Title: Thoughts in the night chapter Eleven

Author: Dís Thráinsdotter

Disclaimer: I don't own Tolkien´s characters, I merely borrow them.

Rating: M

Summary: Glóin sits thinking about his life one night when he can't sleep. Post Hobbit but before LotR.

During the journey on the Long Lake and up the Running River we were divided into smaller groups. One group consisted of Thórin, Fili, Kili and Bilbo. My brother, my cousins Balin and Dwalin, and I formed the second; Dori, Nori and Ori was the third; and the fourth was made up by Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. We felt calm because we could see the other groups and the boats were close while still far enough to have good winds. I had plenty of time to consider the events in Mirkwood, and when I did I remembered those Elves who had been kind to me.

Not all Elves in the group that brought us to the King's Halls had been eager to go as fast as possible, their captain had shouted to them that the King had ordered haste but they found ways to slow the pace down bit by bit and only going quickly when the order was shouted. I could hear the closest Elves grumble that they weren't under threat and that the King could wait a moment.

As we faced the Elvenking the Main Healer stood there also and it was when I sat on the deck of the ship, considering all that had happened, that I realised that she had compared us frequently with "the Dwarf brought in yesterday" and tried to calm the King down a bit. But we had been too tired to notice it that evening and the Spider poison made our heads spin so we didn't speak politely when we answered. When I had been thrown into my dungeon it wasn't log until the Main Healer of Mirkwood arrived there, she examined me and treated the Spider poisoning so I could eat and drink a little. For a few days she would come daily to make sure that I received medicine and she spoke with me about the area, about the threat from Dol Guldur and I agreed with her that it wasn't a nice place.

During the later days of our stay I had made friends with a couple of the guards. As far as I understood it their grandfather had been slain in battle, they had just come of age and needed someone to speak with about matters they couldn't discuss with their parents. As I was in no hurry we could spend time talking with each other about these things and their problems were so similar to those my children faced. They wanted to prove their worth and valour, they felt that everyone around them still treated them as children and they resented that. When we finally escaped I was relieved to know that they hadn't been on guard that night. All I could do when we left was to hope that I had been able to make them stay at home, I could understand their willingness to fight but I was sure that there would be fights enough when they had become older.

TBC