Rebuilding the King.

Chapter ten: The journey through the mines.

Elayna's POV.
When I wake up I notice that it is Legolas's turn to carry me.  We, I am using the collective term because if I could walk I would, walk down the halls of Moria. As we walk, Gandalf runs his hand over the walls. "The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels – but mithril," Gandalf tells us. Then he shines his light down into a vast mine below. Everyone stares in wonder at it. I smile when I see Pippin holds Merry back from getting too close to the edge. Those two are closer than brothers! So this is the stuff that my shirt is made from.... Hmm shiny! "Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him," Gandalf tells us. "Oh, that was a kingly gift!" Gimli exclaims. "Yes. I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire," Gandalf announces nonchalantly. "WHAT?" I screech. Only to have Legolas place his hand over my mouth and I flinch as I hear my voice echo down the cavern. "Sorry," I whisper. Everyone sighs in relief and then chuckles softly when we weren't suddenly ambushed. I look up at Legolas and whisper in his ear, "Do you think I could walk for a while? I must be getting heavy". He smiles and shakes his head. "No, I am no fool and plus I can see how much your foot has swollen," he says and I snap my eyes down to my foot. Damn it! Then I panic. "Umm Legolas... Where's my boots and pack and weapons?" I ask. Legolas smiles and says, "Aragorn has taken your pack and weapons and Frodo has your boots," he explains and I relax. Once we are away from the ledge with the scary drop I ask how long I've been asleep. "About four hours," Legolas says. "You slept through the last half of Boromir carrying you and the first half of me doing so". "Please don't tell me Boromir carried me for like four hours!" I say to him. Legolas just nods and then looks forward. We just entered a great cavern with a walkway down through the middle. Then Legolas shifts me to his back as we begin to climb slowly up steep steps on the side of a cavern. For a second, Pippin looses his footing and slips onto Merry who stops him from tumbling down the stairs. "Pippin!" he chastised.

As soon as we get to the top of the stairs Legolas passes me off to Aragorn and I squirm around, tired of being carried. "Why is it only when you get passed to me that you get uneasy?" he mutters, but I'm close enough that I can hear him. It's possibly because I have feelings for you that I shouldn't because nothing can come of it because you are royalty and I am not! I just continue to wriggle for a while before I spot a long pole. "Aragorn, if I use that pole as a support can I walk tomorrow?" I ask him. I see him look over to where the pole is and then walk over to pick it up. He swings it around and then takes a few steps with it. Bear in mind that I am still in his arms. How the hell does he do this? He keeps the pole in his hand and then moves along the passage. "I think you can... Only for a little while though and then we will carry you again and you'll use it all day the day after that," he decrees. I squeal softly and throw my arms around his neck, giving him a quick hug before remembering my place. The next few hours passed slowly and eventually we all settled down for some rest. I took the first watch and as soon as everyone was asleep I start moving my foot and ankle around to reduce the swelling. They don't hurt so bad now. I pull my shirt up and trace the marks of the mithril that have been indented into my skin from when that monster outside smooshed it up against my skin. Two hours later I stand up and hobble over to Gimli. It's his turn to take watch. He helps me over to where I'm supposed to sleep, between Frodo and, of course, Aragorn. I fell asleep rather quickly after that. The next day when I woke up and pulled on my boots. Then I took my pack from the far side of the still asleep Aragorn and get to my feet using the pole I saw yesterday.