When morning came, (Well, what their bodies and Han's chrono told them was morning. the mine was always dark.) Gandalf was still in the same place as before, but he looked up when Merry approached.
"Aha! It's that way!" Gandalf stood and pointed down the left tunnel.
"He's remembered!" Merry yelled at the others, who were packing the tents up. Gandalf patted the hobbit on the shoulder.
"No, but as you'll see, the air doesn't smell so foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose!"
After a hurried cold breakfast, the fellowship proceeded down the tunnel. Jaina sniffed the air, and turned to Tenel Ka, who happened to be walking nearby.
"If this tunnel smells the best, I'd hate to smell the other ones!" Tenel Ka, with a quick look around, burst out laughing. Jaina grinned.
Tenel Ka had just gotten her stoic expression back under command when Jacen ran up.
"She laughed? I missed it... What did you tell her?" Jacen asked his sister. She gave him and innocent look.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Jacen. Maybe it was an echo?" She grinned to Tenel Ka as Jacen sighed and turned to go. Just then, up ahead, the tunnel ended and opened up into a vast cavernous hall.
Gandalf grunted form the head of the line and passed his hand over the crystal on the end on his staff.
"Here, I think, we can risk a little more light." The staff glowed brightly, filling the hall with light. Sam looked up at the tall ceiling.
"That's an eye opener, no mistake!" Frodo, standing next to him, nodded. Gandalf started walking, and announced behind him:
"Behold the great realm of the Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf!"
Gimli grinned, and turned to Han and Leia, seemingly about to go on again about the marvels of Dwarven architecture. But out of nowhere, the dwarf let out a shout and ran into a doorway in the wall.
"Gimli!" Gandalf yelled after him, running to catch up. The rest followed, a little more cautiously. The room they walked into was filled, like the rest of the mine, with dwarven and orcish skeletons. Gimli ignored these, and ran for a stone coffin in the center of the room. He read the inscription to himself and started to sob. Gandalf read over his shoulder, for the benefit of the others.
" 'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then. It's as I feared." The original fellowship members bowed their heads, and the foreigners followed suit, making a mental note to ask later about this Balin guy. Gandalf, now ignoring the dwarf's continued sobs, handed Pippin his hat and staff, and picked up a large, bloodstained book. Cracking it open, he read aloud.
" They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming!" The wizard looked up with a rare fear in his eyes. Everyone shifted uneasily. Everyone, that is, except for Pippin. Still holding the wizard's staff and hat, the hobbit was looking intently at a skeleton by the far wall. He reached out to touch it.
With a great bang, the head of the skeleton rolled off into a well, taking with it a wooden bucket. Since Gandy had just finished his story, the room had been silent. Then the repeated bangs and noise from the well make everyone turn in surprise.
Gandalf stormed over, and grabbed his things. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" The noise form the hole abated finally and everyone breathed sigh of relief. Until The drumming started.. Deep and ominous, from below. Frodo, in a panic, looked at Sting. The blade glowed blue. Legolas and Aragorn looked stricken, and the hobbits also.
Han merely loosened his blaster on his hip. "Right. So, we're doomed then?"