smiling and walking up to him patting his head.
"Just tired is all." then she looked around, and saw how tired everyone looked. "Well, I guess that means I am just as everyone else is then."
"We should get moving." Boromir suggested, he glanced at Balmung for a bit before looking at Gandalf. Everyone agreed and started to move along, Legolas and Aragorn flanked her on each side, in case she was more tired then let on. It was silent for a while until Boromir spoke up from the middle, "And since when have you started to call Balmung 'Bal', Gimli?" he questioned. Said dwarf coughed un-comfortably. Balmung perked up on the question and wondered that herself.
"W-Well...I-I-I-...Its-" Gimli stuttered out as his face flushed red. Gandalf chuckled from the front next to Gimli.
"If I remember correctly, was that not the name that Gloin had given you?" he stated more then questioned as he turned to look at Balmung. She laughed while nodding her head, remembering that Gloin only called her that because yelling out 'Balmung' during battle was too long. The company had heard him use it often and started to call her by that, even Thorin sometimes said it when he wasn't paying attention. It was quite coincidental that he would call her that, because she was already use to the nickname since Bilbo called her that.
"Like father like son, eh?" she said.