After Thorin finished speaking, Arthur immediately noticed that Gandalf's face had turned extremely grim, as if the cultured old wizard was about to erupt like a volcano at any moment.
Arthur quickly appeased Gandalf, then frantically blinked, signaling Balin with his eyes to pull Thorin away, as the kind dwarf wanted to persuade Thorin but didn't know how.
Sure enough, Gandalf's expression improved once Thorin was out of sight, but he was still quite irritated, his chest rising and falling continuously.
Arthur tried to change the subject, asking, "Gandalf, I've actually wanted to ask for a long time, why are Thorin, Fili, and Kili, these dwarves, so hostile towards Elves, to the point where Thorin is outright 仇視 them? Did Elves really betray dwarves?"
He thought for a moment and added, "But from my experience interacting with Erlond, I don't believe Erlond is the kind of treacherous villain Thorin claims. And when they encountered dwarves in my territory, they didn't show any dislike, whereas the dwarves were unilaterally glaring at the Elves."
Gandalf patted his chest, took a deep breath, then sat down and put his pipe stem into his mouth.
Only after taking a heavy puff did he answer Arthur's question, though his tone still carried a hint of irritation from Thorin: "This matter is both difficult and easy to explain. But to explain all the conflicts between dwarves and Elves from the beginning would take too long."
Arthur heard Gandalf speaking his characteristic "wizard's nonsense literature" again, and only when the other party's mood improved did he jokingly say, "Then tell me briefly, and I'll ask Erlond for the details myself later."
Gandalf looked at Arthur in surprise and said, "You mean you support me taking the dwarves to Rivendell?"
Arthur nodded: "I have no reason to refuse, Gandalf. Moreover, Erlond has long wanted to invite me to Rivendell as a guest, so this is a perfect opportunity. Of course, more importantly, I have no animosity with the Elves. On the contrary, we have a pretty good relationship."
The relationship was indeed quite good, especially when the Erdtree grew increasingly robust and began to transform into a giant tree, the way the Elves looked at the Erdtree made Arthur feel as if they were on a pilgrimage.
Of course, this was just a feeling; the Elves did not treat the Erdtree as their sacred tree.
Arthur could feel that their gaze actually held more of a sense of nostalgia.
Gandalf sighed: "If only Thorin were as agreeable as you."
Arthur shrugged: "So what exactly happened between the dwarves and the Elves? You haven't told me yet."
Gandalf glanced in the direction Thorin had left, then turned to look at the dwarves inside the house. He stood up and motioned for Arthur to follow, saying, "To avoid provoking the dwarves, let's go outside to talk."
Arthur followed Gandalf to a relatively secluded spot in the village.
It was an abandoned house that had been uninhabited for a long time, as if forgotten by the villagers.
The iron chain on the rotten wooden door was rusty, and the wind silently swept through the broken windows, stirring up dust on the floor, with items scattered haphazardly inside.
Arthur and Gandalf, of course, did not enter the abandoned house, but stood in the grass behind it.
Gandalf put down his pipe and said, "Thorin's words are full of his personal subjective emotions; the true facts are not at all what you heard. And he got one very important thing wrong, and please allow me to explain it to you: the Elves they fell out with are not the same group as the Elves led by Lord Elrond."
Arthur showed an "as expected" expression and smiled, "I knew Erlond would never be the kind of person who would stand idly by while innocents were attacked by a Dragon."
Then he pressed, "So where did the Elves who fell out with the dwarves come from?"
Gandalf replied, "Those are hunters from Mirkwood, led by their Elven King—Thranduil, son of Oropher, residing in the Black Forest region within Mirkwood. Although they are all Elves, strictly speaking from a cultural perspective, these Mirkwood Elves belong to the Sindar Elves, while Lord Elrond and his people belong to the Noldor Elves."
Then he sighed: "However, because Elves rarely appear in the sight of humans or dwarves, they don't realize that there are different cultures among the Elves."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully: "No wonder Thorin directly hated all Elves. So what exactly did the Elves do?"
Gandalf raised an eyebrow and shook his head vigorously: "What did the Elves do? No, Arthur, quite the opposite, the dwarves were in the wrong first. One could even say that these Sindar Elves standing idly by and doing nothing when Erebor was attacked by Smaug was entirely the dwarves' own doing; they themselves pushed their allies away with their own hands."
He looked at Arthur's surprised and expressive face, and continued: "The dwarves of Erebor were once on good terms with the Sindar Elves of the Black Forest. I think you probably know how prosperous Erebor once was, with gold flowing from the mountain to the foot as if it were worthless. But as the dwarves' wealth grew, their goodwill disappeared."
"According to what I know, Thranduil once asked Thror, the king of Erebor at the time, who was Thorin's grandfather, to mend his deceased wife's necklace. Thror readily agreed and repaired the necklace with precious diamonds. But when Thranduil wanted to reclaim his deceased wife's necklace, the dwarves refused."
Arthur's mouth slightly agape, he was dumbfounded by what Gandalf said.
He said incredulously, "Why? Why would the dwarves refuse to return the necklace to that Elven King?"
Gandalf sighed deeply and replied, "Both the Elves and the dwarves have their own versions. The Elves say the dwarves stole their treasure. The dwarves, however, say the Elven King refused to pay proper compensation. Unfortunately, because of this incident, Thranduil and the dwarves of Erebor broke off relations forever."
Arthur's face twisted into a knot after hearing what Gandalf said.
He didn't know what tone to use, so he could only ask weakly, "Whose version do you believe more, Gandalf? The Elves' or the dwarves'?"
Gandalf's mouth twitched a few times. He glanced in the direction of Farmer David's house and whispered, "I believe the Elves' account more, Arthur. Of course, please don't misunderstand, this doesn't mean I don't trust Thorin, otherwise I wouldn't have entrusted him with the key and map to Erebor's hidden door. It's just…"
"Just?" Arthur waited for Gandalf's next words.
Gandalf said meaningfully, "It's just that the gold of Erebor carries a certain 'illness,' cursing Thorin and the direct bloodline of their Durin royal family. Arthur, I must warn you—I know you and Thorin have a very good relationship, but precisely because he is your good friend, you must put away your magical and expensive items and not display them in front of Thorin. I'm afraid it might provoke him."
Arthur's brows furrowed deeply now; his expression turned serious when he heard that Thorin and their bloodline carried some kind of illness.
He asked, "Since it's known to be an illness, why not treat it?"
Gandalf sighed, "If it were a 'disease' that could be cured so simply, Thror would not have met such a tragic end. This is not a physical illness; it's more like a heart ailment, and neither you nor I can predict when this heart ailment will appear in Thorin."
Arthur said, "I will keep an eye on Thorin's problem at all times. He is my friend, and he is the one who was willing to lend a hand in my most difficult times. I will never stand by and do nothing."
Gandalf looked at Arthur with a gratified gaze and said, "It is truly the greatest fortune of Thorin's life to have a friend like you."
"What fortune? What happened to Thorin?" Bilbo's voice suddenly rang out behind them.
Arthur turned sharply, looking at Bilbo in surprise, making the hobbit think he had done something wrong, and he stood awkwardly, trying to explain that he hadn't intended to eavesdrop.
Although Bilbo had not approached with hostility, Arthur had not relaxed his guard, yet he still didn't know when Bilbo had managed to walk up behind him.
Bilbo tried to smile, speaking with a slight stutter, "I, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, it's just that I saw Thorin was a bit unhappy after talking with you, and I was worried about you. And, and Bofur told me to call you two back to get ready for dinner; David has already bought the ale from the market."
Arthur nodded, giving Bilbo a reassuring look, which made the latter sigh in relief.
Then he looked at Gandalf and asked in surprise, "Is this why you chose the hobbit?"
Gandalf smiled faintly, walked over to Bilbo, and gently patted his back, making Bilbo feel a bit flustered.
Gandalf said, "Trust a wizard's judgment; our Bilbo will surely bring us no small surprises."
Bilbo shifted his shoulders uncomfortably and said, "Although I don't know what you're saying about me, I think it's better to go back and eat quickly, otherwise the dwarves might eat everything."
Arthur nodded, and he and Gandalf walked back, discussing at the same time how to persuade Thorin to go to Rivendell.
Bilbo lagged slightly behind, not immediately catching up, because he was thinking about what Gandalf had just said.
In fact, Bilbo had heard almost everything Gandalf said. At first, he simply wanted to wait for them to finish talking before appearing, so as not to disturb Arthur and Gandalf.
And Bilbo himself had no intention of eavesdropping; he stood quite far away.
But who knew that Gandalf's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, allowing Bilbo to hear him.
This made him awkward; at first, he didn't know whether to appear directly or wait for them to finish. By the time Bilbo decided to call them, Gandalf had also finished talking about the dwarves.
Thorin and his kin have a curse-like illness in their blood? Will it put them in danger?
Bilbo thought with some unease in his heart.
This kind hobbit was still concerned about others, rather than whether he himself would be implicated if the dwarves fell ill.
"What's wrong, Bilbo? Come on." Arthur's caring voice came from ahead, bringing Bilbo back to his senses, and he immediately followed Arthur and Gandalf.
David's family dinner was not stingy; he not only bought ale from the market but also managed to get a barrel of wine.
And his wife had also slaughtered a lamb and several chickens. These animals had fortunately escaped the Trolls' clutches but unexpectedly became the dwarves' food.
Thorin, just as David had said, did not eat and drink for free but paid David's family the proper fees for the food and drink the dwarves consumed, according to the local market price.
Seeing this, Arthur muttered to himself, as if Thorin was still that upright and friendly dwarf leader as long as Elves were not involved.
At dinner, perhaps due to the argument between Thorin and Gandalf that afternoon, he uncharacteristically chose to drink.
And the dwarves, who had been a bit reserved and unsure whether to drink, seeing Thorin start drinking first, could no longer hold back and began to guzzle from the barrel one by one.
Even Balin, who looked the most benevolent, and Ori, who was the most learned, cast aside their decorum and drank heartily.
It was clear that the dwarves truly loved alcohol.
However, as dinner neared its end, Thorin quietly left David's house alone.
Thorin's cheeks were flushed with a slight tipsy redness, but his eyes remained clear.
The joyful sounds of dinner faded into the distance as he gently pushed open David's door and stepped alone into the night.
Before long, Thorin skillfully climbed onto David's roof, sitting by the ridge, maintaining a distance from the clamor inside the house.
The bright moon hung in the tranquil night sky, its silver light spilling over Thorin, draping him in a faint silver veil.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the moon; the tiles on the rooftop appeared exceptionally smooth under the moonlight, and one or two fallen leaves gently tumbled in the night breeze.
Thorin sat there, motionless.
"What are you thinking about?" Arthur's voice broke the silence, making Thorin turn back in surprise.
At this moment, Arthur was not wearing his Blaidd, the Half-Wolf armor but ordinary clothes, uncharacteristically revealing his handsome face.
Thorin asked, "Why aren't you still eating with them?"
Arthur flipped over and landed directly beside Thorin, then patted his clothes and sat down, replying, "Because I saw a dwarf quietly leave with a gloomy face."
Thorin's lips twitched a few times, and he finally said helplessly, "Was my expression really that obvious?"
Arthur shrugged, "Probably everyone could tell. You're in a bad mood, but they fear your usual authority, so they don't dare to say anything. Are you still angry about Gandalf's matter this afternoon?"
Thorin turned his head, his gaze returning to the moon in the night sky, and replied in a low voice, "No, I actually stopped being angry a long time ago. In fact, I understand that Gandalf was right; seeking the help of Lord Elrond in Rivendell would allow me to learn the information about the Secret Door of the Lonely Mountain faster and more effectively."
Then he sighed deeply and said, "But when I hear the word 'Elf,' even now, uncontrollable rage rises from the depths of my soul. I cannot forgive them, cannot forgive the Elves who never offered help when my people were in despair. Even though I truly know that discussing this with the Elves would be helpful to me."
Arthur nodded. He was about to say something when he saw Thorin's eyes, which were looking ahead, suddenly become confused, and then quickly sharpened.
Before Arthur could speak, Thorin immediately stood up and said in a hurried voice, "Dozens of dark figures are galloping towards this village in the distance; those are warg scouts. Damn it, a group of orcs is approaching here. Why would they target this village?"
Arthur also instantly stood up, looking in the direction Thorin had just gazed.
Under the moonlight, those dark figures, with their glowing green eyes, ran swiftly.