Flori
An awkward silence had descended between the two brothers as Balin left. His footsteps down the corridor were the only sound to be heard until eventually they died away. Ori opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. Flori sighed.
"Look, I'll...I'll go after him. Try to reason with him," he said.
"Aye. I'm not sure he should be left so when he is like this..." Ori trailed off, biting his lip as he realised how his words had come out. Flori laid a hand on his brother's arm and replied simply, "Aye."
Setting off down towards the Mirrormere at a stroll, Flori whistled an old dwarven folk tune absently through his teeth, one he had heard ever since he could remember about Durin and his kingdon, before he broke into soft, low singing.
"The world was young,
The mountains green,
No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
When Durin woke and walked alone.
He named the nameless hills and dales;
He drank from yet untasted wells;
He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
And saw-"
A ragged, drawn-in gasp, followed by a splash and the sound of something dropping onto the ground made Flori stop his singing and a sudden premonition of what could have happened flew through his mind. His heart plummeted and, pulling out his axe, he rounded the corner at a run to see a terrible sight.
The dwarven body lay on the ground surrounded by a small, stunned group of dwarves. One, Nali, stumbled away, shouting shakily that he would go and alert the others, but Flori paid little heed to him. By Balin's side sat Narin, and Flori saw that the dwarf had closed their Lord's eyes. Dropping to his knees at Balin's other side, Flori gazed helplessly at his friend and leader's face. All the things he had left unsaid and all those spiteful thoughts...foolish dwarf! Did you never compliment him? His work was not all so bad was it?!
Tears came to Flori's eyes, making them moist but not dropping down his cheeks and he dragged in a great, sorrowful sigh, simply staring at his friend, unable to speak. Out of one of the corridors came the other dwarves, and gasps and cries of shock and sorrow followed as they saw their friend. Flori crossed his friend's arms carefully, then stood, looking at the others with a burning anger in his eyes.
"They will pay for this! Where did they go!" Ori cried, and Flori saw tears in his sensitive brother's eyes.
"They went down the Silver lodes!" answered Nali, pulling out his axe. In a second weapons had appeared in all of the dwarf's hands.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Flori roared back, his fury red hot as he gestured at his dead friend. "They killed our friend, companion and Lord. Lord Balin of Moria lies dead - let all orc-kind beware, for this night....this night, revenge shall flow with blood!"
A cry of approval greeted this and, led by the furious Flori, the dwarven-warriors charged towards the River Silverlode, their axes thirsty for orc-blood...
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