"Frodo," said Gandalf as we neared the slope of the mountain. "Come here, and help the old man out."

  Frodo left my side and hurried towards Gandalf. Though the duo tried to be quiet, I could still hear their conversation with my half-Hobbit, half-Elven hearing. 

  "How is your shoulder?" Gandalf asked. 

  "Better than it was," Frodo answered in a quiet voice. "Though Elysia still helps me out with the pain. And she manages to keep my nightmares away, as well."

  I couldn't help but smile, blushing slightly at his comment. 

  "And the Ring?" Gandalf asked, sounding concerned. 

  Frodo didn't say anything. He looked very uncomfortable, unsure of what to say. Gandalf sensed his hesitation because he spoke for him. 

  "You feel its power growing, don't you? I've felt it, too. You must be careful now, Frodo. Evil will be drawn to you from outside the Fellowship. And, I fear, from within."

  Frodo looked terrified. And I didn't blame him. 

  "Whom, then, do I trust?"

"You must trust your own strengths, Gandalf replied. "And continue to trust Elysia, as well. I know how much she means to you."

  "What do you mean by trusting my own strengths?" Frodo asked. He sounded scared. 

  "There are many powers in this world, Frodo. For good and evil. Some are greater than I. And against some that I have never tested."

"The walls of Moria," Gimli breathed once we had approached the home of the Dwarves. He then addressed the crowd, "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." 

  "Yes," said Gandalf. "Even their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets have been forgotten."

  We gathered around the door as Gandalf approached it, brushing off some of the dust that had accumulated over the years. 

  "Let's see," Gandalf muttered. "Ithildin. It mirrors on the starlight and moonlight." On cue, the clouds shifted, revealing a full moon. At once, the doors glowed a soft blue. "It reads: 'Doors of Durin. Speak, friend, and enter'."

  "What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked, a little too loudly. 

  "Well, it's quite simple," Gandalf answered. "You just speak the password and the doors will open!" He thrust his staff into the gap of the doors. He began to command the doors to open in different languages. In the meanwhile, we had to give up the pony, Bill. 

  "Mines are no place for a pony,"  said Aragorn. "Even for one as brave as Bill." 

  "Bye-bye, Bill," said Sam in a sad voice. 

  "Go on, Bill. Go on," Aragorn insisted. Then he added to a distraught Sam, "Don't worry, Sam. Bill knows his way home."

  In the meanwhile, Merry and Pippin got bored and began to chuck some rocks into the water to pass the time. Eventually, Aragorn stopped him. 

  "Do not disturb the water," he advised in a low voice. 

  "Oh, it's useless," Gandalf finally grumbled. He tossed his stick down to the ground in irritation. Finally, Frodo got up. 

  "It's a riddle," he said in a slow voice. "Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the elvish word for 'friend'?" 

  A look of realization crossed over Gandalf's face. "Mellon."

  At once, the doors opened. Gandalf gave a shout of surprise, catching everyone's attention. I turned to look at Frodo, a broad smile on my face. 

  "Well done, Frodo!" I praised.

  "Soon, Master Elf," said Gimli in a loud voice. "You'll soon see the hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires. Malt beer. Ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they called it a mine. A mine!"

  "This is no mine," said Boromir in a low voice. Gandalf had lit his staff so that we could see better. "It's a tomb."

  Frodo gasped in disgust before jumping away from the skeleton he stepped on. In the meanwhile, everyone was clamoring about what to do. That wasn't until Frodo suddenly disappeared from us. We looked up to see Frodo was being dragged by a dreadful creature of the lake. Legolas managed to shoot the thing  and I caught Frodo in my arms. We hurried into the mountain to get away. And we were trapped inside.