May it Be
By Siren
Hey guys! You'll find out what's happening to Lily in Lothlorien. Actually, you'll find out quite a bit about Lily in Lothlorien. But rest assured, she will not turn out to be an elf. No offense, but I like her as a human girl with flaws. Anyway, on with the story! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was cold.
She was in pain.
She wanted to die.
Lily didn't know where she was, or what was happening to her, but she knew she wanted it to stop. It felt as though something was tearing her apart, and it was killing her. Something warm was being draped over her, but it was too hot. She thrashed about, desperate to get away from the searing heat. But as soon as it disappeared, she was freezing. Someone was whispering to her in elvish, but it was being drowned out by the other voices. The voices that were scolding her for something.
Legolas sighed as he watched over her. After she had screamed, she had begun to thrash about wildly, fending off any who touched her. Boromir and Aragorn had to hold her down while Legolas forced her to drink a liquid of sedation. Even that had not calmed her completely, and his worry grew. Something was torturing her, and he wanted desperately to help her. But nothing he did seemed to help. He tried a few elvish healing incantations, but they had no effect on her. Something was blocking him from reaching her.
Seeing her shiver, he draped a blanket over her, only to have it kicked off as though it burned. As soon as the blanket left her body, she began to shiver violently. He gathered her into his arms and murmured gentle encouragements into her ear. Every so often he would kiss her temple and smooth her hair, hoping his gentle ministrations would help. She seemed to calm a bit at his touch, but it wasn't enough to help her relax completely. He didn't know how to help her, and that frightened him. "Lily, what's happening to you?" he asked quietly. Receiving no answer, he held her tighter.
"What's wrong with her Gandalf? Was she poisoned?" Aragorn pressed the old wizard for an answer. He simply shook his head. "I don't know. I have never seen anything like this before. And as for her being poisoned, I find it unlikely. She was not harmed by anything poisonous, and she ate nothing that could harm her. Her illness is a mystery to me, my friends." Pippin whimpered at Lily's distraught form, and hugged Merry tightly. "It's okay, Pip. She'll be okay." Frodo thought for a moment. "What was the name of that herb you gave me, Strider?"
Aragorn looked at the small hobbit. "King's foil, but she was not harmed by a Ring-Wraith, Frodo." The hobbit sighed. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Boromir watched Lily gravely. "She needs a healer and quickly. I fear our companion is fading." This only made Pippin whimper louder. "We must continue through these mines as quickly as possible then. Legolas, get ready to leave." The elf nodded, and gathered Lily into his arms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They soon came to a hallway that split into several corridors. Gandalf frowned. "I have no memory of this place." The wizard sat down and searched his mind for the answers, while the others sat down to wait. Legolas propped Lily up against the wall, and ripped a piece of his tunic off. He wiped the sweat away from her face gently, watching for any sign that she might awaken.
"You care for her." Legolas nodded, not looking up from his task. Gimli sat down next to him. "Elves will always be a wonder to me. I had always thought that your kind cared nothing of others, and simply wished to frolic and play in the trees." The elf's jaw clenched, and he tried his best to keep his anger in check. "Unless you have something useful to say, than please do not bother me." Gimli smirked, and clapped a hand on the elf's shoulder. "As you wish, Master Elf."
Legolas brushed Lily's damp hair away from her face, his eyes filled with concern. She stirred a bit, and opened her eyes. He was shocked at what he saw. Her once dark gray eyes were pale now, almost silver. "Legolas?" she croaked. He smiled with relief and nodded. "I'm here mellon." He touched her cheek gently and saw her flinch at the contact. "Gandalf, she's awake!" The others quickly rushed over, and the wizard knelt next to her. "Lily, how do you feel?"
She stared at him a moment before answering. "Half dead," she answered truthfully. Gandalf frowned and pressed a hand to her forehead. She was still cold as ice. "What happened?" Lily shook her head. "The voices...they're angry with me. They're yelling at me, punishing me for something," she muttered. Legolas looked at Gandalf. "Voices? The voices of who?" Lily shook her head again. "Too many to tell. They're so angry...I didn't mean to make anyone angry." The old wizard stroked her cheek gently. "Of course you didn't, my dear. What are they angry about?"
The mortal girl shut her eyes tightly against the pain. "I don't know. They're all speaking at once, I can't concentrate." Gandalf sighed and nodded. "We must not waste anymore time in these mines. She needs a healer quickly. Lily, can you stand?" She bit back a cry and shook her head. "I can't move, I'm sorry." Legolas brushed the hair away from her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for mellon." He picked her up, and her head lolled on his shoulder limply. "Legolas?" He looked down at her. "Am I going insane?" The elf forced a smile. "You're asking me this now? I always thought you were a bit crazy," he teased. Lily smiled weakly and closed her eyes. "You're one odd elf." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They had been traveling for a few hours, but at a fairly quick pace. The others were ecstatic when Gandalf announced that he knew which corridor to choose, simply using his nose. Lily had to agree with him though; the air was much fresher in the path they had chosen. Every so often the voices would dominate her mind, leaving her no room to think or listen to those around her. She would slip in and out of consciousness, worrying the rest of the Fellowship.
Walking down one hallway, Gimli let out a cry and ran into a room. He knelt in front of a stone coffin, and wept. The others entered the room silently, watching the poor dwarf mourn. Gandalf read the inscription on the coffin. It belonged to Balin, Gimli's cousin. Lily frowned, her heart breaking for him. "Gimli..." she called out to him faintly. The dwarf's shoulders shook as he cried, and she couldn't help but reach out to him. "Gimli, come here," she said softly. The dwarf stepped away from the coffin and stepped towards her.
She reached out a hand from Legolas's arms, which the dwarf gladly took. She gave it a gentle squeeze, and whispered her condolences. "I'm so sorry Gimli. I was looking forward to meeting such an astounding dwarf. If he's anything like you, I think I would have liked him," she whispered with a slight smile. Gimli's chest swelled with pride. "You would have been very fond of him, milady. And very proud." Lily nodded. Gandalf began to read from a journal that was found in a skeleton's grasp.
"We cannot get out...they are coming. We cannot get out." Gandalf sighed. "We cannot linger," she heard Legolas whisper sharply to Aragorn. "Give the guy a break, Legolas. His cousin is dead." Legolas opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of something falling cut him off. Lily watched a skeleton near a well drop, and Pippin cringed at each sound it made. Once they were certain that everything was still peaceful and quiet, Gandalf turned his furious gaze on the young hobbit. "Throw yourself in next time, you fool of a Took, and rid us of your stupidity!" Lily frowned at the harsh comment. "Pippin, come here." The hobbit scurried over to her, and she grabbed his hand protectively. "Don't listen to him, okay? I don't think you're stupid."
Just as Pippin was about to thank her, they heard something. It was very faint at first, but than it grew louder. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boromir moved to look out of the room. "Orcs!" Legolas sneered in disgust. Boromir looked out of the room, only to have an arrow nearly strike his head. He jerked back, and with the help of Aragorn, shut the doors. "They have a cave troll," he announced. Legolas handed Lily over to Gandalf, who put her under a ledge and gave her a sword. "Protect yourself if you must," he whispered. Lily nodded, and gripped the heavy weapon weakly.
The orcs began to tear at the doors while Aragorn and Legolas fired arrows at them. Soon the doors were thrown apart, and orcs flooded the room. Lily remained hidden, but gasped when she saw what followed the monsters. A huge troll, at least ten feet tall, walked into the room. He carried a heavy mace made of stone, and swung it at everything that moved. She let out a cry as a hot pain seared through her head, and she shut her eyes tightly.
When she opened them, she saw that the Troll had cornered Frodo. It drew back its spear, and thrust it into the hobbit's chest. Lily breathed heavily at the sight of it, and screamed. Just as suddenly as she had seen it, she was back in reality. "Frodo," she whispered. She tried to sit up, but she had no strength to do it. "Please, please don't hurt him! I can't let him die!" she muttered sharply to herself. Ignoring the massive pain she felt shoot through her body, she forced herself to stand.
Her eyes scanned the chaos for the hobbit, and she gasped when she found him. He was cornered, just as he was in her vision. She dragged herself toward him, panting. "Frodo!" she screamed over the battle. Frodo's eyes were wide with fright as he looked for a way to escape. The troll hissed at him, and drew back its spear. "No! Frodo!" She cried out as her legs gave out, unable to support her. She fell on her stomach, and pushed herself up to see the spear thrust into Frodo's chest. Tears stung her eyes as she screamed his name.
Her companions heard the scream, and saw Frodo crumple to the ground. "Frodo!" Merry and Pippin attacked the troll viciously, slashing their swords into its flesh. Legolas shot his arrows, while Gimli hacked away at it with his axe. Aragorn gained consciousness just in time to see the troll fall. "Frodo!" Aragorn looked at his fallen friend, and felt guilt and sorrow grip his heart. "Oh no..." he whispered. He turned the hobbit over, expecting to find a bloody mess.
Instead, Frodo gasped for air, and coughed a few times. "I'm alright, I'm not hurt," he assured him. Aragorn looked at him with wide eyes. "You should be dead. That weapon could have skewered a wild boar!" Gandalf smiled at the hobbit with proud eyes. "I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye," he said with a knowing smile. Lily caught a glance of something shiny beneath his shirt. "Mythril..." Gimli muttered in awe.
"Is he alright?" she yelled. Legolas looked at the fallen girl, and quickly rushed to her side. He turned her onto her back, his eyes roaming her for sign of injury. "I'm fine, is Frodo okay?" The elf nodded. "He is fine." The screeching of orcs filled the room, and Gandalf ushered them out. With Lily in Legolas's arms, they ran down the hallways and twisting corridors. Lily cringed as the hallways suddenly seemed to become much hotter. A roar echoed in the caverns, and Gandalf's eyes widened.
Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, prepared to fight whatever was coming. "This foe is beyond all of you. Swords will not help you now. Run!" Lily heard the voices fill her head again, and now they were screaming. "Lily?" She couldn't hear him, the voices were too loud. They came to a broken bridge. Legolas held Lily tightly, and jumped across. He landed gracefully, and put Lily down. "Just hand on to something until the others are across." He motioned for Gandalf to jump, and he caught him easily.
Next, Boromir grabbed Merry, Pippin and Sam and leapt across. They landed without much of a problem. Aragorn moved to pick up Gimli, but his pride got the better of him. "Nobody tosses the dwarf!" he shouted, and jumped across. He slipped, causing Lily to panic for a moment. But Legolas came to the rescue and grabbed his beard, pulling him up. "Not the beard!" he protested. Aragorn and Frodo moved to jump, but their half of the bridge broke and they were now swaying dangerously.
Lily stared at her friends with wide eyes. "Frodo! Aragorn!" Aragorn gripped Frodo's shirt, and they leaned forward a bit. Just before they crashed, they jumped. Boromir caught Frodo, while Legolas caught the ranger. Lily gasped as a wave of heat passed by her. "Run!" Legolas grabbed Lily and lifted her into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all. She cried out as her head began to pound painfully. Her eyes flew open, and she watched as Gandalf fell into a black abyss.
The vision passed, and Lily realized that they were almost out of the mines. They could see sunlight filtering into the caverns, and her heart filled with hope. They were going to make it! They were going to get out of this alive! Legolas ran up the steps to the light, but Lily saw that Gandalf would not follow. He stood on the bridge defiantly, his sword drawn and held in front of him. It was than that Lily saw the creature that nightmares were made of.
Flames crawled about its body, and two massive black horns sprung from his head. He breathed fire and smoke, and his roar shook the walls around him. Legolas stopped running, as did the others. They all watched with wide eyes as the creature took out a whip of flames, and snapped it menacingly. The old wizard shouted to the demon, almost daring it to attack.
It cracked the whip at Gandalf, and a bright light filled the room. At first Lily feared the worst, but she smiled when she saw that he was still standing. He raised his staff and sword, shouted something to the demon, and slammed his weapons onto the bridge. The creature seemed to scoff at him, and took a step forward. But the bridge beneath him cracked and crumbled, sending the demon to the black abyss below. Gandalf smiled proudly, and turned to join the rest of them.
And than Lily saw something that made her heart freeze. The demon's whip sprang up from the oblivion of darkness, and wrapped around Gandalf's ankle, pulling him down with it. Gandalf grabbed for something to hold on to, but realized it was hopeless. He looked at the remaining Fellowship, and with sad eyes, said, "Fly you fools!" With that, he let go and fell to his death. Lily let out a cry, and struggled in Legolas's arms. "Gandalf!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the mines. Legolas and the others were soon outside and in the sunlight. But the sunlight did not soothe the broken hearts that each companion held. Merry and Pippin sobbed against each other, while Sam sat down and wept quietly. Boromir had to hold Gimli back, for the dwarf wanted to run back to save him.
Lily still struggled in Legolas's grasp, tears running freely down her face. "No! Gandalf! Gandalf!" Soon she was too weak to struggle and simply sobbed into the elf's shirt. "Legolas, Boromir, get them up." Boromir turned on the ranger with fury in his eyes. "Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Aragorn put his own pain aside for the moment. "By nightfall these hills will be crawling with orcs! We must make for the refuge of Lothlorien."
Unable to move and only to cry, Lily welcomed the angered voices as a distraction. Once again they numbed her mind, and she passed out. "Boromir, Gimli, get them up. We must reach Lothlorien soon or else we will lose another companion." This got them moving. After calling back Frodo, the group continued on their way.
2 Be Continued
Hey guys! You'll find out what's happening to Lily in Lothlorien. Actually, you'll find out quite a bit about Lily in Lothlorien. But rest assured, she will not turn out to be an elf. No offense, but I like her as a human girl with flaws. Anyway, on with the story! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was cold.
She was in pain.
She wanted to die.
Lily didn't know where she was, or what was happening to her, but she knew she wanted it to stop. It felt as though something was tearing her apart, and it was killing her. Something warm was being draped over her, but it was too hot. She thrashed about, desperate to get away from the searing heat. But as soon as it disappeared, she was freezing. Someone was whispering to her in elvish, but it was being drowned out by the other voices. The voices that were scolding her for something.
Legolas sighed as he watched over her. After she had screamed, she had begun to thrash about wildly, fending off any who touched her. Boromir and Aragorn had to hold her down while Legolas forced her to drink a liquid of sedation. Even that had not calmed her completely, and his worry grew. Something was torturing her, and he wanted desperately to help her. But nothing he did seemed to help. He tried a few elvish healing incantations, but they had no effect on her. Something was blocking him from reaching her.
Seeing her shiver, he draped a blanket over her, only to have it kicked off as though it burned. As soon as the blanket left her body, she began to shiver violently. He gathered her into his arms and murmured gentle encouragements into her ear. Every so often he would kiss her temple and smooth her hair, hoping his gentle ministrations would help. She seemed to calm a bit at his touch, but it wasn't enough to help her relax completely. He didn't know how to help her, and that frightened him. "Lily, what's happening to you?" he asked quietly. Receiving no answer, he held her tighter.
"What's wrong with her Gandalf? Was she poisoned?" Aragorn pressed the old wizard for an answer. He simply shook his head. "I don't know. I have never seen anything like this before. And as for her being poisoned, I find it unlikely. She was not harmed by anything poisonous, and she ate nothing that could harm her. Her illness is a mystery to me, my friends." Pippin whimpered at Lily's distraught form, and hugged Merry tightly. "It's okay, Pip. She'll be okay." Frodo thought for a moment. "What was the name of that herb you gave me, Strider?"
Aragorn looked at the small hobbit. "King's foil, but she was not harmed by a Ring-Wraith, Frodo." The hobbit sighed. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Boromir watched Lily gravely. "She needs a healer and quickly. I fear our companion is fading." This only made Pippin whimper louder. "We must continue through these mines as quickly as possible then. Legolas, get ready to leave." The elf nodded, and gathered Lily into his arms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They soon came to a hallway that split into several corridors. Gandalf frowned. "I have no memory of this place." The wizard sat down and searched his mind for the answers, while the others sat down to wait. Legolas propped Lily up against the wall, and ripped a piece of his tunic off. He wiped the sweat away from her face gently, watching for any sign that she might awaken.
"You care for her." Legolas nodded, not looking up from his task. Gimli sat down next to him. "Elves will always be a wonder to me. I had always thought that your kind cared nothing of others, and simply wished to frolic and play in the trees." The elf's jaw clenched, and he tried his best to keep his anger in check. "Unless you have something useful to say, than please do not bother me." Gimli smirked, and clapped a hand on the elf's shoulder. "As you wish, Master Elf."
Legolas brushed Lily's damp hair away from her face, his eyes filled with concern. She stirred a bit, and opened her eyes. He was shocked at what he saw. Her once dark gray eyes were pale now, almost silver. "Legolas?" she croaked. He smiled with relief and nodded. "I'm here mellon." He touched her cheek gently and saw her flinch at the contact. "Gandalf, she's awake!" The others quickly rushed over, and the wizard knelt next to her. "Lily, how do you feel?"
She stared at him a moment before answering. "Half dead," she answered truthfully. Gandalf frowned and pressed a hand to her forehead. She was still cold as ice. "What happened?" Lily shook her head. "The voices...they're angry with me. They're yelling at me, punishing me for something," she muttered. Legolas looked at Gandalf. "Voices? The voices of who?" Lily shook her head again. "Too many to tell. They're so angry...I didn't mean to make anyone angry." The old wizard stroked her cheek gently. "Of course you didn't, my dear. What are they angry about?"
The mortal girl shut her eyes tightly against the pain. "I don't know. They're all speaking at once, I can't concentrate." Gandalf sighed and nodded. "We must not waste anymore time in these mines. She needs a healer quickly. Lily, can you stand?" She bit back a cry and shook her head. "I can't move, I'm sorry." Legolas brushed the hair away from her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for mellon." He picked her up, and her head lolled on his shoulder limply. "Legolas?" He looked down at her. "Am I going insane?" The elf forced a smile. "You're asking me this now? I always thought you were a bit crazy," he teased. Lily smiled weakly and closed her eyes. "You're one odd elf." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They had been traveling for a few hours, but at a fairly quick pace. The others were ecstatic when Gandalf announced that he knew which corridor to choose, simply using his nose. Lily had to agree with him though; the air was much fresher in the path they had chosen. Every so often the voices would dominate her mind, leaving her no room to think or listen to those around her. She would slip in and out of consciousness, worrying the rest of the Fellowship.
Walking down one hallway, Gimli let out a cry and ran into a room. He knelt in front of a stone coffin, and wept. The others entered the room silently, watching the poor dwarf mourn. Gandalf read the inscription on the coffin. It belonged to Balin, Gimli's cousin. Lily frowned, her heart breaking for him. "Gimli..." she called out to him faintly. The dwarf's shoulders shook as he cried, and she couldn't help but reach out to him. "Gimli, come here," she said softly. The dwarf stepped away from the coffin and stepped towards her.
She reached out a hand from Legolas's arms, which the dwarf gladly took. She gave it a gentle squeeze, and whispered her condolences. "I'm so sorry Gimli. I was looking forward to meeting such an astounding dwarf. If he's anything like you, I think I would have liked him," she whispered with a slight smile. Gimli's chest swelled with pride. "You would have been very fond of him, milady. And very proud." Lily nodded. Gandalf began to read from a journal that was found in a skeleton's grasp.
"We cannot get out...they are coming. We cannot get out." Gandalf sighed. "We cannot linger," she heard Legolas whisper sharply to Aragorn. "Give the guy a break, Legolas. His cousin is dead." Legolas opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of something falling cut him off. Lily watched a skeleton near a well drop, and Pippin cringed at each sound it made. Once they were certain that everything was still peaceful and quiet, Gandalf turned his furious gaze on the young hobbit. "Throw yourself in next time, you fool of a Took, and rid us of your stupidity!" Lily frowned at the harsh comment. "Pippin, come here." The hobbit scurried over to her, and she grabbed his hand protectively. "Don't listen to him, okay? I don't think you're stupid."
Just as Pippin was about to thank her, they heard something. It was very faint at first, but than it grew louder. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boromir moved to look out of the room. "Orcs!" Legolas sneered in disgust. Boromir looked out of the room, only to have an arrow nearly strike his head. He jerked back, and with the help of Aragorn, shut the doors. "They have a cave troll," he announced. Legolas handed Lily over to Gandalf, who put her under a ledge and gave her a sword. "Protect yourself if you must," he whispered. Lily nodded, and gripped the heavy weapon weakly.
The orcs began to tear at the doors while Aragorn and Legolas fired arrows at them. Soon the doors were thrown apart, and orcs flooded the room. Lily remained hidden, but gasped when she saw what followed the monsters. A huge troll, at least ten feet tall, walked into the room. He carried a heavy mace made of stone, and swung it at everything that moved. She let out a cry as a hot pain seared through her head, and she shut her eyes tightly.
When she opened them, she saw that the Troll had cornered Frodo. It drew back its spear, and thrust it into the hobbit's chest. Lily breathed heavily at the sight of it, and screamed. Just as suddenly as she had seen it, she was back in reality. "Frodo," she whispered. She tried to sit up, but she had no strength to do it. "Please, please don't hurt him! I can't let him die!" she muttered sharply to herself. Ignoring the massive pain she felt shoot through her body, she forced herself to stand.
Her eyes scanned the chaos for the hobbit, and she gasped when she found him. He was cornered, just as he was in her vision. She dragged herself toward him, panting. "Frodo!" she screamed over the battle. Frodo's eyes were wide with fright as he looked for a way to escape. The troll hissed at him, and drew back its spear. "No! Frodo!" She cried out as her legs gave out, unable to support her. She fell on her stomach, and pushed herself up to see the spear thrust into Frodo's chest. Tears stung her eyes as she screamed his name.
Her companions heard the scream, and saw Frodo crumple to the ground. "Frodo!" Merry and Pippin attacked the troll viciously, slashing their swords into its flesh. Legolas shot his arrows, while Gimli hacked away at it with his axe. Aragorn gained consciousness just in time to see the troll fall. "Frodo!" Aragorn looked at his fallen friend, and felt guilt and sorrow grip his heart. "Oh no..." he whispered. He turned the hobbit over, expecting to find a bloody mess.
Instead, Frodo gasped for air, and coughed a few times. "I'm alright, I'm not hurt," he assured him. Aragorn looked at him with wide eyes. "You should be dead. That weapon could have skewered a wild boar!" Gandalf smiled at the hobbit with proud eyes. "I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye," he said with a knowing smile. Lily caught a glance of something shiny beneath his shirt. "Mythril..." Gimli muttered in awe.
"Is he alright?" she yelled. Legolas looked at the fallen girl, and quickly rushed to her side. He turned her onto her back, his eyes roaming her for sign of injury. "I'm fine, is Frodo okay?" The elf nodded. "He is fine." The screeching of orcs filled the room, and Gandalf ushered them out. With Lily in Legolas's arms, they ran down the hallways and twisting corridors. Lily cringed as the hallways suddenly seemed to become much hotter. A roar echoed in the caverns, and Gandalf's eyes widened.
Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, prepared to fight whatever was coming. "This foe is beyond all of you. Swords will not help you now. Run!" Lily heard the voices fill her head again, and now they were screaming. "Lily?" She couldn't hear him, the voices were too loud. They came to a broken bridge. Legolas held Lily tightly, and jumped across. He landed gracefully, and put Lily down. "Just hand on to something until the others are across." He motioned for Gandalf to jump, and he caught him easily.
Next, Boromir grabbed Merry, Pippin and Sam and leapt across. They landed without much of a problem. Aragorn moved to pick up Gimli, but his pride got the better of him. "Nobody tosses the dwarf!" he shouted, and jumped across. He slipped, causing Lily to panic for a moment. But Legolas came to the rescue and grabbed his beard, pulling him up. "Not the beard!" he protested. Aragorn and Frodo moved to jump, but their half of the bridge broke and they were now swaying dangerously.
Lily stared at her friends with wide eyes. "Frodo! Aragorn!" Aragorn gripped Frodo's shirt, and they leaned forward a bit. Just before they crashed, they jumped. Boromir caught Frodo, while Legolas caught the ranger. Lily gasped as a wave of heat passed by her. "Run!" Legolas grabbed Lily and lifted her into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all. She cried out as her head began to pound painfully. Her eyes flew open, and she watched as Gandalf fell into a black abyss.
The vision passed, and Lily realized that they were almost out of the mines. They could see sunlight filtering into the caverns, and her heart filled with hope. They were going to make it! They were going to get out of this alive! Legolas ran up the steps to the light, but Lily saw that Gandalf would not follow. He stood on the bridge defiantly, his sword drawn and held in front of him. It was than that Lily saw the creature that nightmares were made of.
Flames crawled about its body, and two massive black horns sprung from his head. He breathed fire and smoke, and his roar shook the walls around him. Legolas stopped running, as did the others. They all watched with wide eyes as the creature took out a whip of flames, and snapped it menacingly. The old wizard shouted to the demon, almost daring it to attack.
It cracked the whip at Gandalf, and a bright light filled the room. At first Lily feared the worst, but she smiled when she saw that he was still standing. He raised his staff and sword, shouted something to the demon, and slammed his weapons onto the bridge. The creature seemed to scoff at him, and took a step forward. But the bridge beneath him cracked and crumbled, sending the demon to the black abyss below. Gandalf smiled proudly, and turned to join the rest of them.
And than Lily saw something that made her heart freeze. The demon's whip sprang up from the oblivion of darkness, and wrapped around Gandalf's ankle, pulling him down with it. Gandalf grabbed for something to hold on to, but realized it was hopeless. He looked at the remaining Fellowship, and with sad eyes, said, "Fly you fools!" With that, he let go and fell to his death. Lily let out a cry, and struggled in Legolas's arms. "Gandalf!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the mines. Legolas and the others were soon outside and in the sunlight. But the sunlight did not soothe the broken hearts that each companion held. Merry and Pippin sobbed against each other, while Sam sat down and wept quietly. Boromir had to hold Gimli back, for the dwarf wanted to run back to save him.
Lily still struggled in Legolas's grasp, tears running freely down her face. "No! Gandalf! Gandalf!" Soon she was too weak to struggle and simply sobbed into the elf's shirt. "Legolas, Boromir, get them up." Boromir turned on the ranger with fury in his eyes. "Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Aragorn put his own pain aside for the moment. "By nightfall these hills will be crawling with orcs! We must make for the refuge of Lothlorien."
Unable to move and only to cry, Lily welcomed the angered voices as a distraction. Once again they numbed her mind, and she passed out. "Boromir, Gimli, get them up. We must reach Lothlorien soon or else we will lose another companion." This got them moving. After calling back Frodo, the group continued on their way.
2 Be Continued
