Sorry for the wait. I'm not the best at fighting scenes so you will have to bear with me. So, let's move on, shall we?
Disclaimer: I give little credit to my self, and loads to J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson. I own no part of Lord of the Rings.
Chapter 21 Recap:
"We have but one choice. We must face the darkness that is Moria, but beware. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the pits of the mines."
The group nodded, but no one could actually speak. They just turned around and tried to ignore the sense of dread in their minds.
"It is wise to stay silent. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."
With that cheerful note, another long walk started.
Chapter 22:
It had now been three days in Moria. Three days of shuffling through the damp dirt, debris and bones of the floors. Three days where fresh air was replaced with soot and rock. Three days of echoing silence.
Moria was as bad as Abigail imagined, and she felt she was slowly going crazy. It seemed dangerous to breath in the atmosphere. She didn't think she was the only one feeling like this. Well, except for Gimli maybe, but he was still shocked at the site of seeing the bodies of his fellow dwarves. The mines, in short, put everyone in a fairly depressing mood.
Still, no one stopped, save for the short night's sleep. Either they walked on ledges peering over dip pits or the scaled failing stairs.
Early, on the fourth day, the group stopped where the path split into three doors.
"I have no memory of this place," said Gandalf, surprised at his own voice.
Abigail groaned inwardly. Now they would just have to stay down here longer. She just sat down, and attempted to sharpen her daggers. The rest of the company took to similar mindless chores, or just stared at each other.
About 15 minutes later, Abigail noticed some sort of…thing crawling up the step towards them. She was about to move to tell someone, when she heard Frodo beat her to it.
"There's something down there," he said.
"It's Gollum," Gandalf said casually.
Abigail rolled her eyes and tuned out again. She wasn't surprised either; she had been informed of Gollum. No doubt they would of released him Barad-Dûr and let him wonder his way back to his "precious." She listened back to Gandalf to hear him finish another lecture to Frodo.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."
'I honestly wonder if they prepare these speeches? It sound so perfectly rehearsed,' she thought.
"Ahh, it's this way!" Gandalf exclaimed, nodded toward a portal.
"He's remembered," said Merry happily.
"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here," he explained as he moved. He paused and turned to look at Merry. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose," he said with small smile.
"Let's hope it leads us to a big platter of 'taters," mumbled Sam.
Abigail heard him and chuckled.
The tight path down the tunnel was short lived, and they soon came out into the open.
"Let me risk a little more light," Gandalf said softly. His staff illuminated more, spreading a white glow in front of them.
Everyone gasped as it revealed a huge hall with huge, carved pillars and arched ceilings as far as the eye can see.
"Behold! The great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrodelf."
"There's an eye-opener for you," said Pippin breathlessly.
"If all of Moria was like this, I could get use to it," said Abigail.
"Maybe I as well," agreed Legolas.
All of a sudden, Gimli cried out and ran towards a lighted chamber.
"Gimli?" Aragorn said.
Gimli kept running, and the rest shortly followed. He reached a crypt and kneeled down.
"No!" the dwarf cried.
Gandalf stepped forward and began to translate.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf sighed. "He is dead, then. It's as I feared."
Gimli banged his head against the stone.
Gandalf picked up a decaying book from a corps and started to read it.
"They have taken the bridge, and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long."
Abigail studies the room, walking slowly in a small circle.
'Something's not right,' she thought. 'We shouldn't be here.'
"The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep," Gandalf continues.
She had the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something horrible was coming. Her head was twitching as she glanced nervously around the room.
"We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."
She started to back up slowly towards the door, her face paling with each step.
"Abigail?" Frodo asked quietly.
There was a crash, and everyone's attention, except for hers, went towards Pippin.
A body fell down the well, with a bucket following. The sounds rang throughout the caves and in-between the walls it seemed.
"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity," Gandalf scolded. Pippin looked very guilty.
"We cannot linger here," Abigail spoke in a dangerous whisper.
Eyes fell back towards her. Expressions of worry were thrown around. She was even shaking a little.
"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Aragorn asked. Legolas took a step towards her and went to put a hand on her.
"We need to go. Now!" she said quickly and louder. She spun around and moved to leave the room.
She was stopped immediately by one hollow sound.
"Boom."
A low drum sound came from below. Followed by another, and another. The beats moved faster, sounding like a war chant. Shrill screams were heard next, with marching coming closer.
"Too late," Abigail said.
She backed away from the door now, as Aragorn and Boromir rushed towards it. They pretty much realized what was about to happen, and thought it would be better if the door were closed.
(A/N-Ahh, it's sooo tempting to leave you with a horrible cliffy! But since you've so been good and patient…I'll continue)
Frodo unsheathed his sword and noticed it was glowing blue.
"Orcs!" Legolas spat.
"Probably a fair number of goblins still down here too," added Abigail.
The doors slammed shut, and Aragorn found some axes to lock it.
"You haven't heard the best news. They have a cave troll," said Boromir.
"Stay back and stick close to Gandalf," Aragorn told the hobbits. He turned to her. "You as well, Abigail."
"Oh, no!" she immediately protested. "You are not getting rid of me this time. You are going to need be up front."
With letting him saw another word she pulled out her bow and loaded it, but her trusty daggers will still at her sides, of course.
Aragorn decided he didn't have time to argue, and unwrapped his bow too.
Legolas, as always, had his bow out, Boromir was standing nearby with his swords and Gimli leaped on top of the tomb with his axe in hand.
"Let them come!" he taunted. "There is one dwarf in Moria that still draws breath!"
The orcs started to chop their way through the door. As soon as a hole was made, the three with arrows started shooting. Soon, though, the doors were broken down completely and the swarm of enemies came through hard.
Abigail threw her bow safely to the side, drew her daggers and spun them around to prepare a fighting stance.
Two orcs came straight at her. She ducked down and stuck a dagger in their stomachs. As soon as she pulled them out, they fell down dead.
'Two down,' she thought.
Another one came from the side, so she used one hand to pull him forward, and used the other to stab him in the back. She was happy to find that her training with Haldir wasn't wasted, as she continued to slice and stab her way through the crowd
Each company was lost in their own little world of fighting, using their weapon of choice. Even the hobbits were holding their own, especially Sam with his frying pan.
Suddenly, things got a bit trickier as the cave troll came stomping in. Legolas took a chance to shoot a few arrows at it, but soon had to move back to avoid the swinging chain the creature used as a tool.
Abigail tried to move forward to pick up her bow again, but she was outnumbered five to one. It was a bit nerve wracking because they weren't charging, but approaching slowly. She realized too late that she was being separated again.
'Never get backed into a corner, rule number 11,' she thought.
She gave up on waiting, and made the first move. She started with the most left orc, by faking left then swing around to stab him in the gut. This made a small gap for her to squeeze by. The next closest orc made a move, but she found a piece of higher ground and simply smashed a dagger into his head. She continued to climb, until she reached a porch of sorts, and took a moment to see what was going on.
Gimli, Boromir and Legolas were still towards the front of the room, while Gandalf and three hobbits were in the middle. Both these teams were mainly fighting orcs and goblins.
'What is the troll doing?'
She peered over the pillar and saw the beast swing his chain again, towards something against the wall.
She ran closer, and realized that something was Frodo and Aragorn.
'Not good,' she thought. Realizing she was on the same level as them, she ran towards the fight.
She was about 20 feet from them, when the troll picked up a spear.
'I need to distract it!'
She couldn't use her powers; the risk of being sensed was too high. She decided on the primitive idea, and picked up a large rock and threw it.
"Over hear, ya brute!" she yelled.
"Abigail, what are you doing?" Aragorn shouted.
"It's the ring that matters, get Frodo away!"
She had gotten the trolls attention and it moved towards her. It jabbed at her with the long spear, but she jumped aside just in time. It did the same move, and she jumped away again, this time behind a pillar. Next, though, the troll crashed into the pillar and it started to fall apart. Large pieces of stone were about to fall on her.
'Umm, time to go!' she thought, and she jumped off the ledge and back onto the first level. This gave her a bit of a head rush, but she regained her mind as orcs were now coming.
Soon, she heard someone yell,
"Frodo!"
She turned just in time to see the halfing impaled by the troll.
"No!" she screamed in rage. She fought now with fury, moving faster and harder. The others were doing the same. Shortly, it seemed, the room had been cleared. Abigail went back up to the second level, and rushed to Aragorn's side that was kneeling over Frodo.
"He can't be…he just can't!" she whispered.
Aragorn pulled out the spear and sat Frodo up against the wall.
Miraculously, Frodo took a sharp breath in and opened his eyes.
"He's alive!" Sam cried joyfully.
"Yes, I'm alright. I'm not hurt," said a stunned Frodo.
"Y-you should be dead!" stuttered Abby.
"That spear would have skewered a wild boar.
Gandalf smirked. "I think there is more to the hobbit than meets the eye."
Frodo pulled down his shirt to reveal a bright, chain mail shirt.
"Mithril!" said Gimli, almost delighted by the sight. "You are full of surprises Master Baggins."
They were interrupter by more shrikes and war chants coming up the corridor.
"I say we should start moving again." Suggested Abigail.
"And I say we listen to her this time," said Boromir.
Gandalf nodded curtly. "To the bridge of Khazad-Dûm."
Argh, fighting scenes are the one of the strangest things to write. I cut this off a bit shorter then I planned, but I want to get this posted and hopefully the second part will be out later today or tomorrow.
Special thanks to reviews from:
Samantha-Girl Scout: Well since you said "pwease"…
Narnian Sprite: Haha! I knew someone would think that something was going on between Boromir and Abigail. Rest be assured, they will only be friends.
ArwenEvenstar83: Yeah, I use sarcasm a lot to cover my own feelings, kind of like what Abby did there. But in that situation, I probably would start crying or something / .
Chaos Queen2.0: You hate snow? Interesting. Are you from California? JK, but I'm gald you kept reading anyway.
Mandapandape: Yes, yay for mines!
The second part to this still will be coming out this weekend.
So I'll be back soon!
-MysticNigh9