Cursed

VII

A very long chapter for you all because you deserve it, and I still have an hour of the first film to compress into a chapter.

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ

We stood in the vast Dwarven halls, admiring the sheer size of the place. It made me feel small, in some way. As we took small steps forward, we rounded a corner and I noticed a small opening. What I didn't know was how significant this room actually was to a certain Dwarf.

Gimli yelled and swiftly ran forward towards the room, Gandalf shouting behind him. "No..No!" The dwarf said, saddened with what laid in front of him. Gimli fell to his knees and thats when I noticed what laid in front of us ; a tomb. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria." Gandalf read the carvings on the surface as Gimli let out wails of despair. "He is dead, then. It's as I feared."

I looked around the room, noticing the corpses laying around. These dwarves fled here thinking they had hope to escape. I lowered my head in respect, just as Gimli spoke quietly in Dwarvish to pay his. "We must move on. We cannot linger." Legolas spoke warningly. He was right. There were most likely goblins and orcs around. All our talk would lead them closer.

Gandalf had picked up a large book, held by one of the skeletons. "They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep." Gandalf paused and looked to each of us before turning the page. "We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming." As Gandalf finished reading from the diary, we all swiftly turned around to face Pippin, who lurked behind Gandalf. He had knocked a dwarven skeleton down a well. The rest of its body and chains fell behind it, causing a racket.

We all stood silently, listening to the echos of clashes and bangs as the body plummeted down through the mines. When it finally stopped, Gandalf glared at the clumsy hobbit, slamming the diary. "Fool of a Took. Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." The wizard snatched his staff back and Pippin gulped, embarrassed from what he caused. I sighed, turning to head out of the door.

Our ears filled with the distant sound of drumming. "Drums, drums in the deep." Everyone began to physically panic, Boromir huffing and the hobbits shuffling around, watching Frodo's sword glow brighter by the second. "Orcs!" Legolas shouted, as cackles approached us faster.

Boromir rushed to the door, checking for the enemy when he sprung back as an arrow embedded itself into the wooden door next to his face. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn commanded the hobbits. I drew my sword and made my way to the door, helping block any entries. "They have a cave troll." Boromir sighed. Legolas then began passing the young steward old weapons lying around. The door was soon barricaded but it would not last for long.

"Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath." Gimli yelled, climbing onto the tomb, raring to fight. I stood in front of the hobbits, sword at the ready.

Aragorn and Legolas began firing arrows as the door began to break. That didn't last long as the doors suddenly flew wide open, and orcs and trolls came barrelling in. Everyone charged in, my sword going through the skulls of orcs, skewering them.

All that I could hear was the clanging of metal and the shrieks from the enemy, and the odd few from the hobbits if an orc got too close. As I continued slicing the heads of the enemy off, it didn't occur to me that the door was completely ripped from its hinges and a huge cave troll came hurling towards me. It was pulled back swiftly by its chains. I nodded a quick thanks to Aragorn, who I noticed held them. I continued fighting, keeping my eye on the cave troll who now had arrows embedded in its neck.