I am back again everyone, and wow, This month the Daughter of Mordor has gotten nearly ONE THOUSAND views, I am seriously thankful for you all who are reading this. This story has had about two thousand four hundred views in total. So, I am updating once again. I don't own this, only my OC. So now without further Adieu, the Woods of Lothlorien.
"It can't be," Is all I think as I stare into the abyss of Khazad-Dum. Emotions begins swirling around inside me as the Orcs on the other side of the cavern began yelling and shooting arrows at us. I feel something awaken inside of me, uncoiling like a serpent from its slumber. I lifted my arm and sent a wave of fire, black as night, racing towards the orcs on the other side of the cavern. Many fled, but many were caught in the inferno, and were turned to ash. I fall to my knees, and almost fall into Khazad-Dum myself, if not for Elladan I would have. He picked me up and carried me Bridal Style towards the rest of the company, who, with the exception of Aragorn and Sam were giving me looks of either anger, Fear, sadness, or despair or a combination of the aforementioned emotions. Aragorn roused them.
"Come! I will lead you now!' he called. 'We must obey his last command. Follow me!'
They stumbled wildly up the great stairs beyond the door, Aragorn leading, Boromir at the rear. Elladan and I in the middle, me with my strength slowly returning to me. At the top of the stairs is a wide echoing passage. Along this we flee. I hear Frodo and Sam weeping as they ran. Behind us the drum beats continued, undesturbed by the, whatever that fire i shot at them was: Doom, doom, doom the drum-beats rolled behind, mournful now and slow; doom!
I got Elladan to put me down, my strength returned to me enough so that I could keep the pace. But my body was exhausted. The light grew before us; great shafts of it pierce the roof. We ran swifter, desperate to escape. We passed into a hall, bright with daylight from its high windows in the east. We fled through it, through its huge broken doors they passed, and suddenly before them the Great Gates opened, an arch of blazing light and fresh air.
There is a guard of orcs crouching in the shadows behind the great door-posts towering on either side, but the gates were shattered and cast down. Aragorn smote to the ground the captain that stood in his path, and the rest fled in terror of his wrath, Demos quickly caught up to them, and in his wraith towards the orcs, slew them mercilessly, he walked back, his wolf face contorted in anger, his fur midnight colored fur, covered in the blackish blood of orcs. The Company gave him a wide berth seeing as he was loyal to me, and now they knew who I am. Out of the Gates we run and sprang down the huge and age-worn steps, the threshold of Moria.
I felt the wind blow upon my face once again, and I hold back the tears that were threatening to spill down my face. We keep moving after we left Moria and did not halt until we are out of bowshot from the walls. Dimrill Dale lay about us. The shadow of the Misty Mountains lay upon it, but eastwards there is a golden light on the land. It is but a hour after noon. The sun was shining; the clouds were white and high.
The hobbits dropped to the ground, their tears wetting the ground, Boromir was holding back Gimli who was obviously attempting to go back into Moria and Give the Orcs a taste of his Ax. Legolas and Elrohir were looking around with disbelief still on their faces. I walk over and embrace Elladan who had a similar expression upon his face. When I let go of Elladan, I walk over to Aragorn, who's cleaning the orc blood from his blade.
"Legolas, Elrohir, Elladan, Arindil, get them up." He says, meeting my eyes
"Give them a moment for pity's sake." Boromir says to him
"Listen,by nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs, and if we are caught, his sacrifice was for nothing." I say to him coldly, and kneel before Sam.
"On your feet Sam." I say, my voice defrosting from the cold one i had just been using, to a warmer, and friendlier.
"We must make for Lothlorien," Aragorn says, and I smile, knowing that I would probably see an old friend there.
We begin moving again, I run scout with Demos, our anger fueling us to go the extra distance. When we finally saw Lothlorien, my heart became a bit lighter. The company quickly caught up to us. We all went at a quick pace to the safety of the tree's, Frodo was hurting terribly I could see it clearly, so when we came to a stop. I went over to him, to see the damage that was done to him, but was blocked by Gimli, Elrohir, Legolas, and Boromir. Boromir strode forward, grasped me by the neck, and slammed me upon a tree nearby.
"So you are the one the visions warned me about." Boromir says to me, anger in his voice.
I couldn't respond to Boromir, for he was choking me, I hear Demos growl menacingly at Boromir. Though, Boromir could not understand him, I could, there were a great many curses upon him, and the promise of agony if he did not let me go.
Boromir, either ignored this or didn't care, Elladan drew his bow, and pointed it at Boromirs head.
"What were you going to do, Daughter of Mordor, Gandalf is gone, now that he is, were you going to take the ring for yourself, betray us, and take it to your father?" He demands and asks at the same time, then let out a roar of agony, dropping me, I see Demos attached to his leg, his jaw, firmly attached. When he saw that I was on the ground, gasping for breath, he let go, and stood in front of me, his fur coat standing up on end, his eyes ablazed with anger, and a challenge to the others, Aragorn, Elladan, and Sam standing in front of me.
"Enough of this, Arindil is not her father, She was raised by the lord Elrond, and taught by Gandalf and Elrond. She is not your enemy, her enemy is ours, and unless you wish to make yourselves her enemy, I would recommend not doing this. Knowing her, she was just now going to check on how injured Frodo is." Aragorn says as Elladan kneels down next to me, as I began healing my airways, so that I could breath and speak clearly.
Thee others sat down, but gave me clear looks of distrust, Aragorn went over to check on Frodo. I heal Boromirs injured ankle, to Demos' displeasure, and rest on a tree.. Several minutes later, Aragorn lets out a gasp of wonder. Then he laughed. I look over to see a silver corslet shimmered before my eyes like the light upon a rippling sea. Carefully he took it off and held it up, and the gems on it glittered like stars, and the sound of the shaken rings was like the tinkle of rain in a pool. "Look, my friends!" he calls, and I smile. "Here's a pretty hobbit-skin to wrap an elven-princeling in! If it were known that hobbits had such hides, all the hunters of Middle-earth would be riding to the Shire."
"And all the arrows of all the hunters in the world would be in vain," Gimli says in awe, gazing at the mail in wonder. "It is a mithril-coat. Mithril! I have never seen or heard tell of one so fair. Is this the coat that Gandalf spoke of? Then he undervalued it. But it was well given!"
"I have often wondered what you and Bilbo were doing, so close in his little room," Merry says. "Bless the old hobbit! I love him more than ever. I hope we get a chance of telling him about it!"
There was a dark and blackened bruise on Frodo's right side and breast. Under the mail there was a shirt of soft leather, but at one point the rings had been driven through it into the flesh. Frodo's left side also was scored and bruised where he had been hurled against the wall. Aragorn beckoned me over, and I put my hands on the wounds, and spoke several spells of healing, and the bruises faded away.
I lay back upon a tree and Demos came over and put his head on my lap, watching the others with disdain, and I got a strange feeling, like we were being watched. I then realized who was watching us, and I stood up, and called out.
"Guards Of Lothlorien, We are seeking refuge in the woods of the Lady of Light." I shout to the guards, and one drops down, one that is very familiar, an old friend of mine.
"Haldir." I say, and greet him. The Aragorn hugs him, and he looks at me and says, "The others were breathing so loud we could have shot them in the dark."
Sam puts his hands upon his mouth, and I smile and laugh a little at this. Demos rubs up against Haldir affectionately. Haldir and his people, help us move up into the trees that they were in, and the others fall to sleep, whilst I begin talking with Haldir and Aragorn of our quest, Aragorn filling in bits and pieces of it, but we stopped before the mines of Moria, the grief still too near. Aragorn when to one of the other platforms as Haldir and I sat looking at the forest around us, catching up, as old friends do. He joked about being invited to Elladan's and my wedding, which caused me to blush heavily. We stayed quiet for a time, but later on in the night we heard the tramping sound of booted orc feet. My hand went for a blade, but my hand came up empty, I remembered what happened the the faithful blade, fallen into the darkness of Moria and Khazad Dum, never to be seen again. II shake my head at Haldir's look of questioning.
"All of my weapons are gone," I whisper to him, as he nods, and motions me to stay with the hobbits. I heard Haldir and his men draw the orcs away. I sat on the edge of the platform, looking down for signs of any orcs, when Frodo shoots up, then looks at me distrustfully. Then he heard the sounds of ringing metal.
"What is it?" He asks me.
"Orcs, a great many of them, probably from Moria. Trying to find us probably." I say to him, and look down, he walks over to me, and asks, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Well, how would you have gone about telling you this, I wanted to make a good impression of you before you knew the truth about me, I myself didn't know the truth until the time your uncle set out to the lonely mountain. But here this Frodo, I will not hide anything from you anymore, the monster whom is my birth father, is the reason I was without my birth mother. I will tell you something else as well, I have only told a few people of this. Remember when I let slip I knew the one hunting us. Well, he attacked me when I left Rivendell and came back in barely enough time. I barely got a glimpse of the man's eyes. They looked exactly like mine. He is my brother, and he is by far the stronger of the two of us. Completely and utterly defeated me in single combat, If not for Demos and the timely intervention of two rangers I would be inside Bara Dur, never to see the light of day again."
Frodo stays silent at this, then heads over to his bed roll again, and falls asleep. I stay awake as Haldir comes back and informs me of the situation, and how no Orc will leave lothlorien alive. The two of us stay awake the rest of the night, and in the morn, The company sets out again. This was the first time I had returned to lothlorien, since the days when Gandalf was still my teacher, and I was innocent to the worries and evils of the world. Haldir and his companions were a bit worried about Gimli but after Elladan, Elrohir, Aragorn, Legolas and I vouching for him, he was allowed to traverse the Goldenwood, unblindfolded. As we were walking, I was tell the hobbits, who were still rather distrustful around me, of my first visit to lothlorien. Though it made me sad of the recounting of the comradery that Gandalf and I had. Eventually we arrived in Caras Galathorn, the city was beautiful as I remembered. But this time, I did not go to the guest rooms of the realm, we were lead to the throne room of Galadriel and Celeborn, up a long and winding stair. Frodo went up with Haldir first, so to meet the lady and lord of the wood first. Demos was moaning at the halfway point.
"What is wrong with you two leggeds, why is there so many stairs everywhere you all make cities," he says angrily to me, causing me to giggle.
"What did he say this time?" Aragorn asks me.
"He's complaining about the stairs, and how everywhere we go there have been stairs." I say smiling, Aragorn chuckles a bit. Eventually we reached the top, there were many chairs waiting for us there. When I sat down on a chair, Demos jumped up on my lap, and Elladan sat next to me. The others were given greetings from the Lord Celeborn, I was given a very stern glare, Lady Galadriel gave me a warm smile, and I nodded my head to her, smiling.
"Here there are eleven," Celeborn says. "Twelve were to set out: so said the messages. But maybe there has been some change of counsel that we have not heard. Elrond is far away, and darkness gathers between us, and all this year the shadows have grown longer."
I close my eyes, the emotions I had been holding back, threatening to break out of their bonds, the image of the bridge of Khazad Dum still embedded into the back of my mind.
"Nay, there was no change of counsel," Lady Galadriel says, her voice filled with concern, I opened my eyes and looked at her, she was looking towards me with concernin her eyes. "Gandalf the Grey set out with the Company, but he did not pass the borders of this land. Now tell us where he is; for I much desired to speak with him again. But I cannot see him from afar, unless he comes within the fences of Lothlórien: a grey mist is about him, and the ways of his feet and of his mind are hidden from me."
"And they will be forever more my lady, Gandalf was lost to us, he fell into the shadows of moria, consumed by the shadows." I say, my voice growing heavy, "For not only by shadows was he taken, but by shadow and flame, a balrog of Morgoth, the greatest of all elf banes."
At these words all the Elves in the hall cried aloud in grief and amazement. "These are evil tidings," Celeborn says, his eyes looking towards me in suspicion, "the most evil that have been spoken here in long years full of grievous deeds." He turns to Haldir and asks. "Why has nothing of this been told to me before?"
"We have not spoken to Haldir of our deeds or our purpose," Elladan says, grasping my hand, "At first we were weary and danger was too close behind; and afterwards we almost forgot our grief for a time, as we walked in gladness on the fair paths of Lórien."
"Yet our grief is great and our loss cannot be mended," said Frodo. "Gandalf was our guide, and he led us through Moria; and when our escape seemed beyond hope he saved us, and he fell."
"Tell us now the full tale!" Celeborn says, and I notice and Elven woman about my age standing off to the side of the two, behind her, two elven guards, who were seemingly protectors.
Aragorn begins telling them the tale of our venture into Moria, when he reaches the part of Khazad Dum, he turns to me, as If questioning whether or not I wish to speak of it. He nods to my acceptance of telling the more grim part of the tale.
"When we reached Khazad Dum, Gandalf and I Stayed behind, for we were the only ones who could fight against the Balrog. He stood in front of me upon the bridge. The Balrog and his orcs halted before the bridge. We gave our titles to it, and created a shield of light to defend against it. It came forward with its blade of fire, and struck the shield, I took the strain of holding the shield, and the strength of the blow sent me flying, my blade sliding off the bridge, and I nearly fell into the Abyss as well. I looked towards him, and with a great cry, he struck the bridge, weakening it, I lost my grip, but was pulled up by Elladan. Who took me off the bridge. The Balrog tried to walk across, but the weakened bridge would not hold it, and it fell, but it took Gandalf with it." I say, a tear making its way down my cheek.
"Alas!" Celeborn says. "We long have feared that under Caradhras a terror slept. But had I known that the Dwarves had stirred up this evil in Moria again, I would have forbidden you to pass the northern borders, you and all that went with you. And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria, or perhaps the net of someone else." Celeborn's gaze shifted towards me as he said the last bit, and rage began bubbling up inside me.
"He would be rash indeed that said that thing," Galadriel says to him gravely, and the young woman next to her frowns at her. "Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life, and he followed his own path, and those whom he trusted would be the ones whom I would trust. Those that followed him knew not his mind and cannot report his full purpose. But however it may be with the guide, the followers are blameless. Do not repent of your welcome to the Dwarf. If our folk had been exiled long and far from Lothlórien, who of the Galadhrim, even Celeborn the Wise, would pass nigh and would not wish to look upon their ancient home, though it had become an abode of dragons? Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram, and cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla, and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dûm in Elder Days before the fall of mighty kings beneath the stone." She looked upon Gimli, who sat glowering and sad, and she smiled.
He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: "Yet more fair is the living land of Lórien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie beneath the earth!"
There was a silence. At length Celeborn spoke again. "I did not know that your plight was so evil," he says. "Let Gimli forget my harsh words."
"Well, let's just ignore me with forgiveness," I think angrily in my head
"I spoke in the trouble of my heart. I will do what I can to aid you, each according to his wish and need, but especially that one of the little folk who bears the burden." celeborn finishes looking upon the hobbits kindly
"Your quest is known to us," Galadriel says, looking at Frodo. "But we will not here speak of it more openly. Yet not in vain will it prove, maybe, that you came to this land seeking aid, as Gandalf himself plainly purposed. For the Lord of the Galadhrim is accounted the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth, and a giver of gifts beyond the power of kings. He has dwelt in the West since the days of dawn, and I have dwelt with him years uncounted; for ere the fall of Nargothrond or Gondolin I passed over the mountains, and together through ages of the world we have fought the long defeat. I it was who first summoned the White Council. And if my designs had not gone amiss, it would have been governed by Gandalf the Grey, and then mayhap things would have gone otherwise. But even now there is hope left. I will not give you counsel, saying do this, or do that. For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what was and is, and in part also what shall be. But this I will say to you: your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true."
"And when you leave us, we will give you the aid of three of our best," Celeborn gestures to the three, and the guards take off their helms, to reveal two women, "This is Arzaroth, a student of the lady galadriel and I, and her two guards, one is Durhil, Half-elven, and the last Legolas you will know, Tauriel of the woodland realm of mirkwood. They will help and protect the company from threats outside," He turns his gaze towards me, "Or from the inside."
The rest of the company turns to me, Demos growls a bit, until I put my hand upon him, silencing him, the Lady Galadriel then has her people show us to or accommodations, whilst we stayed here.
When I went into my room, Demos crawled under the bed that was there, and I lay on my bed, and it was as if the Dams were broke, and my emotions came rushing out like the river Anduin.
Well here was Caras Galathorn, these new characters are going to be super important later on, and they provide more division between the company, which (Evilly cackles), is great for my story line. I cannot give any more details unfortunately. But such is life, now please Read and review, and I will see you next time on Daughter of Mordor.