A Light From the Shadows Shall Spring

We walked the long, narrow, stoney path for what felt like ages in the pitch darkness. No one spoke. Our eyes eventually adjusted as much as possible to the lack of light, but there were still times when someone wouldn't see a rock or a groove in the path and would stumble or trip, and the noise would ring out into the darkness. We would all stop walking for a moment and stand perfectly still, just listening. I was sure everyone's heart would beat much faster during those times, just as mine did. It felt like we would all hold our breath at the same time, and when Gandalf seemed satisfied that we had not been heard we would all breathe a small sigh of relief and continue on.

The air was musty and heavy, and to my dismay, was actually growing colder the farther we went. The water had not completely evaporated from my clothing and I was beginning to shiver. I hugged myself as tight as I could and kept walking.

At one point Gandalf showed us what the dwarves had been mining for, but he kept his story brief and his voice low. We eventually came to a very tall, steep staircase that we had to climb. Pippin slipped once, but luckily Merry was there to steady him. It was then that I realized how much anxiety those hobbits caused me. But I also knew that was because I cared for them so much, and I smiled at the thought. When we reached the top there were three different pathways to choose from, and from the look on Gandalf's face, I could tell he didn't know the right path just as much as I didn't.

We took a much needed break and risked making a fire while Gandalf sat away from the group and thought. I was so thankful for the fire. My fingertips were turning purple from being so cold, and my nose was frozen as well. I wanted to change, but didn't have anywhere to do it. At the point I was at, I would have just as soon changed right there in front of everyone, but I had come to learn that people in this society valued privacy and modesty very much, and I knew I would offend most of them by doing so. Instead, I got as close to the fire as I could, hoping the heat would not only help quickly evaporate the water form my clothing, but also warm me up quickly as well.

Many of the men had taken out pipes and were smoking and conversing with each other quietly, but I had jet stayed by the fire, staring into it, thinking. At one point I heard one of the hobbits, Pippin I think, ask, "Are we lost?" And what I assumed to be Merry answered, "No." The conversation continued for a moment, but I tuned it out. Instead, I saw Frodo get up in a hurry and go up to Gandalf. If I strained, I could vaguely hear what they were saying.

"There's something down there." Frodo said urgently, looking down to the staircase we had climbed not long ago. I turned to look and saw something small hopping up the stairs. My heart jumped up into my throat as I heard Gandalf answer, "It's Gollum."

"Gollum?" Frodo asked, not understanding.

"He's been following us for three days." Gandalf answered. He clearly was not as worried about the creature as Frodo or myself. Their conversation continued as well, but I couldn't bring myself to concentrate on it. I was tired and cold.

Drawing my knees up to my chest, I buried my head in my knees and closed my eyes, the fire's heat seeping through my clothing and into my skin. It permeated my muscles and finally made it's way into my bones, and I felt as though I actually might sleep.

I jumped when I felt someone touch my shoulder, and looked up with weary eyes, coming face to face with Boromir. I was surprised to say the least. It wasn't that we weren't on good terms or anything, it was just that we rarely had the chance to talk, and even if we did, I didn't know that we would have anything to talk about.

"Lady Cecilia, would you care to take rest? It would be no trouble to set up a spot for you by the fire." Boromir's eyes were kind and concerned, and his request sounded so wonderful. I couldn't say no to that.

"That actually sounds lovely, Boromir. Thank you." I smiled at him with as much gratitude as I could and he returned it with a small smile and a nod of his head. It only took him a few moments to set up a make-shift bed for me, and within moments I was asleep on it.

I dreamed yet again of the bright place, where I had seen the little girl and boy playing together. This time, like the last, I was the little girl. The sun was being pushed behind a dark cloud and the wind picked up, blowing my hair in every direction so that it covered my eyes, and I could no longer see the boy. I called out to him, "Estel! I can't see!" I hurried to brush the hair out of my face and called out to him again. He didn't respond and I found that I was in a courtyard by myself. I looked around to find an exit, but I hadn't ever been to this part of the land before. I wasn't supposed to be here. I heard heavy footsteps behind me and turned to see a tall man covered from head to toe in armor. He had men with him, and they were forcing a woman to walk with them. She was crying, and pleading with them, but they wouldn't let her go. The tall man took off his helmet and stared darkly at me. I felt hot tears form in my eyes. I wanted to run but my feet wouldn't move; I was rooted to the spot. Without speaking, the man looked back to the men and woman behind him and pointed at me. I saw a large ring on his finger and a flash of the fiery eye blurred my vision for a moment. The tall man grabbed the woman and forced her towards me. "Cast her out!" His voice boomed and echoed through the courtyard and reached out through valleys. The woman coward and cried, "I cannot, I cannot. She is too young. I cannot." The tall man signaled for the men behind him and two of them came forward to hold her. The tall man drew his sword and held it against her throat. "Then tell me the spell and I will do it myself." His voice was menacing and the woman cried harder, but whispered something to him. He smirked at her and the men dragged her away. His gaze then fell to me and he advanced, I let out a scream.

I was shaken awake by Aragorn, who looked concerned, and I realized there were many pairs of eyes on me. Aragorn didn't say anything to me, and I didn't say anything to him. I felt like somehow he knew what I had just dreamed about just from the look he gave me. Instead of saying anything about the dream, he said, "Gandalf has found the way. We must go now." I nodded and got to my feet, feeling slightly achey, but much warmer than I had been. My clothes were mostly dry now, and I was relieved. The dream quickly slipped away from me, and I was left with only fragments of what I had just dreamed, although I knew it felt familiar.

We got packed up and followed Gandalf through the path to the far left. We went down a staircase and entered a much bigger room. Gandalf said, "Let me risk a little more light." His staff began to emit a bright white light, and we all stared in awe at the grandiose hallway and Gandalf added, "Behold, the great realm and dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

Sam whispered, "There's an eye opener, and no mistake." I smiled and put a hand on Sam's shoulder as we all admired the beauty of it all, even if it was abandoned. The architecture was still perfectly in place, and the archways seemed to be as tall as mountains.

Unexpectedly, Gimli spotted something that caught his eye and began to run away from the group. We quietly called after him, but it was no use. We had to follow him.

I began to follow the group when Gandalf quickly pulled me aside. I looked at him curiously, as I whispered, "Gandalf, is everything alright?" He looked at me intensely and quietly muttered, "For now, perhaps. But I must warn you before we go into the mines any further, as I have already warned Frodo. You are an important member of this Fellowship, Cecilia. You may not feel it now, and you may not even feel it in the end, if in fact, this task is successful. But know your influence is crucial if this Fellowship has any chance of succeeding. However, you must be careful now. There are many evils in this world, all of which do not wish for the Ring to be destroyed. And although Frodo is the Ring-bearer, you are an accomplice. A very important one in light of things to come. Many evils will be drawn to you, and they will stop at nothing to stop you. You must be careful, Cecilia."

I nodded slowly, taking in his words. "I understand," I said softly. "I will be."

Off in a secluded room, Gimli was crying out, obviously having found something he didn't wish to find, much like when we entered the mines. Gandalf and I entered the room where everyone else was. Gimli was kneeling in front of what appeared to be a tomb.

Gandalf approached the tomb and read the unfamiliar writing on top of the flat stone. "Here lies Balin," he began, "Son of Fundin… Lord of Moria." Gimli looked more upset with each passing second and I walked up behind him to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't notice me and Gandalf murmured, "He is dead, then. It is as I feared."

Gimli bowed his head and Gandalf removed his hat, and handed it to Pippin along with his staff, looking solemn. Next to the tomb was a skeleton still in the clothing of the individual who it had once belonged to. Dust and spider webs covered it from head to toe, but Gandalf reached down to pick up a rather large book from its grasp. He flipped through the pages until he found the page that was last written in and began to read in a hushed voice. "They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums…drums in the deep…We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."

As he read, we all looked to each other, fearing what the writing was describing, and wondering if what it was the book spoke of was still here in the mines with us. All of a sudden, a crash came from behind us and my heart jumped up into my throat. We all spun around to see Pippin standing by a well, yet another skeleton perched on the top, still wearing armor. The skeleton was headless, and Pippin spun around to look at us all, looking thoroughly startled, as well as guilty.

Before anyone could say anything, the rest of the armor-clad skeleton fell backwards, and into the well, the crashes seeming to echo throughout the entire place. Attached to the skeleton was a chain, and attached to that was a metal container of some sort, which fell in after the skeleton.

We all looked around, mortified. The crashes were so loud, and continued to echo far longer than I expected them to. As the metal container fell, Pippin winced at each echo. The crashes and echos finally stopped, and we all stood still for a second, listening. I made eye contact with Aragorn for a moment, and for the first time on this journey, he actually looked slightly scared, but the look was gone quickly. Gandalf snapped the book he was still holding shut and took a menacing step towards Pippin.

"Fool of a Took!" he scolded. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." He snatched his staff and hat from the hobbit, and Pippin looked absolutely ashamed. I made to walk over to him, but just as I took a step, a thud echoed up the well, the sound having come from somewhere deep in the mines. Gandalf stopped walking and looked back slowly. Everyone stopped moving.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud thud.

Thud thud thud.

Soon, an array of what sounded like drums could be heard echoing up through the well, and we began to hear screeching too. We all began looking around the room and at each other, horrified. Frodo reached down to pull out his sword, and as he did so, I could see that the sword was glowing blue now- something it had not done before.

The screeches got louder and Legolas called out, "Orcs!" Boromir ran to the doorway we had just come through and looked out to the hallway. Two arrows came soaring past his face as Aragorn ran over to help him bar the door shut. Aragorn looked back to us and called out, "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!"

Gandalf herded the hobbits back behind him and I didn't know what I should do. I was scared. I didn't want to fight. But I knew I at least had to help protect the hobbits, as well as the rest of the Fellowship, so I drew my sword and stood next to Gandalf.

Up at the doors, Boromir said something about a cave troll and he and Aragorn found a way to reenforce the door with Legolas' help. I looked to the hobbits, who looked lost, and knew I probably donned a similar expression. Gandalf drew his sword next to me, and let out a battle-cry, which sparked a bit of courage in the hobbits, and they drew their swords as well. Gimli climbed up on the tomb while Aragorn and Legolas readied their bows, and Boromir drew his sword.

We stood for a moment, watching the doors intently, the sounds outside growing louder by the second. As we stood waiting, I couldn't believe this was actually happening. None of this felt real, although I knew there was a very real danger outside the rotting-wooden doors. In the back of my mind I registered that this was a life or death situation, but I still had trouble with the fact that I was going to have to fight any second. Was I actually ready for this? Would I even survive?

Suddenly, axes and other weapons began to break the door down, and within seconds the ugliest creatures I had ever seen were swarming in through the doors. They rushed us and I gripped my sword tighter. One of the creatures swung at me with its sword and I reacted instinctively. I recognized the movements my opponent was making, and I countered them, just like Aragorn and Boromir had taught me. It didn't take me long to realize that theses creatures weren't exactly very good at fighting. Their only advantage was their numbers, and it became easy for me to find the weak spots in their armor and quickly take many of them down.

I was sinking my sword into the neck of one of the creatures when I heard Aragorn shout my name. I turned in his direction and instead saw a creature preparing to swing his sword at my neck. I ducked, and using my sword for balance, kicked underneath the sword's line of fire, and my foot went into the creature's chest with more force than I realized I had. He flew back into the air and I removed my sword from the dead orc's chest behind me and ran over to where the thing had landed and plunged my sword into its neck.

I looked up to Aragorn and gave a nod in his direction to thank him, and he returned the gesture quickly before turning and resuming his own fighting. In the course of the few seconds it had taken me to kill the last creature, what I assumed to be the cave troll Boromir was talking about came crashing through the room. Many members of the fellowship had turned their attention to the monstrosity, however, it seemed to be drawn to the hobbits.

Although Legolas was shooting arrows at it, it paid no mind. The troll cornered the hobbits and attempted to crush them with an iron hammer. They scattered and for the moment, it seemed as if it had forgotten about them. Legolas continued to attempt to kill it, but it turned and went back to the hobbits. Aragorn yelled for Frodo, and I saw him dart behind a large pillar. After running around it a few times, the troll caught up with Frodo. It had him cornered and picked him up by his leg. Frodo yelled out for Aragorn, but the troll managed to sling Aragorn into a wall and render him unconscious when he attempted to help. I yelled out, knowing I had to try to help Frodo first, though I was seriously worried about Aragorn. I saw Frodo quickly try to shake him awake, but nothing happened.

I yelled out to Frodo as I began to run over to where he was, seeing that the troll now had a stake. Orcs got in my way and I had to stop to fight them off before continuing. Frodo tried to run past the troll, but it was no use. The troll had Frodo cornered again as I began rung again, my mind racing with what I could do to help Frodo. Just as I reached the troll and raised my sword to swing at where I guess its Achilles tendon would be, the troll shoved its stake straight into Frodo's chest.

My heart stopped and I screamed out. I stopped moving. Frodo let out several cries and all I could do was stand there and watch for a moment. Merry and Pippin looked mortified. Gandalf was in disbelief. Everything seemed to stop for a moment, and the only sound that could be heard was Frodo's groans of pain.

I was suddenly filled with rage, and I heard Merry and Pippin let out angry screams as they jumped to action, going straight for the troll. I resumed running and made it to my target, which was the back of the troll's ankle. Merry and Pippin had jumped on the troll and it was flailing. I cut the back of the troll's ankle, but it barely faltered. We all began fighting harder, and it seemed that the troll as well as the other creatures had too. The troll knocked me against a wall, and I fell to the ground, too dazed to get up right away. I saw Legolas run up to the troll and point his arrow straight up at its head. When the troll opened its mouth to let out a growl, Legolas released the arrows and sent them straight through the roof of its mouth and up into its brain. The troll swayed and stumbled for a moment, and we all just watched. There were no other orcs now, and the troll finally crashed to the floor, dead.

I quickly tried to get myself up and over to Frodo. I climbed past the dead bodies, trying not to trip. When I got there Aragorn was next to him, as was Sam, who looked devastated. Aragorn whispered, "Oh, no," and gently grabbed Frodo around the shoulder to try to turn him over onto his back. My breath caught in my throat when he turned Frodo over and Frodo groaned in pain. Shocked, Sam and I rushed over to him, amazed that he was alive. Frodo coughed and sputtered and grabbed his chest. He was breathing hard, and Sam and I were smiling out of relief.

Sam announced Frodo was indeed alive, and Gandalf let out a sigh of relief behind me. Frodo sat up and miraculously said, "I'm alright. I'm not hurt."

To everyone's surprise, there wasn't a drop of blood where he had been stabbed by the troll and I couldn't believe my eyes. It truly was a miracle that he wasn't dead. Aragorn stated, "You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar." We all looked to Frodo in amazement, and Gandalf walked towards him saying, "I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye."

Looking to Frodo for some kind of explanation as to what Gandalf was talking about, we all watched as Frodo pulled his button up shirt to the side to reveal a beautiful piece of gold and silver chain-mail. Gimli whispered, "Mithril." and stared in awe at Frodo, as did the rest of us.

Just then, we heard more commotion outside the doors. Turning to look in that direction, we saw the shadows of many more creatures coming into the hallway. Gandalf quickly turned to us as said, "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!"