Chapter 31

The place is immense to say the least. Thick pillars of stone shoot into the sky so far that Gandalf's light doesn't allow us to see the tops. Merry and Pippin attempt to encircle one but even with them both hugging the column, their arms do not meet. Despite it's obvious grandness, I cannot understand the point of this room. Do the columns support something? Why waste so much space to endless hallways otherwise? I am not entirely grateful for the smooth floors either, adjacent to my hate for the rocky one; now our footsteps thunder rather than echo.

"Well, how do you like that, Miss?" Sam comes to Frodo and my side, seeming to be honestly curious of my opinion "There's an eye opener make no mistake!"

"It's very nice." I admit because it is. I appreciate the perfect symmetry of each portion we can see, though it is dizzying with repetition "It's like... a haunted version of Erebor."

"We have no time to dawdle." Sili calls as quietly and loudly as he can. His eyes dart back and forth as if he expects something to jump out at any second. A likely scenario "It would be best to leave while we still can."

"Father is correct-"

"Look there!"

Like lemmings, we all snap our heads in the direction indicated and I ready myself at the sight. I know what lies behind that smashed wooden door. I know what shot those black arrows to embed themselves into the posts. Even if I didn't, the goblin skeletons lying outside the doorway would give it away. 'Why is this place still defiled?' Sili took such good care of the graves closer to the exit, so why was this one left in such disarray? My questions are unanswered as Gimli darts away from the group and into the room.

"Gimli!" Gandalf calls but he doesn't exit, forcing us to follow "Fool!"

As expected, the catacomb is empty. We file in silently, taking the room in as a whole. Knowing what is to come, I search for a defense. Spotting a hole in the roof, I rejoice at the sun that streams in through the sliver. 'Troll+Sunlight= Crisis avoided.' The tiny amount is not nearly enough to help but I have no way of climbing up there to widen it. I turn to the center of the room at the soft thump to find Gimli kneeling before the tomb. It's large for such a small being. I don't know how we will tell Dain that his son is...

"No no... how could this have happened? Oh dear cousin." Kili walks over to the sobbing dwarf and kneels beside him for comfort. Having been there when the dwarf fell, Kili no doubt has already come to terms with his death. He lost the last of his expedition mere days ago, a group he's been with for years, and he still hasnn't shed a tear. The years have been hard on him. Placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder, the banished prince lends him his strength "He... he hadn't even reach 140 yet."

"..." Having never met the dwarf, I only feel unease at my kin's distress. Walking around the slab, I stand beside the engraved plate and point it out "There is an inscription here."

"It reads 'Here lies Thorin III, son of Dain, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then." Gimli flinches so violently that he almost dislodges Kili's hand. Way to go Gandalf. I glare at the wizard for his brashness and he at least looks apologetic "It is as I had feared."

"What happened?" Frodo asks to the empty room "There are so many bodies. Here. There... Everywhere."

"Very true." I can hear the suspicion before I can even register Boromir's words "How have you three survived this carnage when so many others did not?"

"... Many of us entered Dimrill Dale and for five years, it was prosperous. Thorin even built himself a modest throne on just scraps of the excess material we found. 'Lord of Moria' he called himself." Sili chuckles at the memory but it isn't a happy chuckle. It's one you make because it's the only alternative to crying when you think of the past. "A fitting title."

"Balin, Oin, and Ori came later than they should have because... Ori was wounded." Kili stops his explanation and eyes Sili warily before lowering his gaze; eyes shifting before settling on me. With a grimace, he ducks his eyes again to the floor. I suppose he suspects that I know why they were late but I feel like something is being held back "They missed the first attack because of it. I came with them to ease travel. The wound ached fiercely in the damp caves. I stayed, they left again to report the findings a few weeks before... it happened."

"It?" Legolas questions silently

"Thorin was shot by an orc archer."

I almost gasp but catch myself. Not my Thorin. I keep saying that over and over because I refuse to cry over something I already prevented from happening 'My Thorin isn't dead. He's not lying cold in a tomb. He's alive and well and very angry with me but he's not dead.' Not my Thorin. I reign myself back in focusing on how Sili, yes... how happy Sili would have been for Kili when Tho... S-Stonehelm. When Stonehelm welcomed him into Moria. I imagine it meant the world to him, having a place amongst his people for his son to live again even after being banished. Stonehelm would have faced heavy judgement if it had been found out the he was letting Kili stay but still he allowed it.

"His body was placed here, as it was the cleanest room we had. It used to be the old records chamber."

"This occurred years ago if this date is correct." Aragorn, who I hadn't noticed had replaced Gandalf by my side takes his turn to touch the engraved tag "Why did you not tell his kin?"

"We would have if that were the end of it. A battlement of orcs swam up the Silverlode and trapped us here." Kili squeezes his cousin's shoulder but looks to be lost in the memory. His scarred face twists in anger and grief as he relives the moment "Each time we tried to escape, more of us were plucked off. Once... there were many of us, 50 or so, but no longer. As our numbers dwindled, we could not return here... and this grave fell into ruin."

"My kin were searching for answers... T'is why we were in Rivendell..." breathing a little easier now, Gimli rises to his feet and I feel a little spark of pride within me. He falls often but never stays down "It'd been so long since we'd heard from you lot."

"I am sorry you had to find out this way, Gimli." Kili snaps back into this time of the universe and seems more agitated than before "Truly I am but we cannot stay here. Even if we don't see them, our presence is known. He will want-"

"Uzbadu men!" Bifur interrupts before Kili can say who 'he' is or what he wants. Kili looks to say more but the elder dwarf shakes his head fiercely. I'm catching fewer and fewer of his words and it has me worried "Nai."

"...It isn't safe here." facing me, my new brother looks painfully worried "Especially for you, My Queen."

"Me? I'd imagine it ISN'T safe for me but it really isn't safe for anyone." Sili didn't seem to be addressing my sex but rather me specifically "Why me?"

"I agree with Master Dwarf." Legolas cuts in before I can get an answer. The two share a look that sets my nerves on edge before he continues "We must move on, we cannot linger here."

"We can't though, can we?"

"No." Sili confirms bleakly "They have long since taken the bridge and the second hall. Even when we barred the gates they did not hold them for long...They did not last time, nor will they this time."

"Such an enemy..." Pippin snuggles into Merry's side and if he snuggles back, no one mentions it "They must be quite fierce."

"Quite fierce but not quietly fierce. You will know when they come." The albino dwarrow spins his words in such a way that you can almost hear the goblins at your back "The ground will shake; drums will echo in the darkness; you will know there is no escape."

"... You're really a Debbie downer, you know that?"

Giving me a wink the dwarf continues his tale as I move towards the back of the room. I keep an eye on everyone I pass, making sure I've got the timing right.

"Pippin, wait." I quickly move in as Pippin backs away from the group in obvious fear from the story being told. He trips over air and nearly careens into the well. Merry grabs him before he can go head over heels and I snatch up the dusty bones just in time. The clothes are stiff with dried bodily fluids and cobwebs but I hang tight "Be more careful, Pip-"

My mouth gapes open in disbelief as the skeleton's last moments in life flicker around me. I shake them loose, clutching the bones to my chest before the unthinkable happens. My body is paralyzed as the vision clears and the moment crawls by in slow motion but there is nothing I can do to stop it. 'The head fell off.' I have enough sense not to go in after it. The fellowship and I watch in stunned motionlessness as the surely grinning skull drops out of sight. There is no sound until it meets the walls, banging and clattering loudly like a siren of ghostly laughter. I don't move. I can't. What am I supposed to say? Oops? Gandalf is going to-

"Fool of a Took! Have you come on this quest just to see it fail?" even with his anger directly at my back, I don't move. I hold the headless skeleton like a blanket and hope for the best "You are trouble we could have done without! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

"I'm sorry, Gand-"

"And you, young queen." knew it. I knew he wasn't going to let me off the hook for this minor infraction. I just hug ole bony and let him holler at my back "If you have seen something, then say something!"

"... I don't know if it was the head... or your yelling but...they heard that." peeking back at the exasperated wizard, I shrug with an awkward smile "And now they are coming."

My prediction is met with silence. Gandalf's anger lessens in my direction; instead, turning it on himself for shouting so loudly. Kili makes his way to my side and helps pull me out of the skeleton's sticky embrace, setting it a safe distance away from the well. A solitary drum beats in the distance like car music at night with the bass too loud. Soon though, it is joined by more; becoming louder and closer with each beat. A horn and the sound of running feet are all the warning signs that direct my eyes to Frodo's belt. Sam is as critical as ever and catches on just as quickly.

"Mr. Frodo!"

"Orcs." Legolas spits the word out harshly as we all gaze at the cold blue light of the sword, Sting. Once Bilbo's, it is surely the young hobbit's now "They are coming."

"And lots of them. About 20 on the forefront." gripping my weapon, I try to breathe as deeply as possible. I doubt I'll get out of here without some grit of my own "A welcoming party if you will, but the present shouldn't see the light of day."

"Now is not the time for your jests, woman." Boromir scoffs as he takes up a place by the door "It never is."

"I rarely joke. I just throw out truthful sarcasm. "

"Get back." waving to the four hobbits, Aragorn stands opposite of Boromir "Stay close to Gandalf."

Together the pair close the already broken door and wedge it shut. I do not feel an ounce safer for it, as I know the orcs can and will bust through fairly quickly. Instead, I begin to map out a way to make the hole in the ceiling bigger. 'If only I had something to climb on while I broke it open.' Clenching the mace between my hands, I'm struck with a brilliant idea. Positioning it just right, I grab Bifur's hand and throw the object with as much force as I can muster before pulling us out from under the falling debris. Chunks of the roof clatter so loudly in unison with the sudden banging at the door that most of my companions would have missed it if not for Bifur's grunt from being struck by a sliver.

"Are you trying to get us all killed!?" Boromir shrieks. SHRIEKS. I know he's reached his limit with me just from the sound alone "You must be out of your mind, woman!"

"Just getting prepared for it." I say with a shrug. Even Kili is looking at me as if I'm teetering along the edge of madness but Bifur just smiles and intertwines his fingers into mine. At least he has caught on to my plan. I'll need his strength to toss the weapon after all "Don't worry about it."

"I am worried but not about your actions, old friend." Tilting his head towards the door, the elf listens carefully to the chaos with a pointed ear "...There are more than just orcs outside that gate."

"... They have a cave troll!" Boromir puts his shoulder into keeping his piece of wood against the door but it's a losing battle. I ignore them all in favor of picking up LittleBackStabber, the name I've given the mace, and aiming to toss it again. After a particularly hard bang on the door, Boromir shouts out at me with venom "You knew!"

"Don't. I. ALWAYS?" I call back and release the mace once more "It's kinda my thing around here. I expect everyone knows by now that I'm looking at more than just the present at any given time. I thought that was obvious."

"Of course it is! My Queen isn't just a pretty face!" Gimli snatches up two rusty dwarf axes and leaps onto the tomb. Being that he was just crying over him, I find it odd that he can suddenly dance on the guy's grave. Still, I have a ceiling to focus on "Let them come! There are dwarves yet in Moria who still draw breath!"

"Wonderfully stated, cousin!" Aiming his bow at the door, Kili grins wildly "Let us show them some dwarvish strength."

I refrain from mentioning that the creatures outside the door have seen quite a bit of dwarvish brawn, being that we are standing in a grave. 'It won't help the situation.' Instead, I grab LittleBackStabber, shake Bifur loose, and get as far away from the doors as possible. They soon burst open and wood chips fly everywhere as a battalion of goblins charge into the room, shortly followed by a cave troll. Right off the bat Gimli takes out two of the orc runts. Guarding the hobbits for all they are worth, Legolas and Gandalf take out a collective total of ten. I'm even able to lead 2 of my own down the well; call me an off-white rabbit.

"It's coming for you, Boromir!"

I call to the man and the warning is just in time, as the troll strikes for his middle. Blocking the blow, Boromir easily begins making mincemeat out of the creature. That is, until it steps slightly into the sun and its arm solidifies.

Screeching in pain at having lost a limb, the troll swings the appendage wildly, causing his opponent to have to work that much harder. The distraction is enough for two orcs to get to Sam but I'm not worried. His back against the wall with only a sword and a pan as his defense, Sam knocks his enemies to the ground in a single blow.

"I think... " he huffs breathlessly "I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"Great job, Sammy!" I return encouragingly

"S-s-sammy!?"

Finding it too difficult to fight Boromir and the sun, it is now that the troll goes after Frodo. It jabs at him with a spear but the hobbit is light on his feet and keeps just out of reach. It only takes a momentary stumble for the tip to slice through his arm though. His cry of pain draws a memory to my consciousness and I would curse myself if I could. All those years ago I saved Thorin's life by forcing him to wear the chain mail meant for Bilbo. With all that was going on, he never returned it to the hobbit. If Bilbo never got it, then Frodo never received it, meaning... Frodo isn't wearing lifesaving chain mail!

"Damn it!"

I swear at myself, leaping into action and charging over to the hobbit's side without a thought. 'It's my fault. It's ALWAYS my fault.' The troll roars as I use my weapon to strike his knee with a sickening crack. It returns the blow with one of it's own, knocking LittleBackStabber out my hands, before tossing me back to careen with Frodo's body. He catches me as best as he is able which is not good at all. "Are you alright? Frodo?!"

"Miss..." he looks so frightened and small against the rocky backdrop. He shivers in my arms as a shadow falls over us and I shove him behind me. Knowing there is nothing I can really do other than act as a human shield, he calls for aid "Aragorn! Aragorn!"

The shouts of my friends are nothing compared to the desperate cry of the ring. The fact that Frodo and I are lifted and thrown clear across the room by the Troll's spear is the only reason I know I've been hit. I do however feel the rocks as we smash into them. It becomes hard to breathe, as if someone is bouncing on my chest. The pain radiates through me, not allowing mme to pull a full breath. As I roll to my side in pain and gasp for air, I find Frodo in a similar position letting us both know the cause of our pain.

"Frodo!" Aragorn calls, I think "Thia!"

I know everyone is going crazy fighting right now but I only have eyes for Frodo. The dead look he is giving me makes it obvious that he feels the same. In this moment, there is just the three of us: Him, me, and the ring. The pain in my chest increases and I know immediately that I want nothing to do with this. As if I could push it away with my will, I extend my palms until they are met with Frodo's flesh. Our hands rest against each others perfectly and we each give a broken laugh at finding the other wishing for the same thing. The moment ends with Sam collapsing at our sides with a choking sob.

"They're alive!" he shouts in relief as we slowly sit up "Oh, thank goodness!"

"I'm alright. I'm not hurt." We lean against each other in support of the other with a new found companionship in our regard for our unwanted ring positions "Miss...?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I wave away the worry, as Kili and Bifur rush to my side. Sili brushes past them, disregarding my words and looking me over himself. He finds no blood but still looks over at Gimli with a dark expression as if its his fault "Come on, I'm ok. That was nothing compared to Smaug. It'll take more than a spear to the gut to keep me down."

"And yet you should be dead." Aragorn states blatantly. Picking up the now dead troll's weapon, he twirls it expertly. The head is blunt, showing a clear and recent flattening "This spear was sharp when it entered. It would have skewered a wild boar."

"Heeeey. That's not a nice thing to say about Boromir." I chide shakily, just to try and lighten the mood. I also don't want anyone to think too much on the issue. I'm not sure what happened and have zero answers so I just want to move things on. We can't stay here for much longer, despite how drained we may be feeling. It'll get worse before it gets better. I don't know why I'm not dead but I'm too scared to look, lest my intestines land in my searching hands "Only I can call him that."

"And here I was, worried." with a snort, Boromir picks up the discarded mace with much difficulty and returns it to me "Take up your weapon, dragon queen."

"We are not out of danger yet. But..." Gandalf smiles lightly at our exhausted forms "I think there is more to this pair than meets the eye."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"More company." As the drums sound again, I find sitting to be the wrong position to be in. Struggling to my feet, I pull Frodo to his own much to my kin's annoyance "Less talking, more running."

"I agree." Once on our feet, Gandalf directs us out the room "To the bridge of Khazad-dum!"

"Because we totally know where... that... is..."

My blood chills in my veins and I freeze in the doorway. If I'd eaten anything recently, it would have been coming up right now as my stomach twists in fright. Each pump of my heart is agonizingly painful as my very world crumbles and my sight darkens around the edges. I can't get enough air into my lungs no matter how much I suck in through my mouth. Even with nearly a football field's worth of space between us, there is no way I could mistake that pale form for anyone else.

"Az... og..."

I can't even say his name as it all but strangles me rather than escape from my mouth. That feeling of something being here comes into its fullness and I know whose presence I have been feeling since I arrived. The orc stands tall behind his troops and I do collapse at seeing that he has both his arms. That can't be. It doesn't make sense! It has to be someone else. He shouldn't be here. He CANT be here. He's not... But there he stands as clear as day. It's a lie. His eyes scan the group before meeting mine and I know its him. If I'd had any air in my lungs, I'd scream in horror at the smile that spreads across his face. Static crinkles the edges of my vision and it takes everything within me not to pass out.

"But... Thorin said..."

"A lie." Bifur answers, kneeling before me and this time, I understand his words clearly "He lied to you."

"Kili!" I distantly hear Gandalf call from up ahead "Bring her! This way."

~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~

Uzbadu men My lord

Nai No