Another unexpected party

The Crypt

Dwalin bowed his head.

Saying goodbye to Thorin, Fíli and Kíli was one thing, but watching as they were placed in their sarcophagus' was harder. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Thorin's face. The face of his king. He drew in a breath to salute Thorin when he froze.

"Wait!" Was he seeing things? "Balin?! I-", he said nothing more, but stalked over to stand beside Thorin, his hand reaching out towards Thorin's face.

"Dwalin, it is time. We have to let them-"

"Stop! Balin! Get Oín! Now!" Dwalin turned to the other dwarves moving the bodies of Fili and Kili. "Don't move!" he snarled.

"Dwalin! What-"

"Now, Balin. NOW!" He roared.

Balin took one look at Dwalin's face and ran. Minutes later he returned with Oín to the chamber where Fíli, Kíli and Thorin now rested on top of the sarcophagus' they were to be interred inside of. The six dwarves whose task it was to move the bodies and close the crypt were standing silently to one side of the chamber, the blank stares on their faces made Balin scared. More scared than the fact that his brother was loosing his mind.

Oín stepped closer to Dwalin while Balin waited at the door to the chamber. Whatever Dwalin said to Oín made him jerk and hurry over the body of Thorin, his bulk blocking Balin's sight of the fallen king. His hands moved and he pulled something from a pocket of his cloak, he stood quietly for a moment and no-one moved. Oín jerked again and bolted around Thorin to stand beside Fíli, he stood over Fíli for a few seconds before going to Kíli and hovering over him.

Oin jerked and stumbled back from the bodies laying on the sarcophagus' and turned to Balin.

"Get Dáin. NOW!" There was fear and anger in his voice.

Balin ran. What was happening? Balin had already interrupted Dáin once when he fetched Oín for Dwalin, obviously doing this had aroused Dáin's curiosity as he was only a few turns away. Seeing the look on Balin's face made Dáin hurry towards him.

"What is it?" Dáin asked.

"I don't know." Balin replied. "But Dwalin is angry and Oin is scared." The two dwarves hurried back down the brightly lit corridor to the crypt. They reached the door to the crypt where the bodies lay, all six of the dwarves from inside, now standing guard on the door. They ushered Dáin inside but one laid a hand on Balin's arm and shook his head. Balin craned his neck to look after Dáin but another dwarf stepped between them. He heard Oín talking to Dáin for a few minutes, the sounds muffled. He could make out some of the words but not enough to follow the conversation.

Grievous. Thranduil. Gandalf. Raven. Fetch. Cold. Loss. Thranduil (again). Time.

Then Dwalin was striding away from Oín and Dáin.

"I'll fetch him myself." Dwalin called back over his shoulder as he pushed through the doorway.

"Hurry, Dwalin." Replied Dáin. With a wave of his hand to acknowledge the directive, Dwalin broke into a run. Balin ran after him.

"Dwalin?"

"No time, brother, no time to speak. I'll be back as soon as I can." Dwalin was so focused on his task, whatever it was, that he failed to see that Balin wasn't able to keep up with him.

"Master Balin!" the call came from back the way they had came. "King Dáin requires your attendance."

"Yes. Of course." Maybe Dáin would answer a few questions for him.

Unfortunately for Balin, all Dáin gave him were instructions.

"Balin. Go to the audience chamber, meet with the petitioners, do as your best. I will endorse your decisions. Today you speak for Erebor. Go."

For the remainder of the day, Balin dealt with matters brought to the throne of the King Under the Mountain. Dwarves brought him food and drink whenever there was a lull in proceedings, but he spent the entire day none the wiser about why he was given this task. When audiences finished late in the evening, one of Dain's household staff informed him that King Dáin would meet with him on the morrow for breakfast, that for now he would be wise to seek his bed. Balin tossed and turned before falling into a restless sleep, only to be woken before first light by Dwalin stumbling into his room.

"Balin."

"Wha- Dwalin? What is it? What happened?" Balin was so tired he could barely think straight.

"Their alive, Balin."

"Alive? Who's alive? Dwalin. Please, brother. Who-"

"Thorin. Fíli. Kíli. They are alive."

"Dwalin. Please, let it go. Let them rest. We-"

"No! I saw breath leave Thorin's body, Oín tested them. Their heartbeat and breathing are so slow we missed it. Dáin agreed, so I went to fetch Thranduil. We returned about 3 hours ago, he is still working on the boys, but Thorin is stable. I saw Thorin open his EYES. They are ALIVE!"

"Oh, Mahal. What do we do now?"

"Nothing, brother. Thranduil has sent ravens to Lord Elrond and the Lady Galadriel. He says that Kíli should wake in a day or two, but Fíli needs more healing than he can provide, he's asked the Eagles to bring Elrond and Galadriel here. He also says that until they are all awake we should tell no-one, no-one at all. Not even the Company. There is a possibility that being so close to death for so long that they may not retain their minds when they awaken. Dáin is not pleased, he wanted to declare Thorin alive, but Thranduil says if he has no mind he cannot be king. We must wait. Oín will assist Thranduil until the Elves arrive and then he will remain at their side as go between. At least Oín's given up on the pretence of that stupid hearing horn. Dáin will join you at breakfast and then he will resume his duties as King Under the Mountain." Dwalin slumped on an armchair.

"Alive? Alive!... How long do you think before the other elves arrive? Dwalin? Dwalin?" There was no answer from the sleeping dwarf.

"Oh, Mahal. What about Bilbo?"

There was no way that Balin was going to get any more sleep, so he washed dressed and after asking a guard to inform King Dáin that he was awake, he ordered a large breakfast for three dwarves and started making notes of his questions and the possible repercussions of bringing a king back from the dead.

The end of the day had Fíli and Thorin stable and the four healers in agreeance that all three patients would be better situated in Thranduil's Halls of Healing. Balin was shocked that Dwalin agreed and even more shocked that he volunteered to go too.

But still nothing was to be said outside the six dwarves from the crypt and Oín, Balin, Dwalin and Dáin. Nothing was to be said to the Company.