Chapter 10

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Last Chapter:

"Legolas!" Boromir yelled.

"Into the cave!" Aragorn yells.

"Primos!" Saul yelled. (Cousins!)

Legolas, Alejandra, and Alejandro each shot an arrow into the monster's head, jerking it back.

"Run!" Aragorn yelled.

The monster than crawls out of the water and hangs on to the wall, only to bring it down. The Fellowship and the adults run far into the mine, just as a tremendous crumbling and crashing followed. Dirt and small rocks rained down on everyone's face.

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Boromir put Ailish not so gently down. Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli pointed their weapons to the four adults, but they were unfazed by them.

"What are you doing? Why are you following us?" Boromir asked.

"¿Como estas?" Alejandro asked, concerned. (How are you?)

"¿No te lastimo?" Saul said protectivly, glaring at Boromir. (He didn't hurt you?)

The Fellowship looked questiongly at the four of the new language.

"They are working for Saruman! I have not heard of this new tongue!" Legolas siad, taking his arrow back furthere.

"I'm fine. He didn't hurt me." Ailish said, facing the Fellowship. "We don't work for Saruman. This tongue is our own from a far off land that none of you don't know or heard about."

"You lie!" Boromir glared at her.

"If we worked for Saruman, would you really think we would have saved Frodo?" Alejandra stated more than questioned.

"She is right." Gandalf said, nodding.

"Yes, and I thank you." Frodo said, bowing a bit.

"Now we do not have the time to get into an argument. We now have but one choice."Gandalf said wearily. He tapped his staff against the stone floor, a light from the top of the staff brightened. "We must face the long dark of Moria." Gandalf started up the long steps, taking care of avoiding dislodging small rocks and pebbled, keeping as silent as possible. "Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

The adults stayed slightly behind the group, not wanting to interfere with Aragorn, who kept looking behind him, a hand on his hilt. But they just ignored him and started talking about a plan to get home. And a way to approach Lady Galadriel.

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--Three days later--

The group walked out of the tunnel, into a very narrow path.

"The wealth of Moria was not in gold," Gandalf turns to look at Legolas. "Or jewels." He than looks to the side of the path, lowering his staff so the light fell below. "But mithril."

Everyone peers to the side of the endless journey below. Pippin held merry back as he leaned in too much. The group than started walking again.

"Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him."

Gimli gasps, "oh, that was a kingly gift."

"Yes. I never told him but it's worth was greater than the value of the Shire."

At this, Frodo's eyes widen, than he looks around him, deep in thought.

On the fourth day, the group of now 13, climbed up a flight of stairs. Pippin loses his balance, Merry catching him.

"Pippin!" Merry scolded his cousin, pushing him to go on.

As Gandalf reaches the top, three different tunnels were in front of him. He walks closer, looking at each of them confused than the other.

"I have no memory of this place."

The group now rested, waiting for Gandalf to make his decision. Aragorn looks at Boromir, who looks back at him, smoking out of his pipe, as Legolas stood behind them, standing guard. The two Men and Elf kept a careful eye on the four, who were sitting on the stairs, a little ways from the Hobbits.

The three cousins tried to keep in their laughter from the conversation they over hear.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asked timidly.

"No." Merry answered.

"I think we are." Pippin replied.

"Shhh! Gandalf's thinking!" Merry hissed. He shushed Pippin, pushing him down to the floor.

"Merry..." Pippin started hesitantly.

"What?!?!!" Merry cried in a exasperated tone.

"I'm hungry," Pippin said sheepishly.

Ailish shook her head but look up to Gandalf, who had his pipe in his mouth, looking at the different paths confused.

'If I tell him, we could probably get away from that monster.... But I don't think what happens in that room will change the fact the Orcs will try to come after us.'

Ailish furrowed her brows together in worry, than looked to Frodo, thinking he would be in so much pain to what is about to happen to his dear friend. For it will change everything in his way of thinking.

Suddenly, Frodo looked below and hurried up to Gandalf. The two started talking quietly. Ailish looked over to Alejandra, not remembering what they were talking about.

Only one word she mouthed, careful not to let anyone else know. "Sméagol."

Ailish nodded and shuddered. It was the creepy Hobbit who first found the Ring and wanted it back.

"Ah! It's this way," He gestured to the rest of the fellowship, peering down a chamber.

"He's remembered!" Merry cried. Sam gave him a strange look.

Gandalf peeked down the chamber, "No, Meriadoc, the air does not smell so foul down here. If no doubt, always follow your nose."

They continued to walk for a few more minutes when they came to a stop and stared in wonder and in awe. For there in front of us sprawled an immense hall with huge columns.

"Behold, the great realm of the Dwarf City." Gandalf said in booming voice.

"Now that's an eye opener, and no mistake." Sam commented.

Soon, their merry mood was cut short by an outcry from Gimli. He quickly broke our ranks and ran toward a doorway on our right.

"Gimli!" Gandalf said.

Gimli ran into a large room, with a lower ceiling than that of the hall. In the center of the room, sat a large square of rock with a slab of marble on it, serving as a cover. Gimli ran to it and kneeled, weeping.

"No! Oh no. No." Gimli cried.

Everyone entered the room, as Gandalf read the inscription on it.

"'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then." Gandalf takes his hat off in respect. "It is as I feared." Gandalf than looks down and see a book.

He hands his staff and hat over to Pippin and reached down and took a large, bound book from the hands of a skeleton, which lay at the base of the grave. As he picked it up, dust and dirt flew from it and a few pages fell out. Gandalf opened the book gently and smoothed out the aging pages and read.

Goosebumps rose on the arms of Alejandra. She than rubs both her arms, as they suddenly ran cold. Soon her whole body ran cold, and she shivered.

"Not again." Alejandra said in pain, as she fell to her knees, clutching her head.

Orcs crawling out of the ceiling...... Fire and Shadow..... A narrow bridge.... Rain..... Pain.... Hurt.... Anger.... Guilt.... Determination.... Hope.... Wanting... Fear..... Trees..... Elves.... Waterfall.... The horn of Gondor..... Fellowship gone separate ways.... One of the four gone another way....

"'They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes.'"

"Alejandra!" Ailish's yelled worriedly, as she and the two guy cousins kneeled to her.

Alejandra waved their hands away, breathing deeply. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Boromir, and Aragorn kneel next to the adults.

"Is she alright?" Aragorn asked concerned.

"'Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark.'"

Ailish shakes her head, "she has visions. They just come to her unexpected. Don't worry about it, we can handle it."

Aragorn nodded, unsure.

"'We cannot get out. They are coming……..'" Gandalf finishes.

Pippin, oblivious to what Gandalf had just read; reach out to touch an arrow protruding from a skeleton resting on the edge of a well. His small hand made contact with the feathered end. That little momentum was enough to send the skeleton over the edge, down the hole. On the first bang, Pippin turned around to face us, guilt written on his face.

To add insult to injury, the bucket attached to a chain, attached to the skeleton fell as well, resulting in an even louder BANG! We all winced every time the bucket and skeleton connected with something below. After a good two minutes of BANGS……..silence.

They remained silent, terrified that whatever lived in the dark of Moria heard that and would come after them as soon as it got the chance.

Gandalf glared at Pippin moments later, when all had quieted down.

"Fool of a Took!" he snapped, "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" He shut the book with a snap and turned away with a huff.

Everyone visibly relaxed, even after the dreadful reading Gandalf had done, then from the pit of the Earth came the sound....

Boom.

Then louder, BOOM. It sounded like the core of Moria had been transformed into a great drum. They became louder until, they knew that it was a signal drum.

"Mr. Frodo, look!" Sam cried, pointing at Frodo's sword, which was still sheathed.

Frodo instantly pulled it out and everyone saw that it glowed a fearsome blue.

"Orcs! Get back and stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn said, as he and Boromir rushed to the gated through which we had first come.

Two arrows zinged and landed deep in the wooden gates, a few inched from where Boromir's head had been second before.

"They have a cave troll." Boromir said, almost laughing.

Legolas began throwing assorted swords and axes to Boromir and Aragorn, in an effort to bar the gates. Saul, and Alejandro helped Legolas, as Ailish helped Alejandra.

Gimli jumped onto Balin's tomb, pulled out his ax and brandishing it in front of him.

"Let them come! There is still one Dwarf in Moria who still breathes!" Gimli growled.

Legolas immediately started aiming and shooting arrows, as an ax broke through the wood, and started hacking at the wood, breaking it down in a matter of seconds. A shriek was followed and another ax appeared. Alejandro shot this Orc down and the door broke down.

Legolas, Alejandra, and Alejandro shot down those in the front, as Saul, Boromir, Aragorn, and Ailish took out their swords, waiting for battle.

A cave troll broke through, knocking down some of the cement wall as it came. It had a chain attached to it's neck, and a fellow Orc held it. The troll had a huge wooden club, with a ugly, maggoty belt around his thick waist. One of his eyes were squinty and his mouth was hanging open.

Suddenly the room was filled with Orcs. Aragorn let out a battle cry, followed by slashing and the clanking of swords. The cave troll smashed the Orc who held on to the chain, as the cave troll tried to kill Gimli.

Sam saw the cave troll coming towards him. He slide under his legs, just as the troll swung his wooden club, and crawled away from the Orc. Alejandro tried to help Sam up as the cave troll came over to them, ready to step on them

Boromir and Aragorn grabbed hold of the chain and pulled back on it, making the troll take a few steps, than turn around. At that moment, Alejandro helped Sam up and took him quickly to safety.

Argaorn let go of the chain, as an Orc came at him. Boromir, however still holding the chain, looks down at it, than up to the troll. The troll grabs hold of the other end, swings it, along with his head, making Boromir fly over to the wall.

He falls on top of some Orcs, than rolls down to the bottom. He shakes his head and looks up to see an Orc about to kill him. Argorn, seeing this, throws his long knife at the Orcs neck and kills him. Boromir sits up and nods a thanks to Aragorn, who nods a welcome back.

Ailish swiped off the head of an Orc to her right. Turning around, she stabbed her sword into the abdomen of another, twisting it, before pulling it back out. He fell down with a thump.

CLANK!

Ailish looked to her right to see Sam, with pots and pans. He smacked an Orc in the head, causing it to drop like a block of lead. "I think I'm getting the hang of this," he said breathlessly.

Ailish grinned, shaking her head. She turned back around to see an Orc lunge at her. The force of his movement caused her sword to fling out of her hands, and his blade sliced through her sleeve, making her wince, as she felt the sword cut through her skin.

With her fast reflexes, the Orc was dead the next second later. Ailish had pulled out her scimitar from behind her back and sliced through the vein in his neck. Ignoring the throbbing pain of the cut on her left arm, Ailish continued to fight.

Alejandra, now having her long knives out, saw Pippin and Merry being drove back by a group of 3 Orcs. Worried for their safety, Alejandra fought her way over to them, in time to block a sword that was meant to kill Pippin. The Hobbit's eyes fill with relief.

The Orc was extremely strong and Alejandra struggled under his sword. She than spotted the other 2 Orcs lunge at her. She quickly killed one with one of her long knives, but the next one got her on the side, right beside her stomach. She winced, and heard an arrow slice through the air. The Orc that was behind her fell, as Alejandra knocked the one in front of her down, before stabbing her knife deep into its chest.

A/N: How was it? Good I hoped. Please review!!!