Sorry for the long gap between chapters; I didn't have access to my computer for a while. I'm back now, and I'll finish this story, so hang in there!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leya and her mysteries. ;)
Reviews: I haven't been getting any reviews - isn't anyone reading this?
Several days into the Mines of Moria, Leya felt more nervous than she had for a very, very long time. The watcher in the water, as the others called it, had shown her that there were dangerous creatures in this world. Now they were wandering in a cave whose occupants had been slain by just such creatures. Leya didn't know what an was, but the word was on everyone's lips, and she had no desire to learn why orcs inspired such fear.
I wouldn't want to live in a cave like this, she thought, letting the mysterious orcs slip from her mind momentarily. It's so far underground, and so dark! I'll take a nice clean beach cave any day, with a wide doorway and a sandy floor.... Her thoughts drifted away to her far-off seaside home back on Tryllva. Lost in reverie, Leya stumbled blindly behind the rest of the party, scarcely noticing the carved portals and pillared halls through which they passed. She broke out of her daze, however, as they entered a room filled with light. She blinked confusedly for a moment before noticing the hole in the ceiling that admitted the sun's glow. The shaft of light fell directly onto a carved stone box in the centre of the room, over which Gimli was loudly lamenting. It became clear to Leya that this was the sarcophagus of Gimli's cousin, slain by the same creatures that had littered the cave's other chambers with skeletons.
They looked about them, and Gandalf discovered a mouldering book in the bony hands of a skeleton sprawled upon the floor. He pried it from the dead dwarf's grasp and lifted it into the light. Carefully turning the crumbling pages, the wizard began to read aloud. The book was some sort of chronicle or diary, and the passages Gandalf shared painted a chilling picture of a beseiged population being picked off one by one.
Most of the Fellowship listened intently, and were horrified by what they heard. Pippin backed away from the door, glancing around nervously, but quickly became distracted. Leya saw him out of the corner of her eye, poking around near what appeared to be an old well. Suddenly, a skeleton which he had been examining disintegrated, and most of its bones toppled into the well, along with the old well-bucket and its chain. The noise startled everyone, reverberating loudly in the stone chamber, and continued for some time before the objects reached the bottom of the well. Gandalf berated Pippin ferociously for creating such a disturbance. Leya thought he was perhaps a little too ferocious, considering the accidental nature of the upset, and wrapped her cloak comfortingly around the trembling hobbit as soon as Gandalf's back was turned.
It was not long, however, before the far-off sound of drums let them know that the enemy was aware of their presence. The heavy wooden doors were locked and barricaded, and everyone readied their weapons. Should I ...change myself? wondered Leya. As she wavered, undecided, inhuman screams and the sound of running footsteps approached the door. Thinking this will have to do, Leya unsheathed her longknife as they found themselves under attack.
At first, only arrows were effective against the crowd of monsters battering at the doors, but all too soon the barricade had shattered and orcs poured through the gap. Remembering the importance of the Ring-bearer, Leya stood with the hobbits, lashing out at any orcs that got close enough. However, her longknife, a versatile tool common on Tryllva, proved to be of little use due to the orcs' heavy, irregularly constructed armour. Before long, the hobbits were defending her with their sturdy swords. This is ridiculous, Leya thought. Can't I be of any help at all?
The tide of orcs had been stemmed, thanks primarily to the efforts of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir, but there was one threat still to face. An large grey lumpy creature, announced by Boromir as a cave troll, had entered with the orcs and was now thundering around the room waving a heavy club. As she and the hobbits fled from the beast, Leya began to panic. Her longknife would be useless against its thick hide, and the hobbits would not be able to get close enough to attack it. I need to distract it somehow, so that they can hide, she thought as the troll barreled past them.
Suddenly, a fierce light grew in her eyes. I'll change! I can't believe I forgot!
Leya moved carefully away from the hobbits while the cave troll's back was turned, and stood in plain view on the other side of the room. For a split second, all was still. Sam looked puzzled. Merry shook his head. Frodo appeared worried. Pippin covered his eyes. Gimli motioned to her to hide behind a nearby pillar. The cave troll grunted and lowered its head, as though preparing to charge.
Leya quietly muttered a brief spell.
It will be good to take my true form, Leya reflected, her thoughts momentarily turned inward. She leaned forward to allow her growing arms to reach the floor, and stretched her neck as her face changed its shape. The room seemed to shrink, and she felt her dress disappear as her tail shot out from the end of her spine. All sounds seemed magnified, and her vision rapidly increased in acuity. Finally, half-spreading the strong wings that lay along her back, Leya raised her head and roared a challenge at the cave troll.
The startled beast paused in mid-charge, and stumbled. As it righted itself, shaking off Aragorn and Legolas, it spotted the hobbits. The grey-skinned troll lunged towards them. Its back was now turned towards Leya, and she leapt onto it, digging her claws in deeply. The room was not large enough for her to fly, so she clung for dear life to the raging creature as it tried to shake her off. Below her, Aragorn swung his sword and Gimli wielded his axe while Legolas aimed his arrows into the troll's face. At last, the cave troll collapsed on the ground, and with a last bite to its head, Leya stumbled off the monster's back.
When she looked up, Legolas was leveling an arrow at her head.
