⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

The Fellowship were nervously waiting while Gandalf sat, staring intently at the three tunnel mouths in front of him; He appeared to be in some kind of trance. Frodo turns at the sound of a faint noise down the tunnel behind them, furrowing his brows at the presence he feels but uncertain about who or what it could be. "Are we lost?" Pippin voiced with worry. "No. I don't think we are," Merry replies, "Shhh, Gandalf's thinking." Maristela looked up at the two Hobbits, a lot of their actions reminded her greatly of Kili and Fili; Admittedly, she had looked back at them a few times and had to blink to see the Hobbits, rather than the Dwarves.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Boromir expressed to Maristela. "You know of the journey of Erebor, correct?" Maristela asked the Man of Gondor. "Yes, I have. You joined a Company of Dwarves and were even courted to one," Boromir replied to her with a soft sympathetic smile on his face. "Yes, well, my dear Fili had a brother named Kili... they were twins. Merry and Pippin act very similar to them and it just..." Maristela trailed off as she turned her gaze from the mentioned Hobbits to Boromir as he spoke, "Took you back to a simpler time in your life." Maristela nodded at Boromir's words, "Exactly. It's actually... sweet. They would have adored Merry and Pippin."

"Merry!" Pippin exclaimed to his best friend. "What?" Merry questioned him. "I'm hungry," Pippin whined making Maristela laugh to herself. "Yeah, they are definitely like the twins," Maristela said before noticing Frodo's attention elsewhere. Frodo catches a sudden glimpse of a creature darting in the darkness, the Ring-bearer is nervous as he approaches Gandalf and Maristela who had joined her father's side. "There's something down there," Frodo whispered to the father and daughter duo. "It's Gollum," Gandalf informed him. "Gollum!" Frodo exclaimed softly. "He's been following us for three days," Maristela said with a sigh.

"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dur?" Frodo asked the two. "Escaped... Or was set loose. And now the Ring has drawn him here. He will never be rid of his need for it," Gandalf expressed to Frodo before Maristela continued, "He hates and loves the ring, as he hates and loves himself. Smeagol's life is a sad story." Frodo is shocked by the new name he has learned, Gandalf catches Frodo's look of surprise. "Yes, Smeagol. He was once called... before the ring came to him, before it drove him mad," Gandalf informed Frodo. Gollum's withered fingers are gripping the cave wall as he watches the Fellowship from the shadows, his only desire being that golden ring.

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance," Frodo told the two grimly. "Pity?" Gandalf echoed before continuing, "It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve to death and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?" Maristela looked down at her father's words, she had heard this at a young age. "Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement, even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet -- for good or ill -- before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many," Gandalf expresses to Frodo.

"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened," Frodo expressed solemnly bringing a sad smile to Maristela's face. "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us," Gandalf tells the young Hobbit with a note of finality in his voice. "There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it... and that is an encouraging thought," Gandalf tells him with a smile before something seemed to spark within his mind.

"Ah! That's it, that way!" Gandalf points at the right-hand tunnel and the Fellowship scramble to their feet. "He's remembered!" Merry cheered feeling relieved. "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down there. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose," Gandalf replied to the Hobbit before moving to lead the way, Frodo glanced towards Gollum once more before following the wizard. Merry and Pippin trailed behind the two with Boromir and Gimli joining them. Legolas stopped by Maristela who glanced towards the left tunnel, her brows furrowed. "Everything okay?" Legolas questioned her. "I'm not sure," Maristela replied before they followed the others.

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

The Fellowship entered the Dwarrowdelf Chamber, passing under an arched doorway into a black and empty space. "Let me risk a little more light," Gandalf says before tapping his staff. For a brief moment a light blaze like a silent flash of lightning causing great shadows to spring up and flee. "Behold! The great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!" Gandalf exclaims to the group. Maristela admires the sight of the vast roof, far above their heads upheld by many mighty pillars hewn of stone. Before them stretches a huge empty hall with black walls, polished and smooth as glass. "Well, there's an eye opener and no mistake!" Sam says.

Maristela's eyes widened as she spotted a wooden door ahead of them that had been smashed. Black arrows are embedded in the timbers and two Goblin skeletons lie in the doorway. Maristela rushes ahead with Gimli on her tail, the others calling for them, but they ignored them as they entered the door. The two rushed into another vast empty chamber lit with a narrow shaft of sunlight, beaming in from a small hole near the roof. Dwarf and Goblin skeletons are piled high within the small space and in the far corner sits a stone welled Well. A shaft of light falls directly onto a stone table in the middle of the room: a single black oblong block, about four feet high, topped with a great slab of white stone.

"No..." Maristela breathed out as she stumbled further into the room, her hand slowly reaching out to the white slab. Gandalf quietly reads an inscription of runes carved onto the white stone slab, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I had feared." Maristela bowed her head as Gimli wailed for the loss of Balin, the Elleth's tears fell silently as she mourned the loss of her friend and mentor. Her gaze is taken by the presence of a skeleton leaning against the slab, she walks towards them and immediately spots the familiar slingshot that belonged to Ori.

"Ori..." Maristela covered her mouth as tears continued to fall, she slowly dropped to her knees with everyone watching her. She carefully reached for the book in his lap, turning it around before she read out the final words, "They have taken the bridge and the second hall; we have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, drums in the deep, we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no one save us? They are coming. Mari--" The Elleth sniffled at her name being the last thing that Ori had written, her whimpers breaking the hearts of the others. Aragorn moved toward her, placing his hand on her shoulder before helping her up and embracing her.

Unnerved, Pippin backs away and stumbles against the well sending a precariously balanced armoured skeleton tumbling in. The Fellowship freeze in stunned silence as the armoured skeleton clatters down the deep well echoing throughout the mountain, Pippin wincing with every bang and clang from the armoured skeleton. "Fool of a took!" Gandalf exclaims once the sounds had stopped, "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Pippin frowns like a kicked puppy while Merry rests his hand on his friends' shoulder, a mixture of sympathy and pity in his eyes.

They fall silent as a low rolling boom rises from the depths below growing louder as if the caverns of Moria were turned into a vast drum. A great horn blasts nearby followed by answering horns, running feet and harsh cries. Sam's eyes glance at Frodo's belt, "Mr Frodo!" Frodo looks down, a cold blue glow is emanating from Sting's scabbard. Frodo draws the sword and stares at its glowing blade while the others ready their own weapons, Maristela pulling her daggers free as she preferred to kill the creatures up close in the small space. "Orcs!" Legolas exclaimed after glancing out of the door. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf," Aragorn instructs the Hobbits.

Aragorn and Boromir slam and wedge the doors however, Boromir catches sight of something; he turns to Aragorn with shock in his eyes. "They have a cave troll," Boromir tells Aragorn while Gimli snatches up two rusty Dwarf axes and leaps onto the tomb exclaiming, "Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" Maristela grinned at Gimli's eagerness to fight, something she saw in the Dwarves she once travelled with. "And a She-Elf who wants some vengeance for those she lost," Maristela added as he eyes shone silver, the daggers responding as she ignored her exhaustion and readied for battle.

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

Rosemary Speaks

Maristela is really going through and it's only going to get worse...

Thoughts?

See you in the next chapter!