A/N: Well then. I thank daniLOTHlorien for saying what I'd hoped to hear.
Indeed I should try to respond to any reviews you might care to leave.
Disclaimer: yeh, as much as I'd like to, I don't own the plot or the characters.
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The stifling dark surrounded them, and even with the light of the staff, it was impossible to see around them in any large, or even small distance. Legolas heard Gandalf in front of him muttering, "let us hope our presence goes unnoticed."
As hard as he tried, Legolas could still not shake off the feeling of dread that again washed over him. He did not usually sense such things. Yet a nagging fear kept hold of the back of his mind. He did not want to be here. Elves are not used to such dark confines, such as a mine.
The Fellowship walked through the mines for days. Legolas could see that the rest were already weary of their plight. Giving random words of encouragement, Legolas tried to help the rest through this tiresome place. But he himself was also tired of being here. He did not know if he could keep this up, but for the sakes of the others, he kept his chin held aloft, and marched on in silent agony.
Snapping him out of his thoughts, Gandalf paused in the lead once again, facing three dark doorways. "I have no memory of this place," he muttered.
Ai, Valar, tua amin! Legolas sent up a silent plea to the Gods as Gandalf sat down to think. He now knew that he couldn't take this anymore. The dark was pressing around him, and the strain of keeping face was beginning to eat away at his will. He probably would have liked something to hit right about now, but instead he sat down and composed himself. Madness could wait, he thought, they might need my help yet.
Hours it was ere Gandalf finally led them down one of the passages that he believed to be correct. As they entered yet another black chamber, Gandalf lit his staff brighter for them to look around with. Legolas looked up, and to his amazement he saw a vast chamber, filled with pillars, and looking like something he might have expected to find in this place. A smile crept over his face as he continued to stare. Another sound he heard, and turned to where it came from: Gimli the dwarf had let out a small cry and gone rushing into one of the side rooms.
They all followed him, and much to their surprise they found a long stone box, with curious engravings along the op, and Gimli weeping at its end. Gandalf read the dwarvish writing, for that was what it was.
"Here lies Balin, son of Hrundin, Lord of Moria." Legolas now understood why his friend was weeping. Balin was the dwarf's cousin.
He looked about the room they were in, and watched as Gandalf picked up a book and read aloud a few pages. All Legolas remembered hearing him say was, "they are coming, we cannot get out." Turning sharply, he saw Pippin throw a rock down a deep well. The clatter was not loud, but it was enough to jerk most of the company. Gandalf turned on the hobbit, and fairly shouted at him, "Fool of a Took! Next time throw yourself in, and rid us of your stupidity!"
Legolas looked at Pippin's face, and could see the young hobbit's hurt at this. But none of them had enough time to really react. From far away, a faint throbbing noise could be heard. As it steadily pulsed, it got louder, until they could hear the definite beating of drums. Reacting quickly, Boromir and Aragorn closed the doors, and Legolas threw them various things to bar it shut. After that, all they could do was wait for the onslaught of Orcs.
They did not have to wait long. The doors suddenly burst open, pouring forth hundreds of the foul creatures. Legolas let loose many arrows afore Aragorn and Boromir had to use their swords. Then the battle was going full-tilt. Legolas killed a great deal of Orcs before yet another creature exploded into the room: a cave-troll. Immediately all attention turned to this new foe, and the fighting become more intense.
Legolas went on fighting, but before any of them knew it, they heard a sharp cry of pain from Frodo. The troll had stabbed him in the stomach with a long spear that looked too big to fit inside the little hobbit. With a gasp of pain, Frodo fell to the floor, seemingly dead. Then the anger awoke inside the Elf, as well as everyone else. Pippin and Merry had gotten onto the troll's back, and were stabbing at its head. Finally Legolas saw his shot when the beast looked upwards to see the hobbits. He took it, shooting an arrow straight into the beast's throat. The troll gasped and heaved, but could not dislodge it before it killed him. It fell with a loud thud on the floor, and everyone rushed to Frodo's side.
Aragorn had gotten to him first, and Legolas watched as he slowly rolled the hobbit over to see where it had skewered him. He could not help turning away at the thought of the little halfling being with them no longer, but he turned back when he heard a cough come from Frodo. He was not dead!
"Its alright, I'm not hurt." The hobbit reassured them. He then opened his shirt to show them what had protected him from the spear. It was a fine coat of mithril, light as a feather, but hard as a dragon's scales.
Gandalf urged them on, and they ran through the vast hall once more, becoming surrounded by Orcs.
Surely this it is, Legolas thought, we're going to die certainly. They made it through the doorway, and down onto a long flight of steps to the bridge of Khazad-dûm, fighting their way there. As they scrambled across the thin bridge, all of the Orcs suddenly became afraid of something. Legolas looked about him, and what he saw chilled his very blood.
"Ai!" he cried aloud, "a balrog!" And indeed there it was, a massive demon made of seemingly utter blackness and fire. Fear clenched his body, and everything suddenly became distant, as if he was watching it happen from a distance, yet he was still there in the midst of it. He ran after the rest of them across the bridge.
Gandalf, however, decided that this was not the right way to go. He stopped and looked at the creature. Raising his staff above his head, he started shouting at it. Legolas could not understand what he was saying, as his brain had apparently decided to stop working properly. He watched in horror as the beast advanced on Gandalf, and all of a sudden the bridge cracked, and the monster fell through; yet the whip that it brandished caught Gandalf by the ankle, and pulled him down with it.
"Fly you fools!" Legolas snapped out of his reverie for long enough to hear those last words of his friend as he plunged into the sheer dark of the pit into which he fell. Again time seemed to slow down. Legolas thought he cried out in horror, but he could not tell. He turned as if almost nothing anyone said or did mattered to him. He fled with the rest of them out into the daylight ahead, and there he let go. He felt nothing, and did nothing. He just could not believe that Gandalf was gone.
Disclaimer: yeh, as much as I'd like to, I don't own the plot or the characters.
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The stifling dark surrounded them, and even with the light of the staff, it was impossible to see around them in any large, or even small distance. Legolas heard Gandalf in front of him muttering, "let us hope our presence goes unnoticed."
As hard as he tried, Legolas could still not shake off the feeling of dread that again washed over him. He did not usually sense such things. Yet a nagging fear kept hold of the back of his mind. He did not want to be here. Elves are not used to such dark confines, such as a mine.
The Fellowship walked through the mines for days. Legolas could see that the rest were already weary of their plight. Giving random words of encouragement, Legolas tried to help the rest through this tiresome place. But he himself was also tired of being here. He did not know if he could keep this up, but for the sakes of the others, he kept his chin held aloft, and marched on in silent agony.
Snapping him out of his thoughts, Gandalf paused in the lead once again, facing three dark doorways. "I have no memory of this place," he muttered.
Ai, Valar, tua amin! Legolas sent up a silent plea to the Gods as Gandalf sat down to think. He now knew that he couldn't take this anymore. The dark was pressing around him, and the strain of keeping face was beginning to eat away at his will. He probably would have liked something to hit right about now, but instead he sat down and composed himself. Madness could wait, he thought, they might need my help yet.
Hours it was ere Gandalf finally led them down one of the passages that he believed to be correct. As they entered yet another black chamber, Gandalf lit his staff brighter for them to look around with. Legolas looked up, and to his amazement he saw a vast chamber, filled with pillars, and looking like something he might have expected to find in this place. A smile crept over his face as he continued to stare. Another sound he heard, and turned to where it came from: Gimli the dwarf had let out a small cry and gone rushing into one of the side rooms.
They all followed him, and much to their surprise they found a long stone box, with curious engravings along the op, and Gimli weeping at its end. Gandalf read the dwarvish writing, for that was what it was.
"Here lies Balin, son of Hrundin, Lord of Moria." Legolas now understood why his friend was weeping. Balin was the dwarf's cousin.
He looked about the room they were in, and watched as Gandalf picked up a book and read aloud a few pages. All Legolas remembered hearing him say was, "they are coming, we cannot get out." Turning sharply, he saw Pippin throw a rock down a deep well. The clatter was not loud, but it was enough to jerk most of the company. Gandalf turned on the hobbit, and fairly shouted at him, "Fool of a Took! Next time throw yourself in, and rid us of your stupidity!"
Legolas looked at Pippin's face, and could see the young hobbit's hurt at this. But none of them had enough time to really react. From far away, a faint throbbing noise could be heard. As it steadily pulsed, it got louder, until they could hear the definite beating of drums. Reacting quickly, Boromir and Aragorn closed the doors, and Legolas threw them various things to bar it shut. After that, all they could do was wait for the onslaught of Orcs.
They did not have to wait long. The doors suddenly burst open, pouring forth hundreds of the foul creatures. Legolas let loose many arrows afore Aragorn and Boromir had to use their swords. Then the battle was going full-tilt. Legolas killed a great deal of Orcs before yet another creature exploded into the room: a cave-troll. Immediately all attention turned to this new foe, and the fighting become more intense.
Legolas went on fighting, but before any of them knew it, they heard a sharp cry of pain from Frodo. The troll had stabbed him in the stomach with a long spear that looked too big to fit inside the little hobbit. With a gasp of pain, Frodo fell to the floor, seemingly dead. Then the anger awoke inside the Elf, as well as everyone else. Pippin and Merry had gotten onto the troll's back, and were stabbing at its head. Finally Legolas saw his shot when the beast looked upwards to see the hobbits. He took it, shooting an arrow straight into the beast's throat. The troll gasped and heaved, but could not dislodge it before it killed him. It fell with a loud thud on the floor, and everyone rushed to Frodo's side.
Aragorn had gotten to him first, and Legolas watched as he slowly rolled the hobbit over to see where it had skewered him. He could not help turning away at the thought of the little halfling being with them no longer, but he turned back when he heard a cough come from Frodo. He was not dead!
"Its alright, I'm not hurt." The hobbit reassured them. He then opened his shirt to show them what had protected him from the spear. It was a fine coat of mithril, light as a feather, but hard as a dragon's scales.
Gandalf urged them on, and they ran through the vast hall once more, becoming surrounded by Orcs.
Surely this it is, Legolas thought, we're going to die certainly. They made it through the doorway, and down onto a long flight of steps to the bridge of Khazad-dûm, fighting their way there. As they scrambled across the thin bridge, all of the Orcs suddenly became afraid of something. Legolas looked about him, and what he saw chilled his very blood.
"Ai!" he cried aloud, "a balrog!" And indeed there it was, a massive demon made of seemingly utter blackness and fire. Fear clenched his body, and everything suddenly became distant, as if he was watching it happen from a distance, yet he was still there in the midst of it. He ran after the rest of them across the bridge.
Gandalf, however, decided that this was not the right way to go. He stopped and looked at the creature. Raising his staff above his head, he started shouting at it. Legolas could not understand what he was saying, as his brain had apparently decided to stop working properly. He watched in horror as the beast advanced on Gandalf, and all of a sudden the bridge cracked, and the monster fell through; yet the whip that it brandished caught Gandalf by the ankle, and pulled him down with it.
"Fly you fools!" Legolas snapped out of his reverie for long enough to hear those last words of his friend as he plunged into the sheer dark of the pit into which he fell. Again time seemed to slow down. Legolas thought he cried out in horror, but he could not tell. He turned as if almost nothing anyone said or did mattered to him. He fled with the rest of them out into the daylight ahead, and there he let go. He felt nothing, and did nothing. He just could not believe that Gandalf was gone.