Chapter 5 - The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
Lothlórien
Messengers from Elrond came through a few days ago telling the elves of Lórien of the quest to destroy the ring. To the March warden this news meant little. His brothers convinced him to court an Elven lady by the name of Nárwen. She was fine for an elf but she brought him no consolation for loosing the one he truly loved. To Haldir, Darth Warious was a mere memory but he could not let go. Five hundred years had passed and he knew he could not hope to see her again. No mortal could ever live that long.
Moria
Merry, Pippin and Shysa were all sitting together on a step, bored. They were waiting for Gandalf to figure out which way they were supposed to go.
Shysa entertained the two with a song.
"Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle down the wind
Let your voices carry
Drown out all the rain
Light a patch of darkness
Treacherous and scary
Howl at the stars
Whisper when you're sleepy
I'll be there you hold you
I'll be there to stop
The chills and all the weeping
Make it clear and strong
So the whole night long
Every signal that you send
Until the very end
I will not abandon you my precious friend
So try and stand the tide
Then you'll raise a banner
Send a flare up in the sky
Try to burn a torch
And try to build a bonfire
Every signal that you send
Until the very end
I'm there
So whistle down the wind
For I have always been
Right there."
"Wow," Pippin breathed. "That was beautiful!"
"Yeah! Do you know more songs?" Merry asked.
"Well I…"
"That was beautiful." Legolas said coming up to us. "And you meant it for someone."
"Well I was singing it to Merry and Pippin." Shysa replied rolling her eyes.
"That is not what I meant. You had someone in mind when you sang that song."
"Who?" Merry and Pippin asked at the same time, but before she could answer Gandalf spoke.
"Ah! It's that way!"
So off they went down the left stair case lading downward. They had not walked far down it when they came to a large open hall. Its pillars were high and like works of art crafted from an ancient tribe. The hall was magnificent. Everyone looked around in awe at the sight of the Halls of Moria. Then Gimli gave a shout and ran into a room.
The rest of the fellowship followed and found Gimli on his knees before what looked to be a tomb. "These are Daeron's Runes, such as were used of old in Moria. Here it is written in the tongues of Men and Dwarves: BALIN SON OF FUNDIN LORD OF MORIA" Gandalf proclaimed solemnly. Gimli let out a wail of sadness.
"He is dead then," said Frodo. "I feared it was so."
Gimli hung his head as Gandalf then stooped to pick up a journal like book and began to read.
Shysa moved away from the group to examine the skeletons lying around on the floor as Gandalf read aloud to the fellowship. She ignored the words being spoken; they were of no concern to her. Gandalf finished reading from the book and spoke, "Come now! Back to the hall!
Gandalf had just finished speaking these words when they heard a rolling Boom that seemed to come from below. Then the Fellowship heard echoing drums that seemed to day 'Doom, doom' with each beat.
"They are coming!" Legolas called out.
"Trapped!" cried Gandalf. "Why did I delay?"
Gandalf continued to call himself stupid while Shysa called to the hobbits to gather behind her as Aragorn called for Boromir to close the door and bar it.
The orcs broke through the door in a few seconds but it allowed the Fellowship a few moments to draw their weapons. When the orcs came through, all Kessel broke loose.
Shysa and Aragorn battled side by side while Frodo, Sam and Boromir worked together.
Legolas stood back a-ways and shot orcs with his bow while Merry and Pippin stood by Gandalf as they fought. There was a large shadow looming over Shysa and she looked up to see a large ugly troll-like creature starting to swing a club down on her head. Shysa rolled under it and swung her saber up to sever the arm of the creature. Gandalf gave the order to get out the door since there was a semi-clear path and they ran.
Gandalf led them down a dark stairway and suddenly the orcs broke off their chase. This gave the fellowship some time to recover. "That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn said to Frodo.
"Well it did not skewer me, I am glad to say," said Frodo; "though I feel as if I had been caught between a hammer and an anvil." Frodo stopped speaking and Shysa noticed that it looked painful for Frodo to breath.
Gandalf looked fondly on Frodo and said to him, "You take after Bilbo. There is more about you than meets the eye, as I said of him long ago."
Gimli then spoke, "There is light ahead, but it is red and not daylight. What can it be?"
The fellowship continued down the stairs and the air grew hotter. They came to an archway lit by a red glow. They looked though the archway and saw a loftier and more cavernous hall then the one they had just escaped from. "This is the second hall of Old Moria and the gates are not more than a quarter mile away, across the bridge up a broad stair, along a wide road, through the first hall and out."
Shysa groaned, "Oh joy of Kessel inferno! More stairs! Yahoo!"
The fellowship walked through the archway. The place was filled with fire and smoke. Suddenly and arrow hit nearby, the orcs had returned!
Gandalf commanded Gimli to lead them across the bridge to the other side then to go strait up the stair beyond the door. Legolas reached for his bow to help rid them of their orc tormentors but as he turned around the arrow he was holding fell in shock and terror. The orcs had slunk back to give the creature room.
It was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet grater; power and terror seemed to be in it and go before it.
It leapt forward over a fissure toward them. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip.
"A Balrog!"
"Durin's bane!" Gimli cried dropping his axe to cover his face.
"Jeerota! Chesl eekeetuhkuh! Tyatee hutar!" Shysa called to Gimli in Ewok.
"Over the bridge!" cried Gandalf. "Fly! This foe is beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!"
Shysa, Gimli, Legolas and the four hobbits quickly obeyed then halted inside the doorway at the halls end while the two men stayed at the end of the bridge just behind Gandalf. The Balrog reached the bridge while Gandalf stood in the middle with Glamdring, his sword, out. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip and fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm and spoke out in a great voice, "You cannot pass. I am a servant of the Sacred Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the shadow! You cannot pass."
The Balrog's fire seemed to dim as the shadow around it grew. Slowly it stepped onto the bridge and drew itself up to its full height and its wings still spread from wall to wall.
The Balrog's red sword sliced down towards the old wizard but the blade was parried by the glowing white form of Glamdring. "You cannot pass!" Gandalf cried out again. The Balrog leapt full onto the bridge its whip whirling and cracking. Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he struck the bridge before him. The staff broke apart in his hand and fell. A blinding wall of light sprung up and the bridge cracked. The stone under the Balrog crumbled falling away and with a great cry it fell forward plunging down into the vast cavern, vanishing. But even as it fell the whip wrapped itself around Gandalf's knees dragging him to the edge. Gandalf grasped the edge and said "Fly you fools!" and then he was gone.
Aragorn came and brought the others out of the shocked demeanor and told them to follow him. The fellowship ran on and on until they came up out of the mine.
"Come on my friends. We cannot stay here. There is still a long road ahead of us. Come." Aragorn commanded the fellowship once they were out.
The fellowship headed south once again…
A/N: Please review.