[Thenamir]

===========Blue Mountains===========

Theron Axehand had been silent and had kept pretty much to himself for most of the journey, and was no less so upon arriving in Minas Anor. He had looked in awe upon the White Tower will all of them, and enjoyed the compnay of elf, dwarf, hobbit, and now of man. But although the prospects of meeting the king were exciting, 'twas true, and the possibility of regaining Moria, even of reconciling the feuding bands of dwarves in his own home were his goals on this journey, they seemed more important than ever before now. They might be the last things Theron could accomplish.

Theron Axehand was dying.

He had attempted to hide it as well as he could, disguising his illness as symptoms of his age, which was considerable. He had ruled his people for many years, and he only hoped that he could accomplish somthing on this trip to the King's Audience by which his people might remember him.

And so he had watched, and listened, and perceived all that he could, trying to cobble the disparate fragments into a coherent picture which he could present to the King: a roadmap for their future. No matter how he tried, though, he could not force openness on the elders, nor secusion upon the young.

Moria had been his only hope for bringing his people into a separated harmony. The elders would appreciate the Moria Mithril to craft in the Blue Mountains workshops and mines. The younger ones would be able to effectively trade their crafts and those from the Blue Mountains with all the races of Middle Earth from Khazad-Dum, centrally located and strategically placed as near as any point to the center of the united Gondor/Arnor kingdom.

But the Dwarves of Erebor had a claim as well. What did they want Moria for? they had more than they could handle with their numbers in the Lonely Mountain! He did not know how the King Elessar would respond to their pleas, and they might actually have a well-founded claim. Theron thought back as much as he could remember of the stories and news that came back from Gimli and the others about their trek thru the mines. The fabled halls. The huge realm of Dwarrowdelf.

The huge realm of Dwarrowdelf...huge realm...hmmmm. Surely there was room enough in Dwarrowdelf for both groups to work and live together side-by-side. Perhaps, just perhaps, that was the point he needed. He was unable to sleep anyway because of the annoying pain of his illness, so at first light he arose and dressed quietly, and went in search of his brethren from the Lonely Mountain.

[ November 10, 2002: Message edited by: Thenamir ]