Hi!
Sorry for the wait, real life and all! :D
Hope you enjoy this offering, a little light- heartedness before Moria.
Please review! I would love to know what you all think!
Enjoy!
Onwards...
The snow whirled around their faces and bit into their flesh as the dark voice ricocheted around the mountain.
It was some form of a chant that Sam couldn't discern and he looked around wildly, drawing his cloak nearer to his face and leaning into the bare warmth of Aragorn. The Ranger had stalled, looking around also.
There was a flash of lightening and Gimli, who was almost buried under the sheer amount of snow, yelled, instinctively drawing his axe and slammed into the side of the mountain, to safety. The others, too, looked up and to their horror saw great boulders the size of Hobbit carts cascading down the mountain face, heading in their direction.
Sam let out a gasp and clutched for Frodo, whose pale face was pinched with fear. The two Hobbits pushed off as hard as they could with their feet, gaining little grip in the icy snow, and helped Strider fall back, feeling the jaggedness of the cliff face as their backs hit it.
Boromir, holding Pippin and Merry, did much the same thing, though he had to sidestep; Pippin was looking around in absolute terror, unable to see from the volume of snow falling into his face.
As the boulders drew nearer, Legolas's eyes widened as Gandalf drew his staff. He rushed forwards and grabbed the great wizard, pulling him backwards by his arm, sending him slamming into the mountain. Gandalf drew his cloak around his body, now tangled around his staff. They would surely die out on this isolated precipice if he did nothing.
'He's trying to bring down the mountain!'
Both Legolas and Gandalf turned their backs to the wailing wind as Aragorn spoke.
'Gandalf!' cried the man. 'We must turn back!'
The Wizards stomach lurched. Turn back? Travel all the way back down, to the Pass which Saruman was surely watching?
'No!' he replied, gritting his teeth and gathering his strength. He placed his arm of the Elf's shoulder and pushed off, climbing through the snow onto his feet, brandishing his staff and his full power.
Throwing caution into the literal wind, he stood dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, his staff in front of him. Chanting back, his voice deep and powerful, the rest of the Fellowship watched as the Great Wizard did battle with an unseen foe.
This battled seemed to wager on for hours, though Merry knew it could only have been minutes. Suddenly, there was a sharp crack of thunder and more lightening, so bright it burnt his eyes.
Then, the air changed.
It was as though time had stood still and the Hobbits looked around for a few moments in confusion, which quickly turned to terror as a deep rumbled sounded, as though an ancient monster had awoke from inside the Mountain itself.
They didn't even have time to take a breath, let alone look up before the snow was upon them.
They were buried, right over their heads by thick, suffocating, freezing, frigid snow and Frodo couldn't breathe. It felt as if his whole body was surrounded by fire, but cold fire, so cold that it hurt.
It couldn't have been more than a few seconds before Frodo felt a shift behind him, felt Aragorn clasp his shoulder. He felt a hand, a smaller one, grab his own and he let Strider and Sam pull him up from his cold tomb.
Gimli growled and shook his head as Boromir pulled him up by the nape of his neck, his iced fingers not relinquishing their cast iron grip on his axe. The Dwarf looked around wildly, counting.
Gandalf took a deep breath, his body cold and stiff, Legolas on his other side, flexing his fingers, quite unable to believe he had suffered from the snows affects.
'We must get of the mountain!' Yelled Boromir, clutching Pippin and Merry to his chest. 'Let us turn back, and take the West Road to my city!'
'That leads us too close to Isengard!' Aragorn, even in this time of great struggle, was not willing to give up to the Gondorian that easily.
'If we cannot go over the Mountain, then let us go under it!' Gimli finally spoke at last, feeling as though he had held his peace for quite long enough. Perhaps now the others would listen to him.
'Let us go through the Mines of Moria.'
Gandalf couldn't believe what he was hearing. Moria? He wouldn't dare it. He couldn't. He knew what the Dwarves had awoken in the darkness in their greed, what stalked the ancient caverns of the Godless caves. But did he have a choice. Was it truly up to him to decide the path of this Fellowship?
'Let the Ringbearer decide.'
All eyes switched from him to Frodo, seven pairs of tired, cold eyes, each one belonging to a companion who, at this moment, believe the Mines to be a much better, more fruitful path than this one.
Frodo only had to look at their faces for a few second, his eyes lingering on his cousins and his best friend.
'We shall go through the Mines.'
-x-
'Don't worry, young Hobbits' Gimli stated conversationally. 'It is only a short further trek before we reach the Great Mines.'
The snow had stopped in the last hour and the terrain flattened out. They had carried on around the mountainside before turning right and, if they followed this path, it would lead them directly before Moria itself.
'What will we find there?'
'Oh..' Gimli barked out a laugh, his eyes twinkling. It felt good for the Dwarf to be heading back home. 'Great fires, banquets fit for the Kings of Men.' He nudged Pippin's arm. 'And Elves.'
Merry laughed and looked back towards Legolas, who was walking with Aragorn, speaking softly in Elvish.
'Moria isn't like other caves; it isn't a cave at all. It's really a series of catacombs, all interconnected at the start. Warmth radiated like the sun around the stone, the smell of meat cooking, malted beer. You couldn't ask for a better welcome.'
'It sounds wonderful' Sam told him, smiling at Frodo.
Gimli was about to reply when a great ball of snow hit him in the face. Spluttering indignantly, the Dwarf turned and narrowed his eyes and Pippin, who looked away quickly.
'You little scoundrel!' he growled, laughing, bending down to fling his own snowball. Pippin ducked expertly and threw another one.
'They're like a bunch of children.' Boromir remarked, wiping snow off his helmet.
'Leave them be.' Gandalf chastised. 'It is good to see them happy. It long since I have seen a smile grace Frodo's face.'
'Be that as it may, but they need their strength for the journey.' Boromir ducked as a snowball was flung his way.
'We won't need our strength when we reach the Mines!' Gimli told him, throwing another ball with a heavy handed shot.
'You little...' growled Boromir as it hit him in the chest. Gandalf laughed softly as the Man chased the Dwarf, skidding on the snow.
Maybe Gimli was right. Maybe there was no need to fear Moria. It had been hundreds of years, after all.
Legolas smiled, his pale skin shining, eyes bright as snowballs were thrown in every direction. Aragorn laughed next to him, glad to be free of responsibility, if only for a few moments.
As the snow war raged, the Wizard, the Ranger and the Elf, guided the rest of the Fellowship down the mountainside, towards the stone keep which was their destination.
And there it loomed, dark and imposing, cut into the mountainside opposite them.
The Gate of Moria.
Maybe a little short, but I hope you enjoyed it!
Back soon, thanks for reading!
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