[Imladris]

Balin

Balin frowned as he saw the leadership of the dwarves slowly seem to revert to Flori, but then he realized that it would be good for the lad to come into his own. Nothing could be worse to deal with than elves…it would be a good learning experience. He watched with subtle satisfaction as Flori cleverly captured one of their own and then demanded the elves to show themselves, which the Prince did with the usual elvish hauteur, but the prince somehow managed to stare at them with equality.

"You asked no permission to pass through from my father, Flori Bronzeshield. Tell me, where is it that you and your companions go that you will infringe so easily upon the boundaries of the elven kingdom, especially after your kin's last attempt to trespass on Elvish soil?" the elf asked.

Balin’s brow wrinkled in a craggy frown as he heard the words. Of course Thranduil would want a hand (if not two hands) in the wealth of Moria, as he had with the affair at the Lonely Mountain. He chortled as he imagined the pale, ivory, willowy elves grubbing in the darkness of Moria for True Silver. The forest and the open spaces were their home and the ones who went would shrivel for want of the sun…besides taking a fair amount of wealth as they shriveled, he added with a dark smirk. He could lie, but the elves were keen at sniffing out a falsehood (especially when a great deal of wealth was involved) but more than that lying was such an unpleasant task anyway. “The business of the dwarves are their own,” he said coolly. “It would be well for the elves,” he added patting the head of his axe easily, “if they let us go about our business as we have no concern with the King’s lands,” he added with a slight bow.

The Prince, with a barely perceptible shrug, said, “Whether you have anything to do with our lands or not, your are trespassing against our King. We must know if your intentions are good and that sort of thing,” he added with a brief smile.

With a roll of the eyes, Balin said boldly, “If you must know, we have come to retake Moria. There, does that satisfy your misplaced curiosity?” he growled.

The Prince’s eyes hardened, and he said tightly, “We do not appreciate falsehoods, Balin son of Fundin.”

“Dwarves do not lie!” Balin retorted. “And if you think that your pointy ears make you more noble than the greedy heart of the dwarves --”

The Elvish prince flushed slightly and said, “We will bring you to the halls of Thranduil and he will see if you speak truth or not.”

With forced calmness, Balin replied, “No. You impugn our honour.”

“And you trespass against our lands,” said the prince, drawing the arrow taught in his bow. With a brief gesture, he motioned for his fellow elves to draw in.

With a guttural growl, Balin drew his axe and he could hear the other dwarves do the same. A fierce joy rose in his heart and he contented himself with the thought that the elves had brought the skirmish upon themselves.