Eli trudged down the path that wound its way around the lake, or, put more accurately, what was once the Sirannon Stream. On their way up from their campsite the previous night, Gandalf had been looking for Sirannon, which was supposed to have been a rather noisy little brook that led to the Gates of Moria. But the riverbed had been dry. Nonetheless, they pushed on, and finally found out why the Sirannon had dried up. It had been dammed, filling the little valley that stood before the Gates of Moria. As of the moment, they were walking round the northern edge to make their way towards where the Gates were located.
Eli took one look at the water, and immediately decided that there was no way she was going to stick so much as the toe of her boot in there, much less swim. The water looks worse than the polluted rivers back home, she thought. At least I know that there aren't any freaky mutants growing in the muck; but this is different. There's something in there, and whatever it is, its main diet is probably anything and everything that walks, talks and acts on its own will.
Ahead of them was a narrow creek that fed the waters of the lake, and Eli didn't like the looks of it either. The water was green, and looked like it stank horribly. She fell back a little so that she and Camille were walking side-by-side.
"I don't like the look of the water. The rivers back home were bad enough, but THIS is too much," muttered the auburn-haired girl.
"I know what you mean," Eli whispered, casting a glance at the darkening waters of the lake. "The water is not pure; it's been polluted. Not by trash or garbage, but by something else, something far more evil than that." She raised her voice a little more as Aragorn and Legolas came to walk beside them. "It's like the Sirannon was used to clean out the very pits of Hell itself. There's something evil lurking at the bottom of that lake, and I don't want to disturb it unless it comes for me by itself."
Aragorn nodded, his face grim. "I find myself agreeing with you, Eli. No one here knows what lies slumbering at the bottom of that foul dam, and it would be best for all of us not to wake it."
"But at least we are prepared for any eventualities," Legolas muttered, and he put a hand to his bow, and another to his knife. Meanwhile, Aragorn's hand strayed to the hilt of his sword, and Camille's hand imitated that gesture, unconsciously drifting to her bow.
Eli had to smile a little as her gaze drifted over to Camille's new-and-improved kodachi. They were more or less still the same Elven-blades that had been wrought by the Elven-smiths of Rivendell, but they had been infused with the power of the Spirits, and were more powerful than ever before. The scabbards were no longer wood, but bright gleaming silver shaped like serpents, inlaid with brilliant emeralds. The blades were the same, but now they were each etched with a snake running from the hilt all the way to the tip. Also, there were now tassels of bright green silk that dangled from the end of the hilts.
They had now come to the edge of the creek. Gimli was the first to cross, and they realized that the water was only ankle-deep. The rest of the Fellowship crossed it, though it seemed that none of them liked it, the Hobbits least of all, since they had to go through the icky water barefoot. Eli crossed over the stream, taking care lest she lost her balance, as the stones beneath were slimy and very slippery.
PLOP!!!!
Eli whirled to the lake, her now adrenaline-sensitized hearing picking up the sound of something bubbling up from the bottom of the lake. She looked, and noticed ripples slowly forming from the center of the lake, increasing in size as they reached the shore, lapping at the banks. High above them, the sun finally disappeared behind the mountains, and evening fell over the land.
Gandalf was now in a terrible hurry, and the rest of them had to catch up to him as quickly as they could. Not that it was easy. The terrain was littered with rocks and boulders, and getting around them was no easy feat. Gimli, being the Dwarf that he was, had no problems; and Legolas could easily leap over the stones without much trouble. But the Hobbits, Boromir and Aragorn were another story. While the two Men didn't need much help, Eli found herself stopping every once in a while to help one of the Halflings get on their feet again after tripping or slipping. She looked over at Camille, and noticed that her dear best friend was in the same predicament, tending to Pippin and Merry while Eli handled Frodo and Sam.
At long last, after much scrambling over rocks, the Fellowship reached the place Gandalf had been aiming for. It was a section of the cliffs where two huge holly trees grew, spreading their leaves upwards towards the now dark sky.
"Well, here we are at last!" declared Gandalf. He pointed to the space of cliff between the two trees. "Here the Elven-way from Hollin ended. Holly was the token of the people of that land, and they planted it here to mark the end of their domain; for the West-door was made chiefly for their use in their traffic with the Lords of Moria. Those were happier days, when there was still close friendship at times between folk of different races, even between Dwarves and Elves."
"It was not the fault of the Dwarves that the friendship waned," said Gimli.
"I have not heard that it was the fault of the Elves," Legolas retorted.
Knowing full well where this was going, Eli decided to speak up before all hell broke loose. "Alright you two, could you PLEASE quit it? This is the worst time for such an argument. Argue all you want about it later, when the Ring has been unmade." She sighed as she watched the Elf and the Dwarf glare at each other with hatred so intense that she could almost see sparks shoot between them. These two are going to be the death of me.
Camille approached Gandalf then. "What're we going to do now, Gandalf? I don't see any gates or doors anywhere nearby. How are we going to go into Moria if there is no entrance?"
Gandalf smiled at her. "I understand your curiosity my dear, for you most likely do not have such things where you are from. The Gates of Moria are hidden now, and shut tightly. We must find them quickly, for night is at hand!" He glanced at the others, and said, "While I am searching, I believe that it would be best for each of you to make ready to enter the Mines. And I fear that we must now bid farewell to our good beast of burden. Lay aside all the things you brought against cold weather, for we shall not need them in the Mines, and, hopefully, when we go to the South, where the climes are warmer. Each of us must take a share of what the pony carried, especially the food and water-skins."
A cry rose from Sam. "Do we really have to, Gandalf?! We CAN'T let Bill go, not with all these Wargs around!"
"Don't worry Sam, Bill will be okay," Eli soothed as she gave the Hobbit a reassuring touch on the shoulder. "Bill's a smart pony; he'll be able to make it out of here by himself. And besides, Camille got rid of most of the Wargs during our last camp, remember? They won't be bothering anyone or anything that used to go along with us, not for quite a while. Maybe during that time, Bill will be able to make it all the way to Rivendell."
The Hobbit she had been talking to fell silent, his head bowed. He obviously didn't like the idea of sending Bill off alone like that. But it had to be done. He heaved a sigh. "I suppose you are right."
Eli grinned. "He'll be fine." She approached the pony, and started to unload the goods on its back. Soon, she was being helped by Camille, then Boromir and Aragorn, and lastly by Sam himself.
When finally they had unloaded everything, they started to sort everything into different piles, assigning who would bring what and how much. Like Eli expected, she and Camille were going to carry the least burdens, but perhaps the most important: the water-skins. A man can live without food for a week or more, as long as there is water to drink, Eli thought, remembering that little tidbit of trivia. She glanced over at Gimli and Legolas, who were with Gandalf at that time. The Dwarf was tapping the rock between the trees with his axe, while Legolas had his ear pressed against it, as if listening for something on the other side. But I wonder if that goes the same for Dwarves and Elves? Since Legolas was an Elf, and thus, immortal, he really didn't need a lot of food or water or even sleep. Gimli, on the other hand, was a Dwarf, so his endurance was probably higher than normal.
But what about the Hobbits, I wonder? She gazed worriedly at Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, who were now sitting on the nearby boulders, arguing over whom amongst them would be bringing the food. She knew that they had extremely voracious appetites, and she was thinking how it would go with them to be without food for an awfully long while.
She sighed. But there are other, more important things that we need to think about right now. She sat down on the boulder with Camille, and they waited for Gandalf to finish whatever it was he was doing.
* * *
Camille sighed irritably as she looked at Gandalf, who was sitting beneath the two holly trees in front of the now-revealed Doors of Durin, their only entrance to Moria. What is taking him so long?!
Only earlier he had uncovered the outlines of an archway drawn in silver, with words written along the top and bottom in Elvish characters. There also, along the door, were drawn a crown surrounded by seven stars, beneath which were a hammer and an anvil. In the middle of the doors, over the crack, was drawn a single star with many rays. Around the star grew two trees bearing crescent moons. These were the many symbols and emblems of the many kingdoms of old: the crown with seven stars was the symbol of Elendil, the last noble High-King of Men; the anvil and hammer were the emblems of Durin, the last Lord of Moria; the two trees symbolized the High Elves; and the single star was that of Feanor, also a great leader of the Elves. The words beneath the doors ran thus when translated in Westron: "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."
But they currently had one little problem. Since the only way to open the Gates was to say the password, everyone had turned to Gimli, Aragorn and Gandalf to open them. Unfortunately, Gimli had absolutely no idea as to what the password could be, since he had never even been to Moria. He had only heard about it from old songs and legends that were passed down amongst the Dwarves over the generations. Aragorn had been there, but had crossed from the east side going west. The same could be said for Gandalf. But, being the Wizard that he was, Gandalf believed that he could find a way to open the Gates. With this thought in mind, Gandalf tried a couple of spells on it, but nothing worked. Right now, he was sitting in front of the Doors, trying to think of another way to get through.
Just then, a wind blew towards them from the West, and with it came the sound of wolves howling. Camille winced. Okay, so I DIDN'T exactly get all the Wargs. Bill the pony started in fear, but Sam quickly soothed him.
"Don't let Bill go so soon!" Boromir called. "It seems that we shall need him, if the wolves do not find us." He glared at the dark pool. After a moment, he picked up a stone, and threw it into the water. It hit the water with a splash.
Eli jumped up the moment she heard the sound of the stone hitting the water. "BOROMIR! Don't do that!!!" She walked up to him, and grabbed his hand before he could pitch another rock in. She eyed him angrily, her hazel eyes flashing. "Try that one more time, and I'll throw YOU in! There's something sitting at the bottom of that pool, and if it goes after us, I'm sure it won't mind having Gondorian on the menu tonight."
Camille's temper had reached its limits. She got up, and walked over to Gandalf. He was still staring blankly at the wall, and she wasn't even sure if he was actually thinking. She stared hard at the Elvish characters. She repeated what they said in her mind. The Doors or Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter… After a moment's thought, she laughed. "Oh God, I don't believe it! I can't believe we were so stupid!"
Gandalf woke up from his stupor, and looked at her. "What do you mean, Camille?"
Camille pointed to the Elvish characters. "It's a riddle, or, put more accurately, a trick question. If we were to translate it literally, it won't be 'Speak, friend,' but 'SAY friend'! And the Elvish word for 'friend' is 'MELLON'!"
The moment she said the word, the drawings and characters of ithildin glowed brightly in the moon's light, and the doors started to open with a long, slow groan, swinging outwards inch by inch until they stopped against the wall. From within, Camille could see a lonely stairway that led ever upwards into the gloom.
Gandalf stared at the now-open doors, and let out a loud laugh of relief and amazement. "Well, this is the first time for this to have happened! A young girl from another world who has no knowledge about our lore here in Middle-Earth has solved a riddle that not even Gandalf the Gray could answer! You are truly an extraordinary girl, my dear." He turned towards the entrance, and called to the others. "Now come! We have a long journey ahead of us!"
He had barely set foot on the lowest step, when the pool behind them let out a violent bubbling sound. Almost instantly, snake-like extensions rose up from the murk, and grabbed Frodo by the foot, dragging him towards the water.
"FRODO!!!" Camille screamed as she ran towards the edge of the lake, and got her bow off her shoulders. She nocked an arrow, and started firing as many arrows as she could. She was soon joined by Legolas, the both of them aiming for the tentacle that had grabbed Frodo. But it was no good. Not even the arrows created by Suzako could pierce through the skin.
Camille cursed. Damn! This squid is just too tough to beat with arrows! Deciding that she shouldn't waste her only long-range weapon, she unsheathed her kodachi, and raced towards the squid, ready to chop off all the tentacles if she had to.
But Eli was already there ahead of them. She had been using her kunai, tossing it all over the place, and she noticed several daggers sticking out of the tentacles. A flash of silver flickered in the moonlight, and she saw her best friend slicing through the tentacles, cutting through the flesh with ease.
"Eli, go get Frodo! I'll handle the rest down here!" Camille yelled, and she started leaping over the tentacles, chopping any that threatened to come in her way.
High above her, Eli jumped over the tentacles, using them as springboards so that she would be able to reach Frodo. The moment she got to him, she grasped his hand in a vise-like grip, and sliced the tentacle off his foot. Eli then started to make her way back, with Camille covering for them since Eli had to hold Frodo.
Gandalf was standing at the entrance, apparently waiting for them. The rest of the Fellowship was already inside, but they still waited anxiously for the Ringbearer and the Summoners. Camille and Eli rushed in, Frodo in Eli's arms. They had barely gotten inside when the doors came crashing down, the stone crumbling over the entrance, barring any way of escape.
Gandalf sighed, and shook his head. "Our passage is blocked behind now, and there is only one way out – on the other side of the mountains. I fear from the sounds that boulders have been piled up, and the trees uprooted and thrown across the gate."
Camille rolled her eyes. Oh great, this is just great. We have no method of escape, and we're going to have to go through this dark dank mine… She shivered, and sneezed. "Damn, this place is cold! I want to get out of here as soon as possible."
"But it's not the cold that bothers me," Eli whispered as she focused her gaze deep into the gloom ahead of them. "I can feel something in there, and it isn't going to be pretty." She fell silent for a moment, and in a lower voice, she added, "It feels like that presence in the lake, only infinitely worse. Not Orcs…though they could be here, too…but something more wicked than that."
Gandalf nodded, moving ahead of them and sparking his staff to be their light. "You speak truly, Eli. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."
Camille shivered again, but this time not of the cold, but out of a strange fear that crept up her spine and chilled her from the inside. "I just hope we won't meet up with any of them."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: O-kay, this seems to be going pretty well so far. This story is getting harder and harder to write by the second, since there hasn't been a romantic scene for quite a while, and those are my specialties sniff, sniff. But I think trying to write all these action scenes is doing me good; I'm actually forced to write something more than sappiness and mush. But for people who like sap and romance, DON'T WORRY! There's going to be quite a bit of it coming your way soon! Just have patience with this poor author bows head to floor!