They traveled down some stairs, only guided by Gandalf's staff. They came out into a large room. What small sounds they were making barely echoed. To Kec, it didn't feel as thick as the other rooms they had traveled through.
"Now would be the time for a little more light," Gandalf muttered, holding his staff aloft.
The light grew, illuminating the hall. Everyone stood and looked around, awe evident on many a face. Kec realized that standing next to these pillars, she was tiny compared to this once-great civilization. They walked down the hall, looking around, trying to see if the shadows moved with a hidden threat. Nothing.
Suddenly, "Huh?" echoed gruffly through the hall. It was Gimli.
He took off running, ignoring Gandalf's cry of "Gimli."
The Fellowship followed him and soon found him kneeling in front of a tomb.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria," Gandalf read. "So, he is dead."
Boromir came up behind Gimli and put his hand on Gimli's shoulder, trying to comfort him. The four Hobbits had moved further into the room, looking around. Gandalf had handed Pippin, who was closest to him, his staff and hat. Kendra was standing behind Aragorn in the doorway. She watched as Gandalf leaned down and picked up a book, prying it out of the skeletal fingers of a dead dwarf. She shivered. This place gave her the creeps.
Gandalf opened the book and blew some of the dust off of it. He started to read. Kendra really didn't pay attention to what he was saying. But what Legolas said next really caught her attention.
"We should leave now. We cannot linger," he said to Aragorn.
Aragorn nodded and turned back to what Gandalf was saying.
"They are coming," he finished.
A crash sounded through the tiny room, scaring everyone. A helmeted, skeletal head of a dwarf that had been propped up on the well fell into it, quickly followed by its body and the rusty chain and bucket that had been tied around it. The sounds echoed through the mines, slowly growing softer and softer. After a few seconds of silence, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Fool of a Took," Gandalf said, anger evident as he closed the book, "throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." Gandalf grabbed his staff and hat back from the unfortunate Hobbit, glaring as he turned around.
Then he suddenly stopped and turned back to the well. It was small, almost unnoticed. Drum beats. These were quickly followed by screeches and more drums. Panic spread through the Hobbits. Aragorn quickly herded the Hobbits into a corner while Gimli pushed himself away from the tomb.
"Orcs," Legolas said, while turning to face the door.
Kendra turned and looked out, Boromir soon standing next to her and leaning even further out the door. Kendra heard a whistling sound and pulled Boromir's head back using his hair. He glared at the arrows that were now impaled on the door.
Both moved back quickly into the room and slammed the rusty doors shut. Kendra moved to pick up some spears to wedge the doors while Boromir turned to face Aragorn who came to help them.
"They have a cave troll," he said, making it sound like it was a good thing.
Legolas quickly tossed axes and spears to the three. They quickly moved back, Kendra picking up an axe for her weapon. No way in Hell was she going to fight these things with bare hands. She took up a position beside Boromir and a wall, making sure the Hobbits were behind her. They watched as the creatures started chopping at the doors. Aragorn and Legolas both stood with arrows on their strings. Boromir bounced back and forth waiting for the moment to strike. Gimli stood on the top of Balin's tomb, blustering about being the last dwarf breathing in Moria.
A strike from an axe and you could see the orcs beyond the doors. An arrow sang and a creature shrieked. Legolas quickly put another arrow onto the string as Aragorn released his and struck another creature. The doors burst open at this point and the flood of orcs made Kendra realize that this was going to be like another one of her street fights. She swung the axe and took off several heads, quickly getting into the flow of battle. The battle hadn't been going for very long when she heard the sound of stone hitting the floor and an enraged roar from a creature the size of a small house.
Sam shouted and ran in between the legs of the troll, drawing its attention. The troll turned and unfortunately, Sam couldn't get off the floor fast enough. He closed his eyes, waiting for the foot to stomp him flat. Kendra swung her axe, taking off several more heads, trying to reach the small Hobbit. Thankfully, Boromir and Aragorn were watching out for the Hobbit, as well. They both grabbed the troll's chain and pulled, knocking him off balance. Sam scrambled away, grabbing one of his pots to defend himself.
Kendra turned back to the battle, grabbing a hacked off spear. She swung and blocked for a few seconds before she saw something large go flying into a wall. It was Boromir. He hadn't let go of the chain and the troll had sent him flying. Boromir sat up, shaking his head after he hit the floor. An orc stood over him, getting ready to strike the Gondorian down. The next thing he saw, a sword through the orc's chest and a piece of wood through its head. Aragorn watched long enough to see him get off the floor but Kendra was already back in the battle. She had turned her entire attention to the cave troll.
'This is going to be fun,' she thought, smiling a little.
The troll was entirely focused on hunting down the three hobbits. She saw the three disappear behind a pillar as the troll looked around it. Kendra watched in horror as Merry and Pippin suddenly got separated from Frodo, who the troll was so focused on. She started fighting her way across the room, trying to get to the Hobbit. All of the big folk were on the other side of the room, too far away to be any help to the trapped Hobbit.
The troll roared and pulled a shouting Frodo out by his foot. Kendra watched in horror as Frodo was dropped. He crawled into a corner, closely followed by the troll. That was when she saw Aragorn drop down and put a spear right into the troll's chest. The troll roared in pain and batted Aragorn right into a stone pillar. Kendra swung her axe around and caught a sword that had been aimed at her head. Because of that, she didn't see what had happened next. But she heard everything.
Sam shouted and started beating through the sea of orcs. Gandalf fought like a man possessed. Merry and Pippin had thrown themselves onto the head of the troll and had proceeded to jam their swords into its head. It grabbed one by the foot and threw him away. Kendra turned around in time to see Legolas shoot an arrow right into its open mouth. She watched as the troll touched the arrow, as if in shock. It wobbled a little before crashing down to the floor, throwing the last Hobbit. They stood there watching it for a few seconds before everyone turned to see about Frodo.
Gandalf moved in front of Kendra's vision but she did see Aragorn crawling over to the limp form of the fallen Hobbit. A moan was heard and Sam's relieved, "He's alive," eased their fears. Kendra moved around and watched as Aragorn looked at Frodo with a look of wonder in his eyes.
"That spear would have skewered a wild boar," Aragorn said in disbelief.
"It would seem that there is more to this Hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf said
They all looked at Frodo who pulled his torn shirt open a little more. Gasps went through the group at what he was wearing.
"Mithril," Gimli breathed out.
Kendra just stared. Never had she seen something that looked so delicate and beautiful. She was pulled out of her awe by another sound. They all looked to the broken doorway and listened as orcs started coming closer.
"To the Bridge of Khazad-Dum."
"Now would be the time for a little more light," Gandalf muttered, holding his staff aloft.
The light grew, illuminating the hall. Everyone stood and looked around, awe evident on many a face. Kec realized that standing next to these pillars, she was tiny compared to this once-great civilization. They walked down the hall, looking around, trying to see if the shadows moved with a hidden threat. Nothing.
Suddenly, "Huh?" echoed gruffly through the hall. It was Gimli.
He took off running, ignoring Gandalf's cry of "Gimli."
The Fellowship followed him and soon found him kneeling in front of a tomb.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria," Gandalf read. "So, he is dead."
Boromir came up behind Gimli and put his hand on Gimli's shoulder, trying to comfort him. The four Hobbits had moved further into the room, looking around. Gandalf had handed Pippin, who was closest to him, his staff and hat. Kendra was standing behind Aragorn in the doorway. She watched as Gandalf leaned down and picked up a book, prying it out of the skeletal fingers of a dead dwarf. She shivered. This place gave her the creeps.
Gandalf opened the book and blew some of the dust off of it. He started to read. Kendra really didn't pay attention to what he was saying. But what Legolas said next really caught her attention.
"We should leave now. We cannot linger," he said to Aragorn.
Aragorn nodded and turned back to what Gandalf was saying.
"They are coming," he finished.
A crash sounded through the tiny room, scaring everyone. A helmeted, skeletal head of a dwarf that had been propped up on the well fell into it, quickly followed by its body and the rusty chain and bucket that had been tied around it. The sounds echoed through the mines, slowly growing softer and softer. After a few seconds of silence, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Fool of a Took," Gandalf said, anger evident as he closed the book, "throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." Gandalf grabbed his staff and hat back from the unfortunate Hobbit, glaring as he turned around.
Then he suddenly stopped and turned back to the well. It was small, almost unnoticed. Drum beats. These were quickly followed by screeches and more drums. Panic spread through the Hobbits. Aragorn quickly herded the Hobbits into a corner while Gimli pushed himself away from the tomb.
"Orcs," Legolas said, while turning to face the door.
Kendra turned and looked out, Boromir soon standing next to her and leaning even further out the door. Kendra heard a whistling sound and pulled Boromir's head back using his hair. He glared at the arrows that were now impaled on the door.
Both moved back quickly into the room and slammed the rusty doors shut. Kendra moved to pick up some spears to wedge the doors while Boromir turned to face Aragorn who came to help them.
"They have a cave troll," he said, making it sound like it was a good thing.
Legolas quickly tossed axes and spears to the three. They quickly moved back, Kendra picking up an axe for her weapon. No way in Hell was she going to fight these things with bare hands. She took up a position beside Boromir and a wall, making sure the Hobbits were behind her. They watched as the creatures started chopping at the doors. Aragorn and Legolas both stood with arrows on their strings. Boromir bounced back and forth waiting for the moment to strike. Gimli stood on the top of Balin's tomb, blustering about being the last dwarf breathing in Moria.
A strike from an axe and you could see the orcs beyond the doors. An arrow sang and a creature shrieked. Legolas quickly put another arrow onto the string as Aragorn released his and struck another creature. The doors burst open at this point and the flood of orcs made Kendra realize that this was going to be like another one of her street fights. She swung the axe and took off several heads, quickly getting into the flow of battle. The battle hadn't been going for very long when she heard the sound of stone hitting the floor and an enraged roar from a creature the size of a small house.
Sam shouted and ran in between the legs of the troll, drawing its attention. The troll turned and unfortunately, Sam couldn't get off the floor fast enough. He closed his eyes, waiting for the foot to stomp him flat. Kendra swung her axe, taking off several more heads, trying to reach the small Hobbit. Thankfully, Boromir and Aragorn were watching out for the Hobbit, as well. They both grabbed the troll's chain and pulled, knocking him off balance. Sam scrambled away, grabbing one of his pots to defend himself.
Kendra turned back to the battle, grabbing a hacked off spear. She swung and blocked for a few seconds before she saw something large go flying into a wall. It was Boromir. He hadn't let go of the chain and the troll had sent him flying. Boromir sat up, shaking his head after he hit the floor. An orc stood over him, getting ready to strike the Gondorian down. The next thing he saw, a sword through the orc's chest and a piece of wood through its head. Aragorn watched long enough to see him get off the floor but Kendra was already back in the battle. She had turned her entire attention to the cave troll.
'This is going to be fun,' she thought, smiling a little.
The troll was entirely focused on hunting down the three hobbits. She saw the three disappear behind a pillar as the troll looked around it. Kendra watched in horror as Merry and Pippin suddenly got separated from Frodo, who the troll was so focused on. She started fighting her way across the room, trying to get to the Hobbit. All of the big folk were on the other side of the room, too far away to be any help to the trapped Hobbit.
The troll roared and pulled a shouting Frodo out by his foot. Kendra watched in horror as Frodo was dropped. He crawled into a corner, closely followed by the troll. That was when she saw Aragorn drop down and put a spear right into the troll's chest. The troll roared in pain and batted Aragorn right into a stone pillar. Kendra swung her axe around and caught a sword that had been aimed at her head. Because of that, she didn't see what had happened next. But she heard everything.
Sam shouted and started beating through the sea of orcs. Gandalf fought like a man possessed. Merry and Pippin had thrown themselves onto the head of the troll and had proceeded to jam their swords into its head. It grabbed one by the foot and threw him away. Kendra turned around in time to see Legolas shoot an arrow right into its open mouth. She watched as the troll touched the arrow, as if in shock. It wobbled a little before crashing down to the floor, throwing the last Hobbit. They stood there watching it for a few seconds before everyone turned to see about Frodo.
Gandalf moved in front of Kendra's vision but she did see Aragorn crawling over to the limp form of the fallen Hobbit. A moan was heard and Sam's relieved, "He's alive," eased their fears. Kendra moved around and watched as Aragorn looked at Frodo with a look of wonder in his eyes.
"That spear would have skewered a wild boar," Aragorn said in disbelief.
"It would seem that there is more to this Hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf said
They all looked at Frodo who pulled his torn shirt open a little more. Gasps went through the group at what he was wearing.
"Mithril," Gimli breathed out.
Kendra just stared. Never had she seen something that looked so delicate and beautiful. She was pulled out of her awe by another sound. They all looked to the broken doorway and listened as orcs started coming closer.
"To the Bridge of Khazad-Dum."