The mines

        Elliott shivered, hugging himself. He hated the cold. Hate hate hated it. He didn't know why, he just always had, as far as he could remember. These mines, despite having no breeze, were pretty damn cold. ...Or maybe it was fear making him shiver. He didn't like that either.

        "We now have but one choice," Gandalf said grimly. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs, in the deep places of the world." He started walking, ushering them through. "Quietly now. It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

        After the first day of walking in Moria, Elliott had learnt his lesson about complaining. He'd never complain about travelling again if it meant he never had to travel in a place like this again. It was horrible - cold, corpses everywhere, dark, crumbly, and just about everything negative. And did he mention that it was cold? It was so cold.

        Eventually they came across a cavern-like area, where Gandalf rested his hand against weird silver veins in the mountain. "The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels..." he tilted his staff toward a pit, illuminating the long ladders lining the walls of the terrifyingly deep thing, as well as lighting up the faces of the fellowship. "...But in mithril." Merry leant forward to look closer, but Pippin put a hand in front of him, giving him a look. Wow, Elliott would have expected that to be the other way around. Frodo stared down until Gandalf moved the light away, enraptured by the pit.

        Elliott understood. The urge to simultaneously back away and throw yourself off such a pit was strong. But one had to stay stronger. He patted Frodo's shoulder in understanding, and Frodo gave him an odd look.

        Well, maybe it wasn't the urge to kill oneself then. Oops.

        Gandalf continued speaking and walking, "Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him," he said.

        Gimli's eyes widened and he seemed shocked. "Oh, that was a kingly gift."

        A sly smirk crossed Elliott's face. "Like a... courting gift?"

        Gandalf ignored Elliott, but at least he got a snort out of Frodo. Probably because Frodo knew Bilbo the best. "I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire."

        Elliott doubted that. It was probably worth more, monetarily, but the denizens of the Shire would never sell their home for what, a shirt? So you could never sell so many people's houses for a single shirt; they wouldn't allow it. They came across a staircase, something Elliott hated almost as much as the cold (but not as much, because the cold was the worst). Pippin nearly slipped, but Merry caught him. 

        Then they came across a fork in the road. Not a fork, a threek. Three doorways stood in front of them, and Gandalf seemed even grimmer than Elrond's resting face. Which was almost impossible. "I have no memory of this place."

        Hah. Mood. Elliott had no memory of a lot of things. Like what he had for breakfast, or what he did yesterday. Or the first twenty(?) years of his life, or what his parents and siblings looked like.

        ...This was getting concerning. He should really talk to Gandalf about it, but he couldn't. He hadn't even wrangled a magic lesson out of the guy yet, since he always seemed so busy that Elliott didn't want to intrude.

       Boromir sat down, then Aragorn sat next to him, forming the perfect seat for Elliott. He bounded over to the two men and planted himself between them, hesitating for only a split second before splaying his legs over Boromir's lap and his head on Aragorn's lap. If the men wanted him to move, he'd do it immediately, but he found that being a nuisance actually helped him be more confident. Only if they found it funny or enearing though, if they thought he was weird his confidence would drop to zero.

        Luckily, the two just huffed a small laugh and let him lay there. Aragon even started picking small rocks, twigs and leaves out of Elliott's hair (which he hadn't brushed in days, and should probably do so) which made him feel mildly giddy. Ahh, a grown-up was being kind to him, he could soak in this forever. 

        Since there was nothing to do, he started one of his favourite hobbies. Eavesdropping.

        "Are we lost?" Pippin asked.

        Merry shook his head, saying, "No."

        "I think we are," Pippin rebuked, much to the exasperation of Merry.

       "Shh! Gandalf's thinking," said Sam, the nicest hobbit to ever exist. Was he given the title of nicest just because he gave Elliott an extra crunchy piece of bacon a few days ago? Maybe.

        "Merry?" said Pippin.

         Merry pinched the bridge of his nose. "What?"

        "I'm hungry."

        Elliott zoned out from their conversation as Merry tried not to strangle Pippin, deeming it boring. He instead just closed his eyes and focused on the warm hand picking through his hair, which was probably due for a cut. How long had it been since he cut it...? Fifty years? Forty? Time was odd and his hair was too long.

       He almost got up to ask Gandalf to train him a bit when the wizard started talking to Frodo, so he just stayed with Aragorn and Boromir. Also, he didn't almost get up. He thought about it but wimped out before Gandalf even started talking to Frodo. 

        "Oh! It's that way!" Gandalf suddenly exclaimed, pointing at one of the door.

        "He's remembered!" Merry exclaimed. Elliott rolled off Aragorn and Boromir, jumping up and running after them. Gandalf put on his hat, and everyone started down a stairway. Luckily they were going down this time, or Elliott would have considered hitching a ride with Legolas. Surely his elf-strength could carry him.

      "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here," Gandalf said, mirth in his eyes. He put a hand on Merry's shoulder. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

~~~~~~~~~~

Uploads might slow down, since school is starting back up now. Idk, or it could continue like normal, since I usually write these at midnight anyway.