Chapter Eight: Hope Dwindles
A/N: I'm baaaaack! College is a lot. I never thought I'd get tired of music until 10 of my 11 classes ended up being in music! It's gotten better, but man, am I burned out. The semester is winding down a bit, though, so I've taken my first free weekend since… August(?) to finish this chapter. The Fellowship have set out from Rivendell and Saruman and Moria attempt to kill any resolve and hope they have, and they do a pretty decent job of it, to be honest. Quenya and other Elvish translations are a little spotty in this one, so please feel free to correct them if they need correcting. And apologies if the chapter feels a bit disjointed. I started with the middle, then wrote the beginning, then the end, all at different points in time. Hopefully it all flows together okay. Anyway, let us pick up where we left off!
For many days the Fellowship traveled along the foothills of the Misty Mountains. Very few words were spoken for some time, apart from the occasional comment from Pippin or quiet musings from Gandalf, Aragorn, or Legolas. The tension from Rivendell remained, worry, unease, and distrust palpable in the air. Despite this, Talion couldn't help but admire the view around him one early afternoon. Rolling green hills and snow capped mountains that cut through the swirling clouds above them were a beautiful and peaceful sight to behold. He made his thoughts known aloud, the first words he'd spoken since their departure from Rivendell. Of all the sights he'd seen in recent-ish memory Nurnen was probably the most beautiful (of course), but he'd grown accustomed to the sight after a couple of decades. Perhaps he'd spent far too long in Mordor, or maybe the Ring was finally making him completely lose his mind, but he felt it was truly a sight to behold.
"Perhaps we should admire them for a bit longer then," Aragorn replied. "It seems like as good a time as any to rest." Most of the rest of the Fellowship responded positively, though Boromir looked to Talion with an exasperated, yet almost pitying expression on his face. He and Gimli still didn't trust nor like Talion. Though Gimli's threats of bodily harm under his breath had stopped some time ago, he still directed glares Talion's way whenever their gazes would meet. Boromir continued to confuse Talion. He was often caught staring, sometimes in what was undeniably a burning jealousy, and others in a strange mix of concern and curiosity. He tried to push his slowly growing worry to the back of his mind to stay focused on the task at hand, but Boromir didn't make it easy.
Pippin, however, through lucky timing or some other strange, mystical power that Talion didn't know he had, managed to completely change Boromir's mood with a single question. As Sam had started a fire to prepare lunch, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli surveying their surroundings from the rocky cliff they'd set up camp on, Pippin caught Aragorn and Boromir's attention.
"I know there'll be Black Riders and creatures on our way to Mordor, so will you teach me how to fight?" The question caught both men and a bewildered Merry off guard. Pippin caught Merry's expression, replying, "Well someone has to defend you when we're surrounded by the enemy."
"Someone'll have to defend me?" Merry questioned incredulously, eyebrow raised and eyes glimmering at the challenge. "Well if you're learning to fight, then so am I! We'll see who needs defending then, won't we?" Boromir looked to Aragorn in excitement. As ill-tempered as he'd been for much of the beginning of the journey, he absolutely adored the hobbits, and probably couldn't say no if he tried.
"What do you think, Aragorn? Shall we train two brave warriors for the challenges ahead?" he asked with a genuine smile that instantly brightened the atmosphere. Aragorn, smiling as well, looked between the three with a fond shake of his head.
"I don't see why not. Where shall we start?" Talion sat a little ways away, far enough to not be intrusive, but close enough to see and hear most of what was going on. Eltariel joined him, watching in amusement as Merry and Pippin attempted to imitate Boromir and Aragorn, who were showing them the proper stances for fighting.
"They could still be in Rivendell, or back in the Shire, away from all of this, and yet they chose to continue traveling. And now this." She gestured to the four as Pippin took the first swing of his sword, stumbling forward from the force he'd put into it and drawing laughs out of everyone watching.
"I know," Talion told her, serious again after a moment, understanding her view. "But they made their choice. They would not leave Frodo to face this journey alone." Eltariel didn't reply. Talion looked to her after a while to find her lost in though, gaze far away, disheartened. He tried not to wonder what was going through her mind that would put her in such a state.
Several more days went by much the same way, with the Fellowship stopping and meals and training sessions proceeding. On one particular day, Merry and Pippin took turns against Boromir doing basic combos and strikes, with Aragorn observing and commenting as they went. They had made splendid progress in the short time, and Eltariel and Legolas had discussed perhaps teaching the two other skills, proper scouting, perhaps, or archery if they were feeling particularly daring one day. As Merry and Pippin tackled Boromir, and then Aragorn, to the ground with a bit of clever teamwork, the four collapsing into a pile in a fit of laughter, the almost joyful mood vanished as Legolas rushed to the edge of the cliff they were camped out on, squinting into the distance. This caught everyone's attention, Eltariel making her way to his side not long after. A dark mass had appeared in the skies.
"What is that?" Sam asked. Gimli thought nothing of it, but quickly changed his tune as it made its way towards them.
"Its moving fast, against the wind," Boromir noted, the smile from earlier falling from his face as concern settled in. Talion watched Eltariel's eyes widen as she realized what they were seeing.
"Spies of the enemy!" she shouted to the group.
"Hide! Take cover!" Aragorn instructed. They all rushed behind the large rock formations next to the camp, extinguishing the fire and snatching belongings as they dove out of sight. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as a swarm of shrieking birds flew over the area, leaving as quickly as they came. When they were barely visible, everyone got to their feet, a bit shaken.
"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf told them. "The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras." They all looked to the high mountain peak behind them, no doubt bitterly cold and snowy.
"How long?" Talion asked, looking to the hobbits in concern. While he knew that Eltariel, Legolas, and he himself wouldn't feel much of the temperature's effects, he didn't like the idea of the hobbits, or anyone else, freezing to death.
"It is hard to say. Should the snow hold until we have passed, not long at all," Gandalf replied, though he didn't sound as confident as he probably wanted to. Talion had a feeling the journey wouldn't go too well.
XxX
The trek to the Pass was long and arduous, and though the vast white blanket of snow met with soft blue skies and slowly swirling clouds that seemed almost within reach was a quiet and serene scene, the thinning air and steadily dropping temperatures were not kind to the Fellowship. He knew Aragorn, Gandalf, and Boromir were cold, but they didn't show it. Gimli, Legolas, and Eltariel didn't feel most of the cold, and he himself couldn't feel much of anything. The hobbits, however, were shivering, and Frodo, at one point, found himself tumbling down the slope they were currently climbing, caught by a concerned Aragorn before he could go too far, now covered in snow. Everyone stopped in concern.
"Are you alright?" Talion asked him, checking him over. Frodo nodded, but his tired expression quickly morphed into one of panic as he looked up. Talion and Aragorn followed his gaze, eyes landing on Boromir holding the chain that held the One Ring, which glimmered in the sunlight. Talion felt the New Ring burn, sucking in a harsh breath as a sense of take and mine briefly flared within him, squeezing Frodo's shoulder a bit tightly as he and Aragorn helped him to his feet.
"Boromir," Aragorn called, but Boromir was entranced, with eyes only for the One Ring. The wind seemed to blow harsher then, the skies just a touch darker.
" 'Tis a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt… for so small a thing…" His other hand came up to examine the Ring closer. "Such a little thing…"
"Boromir!" Aragorn shouted with authority, breaking the spell and snapping both Boromir and Talion back to their senses. "Give the Ring to Frodo," he told him in a softer tone. Boromir looked between Frodo and the One Ring in confusion before approaching them, holding it out rather reluctantly.
"As you wish," he replied. He met Aragorn's stare with false bravado. "I care not." Frodo snatched the Ring back with urgency, quickly securing it back around his neck and out of sight. Talion let out a barely audible sigh of relief, and the Fellowship continued moving. Talion didn't miss, however, Aragorn's hand slowly lowering from his sword handle after the exchange.
The next day was when things well and truly took a turn for the worse. Icy gusts whipped heaps and heaps of snow upon them, so much so that Boromir and Gandalf had to make a path for the rest of the Fellowship to walk through as they scaled the side of the mountain. Aragorn and Talion carried the hobbits, not wanting to risk them being buried in snow banks taller than they were. Legolas and Eltariel hopped upon the non tunneled snow ahead, twin worried expressions on their faces.
"There is a fell voice in the air," Legolas called back to them.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted as a loud BOOM! thundered overhead, sending huge chunks of rocks and ice cascading dangerously close to them.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must head back!" Aragorn shouted in alarm.
"No!" Gandalf shouted back. Talion looked to him in shock. Did he want them to risk dying here when there were other, safer paths they could take? It was then that Gandalf shouted back at Saruman in an ancient language without fear, in what Talion loosely understood as, "We are here." Another BOOM! sounded, this time bringing several feet of snow crashing down on top of everyone. Saruman's voice went silent then, only the howling of the wind audible. The side of the mountain was motionless for several seconds, before one by one members of the Fellowship dug themselves out of the snow. Talion looked for Eltariel, spotting her a few feet away, brushing snow out from under her hood. His gaze then swept the area, and he was relieved to see everyone looking mostly unharmed. He heard Boromir suggest they head for the Gap of Rohan before Aragorn pointed out that they would be traveling too close to Isengard. Gimli suggested Moria, to which Gandalf froze, a far off look in his eyes. What did he know that they didn't?
"Gandalf?" Talion asked over the wind, startling him from his trance. Gandalf looked to him and then to Frodo.
"Let the Ring-bearer decide." All eyes fell on Frodo then, who was terrified to be tasked with making such a decision. He looked to Sam, then to the other hobbits, who were just as lost and uncertain as he was.
"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir shouted.
Frodo took a few shaky, uneven breaths before replying, "We will go through the Mines." Gandalf met his terrified expression with one of resignation.
"So be it. Let us turn back!"
XxX
Talion couldn't help the feeling of warmth mixed with longing and a strange unease that bubbled in his chest the closer the Fellowship got to Moria. After the disastrous journey to the Caradhras Pass, he hoped that passage there would be less eventful. He watched Gandalf pull a fearful and tired looking Frodo to the side, whispering too low to hear from where he was, before Gimli uttered, awestruck, "The Walls of Moria." The feelings in his chest intensified as the Fellowship drew near, and while everyone else seemed to be searching for an entrance, Talion simply ran his fingers reverently over the stone, ancient whispers echoing in the air, a heartbroken look in his eyes that drew occasional stares from their companions. Eltariel watched him sadly, knowing what was on his mind.
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli told the group as they continued their search. Trees and other vegetation surrounded the area, a small, yet deep body of water separated by a shore mere feet from the Doors.
"Their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten," Gandalf remarked.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Leglas asked with a frown, much to Gimli's annoyance. Before a dispute could start between the two, Talion saw Gandalf dust off a carving in a large smooth area of stone, looking towards the moon, which lit the doors in a soft glowing bright blue. Many of the Fellowship stared in wonder at the beautiful writings, while Talion and Eltariel made their way to Gandalf's side. Without knowing what possessed him to do so, Talion read the door's inscription, voice echoing throughout the area with an unknown power, fingers gently tracing the glowing ithildin.
"Ennyn Durin Aran Moria. Pedo mellon a minno. Im Narvi hain echant. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin." Many in the Fellowship eyed Talion with surprise at his reading. Gandalf, seemingly unphased, translated.
"The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."
"I, Narvi, made them," Eltariel continued.
"Celebrimbor of Eregion drew these signs," Talion finished softly, voice shaking slightly at the end. Aragorn heard the tremble and caught his eye in concern, but Talion shook his head dismissively.
"What do you suppose that means?" a confused Pippin asked.
"Well, it's quite simple. If you are a friend you speak the password, and the doors will open," Gandalf explained rather quickly, perhaps a bit excitedly, as he turned towards the doors again, shouting confidently in Elvish. The Fellowship held their breath in anticipation, deflating slightly when nothing happened after a few moments. Several more times Gandalf tried, each one a failure. The Fellowship all looked at one another, some in worry and others in exasperation.
"Nothing's happening," Pippin commented after a few minutes, looking to Legolas, who met his gaze before looking back to Gandalf, who was pushing and shoving at the door while murmuring under his breath, in concern.
"So you have no idea how to open them," Boromir stated in annoyance. "Wonderful," he muttered under his breath.
"Give him time," Eltariel told him with a frown. "I don't see you attempting to open the doors."
"I could say the same for you," Boromir replied coldly.
"Boromir. Eltariel," Aragorn interrupted, sensing a fight brewing. "Perhaps now isn't the best time." They looked to him, embarrassed as if scolded by a parent, before glaring at each other one last time, putting distance between themselves. Boromir rejoined the rest of the group while Eltariel made her way over to Gandalf, offering her help. Aragorn watched them go before making his way over to Talion, who seemed lost in thought, a melancholy expression on his face as he leaned against the stone a little ways away from the Doors. "It must be difficult, being here without him." Talion sighed, but nodded.
"It is. I know he would love to see this place again. And I know…" His eyes went wide as an idea occurred to him. "He knows how to open the Doors." He reached for the New Ring, which was glowing with warmth in the same shade of blue as the Doors of Moria, closing his eyes and concentrating, hoping what he was trying worked, one thought in his mind. Celebrimbor.
For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, Talion slowly felt his consciousness slip away, body going slack. His vision went dark, eyes falling shut, and when next he opened them he found himself in the same position, though his surrounding had changed slightly. Vegetation and greenery grew less unkemptly, a clear path to the Doors of Moria now visible, leading away in several directions. He stood, pushing himself away from the stone wall and approaching the Doors, which glowed softly in the moonlight. Again, Talion admired their beauty as he heard quiet footsteps behind him.
"There was a time when Moria and Eregion were allies, when trade and visitation were commonplace between us. Elves and dwarves lived peacefully alongside each other, once. It's a shame that time has changed that." Talion turned around, meeting Celebrimbor's wistful gaze.
"Did you visit Moria often?" Talion asked, walking over to Celebrimbor's side and gently taking his hand.
"Yes. A great craftsman, Narvi, and I were good friends," he replied. A familiar bow materialized in his free hand. "He is the one who crafted Azkar, as a gift, a sign of our friendship." Azkar disappearing from sight, they both walked up to the Doors, stopping just short of them. "It was through our collaboration that these Doors were built, and still stand as they are today." He traced the glowing ithildin and recited, "Ennyn Durin Aran Moria. Pedo mellon a minno."
"Speak, friend, and enter, the second phrase reads. Gandalf cannot make sense of it." Celebrimbor huffed in exasperation.
"Gandalf the Grey is wiser than most, but there are some things that do not require a wealth of wisdom to solve. Pedo mellon a minno. Speak friend and enter. It is a very straightforward statement." Talion considered his lover's words, confusion giving way to understanding after a few moments.
"Speak friend… Friend… The Elvish word for friend?" Celebrimbor smiled, and nodded.
"A simple and straightforward statement, and yet even the greatest minds can still be baffled by it." He dropped his hand from the Doors, looking to Talion in concern. "Moria is not the civilization it once was. It will have fallen into ruin, and there's no way of knowing just what now dwells within its halls. You and the Fellowship must travel with caution."
"I know. We have barely avoided disaster since we set out from Rivendell, and… Something tells me that there is a great danger near."
"Then you must be prepared for anything." Before Talion could respond, he heard a faint voice, what he thought was someone calling his name. Celebrimbor sighed. "You are needed in the waking world." Talion squeezed his hand, refusing to let it go.
"Must our time together always be so short?" he demanded to know, not willing to part with him just yet.
"Ni mende illume aquet lye, melda," Celebrimbor told him, equally as unwilling to let Talion return. "Never doubt that." As his vision faded once more, he felt a kiss being pressed into his hair, and when his vision returned he found Eltariel shaking him awake.
"Something is amiss," she told him as he stood, a bit disoriented. "There is a creature that lurks near." Talion fixed her with a puzzled expression before a splashing sound drew his gaze to Pippin, who was throwing stones into the water. He watched Aragorn stop him with haste, he and Boromir looking at the now rippling water in concern. Briefly entering the wraith world, Talion saw a large form underwater, slowly making its way to the surface.
Vision returning to normal, he told Eltariel, "Something has awakened."
"Get away from the water!" she shouted to the rest of the Fellowship, shining the Light of Galadriel over the area. Dark tentacles moved almost unseen below dark waves. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, Legolas his bow, and Gimli his axe, pushing the hobbits behind them as they backed slowly towards the Doors. Talion and Eltariel joined them, Talion turning to a defeated looking Gandalf.
"The Doors are not asking for anything elaborate. It asks exactly what it says. Speak friend and enter. It does not address us as friend. It asks for the word friend," he explained.
Gandalf suddenly stood, realization lighting up his features, and the two of them uttered at the same time, "Mellon." The Doors of Durin swung open with a scraping of stone, and Gandalf led the way inside, Gimli following ecstatically. As soon as he stepped foot inside, the uneasiness in Talion's chest multiplied tenfold, and he gasped as it momentarily overwhelmed him. Something definitely wasn't right here.
"What is it?" Eltariel whispered. Boromir glanced over his shoulder with a scoff. Talion glared, but chose to ignore him in favor of answering Eltariel.
"Something isn't right here. It's too quiet. There is an air of suffering and death, and…" He couldn't quite put into words the familiar feeling he was getting, but he sensed a great evil lurking deep within Moria. Gimli, oblivious to Talion's worries, chattered on excitedly.
"Soon, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, and ripe meat off the bone! This, my friends, is the home of my cousin Balin, and they call it a mine. A mine!" Legolas looked to him in bewilderment, and it was at this point that Gandalf lit his staff, illuminating a truly horrific scene that froze the Fellowship in their tracks. Rotted, cobweb infested corpses and skeletons littered the dingy stone floor, splatters of dried blood and broken weapons leading further into Moria, the air thick with the smell of dust and decay.
"This isn't a mine. It's a tomb," Boromir stated, horrified. The hobbits took a few steps back as they spotted the skeletons at their feet, more than a little startled. Gimli cast his gaze around him, despair flooding his features as he dropped to his knees next to a fallen kinsman, letting out a heart wrenching wail that echoed ominously throughout the hall. Legolas yanked an arrow out of a corpse, scowling as he recognized the handiwork.
"Goblins," he told the group, prompting them to all scan the room for any potential enemies.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan," Boromir more ordered than suggested. "We never should have come here." Before anyone could comment or protest, Frodo let out a cry of alarm as a tentacle swept him off his feet and began dragging him none too gently outside. Merry and Pippin immediately grabbed ahold of him, Sam hacking away at the tentacle with angry shouts.
"Strider!" he yelled as the rest of the Fellowship followed the sounds of the struggle. As Sam finally cut Frodo free, the monster reared its head with an ear-splitting shriek, grabbing for Frodo again with all of its tentacles. Aragorn, Eltariel, and Boromir slashed at any nearby, Legolas shooting at the farther ones, the hobbits trying to protect Frodo. With force they were knocked down, and Frodo was snatched up. Before he could be taken far, Talion shadow struck the tentacle holding him, Urfael slicing through it cleanly and efficiently. He landed on his feet as Boromir caught Frodo.
"Into the mines!" Gandalf shouted, and the Fellowship quickly followed the order, fending off any final attacks as the creature lashed out at the Doors of Durin, crumbling the stone and caving in the entrance. Darkness swallowed them without the moonlight, heavy, panicked breathing echoing in the hall. It wasn't until Eltariel summoned the Light of Galadriel and Gandalf relit his staff that they could see again.
"Is everyone alright?" Aragorn asked, still catching his breath. He received nods from almost everyone, Frodo still very shaken up.
"We now have but one choice: we must face the long dark of Moria," Gandalf told them, once again leading the way forward. "Be on your guard. There are older, fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world." Aragorn, Boromir, and Talion took the rear, behind the hobbits and Gimli, who followed behind Eltariel and Legolas. Everyone was alert, each step cautious, eyes and ears open to any sign of danger. "It will take us several days to reach the other side. Let us hope that our journey goes uninterrupted by anything that dwells here."
"And what are the chances of that happening?" Eltariel asked under her breath.
The Fellowship traversed along narrow stone paths, the threat of tumbling into the bottomless darkness below ever present. While the first part of the journey was uneventful, they eventually came across the remains of a mine, Gandalf explaining about the importance and rarity of mithril. At the mention of Bilbo's mithril shirt, Talion watched Frodo glance down at his chest, eyes widening when the value of the shirt was revealed to be more than the value of the entire Shire itself.
The next few days would become a strange blur in his mind as his vision flashed between the dark, endless, ominous tunnels before him and sprawling, lively, warmly lit paths of a Moria long gone. Sometimes, he would see flashes of dwarves doing all sorts of tasks: mining, conversing, training, working. Other times, he might just see the high ceilings, intricately carved columns and walls, and massive halls that must have been an everyday sight to the dwarves of the past, his footsteps the only clear noise to greet his ears. Other sounds were warped and distant when this happened, and Talion, more than once, found himself under the concerned or wary gazes of several members of the Fellowship when his senses returned to normal.
After a few exhausting, tense days of travel, the Fellowship eventually came across a steep set of stairs, three doorways greeting them at the top. Gandalf looked between them in confusion and concern. "I have no memory of this place," he told them. They decided to stop for the moment, and Talion watched as everyone took a seat gratefully.
"You may not be very tired, but some of us appreciate the rest," Eltariel told him at his surprised expression, though not maliciously so. He joined her on the ground, looking around at the Fellowship. Gimli grieved still for those who had lost their lives, and for the state of the once great city. Merry, Pippin, and Sam looked at their surroundings curiously, but warily. Boromir examined his blade, making an effort to keep the unease out of his expression as he did so. Aragorn and Legolas were in hushed conversation, as were Frodo and Gandalf.
"It's not that," he replied with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes and trying to blink away visions of the past. "As we've travelled, I've been seeing things, memories."
"Celebrimbor's?"
"Of Moria in all of its glory," he confirmed. "It was warm, full of life, grand, beautiful. Words cannot do these halls justice. When we stopped…"
"You were greeted by this lovely dark and abandoned sight. I suppose that would be jarring… Do you know the way forward?" Talion glanced between the doorways for a few moments before shaking his head.
"Nothing comes to mind."
"Oh! It's that way," Gandalf suddenly piped up, drawing everyone's attention as he stood and broke away from Frodo. Talion and Eltariel exchanged a sceptical look as they all got back to their feet, continuing on.
XxX
It wouldn't be much longer until the Fellowship found themselves in a massive, open hall with rows upon rows of intricately designed columns as far as the eye could see. Talion glanced around, vision briefly flashing to a warmly lit hall. At Gandalf's shout, his gaze snapped to Gimli, who had sprinted ahead to a dimly lit room. Everyone quickly followed, watching Gimli crumple to his knees, head bowed, leaning on his axe as he wept. A small army of dwarf corpses littered the room, all surrounding a stone tomb lit by natural light filtering in from above ground. Gandalf read the inscription on it aloud.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I feared." Gimli continued to weep, until Gandalf's eyes fell upon a dust covered tome clutched in the hands of a skeleton. Handing his staff and hat off to Pippin, he plucked it from its grasp, brushing it off and blowing dust out of its pages, skimming through it.
"We cannot linger here," Legolas whispered to Aragorn, sharing Talion's unease. "It isn't safe."
"No part of Moria is safe now, though I agree. We should keep moving," Talion told him. "I suppose Gandalf is trying to find out what has happened here." Legolas met his gaze with a nod of understanding, but remained wary. They all listened to Gandalf as he recounted the last few pages written in the book. He spoke of the dwarves barricading themselves against the enemy, of hearing thundering drums as they approached, of having no escape, the hopelessness of the words seemingly bleeding through the pages and into the air, casting a dark feeling in the room. Pippin backed away all the while, not stopping until he bumped into an armor-clad skeleton, which tumbled down into the well it laid upon. He flinched as each crash reverberated sharply through the otherwise silent area. An ominous silence followed, and Pippin wore a sheepish and terrified look on his face. The Fellowship held their breath for a few moments after, and Gandalf rounded on Pippin with a scowl, about to reprimand him when what sounded like a drumbeat stopped him dead in his tracks. Everyone froze, listening closely. Another, then another, sounded.
"Frodo!" Sam exclaimed in a panic, the now blue glowing Sting catching his eye as cackling cries met their ears. That could only mean one thing.
"Orcs!" Eltariel confirmed. Boromir rushed to the door, peering around the corner before quickly snatching his head back, narrowly avoiding being impaled by two black, tainted arrows.
"Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn told the hobbits, who quickly followed the orders. He went to assist Boromir with closing and barring the door before everyone closed ranks around Balin's tomb, weapons drawn and raised for a fight.
"They have a cave troll," Boromir remarked with annoyance, shield and sword gleaming in the dim light. He stood next to Aragorn and Legolas, who had bows aimed at the doors. Gimli stood atop Balin's tomb with his axe in hand. Gandalf, Eltariel, and Talion stood in front of the hobbits, their swords drawn. The doors shook and cracked from the force of their enemies before crumbling inward completely, one of them blasted off its hinges as orcs came spilling into the room with enraged shrieks. Aragorn and Legolas unleashed a volley of arrows, felling the first few. With battle cries, the Fellowship charged, hacking and slashing their way through what seemed, in the moment, to be an endless supply of orcs. The hobbits banded together, Aragorn and Boromir fighting closely together, as were Legolas and Eltariel. Gandalf, Gimli, and Talion fought separately, making sure the others groups weren't overwhelmed. The tide of the battle shifted as a roar shook the room, a cave troll, easily several times bigger than everyone in the Fellowship, smashing its way through the door wielding a large mace.
The room descended into even more chaos as Aragorn and Boromir took hard blows as they distracted the troll, who had its sights set on a disoriented Sam. A small blast shook the ground as a group of orcs became frozen solid, Talion and Gimli smashing their way through them as they crossed to opposite sides of the room. Eltariel beheaded several orcs coming too close to Legolas, blasting others nearby with precise beams of light that dropped them where they stood. Each member of the Fellowship, save Gandalf got in attacks against the cave troll, whether that be well placed arrows, toppling it over using the long chain wrapped around its neck, or sword strikes. Each time the cave troll shook the attacks off, though its movements were beginning to slow.
There were several moments, in the midst of battle, that one of them found themselves on the brink of death before another Fellowship member came to their aid. A few well timed arrows from Legolas sent the cave troll stumbling backwards from an unaware Gimli, a light blast from Eltariel killing an orc who had overpowered Merry, and, unexpectedly, a few spectral daggers to the throat spared a bewildered Boromir from an untimely death at the hands of another orc. Talion caught Boromir's surprised eye with a nod across the room before diving back into the fight. The most frightening of them all came when Frodo cried out for Aragorn, cornered by the cave troll. Despite taking a spear to the chest, the cave troll swatted Aragorn to the side without pause. Frodo ran to his side to find him unmoving but breathing, panicked. Afterwards he found himself slumped in a corner with the breath knocked out of him and, before he could react, viciously stabbed by the same spear.
"Frodo!" Sam shouted, and the fellowship battled to his side with a renewed vigor. Merry and Pippin leapt atop the cave troll, stabbing at it as the rest of the Fellowship attacking it from below. With furious cries Pippin and Merry stabbed the troll's head, wrenching it back and allowing Legolas to pierce its neck with several arrows. It swayed before falling to the ground with a loud thud, sending the hobbits tumbling off of it. Talion shook Aragorn slightly, and he came to with a look of confusion. He looked around to see the Fellowship surrounding the cave troll before his eyes fell on an unmoving Frodo. He stumbled to his feet before rushing over to him with wide eyes.
"Oh no," he whispered shakily, turning Frodo onto his front to find him alive and breathing. Sam rushed to his side as well with a look of relief, helping Frodo sit up.
"You should be dead," Aragorn told him. "That spear would've skewered a wild boar!"
"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf told them all with a smile. Frodo looked to him before unbuttoning the top of his shirt to reveal…
"Mithril," Gimli uttered in awe. "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins," he stated with a smile of his own. The relief in the room quickly morphed into panic at the echoing cries of yet more orcs, much louder and greater in number than before.
"To the Bridge of Khazad-Dum. Quickly!" Gandalf exclaimed, and the Fellowship followed his lead as they sprinted away from the quickly closing in army. The light of Gandalf's staff and the Light of Galadriel from Eltariel lit their way through the dark hall as orcs poured from behind them, the walls, the ceiling, flooding the area and leaving them with no route for escape. As they prepared to perhaps make their last stand, a low rumbling growl sent them all suddenly scurrying away in fear. The Fellowship looked back to see a bright, warm light illuminating the way they'd just come from, a strange heat filling the room. "Run!" Gandalf shouted, and they once again followed his lead.
They found themselves once again traversing narrow passages and staircases, narrowly avoiding falling over the edge on several occasions. As they continued on, they encountered a broken part of a staircase, a large gap between where they stood and the rest of the path. Legolas and Eltariel jumped it with ease, landing safely on the other side and holding their arms out to catch the others. Gandalf went first, managing to make it over without too much trouble. Boromir grabbed ahold of Merry and Pippin, the three of them making it over next as arrows began to rain down on them from orcs in the passageways above. Legolas drew his bow again and fended them off as Eltariel caught Sam, who had been thrown over by Aragorn. Aragorn offered to throw Gimli over next, but he stubbornly refused, attempting to make the jump by himself, only for Legolas to have to grab him by his beard and pull him forward before he could topple backwards into Moria's dark depths, Eltariel eliminating the rest of the orcs above them.
Talion, Aragorn, and Frodo remained on the other side, which cracked and swayed as the low, rumbling growl from earlier made itself known, now a roar. Talion froze. He knew that sound. With a crash, huge chunks of rock fell from above, effectively cutting off the way back. Aragorn, ever level headed, kept a tight grip on Frodo as the piece of staircase they stood on threatened to pitch them over the side.
"Lean forward!" Aragorn told them as the staircase steadied itself. As they did, they found themselves slowly falling towards the Fellowship, who looked on with nervous eyes. As the staircase pieces collided, the Fellowship was whole once more, Legolas steadying Aragorn and Frodo and Eltariel steadying Talion. They continued forward, the Bridge in sight as they reached the bottom of the path of staircases.
"Over the bridge!" Gandalf told them, staying back as everyone else ran ahead. Talion stopped a few feet away, watching the flames that rose up from the edge of the passageway as a balrog emerged with a bloodcurdling low roar.
"Not again," he groaned as he and Gandalf caught up with the rest of the Fellowship, who had begun making it across the bridge.
Talion was about three quarters of the way across when he heard, "You cannot pass!" He stopped and looked back to see Gandalf standing his ground, facing the balrog with his staff lit brightly and raised in defense. What was he doing?!
"Talion!" Eltariel shouted in concern. Talion briefly looked to her before looking back at the scene unfolding before him. The balrog rose to full height, wings spread menacingly, flames wrapping around it like a fiery cloak, drawing a flaming sword with a growl.
"I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. Dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" The balrog swung heavily at Gandalf, whose shield of light knocked it back upon impact. "Go back to the shadow." Taking a step forward onto the bridge, the balrog brandished a fiery whip, cracking it in the air. The Fellowship looked on the edge of running out to him, but were frozen just like Talion, paralyzed with fear. "You shall not pass!" Gandalf shouted with authority, slamming Glamdring and his staff down on the bridge with a flare of ancient power. As soon as the balrog took another step the bridge crumbled under its feet, sending it crashing down into the darkness below with a screech. Gandalf leaned on his staff heavily then, clearly exhausted, before turning to join the others.
Without warning he found himself being dragged back by the balrog's whip, hands scrabbling at the bridge for something to hang on to. Talion, reacting without thinking, shadow struck his way to Gandalf, grabbing one of his hands while trying to keep them both from falling. He gritted his teeth, hearing Frodo's panicked shouts for them both and feeling his heart seize in his chest. He saw Gandalf look past him to the rest of the Fellowship with resigned eyes, and a sense of dread filled him.
"Fly, you fools." Talion felt Gandalf pry his hand free.
"No!" Talion and Frodo exclaimed in unison. Gandalf gave him a meaningful look, eyes conveying so much to Talion in that moment, more than he knew what to do with, disappearing below. Time stood still as his gaze remained fixed to the spot that Gandalf had been in not a few seconds ago. Talion fell to his knees as despair knocked the breath out of him. Gandalf… Gandalf was…
"Aragorn!" Talion heard Boromir shout, shocking him out of his stupor. He looked back. Aragorn stood at the edge of the bridge, looking just as broken as Talion felt. Boromir held a struggling Frodo, disappearing from view. Aragorn met his gaze, and an understanding passed between them as they ran to join the rest of the Fellowship, arrows raining down upon them as orcs returned tenfold at the balrog's disappearance. Up several more staircases and they found themselves outside, back on a snowy mountainside with blue skies.
The hobbits crumpled to the ground with sobs, Gimli holding back furious tears as Boromir, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably, held him back from running inside in a murderous rage. Legolas looked back at the exit to Moria with a great sadness in his eyes. Eltariel was rooted to the spot, eyes closed, head bowed. Aragorn looked to be trying to pull himself together as quickly as possible, eyes sweeping over the group with sorrow before his expression changed to one of resolve.
Talion felt empty. He and Gandalf had never been overly close, but every member of the Fellowship shared a bond, a strong, unbreakable bond from travelling on what many deemed an impossible and suicidal journey. He stopped next to Frodo, who was stood by the edge of the rocky cliffs. Frodo looked to him, and Talion could see that his watery eyes had lost all hope and light, almost a dull grey compared to the soft blues he was used to seeing. They had made it through Moria, at the cost of one of their own. What other losses might they have to endure before this was all over? That question passed silently between the two of them as the Fellowship continued to mourn.
Talion thought he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, looking back to find no one there. He looked down to find the New Ring glowing softly beneath his armor, and Talion clutched it tightly to his chest, feeling a bit of warmth seep back into him. They would get through this. They had to. They had to keep moving. He looked to Aragorn, meeting his gaze with a nod.
"We cannot put our lives at risk by staying here to mourn Gandalf's passing," Aragorn told the group. Boromir looked ready to protest, but Aragorn cut him off. "By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs. We must reach Lothlorien."
"Come, Frodo," Talion told him gently, going to rejoin the others and dropping the New Ring out of sight. Frodo followed slowly, eyes distant. Legolas, Aragorn, and Boromir helped everyone up, and the Fellowship found the strength to move forward, sorrow hanging over them every step of the way.
***Ni mende illume aquet lye, melda: I will always answer you, beloved
Closing A/N: Sorry we're ending on a bit of a sad note (a devastating note) here. We'll probably continue on like this for a little while, though. Lothlorien might be a bit of a break from tragedy, but we all know how Amon Hen goes… Or do we? We'll just have to wait and see. Also, with the breaking of the Fellowship coming up, expect some Eltariel-centric chapters coming soon. See you guys next chapter!