A/N: Hello again! Finally, a brief break from school to upload another chapter just in time for the holidays! Hope you are all still with me!
Kate ran at full tilt, barely seeing what was in front of her. Only stopping when she had smacked into Gimli, who had, in effect, saved her from barreling over the giant gap in the staircase. Staircase was a generous word, more like massive stone pathway that someone thought they'd carve steps into, but not add handrails. No, evidently hand rails were not needed when one is several hundred feet in the air.
"Keep steady, lass." Gimli cautioned the woman, firmly grasping her arm as they continued on down the stairs at the behest of Gandalf who Kate heard shout at Aragorn, saying that swords were of no more use here. If swords didn't work, what would? A cannon. She thought sardonically as the group made their way down the harrowing staircase. A bazooka. An A bomb, I could think of a few things.
Kate tiptoed down the stairs in succession but her stomach lurched when she saw the incredible gap in the staircase. With only a moment of hesitation Legolas jumped the gap as easily as if he were simply jumping from one stair to another and motioned for Gandalf to follow suit just as another threatening growl shook the foundations of the mine. Gandalf jumped with a nimbleness that surprised Kate more than anything, but she didn't have time to marvel at his agility as a wave of arrows shot off at them, making Kate duck as one narrowly missed her ear. Legolas fired off an arrow in response, and Kate watched in macabre fascination as the arrow made its mark and sent the orc toppling from his perch. Boromir leapt into action, grabbing both Merry and Pippin and jumping the gap, the strength of it breaking off another piece of the stairwell, effectively widening the gap.
"Kate! Come now." Legolas called but she shook her head in what she hoped was a display of bravado.
"No. Hobbits first." She suggested, barely concealing her shaky voice. Aragorn gave her a pointed look but didn't have time to argue and instead grabbed Sam, tossing him with all his strength over the gap. Kate's nostrils flared, he really hadn't thought he was going to toss her, did he?
"Your turn lass." Gimli offered gallantly, ignoring Kate's narrowed look. Yea, I got your number dwarf. I see what you're doing. I thought us little people had to stick together? She thought reproachfully
"Jump, woman!" Boromir chided. Et tu, Brute? Kate knew she was wasting time and being foolish but she did not trust herself to make it over that gap, not now that it was bigger!
"Kate, I will catch you." Legolas urged, trying to calm her. Kate wasn't sure why…but she did believe him, so after stepping up a few steps to gain some momentum she ran and jumped. There was a brief moment when she realized that jumping was a terrible idea, her fight or flight response kicking in when she realized it was too late, she was already airborne. All that worry was for nothing though, Legolas had caught her, true to his word and she grasped him tightly, fear wanting her to stay wrapped safely in his arms.
"Thank you." She whispered, standing on her on two feet and watching Gimli declare he would also jumped on his own.
"No one tosses a dwarf!" He announced and brazenly bowled himself up and over to the other side. Legolas reached out quickly to grab his beard to keep him from falling off, he'd only just made it. "Not the beard!" the dwarf bellowed. Almost as soon as the dwarf was hoisted up, a thundering crack drew her attention back to Aragorn and Frodo on the ledge. Kate watched in horror as another slab broke off sending Frodo scrambling up and Aragorn scarcely holding on. Kate's stomach flipped as she looked on at the even wider gap that now separated her from her uncle and the ring bearer. She met Aragorn's eyes and he gave her a confident nod, but the familiar firm set of his jaw did nothing to quell her fears, she knew he was worried.
"Steady." She heard him say to Frodo, as the ledge trembled precariously. "Hold on!" He called as another growl sent a shiver of rocks that rained down on the, ripping right through the remainder of the staircase so that all that was left was the two of them on an island. Kate wanted to vomit, despair surging through her, it would be impossible for them now, she knew, so did everyone else evidently as Boromir gently squeezed her shoulder. They rocked back and forth, leaning forward in an attempt to steer the monolith and suddenly it was moving toward them! Kate's heart leaped as she looked up, all her focus on the pair!
"Come on." Legolas urged, arms outstretched to catch them. With a crash that shook the ground under their feet Aragorn and Frodo were thrown into the waiting arms of the fellowship and the group let out a collective sigh, knowing they were safe at last. There was still no time to celebrate, and Kate swallowed the bile in her throat, running again to the bridge as Gandalf continued urging them. There was fire everywhere now, so hot that soot was collecting on their faces and her skin blistered just from the heat of it! She was struggling to breath as this fire threatened to choke out all the oxygen from her lungs. Where was it coming from?!
With another burst of flame came another great roar, making them all stop in their tracks. Kate turned around to see exactly what it was they were running away from. What a mistake that was she thought as she gazed on this creature who looked to her, to be the very image of the devil. It roared again, sending a wave of hot breath, and to his credit Gandalf stood still. Kate shook violently, her mouth and eyes drying so much it hurt; if she had wet herself from fear she wouldn't have known it, it would have dried before her bladder emptied. A separate part of her was trying to rationalize what was in front of her, trying to make sense of it in an effort to control her fear. Thankfully, however, her adrenaline had kicked in, and was at that moment doing all of the thinking for her. She barreled through the corridor blindly following the rest of the fellowship and gasping for air. She knew it was following them, feeling it's heat against her back and she took off across the narrow bridge without a second thought. Finally over the bridge, another growl from the Balrog spurred her on…until a lone voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
"You cannot pass!" Gandalf yelled from the middle of the bridge. Kate's mouth hung agape as she watched in disbelief, what was he doing?! Frodo screamed in disbelief. If Gandalf heard Frodo's please he ignored them, standing resolutely between. the fellowship and the Balrog. Between Frodo and the Balrog.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you flame of Udûn!" Gandalf declared, but the Balrog was not discouraged by the wizard's credentials, bringing down a flaming sword to strike at him which Gandalf deflected with a grunt. The Balrog roared in frustration, but still Gandalf did not move. "Go back to the shadows!" He yelled again, without an ounce of fear. Kate watched the altercation, wondering if it was really happening in slow motion. The Balrog snapped his whip again, squaring up to take on the wizard. "You shall not pass!" The wizard screamed out again, and with a final display a force, brought his staff down, creating a sizeable crack in the bridge. It was a moment before the Balrog realized what was happening and as it lurched forward to attack, realizing all too late that the bridge had broken, it was falling. It gave up a final cry as it fell, and then all was quiet. Kate let out her breath, before it caught in her throat again.
The wizard turned, satisfied and exhausted by his victory when out from the darkness the Balrog snapped its whip. With a sickening cry Gandalf fell, the whip pulling him over the edge but he held on still. Frodo lurched forward in an effort to help, struggling against Boromir's grip.
"Gandalf!" The hobbit screamed.
"Let him go, what are you doing?!" Kate screeched, incredulously shoving the ginger haired man. "We have to go get him!" No one moved, all knowing what Frodo and Kate clearly did not, but then she saw it. She watched the old wizard struggle to pull himself up, she could see the arrows bouncing off the bridge…and she saw the look in Gandalf's eyes when he realized that it was useless. With a resoluteness and perhaps the smallest bit of fear, Gandalf looked to the fellowship, his mind made up.
"Fly, you fools." He chastened, and then let go. He was gone.
Kate couldn't hear anything but the ringing in her ears as she stood there, mouth hanging open. Why didn't he just wait for them to get there? Why didn't he just let them get to him? She was dimly aware of someone screaming, and someone pulling on her arms. The pain in her ribs was the only thing that oriented her back, now that all adrenaline had been emptied from her system. She just felt tired. She turned with a confused expression to face Legolas who had giving up trying to urge her forward and had resigned himself to pulling her, oblivious to the pain in her ribs. Again, the rational part of her tried to reason that there was nothing that could be done and she longed for that unattached surgical mask she placed on anytime she had to inform a family on the death of their loved one. She longed to be unattached. A part of her was, she thought, as she ambled after Legolas, her legs only moving because he was pulling her until, finally, they had made it outside, the fresh air hitting them with a shock, like they had been in a vacuum sealed room. She watched Sam, Frodo and Merry crumple to the ground in grief, she watched everyone dealing with the loss in their own way.
Loss.
This was a loss, she realized suddenly. After all they had been through, they had actually lost someone, Gandalf had died! Gandalf lead them all the way here, through the mines, were they stood and fought together but he had died. They had all almost died and she realized that perhaps the only the reason they were alive now was because of what Gandalf had done. Kate was breathing rapidly now, the pain in her ribs growing by the minute and with a sudden force she bent over and retched the entire contents of her stomach. Anything and everything that she had in her stomach was coming out through her nose and her mouth, until tears were streaming down her eyes and her body convulsed in dry heaves. It was only a moment after she had finally stopped vomiting that she lay against the cool rock, gasping in pain, wondering if she should just let these feelings over take her, if they would judge her for losing it now that all was said and done.
"Legolas. Get them up." She heard Aragorn command.
"Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Boromir cried, his voice hoarse and coated with his own grief.
"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs." Aragorn reasoned, sheathing his sword.
"We must reach the woods of Lothlorien! Come Boromir, Legolas, Gimli get them up!" He said again with renewed urgency and Kate dimly wondered, as she watched him help Sam to his feet, if that's who she had received the remarkable gift of detachment from. She knew Aragorn was not purposely being cold, but the mantle of responsibility had unmistakably fallen to him now, and she could hear the reason behind his words; they still had a mission…there were others to look out for still. He looked over to Kate, and with a sniff and a nod she pulled herself up, wincing in pain as she gripped her ribs. Off we go thought mirthlessly, and she was back to business, just like that, like a cloud passing over the sun.