Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings, I only own Nàin and the characters that I have come up with and their stories.

Chapter 37
Mines of Moria Part 4

Thor

After several hours of trying to fall asleep to no avail, Thor sat up straight when Gandalf awoke the company.

"Come on now, we don't have all day," the wizard spoke strangely cheerfully while the company packed their bags. "During the night I have pondered a lot, and decided on which way we shall go."

"Oh! He remembers!" said Pippin happily.

"No, master Took. I do not," sighed Gandalf. By now, the company was once more on their feet, following Gandalf to the three arches – one of which should lead them down to the mines through which they had to go. "I do not like the feel of the middle way, and I do not like the smell of the left-hand way. So, the right-hand way it is. The air does not smell so foul down there."

Gandalf, his staff still alit, began the descendance downwards through the left-hand arch, Gimli and Thor behind him. Still not over his vision from last night, Thor remained silent and avoided eye-contact as much as he could with the others. Luckily, he knew this was not the time to talk about anything but their path through Moria, as this place felt wrong, so he would be left alone for now. However, he was sure that the moment they were all safe and sound again (as safe and sound one could be while in close proximity with the ringbearer), the questions would start.

Many steps downwards they took, spiralling ever down into what seemed to be a never-ending darkness. Drops of water could still be heard amongst the shuffling of feet, yet where that water led no one was sure of.

How long it all took, Thor did not know. He doubted any of the others had much more of a grasp of time in this darkness – however, eventually, they did reach the final steps. Gandalf halted right outside of another arch, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead of him. His staff's light reached a few feet ahead of him, yet there were no walls indicating a hallway and there was nothing above them indicating a ceiling. The air was indeed not foul down there, but felt fresh and slightly cold. Sam, who had come to a stop next to Thor, shivered slightly.

"Let's risk a little more light," murmured Gandalf, his voice echoing strangely against something off in the darkness. He moved his staff to his hand, moving his fingers around the staff in a strange way before tweaking the crystal. Suddenly, more light emerged, lightening up enough for them all to suddenly be in complete awe. "The great realm and city of Dwarrowdelf."

Pillars stood tall, leading down all the way towards the end of the vast and large kingdom – Thor presumed, even though he could not see the end yet. The walls reached so high up Thor wondered if there even was a ceiling, as even with Gandalf's extra light, they could not see anything above them but darkness. Shadows danced away from Gandalf's light, and for a brief moment Thor thought those shadows were… something else; something alive. Though he dropped that thought when nobody else seemed to see it.

It was indeed a magnificent place and had it not been so dark, Thor knew he would have thought it more beautiful than Erebor's vast halls.

Gimli gasped, seeming surprised they had reached this magnificent destination. Thor himself had heard but little of this place – all he knew was that this was a part of Khazad-dûm, and that the mines were not far away from this city. Soon they'd reach them and soon they'd be out of this place, and once more on their way towards Mordor.

"Let's walk on. The mines are not far away now. Soon we'll reach the Gates and be clear of this place," said Gandalf.

"Such darkness still," added Sam, seeming sad. "There must have been a large crowd of Dwarves staying here once, and this place must have been magnificent."

"Once there were many a Dwarves here. And once there was light – daylight as a matter of fact. I do not know if the windows looking out have been blocked by something, or if it is actually night-time outside – either way, this place feels darker than night and I think we should press on. The mines are soon within our grasp," said Gandalf, earning agreeing nods from the company.

Nàin

"Oomph…" Large hands forced her down on the ground and she glared up at the Orc. They had been running non-stop for days now and even her fellow imprisoned Orcs were beginning to get tired. With large hammers and large iron nails, the Orcs secured the prisoners to the ground by their chains before they walked off to rest or eat.

Finally, Nàin was left alone with the Orcs she had decided to escape with. Though she found herself being unsure of what to say or do. Instead, she glanced over at the yellow-eyed Orc to her right, who was already looking at her.

"Little queen… introductions?" he said, earning a nod from her. "They call me Koglath. I'm their leader. My bravest Orc is Orcrar." Upon being mentioned, the Orc to her left looked up. He was not prettier than Koglath, two fangs sticking out, pressing his bottom lip out. "The others follow me blindly, for I am strongest."

"Okay, I get it. Strong equals power…" mumbled Nàin before raising her voice again, "What of them?" With her head she gestured towards the ones who were bringing them to Mordor.

"I recognize their leader. I fought him on my way out of Mordor decades ago. I thought him dead. He is called Uldug, the Poisoner. Watch out for his whip, I do not know what effects it has on Dwarf."

"I have to ask… why are you imprisoned?" asked Nàin.

Koglath glared over at her, "None of Dwarf's business."

"You can call me Nàin, you know."

Koglath smirked, "I know, Dwarf."

She rolled her eyes, "Any ideas of how to get out?"

Koglath pulled on his chain, trying his best to move the piece of iron that was keeping them chained to the ground, but to no avail. Nàin glanced over at the Orcs a little bit away from them. Their backs were turned towards them and if they somehow managed to get their chains free without making too much noise, they could slip away. It was not the worst idea and she liked it, but those chains looked to be tightly hammered into the ground and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get free without alerting the other Orcs.

"Orcrar," Koglath ordered. The Orc moved forwards, placing his hands on the iron nail to try and shift it, though he gave up quickly, shaking his head.

"We need the ground to be softer… Where are they taking us? What road?"

Koglath glanced at Nàin, "We're passing over the Brown Lands now. There's a passage into Udûn, from which we will get to Barad-dûr easily."

"Eh, and Udûn is in Mordor?"

Koglath frowned, "No, it's in Rohan."

"Wow, sarcasm from an Orc…" mumbled Nàin. "Sorry I asked."

"Why did you ask?"

"If we get to any land that's more… wet… we could get the nail out easier. Granted they keep us chained up like this every time they take a break."

"They do," said Koglath. "It's a plan."

"Then, all we'll do is move away as stealthily as possible-"

"Stealth? Stealth is weakness. We should fight them, kill them and wear their ears around our necks as proof of our strength!"

"Ssch!" hissed Nàin as the other Orcs suddenly began clapping their hands in agreement with their leader. "Oh, Mahal, you Orcs and your fighting. Listen to me, they have bows and arrows; swords; axes – we can't take them on without dying. You want out? Then we do this stealthily."

Koglath seemed unimpressed, "We will fail. But you are not wrong. We will try it your way. And then we will do it our way."

"We won't have to do it your way, because my way will work. Trust me."

"Trust a Dwarf…" mumbled Orcra from her left bitterly.

"It will be difficult. Uldug's band of Orcs are masterful archers."

"It's worth a try," sighed Nàin. "Look, we can't escape once we are in Mordor. That's too dangerous. If we want to get out, we have to get out before we reach Udûn."

Koglath sighed, glancing at Orcrar who nodded his head. The other Orcs had been listening as well, their heads all turned towards Nàin and Koglath.

"There's rain coming in two days. A lot of rain…" An Orc a little further away from them had spoken, causing everyone's heads to turn towards him. He had a bald head and almost illuminating blue eyes. His chin was filled with pieces of hair sticking out in an unruly way.

"Cezga," introduced Kolgath.

"How do you know?" asked Nàin, glancing up at the clear night sky above them.

"I can smell it… Feel it…" Cezga caressed the hairs on his chin, smirking over at Nàin.

"To you it's strange," said Kolgath, looking at Nàin's distrustful look, "but he has never been wrong before."

"If there is rain, the ground will be soft." Orcrar's words caused the other Orcs to murmur in agreement.

Nàin glanced at Kolgath, "The rain could help us sneak away as well, cancelling some of our noise."

"Aye…"

"Cezga better not be wrong then…"

Thor

"Gimli's tales are of wealth and jewels… but I don't see them." The voice who had said that belonged to Sam, the four Hobbits walking in the back of the group.

They had by now already reached the mines, walking past the abandoned shovels, pickaxes and machinery used for mining. Holes in the ground reached so far down sometimes that there seemed to be no bottom.

"This is a ruin," whispered Merry back.

"But a ruin is just abandoned, not stripped of its wealth."

"Orcs have plundered here many a times," said Gandalf in response to the Hobbits' talk. "They have taken whatever the Dwarves left behind."

"But… then why would the Dwarves want to come back?" asked Sam.

Gandalf smirked, halting next to a particular hole in the ground. He lifted his staff up, casting the light down into it and revealing what the Dwarves had once been digging for.

"Mithril." The light of Gandalf's staff was reflected back against the Mithril ore; showing to them all how it looked even purer than the purest of Silver.

"Almost sixty years ago my father and mother sent Dwarves here to bring Mithril ore back," began Thor, "It is tougher than anything else, and is a good material for defences, albeit it had never been used for that since the First Age. It is rare, but not here in Moria. That is why Balin and the others were sent here. That is why we want to reclaim this place."

"And we have yet to see signs of Balin and the others," grumbled Gimli, still in denial of the obvious.

Gandalf began walking again, the company following.

"Then what did the Dwarves flee from? If this place was so good?" asked Pippin.

"They dug too deep and stirred something in the pits below our realm…" Gandalf's voice was dark. Boromir, walking behind Thor, shivered.

Thor remembered the talk about Durin's Bane all those years ago and how afraid his elders had seemed of it. He had been no older than a child then and never really asked about it. Now, he wondered what it was; or who it was.

"More I shall not say. I will not have the company be discouraged by something that might not even be true," said Gandalf, his voice sounding a little happier again, though Thor figured it was simply an act.

"But you believe in it?" asked Frodo.

Gandalf remained silent after that question, instead beginning to talk a little later again, changing the subject all together, "Bilbo was once given a corset of Mithril rings by Thorin, as a gift of friendship."

"That is a kingly gift! A corset of Moria-silver!" exclaimed Gimli.

"Yes," chuckled Gandalf. "I never told him, but its worth is greater than the whole Shire and everything in it. I wonder what became of it."

Their walk through the mines was uneventful after this conversation. The whole company had a laugh when Boromir stumbled over a piece of rock, but they made sure to keep quiet in case Durin's Bane was real. Even if Gandalf had not wanted to talk about it, it was obvious that both he, Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas believed in it, even if they did not know, or wanted to tell anyone, what it was. Perhaps they had heard tales, or perhaps even read scrolls about it – either way, they seemed gloomy and so the others of the company became edgy as well.

Gandalf led them through a couple more hallways, entering yet another great hall. He stopped in this hall, looking around once more.

"If I am not mistaken, we are near the Gates. We should rest up so that we can move away from this place once we are outside without having to rest. Yes… that would be best."

The company chose a wall to camp near, and the night passed uneventfully. Thor's vision was no longer on his mind, Durin's Bane instead having taken over. However, seeing as he had not slept anything the past night, he fell asleep the moment he lied down. Boromir awoke him six hours later, and after a quick breakfast, they moved onwards.

Once more everything passed by uneventfully – until two hours later when Gimli suddenly cried out. It even shocked Gandalf, everyone coming to a stop while Gimli ran away. To their left, a doorway existed with a little bit of daylight rushing in, the light directed towards a tomb.

Thor's heart sank in his chest, and he quickly ran after Gimli and into the room. However, instead of running directly towards the grave, he stopped in the doorway, skidding to a halt. His eyes widened and his heart sank even more.

There, skeletons of Dwarves lay scattered all around the tomb. They had been wearing their armour, but none had survived.

"Please no…" breathed Thor quietly.

Aragon appeared next to Thor, placing a hand on his shoulder. Together the two walked towards where Gimli had fallen to his knees, gently crying before the tomb. Thor swallowed loudly, looking away from the inscription the moment he had read it.

Gandalf walked forwards with the rest of the company, brushing a hand over the inscription to clear it of dust before reading it aloud, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria."