Twas the night…

Twas the night before Christmas and within Khazad-Dum
The caverns were all silent, even Balin's Tomb.
The orcs were all dormant, immobile with fear.
The watcher asleep beneath Mirrormere.

Then a light shone out clear like a glint off of mithril,
Or the tree of great lineage that grew in Minas Ithil.
Gandalf had arrived! With the Rivendell eight!
They journeyed in Moria, denied the pass of Redhorn Gate.

But from the roots of Caradhras, a balrog did rise.
It tried to cross Durin's Bridge, held by Gandalf the wise.
He fought with the balrog, the fell beast of ill name.
The dark flame of Udûn, called by some Durin's Bane.

The balrog fell from the bridge, but its dread lash didn't miss,
And the grey pilgrim was dragged into the midnight abyss.
With Narya on his left hand and Glamdring in his right,
Gandalf fell off Durin's Bridge and dropped out of sight.

From the depths to the peaks Gandalf fought his foe,
Morgoth's dread servant, the Valarauko.
Yet on tall Zirakzigil the balrog was killed.
And Mithrandir died, his great task fulfilled.

There are those will whose say "There's been a mistake!
A December release does not a Christmas film make."
I respond with disdain and a contemptuous snort.
"Are you quite finished? Then allow me to retort."

There's white-bearded men, elves, presents, and bows.
Small folk are urged to be good. Hell, there's even some snow.
It brings friends together to join in the cheer
Of great happy endings at the end of the year.

So on December seventeenth, gather round with some friends.
Block out thirteen hours, make sure all can attend.
Dim the lights, start the film, and proclaim to all them:
Merry Christmas to all, and in the darkness, bind them!

---

There were two primary sources of inspiration for this piece: a friend of mine showed me a watercolor she made about How the Balrog Stole Christmas, and this comic: https://www.gocomics.com/foxtrotclassics/2013/12/04
It turns out I'm not even the first person to make the argument that LotR is a Christmas movie: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/opinion-lord-of-the-rings-christmas

This post is the first of the new year (and decade) and marks the first entry of a semi-formal contest I'm having with the friend who encouraged me to start this blog in the first place. We're each going to make one creative work per month, one worthy of being read or seen or heard by other people, and then at the end of the year we're going to get a bunch of people around and have them judge the works. It's very much not competitive, just a fun activity to push the creative habit.

Edit: I know, the Watcher is on the other side of Moria from Mirrormere, but it fits the scansion better, and you can't not mention the Watcher. So sue me.