Chapter 17
"Awake! Awake yourself Azura!!"
Azura woke, and fumbled around in the darkness, "Where am I?!" She cried, forgetting where
she was.
"We are still in Moria, but please! Hurry and come!" Merry pleaded with her, and he was
pulling her to her feet.
Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and she saw the most worried look on Merry's
face.
"What's the matter?!" She asked, looking about, seeing the shapes of the others,
frantically picking up their stuff.
Then it came. Doom-doom. A deep, thunderous drumming in the not too far distance.
"Orcs!" She hissed, and drew her sword for the first time in a long while.
"Do not shut that door! We do not need to be trapped in here!" She heard Gandalf shout.
Azura's leg began to throb again as she took a step, and she idly reckoned it may be
sprained, or even worse, broken
in some way. Never-the-less, she was off with Merry, and he led her to the other hobbits,
whom were huddled, and very anxious.
"Why did no one wake me sooner?! Were you going to wait until they were breathing down
my neck to wake me?!" She cried at Sam, Pippin, and Frodo.
They all, including Merry, were looking anxiously at her.
"You...we didn't want to disturb you..." Sam said, faltering.
"You...were...rambling and talking in your sleep...in Ancient elvish, Legolas
told us." Pippin said, nervously.
"I..I what?" Azura asked, looking surprised. "I don't think I've done that before..."
"Who comes hither to disturb the rest of Balin Lord of Moria?" Gandalf boomed
out into the halfway.
Azura's blood ran cold as ice as she heard coarse laughter of orcs, just outside
in the hall.
And then, to Azura's surprise, something sinister came over her. Her body went numb
and cold, and moved of another will other than her own. Her sword raised high in the air,
with her arm, and she shouted a long sentence in the harsh orc language. Her blood ran cold as she releaized what words she had said.
"I am the blood and bane of Sauron! Let those of his, follow me!"
After her shout, their was an wave of cries from the orcs, much like war cries.
"What in the name of all good did you say girl?!" Boromir shouted at her, in shock, and suspicion.
Azura's arm went limp and her sword clattered to the ground. Wide-eyed, she looked
around to her others, and the hobbits, whom all seemed to hold her in different light than before.
Even Frodo seemed shocked at her.
A knawing, guilt swelled up in her, and she knew what caused her to do that,
and how she even knew the orc language.
Boromir and Aragorn were now sealing the door, and Gandalf was shouting orders,
but the four hobbits remained, eyes locked on Azura.
She turned from the eyes of her hobbit friends, and bent to pick up her sword. She paused,
crouched over the sword, with her eyes closed and a look of determination on her face.
I won't. I haven't since that day. Just relax. He has no hold over me, he never has. She
gripped the handle of her sword and raised, and began to the door. And old poem she had written
in her diary rung in her ears as she slowly moved for the door.
There is a monster
living inside me
A monster so horrible
I can't let anyone see.
The monster is in my blood
Living in my heart
Kicking against my soul
Tearing me apart.
This monster is so evil
He must be kept inside.
And because the monster's there
I know I must also hide.
Hide from others
Not letting them see my pain.
Hide in the darkness
So that on them I do not drain.
I alone must handle the monster
With him I'll live or die.
I can't tell anyone how much he hurts me.
I can only cry.
Azura gave a shudder as she came to stand beside Aragorn, whom had his sword drawn.
He looked down at her, and then back at the door.
Legolas came up behind Azura, and drew his bow out. Azura looked up at him. His face was
tight with determination. For the first time, she realized how young he looked, like her.
He glanced down at her and said, "Ready yourself, Azura."
Azura shook her head and turned back to the door Boromir and Aragorn had shut.
The door shuddered as something great slammed against it. Azura's blood ran cold again,
and she fought to keep herself balanced and ready.
The door shuttered again, and bits of splinters flew out at her.
"What is it?!" Pippin cried, huddled next to Sam and Merry.
"It's a cave troll!!" Boromir shouted back, his sword drawn, and ready in his hand.
Another great shudder came from the door, and this time it slid open a bit.
Azura stumbled back as she saw an enormous shoulder wedge itself between the opening.
A large, flat foot appeared at the bottom of the door.
Boromir swung his blade at the arm, but his sword bounced back and clattered to the floor,
notched.
"The Shire!" Frodo shouted, springing forward and stabbing the foot deeply. There was a bellow,
and the foot wrenched back, nearly taking Frodo's sword with it.
Boromir pushed the door closed again.
"One for the Shire!" Aragorn cried, "The hobbit's bite is deep! You have a good blade,
Frodo, son of Drogo.!"
Another crash came to the door. Then another. Then, a wave of crashing and shuddering came
upon the door. It cracked and staggered back, and a small opening grew suddenly wide. Arrows
came whistling in, but struck the northern wall, and fell harmlessly to the ground.
Then came a horn blast, and one after another, orcs jumped into the room through the opening.
Everything came as a blur as those around her fought.
It was like a dance, as Azura fought the orcs. Her sword danced over the flesh of the orcs,
spilling dark blood here and there.
With a deep thrust, she buried her sword through the middle of a tall orc, nearly twice her
size. It sneered at her, and fell to it's knees, and hissed to her, "Killing your own servants?"
In it's harsh orc-language, and then it fell forward as Azura drew her sword out of it.
She trembled, feeling fire in her veins. She shook her head. I'm not like him. I'll never be.
With a cry, she drove her sword into another orc, and thick splatters of blood sprayed her,
her hair, her clothes. She pulled her sword out, and ran to another orc.
This one parried her sword, and knocked her back with a clawed hand. Azura tripped on a stone
and fell to her bottom, her sword clattering to the floor. The orc stood over her
menacingly, "Traitor." It sneered at her, then raised it sword and swung at her.
A blinding pain stung her shoulder, and she felt a ringing inside her head. A rush of power
left her, and she saw the orc fly across the room in a flurry of fire and cries of pain.
Azura scrambled for her sword and stood. Most of the orcs lay slewn, and Aragorn finished the
last.
One orc came through the door, and dodged Boromir and Aragorn and headed straight for Frodo.
Azura was frozen to her spot, unable to move.
The orc thrust his spear at Frodo. It caught him on the right side, and Frodo was hurled
against the wall and pinned. With a cry, Sam hacked at the spear shaft, and it broke.
Frodo buckled to the ground and lay still.
Azura fell to her knees, and remained there, even as Gandalf shouted for them to flee, and
Aragorn had picked Frodo up off the ground.
Legolas pulled Azura up and along, but she was so numb, she payed no heed, even to the
intense pain pulsing in her arm.
Her eyes were locked in the still shape in Aragorn's arms.
"I am alright. I can walk. Put me down!" Frodo gasped to Aragorn, whom nearly dropped him when
he spoke.
"I thought you were dead!" Aragorn cried.
"Not yet! But there is no time to wonder. Off you go, all of you, down the stairs! Wait a few
minutes for me at the bottom, but if I do not come soon, go on! Go quickly and choose paths
leading downward and right." Gandalf said.
"We cannot leave you to hold the door alone!" Aragorn cried.
"Do as I say! Swords are no more use here. Go!" Gandalf said fiercely.
The Company fled down the dark stairs, groping blindly as they went. Faile shriek and swooped from high
above, following closely.
Azura felt warm liquid pumping down her arm, but ignored it as she felt her way down the stairs. Her sword was
back in it's scabberd, and bounced as she bounded down the stairs. Her mind was in complete chaos, and she
barely realized anything, the trouble they were in, nor the mortal wound on her arm. It was completely limp, and
she couldn't move it.
What am I? My blood is spoiled by his... He's in my blood, my thoughts! For a fleeting moment I was one of them.
I felt the loathing, the anger, the hatred in them. I'm a monster... Azura's thoughts bombarded her and she forgot
where she was. Monster...
She didn't know she was at the bottom of the stairwell until she ran straight into Legolas. She stumbled back and
turned away from his prying eyes, even though he looked worried, she turned from him, her eyes high above her.
What was Gandalf doing? She felt a sudden worry for him. Something was going to happen.
"Azura..." Frodo called to her, his voice stretched in pain.
Azura shook lightly, but did not turn. She acted as if she didn't hear him, feeling guilty of it, but she didn't want to
face him now. None of them. They didn't know. Gandalf knew what she was, he had from the beggining. She always
saw acceptance, caring, and pity in his eyes. If anyone, he could tell her what she truly was. She suddenly felt weak
and dizzy, and looked down at her arm for the first time since she was attacked by that one orc.
Her entire left arm was drenched thickly in blood. Her scarlet arm cover was soaked and blood dripped from her
fingertips. A small pool of blood had collected by her foot. Azura looked to find the cut and saw a clean cut on her
shoulder. It was cut clean through to her bone, and she knew nerves had been severed. That's why it was so numb...
Azura blinked a few times, then mumbled under her breath, a healing spell. Nothing happened. She was too weak
to heal herself. She weakly lowered to her knees and sat upon them, as the soft sounds of her companions talked
faded into a whir of nothings.
Azura woke from her trance to being picked up by Legolas. He was looking gravely at her arm, and spoke to Frodo,
and the others, peering at her with worry. "Her arm is damaged, maybe beyond repair. Galadriel may be the only one
able to heal her now..."
"Is she going to die?!" Pippin cried, and Sam wept soundly beside him, and Frodo, too, was weeping.
"She has lost a lot of blood..." Legolas said, as Azura slipped back into darkness.
Monster...
----
Frodo limped along the deep hall, alongside Sam and Merry. It was almost suffocatingly hot, and sweat dripped
down his temples, and his dark curls were matted against his head. He held Sting tightly in his hand, but is eyes
were trained on Azura's limp form in Legolas's arms. Her legs bounced with every quick step Legolas took, and
her golden hair was hanging over Legolas's arm, and was stained with orc's blood and dirt.
Merry was silent beside him ,lost in thoughts. Sam was silent, tear-stained, and held Faile on his hand, her leg now
tethered onto a glove he had.
Frodo's thoughts were jumbled with thoughts, suspicion, and worry. How did she know the orc-language? What did
she say? Why did she seem so distant after that, like a completely different person? His heart grew heavy as he thought
of something else, Why had she not come when he called her...?
He felt a surge of emotion in him, even though he loved her, and she loved him, she was distant from him. It was
almost like she truly wasn't alive, or existing. Like she was ghost of something she was to be, or once was.
It was also troubling him, how much trouble she was getting into, and the injuries she kept aqquiring for him. He
didn't want her to get hurt, not for his sake, or any sake. In Lothlorien, after he married her, he would ask of her
to stay, and wait for his return.
But...what if he did not return? Frodo's heart grew heavy at the thought of having to make the journey to Mordor without
Azura by his side. Even so, he did not want her to die in Mordor. She did not deserve of that.
"Let me down!" Azura's tired, but stubborn voice bellowed, and Legolas nearly dropped her in surprise.
"Silence, foolish child!" Gandalf boomed back at her, continueing to rush down the dark corridor.
Legolas let Azura down as he ran on, and she stumbled a few times until she was running alongside Legolas.
Frodo broke from Merry and Sam, and ran ahead to Azura and came to her side. She glanced at him with hollow,
distant eyes. The fire and brightness in her eyes were dim, and something about her eyes seemed almost haunting.
Frodo flinched back, as if he weren't really seeing Azura, but something else all completely.
He blinked a few times, and moved closer to her, and took her good hand in his, and walked silently alongside of her.
He didn't say anything, or look at her, he sensed she was struggling with something inside of her, and he couldn't help
her right now.
----
"Now for the last race!" Gandalf cried, "If the sun is shining outside, we may still still escape! After me!"
Azura ran alongside of Gandalf, followed by the rest of the Company. Her blood, dirtied hair bounced around her chin.
Howls of rage came from orcs, far behind them, rushing feet, and drums pounded behind them.
Azura was gasping lightly, out of breath, the pain in her leg was almost unbearable.
They came into a big cavern, with a high stretching roof, and it as dark as it was behind them.
Azura came to a halt infront a large, gaping chasm in the ground. On the other side of the cavern they were in,
were orcs, but they were cut off by great, tall flames.
Azura stared at a deep abyss. Heat rose out of it, and she could see only darkness inside. Something sinister
was in the air, and she watched as the rest of the Company joined her at the abyss, next to a thin stone bridge.
Azura blinked slowly, feeling numb and disoriented. She held her wounded arm with the other, and blood was
slowly streaming down her arm, though most of it had closed a bit.
Azura stared at the abyss once again, feeling a connection to the abyss. She felt dizzy staring into the abyss,
and it seemed it threatened to swallow her whole.
She gave a start when Pippin appeared at her side, and gave a half-hearted smile. Sam appeared next to him,
and gave a soft smile. Merry and Frodo appeared on her other side, with comforting smiles.
She looked back down the deep chasm, a small smile on her lips. Despite everything, they were still by her side.
"Lead the way, Gimli!" Gandalf ordered, turning to the stout dwarf. "Pippin and Merry next, then Azura."
Arrows fell among them, most hitting the ground around them. One struck Frodo and bounced back. One struck right
through Gandalf's hat, and stuck there like a great black feather.
Gimli, Pippin, and Merry were quickly making there way along the slim bridge, which had no type of rail at all.
Azura followed closely behind Merry, followed by Frodo and Sam, behind them were Aragorn and Boromir, then
Legolas and Gandalf.
Legolas turned back and raised his bow and strung an arrow. He drew the string back, but his hand fell, and the
arrow fell down to the ground, and slipped into the chasm. Legolas gave a cry of dismay and fear. Two great cave
trolls had appeared, and threw themselves down onto the fire, to serve as a bridge to their side for the orcs. But,
that was not why Legolas had cried out. Something more sinister was lingering back there, in the darkness, sucking
in the light around it.
"Ai!Ai!" Legolas cried, "A Balrog! A Balrog is come!"
All had frozen to stare into the darkness, frozen in sudden fear.
"Durin's bane..." Gimli muttered.
Azura gave a tremble, and shuddered convulsively. The darkness she felt inside her was almost unbearable.
It was coming after them.
Boromir's horn rang out, and the orcs had began rushing out of the flames and toward the deep chasm.
The dark being, streaming with fire began to race toward them. Wisps of fire and smoked cloaked it from veiw,
but from it, came the most horrible fear to their hearts.
"Up over the bridge! Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!"
Aragorn and Boromir stood silently, then turned slowly, and ushered the others up the bridge.
"Gandalf!" Azura cried, suddenly feeling much like a child leaving her father behind.
"Fly, my child! Go on to Lorien and marry Frodo, and keep him safe! You are the key to the survival of Lorien!
Remember that!" Gandalf cried after her, then turned to the Balrog.
As Azura run, she heard the clash of swords below, and a cry from both Aragorn and Boromir. She came upon the
top of the bridge and ran out onto the ledge and looked over and down to Gandalf. Her mouth fell open in shock and horror.
The bridge beneath the Balrog had crumbled and it was falling, but to her horror, Gandalf was falling too.
"Fly, you fools!" Gandalf cried as he disappeared down into the abyss.
"Noo!!" Cried Azura, as she reached out over the ledge to the darkness. Someone pulled her away from the ledge,
but she wrenched from them and tore away.
"Nooo!!!" Azura cried, throwing herself to the edge of the cliff, hands outstretched. "Gandalf!!"
As she hit the ground next to the cliff, hands from all around her grabbed her and raised her, holding her back. She
didn't hear the protests of her friends, trying to keep her from going after Gandalf. She didn't heed the cries that they
had to flee, she heard nothing.
"Vendha!!" Azura screamed at the cliff, her arm outstretched. Nothing happened.
"Azura! We have to go!" Strider shouted at her, helping Legolas and Frodo pull her away from the ledge. The shouts
and cries of the orcs on the other side was near deafening.
Further and further away from the edge she was being taken.
"Gandalf!" She cried, kicking and squirming against Legolas and Frodo, not seeing their worried faces.
Strider turned and picked Azura up around her waist, and threw her over his shoulder, and sprinted after the others,
and out of Moria.
"Vendha!" Azura cried again, before she and Strider disappeared around the corner of a stone wall, and up a long
flight of stairs.
Azura burried her face into Strider's back, screaming and sobbing loudly. Azura didn't notice when orcs ambushed
them at the top. Aragorn slew the captain, and the others fled, so the Company continued on and into the light.
After awhile, Strider had set her down, and the others had already taken to sitting onto the ground, looking haggard
and upset.
Azura gave a tremble as she looked around at the all with red, sore eyes, and then stood quickly, unsheathing her
sword and advancing to a tree. She gave a cry of anger and began hacking at the tree with her sword, venting her
anger and sadness onto hacking at the tree.
Frodo had rosed to go to Azura, but Strider held up his hand, "Let her release her anger, it is no good holding such
a thing inside oneself."
Azura gave a cry of suprise when her sword sunk deeply into the tree and she lost her grip and spun, her back
slamming against the tree. She slid to a sitting position, and began sobbing silently.
Aragorn spoke to the others, but Azura did not hear. Amidst her sobbing, she pulled off her pack and pulled out an
old shirt and ripped it into strips and bound her arm. By the time she was done winding it, her sobs had subsided
into sorrowful silence.
Azura stood, shifting her pack onto her back, thenturned and wrenched her sword fom the tree with a free hand, and
sheathed it.
She went and stood near Legolas, whom laid a hand on her shoulder.
He spoke to her softly in Elven, "Weep not for the loss, but for the life to come."
"I cannot weep anymore. I will now, to avenge Gandalf, shall slay all those followers of Sauron..." Azura replied,
in soft Eleven.
They headed off down the road from Moria, toward the mountains, in silence. And hour or so, they traveled the
broken road, in silence.
Awhile later, they halted, because Frodo and Sam were lagging behind. They stopped near a stream, and were
resting. Aragorn was dapping a wet cloth on Sam's forehead, and Frodo gave a grimace as he shifted where he sat.
Azura had removed her over shirt and tank top, now only clad in her under shirt and pants. She had removed her
boots, and was wading knee-high in the cold stream, cleaning cuts on her thighs, arms, and shoulder.
Her hurt arm was less numb, and she could move it, though it was greatly sore.
Gimli and Merry were stoking a fire, and Pippin was drawing water for Aragorn, and for cooking.
Sam gave a shudder, watching Azura in the water, and Pippin spoke up as he drew water, "How are you not afraid
of the water? You are part hobbit, are you not?"
Azura looked up from her knee, and gave him a small smile, "I love the water. When you are swimming...it's like...flying..."
Pippin finished with his water, setting it near the fire in a pot, then came back to the water's edge, a hesitant look on
his face. "Would you teach me to swim one day?" He asked, a bit fearful, but curiously.
Azura laughed, the first time in a long while, and it sounded musical and beautiful. At that, Frodo smiled. "Of, course,
if you'd like to learn." Azura said.
"We all should..." Merry said, a lopsided grin on his face, as he tossed a few bits of fir-wood into the fire.
Azura felt something beneath her toes and bent, sticking her good arm deep into the water, groping the bottom with
her fingers, She brought up several broken bits of seashells in her hand. She cleaned them gingerly in the water. The
stream must have come from the sea at one point, as the shells were evidently from the sea.
"What is it?" Pippin asked curiously.
Azura waded back to the shore, staring at the pearly-pink shells in her hands. There were eight whole, and two smaller,
broken bits.
As Azura sat on the shore, with her legs still dipped in the water, she showed the shells to Pippin.
He peered at them curiously, and looked at her, "What are they?" He asked as Merry came to look. Sam and Frodo,
who sat nearby, looked over in curiousity.
"They are seashells silly!" Azura said, laughing again. "They come from the sea." She said, getting an almost longing
look in her eyes.
"I've never seen seashells..." Pippin said, gazing at them.
"Neither have I..." Merry echoed.
"I'll make bracelets of them...one for everyone..." Azura said, grinning.
She put them carefully into her pack, and got up and went to dress more properly, in her spare garments, as they were clean.
"It is your turn, Frodo, I must see to your wounds." Aragorn said, turning to Frodo as he had finished with Sam.
"I am all right," Frodo said, reluctant to have his garments touched, "All I need is some food and a little rest."
"No," said Aragorn, "We must have a look and see what that orc has done to you. I still marvel that you are alive at all."
Gently, he stripped off Frodo's old jacket and worn tunic, and gave a gasp of wonder. Then he laughed heartily. The
silver corslet shimmered before his eyes like the light upon a rippling sea. Carefully, he took it off and held it up,and
the gems on it glittered like stars, and the sound of the shaken rings sounded like the tinkle of rain on a pool of water.
"Look, my friends!" He called, "Here's a pretty hobbit-skin to wrap an elven princeling in! If it were known that hobbits
had such hides, all the hunters of Middle-Earth would be riding to the Shire."
"And all the arrows of the World would be in vain," Gimli said, ine utter awe, "It is a mithril coat. Mithril! I've never seen
or heard tale of one so fair. Is this the coat Gandalf spoke of? Then he undervalued it.But it was well given!"
"I have often wondered what you and Bilbo were doing, so close in his little room." Merry said, "Bless the old hobbit!
I love him more than ever. I hope we get a chance of telling him about it!"
Azura looked over the bruises Frodo had, from a distance. She realized, also, this was the first time she had seen him
this under-dressed before. It made a scarlet blush creep up her cheeks and she turned away, to finish dressing. She
tied the strings of her shirt together, and hoped Frodo wasn't too sore, with all those bruises.
"Let us rest awhile and eat, then continue on until we are safely a distance from Moria." Aragorn said.
-----
