Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Any lines you recognize most likely belong to J.R.R Tolkien or Peter Jackson. Unless, of course, it is a repetitive line of mine that you have heard far too many times and is now getting annoying because you've read it so many times...

OVER 100 REVIEWS! Thank you all so much! I couldn't have gotten one hundred reviews without you! (No. Seriously. I couldn't have. LOL!--Yes, I crack myself up. No, not like an egg. ) But seriously, without your feedback and support, I doubt this story would have gotten so far... So I guess I'm just trying to say... Thank you all SO much!


Legolas gazed across the company, his eyes seeming to be distant. At last, he turned to each and every one. Boromir, whose gaze was hard andunrelenting, but strangely compassionate. Gimli, whose normally prideful eyes were now cast downward, almost seeming to be a sign of respect. The hobbits, they sat still, frowns adoring their small faces. Aragorn's gaze was regretful and melancholic. Gandalf smiled encouragingly at the prince.

Aragorn gazed into his friend's weary eyes and realized that the elven prince was tired beyond reason, and in no state to even discuss the story with the others. It had worn him, going through all his torment again. He could see Legolas was putting on his mask again--the one that hid his pain and weariness; but Aragorn knew him too well. He knew he was silently aching and weary; excluding the fact Legolas had relived his torture while telling the tale in the mid of the night. He coughed slightly and said, "I suggest you all get some rest. Night falls often it would seem here, but soon it will be morning and night will be a long ways away." He turned to Gandalf. "How much further is it, do you remember?"

The wizard looked thoughtful before replying, "If my memory is reliable, we should be able to reach the bridge of Khazad-dum tomorrow." He frowned slightly before saying his next comment. "It just seems strange..."

Aragorn frowned in confusion, "What does?"

Gandalf shook his head and replied, "Forgive an old man for speaking to himself. Pay no heed to what I said. However, I do agree with Aragorn. You should all rest ere we leave again."

Pippin struggled to cover a yawn and crawled over to where he had been sleeping before. "Legolas," he called out softly. Legolas walked over to where the little hobbit was and kneeled down before replying, "Aye, tithen min?"

Pippin said shyly, "I just wanted you to know, I think you are very brave." Legolas smiled slightly as Pippin succumbed to sleep. Soon all the hobbits were asleep, as was Boromir and Gimli. Aragorn and Gandalf were still awake. "Legolas," called out Aragorn softly, so as not to wake the rest of the company. "Get some sleep. You look as though you need it."

Legolas was about to protest, but he was too tired for once. For one of the few times in his life, he stopped being stubborn and instead laid down and almost instantly fell into dreamless sleep--the only restful sleep he had gotten since before Moria.


In a few hours, Aragorn and Gandalf woke them all up and prepared to leave. "Good morning!" said Gandalf. "For morning it is again at last. I was right, you see. We are high up on the east side of Moria. Before today is over we ought to find the Great Gates and see the waters of Mirrormere lying in the Dimrill Dale before us."

"I shall be glad," said Gimli. "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."

After they had breakfasted Gandalf decided to go on again at once. "We are tired, but we shall rest better when we are outside," he said. "I think that none of us will wish to spend another night in Moria."

Following Gandalf's lead, the company passed under the northern arch. They found themselves in a wide corridor. As they went along a glimmer grew stronger, and they saw it came through a doorway on their right. It was high and flat-topped, and the stone door was upon its hinges, standing half open. Beyond it was a large square chamber. Gimli began to run towards it quickly.

"Gimli!" shouted Gandalf, but to no avail. They walked in to find him sobbing, and Legolas felt a twinge of sympathy for the Dwarf. "Here it is written in the tongues of men and dwarves:

BALIN SON OF FUNDIN
LORD OF MORIA."

"He is dead then," said Gandalf. "I feared it was so." Gimli cast his hood over his face, weeping.


Gandalf handed his hat and staff to Pippin. He then picked up a large book out of a skeleton's hands and dusted it off. He opened it and blew dust out of it while some of its pages fell out.

"We must move on. We cannot linger," said Legolas quietly to Aragorn, who nodded. Something was troubling him greatly. Gandalf began reading the Dwarvish (and in some parts, the elvish) from the book on the floor about what had happened. Then he abruptly finished with 'they are coming.' Suddenly a loud noise from beyond Gandalf made Legolas nearly jump until he saw it was just one of the Hobbits, Pippin. He had touched a skeleton and caused it to fall, as well as the chains and drums that were with it. Pippin immediately snapped around to look at Gandalf.

They rest of the skeleton had finally finished falling as well as the drum and chain and Legolas winced at the sound it made. Surely every living creature in Moria had heard that noise!

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf said angrily, while taking back his possessions, "Next time throw yourself in and rid us of your stupidity!"

Suddenly Legolas heard drums from afar and he whipped around to look at Gandalf. Doom, doom; drums sounded. Apparently he had heard them too, as he looked as though he was straining to hear something. In a few moments they had grown loud enough for the rest of the Fellowship to hear. 'Doom, doom...' Then came loud battle cries and Legolas recognized them immediately, for he had heard them so many times before. "Orcs," he spat out, as if the words had a foul taste.

'Doom, doom' came the drum-beat and the walls shook.

"They are coming!" he cried.

"We cannot get out," said Gimli.

"Slam the doors and wedge them!" shouted Aragorn.

Boromir ran to the door and stuck his head out. He quickly ducked as an arrow came whistling past his head.

Aragorn said: "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" and pushed the hobbits back.

Aragorn then ran forward towards the doors. He and Boromir shut the door tightly. Then Boromir cried, with alarm on his face, "They have a cave troll!"

Legolas threw them axes to bolt the door with, even as he readied himself for the oncoming battle. Then Legolas and Aragorn then took up positions by the door and readied their bows and arrows, carefully drawing back the stringand holding it taut and steady.Gimli jumped up on his cousin's tomb and growled: "Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Now there came a great banging at the door and the smallest of cracks appeared. Legolas shot an arrow; it flew straight into a crack in the door, killing the Orc behind it. Aragorn shot another arrow before the door broke open. Legolas continued shooting off arrows, killing all the Orcs that came near him. Finally he brought out his blades, knowing he would need the arrows later on. Suddenly he heard Aragorn yell from behind him and he whirled around. There was a Goblin about to swing a small sword at his head, but Aragorn beheaded it. He nodded his head in thanks to the human and began attacking once again. He had just finished slashing at an Orc when a Cave Troll came in stomping and smashing everything his path.

Legolas notched an arrow and shot it, but the arrow did nothing but anger the troll further. The troll continued destroying anything and everything around him. Legolas notched two arrows and shot them both at the same time, but they still did nothing to hurt the troll. They stuck out like absurd splinters from his large body.

Realizing his arrows could not hurt the troll from this angle, he then turned around and searched for something else of use to hurt the troll. He jumped on a ledge on the side of the wall and started shooting more arrows at it, hoping the change of angle might help.

It grabbed the chain around its neck and started trying to whip Legolas with it. The great heavy links smashed into the rocks beside him as he dodged it, and crushed the stones. After Legolas had dodged it a few times, the chain got stuck in one of the pillars. Legolas ran up the chain onto the troll's back and shot an arrow into the back of its head. It gave a roar and Legolas jumped off its back. He focused once again on killing the Orcs and the Goblins around him, while taking his battle away from the troll. Aragorn had started towards it, and Legolas knew the Man could take care of the cave troll.

Legolas had just finished killing a Goblin with one swift stroke of his knives when he realized there were no more around him. Now he focused his attention back onto the troll and Aragorn, who appeared to be playing hide-and-go-seek with someone; but who?

He looked around and noticed the Ringbearer was missing. He was probably the one hiding from the troll. He shot an arrow but to no avail. Just then he saw the troll grab Frodo by the leg and begin to drag him away. He looked around for anything to help him with when he saw Aragorn save Frodo. He had stabbed the troll with a large spear.

He was just about to give a sigh of relief when he saw the troll send Aragorn flying unconscious. He winced as he heard the thud of Aragorn hitting the wall. He saw his friend hit the ground and immediately collapse.

Frodo ran over and shook Aragorn for a few seconds before jumping up and barely missing getting hit by the spear. He backed up away from the troll and hit the wall. The troll was preparing to throw the spear again. Legolas saw fear in every feature of the Hobbit's face and felt an overwhelming need to protect him; but with what?

He saw the troll beginning to pull back so it would be sure to kill Frodo this time. As Legolas was noticing this, Aragorn was waking up.

Now Legolas saw the troll begin to throw his spear as though in slow motion, when in reality, this was all happening very rapidly. He sprinted forward. He got there right as the troll released and pushed aside the terror-stricken Hobbit aside. But he was too late. Though he saved Frodo, the spear hit him instead.

Legolas clenched his teeth to keep from screaming a cry of pain as he felt the full impact. He let out a muffled cry at the pain. The spear went into him and sent him flying to the wall. Then, he just fell to the ground and remained limp, not having any strength to do anything. The pain, which he felt should have been so sharp, was dull. Instead, he felt himself drifting away from the battle, floating away with the darkness that swirled before his eyes, beckoning him to peace.

Now Merry and Pippin jumped onto the troll's back and began viciously attacking it with their swords. Aragorn was still staring at the lifeless figure when he remembered he still had to take care of the other members of the fellowship. He got up, just as the two hobbits jumped down, and pulled out his bow. He stood in front of the troll and aimed carefully. Then he shot an arrow right into its mouth and the Cave Troll swayed for a few moments before collapsing on the ground. Aragorn ran over to his friend praying that he was still alive and turned him around. Legolas' eyes were closed and that's what worried him most. The only time he had ever seen the Elf's eyes closed was when he had been terribly sick after being captured by Saruman.

"Legolas! Don't worry, gwador, it will be all right!" It has to be!

Legolas coughed softly; blood was seeping quickly through his tunic. Already a large pool of blood surrounded the elf with a ghastly halo of crimson life; crimson death.

"It's over, Estel. It was... my fate to end in... darkness."

"No."

"Estel... let me go..."

"No..." whispered Aragorn, brokenly. "I can't..."

Legolas opened his eyes. "So tired, Estel... I have been so tired..."

A tear escaped Aragorn's lashes to fall on Legolas' face, joining the blood that trickled from the corner of Legolas' mouth. Slowly, Aragorn swallowed, clenching his teeth together.

"Then go to sleep, my brother."

The dying prince's breath grew shallower. When he next spoke, it was barely a rasp. "Won't you... help me, gwador? One.. last time?"

A silent sob shook the ranger's body. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he at last spoke, his voice was choked.

"Of course, Legolas, of course I will..."

Aragorn wiped the blood from Legolas' face with a clean cloth that the ranger had been keeping to clean his sword with. He gently brushed a strand of golden hair, tainted with crimson blood, from Legolas' eyes. Then, thickly swallowing, he began to sing:

"Maybe when the sun is back
And better days draw near
The night that seemed so endless
Is no longer there to cause the fear..."

Legolas' breathing slowed.

"I'll find you when tomorrow comes
Someday we'll meet once more..."

His eyes began to close gently; Aragorn forced himself to continue as he softly stroked Legolas' brow.

"I'll live for that moment
When I see your face
'cross the distant shore."

Legolas lay still as silent tears fell swiftly down Aragorn's face