[Novnarwen]

It didn't take half as long as Dwalin had expected to hear footsteps coming from behind. At an earlier point, he would have kept his axe ready, but now he knew who the sound was coming from; the others. It was a great feeling that arose inside of him at that particular moment he understood that they had indeed listened to him, and that they were again sacrificing themselves for Bali. Knowing that his brother was also loved by so many others, made him shiver inside; Bali had to be a truly great person. Dwalin, of course, knew this, but the fact that so many others thought this as well, touched him. He even started wondering whether they would have done the same for him, if he had done enough good in his life that someone would remember him after his death? However, all he would have to focus on now was finding Bali; even if it meant looking for eternity.

Dwalin turned just to see the others hurrying to catch up with him. He didn't know what so say. Was there anything to say?

"Only true and brave men would have followed a poor fellow of a leader to rescue a companion," he muttered silently to himself. Hænir turned to him at once, as if he had heard what the dwarf had just said. But as he saw the expression in Dwalin's face; which both showed his fear and insecurity, he seemed willing to ignore the statement and held therefore his tongue. With which each bend and turn the tunnel took though, the expression in Dwalin's face grew ever clearer. The thought of Bali being dead, or tortured, bothered him more and more. Even though he tried to put his personal feelings away, they kept sneaking up in him, making him want to vomit. Also, when they were walking, he started reproaching himself for taking so long before he had actually done something. Why hadn't he gone to find Bali at once? Why hadn't he, when he saw the Rhuians close up on his brother, cast his enemy aside and strode after him? He knew that Bali had done it for him. Any brother would have. There were two voices in his head. One saying that he had to forget about it, saying that it wasn't his fault, saying so much that seemed so reasonable. Then again, there was another voice. This said quite a few things. It kept mentioning, how selfish Dwalin was, how he should have gone after Bali at once, and how he deliberately longed to be better than Bali. Leaving him with the Rhuians, was the perfect way for him to prove himself; after all, who had come home from Rhûn alive?

You have always wanted to be better at Bali at something . . . something . . . something . . . just . . . anything . . .

Shivering, both frightened and uncertain about how to handle this he gave a little shriek. "What is it?" the others asked, whispering though. Dwalin tried waving them off, but the terror in his face didn't seem to convince them that everything was okay. The asked him whether he had seen any of the Rhuians, but Dwalin just shook his head. He didn't dare look at the others, in case they figured it out; and read him like an open book. What if they, too, thought he was jealous of his brother? What if they thought he was longing to be better than Bali? But all the same, was it true? Was anything of what the second voice had said true? Dwalin didn't know. It was highly uncomfortable to have these, what seemed to him, absurd thoughts in the middle of the rescuing of Bali.

As the others tried not to cast too many looks over at Dwalin the next couple of minutes, he realised he had to give all of this serious thought. But it would have to wait until he got home, home with Bali.