Even if the ring overpowers all

The Balrog

You all ran out of the tomb as fast as you could, Gandalf's staff lighting the way. Frodo and Sam wielded their swords as they ran; they kept whipping their heads back to snatch glances behind them. 

Screeches of goblins sounded in the darkness behind and in front of you, but you kept running, determined. A flash of silver in front of you grabbed your attention for a second, but it was only Frodo's sword. He was darting ahead of you, his feet dirty and bruised. His blue eyes glinted like glass in the dark, but they were filled with terror. 

Goblins poured down from the ceiling, scrambling down the tall stone pillars beside you and making awful sounds. Some had weapons and others had none, but their eyes were latched into the fellowship like a cat chases a mouse. 

Suddenly you were surrounded. Squished into a tight circle, you managed to grasp your sword from its sheath and point it right at the thousands of filthy creatures that were standing all round you. 

Gandalf pointed his sword at the goblins, and Boromir glared fiercely at them with his shield raised. 

Your enemies snarled and roared, jabbing and waving their axes and swords at the air in a frenzy of hunger for hobbit/elf/wizard/man flesh. And then a hush fell over the group. 

Gandalf turned, staring at the only path that lay to freedom ahead of you. 

A slight growling sound was heard, and an orangey yellowish light flickered on the walls, like fire. It grew stronger. All the goblins shrieked in fear and scurried away, back up the pillars. They covered the roof for a few seconds and then vanished as the growling sound grew louder. 

Gimli looked around, happy they were gone. Legolas hooked an arrow on the string of his bow and pulled back, ready to shoot. But he lowered it as a figure emerged from the shadows.

Its head was shaped a bit like a goats; it had two horns that drooped down from its black head. Small, orange oval shaped eyes sat just above the nose and mouth. And fire was engulfed on the creatures head like a crown. The new enemy roared at its prey. 

The Balrog. A demon of Earth and fire. It had hunted and killed all the dwarves in Moria, and now it was standing before you. 

You gasped. Legolas' eyes widened and he turned white as a sheet. You'd never seen him so terrified. 

"Run!" Gandalf ordered. He took off and the others rushed off after him. The Balrog stomped towards you, roaring as flames came from its mouth. You stood motionless with widened eyes. Your feet felt glued to the ground; you couldn't think, you couldn't move. 

Legolas turned around, realising you weren't there. "Amber!" he yelled and grabbed your arm before yanking you back. Before you knew it, you were sprinting alongside him, breathless. "Thanks," you started, but your friend interrupted. 

"No time," he said. 

As you descended two small flights of old stone steps, Boromir reached a chasm that cut deep into the mountain and almost tumbled over the edge; he stopped just in time but wobbled as he desperately tried to maintain his balance. Legolas wrapped his arms around Boromir's chest and dragged him back so he wouldn't fall. 

The others reached the gap in the rock but as they stared downwards, faces lit up from the light of the fiery monster behind them, Gandalf spotted a long bridge a bit farther away. "There!" he cried. "Hurry!" 

Everyone obeyed his orders and rushed towards the bridge as fast as their legs could carry them. But you had to go down some fairly steep stairs first. Legolas and Boromir took the lead but halted as a large gap between the two sides of the crumbled stairs was before you. 

The blond haired elf leaped over first, and then turned, beckoning for you to do the same. You jumped over quickly and then stepped backwards to make room for the others. Gandalf jumped across and landed just beside Legolas. 

Suddenly arrows flew at you from above. Startled, Boromir turned to find a small orc was shooting from stone archway above your heads. You fired a single arrow and the enemy screeched as it fell sideways into the blackness below. 

Boromir grabbed Merry and Pippin, one in each arm, and jumped as far as he could. A huge section of the crumbling stairs slid away under his weight, leaving a huge gap. Aragorn then turned to Sam and picked the little hobbit up in his arms. Throwing him over, Aragorn decided on Gimli next but the dwarf protested. 

"No one tosses a dwarf," he argued, holding up his left hand to stop the man. 

As more orcs appeared from the little archway, you shot more of your wooden arrows, one after the other and defeated at least ten. 

When you turned around to face the rest of the fellowship, you found two more parts of the stairs had disintegrated on both sides and Frodo and Aragorn were left on the other side, struggling to stand as the stone wobbled uncertainly. 

"Lean forwards," the ranger advised and Frodo did so. The stairs crashed towards you and the two were instantly knocked off but were caught in Legolas' arms. 

You continued down the stairway and the glow of the Balrog grew brighter and the heat more intense with each passing second. When you finally reached the bridge, all of you ran across, Legolas just behind you. Gandalf turned and waited. The Balrog grew closer and the demons footfalls caused tiny tremors in the ground. 

Across the thin walkway, you turned and saw Gandalf was facing down the fiery enemy. Frodo whipped his head around and saw the same thing; his eyes grew wide and his flushed face was filled with worry. 

The fellowship watched in awe, concerned for their guide. "Gandalf!" Frodo shouted, his voice echoing around the mountain. 

"You shall not pass!" Gandalf slammed his staff down onto the rock. His face was red with fury, and the enemy roared, letting out a steamy breath of heat and fire. "Return back to the shadow from whence you came!" 

The Balrog roared again and produced a long orange whip with two tails at the end, swinging it around in defence. As the Balrog approached the stone bridge, it disintegrated under its weight and the demon tumbled downwards into the darkness, howling with rage. 

Triumphant, Gandalf turned on his heel to walk back across the bridge but his enemy swung their whip again. The end just latched onto the wizard's foot, pulling him back towards the edge. He stumbled down but clutched onto the rock to stop him from falling. 

"Gandalf!" Frodo shrieked, struggling against Sam as the blond haired hobbit tried to stop him from racing down to his old friend. 

"Fly, you fools!" Gandalf whispered. Then he lost his grip and fell downwards into the blackness. 

"No!" the curly brown haired hobbit screamed. "Gandalf!" 

Boromir grabbed Frodo and pulled him away. "Frodo, no!" 

The fellowship rushed up more stone stairs. Arrows flew around you again as orcs shot from the other side of the bridge, bouncing off the rock and almost hitting their mark. You took one last look at the chasm and then followed them. 

After you reached the other side of the mountain and heaved the fresh air into your lungs, you remembered what happened to Gandalf. 

Pippin collapsed on the ground, his face streaked with dirt and tears, and leaned against Merry while he sobbed. Legolas stared down at the ground, silent. His blue eyes were filled with sadness. You noticed this and walked over, placing a comforting arm around his shoulder. 

Legolas smiled but he still looked sad. 

Frodo began walking away from the others, his dark green cloak wrapped around his back and shoulders. Boromir and Aragorn argued about staying beside the mountain, they were saying it was too dangerous. "Frodo!" Aragorn waved at the hobbit as he turned away from Boromir. 

Frodo stopped suddenly and turned around to stare at us. As his round blue eyes slid over the fellowship, you could see his heart was breaking as the expression on his face explained it all. And one tear streamed down his cheek.