Hey everyone! I normally don't have an author's note, but today it was necessary. Sorry its been so long between chapters, but I've had mid-term exams. Secondly, my muse has gone on vacation. Thanks to everyone who is reviewing! I appreciate everything! I know this chapter isn't great but next time, it will be better. Advertisement: Read Soluna's story Deadly Mistakes. It's really good. Alright, better go.
Ella
Chapter 6
"Must we go under the mountain, Erika? Could you not persuade Gandalf to let us pass through the Gap of Rohan?" Katie asked hopefully of her good friend.
"Why do you care if we go through Moria? Besides, we must not changer their destiny," Erika answered around a mouthful of marshmallow. Her face screwed up as she chewed. "How in the world do you all ear all this sugar day after day? I'll never eat marshmallows ever again, but this trip has proved true that a woman can live off chocolate alone."
"Not this woman," Chelli answered. "I need pizza, pasta, chicken, hamburgers. I'll even eat peas!" She yanked a piece of Merry's hair in frustration, causing him to look suspiciously at Gimli beside him. Merry jumped up and threw a roll at Gimli. Chelli grabbed the roll as a brawl broke out.
"Che – Petunia! I cannot believe you just did that!" Paige cried in horror.
"Food is food, and it's better than living off sugar," Chelli answered turning to glare at Jenny in disgust where she was happily munching on chocolate and marshmallows.
Katie put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, Erika. I do believe we were discussing something," she demanded.
"Oh yes. I believe I was asking you why you thought we should take the Gap of Rohan," Erika prompted.
"Yes, that was it. As I was going to answer before you lost focus, o'-wise-wizardess, I do not like the idea of Moria because the farther we go down the mountain, the more rocks and less trees there is. Imagine when we get into those horrendous caves and there is no living thing except for orcs, Gollum, demons, and us. Excuse me, but I haven't even tested this bow in battle yet, and who am I going to talk to when you fools are mean to me," Katie pleaded.
"You sound much like another elf I know. He is over there mumbling in Elvish about stupid caves and no trees. Merry and Pippin are begging him to teach them Elvish curse words and that's making him angry," Gandalf laughed.
"Gandalf, are you okay? You're talking to yourself again," Frodo asked, tugging on Gandalf's cloak like a child.
"Elves have curse words?" Chelli said perking up.
"Katie's an elf…" Jenny suggested slyly.
"Hmm… I wonder if she knows," Chelli mused.
"Yes, I can miraculously speak and understand Elvish. No, I'm not going to curse in Elvish when I don't even curse in English," Katie glared at her two friends.
"Legolas's excuse is that he will not degrade the tongue of intellect and beauty by profaning its graceful melody with words of crudeness' Gandalf added.
"Huh? I don't get it," Jenny began to wail.
"Great! Just what we needed that thing wailing again," Gandalf muttered.
"You, shut up. I already had to punish you once for that horrid name and giving Jen chocolate, but I will not hesitate to pull back out the pink hair dye should you insult my friends again," Chelli fumed.
"You put the hair dye in my hair?" Gandalf began to roar, but then he looked at the fury on Chelli's face. "Well, that's alright….just don't do it again…maybe…kinda…please?"
Chelli snorted at this plea and turned on her heels to talk to Esther and Jennifer who were preparing to practice their fighting. Ashley sat with Frodo, invisibly comforting him as he stared into the fire. Gimli and Ashley returned to the camp.
"We're almost there! We are almost to the mines! I cannot wait!" Gimli shouted. He quickly began to urge everyone to continue on the short walk that arriving that night would require.
Everyone began to grumble, but Gandalf said that Gimli was right. So the Fellowship and their companions traveled all of that night until they reached the doors to Moria. Once there the girls fell into a mass of skirts and hair and slept.
The clouds cleared the moon and its light spirited down to show the fellowship the way into the caves. Everyone looked on in amazement at silver writing appeared across the side of the mountain revealing the doors and some writing.
Gandalf stood back and smiled. Walking up to the doors he pointed to the words and read, "It reads, 'The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter.'"
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked stepping closer.
A small cheep was heard and Paige sat up in alarm. "Ouch!" she cried, "he stepped on me!"
"It's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and doors will open," Gandalf responded to Merry, ignoring Paige. He put his staff to the doors and yelled in Elvish, but the doors did not open.
Paige poked the others to wake them up. They sat up yawning. "Why do we have to get up?" Jennifer grumbled, and she, Chelli, Ashley, Michelle, and Jenny went back to sleep while Katie and Esther mumbled about how ugly the place was.
Gandalf pushed harder and harder against the doors but to no avail. The entire fellowship sat down to wait. After two hours, Katie went to go talk to the only tree with in miles and Esther to pet Bill the pony. Paige and Erika tried to encourage Gandalf. Merry was very bored and decided to throw rocks into the pond beside them.
"Do not disturb the water," Aragorn hissed grabbing Merry by the cloak. Esther hurried over to Katie.
"Katie, I think you need to prepare your bow. Things are starting to move again. Soon it will be time to fight," she said tugging to the back of Katie's dress.
"Yes, alright, Esther. I'm getting ready," Katie answered sleepily.
The girls picked up their weapons and began to wake their friends. They were just helping Jenny to round up her missing chocolate as Frodo solved the riddle. The girls turned upon hearing the scraping of stone.
"Get into the cave," Erika said pushing Michelle ahead of her.
"Wonderful, just peachy. I hate creepy places like this," Katie whispered to herself while taking her place beside Legolas.
Gimli began to speak, but his words were cut off by Jennifer's squeal of horror. "I just stepped on something squishy and hard at the same time!"
"Oh my goodness! Those are dead people!" Michelle shrieked.
Everywhere there were decaying bodies. Arrows stuck out from the corpses in everyplace imaginable. Katie backed up into Legolas and jumped away frightened that he too was a corpse hanging from the ceiling.
Legolas grabbed an arrow from a nearby body and looked on in dawning horror. "Goblins," he stated.
The fellowship pulled out their weapons turning in fear towards the darkness. Esther, Jennifer, Jenny, and Chelli pulled out their swords and Katie pulled out her bow and an arrow. They were turned toward the outside because Erika had reminded them of what was coming.
"Stay behind us, Michelle, Paige. We do not want this octopus thing to get you. When it attacks, run as far as possible," Esther commanded.
Screaming filled the cave as confusion took hold. Frodo was dragged out and the fellowship followed with increased bravery. The girls huddled close to protect each other.
"We need another bow, Lasselantavanima," he ordered as he swept by. "Come."
Katie sped out shaking with terror. She put her arrow to the bowstring, but fear stayed her hand.
"Help!" Frodo called in horror.
"I can't shoot it. I just can't," Katie wailed fighting back tears of fear.
"Shoot it, Katie. Just shoot it," Esther yelled from inside the cave.
Katie did as Esther commanded, tears streaming down her face. The arrow struck the creature in a limb and it cried out in pain repeatedly with each new blow.
"Into the mines!" Gandalf shouted pulling the sobbing Katie in with him. The girls yelled as the fellowship rushed toward them and the creature's tentacles came toward them.
Rocks fell and the creature's limbs brought the door tumbling down behind them. Jenny fainted against Jennifer and Esther carried her as far as possible away from the wreckage. Then there was darkness.
"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria."
