A/N: So sorry for the wait, I've been out of the country for a couple weeks. I'm back home where there's reliable internet connection again though, so I'll be updating again.
Thank you for the reviews and story alert adds. c:
It made my day everytime I got one.
Gimli, son of Gloin, was already grumpy enough traveling with one elf—and now another one? And a she-elf at that. He didn't doubt she could handle herself, judging by the various daggers and blades she carried on her, not to mention the mahogany bow strapped across her back and the quiver full of arrows, but even so. She was a she-elf. Since her brothers had left back the way they came, she had mostly kept to herself, her face thoughtful and her arms crossed across her chest. Gimli didn't even think she had slept the night before after Aragorn had put out the fire—she was awake when Gimli had gone to sleep and she was awake when he had woken up.
She spoke to the other elf plenty though. Gimli snorted. From what he understood, they weren't even from the same areas. But they were elves, of course they were in cahoots with each other.
She could smile though, and a pretty little smile it was. Gimli saw it when she spoke to the Hobbits, or when Aragorn told her something she found to be funny. It looked much more natural on her face than the serious expression she wore by herself.
"Gandalf," he turned to the wizard, who grunted in acknowledgement. "What are we doing with this she-elf here? If she's getting all worked up and crying over just being here, I don't know if I trust her going into battle. I don't want a simpering girl watching my back." He paused. "Come to think of it, for Rivendell's finest warriors, I wasn't real impressed by the brothers either. They were too upset about leaving her here."
Gandalf puffed out a small smoke ring from his pipe. "Miraleth is the babe of the House of Elrond, and they treat her and protect her as such. Elrohir and Elladan are by far the worst offenders of this, and leaving her here on the path to Mordor where she is unsafe was perhaps one of the most difficult things they have ever had to do."
"But look at her! She's so little. Scrawny, even," Gimli scoffed, not noticing Gandalf's raised eyebrows at hearing a comment such as this from a Dwarf, who was by far the shortest of the Fellowship. "Can she even lift a sword?"
Gandalf only glanced at the dwarf and continued to puff on his pipe. "Oh, you want Miraleth on your side in battle, believe me, Master Dwarf, and you'd do well to remember that in the future."
"Miraleth, come and eat something," Samwise Gamgee called over to the edge of the cliff, where Miraleth continued to sit. He was loyal and sweet, Miraleth had quickly learned, and always willing to look out for everyone else, including her.
She turned and smiled at him. "Thank you, Sam," she stood and took the plate of sausage, potatoes, and bread from him. After their first night of traveling when Aragorn had made a rather bleak-tasting rabbit stew, the Hobbits had taken over the duty of cooking, Legolas had told her. And while she and Legolas were not used to the savory, spiced flavor of the Shire's cuisine, it was still better than Aragorn's rabbit stew.
Miraleth followed the sounds of clanging metal to where Boromir was teaching Merry and Pippin to handle swords. "1…2…3…4!" Boromir counted each of his swings, which Merry parried. "Good! Very good!" Boromir laughed and turned to do the same for Pippin.
"Move your feet," Aragorn said around his pipe.
"That's good, Pippin!" Merry said.
"Now faster!" Boromir grinned and advanced immediately. It went on like this for a time, with Boromir shouting out words of encouragement and Aragorn offering helpful advice.
Miraleth was drawn back in when Pippin dropped his sword with a pained, "Agh!"
Boromir's eyes widened. "Sorry!"
But Pippin ran forward and kicked him in the shin, and Boromir fell to his knees. "Get him!" Pippin shouted, and Merry knocked him over with his sword. The two Hobitts tackled Boromir to the ground.
"For the Shire!" Merry shouted as they laughed. Miraleth was clapping her hands as she glimpsed a wisp of something dark from the corner of her eye. Curious, she stood and took a few steps. She squinted and held her hand up to shield the sun as her smile faded.
"What is that?" Sam asked Legolas, who had gone to stand at the edge of the cliff face to stare at the mass of black as well.
"Nothing," Gimli waved it away. "It's just a wisp of cloud."
The raucous laughter from the sparring match had died down, and Boromir had fought to his feet. "It's moving fast," he said anxiously. "Against the wind."
Frodo tugged on Miraleth's arm. "What do you see?"
"It's not a cloud," Miraleth shook her head and began to back away. "It's—"
"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted.
"Hide!" Aragorn yelled, and the camp was thrown into movement. Boromir shouted for Merry and Pippin to hide the packs in some brush, and Sam put out the fire while Aragorn shouted for everyone to take cover. Legolas grabbed Miraleth by the arm and ran with her to another bit of brush. They threw themselves into it and tugged the branches down above them.
Not three seconds later, the darkness reached them, and Miraleth could see that it was a cloud—a cloud of crows. They cawed and cried and flew as low as the ground, sharp talons and wicked eyes gleaming. It seemed that they were crouching in the brush for an age until the crows finally flew off, satisfied with the emptiness of the campsite.
As soon as they were gone, Miraleth turned to Legolas and none too lightly smacked him on the arm.
"What was that for?"
"A simple please would have sufficed. There was no need to grab me." She complained and left their hiding spot.
Gandalf had crawled out from behind his rock and everyone crowded in a circle around him. "Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched." He cast his eyes around the Fellowship before turning his gaze towards the snowy mountains behind him. "We must take the Pass of Caradhras." Gandalf gestured for the Hobbits to collect the packs from the brush and started for the mountain.
Miraleth could do nothing but watch in disbelief. "We must take the Pass of Caradhras." They were taking Caradhras Pass
"What's wrong with you, she-elf?" Gimli grunted as he passed her.
She shook her head. "My father is a very clever man."
"Oh? And why's that?"
She could have laughed. "Because Caradhras Pass brings you straight to the northern border of Lothlórien." She was going to hug her father when she saw him again. She was not on the road to Mordor after all.
They spent the remainder of the day getting up the side of Caradhras to take the snowy, perilous pass. By the afternoon, the Hobbits were winded from trudging through the snow at the high altitude. At one point, Frodo had fallen and nearly rolled off the side of the peak they were on until Aragorn stopped him. When Frodo stood again, he felt his chest with both his hands, growing more and more panicked until he saw Boromir holding a chain. Miraleth had completely stopped in her tracks, her heart beating fast as Boromir eyed the One Ring.
"Boromir," Aragorn had said, but Boromir had ignored him, with eyes only for the Ring.
"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing," Boromir had whispered so quietly Miraleth almost couldn't hear him. He brought the Ring closer to his face and reached up to touch it. "Such a little thing…"
"Boromir," Aragorn snapped again, and Boromir turned his gaze away from the Ring just as Miraleth's hand was wandering toward her blade. Boromir looked at Aragorn, half-dazed and half-confused. "Give the Ring to Frodo," Aragorn lowered his voice, but the warning tone remained.
After a moment of hesitation, Boromir put on a shaky smile and held the silver chain out to Frodo. "As you wish," he said lightly. "I care not." After a tenuous moment of being under Aragorn's dark gaze, Boromir chuckled and reached out to ruffle Frodo's hair.
They started moving again. But Miraleth ran up to where Gandalf led the Fellowship. "I do not trust him," She whispered anxiously. "His soul aches for the One Ring, Mithrandir, you can see it on his face everytime he looks at it."
"Oh, it is his heart's deepest desire," Gandalf agreed nonchalantly, as if they were conversing on the weather. "But he would be a fool to try and take it here with all of us sworn to protect Frodo, and he knows it."
"But a fool he is," Miraleth hissed.
Gandalf smiled crookedly at her from under the brim of his hat. "Aren't we all, my dear?"
Miraleth had no reply for that and she fell back to where the other three Hobbits trudged through the snow to keep a hand on their backs so they would not fall. "Come on, little Hobbits," she murmured. "No slowing down now."
But they did slow down. The higher they got up Caradhras, the harder the snow fell, the harsher the wind blew, and the colder the air grew, until Boromir and Aragorn were carrying the Hobbits on their backs and Gimli was fighting his way through the snow with his axe, unleashing battle cries with every swing.
"Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse!" A distant voice traveled through the air, harsh and malevolent.
"Legolas!" Miraleth called from where she led Bill, the pony, through the blizzard.
"I hear it!" He called back.
"What? What do you hear?" Gimli shouted, his head barely visible above the snowy ground he was buried in.
"There is a foul voice on the air," Legolas said and looked out towards the south, eyes searching for a source.
"Nai yarvaxea rasselya!"
Miraleth shuddered at the ancient words. She would hate to feel the soul of one who spoke such terrible magic.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf shouted just as there was an earsplitting crack from above them. They pressed themselves against the side of the mountain and the Hobbits yelled as snowy rocks fell from above them.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn yelled through the wind and snow.
Miraleth braced her hand upon the stone of the mountainside and immediately wanted to push herself away. The mountain's cruelty and anger reverberated throughout her and she felt her stomach churn. "Gandalf!" She shouted. "Caradhras is cruel and Saruman is only feeding it strength! Speak back or we will perish in this blizzard!"
"Do not bother trying to calm it!" Aragorn waved her off. "We must turn back!"
"No!" Gandalf roared stubbornly and dragged himself to stand, fighting against the harsh wind. "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i'ruith!" He commanded into the wind against Saruman's voice.
But Saruman was powerful, and had the strength of Sauron behind him."Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse! Nai yarvaxea rasselya taltuva notto-carinnar!" His voice only seemed to grow louder and at last, a bolt of lightning struck the top of the mountain, and a wave of ice and snow crashed upon them.
Miraleth saw only white, and felt only the icy burn of Caradhras against her skin. When she finally clawed her way to the surface, Legolas was the first person she saw, and then Frodo and Sam, gasping and coughing and nearly blue in the face from the cold.
"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir urged Gandalf. "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West Road to my city!"
Aragorn looked as if he wanted to hit Boromir. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"
Gimli shook his axe and looked between Aragorn and Gandalf. "We can't pass over the mountain. Let us go under it! Let us go through the mines of Moria!" Gandalf stilled at this and regarded Gimli with a troubled face.
"What?" Miraleth shook her head. She couldn't believe they were even speaking about Moria. Her father had told her about what the Dwarves had awoken there in the depths of the mithril mines. "Gandalf, we cannot pass through Moria!"
"Eh, what do you know? You're an elf!" Gimli frowned at her. "My cousin Balin will give us a welcome fit for kings!"
She shook her head at the stubborn Dwarf, her face set. "You will not find your cousin Balin there, Master Dwarf."
Before Gimli could begin to think on her words, Gandalf spoke. "Let the ring bearer decide."
Frodo Baggins was silent for a moment as he squirmed under the weight of the decision. Clearly, there was something in Moria that Gandalf and Miraleth wanted desperately to avoid, and they were, without a doubt, the two members of the party that Frodo trusted most with matters of knowledge.
"We cannot stay here!" Boromir yelled through the silence, reminding Frodo that he didn't have all day to decide. "This will be the death of the Hobbits!"
And then Frodo shivered and he looked at his fellow Shirefolk, who were close to passing out from the cold, and he gazed apologetically at Miraleth and Gandalf.
"Frodo?" Gandalf's voice was gruff.
Frodo hesitated before speaking, but whether that was because of a guilty conscience or the cold freezing his tongue to the roof of his mouth, he couldn't tell. "We will go through the mines," He said when he had found his voice again.
A shadow fell over Gandalf's face and Miraleth turned away, but the ring bearer had decided. "So be it," Gandalf uttered.
They made their way down the mountain carefully, aware that it could collapse on them at any second, and once they were past all the snow, Aragorn and Boromir put the Hobbits down to walk for themselves, and after handing Bill's reins over to Boromir, Miraleth resumed her position behind the four Hobbits, keeping a gentle hand at their backs and coaxing them along when they slowed down.
Finally, just when it was growing dark and Merry was trying to hide yawns in his hands ("Are you yawning, Merry?" "What? No, no…I was simply, erm, stretching my mouth, that's all…mind your own mouth, Pippin.") Gimli stopped in his tracks and pointed at the stone in front of them. "The walls of Moria!" He exclaimed, awed.
Now that Miraleth looked upon the stone mountainside as a wall, it was gigantic, bigger than any house or building she had ever seen before. Her eyes traveled up and up, higher and higher, but she couldn't even begin to see the top of the stone before it was hidden by clouds. Gimli rambled on to anyone who would listen about the mystical wonders of Moria until they finally reached the rock face. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed, you know," He tapped the stone with his axe, proud of his race.
"Yes, Gimli," Gandalf grumbled irritably as he and Aragorn and Legolas felt along the wall for some sort of crack or crevice. "Their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas scoffed and turned to look at Gimli, who waddled off and grumbled about the incompetence of elves. "Does that surprise you, Miraleth?"
"Not at all," She shook her head, still grumpy from being dragged—literally; She had not budged from the snowy pass of Caradhras until Aragorn dragged her by the arm—to the mines of Moria that she so feared. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and her head was reeling with the feeling that something was not right. Legolas said it was just from knowing she was going to be underground, away from her beloved sunlight and the fresh air she had breathed all her life. She did not think so, but the thought certainly hadn't helped.
There was suddenly a splash of water, and Frodo yelped and gasped, his eyes traveling the surface of the still pool they had been walking alongside. "Come along, little Hobbit," Miraleth pulled him away from the murky waters, not liking the way the shadows moved in its depths. "Stay away from the water."
"Ah!" Gandalf gasped at last when they reached the end of the wall. He ran his hand over a flat section of stone, fingers splaying across faint, silvery lines that were barely visible underneath the coating of dirt above them. "Now…let's see…Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight," he muttered to himself and turned to look up at the cloudy night sky. "And moonlight." He made a gesture at the clouds and they faded away to let the moon shine upon them. There was a cracking sound and the silvery designs lit up, glowing beneath the moon, revealing an arched doorway with Elvish inscribed at the top.
Gandalf stepped back with a smile, happy with his handiwork. He pointed to the Elvish with his staff. "It reads, 'The door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'"
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.
"Well, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak a password, and the doors will open," he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He braced the head of his staff at the center of the door and spoke. "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!"
The door did not move or react in any way.
"Hmm?" Gandalf mumbled to himself for a bit before raising his hands and trying again.
"Why is he speaking in Elvish? Of course it's not going to open, it's a door of Dwarves," Gimli rumbled.
Miraleth smiled triumphantly, glad to see him frown at something after forcing her to take the path through Moria. "Yes, but who do you suppose made the invisible doors of Dwarves? Magic has never been a strong suit of mine-folk, Master Dwarf."
"Lasto beth lammen!" Gandalf was commanding again. Still nothing happened.
"Nothing's happening," Pippin announced. Aragorn shushed him as Gandalf leaned and pushed his weight against the doors.
"I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves, Men, and Orcs," Gandalf complained, frustrated, and ran his hands along the doors looking for a clue to offer itself up.
"What are you going to do then?"
"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took, and if that does not shatter them, then I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions!" Gandalf snapped, and Pippin shrank a bit as his face paled. "I will try to find the opening words," Gandalf lowered his voice to pacify Pippin, but his brow was still furrowed in agitation when he set himself to the task of using what seemed like every Elvish phrase he knew to open the doors.
"Aragorn told you to hush, Pippin," Merry whispered and hit him upside the back of his head.
Meanwhile, Aragorn and Sam were unloading all the packs from Bill the pony, who had grown more and more restless the further through Caradhras Pass and the closer to Moria they had gotten.
"The mines are no place for a pony," Aragorn told Sam apologetically, who had gotten quite attached to the small horse over their travels together. "Even one so brave as Bill."
"Bye-bye, Bill." Sam sadly scratched the pony's ears.
"Go on," Aragorn nudged Bill in the direction out of Caradhras Pass once he was unpacked and unsaddled. The pony clopped away, tail flicking leisurely. "Don't worry, Sam," Aragorn put a hand on the Hobbit's shoulder. "He knows the way home."
Miraleth, who had sat herself down onto a pile of rocks beside Frodo and Gandalf, jumped when something splashed in the pond. The Hobbits were throwing rocks into its murky shadows. "Meriadoc Brandybuck!" She snapped, warning in her voice. Merry flushed and lowered the next rock he was aiming to throw.
Aragorn grabbed Pippin's arm just as he was about to throw another one. "You'd do well to heed Miraleth, especially when your cousin does," He hissed, and looked out over the pond. "Do not disturb the water." The Hobbits obediently backed away from the pond and went to where Sam stood with all the packs of bedrolls and supplies.
"Oh, this is useless," Gandalf frowned and threw his staff down. He sat himself down next to Frodo and Miraleth with a loud huff. He snatched his hat off of his head and glared at the stone door.
Frodo shrugged. "Maybe it's a riddle." He looked at Miraleth. "Are you any good with wordplay, Miraleth?"
She shook her head. "I have never been one for riddles. Elladan is quite good at them, though."
Frodo went to stand in front of the door. "The door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter…" His brow furrowed. "It is a riddle!" He took a step back from the door. "Speak friend and enter. What's the Elvish word for friend?" He asked Gandalf, eyes never leaving the stone before him.
"Mellon," Gandalf spoke loudly and clearly. As if suddenly awakened, there was a loud cracking, creaking noise and Frodo scrambled back as the door opened outwards.
"Oh ho ho!" Gandalf pointed to the door, as if everyone had not already noticed it open, and followed Frodo inside. Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli ushered the Hobbits in after Gandalf. But Legolas waited for Miraleth, who still sat on the rock, her knees pressed together and her arms crossed.
"Miraleth," He held his hand out.
She stared at the dark doorway everyone had disappeared through. "I don't want to go inside, Legolas." She shook her head. "There's something evil in there. Gandalf doesn't want to face it and neither do I. My father would die if he knew I was going through Moria. He did not mean for me to come this way."
Legolas' hand found hers though, and he pulled her to her feet anyway. "Lord Elrond didn't mean for a lot of things. We'll be out the other side soon enough." He offered her his arm and she took it gratefully as they too disappeared into the dark mine.
Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse—Wake up cruel Redhorn
Nai yarvaxea rasselya—May your horn be bloodstained
Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i'ruith—Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath
Nai yarvaxea rasselya taltuva notto-carinnar—May your bloodstained horn fall upon enemy heads
Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen—Gate of the elves, open now for me
Lasto beth lammen—Listen to the word of my tongue.