A/n: Thank you so much for all your reviews and comments. I can't believe how nice everyone has been, it is so helpful reading your thoughts.
Chapter Thirty-Six
They had passed through the standing stones as midnight brought a new day, but as the sun now finally broke over the Dimholt Road Amy could not see any end to this narrow road. She knew it was inevitable but she hoped for at least a little longer they would not reach the doorway into the mountain.
It seemed the rangers and the twins of Rivendell were not coming. She hoped that this was not significant, but it did mean that just the four of them would be stepping into the darkness.
Amy hated the dark. Darkness took away her sight and without her sight she was alone and lost. At home she had a little lamp that she kept on by her bed; when she slept under the stars she thanked the moon for it cold yet clear light; and when she slept in her bed at Rohan she always had a candle burning. She was not holding out a lot of hope for a well-lit road under the mountain.
She could feel a rumbling from Legolas' chest as her head rested against his back. She knew he must be speaking to his companions but she did not know what he said. For once, she did not care.
Despite her fear of the darkness that she knew she must confront imminently she felt content. He loved her. She knew that that was what she had seen in his eyes so many time but to have him say it to her, it was like a light had come on. A light that would hopefully see her through the dark days ahead.
Beyond the war though, who knew what would happen next. Any knowledge she had of this world was quickly running out and she had no knowledge of what life would bring afterwards for her and for Legolas.
As the day drew on the company of four shared little words as the barren and harsh landscape jutted around them. There were no birds, no wind, just the rhythmic thud of Arod and Brego's hooves on the sandy rock beneath them.
As the sun began to make its decent, disappearing behind the mountain, they finally came upon a sheer wall of rock with a break in it that ominously seemed to call them forth.
"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away." Gimli whispered.
Aragorn gestured for them to dismount.
Legolas once more helped Amy from the horse.
"I will not let go." He signed quickly before taking hold of her hand tightly. He had sensed her distress which had been steadily growing the nearer they got to the door. He did not need to ask the reason for it this time. He could feel his own distress growing. No one walked this path without fear gripping their heart.
The four of them passed through the gap and found themselves in a narrow passage no more than two metres across that was sheltered by overhanging rock. Before them stood a door that seemed to disappear into blackness.
Around the door were symbols. Amy looked to Legolas but he kept his promise and did not let go of her hand. Instead he turned to her in the fading light and spoke, hoping she would be able to lip read him.
"The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead, and the Dead keep it. The way is shut."
As soon as he had finished speaking an icy cold wind rushed out of the doorway. Amy instinctively leaned into it lest she be pushed backwards off her feet. She closed her eyes momentarily to stop the stinging wind from entering them and found comfort in the strong grip of Legolas' hand and the feel of his hair as it whipped against her face.
Her brief respite was broken when she felt him tug her backwards. She opened her eyes and saw him desperately trying to hold onto Arod as the two horses reared and bucked in terror. Eventually he had no choice but to let go of Arod's reins lest he and Amy be pulled away.
Aragorn followed suit and watched sadly as his faithful friend Brego disappeared from sight. He was resolute though, there was no turning back. He looked once more to his friends, they were not turning back either.
"I do not fear death."He muttered finally and disappeared into the darkness.
Legolas did not waste any time and with one final squeeze of Amy's hand he pulled her with him into the black.
Legolas was the only one that heard Gimli's words before the dwarf plunged on after them.
"Well, this is a thing unheard of ... An Elf will go underground when a Dwarf dare not. Oh! I'd never hear the end of it!"
…..
The initial corridor was dark but an eerie green light shone about twenty feet in the distance. Aragorn led them towards it and the narrow passageway opened up into a wider area that had been carved out of the stone. There were two roughhewn openings, one that dove down deep into the mountain and another that just seemed to disappear into the nothingness.
There was a glowing torch fixed to the wall that gave off the sickly green light. It was not an especially comforting colour, nor did the fact that it had to have been lit by someone, or something, bring much ease to anyone, but for Amy it was a haven. She could see.
Aragorn pulled hard, took the torch and looked back at his friends. "I have a horrible feeling we need to go down."
Gimli grumbled. "Of course we do."
Legolas just simply nodded and looked to Amy. He could see the fear all over her face. He looked at their hands intertwined. "I will not let go." He said it silently, repeating his signs from earlier. She caught the words on his lips in the gloom and gave a shallow nod.
She followed him as he fell into step with man and dwarf into the darkness that led down further into the mountain.
At first there was nothing but stark black walls that were unnaturally smooth and seemed to run on and on into nothing. At one point the walls either side of her were almost glass like; deep black, yet crystal clear. She could see a blur of movement and realised that it must be their reflections as they moved swiftly on.
It was unnerving to say the least. As the wall became more jagged their reflections became more distorted until she could no longer tell if it was really them she was seeing. The air around them was close and warm and as they moved at a steady pace she could feel sweat forming on her neck and forehead. Instinctively she reached out her free hand cautiously, tempted to run her hand along the wall hoping it would be cool.
As soon as her fingers touched the wall an icy wind blasted through the tunnel and begun to swirl around them. The winds were clearly not natural and grew stronger by the minute as if something had been awoken, something that knew they had entered the heart of the mountain
Dust, sand and other small fragments that it did not bear thinking of their origin begun to abrasively whip at their skin.
Gimli, the smallest of the group, took a mouthful of the stuff and coughed violently.
"Quickly, we need to move on." Aragorn urged and pushed Gimli forward. Legolas gripped Amy's hand and pulled her into a jog.
The floor became steeper as they delved deeper and deeper along the path. The rocks became more unstable beneath their feet and Amy found herself stumbling a few times.
It was hard going and she felt her toes aching as they scrunched in her boots as they continued downwards. The ground became even more treacherous and their progress grew slow. She not hear Aragorn whisper. "Be careful." All she felt was Legolas' strong grip on her hand.
Aragorn was the first feel it. The floor shifted.
It was if it just gave way and what had once been their path was now nothing but falling rocks as the angle of ground became impossibly steep. As Aragorn fell, Gimli not far behind him, the torch hit the ground, snuffing out the flame and leaving them in darkness. Aragorn desperately tried to grab hold of anything that would stop the fast slide he was in but everything he touched just came away in his hands. He could hear Gimli swearing in dwarvish as he tumbled down behind him.
Legolas reacted with elvish fleetness and tried to back away but even for him it was too late and before he knew it his back had hit the floor and he too was sliding down the rocky precipice. He knew he had dragged Amy with him as her hand was clinging onto his for dear life.
As soon as the light has gone out Amy felt almost suffocated by her lack of sight and hearing. She gripped Legolas' hand and her once free hand now held onto his arm. The sensory deprivation meant she had not realised she was falling until the back of head hit the floor that had once been beneath her feet.
She felt the air leave her lungs as the impact sent shockwaves through her body. She had lost hold of Legolas' arm but one hand clung on with all her strength.
Rocks cut into her legs and back and the wind blew dust into her eyes and mouth. She would never be sure how long they fell for but in her isolation, it felt like an age.
Legolas' eyes strained in the darkness trying to make anything out, something that he could grab. He had no idea how far this drop would go on for and he was not about to risk chancing finding out what was at the bottom. A black shadow loomed ten feet in front of him approaching fast. 'It must be a boulder,' he thought.
He braced his legs ready for the impact and wrapped his fingers around Amy's wrist. He was ready to stop their momentum when Amy felt something else hit her own feet first. The force caused her body to buckle forwards.
Legolas desperately tried to keep hold of her but he was pulled off his previous course by her momentum and when the boulder hit, it hit straight on their outreached arms. The impact was too much and Legolas broke his promise.
He let go of her hand.
….
She was sure that she was no longer falling. The ground still felt uneven and unstable but had begun to level out. She could feel her heart beating heavily in her chest and there was a shooting pain in her arm but overall she felt in one piece.
Silence.
Darkness.
It was all consuming.
She could not see an inch in front of her and whilst in a crumpled heap she did not know which way was up or down. Her empty hands felt frozen against the stone. She could feel panic begin to build inside of her.
Her worst nightmare realised.
No sight, no sound.
She begun to desperately reach out around her hoping to find Legolas' warm hand outstretched to her. Nothing.
Her movements became more erratic and her fingers scrabbled in the dust and dirt. She felt like she had been swallowed into nothingness with only cold cutting stone surrounding her.
The panic grew again.
She stumbled to her feet only to slip once more to the ground, her balance completely compromise without her senses. The rock around her now felt as if it was sitting on her chest as her lungs burned, desperate for the oxygen she was not getting from her shallow panicked breaths. Her fingers and lips had already begun to tingle as the panic attack hit in full force.
To Amy, she was buried alive in a coffin of stone.