Mysterious Fate
By Cormak
Disclaimer: The original characters from Lord of the Rings belong to their respective owners. New characters belong to me, especially Kaitlyn. This story was written for fan enjoyment and not profit.
Reviews are always welcome. I especially like constructive criticism. Flames are not welcome and will be ignored. Any additional author's notes may be found at the end of each chapter I post.
Special thanks to my beta Scattered Logic for listening to ideas and helping me to figure out where this story was going.
Chapter 3: The slaying in the tomb of Balin…
Gimli fell to one knee in front of the stone. "Oh, no." he cried. "No." he kept repeating. And he began to wail.
Kaitlyn stopped a few yards behind him and watched. Glancing around the room, she felt sorry for dwarf.
The other members of the group filed in with Gandalf walking toward the top of the stone box that Gimli knelt in front of.
Kaitlyn could not read what the strange symbols carved into the stone said, but the wizard obviously could.
"Here lies Balin. Son of Fundin. Lord of Moria. He is dead then." Gandalf said gravely.
Gimli lowered his head to the stone and wept.
Gandalf removed his hat in respect and gazed at the stone grave for a moment. "It's as I feared." He said and he glanced around at the members of the group.
They all were silent for a moment as they glanced around. Death lingered everywhere. Its stench made the air stale. Papers, weapons, cups and all sorts of things littered the room.
Gandalf saw something and handed his hat and staff to Pippin before bending to retrieve a book from the skeleton of one of the dwarves.
Kaitlyn felt bad for the dwarves. None of them had a proper burial except their Lord. Their bodies had been left to rot in the open with swords and arrows sticking out from their bones. She shivered visibly and she felt a hand on her arm. She looked down to see Merry and she gave him a slight smile.
Gandalf wiped the dust from the cover of the large leather bound book. Gimli was saying something in dwarfish and Pippin began to glance around nervously. He backed up further into the room as the reality of their situation struck him. Every dwarf in Moria, save Gimli, was dead.
As Gandalf lifted the book, dirt and pages fell out of it. He lifted it into his hands and blew dust off some of the pages.
"We must move on. We cannot linger." Legolas said to Aragorn.
Kaitlyn turned to face the elf. His brows were drawn together and he looked worried. Aragorn nodded to him.
"They have taken the bridge…" Gandalf started to read. "And the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long."
Kaitlyn glanced at the hobbits and saw that they were staring intently at Gandalf.
"The ground shakes…drums…drums in the deep." Gandalf read. He glanced up starting to look concerned and turned the page.
Kaitlyn could see from where she stood that blood stained the yellowed pages of the book. A chill swept over her and she had the urgent desire to leave the room.
"We cannot get out…"
Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn glanced around the room. Everyone felt it. They had to leave and move on.
"A shadow moves in the dark."
Kaitlyn inhaled sharply drawing a look from Aragorn. She was growing more and more uneasy as the seconds passed.
"We cannot get out," Gandalf continued.
Kaitlyn felt Merry's hand tighten on her arm.
Gandalf looked up. "They are coming," he said.
A noise filled the quiet room, the sound of something snapping. Then there was a large crash. Gandalf spun around and everyone glanced over to see Pippin with a look of complete terror on his face.
A skeleton that was sitting on the edge of a well fell in and the sound was horrific. A chain was attached to it and the bucket that sat on the edge fell in with it. It ricocheted off the interior stone of the well as it fell causing noise that rivaled that of thunder.
Pippin closed his eyes each time the skeleton and bucket struck the wall as it made its decent into the bowels of Moria.
Gandalf turned to him, his expression not one of humor.
It became silent and everyone held his or her breath for a moment.
Kaitlyn prayed that whatever had killed the dwarves long ago were gone.
It remained silent and Boromir gave a sigh.
Gandalf slammed the book he held closed and glared at Pippin. "Fool of a Took!" He called out. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity," he growled and he grabbed his hat and staff back and turned from the hobbit.
Pippin looked rejected and Kaitlyn felt sorry for him, even though what he had done was incredibly stupid.
Just then there was a sound. A boom in the depths. Pippin's eyebrows rose and Gandalf turned to face the noise, his eyes wide.
Kaitlyn exhaled sharply and she felt Merry tense beside her.
The boom sounded again. And again and again.
It sounded like drums…'drums in the deep.'
Boromir began to look around the room, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open in fear.
There were new noises added to the sound of the drum. Squeals, shouts, clattering and banging.
Sam and Frodo backed into each other, their eyes glancing wildly around the room. "Frodo!" Sam called glancing down at his belt.
The small sword that Frodo carried with him was glowing bright blue.
Kaitlyn was about to ask what it meant when Legolas cried out, "Orcs!"
She looked down at Merry. "What are orcs?"
"You'll find out soon enough," he told her.
She watched as Boromir ran to the door, his breathing heavy as he went.
The sounds were growing louder and Kaitlyn began to tremble.
Two arrows imbedded themselves into the door, narrowly missing Boromir's face.
"Get back!" Aragorn commanded. He pushed Kaitlyn and the hobbits back. "Stay close to Gandalf!"
Kaitlyn did as she was told and Gandalf gathered the hobbits and human woman close to him.
Aragorn threw the torch he was carrying to the ground and he rushed to the door.
There was a horrible noise from the depths and Kaitlyn felt her lips tremble.
Boromir and Aragorn quickly closed the door. "They have a cave troll." Boromir commented.
Legolas tossed the men axes that lined the walls and they used them to bar the door.
Gandalf tossed his hat on the ground and then retrieved a sword from the skeleton of a dwarf. He turned to Kaitlyn. "Take this. You will need to defend yourself."
Kaitlyn's eyes grew huge. "I…I can't."
"You will because you must!" Gandalf shoved the handle of the sword into her trembling hands and ignored the look of terror on her face. He turned from her and drew his sword.
The hobbits drew their swords as well, looks of determination suddenly on their faces.
The doors began to shake as something on the other side started to ram into them.
Gimli, who had still been kneeling, growled and leapt upon the stone grave. "Let them come!" he called out. "There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws blood!"
Aragorn and Legolas had bows readied and aimed at the door. The hobbits and Gandalf had their swords drawn, as did Boromir.
Weaponry began to break through the fragile wooden door. One of them created a small hole and Legolas shot an arrow through it and a shriek of pain was heard. Aragorn shot an arrow through the same hole and hit his mark. Both he and Legolas readied their bows.
The door came crashing down moments later and the most hideous looking creatures that Kaitlyn had ever seen came bursting into the room. They looked like goblins that she had seen in movies growing up as a child. Only they were real and they were dangerous. They were not actors in latex suits performing in front of a camera. These were creatures that wanted them all dead.
She watched, frozen where she stood as Legolas and Aragorn shot more arrows at them. The orcs screeched and kept coming forward.
Boromir lunged after them with his sword.
Kaitlyn could feel her heart beating so hard that she was almost certain it was going to burst out of her chest. She kept backing away until her back was against the wall. She shook with fear and the sword she held clattered to the floor. She had no idea how to fight.
She watched as her companions rushed at the orcs, even the little hobbits lunged forward and as she watched them bravely try to defend each other, she felt a little bit of bravery rise within her.
She glanced down at the sword. She hated knives and for a very good reason, but perhaps on one occasion she could put the past behind her to defend herself and her companions. She bent down and retrieved the sword. It felt cold in her palm and it glistened in the light making her remember times past. She swallowed hard and put that behind her.
One of the creatures came at her and she was surprised at how strong it was. It forced her back hard into the wall and she nearly dropped her sword. She felt her life flash before her eyes and she knew she had to kill this thing or it was going to kill her. She lifted her sword and stabbed it directly in the heart. The orc toppled backwards and fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
"Oh, my god. I killed it…. I killed something…" She didn't have much time to contemplate what she had done as another orc came after her. It was much faster than the one she had killed and it managed to slice her arm with its crude sword. She cried out and dropped her sword at the rush of pain.
Aragorn finished cutting off the head of an orc and then he rushed toward Kaitlyn plunging his blade into the back of the orc that threatened her. It fell to the ground wriggling until it died.
"Are you hurt?" he asked out of breath.
She shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "I…It's not serious. I'll live."
Aragorn nodded and left her, returning to kill more orcs.
The room began to shake and a strange noise filled the air. One of the orcs led a large creature into the room. It smashed at the stone doorway, blasting it to pieces.
"Oh, dear God." Kaitlyn let out. As if things could not get any worse. This had to be the cave troll.
An arrow imbedded into the creature's shoulder and Kaitlyn realized that Legolas had put it there. The elf was amazing to watch. He never missed his target.
The creature raised its large club and nearly killed Sam. The hobbit was able to get out of the way in time and scrambled beneath the giant creature.
Gimli tossed an ax at the creature and it hit it in the chest. The monster was obviously furious and it tried to kill Gimli with its club. Gimli jumped off the grave and rolled away as the monster's club came down upon the space the dwarf had been standing seconds before. The grave broke, rock flying out in all directions.
Kaitlyn hid behind a pillar and watched the battle unfold. Legolas loaded his bow with two arrows, both of them hitting their mark. The group was heavily outnumbered yet they were holding their own.
Who were these orcs? Why did they want to kill them? Who were the bad guys here? Was it them or was it the group that Kaitlyn traveled with? She didn't know much about the people that took her in. For all she knew, she could he aligned with the wrong side.
There was a growl and Kaitlyn glanced up to see a sword coming down at her. But the sword never fell upon her. The orc that wielded it fell to the ground on its knees, an arrow sticking out the back of its head. Kaitlyn glanced up to see Legolas nod in her direction. Her life had been saved twice. By both Legolas and Aragorn. She gripped her sword tightly and paid attention. She did not want to be caught off guard again.
Gandalf used his sword and staff as a weapon and Legolas was not only skilled with a bow. He slashed at orcs with two knives showing the creatures no mercy. The troll whipped its chain at him and he skillfully dodged it and then used the chain to climb up the creature, shooting arrows into the troll's head. The elf got away without getting hurt.
Sam was hitting orcs with pans and cried out. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!"
Merry and Pippin fought with Frodo and the 3 got separated. Merry and Pippin fleeing to the right and Frodo to the left.
Kaitlyn killed two more orcs, her total now at 3, and watched in horror as the troll set its sights on Frodo. Aragorn was trying to make his way to the hobbit, slashing orcs as he went.
Frodo attempted to hide from the troll, rushing from side to side of a pillar but the creature was clever. It found him and cried out its triumph. Frodo fell to the ground and attempted to scurry away but backed directly into a corner. The creature grabbed a hold of Frodo's leg and began to drag him.
"Oh…no…" Kaitlyn breathed. "No." she shook her head. This didn't look good.
Frodo cried out for Aragorn who was still trying to make his way to the hobbit. Frodo sliced the troll with his sword and it released him and Aragorn managed to make it in time. He had a long spear in his hands and he drove it into the chest of the troll.
Kaitlyn breathed a sigh of relief but it was in vain. The creature was not dead; in fact it was angry. Very angry. It threw Aragorn aside as if he was a doll, the dark haired man's body falling limply upon stone rubble in the room.
Frodo rushed to him and tried to shake him awake. Kaitlyn felt a lump develop in her throat. What if Aragorn was dead?
The troll went after Frodo again and no one could make it to him this time. They were too busy fighting off orcs. The troll cornered the hobbit with the spear it had pulled from its chest and then drove it into Frodo's chest.
"No!" Kaitlyn cried out. Tears filled her eyes.
Gandalf turned at the cry and Merry and Pippin gasped. This couldn't be happening.
Merry and Pippin grew angry and irrational and they jumped on the creatures back from their position up on the wall. They stabbed at the troll, trying to take their anger out on it.
"Frodo!" Sam cried out.
The pain on Frodo's face was great.
"FRODO!" Sam yelled out. He smashed at any orc that got in his way with his pan and charged toward Frodo.
Everyone in the room seemed to get a renewed sense of energy and all began to lash out against the orcs.
Kaitlyn watched as Frodo fell to the ground and didn't move. She covered her mouth with her hands.
She could hear the cries of her companions as they killed orcs and attempted to kill the troll. Merry and Pippin stabbed at the troll and it grabbed Merry in its giant hand and spun him around. Gimli and Gandalf slashed at the creature with their swords and axes and the troll dropped Merry. Gimli went sprawling to the ground and Kaitlyn looked up in time to see Legolas shoot an arrow into the troll's windpipe.
The creature began to sway at the lack of oxygen, staggered and then fell to the ground. Pippin went soaring off its back and landed roughly on the ground. They stood around it for a moment making sure that it was indeed dead and then they rushed toward Aragorn and Frodo.
Aragorn was crawling on his hands and knees, his eyes full of sorrow as he reached Frodo. Sam looked ready to cry as he approached.
Kaitlyn stood on the outskirts and watched. Sam and Frodo had seemed close.
"Oh, no." Aragorn breathed softly. He turned Frodo over. The hobbit gasped and moaned.
Sam's eyes were as wide as saucers. He rushed toward Frodo. "He's alive." Sam said with relief.
Frodo sat up on his own, obviously out of breath and held his chest. "I'm all right. I'm not hurt."
Kaitlyn finally drew breath. She had not even realized that she had been holding it.
Aragorn's eyebrows were furrowed. "You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar."
Gandalf stepped forward, his blue eyes sparkling. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye."
Frodo pulled his shirt away from his chest and revealed a silver tunic made of some sort of metal. It was the most beautiful thing that Kaitlyn had ever seen.
Merry and Pippin's eyes were wide and Gimli seemed to be in a trance. "Mithril…" he whispered. "You are full of surprises Master Baggins." The dwarf told him.
Kaitlyn was confused but for once it didn't bother her. No one had died despite what had happened and that put her at ease.
Screeching and squealing could be heard and everyone was reminded that they were not alone in this place.
Gandalf looked back at the door and all could see the light and shadows on the walls. "To the bridge of Khazad-dûm!" he ordered.
He rushed to the door and everyone followed without question. They began to run back out into the towering pillars of Dwarrowdelf.
Orcs filled the passageway behind them. They crawled from the ceiling like insects and scurried down the giant pillars. The group kept running, and the orcs kept coming and in a matter of time, the group was surrounded. They came to a halt; weapons drawn except for Kaitlyn who had dropped her sword back in the room. Aragorn pushed her into the middle of the group.
The orcs advanced, waving their weapons and making terrible noises that sounded like taunting.
It grew silent for one deathly moment and Kaitlyn thought they would be slaughtered. There were hundreds of orcs. There was no way they could fight them off.
And then a low growl filled the air. It rumbled along the pillars and a warm breeze entered the hall.
The orcs began looking about and when another growl sounded, they fled, scurrying back up the pillars and into the cracks in the ceiling as quickly as they could.
Gimli laughed with triumph, but no one else did.
The next growl was low and drawn out, sounding like some sort of huge cat growling over its scrap of meat.
Kaitlyn stood in the center, her breathing heavy. Everyone lowered their weapons and glanced around.
Boromir swallowed. "What is this new devilry?" he asked.
Whatever had made so many orcs flee must be terrifying.
Everyone looked confused. All except Gandalf who looked troubled.
The end of the passageway began to glow orange and the once cool hall began to swell with heat.
"A Balrog." Gandalf said simply.
"A what?" Kaitlyn let out. She couldn't keep the fear out of her voice.
"A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" he cried out.
No one argued and everyone broke into a dead sprint, following to where ever Gandalf led them.
To be continued…
YueMichiruNaragisawaMiko: I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Thank you for your review!
Fernvigiel: Well, my hope is that she doesn't appear to be a Mary Sue. She's certainly not me and not like me and she doesn't have special powers, she's not extremely beautiful. She's an average person who is having the adventure of her life and she doesn't even want that. She'd rather be at home with her family. That will change with time, but that's for future chapters…
ACE: Thank you! I'm glad that you don't mind the dialogue from the movie. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Broken Fae: What a nice surprise to see a review from you. Thank you. I'll say this about the story. There is a romance, but I'm not letting on to who the romance is between or what happens. I do not want my story to be judged by how other people have written theirs. Time will tell the direction this story takes. I know the ending, (which I think will surprise people) but everyone else will have to wait and see.
And for the rest of you reading and not reviewing, please be sure to tell me if you like the story or dislike it (and why it needs work). Don't be shy!
