"Are you saying that you were attacked by spiders?" Thror asked.
Thorin nodded.
"Yes, there were many of them"
Thorin had told his story over and over again.
"Eight eyes? Eight legs?" asked Thrain.
Dis looked up at her older brother.
"If it wasn't for Thorin, me and Frerin would have probably been eaten" she said.
Thrain took a deep breath as he turned around. There were a lot of lives at risk.
"We killed some, but there were many more still to be slain" Thorin told his father.
Thrain took a deep breath. A plan quickly formed in his head.
"We need to protect the woman and children, we need all of our best fights to go on ahead and see if anything will happen"
So the group split into two.
"Frerin, Thorin, you stay with Dis and the rest"
Thorin did not find this fair.
"You do not know where the spiders are, one of needs to show you"
Thrain took a deep breath.
"Very well, follow me" Thrain told him.
Frerin nodded at his brother as he walked away. Dis was about to argue her point in being left behind, but thought better of it.
Thorin, Thror and Thrain, followed by a group of about fifteen burley dwarves. Some of them had their hoods up. All looked like they had no energy to spare on fighting.
Thror led the way with his grandson.
"So, I guess you have been doing your job" he said.
Thorin looked over at him.
"Of course"
Thror did not approve of them coming back so soon.
"Could you not have carried on with your journey instead of coming back to worn us?" Thror asked.
Thror and Thorin did not get on well. Thorin did not know why or how he could have spoilt his reputation with his grandfather.
"I came back because I must, the spiders are strong and we only just managed to escape"
After a few hours of walking, the small rabble of dwarves ascended on a scene of chaos. Massive spiders, much bigger then the peaceful house spiders that made webs in the corners of rooms.
These were severed bodies of spiders littering the floor. Some were missing body parts.
"Stop" Thorin said, holding Thror back.
But Thror did not stop.
"It looks like you have done a good job" he said, surveying the dead spiders.
Thorin was very nervous as he looked up into the canopy. But spiders were very silent and very good at sneaking.
"Watch out!" he shouted.
A split second later, twelve massive spiders descended on them. The dwarves were knocked back, yet some of them remained standing.
Thorin watched as more spiders descended and took those that stood. Some had no times to reacted as sticky strands were wrapped around them.
"No!" Thorin said as he saw his father's feet lift off of the ground.
Origo woke to an empty bed. Diamond was rarely cuddling him in the morning. For she had more important matters to tend to. First, Diamond would wake Pippin up.
"Pippin?" she asked, looked down.
Pippin was snoring loudly. This did not make Diamond very happy. It was then an idea popped into her head. She slowly reached out and grabbed Pippin's nose.
Pippin gave a small snort and instantly woke up. Diamond gave a small smile as Pippin gasped for air. He sat bolt up right and started coughing.
"Diamond?" he asked, looking up at her.
Diamond did not say a word, for she knew that Pippin would soon get why she was there. Pippin continued to cough as he rose from bed. Diamond smiled as she heard his large feet behind her.
"Diamond, why did you do that?" he asked.
Diamond turned around.
"Why do you think?" she asked.
There was something about her eyes that Pippin felt deep within him. Diamond knew that Pippin knew.
"Exactly" she said and simply walked away.
Faramir had woken up now and was starting to cry. Diamond took a deep sigh as she lifted her precious baby out of the cot.
"Did you have a good sleep?" she asked.
Faramir had very deep blue eyes. But, everyday, the darkness would lighten. Diamond thought that Faramir was the most cutest baby in the whole of the shire.
"Come on, lets get you some breakfast" she said.
She smiled as she left her little puppy to snooze under the duvet. But he soon woke as she started to feed Faramir. Origo had managed to dig his way out of the large duvet. He landed on his feet and gave a small whimper. A few seconds later Origo scampered out of the room.
Origo slowed to a gentle trot.
"Good boy" the puppy heard as he entered.
Faramir had just finished his large breakfast as the fluffy animal walked in.
"Oh" Diamond said, spotting her puppy.
"I see little Origo has woken up" she said.
Diamond rose from her seat and walked over to the cellar. Origo gave a small yawn as he waited for his Diamond to return. She did so a minute later. She was still holding Faramir as she got a bowl out.
Faramir giggled as Diamond, somehow, managed to open the bag of turkey and put every little bit in the bowl. She smiled as she looked down at her puppy.
Just then, Pippin walked in. A confused look came over him.
"Diamond, haven't you done any breakfast?" he asked, seeing no sign of anything been eaten apart from a few bowls waiting to be cleaned up.
Diamond gave an unusual smile.
"Oh, yes I have done breakfast" she answered.
Pippin's eyes darted away for a split second.
"Well, where is it?" he asked.
Diamond smiled.
"I've eaten it"
Pippin took a deep breath.
"Why didn't you do any for me?" he asked.
"Well, I thought that you were old enough to make your own breakfast"
Pippin took a deep breath.
"Fine" he said, finally giving up.
Diamond expected him to walk to the cellar. But instead, he walked out of the room.
"Now, where is he off to?" she asked herself.
Pippin did not take long to think of a place he could get his meal cooked. Diamond hoped that he would see sense and cook for himself. But her hopes were dashed as she heard the door close.
Diamond took a deep sigh as she stood there. But her mind was soon changed as she heard an adorable whimper near her feet. She looked down to see her brown eyed puppy looking up at her.
"Here you go" she said.
Diamond placed the bowl on the floor and quickly took her fingers away. But Origo did not start eating right away. He was concerned about his Diamond. He did not know why, but she looked a bit upset.
Diamond, who was still holding Faramir, wished she could give her puppy a cuddle.
"Eat up" she said.
Origo's little tail wagged and he turned around. The unmistakeable sound of Origo eating away filled the kitchen. Diamond took a deep breath as she placed the empty packet in the bin.
Pippin had reached the warmth of the Green Dragon. He opened the door and walked in. there were a lot of friendly faces. Pippin smiled as he said his welcomes and took his seat.
A golden haired woman was standing behind the bar. Rosie had returned to work. After having a few months off, she had made the choice to work at the Green Dragon again.
"I'll be fine" said Samwise as Rosie left after she had prepared their breakfast.
Rosie smiled.
"Just don't let the children help themselves to food" Rosie told him.
"Marigold should be around soon to help you"
Samwise nodded.
"I'll see you later on tonight" he said, hugging and kissing her.
Rosie kissed and hugged each of her children in turn before opening the door. Samwise smiled as he watched his wife walk down the gate and away.
"Good morning" said one of the hobbit waitresses.
She had rosy cheeks and long, curly hair that hung past her shoulders.
"What would you like today?" she asked.
Pippin smiled.
"A full breakfast, all the trimming" he answered.
The girl smiled and turned around. She walked over to a door and pushed it open. Pippin smiled as he looked over at Rosie. A few seconds later, Pippin rose from his seat leaving his old looking coat had been hung over the back of his seat.
"Good morning, Pippin" Rosie said.
"Didn't expect to see you here" Pippin said.
Rosie had taken months off to look after her growing family.
"I know, but I doubt I'll be here for long, my family is getting very big now"
Pippin smiled.
"How many are there now?" Pippin asked.
"Four is it?"
Rosie blushed a little bit.
"Five" she answered.
While they had been talking, a large pint of ale had been poured.
"How's Diamond?" Rosie asked.
In the Shire, it did not take long for things to circulate around the groups of chattering hobbits. Pippin took a deep breath.
"She's alright, I guess" he answered.
Pippin took a small sip from his ale. He loved ale. Ever since he was a child, secretly pouring himself a small mug of it.
"Well, I'll talk to you later" Pippin said, giving a small nod and turning around.
More and more hobbits were coming through the door. Pippin smiled as he saw the girl walk back in with a large plate of food.
"Here you are" she said.
"Thank you"
A knife and fork had already been set out. Pippin smiled as he looked on his plate. There was a pile of mushrooms, a few sausages, rashers of bacon, brown chips, a large pile of chopped mushrooms and a rack of toast that had been place on the table near his ale.
Pippin started to cut into the sausages. A small bit of mint had been mixed into the homemade sausages. The chips crunched as Pippin dipped them into the tomato sauce that the beans had been mixed into.
Origo gave a small whimper as he backed away from his Diamond. Diamond towered over him with a large towel.
"Oh puppy" Diamond said.
Faramir was crying in the room down the hall way.
"You have to get washed and be a clean little puppy" she told him.
Origo shook his head and gave a small whimper. Diamond took a deep breath. She was torn between catching Origo and making sure her son was alright.
Diamond knew that she could deal with Origo when Faramir was asleep.
"I'll be back in a minute" she said, taking a deep breath.
Meanwhile, Pippin had finished his first helping.
"Would you like another one?" asked the girl.
Pippin looked up.
"Oh, yes please" he answered.
"What about another helping?" the girl asked.
Pippin smiled and nodded.
"Thank you" he answered.
The girl, who's name had escaped Pippin, picked up Pippin's empty plate and empty mug. Within minutes, she came back.
"There you are" she said.
Pippin smiled.
"Thank you" he said.
But, as he picked up his knife and fork, an urge to ask the girls name came over him.
"Excuse me" he said, grabbing her attention.
The girl smiled and stopped.
"I was wondering, where have I seen you before?"
Peregrin had three older sisters. He was the youngest and the only boy. His whole life he had battled to stand out amongst his sisters.
Pearl and Pervinca giggled as they stepped back. The two of them left without a word. Pippin scowled at his sisters. His lips were redder then normal and his long curly hair was put into two ponytails.
"Lets show Nelly" Pearl whispered.
Pervinca smiled and nodded. Pearl giggled as she ran out. As she did, she stopped. Her father was walking down towards her.
"Daddy" she said, trying to keep a straight face.
But Paladin knew that something was up.
"What are you girls laughing at?" he asked.
Pearl took a deep breath. She knew that she would get into trouble either if she told him or not.
"Pearl?" he asked.
Pearl was smaller then her father and had been taught not to lie, especially to her mother and father. Pearl gave a deep breath and turned around.
Her father followed her. His stick hitting the floor ever other step. Pearl stood by the door and waited for her father. Paladin gave a large, unimpressed huff.
"You girls know what your mother would say if she found out, don't you?"
Pearl and Pervinca hung their heads.
"We're sorry, Papa" Pervinca said.
A small part of her wanted to bust out in laughter. But all she could do was look at her feet and hold it in.
"I will not have my daughters disobeying me again, understand?" he asked.
Pearl and Vinnie nodded.
"Now, go" Paladin told them.
The two girls walked out and down the hall way. Two girls picked out their hats and opened the door. Lunch had already been served so they did not have to be back for a few hours. As the door closed, the two girls started to laugh again.
"I thought we were in trouble" Pearl said.
Pervinca nodded.
"We should try and do it one more time" she said.
The girls laughed and talked about what they were going to do to their little brother when Pimpernel called them out. Pimpernel, despite being the second oldest, was the shorted of Paladin's children, save for Pippin.
"What are you so happy about?" she asked.
The two girls told them what they had done.
"You're very mean to him" Pimpernel told them, giving a small smile.
"It's his fault for not being born and girl like us" Pearl told her.
The three girls talking as they made their way down towards the Green Dragon.
"There she is" Pimpernel said, spotting one of her friends.
The girl was the exact girl that Pippin was talking to many years later.
"I'm Flora, I'm a friend of your sisters" she said.
But Peregrine's memory had slipped him as he looked at her face.
"Flora?" he asked himself, trying to remember where she had seen him.
Pimpernel, Pervinca, Pearl and Flora all talked and giggled.
"I wish I could see what he looked like" Flora told them.
Paladin was very busy and instantly forgot about the state that his son had been left in. The girls thought it was a good idea to sneak back inside and show Flora.
So, the four of them started to walk back. The large, round, coloured front door of the Took household had been left a jar.
Pippin, who had now started to talk properly, heard his sisters coming back.
"Shush" Pearl said, closing the door behind them.
Pimpernel led the way. She had not been involved in Peregrine's make over earlier, but she knew that she would be guilty by association if they were caught.
Paladin had a lot of work to do before he could stop for lunch. Being Thain of the shire was a difficult and time consuming job.
Pippin suddenly remembered where she was from.
"Ah, I remember now" he told her.
Flora was older then he was. She was more Pearl's friend then his.
"I haven't seen you in years, how are you?" Pippin asked.
Flora took a deep breath. A lot had happened to her over the years.
"I'm well, I guess" she told him.
Air was now running out for Thrain as he lay there. The more he struggled, the less he could move. Thorin, yet again, had to climb the tree. This time, he had help. A few other dwarves had started to climb the trees as well.
Thorin was going to save one dwarf and one dwarf only.
Thrain.
Some the of the dwarves had already encountered the spiders. The spiders were no match for axe wielding dwarves. Their weapons sliced through the spiders like a knife through soft butter.
Eerie screams echoed around the forest as the spiders fell to the forest floor with a thump. Thorin, who's energy had all but been spent getting up the tree and fighting the spiders, took a rest near the top of his tree. The number of spiders seemed not to shrink.
For this colony of spiders stretched on for miles, high above the forest floor. They were bloody thirsty creatures, preying on anything that strayed near them.
Thorin reached his father and cut him free quite easily.
"Hurry" Thorin said.
The sound of dwarves fighting high in the tree tops and on the ground echoed around the forest. Thorin hated being this high up in the trees. Dwarves were meant to be safety hidden under mountains of the hardest rock.
Flora giggled and held her hand over her mouth. Pimpernel stood by the door, just in case she heard her father coming down the hall way.
But it was not her father that she had to worry about as a door down the opposite end of the corridor opened. All of the girls stopped giggling as they heard the door close again.
No words were said as, a split second later, all four of them rushed out of Pippin's little room. Pearl had managed to untangle Pippin's hair and wipe away the lipstick from her little brother's mouth before she walked out.
Flora and Pimpernel had already retreated back to another room. Only Pervinca and Pippin did not have to share a room. But Pearl and Nelly did.
Pearl smiled as she walked out of Peregrine's room.
"Hello, mummy" she said.
Pearl looked just like her mother, but younger. They, like Pervinca and Pimpernel, had blue eyes.
"How are you?" Eglantine answered.
Pearl smiled.
"I'm good, Flora has just come around to visit"
A few seconds later, little Pippin came running out of his room.
"Mummy" he said.
Eglantine, who had put her straw hat on the hook, lifted up her son.
"Hello, my little Pippin"
But Pippin was about to spill the beans on what had been done to us.
"Pervinca and Pearl were being mean to me" he told his mother.
Pearl suddenly raised her eyebrows, knowing that Eglantine would soon find out.
"Mean?" she asked.
"How?" she asked.
Pearl tried to sneak away, but her mother stopped her.
"Pearl, what have you been doing to him?" her mother asked.
Pimpernel, Pervinca and Flora were all listening in. They could hear Pearl and Eglantine talking.
"It was just a bit of fun" Pearl told her.
But Eglantine did not see it that.
"You're meant to be his big sister, you're meant to be someone he looks up to" Eglantine told her daughter.
"It wasn't only me, Pervinca did it as well" Pearl said.
Pervinca scowled, she had been exposed by her sister.
"What about Pimpernel, did she do anything?"
Pippin looked up.
"No" Pearl answered.
Eglantine took a deep breath.
"I have no other option then to keep you and Pervinca inside for the rest of the day"
Pearl's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"What?" she asked.
"Why?"
Eglantine had explained this already.
"Because I said so" Eglantine told her daughter, laying down her authority.
Pimpernel took a deep breath and backed away from the door. Pervinca took a deep breath.
"How could she do this" she muttered.
Her day had already been planned out. But that was all in the past now.
"I guess I need to go" Flora said as she opened the door.
Eglantine had now put Peregrine down. He had gone back to his room and closed the door. Just then, Pervinca was called out.
The two girls were called to the kitchen and the door was closed behind them.
Eglantine remained standing as the girls sat in silence.
"Now" Eglantine said, looking at her two daughters.
Pervinca huffed as she looked away from her sister.
"What to do with you" she said, slowly walking around.
Only the ticking of the clock and the slapping of Eglantine's big feet could be heard. Flora and Pimpernel had left the house and were not walking over to their usual spot.
A large tree grew just a few minutes down the road.
"I think it was cute" Flora told Nelly.
Nelly smiled. She was a few inches shorter then Flora. In hobbit terms, that was quite a lot shorter.
"Try living with him" Pimpernel replied.
Flora smiled and the two girls walked on.
Origo tried to struggle out of Diamond's grip. But it was no good. A bucket of warm water had been placed out as well as a bar of soap and a flannel.
"Be a good puppy now" Diamond said.
Origo did not like water one bit. Diamond knew this, but she wanted her little puppy to be clean and beautiful. Faramir had been put back in his cot and he was now sleeping peacefully. Diamond slowly lowered her puppy into the shallow water.
"See" she said as Origo stood there.
"It's not that bad"
Origo continued to whimper as Diamond scooped up some water in her free hand. She smiled as she poured it over her little pups head.
Suddenly, Origo tried to run. But he did not get far as the small metal bowl tipped up. Diamond drew back quickly as the bucket tipped over.
The water spilled over the floor and Origo slid for a second. He instantly got to his feet and scampered off. Wet paw prints trailed behind him as Diamond watched.
The sound of the metal bucket echoed throughout the house. A few seconds after it had stopped, Faramir began to cry. Diamond sighed, having just got him off to sleep.
Diamond rose to her feet and picked up the metal bucket. Origo's little wet paw prints had evaporated from the tiled floor. But the water from the bucket was still trickling down the cracks between the tiles.
Diamond placed the bucket on the work top and walked out of the kitchen, stepping over the puddle of water on the floor.
Faramir's cries grew louder as she walked down the hall way. They grew as Diamond walked in. She smiled as she saw little Faramir in his cot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small bit of the duvet move. This could mean only one thing.
Origo hid under the duvet, the top of his head and his little paws were still wet. Ori thought that Diamond had not seen him, for she had not drawn the duvet off of him.
His little floppy ears could hear the cries of Diamond's noisy puppy grow fainter.
"Maybe she did not know I was here" he thought.
But he was wrong. Diamond knew exactly where he was.
Origo gave a small yawn as he curled up. He was colder then normal. But this did not stop him from falling asleep. The cries of Faramir were not enough to annoy him, but they could still be heard.
Diamond was now sitting in the lounge. Her crying son was being rocked back to sleep.
"Shush, shush" Diamond said.
Just then, the large front door clicked open. Pippin came in and closed the door. He smiled as he started to unbutton his coat.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the lounge.
"Hello" he said, giving Diamond a smile.
But Diamond was not at all happy with him.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
Pippin found this very sharp and quite rude. But he did not express it.
"Out" he answered.
Diamond did not find this very helpful.
"Out where?" she asked.
Her eyes gave off a different type of glint. One that was not peaceful. The glint bore into Pippin's very soul.
"The Green Dragon"
Diamond gave a small huff.
"And here I am, at home looking after our son!" she said.
Faramir had settled down now, the metallic bucket that Diamond had tried bath Origo in had woken him up.
"Sorry, but you did not do me any breakfast, what else was I meant to do?" Pippin asked.
Diamond looked up at him. There was a flash of anger in her eyes.
"Make it yourself because I will not be making you any more food" she said.
Diamond suddenly stood up and walked briskly out of the room. Pippin opened his mouth to argue, but Diamond had walked too far away.
Origo heard Diamond walk in and put Faramir in his cot. Ori peaked out to see that Diamond standing there. A tear slid down her face. Her large blue eyes glinted in the candle light. Diamond took a deep breath, she needed to be comforted as Faramir started to sleep again.
A smile came over Diamond sad face as her puppy gave a small whimper. His little head was poking out of the large duvet.
"Oh, puppy" she said.
Diamond her heart melting.
"All I wanted was a nice clean puppy" she told him, picking him up.
Origo was not sure about what he Diamond was saying.
"Maybe it's a trap" he thought.
His little head and paws were still wet. But it did not bother him as much. Origo rested head on his Diamond. Origo could feel that she was upset. So, being his usual adorable self, he gave Diamond a little kiss.
It did the trick.
"Oh puppy" she said.
Diamond sat down on her bed and swung her leg up. Origo gave a small whimper as he lay beside his Diamond. His Diamond took a deep breath.
"What's wrong?" Origo whimper.
Tears were still streaming down her face. Diamond tried hard to keep Pippin in check. But Pippin continuously stepped out of line.
"Have I done the right thing?" she said to her puppy.
Origo was the only one she could talk to. Sure, Origo did step out of line, but he was a puppy and he needed to be looked after.
Origo's brown eyes seemed to say words that Diamond could understand.
"But, what should I do?"
Unknown to Diamond, Pippin was standing on the other side of the door. Yet another wave of realisation came over him. He knew that he really needed to give up drinking so much. He knew that if he didn't, then he would lose his precious Diamond again and he knew that she would never take him back.
"That's it" he told himself.
"From this moment onwards, I will not touch another ale"
Pippin knew that it would be hard. But he did not understand how hard that it would be. Pippin took a deep breath as he walked back to his room.
Ale and smoking were the only thing that Pippin felt comfort in. They had been his constant through many terrible times. But now, he had to survive without it.
Pippin seemed to only drink when he depressed. And, lately, he had been depressed. His life had not panned out like he had hoped. He thought, after the terrible things he had seen and been through, that it would get easier with time.
But it had not.
For days a time, Pippin would wake up, sweat dripping down his forehead and his heart racing. Pippin had returned from the world of sleep to the real world. But, sometimes, he could not tell the difference.
Sometimes, he still heard the cries of men and woman. He also heard the sound of enormous crashes and bangs that would just echo from his mind.
Diamond lay in her bed for what seemed to be hours. Faramir had remained asleep. Pippin had not bothered Diamond for a few hours. In that time, Diamond had fallen asleep.
Origo had fallen asleep as well. His little chest rising and falling as Diamond's large hand rested gently on the tip of his fluffy face.
Diamond, after three or four hours, woke up. The piece of sky that she could see out of the window had grown very dark indeed.
It took her a few seconds before she realised why she had woken up. Her puppy was gently nipping at her hand.
"Puppy" she said, lifting him closer.
Origo gave a little whimper and started licking his Diamond. Diamond smiled as she shielded her face from the barrage of licks.
"Shall we go and get something to eat?" she asked.
Origo gave a small whimper and nodded his head. A few seconds later, after a kiss and one last cuddle, Origo was scooped up. Diamond smiled as she looked into the small cot that Faramir was laying in.
He was sleeping peacefully, but would soon wake up. Diamond took a deep breath as she opened the door. Something was strange about the corridor. A strange smell wafted over her and her puppy. Diamond was very confused by this.
"Who else would be cooking?" she asked herself.
A few seconds later, when the kitchen door was opened, Diamond got her answer. Pippin was slaving over many pots and pans. Diamond could see he was so busy that he had not noticed the door open.
Pippin placed a mountain parsnips in a pan. A small bit of oil covered every inch of pan. Pippin made sure there was enough space for all of them. Diamond remained watching as Pippin poured honey onto the uncooked parsnips.
Diamond wondered where he had learnt to cook like that.
"He's never watched me cook lunch before" she thought.
Pippin smiled as he opened the oven and looked inside. Diamond smiled as, for a split second, she saw the large chicken in the oven. Honey had been poured over the chicken as well and mixed herbs sprinkled on top.
Diamond slowly turned around and was just about to shut the door when she was caught.
"Oh, Diamond" Pippin said, smiling.
Diamond stopped and looked over at him.
"I'm making lunch for us" Pippin explained, looking at the bubbling pots on the oven.
"You were asleep, so…" he said, giving a small smile.
Diamond took a deep breath, having underestimated Pippin once again.
"Pippin, you shouldn't have done this"
But Pippin wanted to do it. He wanted to prove that Diamond could trust him and that he was needed.
"It was nothing, it'll be ready in an hour or so" he explained.
Diamond smiled.
"Puppy needs to eat" she said, bopping Origo on his little face.
Origo whimpered and covered up his face with his little paw. A few minutes later and Origo was ready to have lunch. A bowl of turkey had been placed on the floor.
Diamond took her hand away before it got nipped. Origo did not mind if the turkey had not been warmed up a little. He loved warm and cold turkey.
Pippin smiled as Diamond stood there.
"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Diamond asked.
But Pippin had it under control.
"Oh, I'm fine" he told her.
Their eyes met for just a split second. But, within that second or so, a lot of feeling erupted. For Pippin, he saw the most beautiful hobbit he had ever seen. Her blue eyes reflected the flickering candles, making them look like the smoothest crystal.
In fact, that was why she was called Diamond. Ever since the day she was born, she had amazingly blue eyes. Pippin took a deep breath as and looked away.
He was sure if he should say it yet, maybe it was too early. But for Diamond, she was dying to heard those three little words.
But they never came.
Darkness had now enveloped Mirkwood. The trees creaked in the wind. The dwarves had returned to their journey after a small hiccup in their journey.