Hello everyone and welcome back! First off I would like to thank those who reviewed…

kaototchi

HoneyGee08

tbroski46

This chapter will start the continuation of the movie as well as a few extra chapters when they enter the mine. So, without much to say I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you.

~oOo~

Aria hates snow. Not only does she have to wear shoes that cause her to fumble now and then as the hiked up the mountain but the coldness blows right through her, making the hair on her arms stand up. Aria and Legolas were in front, Gandalf, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin were in the middle leaving Aragorn, Frodo, and Boromir at the end. Aria was somewhat amazed that both she and Legolas were the only ones walking on top of the snow but now and then Aria would fall through, cursing the human part of her in silence. Because of the cold weather getting stronger they only rested unless the needed to, pitching up tents closer together to conserve heat from the fire they managed to obtain some nights.

Just recently she has found herself curled against the hobbits for better warmth than sitting alone in her tent with Ryu. Dragons, like Ryu, are cold blooded, like lizards, so the cold is starting to get to him so he curls himself around Aria for warmth. He no longer stayed a pup but a grown wolf. However, there are hours in the day when Ryu would allow Aria to mount his back, taking off ahead of the group to reach the highest point that looks over Middle Earth until they are forced to return back to the group, mainly stating that they were scouting ahead. The group knew that the woman is enjoying her freedom, loving how the wind blew past her face making her cheeks turn pink from the cold wind.

They were marching up one of the mountain sides when they heard Frodo slip and start tumbling back down. Aria turned around just as Aragorn caught Frodo from falling any further. When Frodo got to his feet he checked to see if the ring was around his neck when he didn't feel it hanging.

It was missing...and at Boromir's feet.

Boromir took it in hand, hanging it in front of his face with this...look Aria could not describe. Everyone turned, waiting for something to happen in silence.

"Boromir." Aragorn said.

"It is strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt...over so small a thing. Such a little things." Boromir said, his hand reaching forward to touch The Ring. Aria placed a hand on the hilt of one of her daggers, ready to strike the human should he try anything.

"Boromir!" Aragorn snapped him out of his trance. "Give the Ring to Frodo." He ordered. Boromir took a sigh stepped forward towards Frodo.

"As you wish." He held out the Ring by the chain. Frodo took it quickly. "I care not." Aragorn gave the other human a glare, making him chuckle, ruffling Frodo's hair like he was a child. He slung his shield back over his shoulder and turned away. Aria watched as Aragorn removed his hand from the hilt of his sword, Aria did as well. Someone placed a hand on her arm and Aria turned around. Legolas was looking at her with a strange look and she shook her head at him. She patted his shoulder, her way of telling him that she was fine. She needed to distance herself away from him. Getting too close would lead to each other's death if she wasn't careful.

They continued on, climbing higher and higher up the mountain. As they reached the near highest point a storm grew. Winds stirred up the loose snow, blinding them as Gandalf lead them. Legolas and Aria moved passed Gandalf, walking softly on the snow as the humans carried the hobbits. Aria felt so sorry for Gimli though. Him being so short...

"You hear that?" Aria asked Legolas as the wind blew.

"There is a fell voice in the air." Legolas called softly behind us.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf called. Something above them broke, sending snow and rocks towards them.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn called towards the front.

"No!" He said and shook his head. Gandalf stood and gripped Aria's hand. "With me my dear." He said. Aria nodded and looked towards the sky. Together they chanted a counter spell but it didn't seem to be working. Lightning struck above them, sending half the mountain down on them. As the snow came down Aria lost her footing, the snow blinded her as she started to fall backwards.

"Ah!" Aria cried out as her feet left the snow. Someone's hand reached out and dragged her into a warm, hard chest covered in clothing. She gripped the clothing, holding tight as the snow covered them.

She felt so cold and there was slight movement but once her head burst out from under the snow everything came rushing back. Legolas helped Aria move the snow out of the way, helping the others get free.

"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir cried. "Make for the Gap of Rohan, and take the west road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued.

"We cannot pass over a mountain. Let us go under it." Gimli spoke up. "Let us go through the Mines of Moria." Aria looked at Gandalf and saw uncertain in his eyes. Something about those mines Gandalf made him be wary of them. After a minute he spoke.

"Let the Ring-bearers decide." Gandalf said. Everyone turned and faced Aria and Frodo. Aria looked at Frodo, her answer clearly with what his answer is but still, she feared the underground as well. There was no life there. No trees, no birds calling, no sunlight. Only stone...and fire.

"We will go through the mines." He said.

"So be it." Gandalf spoke.

Little by little they made their way down the mountain side, following Gandalf in a very quiet silence. As they came down Aria kept getting this feeling of dread. Her stomach turned and she wished nothing more than to speak her mind, tell her companions that the mines are horrid. She wished to say...to say many a thing but her voice seems to have died with every step they took towards the endless darkness of the mines.

They came to a lake of some sort, a few trees lined the bank but they were twisted and old. Aria listened to hear but only a numbing sound came from within them. Fear struck her heart.

"Well, it's see." Gandalf muttered. "Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." He turned just as the moon shone down upon them. The designs on the stone shone brightly as the moonlight fell on it. Elvish words carved into the top, they were unfamiliar to Aria. These words are old words. "It reads, "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.

"It's simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf explained. He pressed the tip of his staff against a star like shape in the middle of the 'doors', then spoke in elvish. When the doors didn't open he tried again.

And again.

And again.

After a while everyone just decided to sit and wait. Aragorn and Sam unpacked Bill the pony, sending him home. Boromir sat and smoked his pipe. Legolas sat next to Aria, listening to her talk about she wishes there was sunlight.

"We will see it again Aria. Light always shines on us in the darkest of times." He spoke to her. Aria smiled and patted his hand, the warmth of his hand made the ache in her chest lighten.

Merry and Pippin were throwing rocks into the lake while Frodo sat next to Gandalf as he continued to try again. Aragorn grabbed Pippin's wrist just as he was about to throw another stone.

"Do not disturb the water." Aragorn said. Aria picked her head up, the fear lacing its way back into her mind.

The water...beware of the water...

Its poisoned...stays away...

Do not touch...the darkness will crawl into you...

Aria stopped talking and turned towards the tree next to her. The numbness from before was replaced with this scratching feeling along her spine. The voices sounded old, and in pain.

"What is wrong?" Legolas asked Aria, touching her shoulder. Aria turned towards him.

"The trees...they...never mind. It's nothing..." Aria said and got up from her seat. A sharp pain started to appear from her head as she walked by the lake. Waves began to turn but they didn't come towards the shore, no, they moved outward.

"It's a riddle." Frodo spoke. Aria stood behind him. "Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the Elvish word for 'friend'?"

"Mellon." Aria spoke clearly with Gandalf. The doors groaned, then gave way opening up towards them. Aria smiled despite the pain and patted Frodo on the back. "Good job Frodo." Aria said to him. Everyone grabbed their things and moved inside.

"Soon, Master Elf and Lady Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves." Aria giggled when Legolas made a face. "Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat of the bone!"

"Sounds lovely, Gimli. You'll have to show me everything." Aria said and clasped her hands together. She breathed into the hold, creating a small fire before opening her hands. The small fire ball danced in front of here, lighting the little room they were in just as Gandalf illuminated his staff.

"This, my friends, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli said.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb." Boromir said. Something snapped under Aria's foot, making her look down. Her foot had stepped on someone's skull. Aria let out a scream then covered her mouth as Aragorn pulled then pushed her towards the entrance where the hobbits stood. Frodo and Sam took her hands as Merry and Pippin made her stand behind them. Gimli shouted in horror as he looked at one of the skeletons while Legolas determined what killed them. "We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here. Now, get out of here. Get out!" The hobbits and Aria started to back out when something took a hold of Aria's leg, dragging her towards the lake.

"Aria!" The hobbits screamed.

"Help!" Aria called out and fumbled for her daggers.

"Strider!" Sam called out as Frodo, Merry and Pippin grabbed her arms. Aria called for help again just as Sam came for her aid, cutting whatever was dragging her towards the water. When Sam cut it they pulled her back but just then a monster from the lake came up, whacking the hobbits away from Aria just before it wrapped one of its tentacles around her, pulling her into the water.

"AAHH!" Aria screamed as it tightened its grip around her. "Help! Someone please help!" Aria cried. She looked down and saw the monster's face emerge from the water. Once Aria looked into its eyes, her way of calming down animals, she regretted it. The eyes were dark, old, and so empty. There was nothing in them, nothing at all. Aria screamed not because of its mouth opening, no. She screamed because all she could see is that darkness filler her own mind...then she froze. No more screaming, no more yelling for help, nothing.

Aria suddenly dropped from the sky into someone's arms. She couldn't feel anything as the person who was holding waded through the water, run into the mine, and set her down on the stone steps as they were sealed in. She felt someone touch her face and whisper something but everything felt numb.

"Aria...look at me." Gandalf was suddenly in front of her, his thumbs pressed next to her eyes. "What did you see?" He asked her.

"Nothing. I saw nothing." There was silence in the room. "There was a cold blackness that went on forever. The trees outside warned me but I didn't listen, I should have listened but I didn't." Aria shook her head as her whole body shook from the cold water.

"What happened to her?" Sam asked.

"That monster was dead long ago and Aria didn't take the warning that she should not look. It had no soul, so there was nothing for her to see. That's the thing with that gift of hers. Those with no souls have the opposite effect on her." Gandalf explained to them.

"So, when she looks into those with a soul she sees for who you really are?" Boromir asked.

"She can do a lot more than see who or what you really are." Gandalf said to the human. "Ryu, this is where you come in." Gandalf stood up and asked everyone to step back. Ryu stepped forward and sat in front of the Halfling.

"Aria, Aria you need to focus on your inner fire. Your body is going into shock. Concentrate." Ryu spoke. Boromir, Gimli, Legolas, the hobbits, and Aragorn stared at the wolf in awe as it spoke. Aria looked at the wolf but she said nothing nor did she respond. "Close your eyes. Think of a small fire, allow it to burn then slowly allow it to grow." Aria closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply in and out. Inside her she saw the fire and it was small. The flames warmth did nothing for her. She imagined a dragon's fire, how it grew hotter and hotter like in the books she read as a child whenever a dragon threw back its head, ready to burn those in its path. Aria watched as the fire grew brighter, hotter, and bigger than before. She could feel the heat. It warmed her bones and rid of the darkness in her mind.

As they fire inside her grew Aria was shown pictures of a woman and man one with red hair and the other was golden eyes like her own. She felt their happiness, their love, everything they had she watched as they laughed and acted like young ones in love. The fire they passed on to her in that single moment. She felt so loved...so warm as she watched they smile upon their new born baby.

From the outside of Aria's mind the Fellowship watched as a red glowing red aura surrounded her. A strange wave of heat came off from the woman whose eyes are closed; arms crossed over her chest, and was sitting still as a statue. Her red hair grew brighter like fire as her wolf stood in front of her, not bothered at all by his mistress.

"What happening?" Frodo asked.

"Something Aria needs right now. Alight her dragon's fire within her." The wolf spoke again. As soon as he spoke Aria's eyes opened then glanced over at her companions. Her shivering stopped as she stood and faced them. Her eyes glowed a bright red yellow color as if on fire.

"Aria..." Aria closed her eyes then opened them once more but her eyes had returned to normal. Slowly the glow around her faded as Aria held up her hand. Fire danced around her hand as she twisted and turned her fingers in front of her. She clenched her hand then opened, blowing softly. Small balls of fire surrounded them, lighting the small room. "Are you alright?"

Aria looked at them and smiled. "I feel...different but I'm fine." Aria turned towards Gandalf. "I am ready. Lead on Gandalf." Aria said. There was something about Aria that had changed. She seemed more lightened, more at ease and yet more...herself. Gandalf nodded his head and started forward, leading that way.

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs...in the deep places of the world." Gandalf said. Aria followed behind with Legolas close behind her. Legolas looked forward, his eyes never lingering from the back of Aria's head. Ever since that moment, that moment when he looked into her into her eyes and saw everything her knew about he decided that she was the one. Aria Fairfax was the woman, elf for him. He would fight for her, protect her, and do all in his power to never lose her now that he's found her. There was something about her that compelled him to be near her.

There was a fire around her that made her burn so bright no candle or start could match her eternal flame and he would do all in her power to keep that flame alight.

~oOo~

There you all have it! Another chapter! Please review and tell me what you guys think!