Title: A tale about friendship, Part 9?

Author: Dís Thráinsdotter

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

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 9, Dreadful tidings

Gandalf took a sip from his cup and said to Melian "your foremother was given a great gift that is rarely given to anyone". Melian answered

"She wrote in her book that she regarded it as one of the most cherished gifts she had ever received. Morwen wrote in her book ´that day I found out what Melian and Thrór had done together in the evenings, he was teaching her their language. It was quite amusing to see her sitting with old Dwarves, listening to their tales. My husband looked astonished when he saw it and commented that it was indeed a good thing that we had brought her with us.´

The purchases were soon made and they returned to their village. Melian thought that she wouldn't hear from Thrór in some time but that wasn't so. When she did hear from him the tidings were most dreadful.

One night, about two years after they had returned from Iron Hills, Melian woke up from a troubled sleep. In her dream she had stood in a valley when someone approached her. To her shock she saw that it was Thrór and he had been tormented. He told her that he had been taken captive and tormented by Orcs, and that their chief named Azog had killed him. She promised that she would avenge him and was given a message that she was to give Nar, his friend, who had been with him. That evening at the village meeting Melian told everyone about the dream and the message she had received. The people of Huor listened to Malian's tale and everyone wept. Huor said that for once he regretted shaving regularly because if he had had a beard he would have been able to tear it. He had no doubt that it had truly happened and was sure that they would be reached by a message soon. The children said that when the messenger came they would go with him and do all they could to help. The people of the village also decided to make a memorial to Thrór that they would put in the graveyard and after the decision had been made Melian sang a dirge about Thrór. Melian had also told them that is was unlikely that all of them would return ´but we have to go in order to get vengeance for our friend´ and everyone agreed about it.

The children of the village were angry and had sworn that if they were able to they would lay their hands on the Orc-chieftain Azog and hand him over to the Folk of Durin so that he could be punished in a befitting manner. In the meanwhile they made arms and mail, and Melian and Emeldir prepared medicines so they would be ready when the summons came. The preparations were almost completed when a young Dwarf riding on a pony approached the gates of the village and was allowed to enter immediately. It was Thórin son of Thráin and he was amazed when he found out that he was expected. He was met by Boromir at the house of the Chieftain and offered a seat at their table so he could have a meal.

That evening everyone in the village came to the Hall of Feasts as it was the only house in the village that was large enough and listened to the message that Thórin had brought them. He told them that after they had left they had gone to different countries and finally had come to Dunland. They were staying in one of the villages there when one of the Dunlendings had spoken scornfully about Thrór and his people. The others in the village had immediately rebuked the Man and forced him to ask Thrórs pardon, but the damage had already been done. A few days later Thrór had spoken privately with Thráin and his father had looked worried when they returned. One thing that had worried his father was that he had been given the signet ring that had been given by Melian and then his grandfather had left the village with Nar, a friend of his. One day Thórin had been in the forge with his father and brother when there was a great tumult in the village and one of the girls had come in, telling them that Nar had returned alone and looked as if he had seen a ghost. He was in the house of the village healer and they were to come there. So they followed the young girl to the house and found Nar sitting on a chair and weeping. It was clear that something horrible had happened and Thráin asked Nar to tell him what it was. Nar told them that they had gone to the valley of Azanulbizar through the Redhorn Gate and had found the Gates of Khazad-Dûm open. Thrór hadn't listened to him but entered the Gates and Nar had waited in hiding. He waited many days and then he had heard shouts and braying horns, and seen a body flung out. He had approached when someone had told him that he was needed as a messenger and so he had walked to Thrórs body. His head had been severed and lay face downward. Nar had listened to Orcs laughing and the same voice had told him that this was what would happen to all of them if they tried to get inside and that the name of ´the Master was written on his head. ´So I turned his head around´ Nar said ´and saw the name Azog written on his forehead in dwarf runes. I tried to pick up his head but I was told to drop it and Azog threw this bag of money on me.´ He had shown them the bag with a few coins of little worth. ´I had to leave him there and when I had come to a patch of forest I stopped to catch my breath and then I heard a strange sound. I turned around and then I saw a group of Orcs who were cutting up our Father's body and flinging the pieces to the Crows.´ Nar had gone down to the Gap of Rohan and then to Dunland in order to tell them what had happened.

When Thórin had finished his tale Melian asked him if Nar had said anything about marks of torment, and Thórin answered that there had been whip marks and marks of hot objects that had been held against Thrórs body. Thórin then told them that his father had torn his beard and wept as had all of them, and then he sat silent for seven days. Then he had sent messengers to all the places where their Folk lived, saying ´this can't be born. Then he had looked at Thórin and Frerin, asking them if they thought that the people of Huor would aid them. Thórin had answered that he was sure of it and Thráin had told him to go there to tell the people of Huor what had happened and ask for their aid. Huor asked Melian if her dream had been confirmed and Melian answered that it was. Then everyone made the decision that the children were to go with Thórin in order to aid the host and make sure that the Orcs didn't get away with it.

The following morning all that were to leave gathered at the Chieftain's house and all of them promised that they wouldn't go back until Azog had paid for what he had done, no matter how far they had to go to find him. Thórin and the host from the village then went to the village in Dunland where the host gathered. Before they left Thórin was shown the memorial made to his grandfather and thanked Huor for it."

Balin nodded. "I had never before seen my father weep like that, not even when Smaug had taken our home from us. We listened to Nar´s tale and when he had finished we knew that we had to fight the Orcs. During the days when Thráin sat silent we spoke about what had happened and one thing came back in our tales, time and again someone would speak about the day when our Father lay in Melian´s arms. When Thórin told us he would go to the village of Huor we were glad that they would come to our aid. When Thórin returned with the children who had promised to come they told us that they were happy to see us, but they were sad as well because of the situation that had caused the meeting."

TBC