Derluk angrily stomped along through the snowy pass. How dare his parents try to tell him who to marry. He was a mature, adult dwarf! He could marry who he wishes. They tried to arrange a marriage for him with a lady. He had been courting her brother in secret for some time now. They were just about to be open about their love for each other when Derluk's family arranged a marriage with a rich merchant's daughter. He was furious and rightfully so. He took a walk out in the wilderness of Ered Luin to calm himself down and to think.
He ducked his head and pushed through the snow. He kicked angrily at the snow, freezing when his foot caught something. He plunged his gloved hand blindly into the snow to figure out what he stepped on. He pulled out… a scale? He was young, far to young to remember Smaug, however he instinctively knew what he held.
Derluk looked around wildly, now terrified. He choked, seeing lesions in the rock he did not recall on his last hike up here. Something warm and wet landed on the top of his head. He quivered in fear, daring to look up. The last thing he saw were wicked jaws closing in on him as he screamed in terror.
Thrigi, Derluk's lover was tracking his partner to try and catch up with him and spend time with the younger dwarf. He rounded a corner just in time to see Derluk getting devoured.
Thrigi clamped his hands over his mouth to prevent from crying out. He pressed himself between two boulders, holding his breath. The wicked beast crawled along the ledge, its hunger sated for now. It did not seem to notice Thrigi. The dwarf could nearly reach out and touch it as it passed.
Thrigi had no idea how long he remained there. Finally, he crawled out from the boulders, taking off sprinting down the mountainside as fast as he could go. His lungs burned and his vision blurred by tears.
He tore into Thorin's Gate, heading right for the stable. He flung coins at the stable master, demanding the hardiest, fastest pony. He flung himself up into the saddle and rode out as fast as he could, not even gathering his belongings or stopping to think.
He rode hard and fast towards the East, towards Bree-land, the wind carrying away his sobs. He heard a famed scholar headed that way, he heard rumors she was not liked for many reasons. He did not care. All he had cared about was now gone, his heart gone.
Thrigi had no idea where he ended up, he needed to rest after his journey. He only stopped as long as his pony needed. He entrusted his pony to a young man who gasped and immediately started caring for the worn out beast. Thrigi pushed himself into the Inn, not even taking note of the name. His face was bleak and he looked haggard and half dead on his feet. The Innkeeper looked up from a book he was reading, rather concerned. The tall, blonde man made his way towards Thrigi, "Greetings, Master dwarf. Please, rest. Let me get you a meal and a bed, no payment."
Thrigi seemed to come to reality a little bit. He saw a vaguely familiar sapphire cloak around this man's shoulders. He looked up into kind, genuinely concerned blue eyes. Blue eyes the same colour as…
Golden hair just like Durlek's…
Thrigi collapsed, letting out a terrible, grief filled wail of one who lost one he truly loved so dearly.
Alarmed, Egfor knelt down beside the collapsed dwarf, yelling to the back, "Dem! Send for your mum!"
