The doors finally buckled, and all hell broke loose inside the small room. Fragments of wood flew around them, and the orcs flooded the cramped space. Aragorn soon stowed the bow and drew his sword, joining the other ranger as the orcs pushed them together. The large shield she carried was certainly a help to them both, and they fought together as easily as they had on Weathertop so many nights ago. The hobbits were huddled together, and Miriel was glad that Gandalf was staying by them as best he could, for they could not reach the halflings.

Then, the cave troll made its entrance. It was enormous and rather grotesque, but it was a pitiful creature to behold as Miriel saw how it was treated. Of course, it was a pitiful creature with practically no brain capacity, and it had a hard swing. The troll was swiping at the Fellowship, and while the others managed to avoid it, the club hit Miriel's shield as she raised it. While it tossed her into the air and into a stone wall, most likely bruising and possibly breaking something, that shield saved her life, and somehow remained intact. She slumped to the ground, and as Boromir went to his sister, a part of the room was hit by the troll's club, and stone rained down on Aragorn, catching him on the head as he moved out from beneath them. He crumpled, and Frodo attempted to rouse him as the troll advanced again, to no avail. He would have gone to Miriel, but she was on the ground near a pile of rubble, Boromir attempting to make his way to her. The hobbit saw her begin to rise, but he had watched too long.

Frodo cried out as the troll's spear was rammed into the side of his chest and pressed him to the wall. He couldn't move, he could barely breathe, but he heard the others moving and shouting.

Miriel had gotten to her feet, and fought her way across the room, meeting with her brother and Aragorn as they went. Legolas, Merry, and Pippin felled the troll as Sam fought with his frying pan and Gimli with his axe. Aragorn ran ahead to Frodo as the others finished off the rest of the orcs, and lifted the small hobbit from the stone floor, thinking that he was dead. To his surprise, Frodo groaned as the others ran up.

"I'm alright. I'm not hurt." Aragorn shook his head at the halfling.

"You should be dead!" His tone carried a hint of astonished relief. "That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" Looking over the ranger's shoulder, Frodo was glad to see the relieved face of Miriel. The two were the ones who took care of the hobbits in the Fellowship, and he did not want them hurt.

"I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye." Gandalf said, his tone rather amused. Frodo reached down, and pulled his shirt to the side, revealing the vest given to him by Bilbo before they had left Rivendell. Gimli gasped.

"Mithril! You are full of surprises, Master Baggins!" They all chuckled, sharing a moment of levity as Frodo rose and went to Miriel, who hugged him close in relief, sharing a relieved look with Aragorn. Then, the sound of drums rang out again. Drums in the deep. And Gandalf turned to them all with a wild look in his eye that Miriel alone understood and did not like one bit

"To the bridge of Khazad-Dûm!"

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They raced through the underground kingdom as Gandalf led them, trying to outrun the hoards of goblins that came crawling from every crack and crevice like cockroaches. The creatures were too fast for them, and soon the Fellowship was surrounded by the goblins, the hobbits once again kept in the middle of the their circle. They were ready to fight, when a deafening roar filled the chamber, and a bright light began to shine in a passage behind them. The goblins shrieked in terror, scrambling away through the holes they had come from, but the terrified gazes of Gandalf and Miriel were what unnerved the Fellowship.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked. It was Miriel who answered first, and while he did not know of what she spoke, Legolas and Aragorn knew.

"A Balrog of Morgoth." She said, her voice quiet and fearful, though she tried not to let the hobbits hear. Boromir looked at her in confusion, and Gandalf spoke.

"A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you." Then, he called to them all loudly. "Run! Quickly!" And so they ran, not daring to look back as they heard the Balrog grow closer. They reached the top of a dizzying staircase, Gandalf ushering the others past, when Miriel caught him as he leaned a little too heavily on his staff. Aragorn turned to the wizard in concern as Miriel helped him stand upright, the two rangers sharing a worried look. The old wizard looked at them gravely.

"You two must lead them on, no matter what takes place here or after. Go! The Bridge is near!" The two hesitated, Gandalf now barely standing on his own. "Do as I say! Swords are of no more use here, Aragorn, as well you both know. Go!" They ran again, finding themselves at a stair that was broken between as they went down. Legolas jumped across first. Then went Miriel, taking Sam with her as Gandalf leapt beside them. Boromir carried both Merry and Pippin. Aragorn went to help Gimli, but he refused, jumping just short of a stable landing, and Legolas grabbed him by the beard, which he protested loudly and comically enough that, had the situation been different, they likely would have laughed. The gap had grown wider, and now Frodo and Aragorn were balanced on a crumbling mass of rock. They leaned back, and the others watched with bated breath as the pillar swayed. Then, they leaned forward, and their bit of rock crashed into the other, both leaping off to be caught by the elf and other ranger as the pillar fell into the abyss.

On they ran, through to the second hall, and the ground cracked around them as they ran. Goblins scattered as they heard the roar of the Balrog, and Miriel spurred the hobbits to run faster as they sprinted through the long room. They reached the bridge, and Gandalf yelled to them as they went, the two rangers bringing up the rear.

"Over the bridge! Fly!" The bridge was slender and had no rail to catch them should they fall, but it did not slow their pace as they ran. The other hobbits, Gimli, and Legolas had all escaped into the light outside, though not without a parting shot from Legolas drilling through the head of a Goblin archer, but Frodo turned, and the sight he was greeted with halted him, and Boromir paused. Gandalf stood at the middle of the bridge, staff in one hand and elven sword in the other, facing down the fiery demon that had not yet followed. Miriel and Aragorn had paused as well, eyes fixed on the wizard as he yelled at the creature.

"You cannot pass!"

"Gandalf!" Frodo cried out in alarm, but did not rush forward yet.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor!" Gandalf cried at the dark thing. "The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!" The Balrog puts one foot on the bridge, drawing to its full height, wings of darkness spreading from wall-to-wall. Gandalf is tiny compared to it, balanced precariously on the narrow bridge even as he shouted again. "Go back to the Shadow!" The Balrog slashed at Gandalf with whip and flaming sword, but Gandalf took the blow on his sword, and the Balrog's fiery blade shatters into molten fragments. "You shall not pass!" Gandalf cried, a shield of light covering him. Aragorn and Boromir move to go to his aid, but they are stopped by the arms of the shieldmaiden. They look to her in confusion, and follow her eyes to where Gandalf had locked her gaze with his own. Tears built within her pools of blue, but she stood tall and nodded to the wizard. He returned it, and looked back to the Balrog.

"You! Shall not! Pass!" He boomed. Gandalf used both sword and staff together as the Balrog stepped fully onto the bridge, and brought them down to the narrow slab of stone. A blinding flash of light, and the bridge gave way beneath the demon, and it fell down into the dark below. Relief washed over the watchers as Gandalf turned to walk towards them. Then, the whip of fire came from below, and pulled Gandalf over the edge until he was hanging on only by his fingers. There was a deadly silence, one where his gaze passed over all of them. Then his voice came, quiet but fierce enough to command.

"Fly, you fools!" He let go of the edge of the bridge, and fell into the darkness below.

"Gandalf!" The scream came from Frodo, and Boromir caught him before he could run to the old wizard. The man of Gondor called to his sister and Aragorn as he hauled Frodo from inside the mines, but both stood a moment longer. Then, Miriel broke through the stunned trance Aragorn had fallen into, hand on his arm, her voice urgent.

"Aragorn! We must go now!" He followed her out into the sun, and it was only then that he saw the tears that streaked her face. She did not fall apart, it was not her way, but her eyes held sadness and pain, much as her face did, and he knew it mirrored his own. They embraced, holding each other in comfort and understanding as long as they dared stand in the open. He could feel the tremble in her limbs calm, one he never would have seen, and he felt his own shaking ease as the tears slowed. Then, they separated, wiped their tears, and Aragorn turned to the others, hating that he had to do this to them now.

"Legolas! Get them up." Boromir looked up in disbelief, and seeing the tear-streaked face of his sister only added to his indignance.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Aragorn shook his head sadly as Miriel moved to the hobbits, gently getting them up and wiping their tears as they clung to her as they would a mother.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs! We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Come Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up." They looked around, and Aragorn saw Frodo moving away, as if in a daze. "Frodo? Frodo!" Frodo stopped, and then turned slowly, a look of numb shock on his devastated face. Miriel moved to him, and knelt down in front of him as he looked at her.

"He's gone." She nodded, blue eyes so much like his own watery and pained.

"Yes, he is. But it does not do to dwell on his death." Frodo frowned, confused.

"But he's gone. He's not coming back, Miriel." She gave him a small, watery smile.

"I know. But he knew what he was doing, it was his choice. Remember him with laughter and fireworks, remember him as he was in life. He always spoke of time, didn't he?" Frodo nodded. "What did he tell you?" The hobbit sighed sadly, remembering the words spoken to him by the old wizard.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Miriel took his small hands in her own.

"Gandalf made his choice, and he made it for us. Do not let his sacrifice be in vain, and do not let the memory of him leave you. Only then would he truly be gone." Frodo nodded, and Miriel accepted the hobbit into her arms as he allowed his tears to flow forward for a few moments. Then, he straightened, and she stood, bringing him by her side as they caught up to the rest of the Fellowship.