Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
AS THE FELLOWSHIP SLOWLY MADE THEIR WAY into the mines of the great Dwarf kingdom of Moria, a chilling energy washed over Elamir. The very air around her seemed to have been stolen away, the blackness within the cavernous halls deeper than the night. Instinctively, her hand came to rest upon the hilt of her sword by her side. The soft clattering of Gandalf's fiddling with his staff, and the tentative steps of those who dared to enter the barren chamber were all that could be heard in the bitter silence.
"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves," Gimli exclaimed. "Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin ... And they call it a mine. A mine!"
Elamir's gaze fell to her Dwarvish friend beside her and a soft smile graced her lips. Dwarves had such love and loyalty for their kin, the likes of which she had never seen. The glow of Gandalf's staff drew her attention away. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness that overtook her vision, she froze. At first she could not tell what littered the stone steps before her... either that, or she just could not process what she saw. Corpses were strewn across the wide facade of the entrance of the Earth. Old, decrepit, and rotten, the Dwarves of Moria had long since been dead. Elamir gasped as her mind caught up with her sight, both fear and heartbreak overtaking her.
"This is no mine..." Boromir grimly began. "It's a tomb!"
The others suddenly processed the Gondorian man's words. Exclamations of disgust and confusion left the mouths of every man in the company. The Hobbits cried out in fear as they backed away from a dead body that laid at their feet. The screams of Gimli began to fade away as the blood in Elamir's ears rushed like a hurricane. Her gaze flicked across the numerous bodies, and she began to back up shakily.
Legolas crouched down beside Elamir and pulled a crude arrow out of a nearby skeleton, hissing, "Goblins."
Elamir immediately drew her sword at the word, as did her brother and Aragorn. Legolas readied his bow in case of enemies drawing near. Her breathing was ragged, but her body was calm. Years and years of training, experience in battle, and the like had prepared her for a quest of moments such as these.
"We make for the gap of Rohan. We should never have come here," Boromir whispered, tightening the grip on his sword.
"We must leave now!" Elamir called to Gandalf and the others. "Come on!"
Aragorn's eyes locked with hers and he nodded in agreement, but Boromir yelled, "Get out of here, get out!"
Just as she turned to urge the others to do so, Frodo was suddenly pulled to the ground. Elamir turned to see a tentacle emerging from the water that pulled the Hobbit closer and closer toward the abyss of a lake. She rushed into action, bounding over to the group of Hobbits that rushed to the Ring-bearer's aid.
