Disclaimer: I own the whole firm of "Snodgrass and Winkle. (And if Winkle doesn't mind his P's and Q's he'll celebrate New Years on the unemployment line!) But other then that I own nothing but a very good story, or at least I think it's good.
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Chapter 7
Moria and Gandalf
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Emily's POV
Now don't get me wrong, but we walked for days before we finally reached Moria. We were walking for at least a week before the cliffs of Moria even came into view. It wasn't like we waltzed down the mountain and said " Look chaps it's the hidden door to Moria!"
No, instead we had one long week of nothing happening before everything happened. The whether was nice though and so with the few little annoyances were just that, little.
Gandalf made Frodo and Barbara take turns riding Bill the pony. Frodo would gently guide the sturdy pony and never cause any fuss but not Barbie. See Barbie has always had an obsession with horses, and is the only girl who could tell you the breed of a horse without having ever ridden one.
She would be lifted onto Bill and ride the poor thing like he was a frisky stallion. It was ridiculous to see, but oh well, no one seemed to mind, which I thought was weird.
They thought she was a hoot and would smile benevolently on her like a silly child. Everyone was calling her just plain Barbie while I was still Lady, or Mistress Emily, only Sam called me plain Emily. Okay, that's not true because sometimes Boromir did to but not in a way that I felt totally comfortable, not at least since we had shaken hands.
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Barbie's POV.
It was not fair. Everyone called Emily some neat title, like Lady, or something. Everyone called me Barbie! I started to wonder what would happen if I called them Ranger dude, or Leggy. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loath the dreadful nicknames girls have come up for that poor elf (Legsy, Leggie, Lego, even some AU, Orly, Orily, Orlie) I just wondered what would happen if I did.
And I did NOT ride that armchair on legs like he was a frisking stallion. I have my sixteen year old dignity to consider. I just had fun PRETENDING that he was a frisking stallion, which is a lot different. We got to be fairly good friends, too.
The cliffs of Moria were really cool, layered in all kinds of different stone all different colours. A moviemakers dream shooting spot really, and much cooler than what P. Jackson ever showed.
We followed a narrow, twisty path that Gimli said led to the "super secret gate" and that wretched thing never seemed to decide whether it was going up or down, sideways or straight. At times it even seemed that we were doubling back on ourselves, which was unnerving. You got the feeling that you could be lost for weeks in that place, and see only more rock.
Everyone look right! Rock.
Everyone look left! Rock.
Everywhere you look, rocks in the spotlight!
Ok, back to reality! Which is, not surprisingly, more rock.
"Hey Gimli, are we going to get there anytime soon?" I asked, resisting the temptation to call him Gimster.
"We will probably reach there by nightfall," said Gimli. He seemed the most at home here, in the rockiness of the rock surrounding us. Whatever he saw in those boulders must be visible to only to dwarves and sculptors.
"Finally," I muttered to myself, and Legolas glanced at me.. A mutual feeling of "Finally we're getting somewhat out of these cliffs" passed between us before I looked away, an uncomfortable blush creeping up my neck. Argh! Why couldn't I just talk or even look at him without feeling----never mind.
Emily seemed perfectly at home with him, and even had long conversations with him on some song or other that he had sung. At least no one sang here. We all had to be rather quiet, just in case.
It was around late afternoon, right on the edge, before the sunlight lengthens into evening that Gandalf announced that he thought we should arrive soon. But knowing their definition of "soon" it could be from half an hour to half a day till we reached the super secret gate. And then of course, we would all have to wait of even longer while Gandalf tried to figure out the super secret password. Emily had decided-or rather forced me to promise NOT to tell them what it was. It was something about not messing things up or something. I really hadn't been listening.
It turns out it as good thing I had been prepared not to reach the SSG for awhile, because we had dinner ( on the go, of course )and still kept going through the evening. The sun set, and still we kept on. I think I was falling asleep on my slowly moving feet when we finally (thank God!) reached the SSG.
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Lady Emily's POV.
The night was somewhat cloudy and the moon big and white. We had trekked for an hour along a murky lake while Gimli looked for the hidden door. He was boasting about the great wisdom of hidden doors as he slowly grew more and more frustrated in trying to find it.
"And some say that Dwarves hid their doors so well that even they cannot find them." Gimli said as he gave the cliff another smack with his axe.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" asked Legolas giving us all a wink of amusement. He really was a card sometimes!
"I have found it!" cried Frodo.
We all hurried up and in the light from the moon I could see the smooth, almost polished looking, rock carving. Gandalf stood aside and the moon's rays hit it and it glowed blue. It was beautiful and I said so. Gimli smirked and tried to look humble but it wasn't working.
Then came the mix up about the pass word, but I couldn't help so Barb and I just sat there wondering just how long had it taken them to figure it out. I looked at my watch, it glowed blue too but with the help of a bulb and battery. It read 8:00 in the evening.
We all camped out around the door as Gandalf did and said everything he could think of short of swearing at the stupid thing.
Pippin sighed and plopped down next to me and said." If I had known this is what our quest would bring, I don't know that I would have volunteered to come along."
"Sure you would have, it would have annoyed you all your life if you hadn't come on the secret mission with Frodo. Besides think of the glory that will be showed to you when you return conquering heroes!"
"If we get back at all" said Merry unhelpfully.
So we sat in a dejected heap and waited and waited for Frodo to finally stand and say…
"I got it!" Frodo suddenly said he went to Gandalf and said "It's a riddle, "Speak Friend, and Enter!" what is the elvish word of Friend?"
The light dawned in Gandalf's face and turning to the door he said " Mellon" and lo and behold the thing creaked open! Just then the sound of splashing water came from behind us and I whirled and saw only ripples on the water. I looked at Merry and Pippin and they said " What? We didn't do anything!"
"N...nothing I'm just nervous that's all. Aragorn seemed worried by the ripples too but said nothing. Sam was taking the bridle and bit off the Bill who was shaking, I think Bill knew what was going to happen and couldn't wait to get the heck out of there.
"Bye bye Bill" Sam whispered and stroked his faithful face once more and he cantered away. It was a sad thing to see the pony run away because he was a sigh of safety, when he was around we knew that we wouldn't have serious trouble. Now we were an open target.
We filed into the dark carven of the under ground city, I looked round and saw in the moonlight the faint outlines of bodies. I felt the urge to throw up come in the back of my throat but refrained from doing something so weak.
I saw Barbie out of the corner of my eye, she was drugging Merry and Frodo into the cave by their hands.
"Barbara, please let me go! I can walk just fine on my own!" protested Frodo as he tried to pull away.
"Maybe, but you can always use a helping hand anyway." she said unmoved.
The leaders of our group were arguing and suddenly Boromir cried " It's a tomb!"
That's when the slimy tentacle of the watchers grabbed Frodo right out of Barbie's grasp and dragged him out and into the air. Boromir shoved me behind a rock and yelled." Don't move!"
I watched in horrified fascination as the Fellowship snapped into action, Aragorn and Boromir charged fearlessly into the water and began attacking the black( is everything black?) twisting body of the watcher.
Legolas leapt forward and fired a volley of arrows into the beady eyes of the creature and it dropped Frodo. He was caught by Boromir and with Aragorn watching their back they slogged toward us. Gandalf lead the way back into the cave and we ran like a bat out of hell to get away.
The long reaching, grasping arms came after us but it hadn't reckoned on the age old stone falling and trapping it forever in a prison of rock. We fall forward and scraped along the ground for a few feet, rocks stones, and bones scratching at our arms and legs. A shower of dirt and cobwebs rained into my eyes and I choked on the stuff trying to disentangle myself and find Barb.
"Fordo? Where are you?"
"Aragorn! Are you alright?"
"Get off me Merry! I can't breath!"
"Emily where are you?"
"Barb?"
"Gandalf ? Does anyone know where Gandalf is?"
"Everyone be quiet and we'll find everyone!" cried Legolas. I could see him a little because of his elven glowy thing.
I felt a hand run over my face and then grab my shoulder as Barbie cried " Oh Em! I though we'd lost you outside!"
I was crushed in a tight hug and even in the heap of dirt and bones I was glad to know she was alive.
Gandalf lit (Like it needs a match) his staff and it spread an eerie light over the room. I was almost sorry it had because I realized that I was sitting in the bones that used to be some dwarf's chest cavity.
"Oh gross!" Barb said and we both got up and dusted off our hands and skirts. I pulled out my handy dandy instant hand sterilizer, we each used a liberal amount.
We all grouped together in the dark and begin inching forward toward the narrow door that lead deep into the bowels of Moria.
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Still Emily's POV
The first day in Moria was hell, we couldn't hardly see where we were going and there was all kinds of creepy crawlies in the crack and fissure around us. Water dripped down on us in icy droplets and had a habit of hitting you right in the eye. There was a terrible stench that was sometimes overwhelming as it wafted out of dark empty tunnels.
"Are you sure that we're okay in here?" I whispered to Aragorn who walked behind me.
"I am quite sure we are not, that is why we must be so silent. There's no telling what may happen if our presence were known."
I swallowed and nodded, it was bad enough to know that we were going to be found, without thinking about what would happen when we were.
"It's so cold and dank in here, how could anyone ever live in the dark like this?" I asked.
"In the old days it was not as it is now. There were great colonies of dwarves and the passages were brightly lit and filled with the sound of activity and life." this from the Wizard.
"Oh" I said I didn't want to keep the subject going because I saw that it was depressing Gimli, poor ol' fella.
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Barbie's POV
Changing things or not, I had tried to keep the Watcher incident from happening. I mean, we were along to help, weren't we? So I had literally dragged Merry and Frodo into the openings of Moria, and still that slimy octopus managed to get his tentacles on Frodo.
Holding on had been impossible, that thing had to have been high on something to be that strong.
Traveling through Moria I can only describe as a very damp experience. The worst thing was the bats. They kept dive bombing our heads and drove us crazy, particularly harassing Sam for some odd reason. You could hear them squeaking and scuttling along the walls, and once, when I put out my hand to steady myself I felt something soft and warm there. I didn't scream, but I jumped back and slammed right into Boromir.
Ow. That is one solid guy.
Another thing, I was walking right in front of him, and he walked faster than I did, so we were continually having these mini collisions until he finally suggested we switch, sounding vaguely impatient. I don't think he disliked me, he just looked me as an annoying kid who was sometimes useful.
At least he had stuck up for Emily and I back at home.
Home. The word sounded so odd. I wondered of Mom and Dad and the other kids had gotten home, and if so, were they freaking out, thinking I had been kidnapped? Did they know that Emily had come home early, and that she too, was missing? Suddenly I had misgivings about the wisdom of coming. If we never got back, they would always think that me and her were dead.
You can see from these morbid thoughts that Moria was not conducive to positive thinking, and I am not normally a pessimist. Actually, I've always been an optimist so I tried to find something other than death, doom and destruction ( I think I've been around that wizard too long) to think about.
Let's try thinking about people. I call this ( prepare yourself) the people game. Pippin was now walking in back of me. Nothing particularly intriguing about him, since he was as transparent as a window.
So, let's try the Boromir. Hmm. I had been noticing things lately about him that didn't have anything to do with a circular golden object that had been….interesting.
Item one, my dear Watson. He always walked by Emily.
Item Two. He talked a lot to Emily.
Item three. He was the only member of the Fellowship besides our Rosie-loving-Sam to call her Emily.
Item Four. I noticed when the Watcher attacked, he pushed Emily behind a rock, actually touching her, while he just yelled at me to run. I did, but not after chucking some rocks at that disgusting spider mutant thing.
Item Five. Nothing definite, just little things that only a sister would notice, too little to pinpoint. But they were there, Watson, they were there.
I wasn't sure if this meant much, but I like this sort of thing, and so amused myself by considering what Denethor would think of Emily as a daughter-in-law. If I had to guess, it would probably run along the lines of " Does she have good family connections? Is she worthy of you, my eldest son? Why exactly are you getting married anyway? Who wants to get married? Wives are much too bossy." That was really too funny, and I had to stifle a laugh.
Not noticing where I was going, I walked straight into Boromir again, he had stopped for some reason.
"Sorry Boromir," I whispered, feeling like an idiot. He sighed, and looked as if he was silently asking Manwe to give him patience. "Um, why are we stopping?"
"Lunch," he said, then added "After that, why don't you walk with Merry and Legolas in the back? I'm sure they could use the company." Reading between the lines, this meant :Why don't you go there so we stop slamming into each other, alright?"
"Good idea. I was beginning to feel like a bumper car at a carnival," I said quietly. So I joined Merry and Legolas. Elves really do shine and he looked like a tall, glow- in-the-dark sticker sitting there. During lunch, I had to ask Merry about something.
"Merry ol boy, have you been…noticing things about Boromir lately?" I said, glancing in his direction. The hobbit smirked a little.
"You mean about your sister?" he said, lowering his voice, and winking a little. I was delighted. So it wasn't just me.
"Yes. But she doesn't seem to know, or even care about it one way or the other," I answered. He looked at me, and very slowly, we both nodded.
"You tackle Emily," I said "I think I can handle Boromir." So Merry jumped up, and headed over to Emily. I turned and headed over to where Boromir was sitting, eating his lunch.
"Hi Boromir." I said cheerfully, sitting next to him. He looked a little confused. He hadn't "gone" anywhere, per se.
"Y 'know," I said, clasping my hands around my knees." I can't help but think you're doing it all wrong." I watched his reaction.
"What are you talking about?" he said, staring at me. I quickly donned my best "Well, everyone knows about it" look.
"You and Emily, of course. Walking and talking with her are fine, but she just thinks you're being friendly." I said perkily.
"I am "just being friendly" " said Boromir, but his face denied it.
"Yes, I know, I just have to tell you, it's not working. You need to be more-open with her," I explained blandly.
"About what?" he asked, looking like he really, really didn't want to know the answer to this question. I sighed, and patted his arm in a motherly fashion.
"Now Don't pretend you don't what I mean. We all know you have feelings for each other."
In spite of his protesting, he looked over at Emily. At that exact moment, she had turned away from an earnest Merry, and their eyes met. They both looked away, but to my delight, our dear Steward's son was slowly turning a vibrant shade of red, and he couldn't say anything.
"Why, Boromir, you look like a tomato," I commented. He look at me with menacing meaning.
"You and that rascal Merry conspired against me," he said. I smiled up at him, and could feel only satisfaction.
"You always said I was a witch," I said lightly, and skipped away.
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Emily's POV
"What on earth are you talking about?" I cried and looked over to see Boromir watching me in amazement. I looked away a feeling of anger and embarrassment filling me.
I stood regally to my feet and whispered sweetly " I'll get you later Merry Dear!"
I stuck my chin in the air and headed over to where my idiot sister and Boromir sat. barb scrambled to her feet and stopped me halfway.
"Before you say anything to me, Em, just Look at Boromir will you?"
"I did, and I can see that you and Merry have been little witches and have made a terrible mess and embarrassed a very important man, not to mention myself. Honestly! Use your head before you come up with these dumb ideas!"
I turned away from her to be confronted by Boromir who still looked a bit pink. I took a deep breath and looked up. His eyes twinkled a little as he whispered "They are at again now aren't they?"
"Always trying to marry us off I suppose." I said feeling too stupid.
"Shall we turn the tables on them?"
"What exactly do you have in mind?" I asked hesitantly.
He put a protective arm around my shoulders in front of everyone and guided me over to where he had been eating before. I sat and he leaned over and said loudly " My Lady may I offered you some of Sam's excellent bread?"
I got it and returned in a sugary voice " Oh thank you Boromir I'd love some! You are so thoughtful to think of me!"
The group at there in astonishment as we went on in the most sickening way as if we were deeply in love. I blushed furiously at very compliment, and he looked properly soppy every time I said his name. It was really too funny and soon we forgot to be embarrassed about it. Finally we moved on and I heard Barb and Merry whispering in hushed tones behind Boromir and I, because we walked together as if strolling through the green fields of Gondor.
"I think it's working" I said as he helped me over a large boulder that blocked the way.
"So do I, I think it's safe to say they won't bother us anymore. Forgive me if I made you uncomfortable at any time my Lady."
"That's okay, I'm sorry my sister started all of this, it's so stupid! I mean your father wouldn't exactly like a girl of no name and rank as a daughter in-law would he?"
"Why? Are you thinking of marrying my brother?" he teased.
"Well, now that you mention it maybe. Is he handsome?"
"What do you mean?" he asked looking confused.
"Is he..er…" I searched for a term that would mean handsome in an old-fashioned way. "Is he fair of countenance?"
"Oh, very my lady, I am sure you would find his soft eyes and face to be pleasing."
We both laughed and were shushed by an irate Gandalf who was quite fed up with our nonsense. So we laughed quietly instead.
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Frodo's POV
I am very weary, the long trek into Moria is desolate and empty of all life, but that which reeks of evil. It almost feels as if the ring is heavier here. Our fair companions help to keep my mind off the ring though and I cannot but think this is a good thing.
The one point which still concerns me is the fact that we are being followed. I cannot be sure who by, however I have the feeling that it is the creature that nearly killed my uncle Bilbo. Gollum, I fear him mostly for what he represents, will I become like him if I carry the ring too long?
But what is going on? Mistress Emily is looking very uncomfortable and red in the face while my cousin is whispering in her ear. I realize the problem as Barbara is close to Boromir. I have noticed the glances that the man casts at the girl, even if she doesn't. I know that in his land a young woman of her age is just the right kind for marriage. But her own, I suspect it is up to her if she will marry at all.
Oh! I fear that because of the idiotic way in which my stupid cousin and Lady Emily's tactless sister told her , Boromir's suit will not be accepted by the young woman. Now I see their efforts to gloss over the discomforting revelation.
They are laughing over it now, but I see that the smile does not reach Boromir's eyes. He is wounded by her embarrassment he will give up any thought of winning her this way.
Poor Boromir, he must be very lonely.
I am grateful to have my faithful, if stupid, cousins with me on this journey it would go hard indeed if I had gone alone.
"Frodo?"
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking about?" asked Merry.
"You wouldn't want to know."
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Barbie's POV
When we continued that afternoon, the atmosphere was…..different. Tenser. The feeling was almost palpable, you thought if you held out your hand, you could feel it pulse there like a living creature. We were all completely silent, even Merry and Pippin.
And then-we reached It.
The room.
Until then Gimli had vainly tried to hope that somewhere, someone was alive. His heartbroken sobs have to be the saddest I have ever heard. Silently signing a truce, Boromir and I put our arms around his shoulders while he mourned his family.
When Gandalf finished reading from the book, his words seemed to echo hollowly around the room. We cannot get out, cannot get out, get out…
"Gandalf, I think we should--" began Aragorn, but he was cut off, by a faraway thunk.
Then it was followed by a cacophony of banging and slamming and scraping, echoing throughout the whole of Moria.
We looked up. Standing there, a stricken expression on his face, was our hapless Pippin. The skeleton. Gandalf was furious, and an angry wizard is not something I want to see again.
"Fool of a Took! How many times have I told you-the orcs are going to be--" he broke off with a sharp hiss of disgust. And here something followed which AU freaks are going to hate me for. That one line of Gandalf's? We all know it wasn't originally his. And it wasn't here, either.
"They are coming," said Legolas, his sharp hearing had caught what ours had not. The very distant sound of thumping feet, and scuttling, scraping noises of too many bodies passing along a too narrow path. The orcs.
We were trapped, and we all knew it. But we weren't giving up, why, just a couple thousand cave Yrch were going to drop by for tea, bad table manners, but they never stayed long.
We began "shoring up" as Aragorn put it, the door, old tables, random pieces of wood we could jam in there, anything. While we worked, I began filling my pockets with rocks. I had found an old rusty thing that may have originally be--something-- but now it was just a sharp stick. Not the best weapons, but it was better than nothing.
During this time we all could hear the orcs getting closer, and closer, their sharp, wailing cries filling the air and sending a chill down your spine. The bravest couldn't stop it, it seemed to be an involuntary thing. Even where I came from, where orcs were considered fantasy, my body seemed to remember them, their sickening smell and all their evil.
I was standing between Frodo and Sam, and as the orcs began battering down the door, I held a rock in one hand, and my stick in the other. Except for the orcs, everyone was absolutely silent. I was scared out of my wits, but I was more scared of not doing anything at all, of being a coward.
At first, when just a few Yrch managed to somehow get into the room, they were effectively cut down by our bowmen-or bow man and bow elf. Then we heard a louder thumping noise.
"Oh darn," I muttered. I knew from here, all hell would break loose, with every man, girl, wizard, hobbit, elf and dwarf basically on their own.
"They have a cave troll," said Boromir, a split second before it burst through the door, it's hulking form stopping for a brief second to catch it's breath. Then it came swinging into the room, orcs pouring in around it like ants. They were so disgusting, grey and slimy with enormous yellow eyes and gaping mouths. They all carried rusty scimitars, spears or swords. All I had was my stick-for hand to slimy hand combat-and rocks-for long distance. Picking a nice sharp one, I pulled back.
"Hey! Over here!" I yelled, waving my arms. A few orcs turned my way, and I caught the slimiest one right in the mouth with that rock. Score! I could feel my fear slipping away, gradually replaced by a burning anger. These were the orcs that had cut down Gimli's relations, were trying to kill us, and I all I could feel was satisfaction whenever I-got one.
I found an orc sword lying on the floor, but when I bent to touch it, it burned to the touch and I jumped back. And I was face to face with a huge, disgusting orc. It had an enormous axe, which it had poised over its shoulder as if to fell a tree. But this particular tree was a bit shorter then he had reckoned, so he had to shift it a little, and it was "do or die" so I thrust my stick in, right between where it's ribs should be. I could feel a horrible, grating feel against it, bone. It fell heavily forward, and I jumped out of it's way as quick as I could.
During all this, I was too busy to care much about anything, not even the cave troll, I just wanted to stay alive. Finally, when I had three--two too many for me--heading towards me, Aragorn came to my rescue, taking out all three of them with that big sword. And then the room seemed empty, except for a few harassing Gandalf and Merry. The cave troll!
I looked up just in time to see Legolas jump onto that things shoulders. I think I may have screamed, I'm not sure. The ugly thing kept reaching up with those terrible, grasping hands, trying to reach him.
He was just barely eluding them, dodging and shooting arrows for all he was worth. I was frozen, paralyzed, clutching the ring hanging around my neck. If ever I paid for that necklace it was then, standing there, frozen in pure terror, watching him there. I knew if he died I would always blame myself, never be able to forgive myself.
When he finally jumped off, I felt a curious, empty feeling in the pit of my stomach, and when the troll finally collapsed to the floor, I collapsed with it. The relief was too much to bear, and I just sat there, trying to recover.
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Emily's POV
Confusion reigned, orcs were running everywhere and horrible cries filled the air as they were cut down. I was a coward. I hid as best I could at the first onslaught, I was not a warrior, just a girl. Why I would get killed if I went out there!
Then I saw the hobbits and my stupid sister out there, anything that could serve as a weapon they hurled things at the orcs. Barb flung a spear and actually caught an orc in the…what would you call that? His torso? Anyway it died.
Then I saw a sight that made my heart leap into my throat an orc had cornered Pippin and Merry and was in the act of rising his rusty sword to….
I rushed out of my hiding spot and jumped on the twisted things back, and there I was riding a bucking bronco! We spun this way and that, the orc scratched at my arms and legs, but I didn't feel it in the thick of the battle. Suddenly something hit the orc and down he went.
I looked down at it to see an arrow in it's neck and I looked up to see an astounded Barbara, an old dwarf bow in her hand. I don't think she thought it would fire.
Now that I had already jumped into the fray, I stayed and hurled more rocks and broken spears than anyone. Not that I thought they did a whole heck of lot, but hey I was helping.
Until I felt a slimy something grab me from behind and yank me off my feet, I looked up to see a sword posed above me. "Good-bye sweet world!" I thought and the orc brought the sword down, at the exact moment I was dragged away so the sword only left a huge slice in my arm.
"Thanks Barb" I gasped as I stood.
"No problem, here take this!"
She shoved a short dwarf sword into my hand and feeling some strength in it, I was reassured a little. I give what I considered a war cry and began hacking away. I was Jackie Chan in the "Temple of Doom."
Now Jackie Chan forgot that he had a two foot braid dangling down his back begging to be yanked on. It was and I was, face to face with an orc that is. It breathed into my face again and I felt the bile rise in my mouth. Then I vaguely heard a reminder from my Dad.
"If all else fails, kick them where it counts!"
So I did and though I got out of it's close embrace it still had my hair! I struggled to yank it clear but it wasn't working. I heard a thwinggggg and I was free, my lovely two foot braid lying in the dead hand of the orc, an arrow buried in it's head.
I think Legolas did it because no one else knew how to fire two arrows at a time, but I never found out for sure because my reaction later wasn't the kind to inspire confidence.
Just then Boromir slammed into the wall above me and I flung myself against the wall in order not to be crushed as he came hurtling down. I loved guy sure, but he had to be over 200 pounds. I didn't want to die by getting crushed under one of my comrades. He was fine anyway and so was I until Aragorn sliced the head off that orc and black blood squirted everywhere. And in my mouth!
I lost it then, as well as my breakfast and lunch. I throw up over and over, thank God the cave troll never saw me because I was too busy ruffling to protect myself. Oh the glories of battle!
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Barbie's POV
The battle was over. But more orcs were coming, and we had to run like crazed people. And we did, pounding through a maze of twisty paths I have no idea how Gandalf navigated. We could hear the orcs close behind us, and if anything makes you run it's a pack of thousands of howling, screeching orcs at your heels.
We were starting to put some distance between us and the orcs when we reached that break in the staircase, and without hesitating an instant that insane elf jumped to the other side to catch everyone. First Gandalf, then Sam, Pippin, then Boromir picked me up and "threw" me down to him.
Not tossing, he threw. I didn't have any time to think before Legolas caught me and set me down, turning around for Boromir. He went next, and then Gimli, protesting loudly about "Nobody tossing a dwarf." Well, he just barely made it, Legolas grabbing him at the last possible minute.
Then I realized with a sickening thud-Emily was with Aragorn and Frodo. The gap between the broken halves of the staircase widened, until it was impossible to jump, toss or throw anyone. The orcs were catching up, and it seemed that they were all going to be killed, when with a groan, their half collapsed towards us, a few orcs falling below with hideous screams.
Aragorn was holding Frodo, and Emily was holding onto Aragorn, and they all slammed into Legolas, who went down like a nine pin. But in an instant they all scrambled up again and we running. I ran beside Emily, and realized with a shock that her entire right arm was wet with blood.
"What happened to you?" I gasped. She looked down, and I think she only realized it then herself.
"Oh! Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'll fine," she said, but I could tell she was beginning to feel the effects of just then.
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Emily's POV
We were running and running, and the great hall of Moria seemed to go on forever. I was dying for air, but I knew that to stop would me I would die. So naturally I kept going.
"Look out!" cried Sam and we were surrounded by orcs, they poured out of the ceiling and down pillars like some many ants. All the while their shrieks and cries of hunger were filling our ears.
Packed into a tight group Gandalf's staff held high we had no where to go. Then I remembered…the Balrog, creature of shadow and flame. I peered down the length of the cavern and the evil red light was already coming closer. No one noticed it yet, but I knew.
"Arghhh!" yelled Gimli waving his axe at the yellow eyes beasts, in the moment they spooked and took off returning to the hell holes they had crawled out of.
"This is bad Dory." I whispered to Barb.
"I can't believe you can think of that at a time like this!" she said. "Hey, your bleeding all over the place!"
I looked down and my arm was bleeding everywhere, and now I began to worry.
"Here, tie this around my arm" and handed her my belt. She worked fast but the others were already running away from the Balrog by the time she finished. Boromir and Aragorn came back and grabbing our hands dragged us on a lot faster then I thought we could run.
The narrow bridge was not too bad and we were all across it before you could say "Sauron" (or maybe it would be better to say something else?). I shoved the hobbits up the staircase along with Barbie and stalled only to see the majestic Balrog burst forth in his strength. Yes, I know that he's evil, but it was an awesome moment when his fiery breath came roaring over the bridge.
Once at an air show I had been in the down draft of a planes exhaust and it was hot and smelled of fuel, now it was the same thing only if smelled like hot metal burning. Gandalf stood wreathed in his protective shield of light and it didn't seem to bother him. He spoke but his words were lost in the emptiness of the abyss, we all stood as if time was slowed. I watched as the Balrog fell, heard Frodo's despairing scream and saw Aragorn just there as if in a trance.
Frodo was still screaming as Boromir caught him up and pushing me ahead of him we reached for the surface and light. Behind us, I heard the ragged cries of the Ringbearer mingled with the echoing roar of the Balrog. We broke very suddenly upon the outside world and the crisp autumn air hit my face with a sharp. We collapsed in exhausted piles and the shock of what had just happened dawned on us.
The hobbits were in a tight bundle with Barbara and sobbing into her lap, and on her shoulders. Frodo wordlessly dropped out of Boromir's arms and wandered away. The dwarf was crying! In rage and grief his cries came back from the mountains magnified by the vastness of the slopes.
I sat, numb. I had just watched someone die and I could not feel hope that he was coming back. In the movies sure, but when you see a person plunge that far… it just wasn't possible.
"Your arm is bleeding."
"I know."
"Let me."
"Okay"
I sat there and allowed Aragorn to bandage my arm that was frighteningly becoming numb. I shivered in the cold of the mountain and in my exhaustion I cried. Barbie came over and sat with me.
"Em, I can't…..this isn't happening."
" I know...I know."
But it was.
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Scene: An office where two figures are sobbing over the computer and wads of used tissue litter the floor.
Snodgrass: "That was so beautiful!"
Winkle: " It was so sad!"
Both: "Waahhhhh!"