Fool for u

Knock knock? Who's there? A bloody bear!

Travelling after everyone's unresolved issues were sorted out, was relatively easier. The Company was more joyful than usual, the journey seemed shorter, the hours spent walking flew by quicker, and almost every night was filled with laughter and music - Bofur made sure of that. Even without their instruments, the dwarves knew how to lightened the mood through song.

Periwinkle's ankle had healed up well, as well as her arm in a couple of days all thanks to Oin. He checked on her every morning and night, making sure her sling - Bofur's scarf - was tight enough and her arm not hanging too high or too low. Once he was satisfied with her recovery, he removed the scarf-sling. However, Periwinkle didn't return it to Bofur just yet, and carried it around her neck instead, waiting for him to notice and maybe ask for it himself.

With her back to full function, Thorin allowed her to lead again. She knew those parts like the back of her hand and led them along the fastest routes and, of course, the most scenic ones as well. Some times she would point out a couple of places to the Company from where she has been in her past travels; a tree she once slept in when wolves were awaiting her at the bottom, a cave she took shelter in - in which she was almost certain she has hidden some invaluable treasures, and a large and flat-surfaced boulder she spent a night stargazing on.

"Oh, and see that stream over there?" She pointed out yet another detail of her past travels, "Once I took a quick dip in it, merely to splash and rinse when somehow, it carried my clothes downstream. I walked miles until I found it - naked. Some deer probably thought I was crazy."

"Wouldn't that be something to behold." Dwalin laughed at the end of her tale.

It was safe to say Thorin has also lightened up a bit. He joined in on conversations, made some witty remarks of his own here and there, called more frequent breaks when a Company member asked nicely, and even called it a day earlier than usual. He and Bilbo were becoming fast friends, much to Periwinkle's relief. There was a mutual bond of respect and admiration between the two of them. Hobbits were extremely loyal if you can call one a friend, Periwinkle knew from experience. The dwarf king could not have asked for a more loyal and true friend than Bilbo Baggins.

Of course, then there was Bofur, the silly, witty dwarf who brought a smile to everyone's faces with a quick joke up his sleeve when no one expected it. He followed the same routine as usual; stick close to Periwinkle, make her laugh, get lost in said laughter, make sure she's happy, bring her food, accompany her when she went hunting, and spent as much time with her as he could.

There was also the smaller things he did that no one even noticed, not even she. It started when Thorin had him on watch one night. He would choose a spot close to her to keep an eye on her as well. When she seemed cold, he would cover her with his coat. When she stirred he would quietly sit beside her and stroke her hair until she slept soundly again. He would slip off her boots if she forgot to do so, placing them neatly beside her. He would make sure her weapons were cleaned while she slept. And he would go out in the dark to refill her water pouch so she needn't do so in the morning.

The only members who knew of everything he did were Bilbo, Balin and Gandalf, although Bifur was also starting to have his suspicions. For what he lacked in speech and conversation, he made up in observation. It was also a fact that Bifur was a light sleeper. One night he woke when Bofur accidentally tripped over a rock on his way back from refilling her water pouch. At first, the cousin thought Bofur was just being Bofur - as always - until he stayed up longer one night than intended and saw everything.

When he asked Bofur about it in his strange way of communicating, Bofur only waved it off and blamed the axe in his cousin's head for making him see things that weren't real. Bifur left it at that but continued his observations more carefully from then on.