The group looked up at the troll towering above them. Legolas shot the troll with an arrow as Narcissis stood up. It roared as it lifted up the club in its hands. It brought the club down and everyone managed to get out of the way.
"What is this thing doing?" wondered the gargoyle as she tried to go help.
But she found that her feet wouldn't move. Aragorn looked over at her and saw what she was doing. He hurried over to her and quickly knelt beside her.
"What's wrong?" he quietly asked.
"I have some pain again. I think I know why it is but I am unsure yet. I wish to help but I believe I will be more in the way than anything," she replied as she tried look over at her brother but couldn't see him anywhere.
They watched the elf shoot another arrow at the cave troll. Gimli threw an axe at the troll and it retaliated a bit. The troll swung its club and it landed where the dwarf once stood. Gimli had jumped from his position on the tomb.
The hobbits were soon trying to get out of the troll's way, hiding behind the pillars.
Narcissis soon caught sight of her brother and Aragorn looked over as well. The elf was on a ledge, facing the cave troll.
"Legolas!" she cried out but he didn't appear to have heard her.
He dodged the troll's attacks with the chain until one time, it was caught around one of the pillars. She watched as Legolas traveled along the chain onto the creature's back and shooting an arrow at it. He jumped down as the troll cried out.
She winced as she looked over at Sam, who was hitting the orcs with a pan.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," he said as he continued to do it.
Narcissis continued to watch the members of the Fellowship, not even noticing the troll head in her direction. Aragorn wasn't far from her, keeping the orcs from her and he didn't even see the troll either. He looked up at it and was a bit surprised by its sudden appearance.
He managed to get out of the way and the troll loomed over the gargoyle. Legolas managed to look over at them to see the scene.
"Nanaylia," he whispered as he stepped forward.
He hurried towards his sister and towered over her, an arrow pointed at the cave troll, who snarled upon seeing the elf. He swung his club at the elf who barely dodged out of the way. Legolas found himself being hit by a stray rock that went in his direction after the club connected with the ground. He cringed in pain as he clutched his upper arm. Narcissis gasped and stood in front of her brother, arms out to her side. She growled as she stared at the troll before her.
It stared at her for a few moments before moving away from them.
"What happened? Why didn't it attack you?" wondered Legolas, a cringe of pain in his voice.
"I'm unsure. Maybe because I am a gargoyle," replied Narcissis as she lowered her arms. "Will you be fine?"
Legolas nodded as he rubbed his arm. He tried to hide the wound from the gargoyle's worried eyes. For some strange reason, Legolas almost seemed angry with her, again for teh same reasin as earlier: for following them. He couldn't shake the feeling and he wished he knew why. It was then that he couldn't keep the anger locked up inside.
"'Tis a small scratch. Nothing serious," he told her in an angry voice. "Leave me alone. I can handle this. Stay out of the fight. You have caused enough trouble with the mere fact that you have followed us."
Narcissis watched him as he stood back up.
'What did she do to you? And how did she do it without me seeing it?' she asked herself.
The troll made its way towards the hobbits. Pippin gasped as he and Merry went in one direction while Frodo went in another. The Ringbearer tried not to be seen by the creature after Aragorn called out to him. In the end, the troll found him and dragged him off the ledge. He stabbed at the troll.
"Aragorn!" he called out. "Aragorn!"
"Frodo!" cried Aragorn.
He jumped in between the troll and Frodo, using a long spear to stab in the troll abdomen area. It cried out before hurtling Aragorn across the room, against a pillar. It knocked him out cold and Frodo hurried over to him. The troll soon walked after them and cornered Frodo, stabbing him. Frodo gasped out in pain. Gandalf twirled around to look at the scene. Merry and Pippin also looked on in shock before throwing rocks at it and jumping on its back.
"Frodo?" Sam said. "Frodo!"
The hobbit was soon making its way towards his friend as the others continued to fight.
Frodo soon fell to the ground as Merry and Pippin continued their voyage on the back of the troll. Merry was thrown off and the troll was trying to get at the other members of the Fellowship until Legolas had his bow prepared, aimed at the troll. Pippin liffted up the head and the elf released the arrow. It let out one last groan before falling to the ground, dead, with Pippin flying off. The Fellowship didn't bother to look at it before hurrying over to Frodo.
"Oh no," Aragorn said as Narcissis hurried up to them.
Aragorn tuned him over and it was then that Frodo coughed, making everyone relieved.
"He's alive," Sam said with relief obvious in his voice.
"I'm not hurt," Frodo said.
"You should be dead. The spear would have skewered a wild boar," Aragorn told him. "It's amazing you are still alive."
"I think that there is more than meets the eye," Gandalf said as he eyed Frodo, noticing the glimmer of mithril underneath the hobbit's clothes.
Narcissis wondered what he was talking about, knowing that the statement hit close to home. She looked at Frodo and smiled once hse saw the mithril vest.
"Mithril. Such a material. I believe this is the I've seen it. Some people can be full of surprises. One can never know what goes on in one's mind," she said as she looked at the wizard out of the corner of her eye.
"You're full of surprises Master Baggins," Gimli told the hobbit.
Gandalf saw this and gave a small smile, knowing what she was talking about. He soon looked over at Legolas and saw that the elf's shoulder was slightly bleeding.
'How did that happen?' wondered Gandalf but the question was soon no longer first priority as he heard something outside the room.
They all heard it and the wizard became worried with it.
"To the bridge of Khazad-dum," he said before they all hurried out of the room.
They headed towards the bridge. Narcissis was flying above them, finding it a lot quicker. As they ran through the area, they found themselves being surrounded by many orcs and the Fellowship prepared themselves.
But it didn't last long.
A great roar went throughout the room and the many orcs which recently surrounded them immediately left them and disappeared.
"What is this new devilry?" wondered Boromir as Narcissis landed behind him.
He glanced behind him at her. He was becoming more nervous with what was heading towards them. He was nervous with the presence of the gargoyle and now this, whatever it was. Narcissis growled as if defending herself and it soon turned into a staring contest. That caused Aragorn to step in between the two, which made the two stop.
Legolas glanced back and sighed at the scene before waiting to see what Gandalf had to say.
"It is a Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you," the wizard said, glancing over at the gargoyle. "Run!"
The group followed him, with Narcisis taking to the air again. Boromir ran through a doorway and soon found himself almost falling off a broken stairway. Legolas hurried up behind him and pulled him back.
Aragorn looked at Gandalf as he leaned against the wall.
"Head for the bridge," Gandalf instructed him.
"I can't leave you here! That creature..." the man started as Legolas hurried back to him.
"Come on Aragorn. We should go," the elf told him.
"Listen to him Aragorn. No weapon that we have is of any more use. Nothing will work against it," Gandalf told him, trying to make the man head towards the bridge.
Aragorn looked over at the bridge before reluctantly heading towards it. But not before Gandalf headed towards it. The man wondered what was going through the wizard's mind as the group headed towards it.
They soon came to a gap in the stairway and Legolas jumped over to the other side. He cringed a bit in pain and was almost to take a step forward. He managed not to before turning around to the others. The elf looked up and took notice of the rest of the Fellowship. The gargoyle hovering above them, in case they might need her. He wondered how many of them would mind having the arms of a gargoyle around their bodies. She soon landed beside him and he sighed as he looked at Gandalf.
"Gandalf, come on," the elf him to him.
Gandalf jumped and landed beside the elf. Narcissis looked over at Aragorn and Frodo, noticing that the hobbit was slightly uncomfortable. With what, she didn't know as she looked towards Gimli. The dwarf was refusing to be tossed so he jumped. His feet barely caught the step and the gargoyle hurried towards him. She saw that Legolas had caught the dwarf's beard.
"What the...?" he asked as he felt himself being pushed onto solid ground.
Gimli stared at the gargoyle, wondering why she did that as Boromir grasped onto Merry and Pippin before jumping across the gap. The dwarf began to wonder about his opinion about gargoyles.
'What is it about her that seems so familiar? She almost seems a bit protective of the elf and Aragorn. Why is that? How does she know them and how long has she known them?' he thought to himself as he watched her.
Aragorn and Frodo were trying to get to where the others were from the now unstable piece of stairway. It was now moving and Aragorn told Frodo to move forward. They soon found out they didn't have to worry as Narcissis flew towards them and grabbed Aragorn around the waist. She knelt down long enough on the stairs for Frodo to climb on her back. The stairs toppled down as she flew above the scene. The Fellowship was happy to see this.
Frodo looked over Narcissis as she flew in the air. He could see the scars over her body and wondered what they were from. The one that sparked his curiousity the most was one on her shoulder.
'What happened that she received this scar? And what about the others ones she has?' he asked himself.
The questions soon left his mind as he felt a dropping sensation. Narcissis was losing altitude and losing it quickly. The hobbit looked to see that she was headed towards the other members of the Fellowship.
"What's happening?" asked Frodo.
"I misjudged the weight of you both. I cannot stay up any longer," came the gargoyle's reply. "I can't stay up. We'll have to head down. Hold on!"
Aragorn noticed the fear in her voice as his feet soon contacted with solid ground. He twirled around to see where Frodo was only to see the gargoyle was no longer in view. Legolas hurried towards the side and Aragorn hurried towards the elf to see that the gargoyle had grasped the edge, with Frodo still on her back.
"Climb up," she told the hobbit.
"What?" Frodo asked, not believeing what he was hearing.
"Climb up. Go on without me," she repeated.
The hobbit reluctantly did as he was told and was soon pulled up by the elf. After he was up, both Aragorn and Legolas pulled the gargoyle up.
"What's going on?" wondered Legolas in a quiet voice.
"I cannot go on. Please, leave without me. I will only slow you down," she barely replied as her wings flapped once.
"I will not leave you!" Legolas replied, almost shouting it out.
"But you will. I will meet up with you again. Just go without me. Trust me," she replied.
Gandalf walked up to the elf and placed a hand on his shoulder. Legolas knew what he was going to say. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell Elladan yet about what she was doing and what he was about to do.
The group of nine hurried towards the bridge of Khazad-dum and hurried across it. They saw the Balrog coming up behind them and Gandalf faced it.
"You shall not pass!" the wizard cried out.
"Gandalf!" cried Frodo.
He was worried now. First, the gargoyle who had helped him and Aragorn was left behind on her request. Now Gandalf was facing off against this creature, one of shadow and flame. The group watched as the Balrog lifted an arm and it appeared he threw something. Legolas soon fell to the ground and they were surprised. They looked to see that Narcissis had been thrown into his direction and now she lay on top of him. She groaned as Gimli and Aragorn hurried up to them. The gargoyle was lying on top of him and they gently rolled her off. Legolas moaned as he tried to stand up, several scratches over his arms.
"Legolas!" cried Aragorn, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Aragorn, what hit me?" asked the elf.
"Na...Narcissis was thrown at you. It was the Balrog that threw her at you. Why did he do that?" Aragorn replied.
Legolas looked over at the creature before his stare came back to Aragorn.
"I will explain later. I tihnk I might know," he replied before hurrying over to his sister.
The elf placed a hand on his head and stood up before looking over at the gargoyle, who was lying unconscious nearby. He looked over her and saw that she was stirring. It was apparent that she received no further injuries. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Lego?" she quietly said, forgetting where she was.
Legolas looked over at Gimli and became worried, afraid that the dwarf might have heard what she said. She soon became fully aware of her surroundings. She looked at her brother with slight confusion written on her face as she looked at Gandalf facing the Balrog.
He looked over at Gandalf, who had forced part of the bridge to break and fall, taking the Balrog with it. The wizard started to turn away but the whip caught his ankle and was forced downwards. He was clinging to the side and looked at the other members of the Fellowship.
"Gandalf!" Frodo cried out, trying to get to him but was stopped.
"Fly you fools," was all Gandalf said before releasing his grip.
Frodo was distraught as he looked at the scene. Aragorn watched helplessly as he started to follow the others. He saw that Legolas and Narcissis were helping each other get out of the room as the arrows began to bombard them.
00000
They managed to reach the outside world. The hobbits began to cry from the recent experience of losing Gandalf. Legolas seemed to be a bit confused from the experience since he was still unfamiliar with death, even after what happened to his sister. Boromir was upset with what happened.
Narcissis looked over at her brother and the confused look on his face.
"Legolas, even after what happened all those years ago, we are still confused when faced with death," she mused.
Legolas stared at her with sadness in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to hug her but he somehow found the restraint not to in front of the others. He figured he would wait until nightfall and when they were in a safe haven: when they were in Lothlorien which was nearby. He knew that they would probably get there the next day.
"And I have hated it every day for 15 years that I had to live with that for centuries," Legolas quietly said as he heard Aragorn.
"Legolas, get them up," Aragorn told him.
"Give them a moment for pity's sake," Boromir protested. "I mean, we just lost Gandalf to that creature! They mourn for him. We all do."
"By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with orcs. We need to reach the woods of Lothlorien before they overwhelm us," Aragorn replied as he sheathed his sword.
00000
A pair of eyes watched the group of nine as they sat outside the mountainside.
"They survived the Watcher and got through the mines? They are more resilient than I thought. I might have to deal with Legolas myself," she said to herself.
She flapped her wings and prepared herself.
00000
Aragorn heard the flapping of wings and quickly looked around. He saw that Narcissis was sitting on the ground. She appeared to be a little shaken still. He became worried as he looked towards the sky.
"She's back," he cried.
Boromir, Legolas and Gimli looked in the direction Aragorn was looking in and saw the gargoyle heading towards them. Shentree landed on the ground in the middle of the group, causing them to scatter a bit. Her stare came to Narcissis and growled.
"You will die and so will your brother. The Watcher didn't take care of you and neither did anything in the Mines of Moria. It looks like I will have to do it myself after all," Shentree growled at the paler gargoyle. "Then I will take care of the rest of these pitiful men, dwarves, and hobbits that you call your friends."
Narcissis shook her head as she growled as well. The Fellowship watched as Shentree appeared to be ready to jump at the other gargoyle.
Legolas watched, feeling helpless with the scene before him as Shentree decided to lunge at Narcissis.
TBC....