Chapter 7- Moria

As we neared the mines, the clouds dispersed once more, and we felt the heat of sun on our faces again. I tapped Sam on the shoulder, and he turned around with a start. "Would I be able to have my cloak back?" I asked politely. "Oh, uh, sure thing" he said handing it back to me. "Very nice cloak that. Toasty warm and very comfy." "Thanks" I replied, fastening it around my neck.

Night fell, and we stood before the gates of Moria. I gave an involuntary shiver. Things of evil prowled and thrived in its depths, however much the dwarf refused to believe it. "Soon master elf, you will enjoy roaring fire, hearty ale and fresh meat off the bone" he said to Legolas. He shot the closest person, who happened to be me, a 'help me' kind of look. "Gimli." I said. "Elves tend not to consume ale, and don't eat meat. I think your making him feel rather ill, not welcome." The dwarf looked a bit crestfallen, while the elf mouthed 'thanks'. I didn't like oweing people and that took away anything I owed for the snowpile incident.

I heard the quiet clinking of stones, and Pippin picked one up bouncing it in his palm. I realised he was going to through it into the lake behind us. I began run over there, but Aragorn got there first. He grabbed his hand as he was about to let go "Don't arouse the watcher in the water" he whispered into his ear. I went over to Gandalf, sitting on a rock pondering what the password is to get in the door. "Gandalf" I began "What does the writing on the door say?" He hesitated for a few seconds."It says speak friend and enter." Frodo overheard us. "Hey gandalf, whats the elvish word for friend" he yelled at us. "Mellon..." he said quietly. I heard the door begin to scrape open.

We walked into the door, only for the others to be greeted by the site of bodies piled up against walls, covered in cobwebs. I was hit by the smell of death, and the smell of orc was almost as strong. "This is no mine. It is a tomb" Borimer said. "I believe Caradhras will be safer than this route" I said. We all began to turn around and walk back, when I heard a scream. Something was writhing, coming out of the water and showering slimy water everywhere. I recognised the scream as Frodo's. I heard Aragorn and Borimer run over and begin hacking at the tentacles, and the twang of Legolas's bow. I rapidly grabbed a dart from my quiver, figured out the distance to the main center of the thing, and trew it straight into the center. It flew true, and I heard it wail and it began thrashing about harder. This all happend in under 1.5 seconds. "Strider!" screamed Frodo from high up in a tentacle. I heard the sound of metal meeting skin and Frodo being caught. We all quickly withdrew. I threw another dart, and the beast screamed again. "Into the mines" Gandalf yelled as the beasts tentacles persued us. We got through the doors just as the beast broke the doors off their hinges and I heard the rumble of stone blocking the entrance. We were trapped.

Compared to some other things I had done, Moria was a breeze. I had to be careful of crumbling stone and figure out where the edges of paths were, but apart from those things I was fine. It was taking a toll on the hobbits though. I heard their breath become increasingly laboured, and their hearts beat faster and faster. "We need to take a break." I said to Gandlaf at the top of a steep flight of stairs. "the hobbits can't go much longer." We kept on going. "There's a spot we can rest for a while ahead." He said to me.

We stopped in a rough room. I motioned for the hobbits to sit down, and they sank gratefully to the floor. The others leant against walls. "I have no memory of this place" I heard Gandalf say. Gandalf sat on a rock and thought, as I made my way toward him. " We should take the right one. The air smells much fresher and less foreboding down there." Suddenly he stood up. "We take the right path" he said. "how did you you know?" Merry asked in awe. "I didn't" he replied. "The airs just smells less foul down there. When in doubt Meriadoc, follow your nose!" I rolled my eyes as we set off.

We followed the rough passageway, abrubtly passing into a huge echoing hall. I heard the others gasp in awe. I remember in the days when I could see, that this room had been miles long, held up by ornate pillars set at 50m intervals. "Now there's an eye-opener no mistake" Sam breathed. We walked through the hall until Gimli gave a cry. He raced off through a door at the side of the hall. I followed him, the others close behind me. "No" he moaned, kneeling amongst the skeletons. He began to draw long shuddering breaths and sob. He banged his head on a rock thing in the center of the room. I ran my gloved hand over it, feeling and reading the dwarven runes chisled into it. Gandalf began to voice my thoughts. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I feared." I bowed my head slightly. He had been a good dwarf.

Gandalf picked up something that had been lying on the floor, opening it. I realised that it was a book. "We must move on. We cannot linger." Legolas muttered to Aragorn. Gandalf began to speak of the batttle for Moria, talking about orcs having taken the bridge and drums in the deep. "They are coming" he said as he finished the page.

Something metal and hard fell down. Something larger followed it, and after that something metal and wooden. "Fool of a Took!' Gandalf roared. "Through yourself in next time and save us of your stupidity!" The thing ceased clanging. But then I began to hear drums.

Borimer crept along and looked out the door. I heard the thock of arrows into wood. "Stay close to Gandalf" Aragorn yelled to the hobbits. Borimer ran inside the room, closing the doors behind him. "They have a cave troll" he said matter of factly. We began bracing the doors. The xing of swords being drawn rang in my ears. Gimli got up onto the tomb. "Let them come." he said. "There is yet one dwarf in moria who still draws breath!" Some of us would like to continue doing that, i thought to myself. The pounding on the cracking wood of the doors sounded. Legolas and Aragorn drew their bows, while I prepared myself to throw some of my darts. We let our weapons sing as a wave of orcs burst through the doors. Even the hobbits gave a battle cry and began to hack and slash with their tiny swords. Then through the wall burst the cave troll.

The cave troll confronted Sam head on, but he dived between its legs at the last second. It turned around but Borimer, Aragorn and I grabbed the chain used to restrain it and began to pull it from Sam. It used the chain like a whip smashing Borimer and I into a stone pillar. He turned over groaning, were as I immediately sprung back to my feet, massaging my side as I did so. I pulled him up, only to be confronted by an orc. Swiftly I embedded a knife in its throat just as Aragorn had thrown his sword hitting it square in the back. I gave him a quick nod of thanks before moving on. Gimli threw his axe straight at the troll, but it did almost nothing except make it angrier. Legolas shot 2 arrows at it. Ducking the chain it wielded with inhuman speed, he sprang onto the troll and shot another arrow into it, making it writhe in pain. Unfortunately the troll then ran after Frodo, who hid behind something. I shot a dart into it, but it didn't do much good, as it continued to sniff out Frodo. It gave a massive roar, making my eardrums feel like they were going to burst.(sensitive ears- I'm blind duh) Frodo got backed up into a corner, until Aragorn jumped in front of him slashing at the troll and making it fall back. Merry and Pippin began to through stuff at it, while I threw one of my knives, severing something. Frodo raced toward Aragorn, who the troll had knocked out, and began to shake him. The troll confronted him once more, giving yet another roar and blocking his only escape route. It was then I heard the groan and sputter of pain as the troll stabbed him with its weapon. Everyone fought with renewed vigour, attempting to get to Frodo before it was to late. He collasped to the ground whimpering, then no mere was heard from him.

Gimli and Gandalf slashed at it, while it tore Pippin and Merry off its back (How had they gotten there?) It was then when Legolas fired an arrow into what must have been its throat. It staggered, but it didn't fall. I threw a well placed knife right into its face, and it swooned, then fell to the ground and breathed no more.

Splattered in troll and orc blood we raced, and crawled towards were Frodo lay. He drew a great shuddering breath. "He's alive!" Sam shouted. "I'm fine" Frodo panted. "I'm not hurt." "You should be dead. You must be a steward of our war." Aragorn murmered in amazement. "I think there's more to this hobbit than what meets the eye" Gandalf said. "Mithril" I said. The one word turned their heads towards me. "He's wearing Mithril. There's only one metal that makes a sound like that when hit, and by the sounds of what everyone's saying, the only metal that would've withstood that blow." I shrugged my shoulders selfconciously. I hated people staring.

We ran down the hall we had been running down before. The scuttling had grown so that everyone could hear it, and it was orcs. Thousands surrounded us screeching and calling our for meat. The stench was horrendus. We drew our weapons preparing to fight to the death. A deep throaty growl echoed through the hall and surprisingly the orcs grew quiet. The temperature began to warm slightly. The orcs ran back to their holes. We stayed frozen. "Quey" (run) I said. Nobody heard or understood me. Kran. I always went back into vianliz when I got really nervous. "What is this new demon" Borimer said to Gandalf. "A Balrog" He replied. "A demon of the ancient world. This it beyond any of you. RUN! The fellowship hightailed. I stayed frozen in fear for a moment before pursuing them.

Aragorn led the way down many steep flights of steps. Suddenly we stopped. A large part of the staircase had crumbled away, leaving a large gap to cross. Legolas jumped over without hesitation, and I followed him. Gandalf came next, just as arrows and spears began to rain upon us. Borimer holding Merry and Pippin jumped after. Finally Gimli jumped over, almost falling if Legolas hadn't caught him by the beard. Then of course a chunk of rock fell onto the staircase leaving Frodo and Aragorn stranded on an island/pillar. The pillar began to teeter. It crumbled and fell, leaving Aragorn and Frodo to fall to their deaths with it.

As they fell screaming, I realised our mission was about to end. So I did the only thing I could do. I did the thing that I knew would probably get them to chase me away with torches. In a split second, I tore off my cloak and hood, then jumped like a diver into the abyss after them.

gimli, merry, pippin, legolas, borimer, POV

What the F!###**)(?K did she just do?
Gandalf POv

I knew this would happen eventually.

Aragorn and Frodo POV

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGG!(Falling)

Back to Darke's POV

My streamlined diving technique allowed me to catch up with them in about a second. It felt good to have the wind rush past me again, to feel the air through my hair, but I had something to do. I grabbed Frodo and Aragorn, and with all my strength, flapped my colossal ravens wings trying to pull them up. Inches from the surface they were about to fall into, I managed to gain enough power to fly them and myself back onto the bridge.

I deposited them onto the bridge, hastily putting on my cloak and flicking up my cowl. I felt the prickling of people staring at me. "Questions later, now run and lets get out of here!" I said. Thankfully they listened, still bamboozled by what they had just seen. We kept on running through the mines, terrified as the Balrog closed in on us.

We had almost reached the bridge, when I felt the heat of flames licking around us. We sprinted past Gandalf, who confronted the beast for a second, then decided better and followed us. My hands shook from fear, and my palms within my gloves had become sweaty. The Balrog lumbered after us, roaring like a waterfall. Its giant steps shook the floor. The fellowship had already set foot on the bridge. I ran across it, arms extended for handrails. They seemed to be something that dwarves were against. A piece of the bridge broke off under me, but I regained my balance. Gandalf was right behind me, and I felt the bridge shake as the Balrog put a foot onto it.

He stopped. I whirled around, wondering what had happened. Gandalf had stopped, and faced the oncoming beast. The telltale crackle, and the increased temperature told me the Balrog had set itself alight. I stood, quite literally petrified in fear. I heard the others shouting for me to come over. I heard the hum of Gandalf performing serious magic. I could hear his heartbeat and his steady breathing gradually getting louder. He muttered something, then said" you shall not pass." All I heard was a roar from the Balrog, not of fear, but of irritation. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf roared over the Balrog. I felt the tremor as it took another step forward. There was a cracking crumbling sound of the stone breaking. I heard the air rush past falling chunks of rock. I heard another roar from the beast, as it began to fall into the abyss. This sprang me into action, and I began to sprint away, long strides covering the distance withing seconds. Gandalf turned and began to walk away from the hole in the bridge.

A crack of a whip, then my old friend crying out in pain. I heard the scuffle of fingers as he grabbed onto the ledge and tried to pull himself up. I began foward, but Aragorn's strong hand held my wrist. Swiftly I broke the hold and for the second time in 10 minutes, shed my cloak and jumped off a death trap.

The heat as I got further down was unbearable. No matter how I tried, I couldn't catch up to Gandalf. Finally the feathers on my wingtips began to burn, and I flew back, catching up with the company. Arrows and spears still rained upon us, but no-one cared. Borimer was holding a screaming Frodo. The air grew less stuffy the further up we went. Finally we broke into the fresh air of the outside world.

My longest chapter yet! Did the bit about Frodo and Aragorn falling to their deaths surprise you? sorry I haven't updated. Please review.

Off the topic of LOTR. I have created a blog, and have had it up for several months and I've had a whole whopping- wait for it -3 viewers. If some of you could please check it out that would be nice. It's about world issues, and the human race. It talks about stuff from wars in Iraque( sorry I can't spell well) to global warming. Please look at all its posts, because they are all important (apart from the 2nd one). The web address is . . Thanks for reading!