Honour For Bastards

Chapter 5 - Brooding and Bickering

The following morning was miserable in appearance to say the least. Rain poured heavily as the Company trudged astride their ponies through the forest and mud. Laire rode at the lead of the Company, it being her decision to take the forest rode rather than across the open roads that held little shelter from prying eyes. The hood of her faded, dark blue tunic was pulled over her face, hiding the strands of unruly ringlets that matted to her forehead and cheeks, not that she really minded the rain. It merely posed a slight discomfort to her, the same could not be said for the rest of the Company.  

"Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori grumbled.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf countered. 

"Are there any?" piped Bilbo curiously. 

"What?"

"Other wizards?" Bilbo confirmed.

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names." Gandalf answered thoughtfully.

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard or is he...more like you?"

Gandalf glanced over his shoulder with a look of slight offence while Laire struggled to hide her snicker, instead covering it with a harsh cough.

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world." 

The rain finally ceased and after a few more hours of travelling the Company came upon a clearing with a rundown abandoned farm house. Though strange in Laire's mind she shrugged it off.

"We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Thorin began giving out instructions to the Company as Gandalf inspected the ruins.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf said solemnly 

"Oin, Gloin."

"Aye?"

"Get a fire going." 

"Right you are." Gloin replied, setting to work.

"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley." Gandalf offered, clearly wishing to move on from this place.

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place." Thorin said lowly.

"Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice."

"I do not need their advice."

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us." Gandalf persuaded.

But Thorin would not have it, "Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past." Gandalf scolded him much like one would a spoiled child.

"I did not know that they were yours to keep." And Thorin replied as a spoiled child would.

The wizard huffed and stormed off in anger.

"Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked concerned.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense."

"Who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." Gandalf growled and walked off leaving the confused Company in his wake.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin sneered, watching the Wizard leave.

Thorin was brooding by himself later that evening near the ruins of the farm house while the rest of the Company prepared the camp and supper. Laire watched the Dwarf leader contemplatively, she was restless and she agreed with Gandalf. Sighing, she pushed herself off the log she'd been perched on and approached the brooding Dwarf.

"He's got a point, ye know." Laire leaned herself on the nearby boulder. When she received a blank look from Thorin she elaborated further. "Gandalf. He's got a point, I know Lord Elrond well enough and had enough language and history lessons to know that if anyone can read that map, it's him."

"You are here to serve as a guide, Ranger, you would be wise to remember that." Thorin gritted.

Laire raised her eyebrows in slight offence, "And I'm offering my guidance, like now for example; how do ye plan to be a good King if yer planning to be enemies with naught but yer kin?"

Thorin rounded on her with fierceness in his eyes, but Laire continued before he could say anything. "I'm going to take a look around, I'll be back before dawn." And with that she turned and picked up her weapons and walked off in a similar direction Gandalf had earlier. 

Meanwhile just inside the forest cover the Durin brothers were watching the ponies with great disinterest. Kili was mindlessly tossing his rune stone from hand to hand when he noticed the far-off look in his elder brother's eyes.

"Thinking of red hair and grey eyes, brother?" Kili smirked.

Fili blinked from his day dream and threw a sideways look at Kili. "Pfft, what are you talking about?"

"Come on, your telling me you are not even slightly attracted to Laire?"

Fili bowed his head and nervously scratched the back of his head, hiding the evident redness in his cheeks. "No-I-Well she is gorgeous, a blind man could see that."

Kili nodded with an impish grin that was only growing, "So is there anything going on between the two of you that your wee brother should know about? Am I going to be an Uncle soon?"

"Kili!" 

Kili ducked from the rock that flew at his head, "Well of course you'd do the proper thing and get married first." His voice was filled with laughter and amusement.

"Shut up Kili! There is nothing between us, alright." Fili barked.

"Ah but you wish there was, brother?" Kili was refusing to let up.

"No! And even if I did - which I don't - she would never want me." Fili said dejected.

"I think you do protest too much, Fili. And you are probably right, she is probably into taller lads anyway." Kili snickered.

Fili shook his head, but the half smile on his face couldn't be helped. He sighed and looked around silently counting the ponies in his head. Wait... What?