Love is Blind (A Legolas Love Story)

Chpt 3: Feeling the Guilt

We walked along the rocky path to the left of a lake. I could hear the water moving calmly beside me. "The walls of Moria!" Gimli exclaimed happily.  The footing was treacherous on the narrow strip of greasy stones. I slipped on a wet and unstable rock; luckily Legolas caught me. I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Oh I'm so graceful.

"Watch yourself." He said quietly to me.

"Itidin... it mirrors only starlight and moonlight." Gandalf said. I knew that it was night; due to the lack of light I could see. Though I was blind, I could still tell day from night... sometimes.

"It reads, 'the door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'" Gandalf read aloud.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.

"It's quite simple. If you are a friend, speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf said confidently and raised his arms the rough fabric of his robes rubbing against itself, everything echoed in hollow places like this and it made it so much easier to hear everything. I could smell the algae on the rocks and the sharp smell of the damp air...

"edhellen, edro hi ammen!" Gandalf chanted. The wind blew cold; I shivered. There was a deathly silence after that nothing but the dripping of water; I was supposing that it hadn't worked. Later into the night Gandalf was still mumbling spells in his efforts to open the door. I heard the clanging of Sam unpacking pots and pans at his feet.

"Mines are no place for a Pony, even one so brave as Bill." Aragorn whispered.

"Bye Bill." Sam said sadly.

"Go on, Bill, go on... don't worry, Sam... he knows his way home." Aragorn slapped Bill on the rump. Bill trotted off.

"Goodbye, Bill." Sam mumbled again. I sat upon the most stable of rocks I could find. I hoped no one watched as I desperately felt around for something to sit on. There was a loud splash as Merry and Pippin were tossing stones into the lake. One of them was about to throw another stone, but Aragorn grabbed his arm. 

"Do not disturb the water." I heard Aragorn's hand on his sword. Gandalf huffed in despair, he had obviously given up as he sat down beside Frodo.

"It's a riddle..." Frodo said quietly getting up. "Speak, friend, and enter."

"Aha!" I burst out, shooting up, almost slipping on the rocks. "You have to say the Elvish word for friend!" I walked up to the door, well where Gandalf was seated. "Mellon." (Friend.) With that, the rock face divided in two loudly. As we entered the mines, I heard the water stir. I stepped warily into the darkness of Moria, -not that the darkness mattered- a dank, smelly cavern, the cavern held a wretched odor, something I would never forget. Rotting corpses.

"Gandalf I fear it is not safe here." I pulled my bow out. I always knew just where to shoot. I was something my mother always told my was magic, I knew where to shoot, when to shoot. It was like someone pointed the bow and told me to fire.

"So, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves; roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin...and they call this a Mine..." Gimli snorted. "A mine!" I heard Gandalf fasten a crystal on the top of his staff, ignoring my words, to light up the cave, no doubt. I then heard everyone else recoil in horror. I knew my nose was right and I recoiled as everyone else did to avoid suspicion.

"Quite the actress." Aragorn mumbled in my ear.

"This is no mine...it's a tomb!" Boromir said grimly.

"Oh...no... No, no!" Gimli said in horror.  I heard Legolas pull something out of a skeleton, an arrow or sword I presumed.

"Goblins!" He said drawing one of his own arrows; I followed in suit. Yep. Definitely an arrow. There was the sound of swords being drawn and something stirring in the water again.