Chapter 2- The Spies of Saroman
The Fellowship travelled for many more days, passing through forests and pastures, over hills and small mountains, no one but Cedric knew that Fern turn sixteen on the journey, birthdays had never been a big deal for them anyway.
Yet, the day dawned fair and peaceful, so much so that Gandalf decided they could afford to sit and rest for one day. Higher up the mountain, snow had settled but that didn't bother the group, knowing it was much to warm for the icy winds to reach them.
Sam had set up a small campfire as the others settled on the rocks, Boromer started teaching Merry and Pippin how to fight with their stout swords. Aragorn sat near by, smoking his pipe shouting encouragement to the two Hobbits, Gimli and Gandalf sat on a rock discussing their path, Cedric was helping Sam with the cooking, Frodo sat on a rock staring down the mountain and Legolas kept one eye on their surroundings and the other on Fern, who'd pulled a fiddle from her pack and sat cross-legged on a rock nearby tuning it.
He wasn't sure what it was about the young girl with flowing black hair and mismatched eyes but, ever since that night nearly a week ago, he found himself wanting to be near her, to learn more about her, to be with her. She intrigued him.
Setting the fiddle under her chin, she drew the bow across the strings, a joyful and lively melody filled the air and a few a few moments, Cedric began to hum along, before adding to the beat by drumming his hands on his legs. The steady beat of Mery and Pippins swords added life to the song and even Gandalf couldn't help smiling as the music swelled. Just as the melody reached it's peak, Fern stopped playing abruptly and sprang to her feet, eyes scouring the sky.
"Fern?" Cedric looked up at Fern. "What's wrong?" He frowned, Fern ignored him. "Legolas, do you see them?" She asked. "Spies of Saroman." Legolas nodded before grabbing Fern's hand and darting for cover, closely followed by the rest of the Fellowship, snatching up belongings and dousing the fire. From the bushes they watched the sharp turn of the cloud of birds as they flew back to their master.
Slowly, the Fellowship reappeared from their hiding places, senses on high alert. "Spies of Saruman! The path South is being watched." Gandalf scowled. "We must take the Pass over Caradhras."
Reluctantly wrapping their cloaks tighter about themselves, the Fellowship began to climb towards the snowy peek. The long grass and rock formations gave way to thick snow and howling winds.
About half way up, Frodo stumbled and went rolling back down the mountain, Aragorn helped him up and Frodo felt around his neck for the ring. It lay a few feet up the slope, glittering in the snow.
Boromir bent down and retrieved it, he held it up, allowing it to hang limply from his fist. "It is a strange fate we should suffer, so much fear and doubt..." He said quietly. "Over so small a thing. Such a little thing." He reached out with a gloved hand to touch it, a dark look in his eyes.
The rest of the Fellowship turned to see why they'd stopped. "BOROMER!" Fern's loud voice rolled across the mountain. "Give the ring back to Frodo."
Behind her back she'd drawn one of her daggers, Boromer looked up sharply. "As you wish." He nodded and walked down to Frodo. "I don't care." He held it out and Frodo snatched it, Boromer laughed quietly and tousled Frodo's hair. Aragorn let go of his sword hilt and Fern slipped the dagger back into it's scabbard.
They battled their way up the mountain through a ragging wind and blistering cold. "Fern! Can't you do anything about this bloody wind!" Cedric yelled, waist deep in snow, his voice sounding very far away despite his proximity. "No!" Fern bellowed, even her voice almost lost to the wind. "It's not made by my father or any wind spirit! It's unnatural!" She winced as the end of her braid smacked her in the face.
As Gandalf cut a path though the snow with the end of his staff, Legolas stepped lightly over the snow, sharp eyes and ears alert. "There is a foul voice on the air!" He called back to the others.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf bellowed as several large rocks tumbled from the mountain top and the Fellowship pressed themselves against the mountain side to avoid getting knocked off the mountain. "He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn yelled at the wizard. "We must turn back."
Gandalf shook his head. "NO!" He stepped out onto the ledge and started yelling his own spell to the air. "It's not going to work." Fern muttered to Cedric. Proving her theory right Gandalf's voice was drowned out by the raging wind. Lightning flashed in the sky. "Legolas!" Fern yelled to the elf. "Give me a hand up!"
Grasping her outstretched arms, Legolas pulled her from the snowdrift, she perched on the snow, leaning heavily on air as she turned her palms to the sky, fingers splayed. She closed her eyes in concentration, speaking her own enchantment. The unnatural lightning began to lessen slightly along with the wind.
Saruman's voice grew louder, the wind and snow whipped up again, the mountain groaning in response. Fern tightened her fists pushing the wind back, or at least trying to, after a few more minuets she collapsed on the snow, panting for breath, face pale. Lightening cracked overhead, reaching out towards the mountain. Fern struggled to her feet, and tried to leap off the mountain into the air to stop the lightning from hitting the mountain.
Legolas pulled her back, she collapsed against his chest as he hauled her back against the rock wall. Rock and snow fell upon the Fellowship, burying them in several foot of snow.
For a moment all anyone could see was white. Then Legolas' head burst through the blanket of snow, Fern gasping for air next to him, Boromir appeared, hoisting two Hobbits above his head, then Aragorn with the other two, Gandalf appeared holding Cedric by the scruff of his shirt, a deep cut down his cheek was bleeding.
"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir yelled against the raging cold wind. "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" He urged, clutching Mery and Pippin to his chest.
"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn argued, reluctant to take the Ring anywhere near Gondor.
"If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it." Gimil turned to Gandalf. "Let us go through the mines of Moria." The dwarf said, firm determination in his eyes.
After a moment of thought Gandalf said. "Let the Ring bearer decide." He said reluctantly.
Boromir yelled through the snow storm to Frodo. "We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!" Indeed, Merry and Pippin were huddled together under one of his arms looking almost frozen to death. "Frodo?" Gandalf looked at the half frozen Hobbit, urging him with his mind not to chose Moria.
"We go through the mines." Frodo said, thinking it was the safest way they could go. "So be it." Gandalf nodded grimly. "Does this mean no more snow?" Cedric shivered as they turned south. "Yes." Sam grinned slightly. "Excellent. I can count my toes later." The boy grinned, though his teeth were still chattering from the snow.
"Are we almost there?" Sam half moaned as they turned in to a cave. "Yes young Hobbit." Aragorn smiled slightly. "Good." Sam sighed, rubbing Bill's muzzle fondly.
They emerged on the over side of the cave, looking out onto a dark lake. "The wall of Moria!" Gimli exclaimed, gazing at in wonder. It was a short walk to the other side if the lake where Gimli began knocking his axe against the wall. The Fellowship followed his lead, knocking various things against the immovable wall.
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf explained, feeling his way along the wall. Gimli grunted huffily. "Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf's staff bounced back on the rock.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Gimli glared at him. "All secrets are forgotten in time." Cedric said, smacking his sword hilt against the rock. Frodo slipped slightly and his foot dipped into the cold water's of the lake, with a short gasp he puled his foot out.
Gandalf stopped between two trees and ran his hand over the smooth rock surface between them, looking for something. "If Hazel was here she'd find the door in a second." Cedric groaned. "She's the daughter of Pluto, what would you expect her to do?" Fern rolled her eyes. "And besides, she's not here. It's just us."
Ahead of them Gandalf was speaking, running his hand over indents in the rock. "It mirrors only starlight, and moonlight." Gandalf turned slightly to look at the clouded moon, Fern flicked her wrist, causing the wind to shift the clouds past the shimmering moon causing the silver lines on the rock to glow brightly.
"'The Doors of Durin — Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'" Gandalf read the elfish across the top of the door's arch, his staff following the words. "And what does that mean?" Pippin asked brightly.
"Oh it's simple, if you're a friend you tell the door the password and it opens." Gandalf explained before placing the end of his staff on the door, chanting an Elvish spell.
"I have a feeling." Fern muttered to Legolas. "That we'll be here for a while." She perched herself on a rock, as far away from the lake and the mine entrance as possible, Gandalf tried to open the door in a different language.
"I have a feeling that you're right." Legolas sighed and hopped on to the rock next to her. "I am not looking forward to this." Fern muttered, glancing uneasily at the door, nibbling her lip. "Why?" Legolas frowned. "Don't like caves, or the dark." Fern shrugged. "Or any kind of underground passage."
"Demigod thing?"
"Nope, child of Zeus thing. We belong in the sky, not in the ground. Should be fine though, hopefully won't take long to get though the mine."
"Four days, at best." Legolas promised. "Yay." Fern said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Aw, come on Fern." Cedric grinned from the tree nearby. "We spent two weeks lost in the tunnels under the school last Christmas, remember?"
"Yes, remember how ill I was after?"
"True, but you got better." Cedric grinned, Fern groaned in exasperation, giving up the argument. Just then Gandalf threw down his staff and hat, making Fern jump in surprise. "Oh its useless!" The water rippled menacingly, Boromir and Aragon eyed it warily as Frodo stood, head cocked to the side in puzzlement. "It's a riddle." He said, eyeing the Elvish words. "What's elvish for friend?"
"Mellon." Legolas said, oblivious to the increasing ripples in the water. The stone doors swung open and cautiously, the Fellowship entered Moria. Moonlight filled the chamber as Gandalf fitted a crystal in the end of his staff, blowing on it slightly to give it light.
"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin." Gimli boasted to Legolas, longing in his eyes.
"I could do with a roaring fire right about now." Merry said. "Aye." Cedric nodded. "And they call in a Mine! A Mine!" Gimli said loudly, outraged, his voice carried, echoing in the empty. "This is no mine." Boromir agreed, eyeing the dusty shadows and suspicious piles on the floor.
"This is a tomb." He realised as Gandalf's crystal lit up the floor, broken and crumbling bodies were scattered along the floor, arrows in chests and backs.
Fern squeaked slightly, pulling her hand back sharply from a spider web, thinking of the giant spiders in the forest at school. "Good job the Athena kids aren't here." Cedric said. "Yeah." Fern nodded grimly, wiping the slippery web off on her leggings.
Legolas bent down and pulled an arrow from a nearby dwarf corpse, after inspecting it he threw it aside in disgust. "Goblins." He spat, Fern and Cedric shared a look.
"Goblins wouldn't hurt a sole, unless you tried to steal something from them." Cedric frowned. "They manage our banks." Fern agreed. "What's a bank?" Aragorn asked. "Never mind, tell you later." Cedric promised, drawing his sword.
Aragorn and Boromer followed suit, Legolas and Fern fitted arrows into their bows and Gimli raised his axe. "We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here." Boromer said urgently, the four Hobbits backed towards the door. "Now get out of here, get out!" Boromer yelled, swinging round and running towards the door.
A tentacle snaked out the water and grasped Frodo's ankle. The hobbit yelled as he was pulled back, high above the water.
"Strider!" Sam yelled to Aragorn, wanting to help is friend but knowing he was too small to do anything. "Help!" Frodo yelled, thrashing in the grasp of the beast.
"Stay there." Cedric shoved the Hobbits behind the door, his sword gleaming inn the moon light, Boromir and Aragorn joined him in the water, slashing at the tentacles. Lightning sparked at the end of Fern's arrow as it was loosed, the beast shook slightly as the electrocuted arrow pierced the tentacle reaching for Boromir.
Arrows flew from the bows of the two archers, as Boromir and Aragorn freed Frodo. "Into the mine!" Aragon yelled, helping Boromir haul Frodo to shore. Fern and Legolas scurried backwards, arrows flying from bow stings before turning to run after the others into the darkness.
The beast rose from the water, arrows patrouding from it's eyes and head. It's tentacles supported it as it charged at the mine, the doorway too small for it as the rock crumbled under it's weight, blocking the outside world from the Fellowship. "Lumos Maximus." The end of Cedric's wand burst with light. "Wizard." He pointed to himself when the Fellowship looked at him in surprise, Fern quickly followed suit, the combined glow of the staff and two wands lit the path of the fellowship on their long trek through the mines of Moria.