Authors Note: Thank you for all the great reviews, they definitely give me the motivation to carry on with the story. I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter.
The inky blackness consumed everything around them. It did not seem likely that it was getting any lighter, so she assumed that their eyes were adjusting. The Hobbits were tripping over the loose stones and furniture less and less. Most of them remained silent, heeding Gandalfs warning and trying to stay undetected. Although every so often someone would think they saw something move in the gloom, or ask about an item they saw strewn across the floor. They did not however speak about the countless Dwarves who still littered the floors. Gimli she noted, tried his best not to pay attention to them and he blinked back moist eyes whenever they came across a new batch.
After a while of undistinguishable time they came to a great cavern. A small stone walkway was carved, snaking its way across the chasm below. They would have to go single file, if this was the right way. She felt the unease rise in her. None of them would be happy letting the hobbits walk alone. They had constantly shielded them since the incident with the beast, and single file up high like this would leave them exposed.
Luckily Gandalf carried on around the side of the cavern wall, the path of which narrowed aswell. Ladders and iron chains covered the dark walls and made their way down into the pit below, swaying in the breeze created from within the chasm, clanking them together. Pickaxes and buckets littered the walkway and at one point she had to grab Sams arm as he fell forward over the shattered remains of a pail.
They had the sheer wall on one side of them which comforted her. It meant she only had to worry about the side of the pit, and what lingered below.
Gandalf lead the way, the light from his staff shining along the rock face giving it and iridescent hue. The company came to a halt as Gandalf stopped at an outcrop of stone. He rested his hand upon it and then she noticed the dark silver veins that were underneath. Mithril veins.
"The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels...but Mithril," Gandalf told them, tracing his finger down one of the prominent veins, before tilting his staff towards the pit to illuminate more of the ore and confirm her suspicions.
It was quite a sight to behold. Staring over into the glowing pit she could feel the expanse of the mine. Rows upon rows of ropes, chains, scaffolding and ladders entwined down and then out of view.
Beside Sam, Merry leaned further forward, trying to see the bottom which would be well out of their view. Aragorn moved as if to stop him but Pippin got there first, he pushed his hand against Merry's chest stopping him from leaning out further.
They must have stood there for about five minutes, observing this rare beauty and getting a small break from walking when Gandalf resumed, taking his staff with him. She watched as this allowed the darkness to slither back in to the crevices below.
"Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him," Gandalf said to Gimli who was directly behind him.
"Oh that was a kingly gift ," Gimli exclaimed with a gasp.
"Yes, I never told him but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire," Gandalf continued, causing Frodo to give out a gasp of his own.
The stone path soon led them upwards and away from the pit, till they came to the bottom of a steep staircase. Gandalf checked behind him to see that none of the company had been left behind or had wandered off before he started their ascent.
The steps had no form of regularity, some of them were little more than an inch high, whilst other required the hobbits and Gimli to scramble up onto the new ledge. She helped Sam up to the higher ones, lifting him as best she could with Boromirs assistance . Aragorn who was further up the line had a harder time, Helping to push Gimli up who was ahead of him, before turning to pull up Frodo, Merry and Pippin behind him. She could hear Boromirs laboured breathing behind her, he was getting tired, as were they all. The stairs it seemed went ever on.
Over time, the stairs became more uniform, the same depth as the one before. But the incline grew ever steeper, until they were climbing the stairs more like ladders, using their hands to steady themselves through fear of falling backwards. Her arms and legs ached and every so often she had to pause just to give them a slight reprieve.
"Are you alright?" Boromir asked behind her.
"I am fine thank you" She replied, before flexing her hands ready to start off again. "And you?" she asked returning the gesture.
"Well, if I never see another stair again... it will be too soon," He replied with a smile.
She laughed , turning back to check that Sam had not gone too far ahead.
"Could not have said it better myself, " Legolas called up from the back of the line, before the three of them moved off once more.
It did not take her long to catch up with Sam, who was leaning against the stairs panting heavily when she drew near.
Putting her hand on his leg she gave it a squeeze "Come on Sam, the stairs can not go on forever," she tried to assure him, despite her own grievances with them.
Suddenly she heard the sound of someone slipping in front of her, kicking free a mass of grit and loose stones behind them which showered down around her and the others. They coughed and spluttered, having all been looking upwards at the time to see what was going on.
"Pippin," She heard Merry scold from ahead.
"Are you all aright?" Aragorn called down to them, obviously concerned by their coughing in unison.
" We are fine" Boromir replied for all of them, signalling them to move off once again.
She wasnt sure how long they were climbing for, but after what seemed like an eternity they finally reached a platform. She straightened up when she reached the top, stretching out her muscles in her back which had been hunched over for too long on the climb. Boromir did the same, whilst Legolas walked towards her surveying their new surroundings.
Gandalf was stood on a higher piece of the platform in front of three huge passages that led off in different directions. He looked at each in turn studying them.
"Ow, my hands," Pippin said lifting his hands up to view them in the dim light. They were red raw where he had slipped on the hard stone and he tried to pick out any of the bits of debris that clung to the scuffed skin.
"I hope after all that we went the right way, I don't think I could manage to go down all those stairs," Sam said to Frodo, who nodded in agreement.
Gimli was sat on the floor over near the ledge to the higher part of the platform, he was breathing loudly ,his chest heaving in and out trying to get his breath pattern back to normal.
Aragorn came over to her, Legolas and Boromir a sheen of sweat covered his brow and dampened his hair through all the exertion. But she remembered thinking in that moment that he never looked more handsome.
"Everyone alright here?" He asked, taking a drink from his water-skin and then handing it to her. Their fingers touching for an instant in the exchange.
She nodded, pulling the cork out of the top and taking a large gulp of the warm water, trying to quench her thirst and dry mouth.
"Please tell me we went the right way," Boromir said , flicking a chunk of stone that had been caught on a piece of his cloak, over the edge of the platform.
Looking back towards Gandalf who still stood in front of the three doorways, Aragorn hesitated.
"I am sure he is just checking that he does not take the wrong path," He said, but it sounded as though he was trying to convince himself of this fact just as much as Boromir.
They all waited, staring in the wizards direction, two Elves, two Men, four Hobbits and one heavily panting Dwarf. Inside them all a small part of them screamed in tiredness and anger when at last the wizard spoke.
"I have no memory of this place," He said.