They walked for miles and miles; through twisting passages and over great, gaping pits. They weren't to look down. Looking down meant panic and chaos. There was absolutely no looking down into the chasms below them. The air was the worst - it was getting more and more stale as we proceeded. The fact that Aerin was to breathe that air for at least four days almost brought tears to her eyes. It smelled almost poisonous. And it probably was.
After a few hours of walking in silence, The Fellowship entered a great cavern, far bigger than any part of Moria they had been thus far. Gandalf told them of mithril and how it had always been the biggest treasure of the dwarves, and that was the first time they all looked down into a pit since they entered. A beautiful light illuminated their faces as they did - the great treasure of the dwarves lay there. Aerin stepped up a little bit closer to the edge in order to see and indeed it was marvelous. They didn't linger there, and proceeded rather swiftly. Gandalf's little stories helped them pass the time, and they were grateful for that.
After another set of steep stairs, they reached a crossroads: three doorways loomed before them. Gandalf stopped and Aerin looked at him, confused. He simply glanced from one to the other and back. And then he said: ''I have no memory of this place.'' Aerin was really disappointed to hear that sentence. ''Gandalf, are you sure?'' Aerin asked reluctantly. ''We will rest here this night. I will think while you get some sleep.'' he said. ''Pippin, give me your pipe.''
They all sat scattered around. Aerin rested on a rock and leaned her head against the wall of the cavern. She tried to rest a bit, but it seemed impossible. She could still hear the halflings talk in the back.
''Are we lost?''
''No.''
''I think we are.''
''Shh! Gandalf's thinking.''
''Merry?''
''What?''
''I'm hungry.''
Aerin decided it was impossible to fall asleep or even doze off lightly so she walked over to Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas where they had lit a fire. ''Do you think it will take us longer than four days through these mines?'' She asked. ''If we make stops such as these, then probably,'' Aragorn said. ''Well, I am not glad to hear that.'' ''Neither am I...'' agreed Boromir smiling at Aerin who smiled back.
''What I'm more worried about are the creatures that reside here...'' said Legolas, and Aerin could hear in his voice that he had sensed something. She hoped she was wrong. ''Well, let us hope we have some luck then,'' said Aragorn reassuringly. ''As long as we're quiet, we shouldn't encounter such problems,'' Aerin concluded with little certainty but a lot of hope. ''I still say we should have made for the Gap of Rohan,'' insisted Boromir, shaking his head. ''Boromir... should have is only discouraging the little ones,'' Aerin said, ''We're here now. None of that matters any longer.''
''Besides, we would have walked right up to Isengard's doorstep that way,'' added Aragorn. ''It wouldn't have been any safer for the Ringbearer,'' agreed Legolas.
...
''Behold - the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf,'' Gandalf announced as he had led them through more empty corridors. ''Wow...'' was all Aerin could mutter into her chin. Her eyes roamed the carvings on the ceiling. ''Now there's an eye opener and no mistake,'' said Sam.
Before them they saw an entrance to a smaller chamber. There was more sunlight in it, more than they had seen in days. Gimli gave away a sound which confused and alarmed Aerin, and then he suddenly ran off towards that chamber door. They called out his name in confusion and concern but Gimli kept running, not even looking back or responding to them. The other members of the Fellowship all followed after him; Aerin ran though she did not understand what was happening at all. But then she saw Gimli crying, kneeling in front of a tombstone in the middle of the chamber and she knew then.
Aerin's heart ached. Gimli had seen so much death and loss of his kin. And there lay another one, and I knew right away that this person was important to Gimli. This person was important to everyone, as they were the only one of the Dwarven kind in Moria that got an actual burial. The crypt was positioned in the centre of the room, completely illuminated by sun-rays reaching from the small windows in the mountain walls.
Aerin looked around and saw bodies and weapons scattered about. It was a sad but frightening sight. Gandalf approached the tomb and translated the runes to them: ''Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then... It's as I feared.''
''We must move on, we cannot linger,'' Aerin heard Legolas whisper to Aragorn and it made her grow even more nervous. Gandalf approached a corpse and picked up an old, battered book. Gimli was still wailing, with less strength now. Aerin put her hand on his shoulder as she knew not how else to comfort him. ''I'm sorry, Gimli,'' she muttered, kneeling next to him. He barely responded, barely nodded his head. ''They have taken the bridge... and the second hall,'' Gandalf started to read. ''We have barred the gates... but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums... drums... in the deep.''
Her heart started skipping beats before it sped up, pumping blood out of my head. The words Gandalf spoke made fear rise in her, and her breathing quickened and Aerin tried to steady it, but all she could do was stand up straight, gulp down, and restlessly shift her weight from side to side. Her hand went to my sword hilt instinctively. Her eyes met Aragorn's and she knew him well enough to see the same sort of fear and suspicion, but he barely showed it. ''We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out... They are coming.''
Aerin wanted them all to leave as soon as possible, and come out of Moria to meet the fresh air unharmed. If they could somehow magically simply disappear and reappear on the other side. She didn't want to spend a single second more there. She had never been so eager to leave a place in her whole entire life. It was a feeling in my very bones, and it was a feeling she had learned to trust.
Just then, a disturbing noise came from the back and Aerin spun around quickly in reaction only to see that Pippin had knocked a corpse over into a well, altogether with the chain and the bucket and it produced the most strident noise one could possibly produce in Moria. The horrible clamour kept echoing from hall to hall down below and Aerin winced and cringed with every loud hit of the bucket against anything. The fear in her had now grown even stronger. Whatever lied in the deeps of Moria, Aerin was sure Pippin had awoken it.
''Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!'' Gandalf hissed angrily. Aerin had no time to be angry at Pippin, to shout or hiss or reprimand. None of them did. There were drums. Drums in the deep.
YOU ARE READING
to love someone else
Fanfiction''My heart doesn't matter, does it? Even if it is true, and he feels something for me too, it is still doomed to fail, isn't it? Elves can only love once. I am doomed to die of heartbreak, it's my fate as I know Haldir was the one... I'd never want...
