Legacy of the Dispossessed {DISCONTINUED}

Bridges and Balrogs

Mithrandir rested his hand on silvery veins running through the walls. "The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels, but mithril," he said. I lowered my sword, which was held aloft to provide light other than Mithrandir's staff. The blue light cast an ethereal glow on the mithril.

Mithril was, indeed, a beautiful thing. It was my father that had first discovered the many uses for it, and Celebrimbor had devised a method for it to be used in other ways, like ithildin. Gandalf tilted his staff to send light down the abyss to our side. It illuminated veins of mithril, running like rivers through the stone. All of us looked in wonder. Pippin put a warning hand in front of Merry as the latter leaned forward to get a better look.

"Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him," Mithrandir said offhandedly.

"Oh, a kingly gift!" Gimli commented, huffing from the steep incline.

"I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire!" Mithrandir said. I sighed. Ahead of us lay another flight of stairs. How many stairs did dwarves need? Were they built to torture us elves?

The stairs were steep as the walls of Thangorodrim. I'd reached a conclusion. The dwarves did build the stairs to torture anyone that might come in after their kingdom fell. I shook my head, then pinched my forearm. This place was getting to me. I needed to stay awake.

The stairs opened onto the edge of a cavern. Pippin stumbled into Merry, and only me grabbing the hoods of both their cloaks prevented them from falling. They stood there, feet over the edge, hanging from my hand. Then I pulled them back. Boromir steadying me to make sure I didn't fall in.

As soon as both the hobbits were on safe ground, I quizzically glanced at Boromir. He hated me, why had he helped. He just shrugged, placing a hand on Merry's shoulders, and helped him up the next flight of stairs. That's the tenth one since we got here.

At the top was a sort of crossroads, with three doors: one forward, one right, and one left. Mithrandir went a little ahead, casting his light on all three of the arches. He frowned. "I have no memory of this place," he said. "Thanyewen?" I stepped forward. Cele had helped design this place, and he had given us a tour of the bigger chambers. I didn't think that he had taken us here.

Unless... I had been here. When the Balrog woke, I had taken a rescue team from Eregion to get as many dwarves out as possible. This had been on the way to the city of Dwarrowdelf. But which archway? I had no idea. It had been ages, literally.

"I don't know," I said miserably. "I've been here, but I have no idea which leads to Dwarrowdelf."

"What good is an age-old elf if she can't even give us directions?" Boromir muttered. Pippin shot him a glare.

"Give it a rest, okay?!" the hobbit snapped. "You keep digging at her, can't you appreciate what she's done? She's the whole reason the Easterlings haven't all-out attacked your precious city. She's the reason your city's there right now!"

"You're giving me far too much credit," I said quietly.

"But you deserve it!" Merry said earnestly. "You have done a lot. People just can't see it!" He turned to Boromir. "You should stop digging at her. We're supposed to work together, right? How can we do that if you two are always picking at each other? Huh?" I turned away to hide my smile. Legolas grinned at me from across the room.

********

"Are we lost?" Pippin whispered to his friend.

"No," Merry replied.

"I think we are."

"Sh! Gandalf's thinking!" Sam snapped at both of them.

"Merry?"