Washed up - A Hobbit story

XXI

I sat on the deck, shivering and annoyed. The dwarves were chatting among themselves and Bilbo was walking closer to Bard. I sat on the floor of the ship, trying to contain my annoyment but the more time passed, the harder it became. 
"I am curious. Why is there a child among you?" Bard's voice was quiet and I turned to look at him. He was looking at Bilbo, who had just arrived and had heard the remark. 
"I am not a child! I am a hobbit, and older than you, my good sir. " Bilbo spouted out to Bard. After seeing Bard's stunned face, I started giggling which earned a small from Bilbo and Bard shook his head to organize his thoughts.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you." Bilbo waved it off. 
"It happens with you big people quite often. What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?" Bard didn't take his eyes off the water we were heading towards as he answered,
"Bard. And who might you be?" 
"Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins. And this is Beatrice." I gave him a grim glare and he hurried to continue. 
"But she prefers to be called Bea." Bard glanced at me quickly before returning his eyes to the waters ahead.  
"Why are you on this quest? As I said, I doubt that you are here to visit their kin at Iron hills. You don't seem like a dwarf to me." I nodded and smiled a bit before a huge yawn took me over. 
"Sorry. No, I am not a dwarf, thank you for noticing." The nearest dwarves threw a little bit annoyed, and somewhat hurt looks at me and I huffed.
"As a woman, I appreciate not being called a dwarf. You won't get why. Anyway, I got tangled up in a mess and I joined this quest in a sort of accident. It's complicated." Bard nodded and steered the boat towards the thick fog that was right before us.

My annoyment was growing, I was still wet to the skin and freezing, and the dwarves were being annoyingly jolly. I had to use all my self-control so I wouldn't push Thorin off the boat and into the freezing river. Or lake, whatever. It would have been so easy, he was standing on the edge of the boat. One small push and, whoops, down he goes. But I settled for throwing tiny rocks at his head. They were lying on the bottom of the boat so I picked up a fistful and threw them, one at a time and one after another, usually hitting his head. I saw Fili and Kili eying me and as our eyes met, they shook their heads, trying to get me to stop. I looked them dead straight into their eyes as I threw another rock and after it hit Thorin to the crown of his head, he turned around, eyes flaming. 

"I don't know who is throwing those rocks, but I demand that they stop!" Thorin stares at me and I smile and pick up another. He stares me down, but before he can say anything, I threw the stone at his face, hitting him straight to the forehead. "Not the smartest move but I don't care anymore."
"Beatrice. I do not appreciate this behavior." Another rock to the forehead stops him from talking anything more, and he takes a deep breath before continuing,
"I am asking you to stop." I sit there for a second, staring at him silently for a moment. And then, I throw another rock to his forehead. Thorin takes a deep breath in but before he can release all of his might on me, Balin rushes between us,
"What is this attitude you have taken on, Bea?" I let out an exasperated sigh and roll my hands around my legs.
"I'm hungry. And cold. And wet." Balin nods with an understanding look on his face.
"I know you are. But so are we." "Then why are you being so jolly?! Well, soon the dwarves will get some fish onto them. That will brighten up my mood, at least a little." I don't say anything, I just scream in my head. 

"Watch out!" Bofur's voice sounded loudly in the silent air as a rocky structure appeared in front of the boat from the fog. Bard steered past it, not even batting an eye and the dwarves looked at it as it passed. Thorin growled to Bard. 
"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Bard used his weight to steer the ship and he answered Thorin.
"I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." A faint smile flashed on his lips after he finished the sentence, but no-one else saw it but me. 
"I've had enough of this lippy lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with it." Dwalin growled and I rolled my eyes. "His solutions always include smashing, throwing or hitting something." 
"Bard. His name is Bard." Bilbo said and the dwarves turned to him.
"How do you know?" Bofur asked and Bilbo answered, sounding a little smug. 
"I asked him." 
"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him," Dwalin growled yet again, to which his brother answered.
"We do not have to like him, we simply have to pay him. Come on lads, turn out your pockets." The dwarves started to dig their coin purses out and I took off my left shoe, fishing out the two coins I had left from the bet against Bofur from the beginning of the journey and I handed them to Balin.
"It's not much but it's all I have." Balin smiled and patted my shoulder and even Thorin gave me a faint smile, which was a miracle considering I had just thrown rocks at his head. I sat down on the bottom of the boat again and Fili and Kili came next to me after giving away their portion, Fili next to me and Kili on his other side. I smiled at them faintly, but as another gust of freezing wind blew, I shivered and wrapped my hands around my knees and hugged them to my chest. It was a desperate attempt to keep warm and I failed miserably.