You wake up still being carried through the end of the cave into day light. "This is Riverdell, Elrond can read the map and help Icarus." Explains Gandalf.
"We will not seek help from elves. This was your plan all along to bring us here!" barks Thorin back at Gandalf. You let out a painful gasp as you try to move. "Whoa laddie, don't try to move, be still." Says Balin who is standing next to you. You lift your head a little to look around, you are on Kili's back and Fili is on the other side of you with your small pack. "Thorin…" you whisper, "Please they can help…" You slump back down onto Kili breathing deeply, exhausted from that little task. "Let me do the talking with the elves." Says Gandalf as he leads the company down to the gates.
You don't remember much as Gandalf talks to the 2nd in command of the elves. You lift your head a little at the sound of horses approaching fast. Sudden we are surrounded by horses and elven warriors. The dwarves draw their weapons and form a protective circle around you and Bilbo in the center. Elrond dismounts his horse and greets Gandalf in elvish and addresses Thorin, "Boe I annam vann a nethail vin!"
"What does he say!? Does he offer insult?!" growls Gloin. You slip off Kili's back and stand between the brothers supporting yourself on them, "Gloin, be calm. He said 'Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests.' He is offering us hospitality." You explain breathless. You turn your attention, "Lord Elrond it is good to see you once more." You say almost normally you voice still shaken as you brush blood matted white hair out of your eyes.
"Mellonnen! (my friend) I did not expect you see you here as well. Im will gar- I healers ech- a thamb an cin a n- cin are u`- disturbed bui hin dwarves. (I will have the healers prepare a room for you and be sure you are not disturbed by these dwarves)"
"Thank you for the room but my Ones can care for me just fine." You say nodding to the dwarves closest to you. This time Dwalin picks you up on bridal style as you start to sway on your feet. "Thank you." you whisper to him.
"Very well, please follow me." Elrond responds as he leads the Company up the steps and through the gate.
Just as Elrond said food and wine were brought and given to the dwarves. A feast was prepared, with rich wines and beautiful elven music. A multitude of vegetables and fruits were laid but, but no meat to the dwarves' displeasure. Lord Elrond had Lindir escort Dwalin and you to your room. He leads us down a long hallway to a simple room with a large clean bed. "This room is nearest the healing. There are fresh bandage wraps and salves on the table with in." says Lindir monotone as he opens the door for us. "Thank cin verui limb Lindir." (thank you very much Lindir) You say in elven as you pass into the room and the door closes behind you.
You motion for Dwalin to set you down in the chair next to the table. He helps you unwrap your mangled arm. Most of the bleeding had stopped but it was not clean and the bone was not set to heal. You try to clean it yourself until Dwalin takes the wet cloth from your hand and gently starts to clean away the blood on your arm and face. You give him your arm and lay your head back in the massive chair. "I didn't know you could be so gentle Dwalin." You say softly as he cleans away the blood trail down your cheek. "And we didn't know you could speak elven, or that you knew Elrond from before." He murmurs keeping eye contact with you as he brushes the cloth across your brow. You sigh, "I'm sorry I didn't share that with you all, I did not know we were going to come here." You explain, "I have traveled most of Middle Earth from the Blue Mountains to the Iron Hills and from Gondor up past the Gray Mountains." You voice soft almost like talking through a dream your eyes drift out of focus, "I have met many men, many elves, many dwarves, and many folks who only wish to keep to themselves. Some are friendly, most aren't when they see one like me walking up the path. Some small stranger with white hair that isn't old, and speaks in tongues and languages way beyond their years. People fear someone who loves to seek knowledge. Someone who only wants understand the strange world a wizard dropped me in." On no, you've said too much. No one knows you're not from Middle Earth. You look at Dwalin who has stopped midway through wrapping my arm in clean bandages. "The strange world a wizard dropped you in?" He says confused, his brow furrowed together. "Y'ear not from Forodwaith?" He continues wrapping our arm. "Well I have lived in Forodwaith most of the time I have been in Middle Earth. But no, I was not born or raised there. I'm from a place not found on any of your maps. It was called Deutschland, or Germany in the conman tongue. That place was... very different from Middle Earth." You explain grimly. When he is done with your arm you stand and walk to the open window watching elves go about their day. Dwalin follows you still concerned about you walking. You look over at him next to you, sigh and continue. "Nothing is green or friendly. Everything was gray walls, bared windows strangers looking at you through small windows like you're some exotic beast. No kindness, no colors, no one to even talk to." You were shaking and swaying again. You haven't talked about that place in a very long time. You rubbed your temples trying to ward off a headache, you reached out for the dwarf who helped you walk to the bed and lay down. He sits on the edge next to you. "Icarus no matter where y'ear from, you are my One and nothing will change how I feel about for." Expressed Dwalin. You smiled at him and took his hand in your free one , "Menu gamut khed Dwalin." (you are a wonderful person) you marveled in dwarven at him. He smiled at you and felt his hand still in yours as you drifted off to sleep.
When you awoke about an hour or so later you found Dwalin in bed laying above the blankets with you. You head comfortably lying on his chest as he sat there silently guarding you. You lay there for a little trying not to laugh, little chuckle escaped your lips, "I didn't guess you to be the cuddling type." You say as you sit up. He helps you change your arm bandages. The muscle and skin was healed to scar but the bone underneath was still broken and tender. I set the bone back as Dwalin ties the arm in a sling. We made our way back to the dining hall where we were greeted by 11 dwarves dancing and throwing food, not caring about the mess they made. Dwalin made sure you was seated before he went to the opposite side of the table to the open seat. You filled you plate with fruits and began munching away as you watched the chaos around you. You were starting on your 3rd plate of fruit and veggies when Nori stated, "I didn't know one person could eat that much fruits and green foods if they weren't an elf!" You finished your pile of broccoli and responded. "Elves aren't the only people in Middle-Earth who like to eat green things Nori." You finished eating when Bofur got on the table and started singing The Green Dragon bar song. You laughed and clapped along with everyone, this happy atmosphere was a nice change to what happened earlier today. When Bofur finished his song he was bombarded with bits of food. "Icarus!" He called out, "How abouts you sing us one?" Everyone around him happily agreed and cheered you on. "Fine, fine but I'm not getting on the table!" You agreed reluctantly. You stood at your seat and began to sing a song you had heard at the Green Dragon Inn a few years ago.
There is an inn, a merry old inn beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
One night to drink his fill.
O' The ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
Now sawing in the middle.
So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said.
Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds and danced upon the floor.
The round Moon rolled behind the hill
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her surprise they all went back to bed!
When you were finished with your song all the dwarves shouted joyously. You laughed as you sat back down before you were also attacked by flying bits of food. You held up your head in your hand as you leaned on the table. Even with all of this noise and commotion around, you could feel your eyes getting tired and you started to doze off. It was quite a balancing act, your head held up your elbow and hand on the table, leaning forward in your chair, almost asleep and very still.
You woke up to a sudden dull pain on your forehead. "Ouch." You said sleepily. You had fallen asleep at the table, your head slipped from your hand. Hitting your forehead on the wood in the process. You sat up, rubbing your forehead. Dori to your left gave you a questioning look of concern. You waved it off, "I'm fine, I just dozed off there for a moment." You say reassuringly. There was an almost immediate silence when Gandalf, Elrond and Thorin stood up from their table. Elrond spoke first, "Lindir will show you to your rooms." As everyone filtered out of the room Gandalf stopped you by the shoulder and murmured, "Stay and follow us, we will be in need of your assistance soon." you follow Gandalf as he walks after Elrond and Thorin.
Elrond leads us to one of Riverdale's large round council halls, where we could talk away from public ears. "Thorin show him the map." Commanded Gandalf. Thorin hesitantly handed the elven lord the company's map.
"Erabor? What for purpose do you intend to use this information for?" He inquired. Thorin opened his mouth to speak as Gandalf cut in, "Purely academic, you know ancient texts are one of the things your kind is known for." Elrond carefully examines the map, turning it over and over in the moon holds it up to the light, "I believe there are moon ruins written on this map. Come, we are going to need better light to read them." He hurries off down the corridor for us to follow.
You come up from behind Thorin and walk with him. He looks surprised to see you, "Icarus, why aren't you resting in your room?" he questions.
"Gandalf said you'd be needing my assistance with the map reading. Don't get your beard in a twist, I'm doing alright. Just a little tired is all." You say and you wave your broken arm a little, "Well tired and handicapped."
You reach the doorway to a cliff outcrop with a very large crystal table at the very end. Elrond talks all the way to the table explaining why this room is important to read the ruins here, "You can only read moon ruins in the light of the moon. It must be the same moon on the very same night. Fate is with you Thorin Oakenshield, the same moon shines down on us tonight." The clouds part in the sky revealing the moon. It's light shines down through the waterfalls and illuminates the crystal table in front of us. Laying the map on the table reveals the ancient dwarvish ruins. "I hope there is one among you who can read this, Ancient dwarvish is not something I am versed well in." confesses Elrond. Gandalf motions for you to come closer to the table and read the map.
"Five feet high above the door, three may walk abreast." You translate, almost memorized by the waving shimmering letters, "Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun when the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole." You look back at Thorin.
"Durin's day is close at hand. There is still time." He says mostly to himself. You take the map back from the elven lord and give it to Thorin.
"We should discuss this with the others in the morning. Here is not the place." You whisper to him as you hand over the map. Gandalf thanks Elrond for the use of the Waterfall of Starlight. And walks us back to familiar corridors.