Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings from Lord of the Rings or Xena the Warrior Princess

Author's Note:

This is a LegoRomance (slow-burn)

~ LXXX: Forsaken Caverns ~

~ Part III ~

House of Erin, 3019 TA, April 7th - 9th

The colour of the ancient ruins was reminiscent of doves, sun-warmed seals, and other calming visual marvels. The wind whispered stories of shrewd and courageous dwarves of the House of Erin who grew stronger in Middle Earth's S.A. These ruins seemed to have a solid foundation from a distance since they endured for so many centuries. If they were blessed beneath a mountain and not cursed, the dwarves of Erin would be renowned across Arda for their ability to locate the finest stones.

The Dwarves of Bavor were the first to flee their homelands around the Chambers of Awakening. They travelled south and constructed fortifications in the Yellow Mountains. However, a party commanded by Fadon Stonetoe split off and established in the Ephel Caelennendae's southern footholds. In the Second Age, Sauron captured these rich regions, and they became the Ered Anguarth Mountains of Mordor.

The majority of the dwarves living there were slaughtered. In the guise of Annatar, Sauron convinced the survivors to pledge allegiance to him. Sauron eventually revealed his real character, but Fadon's clan maintained their blind loyalty. Some specifics of this historical occurrence have been lost throughout the decades. The Farndon line was severed when his sister married Erin, who, along with a vast number of dwarves, refused to honour Sauron's devotion.

They fled the Ered Anguarth Mountains and sought refuge in Emin Muil. They formed the House of Erin in the depths of the Fall of Rauros after a lengthy quest. The dwarves of Erin were solely concerned with themselves and wished to stay concealed. Few people were aware of the dwarves of Erin. They dwelt under the Falls for centuries until they were found by the Dark Lord's spies.

Orcs slew everyone in a horrific onslaught, but Sauron would not forgive the House of Erin and cursed the area. To those who would discover the ruins of Erin to be cursed as well, and who would get imprisoned under the ruins while seeing the House of Erin crumble. The curse was put there so that if any surviving relatives of the House of Erin chose to return, death would greet them.

As a fighter, Legolas was always a quick thinker; he had to make judgments before the adversary could reach him. Since Uagz informed him that he was the orc who killed his mother, his thoughts have been scattered. The first was to murder Uagz, who had the audacity to touch his mother. It was of more importance to determine what had happened to his mother.

He had been able to conceal his desire to discover more about his mother until now. His father never told him anything about his mother. He refused to discuss her. However, someone now knew what transpired with her. He pondered whether he should murder him or capture him in order to force him to reveal what he did to his mother. How well could he handle the truth? He thought he was. Ultimately, how much worse could the situation get? He was aware that his mother had been abducted and murdered by orcs. He believed he was prepared for the truth.

However, everything changed when he spotted the ruins and deciphered the sign that said 'Erin's folk' His eyes widened as his thoughts, after many long days, returned to reality. He recalled the stories about the Erin dwarfs and the curse. Legolas managed to pronounce "The House of Erin" before the ground under their feet began to tremor and the ruins began to shake.

Xena had heard the elf, but she was unaware of who Erin was or the curse associated with his name. She stared at Legolas without expression until she felt the earth being trampled and grasped the closest wall for support. "What is going on?" she wondered as she saw the ruins in front of them tremble as though an earthquake had struck.

"It's the Erin curse!" Legolas let out a loud cry that made no sense to the human ear. He looked about in an attempt to find a way to avoid what was to come, but they were too near to the ruins and evading the curse was impossible. He muttered a few elvish words that Xena could not understand, bemoaning their good fortune.

Nothing could now defend them from the approaching curse, as the ruins and earth shook. Xena had never previously realised that time was like water; it might flow slowly, drop by drop, or quickly, in the blink of an eye. Today, time passed so slowly that it seemed as though they were moving in slow motion. The previous days had gone regularly as if time were proceeding at its usual rate, but not at that moment.

His insides felt as though there was nothing there, nothing to need nourishment, nothing to require anything at all. He forgot about everyone else because he was consumed with rage and despair. Nothing mattered other than his vengeance. But at that moment, he recognised they were prepared to vanish along with the ancient ruins. Someone mattered.

Xena.

At that point, when their lives were in grave danger, she was at risk of being lost. His heart resumed beating, and he returned to life. The memory of his mother lingered, as did his desire for vengeance. However, at this vital moment, Xena and her ability to escape this desolate location alive were the only things that mattered. Since their fall, this is precisely what the human was indicating. However, he was too focused on his vengeance and resentful to notice.

Legolas tightened his arms and legs around her as he dragged her into the centre of his body. Xena attempted to repel him, unsure of what he was doing. "Stay still!" he commanded, and the human stopped, hearing his dry, anxious voice. Then, he threw his legs over her and formed a body shield to defend her from the crumbling debris. His wound bled once again, and the flesh was torn and in pain. As the ruins consumed them, he bit his lips and drew her closer, tightening his grasp around her.

Dust and dirt began to blanket the tunnels, and boulders and ruins slammed against the wall of the caves, creating a torrent of stones and shattered walls that rushed through the tunnels at such a rate that the ground trembled as the environment became chilly and gloomy. The elf pulled his lips near to hers and began blowing air into her mouth to keep her breathing for a little while longer as they were buried in rocks and dust and unable to breathe.

As the torrent of boulders halted a few yards from the entrance of Emin Muil, both fell to the ground, unable to breathe. The House of Erin had crumbled, the course had been released, and every passage was closed. The pair was now buried behind a massive boulder, forgotten, and most certainly doomed.

The sun was shining brilliantly together with the icy and grey stone of Emin Muil as the twins and Legolas and Xena's two horses rode near the doors. They had travelled for days in hopes of discovering the aperture. They knew they would ultimately have to act, even if it meant searching the caverns for them both. The deal was forgotten, however, when they felt the earthquake and a big portion of Emin Muil collapsed.

The twins approached the collapsed entryway and sprang from their horses as they dashed towards it. Elladan surveyed his surroundings, his worry and anxiety increasing by the second. He looked toward Elrohir and immediately realised that he was thinking the same thing. This was not something they had anticipated occurring. They had imagined tunnels and caverns, places where an escape strategy may be conceivable, but this was something altogether different and far larger than they had thought.

Elladan stood at a distance, observing the fallen entryway while attempting to comprehend its reason. Elrohir shifted a few rocks as he slowly came to the realisation that he and his companions may be buried alive. They looked for a long time and speculated on what may have occurred. Elladan desired another entry, but Elrohir want to continue moving rocks.

Eventually, the twins chose to remain calm, and as stillness descended over the place, they heard a slight thumping reverberating from inside the collapsed entryway. Their acute hearing detected the noises, and they glanced at one another in bewilderment. Then they rushed to the entryway and began dragging boulder after rock. They were compelled to raise rocks that were beyond their physical capabilities.

It took them hours to make their way under the tunnel from whence the sound was emanating before they discovered blood. It was warm blood, and they began working quicker and more diligently. They found two unmoving corpses around dusk. They raised the corpses and carried them to the outside doorway. One was severely hurt while the other was not, and little was left of their apparel.

They washed and dressed their wounds, treated the elf's wound with herbs to avoid infection, and confirmed that they were both still alive. They were then transported to their horses and secured there. They needed to transport them to a secure location, but Imladris was too far away, so they chose Lothlórien. As they determined, a couple of days later they reached Lothlórien, pausing only briefly to tent the wounded pair, who gradually realised that they were no longer entombed under the rocks and were riding with two close companions.

((Upcoming Chapter Eighty-One))

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