"The plot goes ever on and on..." Props if you know who sang a similar tune! hehe xoxo, xDare2Writex

Chapter Seventeen
Gimli Tears and Battle Wounds

"Ah, it's this way." Gandalf stirred.
"He's remembered!" said Merry enthusiastically.

"No, but the air isn't so foul down here, when in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." Gandalf explained. He said something else, but I wasn't listening. Everybody grabbed their cloaks and blankets, and we're off again.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow, follow, follow, the Yellow Brick Road. Or in this case 'Follow the Bloody Dirt Road, follow, follow, follow the Bloody dirt road to your DOOM…' Like my ad-libbing? I've proudly thought it up as we go up decrepit steps, past dead stinking bodies, into a room.

"Let me risk a little more light," Gandalf said. The huge chamber was illuminated by his staff's crystal.

"Behold! The great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

"Now there's an eye-opener, and no mistake," Sam exclaimed, saying what everyone thought. There was a pregnant pause as everyone took in the ancient architecture. The halls whispered a grim and sad story; one of a proud, long legacy of the Dwarven race- and Moria's shameful downfall into darkness. One look and I could see the halls as they once might have been. Tall proud columns, roaring halls and a gruff, happy race content amongst themselves and their treasures. Overall, dwarves weren't a terrible race as the elves thought- perhaps they were more misunderstood as Fay were.

Suddenly I was pulled from my thoughts.

"NOOO!" Gimli roars and runs past us all into the side room next to this one.

"Gimli!" Gandalf yells and runs after him, and I'm reminded of a mother yelling at a little kid in the playground not to run off. I feel sorry for Gandalf. His medical bills must be up the roof from all this physical work.

I shake my head as we all run after the little guy. Gimli's muffled crying on a tombstone echoes softly and I don't think anyone knows what to say to comfort him. Still, I feel partly responsible for no warning. I knew it was coming, but we couldn't stop it. They passed a very long time ago. Gandalf walked past his shoulder and ran a hand over the runes on the stone slab.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," he translated forebodingly. "He is dead, then. It's as I feared." Gandalf then gave Pippin his stuff to hold and read a passage from the ancient book one of the dwarf skeleton's was holding.

"They have taken the bridge, and the second hall," he began.

"Hey Vanessa? Um, isn't this like, the part where there's fighting?" Lauren and Colyne whispered next to me. I don't know if they heard my heart drop.

"Crap. Stay by me and draw your swords." They obeyed.

"We must keep moving; we cannot linger here." Legolas said to Aragorn. The Ranger nodded grimly at his friend. He had learned to trust Legolas' heightened instincts many moons ago.

"…We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."

Just at that exact moment, Pippin decides to disturb a corpse that predictably falls down the well. Literally, my hand was outstretched to stop that from happening, so some of us have a chance of making it out alive.

Too late.

Gandalf threw the book down.

"Fool of a Took!" He was livid.

"Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

"Oh, damn. He got called out." Mark couldn't resist saying it.

I rolled my eyes as everyone turned around to stare at him.

"Eh huh. Or not." He cleared his throat. I threw him my best you-dumbass glare.

"Stay together and protect the ring bearer at all costs." Aragorn ordered. My eyes searched for Legolas quickly. Our faces met. He nodded as if to say I still meant what I promised. You will live.They were barricading the door when Boromir came back from scouting.

"They have a cave-troll." He said joyfully sarcastic.

"A whata?"

"Here comes Big, Bad, and Ugly!" I don't even want to know which dork of my friends said this.

"How big is a cave troll?" My other friends shouted. They didn't ever get an answer, for at that very moment, several orcs and the cave troll burst through the stone doorway, rubble flying everywhere.

A huge battle between the fellowship and the orcs ensued. It seemed to happen in a blink of an eye, and yet slow-motion. Gandalf the Grey whirling his sword and staff in every direction. Orcs that attacked were strewn all over the floor. With Aragorn it was the same. Only he was desperately trying to protect Frodo, as Merry and Pippin stood stock-still; frozen scared.

Sam was hitting the orcs with his frying pan, to a great effect. Nick and Mark stood back to back, a deadly tag-team. Colyne seemed to be fighting well on her own; then again, Boromir was covering her when she needed it. He was also Delilah's human shield, as she stuck to his back like a fly on crap, limply holding her sword.

I wanted to search for Legolas in the chaos, when an orc with a HUGE bad-ass weapon decided to intervene. I desperately hacked at it with all my might. Then the next, and next. Dark blood spewed from the their wounds, and a feeling of nausea came into my mouth. Somewhere, i dropped my sword, and began a futile search on the crumbling floor. Something felt strange; I looked up. The monstrous cave troll was above me, club poised to hammer me into little bits. The only thing my mind registered is, this could be it.

"Vanessa run!" Straddled on top of the cave troll was Legolas, and Nick behind the troll. My legs wanted to move, but I couldn't. The troll was bringing down the club…. I closed my eyes.

Something solid hit my body into the wall, 5 feet away. I opened my eyes. What had just happened? My mind thought backwards. Rewind. Rewind. Oh, Nick had slid under the troll and tackled me five feet away so that I would miss the troll's club. My head felt so fuzzy and clouded…I reached back and touched blood. Before I could be afraid, Nick grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"Where are you bleeding?" he said.

"The back of my head!" I cried.

RIP! He pressed a cloth from his tunic hemline against the bleeding back of my skull, and gave me back my sword.

"Keep fighting! Behind me!" I nodded. The battle was almost over. I couldn't see everything as clear as before. I think Frodo was attacked by the troll. I saw Merry and Pippin finally make a desperate attack at it. In fact, everyone now seemed a urgently desperate. I knew that Frodo wouldn't die, but still, my heart was in my mouth when I saw him lying facedown, pale as a ghost.

Legolas finally hit the troll in the throat, and thing moaned as its life-air escaped. With a sick cry, it thudded to the floor.

Our goal had been accomplished: orcs and troll had all been slain.

My gosh I am so woozy.Before I knew it, I fell onto my knees. Frodo being apparently "alive" again, they started tending to my friends and me. Still it wasn't long before…

"We must keep moving!" Gandalf exclaimed.

"To the bridge of Ka-za-dum!"

Since no one was that badly injured that they couldn't run, everyone flew out of there like a bat outta hell, into ginourmous caverns where thousands more goblins began encircling us. I hated these Moria Goblins. They were freaking stealthy closing in. So many wide eyes and pointed teeth glared in front of us! My now trusted sword stood out in front of me. One of them spat on Delilah, who squealed.

"Ew! I'm melting! Melting! Gawd, would it kill you for a tic-tac?"

Despite better judgment all my friends laughed. But it truly was nervous laughter. Like when you realize you totalled your dad's car and have to explain why you were out with it at 2:00 in the morning. That's when we noticed the thumping sound, the increased temperature. At the end of the great hall, an orange glow lit up the impenetrable darkness. Goblins, tripped over one another to get away from us, squawking. What new foe had installed fear into their very core? Delilah's face? Or was it-

"What new devilry is this?" Asked Boromir.

"A Balrog of Morgoth." Legolas answered, eyes wide with fear for once.

"Run!" Gandalf ordered again.

We kept going, pressing on through our fears, dodging goblin arrows. Nervously, I feel the stairs crumbling beneath our feet. Soon a wide gap lay before us. Legolas jumped first, then motioned for us to follow. Lauren was tossed over by Aragorn, and was caught. The hobbits all were passed, then Gimli jumped. He didn't quite make it, but Legolas grabbed him by the beard and pulled him up. I could hear him growl, "Not the beard!"

The thudding behind us got louder. Nick, Mark, Delilah all made it across. Colyne was caught by Boromir. I was about to jump when the steps crumbled again, creating an even wider gap. How could I make it over? Steeling myself for the inevitable, I ran and leaped…and fell two feet shy of the steps.

Crap, I'm falling! Wait, don't I have- WOOSH.

As if basic instinct from birth, my wings alighted and propelled me back up. I grabbed the ledge, and the hobbits hauled me up. Looking back, Aragorn and Frodo were still on the other side. It was far too wide of a gap to jump. But luckily, Aragorn knew about inertia and balance, so a few seconds later they collided into Boromir and Legolas. We pressed on.

It wasn't long before we hit an endless pit with the teeniest bridge you will ever see. And I WISH I was kidding.

Remember how it looked so easy to cross in the movie? Not so flippin' easy in real life…especially for kluts like me.

"GoGoGO!" Gandalf urges us. Yeah right, you wanna go first Pops?

Pipin, Merry, and Lauren run single file over it and make it to the other side. Sam, Nick, Mark, Colyne, Boromir, Delilah, all made it. Aragorn hung back to argue with Gandalf to let him help fight. Wings still outstretched, I run over the scariest thing I've ever walked on, holding Legolas' hand to guide me. We make it over. Aragorn closes in on us too, with Frodo.

Gandalf stays there, battling the fiery Balrog of Morgoth. My mind is reeling.

"Go back to the shadow realm! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Gandalf roars, making the grandest stance I've ever seen. A blaze of protectiveness washes over me for the wizard. Throughout all these perils, he had been our rock and guide, but more importantly, a mentor and great friend.

I know he's destined to fall but…couldn't I save him? It just felt wrong to not help him. But what could I really do... throw some green sparks and make it really angry? Fly up and punch it in the eye, then be incinerated by scorching heat?

Heavy sorrow pierced my heart. I couldn't change this future. If I save him now, he would never become White.

The Balrog's whip of flame snakes around Gandalf, and I know his fate to be sealed. NO, it can't be.

"Gandalf!" Frodo cries, held back by a dazed Aragron.

"Fly you fools!" He ordered, and fell into the abyss.

Cowardly, we all turned to run to the opening out of the nightmare of Moria. Fresh air greeted us, along with a setting sun. But nobody could appreciate it. Grief for losing Gandalf spread like wildfire to everyone except Aragorn. The insensitive butt-face had the nerve to be all like, "Legolas. Gimli get them up."

"Give them a moment for pities' sake!" Bormir shouted at him.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" He countered.

The hobbits crumpled together, crying. Delilah was hugging Mark, a sight I thought I'd never see again. Frodo was far away from all of us. Colyne and Lauren were too hugging and sobbing. They wanted to hug me too, but I felt like being alone. Why didn't I help him again? I hadn't even realized I was crying until I couldn't see anymore.

"Lady Vanessa?" Legolas kneeled beside me.

"We must go. It's not safe." I nodded and whimpered from the wound on the head.

"Let me see it." He asks. Removing the cloth he touches the rough spot. "Ow!" I flinched away.

"Forgive me. When we get to Lothlorien we shall have it cleaned up. It looks much worse then it is."

"Legolas…I could have saved Gandalf." I choke through my tears, needing to tell someone my guilt. But he held both my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes."No one could have. It was left to the Valor." I shake my head. Losing Gandalf was a heavy blow to all of us.

Everybody is up now, and we run far away. Pity, it's not nearly far enough to outrun our memories.