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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂
𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒌𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒔 𝒂𝒔 she walked. The coldness of the mountain left her and she could walk normally again. Legolas would appear here and there to make sure she was alright to which makes her blush. She noted that Legolas was the one that carried her through the mountain after she had passed out due to the coldness and was the one who warmed up her body as soon they were off the mountain. She glanced at him. Legolas caught her stare and smiled at her. She smiled back at him and Aragorn smirked at the two.
"Legolas wouldn't let you off of his sight. As soon as we came onto land he used his power to warm you." Aragorn said to her and she smiled as she looked at Aragorn. She then looked up at Legolas who's back was to her. The more she thought about it,the more she realized how much he had cared for her. They had only known each other for a couple of days and didn't realized that she had grown close to the elvish prince. She blushed at the thought of being together with him. It probably won't happen. Annika soon frowns as she then realized that she still needed to get home. She loved a whole world away and he was just a fictional character. She was an average New Yorker who had school and he was a fictional elvish prince who probably had standards. He's way to good for me. He's a prince for gods sake and I'm a college student. I can't think of him like that.
"Frodo come help an old man." Gandalf called Frodo who came to his aid. Annika,still frowning,was unaware that the group had stopped and bumped into someone back. She lost balance and fell. She groaned at the pain in her but and winced as she tried to get up.
"My apologies Annika. I didn't see you." Legolas says as he offers her a hand. She smiled up at him and takes it.
"No worries. No limbs or bones broken." She sarcastically says and looks into his blue eyes. He sensed her sadness and gave her a look of concern to which she immediately recognized.
"Oh I'm fine. Don't worry." She said as she shrugs it off with a forced smile. Legolas knew she was lying and decided not to force her more and just nodded. Annika soon sits down and looks behind the group to see Frodo and Gandalf talking in hushed voices. She then sits down on a rock and faces the beautiful view of the overgrown and worn down forest. Smoke filled their condensing air which made it even more ominous. She felt someone stand next to her and she looked up to see Legolas. She smiled at him and slowly looked back to the view. He sits next to her and sees her fidgeting with her fingers.
"What's the matter,Annika? Are you well?" He asked and Annika felt her heath quiver at the cuteness in his concerning voice. Don't fall. Don't fall. I need to go home. Think of home. Oh the lively homework that's waiting for me. No wait homework. Oh no. Ugh English. Annika winced at the thought of the essays she would have to make up and the amount of emails she would get from her counselor for skipping many classes by this time. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes at the amount of homework she would have to do.
"I just have so many things on my mind right now." She simply says and Legolas nods.
"What is on your mind,if you don't mind me asking?" He asked and she opens her eyes to look at him.
"Things I'd rather not talk about. So what was your life like before this whole shenanigan?" She asked with a small smile.
"I lived in Mirkwood and grew up to be the Prince my father trained me to be and 60 years ago I met a brave set of dwarves who were willing to do what it would take to get their kingdom back from a dragon that destroyed everything. For the first time,I felt myself open my eyes and my hate for the dwarves resolved and I found out that everyone is special and anyone who thinks otherwise is a idiotic person." Annika felt a frown come onto her face as she looked away.
"My father called me unspecial and slurs I'd rather not say. My parents weren't alway the best." She said but before she could continue she was interrupted by Gimli.
"The walls of Moria." Legolas helped Annika up and offered her to go first to which she does and gives him a grateful nod. They soon trekked along the ominous walls of the dark mountain.
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli says as he clangs his axe against the wall.
"Yes,Gimli,their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf explains.
"Why doesn't that surprise me." Legolas softly says as he looks around. Annika carefully maneuvered her way through the mountain. They soon stumbled across a lake of some kind and Annika glanced down at the water. The darkness of her reflection welcomed her as she tries to look down.
"It's so dark. I don't like this place. I don't like it at all." Annika mumbled to Legolas.
"Do not worry. I will protect you." He says to which makes her blush a little. Boromir rolls his eyes in disgust which earns him an elbow to the rib by Aragorn. Gandalf soon stops in front of the wall and wipes down the wall that was filled with dirt.
"Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." Gandalf says as he glanced up towards the full moon. Annika soon gasped as the wall soon begins to glow revealing messaging carved in. It was in a language Annika didn't quite understand. The wall was decorated in gold,the golden carvings making two pillars and an arch with two trees twirling themselves around the pillars and wordings carved into the arch.
"It reads, 'The Doors of Durin,Lord of Moria. Speak,friend,and enter." Gandalf reads.
"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked and Annika glanced at Gandalf curiously.
"Oh,it's quite simple. If you are a friend,you speak the password,and the doors will open." Gandalf explains nonchalant and begins to chant in a language.
"What is he saying?" Annika asked Legolas.
"He is chanting in Elvish. My language." He explained. Annika watched in awe as Gandalf spoke the unfamiliar tongue but soon she looks at the door confused as it didn't open. Gandalf then begins to chant again and Annika's excitement disappears.
"Nothings happening." Pippin states the obvious. Gandalf then tries to push open the door to which made Annika internally roll her eyes. A door decades old isn't gonna open with a simple push.
"I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves,Men,and Orcs." Gandalf says as he glared at the door.
"What are we going to do then?" Pippin asked.
"Knock your head against these Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them,and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions,I will try to find the opening words. " Gandalf soon says and many chants soon turned into many tries which turned into many minutes being wasted waiting for Gandalf to open the stupid door. Annika was sitting down on the ground,looking at herself in the reflection of the dark murky water. She then began to hum Reflections from the Disney movie Mulan. What was so ironic was that Annika was going through what Mulan was going through,hiding her actual identity to people she had formed to trust. Instead she was just a human girl from nowhere,promising a hobbit that she would protect him. She kept on humming unbeknownst to her that she was being watched. Legolas stood behind her and soon heard a serene and beautiful voice start to sing. He looked in front of him and saw Annika. She seemed to be humming a tune as she gently drifted her finger against the lake. The song she was humming seemed to be a sad song. Legolas sensed unhappiness and sadness from it. How she solemnly hung her head low as she hummed and how she glided her hand across the lake. Legolas looked at her but chose not to approach her. He didn't want to disturb the peace that she was in. Legolas immediately drew attention to the water and quickly pulled Annika back who immediately stopped humming. She gasped as she saw the water moving on its own.
"Mellon." She soon heard Gandalf say and the door soon opens. She soon enters after Frodo.
"Soon,Master Elf,you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves. Roaring fires,malt beer,ripe meat off the bone. This,my friend,is the home of my cousin Balin,and they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli said with excitement. Gandalf soon makes the room a little more brighter only to find skeleton remains of Gimli's dwarf kin.
"This is no mine. It's a tomb." Boromir said and everyone looked down to see themselves stepping on skeleton remains. Annika only looked around solemnly.
"No...no!" Gimli exclaimed as he ran to his skeletal kin.
"No!" Gimli yelled in pain as he mourns. Legolas soon pulls out an arrow out of a dead body.
"Goblins." He says and takes out an arrow and preps his bow. Annika took out her sword and look around to see if anyone was near.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here." Boromir says.
Now,get out of here. Get out!" Aragorn yells and Annika turns around to find the hobbits all at the entryway. Frodo was soon pulled by a tentacle.
"Frodo!" Annika exclaimed as she ran after him. She strikes the tentacle with her sword as Sam called for Aragorn. The tentacle soon retreated only to have more come out of the water. Annika screamed as she felt one grip her ankle. She dropped her sword in the water and gasped as she tried to reach for her dagger. She then saw an arrow land on the tentacle that lifted her and looked back to find Legolas shooting at the creature. Annika smirks as she grabs her dagger and with a yell,began to pierce the creature. The creature screams in pain and soon was thrown into the water. Annika screamed as she was thrown and landed into the cold water. As she swam,she looked around to see where she was going but saw nothing. She soon felt all of the air from her lungs run out and began to slowly close her eyes.
"Annika." A voice called out to her. She slowly opens her eyes to see her mother swimming towards her.
"Wake up." She says and Annika looked at her with tears in her eyes.
"I-I don't know if I can." Annika says as she looks into her mothers eyes. Her mother puts a hand on her cheek and kisses her forehead.
"Yes you can. Survive this and we can see each other again. Now wake up."
Then an arm reached for her and pulled her. She then felt her body being pressed against something hard and rocky. With a whisper of unfamiliar words being whispered,Annika felt the water from her body leave and she cough up the water. She slowly opens her eyes to first see a worried Legolas. She gives him a slight smile.
"Hi." She said to him wearily. Legolas does not say anything but hugs her. She smiles and hugs him back as she closed her eyes.
"Please. For the sake of others and mine do not ever pull a stunt like that ever again." Legolas says as he gives her a cornered look. She nodded.
"I don't think I ever intend to do so."