Disclaimer: Full disclaimer in chapter 1. I did use a movie scene at the end of this chapter. I do not own it, sadly.
Enjoy!
Chapter 20: The Mines of Moria
A couple more days had passed and the Fellowship were all tense as a string on an instrument. After a few close calls with Orcs, no one wanted to be on this side of the Misty Mountains any longer.
It had rained the day before, but on this day, it was sunny and clear. The ground itself was very soft from the rain and each time the Company took a step a loud squelching sound was heard. Aragorn cringed at each step, thinking that their steps were far too loud. However, there was nothing that they could do about it. He sighed, realizing that he just had to accept the circumstance.
"Hey, what's that?" Pippin's question caused everyone to stop and look at what the young Hobbit was pointing at. A shadow in the sky seemed to be circling up ahead, but was difficult to make out.
"It's a falcon. Perhaps looking for a meal or a place to land." Legolas informed after watching the object for a moment. His eyes could easily make out the different shades of the feathers.
"Let's check it out then." Legolas looked at Aragorn in surprise. "Why? It has no reason to deal with us or us with it." The Ranger merely smiled. "I'm just curious is all." The Elf sighed as the group made their way to where the falcon was located.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination. When they did, the falcon suddenly stopped circling and glided down. When it got close to the group, it flapped its' wings to slow its descent and lightly perched onto the Elf's shoulder.
Aragorn smiled, "Looks like this falcon likes you." Legolas merely glared at the man. His attention then was brought back to the falcon when it started rubbing its' head all along the side of the Elf's neck.
The Ranger laughed then he started looking at the ground, confusing everyone at his behavior. "What are you looking for, Laddie?" Gimli questioned.
After a moment, the Ranger let out a sound, indicating he had found what he was looking for. Aragorn bent down for a minute then stood back up. When he had turned back around, he held in his hands a set of knives, a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
"How did you know that that would be here?" Pippin asked, saying aloud the question that everyone had been thinking. "Several weeks ago, I had sent a letter to a friend of mine, saying I was in need of a few weapons for Legolas. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be hidden, but I'm glad that this beautiful falcon was here to guide us."
Legolas lifted an eyebrow in question while he gently petted the bird's head. "Why would you need weapons? You have plenty."
The Ranger nodded, "That's true, but you on the other hand are pretty much defenseless. These are for you and don't even think about not accepting it, because I will force them on you if I have to."
Legolas stared at the man for a moment then sighed. "Very well, I can see that there is no point in arguing with you."
Once Legolas had everything situated and Aragorn had sent the falcon back to its' home, the Fellowship continued on towards the Mines.
~S~
It was another day, until the Company finally reached the path that led up to the Gates of Moria. The sun had already set and the moon had risen. The clouds had moved in and covered part of the moon, casting the area in a strange and creepy glow. Fog from the lake that sat in front of the Gates was slowly seeping up and around the area. Legolas shivered at the feeling of foreboding it gave him. He tightened his hand on the shaft of his bow, hoping the feeling of the wood in his hand would provide him some comfort.
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli remarked, tapping his axe on one of the cliff face.
"Yes, Gimli, their own masters can't even find them." Gandalf agreed, slowly leading the Fellowship towards the end of the path.
Legeolas sighed and frowned when he heard this information. "Why doesn't that surprise me." He muttered to himself, but loud enough for those near him to hear it.
At the end of the path, they came upon a part of the cliff where two trees had grown ten feet apart, leaving a large space in the middle that was completely flat and smooth. Gandalf walked up to it and placed a hand on the rock, feeling where there were rough edges that were deceptively hidden. After a moment, the wizard looked up to the sky and the area suddenly brightened once the moon was revealed. A blue glow in the rock suddenly appeared, showing where a door was hidden.
"It reads: 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter.'" Gandalf translated.
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry piped up.
"Oh, it's quite simple. If you want a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf then placed the end of his staff in the center of the doors and spoke something in another language. After several attempts with no results, the Fellowship knew it was going to be a while before they continued.
After a few hours, there were still no results. Legolas watched everyone from his perch by one of the trees. He sighed after a moment of watching the wizard plop himself down on a rock, obviously frustrated.
A small wave drew the Elf's attention. The sound seemed odd in a place that was quiet and still. He watched the water, suddenly feeling like he was being watched.
"Do not disturb the water." He heard Aragorn say to one of the Hobbits several yards away. He automatically became tense. Something was wrong. His instincts were telling him that something was out of place, but he wasn't sure what it was.
"It's a riddle." He vaguely heard Frodo say. "'Speak friend and enter.' What's the elvish word for friend." The Hobbit asked.
"Mellon." Gandalf answered. The sound of rocks grinding against it each other made Legolas move his gaze from the water to the doors to see what was happening. There in front of him was the entrance into Moria.
He looked between the entryway and the water realizing that his choices were to either deal with something hidden outside or take his chances in the dark underground. He didn't like either one of them. Legolas sighed and decided to follow the rest of the Fellowship inside. As he moved in, he still kept an eye on the water. His feeling of foreboding grew stronger and he didn't like it.
"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the favorable hospitality of the Dwarves." Gimli beamed. "Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat right off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin and they call it a mine. A mine!" The Dwarf said with a laugh, the only finding humor in that statement.
By this time, Gandalf had bathed the room with light with a crystal on top of his staff. What the Company saw was not what they were expecting. Skeletons littered the floor everywhere. It was obvious that they had been there for quite sometime.
"This is no mine…it's a tomb." Boromir said quietly.
Gimli looked around for the first time, grief and pain showing on his face of the reality. Legolas moved to the nearest skeleton that had an arrow. He didn't know how or why, but before he realized what he was doing, he had pulled the arrow out and looked at the arrowhead. "Goblins." He said, tossing it aside. 'How did I know that?' He wondered as he pulled an arrow from his quiver.
He was surprised how easy and comforting that action gave him. He couldn't recall ever using a bow, but his movements had proven otherwise. 'I wonder if I was an archer at one point.' He pondered for a moment, and then he nocked the arrow, but did not pull the string.
"We should have never come here. Not get out of here. Get out!" The Gondorian man shouted, motioning for everyone to leave.
"Strider!" Sam's yell made Legolas spin around. He gaped at what he saw. Coming out of the water were tentacles and they had a strong hold on Frodo. His bad feeling finally had a face and it was looking very bad.
Aragorn and Boromir wasted no time and leapt into action. They jumped into the water, hacking and slashing at the tentacles that rose out of the water. Legolas forced himself out of his shock and made his outside. He saw a good target and aimed at it. He let the arrow fly and was satisfy to hear the sound of pain when his projectile hit the creature's eye.
He let loose several more arrows until he saw Frodo land in Boromir's arms. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that. "LEGOLAS!" The Gondorian man's shout had the Elf notching another arrow and aimed for the creature's other eye. He let it fly and saw the arrow hit its' mark.
The creature propelled backwards for a moment then charged forward. This action forced the Fellowship to retreat backwards. Back into the darkness of the mines. Legolas growled in frustration, realizing that he was stuck going through this dark hole whether he wanted to or not.
The sudden sound of an avalanche was heard as the Company ran as far as they could into the mines. Rocks and boulders fell from the ceiling, blocking the way back out of the mine. Then suddenly, it was dark and silent. Only the sound of heavy breathing and dripping water was heard for a minute.
"We have only one choice." Gandalf said, finally breaking the silence. He tapped his staff on the ground twice, lighting up the room once more with it. "We must face the long dark of Moria."
Legolas looked around, feeling the large room suddenly claustrophobic. He felt himself begin to shake and he gripped his bow tighter, needing the comfort he had felt earlier. He was disappointed when he didn't receive that comfort this time. He looked at Aragorn, hoping the Ranger would tell him that going further would not be happening. Aragorn met his gaze and placed a hand on his shoulder. He squesezed it for a moment then motioned with his head to move forward. Legolas groaned quietly to himself. 'This is probably the worst decision of my life.'
The Fellowship made their way further, hoping that nothing else would turn this disaster of a situation into a catastrophe.
~S~
Yay, the next chapter! This was a pretty long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you everyone for following this story so far and for your wonderful reviews. More flashbacks and regained memories will be coming up soon. :D Please leave a review! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*