Disclaimer: "Oh my gosh! There's Legolas!" ::rabid fan girls scramble to
tear off poor
Legolas's tunic::
Legolas: Enellewyn! Help me!
Enellewyn: ::cackles:: That's what you get for bragging that LeggoMyLegolas40 only owns me not you!
Legolas: ::strangled cries come out from the brawl of fan girls::
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Chapter 9
"Oh, it's that way!" Gandalf said, pointing to one of the entrances.
"He's remembered!" Merry said, hopping up from his position on the floor, looking bored.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose!" Gandalf said, placing a large hand on Merry's shoulder. The Fellowship filed into the dark stairway. "Let me risk a little more light."
The bright beam in Gandalf's staff bled through the shadows to reveal a magnificent hall with stone pillars perfectly align. Even Enellewyn couldn't subdue her amazement, despite her malice towards the dwarves.
"Behold, the great Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf," Gandalf said, holding his staff in the air, the glow of his staff bleeding through the shadows.
"There's an eye-opener no doubt," Sam whispered from Enellewyn's side. Walking along, admiring the fine craftsmanship, Gimli suddenly let out a shout of distress.
"Gimli!" Gandalf yelled, as the dwarf took off, running into a room. The rest of the Fellowship followed. They found Gimli crouched in front of a stone tomb, sobbing hysterically.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," Gandalf said, reading the dwarf inscriptions grimly. "He is dead then. It is as I feared." Gimli let out another sob.
"We must move on. We cannot linger," Legolas said in a hushed murmur to Aragorn. Enellewyn could also feel a lingering shadow, shrouding the room like a thick fog. Looking around shiftily, she tried to calm her unsettled mind.
Meanwhile, Gandalf had picked up a dirty leather worn book, that looked like it was caked with ancient blood, much to Enellewyn's disgust. Suddenly she was startled out of her daze, practically jumping out of her skin.
There was a loud series of crashes, and a wince from Pippin accompanied each and every one of them.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf exclaimed, snatching his hat and staff from Pippin. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Pippin folded his small hands and looked down at them, abashed.
"Frodo!" Enellewyn spun around, just in time to see Frodo's elvish sword gleaming a vibrant blue.
"Orcs!" Legolas said, as if he'd known it all along. Aragorn threw down the torch he'd been holding aloft.
"Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn yelled. The hobbits huddled behind Gandalf, clutching their knives for dear life. Enellewyn whisked an arrow out of her quiver and fitted it into her bow.
"They have a cave troll," Boromir said, sardonically. Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn proceeded to bar the doors with discarded dwarf axes.
"Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!" Gimli growled, perched atop his cousin's tomb.
As the first nick in the door appeared, Legolas shot his arrow. There was a horrible screech, a groan, and then a soundly thud. While Legolas fitted another arrow into his bow, a larger hole appeared and Enellewyn and Aragorn shot their arrows simultaneously.
Instead of grabbing another arrow, Enellewyn unsheathed her long, curved elvish blade. Before long, the doors' waning strength gave in, and the orcs flooded in like the Anduin River.
Various battle cries were shouted over the clamor of the horrible screeching of the orcs. Enellewyn leapt forward, slashing and cutting at the foes. The Fellowship branched out, fighting their own battles.
There was a loud roar and a crash. Wooden splinters flew through the air. Enellewyn shielded herself from the onslaught. A gangly goblin came up to her, a malicious grin etched onto its, to say the least, displeasing features.
Without a second thought, Enellewyn effectively severed his head from his neck. Putrid onyx black blood spewed out of its wound, splattering her dark hunter green tunic. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sam whacking orcs left and right with one of his cooking pans.
"I'm getting the hang of this!" he said, catching his breath. Enellewyn grinned before turning back to the skirmish at hand.
Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar, and a cave troll burst in with a large spiked club in his brawny hands. A chain was enclosed about his neck and several orcs had a hold of the other end.
Immediately, Legolas stepped in front of it, shooting an arrow at its chest. It bellowed indignantly before killing a few more orcs. But Enellewyn had to turn away from what was happening with the troll, as large assemblies of orcs were grouped in front of her, baring their yellow teeth and giving her malicious grins.
Enellewyn gulped. She was somewhat outnumbered, but swallowing her doubt, she lunged forward, her vivacious green eyes ablaze. Soon, after seeing that Enellewyn clearly wasn't someone that tolerated orcs, the remaining ones fled in different directions, seeking easier victims.
Enellewyn wiped the foul blood from her hands and onto her tunic. She looked up in time to see Legolas climbing atop the troll's head and shooting an arrow into the troll's thick skin. The troll clawed at Legolas, trying to get him in his hands, but Legolas leapt down to the ground, managing to maintain poise at the same time.
Enellewyn thought about the bragging rights Legolas would have after the war ended, so as the troll dragged his arm passed her, she grabbed hold, scrambling onto his hand.
Leaping onto his shoulder, Enellewyn unsheathed her blade, and lodged it into his neck. Feeling that it didn't go in far enough, she kicked the hilt with her foot for good measure. The troll threw his head back as he pawed at empty air. Legolas took aim, and fired his arrow into the troll's mouth, effectively delivering the last blow.
There was a deafening groan and a crash as the cave troll collapsed to the floor. Legolas stood in front of the motionless form, seeming satisfied with his work. Enellewyn just gripped the hilt of her knife and pulled it out with a sickening 'squelch!'
Wiping the blood onto her leggings, Enellewyn placed it back into her sheath. What would mother think of me getting all this blood onto my clothing? Enellewyn couldn't help but think. Her attention was directed towards Aragorn and a presumably lifeless Frodo.
"Oh no," Aragorn muttered, rolling Frodo over onto his back. Everyone had grim expressions and Sam looked like he was about to cry. There was an unexpected groan and Frodo heaved himself up. Sam's eyes lit up with happiness and relief.
"He's alive," Sam said gratefully.
"I'm alright. I'm not hurt," Frodo said, clutching his chest.
"You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn said in amazement.
"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf said with a knowing smile, leaning heavily on his staff. Frodo opened his shirt slightly to reveal glittering armored mail. Enellewyn and Legolas's mouths both dropped open simultaneously.
"Mithril! You are full of surprises Master Baggins," Gimli said, looking at the mail shirt remarkably. The air was filled with the terrible screeching of orcs and the clatter of armor against stone.
"Quick to the Bridge of Kazad-dum!" Gandalf yelled urgently. In a flash the Fellowship were sprinting through Moria. They ran through Dwarrowdelf, orcs trickling down the pillars through large cracks that had accumulated over the years. Before long, they were surrounded.
As Enellewyn stood their, bearing her sword in front of her, she made a vow to go down kicking and screaming should they capture her. But there was no need, as there was a deep guttural growl, and at the farther end of the spacious hall, there was a rich reddish orange glow emanating from the passageway.
Enellewyn and Legolas both lowered their weapons, already knowing what was to come. Enellewyn shook with fear, knowing what the devils of Middle Earth were capable of.
"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked, his voice only slightly unsteady.
"A balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" Gandalf yelled, sprinting to their right, everyone following closely. Boromir pulled ahead, turning to another path. He stopped short, realizing the staircase ended there. Legolas rushed forward, pulling Boromir back, so they landed in a heap on the stone stairs. Without hesitation, they took a new route.
"Gandalf!" Aragorn exclaimed.
"Lead them on Aragorn. The bridge is near. Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!" Gandalf shouted over the din of the roaring and rumbling of the foundations of Moria. He shoved Aragorn in the right direction. In the distance, Enellewyn could see a bridge.
The Fellowship surged forward until they came to a gap in the stairs. Legolas was the first to leap forward.
"Gandalf!" Legolas beckoned for him to jump also. Gandalf jumped, landing safely on the other side of the staircase. Enellewyn went after him, eager to escape the Balrog of Morgoth that had ravaged so many of her people.
It came to Legolas's attention that orcs had started shooting arrows at them. He took out one of his own, and fired, nailing an orc between the eyes. As one whizzed by Enellewyn, missing her only by a hair, she stretched her arm out, grabbing it in mid-air. Legolas looked at her, his lips forming a pout. Enellewyn just smirked and fitted the arrow into her bow. Bending her bowstring, she shot at the orc who she recalled had attempted to shoot the arrow in the first place and killed it efficiently.
Boromir tucked Merry and Pippin under his arms. Heaving himself forward, a large chunk of the stairs fell away into the dark abyss. Aragorn and Frodo scrambled backwards to avoid falling also. Aragorn grabbed Sam and tossed him to the other side. Boromir caught him, and Aragorn went to Gimli, ready to do the same thing.
But the dwarf held up a hand.
"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" he said stubbornly. Swinging his arms back once or twice, he leapt, almost falling. Luckily, Legolas seized his beard at the last minute.
"Not the beard!" Gimli yelled. Legolas pulled him up next to him. A crack began to form, and all of a sudden, the stairwell was declining ahead.
"Lean forward," Aragorn advised Frodo.
As they drew near, Legolas readied himself to catch one of them lest they fall. When they reached the rest of the group, they jumped on, before continuing to the bridge.
"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf said, directing each of them.
Enellewyn was the first to run across, trying to avoid looking down. The bridge was cracked and had narrow footing. It only took a short span of time for the Fellowship to arrive at the other side. But Gandalf had stopped in the middle and turned around to face the demon that approached.
"You cannot pass!" Gandalf bellowed. All the power in Middle Earth seemed to radiate from him.
"Gandalf!" Frodo hollered in a panicked voice.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" Gandalf held his staff up high, an ethereal blue glow coming from the tip. The balrog struck Gandalf with his fiery whip but it didn't cause any harm.
"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf growled, looking at the balrog with intense eyes. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf bellowed, ramming his staff onto the bridge with a deafening sound.
Half of the bridge collapsed, and the balrog fell, tumbling down into the shadows. Gandalf turned around, a pained and weary expression on his face. Out of the darkness, the balrog's whip appeared, snaking itself around Gandalf's ankle, pulling him down.
Gandalf gripped the cliff, trying to hold on.
"No! Gandalf!" Frodo screamed. He tried to run forward to aid his old friend but Boromir held him back.
"Fly you fools!" Gandalf uttered his last words before letting go. Frodo gave an anguished cry.
"NOOOO!" Boromir carried him out. Enellewyn and Legolas looked back solemnly before turning away. Tears stung at Enellewyn's eyes as the faint sunlight hit her face.
I hope you like this chapter! It was really agonizing to write this. I was kind of annoyed. But I got it through to you guys! Sorry it came kind of late!
Response To Reviews: Response to Reviewers:
Athena Diagon Cat-Maybe he does, but if he does, your not supposed to know! Do you want him to? Even if you did want him to, I'm really bad at writing romance! I can, but it's plenty harder than humor, action, adventure, etc.
Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds-Good point. I noticed this earlier and tried to make Enellewyn more mature, which was extremely hard after portraying her and Legolas as young, adventurous elven teens. Legolas's 'adult' character was already laid out for me by Tolkien, but for Enellewyn, my own original character, I needed to create a personality for her, and how she reacted to different events, whereas Legolas already has pretty predictable reactions. Once the sheer importance of the outcome of the war and its relation to the fate of Middle Earth sets in, Enellewyn gets more serious. It's sort of like a really, really late coming of age for Enellewyn. Think of it like Merry and Pippin. :o)
Press that pretty periwinkle button! ;o)
Legolas: Enellewyn! Help me!
Enellewyn: ::cackles:: That's what you get for bragging that LeggoMyLegolas40 only owns me not you!
Legolas: ::strangled cries come out from the brawl of fan girls::
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Chapter 9
"Oh, it's that way!" Gandalf said, pointing to one of the entrances.
"He's remembered!" Merry said, hopping up from his position on the floor, looking bored.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose!" Gandalf said, placing a large hand on Merry's shoulder. The Fellowship filed into the dark stairway. "Let me risk a little more light."
The bright beam in Gandalf's staff bled through the shadows to reveal a magnificent hall with stone pillars perfectly align. Even Enellewyn couldn't subdue her amazement, despite her malice towards the dwarves.
"Behold, the great Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf," Gandalf said, holding his staff in the air, the glow of his staff bleeding through the shadows.
"There's an eye-opener no doubt," Sam whispered from Enellewyn's side. Walking along, admiring the fine craftsmanship, Gimli suddenly let out a shout of distress.
"Gimli!" Gandalf yelled, as the dwarf took off, running into a room. The rest of the Fellowship followed. They found Gimli crouched in front of a stone tomb, sobbing hysterically.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," Gandalf said, reading the dwarf inscriptions grimly. "He is dead then. It is as I feared." Gimli let out another sob.
"We must move on. We cannot linger," Legolas said in a hushed murmur to Aragorn. Enellewyn could also feel a lingering shadow, shrouding the room like a thick fog. Looking around shiftily, she tried to calm her unsettled mind.
Meanwhile, Gandalf had picked up a dirty leather worn book, that looked like it was caked with ancient blood, much to Enellewyn's disgust. Suddenly she was startled out of her daze, practically jumping out of her skin.
There was a loud series of crashes, and a wince from Pippin accompanied each and every one of them.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf exclaimed, snatching his hat and staff from Pippin. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Pippin folded his small hands and looked down at them, abashed.
"Frodo!" Enellewyn spun around, just in time to see Frodo's elvish sword gleaming a vibrant blue.
"Orcs!" Legolas said, as if he'd known it all along. Aragorn threw down the torch he'd been holding aloft.
"Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn yelled. The hobbits huddled behind Gandalf, clutching their knives for dear life. Enellewyn whisked an arrow out of her quiver and fitted it into her bow.
"They have a cave troll," Boromir said, sardonically. Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn proceeded to bar the doors with discarded dwarf axes.
"Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!" Gimli growled, perched atop his cousin's tomb.
As the first nick in the door appeared, Legolas shot his arrow. There was a horrible screech, a groan, and then a soundly thud. While Legolas fitted another arrow into his bow, a larger hole appeared and Enellewyn and Aragorn shot their arrows simultaneously.
Instead of grabbing another arrow, Enellewyn unsheathed her long, curved elvish blade. Before long, the doors' waning strength gave in, and the orcs flooded in like the Anduin River.
Various battle cries were shouted over the clamor of the horrible screeching of the orcs. Enellewyn leapt forward, slashing and cutting at the foes. The Fellowship branched out, fighting their own battles.
There was a loud roar and a crash. Wooden splinters flew through the air. Enellewyn shielded herself from the onslaught. A gangly goblin came up to her, a malicious grin etched onto its, to say the least, displeasing features.
Without a second thought, Enellewyn effectively severed his head from his neck. Putrid onyx black blood spewed out of its wound, splattering her dark hunter green tunic. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sam whacking orcs left and right with one of his cooking pans.
"I'm getting the hang of this!" he said, catching his breath. Enellewyn grinned before turning back to the skirmish at hand.
Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar, and a cave troll burst in with a large spiked club in his brawny hands. A chain was enclosed about his neck and several orcs had a hold of the other end.
Immediately, Legolas stepped in front of it, shooting an arrow at its chest. It bellowed indignantly before killing a few more orcs. But Enellewyn had to turn away from what was happening with the troll, as large assemblies of orcs were grouped in front of her, baring their yellow teeth and giving her malicious grins.
Enellewyn gulped. She was somewhat outnumbered, but swallowing her doubt, she lunged forward, her vivacious green eyes ablaze. Soon, after seeing that Enellewyn clearly wasn't someone that tolerated orcs, the remaining ones fled in different directions, seeking easier victims.
Enellewyn wiped the foul blood from her hands and onto her tunic. She looked up in time to see Legolas climbing atop the troll's head and shooting an arrow into the troll's thick skin. The troll clawed at Legolas, trying to get him in his hands, but Legolas leapt down to the ground, managing to maintain poise at the same time.
Enellewyn thought about the bragging rights Legolas would have after the war ended, so as the troll dragged his arm passed her, she grabbed hold, scrambling onto his hand.
Leaping onto his shoulder, Enellewyn unsheathed her blade, and lodged it into his neck. Feeling that it didn't go in far enough, she kicked the hilt with her foot for good measure. The troll threw his head back as he pawed at empty air. Legolas took aim, and fired his arrow into the troll's mouth, effectively delivering the last blow.
There was a deafening groan and a crash as the cave troll collapsed to the floor. Legolas stood in front of the motionless form, seeming satisfied with his work. Enellewyn just gripped the hilt of her knife and pulled it out with a sickening 'squelch!'
Wiping the blood onto her leggings, Enellewyn placed it back into her sheath. What would mother think of me getting all this blood onto my clothing? Enellewyn couldn't help but think. Her attention was directed towards Aragorn and a presumably lifeless Frodo.
"Oh no," Aragorn muttered, rolling Frodo over onto his back. Everyone had grim expressions and Sam looked like he was about to cry. There was an unexpected groan and Frodo heaved himself up. Sam's eyes lit up with happiness and relief.
"He's alive," Sam said gratefully.
"I'm alright. I'm not hurt," Frodo said, clutching his chest.
"You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn said in amazement.
"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf said with a knowing smile, leaning heavily on his staff. Frodo opened his shirt slightly to reveal glittering armored mail. Enellewyn and Legolas's mouths both dropped open simultaneously.
"Mithril! You are full of surprises Master Baggins," Gimli said, looking at the mail shirt remarkably. The air was filled with the terrible screeching of orcs and the clatter of armor against stone.
"Quick to the Bridge of Kazad-dum!" Gandalf yelled urgently. In a flash the Fellowship were sprinting through Moria. They ran through Dwarrowdelf, orcs trickling down the pillars through large cracks that had accumulated over the years. Before long, they were surrounded.
As Enellewyn stood their, bearing her sword in front of her, she made a vow to go down kicking and screaming should they capture her. But there was no need, as there was a deep guttural growl, and at the farther end of the spacious hall, there was a rich reddish orange glow emanating from the passageway.
Enellewyn and Legolas both lowered their weapons, already knowing what was to come. Enellewyn shook with fear, knowing what the devils of Middle Earth were capable of.
"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked, his voice only slightly unsteady.
"A balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" Gandalf yelled, sprinting to their right, everyone following closely. Boromir pulled ahead, turning to another path. He stopped short, realizing the staircase ended there. Legolas rushed forward, pulling Boromir back, so they landed in a heap on the stone stairs. Without hesitation, they took a new route.
"Gandalf!" Aragorn exclaimed.
"Lead them on Aragorn. The bridge is near. Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!" Gandalf shouted over the din of the roaring and rumbling of the foundations of Moria. He shoved Aragorn in the right direction. In the distance, Enellewyn could see a bridge.
The Fellowship surged forward until they came to a gap in the stairs. Legolas was the first to leap forward.
"Gandalf!" Legolas beckoned for him to jump also. Gandalf jumped, landing safely on the other side of the staircase. Enellewyn went after him, eager to escape the Balrog of Morgoth that had ravaged so many of her people.
It came to Legolas's attention that orcs had started shooting arrows at them. He took out one of his own, and fired, nailing an orc between the eyes. As one whizzed by Enellewyn, missing her only by a hair, she stretched her arm out, grabbing it in mid-air. Legolas looked at her, his lips forming a pout. Enellewyn just smirked and fitted the arrow into her bow. Bending her bowstring, she shot at the orc who she recalled had attempted to shoot the arrow in the first place and killed it efficiently.
Boromir tucked Merry and Pippin under his arms. Heaving himself forward, a large chunk of the stairs fell away into the dark abyss. Aragorn and Frodo scrambled backwards to avoid falling also. Aragorn grabbed Sam and tossed him to the other side. Boromir caught him, and Aragorn went to Gimli, ready to do the same thing.
But the dwarf held up a hand.
"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" he said stubbornly. Swinging his arms back once or twice, he leapt, almost falling. Luckily, Legolas seized his beard at the last minute.
"Not the beard!" Gimli yelled. Legolas pulled him up next to him. A crack began to form, and all of a sudden, the stairwell was declining ahead.
"Lean forward," Aragorn advised Frodo.
As they drew near, Legolas readied himself to catch one of them lest they fall. When they reached the rest of the group, they jumped on, before continuing to the bridge.
"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf said, directing each of them.
Enellewyn was the first to run across, trying to avoid looking down. The bridge was cracked and had narrow footing. It only took a short span of time for the Fellowship to arrive at the other side. But Gandalf had stopped in the middle and turned around to face the demon that approached.
"You cannot pass!" Gandalf bellowed. All the power in Middle Earth seemed to radiate from him.
"Gandalf!" Frodo hollered in a panicked voice.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" Gandalf held his staff up high, an ethereal blue glow coming from the tip. The balrog struck Gandalf with his fiery whip but it didn't cause any harm.
"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf growled, looking at the balrog with intense eyes. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf bellowed, ramming his staff onto the bridge with a deafening sound.
Half of the bridge collapsed, and the balrog fell, tumbling down into the shadows. Gandalf turned around, a pained and weary expression on his face. Out of the darkness, the balrog's whip appeared, snaking itself around Gandalf's ankle, pulling him down.
Gandalf gripped the cliff, trying to hold on.
"No! Gandalf!" Frodo screamed. He tried to run forward to aid his old friend but Boromir held him back.
"Fly you fools!" Gandalf uttered his last words before letting go. Frodo gave an anguished cry.
"NOOOO!" Boromir carried him out. Enellewyn and Legolas looked back solemnly before turning away. Tears stung at Enellewyn's eyes as the faint sunlight hit her face.
I hope you like this chapter! It was really agonizing to write this. I was kind of annoyed. But I got it through to you guys! Sorry it came kind of late!
Response To Reviews: Response to Reviewers:
Athena Diagon Cat-Maybe he does, but if he does, your not supposed to know! Do you want him to? Even if you did want him to, I'm really bad at writing romance! I can, but it's plenty harder than humor, action, adventure, etc.
Yuhi-thedoerofevildeeds-Good point. I noticed this earlier and tried to make Enellewyn more mature, which was extremely hard after portraying her and Legolas as young, adventurous elven teens. Legolas's 'adult' character was already laid out for me by Tolkien, but for Enellewyn, my own original character, I needed to create a personality for her, and how she reacted to different events, whereas Legolas already has pretty predictable reactions. Once the sheer importance of the outcome of the war and its relation to the fate of Middle Earth sets in, Enellewyn gets more serious. It's sort of like a really, really late coming of age for Enellewyn. Think of it like Merry and Pippin. :o)
Press that pretty periwinkle button! ;o)