THE DAYSTAR
BY: GABRIELLA THE FAIR
Chapter 11
THE WORST ENEMY
"What was she like, how would you explain her?" With a faraway smile, he looked up to the sky and answered, "She was the Daystar, lighting up the day during our darkest hour, warming the earth with her love." "She is as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as glorious as an army under one banner"
To most she was a loving friend, her fairness lighting up the world, no matter what the weather. To some a companion, and one a lover and dream. Yet, many feared her dignity in her footsteps, power in her stride, and authority in her eyes. This is her story.
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"Help."
Raquel sputtered. She fell, and fell, and seemed to fall forever, until she hit water, or to her felt like a slap on the back. Then her mouth filled with thick, foul tasting liquid.
"Someone get her! Hurry!"
Raquel felt strong hands wrap around her and lift her up. She tried to open her eyes, but something blocked her view. When she tried to breathe in, all she could do was cough and spew water.
"Is she dead?" asked a voice, obviously worried.
"No, she is trying to breathe, Raquel can you hear me?" Aragorn's voice
Again, Raquel tried to open her eyes, and this time it worked. Around her were Aragorn, two hobbits, and Legolas. She tried to breathe again but started to cough, so she sat up, coughing water.
"Are you ok, Raquel?" Pippin came up and looked at her sadly, so much it would have broken her heart.
"Yes, I am fine, just a little water, nothing to worry about." she replied though she had to stop many times to catch her breath. Gandalf then walked to her.
"Ah, good, you are fine, here is a little update, we have been locked in the Mines, for the Watcher closed them, and now we must go through the Mines."
She stood up and tried to stand, but ended up almost falling over, but Boromir and Legolas caught her.
"You were right Raquel, we should have listened to you." Legolas whispered in her ear, "I am now sorry I did not."
"You did all you could, and if I am right, it was you that saved me, hitting that, thing." said she, "And you saved me up on the hill with the Wargs, I forgot to thank you." she looked up and smiled at him wearily.
"Your welcome." he said softly, smiling at her.
"Well we are right in the front of the doors, so let us sit here and let Raquel rest, and then I will turn on a light."
Raquel sat down with a sigh and she sat there rubbing her neck.
"Sunstone! Where is Sunstone!" she tried to stand up, but Aragorn stopped her.
"It is right here." he handed her Sunstone, already cleaned, though it was not sheathed. "Thank you Aragorn." she said.
He just nodded and looked at his own sword, "I know you would rather die then lose Sunstone, so I grabbed it when it fell." said he.
"Well, how are you feeling Raquel, could you go now?" Gandalf asked. "I am feeling better, and yes I can travel."
"Good, then lets get started, and get this over with." he added under his breath.
They all got up and got their packs, and when no one was looking, Raquel took a tiny sip of her miruvor, just enough to take the burning taste out of her mouth.
"Who is to lead us?" Boromir asked.
"I will, just follow my staff"
"Soon, mister elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone! This is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"
Gandalf banged his staff on the ground, and a light illuminated from the crystal he had placed in the center. What the Company saw on the ground before them haunted their dreams henceforth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is no mine, it's a tomb."
As they looked around, they saw skeletons scattered on the ground before them. "No!" Gimli ran to one of the skeletons.
Bending down next to Raquel, Legolas pulled out an arrow in one of the hideous things. "Goblins!" he whispered up to her, giving her the arrow to examine.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan! We should never have come here! Get out! Get out!" Boromir yelled.
"I sheathed you all to soon, Sunstone." Raquel whispered, loosening the sword in its sheath.
"Now we have but one choice. 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. It is a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope our presence may go unnoticed." Gandalf whispered to them, looking each of them in the face.
So with that, they set out, trying hard to do so quietly, though Gimli could be heard, weeping softly to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They walked on for hours, stopping only for a short rest, and then continuing again. In front walked Gandalf with his staff and sword, Glamdring at hand. Then came Gimli, Frodo, with Sting drawn, Legolas, Merry and Pippin, Raquel, with Sunstone drawn and her bow strung, and Boromir. Lastly came Aragorn, grim and silent.
The road was twisty and steep, for they climbed many a stair. Gandalf had the aid of Gimli in many parts, though Gandalf always made the final decision.
"I'm hungry." Raquel heard Pippin say softly in front of her.
"Well, to bad, we are going to travel for a long while, so forget about food!" Merry scolded. Pippin muttered under his breath and Merry punched him in the arm.
Raquel sighed and looked at her surrondings. The dark to her was unnerving, always seemed like it had something to hide. From the light Gandalf held, she could see the vastness of the place, the intricate carvings and beautiful metal designs.
"This was probably a beautiful place of old." Raquel whispered, though the rocks magnified it. "Yes, beautiful indeed, but what happened is but a mystery." Gimli whispered back.
So they traveled still, for many more hours, climbing up a very steep step which led them into a room Gandalf could not remember. It was a room that opened into three arches, going in three different directions.
"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf announced, and sat down on a rock
"Are we lost?" Pippin asked
"No, we're not lost." Merry answered, sounding quite annoyed.
"I think we're lost."
"Quiet, Gandalf's thinking." said Merry.
"Merry? I'm hungry." Pippin said softly.
Raquel dug in her pack and got out some bread.
"Here Pippin, it is not much, but you can have it." Raquel handed him her bread.
"Thanks!" Pippin took the bread and ate it quickly, Raquel watched him smiling.
When Raquel got back up to go back to where she was standing, she saw Frodo looking around cautiously.
"What is wrong Frodo?"
"There's something down there." said he.
Raquel got up and walked to the end of the room, looking down over the step. She spotted nothing and heard nothing, though her instincts told her to believe Frodo.
"Come here Frodo" she beckoned to him and he got up and walked to her.
"Close yours eyes, look down there, and tell me what you see." she told him.
"But if I close my eyes I can't see anything." said Frodo.
"Trust me, just do it" she pointed down the stair.
He closed his eyes and looked down, "I see nothing."
"Think Frodo, what do you see?"
He sat silent for some time, but then answered, "I see bright lights, like two lanterns."
Raquel nodded, "Come with me." she lead him up to the place where Gandalf sat.
"Gandalf, Frodo says he has seen something following us." Raquel said.
"It's Gollum. He's been following us for three days." Gandalf said without even looking at her.
"That is what I thought but I did not want to assume." Raquel shook her head and sighed.
"He escaped from the dungeons of Barad-dûr!" Frodo's eyes went huge.
"Escaped, or was set loose?" Raquel whispered
"Gollum hates and loves the ring, as he hates and loves himself. He will never be free of his need for it." Gandalf said, sighing.
"Pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo said angrily.
"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many who live deserve death, and some who die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends, but my heart tells me that Gollum still has a part to play, for good or ill. Before this is over, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many." Gandalf looked at Frodo kindly.
"Even the wisest cannot tell, is that the saying Gandalf?" Raquel asked, turning back around.
"Yes, it is, you have obviously made my sayings a study."
"Some of them are mine."
"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened." Frodo whispered. They turned their attention back to him.
"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given. There are other forces at work in the world than the will of evil." Gandalf paused and Raquel spoke.
"Time is our worst enemy, it deceives even the wisest" she said.
Gandalf smiled, "I am assuming you made that one up."
"Yes, I did."
Gandalf again turned back to Frodo.
"Bilbo was meant to find the ring, which means that you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought. Ah! It's this way."
"He's remembered!" Merry jumped up.
"No, but the air smells less foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Gandalf chuckled and put on his hat, leading the Company down to a new path.
"Let me risk a little more light." he banged his staff on the ground and spoke, light filled the cavern that they stood in. It was all held up with beautifully carved pillars.
"Behold! The great realm of the dwarven city of Dwarrowdelf." Raquel looked around and held her breath.
"Well, that's an eye-opener and no mistake!" Sam said, and Raquel smiled.
"It is good to have hobbits on this trip, they can lighten even the darkest of hearts." Raquel whispered to Aragorn. He nodded and smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
They traveled for two more hours before stopping for a real rest. It was an old guardroom, with a pit in the middle that used to be a well. Pippin walked straight to the well, but Aragorn stopped him.
"It does not have a lid, so be careful."
Pippin only nodded, he wanted to see the well for some strange reason. He got on his hands and knees and crawled over to the edge, a chill blast of air struck his face. Pippin then grabbed for a stone, out of some instant impulse, and dropped it down the well. After several seconds, they all heard a plunk, like the stone had hit water, though the sound was magnified severely, and it echoed many times.
"What was that?" Gandalf jumped up and ran over to Pippin. When Pippin told him what he did, Gandalf only replied,
"Fool of a Took! This is a serious journey, not a hobbit-walking party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance." "Now keep quiet!"
They then heard a sound, a hammer tapping in the distance, though it echoed and echoed, but died away.
"That was a hammer." Gimli whispered.
"Let us hope that it was no signal of any kind for Peregrin's foolish act. You Pippin can have the first watch!" he said, rolling over on is side.
After about an hour, Gandalf got up and took over watch, telling Pippin he couldn't sleep. He then got out his pipe and had a smoke.
He roused them in six hours, letting them sleep for as long as time allowed. "I have decided on a course, we will go right."
So they went to the right hand passage, and traveled for as long as the hobbits could endure. They soon came to a room where the walls on the left and right disappeared.
"I choose rightly, we are higher up then the Dimrill Gate, but we will stop here for now." They slept that night in a corner of the cavernous hall, huddled close together to escape the wind that blew in through a crack in the wall. Gimli started to talk of Moria, of the mithril found there and sang a song of Moria. Finally everyone started to drift into sleep. Frodo had watch, but was relieved by Legolas after some hours. Raquel could not sleep, many times she turned over and stared at her surroundings. Finally, she just got up and leaned her back against the wall. "What is wrong?" Legolas asked her softly.
"I cannot sleep, but I will take guard for you." she offered.
"No, thank you, but I am fine."
They sat there until morning, when everyone else woke up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After breakfast they set out again, making for the eastward arch. They traveled under the northern arch when they found a room. It was lit by a open shaft from above, and fell straight onto a stone table that stood in front of them.
"It looks like a tomb." Frodo whispered.
On the slab, ruins were carved.
"This is what it says," Gandalf spoke, "Balin son of Fundin, Lord of Moria."
"He is dead then, it is as I thought." Raquel whispered to no one in particular.
Gimli put his hood over his head.
_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_- =_-=_-=_-=
Hey, so more to come latta. how was it? pleaz R&R if u can! next chapter- Balin's tomb and maybe the bridge of Khazad-Dum. What else? my new fic, im still lookin for ppl if you want to join the the fellowship or stuff like that. I want to thank Jadestone and everyone else that reviews, I really appreciate it guys, yes more is coming and im working as quickly as I can, it takes like a couple hours to write each of these! lol, yea, peace out to everyone. *~*~*Gabi*~*~*
"What was she like, how would you explain her?" With a faraway smile, he looked up to the sky and answered, "She was the Daystar, lighting up the day during our darkest hour, warming the earth with her love." "She is as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as glorious as an army under one banner"
To most she was a loving friend, her fairness lighting up the world, no matter what the weather. To some a companion, and one a lover and dream. Yet, many feared her dignity in her footsteps, power in her stride, and authority in her eyes. This is her story.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Help."
Raquel sputtered. She fell, and fell, and seemed to fall forever, until she hit water, or to her felt like a slap on the back. Then her mouth filled with thick, foul tasting liquid.
"Someone get her! Hurry!"
Raquel felt strong hands wrap around her and lift her up. She tried to open her eyes, but something blocked her view. When she tried to breathe in, all she could do was cough and spew water.
"Is she dead?" asked a voice, obviously worried.
"No, she is trying to breathe, Raquel can you hear me?" Aragorn's voice
Again, Raquel tried to open her eyes, and this time it worked. Around her were Aragorn, two hobbits, and Legolas. She tried to breathe again but started to cough, so she sat up, coughing water.
"Are you ok, Raquel?" Pippin came up and looked at her sadly, so much it would have broken her heart.
"Yes, I am fine, just a little water, nothing to worry about." she replied though she had to stop many times to catch her breath. Gandalf then walked to her.
"Ah, good, you are fine, here is a little update, we have been locked in the Mines, for the Watcher closed them, and now we must go through the Mines."
She stood up and tried to stand, but ended up almost falling over, but Boromir and Legolas caught her.
"You were right Raquel, we should have listened to you." Legolas whispered in her ear, "I am now sorry I did not."
"You did all you could, and if I am right, it was you that saved me, hitting that, thing." said she, "And you saved me up on the hill with the Wargs, I forgot to thank you." she looked up and smiled at him wearily.
"Your welcome." he said softly, smiling at her.
"Well we are right in the front of the doors, so let us sit here and let Raquel rest, and then I will turn on a light."
Raquel sat down with a sigh and she sat there rubbing her neck.
"Sunstone! Where is Sunstone!" she tried to stand up, but Aragorn stopped her.
"It is right here." he handed her Sunstone, already cleaned, though it was not sheathed. "Thank you Aragorn." she said.
He just nodded and looked at his own sword, "I know you would rather die then lose Sunstone, so I grabbed it when it fell." said he.
"Well, how are you feeling Raquel, could you go now?" Gandalf asked. "I am feeling better, and yes I can travel."
"Good, then lets get started, and get this over with." he added under his breath.
They all got up and got their packs, and when no one was looking, Raquel took a tiny sip of her miruvor, just enough to take the burning taste out of her mouth.
"Who is to lead us?" Boromir asked.
"I will, just follow my staff"
"Soon, mister elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone! This is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"
Gandalf banged his staff on the ground, and a light illuminated from the crystal he had placed in the center. What the Company saw on the ground before them haunted their dreams henceforth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is no mine, it's a tomb."
As they looked around, they saw skeletons scattered on the ground before them. "No!" Gimli ran to one of the skeletons.
Bending down next to Raquel, Legolas pulled out an arrow in one of the hideous things. "Goblins!" he whispered up to her, giving her the arrow to examine.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan! We should never have come here! Get out! Get out!" Boromir yelled.
"I sheathed you all to soon, Sunstone." Raquel whispered, loosening the sword in its sheath.
"Now we have but one choice. 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. It is a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope our presence may go unnoticed." Gandalf whispered to them, looking each of them in the face.
So with that, they set out, trying hard to do so quietly, though Gimli could be heard, weeping softly to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They walked on for hours, stopping only for a short rest, and then continuing again. In front walked Gandalf with his staff and sword, Glamdring at hand. Then came Gimli, Frodo, with Sting drawn, Legolas, Merry and Pippin, Raquel, with Sunstone drawn and her bow strung, and Boromir. Lastly came Aragorn, grim and silent.
The road was twisty and steep, for they climbed many a stair. Gandalf had the aid of Gimli in many parts, though Gandalf always made the final decision.
"I'm hungry." Raquel heard Pippin say softly in front of her.
"Well, to bad, we are going to travel for a long while, so forget about food!" Merry scolded. Pippin muttered under his breath and Merry punched him in the arm.
Raquel sighed and looked at her surrondings. The dark to her was unnerving, always seemed like it had something to hide. From the light Gandalf held, she could see the vastness of the place, the intricate carvings and beautiful metal designs.
"This was probably a beautiful place of old." Raquel whispered, though the rocks magnified it. "Yes, beautiful indeed, but what happened is but a mystery." Gimli whispered back.
So they traveled still, for many more hours, climbing up a very steep step which led them into a room Gandalf could not remember. It was a room that opened into three arches, going in three different directions.
"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf announced, and sat down on a rock
"Are we lost?" Pippin asked
"No, we're not lost." Merry answered, sounding quite annoyed.
"I think we're lost."
"Quiet, Gandalf's thinking." said Merry.
"Merry? I'm hungry." Pippin said softly.
Raquel dug in her pack and got out some bread.
"Here Pippin, it is not much, but you can have it." Raquel handed him her bread.
"Thanks!" Pippin took the bread and ate it quickly, Raquel watched him smiling.
When Raquel got back up to go back to where she was standing, she saw Frodo looking around cautiously.
"What is wrong Frodo?"
"There's something down there." said he.
Raquel got up and walked to the end of the room, looking down over the step. She spotted nothing and heard nothing, though her instincts told her to believe Frodo.
"Come here Frodo" she beckoned to him and he got up and walked to her.
"Close yours eyes, look down there, and tell me what you see." she told him.
"But if I close my eyes I can't see anything." said Frodo.
"Trust me, just do it" she pointed down the stair.
He closed his eyes and looked down, "I see nothing."
"Think Frodo, what do you see?"
He sat silent for some time, but then answered, "I see bright lights, like two lanterns."
Raquel nodded, "Come with me." she lead him up to the place where Gandalf sat.
"Gandalf, Frodo says he has seen something following us." Raquel said.
"It's Gollum. He's been following us for three days." Gandalf said without even looking at her.
"That is what I thought but I did not want to assume." Raquel shook her head and sighed.
"He escaped from the dungeons of Barad-dûr!" Frodo's eyes went huge.
"Escaped, or was set loose?" Raquel whispered
"Gollum hates and loves the ring, as he hates and loves himself. He will never be free of his need for it." Gandalf said, sighing.
"Pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo said angrily.
"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many who live deserve death, and some who die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends, but my heart tells me that Gollum still has a part to play, for good or ill. Before this is over, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many." Gandalf looked at Frodo kindly.
"Even the wisest cannot tell, is that the saying Gandalf?" Raquel asked, turning back around.
"Yes, it is, you have obviously made my sayings a study."
"Some of them are mine."
"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened." Frodo whispered. They turned their attention back to him.
"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given. There are other forces at work in the world than the will of evil." Gandalf paused and Raquel spoke.
"Time is our worst enemy, it deceives even the wisest" she said.
Gandalf smiled, "I am assuming you made that one up."
"Yes, I did."
Gandalf again turned back to Frodo.
"Bilbo was meant to find the ring, which means that you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought. Ah! It's this way."
"He's remembered!" Merry jumped up.
"No, but the air smells less foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Gandalf chuckled and put on his hat, leading the Company down to a new path.
"Let me risk a little more light." he banged his staff on the ground and spoke, light filled the cavern that they stood in. It was all held up with beautifully carved pillars.
"Behold! The great realm of the dwarven city of Dwarrowdelf." Raquel looked around and held her breath.
"Well, that's an eye-opener and no mistake!" Sam said, and Raquel smiled.
"It is good to have hobbits on this trip, they can lighten even the darkest of hearts." Raquel whispered to Aragorn. He nodded and smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
They traveled for two more hours before stopping for a real rest. It was an old guardroom, with a pit in the middle that used to be a well. Pippin walked straight to the well, but Aragorn stopped him.
"It does not have a lid, so be careful."
Pippin only nodded, he wanted to see the well for some strange reason. He got on his hands and knees and crawled over to the edge, a chill blast of air struck his face. Pippin then grabbed for a stone, out of some instant impulse, and dropped it down the well. After several seconds, they all heard a plunk, like the stone had hit water, though the sound was magnified severely, and it echoed many times.
"What was that?" Gandalf jumped up and ran over to Pippin. When Pippin told him what he did, Gandalf only replied,
"Fool of a Took! This is a serious journey, not a hobbit-walking party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance." "Now keep quiet!"
They then heard a sound, a hammer tapping in the distance, though it echoed and echoed, but died away.
"That was a hammer." Gimli whispered.
"Let us hope that it was no signal of any kind for Peregrin's foolish act. You Pippin can have the first watch!" he said, rolling over on is side.
After about an hour, Gandalf got up and took over watch, telling Pippin he couldn't sleep. He then got out his pipe and had a smoke.
He roused them in six hours, letting them sleep for as long as time allowed. "I have decided on a course, we will go right."
So they went to the right hand passage, and traveled for as long as the hobbits could endure. They soon came to a room where the walls on the left and right disappeared.
"I choose rightly, we are higher up then the Dimrill Gate, but we will stop here for now." They slept that night in a corner of the cavernous hall, huddled close together to escape the wind that blew in through a crack in the wall. Gimli started to talk of Moria, of the mithril found there and sang a song of Moria. Finally everyone started to drift into sleep. Frodo had watch, but was relieved by Legolas after some hours. Raquel could not sleep, many times she turned over and stared at her surroundings. Finally, she just got up and leaned her back against the wall. "What is wrong?" Legolas asked her softly.
"I cannot sleep, but I will take guard for you." she offered.
"No, thank you, but I am fine."
They sat there until morning, when everyone else woke up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After breakfast they set out again, making for the eastward arch. They traveled under the northern arch when they found a room. It was lit by a open shaft from above, and fell straight onto a stone table that stood in front of them.
"It looks like a tomb." Frodo whispered.
On the slab, ruins were carved.
"This is what it says," Gandalf spoke, "Balin son of Fundin, Lord of Moria."
"He is dead then, it is as I thought." Raquel whispered to no one in particular.
Gimli put his hood over his head.
_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_-=_- =_-=_-=_-=
Hey, so more to come latta. how was it? pleaz R&R if u can! next chapter- Balin's tomb and maybe the bridge of Khazad-Dum. What else? my new fic, im still lookin for ppl if you want to join the the fellowship or stuff like that. I want to thank Jadestone and everyone else that reviews, I really appreciate it guys, yes more is coming and im working as quickly as I can, it takes like a couple hours to write each of these! lol, yea, peace out to everyone. *~*~*Gabi*~*~*