And I'm back! I've only been posting on Ao3 for a while but I've been missing so I'm back. After all this is where I began writing and I want a chance to finish this story here as well. If you're new to this series, you can totally read this one as a standalone but for context I highly recommend going back to the beginning and start with "Castaways". If you like it, let me know and leave a review!

Enjoy!

FIVE

Over Sea, Under Stone

Laura had never been much of an outdoorsy person. Throughout the years, the others always joked and said she was a hobbit at heart because of her fondness of comfort and home. It was her dream to one day own a cottage with a small garden where she could have her vegetable patch and a hammock to read in during warm summer days. After having spent time with Sam and the other hobbits, she now began to understand where the hobbit-joke originated from. Not to mention she certainly had curly hair to match the hobbits, even though hers was much longer. Even Merry thought that perhaps Laura had some hobbit-blood in her genes and he'd seemed immensely disappointed when she told him that in their world hobbits did not exist.

Ever since they left Rivendell, Gandalf's words of caution repeated themselves all over in Laura's mind. She'd certainly seen the Lord of the Rings once or so, but high fantasy wasn't her genre of choice, she preferred cozy mysteries and the likes of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She didn't know the story as well as the others did, so there was certainly no risk of her spilling beans that she should not.

Spending the past two weeks in Rivendell had given Laura a fair amount of time to truly consider everything that was happening to her. She was in Middle-Earth, a place that was supposed to be fictional but somehow was very real and she was about to embark on probably the most important quest in the history of this world. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she was chosen to be a part of it. Maggie and Riley spoke about the Valar, who were apparently some god-like entities responsible for the creation and fate of Middle-Earth. It still made little sense to Laura, who never liked adventures even as a child. Other friends would go off running in the woods and she would rather stay home with a book or her drawings. She was no hero, unlike Maggie and Riley who were treated like they were the stuff of legend.

All the tension between Maggie and Riley over the past year made sense now, at least. The feuding and the not speaking to each other. She'd heard both sides of the story and thought they'd both acted foolishly to some extent, but on a whole she agreed with Maggie. Riley should have told her about this prophecy as soon as he had a moment. While being in a whole different world was a strange thing for Laura and the others to get used to, she couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like for Riley and especially Maggie. Having to leave behind your newborn son against your will, not knowing when or if you'd be able to see him again. Then to suddenly be cast back into this world, sixty years later in this timeline and to finding out your son is almost old enough to be your own grandfather. Maggie had missed out on Theo's whole childhood and he was an adult now. It was no wonder really, that she had been absolutely furious with Riley.

Even so, things seemed to be back to normal between them, which was good because those first couple of days of tension had been difficult for all of them to deal with. That night at Nat's place, when they first decided to bring the two of them together, had all been Laura's idea. They all knew how stubborn both Maggie and Riley could be and they all agreed that the only way to end this fighting was by forcing them to talk to each other. In some ways, it worked, just not in the way they expected.

Now there they were, trekking through Middle-Earth on a dangerous question none of them knew the outcome of. Yet, amidst all the confusion, Laura had a strange feeling in her gut that told her this was where she was meant to be. She didn't understand all of it but she figured it was useless trying to argue with something that had clearly been decided long ago.

Being out on the road was so different and Laura already missed the safety of Rivendell. She immediately understood why Maggie loved it so much and Laura would have been happy to spend the remainder of their stay there. The elves were kind and she found peace in their gardens, where she would often walk with Boromir. The others seemed wary of him and she admitted that on the outside, he might seem harsh. Truthfully, he was kind natured and Laura enjoyed spending time with him. He asked her questions about their world and seemed curious about who she and the others were. When Laura asked about him, Boromir proudly spoke about Gondor - the land of his people where his father was the Steward. Apparently, he also knew Maggie's father, Lord Amandil (or Alan Spencer as Laura knew him). He said he was a good man but was in ill-favour with the steward because of his family's heritage. Boromir had no personal quarrel with the Lords of Andunie or House of Elros, but his family had guarded the throne of Gondor for over a century, without the need for a king to be sat upon it.

Their days on the road soon became routine. They would rise early in the morning, have breakfast and then pack up camp. Then, they would walk for a few hours until they had a break (usually at the request of the hobbits) and then walk again until it was time set camp for the night. Samwise gladly took responsibility over preparing and cooking delicious meals that kept their stomachs full through the night, even though he didn't have to use much in terms of ingredients. Even though she liked the comforts of a soft mattress, Laura learned she rather enjoyed sleeping under the clear night sky.

Maggie explained that during their travels with Thorin and Company, the dwarves would often sleep in piles as a way to keep themselves warm. Both Maggie and Riley got so used to it that it was weird to not sleep that way, although they were usually grateful for having more personal space. Some nights, Maggie said, she would find herself nestled between Fili and Kili for warmth.

The fact that Maggie was now queen was another strange thing Laura had to get used to. Obviously, she was beyond happy for her friend, but in her world, people didn't just become queens seemingly overnight. Things definitely worked differently in Middle-Earth though and Laura wondered what would happen when all of this was over. For Maggie and Riley, their fate was pretty much set in stone; they would stay in Middle-Earth and live out their lives. But what about Nat, Felix and herself? Was there even a way for them to return to their world where they had lives of their own. Laura had a job she loved as a librarian and she had plans of putting down a deposit to buy a house within the next year. She had even begun to look at houses in different parts of the city she lived in and couldn't wait to start going through Pinterest for decor inspiration. What would happen to her if she just stayed behind in Middle-Earth? Would people even notice that they were missing or would time somehow be different, just like in Narnia?

A myriad of questions whirled around in her mind and asLaura lay down on her makeshift bed that night, she exhaled a sigh and prayed to any higher power that would listen to her.

Please, she thought, show me a sign of any kind. Is this where am I meant to be?

Then, she turned around and closed her eyes, finally drifting into a deep slumber blissfully unaware that if you prayed in Middle-Earth, chances were very likely someone was indeed listening.

"I'd say we're taking the long way around. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria, my cousin Balin would give us a warm welcome."

Laura saw the glint of excitement in Maggie's eyes when Balin's name was mentioned. For most of the journey, she kept asking Theo and Gimli questions about how the other dwarves were doing. Thankfully, from what Laura gathered it seemed like they were all still alive and healthy. Before their departure from Rivendell, Gimli had sent a letter by raven (what the hell) to Erebor and told them about the reappearance of their two friends.

Laura liked Gimli a lot. He was kind, with a good sense of humour and spoke his mind no matter what the others thought. At that particular moment, they had paused atop a hill, deciding on their next route. Laura wasn't sure what the mines of Moria were, but the tone in Gandalf's voice scared her a little and she had a feeling that Gandalf was a wizard who did not scare easily. As he and Gimli discussed which direction to head, Laura saw Merry and Pippin practicing sword fighting with Boromir. Although it was more like he was being overthrown by the two hobbits who had him pinned down on the ground calling out 'for the Shire!'.

"No Gimli," said Gandalf. "I would not go through Moria unless I had no other choice."

"What's wrong with the mines of Moria?" Laura asked.

"Nothing at all, Miss Laura." Gimli replied proudly "Gandalf is being silly."

"There is a difference between being silly and being cautious, Master Dwarf. If a wizard is cautious, it would be wise to heed his words." Riley added. "At any rate, surely we are much safer going above ground than beneath it."

Laura and Maggie exchanged glances, knowing full well why Riley vouched for sticking to their original plan. For someone who didn't like being underground, being married to a hobbit must make things tricky because as Laura understood it, they literally lived in holes underground.

"You do not like being underground, Uncle?" Theo asked.

"Can't say I particularly care for it that much, Theo. It is called claustrophobia" Riley replied "Humans were not made for being underground any less than we are made to fly."

"But, do hobbits not live underground? How can you be married to a hobbit if you are unable to share the same housing?"

Riley turned to his sister who was trying to hide her giggling.

"Your son has clearly inherited your smartass sense of humour, Your Majesty." he told her.

"Call me Your Majesty one more time, Riley Spencer." Maggie warned him, "And I'll banish your sorry arse."

"Spoken like a true monarch!"

Maggie stuck her tongue out at her brother and Laura shook her head. Some things never changed but she was glad that the two siblings were back to their usual banter. Her gaze then fell on Legolas who was standing on a rock a few meters away, keeping an eye on for something far off in the distance. The elf seemed very focused and as Laura tried to figure out why, she soon saw something that appeared like a black cloud moving towards them. Except it didn't move like any cloud Laura had ever seen before and suddenly she found herself feeling scared for the first time since leaving Rivendell.

"What the hell is that?" Nat asked as she came to stand next to Laura.

"Nothing, it's just a bit of cloud." Gimli assured them

"It's moving fast and against the wind." said Boromir

"Yeah, way to point out the obvious Sherlock." Felix retorted

"Crebain," said Legolas in an alarmed voice. His eyes could see far better than anybody else's and he did not like what was coming towards them. "From Dunland!"

"Hide!" Aragorn called out and it only took a mere few seconds until they all had taken cover under what little space there was. The flock of birds, or whatever the hell they were passed by quickly and were soon out of sight but the fellowship still remained hidden until it the coast was truly clear.

"What were those?" Laura asked. Now she was beginning to feel truly afraid. Through most of her life, she hadn't done much traveling before, except for family holidays to the Isle of Wight and one to the Canary Islands on her 16th birthday and there was nothing particularly dangerous about either of those places. The reality of everything was beginning to sink in for her.

"Spies of Saruman, the passage south is being watched," Gandalf replied as he looked up at the sky mumbling something only audible to himself. "We must take the pass of Caradhras."

A few hours later and after trekking through even more difficult terrain, the fellowship, now with Gandalf in the front, were on top of a mountain. The most mountain Laura had ever seen was hiking up Snowdonia, which while impressive in its own right, was nothing like Caradhras. They were all struggling, except Legolas who was practically floating on top of the massive drifts of snow. Every now and then, Laura stooped deeper into the snow, only to be pulled up by Aragorn. Boromir was helping the hobbits by carrying them in his arms. Felix, Nat and Riley were helping each other, while Theo kept an eye on Maggie.

"If there's something I hate more than I hate rain, it's snow. It is wet, it's cold and it's deceitful." Maggie whined. She was practically up to her waist in snow and she was beginning to feel that even the elven cloak she was carrying wouldn't be enough to keep her warm. "And let me tell you something else, these shoes definitely ain't made for walking."

"I've never heard anyone describe snow as deceitful before." said Boromir with a chuckle. Something suddenly shook beneath them or maybe even all around them, it was difficult to tell and Felix could swear he heard a voice speaking but he couldn't make out exactly what it said.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must get off!" Aragorn replied.

"We cannot pass over the mountain!" said Gimli "We must go under it. Gandalf; let us go through the mines of Moria."

"Well whatever you decide, do it fast." said Felix "We don't exactly have a hell of a lot of time."

"Let the Ring Bearer decide." Gandalf commanded

Everyone's eyes fell on Frodo who looked immediately uncomfortable at the thought of having to make such an important decision. Laura had no idea what awaited them within the mines, but she knew that if it was enough to instill fear in Gandalf, then the rest of them should probably be at least a little concerned.

"We will go through the mines." Frodo decided

Laura caught the wizard's eyes and could almost feel his heart sink. It made the question even louder in her own mind: What was down in the mines of Moria?

Laura lost track of time, her feet and joints were all aching. It seemed like climbing down the mountain had taken half a life-time. They rested overnight and rose early to make the final journey towards the mines of Moria. Unlike the plains they'd walked from Rivendell, the area around the mountain were different. Here, the landscape was colder and more barren. There was a lake in front of the mountain but Laura had a feeling it wasn't the kind of lake one went swimming in, much like you didn't simply go for a splash in the Thames if you valued your health. They were all exhausted and took a moment to rest outside the stone door, while Gandalf desperately tried to figure out the password, albeit to no success.

"Bah, it's hopeless!" Gandalf muttered as he sat down on a rock. For the past 45 or so minutes the wizard had desperately tried to open the door which was the entrance to Moria but with no luck at all. None of the spells had worked and it was getting darker outside by the minute.

"Wizard huh?" Laura whispered to Maggie who just shrugged.

Maggie rested her head against Laura's shoulder and the two women both exhaled tired sighs. Despite Gandalf's own frustration, nobody seemed to mind the fact that they had a moment to catch their breaths.

"How are things going with Theo?" Laura asked curiously. "He seems rather protective of you? It's actually pretty sweet."

"That's the dwarrow side of him." Maggie replied. "All dwarves are protective of things that are theirs, family, loves. But yeah, Theo is amazing. Fili and Elrond did an amazing job raising him and he is every bit the gentleman I hoped he'd be. I feel really lucky because he could have easily festered angry emotions at me but instead, he's chosen to let me in. It'll be a long time before we truly get to know each other, and I have to remind myself that I can't really mother him because he's a grown man but I think things are going in the right direction."

"Dwarrow?"

"It is what the dwarves called themselves and it is the name Mahal gave them when he created them. They're a surprisingly religious race sometimes with lots of old customs and traditions that I do not always understand. I suppose I shall have to get used to them now."

Laura giggled as she listened to her friend.

"You sound like them you know." she teased "The way you speak, it's all medieval and like you've been living here for a very long time. Riley does it too, it's quite amusing."

"Just you wait," Maggie chuckled "It'll happen to you guys before you know it. By the way, things seem to be getting cozy with you and a certain Captain of Gondor."

Laura quickly hushed Maggie and felt her face flush red with heat. She immediately looked around her to make sure nobody could hear what they were saying. Luckily, Boromir was focused on a conversation with Riley and Felix and the others were too busy doing their own thing to notice them. It surprised Laura that the mention of Boromir's name made her so nervous so quickly.

"Ah, so you do fancy him." Maggie teased, "The feelings are definitely mutual, by the looks of it, have you guys talked about it?"

"There hasn't exactly been time and how can you be sure it's mutual?" Laura said "Besides, he is much older than I am and maybe it isn't appropriate what with everything going on."

"You're making excuses and by the way he keeps looking at you, it's definitely mutual. Also, age is just a number. I mean come on girl, my husband is 142 years old and my boyfriend is literally thousands of years old. Boromir is what? Early forties, I think?"

"You think he wouldn't find it weird?"

Maggie shook her head and wrapped her arms around Laura. Out of the five of them, Laura and Maggie had always been the closest. Of course they were both close with Natalie and they loved her like a sister, but Laura and Maggie had more in common when it came to their personalities. They were both more introverted whereas Nat and the boys were extroverts at heart and loved being around people.

"Wait a minute….it's a riddle." said Frodo who now stood up. "'Speak friend and enter' What's the Elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon." said both Maggie and Gandalf at the same time.

"You speak Elvish?" Nat asked and raised an eyebrow at Maggie.

"It's a very long story." Maggie replied and glanced at Legolas who gave her a smile in reply. As Riley looked up at the entrance to Moria he was honestly beginning to feel a little nervous and breathed heavily. He didn't like small spaces, not that Moria was necessarily small but it was dark and it was underground and didn't exactly help. Natalie put a comforting arm around Riley and the fellowship, one by one walked into the darkness that was Moria. What happened in the next few seconds went by so quickly Laura couldn't quite recall it all. Something happened when they were inside, long tentacles grabbed Frodo and tried to pull him out back into the water.

"Hold on Frodo!" Legolas shot an arrow right through the creature, which Laura thought looked a bit like Cthulhu but she kept that bit to herself. Aragorn and Boromir were both able to cut off the creature's tentacles and in its own defence it smashed down the rocks which left the fellowship standing in the darkness but Frodo was safe.

As the door shut behind them, Laura saw nothing but darkness and she understood now why Riley didn't like closed spaces.

"We now have but one choice," said Gandalf as his staff lit up their way. It was amazing, Laura thought, and incredibly beautiful in a strange way. They were standing right in the middle of one long hallway with gigantic stone pillars around them. "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."

"Oh that's comforting." said Riley, not hiding his sarcasm.

"You alright mate?" Felix asked

"Oh I'm fabulous; this right here, my idea of fun."

"It will be alright, Uncle." Frodo assured him. "We're all here."

"Quietly now," Gandalf warned them. He was more than unhappy about being here but they couldn't exactly turn back around so in the end this was the lesser of two evils. "It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope our presence goes by unnoticed."

"Four days? Bloody fantastic! Kill me now, why don't you?" But Riley was going to have to suck it up and continue walking because things were about to get a whole lot worse.

Eventually, the days started to blend together and the darkness of the mines began to take its toll on everyone, especially Riley who had a panic attack a few hours before they stopped. Gandalf was lost, which wasn't really surprising considering the size of Moria. Laura couldn't even begin to describe how surreal it was to be under a mountain and in what was apparently a dwarf kingdom. Although for a kingdom it was deadly silent, a fact which nobody liked and though no one said a word about it, Laura could tell they were all uncomfortable.

"Ah! That's it! That way!" Gandalf called out

"Thank fuck," Riley exclaimed and couldn't be more relieved.

"He's remembered!" Merry said excitedly

"No," said Gandalf "But there air doesn't smell so foul down there. If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

They followed Gandalf down a path and suddenly, the space felt much wider than it had previously done and as the wizard staff once more lit up, Laura's jaw almost literally dropped as she took in the view in front of her.

"Behold, the great dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." said Gandalf as he lit up the massive dwarf city. Maggie had to admit that it was rather breathtakingly as she looked up at the different levels above her.

"Well, wouldn't that be a cover photo for Facebook?" said Nat. Gandalf led the way through the halls of the city, all of them awestruck by their surroundings.

"Oh bugger it!"

"What?" Laura asked and turned to Maggie.

"I just remembered I left my phone back in Rivendell." Maggie explained "It still has some batteries in it."

"Ah, don't you fret my dear Margaret." said Felix as he reached into one of his pouches and pulled out his mobile phone. The pure screams of joy by Maggie, Laura and Natalie made Boromir jump a little but they quickly quieted down when Gandalf shot them a very stern 'be silent' look. They walked on for a few minute's until something seemed to have caught Gimli's attention. The dwarf stopped in his steps and appeared to be confused at first, like he wasn't sure what to think. That's when Riley realised and saw the piles of crushed skeletons in the room and then a mortified Gimli running in through doors, sobbing loudly.

"NO!"

"Gimli!"

"Oh my god…." Laura whispered and grabbed Felix's arm. "What…" she looked around herself and wasn't sure what to think or what to say. She stepped on something beneath her that cracked and as she looked down it was another bone. Gandalf had walked up the stone altar in the middle and opened up the book that lay there.

"'Here lies Balin, son of Fudin, Lord of Moria'. He is dead, then. It's as I had feared.'" he read which made everyone feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Laura turned to Maggie whose face turned white as a sheet and tears began to stream down her face. Riley was also crying and not even he tried to hide it, stoic as he usually was. It was clear to Laura that the dwarves were much more than friends. They were their family and even though they probably were aware of his fate because of their knowledge of the story, it must still have come as a shock to her.

"We must move on." Legolas whispered "We cannot linger here."

Gandalf didn't reply, he just continued reading. "They have taken the Bridge and the second hall: we have barred the gates...but cannot hold them for long...the ground shakes...drums in the deep...we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no- one save us? They are coming."

"'They'?" Nat asked "Who the fuck are 'they'?"

A sudden noise made them all jump and all eyes turned to Pippin and the young hobbit looked exceptionally guilty. He'd been standing by what looked like a well and accidentally pushed in an old suit of armour.

"Fool of a Took!" the wizard scolded "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

"Uhm, not to make it worse but, Frodo's blade is glowing and that is not a euphemism." Riley pointed out and Frodo pulled out Sting which was glowing bright blue.

"Yeah what the hell does that mean?" Laura asked

"Orcs!" replied Legolas

They weren't so much orcs as goblins but they had come from out of nowhere and it was impossible to count how many they were but Felix had to guess there were dozens of them. Maybe even more. They burst through the doors which caught everyone off guard and then came the next thing; loud and heavy footsteps and the sound of drums that clearly belonged to something a hell of a lot of bigger than anyone or anything else in that room.

"I know I'll regret this, but what is that?" Felix asked nervously

"Oh. They have a cave troll." Boromir replied sarcastically to Aragorn and Riley who were holding back the second door but soon decided it was pointless because neither of them wanted to be crushed by the troll. Troll, Laura thought, I don't know why I didn't see that one coming?

Laura froze for a moment as she stared into the eyes of one of the goblins. Brief flashbacks hit her and memories of being captured by orcs had her almost paralyzed until Riley pulled her aside and she snapped out of it.

"Laura, Jesus, use your blade." he told her and Laura suddenly remembered that they had been given weapons before their departure in Rivendell. In fact, most of the two weeks had been spent preparing for combat and being trained by both Aragorn and Theo. Laura wasn't particularly good at it but she got the basics.

Even so, Laura struggled in combat; combat was difficult and not as exciting as the movies made it seem and her sword was more the size of a large knife anyway. The lesson she'd had in Rivendell could only get her so far and quite frankly, she was scared senseless. I don't belong here, Laura thought; I wish I was back home. She wasn't supposed to fight battles in some universe she didn't even know existed. As far as Laura was concerned, she was supposed to be back in her room at university eating takeout with her friends. However, she didn't have time to think more about home because when Laura turned around she found herself staring right in the face with a crossbow aimed right at her. Suddenly, the goblin squealed and fell dead before her feat and Laura saw Boromir in front of her.

"Are you alright?" he asked

"Yeah. Thanks." Laura replied

"Remind me to give you more lessons in sword fighting."

"How about starting now?" At that remark Boromir cut off the head of a goblin passing by and when he turned back to Laura, he nodded.

"Aye," he said "It's a deal."

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Sam called out enthusiastically as he was fighting off goblins and doing pretty good at it.

"Yeah, you and me both!" Felix was at his side and was enjoying it a lot more than he'd intended to. Goblins were disgusting creatures and it felt like the more they killed the more kept coming back. They reminded him quite a bit like cockroaches. The cave troll however, was a lot more frightening and more difficult to kill. Laura had just managed to take cover from a goblin when she suddenly saw the troll grasping Frodo and threw him right across the room in the wall piercing a spear through his chest.

"Frodo!" she shouted and both she and Sam ran up to the hobbit. In the background Merry and Pippin had turned to fighting the troll when Legolas fired an arrow which finally had it falling dead on the floor.

"Frodo please don't die." Laura whispered and to her surprise, as well as everyone else's, Frodo suddenly shook awake and looked at her.

"I'm not dead, Laura" he assured her "I'm alright." He opened up his shirt and when Gimli saw what he was wearing underneath it and that the spear hadn't harmed him at all, the dwarf chuckled.

"Mithril; you're full of surprises Master Baggins."

"Speaking of which," said Maggie as she heard more footsteps and what sounded like drums banging not so far in the distance

"To the bridge of Khazad Dum!" Gandalf told them and they ran. Not that they managed to get very far because once they got out in the large hall they soon found themselves surrounded by goblins.

"For the record," said Nat in a whisper "If I die now, I'm going to haunt all of your arses."

Riley was about to reply back but something cut him off; something that sent the goblins scattering off back to wherever they came from and the fellowship were alone again. Except of course they weren't really alone. The first thing Felix saw that set his heart beating almost out of his chest was an orange glow around the corner at the far end of the hall.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked

"I'm, uh…I'm gonna guess and say that that's not a good thing." said Riley

"No Master Riley. A balrog; a demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you, " Gandalf replied. Even the wizard was beginning to feel afraid "It is not a good thing. Run."

"Yeah, thought as much."

And they ran. Boy did they run.

Laura had never run so fast before in her life. She didn't know how she found the adrenaline to keep her going but then again she wasn't complaining. She didn't look back at the Balrog, she didn't dare and she prayed to whatever deities that would hear her that they would all get out of this alive. Laura couldn't tell how long they had run for or how far they had left; she just wanted to get out of there and get out into the open again, breathe proper air.

"I can see the bridge!" Felix yelled and so could they. It wasn't too far away at all and they were all beginning to think they would get out of this.

"That's the bridge?!" Maggie shouted "You've got to be shitting me!" But somehow they managed to get across the bridge; Legolas followed by Theo, Laura and Maggie; then Sam, Pippin and Merry, Riley, Felix and Boromir with Nat. Lastly, Aragorn and Frodo. All of them except Gandalf.

"What's he doing?" Felix asked when they turned around to Gandalf who was standing in the middle of the bridge, face to face with the balrog. "Is he insane?"

"He's saving us." Aragorn whispered.

Laura hadn't fully understood the gravity of their situation, until the Balrog was in their field of vision and Gandalf stood facing the demonic creature on the bridge. Laura's nostrils were overcome with a foul stench of sulfur and something else she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Watching the Balrog was like being in the middle of a horror movie and she couldn't understand how something so monstrous could possibly be real. It was only in that moment she truly realised the dangers of the quest she had agreed to go on.

"You shall not pass!"

Gandalf's voice echoed throughout the whole mountain and Laura felt it in the pit of her stomach.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow."

The balrog struck it's flaming sword against Gandalf but the light of his staff protected him. Laura watched in horror, unable to turned her eyes away.

"Go back to the shadow!"

An angry, unfrightened growl.

"YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!"

The cracking sound of a whip. A bridge collapsing.

Three final words of warning.

"Fly you fools."

Nobody could recall much of what happened next because it happened so quickly. Following Gandalf's command, there was a blindingly bright flash of light and the sound of a bridge collapsing beneath their feet. Laura's mind was overwhelmed and buzzing with a myriad of emotions. The only thing on anyone's mind was to get out as fast as possible. It was only when they actually got out of Moria that it hit them; Gandalf was gone. He had fallen with the balrog and they were one less member of the fellowship. Laura had to put his head between his knees and she swore she was going to be sick but managed not to throw up. Nausea and disorentation took over her senses but none more strongly than the feeling of survival. They were alive and that was all that mattered.

"Legolas," said Aragorn "Get them up. We have to get moving."

"Give them a moment for pity's sake." Boromir countered and then turned to Maggie. "He listens to you almost as though you were his mother; tell him that we cannot move yet."

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs! We must reach the woods of Lothlorien. Come, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up. On your feet, Sam." said Aragorn.

Aragorn reached down to Maggie but she angrily shook him off and stood up.

"No!" Maggie snapped "Estel, our friend just died in front of our eyes! We can wait for ten goddamned minutes or you will have to carry on alone! You may be a leader, but you are not yet king! Ten minutes is all I am asking for!"

A moment of silence fell between them and Laura watched as Aragorn nodded and bowed his head as a way to show respect.

"You have ten minutes, Your Majesty." said the ranger

By the time they were up and running again (literally running), Laura was beginning to feel out of breath but eventually, they came to the entrance of a huge forest. Something about it immediately felt different. Some forests in the UK, like Nottingham, had a similar feeling to it. Something magical and almost otherworldly. The fellowship immediately slowed down their pace but kept a closer eye on their surroundings.

"Stay close...they say a Sorceress lives in these woods." Gimli cautioned "An elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell."

Laura thought she would have been used to it by now, all the magic but when she suddenly heard a haunting, soft female voice speaking to her in her mind, Laura couldn't help but to shiver. Welcome Laura Ainsley, said the voice, you who have been chosen by the Valar for this quest. A quest. The question is, will you survive it or will you fall?

Laura snapped out of her thoughts to Gimli's voice and became aware of her surroundings once more

"Well, this is one dwarf she'll not get. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox." Of course he'd spoken too soon because they soon found themselves surrounded by arrows.

"The dwarf breathes so loudly we could have shot him in the dark." said a blonde elf walking towards them. He was strikingly beautiful, but then all elves were.

"Haldir, we need your help." Aragorn explained "We have come here for protection."

"These woods are perilous Aragorn." Gimli protested "We should go back."

"They're elves," said Riley "They're not going to harm us."

At this, Haldir looked up at Riley and raised an eyebrow. If the tension wasn't so awkward, Laura was sure the elf would have laughed. "And what would you know of the habits of elves little one?" he asked curiously

Riley raised an eyebrow and looked at Maggie. "Did he just call me aier? That's supposed to be your nickname Mags but I'm pretty sure he just used it to insult me."

"Oh Ri, really? Not now. Goheno-nin Master Elf, my brother seldom thinks before he speaks." (Forgive me) Maggie said

"You also speak Elvish my Lady and you carry elven jewellery? I am most curious to know why but that will have to wait. The lady of realms is waiting for you. "

If Dwarrowdelf was impressive, it was nothing compared to Caras Galadhon. The whole forest was a kingdom. Giant staircases spiralled around the enormous tree trunks and it seemed like the elves lived in the trees. As night fell upon Lothlorien, lights of the moons and stars shone through the veils of the tree crowns. It illuminated the whole forest in such a magical, blinding light. It was nothing short of beautiful and Laura was filled with an intense sense of wonder. Nothing was more beautiful than the Lady Galadriel herself. She greeted the Fellowship alongside her husband and seemed to know immediately that something had gone wrong as Gandalf was not with them. Felix made the old "a balrog of Morgoth" joke but was nudged in the side by Nat who deemed it appropriate altogether. Even though Galadriel was kind and gentle in her voice and manners, Laura sensed everyone's apprehension and the Fellowship hardly dared looking at her. The elf-queen told them to not let their hearts be troubled and that they would be allowed to rest in Lothlorien for a few days before carrying on with their journey.

Some time in the night, Laura had given up on sleeping and got the sudden urge to explore. The others were fast asleep around her and as she walked through their camp, she felt almost as though something was pulling her in a certain direction. Eventually, she came to a small clearing and Galadriel was there, as if she had been waiting for her. Strangely enough though, Laura wasn't scared.

"Will you also look into the mirror?" Galadriel asked "You eyes are filled with questions."

"I'm afraid of what I'll see." Laura replied "But I also want to know."

Galadriel poured water in the mirror and Laura glanced into its reflection. At first, she saw nothing but then several images began to appear before her eyes. They showed different things, some of which had already happened. It showed their time in Rivendell and Laura saw images of her and Boromir together. Then, the scenes changed and Laura saw battle unlike anything she had ever seen depicted before. There were horrible cries of pain, the sound of swords clashing against each other and bodies falling dead to the ground. She saw a close up of a pair of lifeless brown eyes but she had no idea who they belonged to. The scenes changed again and Laura was back to her and Boromir. She saw herself running towards him as he picked her up in his arms and spun her around. It almost seemed like they hadn't seen each other for a very long time. Next, she was with the fellowship in a forest swarmed by orcs. She'd lost track of the others and found herself locking eyes with Frodo. Then, Laura saw herself hiking a narrow path up a mountain pass with Frodo and Sam but there was another creature with them. A creature with an ill favored look. There was no sign of the others in this visions and as quickly as they had appeared,

"Are these things that are going to happen to us?" Laura asked "We're all going to split up?"

"Even I cannot truly know what the future holds." Galadriel replies "The mirror shows one of many options of paths for us to take."

Laura knew then that she wasn't meant to follow the others all the way through. She wasn't exactly sure how she knew but her gut instinct told her that the things in the mirror were true.

"My path is with Frodo and Sam." Laura guessed. "I don't like the idea of leaving my friends in this strange world, but I feel like this is what I'm supposed to do."

"We all fear the unknown," Galadriel told her "But as long as we hold true to what is in our heart, our path will be guided by light."

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better."

Galadriel only smiled in a way that made Laura feel strangely reassured, despite being afraid at the same time.

"You have something else that troubles you." Galadriel guessed "You wonder about your fate with the young Captain of Gondor?"

"I just...I'm not sure if it's wise to pursue something in the middle of all of this or if he even feels the same."

It felt so silly, Laura thought, to ask advice about something so personal and perhaps also unimportant. Galadriel didn't seem to mind though and instead, she gently grabbed Laura's hands and she immediately felt calmer.

"Do not fill your mind with insecurities, child." Galadriel told her "You have captured the heart of the young Captain of Gondor, but time will show if your paths will stay entwined. Go back to sleep now, your heart is still heavy with sorrow."

And for the first time in a while since arriving in Middle-Earth, Laura fell into a deep and dreamless slumber.

To be continued….

Whew, that was a huge chapter with a lot of things going on. I'm sorry if it felt a bit rushed but there's a lot that happens in the movie as well. What did you think of Laura's point of view? I'm trying to flesh out the newbies a little more to get a better idea of what they are like and to get to know them a bit more. Please leave a review!