Chapter soundtrack: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen.

First of all, I want to say a huge congratulations to thefangirlofhp for finishing her story, Skinny Love! If you haven't checked it out, and you have the hots for Legolas, then you definitley should. It will make you laugh, cry, and possibly even die (:

Now on with the show.

† Chp. X †

___

"How you doing little dude?" Robin asks with a nasally voice, wiping her red nose as she sits down next to Frodo.

"By the looks of it, better then you are." Frodo replies with a faint smile, taking in her exhausted appearance.

"Don't know what you're talking about, I'm fi-" Robin cuts herself off as she lets out a hoarse cough, taking a couple of seconds to breathe as her throat calms itself back down. "Okay, you're right. Colds are the worse. You think you're fine, then next thing you know you're coughing up your-"

She interrupts herself again with another ghastly hack.

"Anyway, enough about what I'm dealing with, how are you holding up?" Robin questions. The hobbit always seems to be in the right state of mind, but the fact that he's been through so much for a person who has experienced so little is quite concerning.

"I'll get there." Frodo responds, as he twirls the ring between his fingers. "Besides, I'd always wanted to go on an adventure. Bilbo would tell me these great stories about trolls and dragons and- I guess I didn't realise the hard work which comes with such a journey."

Robin glances at the hobbit with admiration.

"Well, if it means anything to you, I think you're the bravest of the bunch." She lets out another cough, before pointing towards the other halfing who always seems to be by Frodo's side, except at this moment he sits out of hearing distance with his back against a rock. "And your friend, Sam, don't take him for granted. Firstly, he has food, and secondly, he's one of a kind."

Robin stands to her feet and ruffles Frodo's hair as he smiles up at her. Then she notices another sulking figure, and decides to make her way over.

At the current moment, the fellowship has found themselves stuck in the bowels of Moria, as Gandalf has forgotten which direction leads to safety. Robin is trying her best to lift the mood, even in her sickly state.

She paces over to the red haired dwarf who sits sulking in a dark corner, and takes a seat on the cold, dusty ground beside him. There is silence between them, well other than the occasional sniff and cough from Robin, before Gimli speaks up.

"How could a kingdom so mighty and strong fall to creatures as fowl as the orcs?" He mutters beneath his breath. "History has repeated itself."

"They did put up a damn good fight. Did you see the amount of orcs which littered the ground? Triple the amount of dwarves!" Robin replies.

There is silence, as Gimli stares with dull eyes towards the dust which coats the stone floor.

"I have something for you." Robin remarks, reaching into the pocket of her jacket. She pulls out an ocean blue gem, accented by a more electric shade which cracks through the stone like a branch of lightening.

"It's from Rivendell." Robin continues, wiping her nose with one hand as she holds the rock out to Gimli with the other. "It's one of the only treasures which I replaced into my jacket from my hood, and I accidentally left that cloak in Rivendell, so I guess you were meant to have it."

"Oh lassie." Gimli observes the gem with wide eyes, as he reaches out to touch it. "Are you sure?"

"You'll appreciate it more than I ever will." Robin replies, before her eyes water up and she hurls into another coughing fit. Gimli takes the stone, staring down at the magnificent rock with wonder.

Suddenly, Gandalf has a revelation.

"Oh! It's that way." The old wizard states with a tilt of his head.

"Come on short stuff, looks like we're moving again." Robin grins down at Gimli's now unimpressed face. She contemplates offering him a hand to pull him to his feet, but instantly rejects the idea, knowing that it'd never be accepted by a dwarf as stubborn as Gimli.

"He's remembered!" Merry remarks.

"No! But the air doesn't smell so fowl down here." Gandalf explains, as the fellowship gathers on top of the descending staircase. "If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

"So that's why I always end up in the kitchen." Robin retorts with a snort, followed by a dry cough and a sniff.

•

The fellowship walk with wide eyes as they take in their surrondings. Large pillars tower over the group like a stone redwood forest, and the walls seem so far apart, it is almost impossible to see if they actually exist. Gandalf leads, a comforting white light radiating from the top of his staff.

"Gandalf, Robin is sick. We should have another rest." Frodo inquires in a soft voice, his large feet padding next to the wizard's.

"I'm fine. It only feels like there's an angry chook in my throat, but other than that, I'm fine." Robin remarks, as her eyes water and she wipes her red nose for the one hundredth time. Sam hands her a handkerchief, and she thanks him before another cough arises from her raw throat.

"We cannot linger any longer." Gandalf states, his pace not slowing in the slightest. "The longer we take, the more likely our presence to be noticed."

"Spoken like a true man of wisdom." Robin remarks, accompanied by a sniff. But the moment is ruined as Gimli releases a loud bellow, his stumpy legs hurling him into a room which sits on the side of their original path.

The fellowship flood in behind the dwarf, and discover a stone coffin which centres the cold room, the bodies of dwarves littering the stone ground. It is soon identified that the tomb was built for the body of Balin, son of Fundin, and Lord of Moria. This sends Gimli into a harrowing cry.

Gandalf carefully removes a book from the clutches of a deceased dwarf, and all attention is focused on the wizard who blows a wisp of dust from the book's aged pages.

"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."

Gandalf turns a page, and the air is thick with anticipation. Silence lingers, as everybody seems to be holding their breath. Of course this is broken by one of Robin's dry coughs.

"We cannot get out.

A shadow moves in the dark.

We cannot get out.

They are coming."

The intensity of the scene brings everyone to jump, as a loud crash echoes throughout the silent room, followed by a booming bang, and lastly, a ghastly clank. All eyes turn to Pippin, who stands beside a well which previously held the body of a dwarf and a steel bucket. The hobbit's eyes are wide with both fear and guilt.

There is a sigh of relief from the fellowship as silence backs up the previous commotion, and Gandalf slams the book shut.

"Fool of a Took!" He growls, pushing Pippin and snatching his staff from the hobbits grasp. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

"I volunteer as tribute!" Robin exclaims as she raises her hand, before sniffing and blowing into the handkerchief.

Suddenly, a noise stirs from beneath. The beat of an ancient drum pounds from bellow their feet, and it is at this moment inwhich the fellowship realise they're screwed.

~Røbin's P.Ø.V~

Well, shit. This can't be good.

"Orcs!" Legolas remarks in distaste, the glowing of Frodos sword slightly giving that away.

Beastly screeches chorus throughout the maze of tunnels which lay both above and beneath our heads, causing my stomach to clench.

Boromir instantly bolts towards the exit, an arrow narrowly missing his head as he forces the doors to shut.

"They have a cave troll." He puffs out with sarcastic excitment, latching the doors with an axe.

"Last time I checked, you're on our side Boromir." I retort with a sly grin, as I whip out my bow. What can I say? Joking is a way to calm my nerves, especially when they're offensive to Boromir.

He's got broad shoulders.

Both men pile weapons between the door handles, barricading the rest of us inside, before standing back with their weapons drawn. Both Legolas and I aim our loaded bows towards the pounding wood, and the hobbits stand shoulder to shoulder as they draw their swords.

"Let them come!" Gimli roars, his eyes wide with fury as he rises upon Balins stone. "There is one dwarf left in Moria who still draws breath!"

I grin at his statement, mentally noting to never piss off the dwarf.

Before any of us know it, the wooden doors have been knocked off their rusted hinges, and orcs come flooding into the tomb. Narrowing my eyes, I aim for the forehead, releasing several arrows. I send one flying right into one of the beasts eyes, causing a satisfactory grin to break onto my face.

Shrills and screeches echo around the stone walls as orcs fall to their knees, but the challenge only pushes harder as they close the distance between our posses. I sling my bow back over my shoulder, reaching down and resting my palms against the handles of my daggers.

"Ready to taste blood for the first time?" I mutter beneath my breath. I've never used my daggers to kill, meaning that this should be quite the experience.

With one of the fowl creatures faces only inches from mine, I smack its weapon out of its grasp with one arm, and bring my dagger to the side of its head with the other. Placing my foot on its ghastly face, I stomp down, dislodging my blade from its skull.

Two more orcs come at me from either side, and I swing around with outstretched arms, slicing both their throats in sync. A spear comes hurling past my head, and I duck just in time, sending my dagger flying through the air as it lodges into the culprits chest.

As I run to retrieve my blade, I do a quick slide on my knees to avoid an axe which comes swinging at my throat, slicing the back of the orcs leg as I pass. When I reach my other dagger, I swiftly remove it from the beasts chest, tossing it in my hand.

"And at last the training pays off." I murmur with a grin, but of course, I speak to soon.

An arrow whirls past my head, narrowly missing as it smacks against the stone wall next to me. But as I swing back around, something hammers against my side, knocking me to the ground.

The orc lifts its club to bring down against my skull, but instead I kick my feet into its stomach, and I groan in annoyance as the creature falls ontop of me.

"Sheesh. Buy me a drink first." I manage to blurt out through short breaths, struggling to push it off. Suddenly, I let out a sneeze, and the orc shrills as it wipes its beady eyes. Taking the chance, I bring my knee into its stomach, and the beast rolls to the ground beside me. Finishing it off, I plant myself ontop of the orc and plunge my dagger into its sickly chest.

But, at the sound of a sudden loud crack, my head whips around.

An enormous cave troll comes thundering into the room, a vicious roar dramatising the entrance.

Yep, I can definitely see the resemblance.

Speaking of whom, Boromir gets flung against a wall by the trolls massive club, and I attempt to run to his aid. However, an orc archer blocks my path. It sends arrows flying in my direction, causing me to slide beneath its line of fire. It falls as I send my feet slamming into its own, and I grab the arrow which sits loaded in the orcs bow, piercing it into the creatures neck.

Boromir sits up as he catches his breath, narrowly being saved by Aragorn. I offer him my hand, helping him to his feet.

"Gah!"

My head snaps forward as I see both Merry and Pippin with their backs against the floor, two orcs towering over the hobbits with spears raised.

"I've got this." I state to Boromir. He nods, and I sprint towards the halflings.

One of my daggers hurls through the air, lodging itself in an orcs chest and causing the creature to drop its weapon. I send my fist into the other orcs face, causing it to stumble backwards. Using my other blade, I slit its throat. Blood spurts out, covering half my face as I straighten myself and catch my breath.

Noice.

"You okay?" I ask the hobbits, wiping my nose and smearing the blood. They simply nod in reply, their eyes wide with adrenaline.

"You need to make sure Frodo stays safe, okay?" I order, and they agree, jumping to their feet and sprinting towards the other burdened halfing.

Turning around, I get a second to react before the trolls club collides with my stomach, sending me against the stone wall with a loud thud. My head is faint and I try to refocus my vision, only to see the others getting knocked about aswell.

My legs tremble as I stand to my feet, by body rebalancing itself due to the previous impact, and I notice the troll now viciously swinging a chain at Legolas. Aiming my bow, I fire arrows towards the orcs which approach the elf from either side, giving him a chance to attack the troll as its chain gets caught around a pillar.

But shortly after, I find myself recieving another blow to the stomach, sending me into the wall once again. Pain seeps through my mind as my vision blurs, my ribs aching as I break into another coughing fit.

"Steady, Robin. You're a fighter." Aragorn encourages as he extends his hand, pulling me to my feet. But he is soon running off as Frodo calls for help.

That hobbit is always in trouble, poor fella.

Legolas and Gimli fight off a pack of orcs to my left, and I go to help. Bringing my dagger into the back of ones neck, I then kick my heel into another which stands infront, slicing its throat as it falls forward.

Gandalf appears out of nowhere with his staff hurling towards my head, and I narrowly duck as it takes out two orcs who were attempting to creep up behind me.

"Damn, that thing is deadly." I remark, rather impressed.

"And that is without the magic!" Gandalf replies, also rather impressed with himself.

Battle cries echo throughout the hall, and my eyes land on Merry and Pippin as they jump onto the trolls back, jabbing their swords into its tough hide.

Gandalf and I run towards the commotion, and Gimli slices the trolls hand with the blade of his axe. It lifts its hideous head with a tug from the hobbits, and Legolas sends an arrow flying into its open mouth, causing the beast to grunt as the tip pierces into its skull. Lastly, I slide beneath the troll, slashing its knees with my daggers and causing the beast to fall in defeat.

But there is no time to celebrate, as it comes to my attention that Frodo has been impaled. Yeah, apparently an easy thing to miss.

The others run to the hobbit as Legolas and I stand by the entrance, keeping guard as I wipe the blood off my face. A dry cough forces itself from my throat, and I realise how fighting seemed to temporarily cure my cold.

"There's no way he's dead." I mutter to Legolas. "He always survives, the little bugger can't be killed."

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt." Frodos small voice arises from the corner.

I raise my eyebrows, smirking at Legolas. He lifts an eyebrow and slightly grins in return.

"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye." Gandalf exclaims, and alas, Frodo unbuttons his shirt to reveal the shiny delight know as mithril.

Boy, would I like to knick myself some of that.

Mithril of course, not Frodos chest.

"And I think there's more orcs than what has met the eye." I remark, the sound of approaching shrills drilling my ears.

"We have to get moving."