While Lord Elrond was nothing but polite and hospitable, offering his guests any aid they requested, Mena and Frerin were both eager to continue on their way. They departed Rivendell after only a week's respite in the Last Homely House. Within two days' time, the dwarf and human stood at the base of the Misty Mountains.
Mena knew she was well out of her depth, and asked the dwarf to take the lead for this leg of their journey. They began the long and treacherous climb, and Mena quickly discovered an aversion to mountains and climbing in general. Frerin, on the other hand, seemed to thrive in these conditions, taking to the rocky path with a grin of bliss. Mena knew he must be imagining this to be Erebor when he would finally be home.
By nightfall the two had managed to cover a surprising amount of distance, regardless of Mena's inexperience, and had made camp in one of many caves along the way. Frerin offered to take the first watch, as it was blaringly obvious that the human was exhausted from the day's activities. Mena slept well and deeply, and Frerin found his eyes beginning to drift shut on and off, as he struggled to stay alert and on guard. Over an hour later, both human and dwarrow slept soundly.
Naturally, this is when disaster struck. A small fissure began in the ground at the very back of the cave, and quietly crept across the floor, widening as it went. The warrior-trained prince snapped awake at a premonition, and his eyes widened when he saw the floor beginning to fall out from under them. "Mena!" was all he managed to bark out, before the ground gave completely and they both fell into darkness.
Darkness and pain were definitely on her list of things to avoid in the future, Mena decided. She felt a pounding in her head, and stirred slightly, trying to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was being awoken rather suddenly by a shifting of the ground beneath her, and the frightened cry of her name from her companion.
"Frerin..." she murmured, trying to break through the haze surrounding her head. "Be silent lass" came a very soft whisper, and the human relaxed at the familiar voice. Then she tensed again as she heard a strange clanging and yelling of raspy voices. She was suddenly and vividly taken back to the day she lost her childhood home, remembering the chaos and vicious creatures that had attacked her family. "Orcs..." she didn't realize she had spoken aloud until the dwarven prince responded near-silently "Nay, these foul creatures are goblins. Not the same as orcs, but just as despicable and vicious. Keep silent and still until this group has passed."
She nodded her agreement and remained as silent as possible. After what seemed like hours, but was likely only minutes, the small pack of creatures that had been nearby had passed. Mena dared to sit up at this point, and she saw that Frerin had dragged her over to a small nook that was well hidden, giving them the chance to remain undetected for the moment.
"What happened?" she whispered, continuing to keep her voice low, knowing that there were likely many more goblin-creatures in these depths. Frerin gave her a crooked grin, looking completely exhausted but rather pleased with himself nonetheless. "Well, after the floor of our cave fell out from beneath us, we fell with it, and the horses were killed. I remained conscious after the impact of the landing, and went over to check on you. It was then that I heard the goblins, and decided against becoming better acquainted with the creatures. This handy little crevice seemed a decent enough place to recuperate briefly. You may thank me for saving your life at your convenience." His voice, while remaining very quiet, was imbued with good-natured sarcasm at the last line.
Mena smiled slightly in return, grateful that the dwarf was making an effort to distract her from their extremely precarious position. After another minute or so, her head had cleared enough for her to risk standing, and she did so carefully, while Frerin stood nearby to assist should she need it. She swayed slightly, but was able to stay on her feet. She was about to step into the minimal light of the sputtering torch on the wall nearby, when a rough dwarven hand on her arm stopped her.
She turned to Frerin, about to ask what he was doing, when she saw the guarded concern in his eyes as he shook his head frantically and silently. She slid back into the shadows beside him, waiting. His keen eyesight had seen a strange shadow slinking along the wall opposite them, and he knew that whatever creature this was, it was most likely dangerous. Soon enough, a strange, skeletal being with enormous eyes and distorted features came into the light. Mena, upon seeing this thing, couldn't contain a gasp of dismay and surprise.
Immediately, those wide eyes flicked over to their hiding place, and it seemed the creature could see in the dark, for its eerie gaze locked directly onto Mena, not seeing the dwarf warrior behind her. The creature reached down to its hip, and pulled out something from a seemingly non-existent pocket. Mena caught a glimpse of something golden flash in the minimal lighting, before the creature quite literally disappeared into thin air.
Shocked, the human had only a second before long, slim, surprisingly strong fingers closed around her throat and began to choke the life out of her. She struggled, gasping for breath, when she saw a flash of golden hair, and then suddenly she could breathe again. The girl fell to her knees, gasping, and looked up, treated to a very strange sight indeed. Frerin stood before her, a stony expression on his face as he held his arms at an odd angle, seeming to be embracing someone invisible. His arms jerked slightly as whatever he held struggled, and his hand closed around something, twisting it up in a practiced move, then all of a sudden the strange creature was visible in his arms.
It fought him, even with its arm twisted up behind his back, until the prince simply struck its temple hard enough to knock it out. The thin creature collapsed in a pile of bones, and did not move again, although its thin chest moved up and down very slightly. Mena struggled to her feet, and staggered over to Frerin, looking down upon the creature in disgust. She saw the same glimpse of gold as before, and glanced at the ground, seeing a small golden ring in the dust beneath the dwarf's feet.
She quickly knelt, reaching out a hand for the ring, when a strange sensation swept over her. The second she touched the ring, a darkness clouded her mind, strange whisperings offering her power and wealth, whatever her heart desired. The feeling was disturbing, and she quickly dropped the ring into a pocket. Immediately, the whisperings stopped, although there was a residual sense of the darkness lingering, and she knew it would be wise to get rid of this artifact soon. She didn't dare leave it down here with all the goblin-creatures either though, and decided to just leave it in her pocket and not touch it if she could help it until a better option was presented.
Frerin, meanwhile, had knelt next to the creature, testing its heartbeat and breathing rate. "It will live" he murmured, seeming displeased, but his honor would not allow him to slay a weaponless and unconscious enemy. Mena nodded, not happy, but not wishing to see the creature slain either. She felt a strange sense of pity, unsure where it had come from, but it was enough to willingly leave it be.
"Come" the dwarf said in a low voice, leading the way up another path. They both knew that their best chance of survival was to come out on the other side of the mountain range, out into the daylight, but they had to pass through the depths first. She willingly followed the warrior as he set a swift pace, drifting silently along the stone.
There were many times when small packs of the goblins came very close to discovering the two intruders, but Yavanna, or perhaps Mahal, seemed to be feeling generous, and Frerin and Mena were able to traverse the entirety of the depths of Goblin-Town without detection. Of Goblin-Town itself, as Mena had dubbed (to herself) the main area with the highest concentration of the creatures, they saw very little, in a hurry to get to safety as they were.
On their way past, she caught a glimpse of a hideous, hugely fat critter sitting on a throne of some sorts, but then Frerin was hurrying her along again, and she followed the dwarf. They reached a small hole in the side of the mountain with sunlight streaming in, and both raced out into the light, and safety.