Title: A tale about friendship, Part 8?

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 8, The second journey to Iron Hills

"The people of Thrór stayed three months in the village of Huor and when they finally left the people of the village promised Thrór that should he and his Folk ever need their aid all he would have to do was to send for them and they would come. Huor also told them ´next time you come here don't hesitate to knock. There is always a welcome for you. The children who had been taught smithying gave each of them a number of parting gifts, and Melian gave Thrór a signet ring with the emblems of Durin that she had asked her brother Boromir to make in order to replace the ring she had been given by Thrór as a sign of friendship. The children had learned much about smithying and in the years that followed continued to increase in knowledge so that their craft became renowned in the region and even the Elves came to the village to purchase the jewels that they made."

Balin smiled at the memory. "We found it hard to leave the village, for the first time in years we had been among people who made us feel as kin rather than as guests. The children hugged us and told us that they would keep practicing what we had taught them, and we said to them that we would come back to see how they were doing. But the most important change was that Thrór had taken heart again and would never again allow his spirit to be weighed down by foul names given to him." He took off a silver and gold chain that he had been given by Boromir son of Huor and passed it around the group. It had a floral design and runes in gold said ´Balin son of Fundin. Even Thranduil looked at the chain in awe and asked Balin

"how old was the son of Huor when he made this?" Balin answered

"He was eleven years old at the time and he also made similar chains to my brother and father." Boromir put the chain back on and Thranduil said

"Small wonder that I have received gifts from kin in that area who have said that they purchased them in ´the village of Huor Dwarf friend as they named it".

"A few days after the people of Thrór left the village" Melian continued "Huor and Morwen went to Iron Hills along with a group that included Melian and Boromir. Huor needed to make some additional purchases and Morwen went in order to keep the promise that she had given Grór, to tell him that she had met his brother and nephew. The journey to Iron Hills went well and soon they made camp at the same place where the camp had been the last time. As they entered Iron Hills Huor told Melian to go by his side. When Melian asked her father why she should take her mothers place Huor answered that he had a purpose with it. They entered the Great Hall and came before Grór, and Huor greeted him ´hail Grór son of Dáin Lord of Iron Hills, I have returned and Grór answered ´indeed you have. But who is the woman at your side? Huor said to him ´this is my daughter Melian who has held the Father of your Folk in her arms. Grór looked at her in amazement and asked her to tell them what had happened. Melian told him about how she had met the people of Thrór. While she told her story everyone was most angred at the Half dragon but they cheered when they heard that the Council had punished him.

When Melian had finished the story a young Dwarf came running into the Hall. Morwen only caught her own name in what he said but Melian asked him a few questions and the answers he gave made her look worried. Morwen asked Melian what had happened and Melian answered this is Hepte, his father Fjalar has fallen down a flight of steps and broken his left calf. He needs aid. Melian was about to rise and go when Morwen said to her ´I will go, you have some explanations to give. Melian could have bitten her tongue off when she realised what she had done and then she turned to Gror and told him ´two days after father and Thráin had returned from the village of Beleg, Thrór asked me if I would accept a bag of silver as payment from him, but I replied that I was already fully paid. I also told him that no amount of silver, gold or jewels could be more valuable than the friendship he had given me. Then he asked me if I would like to learn khuzdul and as I have always been eager to learn new things I accepted the offer. I had the feeling that Thrór felt that I wasn't properly paid by him and that he needed to give me something so he taught me your tongue on the promise that I wouldn't tell anyone about it. I don't know what he would have said if he had been here but Grór answered that he was sure his brother would regard her as simply willing to aid a person in need of it. ´Now I understand something that seemed strange at the time Huor said ´I thought I heard you say something to Thrór as he was making his mind up whether to stay with us a while longer or not. Melian answered ´I asked him to please stay with us and repeated the message in khuzdul. In the meanwhile Morwen returned to the Hall in the company of Fjalar, whose leg had been mended. He asked Melian how she had been able to calm his son down and when she told him he looked at him in amasement."

Dáin smiled at the memory. "I don't think I had ever seen my grandfather look so flustered before. He said laughing that we had better not be speaking any secrets in her hearing but it was clear to us there was great friendship between Melian and our Father. Melian would have been able to go with a group of our people as she wasn't much taller than us at the time, and only her more slender build would have given her away. That evening my grandfather held a feast in order to welcome the people of Huor and everyone wanted to speak with Melian. During their stay Melian and Morwen was with our leaches and they compared notes on how to treat illnesses and injuries."

TBC