We moved to a safe place. It seed to be a dwarven outpost in the Mines of Moria. We sealed the entrance with an ice wall and rested inside.
"Let's rest for a while."
The Fellowship sat on the floor. Having lost a comrade, the mood was very somber.
"What happened?"
I asked. Aragorn explained.
"When we tried to cross the Misty Mountains, we were ambushed by orcs and relentlessly pursued by Nazgûl. We had no choice but to co to Moria. Now I realize they herded us here. We fell for it."
"I see. And then you ran into three Balrogs. But I thought only one Balrog, 'Durin's Bane,' lived here. Why were there three?"
Gandalf answered.
"When I was tracking Gollum, I saw orcs building strongholds at multiple points in the mountains. I thought they were forward bases and only noted their locations. But they weren't building bases — they were digging to wake the Balrogs. My mistake. I should have investigated deeper."
Now I understood why Sauron had been so quiet. He had been building his forces.
"How many such sites did you see?"
"At least fifteen."
"Then there could be at least ten Balrogs."
The Fellowship groaned. Having faced Balrogs, they knew the danger.
"Let's rest here for a day and then move on. You look like you haven't slept in days. I'll accompany you as far as Lothlórien."
I took out blankets from my inventory and handed them out. I also made warm soup to heat their bodies. After eating, their tension eased, and one by one they settled down to sleep.
Gandalf, myself, Boromir, and Aragorn sat by the fire. Aragorn said worriedly:
"The Balrogs are bad enough, but who knows what other enemies Sauron has raised? Now we know why he was so quiet."
Gandalf stressed the importance of destroying the ring.
"All the more reason we must destroy it. The fate of everyone in Middle-earth now rests on that ring."
Boromir, also worried, said:
"The ring is important, but shouldn't we warn the other kingdoms as soon as we leave here? They know nothing. If Balrogs suddenly appear..."
Gandalf agreed.
"You're right. When we reach Lothlórien, I will ask Galadriel to send word."
I stood and said:
"I'll scout the area. There may still be orcs or Balrogs. You should sleep — we have a long march tomorrow."
I lted the ice wall just enough for one person to pass, went outside, and resealed it with magic. Then I went to where the Balrog had died. Naturally, to turn it into a Shadow Soldier.
"Arise."
At my command, black flas rose from the Balrog's corpse. A shadow soldier stood and bowed.
"I will call you 'Balrog 1.' There will be more."
The Balrog bowed once and disappeared into the shadows.
I scouted the area — no orcs, and the other Balrogs were gone. I returned to the Fellowship. Gandalf, Boromir, and Aragorn had all fallen asleep. The dwarves had designed Moria's ventilation well, so the campfire was fine.
While they slept, I fell into thought. Why had Ilúvatar intervened? Had he intervened because Saruman would have fallen and the quest failed, as in the original? Or had he taken Saruman because fate had been twisted?
Thinking as if Saruman had fallen — it was certainly dangerous. He was the strongest in the Fellowship. No one could have stopped him.
'So it was about the fall? I don't know...'
Ti passed while I thought.
The next day, sensing the others would wake soon, I added wood to the fire and prepared a al. Deep in the mine, I couldn't tell night from day, but I knew it was around noon. As the food finished and the sll spread, the Fellowship began to stir.
They looked much better than the day before, having slept well.
"Wow~ That slls delicious."
The hobbits gathered around the fire, looking forward to the al. The others packed up and joined. I gave them warm soup and soft bread, as before.
"Munch munch. Arkad Jean, you're an amazing cook. This is so good."
rry complinted my cooking as he ate. Aragorn said:
"My brother really is a good cook. When I've been in the wild a long ti, I sotis think of his food."
They praised my cooking and talked about various things. They seed to have recovered not just physically but ntally.
After eating, they rested briefly, then packed and prepared to leave. When they were ready, I removed the ice wall and we set off. There were no further Balrog attacks or orc ambushes. Whether that was due to my presence or sothing else, I didn't know. The Fellowship was grateful for the peace, but I was a little disappointed.
'I was hoping for an orc attack...'
We erged from the eastern gate of Moria and saw the setting sun. Gimli looked surprised.
"I never thought I'd prefer seeing the sun to being in a mine..."
Legolas smiled and patted his shoulder. If even a dwarf said that, it proved how harsh Moria had been.
We camped before entering Lothlórien. Though Lothlórien was safe under Galadriel's protection, traveling at night was difficult. We rested, then entered the forest the next day. After much walking, we reached Caras Galadhon in Lothlórien.
"Welco. I have been waiting. Crossing the Misty Mountains took longer than expected."
Galadriel welcod us warmly.
"The power I sense in Gandalf has grown stronger."
"My lady... Saruman died protecting us. He has gone to the Halls of Mandos. This power is his."
Galadriel looked shocked. The Halls of Mandos is the dwelling of the Vala Mandos — essentially, the afterlife. Elves and Maiar like Saruman can stay there until a new body is prepared, or remain if they wish.
"But humans cannot enter the Halls of Mandos unless permitted by Mandos or Manwë. Various theories exist — that humans leave Arda for elsewhere, or that they reincarnate. But Tolkien himself never said, so no one knows."
"I see. Let show you to your lodgings. Rest there, and later we can talk in detail."
"Thank you."
We rested for a day. The next day, the Fellowship told Galadriel what had happened.
"Balrogs... This is grave. I will inform the other kingdoms imdiately."
"Please."
The Fellowship would rest here for nearly a month. That might seem long, but walking across a continent larger than North Arica, they needed good food and proper rest to recover. I didn't need such rest, so I decided to leave and rejoin Arwen.
Gandalf approached .
"Will you not stay with us?"
"Sorry, but Arwen is more important to than Middle-earth. I'll co back and rejoin you later."
"That you will rejoin us is a relief. Very well. Do not forget our request. If the quest fails..."
He lowered his voice so the others wouldn't hear.
"I understand."
I gave Gandalf the signal ring again, transford into my dragon form, crossed the Misty Mountains, and flew to Arwen.
Rivendell was very quiet, most of the elves having left. Arwen ran to and embraced . Elrond also ca to greet .
"Welco. Was there trouble?"
"Sauron woke the Balrogs. Saruman fell because of it."
Elrond was shocked.
"Tell everything."
I told them what had happened. They listened with grave expressions.
"Sigh... This is serious. If we are not careful, all of Middle-earth may fall to Sauron."
Elrond thought for a mont.
"Hmm... Then I will stay and see the quest through. If they fail, I may need to ask the Valar for aid."
He planned to go to Valinor and seek help if needed. I did not know what other preparations Sauron had made, but the situation was becoming more than mortals alone could handle.
I stayed in Rivendell with Arwen, watching the elves depart. The Fellowship remained in Lothlórien.
'Being with my beautiful wife is better than being stuck in that stifling forest.'
Ti passed. Finally, the Fellowship's signal moved. I decided to wait — I would not rejoin until they passed Amon Hen.
I had my reasons. In the original, at Amon Hen, Boromir succumbs to the ring's temptation, and Frodo realizes he must carry the ring alone. He leaves with Sam, separating from the Fellowship. I planned to rejoin then.
Aragorn and the others, after separating from Frodo, play a crucial role in supporting the war against Sauron by rallying Rohan and Gondor. If they did not separate, the ring's journey would be easier, but Rohan and Gondor — the strongest bulwarks against Sauron — might fall.
If I were with them, Boromir might not act, fearing , and the Fellowship might stay together. Also, because I had killed the Balrogs, Gandalf had not fallen. I didn't know how he would act. So I decided to wait and see.
'What if it plays out differently than the original...?'
I sat in a sunny spot, drinking tea, lost in thought. Arwen approached cautiously.
"Um... I have sothing to ask..."
"Huh? What is it? Did you think of a dish you want?"
Her face reddened.
"No... I was wondering... why we don't have children. Is it because our races are too different?"
"Did you want a child?"
"Yes... But if there's no way, this is fine."
She had clearly been troubled for a long ti.
"I see. I'll find a way."
When I said I would try, Arwen smiled and looked happy.
"Thank you."
I had entered this world as myself, in my own body. So I was human. If Arwen conceived, the child would be a half-elf. But solving this was not difficult. I could simply use [Mystic Arts] to change the child in her womb from a half-elf to an elf.
"When did you start worrying about this?"
"Well... fifty years ago..."
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