WEAPONS

Ori, brother of Dori and Nori, found many things fascinating. He was young and as such was much more curious about the world around him, unlike Nori who preferred shiny things and Dori who hankered after good ale. Ori would read and read at any opportunity and, lately, had taken to drawing much of the interesting scenery around him. He asked many questions and tended to drive his brothers mad with them. The only few that were not angered by his persistent thirst for knowledge was Balin, who liked books as much as Ori did, and – oddly enough – the tattooed Dwalin.

Speaking of Dwalin there was something that had been bothering Ori for quite a while now. He was much too embarrassed to bring it up with the dwarf in question so later on that night when he and his brothers were scouting for fire wood he decided to ask them.

“Where do you suppose Mister Dwalin keeps all his weapons?” Ori asked, gathering wood as he went.

Dori choked on his pipe and had to be thumped on the back by Nori. “Wh – what was that?” Dori spluttered.

“Mister Dwalin has all kinds of weapons; knives, arrows, hammers and axes” Ori explained leisurely. “I wonder where he keeps them though, I have only ever seen him carry his hammer and axe”

“I know where he’d like to put his weapon” Nori said, bursting into laughter.

This rather confused Ori for he realised later that neither Nori nor Dori had given him much of an explanation beyond telling to ask Dwalin himself. Ori was fairly burning with his need to know and since he rather liked Dwalin he was not too afraid of asking him now that he had asked his brothers. He waited until he and the tattooed dwarf were scouting the terrain for orc packs one night and had been deep in thought when Dwalin asked what ailed his mind.

Ori turned to Dwalin and with a completely straight face said; “Mister Dwalin, where do you keep all your weapons?”

Dwalin had nearly keeled over in shock, eyes widening and jaw dropping down. Ori stared back at him and then frowned when no answer readily came. “I asked Nori and Dori but they wouldn’t tell me” he said sadly. He hated being deprived in his quest for knowledge. “They also said something else that rather confuses me”

“Ori” Dwalin said gently, dropping a hand on his shoulder.

“They said they know where you’d like to put your weapon” Ori admitted, stroking his beard. “What do you suppose that means Mister Dwalin?”

Said dwarf growled, flushing red. “Those brothers of yours need a boot planted firmly up their ass” he muttered angrily. When Ori looked even more downcast Dwalin smiled and took Ori’s hand. “If you give me permission I can perhaps show you what they mean?”

Ori couldn’t describe the shiver that suddenly ran over his spine.

Later a rumpled looking Ori and Dwalin returned to the campsite with the latter looking very smug about the whole situation. Nori and Dori exchanged smirks until Ori sat down beside them, picked up his book and turned back to reading.

“Mister Dwalin has lots of fine weapons” Ori said. “Finer than yours let me say this, my brothers”