Gandalf had been leading us through the darkness of Moria for some time. I had lit a torch for Aragorn and Boromir, because creating fire all the time would exhaust me. The mines of Moria were so different from Erebor, they were more vast, larger and even more twisted. To my right a chasm stretched deep into the earth, tools and ropeways of the dwarves were still there, as if they would go back to work any second. But that hadn't happened for years and it wouldn't in the near future. I let my hand brush over the rock wall beside me, a mithril track running through it.
"Mithril." murmured Gandalf "The riches of Moria lie not in gems or even gold." he glanced down the shaft where the silvery metal kept flashing "But in mithril, it is as light as a feather but as strong as dragon armour."
Frodo looked at the rocks "Bilbo once had an armour made of mithril."
"That is true." Gandalf smirked "Thorin gave it to him."
Gimli had been quite silent all this time, the dwarf propped himself up on his axe as he walked and looked to Frodo "A royal gift." the dwarf was quite right about that, that armour is worth a fortune.
I nodded "yes Bilbo was a good friend to Thorin back then." I smirked as I remembered our journey, Bilbo had been one of the people who had helped Thorin defeat the dragon sickness. "Do you think Bilbo knew that the armour was worth more than the whole Shire?"
Gandalf stepped over a larger stone "I never told him."
We came to a large room from which three corridors forked. A puzzled expression crept onto Gandalf's face "I don't remember this part." he muttered.
I bit my lower lip and ran my fingers through my hair "Gandalf are you lost?" I looked at him questioningly and somewhat reproachfully.
He took off his hat "No, I just need a moment to remember." the wizard sank heavily onto a rock and began to think.
Sighing, I climbed onto a slightly higher rock and let my legs dangle. Boromir, Gimli and Aragorn lit a pipe, Sam Pippin and Merrin plundered our supplies and Frodo sat on a rock, lost in thought, looking into the river. I felt Legolas settle down beside me "You can feel it too can't you?" I looked thoughtfully at Frodo "The Ring, it is growing stronger."
Legolas nodded "Yes, but Frodo has a strong will." the Elf had been restless since we had entered Moria.
"It is not Frodo I am worried about." my eyes wandered to Boromir, men had always been vulnerable to the Ring.
"Ah this is the way!" Gandalf leapt delightedly from his rock, put on his hat and walked purposefully towards one of the turnings.
Pippin walked beside him, still carrying the wizard's staff "Have you remembered?"
I jumped down from the rock and landed light-footed beside Legolas.
"No young Peregrin Took, the air is just not quite as unpleasant in this passage." he winked at the hobbit "when in doubt, always follow your nose."
I gripped my forehead, usually Gandalf was a wise man but that was the stupidest thing I had heard in a long time. Shaking my head, I continued down the corridor. After a while the ceiling became so low that I was glad of my small size and didn't have to duck my head like Legolas, the two men and Gandalf.
The corridor ended in a hall. Suddenly Gimli became restless and ran towards a door.
"Gimli come back!" I ran after him. I found the dwarf kneeling in front of a stone coffin, between his sobs I could make out the dwarven farewell. As my gaze fell on the coffin, I could make out Dwarven runes carved into the stone.

                                                                      Here lies Balin, Lord of Moria.

"Balin!" my voice broke, tears coming to my eyes. I could not believe that Balin was dead. I bowed my head and murmured the dwarven farewell, "Kilmin malur ni zaram kalil ra narag. Kheled-zâram Balin tazlifi"
Beside me Legolas did the same in Sindarin "Sedh sîdh ah novaer." he muttered.
Gimli wheeled round to him, assuming the worst "What are you saying!!!" his voice broke a little.
I held him somewhat by the shoulders "The same as you, only in the language of his people."
Gimli looked doubtfully at Legolas but then turned back to the coffin in sorrow.
Gandalf had picked up a time-worn book from somewhere and was reading from it "They have taken the bridge and the west hall." Pippin was again holding the wizard's staff and hat and standing dangerously close to a spring, which didn't seem to occur to me or anyone else at the moment "We can't get out. Drums, drums." Gandalf looked at us worriedly "They're coming!" with a bang he slammed the book shut.
A cold shiver ran down my spine, Balin hadn't just been surprised by a gaggle of orcs, no the orcs had taken up residence in Moria. I looked around the room, this must have been their last hope. Suddenly a creak sounded. My gaze flew to the spring. Pippin had come up against the head of a skeleton, he had fallen into the well and the body immediately followed. With a rumble that echoed throughout the mines, the bones fell down the shaft. The hobbit flinched with each new bang. When it was finally quiet again, we all just stared at the hobbit. The hope of getting through the mines unnoticed was irretrievably gone.
"Foolish Took." Gandalf shouted at the Hobbit "Next time throw yourself in and we'll be rid of you and your stupidity!
A drum sounded, the drumming echoed through the mines just as it was described in the book, lights flickered up from the well shaft. A screech could be heard, still very soft, but it quickly grew louder. There was only one creature capable of making such sounds.
"Orcs!" growled Legolas, drawing an arrow.
Boromir ran to the door and peered out. Two arrows missed his head by millimetres. He slammed the doors shut "They have a cavern troll!"
"Really great." I thought annoyed. I drew my sword and spun it around once. We barricaded the door with two axes.
I shooed the Hobbits backwards "Stay close behind Gandalf!"
Gimli jumped on Balin's coffin with a growl "Let them come, there are still dwarves in Moria who have not turned to dust."
The door shook under the orcs who threw themselves against it. Aragorn and Legolas kept their arrows cocked and let them fly as soon as the first orc was in sight. The door did not hold for long, orcs came rushing into the room. With a scream, I lunged at the orcs. I dodged a blade and drew my sword across the throat of an orc. With a squeak, two orcs were simultaneously decapitated by my sword. Legolas was still firing his arrows, the hobbits had also joined the battle. I hurled a knife into the eye of an orc, with two steps I was at him, decapitated an orc in between and tore the knife out of the eye. Blood splattered my face.
I winced as the cave troll ripped some stones out of the entrance door. Two orcs held him by an iron chain. The creatures hadn't changed a bit since I had last seen them. I ducked away from his club and rolled under his legs. Suddenly the troll lurched in another direction, Aragorn and Boromir had grabbed the troll by the chain and were pulling on it with all their strength. I flung another knife and whirled my sword around. With a scream I rammed my sword so far through the last orc's chin that it peeked out of his skull again. Growling, I pulled it out again, wiped the blade on the carcass and put it back in the sword sheath. Legolas stood in front of the troll and just shot it in the windpipe with an arrow, gasping for breath the beast collapsed and no longer stirred. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but something was wrong. Then my eyes fell on Frodo, who lay motionless with his face to the ground.
"Oh no." I muttered and ran over to the hobbit.
Coughing, Frodo sat up "There's nothing wrong with me." he clutched his chest where there was a hole in
in his shirt "I'm not hurt." Relieved, I expelled the air and held onto a rock above me.
Aragorn looked confusedly at Frodo "That spear would have speared a wild boar, you should be dead." the human himself had some blood running down his skull.
Gandalf seemed to have discovered something "There is more to this hobbit than meets the eye." he smirked.
Frodo pulled his shirt down a little. The ring was probably not the only thing he had received from Bilbo, for a silver mithril armour was revealed.
"Mithril." muttered Gimli "You are full of surprises Master Baggins."
A terrible cry echoed through the silence, there were more orcs on the way.
"To the bridge of Khazad-dûm." ordered Gandalf "Run!"
He didn't have to tell us twice, I was usually one for fighting, but not when faced with such superior numbers. We ran down a few corridors, the hobbits holding their own, though anyone could see they were struggling to keep up. We came to a huge hall supported by metre-high pillars. I looked around in awe, we had landed in the great main hall of Moria. But I didn't really have time to look around. The orcs were right behind us. All of a sudden they came climbing down from the pillars as well. We were surrounded. I let fireballs form in my hands, I wouldn't be able to do much more here with my sword. Gimli growled at the orcs. We were like a tiny island in an ocean of orcs, even the greatest optimist had to admit that we would all die.
Suddenly the ground began to heave. A light slid down the corridor. The orcs fled screeching up the pillars.
Gimli triumphed, as did everyone else. But we had only traded the orcs for something so terrible that they were too afraid to fight it. The light kept shifting, a deep roar sounded. "Gandalf, what is it?" whispered I.
"A demon of old." Gandalf gripped his staff tighter " A Balrog."
I let my hands go out, a Balrog was so much worse than any Orc army.
Gandalf seemed to agree " Run!"
We ran, we ran from an enemy that no blade or bow could do anything against. Boromir was just barely saved by Legolas from falling into an endless abyss. The path had simply stopped and now ran jaggedly over steps.
"Gandalf come on!" shouted I, the wizard had fallen worryingly far behind.
Gandalf leaned heavily on his staff "You lead them on Leona!"
"No..." I wanted to contradict.
"Do as I say." he pushed me on "Swords are of no use here."
I kept running until we came to a staircase with a large piece broken out of it. Legolas jumped to the other side first "Gandalf." he held out his hand to catch the wizard.
Gandalf jumped and landed safely on the other side. Next Aragorn threw Sam to the other side and then wanted to do the same to Gimli.
With a wave of his hand the dwarf stopped him "A dwarf is not thrown by anyone." he jumped off but didn't quite make it to the other side. Legolas grabbed him by the bard and pulled him up the steps "Not by the bard!" complained Gimli.
Shaking his head, I jumped over the precipice. Boromir grabbed Merrin and Pippin and jumped with them over the gap. The stone he had been standing on crumbled away, Aragorn and Frodo now stood apart from us before an impassable chasm.
An arrow struck millimetres from my feet. I looked for the shooters, who were undoubtedly orcs. Legolas beat me to it and shot them both with two well-aimed shots. The ground shook, a stone fell from the ceiling and hit behind Aragorn and Frodo. The part of the steps broke off completely.
"Don't move!" shouted Aragorn, shifting his weight to hold his being in place "Lean forward." he pushed Frodo forward, the two came hurtling towards us.
I caught Frodo and Legolas caught Aragorn. As soon as the two had safe ground under their feet we continued running towards the bridge.
With quick steps I crossed the bridge of Khazad-dûm, on the other side of which was the exit to the mines. With a tremor the Balrog broke through the wall on the other side of the bridge. Black rock enveloped his body, fire enveloped him and flowed from each of the rock slits, he held a fiery whip in his hand. I froze when I saw Gandalf standing in the middle of the bridge.
The wizard held out his sword to the demon "You shall not pass." he stamped the ground with his staff "I am a servant of the Secret Flame!" he held out his sword and light flowed from it "You shall not pass. The dark fire will do you no good, flame of Udûn! Go back to the shadows!" the Balrog roared and cracked his whip "You shall not pass!" roared Gandalf the white ball of light around him grew smaller and smaller.
The word fire jolted me awake again, of course, the Balrog was made almost entirely of fire. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the fire of the Balrog. It was wild and unnatural, but I was gaining more and more control over it. I snapped my eyes open, the Balrog had frozen in mid-motion "Gandalf come on, I've got him!" I roared. Stretching my hands above my head, I spun around once, threw my hands forward and hurled the Balrog off the bridge. With exertion I went down on my knees. Gandalf had his back turned to the Balrog and so did not see the whip. It wrapped around his foot and dragged him down the bridge.
I jumped up "Gandalf!" I shouted. I wanted to go to him, help him, pull him back up from the bridge but was held back by Legolas.
Gandalf clung to the edge " Flee you fools." as if in slow motion he let go and fell into the depths.
I started to scream. I struggled and resisted Legolase's grip pulling me out of the mines. Sobbing, I fell onto the rocks under the blue sky and buried my hands in my hair tears dripping onto the rock, the tiny spark of control I still had over me I used to not burn everything around me. "Gandalf!" wracked by sobs, I knelt on the ground and screamed my grief to the sky.