First of all a great big thankyou to everyone who has either written a review or is now following this story, it means a lot. I would also like to thank the people that have given me some great ideas, regarding how they would like to see Arwens journey progress in the future. I will do my best to keep all of these in mind. An now onto the next chapter of the tale!
Her body ached liked never before, still she pushed it further to its limit. She knew that she was frightened but she could not act upon it, could not allow the fear to overcome her and transform her into the whimpering wreck that most men believed women would be in these situations.
The skirmish around Balins tomb had slowed them, however all ten of them still managed to keep up a good pace all hoping that the bridge was located in the direction that they were now headed.
She could still hear the orcs scuttling towards her in the darkness around them, reaching out to touch her from the depths, she hoped that it was just her imagination running away with her as usual.
Aragorn had positioned himself at the back of the party making sure that no one got left behind, so every few moments she made sure to look back, scared that one time she did he would be missing, lost to her like she had feared when the cave troll had struck him.
She wanted to go to him, to hold him. In his embrace everything would be alright, she felt as though she could overcome anything.
Instead her boots thudded against the hard floor, sending sharp pains up through her bruised body and up into the headache that was building on her brow.
Glancing upwards towards the columns that they were running through the middle of, she caught sight of a group Orcs scaling the side of the stone, like spiders navigating sheer surfaces with ease.
"They are above us," Legolas called out to the rest of them, having spotted them too.
"Keep together!" Boromir yelled towards the Hobbits who shuffled closer together in the middle of the group. All of them still held their weapons in their hands, but with the amount of orcs that she could see shuffling in the darkness around them she doubted that they would be able to hold them back for long. There were great shafts that were cut into the floor of the cavernous room and in a matter of moments orcs were pouring out of the mouth to add to the chase. Climbing up from below, scrabbling up the rock from some desolate pit.
A sharp pain rose up in her chest causing it to become harder to catch her breath, her feet still kept propelling her forward as though she was not the one controlling them but rather instinct had taken over. She tried to push on the pain with her free hand which eased it slightly, her eyes watering, she could not let it distract her.
It was only when she collided with Boromirs back that she looked up at their surrounding pursuers and her stomach felt like it had dropped down one of the pits. For as far as she could see there were orcs. On the ceiling, on the floors, climbing out from every dark crevice like a wave surging forward in all directions, them in the centre. This was it. After all they had gone through to get to this point this was the moment that they would go no further. This would be their final resting place, their bodies would be strewn among that of the dead dwarves who had been slain before them. The ten of them linked forever, tales would be told of their heroism, of their failure. Would her father or brothers come searching for her, to carry her body back to Rivendell to be laid to rest. If they did, would they lay Aragorn down beside her so they would be together till the end of time.
They were fully surrounded now, the circle becoming ever tighter as the orcs shuffled closer. The Fellowship arranged themselves so that they stood back to back , the four Hobbits remaining in the centre with her, Aragorn, Gimli, Boromir, Legolas and Gandalf acting like a barricade around them. She braced her feet against the stone floor, waiting for the impending attack. If this was the end then she would take as many of these creatures down along with her. She only hoped that she would be struck down before Aragorn, for she wanted to remember him as he had been and not for her last sight of him to be his bloodied corpse. Although that would be said for anyone of them, they were a mismatched lot but she had come to care, respect and trust all of them.
Legolas, one of her oldest friends. Gandalf the father figure of the group. Gimli the dwarf who tried to hide his emotions although it made him more endearing . Boromir who she had originally believed to be brash and ignorant had changed in her eyes to that of a brave warrior who had given courage to the rest of them. In the midst of them the Hobbits, all as innocent and pure as each other, they did not deserve the fate that lie ahead of them. They had been caught up in this war that had little to do with them. Still the Orcs would not spare them, they neither saw nor cared what was in their victims heart, they only cared for their own cruelty and malice to be administered. She knew it all to well, her mother had never recovered her spirits when she had been attacked and tortured by a group of orcs when she had travelled home from Lothlorien, but at least she had come away from her ordeal with her life.
The orc closest to her hissed, its black tongue licking along its cracked lips that were weeping from some kind of infection. Now it was a waiting game of who would be the first to attack prolonging the inevitable.
Out of the blackness behind the cascade of Orcs a fiery light began to shine. It was subtle at first and she paid it little attention, figuring it was maybe an orc carrying a torch at the back. However then a low rumble began to hum through her body like thunder in the distance.
The light was growing brighter, shining out in rays from behind the furthest columns, like sunlight breaking through the clouds.
The Orcs turned towards it too, reluctantly pulling their gaze away from their prey to focus on the light, the rumble that came with it growing steadily louder. Her stomach churned, the rumours that she had heard about what the dwarves had awoken, could this be the proof. The Orcs were moving once again but this time in the opposite direction, they scuttled back up the columns, back down below to the pit, hiding in the recesses. This did not bode well.
They all stood transfixed by the light, like moths to the flame. It grew ever closer, bathing more of the surroundings in its orange glow which looked out-of-place in this dark grey underworld, still she could not see the source. The rumbling grew louder still as a draft blew towards them, ruffling a few stray strands of her hair so that they tickled at her face, she did not brush them back instead she continued to stare. Most of the orcs had disappeared now, frightened by what was coming, obviously they knew the source well and what followed.
"What new devilry is this?" Boromir questioned, speaking his first words since they left Balins tomb, he half turned back to the others for a reply.
She knew what she believed it was, but she could not bring herself to say the words. Another rumble shook, reverberating up through her leather boots.
"A Balrog, a demon of the ancient world," Gandalf responded in a solemn tone, everyone turned towards him. Some knew what this meant, others did not. All of them however knew that this was bad news.
As if on que she heard a growl, quiet at first, building till it echoed all around them, the sound bouncing off the many columns to make it disorienting. The Balrog was where they were headed, now that it blocked the way where would they go.
"This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf muttered, although it sounded as though he was including himself in this observation. "Run!" He cried suddenly, leaping away from the group having recouped some of his energy. They all followed him in the same formation as before as he led them down the side of one of the columns and to a small wooden door that stood closed. He flung it open and motioned for them to go inside, waiting for them to pass him as he shepherded them in.
"Quickly," he shouted to Sam who was at the back of the Hobbits, still panting from their earlier sprint.
As she passed him she tried to make eye contact but he was looking behind her, fear stricken clearly over his wrinkled features. Beyond the door was a small staircase steep in its descent. She had to slow herself down as she reached it as she nearly toppled into the back of the Hobbits who were finding the deep steps treacherous. She wanted to shout at them to move faster, but she knew that any faster and they would surely misplace their footing and fall. Broken bones would be of no help, it was better to be careful.
In front of the Hobbits she could see Boromir and Legolas leading the way, that was when her heart came up into her throat. The staircase came to an abrupt end, and too focused on looking at his feet on the steps Boromir was headed straight for it. She panicked , there was not much time, she had to warn him.
"Boromir!" She screamed, praying that he heard her in time. His head snapped up as he did and she breathed a sigh of relief. However he was not stopping, the momentum from running down the stairs at speed caused him to slip on the dusty ground, his arms flailed wildly trying to slow himself, the sheer edge coming ever closer. He must have come to a stop with part of his foot over the edge for his balance shook back and forth for a moment, before Legolas lunged at their comrade from behind, grabbing him around his waist and hauling him backwards to the safety of the platform they were now standing on. As she descended the remaining stairs she was able to see the full scale of the room that they had come into. It was vast, and in the distance she could see many walkways and staircases going in all directions. The staircase they were on now had another path that veered off to the right, but their had once been a staircase that continued on from the edge Boromir had nearly fallen from. She could still see the jagged rock teeth that protruded which showed where it had fallen into the chasm below, down to lay in the fire . They would be in a lot of trouble if this was the case for any other staircases that they needed to cross to get to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
A hand on her shoulder made her turn away from the scene and look back, It was Aragorns, he did not look at her but past her to the expanse. His face showed concern, he had not expected there to be so much of the mine left to navigate it seemed. She lifted her own hand to rest on top of his, giving it a slight squeeze.
Behind him Gandalf was the last to join them, he leant on the stone wall for support trying to catch his breath. For a moment she had forgotten about the Balrog behind them having been captivated by their new surroundings. Now they were all back together Legolas moved back off down the staircase to the right, Boromir behind him and the Hobbits staying close to them. She reluctantly pulled away from Aragorn to resume her position in the formation right behind Sam with Gimli panting and wheezing as he followed her. As she turned the staircase out of view of Gandalf and Aragorn who were still on the platform she heard Aragorn called Gandalfs name.
"Lead them on Aragorn, the bridge is near," Gandalf responded though he sounded like a broken man which worried her. "Do as I say, swords are no more use here," Gandalf bellowed after a few moments, very strange for the wizard who never spoke to Aragorn in such a manner. Perhaps fear was making him appear brash as it affected all in different ways once it held them in its clutches.
A roar from above shook the foundations of the staircase, dislodging bits of rock and dust to rain down upon them, she only hoped that the staircase would stay attached to the rock face until they were long gone and not join the one that had fallen into the fiery pit. As the staircase straightened out she could see that the others in front of her had stopped. There was a section missing, broken away with either age or by something crashing down on top of it. Still the missing section was not too wide, with a bit of a run up they should all be able to get across safely. Legolas went first leaping nimbly across the gap and landing surefooted on the steps at the other side.
"Gandalf!" He called up to the others, hoping to get the members who would find the gap more of a challenge out of the way first. The old man took the leap in his stride however, landing as steadily on the other side as the elf before him.
A whistling sound took her by surprise and she looked up in amazement as a single arrow arched towards them and struck the stone where Gandalf had been standing only moments before. Without missing a beat Legolas notched an arrow in his own bow and returned fire. His arrow flew gracefully towards the stray Orc before imbedding itself deep into its skull. The orc swayed on the spot, and for a moment she thought it would not fall however its legs buckled and it soon found itself toppling over the edge head first into the pit below.
Boromir who was now at the front of the stair ledge, grabbed a hold of both Merry and Pippin before leaping to the other side. She marvelled at his strength, although small the Hobbits would still have been quite a weight to carry whilst jumping the gap. They landed safely, Legolas and Gandalf steadying the three of them.
"Sam," Arwen said to the Hobbit next to her and she held out her hand towards him. She would get the two of them across, He may have been a little heavier than Merry or Pippin but if Boromir could carry them both, then the least she could do was carry one. She heaved him up into her arms carrying him much like she had Frodo when she had removed him from Asaloth after the ford.
"Okay, on three," she whispered to him, below her Legolas and Boromir both had their arms outstretched ready to catch them, she only hoped that she made it that far.
"One...Two...Three!" She flung herself forward , her feet pushing off from the rough edge of the stone to propel her further. When she could feel that there was nothing beneath her she closed her eyes tight, waiting for either the impact after a long fall or the safety of the outstretched arms that awaited them. Luckily it was the latter and they encircled tightly around them both , steadying them.
"Are you alright?" Legolas asked her as he helped Sam down from her hold so that he could stand on the steps.
"I am fine," She replied but her attention was immediately focused back on the members who still had to cross.
Aragorn, Gimli and Frodo. Aragorn would not be able to carry both of his smaller comrades, Frodo would be no problem, but Gimli was slightly on the heavier side.
"Would you like me to throw you across?" She heard Aragorn sincerely ask the Dwarf, but Gimli simply gave him a look of astonishment before retorting.
"Nobody tosses a Dwarf," he said proudly before leaping towards the gap without even a run up to it.
For a moment it looked as though he would clear the gap, his feet landing just on the edge of the staircase, however then he began to tilt backwards loosing his balance as his feet slipped on the loose stone of the broken stairs. She gasped, being too far down the stairs to help. Without thinking Legolas grabbed for the teetering Dwarf and grabbed a hold of the first thing he could. His beard. He held on to it tightly trying to heave Gimli back up straight.
"Not the beard!" Was all the Dwarf could manage to sputter out, but she was sure that he would rather this than the plummet into the fiery chasm below. Once he had regained his footing Legolas put his arm around the Dwarfs shoulders and ushered him down the stairs to wait with her, Gandalf and the three Hobbits.
Only Aragorn and Frodo remained on the elevated staircase and were just about to make the jump when a horrific cracking noise echoed all around them. Stones on the underside of Aragorns staircase were coming loose, tumbling down to leave the stairs with no support. Reacting as fast as he could, Aragorn flung Frodo backwards further up the stairs away from the edge and then tried to leap after him, but it was too late.
A segment of the staircase fell from beneath him and he lunged forward just enough to grab a hold of the last stair that now remained.
She let out a scream without intending to, her heart in her mouth it seemed. Legolas and Boromir went to leap forward but it was no use, the gap between the two sides of the staircase was too wide now. There was no way that Aragorn, let alone Aragorn carrying Frodo would be able to make it across. Getting up from the place that he had been pushed, Frodo hurriedly came back down the stairs to help Aragorn pull himself up, grabbing at the folds of cloth of his coat as Aragorn kept a tight hold on a piece of rock that was protruding from the stone. His legs were still dangling precariously over the edge and she could not breathe as she watched him try to swing them up onto the stairs. He tried about three times before finally swinging his leg up to make contact with the stone, he used it to lever the rest of him up and rolled over to lay on his back. He lay there for a moment breathing heavily the exertion taking its toll before standing up to try and survey the new situation. She could breathe again but the problem of how they would get across now still loomed. Aragorn held tightly onto Frodo, keeping him close so that if anymore of the stairs should come away he would be able to act as quickly as before.
A roar from higher up in the room came booming down to meet them. The Balrog was in the chamber now, hot on their pursuit. It must have smashed through the wall to get in, as they had made their way through a narrow door. She looked upwards trying to catch a glimpse of the beast but she could not see it only the large chunks of stone that flew off of a large plateau up above. Stone.
"Look out!" She shouted, notifying the rest of them to the new danger. A large pillar of stone fell about a metre from where she was stood on the staircase and she tried her best not to push backwards away from it therefore pushing the Hobbits behind her. Instead she stayed put, feeling the wind fly past her as it fell.
"Aragorn!" Boromir cried, motioning to a gigantic slab of rock face that had broken away from the platform above them. It looked as though it fell unnaturally slow but that was most likely just an illusion because of its size. It was quite a way back from where Aragorn and Frodo stood , still everyone froze as it sheared through the staircase like a knife through warm butter. Now Aragorn and Frodo were completely cut off, stranded on a small section of staircase with nothing on any side of them. The section shifted slightly, the ancient foundation of stone beneath it crumbling and turning to dust now that the collapse had disturbed it further. The stairs swayed making Aragorn brace him and Frodo as best he could trying to keep their weight centred. She did not want to watch, scared she would witness their demise, however she could not rip her eyes away from them.
"Hang on," Aragorn yelled to Frodo over the sound of rock grinding on rock, the segment swaying backwards away from the rest of the fellowship. Stone continued to crack and spill away from the foundations and she found it hard to believe that there could be any left.
"Lean Forward," Aragorn instructed to the Hobbit and they shifted their weight, stopping the momentum of the rock and forcing it to go forwards instead. It had picked up some speed now and as the stairs arced towards the rest of them she had an awful image of it breaking the stairs the rest of them were on, leaving them all to topple down into the pit together.
"Come on," Legolas called, him and Boromir both standing with their legs and arms apart ready to catch the man and Hobbit. The segment made its way across the rest of the divide smoothly and as it collided with the other rock Aragorn and Frodo were flung forward into the arms that awaited them. The collision was not as bad as she had expected although it shook them enough that Pippin lost his footing and almost tumbled backwards. They had accomplished and succeeded this hurdle but they did not have time to celebrate, the Balrog was still coming for them, and the broken staircase was not likely to hold it back for long.
She turned on her heel, following Gandalf as he took lead of the procession once more. They flew down the rest of the intact staircase with ease and found themselves just where they wanted to be. The bridge stood not a stones throw away from them as they rounded a column. It was not as grand as she had expected, for a bridge which had such a proud name, but right now it looked to her like the best bridge in the whole of Middleearth. A glimmer of hope that they had made their way through the mines in one piece.
The Balrog was closer now, she could hear its movements as it raced after them, colliding with stone, crashing through doorways, there was not a moment to lose.
"Over the bridge, Fly!" Gandalf called to her, letting her take the lead. She powered on across the narrow bridge, trying her best not to look at the chasm that lay either side. She could not see the bottom and the height made her feel faint, though that could have been due to exhaustion taking over. When her feet were firmly planted on the solid surface of the other side she turned to face the others. The Hobbits were right behind her, then came Gimli, Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn, all of them made it over to safety. Gandalf however stood at the centre of the bridge his back to them as he faced the Balrog.
She was not sure what she had expected. She had heard rumours of what a Balrog was, but nothing could have prepared her for the monster that she saw before them. It was was like nothing she had ever seen , it towered above Gandalf, shrouded in smoke and fire. Its cloven hooves stepping their way on to the bridge. It had huge bull like horns that protruded prominently from its head, black as ebony. It roared again as it continued its way towards the wizard who still stood his ground a sword in one hand , his staff in the other. Out of its mouth flew sparks and she wondered if there was flesh under all the that fire or if it was molten to the core. How could they hope to defeat something constructed purely of flame.
"You cannot pass!" Gandalf commanded the beast, his voice booming as it echoed off of the cavern around him.
"Gandalf!" Frodo cried next to her, stepping forward but going no further.
Great wings unfurled themselves from behind the Balrogs back covering a huge expanse, more fire and ash swirling around it.
"I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor" Gandalf continued lifting his staff higher and the light radiating out from it increasing dramatically in brightness. It encircled him in its glow like a shield, she hoped that it would work as such.
"The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!" Gandalf shouted at the beast, shoving the tip of his staff towards it.
However the Balrog did not shy away, instead it lifted its own weapon up into the air, a sword hewn of flame conjured in its hands where moments before it had held nothing. It brought the sword down in a ferocious strike, the blade hitting Gandalfs as he parried the force. The beasts blade instantly shattered as it made contact with Gandalfs light and the fragments rained down above him. None of them however made it through. The Balrog let out another deafening roar which shook through her, it was becoming more enraged by the second. What should they do? The rest of the Fellowship stood still, wanting to help but not knowing how.
"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf bellowed with all of his might, as the beast conjured another weapon into its hand, this time in the form of a flaming whip. It brandished the whip in its right hand, flicking it out to reach into the darkness, the flames from the end of it licking at the walls. If it was trying to make itself look intimidating then it was working.
Gandalf however was not so impressed, raising both his staff and sword up above him he gathered all of his remaining strength to scream out.
" You... Shall... Not... Pass!" And with that he slammed the base of his staff into the surface of the bridge. The sound was as deafening as thunder and the light shone even brighter so that she had to squint in order to keep looking at it. When the rays receded however everything was much as it had been. Her heart sank, that looked like everything Gandalf had left in him. The Balrog took another step forward its nostrils flaring in anger. It was just about to take another when she heard the same cracking sound she had before, back on the staircase. Rock grinding against rock. The half of the bridge that was under the Balrog collapsed instantly falling away from the clean cut of rock that lay in front of Gandalf. The Balrog struggled, trying to push of from the stone but it was too late, it tumbled down into the black pit leaving a trail of flames and ash behind it. All of the fellowship resumed breathing although they had not been aware that they were all holding their breaths. Gandalf still stood transfixed watching the fiery demon fall as he supported himself on his staff, its roars and screams travelling their way up from the depths.
After a few seconds he turned towards them, his face looked pale and tired but nevertheless triumphant in what he had just accomplished. She was so happy to see him alive and well that she almost did not see the tip of the whip flick up to wrap around the wizards ankle and tangle in his robe. It pulled him swiftly off his feet, dragging him across the rough stone closer to the edge. he scrambled at the stone with his hands, managing to catch ahold of a ridge in the rock so that he would not be pulled any further.
Beside her Frodo rushed forward heading to the old mans aid, however Boromir lunged for him, holding him back from his rescue. Instead Aragorn headed off rushing across the stone, going as fast as he could.
"Gandalf!" Frodo screamed struggling against Boromirs tight grasp.
The other Hobbits were screaming now too, calling Gandalfs name, urging for him to hold on.
She looked back to the old man, all she could see of him was his face and arms. But there was something in his eyes that stared back at her that did not seem right, she saw the eyes of someone giving up.
"Fly you fools!" He called to them before releasing his grip and plummeting after the Balrog into the thick black below.
"Noooooo!" Frodo screamed, a scream of anguish that broke her heart. Aragorn had halted in his tracks staring at the space where the wizard had been holding only moments before.
Someone else was screaming, it was loud and painful. It took her a moment to realise that it was her.