Bali was stunned; his friend's father, dead? Burzdol must feel terrible. The table was quiet for a long moment.
Finally Burzdol spoke. "I have come here, then, to find you, and go with you on your quest. Here is the message my father wrote to you before he died. I was instructed to give it to you."
Bali took the small and creased leather parchment from his friend's hand. Opening it, carefully so the pages would not rip, he read:
Dear Bali, dwarven friend of my son:
I have gotten news of the army threatening your homeland. I feel thus that it is my duty to give aid to our allies in the north. Long has Gondor been a friend to the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain.
I will send an army north as soon as it becomes available to me (our forces are spread out throughout Gondor). Best wishes on your journey.
Bali sat there in silence, reading the message. "It appears that help is on the way quicker than I could have hoped for it. We have precious little time to spare, but now that I know we will have aid, my heart is lighter. Let us forget about these matters for now, and pass the evening enjoyably." And so they did.
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