[Folwren]

Bror could hardly believe what he was hearing. Of all the stuck up - hopeless ways to react! But he didn’t say anything as Skald went on his rampage. He took it like he would a lecture from Riv or from his father in years past - in perfect silence. Had Skald said anything that could have been attacked, Bror would have leaped on it. He didn’t, though, and Bror remained quiet.

When Riv was mentioned, Bror’s head dropped a little lower and his feelings of confusion and anger subsided. Yes, it had occurred to him that he would never see Riv again. But, like many other thoughts that had passed through his head that afternoon, he had been unwilling to face the idea of it. There hadn’t been enough time at their parting. There hadn’t been enough time for any proper decisions.

But all that was totally irrelevant to the present point. He lifted his head again and looked at Skald. ‘Put aside what resentment my words might conjure in you. There’s no room for it when we wake tomorrow,’ his older brother said as he finished. ‘We’ll stand with our fellows, axes at the ready . . . and Aulë willing, live to see another day.’

Bror opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again as Skald began to get up. ‘Hand me the water skin, won’t you Bror?’ he said. ‘I’ve no wish to stick to my blankets tonight . . .’ Bror swallowed his bitter words and reached for the water Skald asked for. He stopped with it half extended.

‘Uh. . . Skald, it’s empty.’ He shook it. There were maybe a few drops left. He could almost feel his brother’s questioning glare in the dark. ‘I used it to wash my hands off.’ Skald drew his breath slowly. ‘I can find some more water,’ he said, hoping against hope that Skald wasn’t about to explode on him. ‘But look, Skald, it can’t possibly be as hopeless as you’ve put it out to be. What are you expecting? Until we meet this army that you’re talking about, we can’t just be a lifeless, boring group, can we? Worried about what’s going to happen when there’s no possible way we can change it.’

Quite simply, he didn’t understand what Skald was so upset about. Yes, he knew that in considerably little time they would be facing an army greater than he’d ever conceived before. He understood that they might never see Riv again. Elves and Dwarves would be killed. But right now, before anything had happened, really wasn’t the time to be jumping to conclusions and assuming things. Before the battle seemed to be the best time to make the best of it.

‘You don’t have any hope, do you?’ he asked quietly. Skald did not immediately answer and Bror didn’t give him much time. ‘An elf caught me at it. I think it was Lord Elrond - the captain addressed him as such, I think, when he came up. But he said that when this prank was finished, I should make full amends. He said nothing was stronger proof than the close heart and strong arm of a brother. . .’ he trailed off, wondering where he meant to go with this. ‘Don’t pull away. I don’t need you to tell me that there really isn’t any real hope left, or that we probably won’t be going back home like we said earlier today. Neither of us need it. We need to stay the same and bear through this like we used to do. That’s what I was trying to do when I squeezed the berries over you. At home, it would have been considered natural. I don’t see why it can’t be like that here.’ He stopped as something suddenly occurred to him. Only a momentary pause, and then he looked up. ‘Skald. . .you can’t take Riv’s place.’