The Fellowship journeyed as quickly as they could down the mountain, and the hobbits were especially glad to be out of the snow once they reached the point where it melted. Gandalf spoke quietly with Frodo as they moved into the shadow of the mountains, and the others traveled mostly in quiet, content to be warm once again. Sam stayed close by Miriel and Aragorn, attempting to avoid the antics of Merry and Pippin, who had begun to traipse about in circles and sing about being out of the snow. The two rangers were quite amused by the halflings, and smiled at the childlike behavior. Legolas walked beside them, chuckling quietly at the scene, and Boromir followed behind, keeping a lookout. Gimli was, perhaps, the most eager to get under the cover of the mountain, leading them down the path when Gandalf slowed to speak with Frodo. As it was, he was the first to see their destination as he came to the top of the path.

"The Walls of Moria!" He exclaimed, gesturing for the others to hurry behind him as he jogged down the slope. The rest of the Fellowship followed behind, and it was impossible not to marvel at the sheer face of rock, and even more interesting sight when Gandalf revealed the door to them. Miriel's eyes were alight with intrigue, and Boromir could not help but smile when he saw it, despite the difficulty of Gandalf not knowing the password.

The war had been long and hard, and while she was a few years his younger, Boromir sometimes felt that she was the elder sibling. There was an air about her that reminded him of the few elves he had ever met, and he was certain that she gained the strength of their mother's bloodline, which had not passed to either of her brothers. Miriel understood things better than he did, with a quiet wisdom that was astounding when it showed itself. She never had trouble standing up to their father, or really to anyone she disagreed with. She was wise beyond her years, and he often found himself jealous of her for it. He loved his sister dearly, and he hated that she had been pulled into this war along with the rest of Middle Earth.

They sat in the shadow of the mountain for quite a while, and certainly long enough for the hobbits to get bored. A sudden splash brought Miriel out of her thoughts of what was to come, and she saw Aragorn grab the arm of Pippin, who was bout to throw another stone.

"Do not disturb the water." He said ominously, watching the ripples in the water as Miriel did the same. They faded, and she moved to stand by him as they watched the hobbits and the water.

"You fear some evil dwells here." She said. It was not a question, she knew his mind as he knew hers.

"And you believe I may be right to fear it." Her head moved in an almost imperceptible nod.

"There has not been any communication to the world from Moria for many moons. Something is not right here, and this pool feels wrong. Something is amiss, and I do not like it." Legolas joined them, closing a sort of small circle so the others would not hear.

"The water is still moving, and there is a foul feel about this place that is not just its dwarvish smell." His last comment brought small smiles to the faces of the other two, if only for a moment. "I do not like the idea of going under the mountain." Aragorn sighed.

"Nor do I, I have felt the strange air of this place as well as the both of you, but there is little else we can do than travel through. We cannot go towards Gondor, and we cannot go over the mountain. Any other way would take time we don't have." At that moment, Frodo spoke up.

"It's a riddle." he said quietly. All heads turned to him, and he continued. "Speak friend, and enter." He looked to Gandalf. "What's the elvish word for friend?" Gandalf blinked in realization.

"Mellon." With that word, the doors swung open, only to reveal pitch black darker than midnight. The Fellowship took tentative steps inside, while Gimli spoke excitedly about feasts and warmth, but Miriel kept a hand on the sword at her side, glad to have both it and the shield on her back. Something did not feel right, and her fears were soon confirmed when a light from Gandalf's staff illuminated the room, and the corpses that lay around them were suddenly seen. Gimli fell to his knees beside the fallen dwarves, and the others gazed around in horror.

"This is no mine." Boromir said, drawing the gaze of his sister. "It is a tomb." The two looked away from each other and turned to Legolas as he tore an arrow out of one of the bodies. His blue eyes widened, and he looked to the two rangers.

"Goblins!" Miriel's sword was now out of its sheath and the hand of its owner, accompanied by that of Aragorn. The Fellowship began to back towards the doors, uneasy.

"We make for the gap of Rohan." Boromir said, the discomfort clear in his voice. "We should never have come here!" Suddenly, a cry came from behind them, and they turned to see Frodo being pulled into the water, and then into the air by a large, sinuous tentacle. The tentacle was, of course, attached to a terribly ugly monster of the deep. Immediately, the three humans waded into the water and went to work, while Legolas shot at the creature from the bank. They hacked and slashed at the monster's tentacles, finally managing to free Frodo from its clutches. Boromir caught the hobbit, and Gandalf called to them all.

"Into the mines!"

"Legolas!" Boromir called. Legolas immediately shot an arrow into the creature's head as it reared out of the water, and bought the three humans vital seconds as they raced back to the rest of the company with Frodo in Boromir's arms. The creature's coiling arms followed them and, as soon as all members were past the threshold and out of reach, smashed the doors in anger, plunging them into the darkness and sending rocks bouncing and tumbling after them.

When the sound of the collapse stopped echoing through the winding tunnels of the dwarvish mine, a light came from Gandalf's staff once again, illuminating their surroundings as they helped each other to their feet.

"Now we have but one choice." the old wizard began ominously, the pale light of his staff casting an eerie glow across his features. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things than the Orcs in the deep places of the world."

They began to walk, and after a few minutes, came to a rather perilous bridge. Gandalf led the way across, and spoke to them again.

"Quietly now. It's a four day journey to the other side." He looked around at the dark caverns that lay beyond the reach of his staff's light. "Let us hope that our presence will go unnoticed." So, they set off again, following the light from Gandalf's staff, and keeping the hobbits safely in the middle of the group without their noticing. Boromir and Gimli protected the flanks, Legolas went ahead with his bow, and Miriel and Aragorn followed at the rear, hands resting on the pommels of their swords.

Suddenly, Gandalf halted, looking around the darkened cavern in confusion. His words, were by no means reassuring.

"I have no memory of this place." And with that, he sat down to the think, and the others could do nothing but wait, for even Gimli did not know these halls.