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Inspiration  by Antane

A/N:  As will be the case in later chapters as well, some of the Red Book is quoted from here. 

I am going to post as I read through the tale again for my blog (http://theroadthroughmiddle-earth.blogspot.com) so it's going to take a while to get through it all. I have a lot of ideas already, but if you have something specific you want to see that I may have missed, you know where to find me! :)

Chapter Three: Gandalf, Aragorn and Frodo

The Balrog rose in all its terrible might and Gandalf seemed dwarfed by it. But such was not so. They had been originally made kindred by Ilúvatar in the beginning, but one had forsaken the light in which it had been made and one had not.

Gandalf raised his staff, refusing to bow to such a terror of darkness. "You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow!"

The two met in battle, blade against blade, and it was the Balrog’s sword that was melted and broken. Gandalf swayed under the force of the impact, but was not defeated.

"You cannot pass!"

The others watched this as the Balrog leapt upon the bridge. Aragorn and Boromir rushed forward to the aid of their friend.

"He cannot stand alone! Elendil!"

"Gondor!"

Gandalf smote the bridge with his staff which shattered and fell from him. The bridge cracked and began to fall away. The Balrog fell with it, but even in defeat, it was still a deadly foe. It wrapped its fiery whip around Gandalf and dragged him down with it.

"Fly, you fools!" the wizard cried to his horrified friends.

"Come!" Aragorn cried. "I will lead you now! We must obey his last command. Follow me!"

They fled the ruined kingdom of the dwarves, each leaving behind a part of their hearts. They wept long and hard after they escaped.

Aragorn looked towards the mountains and held up his sword. "Farewell, Gandalf!" he cried. "Did I not say to you: if you pass the doors of Moria, beware? Alas that I spoke true! What hope have we without you?"

He turned to the Company. "We must do without hope," he said. "At least we may yet be avenged. Let us gird ourselves and weep no more! Come! We have a long road, and much to do."

They rose and continued. Sam looked over at his master and found him staring at the ground, looking especially thoughtful. For many days afterwards, Frodo pondered Aragorn’s words and took them into his heart to shelter his will to continue as more and more hope died in him. It kept him on his Road just as much as Sam’s unflagging support did. There had to be a reason Gandalf died. It could not be merely the senseless loss it seemed. There had to be a reason. So he kept telling himself and he thought maybe he knew what that reason was. So Aragorn could say those words and he could hear them and wrap his heart around them and they could hold together the pieces of himself that otherwise would have fallen away.





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