Dain, son of Gimli. King of the glittering caves

Dain the son of Gimli, Lord of the glittering Caves, let his eyes wander over the thousands of dwarfs gathered in his hall.

His fiery red beard hung in two braided pigtails down his armor. Bigger than most dwarfs and muscle-packed, Dain, the last King under the mountains, made an impressive figure. The Mithril plate armor he wore was the pride of his house.

His Warhammer Orkan stood beside his throne on the hammer head. The weapon seemed very massive even to a dwarf and was masterfully decorated with runes.

The petrified expression on his face made him appear a thousand years old, and not only 93.

He was the last of the dwarven kings. All the others had been wiped out.

It had befallen Middle Earth like the night itself. Dain could not even say with certainty whether it was Sauron who had managed to reappear, or whether possibly a witch king of Angmar commanded the troops. He only knew that a huge army had invaded the human and dwarven kingdoms. Without warning and without mercy.

Mordor had burst open like an ulcer, and had infected all of Middle Earth within days. The largest army Middle Earth had ever seen devastated everything and anyone standing in their way. Ork's goblins and other hideous creatures swept across the country.

Many of his dwarven brothers in the mountains closer to Mordor had been besieged and destroyed swiftly. As far as Dain could tell, most of the surviving dwarves were in this hall.

The Glittering Caves were truly a kingdom worthy of any dwarven king. Huge statues of the seven dwarven fathers adorned the walls of the long hall. Gold and gems glittered at each corner and large granite pillars held up the glittering ceiling.

Dain waited patiently on his throne until the rest of his people had gathered. The massive entrance doors made of solid gold closed and the latch was secured. Nearly fifteen thousand dwarfs crowded into the now filled throne room, waiting for the words of their King.

Many of the children looked scared and clung to their parents' legs. The adult dwarves looked uncertain, but few of them showed open fear. The children would still have to learn it. A dwarf does not run from the battlefield even if the defeat is unavoidable. A death in combat promises honor in the afterlife.

And that's where the problem lay.

Dain re-studied the news he received from his cousin a day before. The dwarves of the Ironfists clan had been on their way to Helm's Deep and the glittering caves.

Two days away, they had been ambushed by a gigantic Orc army.

Dain's cousin Borin had managed to send the few women and children with the van ahead. The last of his three thousand men had given their families enough time to flee.

The Horde could not be far from Helm's Deep. There would be no help for his people.

Dain had to muster all his willpower not to fall into a legendary rant.

He grabbed his hammer and let it hit the granite floor once. The loud sound echoed through the hall and stilled the last conversations. A tense silence fell over the room.

Dain studied the rest of his people for a moment before he rose and spoke in a deep and firm voice.

"The rest of our people are gathered in this hall. It comes as it is written in the annals. The time for our people in Middle-earth has come to an end."

Many of the dwarves looked worried.

"The realms of humans, elves, and dwarfs are defeated and we are all that is left of Middle-earth."

Dain took a deep breath before he thundered.

"But we are dwarfs! Aule created us to defy the most difficult of times! "

Confidence spread throughout the room and some put their fist over heir heart.

Dain continued. "Aule did not leave us unprepared even for the darkest of days. Since the beginning of time there is a secret that has been passed on among the kings of the dwarfs. The Hall of Time forms the entrance to the first of all worlds"

Dain strode down the steps of his throne and made his way through the crowd.

The end of the hall gave the impression of a natural stone wall. Dain strode briskly toward it. Standing in front of the massive granite wall, Dain turned back to his people.

"For all of the four ages this passage has been kept secret. Built by Aule himself. "

An archway could be seen shimmering as Dain stroked the wall with his fingers. Similar to Moria, an old passage formed with a mumbled word from Dain.

An excited murmur went through the room. Dain left his hand on the door and studied the glowing runes before turning back to his people.

"We dwarves never give up. And today we do not flee. We withdraw to gather our strength. And the day will come when we will reconquer Middle Earth. "

The massive stone doors that had emerged from the wall were adorned with glowing runes that told of the first of the worlds.

With a loud crunch, the huge doors swung inward. The room beyond was only sparsely lit by a magical ray of light. There were no torches burning in the holders. Also, no other doors were visible in the room. It gave the impression that it was just another big hall in the heart of the mountain. However, hundreds of boxes were already piled up for transport on one side of the hall.

The tension was palable in the air.

Dain let a grim smile flit across his tanned face and pointed at the passage.

Before Dain had the opportunity to convince his people completely, dull drumbeats echoed to the ears of the dwarfs.

Dain stretched his spine and turned in a loud voice to the best of his warriors.

"Bolgrad you cover the entrance of the hall while the rest goes through the gate."

A red-haired, scarred dwarf nodded to Dain. For a moment, only the clatter of the armor of the forming dwarfs could be heard. Dain did not miss another moment.

He called with his deep bass voice across the hall.

"Anyone who is unwilling to leave Middle-earth join Balgrod. Defend the gates with the last drop of your blood!"

More than a hundred of his best warriors turned away from the stone archway and fixed their axes, hammers, and swords with a grim expression. They stood in ranks in front of the massive golden entrance doors.

Dain's voice boomed again through the hall.

"The rest now go to the Hall of Time behind me. We will close the doors when everyone is inside."

Blows that made the heart of the mountain tremble meanwhile hailed down on the golden entrance doors. Bumps were visible where the giants' clubs hit the door.

"Dwarves march!"

Dain oversaw the march of his people through the stone gate. And though they did not see a way to come out of the room, they followed the order of their king without complaining. Dain's heart was filled with pride. Even in the face of death, the loyalty of his people was unbroken.

A crunch broke the silence in the hall and one of the large gate doors of the entrance was bent outwards. A massive slimy hand became visible through the slit. Even Dain had never seen such a monster. It had to be at least as big as a Balrogg. The monster started to rip open the gates. It would ony be moments before it entered the hall. The only thing that stood between the beast and his people were the bravest of his warriors.

The blood seethed in Dain's veins. Before he could decide to lift his Warhammer and join the fight, he was held back by a strong grip on his arm. Balin, his most faithful and oldest adviser, shook his head. His white beard wiped vigorously.

"Dain you can not abandon your people. Let Balgrod take care of that. He is one of your best warriors and generals. He will enable us to retreat. "

Dain quarreled with himself for a moment before the decision was taken out of his hands. The golden doors that blocked the entrance to the throne room were torn from their fortifications with a gigantic creak. The Biggest Giant the dwarves had ever seen stood in the entrance of the hall and roared his deafening roar.

Spit rained on the brave defenders.

Dain heard Balgrod cheering on his comrades. "Let's go Brothers. Today we kill the biggest pile of shit Middle Earth has ever seen! Tonight we will dine with Aule himself! "

"The sons of Durin!"

Shouts echoed across the hall as the Hammers and axes of the Dwarven warriors pounded on the last of his people had just entered the hall of time.

Balin tugged at Dain's arm. "You can not do anything for them anymore. You have to close the gate Dain! "

Balin was right. The survival of his people was a top priority. He turned on his heel and, with Balin following closely, made his final step across the stone arch. Without touching or saying anything, the stone gates began to close behind him.

The last thing Dain and the assembled dwarves saw was the epic battle of the last warriors against the deformed giant, before the stone entrance sealed itself again.

The fighting sounds were only very soft to hear. A ghostly silence had spread in the hall. Many turned their heads looking for an exit. Dain marched purposefully towards the end of the hall. He glanced at Balin.

"The legend says there is no way back after opening this gate. Definitely not that way anymore. "

Balin just nodded and said nothing. Dain turned back to his people one last time in Middle-earth.

"Balgrod has allowed us to retreat. And now my friends, a new age for dwarfs is beginning. "

Dain cut his thumb and dribbled his blood on the wall in front of him. For a moment nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly a light on the ceiling began to glow. It was so bright that the dwarves had to hide their eyes. Many astonished exclamations were heard. The archway behind them, through which they had entered, faded more and more, until finally it was no longer visible. The fight sounds were quieter. The blinding light became so bright that even Dain had to close his eyes. With a sudden bang and a crunch, a new opposite archway arose in the stony wall in front of him. The battle noises were completely absent and gave way to an unnatural silence.

With a last look at his people, Dain put his hand on the massive door and pushed it open.