Chapter Five: Fool of a Sue!
Isabella slumped down onto a stone and placed her head in her hands. Her feet were cold from walking through the water, and she had made a fool of herself yet again.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized without looking up.
A very damp Boromir scowled at her. "Why did you not pay attention to what you were doing?"
"I... I said I was sorry, Boromir. I just didn't like the feel of the water."
"Surely you knew that running through it would cause splashing, and splashing would result in wet people!" Boromir continued. He'd tried to be patient with the strange girl, but his patience was wearing thin.
Aragorn surveyed the water and murmured, "I only hope that damp companions are all that result from this."
Boromir turned from Isabella and looked out at the water as well. Gandalf was standing near the doors of Moria. He said nothing, but he, too, hoped as much.
Aragorn shook off his fear for the time being and picked up a pack. He took it over to Isabella. "Can you handle this weight?" he asked.
She stood and placed it on her back. It was a little heavy, but she supposed she could carry it. "Yes."
Aragorn then went to help finish sorting out which things could be left from those that should be taken along. Since Bill the pony had to be set loose because of the road they must take; everyone would have to carry some of what he'd born previously. Still, Bill was sticking close to Sam and Sam to the pony for the time being.
Gimli tapped on the rock wall. Merry and Pippin stood as far away from Isabella as possible, Sam clutched his frying pan and eyed Isabella suspiciously. Legolas tried to ignore her as often as possible. Right now he was pressing his ear to the wall. Each member of the Fellowship silently wondered if they would be her next target and which would be the best place to leave her. The sooner the better, they thought.
Isabella sniffled as she looked at her feet. She dared not say anything for the time being as she was too embarrassed. Instead, she began to wonder what was happening to her.
I'm never this clumsy at home, she thought. Why here? Everything's supposed to be perfect here, but nothing's going according to plan! She looked over at Legolas and felt her old strength coming back to her. We still have a long ways to go, though. She grinned and sat back down to think some more.
Time passed and Gandalf spoke various words and spells in words Isabella didn't understand. Boromir cursed the pool of water and cast a stone into it, and received a warning from Frodo. At last, Gandalf spoke the word mellon and the doors swung open. He began to step inside, when Frodo cried out. Something had him. Bill ran away, and Sam set about freeing the Ringbearer from the Watcher in the water. He cut off the beast's tentacle and helped Frodo to his feet.
Gandalf yelled for everyone to get into the mines as more tentacles came out of the water. Isabella stood rooted to her spot. Her eyes were open wide and her jaw was slack.
"Isabella!" Gandalf called. "Get inside!"
Isabella didn't move still. Please come! Please come! she was thinking. Save me, Legolas!
As an answer she felt a strong arm go around her knees and lift her off the ground. She folded over and clung to her rescuers back as he ran with her into the mine. As they entered with Gandalf the tentacles pulled the doors shut with a slam, leaving them in darkness.
Isabella's rescuer still held her, unsure of what to do with her in the dark. He didn't want to hold her, but he wanted less to hear her complain about being frightened, so he held tight to the girl's legs.
Gandalf spoke with the Fellowship, then caused a light to come from his staff. The rescuer looked up at the seemingly endless stairs, and that decided it for him. He sat her down abruptly, saying, "You will have to walk from this point on."
Isabella looked pained. Gimli? she screamed to herself. GIMLI?!?!? I wanted Legolas, not Gimli!
She nodded at the dwarf and looked around to find the elf. She saw him a few steps up and hurried up to him and once more clutched his arm. "It's so dark!" she whispered. "Promise to protect me?"
Legolas took a deep breath. "I promised to protect the Fellowship before we began this journey. As you are with us for the time being, I shall do all I can."
Isabella smiled and almost swooned. It worked! A plan actually worked! she thought triumphantly. But what did he mean by 'for the time being?' She pondered this for a moment, then decided that he wasn't really offering to protect her, but everyone. DRAT! she said to herself.
They began their climb of the steps. There were two hundred of them, much to Isabella's dismay. It wasn't this long in the movie! Maybe I should have read the book more carefully...
Thinking back to the movie, she remembered Moria clearly. She shuddered. What if she didn't come out of this place alive?
That's nonsense! They always live in the stories...Don't they?