HI Nonnie! Yes, Balinith has Aspergers Syndrome, an autism spectrum condition. It’s mentioned both in the fic, and in the notes at the end of Chapter 30. Here’s the relevant section:
Orla Longaxe paced, her great tail of wiry black hair sweeping behind her, as the booms and shudders rocked the Mountain. The noise was deafening, and though every door in the room was closed and packed tightly with cloths, it still echoed in the walls and under her feet. In her arms, her second-born son shivered and shook. His eyes were unfocused, and he was frowning and pressing close to her chest. His ears were covered with a dark woollen hat, pulled down low nearly to cover his eyes as well.
In the corner, a little puff of steam came from a great iron pot which bubbled away softly, the vaguely soothing sound meant to combat the rattling thunder of the boulders striking the mountainside over and over again.
Balin could not bear loud noises for long.
Orla tucked her son’s head closer to hers, protectively wrapping her hand over his wool-smothered ears. Balin sucked in a breath, his hands clenching and unclenching rapidly and spasmodically, and pressed his face against his mother’s neck to hide his eyes from even the very modest light that came from the fire. Her boy was cut from a different stone, as they called it: his thoughts worked in a special and singular way. Many of the greatest works of their people had been made by Dwarrows born with minds like Balin’s, their focus as determined and passionate and as single-minded as a blade. She was prouder of him than she could possibly say. Balin was fascinated by the way things worked, by nature and first causes and the pressures under the earth and the creatures that crawled upon it. He would be a great Dwarf, his mother knew.
However, there were difficulties that came hand-in-hand with these unique gifts. Balin was clumsy at times, he occasionally lost his words, he did not enjoy company other than his parents or his friends, and he could not tolerate loud noises or bright lights. The overstimulation was uncomfortable, and sometimes painful.
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Thank you, Nonnie! I am so happy you like the story – I wish you a wonderful week as well!
Ahhh, okay – bear in mind that this is how I see ‘em. Even though I came up with ‘em, others might see them differently, and that’s awesome 🙂
Wee Thorin Dwalinul
He is tall and stout-legged and blocky, as children go. His skin is dark, though not as dark as his mother’s, and he has a short shock of tufty hair in the centre of his hairline that is forever threatening to turn into a mohawk. (I love the idea of his hair being braided into rows at the sides of his head: as in lacefedora‘s awesome pic of him!) His beard and moustache have already started to grow in, and he has thick, expressive eyebrows. His eyes are large and a deep, warm brown (all the better to roll at Gimizh’s antics). He is very eager to get tattoos like both his parents, and draws on practice-tattoos in both red and blue ink whenever he can. He has very big hands… sliiiiiightly too big for his frame, like the paws of a puppy that will grow up to be a massive dog. Wee Thorin will not end up the tallest of his brothers – but he will end up absolutely enormous. Basically, he is going to be built like a fridge 🙂
He is also quite stocky, with a round-cheeked little face. He has his hair in dreadlocks, which he likes the texture of, and are a great physical stimulus. Now and then he wears glasses, though on many days he doesn’t want to, because the feel of them on his face really irritates. His skin is nearly the same shade as his older brother’s, though it has a slightly reddish tinge in the right light (a very attractive sort of colour). His sideburns are filling a little, and he is just about as tall as Gimizh already (who is in despair, because he is four years older than Balin, it’s not fair!). Balinith will one day be the shortest of the three brothers – but he will be the strongest, even stronger than massive Thorin or gangly Frerin.
Frerin is darker-skinned than either of his brothers, and is the most recognisably non-Longbeard. His hair is tightly curled against his head, with little wayward cowlicks at crown and hairline. His eyes are thick-lashed and impossibly huge, and he has a wide and ready grin. He always seems to be missing a tooth. Frerinith is, at this stage, a chubby-cheeked youngster with short little legs and a round toddler-tummy. Eventually he will be the tallest of them all, though he won’t have the bullish build of Wee Thorin. Instead, he will be a bit of a lanky stringbean, as Dwarves go!
Aw Yiss 