Chapter 65

Flashback

I stood in silence with Thorin as Balin discussed his plan to take back the realm of Moria. It had been a dwarf kingdom as rich as Erebor back in its time. Beside me, Thorin listened to Balin as he spoke, and I told myself now was the time to keep quiet.

"You cannot stop me laddie," Balin reminded him gently. "I will take only those willing. I will not ask you to support it."

"I will not be sending you to Moria with nothing," Thorin rumbled. "We have a wedding happening tomorrow. I know what you seek. You have the blessing from the Queen...and I give you mine. Should you ever need anything, Erebor will always answer."

Balin smiled at him, and I watched them both grasp arms, before Thorin had to move forward and hug him. It was a rare show of affection, but Balin had been in our lives for as long as we could remember. The dwarf moved back, a twinkle in his eye as he turned toward me.

"Please don't look so sad my Queen," he hummed. "There is reason to celebrate."

"A wedding, yes, but you leaving isn't something I'd call for a celebration," I murmured. "I guess we're just not ready to let you go, Balin."

"Aye and I suppose you never will be," he smiled. "But that's the thing with life. Things happen no matter if they are in our control or not."

I couldn't help but reach forward and hug him. I knew I planned on seeing him off tomorrow, but this was still hard. He gave me a tight squeeze in return before taking his leave. I watched as the door shut quietly behind him, and Thorin let out a soft breath. Turning to him, I watched the King sit down and run a hand through his hair.

"We've had ten peaceful years," I sighed. "I suppose it is time for a change. No matter how difficult."

"I wonder what would have happened if it had been Dain in my stead," he rumbled.

"Dain would have told him to sod off," I snorted. "And Balin would have gathered what he needed and left anyway with those loyal to him. But that matters not. You are here, and alive. You did what you thought was right, even if your heart told you no."

He looked up at my tone, and his expression eased. Pursing my lips, I approached him quietly and reached out to run my fingers through his beard. Thorin hummed at the contact, and a large sigh left him. Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to his lips.

"All will be well, my King," I said softly. "We will see him off tomorrow night."

End

The second day took us up steep stairs, and to the divide in the halls. I tried my hardest to continue ignoring the bodies around here. Dwarves had been killed everywhere. I had also tried to keep as many memories locked away as I could, but sometimes I found myself lost in thought. It was not unusual to have Legolas help me around. Thoughts of Balin and Thorin swirled through my head. I wanted to run from here. If I didn't see it then it wasn't real. We stopped when we got to the tunnels, and Gandalf looked over them for several long minutes.

"I have no memory of this place."

"Best make camp," Aragorn said quietly. "We can rest here for now. We have some dried fruit and jerky to eat."

I passed it out in silence, and took only a piece of jerky. My nerves were shot, and I looked over the mountain halls in silence. It was ruined, just like Erebor had been. I remembered that there as an evil here that no one could fight, but it had been so long since I had heard anything. Was that what had been lost in the books? They had woken something? Legolas took a seat beside me, and Gimli sat on the other side. I glanced at them both, and then looked forward.

"A...Arina," Gimli breathed, his voice soft.

"We came through the West Gate," I said quietly. "Maybe they never took this part of the mine."

I was trying to be nice for his sake, but from the look I gave Legolas the elf sighed. Gimli said nothing after that, and decided to smoke his pipe. Legolas put a hand on my shoulder quietly, and I touched his hand in appreciation. Thorin and Dwalin were going to be devastated. Part of me wanted to forget what I was seeing. Walking up those stairs that had been littered with bodies had been extremely unsettling. I was a Queen, and while I wasn't a dwarf, these were still my people. The loss of life weighed on me heavily, and it took all of my control to keep my face neutral.

"Rest, while he thinks," Aragorn said softly, touching my shoulder.

It took Gandalf a good part of the night before he had figured out which way to go. Aragorn woke me up, and I quickly got to my feet to join them. I had to laugh at Gandalf's comment about following his nose. We walked down the stairway, and it took us down three flights. We stayed as quiet as possible as we walked, until we finally came out of the hall, and into a great hall.

"Can we risk...a little more light," Gandalf whispered, raising his staff. "Behold, the great dwarven city of Dwarrowdelf."

The light from his staff was enough to light up the many columns in the huge hall. I looked it over, and took in the beauty this place was. It was just as gorgeous as Erebor. I could imagine the large fires that would be burning to light this place. I found my shoulders tightening again and I held my breath for a moment to calm down.

"There's an eye opener, make no mistake," Sam whispered.

"You should see Erebor," I murmured, leaning down to him.

He grinned at me. "Now that would be a sight, my lady."

I smiled at that, and slowly followed everyone when they moved forward. We walked through the huge hall with Gandalf leading the way. Gimli was close with him, taking in all he could see as we passed through the city. Hours later, the dwarf paused and a rumble of denial left his lips. He took off faster than I had ever seen him run in his life.

"Gimli!' Gandalf hissed.

Unable to stop him, we had no choice but to follow. My brain knew what we were about to see, but my heart was not ready. Slowly, I followed after that and we entered a room where a great tomb lay. It was in the center, and the light from outside the mountain shined upon it.

"No," Gimli whispered, his sobs breaking my heart.

Quietly, I walked forward as Gandalf went to the side of the tomb. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin...Lord Of Moria. He is dead then. It is as I feared."

My whole body shuddered at the declaration. He was dead. Moving forward slowly again, I walked up to the tomb and laid my hand on it. Gimli's sobs slowly went silent, and I watched as Boromir laid a hand on his shoulder. I felt the tears burn in my eyes and I listened as Gandalf read from something. I ignored him, knowing that there was no help from a book to describe what we were about to face.

"I am so sorry, Balin," I whispered. "So sorry…."

"You knew him?" Boromir asked.

"Of course I did," I murmured. "I met him back when I had met Thorin. We had tried so hard to keep him in Erebor, but he was having none of it. He was...very dear...to so many of us. He was wise...brave...and for a dwarf, he had a charm that no one could match. He was kind...so kind it..."

Thorin and Dwalin were going to be ripped apart with this news. I had to tell them, I couldn't linger with the Fellowship any longer. Once we got out of here, I was setting a course back home. Slowly sinking to my knees, I felt my heart pound in my chest and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They were silent, and I ached from the loss. Balin had been so dear to me. How could this have happened?! He survived all of what we had to endure and Orcs took him down. Goblins, whatever had killed him. Gandalf laid a quiet hand on my shoulder and a scent hit my nose from his fingers.

"Oh..." I gasped, and quickly rose to my feet. "Give me that..."

Gandalf looked at me in surprise, but handed me the book. I took it and the scent that hit my nose had me almost breaking into tears again. Shutting it, I turned to the first page and was greeted with a drawing of the owner of the book.

"Which….body..."

"This one..." Gandalf murmured.

"Ori..." I whispered, and clutched the book close to me.

"Oh, Arina..." Gandalf whispered, sighing as he spoke.

"Give me the book, m'lady. I'll keep it for you."

Looking up in surprise, I watched Sam reach out to take it. Handing it to him, I watched as he put it in his pack and made sure it was secure. Gratitude washed over me, and I nodded to the little hobbit. Gimli stared across the tomb at me for a moment, and I gave him a comforting look. We were both hurting, but there was nothing we could do. For a brief moment, my whole body felt numb. I blinked back tears, and tried to control the fierce wave of emotion that rolled through me. The silence was suddenly shattered when a loud crash echoed through the room and Pippin jumped away from a body he had touched.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf hissed. "Next time throw yourself in and rid us of your stupidity!"

Everyone was silent for a while, and when nothing happened we relaxed a little. That was when the drumming started. Screams of anger echoed through the room, coming from somewhere in the mountain and we all tensed. We had been discovered. Boromir turned and ran for the door to see out, and I watched as he jerked back in surprise. Arrows lodged themselves in the door, and he promptly shut them. Aragorn and Legolas helped him barricade it when an angry roar sounded.

"They have a cave troll," Boromir sighed, almost casually.

"Stay close to Gandalf," Aragorn ushered, pushing the hobbits back toward the wizard.

I glanced to see Gimli jump up on Balin's tomb, his ax and sword drawn in his anger. Quietly, I drew mine and stood quietly in front of Gandalf, protecting him. As the door began to break down, Legolas and Aragorn shot arrows, but it did little. The Orcs that came into the room were unlike any I had ever seen. Flipping my sword quickly, I thought of what I had to do. I had to get out of here and get back to Thorin.

As we were charged at, everyone met them head on. Even the hobbits charged forward, doing their best to fight. I swung my sword expertly, and let my anger help me. Balin was dead because of them. Ori and Oin as well. Grunting, I hit an Orc with the hilt of my sword as I had stabbed another in the head. Swinging around, I tripped another and took my dagger out and killed him. Just as it looked like we were winning, the cave troll charged through the room. We all faltered for a moment, and he didn't even react when Legolas shot him with an arrow. The troll immediately tried to kill Sam, who luckily dodged, and Gimli threw an ax at him. It only angered the creature more and he slammed his club down on Balin's tomb.

I should have looked away, but I didn't. I watched as part of his body was exposed to the light and it was his beard that I saw first. It was just a skeleton, the inner shell but that alone sent me into such anguish that for a moment I was frozen. I wasn't still for long. My body burned with grief and anger, and soon I was moving again, my strength renewed. I tore through the Orcs as Legolas tried to take on the troll. I turned my head when the elf had no luck in killing him, and the creature went on to go after Frodo.

"Aragorn!" Frodo cried, as the troll suddenly grabbed him.

Everything happened so fast after that. Aragorn grabbed a huge spear and thrust it into the belly of the troll, who cried out in pain. It didn't help much, and soon Aragorn was sent flying. When he didn't rise again, I found myself transforming into something new. I had studied the dragons of lore and of history, and my body took the shape of a Drake.

Back when evil had ruled the land, Common Drakes were taken and domesticated by Orcs. They were flightless dragons, slightly larger than a horse with four legs that were made for running. They had been bred for years, but after a great war they had gone extinct. The animal I had read about was only twelve feet long, but it was twelve feet of horror. They were extremely tough and deadly creatures, and I figured this was an appropriate form.

Everyone had suddenly cried out when Frodo was stabbed by the troll, but I knew he had something hidden beneath his shirt. I had caught a glimpse of it back when I had saved him from the beast at the gates. A roar left my jaws, causing the troll to suddenly swing around and I charged forward. He tried to hit me, but I effectively dodged his assaults. My jaws snapped around his wrist, and I ripped back, taking the hand with me. He cried out in agony, and I relished in the sound. Blood poured from the wound, and as another attack came, I easily moved away. Someone stabbed the troll in the neck, causing him to lift up and back. I took my chance and leaped forward, my jaws open. My teeth ripped into flesh, and I took his throat out with a powerful swing of my head. The troll fell dead moments later, and the others took the chance to recover.

Once we had our breath, everyone ran to Frodo to see if he was all right. Aragorn looked almost scared of what he was going to find, but as he turned the hobbit over, Frodo gasped. The ranger let out a breath of relief, but also he was shocked that the spear had not hurt him.

"I'm all right, I'm not hurt," he gasped, touching his chest.

"How...that spear could skewer a wild boar," Aragorn breathed.

Gandalf smiled a little. "I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

I watched through my reptilian eyes as Frodo slowly revealed the Mithril that he had been wearing. Gimli gasped softly, saying it out loud and then smiled. I gazed upon the gift that had been given to Bilbo and was now protecting his nephew. I shifted on my feet and listened to the sound of marching feet. Goblin's squealed out loudly, and Gandalf swung around. We had run out of time.

"To the bridge of Khazad Dum," he ordered, and we were running.

I brought up the rear, not daring to be in my human for right now. I had noticed that Boromir had sent wild looks my way, but after a while he got used to it. Goblins raced after us in the thousands. We had no hope of escaping them. They ran down the pillars and came up from any hole in the stone, and soon we were surrounded. I put myself next to the hobbits and roared at several that tried to advance. That seemed to make them uncertain, and my eyes glowed with anger.

As they seemed to close in, a low rumble sounded from somewhere else in the city. From down the halls a glow like fire came into view. The goblins seemed uncertain, and suddenly another rumble sent them running in terror. Gimli tried to laugh as they fled, and we were soon left alone, with whatever was coming. I lifted my head up, and turned toward where the creature was going to approach. From the sound, it was huge and obviously that meant danger. It was evil, I could feel its presence from here and it hadn't even shown itself yet.

"What source of devilry is this?" Boromir asked, and Gandalf closed his eyes.

"A balrog of Morgoth. A demon from the ancient world," he whispered. "This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!"

At his shout, the balrog roared. We ran after them and I had to turn human again. We ran through a few halls and found the stairs. Running to the edge of the stairs, Boromir gasped as he almost fell over the edge. Legolas reacted instantly, and managed to yank him back. We took the flights as fast as we could until there was a break in the steps. The elf quickly jumped across, and ushered for Gandalf to do the same.

Arrows flew from goblins who thought to kill us, but none were hitting their mark. Legolas and Aragorn quickly shot down any who were there, before I threw Sam across. I hesitated a little when the stone shook, but Legolas reached out.

"Come on!" he urged. "Quickly!"

I grunted, and jumped across the space, allowing him to catch me. The breath left my lungs a little, and suddenly Gimli was jumping across. I would have laughed, but I was reaching for him, and grabbing him by the beard. He had not let Aragorn throw him across, which had made me want to smack him.

"Get over your pride!" I snarled to him, when the whole mountain shook.

The balrog was trying to break through, and Boromir jumped with Merry and Pippin. Rock broke off, leaving Aragorn and Frodo stuck. The gap between us was too large. More rock cracked, and suddenly the stairs were moving where they stood. I moved quickly and had to push everyone back so that Boromir and Legolas could catch them as the stairs fell forward. Once I was out of here, I was going to remember that in great detail and roll my eyes about it, but right now we had to keep moving.

We ran down the rest of the stairs and into the hall that led to the bridge. Fire erupted everywhere around us, and Gandalf ushered everyone ahead of him. I ran ahead toward the bridge and paused when Gandalf stopped. The demon that landed was a monster. He was huge, about the size of a small dragon and he sported a bull like head and wings. His arms opened as he roared at us, and fire erupted from his black body. I felt myself begin to transform, in hopes of protecting them when Gandalf shoved me.

"NO!" he ordered. "You must help them! Arina you need to go!"

"B…." I fell silent, having no choice but to run.

Gandalf followed me until he reached the half way point, where he turned and made a stand. I turned my head to see him briefly raise his staff, before I was safely across the bridge.

"You cannot pass!" he yelled.

At his words, the balrog rose up, standing tall in front of the wizard. Behind him, his wings spread and fire erupted over his whole body. It was a show, almost as if the demon was laughing at him. Nothing would stop him if he chose to cross that bridge. I could hear Gandalf chanting as a sword of fire appeared in the hand of the demon.

He brought it down on Gandalf, only for it to be destroyed with a blast of light. Rage consumed the balrog for a moment and he roared at the wizard before him.

"Go back to the shadows," Gandalf growled.

The balrog glared, and took a step forward again. Another weapon of fire appeared as he moved his large black hand and a whip snapped powerfully against the air. I moved forward, and Aragorn held his hand out to stop me. The whip cracked again, and Gandalf lifted his staff high above him.

"You shall not pass!" he roared, and slammed it into the stone.

There was flash of light and a mighty crack that followed, and the demon sniffed the air and stepped forward. The rock around his feet crumbled, and he fell into the depths of the mountain. I tensed a little, and watched as Gandalf slowly turned.

"NO!" I cried, seeing the whip come up, but it was too late.

We watched as Gandalf was pulled back, and he desperately tried to grab onto the rock. Frodo ran forward, in an attempt to save him but Boromir caught him. I ran forward as well, my body moving without thought.

"Arina no!" Aragorn cried, grabbing my wrist.

He yanked me back as Gandalf whispered for us to run. I could help but cry out after Frodo screamed. The wizard fell into the darkness with the demon, and we could do nothing. He had just let go and accepted his fate. One of us could have saved him!

"We have to go, my lady we have to leave!" Aragorn hissed. "Come on!"

"I can save him! Let me save him!" I screamed over Frodo's own voice.

"You cannot! I'm sorry...I'm sorry but we must go!" he shouted, yanking me back again.

I pushed myself to move, and as we ran arrows flew across the gap. None hit their mark and we were running for the east gate. Boromir had to carry Frodo out of the mountain, and the poor hobbit was kicking and screaming. As we came into the sunlight, we ran over the rocks and soon after, the others had to stop. Looking around, I recognized the battlefield of Azanulbizar. This was where Thror had died, and Frerin. There were scars upon the rocks, and I could feel the amount of death that had gone on here. I listened as Aragorn argued with Boromir, but I was thrown into past memories that I couldn't help but stare over the place where Thorin had almost lost everything.

Somewhere at this place, Frerin had died alongside so many others. My heart clenched again as I was reminded who we had just discovered in the mountain. I would have done anything to have them back, even Frerin. For a moment, I lost the feeling in my knees and sank to the ground in despair. This place had taken so many loved ones from me.

"Don't forget to protect yourself," I said to Frerin, my voice shaking.

"Don't worry about me."

I had watched them leave, and had never seen them again. Their grave had been here somewhere, or worse their bodies had been burned. I felt like I was facing it all over again, while the others grieved for Gandalf, I grieved for them all. They had all been taken far too soon. Boromir jerked me from my thoughts.

"Arina, come on!" Boromir yelled.

"I have to go," I found myself saying. "I need to go back to Erebor."

Everyone paused at the words that I spoke, and Aragorn quickly came forward. He knelt in front of me, and reached forward to take my hands. I squeezed them tightly, and found myself looking at him. Aragorn tried to keep a gentle expression.

"I am sorry, for those who were lost to you..."

"I need to tell my people, we need to prepare..."

"Come to Lothlorien first," he suggested. "Rest, and heal. You are wounded as well."

I gave him a narrowed look, but slowly nodded my head. I couldn't argue with that. He nodded briefly as well, and set to leading the way. We were not far from the woods, and at sunset we were entering them. Gimli was tense as we walked through, and Aragorn led the way. It had been such a long time since I had last been here.

As I walked, I took in the trees around us and how peaceful it still was. Even with the evil that was trying to take over the land, Lorien was still beautiful. It felt like time stood still in this place. Nothing seemed to touch it from the outside world. I assumed that had something to do with Galadriel's power. Gimli ushered the hobbits close, fear clear on his face.

"Stay close hobbits," he hissed. "They speak of a sorceress that lives in these woods. A great elf witch."

I rolled my eyes at that and chuckled. He was the perfect example of a typical dwarf sometimes. Glancing around us, I smiled a little feeling a bit of peace.

"All who look upon her, fall under her spell and are never seen again," Gimli continued. "Well, this is one dwarf she won't snare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox."

As he finished speaking, we were suddenly surrounded by arrows. Everyone froze and looked around in shock. Even Legolas was surprised by the sudden invasion. An elf moved forward quietly.

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark."

"Haldir," Aragorn whispered. "We come here for help. We need your protection."

"Aragorn...these woods are perilous. We should go back," Gimli gasped.

"You will come with me," Haldir said quietly.

I tilted my head in surprise, and we all slowly followed him through the forest. We walked for a few hours, before we came to an outpost that was used by the elves. I glanced around and watched as night slowly fell on us.

"Legolas of the Woodland Realm," Haldir nodded, greeting him. "It is good to see you. Aragorn, you are also known to us."

I tilted my head a little and glanced at Gimli who grunted lowly. "Oh the courtesy of the elves. Will you do us a favor and speak in tongues we can understand?" he growled.

Haldir looked at him with a cold expression. "We haven't had dealings with the dwarves since the dark days..."

"And you know what this dwarf says to that?" Gimli asked, before uttering a rude curse in Khuzdul.

Before Aragorn could do something, I came out from behind the man and smacked Gimli hard over the head. He gave a low grumble of pain, and looked at me for a moment.

"That was not nice," I glared. "I apologize, Haldir for his words."

"Arina of Erebor," he answered, a light smile on his face. "Welcome."

"It is good to see you, old friend."

Haldir looked over all of us and soon his eyes landed on Frodo. I watched as the elf tensed. "You bring great evil with you," he murmured. "You can go no further."

This chapter was so hard to write. I wanted to keep Balin alive more than anything, but it didn't seem right. I've already saved so many, so we had to lose someone. It's about the same with Frerin. I was always trying to find ways that he could possibly show up alive, but that wouldn't make sense. This isn't a Mary Sue, and not everyone can be saved. Enjoy! I'll update soon, no worries!

Thank you for the reviews and follows and favorites. Much appreciated. I don't think I'd continue on if it wasn't for the reviews!