Hello, readers.
Real big thanks and hug to Duvet, my first reviewer. And of course if I haven't said it before, only Shay and Elix belongs to me, nothing else does.
Once again, thanks Duvet.
Oh isn't this fun!
They had been walking for two days straight in the dark.
Shay is frightened and nervy, but of course her lovely brother is just as happy and chirpy as ever, he has no problem whatsoever with the dark. He is currently having a lovely chat with the hobbits.
They're now stuck on a plateau with three door ways because Gandalf has no memory of this place. Just their luck.
Really, she's being a brat, but stuck inside a mine isn't her cup of tea.
She's being unfair of course, Legolas has been a gentleman, always trying to talk to her and getting her mind of the surroundings.
"How are you doing?" Legolas asked the dark bundle huddling on the rock.
Shay stuck her head out of her cloak and looked around, Aragorn is talking to Gimli, and Boromir (most likely comparing their weed), Gandalf's talking to Frodo, and her brother Elix is talking with the hobbits.
She looked back at Legolas and grinned weakly, "I'm splendid, can't you tell?"
Legolas raised hiseyebrows, "More of, sarcasm?"
Shay shrugged.
"Tell me about where you came from." Legolas said, prompting her to talk.
Shay wrinkled her nose, "It's not important."
"It will soothe you."
Shay stared at Legolas, Legolas just looked back, his face perfectly Elvish (devoid of any emotion).
"Fine," sighed Shay, "it's mostly sunny, there's only a few cloudy days, even during winter. But I spend most of my time learning things, things that doesn't seem to have any importance now that I'm here."
"I..." Shay paused than was about to continue when Gandalf sauddenly stood up.
"Ah, it's this way." Gandalf said pointing to the right door.
"He's remembered!" Merry exclaimed.
"No, but always follow your nose, Meriadoc, and this way doesn't smell as foul as the other two." Gandalf said smiling.
Shay shook her head grinning, "He should really stop doing that."
Legolas pulled Shay up and replied, "Than he wouldn't be Gandalf."
"True." Shay said than with a small laugh she followed Gandalf down the passage.
At last they emerged from the small passage into a vast darkness, "I will risk a little more light." Gandalf said.
And a bright blaze lit the space, the Company stood in awe of what they're seeing.
A vast empty hall stretched out before them, with mighty pillars lining up into the void and rising up to the darkness above. This was grand, more than grand, it was indescribable.
"Whoa." Shay heard Elix gasped and she saw the hobbits nodding in agreement.
For once she agrees with Elix, whoa, is right.
Than she heard a strangled sob and saw Gimli running toward a room to their right.
"Gimli!" Gandalf shouted to stop him, but Gimli ran on.
The Company followed the dwarf into a large chamber with a single beam of light shining from a tall window on to what seems to be a tomb.
"Noooooo!" Gimli cried as he knelt in front of the tomb.
Gandalf moved over to look at the engravings on top of the tomb, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," he sighed, "Tis as I feared, he's dead."
Than a book caught his eyes, and Gandalf handed his staff and hat to Pippin. He bend down to retrieve the book from the skeleton lying beside the tomb and slowly dusted it off.
Legolas had moved toward Aragorn and he whispered, "We should not stay." Aragorn nodded in agreement, but Gandalf paid no heed to them.
He opened the book to its last page and started reading the passage, "We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. The pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Oin. We cannot get out. The end comes, drums, drums, in the deep. They are coming."
A thick silence hung over the Company.
Then...
Thunk!
A huge crash was heard, it echoed around the depths of the mine.
Everyone jumped and turned to look at the source of the sound.
It was Pippin, he was standing by an old well, and apparently a skeleton fell in.
For the longest time the sound echoed around, until finally it stopped.
Gandalf step forward angrily and snatched back his staff and hat, "Fool of a Took! Next time throw yourself in instead, and rid us of your stupidity."
Pippin for the second time hung his head in shame and guilt.
The Company sighed in relief as nothing happened. But they sighed too soon.
Within moments, a deep bellow sounded.
Doom, Doom, Boom, Doom
The very foundation of the mine seemed to rolled beneath their feet as the echoing blast came: a great horn was blown in the hall, and answering horns and harsh cries were heard further off. There was a hurrying sound of many feet.
Boromir being the nearest to the door immediately stuck his head out to see what's going on,and than pulled back just as quick as two black arrows wizzed past him and stuck fast to the door where his head had been just a moment ago.
"And they have a cave troll!" he said sarcastically, than closed the two wooden doors with the help of Aragorn. The two men started to barred the door with the axes that Legolas threw to them.
"Shit!' Elix grimaced as he stood by the hobbits.
Shay shook her head and smirked as she slide her sword out of its sheath, "You have SUCH a large vocab bank."
"Shut up." Elix retorted notching an arrow into his bow.
Gimli jumped on top of the tomb (So much for respect for the deads) and roared, "Let them come, let the come, there's one dwarf that breathes yet in Moria!"
And they came...
The squealing grew louder as they came near the door and started to hack at it. Soon a small gap appeared, immediately Legolas shot his arrows through the gap, and a dying cry was heard from the other side of the door. Aragorn followed suit as did Elixb with their arrows, but soon the entire door came down and the Orcs came flooding in like water out of a broken dam.
How many there were Shay could not count, she was too busy slashing down Orcs to care anyways. Legolas shot two through the throat. Gimli hewed the legs from under another that had sprung up on Balin's tomb. Boromir and Aragorn slew many. The hobbits weren't bad either, they had jumped into the forray with a loud cry and are currently hacking at the enemies with their stout swords. Elix put away his bow and took out his twin sword, he is currently run around the room slashing at any limbs or heads that's in his way.
But just as the Company thought they were gaining the upper hand, the Cave Troll came in.
It was the ugliest thing Shay had ever seen.
It's face looked as if his own mother had slammed him into a wall during infancy, its skin was mottled green that resembled puke, and it was stupid. Anyone could tell so, since the Trollw as killing friends and foes alike.
But it was still dangerous, in its left hand it held a long chain which it swept across the room, knocking over pillars and stones.
Gimli had to jumped off the tomb and the Troll smack its hand down on the lid.
Legolas shot many arrows at the Troll but it seemed to only anger it more instead of bringing it down.
Then, somehow, one way or another, its eyes caught Frodo.
Frodo had been with Merry and Pippin, but then the Troll came lumbering over and smashed the ledge that the hobbits were standing on in half. Frodo was separated from the two other hobbits.
Soon the Troll was chasing Frodo around a column.
It cornered Frodo, and picked up a spear, preparing to deal a final blow. But Aragorn got there first and knocked Frodo out of the way.
Yet, the Troll didn't gave up, it swung its free hand at Aragorn and knocked him out of the way. Aragorn hit the back wall with a crack and slid down to the ground, momentarily uncouscious.
Frodo cried out, "Strider," and rushed to Aragorn's side.
The Troll growled again, and Frodo slowly turned around to face the Troll, he seemed to be rooted to the ground with shock and pain.
Than with a heavy grunt, the troll thrust the spear into Frodo.
The blow caught him on the right side, and Frodo was hurled against the wall and pinned. Sam, with a cry like a wounded animal rushed across the room and hacked at the spear until it broke.
Everyone fought with a frantic fever to get to Frodo.
Merry and Pippin got there first and jumped onto the troll's back, hacking at it with their swords.
The troll squealed in anger and flung its head about to shook off the hobbits, Merry came flying off, but Pippin stayed on.
Legolas notched two arrows into his bow and aimed at the troll.
When the troll finally lifted his head, Legolas shot it right in the middle of its windpipe.
For a moment, the troll tittered and than it fell with a thud, raising clouds of dust.
Shay finally hack off her opponents head, and with a jump she leaped onto the ledge and knelt down by Frodo.
Aragorn stirred beside her and she looked down, "Are you all right?"
Aragorn nodded than his eyes caught the still form in Shay's arms, "Oh no, Frodo," he said softly.
Everyone stood still, looking shock and sad, they couldn't move, they had failed, the ringbearer had died.
Then to everyone's surprise Frodo suddenly stirred in Shay's arms, "I am all right," gasped Frodo.
Shay nearly dropped him in surprise, while Aragorn exclaimed, "You should be dead, that spear would have skewered a wild boar!"
Gandalf smiled, "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eyes."
Frodo sat up with a wince and slowly parted his torn shrit to reveal a silver corset.
"Mithril!" Gimli gasped in awe.
"Oh, you lucky hobbit," Shay cried, than she checked Frodo for further injury and added, "You'll live, a few bruises and maybe a fractured rib, but you're fine."
Sam sighed with relief, "Did you hear that Master Frodo, I am so glad."
Suddenly Gandalf said, "Come, there is no time for wonder. Off you go, head to the Bridge of Khazad-dum."
The Company nodded and they rushed out of the room, but alas their luck did not hold, Goblins were flooding in from every corner and crevices in Moria, soon they were surrounded.
The goblins gnashed their teeth and wetted their lips in anticipation for their meal.
Shay stared at the Goblins, her eyes dark with fear, she wasn't much into the art of being eaten, and she was sure it wouldn't feel too good.
Than the earth rumbled, and the goblins quivered in fear, they looked around the vast hall with pure panic.
The earth trembled again, this time the goblins scattered, melting away just as fast as they had come, within seconds the Fellowship stood alone in the hall.
They look around themselves and caught a red glow at the end of the hall.
"What new devilry is this," whispered Boromir as his hands tightened around his sword.
Gandalf stood there for a second before whispering, "Balrong, a demon of the ancient world."
"Oh no, you've got to be joking." Shay winced, she had loved Middle-earth's history and had drink most of them in, and from what she had read, a Balrog is undeaftable, unless, well even than, the slayer had died with it...
Suddenly Gandalf regained his strength, "Go, this foe is beyond any of you! Ran!"
The Company needed no further encouragement, they ran.
Through winding halls and narrow steps they flied through Moria toward the Bridge.
At length they came to it, though called The Bridge, it was in reality only a strip of narrow path that spanned a gaping chasm.
Shay gulped, oh no, she hated heights, and this is no joke. Even with light there's no end to the darkness beneath their feet, but before her real panic could set in, Gandalf pushed them on.
Already a wall of fire was behind them, there's no time for phobia of any kind.
Shay inhaled deeply and tossing everything she knew about gravity she ran across the bridge.
Everyone got across, except Gandalf, he stood there alone in the middle of the Bridge.
From far away, they could see a great shadow appearing in the middle of the fire, it was of man-shape, maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it.
It cam to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud hadbent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the land between the hall it had came from and the bridge. 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 of many thongs.
The Balrog reached toward the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the spa, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils, but Gandalf stood firm.
"You cannot pass," he said, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. YOu cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass"
The blarog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering inthe glood; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm.
From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.
Glamdring glittered white in answer.
There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.
"You cannot pass!" he said.
With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed.
At taht moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smoted the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gul, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.
With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's ankle, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and held on to the edge.
Shay jumped forward with a cry, dimly she could also here Frodo doing the samething, but she didn't paid attention. Gandalf was in danger, she need to safe him. Yet, someone stopped her, grabbing her around the waist, pulling her back. She struggled in vain, crying, and screaming.
"Fly, you fools!" Gandalf cried, and was gone.
The fires went out, and blank darkness fell. The Company stood rooted with horror staring into the pit. Shay was shocked beyond belief, no, no, Gandalf can't die!
But he was gone.
The same person who had stopped her, proceeded to carry Shay out of Moria toward the sunlight.
Shay didn't care anymore, all is lost.
Thus, at last, they came beyond hope under the sky and felt the wind on their face, the sun was shining; the clouds were white and high.
Review please! I want to know what you guys think of the story so far...and yes I know I spelled Gimli's name wrong for a while, and feel free to make suggestions, just don't flame me too much, it's my first story.