Cloaked in Green

Chp.3 Full Bellies

The company traveled on for another day, riding from dawn till dusk. Luckily enough L.D. was able to doze off for a couple hours during third night. Thorin still has yet to assign neither her or Bilbo to night watch. That was rather understandable L.D. had thought when she first noticed the clear segregation. Thorin might be grateful for the help of strangers, but he also has the right to remain suspicious without clear evidence of the honor he spoke of on the first night.

"Do you ever plan on telling the rest of our company your identity?" Gandalf spoke softly as he helped ready her horse that second morning. She shook her head as she firmly secured her bedroll back into place for the long ride.

"I do not know."

Gandalf let out a big sigh, " Do you ever get tired of it? Of hiding."

“I am not hiding myself." She snapped as sharply that was possibly in a whisper"I am merely trying to avoid the inevitable."

"No one has ever blamed you for wh-."

"Mithrandir- I know that" She turned harshly towards him, " but it doesn't help the way people stare at me either." she lowered her head glancing at the ground between them. "Besides, I don't care what they think of that, it has more to do with the fact of me, being a woman, I want to prolong them knowing."

Gandalf sighed again as he made his way over to stand by his horse, who has already been ready earlier that morning.  "I do agree with the fact that dwarfs might not handle the knowledge of you, being a woman very well, but it has to do more with the fact that there are not many dwarf women around. They have been taught to be protective of them."

"That's not helpful." she chuckled painfully and Gandalf smiled softly.

"However, they are also taught to respect them.” Mounting his horse, he moved closer, speaking softer. “Dwarves are surprisingly fast adaptors Erthil I say at least give them a chance to react."

And….He was right. After L.D. thought about it, she agreed that was not fair to judge the dwarves on the actions of others. She did need to learn to to let herelf get to know them, yet she wasn’t sure how? If she tried to talk to them her voice would immediately give her away, and she wasn’t quite there yet. So she rather than less settled on just watching them all more closely.

She started this morning by riding in the middle of the line, putting herself in the pathways of various conversations. Listening as they all talked to one another, and taking mental notes of each dwarf and hobbit behaviors. Starting with Bofur, she quickly realized that he could probably out last Fili and Kili when it comes to talking for great lengths and hilartics. Something that she did not think at all possible. He talked nearly the whole day,about all the shorts of amazing tales and silly stories, all of which he claimed to be true.

‘‘If I’m not back in 5 minutes, she called, just wait a little longer.” Behind us, I heard Bifur ask him something in Khuzdul. “Oh No, Bifur I’m afraid, they are still waiting on her.”

After a bit, she picked up on a small squeaking noise, turning around and L.D. noticed Bifur holding a mechanical toy. “Tinkers, and Toy-makers.” Balin’s word’s that night came rushing back at that moment as her jaw drop slightly in awe.

Noticing the figure watching him, Bifur smiled proudly as he lifted up his work for L.D. to see. It was a small, metal bird and even with the distance between the two of them, she could make out all the small details in the wings and beast. He pulled on the string that hung down the middle of the bird’s body, making the same small squeak, the wings moving in a flapping motion. Bifur only left out a deep grunt at the noise and moved the toy back, murmuring to himself in Khuzdul again.