The Nazgul huddled like bats, their cloaks billowing as thermals from the lava of the volcano below them billowed upwards. Had they been human, they surely would have died in seconds. Even so, the Nine shied from the lava. In utter contrast, their master, the Dark Lord, entered the lava freely. His cursed form cut a horrid silhouette against the glow of the volcano's interior. The sight of the Nine allowed them to see the tendrils of energy curling from Sauron, reshaping reality around him and putting more force into the strikes of his hammer. The strikes were like thunder, each smash from his hammer worthy enough to make small welts in the universe around him. The volcano spewed lava from its top, agitated as it was from Sauron's forging. The Nine fluttered away, cringing in fear of the hot gases and molten rock. Raising a piece of metal from his anvil, Sauron admired his creation. One of his gauntlets had been forged. Onto the rest of his armor.

Elsa awoke to burning heat and saw that the ice that had shielded their cave had rotten. The former royal glanced at the ice with shock, her mouth hanging open slightly. How could her ice have been so damaged? Dismantling it, Elsa felt a blast of heat from the outside world. Daring to look outside, she saw even more ash being coughed from the Earth. But this time, she could see the source. The center piece of Mordor that the maps had catalogued, it was a volcano. That still didn't explain the bizarre heat changes though, nor her ice rotting. The heat outside wasn't extreme enough to have done the latter. Before she could ponder the question further, she felt Anna's hand on her shoulder.

"Good morning" Elsa nodded, conjuring a larger snow cloud than before. Without that, she was fairly sure that heatstroke would take effect within about half an hour. By a rough guess, she estimated the heat to be about 30 degrees Celsius.

"Good morning too" Anna replied, her eyes bleary and fiddling with her hands. "Though I suppose it isn't a very good morning, is it?". Her hands continued moving about, playing with her Ring like it was a child's toy. Elsa was somewhat confused, but reasoned it was Anna's link to her father, of course she'd want to touch it.

"We should find another place to camp out in. This cave rotted my ice somehow" Elsa spoke, lifting up all of their bags onto a shelf of ice. Anna nodded in agreement, finally shoving her hands into her pockets so they'd stop fidgeting. Elsa gave her a strange look but did not press the issue. The training could start today.

Nazg snored peacefully(a wet cloth over his mouth and orcish lungs insured his breathing was unimpeded) before awaking with a start as he heard the noise of magic. The Uruk felt fear stab into his heart as the icy platform the two rode rose up. No, no, they'd see him. Turning away from them, he took out his climbing pick and began tapping away at the cliff wall, doing his best to look like he was mining the wall. The two saw him and moved the icy platform to him. The Uruk froze in place, terrified of the thought of being impaled by icicles or whatever other horrible fate a sorceress could imagine. Clearing his throat, he tried to make his voice sound non-threatening.

"Hello, what brings you here on this fine day?" he spoke, still not looking at them and thanking his mother for teaching him human tongue. With any luck, they wouldn't ask him to turn around. From behind, he looked humanoid, thanks to the camouflaged clothing he wore obscuring most of his greenish skin.

"Fine day, huh? Anyway, we were wondering if there was some sort of town or trading post?" a voice asked him(Nazg didn't dare turn around to recognize it). "We'd like to restock on supplies". Nazg bit his lip, feeling his black blood dribble onto his chest. This wasn't part of the plan, not at all. The Witchking was sure to have his head for this blunder. If he lied to them, they'd know when they got there. But if he told them there wasn't one, they might leave his master's trap. Waiting a few seconds before answering, the Uruk sighed and turned around. This was a horrible idea.

"What are you?" Elsa asked, her eyes widening as she saw the inhuman face. It was somewhat like a human, like a primate, but this creature had sharp teeth and unnaturally green skin. His eyes were enormous, like those of an owl and his nose was longer than any human's.

"I am an Uruk of Mordor, sorceress. My name is Nazg" Nazg responded, bowing his head slightly. He had to hope that these creatures were gullible. "I suppose you've never seen my kind before? Well, if you want to trade, you'll see many more. We are the only ones who can survive here in Mordor" Nazg continued, doing his best to look non-threatening. While the pale haired one seemed to be buying it for now, the red head reeked of fear.

"Then you can tell us the location of a trading post?" the white haired one asked, her voice careful.

"Yes, just continue heading across the badlands. You should find an encampment of my brethren. I shall send word so that you are not viewed as an enemy. Good day, ma'am" the Uruk finished, turning away from them to pick at the rock. He fought the urge to vomit by telling himself that it had been necessary to act respectful. Having to show respect was against everything in his culture.

"Good day" the icy one replied and moved the icy platform away

Anna shuddered as they moved away from the creature, getting closer to Elsa.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked Anna, confused at Anna's sudden fear. Had this "Uruk" meant something to her?

"Nothing, nothing. It's nothing" Anna mumbled, wishing for her Ring to give her confidence. But she felt no great confidence, just dread in the pit of her stomach. Nazg looked like the creatures in her dream, the monsters who ran through streets, eating all in their way. But it had to be coincidence. Yes, coincidence. Much in the same manner that the glow of the Ring was just some light going through the ash clouds.

"Anna, you can tell me anything" Elsa said gently, only for Anna to simply turn away. Elsa understood this well enough, Anna had not recovered from the savagery Edmund had committed. Still, the ice queen couldn't help but feel as if something was off. It was as if this very place was seeping into Anna, making her more...gray. Elsa continued moving their platform across the black land, but this time, she kept her eyes on Anna. Much as it pained her to think it, she still felt the knife in her back. She did not want to repeat it.

Nazg's horn resonated across the land, sending a message to every Uruk, Olog-Hai, Nazgul, Warg, Maiar, and Man in Mordor: "The sorceresses advance past Lithlad. We must attack now!"

Within minutes, Nazg's horn was answered by one of the Nine. Nazg expected a reward for his quick thinking. Instead, he received a blade through his black heart. Sauron's hand had been forced by his blunder.