Eternally Bond

Durin's Bane

7. Durin's Bane

The sound of drums and high-pitched screeches continued and everyone turned towards the entrance of the chamber.

Frodo's sword glowed blue, which meant that orcs were incoming and the fellowship exchanged glances at this information. Boromir swiftly ran to the door. From nowhere two arrows shot out and missed his face by a mere inch.

"Get back!" Aragorn shouted to the hobbits as Gandalf pushed the halflings further into the chamber. Arwen stood from her spot next to Gimli and hurried to stand with the wizard.

"Stay close to us!" she urged the hobbits while Aragorn hurried forward to help Boromir close the doors.

"They have a cave-troll," Boromir pointed out as the two sealed the door with old, discarded axes.

Gandalf, Arwen and the hobbits pulled their swords in preparation of the battle. Legolas aimed his bow at the door as Boromir and Aragorn backed to his side. Aragorn pulled out his bow as well. Gimli leaped atop the crypt of Balin, his axe in his sturdy hands, as the orcs hacked away at the doors.

"Let them come!" he growled as the orcs made splinters of the door. "There is one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!"

There was little time to prepare themselves mentally for the battle as Aragorn and Legolas shot arrows at the cracks the orcs created in the door. Not long after the doors were slammed open and the orcs came swarming in, battle-ready. Aragorn swiftly hung his bow across his shoulder once more and pulled his long sword from its sheath.

The orcs wasted no time before advancing on them, screeching as they went. Gandalf shouted a battle cry and so did the hobbits as they attacked. They swung their swords left and right, dodging swords and spears as they tried to stay alive. The fellowship fought on, even though they were greatly outnumbered, for this was their only chance to live.

Arwen huffed as she cut down an orc and turned to look for the hobbits, she tried to keep close to them to protect them if needed, but they managed well on their own.

Sam was the most efficient with his sword and showed much skill with a blade. Suddenly the hobbit heard a dull sound and as he looked up, he was met by a horrendous view - a cave-troll slammed its way through the narrow doors, breaking heavy blocks of stone from the walls as it did. Legolas shot it with his arrows but it barely even flinched.

The troll first set its sight on Sam and lifted its massive mace to strike him, Sam threw himself between the troll's legs and tried to crawl to safety. However, the troll turned around and prepared to put its heavy foot on Sam.

Mid-step the troll was prevented from squishing Sam by Boromir and Aragorn who pulled on the chain that hung around the troll's neck. Their plan succeeded but the troll then turned on them instead. The two men ducked as it swung its mace at them, Aragorn swiftly let go of the chain but Boromir did not. The man soon realized his mistake, as the troll swung the chain so hard that Boromir was thrown aside, as if he weighed nothing more than one of the hobbits.

He hit the hard wall of the raised level and his head spun for a second. Boromir became disoriented and barely saw an orc raise its sword to attack him. He gulped when suddenly another blade came flying through the air, hitting the orc in its throat. As it fell dead, Boromir turned around and saw Aragorn nodding to him. Boromir nodded back and pulled Aragorn's sword from the orc's throat before standing from the ground.

Aragorn used his rangers' dagger to stab one of the orcs before Boromir managed to throw back his sword to him. The ranger caught it skilfully in one hand and swung it in a graceful arch, cutting off an orc's head as he turned.