"For how much longer we have to climb this boring mountain? Will be there soon? My feet are numb already.", Pippin complained.
The fellowship was already several hours on this, always getting steeper path and the Hobbits were getting tired. Then it began to snow and the wind, which was biting anyway, seemed to have even more fun to blow.
They went on, but the snow grew thicker and whirled them into the eyes. When the snow reached up to Gandalfs' ankles, he turned with his 'I said it' face to Aragorn. The Dunedàn just sighed and continued to focus on walking, when he noticed, that Faya had vanished. He turned, but he couldn't see anything through the snow. In the end they had to stop. they were shattered. So, they searched for a shelter. They only found an old wall.
The night came, and they snuggled up to each other to keep out the cold. But the Hobbits were almost snowed in and even Gimli was grumping now.
Gandalf sighed and handed them a bottle. Everyone should drink. "It's a refreshment potion", the old man explained.
They had hardly drunk, when they felt the life coming back to them. Boromir suggested to make a fire, but whatever they tried, the wind blew it out before it was really burning. Then Gandalf had enough, and he pointed at the wood with his stick. "Naur an edraith ammen!", he said commanding and pushed his stick in. at once the wood began to burn. He mumbled something of conspicuous, but the others ignored him. They rejoiced in the warmth of the fire. However, it burned out after a short while and the snow wouldn't end.
"The morning will come soon.", Aragorn tried to cheer his companions up, but the just muttered.
"The snow is stopping. The wind, too!", Boromir, who had stepped out of the circle, announced after a while.
It still took a while, but then the snow stopped completely. But when they stepped out of the shadow of the wall they stood in front of a snow-wall. For the humans, the wizard and the elf, snow reached up to their hip. For the Hobbits though it reached several feet over their curly hair.
Boromir and Aragorn got ready to clear the way. It wasn't as easy as they thought. Soon the snow reached their chest and they struggled to move at all.
Legolas smiled, while watched them for a while, then he said: "You want to do that with pure virility? I see that different. You should use always that what is right for it. For ploughing an ox, for swimming an otter for hunting a wolf... for walking an elf."
With those words he nimble jumped away. He almost didn't leave footprints in the snow. Then suddenly a wolf came from behind them. The she-wolf shook the white powder off her fur and began to chase after the elf. She as well, seemed to hover over the covering of snow. Surprised they all gazed after the she-wolf, then Gandalf laughed. "Show-offs!", he shouted after them.
Legolas turned, saw the wolf, smiled, waved and shouted back: "Goodbye! We'll go and find the sun!" Then they were gone.
One hour passed.
It passed slowly.
It seemed the remained like an eternity.
The two humans were gone out of sight some time ago but now they were coming back. They still were tiny black points in the eternal white, but the Hobbits knew, it were their friends.
Legolas and the wolf came back too.
"Well, we didn't find the sun but a glimpse of hope at least.", he reported. "Back there is a snowdrift. It's higher than any I saw ever before and our strong men almost lost hope there, but my dear companion here," he pointed at the wolf, "saw behind it. There the snow decreased and farther down, it reached even for the Hobbits only to the toes, isn't that right?"
The elf looked down at the wolf, which like she wanted to confirm, waged her tail.
"See?", Gimli muttered. "That wasn't a normal storm. That was Caradhras. He hates elves and dwarfs. He laid that drift there so we can't escape."
"Well, looks like your Caradhras forgot you got tow brave men with you. Nevertheless, we force a way through the snow.", Boromir mentioned, who, together with Aragorn, had come back to them. His glance wandered over to Legolas and the wolf and added a "For which all those who can't walk over the snow, like elves and wolves, will be thankful."
"But how will we come down there?", Pippin asked worried.
"Don't worry.", the man from Gondor clamed him down. "We may be a little tired, but we still got some strength left. We'll carry you little people. And with you I'll start, Mister Pippin." He sat the Hobbit on his back, told him to hold on close, and began to walk. Aragorn followed him with Merry, after he sat Frodo on the wolfs back, what Sam watched with concern. The she-wolf walked beside the men followed by Legolas. Behind the drift the men let the Hobbits down and Boromir went back to get the others. Soon after he came back, followed by Gandalf, who was leading Lutz, on which Gimli was sitting. And the minute they passed they heard the rumble of an avalanche, which came down just seconds after.
"Enough, enough! We're already leaving!", Gimli grumbled.
And really, the sky cleared.
The began the way down and, when the night began, they finally reached the foot of the mountains.
They all were exhausted, and Gandalf again granted them a sip from his special bottle. After they ate, they held council.
One thing was clear. There was no way they would go back to Rivendell before they had destroyed the Ring. So, they had to go on.
There were still other ways to cross the Caradhras.
One was the gap of Rohan, through which Boromir had come a few months ago. But it was too close to Isengard, so they couldn't pass there.
Another was along the cost, but it would take a whole year to reach the other side.
A third was the way through the mines of Moria. That though was very dangerous.
They all looked at Frodo. Since he was the ringbearer, it should be his to decide.
He chose the mines.
100 points to Gryffindor! Oh... no... wait... wrong text... oopsy daisy
Nobody was really surprised about that, but they couldn't comfortable with that too. Even Aragorn seemed worried, but, after what happened in the mountains, he was at Frodos side at once.
Suddenly he was grabbed and spun around. Scared he wanted to get his sword, when he looked into melted silver. Faya.
"You hear that too?", she asked.
They all listened closely. It took a while but then it was there. That noise. Clear as the night air.
"The howl of wolves.", Sam said drily.
"Wolves? Wargs!" Aragorn stood up.
"Then we have to go on at once.", Gandalf sighed ad stood up too.
"How long to Moria?", Boromir asked.
"Fifteen miles south-west how the crow flies I would say. Twenty how the wolf runs... how the warg runs, pardon m'lady.", the old man added, looking at Faya.
They decided to set off at dawn and went, so they could better defeat themselves at night, up a hill. They made a nice warm fire and those, who didn't have to be on guard dozed restless.
The wargs came nearer and eventually attacked.
But before the leader of the pack hurt one of the fellowship a wolf jumped in the way.
The warg was pretty surprised, what the other used to slap him with it's paw and tried to bite him, but then he and his whole pack pounced on the poor lonely wolf, which the Hobbits recognised as the she-wolf from the mountains.
The wargs would have teared the wolf apart, if Gandalf hadn't intervened in just this moment. He swung his stick, said a spell and the tree over him began to burn.
The fire quickly spread over and even the weapons of the defenders began to glow. One of Legolas' arrows caught fire and hit the leader straight in the heart.
When the other wargs saw that they ran away.
"Fay!"
Aragorn bowed over the laying she-wolf. She transformed, to the very surprise of the Hobbits, Boromir, and Gimli, into a human woman.
"Fay!", the Dunedàn said again. "Wake up! Please!"
And really, she opened her eyes.
"Aragorn?", she asked weakly.
"Yes. It's me, don't worry. We'll patch you up again. Promise."
"What's that?" Faya look down at her bloody clothes.
"That's blood, Fay. Your blood."
"My blood?"
"Yes."
"But why isn't it in me then?"
Gandalf gently pushed Aragorn away and began to examine her wounds. She had serious bite and scratch wounds and twitched every time he touched. The old man gave her something to drink and she fell asleep. Then the bandaged her.
"Such a hothead, your Faya." He sighed and shook his head. He looked up to the worried Dunedàn and said: "She'll survive it, Aragorn. She's strong."
The fellowship went sleeping. They wanted to get up early in the morning.
The day was almost over when they reached the gate of Moria.
Faya was sitting on Lutz, who was led by Sam. Aragorn wouldn't move from her side and though she had affirmed she could walk again hours ago, nobody would let her get off.
On the platform, on which the door should be, the Dunedàn lifted his sister off the horse and sat her down in the gras, because they couldn't take the horse with them from now. Then the search for the door began, for, how Gimli told the Hobbits, the door was invisible, as long as she was closed.
It took a while but then Gandalf found the door, which made their problem a lot less difficult, but didn't solve it. The door was still locked and only a password could open it. But that was already a long time forgotten.
Over the door were written some words in an old dwarfish language, which the fellowship didn't really considered as important.
So, Gandalf tried it with magic, but whatever powerful spell he tried, the door stayed locked.
The night came but the door stayed steadfast.
Boromir grew bored and began to throw stones into a little lake, which went to the dogs over the years and looked more like a marsh. It drew wide circles in the water.
The wizard sat down beside Faya, to think, when she pulled his sleeve. "What?", he asked surly. But she just smiled at him and whispered: "What if it's a riddle?"
"What?"
"A riddle. Maybe the words over the door are a riddle and who ever solves it has the password."
"What do you mean?"
"Would you help me stand?"
He helped her up and she carefully walked over to the door. She stood straight and said with clear voice: "Mellon."
The stars on the door glowed, then the door opened, and they could see a gloomy staircase inside.
The others looked at her in surprise. Faya just smiled.
"Don't look at me like that. Merry brought me to that idea."
"Me?", Merry asked surprised.
"Yes. Come on now."
The fellowship entered and walked over to the stairs.
Then everything happened very fast.
A long wet tentacle cam from the water, grabbed Frodos foot and tried to drag him to the water. Sam drew his sword and began to panicky hack into it. The tentacle let go and Sam dragged Frodo away from it
"Quick! In there!", Gandalf shouted and shooed them all up the stairs.
No a second too early. The arm got reinforcement and now at least six arms were pulled at the door, which stayed where they were, because Gandalf bewitched them.
The fellowship walked u the stairs and soon stood in a small hall with a vault.. here they took a break, ate something, drank from Gandalfs drink and went on.