It was a dive with dim lights, stale air, and saw dust on the floor. He took his seat in a corner in the back, a dirty mug of ale on the table. He pulled off his hood, placed his gloves next to his mug, and folded his matty coat on the back of his chair. He watched the fire as he waited.

A sideways glance. Pouty red lips pressed up against a cup. A smile hidden behind a lock of hair. 'Be still my heart.' Rain splashed on their bare feet. She put her hand on his arm.
"I'll show you around."
"In the rain?"
"Why didn't you know, that it's good luck to go walking in the rain?"

"Another year, Durin." He stood next to the table near the fireplace in the back of the tavern. Durin looked up at the man, his blond hair darker now than it once was.
"Royal, I'm surprised you came." A pause. "I'm glad."
"I cannot stay long."
"I understand. Have a drink with me."
Royal sat across from Durin, he kept his damp hood and gloves on. For a long moment they stared at each other, both had changed.
'So much has changed.'

Black and blue walls. Bruises that won't heal. Feelings that tower over relationships.
"Why can you not let this go, Durin?"
"You had no right."
'How could you do this to me?' Thought Durin.
"As a friend, how could you?"
"Let this go."

He smiled slightly as Royal drank his ale. The stories Royal use to tell, long and tall, they filled the nights in the tavern. 'We were road warriors. We were brothers.' Harsh words spoken a long time ago swam in the folds of his brain.
"Another year older." Durin said.
"And what knowledge does it bring?" Royal replied.
A beat. 'I cannot let this go.'
"It brings more ale." Durin said.
Royal smiled.