Hello, long time no see!
At least, it's felt like a very long time. I am very sorry for the lack of chapter update in a few days. This one took extremely long to write and edit. I still don't even think it was the best editing job in the world, to be honest. And, to top it off, FanFiction was being a bum for me yesterday and read used to work.
Pfft, lame.
Here we are anyway! I am quite excited for you to read this because A LOT happens here...
BUT I DON'T WANT TO GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY SO I HOPE YOU LIKE IT AND STUFF.
Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR
Stella had faced plenty of adversaries in her short time in Middle Earth, but those were nothing compared to the stairs of Moria.
The stairs were old and crumbling, stretching for miles up deep slopes. The incline of the stairwell made the snowy mountain look like a gentle rolling hill.
However, the steepness was only half the issue. The stone staircase was cracked and crumbled from age and use, causing loose pieces of rock to slide out from under the feet of the Fellowship if they stepped incorrectly. Plenty of times, Stella had to either help a member back on their feet, or be helped herself.
To say that reaching the last set of stairs was relieving had to be the understatement of the century.
Gandalf was the first to get to the platform first. Slabs of stone covered the dirty ground and three open passageways lined the stone wall.
Stella trudged up the last few stairs behind Aragorn, her boots scuffing against the dirt quietly. She stifled a small yawn. For the past two nights, she had taken watch while the others slept, mostly from the thoughts echoing around her skull that prevented her from falling into sleep's welcoming arms. Oh how she was cursing her over-active mind now.
As the rest of the Fellowship reached the top, they glanced curiously at the three doors and ruins that lay scattered about. For a long while, silence hung heavily in the air before Gandalf uttered the words that everyone secretly feared to hear.
"I have no memory of this place," he said, slumping on a boulder with his back to the company. No one spoke, but Boromir shuffled to a rocky seat, sighing loudly. Soon, the rest followed his example, reclining against the boulders wearily. Stella sat against the rocks Pippin, Sam, and Merry were perched on, her cloak wrapped around her. She eased her head against the stone, staring at the slopes of stairs in front of her, eyes out of focus.
From above her, Pippin pestered Merry and Sam with questions. "Are we lost?"
"No, Pippin," Merry answered monotonously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Merry rest his chin on his hand, sighing.
"Shhh! Gandalf's thinking," Sam reprimanded the two, casting them scolding glares. The two hobbits quieted and Sam turned his back away from them.
"Merry?" Pippin whispered, careful not to disturb Gandalf.
"What?" Merry asked, slightly annoyed by his friend's constant inquiry.
"I'm hungry," Pippin whined. Stella fought down laughter, choosing to close her eyes instead. A small grin spread itself lazily on her lips. No matter how perilous this journey seemed, she could always count on the small hobbits to make her smile.
"They are certainly an interesting species," Legolas spoke softly. Her eyes flickered open and her head lifted from the rock in surprise. There, he sat next to her, his legs crossed.
"Hobbits? Well, I suppose so. After all, they are quite fanatic over second breakfast," Stella mused, talking lowly so that the chattering hobbits did not hear her. "Although, their mint leaf tea is extremely delicious."
Legolas smiled teasingly. "Mint tea? I had thought of you as more of the chamomile consumer."
Stella waved her hand dismissively and wrinkled her nose. "No, no, chamomile is much too sweet. Mint is the perfect medium."
The elven prince chuckled. "You are always full of surprises, Lady Stella."
"Something I pride my self in very much, thank you,"she replied playfully. Stella propped her head back against the rocks for a few moments of silence only to shoot upright for the second time. "And you do not have to refer to me as 'Lady Stella', you know."
"I know. But you are a lady," Legolas replied mildly, shrugging his shoulders.
Stella scoffed. "Hardly. That is my gender, yes, but I have never been treated like a lady, much less acted like one."
Legolas studied her for a long while, his gaze soft and curious. Stella did her best not to squirm and peel her eyes away. She was not used to this kind of attention from someone. Often times in Middle Earth, she was looked at as either an object or a helpless girl in need of rescuing. Never like this.
"That is a pity," he said after a small pause. "That you are not treated much like a lady should be. For you will always be a lady to me."
Stella blinked dumbly. In all her life, she had never heard such words from a person to her, or, more specifically, about her. She had been called pretty numerous times, but this was unlike any compliment she'd ever received. The way he said it made the words seem to be less like a nice remark, but more of known fact. The tips of her ears warmed and she wondered who had started a fire.
"Oh, it is that way!" Gandalf said from behind her, leaping to his feet. Stella jumped at the sudden sound from the grey wizard, and she pulled out of her thoughts. Beside her, Legolas stood, offering his hand to her as she too regained her footing.
"He's remembered!" Merry exclaimed, jumping off the boulder eagerly. Aragorn and Boromir stood from their alcove they were resting and hurried over as well.
Gandalf lit his staff, slowly making his way through the rubble to the passageway on the left. Frodo, who had been sitting next to the grey wizard and quietly conversing with him, followed. Gandalf blew light into his staff.
"No, my dear Meriadoc, it simply smells less foul down here," The wizard answered, turning to give Merry one of his knowing winks. "When in doubt, follow your nose."
Stella shared a glance with Aragorn, who shook his head at Gandalf's odd explanations. The elleth trailed behind Gimli once again, however, she steered clear of his axe that was gripped in his thick fingers. She did not want to trip over any more dead bodies.
As the Fellowship continued on, the tunnel eventually opened to a vast room with columns of sculptured stone and arched ceilings. It was breathtaking, but also dark and filled with sorrow. It looked like nobody had lived there for years.
"The great realm of the Dwarrowdelf," Gandalf muttered, his staff growing lighter. Sam leg out a soft whistle, approvingly. Frodo nudged his arm, pressing his finger to his lips to silence his friend.
The company slowly walked on, still quite in awe of the palace. Stella wished she had five more sets of eyes just to view every nook and cranny of the hauntingly beautiful room.
A shuddering gasp broke her train of thought. Gimli stood frozen, staring at two open doors that were flooded with blue light. At first, Stella couldn't quite make out what was passed the doors, however, as she neared, a large stone slab engraved with carvings came into view.
It was a tomb.
"No!" Gimli wailed, rushing forward to the illuminated grave. He sank to his knees, crying loudly. "No, no, no, no!"
Gandalf slid his hand over the tomb, peeling away a thick layer of dust and peered down. His face was grim.
"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," Gandalf spoke, his words sending twinges of dread through each member "So it is as I feared then."
Gimli erupted into a fresh round of sobs, murmuring in the language of his people. Stella caught Balin's name on a few occasions, and she supposed he was chanting about his deceased cousin. She had the urge to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but she knew full well that with the shock of pain, one often feels that they need to be in the company of themselves before seeking the comfort of others.
Gandalf, giving his hat and staff to a confused Pippin, had long abandoned the resting place of Balin and had taken to a large, dusty book from a cobwebbed skeleton. He began to read.
"They have taken the bridge and the second hall...we have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes...drums, drums in the deep," the grey wizard chanted, his face dark. He turned another withered page."We cannot get out...a shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out...they are coming."
A loud crash from behind them caused Stella's quickly beating heart to jump in her throat. The Fellowship whirled to see a wide-eyed Pippin fearfully staring back at them. The clangs of what he knocked down the well echoed for a long while. Stella frowned deeply. Any noise they made would alert whatever lurked in Moria that they arrived. And one hobbit probably just woke it up.
Gandalf slammed the book shut, barreling toward Pippin. He snatched his hat and staff from the cowering hobbit. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time to rid us of your stupidity!"
Pippin winced at his words. But before Gandalf could say anymore, thrums of thumping came from down the hall outside. Drums.
"Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at the sword sheathed in Frodo's belt. The weapon glowed blue.
"Orcs," Legolas spat from beside her, drawing his bow. The sound of yelps courses through the halls, sounding closer than Stella had originally thought. "And several of them."
"I hope you have enough arrows," Stella muttered from beside him, drawing her own bow. The elven prince offered her a small smile before his face turned steely. Boromir and Aragorn barred the door with the weapons of the fallen warriors.
The animalistic calls of the orcs grew louder. Stella flinched when the flimsy wooden door shuddered violently at the orc pack's force. She rubbed her index finger over the feathers of her notched arrow, calming the nerves flooding her insides.
It wasn't until the door split open that Stella's adrenaline overpowered her fluttering in her stomach. She fired shot after shot, the squeals of the orcs giving her the indication that she was hitting her marks through the hole in the wood. But that could only hold them for so long. Soon, the pack broke through the battered doors, splintering wood in all directions.
And that's when Stella knew they were screwed.
The orcs could only be properly described as the things from the nightmares of children. Foul creatures with sharp teeth, slimy complexion, and gurgling roars, the orcs looked like they came from the very pits of hell itself. It did not help that they also fought to the death, no mercy shown to even their own species.
The first few monstrous creatures barreled into the small room, some leaping onto Balin's tomb stone and howling wildly. One by one, the Fellowship took them down, arrows flying and swords glimmering in dark blood. Stella moved quickly, with the most grace she could muster. She shot at every orc that came into view, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
The orcs she could manage. But the vicious howl throbbing through the walls of Moria slowed her pace and made her eyes go wide in panic. Boromir cursed.
"Cave troll!" he shouted over the dying squeals of the orcs. For a small moment, Stella was caught off guard, surprised and utterly fearful of the cave troll. However, even if she slowed for a mere millisecond, that was enough time for a slimy orc to crash into her violently. The blow knocked her senseless and sent her sprawled on the ground. The dirty creature bared his teeth at her from where he stood, his fangs yellow. Frantic, she felt around for her bow to find it was thrown away from her when she hit the ground. The orc sniggered at her helpless state and sent his axe coursing down to deliver the final blow.
He was met with a sword through the middle.
Stella ground her teeth as the creature's weight slumped against her thin sword and had to muster all of her strength to throw the orc to the side. Dark blood stained her blade and splattered on her face. The elleth heaved herself up, staring down at the still-twitching monster.
"It's not nice to axe people," she spat, piercing her blade through the writing orc one last time. Stella's hand clenched her sword until her knuckles turned white and spun around, returning to the battle. She had bigger fish to fry. Namely, a cave troll.
Merry and Pippin were climbing the head of the rotund creature, sticking their small swords into the grey, cracking skin of the troll. It roared in protest, flinging the hobbits off it's flattened head and sending them sprawling onto the ground. Stella slid between the legs of an orc, slashing it's body in half as she went, to where her bow lay untouched on the floor. In one graceful motion, she notched an arrow and fired into the tough hide of the gruesome troll. It spun to her, it's eyes filled with an animalistic rage. She fired another shot.
Her attempts did not kill the beast, however. It took Legolas's arrow straight into the beast's mouth to send it tumbling forward, unmoving. She sent him a relieved glance as he moved to stand directly in front of her, gripping her arm lightly. Stella followed his gaze to see her inner forearm split, her own crimson blood seeping through her sleeve. She pulled her arm away, pressing it to her back.
From behind them, Sam cried out in anguish. "Frodo!"
Stella whirled to see the Ring-bearer slumped forward, a sharp object sticking through his chest. Her mouth dropped.
The rest of the Fellowship rushed to Frodo's side. Aragorn arrived first, lifting the hobbit from the ground. Stella held her breath, preparing herself for the nasty sight.
Yet, when Frodo was face up, his eyes were open and he was breathing steadily. He sent a weak smile to the company.
"Frodo...you're alive!" Sam gasped, rushing forward to embrace his friend. Aragorn let out a relieved laugh.
"But...how?" Merry asked, shocked at his friend's ability to stay alive after he was pierced through the chest.
Gandalf never tore his eyes from Frodo. "I believe that Frodo has a very special gift he neglected to tell us about."
The hobbit, released from his embrace with Sam, peeled back a layer of clothing to reveal a sliver shirt, beautifully woven and sparkling in the low light of the room. Instantly, Stella recognized the glimmering piece of armor. It was Mithril.
"My, you are a lucky hobbit," Stella said, smiling softly at Frodo. The hobbit returned the smile, covering his Mithril with his shirt. Aragorn helped him to his feet gently as more yelps coursed through the mines. The company looked worriedly at the doorway.
"Come," Gandalf said, hurrying out of the small tomb room. "We must take the bridge of Khazad-dûm!"
A chill rippled through Stella as the Fellowship ran at full speed after Gandalf. The shouts of the orcs grew louder with every step she took. The gruesome creatures slithered down the cracking columns like spiders closing in on their prey. Fear pitted itself in her abdomen. They weren't going to make it to the other side.
Orcs swarmed the company, circling them like hungry lions. Stella drew her bow and set her jaw, forcing her fear down. An orc in front of her snarled.
"I have the she-elf," the thing growled, baring it's teeth. Stella did her best not to squirm.
"Like hell you do," Stella said through gritted teeth. She tightened we fingers against the feathers of the arrow and the creature snarled again, stepping closer. She slid further into the Fellowship's small circle, the small of her back pressing against Legolas and Boromir.
Then, all of a sudden, the creatures stopped caging the company in. With yelps and howls, the orcs dispersed as quickly as they came. Stella glanced around in curious alarm. Down the hall, red light flooded the floor through the pillars of stone. Rumbles shook the ground from under their feet.
"What is this?" Boromir asked, horrified. The red light crept closer down the corridor.
Gandalf's shoulders slumped. "A demon from times of old. The Balrog."
From beside her, Legolas stiffened, his eyes filled with fear. Aragorn too looked scared, something that Stella had seen only once before, and that was when she fell unconscious after a blow to the head from a thug in Bree. This was not good in the least.
"We must go," Gandalf said, gripping his staff and turning in the opposite direction. Stella and the others rushed after him, taking long strides to a small passageway hidden by the shadow of a pillar. Gandalf ushered the Fellowship through. "Hurry!"
Boromir went first, followed by Legolas and Stella. The stairs crumbled beneath their feet, the red light illuminating the dirty path. Ahead of her, Stella saw Boromir stop and flail his arms. Legolas, caught his armor and bringing him to the ground. As the elleth neared, she saw the reason for Boromir's stumble was the weathered stone that had broken off much of the passage.
"Aragorn! The stairwell!" Gandalf shouted from behind them. He gripped Aragorn's shoulder. "Do as I say."
Aragorn nodded affirmatively, beckoning the rest of the Fellowship down a separate set of stairs. "Come, follow me!"
The long, disintegrating stairwell felt like it could crumble at any moment under their weight. Stone was falling out of dulled edges and much of the pieces were missing from the steep slopes. A large chunk was removed from the middle, cutting off their continuation down the steps.
In front of her, Legolas was the first to leap off the jagged step and onto the platform on the other side. Stella slowed, her eyes wide. The elf held out his arms to her.
"You must jump! I will catch you!" Legolas called, his eyes pleading. "Stella!"
No matter how hesitant she was, Stella sucked in a large breath, swinging her arms and springing from her step. Legolas caught her with ease, one arm wrapped around her middle and one around her shoulders. After a few stretched seconds, she released her hold around his neck and he released his.
"Thank you," she murmured, so low that she wasn't even certain he heard her. But by the way the light, minuscule smile graced his lips, she knew he did.
One after one, each company member followed her example. The hobbits were thrown first, then Boromir, with Gandalf leaping right after them. The stone groaned and crackled, chunks of loose rock breaking from the jagged ends of the last steps of the stairs, creating a bigger hole in between Gimli, Aragorn, and Frodo. Gimli jumped by himself, claiming that "Nobody throws a dwarf" and he could do it alone. However, he was a bit short on his landing, and Legolas stretched his arms out and grasped the dwarf's red beard to prevent him from falling. Gimli roared in complaint, but was able to gain his footing on the stone in a matter of seconds. Stella and Legolas pulled him to safety. But they could not help their friends on the other staircase.
A sickening crack sounded through their ears. Aragorn and Frodo looked at each other in panic as their stairwell started swaying. The old stone had split it's support system in half from the weight of the company and now, the stairwell was going to collapse, bringing the Ranger and the hobbit with it.
"Aragorn! Frodo!" Stella called out helplessly to her friends.
"It's alright Stella!" Aragorn shouted back, taking himself down a step and leaning forward. Frodo followed his example, and the swaying staircase slowly fell forward, connecting to the platform Stella stood on. The man and hobbit rushed off the broken stairs, into the relieved arms of the Fellowship.
Stella helped a stumbling Aragorn as the cries of the Balrog grew heat fanned their faces, causing buckets of sweat to drop down the foreheads of the Fellowship. The company raced across more stairs quickly, not quick enough for the demon that lived in the fires below.
The Balrog was immensely large with big round horns like a ram and an ash-black complexion. It's eyes flashed like fire licking at dry firewood. The smoke and flames encased it, making the heat even more unbearable. Stella kept running, as did the rest of her group, except for Gandalf. When they were safe on the other side of the bridge, the elleth peered back at the grey wizard raising his staff and shouting commands at the Balrog. It did not seem to be working, however, for it again roared, blowing scorching air in her face.
Gandalf slammed his staff against the stone. "You shall not pass!"
A flash of blue light shot through the fires of the Balrog. The demon placed it's large body onto the old bridge, roaring again. But the crumbling bridge could not fully support it's weight and cracked beneath the Balrog. The monster sank with one last bone-chilling roar.
The grey wizard turned away from the ruined bridge, facing the fearfully shocked company. His face was grim, sweat and silver hair sticking to his forehead.
Time seemed to continue in slow motion. For one moment, Gandalf stood facing the Fellowship, the next, he was gripping the jagged rocks for dear life.
"No!" Boromir exclaimed, starting forward. Aragorn's hand stopped him. Stella ground her teeth, shaking her head.
"Hang on! I am coming to get you!" Stella shouted. Aragorn turned to her as she began running, catching her arms and holding her back. She struggled against his hold. "Aragorn, let me go."
"No, Stella," Aragorn replied solemnly, keeping her body latched to his. "We mustn't."
The grey wizard struggled to push himself up, looking wildly at the rest of the Fellowship. His eyes were wide and his face hard. "Fly, you fools!"
Stella barely heard Frodo's anguished cries and felt Aragorn's tight hold as the wizard released his grip, sending himself tumbling into the abyss of fire and darkness.
GOSH THAT WAS SUPER LONG
But I hoped you liked it :)
What will be in store for the Fellowship? The world may never know...
R&R!
So long, farewell, and until next time.
-Halesie :)