A/N: so, I had some difficulties writing this chapter, I hope it's still okay... Hope you bear with me, the journey isn't over yet! Thank you for following me this far, and have fun reading.

Leave a review if you liked it ^^

Disclaimer: You know the drill... but also: I'm not a doctor so inflicted wounds and side effects may differ from reality.

Chapter 4: Caving in

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the two humans talking. Legolas couldn't help but wonder why. Would Aragorn be confiding in Boromir? Or was it really just a check, since Aragorn had been worrying about all of them. Legolas shook it off, and looked around again, trusting his senses would warn him if something was wrong. Everyone was cold and the mountain pass had been a huge disappointment after the Gap of Rohan. The last thing they needed was an ambush.

Quiet minutes passed, while he tried to drown out the sounds of the Companions. He did notice Aragorn came to stand next to him, but he ignored him for a while.

"There's no need to examine me, you know I'm not bothered by the cold or the snow."
When there came no reply, Legolas turned his head slightly and took in the Man's expression.
"I know", Aragorn's voice was soft, but a hint of weariness rang through it, nonetheless. The same weariness that was visible on his face. "But you are injured, don't forget that. How is it healing?"
Legolas was a bit taken aback and looked away again to hide his surprise. He had expected the normal treatment: Aragorn pushing him down and examining him without listening to his words. The healer did not move, though, and just stood next to him. Had so many things changed simply by not talking to each other?
"It's fine, Aragorn. Take some rest." The man was already a great leader, which he had shown on the road, but sometimes he forgot about himself. Legolas felt him hover for some moments, so he gave him a small nod and turned away from the Human, focussing on the watch again.

For once, the night was quiet and there was nothing to worry about. Still, Legolas was restless when Boromir took over; they would go through the mines and it was not something to look forward to as an Elf. Mines were worse than caves, and he shivered at the thought of being underground for several days. He did not sleep well that night.

The road to Moria went as smoothly as they could have hoped for. But every night he slept less and less, and his side ached and throbbed. By the time they reached the place where the doors were supposedly located, he was a shade paler than usual.
He let Gandalf fuss at the doors and vaguely noticed Aragorn and Sam unload Bill and sending the pony away. Legolas rested; eyes slightly closed, sweaty back against cool stone, trying to regain his calm.
The air was thick and moist at the same time. Shreds of mist swirled around carelessly, making the place feel creepier by the minute. Legolas dreaded going inside, that is if Gandalf would ever find the opening words.
Dwarves, he thought with the tiny bit of humour he could find at this moment, would forget their own name if they had too much to drink, and no one who would call them in the morning.
The still, dark water of the lake gave him chills, but maybe there was another reason as well... He knew quite well that he should have been healed by now; instead he felt sweaty and cold at the same time and his senses seemed to be dulled.
It must have been lighter when they had arrived, but it seemed impossible here to measure how much time had passed. The darkness was like a promise to him; a promise of what was waiting in the mine, and by no means was he prepared to go days without fresh air or stars in the night blue sky. His thoughts got the better of him and therefore it was Aragorn, and not himself, who warned Merry and Pippin not to disturb the water. His pale blue eyes only opened when he heard a loud, grinding sound. The earth shook beneath his feet while the doors of Moria opened before his eyes. It seemed as if Gandalf and Frodo figured it out, at last, he thought numbly.

He quickly stepped into the Mine, behind Gandalf, and winced immediately at the stench. Valar, what was that?! While Gimli muttered on about hospitality, beer and meat, Legolas tried to distinguish the smell. It was old, rusty, rot and pain. Though he did not quite know how to describe it, the scent was definitely one of pain.
Once the Wizard made some light, it became clear that this place was no longer one of the living, but one of the dead. It was a tomb now, instead of a mine, and he noticed the type of arrows that stuck out of a skeleton.

"Goblins!" Legolas said.

The simple word made everyone uneasy, as if that hadn't happened yet by seeing the frames of bodies. Swords were drawn, Gimli held his axe tighter and he pulled an arrow out his quiver. He did so, slowly; if there were Goblins near the entrance, they would have been battling already. But before he could explain this thought, everyone was already scrabbling backwards, though the movements stopped at the sound of a silent scream. A harsh 'Strider!' followed.
Legolas followed Aragorn's gaze, both of them leaping into action when they saw tentacles coming out of the lake; one of them got a hold of Frodo. The Hobbit dangled in the air and Legolas took his time to aim before he released an arrow. Aragorn and Boromir hurried back to the waterline and started slashing at the tentacles, while he kept firing arrows to give them cover.

The Humans had to cut off several arms of the Beast and when Aragorn sliced one, Boromir caught a flailing Frodo. As they ran into the Mine, he kept shooting and hit the Beast in an eye, which gave them time to get to safety. It had clearly upset the Watcher in the Water, though, and he angrily reached for them. When he couldn't catch them, he took down the Doors of Durin, caving the Fellowship in.

Darkness surrounded them and all was quiet, except for their unsteady breaths.