Aragorn was busy making sure they had their supplies and watching for danger while Legolas was scouting ahead and Boromir watched from behind. Gandalf just walked on. "How much farther until we reach the mountain?" One of the hobbits complained as they settled on a space of rocks and breaking for water and food. "A day or two, but while in the mountains you will wish we were still in the forests Master Pippin. It is a treacherous and long journey around those peaks as well as frigid." Ash told him as Pippin pulled out his sword. "Boromir, can you show us some more moves with a sword?" Merry asked drawing his sword as well. They sat like that for an hour at least, Aragorn adding a comment when he could spare to look at the hobbits. "Listen." Ash commanded. "What do you hear?" Aragorn asked standing. "Birds." Was her response. "It is just a whisp of smoke and birds in the trees." Gimli huffed sitting down. "Carabain from Dunland!" Legolas warned.

The group scurried into motion, putting out the fire, sliding equipment away from view, and hiding themselves. "Back up." Ash hissed as she realized what she thought was a wall was actually the elf in her hiding spot. "There is solid rock behind me." He hissed. "Why are you in my-" She was cut off as his hand covered her mouth and he used his other arm to pull her tighter against him. She closed her eyes and held her breath as the elf held his while watching the birds fly past them with their beady red eyes and sleek black bodies. The flock had completely flown over in two minutes but the travelers held their hiding positions for several minutes longer, until the birds seemed a cloud of smoke in the opposite direction.

Ash felt Legolas start breathing again on her neck. Her eyes flew open and she jumped out from her hiding spot as the others slowly crawled out. He cast a look of confusion at her before gathering his things and meeting Aragorn and the rest of the fellowship in the middle of the rock clearing. "They are the spies of Saruman." Gandalf informed the group. "They will go back to his dwelling in Isengard and tell him of sighting us. We must hurry to, as well as through, the mountain pass."

"I think we should change course. Let us go through the mines of Moria where my cousin can grant us welcome!" Gimli added hopeful. "We could take the pass to Gondor, my people would welcome us." Boromir added glaring at the dwarf. "I would not take the ring anywhere near so many Men, nor will I go into the mines of Moria unless it was my last choice. Both of you hush now and pack your things." Gandalf huffed and started to shove several items back into his bag. The rest of the group quietly did as they were told. Ash started down toward the forest, quickly getting far ahead of the group to scout for anything nasty coming their way. She heard the elf behind her just a few minutes later as the group had probably just entered the forest. "My Lady, it is dangerous to be roaming these areas alone."

"I thank you for your worry your highness, but I am perfectly capable of being on my own in the woods, I have been alone for long periods of time in the woods before." She responded cutting him a glare. "I did not mean to imply that you are incapable my lady." He answered stiffly. "Yet you implied it all the same Legolas. Why don't you go climb a tree or something and leave me at peace with my thoughts?" She asked in irritation. "As you wish my Lady, I will scout ahead." He bowed his head slightly, his body rigid but his movement no less fluid as he darted into the forest. She sighed and kept on, taking in the forest and the sounds, the sights, the smells. It was not long before they made it to the mountain and the trudge up was freezing cold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was cold, and contrary to the belief of many in the group, Ash was probably the coldest of them all. "You shiver, are you cold?" Legolas asked, speaking to the elleth for the first time since the forest. "Unlike the elves of this land we feel the cold but not the heat." She told him plainly. Her fingers and toes had already gone numb, her nose was red and her cheeks were wind burned. "You feel the cold and dare wear nothing but a tunic and breeches to shield you?" He asked taking off his pack and pulling out a heavy cloak. Legolas quickly wrapped the cloak around her and secured it, pulling the hood over her head. "You should hide your hair, it will attract the attention of the dark creatures in this mountain." Boromir added from beside them. Legolas glared at Boromir and almost said something when Ash cut him off. "You speak the truth, even through these blinding storms my hair acts as a beacon. I should cut it." Ash said thoughtfully. "Do not cut your hair." Legolas commanded grabbing her shoulder.

Both of their heads turned then. "There is a fell voice in the air." He stated plainly. "Sauromon." Gandalf practically screamed. Somebody else yelled "he is trying to bring `down the mountain." That was when the chaos began. Tons of snow pounded on them as they clung to the rocks in a desperate attempt to stay in place. Legolas grabbed Ash and pinned her to the wall with his body when he saw her grip slipping. She turned around to face him chest sliding across chest, still pinned against the side of the mountain. "Thank you." She whispered. "You are most welcome My Lady." He responded slowly, furrowing his eyes in confusion. She moved to find the hobbits as he exhaled a breath he did not realize he had been holding.

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city." Boromir shouted. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard." Aragorn yelled back. "We cannot pass over the mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria." Gandalf cringed at the idea for a reason unknown to the rest of the group. He sighed wearily. "Let the ring bearer decide." Gandalf announced, seeing there was no way to get the group to continue on this path.

"We will go through the mines." Frodo finally decided as the whole group stared at them. Gandalf grimaced and started to lead the way down. "Are you alright My Lady?" One of the hobbits asked. "Yes Merry I will live. Though I believe your friend Pippin may freeze to death soon. Come here under the cloak Master Hobbit." Ash said to Pippin who quickly huddled under the cloak and Merry followed. "Tell me of your journey to Rivendell from the Shire as we walk down the mountain for I have been very curious how all of you survived traveling such a long ways, no offense but you are not fighters."

"None taken My Lady." Merry chirped. "It is a fairly long story if you don't mind us telling it." Pippin added. Ash nodded. "I believe it may keep us occupied on something other than our freezing toes." Ash told them. Legolas slowed to listen better to the story. "Well after Old Bilbo's birthday, he disappeared, like in the middle of the party. The next month we were borrowing some crops from farmer Maggot. Merry and I were running away as he chased us with a pitch fork, he wasn't very happy." Pippin started. Ash smirked at their antics. "Anyway we fell on Sam and Frodo in the corn field and we all ran for our lives, falling on the road. Frodo got us off the road before one of those ring wraiths got us and we ran again to the Huckleberry Ferry. As you can see there was a lot of running involved in this story." Merry added. "We made it to Bree where we found Aragorn all creepy looking in a corner. He grabbed Frodo and we had to run off and find them in the inn. Sam was ready to kill someone I think. Anyway Aragorn introduced himself as Strider and he protected us that night that the ring wraiths were at the inn. We left with him for Rivendell." Pippin continued. "We had to adjust to barely eating, still have not adjusted. Not eating seven times a day is terrible. That's what I miss about the Shire. Anyway, while we were camping at a fortress Sam and Pippin lit a fire that attracted the ring wraiths…" Merry gapped at him before yelling "You were the one that wanted the fire because you were cold and hungry Pip." Pippin replied by tilting his face up more and trying to seem regal, but it failed because of the shared cloak. "I did not. Anyway Frodo got stabbed by a special kind of blade and it was really scary, his eyes got all weird and first he was feverish and then he was cold. He kept groaning and making these weird high pitched noises. He was in major amounts of pain. Then Arwen rode in on horseback and took him. When we got to Rivendell, he was already on the mend." Pippin finished their story.

"That must have been frightening to be forced to fight, cull deer, and learn to live on your own after never having been away from home." Ash said sympathetically. "It was daunting, and I do miss home but I do not regret my decision." Merry said, Pippin agreed.

They talked longer, about the Shire, the path they took to Rivendell. It helped keep them from thinking too much about the blistering cold around them. They finished descending the mountain by nightfall, making it to the doors of Moria late at night.

"Your cloak…thank you for letting me use it." Ash said taking it off of her shoulders to give it back to Legolas. "Don't." He whispered. He adjusted the cloak back around her shoulders. "I gave it to you. You did not pack one of your own and you will still have need of it in the coming days." He whispered to her. Tentatively, he let his fingers touch the ends of her hair. "Thank you, but what will you wear?" She asked. "I have another in my pack. Do not fear for me." He smiled reassuringly, he let the hair fall through his fingers and left to speak with Aragorn. What do I care if he freezes? Ash asked herself. I do not like him, even though he gave me his cloak.

She sat by the water, waiting for Gandalf to figure out the password. As she dozed against a bolder she heard a plop noise and felt a few droplets of water soak through her breeches. "Do not disturb the water." She heard Aragorn hiss to someone. Ash opened her eyes, standing and stretching. "Mellon." Gandalf answered Frodo's question, and just like that the door opened. Air rushed inside the dark hole that loomed before the fellowship. It smelled of must, death, and dirt. "That is disgusting." She murmured to herself. Legolas smirked ahead of her. The fellowship entered as Gimli spouted facts about the mine and his cousin. As they looked around though, they saw something very different than the grand welcoming Gimli claimed was waiting for them.

Gimli cried out taking in the bodies of possibly his kin. "This is no mine, it's a tomb." Boromir hissed backing out of the mine. Legolas looked at an arrow on the ground and hissed "Goblins." He threw the arrow down and everybody drew their blades. "We make for the gap of Rohan. We should have never come here." Boromir decreed. "Now, get out!" He told the others and several people tried to leave when a slimy tentacle snuck around Frodo's leg and pulled. Frodo fell to the ground clawing at anything to hold him. The hobbits cried out in alarm as Aragorn slashed at the tentacle freeing the Hobbit momentarily. Suddenly many tentacles shot out of the water and grabbed Frodo, holding him high above the water. "Kraken." Ash whispered in surprise. "Let him go!" She called out as Legolas shot an arrow into the tentacle but the beast reared its massive head out of the water and opened its mouth. "Let him go!" Ash cries slicing with her sword as Aragorn and Boromir chop through the tentacle and catch the Hobbit. The kraken reared up looking at her and reaching for her. "Into the mines!" Gandalf called and the group followed. Ash looked the kraken in its ginormous eyes and hissed "Leave our company be."

The Kraken seemed amused as she stared at it from the doorway. "I do not serve my father, I do not serve you. I serve the mighty Sauron and I know if I can't kill you, what is in there will." It hissed back in a deep voice and caused the entrance to collapse as Legolas ran into the mine.

It was pitch black until Gandalf made a light for them to follow. "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. Quietly now, it is a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed." He led them on, past rusty ladders and buckets. Chains that gathered dust in the darkness from disuse and buckets attached to them hung in the open air. Ash couldn't help but wonder how beautiful this mine would have been when it was full of dwarves and light.

They came to a cavern with cracks of white shiny material seeping through the wall. "The wealth of Moria is not in gold or jewels, but in mithril." He whispered to the group. "Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him." Gandalf said to himself absently running a hand over his beard. "Aww that was a kingly gift." Gimli whispered in surprise. Ash couldn't help but notice the mother with her babe, or the young dead dwarves, it was one of the saddest sights she had seen. A whole people whipped out, and Gimli seemed depressed the whole journey so far, as he should be, these mines did not hold the welcoming warmth he was hoping they would. "Yes, I never told him but it's worth was greater than the entire value of the shire." Gandalf told them as they climbed up a flight of steps. Pippins feet made scratching noises against the stone as he tried to climb the stairs utterly exhausted. "Pippin!" Merry cried as his friend slipped up the stairs. "Sorry." He whispered back blushing furiously and brushing himself off before continuing up the stairs. "Must have woken him up." Sam whispered to Frodo. Ash smiled. At the top of the long flight of stairs, there were three doors that seemed to puzzle the grey wizard. "I've no memory of this place." He murmured to himself. Ash sighed and sat down on one of the rocks jutting out in the middle as if it was made to be a seat.