Chapter Seven: Estela Tries to Mess With the Plot and Adonnenniel
Has Other Emotions Outside of Ditsy Blondeness
DISCLAIMER: I have two new obsessions that are intruding on my ability to focus: Bubble tea and Doctor Who. This chapter was written while simultaneously engaging in both of them.
Brief Recap: The Fellowship is walking through Moria…This chapter starts in the midst of that, so I figured I needed a recap because otherwise the first sentence might seem random.
Random Quote: "Teller of untruths, your trousers have combusted!" ~'Liar, liar pants on fire' translated into French and then back into English.
Several hours later, the Fellowship passed through a dark doorway.
"Let me risk a little more light," Gandalf said quietly. As his staff illuminated the room, Adonnenniel gasped. Her sister had been right. The architecture was incredible.
The vast ceiling above them was almost sky-like, encompassing them beneath an expansive dome hewn of stone and supported by mighty pillars. Before them stretched an immense empty hall with black walls, polished and smooth as glass.
"Well there's an eye opener," said Sam in awe, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Adonnenniel looked around, and nearly jumped. Ahead of them there was a wooden door leading to another chamber. Black arrows were embedded in the door, and two skeletons lay in the entrance. Suddenly, Gimli broke free from the group and ran into the room.
"Gimli!" Gandalf shouted, as the rest of the Fellowship followed him into the chamber. It was lit with a narrow shaft of light, beaming in from a small hole in the roof.
Intermingled dwarf and goblin skeletons lined the walls and lay strewn about the room in piles. In the center of the chamber was a walled in stone well. Next to the well, a shaft of light fell directly on a stone table, a single oblong block topped with a great slab of white stone. A skeleton lay leaning against it.
Gimli fell to his knees in front of it. Gandalf leaned over the tomb, and read out loud the inscription of runes carved into the white stone.
"'Here lies Balin, son of Fudin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then."
"No, no, no!" Gimli cried, sobbing profusely. Overcome by sudden compassion, Adonnenniel rushed towards Gimli and kneeled down beside him.
"It's alright," she murmured. "He was your friend, right? And your cousin?" Gimli nodded through his tears. "Well, he wouldn't want you to cry." She realized she sounded really cheesy, but it seemed to be having an effect on Gimli. His crying slowed, and suddenly she knew the right thing to say. "He would want you to remember him how he was when he was alive. His courage, his valor. He would want you to be brave like him and get up so you can fight when the time comes and avenge his death." Adonnenniel sucked in a breath, wondering if he would laugh at this. She sounded just so…sappy.
But then Gimli looked at her with respect and dim amusement in his eyes. And then he laughed, though not in a mocking way. "It is strange that a human girl has the ability to rouse me from my grief and lend me courage." As he said it, Adonnenniel felt courage sweep through her as well. She looked up, and saw that the entire group was staring at her. She couldn't read their expressions, save for Estela, who looked proud.
Adonnenniel looked at Gandalf. He was watching her kindly, his eyes twinkling. And then the moment was over and the mood turned somber once more. Gandalf lifted the wilted remains of some sort of book from the ground beside the white stone slab. It was smashed and worn, and a layer of dried blood coated its pages. Adonnenniel winced. Gross, she thought.
As Gandalf opened the book, the fragile pages cracked and broke. He opened to a somewhat clean page, and read. "They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums sound in the deep. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."
With these words, a nameless fear seemed to engulf the group. Unnerved, Pippin backed away nervously, accidently stumbling into the well. Before anyone could stop him, he had knocked into a precariously placed skeleton, and had sent it falling into the depths of the well. The Fellowship froze in stunned silence as the skeleton clattered down the deep well, echoing eerily and clattering loudly through the mines.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf said angrily, turning to Pippin. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." Pippin winced.
A low, rolling sound rose from the depths of the mines, and a horn blasted nearby. More followed, answering its call. Drum beats, running feet, and inhuman cries filled the air.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam said. "Your sword!" It was glowing a brilliant blue.
"Orcs!" Legolas shouted.
"Get back!" Aragorn said frantically to the hobbits and Adonnenniel. "Stay close to Gandalf."
And then all burst into pandemonium. Adonnenniel was aware of the door crashing open and the numerous goblins and Orcs that spilled into the room like an endless tide. She saw Aragorn and Boromir brandishing their swords about, fighting ferociously. She saw Legolas notching arrow after arrow, each one bringing down an enemy. And she saw Estela. Her sister was fighting just as fiercely as the men. She wielded a slim sword, and though her movements were clumsy, she held her own. She saw Gimli, who was fighting wilder than all of them, revenge consuming him.
Adonnenniel felt suddenly light headed. She had never seen a real battle before, and it was unnerving her. The hobbits had wielded their swords and were preparing to fight. She wanted to tell them no, but words would not rise. A wave of dizziness overcame her. All this violence was just too much. She watched Aragorn slice off an Orc's head, and it rolled to where she was standing. Adonnenniel shrieked.
Just then, an Orc appeared behind the pillar where Adonnenniel was standing. "Estela!" she screamed. Her sister whipped around, and ran at lightning speed toward Adonnenniel. In one swift motion, she drove her blade through the Orc's stomach. The thing recoiled, then fell to the floor.
"Stay here," Estela said urgently, before rushing back into the midst of the battle.
Adonnenniel gulped. The Orc lay at her feet. Its blood was everywhere, and even in death it still seemed frightening. Adonnenniel felt a wave of nauseousness sweep through her. Her knees felt weak and her eyesight blurred. She sank to the ground, gasping in shock and fear, and then she closed her eyes as darkness fell over her.
This is the most wonderful, horrible, and invigorating feeling in the world, thought Estela. She was barely aware of her actions as she fought on the outskirts of the battle. She had picked up another sword from an errant skeleton as soon as they had heard the Orcs coming. It felt strange in her hand, unbalanced and clumsy. But simple need drove her to suck it up and fight. An animalistic instinct took over her, driving her to act on pure impulse.
"They have a cave troll!" Boromir shouted above the cacophony of the battle. A moment later, the door burst open in a starburst of wooden fragments, and another wave of goblins swept into the room, followed by a huge troll. Estela felt faint. Her resolve to continue fighting wavered and she leaned heavily against a stone pillar, closing her eyes and gasping for breath. Boromir, Gandalf, and Legolas began attacking the troll. Boromir sliced his sword through its stomach, and Legolas began shooting arrows at its head. Estela knew what was about to happen. Come on, Legolas, she thought. Kill it already.
But she knew that the events would not play out so smoothly. Just as she thought this, she turned around to see the cave troll run Frodo through with a spear. She winced, even though she knew Frodo would be fine. The Fellowship's reactions were frightening. Merry and Pippin screamed and blindly ran toward the troll, stabbing it wherever their small swords happened to make contact. Sam rushed over to Frodo's side.
And then after what seemed like an eternity, Legolas delivered the final blow. He sent two arrows into the cave troll's throat, and the monster fell. It was over. Estela stood back to watch the others gather around Frodo and discover he was alive.
A sudden thought dawned on her. Wait a minute. Where is Adonnenniel? She looked around frantically, and then spied her sister lying motionless on the ground behind a large pillar. Dropping her sword, Estela ran to her sister. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. She started shaking, so much so that when she put two fingers to her sister's wrist, she could not tell if there was a pulse or not.
"Estela." A voice broke through her panic. She turned around, and saw it was Aragorn, closely followed by Legolas. They knelt down beside her and Legolas placed a hand on Adonnenniel's neck.
"She breathes," he said after a moment. Estela felt herself relax. She watched in relief as Adonnenniel's eyelids flickered open.
"Orlando Bloom?" she said in confusion, looking at Legolas' face. "You have blood on your face. You know, your hair is way too shiny. You look kind of like a fairy. I think I liked you better as a pirate. But I think Estela likes you as an Elf. She loooooooves you as an Elf! Hehe."
Estela rolled her eyes dismissively. Now was so not the time for this. "Better get you up before you say something that you'll regret later," she said. Legolas scooped Adonnenniel's small form into his arms, looking thoroughly confused. He peered at Estela with questions brewing on his features.
"Don't ask," Estela suggested.
"There is blood on your arm," Legolas said as they walked to rejoin the rest of the group.
"It's not mine," she said shortly.
"Yes, it is," he argued.
Estela stopped walking. She couldn't decide whether to be amused or annoyed by his behavior. "Legolas, it's not mine. I promise." She smiled at him briefly.
"Yes, it is," he repeated, looking stern. "Orc blood is black, goblin blood blue, and cave troll blood green. The blood on your arm is red, My Lady. You are bleeding."
Estela suddenly became aware of a throbbing pain in her left arm. She remembered how once during a track meet, she had tripped on the pavement while running, skinning her knee. She had been so caught up in the excitement of the match, so focused on the instinct to just keep running, that she hadn't noticed the blood flowing down her leg until she had finished the race.
"Well," she said, gritting her teeth. "It didn't hurt until you pointed it out, so I'll just leave it for now. After all, you're bleeding too," she pointed out. "And besides, we have to get going. Any moment now Gandalf is going to tell us to get moving." She paused. "Don't tell him I told you that," she added as an afterthought.
"You fought bravely," Legolas said. Okay, did he not just hear a word I said? What is it with his train of thought? Does it always go in random directions like this? Estela thought.
"Umm…Thanks?" she said. She looked up and saw that he was looking at her intently, in a way that seemed probing and intimate at the same time. It was an odd, almost detached look. He took a small step closer to her. Estela sucked in a breath, and felt suddenly bold. She stepped even closer to him.
"You do have blood on your face, you know. Adonnenniel was right." Estela lifted a hand to his face and wiped it off. "It's Orc blood," she noticed. "It's black." Estela's heart was pounding in her chest. She felt lighted headed and her thoughts here suddenly very scattered for some reason. She looked at Legolas' face, and saw that he looked not shocked or affronted as she might have expected, but his face was relaxed.
"Come, Estela," he said softly. "We should rejoin the others."
"You said my name," she realized with a start. "My real name. You didn't call me 'My Lady.'"
"Well," he said, "It is customary to address close friends by their first names. And you have a beautiful name." He was smiling now. Good lord, she thought. Is he flirting with me? Estela suddenly wished she had done more dating in high school. She was quite uncertain of how to respond, but then found that she didn't have to.
"Oh my God! Could you guys get any mushier?" Adonnenniel suddenly said, apparently having fully regained consciousness. She squirmed in Legolas' arms. "Seriously, if this were a musical you guys would be breaking out into some cheesy lovey-dovey song right about now. Three words: Slow. It. Down." Estela gaped, mortified. Her cheeks flushed. She chanced a glance at Legolas. He looked suddenly withdrawn, and his expression was unreadable.
"You can put me down now," Adonnenniel said impatiently. "Or, on second thought, I guess this isn't so horrible," she mused, leaning back against Legolas. He gently lowered her to the ground, steadying her when she wavered slightly.
"Can you stand?" Estela asked.
"Yes, yes," she trilled dismissively. "I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Let's catch back up with everyone else." Adonnenniel was embarrassed and flustered. Suddenly, drums sounded in the distance once more. Not again, thought Adonnenniel.
"To the bridge of Khazad-dum!" Gandalf shouted, fleeing the chamber and leading the Fellowship back into the Dwarrow Delf hall. They were running towards a door in the far end of the long hall when it happened.
Hundreds of goblins began surrounding them. They crawled down the great pillars, flooded through the side doors, and formed a rough circle around the Fellowship. Adonnenniel felt faint. This is it, she thought, we're all going to die here.
The others seemed to realize it too. Though they wielded their weapons and prepared for battle, their solemn faces revealed that they were all thinking the same thing. And then suddenly, miraculously, the goblins dispersed. Adonnenniel could do nothing but stand there, amazed and more relieved than she had ever been in her life.
And then, just as she started wondering why the goblins had fled, she found out why. A deafening roar filled the air, more primitive and fierce than anything she had ever heard before. A fiery light danced in the hallway, casting strange shadows on the pillars. A huge shadow, engulfed in flames, fell across the hall as an unearthly sound rumbled in the bowels of the mine.
"What is this new deviltry?" Boromir gasped. The fear in his voice was contagious.
"It is a Balrog," Gandalf said. "A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!"
Adonnenniel ran faster than she ever had before. Her surroundings were a hazy blur, and her feet seemed to carry her on their own accord. Her muscles burned, but she ignored it, determined to not fall behind. Finally, they reached the stairway of Khazad-dum, and began climbing its dangerously steep and winding steps.
When they had nearly reached the top of the staircase and had begun crossing the bridge, the Balrog rose from the seemingly endless chasm beneath the bridge. In one hand it brandished a blade, like a tongue of fire, and in the other a whip wreathed in flames.
Adonnenniel bit back a scream. She followed the rest of the group with Aragorn in the lead, and they made for the top of another dizzying staircase. Ahead of her, Gandalf was saying something to Aragorn, who looked hesitant and fearful.
"Do as I say!" Gandalf insisted. "Swords are no use here."
The Fellowship raced up the stairway, until they came to a vast opening where the bridge had been split in two. Goblin archers appeared on the walls lining the bridge, and began firing. Aragorn picked up Frodo, and together they jumped to the other side. The others followed, until only Estela remained on the other side.
When it came time for her to jump, she started trembling. She was going to personally kill Peter Jackson for this. And then suddenly she felt a piercing pain erupt in her right leg. She looked down to see that her leg had been grazed by an arrow and was bleeding slightly.
"Estela!" screamed Adonnenniel. "Jump!" Estela closed her eyes, and leapt, willing herself to forget the pain for now. She landed in Legolas' outstretched arms, and he held her tightly.
"How is your leg?" he asked worriedly.
"I'll live," she said grimly. "It startled me, but it's not bleeding too much."
"I remember you mentioned you were afraid of bridges," he said to her as they ran across the rest of the bridge.
"Yes, well, now would be a good time for me to get over that," she said, panting. "If I just don't look down, then I'm fine."
After they crossed the bridge and ran into another hall, a new horror awaited them. The floor was split by fissures that spewed flame, and the very walls of the hall seemed to be set on fire. Smoke surrounded them in a haze, and Estela began to cough.
"Over the bridge!" Gandalf shouted, running toward the edge of the hall. The rest of the running was a blur for Estela. The smoke blurred her eyesight, and coughs racked her body. Only when she heard Gandalf yelling, "You cannot pass!" did she regain her senses. They were at the other end of another bridge, and Gandalf was in the middle of it. He stood between them and the Balrog, wielding his staff powerfully.
"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf yelled. The Balrog slashed at him with its sword of flame, and Gandalf blocked his stroke. A ringing clash resonated throughout the mines as the Balrog's sword shattered into molten fragments. Estela felt tears already streaming down her cheeks, knowing what was about to happen.
Frustration swept over her, along with the knowledge that she could do absolutely nothing to prevent the following events. Irrationally, as if her body were making the decision rather her mind, she broke free from the group and started rushing toward Gandalf. But before she even made it to the bridge, strong arms were around her, pulling her back.
"Let me go!" she screeched, struggling ferociously. She whipped around and saw it was Aragorn holding her.
"You must not interfere!" he said quietly but firmly. "Calm yourself!" Estela felt herself go limp in his arms. Oh my God, that was so stupid, she thought. What the hell was I thinking?
"I…I…I'm sorry," she sputtered. Aragorn released her tentatively. "I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry." She was still shaking. And then she felt a small hand slip into her own, and another hand on her back. Legolas and Adonnenniel stood on either side of her, and their presence gave her immense comfort.
And then it happened. A blinding sheet of white sprung up from Gandalf's staff. The bridge broke and fell away into the depths of the mines along with the Balrog. Gandalf stood still perched on the edge of the now broken bridge, and then from the chasm emerged the Balrog's whip, flailing about and catching Gandalf unaware. He dangled precariously on the edge of the broken bridge for a moment.
"Fly, you fools!" he said fiercely. And then his grip slackened and he fell, following the Balrog into the bottomless abyss.
All burst into confusion and anguish. The Fellowship blindly ran and eventually tumbled out of the mines onto a grassy sunlit hillside. The hobbits fell to the ground, weeping. Adonnenniel stood off to the side, crying softly. Estela realized with a jolt that Adonnenniel not only looked intensely sad, but also angry. Every time Estela tried to make eye contact with her sister, she would look away with simmering anger etched on her features.
Meanwhile, Aragorn turned to Legolas and Gimli.
"Get them up," he said urgently.
"Oh, give them a moment, for pity's sake!" cried Boromir.
"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs," Aragorn insisted. "We must reach the woods of Lothlorien. Get them up!"
They walked to Lothlorien in pure, uninterrupted silence. Grief hung over them like an endless and sunless sky, casting shadows on all their thoughts. Adonnenniel walked a noticeable distance away from her sister, as if being near her stung. She was just so angry. More so than she had ever been in her whole life. It was a horrible feeling, so consuming and relentless.
Her sister had simply allowed Gandalf's death. She had not warned him, but had allowed the scene to play out as it was meant to. But how could it have been meant to be like this? Adonnenniel wondered. Maybe her sister's purpose in coming here had been to prevent Gandalf's death, and now she had failed.
And why, oh why, hadn't Estela at least confided in her? They told each other everything. They were as close as sisters could be. But Estela had betrayed her trust in not telling her. Somewhere in the back of her mind Adonnenniel knew that this anger was misdirected, but she couldn't control it. It swept over her like a tide, growing stronger with each wave.
"Brace yourself." He said it so quietly that Estela wondered if she had imagined it. But then she looked up, and saw that Legolas was staring at her intently, worry etched on his face.
"Why?" she whispered back. It was the first time she had spoken since departing Moria. They were now very close to Lothlorien.
"I cannot tell you," he said softly.
"Well alright then," she said, too exhausted to be annoyed or curious about his never-ending bizarre behavior.
Coming Up Next!
-Lothlorien will be entered!
-Someone will get yelled at!
-Legolas' bizarre behavior at the end of this chapter may or may not be explained!
Author's Note: I have a newfound addiction to bubble tea. If you have never had bubble tea, then go to the closest Asian restaurant and order a strawberry. I also recommend mochi…It's mushed up red bean paste in a yummy white doughy thing. …I'm not exactly doing it poetic justice, but it's really tasty.
Review? I'll send you some imaginary bubble tea :)