𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

7| conversations in the dark

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria."

Gandalf's voice was grave, as his staff produced the now only source of light.

I felt the warmth of Aldion beside me, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as my mind was put to ease from the thought that he might have been crushed by the falling rocks. Or even worse—trapped outside with...whatever that thing was.

"Daeriel," I heard my brother call. "Are you alright? I saw you fall into the water."

I nodded.

"I only fell because I sliced one whole tentacle clean off. You should not doubt me, gwador."

He smiled, patting me on the shoulder.

"That is the gravest mistake one could make."

I weakly returned the smile, before trailing after Gandalf as we made our way further into the depths of the mine.

No longer did we have the privilege of moonlight; now we were forced to stumble through corpses and fallen stones. The air was dank and scarce, and all my straining ears could pick up on were our own echoing footsteps and the occasional crunch of a bone under a foot as we carefully tread through the darkness.

"Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."

Gandalf's warning was dark and foreboding.

Blowing a cobweb out of my face, I gripped my sword, feeling the security of my fingers wrapped around the hilt as I followed Gandalf, my other hand in Aldion's fur. Knowing his presence remained by my side brought me some solace in those dark, cold tunnels far beneath the earth.

"Quietly now," the wizard warned, "it's a four day journey to the other side. Let's hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

Legolas was in front of me, the hobbits, Aragorn and Boromir behind as we navigated the darkness of the cavern. We ascended a flight of stone stairs, a dark chasm to our right, with ladders and various mining equipment that lay abandoned. The silence was chilling, unlike anything I'd ever heard before. 

It was almost as if we were afraid to speak, to make any hint of a sound, for fear of awakening...something in these dark caverns.

As we passed under a stone archway, the hairs on the back of my neck stood. But when I glanced back, I saw nothing.

My brows knitted together, but I continued to walk, my eyes scanning the darkness around me.

The only sounds that could be heard were now the slight rattling of the chains as they hung from the cave walls. It was almost hard to believe that this place was once a thriving dwarven kingdom. Where now there were empty ladders, once would have had dwarves mining the earth, the sounds of hammers and buoyant laughter ringing throughout the mines, bustling with life and activity.

But evil could find its way into everything good, worming its way in, destroying all that people held dear to their hearts. Not unlike my kingdom. Even the brightest gold could be corrupted by darkness.

Gandalf ran his fingers against a silvery pattern on the stone beside him. I raised my eyebrows. It almost resembled a bolt of lightning, spreading across the stone.

"The wealth of Moria is not in gold, but Mithril."

Gandalf shone the light of his staff into the caverns below. I drew in a breath as the true depths of the caverns were illuminated, seeming to stretch on down for what seemed like forever.

"Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him," Gandalf added.

"Oh, that was a kingly gift!" exclaimed Gimli in wonder as he continued to walk onwards.