Rings of Pride; Rings of Ruin by Aiwen

In Khazad-dum

Early that evening, Celebrimbor arrived at the gates of Khazad-dum, having ridden hard to get there and knowing that his horse would be able to rest in the stable at the gatehouse. No horse was willing to go through Khazad-dum. He entered Khazad-dum escorted by the dwarves.

Celebrimbor did not tell the dwarf guards his errand, only that he needed to speak to their king urgently on a matter that touched the safety of both realms. The halls of Khazad-dum were large and it would take time for Celebrimbor to reach the king, but he begrudged every minute spent tramping through it and for once the beauty of the place did not stir his heart. He could go no faster than the pace his escort set, for fear of becoming lost. Fascinating as that would undoubtedly be, he could not afford it right now.

Everything here in Khazad-dum seemed perfectly normal and no one was alarmed by Celebrimbor's presence. But why should they be? He had been here many times and his appearance had never accompanied dire news before. Indeed, the main problem was people trying to stop them to chat. Celebrimbor felt awkward telling them no, but there was no time. The escort caught some of his urgency, and they went forward both by night and by day.

Finally, Celebrimbor met King Durin the Third in private audience. As Celebrimbor sat down awkwardly in a dwarf-sized chair, he noticed that Durin was wearing his Ring. Celebrimbor cleared his throat, wondering how to begin. "Have you noticed anything unusual about your Ring in the last few days?" he asked.

The dwarf king frowned. "Not particularly," he said. "Should I have?"

"Quite possibly yes. Two days ago there was a bit of a disaster. You are aware that we had the help of a maia named Annatar who claimed to be ordered by the Valar to help raise Middle Earth's technology level?"

"Yes," Durin said.

"Well, it seems that he wasn't sent by the Valar because he has just created something, probably another Ring, to control all the Rings of power. I don't know if he realizes we know this yet, but this means that Ring on your finger is a spy and agent of a power with unknown but probably nasty aims. I never intended any of this, and I'm sorry I got you involved, but you should remove your Ring before any more damage is done. I will be trying to remove the link to the master Ring, and if I can manage it I will give yours back to you immediately. It is likely to do both you and your people damage in its current location."

"I felt nothing," Durin said. "I've also met Annatar. Your accusations seem terribly farfetched - what proof do you have of any of this?" He made no motion to remove his Ring.

Celebrimbor leaned forward in his chair. "At 2:00 AM two nights ago my former apprentice and I both dreamed completely independently of an unknown force that connected the Rings with a web of light and and drew information from each of the Rings. We both heard the same words associated with it and when I woke and followed the link that my Rings gave me I saw Annatar laughing in triumph."

"You want me to give up my Ring based on a dream. Celebrimbor, I am most pleased with my Ring. It has done everything you designed it to and has been of great assistance in finding mithril and locating dangerous areas. It saves lives when my people go mining. My son would be dead if I hadn't spotted that gas bubble just before they reached it."

"There is nothing wrong with the Ring in and of itself, but this outside master Ring - we don't know what effects it has yet. We do know it pulls information and - I'm explaining what this all wrong! It's the equivalent of having a spy and an agent provocateur seated inside your head. It may not have done anything much yet but for how long will that last? And will you even know when the situation starts to change?" Celebrimbor lifted his hands before him. "I no longer wear my Rings - and you know how fond we Noldor get of our own works. You may have worse troubles to deal with than toxic gas bubbles if you continue to wear yours."

"My people are strong and Khazad-dum is a fortress that few would be mad enough to attack and none have the ability to penetrate against our will. But based on the power of this Ring we have begun some new excavations that absolutely require it for basic safety."

"That I can completely understand," Celebrimbor answered. "But I fear you are not as invulnerable as you think. If Annatar starts controlling you through the Ring, what use is a fortress? In all probability he is an escaped Umaia of Morgoth's. Don't underestimate him!"

"Elves may be easy to control, but Morgoth never had any luck controlling my people. Nor did any of the other Valar save Mahal alone. And it is ill to ask the return of a gift, especially after so much time."

"Oh really..." Don't lose your temper now, Celebrimbor. This isn't the time! "I would have thought it worse to allow a gift given in good faith destroy my friends through lack of warning when it turns to poison."

"You have given your warning. No, do not think that I am disregarding it. I will only use it for essentials until I have a better idea of just what is going on."

This decision is going to hurt him, but how do I make him see reason? I have no power here; I cannot make him do anything. I do not think continuing to persuade him will do anything other than anger him. "I hope that your estimation of your people's controllability is correct," Celebrimbor said slowly. "But if I cannot change your mind, I must be going."

Durin's eyebrows shot up. "But you are tired and have come a long way in a short time; surely you will stay a while?"

"I have other people to warn and there is much that I must do in my own land. I cannot stay, but I will be coming back this way - if I might."

"Of course you can. Where are you going? Lorinand?"

"If you are going to keep using a Ring, it is better that you do not know."

"I would hardly betray your secrets, friend. That comment is unworthy of you."

"I am not worried that you would intentionally betray us. I would no more believe that of you than I would of myself, but I mistrust that Ring on your finger. You should really have taken it off before we started this conversation."

"I think you're exaggerating, but I take your point. If you must go, wherever you go, fare well."

"And you also." Celebrimbor stood up and left the room.