Chapter 1. The Fall.
It all began with a shadow, a tiny spot in the sky, inconspicuous enough to be dismissed as a passing cloud.
The sentries stationed in the outer areas of the mountain were the first to notice something was amiss, a murmur in the air a whisper in the wind. They had been on high alert for almost a day now, waiting for any news of the battle between the One-Eyed Black Dragon and the Two most powerful familia in existence. The King himself had gathered the guards and informed them of the situation, telling them that the army would be on standby, and ordering them to raise the alarm at the slightest sign.
So, when they noticed a small dot against the dying light of the sun, growing bigger by the second, no one hesitated to sound the bells, calling the soldiers to battle, and warning the inhabitants of the city.
The dwarves of Bál Eldur had faced dragons many times before, and confident in their might they rose to the challenge.
Nothing could have prepared them for the horrors and devastation they were about to face.
Earlier that day.
Rünira was bored.
She had woken up early that chilly morning like she always did, with difficulty that is. Winter was upon them, bringing with it its icy embrace. She could almost picture the snow in her mind, slowly gathering on top of the mountain, painting it with white with its crystalline shine. Getting out of bed the first thing she felt was the biting cold of the stone floor against her bare feet, but she didn't mind it, she had always liked the touch of bare rock against her skin, it made her feel like she was part of the mountain, and a little cold wouldn't get in the way of that.
Going to her closet, Rünira paused in front of the tall mirror hanging next to it. Deep green eyes stared back at her, framed by a mess of red curls. She had never thought much about her appearance, not really getting why the adults thought it so important. But she liked her eyes, they made her feel closer to her Mother. Her father still mentioned on occasion how they had the exact same colour. She didn't remember much about her, but from what little she had gathered from her father and other people, her mother had disappeared when Rünira was just one year old and was declared dead soon after.
After changing into something more suitable, a loud growl informed her that her tummy needed food. So, escaping the ever-watchful eyes of her nana, she had gone down to the great hall to eat her breakfast, noticing on her way that the halls seemed a lot more empty and quiet than usual.
Pondering this mystery while munching on some toast, she decided to go visit the old man Goran and ask him why there were so few people around—and maybe for a story or two! Despite being the chief of his father's guards, the old dwarf always seemed to have time to tell her stories about the travels and adventures of his youth. But Rünira didn't find him in his office, nor did she find any of the other guards for that matter.
So, that left her aimlessly wandering the corridors and halls, looking for someone she could talk with. She had been at it for the past half hour being spectacularly unsuccessful.
And thus, she was bored.
Looking around, Rünira considered going to the kitchens, as surely there would be somebody there! —and maybe she could grab something more to eat too!—
Nodding to herself and with a course of action decided, Rünira was about to leave her current location, when the sounds of hurried steps coming from around the corner she had just passed caught her ear.
Turning around with a smile to greet whoever was near, her expression froze when she saw the frowning face of a brown-haired and matronly looking dwarf staring at her with an unmistakably displeased expression on her face.
Her Nana wasn't happy, not one bit.
"RÜNIRA! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"
Rünira flinched at her Nana's scream, she had been yelled at before, and most of the time it even was her fault, but she didn't know what she could have done to deserve it this time
Sure, she had left her quarters to eat and go exploring when her father had told her the night before to wait for him as he had something important to tell her. But she had done similar things plenty of times before! and had never been scolded for it! at least not too much.
"YOUR FATHER TOLD YOU TO WAIT FOR HIM IN YOUR QUARTERS!"
But this time seemed to be different, her Nana's voice had all the irritation and frustration it always had when dealing with her more mischievous tendencies, but when Rünira looked at her, she saw something else lurking behind her tightly controlled expression, something more than just worry shining in her nana's brown eyes.
Much later, an older Rünira, burdened by the weight of years of experience, would look back to this moment and realize that it had been fear.
"Sorry Nana," she started, hands wildly gesturing in an attempt to aid her hastily built apology. "But I was bored and hungry, and I thought getting a quick breakfast would be ok, and then got curious because there's nobody around and…"
Her voice slowly died down not really knowing what else to say, settling instead for trying to look as apologetic as she possibly could, that usually worked.
The stout woman let out a sigh, still looked tense despite the frown on her face relaxing somewhat.
"It doesn't matter right now, we need to get going, your father should still be waiting for you in—"
She didn't get to finish, suddenly interrupted by the sound of a massive bell echoing loudly throughout the mountain.
Rünira knew that sound, her father had made sure she was aware of its meaning. It was an alarm, a call to arms to all dwarves. It meant that Bál Eldur was under attack and urged its sons and daughters to rise in its defence.
She turned her head following the sound, wondering who would be brave or foolish enough to attack their mighty fortress.
"Oh no…" she heard her Nana whisper.
Something in the tone of her Nana's voice made Rünira's stomach tighten painfully. Turning back to look at her, she noticed that the brave and strong woman who had raised her ever since her mother's passing looked frightened, eyes wide and face pale, she was shaking her head in denial.
"N-Nana, w-what's wrong?" she asked shakily, starting to think that something was awfully wrong, "W-What's happening?"
She saw her snap to attention at her question, quickly looking around assessing the situation before focusing on her.
"We need to move right now," she told her with a serious expression, grabbing her hand. "We don't have much time; your father will know what to do."
They rushed through the cavernous hallways, the ringing of the bell resonating in their ears with haunting intensity. After what seemed like mere seconds to Rünira but were probably minutes, they arrived at the entrance of her quarters.
Her Nana hastily opened the door, ushering her inside with a slight push. Rünira saw her father already in there, pacing frantically in the space between her desk and the door, holding a full bag in one hand and what appeared to be a letter in the other. He was fully clad in heavy armour, with his favoured weapon -a massive axe- strapped against his back.
His head snapped towards them as they entered, eyes stopping on Rünira for a short moment as if trying to confirm that she was okay before looking at the matronly dwarf with a sombre expression.
"Tinna, thank the earth you found her, a minute more and I'd have had to leave," Rörun said gravely to her daughter's caretaker. "It is as we feared, the bastards failed… Now that thing is coming to Bál Eldur. I have ordered a full civilian evacuation, but time is not our ally."
The words confused Rünira to no end. Who failed what? What came to Bál Eldur? and why was her father ordering an evacuation? But apparently, only she held such uncertainties as Tinna immediately nodded to the King's words.
"I need you to take Rünira and take her to Larfal. He will look after you both," he said, looking briefly between them before gesturing to the bag and the envelope. "I have already packed everything you will need for the journey and wrote a letter to the old sod. It should be enough to get you across the border."
"To the elves my King? Surely we could go with the rest of our people," asked Tinna, bewilderment clear in her voice.
"Things between us are not as bad as they used to be, and if the worst comes to pass, I need to know that Rünira will not only be raised and educated as she needs to be but protected as well," Rörun spoke calmly, giving the bag and letter to Tinna. "The elves may be prissy twats sometimes, but they are strong. If we fall, they are the only ones who'd be both able and willing to protect her from The Empire. You know they are still after our blood, even after all this time."
Rünira listened intently as her father spoke with Tinna; She knew about The Empire, her father made sure she learned about them by heart even at her young age.
A militaristic country that utilized war and conquest to spread its human supremacy dogma. The Empire considered every non-human race unworthy of being something more than slaves. And since the gods' descent, they had utilized the falna to grow stronger and larger, retaking the lands the dwarves had conquered during ancient times. And although their repeated failures to break into Bál Eldur saw an end to the open hostilities for the past hundred years, they still held a terrible grudge towards them.
But none of that mattered to Rünira right now, other bits of her father's words echoing in her mind.
''F-Fall? What do you mean fall, what's happening?'' she asked loudly; she was afraid and didn't know what was going on. "Why are you sending me away? We've always been safe here!''
For the first time since they had entered the room, Rörun turned to face her daughter directly, focusing his gaze solely on her as if trying to burn her image into his mind.
Slowly, he walked towards her, planting a knee on the ground and his hands on her shoulders giving her a reassuring squeeze.
''Listen Rüni and listen well, something very bad is happening. You already know of the three great quests and the groups of gods' servants that set off to complete them,'' Seeing her nod he quickly continued. "They failed the last one, against the Black Dragon, and now that monster is coming here. We knew something bad could happen, and we were prepared, but not for this…this is too dangerous, that's why I am sending you and the civilians away."
Inside the sea of uncertainty that plagued her mind, her father's composed attitude was the only thing that kept Rünira's panic from breaking down, it gave her strength.
"I-I can fight too, I can h-help!" She didn't know when she had started crying, only now feeling the tears streaming down her face.
"You are brave and strong, Rünira, and I know you will get even stronger. Immovable as a mountain, and indomitable as the wildest of fires, you will become the best of us,'' he said gently, wiping her tears with his thumbs. "But your time has yet to come."
He stood up, looking at her with a faint smile. This was how Rünira would choose to remember him in the dark days to come. Her father, smiling at her, willing to fight death itself to give his people the chance to live, eyes shining with pride and burning love yet sorrowful for he knew well what awaited him.
She was about to speak, to tell her father that she didn't care, to tell him anything that would let her stay, when the entire mountain shook viciously, sending tremors through the walls and floors and filling the room with dust.
They all knew what it meant.
What followed was the loudest and more terrifying thing Rünira had heard in her short life, a roar so potent it made the rock under their feet tremble and the stone walls crack, freezing all of them in place.
"We are out of time," said Rörun, snapping out of his shock and turning to face Tinna. "You need to go now, take the tunnels connecting to the mines of Rhondda, from there it should be about a day to the Alf Forest on a fast Battleboar, a couple of hours if any of the Gryphons are still there."
''D-Dada I—'' Rünira tried to get her father's attention but she was swiftly interrupted.
''This isn't your fight, Rünira, not yet. Now go! Run to the tunnels and don't look back! GO!''
And with that last order, her father left, to find his brave warriors and lead them into battle.
Rünira just stood there, completely numb, her mind unable to process what was happening around her, just a few hours earlier she was waking up and eating breakfast, and now, her whole life seemed to be crumbling to dust before her eyes.
Another earth-shaking roar shook her out of her stupor, eyes flying towards the door her father had just walked through. She started to move, to follow after him when a strong hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.
"You heard your father Rüni, we need to go," Tinna said firmly. "If we hurry, we should reach the tunnels without getting caught up in the fight."
Rünira didn't want to go. She wanted to stay in her room, go to bed, close her eyes, and pretend all of this was a nightmare. But Tinna had taken her hand, her firm grip anchoring her to reality, as she began to lead them to the doorway.
Hell.
It was the only word that could describe the scene playing before his eyes.
Rörun could only watch impassibly as fire rained down upon his city, colossal explosions filling the air, setting the sky itself ablaze and shattering the earth to dust in a roaring inferno of pure hatred.
What could they do against such destruction?
"M-My King!" the shaky voice of a soldier came from behind.
Turning around he was met by a chipped helmet and dented armour covered in dirt and soot.
The lad was injured, that much was obvious, the ragged breath and the noticeable limp were impossible to ignore. But that wasn't what troubled him the most.
He was young, Rörun noted with a heavy heart, much too young.
"What is it, soldier?"
"R-Report from Skymaster Grimgur, your highness," he said struggling to contain the tremors in his voice, fighting the fear that threatened to consume them all, "the gryphon riders engaged the Dragon to distract it for as long as possible as ordered, t-they have fulfilled their duty with bravery and pride!"
The child was almost sobbing now, he could be no more than 17. Rörun wished he could just tell the lad to leave, to join the evacuees. But he couldn't, The Great Gate had already been sealed shut behind them, they were now the only thing standing between his people and certain death.
"I see…"
He looked around at the soldiers that were left, his brothers and sisters in arms. Weary faces stared back at him, some with fear, others with sadness, but all of them, deep within their eyes, reflected the same grim determination that he himself felt.
"Things ain't lookin' too pretty eh Rörun?" Goran's gruff voice came quietly from his side, the stout dwarf's words only meant for the king, "Ya should—"
"Should what old friend? escape? run and leave my men behind?" the old king sighed deeply at the chief guard's words, "You know I will not do that."
"We cannot hope to win, Rörun, all our defences… even the riders…"
"Win? No… we cannot win," he shook his head, gripping his axe tightly, as he turned to his old friend with a grim smile, "But we are not trying to win, are we Goran?"
The resolute expression on the king's face told the chief guard everything he needed to know.
"Aye, I guess we never were." Goran finally nodded in acceptance, returning his smile, "Is that why you didn't bring yer fancy hamma' with ya?"
The question hung in the air for a moment, its implications not lost to either of them.
"The Aflhraûn is exactly where it's supposed to be," Rörun said finally, "In the hands of the dwarves' true heir, and the future of our people."
Goran seemed like he was about to reply when their conversation was cut short by a roar high up in the air, the sound alone seemed capable of crushing their bones and shattering their spirits. It came down, dissipating the blazing fires that lit up the skies, for the first time giving Rörun and his men a true sight of the Black Dragon.
"Jarðar, give me strength, Eldur, give me courage." His words fell on deaf ears as they all could nothing but stare in incomprehensible horror at the calamity standing before them.
It beggared belief, defied all reason.
How could such a thing be allowed to exist? to walk the same earth as the rest of them?
He could feel the despair growing around him, the sounds of ragged breaths and murmured prayers, the clanking of armour and boots as the soldiers tried and failed to hold back the terror.
They all knew what was about to happen, but nobody moved.
They still had a job to do, the evacuees needed more time. Friends, family, old and young, still were trying to get away from the city, they needed more time, and Rörun and his men were going to get it, whatever the cost.
"To the earth we go, blazed by the fire of our love…"
A prayer in his lips as he steeled his old heart, the old king slowly put on his helmet before looking up to face the beast, axe held tightly with both hands, thoughts of Rünira filling his heart, giving him strength.
"DWARVES!"
His thunderous call echoed across the outer gates, piercing the moonless night, and tempering the brittle spirits of the dwarven warriors, rallying them to their King, one last time.
"FOR BÁL ELDUR!"
They travelled in silence through the corridor leading to the main hall, occasional tremors still shook the walls as they walked. The entrance to the tunnels that connected Bál Eldur to Rhondda was deep underground, and the main hall held the only passageway to access the under levels of the city, so that's where they needed to go.
The main hall was a humongous square-shaped room located on the ground level, big rock columns, sculpted and engraved by generations of master craftsmen, supported an unbelievable high ceiling arched over the heads of the dwarves below. Each side of the hall had an accessway that led to different parts of the mountain. The north side had The Great Gate, a gigantic metal door made of pure forged steel that opened out to the outside world.
Opposite to it was the passageway to the under levels that were located deep beneath the mountain. The two remaining sides held corridors and hallways and other tunnels that connected to all the upper levels and to the rest of the ground floor.
They were near the end of the corridor that led to the hall when they heard the first screams. Though muffled at first, they started to grow in intensity.
The scene that greeted them upon their arrival was one of barely contained pandemonium. Officers were yelling at the top of their lungs trying to make themselves heard among the chaos, giving frantic orders to their troops. Civilians moved hurriedly, trying to get to safety, some carrying bags while others pulled small carts full of food and other provisions.
A mixed group of soldiers and builders seemed to be desperately trying to barricade The Great Gate, as it was the only thing standing between them and the exterior defences, from where more screams could be heard amidst the dragon terrifying roars.
Rünira looked around, trying to spot her father amongst the warriors. The mountain kept viciously shaking in what she now knew, were the dragon's destructive efforts to access the inner city. The only thing keeping her standing was the firm grip of Nana's hand.
''COME ON RÜNI, WE ARE ALMOST THERE!'' Tinna yelled above the commotion, one hand holding Rünira firmly, while the other gripped tightly the strap of the bag on her back as she pushed her way through the crowd.
Panic was starting to grow amongst the dwarves, they could all feel the fight getting closer, the rumbling of the earth getting stronger and stronger.
They were close, just about to reach the passageway, when the entire hall seemed to explode in a sea of fire and shattered stone.
Rünira only had time to scream before her world turned sideways, her face meeting the ground as she felt something heavy fall on top of her, forcing her to remain flat against the floor. She could feel the suffocating heat of the inferno blazing around her, dust and dirt filling her eyes, as huge chunks of rock crashed violently against the ground.
''R-Rüni, are you okay?'' Came a pained voice from above her, after the explosion died down.
Coughing and wheezing as she tried to comprehend what had happened, Rünira realized that the thing crushing her was not a thing, but Tinna, and that her quick reaction had probably saved them from the brunt of the explosion.
Twisting her head, she came face to face with her Nana, the left side of her face was covered in blood, looking up she could see that it was coming from a cut on her head just above her eyebrow.
"Nana you are hurt!" Rünira exclaimed, panicked.
"Don't worry about me, that puny fire ain't hurting no dwarf," Tinna replied, with a pained smile flashing across her face as she helped Rünira to her feet. "Come now, we need to keep moving."
"Fire?" Looking down Rünira immediately saw what she meant, Tinna's left side was heavily burned, some spots angry red and already starting to blister but other parts were far worse, completely charred black.
She wanted to cry, to scream and yell until all this stopped, but all she could manage was a weak sob before she was cut short by another thundering roar followed by more rubble impacting the ground dangerously close to them.
Screams could be heard all around, as people were desperately trying to escape, pushing their way through the wreckage, a lot of them looked injured like Tinna, burned and bloodied, but adrenaline and fear probably kept them moving.
Turning to look, Rünira could see a gaping smouldering hole on what little was left of The Great Gate, she didn't want to think about what kind of thing could do that to steel doors as thick as she was tall. Some soldiers were already regrouping, bravely standing their ground before what little remained of the gate, trying to buy some time for the fleeing civilians.
Tinna looked around, sharp eyes quickly assessing their surroundings. Muttering a curse she turned back to the frozen form of her charge, grabbing her with her undamaged hand and starting to push her towards the passageway.
All around them the devastating effects of the explosion could be seen, dwarves lying half-buried beneath the rubble, or horrifically burned and incapable of moving, some were crying for help, others were not.
"Shouldn't we help them?" asked Rünira, voice trembling with a mixture of shock and fear, as they passed broken columns and forgotten carts left behind by their panicked owners.
"There's nothing we can do for them," said Tinna. Her voice sounded firm, but her eyes betrayed her hesitation. They both knew she was lying.
They continued walking with haste, trying to ignore the suffering that surrounded them. Finally, they managed to reach the entrance to the lower levels, a narrow and steep stairway awaited there to lead them down deep into the mountain.
"Why is it so dark? I can't see!" Rünira complained, voice echoing down the dark stairs. "And I can't hear anyone either.''
The noise of the battle had slowly disappeared behind them as they traversed down, now only muffled cries and shouts could be heard coming from above.
"The people fleeing probably took the lamps' magic stones with them, even small stones are valuable after all." Said Tinna. "They most likely thought it was better to take them than to leave them here. And a lot of the evacuees are old dwarves and children, they are probably going to need the money.
"Either way, dark or not it doesn't matter, we must keep going." She continued, taking the first step.
With a silent nod, Rünira followed her. And with death behind and darkness ahead, they started the slow descent into the tunnels that would lead them to Rhondda.
The first sign of light was a blessing to Rünira, they had been navigating the dark tunnels for what seemed like hours. Being underground with little to no light was nothing new for dwarves, they were used to it, and their close relationship with the earth made them feel comfortable even in such situations. But that was not the issue.
What worried Rünira was her Nana, Tinna had started to breathe heavier and heavier as time went by. What began with quiet grunts and hisses, were now barely contained cries of pain, and she didn't know what to do. Her Nana had always been an unshakable figure of strength in her eyes, she remembered once seeing the old matron during a training exercise, taking a full hammer blow to the face without batting an eye.
And now, hearing her so obviously in pain was shaking her to the core.
But the light made hope blossom in her trembling heart. It meant they were close to Rhondda, now all they had to do was find one of those gryphons and go to the elves.
Rünira didn't know much about them but she did remember her father telling her about elves capable of using healing spells despite not being blessed by a god. They could heal Tinna, and she wouldn't need to be in pain anymore.
Everything was going to be okay.