In the clearing where the fighting had only just ended, Elrond stood over the troll's corpse, listening with a sour face to the endless cursing of the dwarf trapped beneath it. Once Durin had spat out all his rage, he tried to shove the corpse off and climb out.
"Just let me get out of here, and I'll give you a proper talking-to! Wait there, don't you dare run off!"
Then he went on pushing at the corpse with all his strength. Elrond asked calmly.
"...Do you want some help?"
"UGGGHHHH! NO... HIIIIIHHHH... I-I-I'LL H-H-H... HAN... DLE... IT... MYSELF... IIIHHHHH!"
Elrond looked at the dwarf in silence for a while.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-Y-Y-Y-YES... UGGGHHHH!"
At that answer, Elrond began to wait. He was certain the dwarf could never get out of there on his own, so he let his eyes wander over the field. With the elves' help, the dwarves had dragged the wounded off to one side and were tending to them. A group of dwarves was still wandering about, searching for Durin. When Elrond looked back a few seconds later, Durin was still pinned under the corpse. Inside the helmet that covered his entire face, his face had turned purple and the veins stood out. Glorfindel watched the scene calmly, though he looked a little bored. He reached for the flask hanging beside his horse and took a sip.
Elrond decided he had waited long enough and turned back to Durin.
"Are you still sure you don't need help?"
Durin answered without letting up his pushing.
"UGGGHHHH! NO! HIIIHHHH A-A-ALMOST O-O-OUT! HAAAHHHH!"
Durin heaved at the troll's corpse with everything he had. For a moment the body lifted slightly, but Durin's arms couldn't hold it. His strength gave out all at once and the corpse crashed back down where it had been. As Durin's face darkened even further, silence settled over the clearing. Elrond said nothing. He only looked Durin straight in the eyes and raised an eyebrow to make his point.
When Durin caught the hint, he scowled and fell quiet. He knew by now that he couldn't get out of there without help, but his pride wouldn't let him ask for it. After thinking for a short while, an idea came to him.
"HEY! PRINCESS! DON'T YOU INTEND TO FIX YOUR MISTAKE!?"
Elrond scowled, partly because he disliked being called princess, and partly because he had no idea what the dwarf was talking about.
"What are you talking about? What mistake?"
Durin gave him a look of contempt.
"THIS TROLL FELL ON ME BECAUSE OF YOU! FIX YOUR MISTAKE, DAMN IT!"
"...But you were the one who didn't want any help."
"AM I TELLING YOU TO HELP ME!? HUH!? I'M TELLING YOU TO FIX YOUR MISTAKE! NOBODY'S ASKING YOU FOR HELP!"
Elrond was lost for words for a moment.
"...That doesn't make any sense."
Durin answered with the same contemptuous air.
"DO YOU ELVES RUN AWAY FROM FIXING YOUR MISTAKES WHEN YOU MAKE THEM!? WHAT HYPOCRISY!"
Elrond's brows knitted together.
"You're the hypocrite here! If you want help, say so!"
This time Durin spoke in a flat voice.
"I don't want it."
"Then get out on your own."
"Ahh? So you're running away from fixing your mistake! Tch, tch, tch. Elves aren't as noble as the rumors say."
"You're the one who doesn't want help!"
"Yes, I don't, but nobody's telling you not to fix your mistake. You're just using me as an excuse to run away from it!"
Elrond found himself caught in a vicious circle. He was trying to reason with Durin, but it was getting him nowhere. Glorfindel watched the squabble in silence and took another sip from his flask. In the end, Elrond gave up and sighed. Sullen, brows drawn together, he turned around and spoke in a calm voice.
"Glorfindel! Please help me."
Glorfindel screwed the cap back onto his flask and put it back in the horse's saddlebag, then walked over to Elrond with unhurried steps. When Durin saw him, he rolled his eyes.
"Ah... How lovely. Another princess."
Glorfindel ignored the dwarf, took hold of the troll's corpse together with Elrond, and lifted it. Freed from the weight on top of him, Durin quickly wriggled out from underneath.
"Finally!"
The moment he was out, Durin got to his feet and stretched his numbed body. The two elves let go of the corpse. Glorfindel pulled the javelin out of the troll's head and began wiping off its tip. Elrond turned and looked at the dwarf with a flat expression. As Durin stretched his legs, he muttered to himself.
"Oh, oh... That feels really good..."
Elrond silently watched the armored dwarf go through his stretches. Feeling the gaze on him, Durin turned around and found himself staring into the glare of the elf.
"What? Are you expecting a thank-you for fixing your mistake?"
This time, Elrond wasn't going to be outdone.
"No. But you could thank me for backing you up and saving you from losing more men. Though I doubt dwarves are humble enough to know what gratitude is."
Glorfindel raised his eyebrows, surprised by Elrond's outburst, but chose to say nothing. Durin, for his part, was briefly caught off guard by the verbal jab. He looked around and saw the elves supporting the dwarves and tending to the wounded. There were far fewer losses than he had expected. He cleared his throat and nodded.
"You're right. Thank you for saving my men."
Then he added with a serious face.
"But I'm only thanking you for that, just so you know. Not for what happened just now."
Elrond raised an eyebrow.
"You've got some nerve."
Durin puffed out his chest proudly and put a hand on it.
"That's why I'm amazing."
Elrond was lost for words again. This dwarf kept leaving him speechless. Durin cleared his throat once more.
"Ahem. What's your name, princess?"
Elrond's eyebrow twitched again. He was normally known for his calm and didn't anger easily, but somehow this dwarf and the nickname he'd chosen were enough to infuriate him. He straightened his posture to introduce himself.
"I am Elrond, son of Eärendil, Lord of Rivendell."
Durin's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then he turned to the elf beside him.
"Psst, blond princess."
This time it was Glorfindel's face that twitched violently. Durin went on.
"What was your name again?"
Glorfindel answered with a cold face.
"I never said... I am Glorfindel of The House of the Golden Flower, commander of Rivendell's armies and Lord Elrond's shield."
Durin tilted his head to one side and held his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... I feel like I've heard of you somewhere..."
A few seconds later, he shrugged.
"Oh, whatever! If I forgot, it can't be important! Hahahaha!"
Glorfindel's face darkened even further at those words. As Durin's laughter echoed across the field, the dwarves who had been searching for him heard it and came running over, shouting.
"HEY! STINKING PRINCE! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!"
Durin turned toward the voice and called back.
"THEN YOU'RE TERRIBLE AT LOOKING! I'M RIGHT HERE, FOR DURİN' BEARTH!"
Elrond looked at Durin, a little stunned and a little speechless.
"You're a prince?"
Durin introduced himself proudly.
"Hahahaha! Yes, I'm Durin, Prince of Khazad-dum. At your service."
Just then, Elrond's narrating voice echoed.
"...When I first met Durin, I understood that he had the kind of character that would give me headaches... He was crazier than even an ordinary dwarf, yet just as wise... Well, despite his strange habits."
Elrond looked at Durin and asked.
"So what are the dwarves of Khazad-dum and their prince doing so far from home?"
Durin stopped to think for a moment.
"We're after a group of dwarves. Have you seen any other dwarves from Khazad-dum besides us?"
The two elves exchanged a glance, and then Elrond turned back to Durin and shook his head.
"No. You are the first dwarves I've seen in a long time."
Durin sighed in disappointment, then lifted his head as if something had just occurred to him.
"You elves are good at tracking, right? Give us a hand and help us find those traitors!"
Elrond was silent for a moment.
"We have our own mission... Things seem to be complicated in Khazad-dum?"
Durin waved a hand dismissively. He spat on the ground first, then spoke in a bitter voice.
"A group of traitorous dwarves stole some special things and fled the mountain. I think they've joined Sauron. I want to catch them, execute them, and take back what they stole."
Elrond held his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't expected Sauron's reach to extend all the way to Khazad-dum. As he looked at Durin, he weighed what was in his head and ran a brief analysis, then made him an offer.
"We discovered that Sauron has a hidden outpost a few kilometers from here. Your traitors are probably heading in that direction... Would you like to join us?"
Glorfindel looked at Elrond in astonishment, and Durin looked at him with curiosity.
"Are you sure? We wouldn't want to disrupt your mission."
Elrond nodded silently.
"I'm sure. A few good dwarf warriors could be useful to us."
Hearing this, Durin burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S A POINT OF VIEW I LIKE!"
Then he added, pointing at the troll's corpse.
"Still, you owe me for stealing my prey!"
Elrond fell silent for a moment, let out a deep sigh, and walked toward his horse. The Elrond narrating the story calmly confessed.
"Honestly, our mission was to discover what was inside that hidden outpost and, if possible, destroy it... If the dwarves had been left to roam freely on their own, they could have put me or my men in danger. Rather than leaving them alone like ticking time bombs, it was better to have them with us, so that we could take precautions... But at the outpost, we ran into unexpected things... I was glad that day that I had brought Glorfindel with me..."