Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR and am making no money.
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"NO!" Sam screamed as he watched the piece of staircase Frodo and Strider were stranded on collapse into the depths of Moria. "NO! NO! NO!"
None of the fellowship moved as Sam cried out his denial, all watched in stunned disbelief as ringbearer and ranger fell away from them. They were completely oblivious to the threat the bow wielding orcs still posed until an arrow hit Legolas in the shoulder and another caught in Gimli's pack. "We must go!" Gandalf ordered, physically nudging the elf down the stairs and pushing the hobbits after him. He spared a quick glance at the piece of staircase he could barely see, in his mind's eye he saw Aragorns mouthed 'run' as the stairwell fell. He could no longer tell if their were figures upon it. The wizard looked up at the balrog that was getting closer. He did not know who it would pursue but knew he had to buy Aragorn and Frodo time if they survived the fall. And he had seen Aragorn in a poised crouch not frozen denial as they fell. Making sure the others were well on their way he closed his eyes and spoke a small spell. A flame of light shot from his staff and hit the balrog. Turning he fled.
His mind replaying the image of Frodo falling Sam was not even aware of how narrow the bridge they were crossing was until he almost fell over the edge, only Boromir's quick grab saved him. A part of the gardener wished the man from Gondor had not. At least then he could have followed Frodo into the depths. On the opposite side of the bridge he stopped to watch as Gandalf confronted the balrog. He could not look away as the balrog fell and its whip coiled up to wrap around Gandalf's ankle. Somehow thought the wizard managed to free himself before the noose tightened enough to pull him over the edge. Fleeing over the bridge he again had to push the fellowship into moving. Once outside they collapsed where they were staring in stunned disbelief back at the mines. None felt the joy or relief they expected to at last be free of the dark of Moria. Their thoughts were for their two missing members. "He can't be gone," Sam protested softly.
Gandalf was surveying the area. "We must go. The orcs will not stop just because we are free of the mines. At nightfall they will come after us. We must reach the safety of Lothlorien."
Making no move to get up Sam shook his head. "I will wait here."
"I too," Legolas agreed, barely glancing at Boromir as he tied a makeshift bandage around his upper arm where the arrow had been mostly blocked by his quiver.
Shooting the elven prince a quick glance Gandalf crouched down in front of Sam. "Frodo would not want you to stay. He would want you to live. Besides, if he and Aragorn do escape the mines I doubt this will be the path they will take. Aragorn has been in Moria before and has more experience within it than me."
"Then why did he not lead us?" Pippin asked, wiping his eyes.
Gandalf rose. "He did not take a direct route through. He was driven within and had to sneak out." The wizard turned to Legolas. "You can not remain either. You need to have that shoulder tended."
"I will return to my home," Boromir stated. "I do not wish to meet the witch of the golden wood."
Closing his eyes in utter frustration at the stubbornness of the fellowship Gandalf turned to face the human. "It is too dangerous to separate at this point. It will not take long for word of our actions to become known. In the safety of Lothlorien we can decide our next path and start in some secrecy. Follow me." As he led them off he could feel the reluctance and rebellion behind him. They did not want to abandon ringbearer and ranger any more than he did. "Good luck," the maiar whispered under his breath, sending his prayer to those still trapped within the darkness. His led the fellowship, minus two, to the relative safety of the Golden Wood.
Frodo closed his eyes and clung even more tightly to Aragorn as they fell. The ranger was crouched down on the stairwell, somehow managing to maintain his balance. He buried his head in the ranger's shoulder as he heard the orcs who had been on the staircase with them screaming as they were dropped into the endless darkness. Suddenly the hobbit felt Strider tensed every muscle in his body and a moment later they were airborne. Frodo bit his lip to muffle his scream of terror at the sensation of freefall and if possible wrapped himself even tighter around Aragorn. A hard impact almost jarred his hold loose, but he had been told to hang on and hang on he would. He felt cold stone along his side as Aragorn rolled to his side, breathing heavily. "You may let go. We are down."
Reluctantly Frodo did so, glancing around. They were on a fairly large ledge that had an opening into the mines. There was just enough light reflecting from the still lit forges for him to see Aragorn laying next to him. The ranger was struggling to catch his breath. "Aragorn?"
After another moment he pushed himself to a sitting position, glancing back up. "I am fine." He pushed himself to his feet and extended a hand to assist Frodo up. When he stepped forward he winced a little.
"Strider?"
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath Aragorn met the concerned hobbit's eyes. "I just landed wrong on my ankle and twisted it slightly. We need to keep moving."
As he followed just behind the ranger Frodo asked. "Do you know where we are?"
Aragorn nodded. "I have a rough idea and I know the general direction we need to go to get out, but it will not be an easy journey. Look at sting."
Not really wanting to Frodo pulled the elven sword slightly out of its sheath. It was glowing dimly. "Strider?"
"It is dim," he replied without looking back. "This entire area is infested with orcs, and some other great evil that I feel but that I have not seen. When we lose the light of the forges we will use sting as our light. But we have to keep moving. It is our only chance."
For an endless eternity Frodo followed Aragorn through the twists and turns of Moria. More often than he liked he found himself pulled into an alcove or pressed to the ground as stomping footsteps approached much too close for comfort. When they moved out again he would unsheathe sting about two inches. The sense of evil filled him, pressing down on him heavier and heavier. The ring also seemed to be pulling at his neck. In the dim light he could see the strain on Aragorn's face growing tighter. If they did not get out soon he feared he would scream. Neither dared to speak, the evil was too omnipresent and the orcs too many. Frodo did not want to know what else was down here besides orcs. By unspoken agreement they did not stop. The urgency to escape Moria was growing every minute.
With relief Legolas spied the woods of Lothlorien. Night was falling and he could feel the evil of the orcs pursuing them.
"Haldir of Lorien, we greet you," Gandalf called out. "Come out and escort us to the Lady Galadriel, I need to speak with her urgently."
Legolas would have laughed at Gandalf's treating of the very aware of his position march warden as a small child if his heart had not been so heavy. He could not believe Aragorn was gone. No, he would not believe it, not until he had proof. The Dunedain had survived to much when all despaired of his loss for the elf prince to easily believe he was gone. And if he was gone so was the ringbearer and the One Ring was left in the evil pits of Moria. That was unacceptable.
Stepping from the concealment of the trees Haldir looked over the motley group. "I do not sense the evil I was expecting."
Gandalf did not bother to reply but started walking deeper into the woods, the rest of the fellowship following.
After a stunned moment Haldir hurried to catch up. "The dwarf must be blindfolded."
"No," the wizard replied before Gimli even had time to muster the breath to bluster. "And we do not stop until we reach Caras Galadorn."
As they walked Legolas tried to feel the comfort of the wonderful mallorn trees surrounding him, but his heart was too heavy. His thoughts kept travelling back to Moria and the image of his friend surrounded in darkness, vainly trying to escape. When they finally faced the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood he noticed her beauty, but it did not clear his mind. When she turned her attention to him his breath caught. He had heard that she could read the desires of your deepest heart but had never faced it before. He swallowed hard.
'Do not despair,' she spoke silently to him. 'I sense that they yet live. But it is a long and dark road they will travel.'
His eyes remained locked on hers overriding the desire to look away from that all knowing gaze. 'I would travel it with him,' he replied.
The Lady nodded her eyes going to Sam at his side. He had not even noticed that he had stayed by the hobbits side since Moria. Their heart pain was the same and found comfort in each other that they had not consciously realized. After a moment the hobbit's hand slid into his as he lifted his head.
Galadriel smiled. 'They will need you both before the end.' Turning away she spoke aloud. "You are tired. We have places you may rest and refresh yourselves." She bowed and left with Celeborn and Gandalf.
Boromir watched them go. "What do we do now? If the quest is finished or our aid no longer needed I must return to my city."
Merry was watching the door that the two elves and wizard had disappeared through. "We wait for Gandalf to come back." He looked at the others, his eyes older than a hobbit's should be. "Only when we have all the facts can we make the right choices for the good of Middle-earth. We may have lost Frodo and Strider, but Sauron still seeks his ring." The others staring in awe at him he followed Haldir to the ground level tents that had been set up for them. After a moment the others followed.
Frodo breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground as they finally escaped Moria through a nearly hidden door. He looked at Aragorn, collapsed next to him with his eyes closed as his breathing raced in a way Frodo had never seen it before. "How did you know?"
The ranger did not open his eyes. "Years ago servants of Sauron chased me into Moria. I tracked alone through the depths." Opening his eyes he met Frodo's. "I think I was in their for more than a week, always running, most of the time blind. I actually faced very little, but the evil," he shuddered.
Nervously Frodo fiddled with his coat pocket. The ring's siren call seemed stronger now. It had enjoyed the darkness of Moria and was disappointed they were free. It was night though and he knew they had to move. They had been lucky and avoided any confrontations, but it was better not to take chances. He looked up at Aragorn. He had recovered himself and was looking around alertly. Unwittingly Frodo's hand went to the chain that held the ring around his neck. Aragorn turned to look at him curiously as he slowly lifted it over his head and extended his open palm, ring glinting softly to the ranger. "Would you take the ring?" For long moments that seemed to last for years the ranger stared at the ring as though hypnotized. Then he closed his eyes and with a slight shake of his head closed the hobbit's fingers over the ring. "No."
That simple word lifted a weight Frodo had not known he was carrying. "I know what will happen if the others continue to accompany me. One by one they will fall to the ring. They will have gone to Lothlorien, we need to choose another path to Mordor."
For a moment Aragorn was silent. "I wish we could, but we have almost no provisions. For this trek we are not going to want to waste time hunting and gathering. The others do not have to know we have reached safety until we are gone. We will stay only long enough for a good night's rest and for necessary provisions to be made ready."
Frodo nodded reluctantly. "Then let's hurry."
Legolas woke suddenly. Aragorn was near. Somehow he knew the ranger had reached Lothlorien but was now moving away. Quickly he shook Sam awake and followed his instincts to the river. There he was not surprised to find Celeborn and Galadriel. "Where are they?" he demanded, in his anxiousness forgetting to give the Lord and Lady their due courtesy.
They did not take offense as Galadriel turned to him. "They passed through during the night. They left messages that they were fine and that they would see the ring to Mount Doom."
"Not without me!" Sam announced. "Frodo will not go without me."
Celeborn looked at him gently. "They have already left."
"Then we will follow," Legolas announced.
Celeborn turned his saddened eyes to them. "How will you find them?"
Legolas lifted his chin as Sam took his hand. "We will."
At that moment several elves appeared through the tree line carrying a small boat and several satchels. With a sad smile Galadriel draped a cloak about each of them. "Our elven cloaks, may they hide you at need." She also handed Legolas a bow of the Galadhrim. To Sam she gave a coil of rope. "Go with all speed. You will be needed."
With a last nod Legolas leaped lightly in the boat and assisted Sam in. As the hobbit clung fearfully to the sides he set off. They would catch up with Aragorn and Frodo.
A/N It will be about a week and a half before I can update. I am going out of town and will have no access to a computer. Hope you enjoyed.
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"NO!" Sam screamed as he watched the piece of staircase Frodo and Strider were stranded on collapse into the depths of Moria. "NO! NO! NO!"
None of the fellowship moved as Sam cried out his denial, all watched in stunned disbelief as ringbearer and ranger fell away from them. They were completely oblivious to the threat the bow wielding orcs still posed until an arrow hit Legolas in the shoulder and another caught in Gimli's pack. "We must go!" Gandalf ordered, physically nudging the elf down the stairs and pushing the hobbits after him. He spared a quick glance at the piece of staircase he could barely see, in his mind's eye he saw Aragorns mouthed 'run' as the stairwell fell. He could no longer tell if their were figures upon it. The wizard looked up at the balrog that was getting closer. He did not know who it would pursue but knew he had to buy Aragorn and Frodo time if they survived the fall. And he had seen Aragorn in a poised crouch not frozen denial as they fell. Making sure the others were well on their way he closed his eyes and spoke a small spell. A flame of light shot from his staff and hit the balrog. Turning he fled.
His mind replaying the image of Frodo falling Sam was not even aware of how narrow the bridge they were crossing was until he almost fell over the edge, only Boromir's quick grab saved him. A part of the gardener wished the man from Gondor had not. At least then he could have followed Frodo into the depths. On the opposite side of the bridge he stopped to watch as Gandalf confronted the balrog. He could not look away as the balrog fell and its whip coiled up to wrap around Gandalf's ankle. Somehow thought the wizard managed to free himself before the noose tightened enough to pull him over the edge. Fleeing over the bridge he again had to push the fellowship into moving. Once outside they collapsed where they were staring in stunned disbelief back at the mines. None felt the joy or relief they expected to at last be free of the dark of Moria. Their thoughts were for their two missing members. "He can't be gone," Sam protested softly.
Gandalf was surveying the area. "We must go. The orcs will not stop just because we are free of the mines. At nightfall they will come after us. We must reach the safety of Lothlorien."
Making no move to get up Sam shook his head. "I will wait here."
"I too," Legolas agreed, barely glancing at Boromir as he tied a makeshift bandage around his upper arm where the arrow had been mostly blocked by his quiver.
Shooting the elven prince a quick glance Gandalf crouched down in front of Sam. "Frodo would not want you to stay. He would want you to live. Besides, if he and Aragorn do escape the mines I doubt this will be the path they will take. Aragorn has been in Moria before and has more experience within it than me."
"Then why did he not lead us?" Pippin asked, wiping his eyes.
Gandalf rose. "He did not take a direct route through. He was driven within and had to sneak out." The wizard turned to Legolas. "You can not remain either. You need to have that shoulder tended."
"I will return to my home," Boromir stated. "I do not wish to meet the witch of the golden wood."
Closing his eyes in utter frustration at the stubbornness of the fellowship Gandalf turned to face the human. "It is too dangerous to separate at this point. It will not take long for word of our actions to become known. In the safety of Lothlorien we can decide our next path and start in some secrecy. Follow me." As he led them off he could feel the reluctance and rebellion behind him. They did not want to abandon ringbearer and ranger any more than he did. "Good luck," the maiar whispered under his breath, sending his prayer to those still trapped within the darkness. His led the fellowship, minus two, to the relative safety of the Golden Wood.
Frodo closed his eyes and clung even more tightly to Aragorn as they fell. The ranger was crouched down on the stairwell, somehow managing to maintain his balance. He buried his head in the ranger's shoulder as he heard the orcs who had been on the staircase with them screaming as they were dropped into the endless darkness. Suddenly the hobbit felt Strider tensed every muscle in his body and a moment later they were airborne. Frodo bit his lip to muffle his scream of terror at the sensation of freefall and if possible wrapped himself even tighter around Aragorn. A hard impact almost jarred his hold loose, but he had been told to hang on and hang on he would. He felt cold stone along his side as Aragorn rolled to his side, breathing heavily. "You may let go. We are down."
Reluctantly Frodo did so, glancing around. They were on a fairly large ledge that had an opening into the mines. There was just enough light reflecting from the still lit forges for him to see Aragorn laying next to him. The ranger was struggling to catch his breath. "Aragorn?"
After another moment he pushed himself to a sitting position, glancing back up. "I am fine." He pushed himself to his feet and extended a hand to assist Frodo up. When he stepped forward he winced a little.
"Strider?"
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath Aragorn met the concerned hobbit's eyes. "I just landed wrong on my ankle and twisted it slightly. We need to keep moving."
As he followed just behind the ranger Frodo asked. "Do you know where we are?"
Aragorn nodded. "I have a rough idea and I know the general direction we need to go to get out, but it will not be an easy journey. Look at sting."
Not really wanting to Frodo pulled the elven sword slightly out of its sheath. It was glowing dimly. "Strider?"
"It is dim," he replied without looking back. "This entire area is infested with orcs, and some other great evil that I feel but that I have not seen. When we lose the light of the forges we will use sting as our light. But we have to keep moving. It is our only chance."
For an endless eternity Frodo followed Aragorn through the twists and turns of Moria. More often than he liked he found himself pulled into an alcove or pressed to the ground as stomping footsteps approached much too close for comfort. When they moved out again he would unsheathe sting about two inches. The sense of evil filled him, pressing down on him heavier and heavier. The ring also seemed to be pulling at his neck. In the dim light he could see the strain on Aragorn's face growing tighter. If they did not get out soon he feared he would scream. Neither dared to speak, the evil was too omnipresent and the orcs too many. Frodo did not want to know what else was down here besides orcs. By unspoken agreement they did not stop. The urgency to escape Moria was growing every minute.
With relief Legolas spied the woods of Lothlorien. Night was falling and he could feel the evil of the orcs pursuing them.
"Haldir of Lorien, we greet you," Gandalf called out. "Come out and escort us to the Lady Galadriel, I need to speak with her urgently."
Legolas would have laughed at Gandalf's treating of the very aware of his position march warden as a small child if his heart had not been so heavy. He could not believe Aragorn was gone. No, he would not believe it, not until he had proof. The Dunedain had survived to much when all despaired of his loss for the elf prince to easily believe he was gone. And if he was gone so was the ringbearer and the One Ring was left in the evil pits of Moria. That was unacceptable.
Stepping from the concealment of the trees Haldir looked over the motley group. "I do not sense the evil I was expecting."
Gandalf did not bother to reply but started walking deeper into the woods, the rest of the fellowship following.
After a stunned moment Haldir hurried to catch up. "The dwarf must be blindfolded."
"No," the wizard replied before Gimli even had time to muster the breath to bluster. "And we do not stop until we reach Caras Galadorn."
As they walked Legolas tried to feel the comfort of the wonderful mallorn trees surrounding him, but his heart was too heavy. His thoughts kept travelling back to Moria and the image of his friend surrounded in darkness, vainly trying to escape. When they finally faced the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood he noticed her beauty, but it did not clear his mind. When she turned her attention to him his breath caught. He had heard that she could read the desires of your deepest heart but had never faced it before. He swallowed hard.
'Do not despair,' she spoke silently to him. 'I sense that they yet live. But it is a long and dark road they will travel.'
His eyes remained locked on hers overriding the desire to look away from that all knowing gaze. 'I would travel it with him,' he replied.
The Lady nodded her eyes going to Sam at his side. He had not even noticed that he had stayed by the hobbits side since Moria. Their heart pain was the same and found comfort in each other that they had not consciously realized. After a moment the hobbit's hand slid into his as he lifted his head.
Galadriel smiled. 'They will need you both before the end.' Turning away she spoke aloud. "You are tired. We have places you may rest and refresh yourselves." She bowed and left with Celeborn and Gandalf.
Boromir watched them go. "What do we do now? If the quest is finished or our aid no longer needed I must return to my city."
Merry was watching the door that the two elves and wizard had disappeared through. "We wait for Gandalf to come back." He looked at the others, his eyes older than a hobbit's should be. "Only when we have all the facts can we make the right choices for the good of Middle-earth. We may have lost Frodo and Strider, but Sauron still seeks his ring." The others staring in awe at him he followed Haldir to the ground level tents that had been set up for them. After a moment the others followed.
Frodo breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground as they finally escaped Moria through a nearly hidden door. He looked at Aragorn, collapsed next to him with his eyes closed as his breathing raced in a way Frodo had never seen it before. "How did you know?"
The ranger did not open his eyes. "Years ago servants of Sauron chased me into Moria. I tracked alone through the depths." Opening his eyes he met Frodo's. "I think I was in their for more than a week, always running, most of the time blind. I actually faced very little, but the evil," he shuddered.
Nervously Frodo fiddled with his coat pocket. The ring's siren call seemed stronger now. It had enjoyed the darkness of Moria and was disappointed they were free. It was night though and he knew they had to move. They had been lucky and avoided any confrontations, but it was better not to take chances. He looked up at Aragorn. He had recovered himself and was looking around alertly. Unwittingly Frodo's hand went to the chain that held the ring around his neck. Aragorn turned to look at him curiously as he slowly lifted it over his head and extended his open palm, ring glinting softly to the ranger. "Would you take the ring?" For long moments that seemed to last for years the ranger stared at the ring as though hypnotized. Then he closed his eyes and with a slight shake of his head closed the hobbit's fingers over the ring. "No."
That simple word lifted a weight Frodo had not known he was carrying. "I know what will happen if the others continue to accompany me. One by one they will fall to the ring. They will have gone to Lothlorien, we need to choose another path to Mordor."
For a moment Aragorn was silent. "I wish we could, but we have almost no provisions. For this trek we are not going to want to waste time hunting and gathering. The others do not have to know we have reached safety until we are gone. We will stay only long enough for a good night's rest and for necessary provisions to be made ready."
Frodo nodded reluctantly. "Then let's hurry."
Legolas woke suddenly. Aragorn was near. Somehow he knew the ranger had reached Lothlorien but was now moving away. Quickly he shook Sam awake and followed his instincts to the river. There he was not surprised to find Celeborn and Galadriel. "Where are they?" he demanded, in his anxiousness forgetting to give the Lord and Lady their due courtesy.
They did not take offense as Galadriel turned to him. "They passed through during the night. They left messages that they were fine and that they would see the ring to Mount Doom."
"Not without me!" Sam announced. "Frodo will not go without me."
Celeborn looked at him gently. "They have already left."
"Then we will follow," Legolas announced.
Celeborn turned his saddened eyes to them. "How will you find them?"
Legolas lifted his chin as Sam took his hand. "We will."
At that moment several elves appeared through the tree line carrying a small boat and several satchels. With a sad smile Galadriel draped a cloak about each of them. "Our elven cloaks, may they hide you at need." She also handed Legolas a bow of the Galadhrim. To Sam she gave a coil of rope. "Go with all speed. You will be needed."
With a last nod Legolas leaped lightly in the boat and assisted Sam in. As the hobbit clung fearfully to the sides he set off. They would catch up with Aragorn and Frodo.
A/N It will be about a week and a half before I can update. I am going out of town and will have no access to a computer. Hope you enjoyed.