Disclaimer: I don't own The Lord of the Rings or any of its characters. I only own Leûra, Aearion, Undûme, Cassiopeia, Balanidhren, Aefaradien and any other original characters – so no stealing. However, I don't own Cuiviénen. That place belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien, but the stories of it in Chapter 1 and 2 are all mine.
Chapter 10: Moria
We walk up a rocky path, but Gimli takes it upon himself to barge and push his way to the front and looks around. I was going to shout at the Dwarf Lord for his arrogance until he announces that we made it to the Walls of Moria. Thank Valar! Much as it shames me to admit it, I need a moment to rest, as do the Hobbits. Oh, Valar, we all need to rest! As we continue to walk on, we come to a large watering hole and a tall stone door. The entrance to the Mines, I assume.
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli announces, quite proudly.
"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten," Gandalf explains further. Interesting.
"Why does that not surprise me?" Legolas mutters with disdain. I look at him a moment, scowling but confused. He just trudges on past me, ignoring both my stare and Gimli's sputtering.
"Well, let's see." Gandalf walks up to the stonewall and brushes away it's, what seemed to be, many years of dust. "Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight."
His eyes soon turn up to the sky and I follow his gaze. The clouds are passing over the moon, revealing it's full form and beauty. Such beauty that I've never seen and long to never leave. But my thoughts are interupted by the doors suddenly glowing, revealing an arch with stars and an inscription. I've never seen anything like it. I only thank Valar, for the first time ever, that none of the others saw my face when the door glowed. I'm in awe.
"It reads: "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter"."
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asks confused, still staring at the doors completely amazed. I can't help but smirk and share his astonishment.
"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open. Annon Edhellen edro hi ammen!" the Istar speaks in a combination of Elvish and Dwarvish with ease, holding his staff against the doors. When he finishes, the doors did not open. "Lasto beth!" Nothing. He pulled his staff away from the door and started to push on it hopeful, but the doors didn't budge. What has blocked our path this time?
"Nothing's happening," Pippin points out.
"I once knew every spell in the all tongues of Elves, Men and Orcs," is all Gandalf says. He sounds confused.
"What are you going to do then?" the Hobbit asks him.
"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words," Gandalf threatens and Pippin immediately quietens. That was harsh. Stepping up behin Pippin, I place my hands on his shoulders and he looks up at me.
"Come, Aier. Leave Gandalf to think," I tell him and steer him away from the Istar.
What feels like hours later, Gandalf continues to speak in the same combination of Elvish and Dwarvish tiredly. Meanwhile, the rest of us are doing whatever else out of boredom of watching Gandalf. Though I hate to admit it, I'm beginning to lose my faith in the old Istar. I look around our little makeshift camp.
Boromir sits on some rocks, Gimli joining him while Merry and Pippin are throwing rocks into the water. Frodo sits on some rocks nearest Gandalf while Legolas and I are just standing around. I know not what he is doing for certain, but I am keeping my eyes on the surrounding area. Just in case. I've decided to remain true to my original decision to keep my distance, so I stray from the others for as far as I can go, especially from Lords Legolas and Gimli. Aragorn, on the other hand, is taking the Hobbit Sam up the path we came, Sam's pony's reins in hand.
I vaguely hear him saying that the mines are no place for a pony. Sam said his sad good-bye and let Bill go up the path and out of site. Aragorn reassures Sam that Bill knows the way home. The pony may know the way home, but it doesn't mean he'll get there. My heart goes out to the stout Hobbit, but nothing else. Never anything else.
After he and Sam walk down the path again, they come across Merry and Pippin at the water's edge. They are still amusing themselves by throwing stones into the water, but before Pippin can throw another stone Aragorn grabs his hand. Pippin and Merry look at him confused, as did I. What is wrong with this man? Can't he let them have a little fun?
"Do not disturb the water," he warns, looking at the water thoughtfully.
"I'm beginning to think we were better off on the mountain," I state while crossing my arms, tired of looking at my reflection in the water.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day an Elf was pessimistic," Gimli retorts with a hand rested on his knee. "Your kind are always so cheerful and content, frolicking in the woods." Legolas glares at him, ready to kill the Dwarf, but as he is about to speak up I speak again. I will not let him assume things about me, not at all.
"Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day a Dwarf did not complain. I guess I'll have to keep waiting on that one." Gimli looks at me in shock and begins to stammer. "Besides, I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist, and anyone can see it was stupid to come here!"
"Are you calling me stupid, She-Elf?" Gimli shouts at me, rising to his feet stand toe-to-toe with me. I almost laugh; he only reaches just above my waist.
"It is folly to be here!" I argue hotly. "We are out here, in the middle of the night, surrounded my mountains, with our backs to a wall that supposedly leads to an underground city! We are at a great disadvantage should the enemy find us! It was stupid to listen to you!"
"Enough, you two!" Gandalf shouts at our raised voices, obviously frightening us both. Both of us back down and go back to being quiet. Gimlie storms off, back to sit on his rocks, and I cross my arms. Stupid Dwarf. No wonder my kin hates them so; stubborn idiots the lot of them! "Oh, it's useless," he sighes.
Weary and frustrated, he turns from the supposed door and leans his staff against a rock. He sits down next to Frodo on that same rock, removing his hat. I look at Frodo and see he is avoiding my gaze. Damn, I've made him feel guilty. It was his decision to come here, not Gimli's. Damn! Sighing, I walk from the group and lean a lone tree on the path that Aragorn set Bill on his way.
"You have been avoiding the others and myself," Legolas states, sneaking up behind me. He startled me, but I refused to show it to him. "Why do you act so?"
"As I told you before, Prince Legolas, stop asking questions about my life and motives as to why I'm here." My voice is cold as the snow from Caradhras. "Kela, beikaer. Leave me to my thoughts." I glare at him with all the courage I can muster. He looks me up and down before nodding and leaving me. Where he went, I do not know but I do care. I feel so guilty acting the way I do towards him. Sometimes. He seems nice enough, but there are more important things at hand.
Not far from me, I can hear the water make waves. I notice both Aragorn and Boromir stare at the water intensely, but turn from the ubsurd men to gaze at the door. I figure I should put my energy into something more constructive than staring at water or standing around. Frodo must have the same thought as he now looks intently at the door and stands up. He walks over to the door, looking at the inscription.
"It's a riddle," he realizes as he gazes up at the door. ""Speak 'friend' and enter." What's the Elvish word for 'friend'?" I look at the others and saw Aragorn and Boromir moved the other three Hobbits behind them. Why, I don't know or really care this time. What they do is their own business.
"Mellon," Gandalf answers. The doors suddenly rumble and slowly open as more dust falls down. A smile can't help but grace all of our faces at the sight. At last, our journey can continue! Gandalf stands up, placing a white crystal in the top of his staff, and we start to walk in with his crystal lighting the way.
"Soon, Master and Lady Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friends, is the home of my cousin Balin and they call it a "mine." A mine!" he laughs heartily and I roll my eyes at the notion that any Elf could enjoy eating, much less living, in a mine.
"This is no mine," Boromir whispers. "It's a tomb."
"No. No!" Gimli shouts in agony of what he sees before him.
All around, Gandalf's crystal lights up the decayed corpses of Dwaves. Arrows sticking out of their bodies and cobwebs all over the place. There is nothing left of them, just their bones. I have to restrain myself from shielding my nose from the horrid smell. These Dwarves have long been dead. Gimli shouts again, running toward the bodies with tears in his eyes. The others look around at the corpses and the path ahead, but the Hobbits stay in the back towards the door.
To escape the smell, I move to the back with them. Perhaps I could take care of them as the others perform their own inspection. Legolas, on the other hand, kneel down by one of the bodies and pulls out the arrow to examine it. Ugh, that skeleton just came apart! When he realizes where it came from, he turns to us with an angry look on his face.
"Goblins!" he tells us and throws down the arrow. He rises to his feet and pulls out an arrow of his own, and cocked his bow in preparation. As he does so, Aragorn and Boromir pull out their swords and look around carefully.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here," Boromir boasts with disdain. "Now, get out of here. Get out!" he shouts as he starts to back up slowly.
"Frodo!" I hear Sam shout behind me.
I whip around to see Frodo being dragged away by an unseen enemy. Fear grips me as I watch the small boy, all my common sense gone. Sam's shouts of worry and panic with my own make the other three Hobbits turn. I shake my head and dive after Frodo, gripping his hands with my own. Frodo gasps and grips my hands tightly but he's slipping. I stuggle to pull him back, but my heels dig into the ground. Oh, Valar, I'm being dragged with him!
"Aragon!" I shout. Frodo's hands slip a little more and we're pulled even further towards the water.
"Get off him! Hold on!" Merry orders as he, Sam and Pippin hold onto Frodo's arms. As they continue to call for Aragorn, I feel tiny hands pulling at my waist. Looking over my shoulder, I make out Pippin. He's trying to pull me back.
Aragorn suddenly runs into my vision, towards the giant tentacle, and cuts it off of Frodo's leg. Frodo flies forward into my arms, sending me on my back, and I hold him tightly, panting. Before I can even ask him if he is fine, more tentacles shoot out of the water to grab us. I roll Frodo off of me, into his friends and jump to my feet, my short swords in my hands. With the others, I immediately hack through them as Legolas' arrows fly overhead.
The tentacles are gone and I turn to see the others pulling Frodo to his feet. I sigh in relief. I catch the Halfling's eyes and nod to him. He nods back, thanking me. I thought I was safe for a time until I feel something sntach me from behind. I was so startled that I dropped one of my short swords. The others, their backs are to me, and I try to shout for help but a tentacle around suddenly slides around my mouth. My pleas fall on deaf ears, though I vaguely hear my name being shouted, but I continue to clutch my one weapon firmly as I'm dragged her under the water.
No! Not the water! Anywhere but the water! After all this time of freedom and release, I can't go back! I won't! No, I have to calm down. Clear my mind, if I don't I'm as good as dead. I don't know how long I'm under, but I can't breath and my throat becomes sore and throbs with pain.
The water is cold, frigid. My eyes search the darkness around me. I can see quite well thanks to my cursed home. I see air bubbles, fish and more tentacles. Just as I'm about to see what restrains me, what cuts off my air and bruises my skin, I break the surface. Relief washes over me until the tentacle begins to wave me around in the air. My mouth is suddenly freed and I begin to shout more out of pain than fear as it tosses me around. I now know what a rag doll feel like.
"Leûra!" Aragorn shouts. Legolas begins to shoot the tentacle as Boromir pulls out his sword. I see all of them run to the water's edge, but Legolas is the only one who can do anything to help. Guilt weighs even heavier in this moment of weakness.
Tired of being the creature's toy, I decide to fight. My one arm becomes free and I twirl my sword around, quickly stabbing the tentacle holding me. I scream as the tentacle waves me around once more, but my screams soon fade as it throws me against the mountain that surrounded Moria's entrance. I crash into the jagged mountain wall. I can feel the tentacle release me and, while I should be pleased, I feel ill. I can feel my blood flow as I fall and crash back into the cold water again.
Darkness takes over.
Translations:
Annon Edhellen edro hi ammen: Gate of the Elves open now for me!
Lasto beth... (Listen to...)
Aier: Short One
Kela, beikaer: Go away, excessive one
P.S.: Five pages total.