The White Armoured Shifter. [The Hobbit FF-ThorinxOcxAragorn Love Story]

11. Mines of Moria.

Third person's point of view. 

Everyone's gasps and heavy breathing echo in the darkness. "We now have but one choice," Gandalf says tapping his staff against the ground lighting up the way, showing the startled and frightened faces of the Fellowship. "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." he adds as Ayrn moves to look Frodo over,

Aragorn at her shoulder, his hand squeezing to let her know he's there. Which she's grateful for. "Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed." Gandalf hopes. 

---

Time passes. The Fellowship enters a great cavern. Gandalf rests his hand upon a rock with a dark, silver veins running through it. "The wealth of Moria was not in gold... or jewels..." he says and everyone looks at the walls before Gandalf tilts his staff down towards a pit. "...but Mithril," he adds, the lights illuminate the Fellowship's faces. A vast rock wall drops into the depths below. Row upon row of ladders and scaffolding, old and disused, disappear into the mining shafts below.

Merry leans forward slightly to look closer. Pippin puts a warning hand in front of him. Frodo stares down until the light fades. His hand holding tight to Aryn has been since she saved him, she's a safety net for him and he's not ready to let go yet, she doesn't mind it keeps him close and when he's close she knows he's in reaching distance if he needs help, "Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him." Gandalf said and Ayrn frowned,

Gandalf turned to see her reaction and smirked when he saw how confused she was, she was never told of this and if she'd known she probably would have insisted that Thorin wear one as well. "Oh, that was a kingly gift!" Gimli said filled with awe, "Yes! I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire." Gandalf said surprising Frodo. They then climb up steep steps on the side of a cavern. Pippin loses his footing and slips onto Merry.

"Pippin!" Merry groans, the Fellowship climbs another flight of stairs to a crossroads in the mine: three doorways loom before them. Gandalf glances from one to the other and back. "I have no memory of this place," Gandalf says worriedly, Ayrn sighs and then turns to the others, "Looks like we'll be here for a bit, best rest up now," she says and everyone sits. Sitting near the stairs they climbed, Ayrn keeps a lookout,

She had sensed something following them but didn't say anything yet. Aragorn sits beside Boromir. The two of them watching Ayrn as she watches the deep of the mines, "Hmm." Aragorn hums as he gets comfortable despite the rocks poking him, leaning back he watched as Boromir watched Ayrn, curious to it he sat back up and caught the Gondorian's attention. "Sorry, I don't mean to stare," he said trying to look anywhere else but at the Ranger or the Shifter.

"It's just I've grown up on the stories of the warriors of the north," Boromir said, Aragorn nodded. He too had been told of them from both the elves and by his mother, he'd made peace with the idea that he'd never in his life-time meet one, but then the Dwarves of Erebor showed up in Rivendell, a Unicorn in their ranks had changed that. Those few moments with her when she got a little lost meant everything to him,

It saddened him that he had to leave before he had another chance to speak with her, but then to run into her months later were a blessing to him, "Are we lost?" Pippin whispered to Merry, "No." Merry said though it probably wasn't very convincing, "I think we are." Pippin said making Sam turn and whisper/yell at them, "Shh! Gandalf's thinking." Ayrn had to hold back a smirk after hearing that, 

After a few more minutes of silence, Pippin spoke again, "Merry?" Merry rolled his eyes and looked at Pippin, "What?" "I'm hungry." Aryn choked on a laugh and when everyone looked at her, she shook her head and apologized. Frodo sitting at her side smiled, turning his attention down the way the came he could see a small figure leaping from stone to stone. Startled, he looked at Aryn and he could see that she was watching this creature,

Knowing she'd be focused on it he went over to where Gandalf is sitting. "There's something down there!" Gandalf wasn't surprised. "It's Gollum." he said, "Gollum?" Frodo mused Gandalf nodded, "He's been following us for three days." Gandalf said around the tip of his smoking pipe. "He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dûr!" Frodo said looking back in the creature's direction,

"Escaped? Or was set loose?" Gandalf said bringing up another theory, "And now the Ring had drawn him here. He will never be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself." Gandalf explained, Aryn watched as dark and dirty fingers clasp a stone implement. From the distance below, Gollum looks up, his large eyes piercing the darkness. She could see them reflect and diolate with the small light coming from their camp.

"Sméagol's life is a sad story. Yes, Sméagol he was once called. Before the Ring found him... before it drove him mad." Gandalf added, "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance!" Frodo said sharply, Gandalf tuning to Gandalf glance sharply at Frodo, "Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live, deserve death, and some that die, deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?" Gandalf says making Frodo look down, silently.

"Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill..." Gandalf says as Aryn watches Gollum pulls back into the darkness, wrinkling his nose.  She could even hear him speak softly, his voice echoing a bit, "Gollum." Gandalf's words fading back in as Gollum skulks off, "...before this is over." "The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many." Gandalf added,

As Frodo sat down next to Gandalf. "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." Frodo admits, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."

Gandalf then looks towards one of the doorways, "Oh! It's that way." "He's remembered!" Merry said happily, the Fellowship starts down a dark stairway. Gandalf puts on his hat. "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here," Gandalf said as he rests a hand on Merry's shoulder. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose." he said with a smile,

---

The Fellowship comes into a more open space. Broken columns lie tumbled across the floor. Gandalf lifts his staff. "Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf says as his staff illuminates a giant stone hall with tall pillars and arched ceilings. Gimli gasps. "Behold: the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." he announces, "Now there's an eye-opener and no mistake." Sam said his eyes wide with awe. 

The Fellowship walks forward through the hall, peering around a column. Gimli sees a ray of sunlight shining through a chamber. "Haugh!" Gimli shouts before taking off, "Gimli!" Aryn calls but he doesn't listen, Gimli runs into the chamber. Bodies and weapons scattered about it. The Dwarf stops and kneels by a crypt in the center of the room. A shaft of light illuminates it. Gandalf walks forward and peers at the tomb's surface.

"No! No!" he sobs, "No!" Aryn stepping into the room last walks slowly over to the crypt her eyes are wide and filling with tears as she reads the carvings, Boromir places his hand on Gimli's shoulder. "'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead then. It's as I feared." Gandalf reads out loud, Aragorn sensing Aryn's sadness is at her side and holding her tight to him as she hides her face from the others.

Gimli continues to cry. 

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