This nightmare has no end
The walls still blackened red
This figure's haunting me
This fear's consuming me
Lately I've been a shell of myself
Can't you see? I cannot hold back
This feeling of fear within me
Chapter 19
The Fellowship continued on for an hour after Gandalf's initial discovery of the pathway, walking on past other tunnels and winding passageways that led even deeper into the earth. They all began to look the same after a while; the same damp walls and dark walkways, with no distinction between any of them. The short journey was silent, with everyone keeping to themselves and looking around dully at their surroundings. Most of the faces of the members were pale and ashen from lack of sunlight, and moods were dragged down from the long traveling and utter emptiness of the mines.
Gandalf led the entourage through the tunnel, confident that they were nearing the city. It had been long since he had seen it, and he looked forward to viewing its beauty again. Of course it would be empty of its people, the very thing that gave it life, but he would still relish the look of awe on the faces of the younger companions once they saw the fine craftmenship of the dwarves. Perhaps that would earn the respect of a few of the members of the Fellowship, Gandalf frowned in the direction of a certain elf and dark haired faerie.
In the distance, the tunnel broke off into a larger room, and the wizard smiled. Ah, here they were. He ambled on a little faster, urging the others on silently, and made it to a series of steps. Slowly, he descended, glancing up ahead. It was a tad dark, but he knew they were right where they should be." Let me risk a little more light," he informed the rest, and tapped lightly on his staff. It flared harshly against the darkness of the room, and the companions closed their eyes against the sudden light. When they opened them again, their eyes widened.
" Behold!" Gandalf told them, his smile widening." The great realm of the dwarven city of Dwarrowdelf."
The hobbits stared unabashedly at the gigantic pillars of stone rising to the ceiling to hold up an enormous empty cavern. Hundreds of pillars littered the large vicinity, and dwarven writing and designs decorated their sides. Everyone's eyes were trained on the site before them, and a brief hush overcame the fellowship.
Nevada's neck craned up to see how far they went. When she decided her view wasn't good enough, since she was all the way in the back, she slowly pushed her way forward, keeping her eyes on the huge cavern in front of her." Wow," she in a low voice." Who knew short people like you could make something this big?"
Gimli just ignored her, his vision trained on the city of his cousin. A smile lit his face, and he sighed contentedly to himself. This was home.
Sam took in a breath, feeling very small against the large room in front of him." There's an eye opener, no mistake," he shook his head slowly.
" No kidding," Pippin agreed.
" Let us walk through the city, and continue our journey from there," Gandalf turned to tell them, and they all nodded, their eyes still trained on the ceiling and the giant pillars. They began their walk slowly, eyes going everywhere, talking in hushed tones.
Liana's gaze wandered all over the room, taking in the markings on the pillars and just how tall they really were. They passed another column, and she reached out and trailed her fingers along its width. The stone was cold, and her fingers fit in the grooves of the markings. It took them quite a few feet to get to the end of that one particular pillar, and she wondered how long it took them to create this entire city under the ground. How did they create it without having the weight of the mountain tumble down on them? She'd have to ask Gimli sometime." This place is really beautiful," she told him absentmindedly.
The dwarf beamed." It is a grand city," he said with pride.
She nodded in agreement, smiling a little. It was probably more stunning with people in it, but she wouldn't say anything about that. It was quiet and somber now, but Liana could envision how splendid the place would be bustling with dwarves and random foreigners doing business and trade with the locals. Her lips curved into a smile; she could almost see the fights that would break out between dwarves every now and then, if Gimli's people were anything like him.
" What is that lovely smile for?" a familiar voice asked her.
Liana's mental image broke and she looked over to her right, her smile changing from dreamy to a little bashful." I was picturing this place with people in it."
Legolas nodded, letting his gaze wander around the realm for a moment before gladly returning back to her face." It must have been magnificent when it was alive with people."
Liana nodded and fell silent, giving him a sidelong glance." I never thought I would hear you say this was a nice place."
Legolas smiled." The same goes for you," he countered.
She blinked and looked at him. Making a face at him, she said," Well, it would be a much nicer place if it weren't for the darkness, the heights... why does this place have heights anyway? We're underground, for crying out loud," she mused to herself. She stopped when he put a comforting around her shoulders, and smiled a little." And of course, that stale smell, and the chill in the air..." Liana frowned." Well, the architecture's pretty."
Legolas chuckled." That it is. I do, however, wholeheartedly agree with you on the darkness and underground part."
" I've never met anyone that absolutely hated being underground like you do," Liana laughed." You're so out of place down here, it's not even funny." Cheerfully, she put her arm around his shoulder and patted it." It's okay," she crooned, grinning," We'll be out of here soon."
He laughed at her." Look who's comforting who now. I distinctly remember a certain terrified faerie clutching the ground for dear life."
" I was not terrified," she argued back playfully." Merely cautious." He laughed at her, and the two began a cheerful argument, ranging from Liana's fear of heights to Legolas' hair, that ended in the elf defending the softness of his hair and Liana placating him.
Nevada observed her best friend and the elf, their arms wrapped companionably around each other's shoulders as they chatted and laughed away.' That's cute,' she thought vaguely.' It would be even cuter if I had someone like that.' Shaking her head, she laughed silently.' Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, Nevada.' She glanced up at the high ceiling once more, then let her head fall back to normal. Her neck was starting to hurt from looking up so much. It *was* a pretty impressive place, she had to give the dwarf that. Unconsciously, Nevada's pace had been slowing down, and she soon found herself at the end of pack. Looking around, she spotted Aragorn not far off, holding up the torch for light and looking around at their surroundings.' He looks like he needs someone to bug him,' she thought, and moved over to him." Enjoying the scenery?" she asked him.
Aragorn looked over in mild surprise, and smiled." Yes, it's an amazing realm."
Nevada nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a draft went through the realm, and she automatically shivered, goosebumps trailing over her bare shoulders and arms." It's cold in here," she complained.
Aragorn glanced at her, bemused." Maybe if you wore more clothing, you would not be so cold." She glared at him, before giving a sound of disgust and rubbing her arms." Well," he elaborated by gesturing towards her top and skirt." You're wearing a skirt and a shirt with no sleeves, of course you would be cold. Where are you longer sleeved shirt and pants?"
" I took them off when they got wet," she informed him slowly, giving him a 'Are-you-dense?' look. They fell silent for a moment, and Nevada shivered again, rubbing her hands vigorously together." Besides, it's not my body that's really cold, it's my hands." She blew into them for added warmth, which only worked for a few seconds. An idea gathered in her head, and she grinned." Here, feel this." She reached out and touched an ice-cold hand to his cheek. He instinctively jerked back, surprised, and she laughed." Cold, huh?"
Aragorn absentmindedly touched a hand to the cold spot now on his cheek, and gave her a bewildered look. What possessed her to do that? Nevada wasn't given to touching people that often, and that was completely out of character. Aragorn thought about it some more, then came to the conclusion that she was just doing it to let him know how cold her hands were, like she said. He was looking too far into an innocent gesture.
It took him a few moments to realize that Nevada was talking to him. When she hit him on the shoulder, he looked at her." What?"
Nevada rolled her eyes." I said, isn't it weird that we always end up walking together? Or talking? It's like being drawn to a magnet. A really annoying magnet that doesn't listen to me when I start talking."
Aragorn shook his head, deciphering all that she said." I'll choose to ignore that last comment. Plus, you just choose to talk to me to annoy *me*."
" Well, I would talk to my best friend, but she's got the elf," Nevada gesture in their direction." Besides, talking to you isn't really that bad. If I thought it was that bad, I wouldn't do it so much."
" Thank you, that's comforting," he chuckled wryly.
" Yeah, well-" Nevada's expression changed as she tripped forward suddenly, her arms going out to catch her fall. She managed to stop herself before hitting the ground, and stood up suddenly, throwing her arms up in a careless gesture." I don't even care," she threw out in a huff, not bothering to glance at the boulder she tripped over. Nevada's eyes narrowed at the look on the human's face, and she added," Nobody saw that. So don't mention it to *anyone*." He opened his mouth to speak, and she held up a finger." Not a word." He shook his head, trying to hold back a smile." Good boy."
Aragorn looked disgruntled. Good boy?
Nevada walked beside him, trying to salvage what was left of her dignity after tripping for no reason in the middle of the cavern." You know, I'm usually not this clumsy," she muttered in her defense." I mean, who puts a boulder in the middle of a freaking room? What kind of people do that?" Her eyes sought out Gimli, and she snorted." Yeah. I should've seen that one coming."
Aragorn couldn't help but laugh silently to himself. She was really amusing when she wanted to be. They walked in silence from there, glancing at the pillars they passed and hearing Gandalf's low murmur of conversation with one of the hobbits. Occasionally, their hands would bump each other's, or their arms, because of how close they were walking. Aragorn noted that Nevada wasn't saying anything, so he just let it go. The next time their arms hit lightly, Nevada nudged his arm a little more.
" Hey, are you listening to those two?" Nevada nodded up ahead, and Aragorn followed it to Gimli and Boromir. Her expression stayed amused when he shook his head, and she added," Just listen."
Aragorn kept an ear out for Gimli's accented voice, and soon heard it clearly." Look at those archways, lad," the dwarf pointed upward." The finest craftmanship you'll see for miles. My ancestors helped build this city, and they built it to last."
" They are very nice," Boromir's voice came drifting back to the tailend of the group," but why keep such majesty underground? It seems so dark and damp. Back in Gondor, we keep our architecture of lighter stone and in plain sight for everyone to see its beauty."
Gimli snorted." 'Tis the quality that counts, lad."
" Gondor has quality," Boromir leapt to his country's defense." Our walls are very sturdy and pleasing to look upon."
" Can Gondor's walls hold up half of a mountain?" Gimli countered back.
" No, but it holds Mordor at bay," Boromir informed him, a note of pride in his voice.
" Ugh, I can't listen to that anymore," Nevada scrunched her nose in their direction."'My kingdom does this, or that,'" she mocked in a nasal-toned voice." Who cares? That's like Liana and I arguing over who's country is better. It's pointless."
" At least it's occupying Gimli's thoughts," Aragorn pointed out." He's been hit hard these past few days."
" Yeah, I guess so, but they could argue about something else, couldn't they?" she asked. They continued conversing for another ten minutes, moving slowly but steadily through the empty city of Dwarrowdelf. The pillars became a large, winding maze, but Gandalf seemed to know where he was going, and he had gotten them this far, so they were content to let him lead the way. They began to pass other passageways and rooms, and each room was looked in on curiously by a hobbit or other fellowship member.
The floor was becoming cluttered with more and more skeletons, to everyone's dismay, and they looked around with more caution than before. The companions avoided stepping on any stray bones as much as possible, and they looked at each uneasily, hoping they weren't walking into something they shouldn't be messing with.
A particular room up ahead had an oddly bright light coming from it. This caught Gimli's attention, and he walked forward a bit to get a better view. White light was streaming from a hole or opening in the ceiling, and it settled on something that looked like a tomb...The implications dawned on Gimli, and he realized with horror who that coffin might be for. His eyes took in the bleached white of bone lying next to it, and with a startled, deep gasp, the dwarf ran forward, brandishing his axe.
Gandalf's attention snapped to the dwarf's running form." Gimli!" he shouted sharply.
The dwarf didn't listen. He didn't even hear him. Blood was rushing loudly in his ears, and his heart was pounding. It couldn't be who he thought it was, it couldn't have ended like this...Gimli stopped when he reached the tomb and read the horrid writing covering it. He wanted to crawl in a hole and hide, but all he could do was stand there.
" No," Gimli finally got out softly, in disbelief. He went down on one knee slowly, in an effort not to collapse to the ground. Gimli's grip tightened around his axe, and he shook with the effort to contain himself. His cousin was dead. Balin was dead, and he hadn't been there to...help, or do anything." No," Gimli denied. Oh Valar, he was really gone. It wasn't fair, he shouldn't have died like this.
The rest of the fellowship entered the room to find Gimli kneeled in front of his cousin's tomb in grief, and they fell quiet in respect for him. He had lost so much in the span of four days. The least they could do was let him mourn in peace.
Gandalf, however, had other plans. He inspected the room, including the dozens of skeletons still wearing their armor cluttering it up. Gimli let out a low, keen wail that ended in a sob, which continued as he let go of his pride and cried over the loss of the entire population of his people in Moria, and the loss of his beloved, valiant cousin.
Gandalf walked forward and placed a weathered hand on the side of the roughly hewn tomb, reading from it softly but so everyone could hear." Here lies Balin, son of Hrundin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf sighed deeply and sadly." He is dead then. It is as I feared." Gimli let out another mournful cry, and Boromir put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Gandalf turned around, giving Gimli a sympathetic look. His eyes turned to a nearby skeleton, and he gazed upon a large book it was still holding. The poor soul had died clutching the book, or whatever was in it.' Perhaps there is something of use written inside,' he thought. Gandalf removed his hat and gestured for Pippin to take it and his staff, who gladly took it and stepped out of the way. The wizard walked over and stooped down to gently take the book from the skeleton's fingers, moving them over ever so slightly. He wiped the cobwebs from the maron cover, and lifted it as he stood back up, Gandalf opened the cover, and it fell open with a shower of dirt and dust, a few loose pages falling to the ground. The wizard inspected the pages the book was open to, and blew lightly on the paper, sending more dust flying into the air. Whenever this massacre occured, it happened a long time ago. He wiped off more dust to read the words written there.
Legolas watched Gandalf read silently, growing more impatient by the minute. Something was off about this place, and he sincerely didn't like it. He was getting uneasy, and he could tell by the way Liana and even Nevada shifted from foot to foot that they knew it, too. Legolas shook his head slightly, and leaned in to speak to Aragorn softly." We must move on. We cannot linger." Aragorn looked at him, vaguely puzzled, and shrugged slightly. He couldn't very well tell Gandalf to hurry up.
Gandalf began to read aloud out of the book, and the air around them seemed heavier and more forbidding as he recalled the words written years ago.
" They have taken the bridge," he began in a deep, chilling voice," and the second hall." The fellowship looked around at each other, feeling the fear and despair in those words." The ground shakes."
Frodo looked down at the ground, and his imagination went wild. He could almost feel it tremble, and hear the frightened cried of the trapped dwarves inside.
" We have barred the gates," Gandalf continued in his low, rumbling voice, and Legolas and Aragorn found themselves looking at the doors they just passed through."...But cannot hold them for long." ' No, apparently, they couldn't,' Legolas countered in his head. He felt a great swell of pity for those caught inside these chambers, and for the helplessness they must have felt.
" A shadow moved in the dark," Gandalf read ominiously. Liana looked around the room, her heart thudding at his words. For some reason, they had a profound affect on her, and everyone else, for that matter. What was the shadow of? Orcs? Or something else? She shuddered and listened to his next words." Drums." They heard drums? she wondered to herself.
" Drums in the deep," he finished darkly. Gandalf looked up briefly, then turned the page to read on." We cannot get out," he said slowly.
The hobbits looked at each other. eyes big and dark. Pippin backed up slowly and quietly, until his back hit something. Turning, he saw a skeleton perched on a well, and curiosly, he drew closer.
Nevada found it hard to breathe: was this how it ended for her home? Did her comrades feel the same way, and her princess? How did that feel?" We cannot get out." Nevada felt goosebumps on her arms. Those words were really desperate. Hopeless. She couldn't imagine knowing you were about to die like that.
Aragorn noticed the color leave Nevada's face. Concerned, he asked quietly," Are you all right?"
Nevada blinked at him, then took a deep breath." Yeah, I'm fine."
Pippin's inquisitiveness over the skeleton grew, and he reached out to lightly touch its stark white knuckles.
Gandalf looked up again from the book." They are coming," he finished.
The entire fellowship felt a chill at those sinister last words, and then the still, apocalyptic suspense died with the end of the doomed dwarves' tale.
Pippin twisted the hand a little more than he thought he would, and he jumped back when the head tilted back and fell off the skeleton's body, into the well.
The faeries and hobbits jumped when the head hit the side of the well and dropped, and all eyes were on Pippin, too horrified at the loud noise to move. The hobbit turned to look at them, mouth open in explanation, but right after that the body of the skeleton fell back and into the well. It drug a heavy chain along with it, which made the most noise going down. The chain was slack for a few more seconds, then pulled taught on the heavy bucket lying on top of the well, which inevitably fell in. Everyone cringed visibly at the loud bang it made going down, followed by a series of clanks that didn't die down for another minute.
The stunned silence that followed the clanging of the ancient dwarf armor was deafening. No one seemed to know what to do for a few moments but stare at the well it disappeared down, and wait for the clanging to stop. Pippin looked horrified at what he'd done, and Liana felt a tug of sympathy. She exchanged an inquisitive look with Nevada, who was just as lost as she was. Liana's tawny eyes darted back and forth between Pippin and Gandalf. The wizard looked pretty upset, and the Valar only knew what he was going to do now.
Gandalf slapped the book shut with a deafening noise that everyone flinched at." Fool of a Took," he growled, advancing toward a trembling Pippin, who backed into the well behind him at the annoyance and distaste in his voice." Throw yourself in next time, and rid us," in an angry motion, grabbed his hat," of your stupidity!" His hand shook as he grabbed his staff and gripped it tightly, menacingly.
Pippin didn't know what to say to that, and Frodo and Nevada shifted uncomfortably. Everyone remained quiet, expecting *something* to happen in response to the deafening noise the skeleton made. When nothing happened, the fellowship nearly sagged with relief. They heard Boromir let out a sigh of ease, and Liana turned to say something to Aragorn, who stood right next to Legolas, when all of a sudden...she stopped.
" Yes?" Aragorn stared a the odd look on Liana's face. She was looking directly at him, but her eyes were far away. Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a look, and Legolas turned his piercing gaze toward Liana. She looked like she was listening to something, so he listened, too. Then, he heard it.
" What are we listening to?" Nevada whispered.
Liana barely looked at Nevada, just motioned for her to listen." Drums..." she whispered to herself, remembering the dwarf's words in the book Gandalf read. The faint, almost melodic beating seemed to match the frantic rhythm of her heart. This is what they meant. These were the drums...But who was *playing* the drums?
" Why am I not hearing-" Nevada started.
" Shh!" Aragorn shushed her. He couldn't hear anything at first, but then it became morbidly apparent.
Boom. Boom.
An audible gasp came from everyone. Their eyes turned to the well, and Pippin turned around to stare in horror down it as the booms grew louder and more frantic. Nevada's breath caught in her throat as she stared down at it with a look of almost fear in her dark purple eyes.
" Frodo," Sam said softly, urgently. The hobbit looked at him, confused for a moment, then caught what he was saying. The hobbit half unsheathed Sting and stared in horror as it shined a bright and terrible blue.
" Orcs!" Legolas spat out, and everyone turned to look at the door and the faint cried emitting from somewhere in the mines.
" Aw, shit!" Nevada blurted out, her eyes wide. Boromir bounded forward and to the main doors. He poked his head out to see where their enemies were, and immediately jerked his head back when two arrows came out of nowhere and thudded into the door where his head had been.
At the sound of the hobbits unleashing their swords, Aragorn turned around, and hastily grated out," Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" He threw the torch with a clang and pulled back an arrow from his quiver moments after Legolas.
With a cry of dismay, the hobbits watched uneasily as the six warriors prepared for battle. Aragorn reached the door, and he and Boromir prepared to shut them as the maniacal screams of orcs reached their ears. When it was closed, Boromir caught and his breath and uttered out dryly," They have a cave troll."
" Aw, *shit*!" Nevada cursed. Their luck was turning very bad very quickly, and she didn't like it. This situation royally sucked. Legolas sprinted up and grabbed a large axe from the wall. He tossed it to Boromir, who gave it to Aragorn and they wedged it into the door to hold it better. They repeated that with one other axe, then retreated back to a safe distance to retaliate.
Gimli jumped atop the tomb of Balin with a roar, swinging his axe like a madman." There's one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!" he roared.
The humans stayed back with the others; Aragorn, Liana, and Legolas in the front, with Nevada and Boromir in the back. Liana, to the right of Legolas, had notched an arrow like him, and was staring at the barred door and the banging coming from behind it with a deadly glint in her narrowed eyes. With a whistle, Nevada's sword came out next to Boromir's, and she almost grinned, battle-light flaring in her purple eyes as she smirked wickedly at the thought of taking down more Orcs.
" Come to Nevada," she muttered, nearly grinning. Aragorn's head reared back as he stared at the dark-haired faerie with wonder. She winked at him, and laughed, throwing her head back and twirling a few practice swings.
" Oh, wow," Boromir muttered.
Everyone heard Liana chuckle to herself, and Legolas glanced over at her at the same time she turned her eyes up at him. His eyes were questioning, and she merely shook her head for a moment, her eyes glinting merrily into his. Something stirred within his heart, but he pushed it aside when a great crack ensued from the door. They turned their gazes to the doors simultaneously, and at the same moment when an Orc busted a hole out of the door, Legolas shot the Orc and it fell back with a squeal. Aragorn, Liana and Legolas began shooting rapidly and randomly, taking down as many Orcs as they could before the doors were fully opened.
Cries of battle and rage came from Gimli, Nevada, and Liana as the Orcs burst through the door with insane howls. Legolas' bow sang as he took down countless stupid Orcs that could only stare at what would be their death. The dwarf jumped down from the tomb, and took the Orcs by storm along Aragorn, who had abandoned his bow and arrow for his sword. Legolas hopped out of the way of an Orc, and nearly collided with Liana.
Upon seeing this, the hobbits could not take it anymore. Along with Gandalf, they let out cries of rage for their friends, and charged forward into the masses of Orcs.
" Argh!" Legolas turned to the Faerie, who turned to look up at him just as she threw down her bow with a mutter of," To hell with this," and drew up her sword. He allowed himself a grim smile as she whirled around, aimed a kick at an Orc that sent him flying into the wall, and beheaded three more. Her dirty blonde hair gleamed in the dim light, and her eyes looked almost predatorial. The moment the battle started, her mind was one one track and that was killing as many orcs as possible. She rammed her elbow into an oncoming Orc, and aimed a fist at his head; ending his life. Liana let out a growl of disgust as Orc blood and slime covered her hand, and she wiped it off, muttering to herself.
Legolas turned his head, shook it a little with a half smile as Liana and Nevada went back to back, laying out countless Orcs.
" So, Liana," Nevada said between breaths, twirling around and slamming her heel into the face of an Orc," how's it going?"
" Good," Liana answered truthfully, their voices carrying through the battle. Aragorn nearly stopped fighting; they were conversing; talking as if this battle was just any walk in the park! He exchanged looks with Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, who shook his head, and Gandalf, who only chuckled as he led the hobbits into the battle to rid them of Orcs." You?"
" Never been better!" Nevada dealt out a neatly executed roundhouse kick, sending it flying into the human." Whoops, sorry! You know, I missed this sort of fighting, didn't you?"
" Not as much as you did, but yeah, I missed it," Liana replied.
" Shut up, you know you love killing these things as much as I do," Nevada countered cheerfully. She swung back and decapitated another orc.
Liana chuckled, and sliced down a few more orcs before one caught her off guard and sliced nearly horizontally across her upper left shoulder - and shearing off a number of light brown locks in the way.
The princess audibly gasped, and nearly dropped her sword. Everyone present heard it and looked over while they continued fighting.
" Princess, your shoulder-" Boromir began, then cut himself off.
" The bastard," she said in a choked, amazed voice as much shorter locks bounced on her cheek. Then her eyes narrowed as she let her hair fall to the ground, and she saught out the Orc-crouched under the trained arrow of Legolas. She waltzed over silently to them both, and looked coolly up at Legolas." May I?"
He raised an eyebrow, and stepped back. Before he could react in any way, she reached down in a violent, quick move, dug her fingers into the Orc's shirtfront and dragged him up off the ground until he was eye level with her. She ripped the sword from his hand with her other, and poised it just under his chin, staring hotly and angrily into his foul eyes. She said something unintelligable in her language, then rammed the dirty sword down into his chest, before pulling it out and letting him fall, groaning, to the ground.
The sword fell with a clang, and Liana heaved in a breath, a piece of chin-length hair falling across her face. She looked over to see everyone gaping at her with astonished looks on their faces. Regardless, she threw her head back haughtily and ran towards them, stepping on body parts and making it to the head of the Orc she would have liked to cut into little pieces. Glancing down at him with a look of disgust, she aimed with her heel and gave his head a vicious kick before hopping off his neck and walking past some of the ten who still looked as if they'd been hit on the head.
" That's what you get for wearing your hair down," Nevada sang while she continued cutting things off. Liana responded with a rather rude comment in their own language, which only made her companion laugh." I don't think that's anatomically possible."
And to everyone's surprise, Legolas threw his head back and laughed, as if seeing a Faerie punch the lights out of an Orc was the funniest thing in the world. Liana turned and gave him an odd glance; tried to ignore how ethereal and fair he looked when he actually laughed-and the sound of it. She turned to look over at Aragorn and Nevada, who had diminished most of the Orcs in the area. They had the same disgruntled, wondering look on their face. She shrugged, and stepped lightly over the groaning bodies as only a princess could, with her head held high.
Sam whipped around and cracked another orc in the head with his cooking pot. One after another, he beat all of them with it, loud, hollowed clanks ringing in the air. He may not have known much about fighting, but he knew that if he hit them hard enough with the pan, they would go down." I'm getting the hang of this," he told himself encouragingly, then turned around to take down one more.
Aragorn let out a loud battle yell and swung back expertly with his sword, viciously decapitating a nearby orc.
Nevada stared at the human in amazement. She'd never seen him so angry and - battle hungry." *Nice*," she commented appreciatively. Without warning, the ground shook underneath Nevada's feet. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the ground, and Liana joined her. The two looked at each other, then at Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Gandalf, and the hobbits.
" What in all that's holy-" Nevada muttered-
BOOM!
" Ah!" Nevada and Liana stumbled slightly, and they turned to look at the door.
" Oh-" Liana jumped out of the way, taking Nevada with her, when a giant gray cave troll pounded in, landing right where they stood. A number of orcs led it in the room with chains that connected to a collar around its neck, and it let out a ripping bellow.
" Shit!" Nevada squeaked.
" Get out of the way!" Aragorn roared as he swung a sword at the raging monster that flung back Orcs in its way and roared with menace and spit at them. Liana picked up her bow, then, aiming and firing rapidly at any soft spot or tissue she saw on the beast, all the while backing up into the hobbits to get them out of harm's way.
" Go on, child," Gandalf yelled to Liana as she turned her head to stare at him with wide eyes.
She nodded, gave one last look to the four hobbits looking up at her, and leaped out of the way gracefully as the troll club came crashing down. She notched another bow, aimed for his head, and took a winning shot as he howled his rage and pulled the arrow out of his temple.
Liana jumped out of the way and forgot anyone else was in the room as she dodged the troll until she was at his back. She got as close as she could, notched an arrow, and aimed it." Hey!" she yelled. Catching its attention and a few others, it turned. With a growl, she ran closer and let loose the arrow on his beady little eye. He screamed and went to backhand her, but she ducked first and jumped just in time to miss his arm.
" AHHH!" Nevada jumped on that same arm and slashed down with her sword, satisfied to see blood gush from the wound. She jumped off and found herself next to Gimli and Aragorn.
" Aragorn, how do we kill this thing?" she asked.
He chanced a look over to her, and shook his head." I don't know, but there's got to be-" he stopped, and turned his head at the sight at the corner of his eye." Sam!" he shouted. Aragorn took off at a run when he spotted Sam on the ground with the troll after him with the club. It raised a foot, as if to stomp on him, and Aragorn's mind worked quickly. Boromir came up to help, and they both spotted the heavy chain connected to its collar lying on the ground. Together, they reached for it and tugged with all their might backwards. The troll's head snapped back and pulled the rest of him back. He clawed the air and roared his displeasure at being stopped, and then turned to face his attacker. The troll reached out with a hand and swung, catching Boromir in the stomach and sending him flying into the wall.
With a roar of his own, Gimli flung his axe at the troll and it sank into his chest, and Aragorn aided Boromir by throwing a blade and effectively killing an orc ready to attack the dazed man.
Merry, Pippin and Sam were just getting away from the troll and running toward Frodo as fast as their short legs could carry them.
Nevada turned her head at the growling, snarling sounds coming from the door, and snarled." You've gotta be shittin' me!" More orcs poured in, and the other warriors had to drop everything and fight them. She caught the princesses' eyes, who told her silently to make sure the hobbits were out of harm's way. The Faerie nodded and watched Liana jump into the fray with a snarl and sword ready.
All of a sudden, the troll came up behind them in a rage, and as quick as possible, Nevada grabbed Sam by his arms and jumped out of the way with him, setting him in a corner with a terrified Merry and Pippin.
" Sam!" she yelled to get his attention, shook him a little as he stared at the oncoming Orcs in horror. She lifted him up to her eye level and shouted until he looked at her." Where's Frodo??" The look on his face told her he didn't know, and with a curse she shoved him into a corner with the other three." Don't move from that spot, or I swear I'll *feed* you to the Orcs," she threatened, and softened it by patting Pippin on the head before unsheathing her sword and turning to look for Frodo. The cries and screams of the Orcs told Nevada the rest were almost finished with the slaughter, but she was worried about the Ringbearer and the position of the troll, which she found soon enough.
" Damn," she muttered under her breath. Frodo was hiding behind a pillar with the troll practically breathing down his neck. She dropped her sword and picked up a nearby bow, pulled an arrow from her bag. Her purple eyes darkened with concentration as she aimed for the troll's black heart. At a sudden movement, however, something went awry and the troll spotted Frodo. With a yell, the troll advanced as Frodo screamed and ran.
The hobbit's heart was racing as he tried to outrun the massive troll behind him. In a desperate attempt to get himself away from the beastly thing, he ran behind one of the large pillars to hide. He paused, hidden for the moment, to catch his breath and calm his wildly beating heart, but the troll advanced and he had to move to another face of the rock to stay out of sight. This continued on, like a deadly game of cat and mouse, until Frodo thought he had fooled him and was safe for the moment. The hobbit breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes in sheer exhaustion.
With a bellow, the troll came out of nowhere and shocked the hell out of the young hobbit, who jumped back and tripped into the corner. With nowhere to go, Frodo stared at the troll in horror as it reached out with an enormous hand and grabbed on to his ankle. The hobbit remembered he had vocal chords after trying to work his mouth soundlessly for a few moments, and then he started to scream in panic." Aragorn!" he shouted hoarsely. He tried to stop himself from being dragged by grabbing on to another pillar, but the troll was a lot stronger and cotinued to viciously pull him along." Aragorn!!"
The human heard the plea and turned around from where he had been fighting. His eyes widened at the seeing the hobbit being dragged away, and he immediately charged to aide him." Frodo!"
The hobbit let himself be dragged until he remembered Sting still attached to his side. With one of his free hands, he pulled it out and swung it blindly, catching the troll on the arm. With a pained grunt, the troll let go and Frodo fell down into a pile of rocks. Highly upset by the cursed little thing he was trying to kill, the troll reached for his club and prepared to swnig at the little body, only to be cheated from it again when Aragorn jumped in front of Frodo, brandishing a huge spear. With another war cry, the human lunged forward and shoved the spear into the troll's chest, causing it to roar and drop the boulder it had been preparing to launch. Viciously, Aragorn dug the end of the spear into the troll's flesh, determined to bring the beast down.
A few well aimed rocks by Merry and Pippin distracted the troll enough to whip around, and when he turned back he swung out with an arm and caught Aragorn in the stomach. The human flew in the air with a yell and landed among another pile of rocks.
" Aragorn!" Frodo called out in horror. He ran to go help him and found him out cold. Frantic, the hobbit began shaking the man's shoulder vigorously, his attention going from the man back up to the troll coming near them. The monster lifted up the same spear Aragorn had stabbed him with, and brought it down on the hobbit. Frodo ducked and ran, then stopped in his tracks when he was nearly skewered a second time. When the spear disappeared, he started to run, but it came back down with startling speed and Frodo couldn't dodge the blow.
The spear rammed into the hobbit's chest and Frodo felt himself being impaled. Time seemed to stop for the young hobbit, and all he could think about was the intense pressure on his chest. It became harder and harder to breathe, and his vision began to go blurry before he passed out altogether.
Nevada watched the troll stab Frodo in absolute horror, and before she could react the hobbit fell. She yelled with outrage, and grabbed for her bow. She notched an arrow and pulled it back as far as it would go, and she shot at the troll to avert his attention off of the halfing. When the troll took a swing at her, she ducked and jumped out of the way. The troll outsmarted her, though, and with a vicious swing, knocked her bow from her hand. She gasped in surprise, and Nevada stared at the monster with wide eyes, rooted to the spot with horror.
" Frodo!"
" Mr. Frodo! He's dead!"
" What?!" For that split second Nevada's attention was averted away from the thing in front of her, it acted out of sheer rage.
" No!-" Liana shouted as the troll roared.
In a rage, he reared his hand out and caught Nevada before she could move, slamming into her middle and sending her crashing into a rock wall. The impact knocked the breath out of her lungs and sent bursts of color appearing before her eyes, and all Nevada could do was fall bonelessly to the ground and sit there in shock. She fought to regain her breath, which became increasingly harder as the pain in her back and chest intensified. It hurt so bad she wasn't even sure if she could move.
Liana's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped as a surprised gasp ripped out of her when she saw her friend fall. Then her eyes narrowed and a dangerous look crossed her face, as well as Legolas' and Gimli's.
" The troll's going to die," she heard Gimli growl.
" Not if I get him first," Liana said through gritted teeth, and Legolas' blue eyes narrowed with concentration. The troll was ready to finish a dazed Nevada off, but the two hobbits and a kneeling human warrior caught his attention. The Elf and Faerie notched their bows at the same time, aimed, and fired with a deadly whistle. The troll turned just in time to see them, and snarled as he shook the ground to get to them, regardless of the twin arrows embedded in his flesh. He roared and aimed for the two warriors, who jumped out of his way at the exact moment he got to them. His enraged gaze followed the two figures that landed on a ledge back to back.
The troll swung for the both of them, and they darted out of the way just in time. Legolas drew an arrow back and fired, catching the troll in the neck, and avoided another swung out arm. He dodged tactfully, blonde hair swinging with each movement, and he seemed to taunt the monster as he moved and shot at him, making the troll turn purple with anger.
He really was a sight to behold when he fought, Liana thought, watching him from behind her drawn arrow. Very elegant in every movement he made, as if it had been planned out and calculated, and he killed with a deadly grace; sleek, quick movements that ultimately took down his enemies. He was a lethal, beautiful creature, and she was positively awed by his abilities.' So this is what elves can do,' she thought in wonder.' He's amazing.'
She let her arrow hit the troll in the side, taking it by surprise as it turned from her and away from the elf. It growled at her, and she dodged out of the way in time and pulled out an arrow. Liana put her weight on her right leg and arched her back slightly to get a good shot of the back of his neck. Before she let it fly, she commented," You're absolutely stunning when you fight, you know that?" The arrow went with a twang, and the troll roared its outrage.
Legolas looked vaguely surprised at the admiration in her voice, and before he could react, the troll swung and he dodged it, managing to land next to her again." Thank you." He was ready to compliment her back, for she had been holding her own incredibly, when the troll attacked. The two let their arrows fly, both hitting their targets as the troll screamed in pain. His club came crashing down between them, and Liana jumped to the left while Legolas jumped up and onto the troll. Reading what he was saying, she left and landed right between a frightened Merry and Pippin. Breathing heavily, Liana grabbed them both by the arm." It's not safe here. Come with me."
" It's Frodo," Pippin said in a rush." We think he's-"
They stopped as the troll screeched. Liana looked up to see Legolas pull back his bow and viciously slam an arrow into the troll's head before dropping to the ground, his breath barely heaving. He would have run to them to get them out of there, but the troll swung blindly, missing Legolas narrowly. She wanted so badly to stay and help, but the hobbits came first, so she herded them over to Aragorn, who had dragged a dazed Nevada to Frodo.
Legolas leapt back in front of the troll, watching it through narrowed eyes. He had an arrow notched, but he was waiting for the right moment to let it go. He had an idea of where the trol's weak spot was, and if the monster would only lift his head. Fortune shined on the elf, and the troll's head snapped back from a blow by Boromir, and Legolas took the chance. The arrow went straight into his mouth and stuck there.
The troll made a choked sound, and he staggered back, clutching at his throat. A wheezing, dying sound came from his throat, and with anothet stumble, it fell to the ground.
" Frodo!" Sam cried in anguish. He knelt down to his fallen friend, and Liana stared.' Is he really dead?' She sincerely hoped not, but she couldn't be sure. Suddenly she saw a glimmer of something under Frodo's shirt, and once she recognized what it was her face broke into a grin." Get up, Baggins," she commanded in a tone laced with amusement." You're not fooling us."
Sam looked appalled." Begging your pardon, Princess Liana, but how dare you-"
The hobbit stopped in surprise when Frodo opened his eyes. The hobbit was lifted up, breathing heavily and looking around in amazement. Aragorn stared at the hobbit with dazed amazement." You should be dead...that spear could have skewered a wild boar!"
Gandalf came up, a relieved smile coloring his old, battle-worn face." I believe there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye."
Frodo looked down and pulled his shirt up, revealing a shining, glittery substance. Everyone's eyes lit up.
" Mithril," Gimli breathed in surprise. Then, his lip curled up in a smile." You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."
Legolas and Boromir came up, escorting the hobbits Merry and Pippin, and the group looked around the room in amazement. So many dead bodies, and in such a small amount of time.
" Gandalf-"
Boom. Boom.
Fear etched into everyone's eyes. The distant cries of even more Orcs sounded, and they looked around in alarm. Nevada pulled a few arrows from nearby dead Orcs, and helped Frodo off the ground. She turned to Liana." This is usually when somebody says,' Let's get the hell out of here.'"
Liana paused, then said," Let's get the hell out of here." They took up their weapons, and everyone ran out. As they left the tomb and into the great city, Orcs poured out of the holes and down the pillars like swarms of flies.
" Whose idea was this to go here?" Nevada gritted out to Liana.
She chanced a look over, not being able to avoid the slash of an Orc blade on her left cheek." The hell if I remember. We'll be lucky if we don't run into-" both gasped and came to a halting stop as more Orcs swarmed in front of them. All eleven stopped and huddled together in a circle as the Orcs surrounded them.
One of the Orcs grabbed for Sam, and Nevada pulled out her sword and cut off his hand." You wanna mess?!" she shouted at the squealing Orc. Boromir and Aragorn fought vainly, but they realized they were in a losing battle. They were completely surrounded. The hobbits were pushed in the middle of the circle, and they shivered with fright and axiety, clutching their swords for dear life.
" Frodo?" Merry whispered. His friend looked over in fear. Sting glowed an eerie blue in the dim light." What's gonna happen to us?"
He was about to answer, but something stopped him. Time seemed to stand still, as a distant but rumbling growl, so evil that it penetrated his heart fearfully, echoed throughout the hall. The Orcs started screeching, and to everyone's utter amazement, they ran. All the Orcs fled in what seemed like horror, their screeches drowning out the rumbles as they crawled back up the pillars.
Pippin looked up in amazement as not a single Orc was left in the great city." Well, that was easy enough," his voice echoed in the sudden absence of life.
" Nay," Aragorn breathed." There's something wrong."
*Booooommmmmm.....*
Liana and Nevada froze where they stood. Their gazes slowly shifted from the floor to up ahead, and there their eyes froze, growing impossibly wider by the second. Legolas had pulled out an arrow and readied his bow, unsure of where to aim. The alarm was evident in his eyes, for the three knew what that noise could possibly be. Nothing could be heard but the harsh breathing of the fellowship and the faint noise coming from far up ahead. A dark light shifted in the distance, catching everyone's attention.
*Boooommmmmm.....*
Liana couldn't breathe. The air had left her lungs, and all she could do was stare in mortification at the sight far in front of her. Pure terror crossed her face and contracted her eyes until they were large, golden orbs, and she couldn't bring herself to move. It was there...far up there, and it was going to come for them. The stories...all those stories, and here it was, minutes away from them, and there was nowhere to run. Her mind shut down to everything but the altering, yellow light, and the faint roaring coming from beyond. She felt like a young child facing the unknown boogeyman...she couldn't see him, but she knew what he could do to her if he caught her, and all she wanted to do was run and run and run...
" Why is Miss Liana shaking?" Pippin asked, his quiet voice unsure and fearful.
Shaking? The men looked over at her, their own alarm growing at how absolutely still Liana's form was, save for the fine tremors that ran through her body. Her hands visibly shook, and her breathing was becomg more apparant. It was as if she fought for breath, fought against the lump of cold fear growing in her throat. Her eyes were fixed ahead, and all the color had drained from her face.
Nevada was in no better of a condition. Her eyes, as well, never left the light ahead, but instead of being rooted by the fear, she wanted away from it.' Oh, please,' she thought desperately. Her feet began to move backwards, and she slowly stepped back, further and further away from the thing she feared the most.' No, please. Let this be a nightmare. This is a nightmare. I'm dreaming, and Gandalf's going to tell us that it's all a big joke...I don't want to die, oh Valar, please...' She took a few careful, shaky breaths, eyes filling with tears of absolute terror, and she stepped into someone. A hand went on her arm, a warm, rough hand, and she vaguely realized it was Aragorn. She wanted to blurt out how afraid she was to him, because she knew he'd listen, but all she could manage was a frightened whisper.
" It's going to rip me apart."
Aragorn's heart constricted at her chilling, fearful words and he realized just how justified her fear was. He was beginning to fear it greatly himself, even though he didn't know what it was, and his heart tugged at the frightened tone in her voice. He removed his hand from her arm and instead slipped his arm around her waist and held her to him. Nevada felt the contact with a rush of comfort, and she wanted nothing more than to lean into him and bask in the strength and support he was offering her.
*Booooommmmm.....*
The black haired faerie stiffened along with her friend, and the fear returned anew at the low growls emitting from down the hall." No," Nevada whispered. Aragorn could feel her body shudder in revulsion and fear. He knew something was very, utterly wrong. The man had never seen either of them so thoroughly terrified, and it was scaring him. They had been valiant during the battle with the orcs; confident and brave, and now they were reduced to the likes of children afraid of the dark. What on this Middle Earth could make then act as such?" No, no, no, no..." Nevada continued to chant, a mantra against the evil that they were about to face. She didn't want this to happen, she didn't want to be eaten...
The unholy yellow light seeped through the halls in the distance, and Boromir swallowed nervousness ." What is this new devilry?"
Liana whimpered nearly noiselessly, the first sound she made besides the hitching breathing that consumed her frightened frame. She knew. But she didn't want to know. She wanted her mother and father, but they weren't here to chase away the terrible darkness. They couldn't take the demon away. Her eyes found Legolas, and she felt a warmth spread in her, alleviating the fear a little bit. Reaching out with an unsteady hand, she grabbed his own and held it tightly, an anchor in her panicked mind. Legolas looked at her frightened, pale face; her hand was incredibly cold. He felt it shake within his own, and compassion welled in him to make her feel better, even though his own heart thudded in his chest against what was to come. He wouldn't let her face this alone. He squeezed her slim, trembling hand and briefly let his other hand stroke her head. No words were needed, and she squeezed back to let him know her thanks.
" A Balrog," Gandalf informed them all. His voice was low, dark and grim. And it frightened the hell out of the members of the fellowship that were still unsure of what a 'Balrog' was. It sounded as terrible as the faeries were making it out to be. Gandalf closed his eyes momentarily, grieved that they could not escape this hell that they were now faced with." A demon of the ancient world," he continued in a low, foreboding voice. Both faeries could feel the terror shimmering down their spines as the booms and growls got closer, and Nev tried to back away further, swallowing continuously to get rid of the mortified lump in her throat. She bumped into Aragorn again, feeling a little grateful that it was him and she wasn't alone." This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf told them darkly.
In a sudden moment of panic as another unearthly growl rumbled through the air, the Faeries turned and pushed the nearest persons forward." Run!" they shouted with Gandalf. Liana's heart beat wildly in her chest, the panic in her throat so great she could not breathe. She pushed little hobbits along, and urged Gimli and Boromir forward. Nevada's mind was racing at the horrors they would fall prey to if they did not escape quickly and focused all her energy on running more than anything else; her breath heaved with the effort. They all turned a corner into a brightly lit cavern, and Boromir, in the front, suddenly skidded to a stop. Nevada nearly crashed into him, sending the man pinwheeling and almost falling over the steep edge. His torch was knocked out of his hands, falling soundlessly to the bottom, and it looked as if the man of Gondor would go with it.
Legolas leapt past Gandalf and reached to grab a handful of the back of Boromir's shirt. He ended up falling on the elf, knocking them both to the ground as Legolas pulled Boromir as far as possible away from the edge. Everyone stopped and stared at the steep drop that would have taken Boromir's life, for a moment not knowing what to do. They looked back at Gandalf, confusion and fear clouding their features. Where were they supposed to run to?
" Gandalf?" Aragorn asked the old wizard, for a moment, not knowing what to do. He was baffled as to how to get everyone to safety in time, and the prospect of not making it on account of the Balrog was a heinous thought.
The wizard nodded his head toward the others, and then looked at the Ranger." Lead them on, Aragorn," he clapped hand to his back." The bridge is near." When Aragorn hesitated, Gandalf gave him a shove forward." Do as I say!" Surprised and baffled, he studied the wizard for one more split second, long enough for Gandalf to explain," Swords are of no more use here." Aragorn nodded motioned for them all to follow him, and they headed down the stairway that was almost hidden by the shadows. Fear clouded everyone's thoughts and actions as they swiftly made their way down the steps, constantly looking over their backs, even though the couldn't judge how far or close the Balrog was from them.
They saw a break in the bridge coming up, and slowed down to stare at the gaping hole that led to a fiery depth. Deciding not to waste any time, Legolas jumped lightly across. Gandalf judged how easily the elf did it, and decided the others would be able to make it, as well. Whether or not they wanted to, he thought darkly as a tremor shook the wall behind them, causing slabs of rock to break free and hit the stairs behind them. Legolas turned back and beckoned up with his hands." Gandalf," he said clearly. The wizard hesitated for a moment as another horrible growl rendered the air, then he jumped. He landed easily with Legolas giving him a steady hand of support to ensure his balance. Right after he crossed, an arrow flitted through the air and clanged on the rock near Boromir's feet. The man stepped back a step in surprise - they were being shot at by orcs from the other side! Another narrowly missed Merry and Sam. Upon seeing this, Legolas notched an arrow and sightes his target before letting iy fly and hitting the orc in the middle of the forehead. He continued his assult as arrows continued to rain down on them.
Aragorn pushed the Faeries to the front." Go," he ordered both of them. Liana felt a wave of nausea pass through her as she saw the sheer drop in between the two staircases. Instead of inky blackness, it was now a firey red, and one she did not want to fall into. What if they jumped and one of them tripped on the staircase and fell, anyways? A nudge on her shoulder made her look up, and Nevada gave her an encouraging nod, then another gesturing behind them, towards the thing that pursued them. Liana nodded back. *Anything* to get away from the Balrog, even if it meant this. Gritting their teeth, they both jumped as far as they could, and felt much better once Gandalf and Legolas gripped their shoulders to steady them. An arrow whizzed by Gandalf's ear, and Liana, and Nevada pulled out their bow and arrows to aide Legolas the task of killing the Orcs on the other side.
" Hurry!" Boromir called, and grabbed for Merry and Pippin. He jumped with the hobbits with a yell of determination, and they made it safely over to the other side. The moment they left the other side, however, the staircase cracked, and two large chunks of it came out, leaving Gimli, Aragorn, Frodo and Sam stranded farther away than before. Frodo's eyes widened in horror at the even bigger riff between, and he wondered with a sick feeling in his stomach if he was going to be able to make a jump like that.
" Sam!" Aragorn picked up the hobbit and fairly flung him across the emptiness, shocking a yelp out of the young gardener as he became acquainted with the feeling of weightlessness associated with freefalling. Boromir caught him once he reached the other side and placed him down behind the Faeries, still deflecting Orc arrows. Aragorn turned to help Gimli, who backed up and raised his hand.
" Nobody tosses a Dwarf," he said indignitely. Nevada snorted at the comment, but said nothing. So with a great yell, he jumped forward. The dwarf came up too short, however.
Liana gasped when they realized he wouldn't make it all the way across, and Legolas reacted with lightning speed. Running up, he reached over and grabbed at the drawf's lond beard to pull him up." Not the beard!" Gimli protested loudly. Ignoring him, the Elf pulled him up and set him on the ground.
Aragorn paused from helping himself and Frodo across to take out his bow and return fire on the orcs shooting at them from afar. He took a few out before a loud crack rang in the air. Before the man could do anything but stare in disbelief, even more of the staircase cracked and fell. Aragorn and Frodo frantically moved back up the staircase, making the distance between themselves and the rest of the Fellowship even greater. The stairs were so unstable and ready to fall the rock moved of its own accord because of the weight put on it by the human and the hobbit. Frodo's stomach lurched with every moment, and he felt panic slick up his spine as he thought of the long drop awaiting him if he fell. The structure reared back and forth, and after a moment, Aragorn caught on to what was happening and formed a plan." Hang on. Lean forward!" He held on to Frodo tightly as they leaned forward, causing the rock to go forward, too. As they neared the other, they prepared to jump.
* Please, if you read this, leave a review - even if it just one line, let us know who's reading this story. It seems like no one is, and we'd like to know who's reading and what they think, and if we should keep going. It would mean a lot to know that we're not the only people reading this story. Thank you.*
The walls still blackened red
This figure's haunting me
This fear's consuming me
Lately I've been a shell of myself
Can't you see? I cannot hold back
This feeling of fear within me
Chapter 19
The Fellowship continued on for an hour after Gandalf's initial discovery of the pathway, walking on past other tunnels and winding passageways that led even deeper into the earth. They all began to look the same after a while; the same damp walls and dark walkways, with no distinction between any of them. The short journey was silent, with everyone keeping to themselves and looking around dully at their surroundings. Most of the faces of the members were pale and ashen from lack of sunlight, and moods were dragged down from the long traveling and utter emptiness of the mines.
Gandalf led the entourage through the tunnel, confident that they were nearing the city. It had been long since he had seen it, and he looked forward to viewing its beauty again. Of course it would be empty of its people, the very thing that gave it life, but he would still relish the look of awe on the faces of the younger companions once they saw the fine craftmenship of the dwarves. Perhaps that would earn the respect of a few of the members of the Fellowship, Gandalf frowned in the direction of a certain elf and dark haired faerie.
In the distance, the tunnel broke off into a larger room, and the wizard smiled. Ah, here they were. He ambled on a little faster, urging the others on silently, and made it to a series of steps. Slowly, he descended, glancing up ahead. It was a tad dark, but he knew they were right where they should be." Let me risk a little more light," he informed the rest, and tapped lightly on his staff. It flared harshly against the darkness of the room, and the companions closed their eyes against the sudden light. When they opened them again, their eyes widened.
" Behold!" Gandalf told them, his smile widening." The great realm of the dwarven city of Dwarrowdelf."
The hobbits stared unabashedly at the gigantic pillars of stone rising to the ceiling to hold up an enormous empty cavern. Hundreds of pillars littered the large vicinity, and dwarven writing and designs decorated their sides. Everyone's eyes were trained on the site before them, and a brief hush overcame the fellowship.
Nevada's neck craned up to see how far they went. When she decided her view wasn't good enough, since she was all the way in the back, she slowly pushed her way forward, keeping her eyes on the huge cavern in front of her." Wow," she in a low voice." Who knew short people like you could make something this big?"
Gimli just ignored her, his vision trained on the city of his cousin. A smile lit his face, and he sighed contentedly to himself. This was home.
Sam took in a breath, feeling very small against the large room in front of him." There's an eye opener, no mistake," he shook his head slowly.
" No kidding," Pippin agreed.
" Let us walk through the city, and continue our journey from there," Gandalf turned to tell them, and they all nodded, their eyes still trained on the ceiling and the giant pillars. They began their walk slowly, eyes going everywhere, talking in hushed tones.
Liana's gaze wandered all over the room, taking in the markings on the pillars and just how tall they really were. They passed another column, and she reached out and trailed her fingers along its width. The stone was cold, and her fingers fit in the grooves of the markings. It took them quite a few feet to get to the end of that one particular pillar, and she wondered how long it took them to create this entire city under the ground. How did they create it without having the weight of the mountain tumble down on them? She'd have to ask Gimli sometime." This place is really beautiful," she told him absentmindedly.
The dwarf beamed." It is a grand city," he said with pride.
She nodded in agreement, smiling a little. It was probably more stunning with people in it, but she wouldn't say anything about that. It was quiet and somber now, but Liana could envision how splendid the place would be bustling with dwarves and random foreigners doing business and trade with the locals. Her lips curved into a smile; she could almost see the fights that would break out between dwarves every now and then, if Gimli's people were anything like him.
" What is that lovely smile for?" a familiar voice asked her.
Liana's mental image broke and she looked over to her right, her smile changing from dreamy to a little bashful." I was picturing this place with people in it."
Legolas nodded, letting his gaze wander around the realm for a moment before gladly returning back to her face." It must have been magnificent when it was alive with people."
Liana nodded and fell silent, giving him a sidelong glance." I never thought I would hear you say this was a nice place."
Legolas smiled." The same goes for you," he countered.
She blinked and looked at him. Making a face at him, she said," Well, it would be a much nicer place if it weren't for the darkness, the heights... why does this place have heights anyway? We're underground, for crying out loud," she mused to herself. She stopped when he put a comforting around her shoulders, and smiled a little." And of course, that stale smell, and the chill in the air..." Liana frowned." Well, the architecture's pretty."
Legolas chuckled." That it is. I do, however, wholeheartedly agree with you on the darkness and underground part."
" I've never met anyone that absolutely hated being underground like you do," Liana laughed." You're so out of place down here, it's not even funny." Cheerfully, she put her arm around his shoulder and patted it." It's okay," she crooned, grinning," We'll be out of here soon."
He laughed at her." Look who's comforting who now. I distinctly remember a certain terrified faerie clutching the ground for dear life."
" I was not terrified," she argued back playfully." Merely cautious." He laughed at her, and the two began a cheerful argument, ranging from Liana's fear of heights to Legolas' hair, that ended in the elf defending the softness of his hair and Liana placating him.
Nevada observed her best friend and the elf, their arms wrapped companionably around each other's shoulders as they chatted and laughed away.' That's cute,' she thought vaguely.' It would be even cuter if I had someone like that.' Shaking her head, she laughed silently.' Yeah, right. Keep dreaming, Nevada.' She glanced up at the high ceiling once more, then let her head fall back to normal. Her neck was starting to hurt from looking up so much. It *was* a pretty impressive place, she had to give the dwarf that. Unconsciously, Nevada's pace had been slowing down, and she soon found herself at the end of pack. Looking around, she spotted Aragorn not far off, holding up the torch for light and looking around at their surroundings.' He looks like he needs someone to bug him,' she thought, and moved over to him." Enjoying the scenery?" she asked him.
Aragorn looked over in mild surprise, and smiled." Yes, it's an amazing realm."
Nevada nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a draft went through the realm, and she automatically shivered, goosebumps trailing over her bare shoulders and arms." It's cold in here," she complained.
Aragorn glanced at her, bemused." Maybe if you wore more clothing, you would not be so cold." She glared at him, before giving a sound of disgust and rubbing her arms." Well," he elaborated by gesturing towards her top and skirt." You're wearing a skirt and a shirt with no sleeves, of course you would be cold. Where are you longer sleeved shirt and pants?"
" I took them off when they got wet," she informed him slowly, giving him a 'Are-you-dense?' look. They fell silent for a moment, and Nevada shivered again, rubbing her hands vigorously together." Besides, it's not my body that's really cold, it's my hands." She blew into them for added warmth, which only worked for a few seconds. An idea gathered in her head, and she grinned." Here, feel this." She reached out and touched an ice-cold hand to his cheek. He instinctively jerked back, surprised, and she laughed." Cold, huh?"
Aragorn absentmindedly touched a hand to the cold spot now on his cheek, and gave her a bewildered look. What possessed her to do that? Nevada wasn't given to touching people that often, and that was completely out of character. Aragorn thought about it some more, then came to the conclusion that she was just doing it to let him know how cold her hands were, like she said. He was looking too far into an innocent gesture.
It took him a few moments to realize that Nevada was talking to him. When she hit him on the shoulder, he looked at her." What?"
Nevada rolled her eyes." I said, isn't it weird that we always end up walking together? Or talking? It's like being drawn to a magnet. A really annoying magnet that doesn't listen to me when I start talking."
Aragorn shook his head, deciphering all that she said." I'll choose to ignore that last comment. Plus, you just choose to talk to me to annoy *me*."
" Well, I would talk to my best friend, but she's got the elf," Nevada gesture in their direction." Besides, talking to you isn't really that bad. If I thought it was that bad, I wouldn't do it so much."
" Thank you, that's comforting," he chuckled wryly.
" Yeah, well-" Nevada's expression changed as she tripped forward suddenly, her arms going out to catch her fall. She managed to stop herself before hitting the ground, and stood up suddenly, throwing her arms up in a careless gesture." I don't even care," she threw out in a huff, not bothering to glance at the boulder she tripped over. Nevada's eyes narrowed at the look on the human's face, and she added," Nobody saw that. So don't mention it to *anyone*." He opened his mouth to speak, and she held up a finger." Not a word." He shook his head, trying to hold back a smile." Good boy."
Aragorn looked disgruntled. Good boy?
Nevada walked beside him, trying to salvage what was left of her dignity after tripping for no reason in the middle of the cavern." You know, I'm usually not this clumsy," she muttered in her defense." I mean, who puts a boulder in the middle of a freaking room? What kind of people do that?" Her eyes sought out Gimli, and she snorted." Yeah. I should've seen that one coming."
Aragorn couldn't help but laugh silently to himself. She was really amusing when she wanted to be. They walked in silence from there, glancing at the pillars they passed and hearing Gandalf's low murmur of conversation with one of the hobbits. Occasionally, their hands would bump each other's, or their arms, because of how close they were walking. Aragorn noted that Nevada wasn't saying anything, so he just let it go. The next time their arms hit lightly, Nevada nudged his arm a little more.
" Hey, are you listening to those two?" Nevada nodded up ahead, and Aragorn followed it to Gimli and Boromir. Her expression stayed amused when he shook his head, and she added," Just listen."
Aragorn kept an ear out for Gimli's accented voice, and soon heard it clearly." Look at those archways, lad," the dwarf pointed upward." The finest craftmanship you'll see for miles. My ancestors helped build this city, and they built it to last."
" They are very nice," Boromir's voice came drifting back to the tailend of the group," but why keep such majesty underground? It seems so dark and damp. Back in Gondor, we keep our architecture of lighter stone and in plain sight for everyone to see its beauty."
Gimli snorted." 'Tis the quality that counts, lad."
" Gondor has quality," Boromir leapt to his country's defense." Our walls are very sturdy and pleasing to look upon."
" Can Gondor's walls hold up half of a mountain?" Gimli countered back.
" No, but it holds Mordor at bay," Boromir informed him, a note of pride in his voice.
" Ugh, I can't listen to that anymore," Nevada scrunched her nose in their direction."'My kingdom does this, or that,'" she mocked in a nasal-toned voice." Who cares? That's like Liana and I arguing over who's country is better. It's pointless."
" At least it's occupying Gimli's thoughts," Aragorn pointed out." He's been hit hard these past few days."
" Yeah, I guess so, but they could argue about something else, couldn't they?" she asked. They continued conversing for another ten minutes, moving slowly but steadily through the empty city of Dwarrowdelf. The pillars became a large, winding maze, but Gandalf seemed to know where he was going, and he had gotten them this far, so they were content to let him lead the way. They began to pass other passageways and rooms, and each room was looked in on curiously by a hobbit or other fellowship member.
The floor was becoming cluttered with more and more skeletons, to everyone's dismay, and they looked around with more caution than before. The companions avoided stepping on any stray bones as much as possible, and they looked at each uneasily, hoping they weren't walking into something they shouldn't be messing with.
A particular room up ahead had an oddly bright light coming from it. This caught Gimli's attention, and he walked forward a bit to get a better view. White light was streaming from a hole or opening in the ceiling, and it settled on something that looked like a tomb...The implications dawned on Gimli, and he realized with horror who that coffin might be for. His eyes took in the bleached white of bone lying next to it, and with a startled, deep gasp, the dwarf ran forward, brandishing his axe.
Gandalf's attention snapped to the dwarf's running form." Gimli!" he shouted sharply.
The dwarf didn't listen. He didn't even hear him. Blood was rushing loudly in his ears, and his heart was pounding. It couldn't be who he thought it was, it couldn't have ended like this...Gimli stopped when he reached the tomb and read the horrid writing covering it. He wanted to crawl in a hole and hide, but all he could do was stand there.
" No," Gimli finally got out softly, in disbelief. He went down on one knee slowly, in an effort not to collapse to the ground. Gimli's grip tightened around his axe, and he shook with the effort to contain himself. His cousin was dead. Balin was dead, and he hadn't been there to...help, or do anything." No," Gimli denied. Oh Valar, he was really gone. It wasn't fair, he shouldn't have died like this.
The rest of the fellowship entered the room to find Gimli kneeled in front of his cousin's tomb in grief, and they fell quiet in respect for him. He had lost so much in the span of four days. The least they could do was let him mourn in peace.
Gandalf, however, had other plans. He inspected the room, including the dozens of skeletons still wearing their armor cluttering it up. Gimli let out a low, keen wail that ended in a sob, which continued as he let go of his pride and cried over the loss of the entire population of his people in Moria, and the loss of his beloved, valiant cousin.
Gandalf walked forward and placed a weathered hand on the side of the roughly hewn tomb, reading from it softly but so everyone could hear." Here lies Balin, son of Hrundin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf sighed deeply and sadly." He is dead then. It is as I feared." Gimli let out another mournful cry, and Boromir put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Gandalf turned around, giving Gimli a sympathetic look. His eyes turned to a nearby skeleton, and he gazed upon a large book it was still holding. The poor soul had died clutching the book, or whatever was in it.' Perhaps there is something of use written inside,' he thought. Gandalf removed his hat and gestured for Pippin to take it and his staff, who gladly took it and stepped out of the way. The wizard walked over and stooped down to gently take the book from the skeleton's fingers, moving them over ever so slightly. He wiped the cobwebs from the maron cover, and lifted it as he stood back up, Gandalf opened the cover, and it fell open with a shower of dirt and dust, a few loose pages falling to the ground. The wizard inspected the pages the book was open to, and blew lightly on the paper, sending more dust flying into the air. Whenever this massacre occured, it happened a long time ago. He wiped off more dust to read the words written there.
Legolas watched Gandalf read silently, growing more impatient by the minute. Something was off about this place, and he sincerely didn't like it. He was getting uneasy, and he could tell by the way Liana and even Nevada shifted from foot to foot that they knew it, too. Legolas shook his head slightly, and leaned in to speak to Aragorn softly." We must move on. We cannot linger." Aragorn looked at him, vaguely puzzled, and shrugged slightly. He couldn't very well tell Gandalf to hurry up.
Gandalf began to read aloud out of the book, and the air around them seemed heavier and more forbidding as he recalled the words written years ago.
" They have taken the bridge," he began in a deep, chilling voice," and the second hall." The fellowship looked around at each other, feeling the fear and despair in those words." The ground shakes."
Frodo looked down at the ground, and his imagination went wild. He could almost feel it tremble, and hear the frightened cried of the trapped dwarves inside.
" We have barred the gates," Gandalf continued in his low, rumbling voice, and Legolas and Aragorn found themselves looking at the doors they just passed through."...But cannot hold them for long." ' No, apparently, they couldn't,' Legolas countered in his head. He felt a great swell of pity for those caught inside these chambers, and for the helplessness they must have felt.
" A shadow moved in the dark," Gandalf read ominiously. Liana looked around the room, her heart thudding at his words. For some reason, they had a profound affect on her, and everyone else, for that matter. What was the shadow of? Orcs? Or something else? She shuddered and listened to his next words." Drums." They heard drums? she wondered to herself.
" Drums in the deep," he finished darkly. Gandalf looked up briefly, then turned the page to read on." We cannot get out," he said slowly.
The hobbits looked at each other. eyes big and dark. Pippin backed up slowly and quietly, until his back hit something. Turning, he saw a skeleton perched on a well, and curiosly, he drew closer.
Nevada found it hard to breathe: was this how it ended for her home? Did her comrades feel the same way, and her princess? How did that feel?" We cannot get out." Nevada felt goosebumps on her arms. Those words were really desperate. Hopeless. She couldn't imagine knowing you were about to die like that.
Aragorn noticed the color leave Nevada's face. Concerned, he asked quietly," Are you all right?"
Nevada blinked at him, then took a deep breath." Yeah, I'm fine."
Pippin's inquisitiveness over the skeleton grew, and he reached out to lightly touch its stark white knuckles.
Gandalf looked up again from the book." They are coming," he finished.
The entire fellowship felt a chill at those sinister last words, and then the still, apocalyptic suspense died with the end of the doomed dwarves' tale.
Pippin twisted the hand a little more than he thought he would, and he jumped back when the head tilted back and fell off the skeleton's body, into the well.
The faeries and hobbits jumped when the head hit the side of the well and dropped, and all eyes were on Pippin, too horrified at the loud noise to move. The hobbit turned to look at them, mouth open in explanation, but right after that the body of the skeleton fell back and into the well. It drug a heavy chain along with it, which made the most noise going down. The chain was slack for a few more seconds, then pulled taught on the heavy bucket lying on top of the well, which inevitably fell in. Everyone cringed visibly at the loud bang it made going down, followed by a series of clanks that didn't die down for another minute.
The stunned silence that followed the clanging of the ancient dwarf armor was deafening. No one seemed to know what to do for a few moments but stare at the well it disappeared down, and wait for the clanging to stop. Pippin looked horrified at what he'd done, and Liana felt a tug of sympathy. She exchanged an inquisitive look with Nevada, who was just as lost as she was. Liana's tawny eyes darted back and forth between Pippin and Gandalf. The wizard looked pretty upset, and the Valar only knew what he was going to do now.
Gandalf slapped the book shut with a deafening noise that everyone flinched at." Fool of a Took," he growled, advancing toward a trembling Pippin, who backed into the well behind him at the annoyance and distaste in his voice." Throw yourself in next time, and rid us," in an angry motion, grabbed his hat," of your stupidity!" His hand shook as he grabbed his staff and gripped it tightly, menacingly.
Pippin didn't know what to say to that, and Frodo and Nevada shifted uncomfortably. Everyone remained quiet, expecting *something* to happen in response to the deafening noise the skeleton made. When nothing happened, the fellowship nearly sagged with relief. They heard Boromir let out a sigh of ease, and Liana turned to say something to Aragorn, who stood right next to Legolas, when all of a sudden...she stopped.
" Yes?" Aragorn stared a the odd look on Liana's face. She was looking directly at him, but her eyes were far away. Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a look, and Legolas turned his piercing gaze toward Liana. She looked like she was listening to something, so he listened, too. Then, he heard it.
" What are we listening to?" Nevada whispered.
Liana barely looked at Nevada, just motioned for her to listen." Drums..." she whispered to herself, remembering the dwarf's words in the book Gandalf read. The faint, almost melodic beating seemed to match the frantic rhythm of her heart. This is what they meant. These were the drums...But who was *playing* the drums?
" Why am I not hearing-" Nevada started.
" Shh!" Aragorn shushed her. He couldn't hear anything at first, but then it became morbidly apparent.
Boom. Boom.
An audible gasp came from everyone. Their eyes turned to the well, and Pippin turned around to stare in horror down it as the booms grew louder and more frantic. Nevada's breath caught in her throat as she stared down at it with a look of almost fear in her dark purple eyes.
" Frodo," Sam said softly, urgently. The hobbit looked at him, confused for a moment, then caught what he was saying. The hobbit half unsheathed Sting and stared in horror as it shined a bright and terrible blue.
" Orcs!" Legolas spat out, and everyone turned to look at the door and the faint cried emitting from somewhere in the mines.
" Aw, shit!" Nevada blurted out, her eyes wide. Boromir bounded forward and to the main doors. He poked his head out to see where their enemies were, and immediately jerked his head back when two arrows came out of nowhere and thudded into the door where his head had been.
At the sound of the hobbits unleashing their swords, Aragorn turned around, and hastily grated out," Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" He threw the torch with a clang and pulled back an arrow from his quiver moments after Legolas.
With a cry of dismay, the hobbits watched uneasily as the six warriors prepared for battle. Aragorn reached the door, and he and Boromir prepared to shut them as the maniacal screams of orcs reached their ears. When it was closed, Boromir caught and his breath and uttered out dryly," They have a cave troll."
" Aw, *shit*!" Nevada cursed. Their luck was turning very bad very quickly, and she didn't like it. This situation royally sucked. Legolas sprinted up and grabbed a large axe from the wall. He tossed it to Boromir, who gave it to Aragorn and they wedged it into the door to hold it better. They repeated that with one other axe, then retreated back to a safe distance to retaliate.
Gimli jumped atop the tomb of Balin with a roar, swinging his axe like a madman." There's one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!" he roared.
The humans stayed back with the others; Aragorn, Liana, and Legolas in the front, with Nevada and Boromir in the back. Liana, to the right of Legolas, had notched an arrow like him, and was staring at the barred door and the banging coming from behind it with a deadly glint in her narrowed eyes. With a whistle, Nevada's sword came out next to Boromir's, and she almost grinned, battle-light flaring in her purple eyes as she smirked wickedly at the thought of taking down more Orcs.
" Come to Nevada," she muttered, nearly grinning. Aragorn's head reared back as he stared at the dark-haired faerie with wonder. She winked at him, and laughed, throwing her head back and twirling a few practice swings.
" Oh, wow," Boromir muttered.
Everyone heard Liana chuckle to herself, and Legolas glanced over at her at the same time she turned her eyes up at him. His eyes were questioning, and she merely shook her head for a moment, her eyes glinting merrily into his. Something stirred within his heart, but he pushed it aside when a great crack ensued from the door. They turned their gazes to the doors simultaneously, and at the same moment when an Orc busted a hole out of the door, Legolas shot the Orc and it fell back with a squeal. Aragorn, Liana and Legolas began shooting rapidly and randomly, taking down as many Orcs as they could before the doors were fully opened.
Cries of battle and rage came from Gimli, Nevada, and Liana as the Orcs burst through the door with insane howls. Legolas' bow sang as he took down countless stupid Orcs that could only stare at what would be their death. The dwarf jumped down from the tomb, and took the Orcs by storm along Aragorn, who had abandoned his bow and arrow for his sword. Legolas hopped out of the way of an Orc, and nearly collided with Liana.
Upon seeing this, the hobbits could not take it anymore. Along with Gandalf, they let out cries of rage for their friends, and charged forward into the masses of Orcs.
" Argh!" Legolas turned to the Faerie, who turned to look up at him just as she threw down her bow with a mutter of," To hell with this," and drew up her sword. He allowed himself a grim smile as she whirled around, aimed a kick at an Orc that sent him flying into the wall, and beheaded three more. Her dirty blonde hair gleamed in the dim light, and her eyes looked almost predatorial. The moment the battle started, her mind was one one track and that was killing as many orcs as possible. She rammed her elbow into an oncoming Orc, and aimed a fist at his head; ending his life. Liana let out a growl of disgust as Orc blood and slime covered her hand, and she wiped it off, muttering to herself.
Legolas turned his head, shook it a little with a half smile as Liana and Nevada went back to back, laying out countless Orcs.
" So, Liana," Nevada said between breaths, twirling around and slamming her heel into the face of an Orc," how's it going?"
" Good," Liana answered truthfully, their voices carrying through the battle. Aragorn nearly stopped fighting; they were conversing; talking as if this battle was just any walk in the park! He exchanged looks with Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, who shook his head, and Gandalf, who only chuckled as he led the hobbits into the battle to rid them of Orcs." You?"
" Never been better!" Nevada dealt out a neatly executed roundhouse kick, sending it flying into the human." Whoops, sorry! You know, I missed this sort of fighting, didn't you?"
" Not as much as you did, but yeah, I missed it," Liana replied.
" Shut up, you know you love killing these things as much as I do," Nevada countered cheerfully. She swung back and decapitated another orc.
Liana chuckled, and sliced down a few more orcs before one caught her off guard and sliced nearly horizontally across her upper left shoulder - and shearing off a number of light brown locks in the way.
The princess audibly gasped, and nearly dropped her sword. Everyone present heard it and looked over while they continued fighting.
" Princess, your shoulder-" Boromir began, then cut himself off.
" The bastard," she said in a choked, amazed voice as much shorter locks bounced on her cheek. Then her eyes narrowed as she let her hair fall to the ground, and she saught out the Orc-crouched under the trained arrow of Legolas. She waltzed over silently to them both, and looked coolly up at Legolas." May I?"
He raised an eyebrow, and stepped back. Before he could react in any way, she reached down in a violent, quick move, dug her fingers into the Orc's shirtfront and dragged him up off the ground until he was eye level with her. She ripped the sword from his hand with her other, and poised it just under his chin, staring hotly and angrily into his foul eyes. She said something unintelligable in her language, then rammed the dirty sword down into his chest, before pulling it out and letting him fall, groaning, to the ground.
The sword fell with a clang, and Liana heaved in a breath, a piece of chin-length hair falling across her face. She looked over to see everyone gaping at her with astonished looks on their faces. Regardless, she threw her head back haughtily and ran towards them, stepping on body parts and making it to the head of the Orc she would have liked to cut into little pieces. Glancing down at him with a look of disgust, she aimed with her heel and gave his head a vicious kick before hopping off his neck and walking past some of the ten who still looked as if they'd been hit on the head.
" That's what you get for wearing your hair down," Nevada sang while she continued cutting things off. Liana responded with a rather rude comment in their own language, which only made her companion laugh." I don't think that's anatomically possible."
And to everyone's surprise, Legolas threw his head back and laughed, as if seeing a Faerie punch the lights out of an Orc was the funniest thing in the world. Liana turned and gave him an odd glance; tried to ignore how ethereal and fair he looked when he actually laughed-and the sound of it. She turned to look over at Aragorn and Nevada, who had diminished most of the Orcs in the area. They had the same disgruntled, wondering look on their face. She shrugged, and stepped lightly over the groaning bodies as only a princess could, with her head held high.
Sam whipped around and cracked another orc in the head with his cooking pot. One after another, he beat all of them with it, loud, hollowed clanks ringing in the air. He may not have known much about fighting, but he knew that if he hit them hard enough with the pan, they would go down." I'm getting the hang of this," he told himself encouragingly, then turned around to take down one more.
Aragorn let out a loud battle yell and swung back expertly with his sword, viciously decapitating a nearby orc.
Nevada stared at the human in amazement. She'd never seen him so angry and - battle hungry." *Nice*," she commented appreciatively. Without warning, the ground shook underneath Nevada's feet. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the ground, and Liana joined her. The two looked at each other, then at Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Gandalf, and the hobbits.
" What in all that's holy-" Nevada muttered-
BOOM!
" Ah!" Nevada and Liana stumbled slightly, and they turned to look at the door.
" Oh-" Liana jumped out of the way, taking Nevada with her, when a giant gray cave troll pounded in, landing right where they stood. A number of orcs led it in the room with chains that connected to a collar around its neck, and it let out a ripping bellow.
" Shit!" Nevada squeaked.
" Get out of the way!" Aragorn roared as he swung a sword at the raging monster that flung back Orcs in its way and roared with menace and spit at them. Liana picked up her bow, then, aiming and firing rapidly at any soft spot or tissue she saw on the beast, all the while backing up into the hobbits to get them out of harm's way.
" Go on, child," Gandalf yelled to Liana as she turned her head to stare at him with wide eyes.
She nodded, gave one last look to the four hobbits looking up at her, and leaped out of the way gracefully as the troll club came crashing down. She notched another bow, aimed for his head, and took a winning shot as he howled his rage and pulled the arrow out of his temple.
Liana jumped out of the way and forgot anyone else was in the room as she dodged the troll until she was at his back. She got as close as she could, notched an arrow, and aimed it." Hey!" she yelled. Catching its attention and a few others, it turned. With a growl, she ran closer and let loose the arrow on his beady little eye. He screamed and went to backhand her, but she ducked first and jumped just in time to miss his arm.
" AHHH!" Nevada jumped on that same arm and slashed down with her sword, satisfied to see blood gush from the wound. She jumped off and found herself next to Gimli and Aragorn.
" Aragorn, how do we kill this thing?" she asked.
He chanced a look over to her, and shook his head." I don't know, but there's got to be-" he stopped, and turned his head at the sight at the corner of his eye." Sam!" he shouted. Aragorn took off at a run when he spotted Sam on the ground with the troll after him with the club. It raised a foot, as if to stomp on him, and Aragorn's mind worked quickly. Boromir came up to help, and they both spotted the heavy chain connected to its collar lying on the ground. Together, they reached for it and tugged with all their might backwards. The troll's head snapped back and pulled the rest of him back. He clawed the air and roared his displeasure at being stopped, and then turned to face his attacker. The troll reached out with a hand and swung, catching Boromir in the stomach and sending him flying into the wall.
With a roar of his own, Gimli flung his axe at the troll and it sank into his chest, and Aragorn aided Boromir by throwing a blade and effectively killing an orc ready to attack the dazed man.
Merry, Pippin and Sam were just getting away from the troll and running toward Frodo as fast as their short legs could carry them.
Nevada turned her head at the growling, snarling sounds coming from the door, and snarled." You've gotta be shittin' me!" More orcs poured in, and the other warriors had to drop everything and fight them. She caught the princesses' eyes, who told her silently to make sure the hobbits were out of harm's way. The Faerie nodded and watched Liana jump into the fray with a snarl and sword ready.
All of a sudden, the troll came up behind them in a rage, and as quick as possible, Nevada grabbed Sam by his arms and jumped out of the way with him, setting him in a corner with a terrified Merry and Pippin.
" Sam!" she yelled to get his attention, shook him a little as he stared at the oncoming Orcs in horror. She lifted him up to her eye level and shouted until he looked at her." Where's Frodo??" The look on his face told her he didn't know, and with a curse she shoved him into a corner with the other three." Don't move from that spot, or I swear I'll *feed* you to the Orcs," she threatened, and softened it by patting Pippin on the head before unsheathing her sword and turning to look for Frodo. The cries and screams of the Orcs told Nevada the rest were almost finished with the slaughter, but she was worried about the Ringbearer and the position of the troll, which she found soon enough.
" Damn," she muttered under her breath. Frodo was hiding behind a pillar with the troll practically breathing down his neck. She dropped her sword and picked up a nearby bow, pulled an arrow from her bag. Her purple eyes darkened with concentration as she aimed for the troll's black heart. At a sudden movement, however, something went awry and the troll spotted Frodo. With a yell, the troll advanced as Frodo screamed and ran.
The hobbit's heart was racing as he tried to outrun the massive troll behind him. In a desperate attempt to get himself away from the beastly thing, he ran behind one of the large pillars to hide. He paused, hidden for the moment, to catch his breath and calm his wildly beating heart, but the troll advanced and he had to move to another face of the rock to stay out of sight. This continued on, like a deadly game of cat and mouse, until Frodo thought he had fooled him and was safe for the moment. The hobbit breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes in sheer exhaustion.
With a bellow, the troll came out of nowhere and shocked the hell out of the young hobbit, who jumped back and tripped into the corner. With nowhere to go, Frodo stared at the troll in horror as it reached out with an enormous hand and grabbed on to his ankle. The hobbit remembered he had vocal chords after trying to work his mouth soundlessly for a few moments, and then he started to scream in panic." Aragorn!" he shouted hoarsely. He tried to stop himself from being dragged by grabbing on to another pillar, but the troll was a lot stronger and cotinued to viciously pull him along." Aragorn!!"
The human heard the plea and turned around from where he had been fighting. His eyes widened at the seeing the hobbit being dragged away, and he immediately charged to aide him." Frodo!"
The hobbit let himself be dragged until he remembered Sting still attached to his side. With one of his free hands, he pulled it out and swung it blindly, catching the troll on the arm. With a pained grunt, the troll let go and Frodo fell down into a pile of rocks. Highly upset by the cursed little thing he was trying to kill, the troll reached for his club and prepared to swnig at the little body, only to be cheated from it again when Aragorn jumped in front of Frodo, brandishing a huge spear. With another war cry, the human lunged forward and shoved the spear into the troll's chest, causing it to roar and drop the boulder it had been preparing to launch. Viciously, Aragorn dug the end of the spear into the troll's flesh, determined to bring the beast down.
A few well aimed rocks by Merry and Pippin distracted the troll enough to whip around, and when he turned back he swung out with an arm and caught Aragorn in the stomach. The human flew in the air with a yell and landed among another pile of rocks.
" Aragorn!" Frodo called out in horror. He ran to go help him and found him out cold. Frantic, the hobbit began shaking the man's shoulder vigorously, his attention going from the man back up to the troll coming near them. The monster lifted up the same spear Aragorn had stabbed him with, and brought it down on the hobbit. Frodo ducked and ran, then stopped in his tracks when he was nearly skewered a second time. When the spear disappeared, he started to run, but it came back down with startling speed and Frodo couldn't dodge the blow.
The spear rammed into the hobbit's chest and Frodo felt himself being impaled. Time seemed to stop for the young hobbit, and all he could think about was the intense pressure on his chest. It became harder and harder to breathe, and his vision began to go blurry before he passed out altogether.
Nevada watched the troll stab Frodo in absolute horror, and before she could react the hobbit fell. She yelled with outrage, and grabbed for her bow. She notched an arrow and pulled it back as far as it would go, and she shot at the troll to avert his attention off of the halfing. When the troll took a swing at her, she ducked and jumped out of the way. The troll outsmarted her, though, and with a vicious swing, knocked her bow from her hand. She gasped in surprise, and Nevada stared at the monster with wide eyes, rooted to the spot with horror.
" Frodo!"
" Mr. Frodo! He's dead!"
" What?!" For that split second Nevada's attention was averted away from the thing in front of her, it acted out of sheer rage.
" No!-" Liana shouted as the troll roared.
In a rage, he reared his hand out and caught Nevada before she could move, slamming into her middle and sending her crashing into a rock wall. The impact knocked the breath out of her lungs and sent bursts of color appearing before her eyes, and all Nevada could do was fall bonelessly to the ground and sit there in shock. She fought to regain her breath, which became increasingly harder as the pain in her back and chest intensified. It hurt so bad she wasn't even sure if she could move.
Liana's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped as a surprised gasp ripped out of her when she saw her friend fall. Then her eyes narrowed and a dangerous look crossed her face, as well as Legolas' and Gimli's.
" The troll's going to die," she heard Gimli growl.
" Not if I get him first," Liana said through gritted teeth, and Legolas' blue eyes narrowed with concentration. The troll was ready to finish a dazed Nevada off, but the two hobbits and a kneeling human warrior caught his attention. The Elf and Faerie notched their bows at the same time, aimed, and fired with a deadly whistle. The troll turned just in time to see them, and snarled as he shook the ground to get to them, regardless of the twin arrows embedded in his flesh. He roared and aimed for the two warriors, who jumped out of his way at the exact moment he got to them. His enraged gaze followed the two figures that landed on a ledge back to back.
The troll swung for the both of them, and they darted out of the way just in time. Legolas drew an arrow back and fired, catching the troll in the neck, and avoided another swung out arm. He dodged tactfully, blonde hair swinging with each movement, and he seemed to taunt the monster as he moved and shot at him, making the troll turn purple with anger.
He really was a sight to behold when he fought, Liana thought, watching him from behind her drawn arrow. Very elegant in every movement he made, as if it had been planned out and calculated, and he killed with a deadly grace; sleek, quick movements that ultimately took down his enemies. He was a lethal, beautiful creature, and she was positively awed by his abilities.' So this is what elves can do,' she thought in wonder.' He's amazing.'
She let her arrow hit the troll in the side, taking it by surprise as it turned from her and away from the elf. It growled at her, and she dodged out of the way in time and pulled out an arrow. Liana put her weight on her right leg and arched her back slightly to get a good shot of the back of his neck. Before she let it fly, she commented," You're absolutely stunning when you fight, you know that?" The arrow went with a twang, and the troll roared its outrage.
Legolas looked vaguely surprised at the admiration in her voice, and before he could react, the troll swung and he dodged it, managing to land next to her again." Thank you." He was ready to compliment her back, for she had been holding her own incredibly, when the troll attacked. The two let their arrows fly, both hitting their targets as the troll screamed in pain. His club came crashing down between them, and Liana jumped to the left while Legolas jumped up and onto the troll. Reading what he was saying, she left and landed right between a frightened Merry and Pippin. Breathing heavily, Liana grabbed them both by the arm." It's not safe here. Come with me."
" It's Frodo," Pippin said in a rush." We think he's-"
They stopped as the troll screeched. Liana looked up to see Legolas pull back his bow and viciously slam an arrow into the troll's head before dropping to the ground, his breath barely heaving. He would have run to them to get them out of there, but the troll swung blindly, missing Legolas narrowly. She wanted so badly to stay and help, but the hobbits came first, so she herded them over to Aragorn, who had dragged a dazed Nevada to Frodo.
Legolas leapt back in front of the troll, watching it through narrowed eyes. He had an arrow notched, but he was waiting for the right moment to let it go. He had an idea of where the trol's weak spot was, and if the monster would only lift his head. Fortune shined on the elf, and the troll's head snapped back from a blow by Boromir, and Legolas took the chance. The arrow went straight into his mouth and stuck there.
The troll made a choked sound, and he staggered back, clutching at his throat. A wheezing, dying sound came from his throat, and with anothet stumble, it fell to the ground.
" Frodo!" Sam cried in anguish. He knelt down to his fallen friend, and Liana stared.' Is he really dead?' She sincerely hoped not, but she couldn't be sure. Suddenly she saw a glimmer of something under Frodo's shirt, and once she recognized what it was her face broke into a grin." Get up, Baggins," she commanded in a tone laced with amusement." You're not fooling us."
Sam looked appalled." Begging your pardon, Princess Liana, but how dare you-"
The hobbit stopped in surprise when Frodo opened his eyes. The hobbit was lifted up, breathing heavily and looking around in amazement. Aragorn stared at the hobbit with dazed amazement." You should be dead...that spear could have skewered a wild boar!"
Gandalf came up, a relieved smile coloring his old, battle-worn face." I believe there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye."
Frodo looked down and pulled his shirt up, revealing a shining, glittery substance. Everyone's eyes lit up.
" Mithril," Gimli breathed in surprise. Then, his lip curled up in a smile." You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."
Legolas and Boromir came up, escorting the hobbits Merry and Pippin, and the group looked around the room in amazement. So many dead bodies, and in such a small amount of time.
" Gandalf-"
Boom. Boom.
Fear etched into everyone's eyes. The distant cries of even more Orcs sounded, and they looked around in alarm. Nevada pulled a few arrows from nearby dead Orcs, and helped Frodo off the ground. She turned to Liana." This is usually when somebody says,' Let's get the hell out of here.'"
Liana paused, then said," Let's get the hell out of here." They took up their weapons, and everyone ran out. As they left the tomb and into the great city, Orcs poured out of the holes and down the pillars like swarms of flies.
" Whose idea was this to go here?" Nevada gritted out to Liana.
She chanced a look over, not being able to avoid the slash of an Orc blade on her left cheek." The hell if I remember. We'll be lucky if we don't run into-" both gasped and came to a halting stop as more Orcs swarmed in front of them. All eleven stopped and huddled together in a circle as the Orcs surrounded them.
One of the Orcs grabbed for Sam, and Nevada pulled out her sword and cut off his hand." You wanna mess?!" she shouted at the squealing Orc. Boromir and Aragorn fought vainly, but they realized they were in a losing battle. They were completely surrounded. The hobbits were pushed in the middle of the circle, and they shivered with fright and axiety, clutching their swords for dear life.
" Frodo?" Merry whispered. His friend looked over in fear. Sting glowed an eerie blue in the dim light." What's gonna happen to us?"
He was about to answer, but something stopped him. Time seemed to stand still, as a distant but rumbling growl, so evil that it penetrated his heart fearfully, echoed throughout the hall. The Orcs started screeching, and to everyone's utter amazement, they ran. All the Orcs fled in what seemed like horror, their screeches drowning out the rumbles as they crawled back up the pillars.
Pippin looked up in amazement as not a single Orc was left in the great city." Well, that was easy enough," his voice echoed in the sudden absence of life.
" Nay," Aragorn breathed." There's something wrong."
*Booooommmmmm.....*
Liana and Nevada froze where they stood. Their gazes slowly shifted from the floor to up ahead, and there their eyes froze, growing impossibly wider by the second. Legolas had pulled out an arrow and readied his bow, unsure of where to aim. The alarm was evident in his eyes, for the three knew what that noise could possibly be. Nothing could be heard but the harsh breathing of the fellowship and the faint noise coming from far up ahead. A dark light shifted in the distance, catching everyone's attention.
*Boooommmmmm.....*
Liana couldn't breathe. The air had left her lungs, and all she could do was stare in mortification at the sight far in front of her. Pure terror crossed her face and contracted her eyes until they were large, golden orbs, and she couldn't bring herself to move. It was there...far up there, and it was going to come for them. The stories...all those stories, and here it was, minutes away from them, and there was nowhere to run. Her mind shut down to everything but the altering, yellow light, and the faint roaring coming from beyond. She felt like a young child facing the unknown boogeyman...she couldn't see him, but she knew what he could do to her if he caught her, and all she wanted to do was run and run and run...
" Why is Miss Liana shaking?" Pippin asked, his quiet voice unsure and fearful.
Shaking? The men looked over at her, their own alarm growing at how absolutely still Liana's form was, save for the fine tremors that ran through her body. Her hands visibly shook, and her breathing was becomg more apparant. It was as if she fought for breath, fought against the lump of cold fear growing in her throat. Her eyes were fixed ahead, and all the color had drained from her face.
Nevada was in no better of a condition. Her eyes, as well, never left the light ahead, but instead of being rooted by the fear, she wanted away from it.' Oh, please,' she thought desperately. Her feet began to move backwards, and she slowly stepped back, further and further away from the thing she feared the most.' No, please. Let this be a nightmare. This is a nightmare. I'm dreaming, and Gandalf's going to tell us that it's all a big joke...I don't want to die, oh Valar, please...' She took a few careful, shaky breaths, eyes filling with tears of absolute terror, and she stepped into someone. A hand went on her arm, a warm, rough hand, and she vaguely realized it was Aragorn. She wanted to blurt out how afraid she was to him, because she knew he'd listen, but all she could manage was a frightened whisper.
" It's going to rip me apart."
Aragorn's heart constricted at her chilling, fearful words and he realized just how justified her fear was. He was beginning to fear it greatly himself, even though he didn't know what it was, and his heart tugged at the frightened tone in her voice. He removed his hand from her arm and instead slipped his arm around her waist and held her to him. Nevada felt the contact with a rush of comfort, and she wanted nothing more than to lean into him and bask in the strength and support he was offering her.
*Booooommmmm.....*
The black haired faerie stiffened along with her friend, and the fear returned anew at the low growls emitting from down the hall." No," Nevada whispered. Aragorn could feel her body shudder in revulsion and fear. He knew something was very, utterly wrong. The man had never seen either of them so thoroughly terrified, and it was scaring him. They had been valiant during the battle with the orcs; confident and brave, and now they were reduced to the likes of children afraid of the dark. What on this Middle Earth could make then act as such?" No, no, no, no..." Nevada continued to chant, a mantra against the evil that they were about to face. She didn't want this to happen, she didn't want to be eaten...
The unholy yellow light seeped through the halls in the distance, and Boromir swallowed nervousness ." What is this new devilry?"
Liana whimpered nearly noiselessly, the first sound she made besides the hitching breathing that consumed her frightened frame. She knew. But she didn't want to know. She wanted her mother and father, but they weren't here to chase away the terrible darkness. They couldn't take the demon away. Her eyes found Legolas, and she felt a warmth spread in her, alleviating the fear a little bit. Reaching out with an unsteady hand, she grabbed his own and held it tightly, an anchor in her panicked mind. Legolas looked at her frightened, pale face; her hand was incredibly cold. He felt it shake within his own, and compassion welled in him to make her feel better, even though his own heart thudded in his chest against what was to come. He wouldn't let her face this alone. He squeezed her slim, trembling hand and briefly let his other hand stroke her head. No words were needed, and she squeezed back to let him know her thanks.
" A Balrog," Gandalf informed them all. His voice was low, dark and grim. And it frightened the hell out of the members of the fellowship that were still unsure of what a 'Balrog' was. It sounded as terrible as the faeries were making it out to be. Gandalf closed his eyes momentarily, grieved that they could not escape this hell that they were now faced with." A demon of the ancient world," he continued in a low, foreboding voice. Both faeries could feel the terror shimmering down their spines as the booms and growls got closer, and Nev tried to back away further, swallowing continuously to get rid of the mortified lump in her throat. She bumped into Aragorn again, feeling a little grateful that it was him and she wasn't alone." This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf told them darkly.
In a sudden moment of panic as another unearthly growl rumbled through the air, the Faeries turned and pushed the nearest persons forward." Run!" they shouted with Gandalf. Liana's heart beat wildly in her chest, the panic in her throat so great she could not breathe. She pushed little hobbits along, and urged Gimli and Boromir forward. Nevada's mind was racing at the horrors they would fall prey to if they did not escape quickly and focused all her energy on running more than anything else; her breath heaved with the effort. They all turned a corner into a brightly lit cavern, and Boromir, in the front, suddenly skidded to a stop. Nevada nearly crashed into him, sending the man pinwheeling and almost falling over the steep edge. His torch was knocked out of his hands, falling soundlessly to the bottom, and it looked as if the man of Gondor would go with it.
Legolas leapt past Gandalf and reached to grab a handful of the back of Boromir's shirt. He ended up falling on the elf, knocking them both to the ground as Legolas pulled Boromir as far as possible away from the edge. Everyone stopped and stared at the steep drop that would have taken Boromir's life, for a moment not knowing what to do. They looked back at Gandalf, confusion and fear clouding their features. Where were they supposed to run to?
" Gandalf?" Aragorn asked the old wizard, for a moment, not knowing what to do. He was baffled as to how to get everyone to safety in time, and the prospect of not making it on account of the Balrog was a heinous thought.
The wizard nodded his head toward the others, and then looked at the Ranger." Lead them on, Aragorn," he clapped hand to his back." The bridge is near." When Aragorn hesitated, Gandalf gave him a shove forward." Do as I say!" Surprised and baffled, he studied the wizard for one more split second, long enough for Gandalf to explain," Swords are of no more use here." Aragorn nodded motioned for them all to follow him, and they headed down the stairway that was almost hidden by the shadows. Fear clouded everyone's thoughts and actions as they swiftly made their way down the steps, constantly looking over their backs, even though the couldn't judge how far or close the Balrog was from them.
They saw a break in the bridge coming up, and slowed down to stare at the gaping hole that led to a fiery depth. Deciding not to waste any time, Legolas jumped lightly across. Gandalf judged how easily the elf did it, and decided the others would be able to make it, as well. Whether or not they wanted to, he thought darkly as a tremor shook the wall behind them, causing slabs of rock to break free and hit the stairs behind them. Legolas turned back and beckoned up with his hands." Gandalf," he said clearly. The wizard hesitated for a moment as another horrible growl rendered the air, then he jumped. He landed easily with Legolas giving him a steady hand of support to ensure his balance. Right after he crossed, an arrow flitted through the air and clanged on the rock near Boromir's feet. The man stepped back a step in surprise - they were being shot at by orcs from the other side! Another narrowly missed Merry and Sam. Upon seeing this, Legolas notched an arrow and sightes his target before letting iy fly and hitting the orc in the middle of the forehead. He continued his assult as arrows continued to rain down on them.
Aragorn pushed the Faeries to the front." Go," he ordered both of them. Liana felt a wave of nausea pass through her as she saw the sheer drop in between the two staircases. Instead of inky blackness, it was now a firey red, and one she did not want to fall into. What if they jumped and one of them tripped on the staircase and fell, anyways? A nudge on her shoulder made her look up, and Nevada gave her an encouraging nod, then another gesturing behind them, towards the thing that pursued them. Liana nodded back. *Anything* to get away from the Balrog, even if it meant this. Gritting their teeth, they both jumped as far as they could, and felt much better once Gandalf and Legolas gripped their shoulders to steady them. An arrow whizzed by Gandalf's ear, and Liana, and Nevada pulled out their bow and arrows to aide Legolas the task of killing the Orcs on the other side.
" Hurry!" Boromir called, and grabbed for Merry and Pippin. He jumped with the hobbits with a yell of determination, and they made it safely over to the other side. The moment they left the other side, however, the staircase cracked, and two large chunks of it came out, leaving Gimli, Aragorn, Frodo and Sam stranded farther away than before. Frodo's eyes widened in horror at the even bigger riff between, and he wondered with a sick feeling in his stomach if he was going to be able to make a jump like that.
" Sam!" Aragorn picked up the hobbit and fairly flung him across the emptiness, shocking a yelp out of the young gardener as he became acquainted with the feeling of weightlessness associated with freefalling. Boromir caught him once he reached the other side and placed him down behind the Faeries, still deflecting Orc arrows. Aragorn turned to help Gimli, who backed up and raised his hand.
" Nobody tosses a Dwarf," he said indignitely. Nevada snorted at the comment, but said nothing. So with a great yell, he jumped forward. The dwarf came up too short, however.
Liana gasped when they realized he wouldn't make it all the way across, and Legolas reacted with lightning speed. Running up, he reached over and grabbed at the drawf's lond beard to pull him up." Not the beard!" Gimli protested loudly. Ignoring him, the Elf pulled him up and set him on the ground.
Aragorn paused from helping himself and Frodo across to take out his bow and return fire on the orcs shooting at them from afar. He took a few out before a loud crack rang in the air. Before the man could do anything but stare in disbelief, even more of the staircase cracked and fell. Aragorn and Frodo frantically moved back up the staircase, making the distance between themselves and the rest of the Fellowship even greater. The stairs were so unstable and ready to fall the rock moved of its own accord because of the weight put on it by the human and the hobbit. Frodo's stomach lurched with every moment, and he felt panic slick up his spine as he thought of the long drop awaiting him if he fell. The structure reared back and forth, and after a moment, Aragorn caught on to what was happening and formed a plan." Hang on. Lean forward!" He held on to Frodo tightly as they leaned forward, causing the rock to go forward, too. As they neared the other, they prepared to jump.
* Please, if you read this, leave a review - even if it just one line, let us know who's reading this story. It seems like no one is, and we'd like to know who's reading and what they think, and if we should keep going. It would mean a lot to know that we're not the only people reading this story. Thank you.*
