Chapter III: Of the Days of Labor, and the Discovery of Elves.

When Durin awoke, all was dark. He rose, and felt rather than saw the cavern around him. Guided by this feeling, he made his way slowly to the entrance, and came out into the night. There he stood for long hours, transfixed by the sight of the stars above.

At length he stirred, and strode out to seek a thing which his mind did not know, but which his heart bid him find. And near to the place from whence he emerged was a clear pool, into which Durin gazed for long hours. And as he knelt at the waters edge, thoughts sprung into his mind unbidden, and he learned much of the nature of the things which surrounded him. When he looked away at last, his mind was set to his actions, and he went down into the woods at the base of the mountain. But before he went, he named the pool Kheled-zarâm, or "Mirror-mere," which legend thereafter held to be the pool in which Mahal cooled his creations while still they were hot from his furnaces, and to which Durin and those who followed in his line would ever go when they sought council in their hearts.

Gathering sticks and branches off the ground, Durin was able to collect from the forest a great amount of wood, and brought it back to the cavern in many loads. There, he built himself a great fire, and set about creating tools.

Now, when Durin had gone down to gather this wood, he had not been alone among the trees. Patrolling at the border of the woods, an Elvish tracker following the trail of a stag had seen Durin come, and was filled with fear, thinking him a servant of the Black Shadow. And he had gone to his lord, Orwë, and told of what he had seen. Orwë was troubled by this news, for his people were few in number, and had thought themselves safe living between the arms of the mountains, in the thick forests which his people loved. He therefore ordered his subjects to wait, and not go forth from their homes, while he with twelve of his finest hunters went to the edge of the woods. From there, they saw an orange light like flame coming from the cavern, and Orwë ordered that they lie in wait until the creature inside emerged, or until the light perished.

While they waited Durin worked long hours, making simple stone tools, using these to break into chunks of copper ore, heating these in his fire until the copper melted out, collecting and working the metal. In this way he fashioned for himself a massive axe with a single wide blade. And this, primitive and base though it would seem to modern eyes, was the first work of wrought metal made, save by the hands of the Lords of the West.

But the effort was long, and Durin fed his great fire the last of the fuel even as he finished his work. He therefore took his axe, and went out to gather more wood.

The Elves saw the fire diminish, and were near to going to investigate, when Durin emerged. Then Orwë and all his men stood as if struck dumb, for Durin seemed to them great and terrible, cast against the orange light, holding in his hands a weapon which flickered with that selfsame glow. And watching in silence, fearful to move, they saw him go down to the tree-line, not a hundred paces to their right. And still they watched, as Durin felled an oak six dars¹ high with three mighty blows.

Only one of the twelve, a hunter called by his people Agallo, kept his wits enough to fit an arrow to his bow, and would have loosed upon Durin had not Orwë stayed his hand. The lord of the Marlië² had piercing eyes, and saw Durin to be without hate or malice. Standing, he called, "Who are you, who wield strange weapons of fire, and fell grown trees like saplings?"

Then Durin looked, and for the first time gazed upon another race of speaking creature. Answering, he called, "I am a servant of Mahal, who made rock and stone, who delved the valleys and raised the mountains, and by whose hand I myself came to be." And then he fell silent, for he realized that he had understood the words of the elf, and had answered in the same tongue, though he had never before heard it spoken.

And while he pondered this, Agallo went to Orwë's ear, and whispered to his lord, saying, "Sire, I mistrust this thing. The Black Shadow is cunning, and this would not even be the most clever guise which one of his servants has taken." But Orwë stayed him, and said aloud to Durin, "I do not know this Mahal, nor do I know you who name yourself his creation, but I do not believe he and the Black Shadow are the same, nor that you are a servant of one so dark. Therefore, I would take you to my people, who now await my return, and there make you a guest, and learn more concerning you." And Durin bowed, answering, "Wise is he who can see past a stranger's face. I will come."

Durin was honored as a guest for that time, and if there was fear of him, so to was there great excitement among the Marlië at his coming. They fought for the honor to wait upon him, hoping that they might come up near to him, and mayhaps even speak to him. The Elves in that time and place delighted chiefly in new learning, and here was a being who was fresh and entirely unknown to them. And while he dined with Orwë, Durin related what he knew of how he came to be, and of what had transpired since he awoke. And at the conclusion of his tale, Durin raised up his copper axe, crying, "And this then, did I make by ways known only to myself among you, with which I might cleave wood or flesh! Behold, this weapon I name Uluzûstar the Firebrand, brought forth from the heart of the light which banishes darkness!" And every Elf, even the king himself, gasped as Durin spoke, for it seemed to them that his axe was become a living thing, writhing in the Dwarf's hands even as the light of torches danced upon it.

But in an instant, the moment had passed. And Durin held out Uluzûstar to the king with both hands, saying, "This I give to you, in honor of the kindness you have shown me as guest, and as token of friendship between your people and mine." Orwë took the axe with great solemnity, and said quietly, "Although you came here at my invitation, I allowed myself to mistrust you. The hunter Agallo has stood behind you since first you came, waiting with knife in hand should you prove false." He then raised his voice, and proclaimed, "Let it be known, then, that Durin who sits before us here has bested me, for he has shown both friendship and trust greater than I could answer. May Durin and his kin be ever honored and friends of the Marlië!" And as a great cheer went up from the assembled crowd, Durin turned, and saw Agallo behind him, his head bowed and his face red with sudden shame. Without a word, Durin took the stone knife which Agallo held in his hand. Studying it, he said to the elf, "This is a good blade. But, I could teach you how to fashion a better one, if you would wish me to." And Orwë, hearing these words, said, "Let Agallo go now with Durin, as representative of my people. Agallo, learn all that our esteemed friend would teach you, and show him moreover anything which he desires to know. Furthermore, I command that Durin and all who shall ever follow in his line be marked as allies, by whose side we shall ever stand at need." And Durin said in response, "As you say, so may it be. And I shall answer with the same vow, that I and my line shall ever know you as friends. But now, I must return to Kazad-dûm, and make there a fitting place for my kin, though I am alone there for present."

"Not alone," replied Agallo, "And you shall not want for help."

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So began the Days of Labor, and for long did Durin work, constructing the front cavern in which he awoke into a cunning gateway and guard, ending with a bridge so narrow that a single dwarf might hold it against any army, so long as breath was still in him. Moreover, near to the entrance he built a forge, and discovered veins of both coal and iron, so that greater weapons might be made. The skills of mining and molding elements he taught first to Agallo, and later to other elves, who soon began to come in their desire to learn. But, though many of the Marlië were willing to help, Durin refused all aid in the construction to which he set himself. When Agallo questioned his refusal, Durin answered, "To Mahal whom I serve, I swore to make this place fitting to his tribute with every skill I posses. This task is set for myself alone."

Yet in all this, the best accomplishment of Durin was his delving of the Great Hall, which in later days became the First Hall. Spanning a hundred dars across, and reaching a height of three hundred dars at the top of its arch, the Great Hall was grander than any dwelling, save those in the Uttermost West alone. Stretching back into the mountain, seemingly without end, and cunningly carved with elaborate motifs of great intricacy and beauty, the Great Hall is revered to this day among Dwarves, and it is said that no individual effort of mortal hands has ever been grander, bar only the Silmarils of Fëanor. Durin fashioned the Hall, and all its attendant rooms and branching side-passages, of his own hands alone.

But even for all that was done, there were a few hours when Durin rested from physical labor, and in these was he ever occupied, for he spent much of this time at first speaking to Agallo, with whom he quickly became close in friendship. And Agallo told Durin of the coming of the Firstborn, and their early living in the east by the place they named Cuiviénen, the Water of Awakening. But most of Agallo's tales were of the Black Shadow, and the misery and fear which were his attendants. Yet also, he told tales to Durin of the Golden Rider, who had brought all those who were willing away, promising to lead them to the Uttermost West, and of how the Marlië had stopped at the foot of the great wall of mountains, unwilling to traverse the peaks.

In these hours Durin would also teach Agallo in the speaking of the language set down by Mahal, for the Elf was greatly curious concerning Durin's tongue. And in time, as more Elves ventured to Kazad-dûm to learn of the metals which Durin could use, he began to teach the Dwarven language to others, for it had come to his mind that the Marlië might help him seek out his fellow Dwarves, as Mahal had wished.

In this way were the Elves discovered and befriended by Durin, and to this day the Marlië are named by the Dwarves the True Elves, who first took a dwarf as friend and ally, an event which has thereafter been rarely repeated.

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¹ A dar is a dwarvish unit of measure, equal to a little under four feet. It can be subdivided into 8 pûd (about 6 inches each), which can be further broken down into 16 kaf (about ⅓ of an inch).

² The Elves' name for themselves, literally "the people who are living here."

Next Chapter:

IV: Of the Meeting of the First Grand Council, and the Nature of the Seven Dwarf-Clans.