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22. Balin's Tomb

Gandalf gives his staff and hat to Pippin, bends down, and takes a large and battered book from a corpse's hands. He opens it and clears the dirt from its pages. Gimli chants softly while sobbing, "Kilmin malur ni zaram kalil ra narag. Kheled-zâram... Balin tazlifi." Legolas moves over to Thilia and Aragorn, "We must move on, we cannot linger!" he says sharply and with concern. Thilia nods and starts to move around the room heading towards where they came in.

Gandalf starts to read the book he'd picked up, "'They have taken the bridge... and the second hall.'" Gimli stops sobbing, and looks up blankly. Thilia can instantly tell who the writer is and it saddens her to know that not only did the dwarven kingdom lose Balin but Ori as well, and knowing that Dwarf his older brother wouldn't have left his side and was probably one of the bodies near the tomb. 

"'We have barred the gates... but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes.'" Gandalf continues, Pippin, still holding hat and staff, backs away. "'Drums... drums... in the deep.'" He reads as he looks up slowly, and turns the smudged, bloodstained page. The Fellowship begins to glance around uncomfortably. Thilia is on edge and is taking scent of the air as Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas take her scenting the air very seriously. 

"'We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark.'" Pippin stumbles back and sees a corpse with an arrow in its chest, sitting by a stone well. He turns towards it. "'We cannot get out...'" Gandalf glances at the last, single line, a scrawl fading out at the bottom of the page. Gandalf looks up in the uncomfortable silence. "'They are coming!'" The silence is broken by Pippin. Curious, he reaches out and lightly twists the arrow in the corpse.

Everyone whips around to stare at him and the noise he's cause out of pure curiosity and stupidity. The skull slips off, falling into the well with a resounding crash. Gandalf whips around. Pippin turns to face him, looking guilty. As he does, the rest of the corpse slips into the well, dragging with it a chain and bucket. Noise echoes from hall to hall far below. Pippin winces at each wave of noise.

Gandalf slams the book shut, then tossed it onto the tomb. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" He rips his hat and staff from the Hobbit's hands. Gandalf turns away. Pippin stands still, awkwardly. Drums are heard booming. Gandalf slowly turns back, and Pippin turns as well, staring down into the well. More drums are heard booming. "Frodo!" Sam snaps noticing Frodo's sword glowing.

Pulling it out partially they can see Sting glowing blue. Hearing the cries of beasts, "Orcs!" Legolas growls as everyone is now looking around worriedly. Thilia and Boromir rush to the doors to have a look. Arrows hiss into the door near his face but Thilia pulls him out of the way. Aragorn drops his torch and runs to the two of them. Calling over his shoulder as he went, "Get back! You stay close to Gandalf!"

The doors are shut. A bellow can be heard just outside. Boromir turns to Thilia and with a sarcastic tone and a worried smirk says, "They have a cave troll." she tries to laugh but it's too serious to even enjoy the lightest of jokes. Legolas tosses weapons to Boromir, Thilia and Aragorn to blockade the door. The Fellowship draw out their weapons. Gandalf throws away his hat and pulls out his sword. "Yah!" he cries with confidence. 

The Hobbits brandish their short-swords. Sting quivers, glowing blue. Gimli leaps atop Balin's tomb and brandishes his axe. "Argh! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" Thilia rolls her eyes as she nudges the men back, "Back up, I'll burn as many as possible," she says and shifts enough to be able to breath fire onto the Creatures that begin trying to breaking the doors down. Weapons crash through splintering spaces.

Legolas and Aragorn stand poised, ready to shoot. The first clear gap is gashed in the door and Legolas shoots — a shrill cry rings out. The Elf notches an arrow to his bow as Aragorn shoots another. Thilia waits for actual orcs to get through before releasing the flames she got building. Suddenly, the beasts break through and the battle begins. Thilia then smirks a draconic grin and unleashes a roar and a stream of fire.