Flying free (FINISHED)

Chapter 5

Third pov

At the closed doors Gandalf read the runes in the stone. "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter."

Willow tuned them out and sat on a stone. The cold had left her tired and she gratefully took the water Sam gave her.

The doors opened showing them only darkness. After a moments hesitation they went in.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat of the bone."

Roaring fires sounded good in Willow's ear.

"This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli's voice echoed.

Willow felt dread run through her as she saw bones on the floor. "This isn't a mine." Her voice echoed as well. "It's a tomb."

Gimli's voice was heartbroken. "No!"

Legolas picked up an arrow sticking out from a skeleton. "Goblins." He drew his bow and readied an arrow. Aragorn, Boromir and Willow unsheated their swords.

The blade felt light in her hand as Willow waited for everything to go down.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here." She heard Boromir behind her.

They kept careful watch for anything in the dark. Gandalf must've realized something because he said. "Now, get out of here. Get out!"

Willow was aware that their for hobbits had backed out behind them. "Frodo!"

"Strider'" Sam shouted while trying to get the tentacles off his best friend.

Willow swore to herself and ran out to help. She cut tentacles off and ushered the remaining hobbits over to Gandalf.

Legolas and Willow had each other's backs. While he shot at the beast she kept it from grabbing him. "We need to get into the mines again. Hurry!"

They all ran in just in time as the beast destroyed the entrance. Rhayna let out a puff of fire, briefly illuminating the others.

"We now have but one choice." Gandalf got his staff to light up. "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."

Willow stayed close to the others. She was exhausted to the point where she had to hide the slight shaking of her hands. No one else complained and she didn't want to either.

Rhayna still did not have much energy and it made the rider uneasy.

"Quietly now. It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

The halls were dark and unwelcome as they made their way through.

They reached a point with different passages and made up a fire while Gandalf tried to remember the way.

Boromir and Aragorn were both well aware of each others growing affection for the young rider. They watched as she curled up close to the fire, Rhayna clinging to her shoulders.  She had done a good job during the months of travel but right now she and the hobbits needed rest.

"How is Rhayna, miss Willow?" Sam asked.

Willow smiled. "She's still a little cold but it's starting to wear off."

With Willow's permission Sam gave the dragon a piece of bacon.

Time skip

When Gandalf figured out where to go they were on the move again.

The room they came to next was gigantic. Even with the obvious signs of abandonment and shrouded in darkness it was breathtaking.

Gimli took pride in their reactions.

"Behold, the great realm and Dwaef-city of Dwarrowdelf."

While Willow was in awe she could also feel something hot in the depths.

The group reached another smaller stone opening. Gimli ran inside to the stone coffin and fell to his knees. "Oh, no. No." He cried and the rider felt her heart weep with him.

Gandalf read the runes on carved into the stone out loud. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, lord of Moria. He is dead, then. It's as i feared." He handed his grewy hat to Pippin. His attention had been caught by a book being held by one of the skeletons.

Rhayna was quick down Willow's  shoulders and went over to something another skeleton was holding.

It was a smaller book with a dragon painted onto it. She took it and put it in her bag. Rhayna, seemingly satisfied, went back to her shoulders and they went back to the others. She heard her grandfather read from the big dusty book he'd picked up.

"Well that sounds reassuring." She mumbled sarcastically.

Gandalf and the hobbits didn't hear her, but the two other humans cracked a smile while Legolas gave her a confused look.

Pippin touched a skeleton that fell down a well creating a dangerous amount of noise.

Rhayna hissed, her hearing picking up on the drums before them. Gandalf said something to the hobbit but Willow could only hear the drums. They sent dread through her. "Drums."

Legolas looked alarmed. "Orcs."

The rider rushed to the doors to see what was happening outside the room. Two arrows lodged themselves into the door barely missing her head. She shouted to the hobbits. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!"

Boromir helped her close the doors. "They have a cave troll." He told Aragorn as he helped them barricade the doors.

Gimli stood on the stone coffin. "Let them come. There is one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath."

Willow caught the shield Boromir threw to her and drew her sword.

They sliced and cut through the orcs that came.  Rhayna burning the few she could. The came troll made Willow stop in disbelief. A sword shattered against the dragon scales on her corset. It brought her back to the fight at hand.

The troll's club smashed down in front of her, destroying the stone that she had been standing on. "Shit!" She jumped back as the troll now had its attention on her.

The club hit her right in the stomach and sent her back into a wall. The last thing she heard before it went dark was voices screaming her name.

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