Last Act of Love (Sequel to The Last One)

Chapter 8

The Fellowship walked through the abandoned mines, the light from Gandalf's staff highlighting the silver lines in the rock-faces'. 

"The wealth of Moria is not in gold, or jewels, but Mithril." Gandalf explained.

They stared in awe at the abandoned mines bellow.

"Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him." Gandalf said.

"Aww that was a Kingly gift." Gimli gushed.

'He would still be King if I had not failed them.' Ruive thought to herself. 

"Yes. I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of The Shire." 

Frodo looked at Gandalf astonished.

Gandalf lead the climb up a flight of stairs, followed by Legolas, Pippin, Merry, Frodo, Sam, Boromir, Ruive and Aragorn.

"Pippin!" Merry hissed, catching him as he slipped on the stairs.

The Fellowship came upon a junction with three doorways, Gandalf looked between the options with confusion. 

"I've no memory of this place." Gandalf stated.

While Gandalf smoked his pipe trying to remember which direction to go, the others sat down and rested. Aragorn and Ruive sat smoking their pipes with Boromir, Gimli, and the hobbits, apart from Frodo who was leaning on a boulder near Gandalf, and Legolas who was standing. 

"Miss Ruive?" Pippin pipped up.

"Yes, lad." Ruive responded, blowing smoke from her pipe.

"Are Mr Bilbo's stories really true? Did the trolls really argue about how to eat them? And did you really break a boulder in two with your sword?" Pippin began asking many questions.

Merry joined in with his own.

"Was the dragon really as big as they say? Did you really kill it with your bow and a black arrow? Did you really escape the Elven King in barrels?" 

Legolas perked up at the mention of his father. He remembered the day he chased the Company of Thorin Oakenshield and the orcs down the river. He remembered how terrified and worried he was when Ruive was injured.

Ruive took a breath of her pipe and looked over at the hobbits.

"Aye." She said, smoke billowing from her lips.

"Every word."

"So the best way to cook dwarves is really to skin them first?" Pippin asked.

Gimli choked and coughed. Aragorn snickered, Boromir looked shocked for a moment before chuckling, even Legolas chanced a smile.

"I would not know, Laddie. But I do not think Gimli here would like us to find out." Ruive said giving the hobbit a wink.

"Definitely not." Gimli grumbled.

Silence resumed for a few minutes before Ruive looked over to Boromir.

"How is Faramir?" She asked.

During Ruive's time at Gondor, she had become well acquainted with both the Steward and his sons. Of course they only knew her as Hadron at the time and Faramir still did. 

"He is well, last I heard from him." Boromir said, though his eyes held what Ruive perceived as guilt and regret. 

Ruive knew the relationship between Faramir and their father was not a strong one. Their father always favoured Boromir, and Boromir rarely did anything about it.