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Thorin's heart was beating faster than the gallop of his horse as he rode away from Heloise's cabin. He did not look at or speak to Dwalin, and Dwalin knew better than to rouse his heart-sick King. To be safe, he kept his horse at least a yard behind Thorin's As they crossed out of the valley and were only a short distance to Ered Mithrin, Thorin slowed his horse.
"Dwalin, catch up. We must talk." He yelled over his shoulder.
Dwalin sped up, to bring his horse to a trot next to Thorin's. "Aye?"
"My sister will be waiting for us in Ered Mithrin?" Thorin asked, sounding like he was formulating a plot.
"Aye, she said to meet her there." Dwalin was questioning where he was going with this.
Thorin answered his question, "Well, We're not going back to Ered Mithrin. We're going straight home to Erebor, tonight."
Dwalin cocked his eyebrow, "She's not gonna be likin' that much…and ya run the risk of her sendin' out a search party for ya if ya don't return to her this evenin'."
Thorin nodded and held out his arm. "Nagaer!" Calling for his trusted raven.
The shiny black bird let out a loud caw and swooped down from its altitude to land obediently on Thorin's foream. Thorin attached a small note to the bird's leg and whispered instructions into it's ear. The bird took off with haste directly towards Ered Mithrin.
"I will not cause Heloise any unneeded stress of gossup mongering by allowing Dis to make a scene in the halls of Ered Mithrin regarding our whereabouts. If she wants to confront me, it will be in our home, not Heloise's." He paused, remembering that Fili's injury had been the catalyst of this predicament. "You said that Fili had been injured. What happened, exactly?"
"Ah! The poor lad! Well, he was helpin' to direct the weekly disbursement of gold from the Horde when one of the shovelers fell into another of Smaug's sinkholes. Fili, the brave lad he is, grabbed a rope and dove right in to the hole to save the worker."
"He did WHAT?" Thorin went from concerned to furious in one second. Fili so often thought with his heart instead of his head.
"I know, I know," Dwalin nodded, acknowledging that it was a reckless act, "But he came out with only a scratch and the shoveler was alive. Well, at least for a while."
"So, what was the injury that needed my immediate attention?" Thorin was annoyed that he was pulled away from his One for only this.
"Well, ya see, there were further injuries that appeared on him later that evenin'." Dwalin had a concerned tone, "And Oin said he'd never seen a thing like it, and I tell ya, Thorin, nor have I."
Thorin stopped his horse and looked at Dwalin. His face was full of fear. "Was it the dragon sickess?"
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