LotR: Pippin's Point of View

XII: The Walls of Moria

Sorry... I lied... but a day late isn't that bad, is it?

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Merry threw a rock into the lake.

It made a large splash, and I picked up another stone. I flipped in my hand and was about to throw it when Aragorn grabbed my hand.

"Do not disturb the water." He warned me. I sat down with a huff.

"Oh, it's hopeless." Gandalf said, throwing down his staff. He had been trying to get the doors open for hours now, with Frodo watching.

Gandalf sat down and took of his hat.

Aragorn and Boromir looked out on the dark water. There were small waves moving the old branches that were surrounding the lake shore.

Frodo stood. "It's a riddle."

Something cut through the water. I saw it, but wasn't sure about anyone else.

"Speak 'friend' and enter." Frodo puzzled it out, unaware of the mysterious movements behind him. "What's the Elvish word for 'friend?'"

"Mellon." Gandalf said.

Another ... thing cut through the water.

With a loud grinding noise, the stone doors swung outward.

Gandalf chuckled. We all stood up an walked after Gandalf into the Mines.

Merry looked suspiciously at the water, but I pulled him along.

Gandalf fit a stone into his staff as Gimli started to brag to Legolas.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!"

My mouth watered. Gimli sounded genuine ... so where was the smell of meat? where was the laughter that beer usually brought with it? Where was the light of the fires?

Gandalf lit his staff.

"This, my friend, is the home if my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"

I stopped. Something cracked under my bare foot.

The light from Gandalf's staff showed us the entire room.

And Boromir summed it up.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb."

As we looked around, skeletons grinned at us from everywhere.

One on the floor at our feet (whose discarded hand I had stepped on).

One against the wall with an arrow in its eye socket.

One with an axe still clutched in its dead hand.

"No..." Gimli gasped. "No!"

Legolas took an arrow from the rib cage of a skeleton and inspected the tip. "Goblins."

He threw down the arrow and notched his own in his bow. Aragorn drew his sword as did Boromir.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan." Boromir said. "We should have beer come here."

As a group, the three Hobbits and I backed up. I tripped over a skull.

"Now, get out if here. Get out!"

Then Frodo fell.

We all turned as Frodo was dragged away.

"Frodo!" Sam yelled.

"Help!" was the response.

A large tentacle had wrapped around Frodo's ankle.

Merry and I ran after him.

Sam called, "Strider!"

Frodo yelled, "help!"

"Get off him!" Sam chopped at the tentacle with his sword.

"Aragorn!"

The tentacle, wounded, retreated back into the lake. Frodo scrambled backwards.

Then ten more tentacles burst out of the water towards us.

One grabbed each of us. We all shouted as we were dragged into the air by the giant cephalopod.

Legolas shot an arrow into the tentacle as Aragorn and Boromir chopped off the ones down low.

The three of us fell, but Frodo remained the monster's captive.

The monster surfaced, its mouth open.

Frodo screamed again.

Boromir yelled as he severed another tentacle.

Aragorn cut a tentacle and the monster dropped Frodo into Boromir's arms.

"Into the Mines!" Gandalf shouted.

"Legolas!" Boromir shouted as Aragorn pushed Boromir.

"Into the cave!"

Legolas shot the monster right above the eye.

The monster reared, giving us enough time to run like heck for the dark cave.

The behemoth tried to pull itself towards us as it anchored its tentacles into the cliff face.

"Run!"

Luckily for us, as the monster pulled itself ashore, the stone collapsed on top of it, blocking it out.

Unfortunately for us, the stone collapsed. Trapping us inside the goblin infested Mines.

As the dust settled, Gandalf lit his staff. "We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."

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Since I was late and I'm feeling nice, I'm updating twice. 

~ PB :P