***In the halls of the mountain king***

Darkness now surrounded the fellowship. No one but Gimli could see without light, as he was accustomed to it. Gandalf pulled a large crystal from his pocket and placed it in a crevice in his staff. A small amount light flooded the area. He then tried to shift the debris from the way they had just come in through. The stone around them shook in a mad fury, but naught else happened.

"Well…well…well." Said Gandalf shaking his head, "The passage is blocked and there is only one way out – on the other side of the mountains." He made his way in front of the fellowship, leading them up a flight of stairs. "Gimli walk with me, follow me staff and I shall lead you out." He said stopping after a few steps then continuing on. The stairs seemed to go on forever and Rhia counted two hundred in total. Whence at the top they faced an arc and a passage beyond it.

"Will you not let us rest and eat for a while Gandalf? I am tired and hungry and I don't think I can walk any further without food and rest." Said Frodo.  All welcomed this vote of action without question, especially Pippin. They sat on the landing and after they had eaten, they were allowed a sip of the miruvor.

"How long will it take us to reach the other side?" asked Boromir, taking his sip and passing the silver flask on.

"I could not say, but without any mishap, four days at the most." Gandalf replied, turning to look into the darkness.

***

Not long after they were on their way again. Everyone wanted to get out soon after spotting many dwarf and orc and goblin skeletons, even Gimli.

Danger seemed to lurk in every shadow. They began to lose speed after walking on for what seemed like an age. Demi soon felt dread cast over her. She felt something odd. It did not long come to her mind that their path was following the book rather than the movie and Demi felt lost. The memory of the events from the book seemed so far off. She was forgetting what happened and did not know what lay ahead in the fellowships path, just as the members of the fellowship did not know. Maybe it was the situation had made these thoughts dwindle? Or maybe she was never meant to know what lay ahead?

        The company stopped before another looming arch that stood before three passages. Rhia looked to her best friend who wore the same confused expression she did.

        "I have no memory of this place." Said Gandalf looking at the arch as though it should reveal which way they should go.

        The company sat where they were, starting to sink off into sleep if fear let them. Demi stared into the darkness ahead listening. Now her instincts were flared. The something she dreaded would begin very soon and she did not know what to look for to stop it.

        Next to the arch on the left, Merry and Pippin spotted something to stave off boredom. A great stone door stood half open in the shadows. The two hobbits pushed it all the way open and peered in.

"Hold up there. You do not know what lies beyond that door. I shall go first." Gandalf said, pushing his way past.. Cautiously he entered and all followed him after packing up. He moved his staff, letting white light fall over the floor. "There." He said, revealing a hole in the floor.

        "You may have fallen in. Let the guide go first, not the followers." Aragorn said to the hobbits who eyed the floor with even more curiosity.

        "This must be the guard room used to watch the passages." Gimli stated as though he was reading from a travel brochure. "The hole there was used for the guards to hide in and a stone lid concealed the well."

        Demi set up a bed and lay down on its covers, her arms acting as a pillow behind her head. Yep, something was about to begin.

        Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pippin standing over the well holding a rock in his hand. Demi sat upright as he let rock go. She felt her heart beating in her head, waiting to hear the stone hit the bottom. There was a soft plunk and Gandalf asked in fear,

        "What was that?"

        "I…it was…well I um, dropped a…um, rock down the…uh…hole." Pippin confessed cowering behind Boromir who lay closest to the well.

        "Fool of a took!" shouted the wizard. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us all of your stupidity!"

        After he said those words, in the depths of the mines Demi and Legolas heard a faint sound. Boom-bom-bound. They looked at each other in fear as the sounds grew steadily louder so that before a minute was passed, the whole fellowship heard the beats.

        It sounded like some one banging on a giant bass drum. BOUND-BOM-BOOM! The sounds were growing closer. TOM-TAP-TOM! BOOM-BOM-BOOM! Demi grew restless. She darted to her gear, shoving it in her backpack. Then the sounds died away. Everyone composed themselves as the watch was set and slowly all but Pippin who was on watch duty and Demi were asleep.

        Pippin sat down by the door frowning. With great indecision, Demi sat down next to him, her bag still on her back. She was not angry, but scared of what she might meet in the dark.

        "What is it?" asked Pippin.

        "I don't know. We can't stay here. We all have to continue." Demi replied looking out the door as though Sauron himself was there.

        "Oh." Was all Pippin could muster.

        With the others lay Gandalf wide-awake, feigning sleep. He looked at the two dark beings by the door trying to recall which path they were to take. He stood slowly making his way over to Demi and Pippin, relieving the hobbit from his duty and trying to convince Demi to sleep. She simply shook her head, her glance not moving.

***

        Hours later the fellowship were on the move again. Demi's eyelids were heavy and her back was hunched as she followed behind Sam. The drumbeats had not been heard again. They had walked on until none save Legolas could continue. Demi pushed herself to keep up with every one but fell behind to the back of the line. Gandalf glanced back and stopped.

        "The path we chose was the right one and we are now above the Dimrill Gate. If the air tells me right, we are in a wide hall. Let us risk a little more light." He said smiling broadly at his luck.

        Gandalf held his staff up high and with a flash, light banished the shadows. Demi looked around. Great stone pillars held the roof up, every thing was made of stone here. There were three other entrances in the empty hall: one north, east and west before them. Then Gandalf put the light out.

        "We are not yet through and still have a long road. For now, let us rest." The grey pilgrim said, setting himself on the ground.

        They all huddled together to escape the cold. Demi, though now exhausted, still could not bring herself to sleep. She looked before, who happened to be a wide-awake Aragorn. He gave her a concerned look and whispered something to Gandalf who sat next to him. Demi questioned his actions to herself, she would not speak about her small set-back with the whole group. They had to focus on getting Frodo to Mordor.

***

        That night, the fellowship heard Gimli sing about Moria and he talked of Mithril found in the deep. Gandalf told all then about how Bilbo came to get his Mithril corslet.

        "What?" yelled Gimli. "A corslet of Moria-silver? That was a kingly gift!"

        "Yes and it is worth more than the shire and everything in it. But I never told him that." Gandalf said chuckling.

        "Demi smirked and looked at Frodo. She knew he wore the corslet, she spotted him adjusting it in his sleep. Eventually they all fell asleep. Even Demi managed to catch a few winks. Frodo was left on guard.

        Legolas relieved Frodo's watch a few hours later. Demi woke up just after the shift change and talked to Legolas.

        "Vaira, please, try and get some more sleep. Even I must rest on such a journey and your gift weakens you further." Said the elf prince as she sat down.

        "Don't start this. I can't sleep all right. I have tried." Demi added at his sceptical expression.

        "I shall take your word for it." Legolas laughed.

        "Yeah. Whatever…" she said, rolling her eyes.

***

        After breakfast they headed off again, assured they would not need to spend another night in Moria. Albeit Demi celebrated this. She knew the day then had come. The something she feared was about to happen. She kept alert jumping at every stone falling. Every echo.

        The company passed though the northern arch into a wide corridor. They followed it through but Gimli spotted a door on their right standing half way open. Through the door the company went finding a large square room, the little light that was in the room almost felt like the sun to them, whose eyes were now used to darkness. The light was coming through a hole in the roof and dust incredibly thick could be seen floating through the air. A large stone block stood in the middle of the room. Demi went in to take a closer look.

        "I think it's a tomb!" she said, and then it hit her. She remembered this part. They would loose Gandalf to the depths and the Balrog. Fear struck Demi so great. How would they get on without him? How would she get on?

        "That it is." Gandalf said. "The markings on there are the dwarvish runes stating: Blain son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then, just as I feared.

        Gimli bowed in reverence to his fallen kin and shed tears of grief. Rhia put her arm around Gimli in an effort to comfort him, but it was useless. They all bowed their heads in respect. They saw all around them then, skeletons of dwarves. Demi stepped backwards when she saw them in fright and tripped over a skeleton. Gandalf came to her aid and when he saw that she was fine, he spotted a large and dusty book in the hands of the skeleton.

        "It is a record book of the fortunes of Balin's folk." Gandalf said, flipping through the pages of the book. He read through the book and said at once, "Listen to this! We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and the second hall. Frár, Lóni and Náli fell there.We cannot get out. The end comes. Drums, drums in the deep. They are coming. I wonder what that means?"

        "Oh no." whispered Demi to herself. Everyone seemed to be in thought as to what could have happened.

        "Gimli, take this book and give it to Dain whence next you meet. He shall find great interest in it." Gandalf said, handing the book to Gimli who put it away in his pack.

        "Which way shall we go?" asked Boromir.

        "Back to the hall. Come now! Back to the hall!" Gandalf shouted rousing everyone from their thoughts. Then like a haunting ghost, rolling drumbeats came from the depths again. Boom-bom-boom! In fright, they all sprinted back to the door. Then in a blast a great horn was sounded and shrill cries were heard along with the trampling of many heavy feet.

        "They are coming!" yelled Legolas.

        "We cannot get out!" said Gimli as though realising what happened to his kin.

        "Trapped!" squealed Pippin.

        DOOM! DOOM! BOOM! Sounded again. Everything shook with a threatening blast.

        "Wedge the doors shut!" Shouted Aragorn.

        Boromir and Aragorn then were about to shut the door when Gandalf told them to leave it for a moment and he stood outside the door and shouted. "Who comes to disturb Balin, the lord of Moria's rest?" He was answered by laughter, then he sprung back and the door was wedged shut. "There are many orcs and the black Uruks of Mordor. They are hanging back for the moment but they are with a cave troll or possibly more. We cannot escape that way."

        The company retreated to the other side of the chamber and Aragorn informed them that the other door to the side was a safe escape as there was no noise heard from there. But they could not leave yet. A great bang was heard on the door and it shook with great might. Demi doubted how long it would stay shut, or how many more blows it could take before it shattered into splinters. A great foot was shoved through the door and then silence.

        Frodo lept forward and cried "For the shire!". Sting stabbed the foot and a hideous yell was heard from the owner. He removed his sword and blood dripped everywhere. Another crash fell against the door, hammers beating upon it trying to make their way through. Arrows were shot through a hole in the door and hit the northern wall. Legolas gave them a volley, hitting many orcs from behind the door. Their screams falling into the darkness. The orcs fought their way into the chamber and Demi withdrew her sword from its sheath and prepared herself.

        The number of their enemy could not be counted for they were far too many. Gimli jumped on top of the tomb, cursing the scum that had just entered Balin's resting place. He hewed at any orc that came within axe length, making them pay for finding their way into Moria.

        Legolas' bow sung with Aragorn's sword as side by side they destroyed a great number of orcs. Gandalf's voice could be heard calling and yelling. His staff swung around, giving great blows and his word chopped off limbs. The hobbits screamed and as one charged forward. Demi and Rhia stood behind Boromir who swung his blade back and forth protecting them. Demi had learned not to use magic in battle. A towering Uruk came towards her and Boromir was busy. This was her chance.

        The Uruk charged at her and she ducked, barely missing the blade. She stood up again and sent her blade into the shins of her aggressor. The uruk howled in pain and fell over. She brought her sword down again into the uruks head and it fell into silence. But the fight was not over yet. Another orc, spotting its comrades fall ran at Demi. She pointed her sword at the orc who ran into it in blind rage.

        "Now is the time!" yelled Gandalf above the noise and Demi made a mad dash for the door in which they were planning to leave through into the hall, but before she could reach it, a cave troll that Gandalf spoke about leaned over Demi. She screamed in fear and ducked under its legs as it brought its club down to meet her. The troll ignored her running forth into the chamber. Demi ran in after it, hacking at its legs, but the troll ignored her still. The troll ran after Frodo, who dodged the spear thrown at him by the troll. The troll picked it up again and Demi and Aragorn swiped at its legs. The troll knocked Aragorn for a four against a pillar. Aragorn passed out by the blow. In her fury, Demi kept attacking the troll, who gave up and knocked her across the room. She hit the eastern wall and slid down it, landing in a heap, blacking out.

        The troll thrust its spear into Frodo, who fell to the ground on his face. In their rage, Merry and Pippin jumped down from the wall were they were onto the trolls back and hacked into it. The troll screamed in pain, thrashing its body around and the hobbits with it. It roared and threw it head back. Legolas let an arrow fly and it went through the trolls mouth into its brain. It roared again in shock, then with a loud thud, fell to the floor. Aragorn came back to consciousness and spotted Frodo on the floor, the spear lying under him. He made his way over to the presumed dead hobbit, crawling on the floor. He got to his feet and picked up frodo, making a dash for the stairs.

        Boromir rushed to Demi and lifted her over his shoulder, following Aragorn as the fellowship followed behind, Rhe being dragged by Gandalf and Gimli by Legolas. Rhia was a wreck balling her eyes out. Demi just flopped up and down, a lifeless form.

***

Author's note!

Ha! Yeah, what a cliffhanger. Demi is 'dead' and lost before even Gandalf. Now who will save Middle earth?

dulaithlossword: Well thank you very much. I'm glad you like the story and the characters. I thought I'd be original, and maybe a lil weird about it, but thanks. Somebody had to do something different, and I took it upon myself to do so. Puddles are cool, they are fun to jump in and splash other people with! I'm afraid that you will have to wait with Boromir and Haldir, but I'm not following the movie, as much as I love it, I'm staying true to the book. Thanks again!