The Outside Reality

Chapter 13: The Journey in the Dark

As we walked through Moria, I looked over the side of where we were walking, and into the depths of Moria, I see shiny stuff glittering in the walls. "Gandalf," I ask, "What is that?" 

"That is mithril. Strong as dragon scales, but light as a feather. You see, the wealth of Moria comes not from gold or jewels. It comes from their abundance of mithril."  Gandalf says as we approach a fork in the road, so to speak. Gandalf looks from one path, to the other. "I have no memory of this place..." he says, confused. 

I look at the fellowship, and the hobbits don't hesitate to sit down. I lean up against the rock wall, shutting my eyes. Gandalf sits on a rock next to Frodo, looking at the two paths in confusion. After standing there for a few minutes, I open my eyes, looking at the other side of the cave. I see a creature moving, climbing up the wall, and hiding in a small crevass. 

"Gandalf," I say, "There...there is something out there."

He nods his head, "Yes. It is the creature Gollum."

Frodo looked at Gandalf, "Gollum! Then he's escaped the prison of Barad-Dûr!" 

"Escaped," Gandalf asks, "Or set loose? His love for the ring has drawn him here. Smeagol hates, and loves the ring, as he hates and loves himself. Yes, that was his name once, Smeagol. Before the ring drove him mad."

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo spits.

"Pity? It was pity that steadied Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death and many that die, deserve life. Can you give it to them Frodo ? Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement Even the very wise cannot see all ends.  My heart says that Gollum has some part to play, yet for good or ill.... before this is over." Gandalf looks up. "Heh, it's that way. The air doesn't smell as foul down here." Everybody stands up, eager to move on and get out of this accursed place.

We haven't been walking long, when Gimli runs ahead, crying, "Welcome, fellow travellers, to the great dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!" I laugh as I enter this great hall.

"That is an eye opener, isn't it?" Sam says.

 It truely was magnificent, with it's  large columns, standing over fifty feet tall. "I'd must admit, I expected less from dwarves." I turn, and Legolas is behind me, staring at the hall. 

Gimli laughs. "You see, Master Elf! We Dwarves aren't that much worse than elves as you think!"

"No," Legolas admits, "But at least you know that you are worse than us." I laugh, and Gimli frowns at me. 

Gimli grunts, then walks deeper into Dwarrowdelf. Suddenly, I see him run forward crying, "NOOO!!!!" 

I run after him, "Gimli, come back!!" Legolas and I chase him into a room. "It looks like a tomb...." I say slowly.

Gandalf enters, and read the tomb aloud, "Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria."

"It is as I feared" Aragorns says, "He is dead."

"Whats that?" Boromir says, walking over to a skeleton holding a rather large book. 

Gandalf hands Pippen his hat and staff, opening to the last page of the book. "It is blurry... but I'll make out what I can. 'Lord Balin has been slayed by an orc. They are coming up from the east of Silverlode.' this next is blurred..... 'we have barred the gates.....we cannot hold them for long. We cannot get out, we cannot get out. They have taken the bridge. Drums, drums in the deep. They are coming.'  That's all I can make out. There is more, but-"

KER-KRASHHHH

We whirl around to face Pippen, who accidentally knocked a skeleton down a crevass in the floor. Gandalf closed the book, "Fool of a Took! Next time throw yourself in and rid us of your stupidity." He sighs, turning away from Pippen. 

BOOM......BOOM......BOOM.......BOOM

I turn and look at Gandalf, "Gandalf.... are those...-"

"Block the door!" Legolas yells. Aragorn and Boromir run for the door, looking out into Dwarrowdelf. I see arrows fly and hit the door. 

After they close the door, Boromir stands agains the door, "They have a cave troll."

Gimli yells a battle cry, "ARGGGGGGG!! LET THEM COME!!!" 

Legolas comes by my side, "Ready your bow, Hailey. And," he looks at me, then to the door, "Stay by my side. I'll protect you, to the best of my abilities."

I smirk, "Like I need protecting." He gives me a look, so cold it sent chills down my spine, "But, I will do what you wish."

Legolas sighs, "It is my job to look aft-"

"It is everybodies job to protect everybody else, Legolas." I hiss. I would have said more, but the orcs had started breaking through the door, and I fire an arrow, hearing the bloodcurdling scream of my victim. The battle had begun.

        Chaos erupted in the room as that door splintered apart. Legolas, Aragorn, and I are frantically shooting the incoming orcs, while Gimli stands ontop of Balin's tomb, yelling. The hobbits, with their swords drawn, are behind Gandalf. I notice that Frodo has a new, elvish sword, like my own. Soon, it is pointless to fire arrows from such a close range, so I throw my bow onto my back, and unsheath my sword, killing an orc as I did so. I hear Gimli land next to me, as he jumped off the tomb, and tackling a couple of orcs that were charging towards Legolas and I. 

        I am surrounded by orcs, when I hear Pippen cry, "FRODO!" I turn, and see the cave troll is cornering him. I kill my way through the orcs, trying to get to Frodo and the Troll. Legolas is frantically shooting at it, but it seemed unfaised. 

When I get close enough, I grab a spear, and throw it at the troll. And miss my target, its back. It stabs the troll in the back of its arm, causing it to squeal in pain. It turns and looks at me,  pulling the spear out of it's shoulder. "Shoot... FRODO!" I look at him, scared out of my mind. "RUN!!" I see him move, and I turn my attention towards the troll. 

Aragorn and Legolas are yelling for me to run, but I have no intentions of doing such a thing. Frodo needs to not have a troll going after him, so I'll keep his attention as long as I possibly can. I draw my sword, and stare at that stupid troll. "Come at me you freak."  The troll throws the spear at me, but I dodge it and charge. I began stabbing that poor creature in the leg, as fast and hard as I could, trying to get it to fall. He swings his arm at me, and I try to evade, but I trip over a corpse in the process. The troll picks up the speara, as I try to scramble up. But I wasn't fast enough, because I feel a searing pain in my leg. That troll actually hit me. I fall to the ground, screaming in agony. 

I hear Legolas yell at me to move, and I try. I can't stand up, so I pull myself across the floor, trying to get out of the way. But the troll isn't done with me. I scream again, as it pulls the spear out of my leg. I curl myself into a ball, crying from the heat of the pain, burning in my leg. The troll gets ready to stab me again, and I prepare for the end. As my vision slowly gets blurry, I know that I've lost a lot of blood. I stare at the troll, and my doom, as I see a blurry thing hit the trolls hand, causing the spear to fall from his hand. I see Legolas pick me up, telling me to hang in there, but I can't and my vision goes black. 

~Legolas's POV~

"Hang in there Hailey, you're going to be okay." I set her limp body down on the far side of the tomb, away from that stupid cave troll. I put my ear to her chest, praying she is alright. Thump....thump thump... I hear her faint, but steady, heart beat. She should be fine.

When I turned my attention back to the troll, I notice that it has Frodo cornered, with the spear that he stabbed Hailey with. I run over there, watching as it knocks Aragorn aside when he stabs it's foot. "Aragorn!" I yell, running over to him. When I see that he is alright I hear the hobbits, Merry and Pippen, yell, and I turn. They had jumped onto it's back, stabbing it with there swords. I turn to Frodo, and see the spear impaled in him. Has the fellowship failed? Anger bubbling in my chest, I draw two arrows from my quiver, and fire them right under the trolls jaw, and into it's windpipe. It sqeals, and falls to the ground. 

We've beaten the first wave of enemies.....but at what cost?