Hey everyone! Welcome to the Latest Instalment of If I Die Young. Hope you like this Chapter and sorry if you were disappointed by the wait. I've added a song to the beginning of this one as I honestly just love the song and I think it kinda fits into this Chapter and how Rosalie feels through it. The song is 'World so Cold' by Three Days Grace. Hope 'ya like it!

PS: 'This' is memories, 'This' is Thoughts.

Ok, enough of my insane rambling, Onto the Story…

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If I Die Young

Chapter 6

World So Cold

I never thought I'd feel this, Guilty, and I'm broken down inside,

Living with myself, Nothing but lies.

I always thought I'd make it, But never knew I'd let it get so bad,

Living with myself is all I have…

I feel numb,

I can't come to life,

I feel like I'm frozen in time.

Living in a World so Cold, Wasting away,

Living in a shell with no soul, since you've gone away.

Living in a World so Cold, countin' the days,

Since you've gone away, you've gone away…

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Rosalie was starting to get sick of this god-damned mine. There was no light other than the one Gandalf had created on his staff and the happiness from finally healing herself washed away within minutes. She was about to suggest a game of hide and seek, but Gandalf's staff glowed suddenly brighter and everyone gasped at the grand hall they were currently in. Before anyone could stop him, Gimli took off, running into another room. Rosalie sped after him, the others quickly following, as she was sure to mind the rocks that would laugh at her, when they tripped her up (if they got the chance – that is). The mage skidded to a stop when she heard Gimli give a cry of anguish, as the group entered the room, seeing the casket Gimli was hunched over, sobbing. The casket was surrounded by the skeletons of dead dwarves and Rosalie felt sick as she counted the vast amount.

"Here lies Balim, son of Hondim. He is dead then." Gandalf said, translating the strange markings on the casket.

One of the many skeletons held a book in his hands. Gandalf picked it up carefully, as dust crawled off it, falling to the floor. As Gandalf opened the book, Rosalie leaned over his arm, reciting the words from one of the dust ridden pages.

"We have sealed ourselves in but cannot hold them for long. We hear the drums. We cannot get out. They are coming."

Rosalie's white eyes narrowed in confusion as she took the book from her Mentor, studying the scrappily written words. Looking further, Rosalie realised that the book was, in fact, one of the now-deceased dwarfs' diary. She nearly jumped out of her boots when she heard Aragorn say to Legolas,

"We must leave. We cannot linger."

Hearing a loud clang, the witch spun around, seeing poor Pippin look sheepish. The clattering noise continued as the metal bounced down the well. After an agonisingly long moment, the noise finally came to an end, and everyone gave a mental sigh of relief.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf snapped at the scared Hobbit. "Next time throw yourself in and rid us of your stupidity!"

Rosalie threw a quick comforting look to Pippin, in the hopes of raising his spirits, just as a rather-loud, rather-ominous, rumbling sound that resembled the pounding of Drums was heard from behind the group. Frodo drew his blade given to him by Bilbo; Sting, just as it glowed a faint blue, warning the group of the presence of nearby Orcs.

"Get back!" Aragorn yelled at the hobbits. "Stay close to Gandalf!"

He, Legolas and Boromir, barred the door with anything they could find as Gimli stood, growling threateningly.

"Let them come! There is one Dwarf in Moira who still draws breath!"

Rosalie smiled fondly at the enraged dwarf before looking to her Mentor for permission. With a confirming nod from Gandalf, Rosalie unstrapped her bladed staff from her back, setting everyone's weapons on fire as she did so.

Legolas released a flaming arrow and the group heard a loud shriek in response. Without a seconds notice the door was barrelled down by Orcs as the growled angrily. Rosalie wasted no time and threw a ball of fire at the quickly growing group of Orcs. The second wave poured over the last and the Fellowship attacked. The sound of blades was heard as the Hobbits charged into battle against the Orcs. Rosalie felt the scrape of a blade on her cheek and stabbed through the Orc that wounded her. Within seconds she was fighting yet another as she sped in-front of Sam, protecting him from a rather nasty looking Orc. The response was a quick swipe to the witch's arm as she fell backfards, holding her bleeding arm.

"Gandalf! I must use it!"

"No!" Gandalf replied as the Orcs drew closer to the defenceless Hobbits. "It will drain you! We cannot risk it!"

At this, Rosalie swore loudly, jumping up and, releasing her wrist-blade, stabbed the Orc's throat. She threw a defensive glyph towards Frodo just before an Orc tried to stab him. The Mage cursed again before falling to her knees, Blood freely falling of her arm and cheek. Yet another Orc approached and, seeing an opportunity, readied its bow and arrow. Aragorn saw the approaching danger towards the small girl and ran forward, stabbing the beast as it was about to fire. He helped the drained girl to her feet and she thanked him with her eyes, just as another monster ran towards them, sword glinting in the dim light. The witch saw this, however, and released yet another wicked dagger, stabbing the Orc between the eyes.

"Now we're even." She said, smiling at the Ranger before picking up her staff and rushing off. Her heart froze when a beast, over 10 times the size of the hobbits, shambled into the room, waving its huge club around dangerously. An iron chain was connected to its neck and Rosalie gasped as the other end almost whacked her face. She looked over at her companions and saw them deep in battle with the huge beast. She chanted the same dark curse as before, her eyes turning a charcoal black. The beast writhed in pain and Legolas shot an arrow at the Monster's head. After a long fight the beast went down (thanks to Legolas), and the group went to check on the fallen Hobbit. After revealing Mithril armour, Frodo was confirmed to be unharmed and the Group carried on, unaware of the darkness that was following them.

They ran down a long hall and it was not long before the Orcs were on them again. Surrounded, the group readied for another battle, just as a deafening rumble was heard. The Orcs and Goblins scattered and ran back to wherever they came from.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked, watching a hallway as it appeared to blaze in fire.

"A Balrog of Morgoth." Gandalf said worriedly. "To the bridge of Kazad Dum. This is beyond any of your skills. Run!" The last word sent everyone sprinting for the exit as the beast came closer, heat radiating from it. They soon approached a broken piece of stairway and, without hesitance, Legolas jumped across. Gandalf was next with Boromir, Merry and Pippin soon after. Arrows began to fire and without a second to lose, Legolas drew his bow and struck the Orc in the head. Next, Aragorn picked up Sam and tossed him to Boromir safely, going for Gimli next. He protested and said,

"Nobody tosses a Dwarf." He said, annoyance lacing his voice before leaping across. For a second it looked like he wasn't going to make it but luckily, Legolas got hold of his red beard and pulled him up, Gimli yelling all the while.

"Not the Beard!"

Aragorn gave a sigh of relief and gestured for Rosalie to go next. The witch was about to jump when suddenly the gap became bigger, sections of stone falling into the abyss. Aragorn grabbed Rosalie and Frodo and leaped across the gap, seconds before it collapsed.

The growl that she was beginning to know well came from behind them and they turned to see a massive horned beast roaring in Gandalf's face. It seemed to be made of fire and burning embers and its mouth was like hot lava. The heat that came in waves off it made it hard to breathe as the fellowship ran for their lives.

It came slowly after them, not seeming to be very agile. They reached the small bridge and Aragorn led the way across. Rosalie made her way across it as well, ignoring the fact that it was extremely narrow with no barrier, the chance of falling high. The only ones behind her now were Legolas and Gandalf. Safely on the other side, she turned, panting, to see Legolas cross safely as well. Gandalf though, had stopped in the middle, facing the firey Balrog.

The witch's breath caught in her throat as she gave a cry from her mentor, Frodo doing the same.

Gandalf stood still, however, and yelled at the beast who had now reached the start of the bridge.

"You cannot pass!"

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" Gandalf continued, rage filling his words.

The Balrog grew angrier and, using a huge sword seemingly made from flames, struck down on Gandalf. The wizard blocked and a great light came from him and his staff, seemingly knocking back the beast. The members of the Fellowship looked on in horror as the Balrog roared once more at the wizard who was yelling.

"Go back to the shadow." Gandalf growled at the monster as it drew closer.

Taking a step onto the now unstable, small bridge, the Balrog snapped a fiery whip in the air, nearly tripping the powerful wizard.

"YOU SHALL NOT…PASS!" Gandalf roared with all his strength, slamming the end of his mighty staff onto the thin bridge, creating a blinding light.

Stepping fully out onto the bridge, the Balrog swung its whip dangerously before the narrow rock collapsed under its weight. It roared loudly as it fell and the Mage's eyes widened when she saw that it had broken right in front of Her Mentor. The wizard still stood there, looking rather tired and more than shaken, but he was fine all the same. He turned to follow them, but the beast's fiery whip came up and wrapped around his leg. It pulled him over the edge, and he grabbed onto a small handhold, desperately trying to stay up. Frodo tried to rush forward but was stopped but Boromir in his attempt, screaming Gandalf's name. Rosalie too tried to reach the wizard but was stopped by Aragorn who wrapped a hand around her arm. Not giving up, the witch released a bust of energy and Aragorn released her, his hand burnt by the released magic. The mage rushed forward and heard Frodo give a cry of agony.

"Gandalf!" Frodo yelled desperately.

The wizard paused in his struggling and looked into the eyes of everyone there. "Fly, you fools." he whispered before falling into the abyss willingly. Rosalie reached the end and dropped to her knees, reaching for her mentor as he fell. She didn't have time to mourn, however, as miss-matched arrows began to fly towards them. Once more Aragorn grabbed the weeping girl and, pulling her towards the exit, looked back once more on the broken bridge…

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She was distraught. There was no other way to describe it. After finally reaching the fresh air, the witch didn't cry as the Hobbits did. She mage simply sat on a rock, tears falling from her crystal white eyes, falling off her slightly red cheeks. Her eyes were dead. The one sparkling gems had simply no life in them anymore. The mage paid no attention to the blood on her cheek or the deep gash on her arm. She simply stared into space.

Looking only once at the crying girl, Aragorn made up his mind.

"Legolas. Get them up." Aragorn ordered.

Though she could not see them, Rosalie heard the quivering in his voice as Boromir replied. "Give them a moment for pity's sake! Look at Rosalie and the Hobbits! They simply can't!"

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs!" Aragorn shot back, fully aware of the younger one's agony. He looked over at the lifeless girl as she perched on a rock, legs crossed, tears drying on her face. She didn't look any different than normal, except from the missing smile. Walking over, he took her small hands in his larger ones and asked,

"Are you alright, Little One?" She just stared blankly at him with her dead eyes and, for once, Aragorn knew she wasn't.

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The outside, Rosalie decided, was weird. The Mage that saved her from the Circle was weird too. He insisted being called a 'Wizard' instead of a Mage.

'Wizard… Mage…' the 6 year old thought, confusedly. 'What's the difference?'

The outside was weird, though, and not nearly as pleasant as it looked from inside the Circle Tower. But how was she supposed to know? The only experiences she'd had for nearly as long as she could remember were the distant views of the shore and the wisps of wind that slipped through the tiny windows.

And the near-death experience.

The Witch froze when she collided with something tall, and, evidently, not at all willing to move for her. Stories of the Outside told in the Tower flashed in her mind, of bears, wolves, Goblins and Orcs (she shuddered at the picture she found in a book of an Orc; Ugly and Terrifying) and strange, hooved creatures called 'horses'. She worried about the last one the most. After all, if the Circle went through so much trouble to lock up 'dangerous' mages, who could kill them with just the flick of their wrist, then there had to be an equally good reason why ordinary people would corral such beasts. And it'd have to be just her luck she'd bump into a roaming pony with a taste for human flesh.

Then, if she died that way and the Knight-Commander found out, she knew the mages back at the Tower would never hear the end of it. After every class, the templars would remind them: "And don't forget Rosalie Hawke, who got eaten by a cow after being freed by a lunatic. May the Maker light your path, and no running in the halls."

Only to find her new mentor; Gandalf, patiently standing there and watching her instead, his arms crossed and a grey eyebrow raised.

She rubbed the back of her neck and stepped back, at once embarrassed and incredibly relieved.

"Sorry!" she said. "I've been rather distracted."

"I can see that," he replied, amused at the girl. "I take it then that you did not hear what I just said?"

"Er, no."

He chuckled, shaking his head at the mage as she stuttered excuses.

"Oh I can see that it's going to be a joy teaching you." He said, turning back to the road just as the girl pouted.

"Hey!"

With a small, friendly smile, he added, "Now, come, let's sit down and have something to eat. You are likely tired from walking after living in the Circle Tower for so long."

She was, but she wasn't about to admit it. Her pride simply wouldn't let her. Instead, she silently watched as the Wizard stepped off the path and into the glade as easy as he pleased, an action that quickly turned her eyes round with horror.

It couldn't be that simple. It just couldn't.

They had kept to the road their entire journey! Even to Pee! But this? This clearing? The Wizard had already walked towards a few small rocks and trees.

How did one manage to walk fifteen feet into an unknown land full of possible traps and dangers?! Was he trying to get them all killed? What if there were any Horses!

She peered at the ground next to the road in distrust, certain that some hazard, like a bear trap, lay hidden underneath.

She'd read about these things.

With her eyes squeezed shut, the girl took one mouse-like step onto the mossy grass, her breath catching in her throat as she did so. Sensing no danger, the young mage snapped her silvery-white eyes open, looking at the ground curiously. It really didn't mind? Oh. Ok then.

With a growing smile, the little girl skipped over to her smiling mentor as he said,

"I take it you are enjoying yourself, little one?"

She smiled back at him and nodded vigorously.

"Oh Yes, Very much, Thank you!"

He gestured to the rock next to the one he sat on and added, "Now, come sit down and have something to eat. It may not be the best, but it shall keep us going for now.

Her smile disappeared as she eyed the boulder in question. It was not as large as Gandalf's but on one side, a thick, fuzzy layer of some green … stuff… clung to its face, though the other side was (for some unknown reason) bare. It seemed strange, but, then again, so did she. But then again, how were they to know that every rock was fine with people sitting on them?

She raised a hand towards the boulder. When the stone didn't react, she reached a little closer. And a little closer. And a little closer.

She continued like this, inching nearer and nearer, until the Wizard finally stated, "It's a rock, not a sleeping dragon."

"I know that," the young girl replied, flicking a glance at him. "It's just… Is it… safe to sit on it?"

"Yes." When she still hesitated, he smiled softly at the girl and added, "It won't do anything, I promise."

She straightened and, giving the boulder one last uncertain look, finally tiptoed over to it and delicately perched herself upon it. She softly patted it, hoping to seem friendly, and took an extra moment to feel the rough yet soft quality of the green material attached to it. Then, her curiosity so insistent she could hardly hear another thought, she turned to the Wizard next to her and asked, "So it's not at all offended by this?"

He chuckled and looked at the little girl fondly.

"Little one, you have much to learn."

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I'm back! Did you like it? I personally hate having to write this chapter, I preferred Gandalf when he was Grey. :/ The scene in Italics is one of Rosalie's flashbacks, just so you know. Hope you liked this one, Next will be up soon!