Title: A tale about friendship, Part 5?

Author: Dís Thráinsdotter

E-mail: Overall rating: M, for violence and orctorment. This chapter: K

Summary: A group of children are told the tale of their friendship with the dwarves in general and the Folk of Durin in particular.

Warnings: The overall rating of this fic is M, as parts of it deals with violent battle and torment. There are also Original Characters in the fic, but no Mary Sues. Unbetaed, all mistakes belong to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own any one of Tolkien's characters, never have, and never will. The only ones I own are the people you have never met before.

Chapter 5, The village of Huor

Balin smiled. "I remember that day clearly. Father was worried when he left us in order to find the village of Huor, and he looked so relieved when he came back with Huor and Melian. To his astonishment neither of them hesitated when he asked them to come with him, they simply did so. The way they treated Thrór was heartening as well, and I simply knew that we had done well to take the young Mans advice. When Morwen and the others came to the glade Melian told her mother about our Fathers symptoms and the medicines she had given him. She confirmed the diagnosis and looked quite amazed. ´I am honoured to meet you, my Lord she said to him and he thanked her for her kind words. Melians words about ´the Half dragon were heard by everyone and as we walked to the village I heard them speak about what Melian had said and what it meant. ´If that darned Half dragon is behind this, then he isn't fit to be a chieftain I heard one of them say and the others agreed with him. When I asked them about the chieftain, they told me that he had been playing tricks on people before; ´there are Men who curse his name and the Elves who live around our country only go to his village when they have to, so although I felt angry at him I knew then that we weren't the only ones that had been treated in that manner, he had treated Men and Elves that way also.

When we reached the village, the gate guards asked who we were and Huor answered ´the Lord of Erebor and some of his people. Is the guesthouse prepared? They confirmed that it was and that a great even meal was being prepared in the Hall of Feasts. When we reached the house of the Chieftain we watched in awe as Melian gently carried our Father into the house. Thráin and Huor went with her and came out again after a while, when they did Thráin smiled and said ´father looked surprised when he told us that Melian had put him in her own bed and I said to him that it was indeed kind of her. When we came to the Hall of Feasts Huor looked around him, wondering where his son was when the boy came to his father and Thráin. To the astonishment of Thráin and the amusement of Huor Boromir asked if he and his friends could be given the privilege to be taught smithying by us. Huor laughed, asking Boromir if it was his idea and he answered that Melian had suggested it. Thráin answered that it was a decision that his father had to take but that he would endorse it and Boromir thanked him for it. The even meal we ate with them was great, and when the cooks came to us asking out pardon for a poor meal prepared in haste we told them that they needn't be worried as it was good enough for a birthday party. After the meal Thráin and father went with Huor, his son Boromir and his father Húrin who had resigned as chieftain but remained as an advisor to Melians room. The rest of us were shown to the guesthouse where we found made beds and fires in the hearths, not to mention well-stocked pantries. Thórin and Frerin went to the chieftains house in order to ask Melian if we could visit our father and the rest of us waited for them to return to us. In the meanwhile we spoke about what we had been told by the villagers and the welcome we had been given."

Melian continued her story. "According to Melians account Thrór was amazed to find that Melian took him to her room and put him in her own bed. The head end of it had been raised and Thrór leaned against it, asking Melian where she would sleep and she answered that she had a mattress by the window she could lay down on. They ate the even meal together and afterwards Húrin, Huor and Boromir came in together with Thráin and Fundin. Boromir asked Thrór for the privilege to be taught by his people and when Huor told him that the children of the village would regard it as an honour to learn from the Folk of Durin, the request was granted. Then Huor asked Melian to tell them what had happened and Melian did so. When she had finished Huor said that he would go to that village the following day and asked Thráin to go with him, along with any of their people who were willing to go with them. Thrór gave Fundin a glance and he said that he thought that the matter could be left in the competent hands of Thráin. Then Melian said to them ´tell that dratted Beleg that I intend to take the matter to the Council of Chieftains. Húrin reminded her that taking matters to the Council is a serious thing but Melian answered that it was a serious situation. It was because of Belegs actions that Thrór was in the condition he was and if that wasn't a serious situation she didn't know what that was. Melians eyes flashed as she said it, and Húrin answered that had eyes been daggers and Beleg present there would have been a body on the floor and their people would have been rid of a problem.

At that moment there was a knock on the door and Morwen entered the room in order to give Melian a chance to go aside and get some rest. So Melian went to the outhouse and on her way back found Thórin and Frerin in the corridor, she asked them to come with her into the room and when they entered they saw that their grandfather lay, or rather sat, in a good bed. Melian asked them why they had come and they answered ´is it possible for us to visit? Melian answered that it was, limiting the number of people who could visit at the same time to four but said that they could come whenever they wanted. She then asked her mother to wake her after an hour and went to sleep on the mattress. She later learned that Morwen had confirmed what Melian had told them about her search for them.

When Thórin had waked Melian she took over the post at Thrórs side and stayed with him all night. He slept most of the time but when he was awake they spoke about what had happened. He told her about the Dragon and how he and his son had kept Smaug busy so as many as possible could get away. He also told her about that had happened to them afterwards; how he and Thráin had found Thórin, his siblings and his friends; how they had met others and how they had gone up and down the lands together. It was then Melian understood that Beleg hadn't been the only one to treat them badly; others had done so as well. That night a friendship was born between them and by daybreak they were on first name terms with each other.

Melian wrote later in her book ´it was the time I spent alone with Thrór that determined how my life would be. I gave my friendship to him and his Folk and as a token of that friendship, I gave him a signet ring with the symbol of our village. In return he gave me the signet ring wearing the emblems of Durin that he had been able to keep in his possession. I promised myself that I would give him a new one so he would still have the seal of his house. I also promised him that if he or his people ever needed my aid all he would need to do was to send for me and I would come. As I see it, Thrór is a person whom I love as a grandfather. I have been able to speak with him about things that I have been unable to tell either father or grandfather, and for that reason I am willing to defend him in front of anyone who scorns him or his people, no matter who they might be. I have already told the Half dragon what I think about his acts and I will again if that is needed.

The following morning Huor and Thráin visited them before they left to go to Belegs village and Huor asked Melian if she stood by the decision she had made the previous evening, when Melian answered that she did Huor nodded. There was a young Dwarf with them whom Thráin introduced to Melian as his daughter Dis and she asked Melian to be given a way to help her. Melian pondered the matter and finally asked Dis to go with her sister Emeldir and gather the herbs that were needed for various medicines, ´I was to go out and do that but as you know I have my hands full at the moment, so I would be grateful if you could help me with that. Then both Huor and Thráin promised Thrór that they would make the Half dragon pay for what he had done to them and then they left the room, went to the awaiting mounts chosen according to rider and left the village."

"Had I met that dratted Man I would have given him a piece of my mind" Fundin said to them, and Bard said in agreement "I would have fined him at the very least. Even if he had the Dragon curse upon him, he was still responsible for the way he acted". Thranduil nodded and said, "it was a bad act but it brought good things with it. The people of Thrór won the friendship of the people of the village and I don't think the Half dragon had expected that to happen."

"He hadn't" Melian answered and continued with the story.

TBC