Green Cloaks || Legolas

Eighteen

The tunnels soon opened up into looming halls. The rough stone walls becoming finely carved and decorated in long faded art. Luin guessed that they had entered the heart of what had been the dwarven city. They couldn't see much. The two lights bobbing as they walked in a manner that reminded Luin of when he was a child. Just him and his parents on a boat on the endless ocean, where the night would fade into the sea until you couldn't tell what was up or down anymore. The darkness around them reminded him of that. No walls, no ceiling. Just endless pillars stretching out around them.

"Behold", Gandalf's voice boomed out around them. "The great city". The party stared as they continued walking. The hobbits all gaping at the sheer size of the room. Luin smiled fondly at them, sad that their first experience of a Dwarf city was this one. He much preferred the bustling life of Erebor. The mountain now a trading hubbub compared to what it was like when he first saw it. Maybe he should take them there one day.

Gimli gave a startling cry and dove through a open door, catching the party by surprise. They followed after him into a small stone room. Debris had fallen from the ceiling and the skeletons of many dwarves lay still on the floor. But what made Luin gasp was the white marble coffin in the centre of the room. It was lit by a tiny hole which must reach the surface as moonlight streamed through it. Gimli let out a sob as he knelt before it. Luin stopping at his side as he took in the words carved onto the surface.

"Here lies Balin", Gandalf read. "Son of Hunin. Lord of Moria". Luin sighed and closed his eyes as he mouthed a silent prayer. Balin had been a kind and wise soul. He remembered the older dwarf doting on him during their quest to Erebor. It was a sad thing that he met a dark end. At his side, Gimli sobbed loudly.

"I am sorry for your sorrow", Legolas murmured as he rested a hand on Luin's shoulder. Luin opened his eyes and smiled slightly at him, leaning into the warm touch for a second.

On the other side of the sarcophagus, Gandalf had pried a thick dusty book from the fingers of a skeleton. He handed his hat and staff to Pippin as he brushed the dust off. As he opened it, several pages fell out. "We must move on", Legolas warned Aragorn. "We cannot linger". Luin knew that his lover could feel what he felt. The dark presence was much closer now. The cold dread of evil giving them goosebumps.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall", Gandalf read aloud. "We have barred the Gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, drums, drums from the deep. We cannot get out. Shadows move in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming".

At that moment, something crashed. Luin jumped as they all turned. Pippin had collided with a skeleton that had been sat on top of a well. As they watched, the whole thing fell backwards. Loud echoing crashes and bangs echoing as it fell. The chain and the bucket following after in a second round of noise. Luin winced at every bang, feeling his heart pounding with adrenaline. That had done it. If the beast below weren't aware of their presence before, they were definitely aware now.

"Fool of a Took", Gandalf swore as he snatched his hat back. "Next time throw yourself in and save us all the trouble". Pippin looked down at his feet in shame.

Something boomed. The noise echoing dimly up to them. They all froze as a second drum beat sounded. Then another. Drums from the deep echoing up to them. The noise steadily growing louder. "Frodo", Sam turned as Frodo unsheathed his sword. The blade was glowing blue. They could hear the creatures screeching now.

"Orcs", Legolas stated as he slid an arrow from his quiver.

Boromir ran to the doors, ducking back to avoid two black arrows. They buried themselves into the rotting wood. "Get back and Stay close to Gandalf", Aragorn ordered the hobbits. The four of them huddles close to Gandalf and Luin as the other barricaded the doors. The wood was flimsy but it would give them a few seconds.