Chapter Six Unspoken Discomfort
She welcomed them inside. They hung their cloaks and weapons at the front door and wiped their boots on the mat. Eywn would have to give it a thorough scrubbing later. Guiding them into the kitchen, she put on a kettle for tea, laid out the replenished supply of ale, and started brewing coffee. Before she would even attempt to start preparing a meal, she would get them all beverages. The dwarves wandered around her home, taking care to not enter her room, which they respected as a place of privacy, and eventually settled to rest in the main living area. The kitchen was filled to the brim with dwarves and the two younger dwarves, Fili and Kili, followed her like puppies during her work. They were flirting, asking questions, and offering to help incessantly. There was a set of boy twins who traveled with the caravan. They were about five years old and Eywn could see their mannerisms personified in these duo dwarves.
"Have you lived here your whole life?" Kili asked, stirring the coffee absentmindedly as Fili pulled out mugs and cups from her cupboards.
"I have for this part of my life. I don't venture beyond my gate too often."
"You and Mr. Boggins are alike…he hated the idea of leaving his precious hobbit-hole."
"Well, why go out in the wide world when you are content where you are," Eywn smiled, taking the spoon away from Kili. He immediately set himself to pouring cups of ale and taking them to the older dwarves who were busy occupying themselves with conversation.
"Adventure, for one thing," Fili said, his eyes alight with curiosity, "and getting to see far off places."
"It all sounds nice, but I would be lost without my kitchen…the people on the trade circuit would be lost without my cooking."
"I've seen that lot-they always carried the neatest stuff…" Fili propped himself up on the counter, swinging his short legs to and fro. "Thorin wouldn't let us go near them…but if we were good, we could get one of the cakes or pies being sold by the womenfolk."
Not wanting to draw more attention to herself, she instead focused on Thorin, who had taken a seat near Gandalf and was in the midst of silently arguing about something with him.
"Is Thorin your father?" she asked, noting the faint traces of resemblance.
Kili, who returned for more cups of ale, shook his head, "No Lady Eywn, he's our uncle. He looks after us like we're his sons though"
Eywn laughed, "It seems he is right in doing so," noting how Fili tried to trip Kili on his way to the other dwarves.
As the beverages were being distributed, she settled on preparing the meat portion of the forthcoming meal. It was almost too late in the day to start such a process, but she figured the dwarves wouldn't mind if their tummies were quelled by the smells filling their nostrils. As she went to the cellar, directly below the living area in her home, several dwarves peered in after her. She made her way to the back of the cellar, to where it was coldest, and grabbed many slabs of the dear flank, a basket with a few dozen fish, and decided she would return for the vegetables and fruit in a moment. Walking up the short stair with her arms laden, she heard several dwarves asking if they could assist.
"I've got it, no worries," she kicked the cellar door shut with a resounding thud and wove her way through the company of dwarves. They all espied the meat with an eagerness she had only seen in the eyes of the men traveling with the caravan.
Going to her pantry, she pulled out an entire bag of potatoes. Two more were waiting to be used, but they were among her private stores. Eywn then put her cap on and grabbed the garden basket. She had been waiting for a few days to pluck the most recent crop, and decided with today's nutrient-rich sunshine, the veggies and fruits would be perfect. As she made her way outside, several dwarves followed her. Perturbed at the idea of dwarves watch her work in the garden, she looked back, only to be relieved that they had resigned to smoking their pipes on the back porch. Among them, Gloin, Oin, Balin, and Bofur had settled down in chairs and on the steps of the porch. Fili and Kili chose to entertain Avel by chasing him through the backyard. Eywn went to work, checking her carrot plant, pleased with the result. Those few extra days of rain did wonders for her vegetables. Gently uprooting the ready crop, she filled her basket. Picking an array of berries from their vines, she tasted a sample of each before plucking more.
"How are the berries, Lady Eywn?" Balin called from his perch on the back porch.
"Try them for yourself," Eywn replied, tossing several in his direction. He caught two, leaving the rest to be caught by his companions. Their pleased looks upon biting into the berries told her everything she needed to know. Hefting the now filled basket in the crook of her arm, she brushed the soft dirt from her skirting with the free hand. She brought her apron up to her forehead and wiped away the sweat that had begun to bead around her hairline. She turned to her companions and returned to the porch. The woodpile under the overhanging section of the porch roof was getting low and she made a mental note to go fill it later. She didn't see it, but Gloin's eye followed hers to the dwindling supply of wood.
"Can I be of assistance, Lady Eywn?" Oin asked from his seat near the back door, ear trumpet pointed in her direction. Looking to her vegetables, Eywn knew she needed water, but didn't want to be a rude hostess and make him work for her. She looked him in the eye and saw he wanted to assist if he able.
"If you could run to the well and get me some water, I need to get these vegetables cleaned…if it isn't too much trouble" She replied, thankful for his kind offer.
"I am happy to help, Lady Eywn," he stood and grabbed a pail near the porch. Bellowing for Fili to approach, he handed the young dwarf the pail. "Go fill this with water, laddie. Our host needs it for cooking."
Fili, who had been bewildered at suddenly being given the pail, straightened up and nodded.
"It would be my pleasure," he said, winking at her. Turning, he ran for the well further down the yard.
Eywn burst out laughing at Fili's sudden diligence before returning to Oin. His eyes twinkled with mirth.
"That's one way to offer assistance. Delegation." She said, suppressing her laughter.
"Always the best policy…I think I should see where Gloin wandered off. He wasn't the only one who noticed your wood pile was getting low." Before she could stop the older dwarf, he took off after Gloin.
"You're taking this better than poor Master Baggins did…though we weren't quite as merciful with him as we have been so far with you." Bofur said between puffs of his pipe.
"Well, for that I am most relieved. I don't take well to visitors…I prefer to keep to myself."
"That's a shame-such a cheerful disposition being shared with only a dog and shadows on the wall."
Eywn turned to him, unsettled by his words.
"It's a necessity…nothing more." She returned to the house and started work on the meat. Now that it had time to thaw, she began to spread her special herbed rub on the deer flank. Once Fili returned with the water, she rinsed the vegetables in the small tub near the window and went to work chopping them. Years of practice left her skilled at rapid fire chopping. It wasn't until she finished that she noticed it became uncommonly silent. Turning her head, she jumped a little to see her guests watching.
"You have quite the skill with a chopping knife," Dwalin observed, breaking the silence.
"My mom, and grandmother, taught me many years ago." She turned to her veggies and added them to the pan where the seasoned meat was waiting. She stuffed carrots, potatoes, sprouts, celery, and a few others in a nice arrangement around the meat. Remembering her mistake last time, she opened the oven door and returned to the waiting pan. Placing it inside, she closed the door and let a sigh of relief. Now her creation was in the hands of the oven.
Turning to her guests, who had noticed the discomfort she felt when being watched and returned to their own conversations, she placed her hands on her hips.
"Now, I don't usually indulge in such, but I have a variety of pies that are waiting to be eaten. My suppliers were more than generous this time around and I fear I may not have room in my cellar by the time all the materials are used up…So would I be able to inquire as to which pie types I can tempt you with? I've got several blueberry, a few cherry, two apple, three plum, and a few pecan pies. My strawberries came in full bloom this week so I could put those to good use…"
She stifled a laugh at the hungry looks that filled their eyes and left them to decide. She heard Nori mutter to Dori, "Gandalf wasn't wrong about her…"
"Ay, I have to agree…it's been a long time since I had plum pie." The dwarves began to discuss the important business of pie flavors and which were the best.
Taking the remainder of the vegetables, she seasoned them and placed them in a pot. Filling the pot with the second pail of water Fili brought to her, she added a few thickening supplements to the water and the juices she stored from past meat dishes. Placing this over the fire, she left it to its own devices and began to pull out the ingredients for biscuits.
"I think you have an admirer, lady Eywn," Bofur called as he entered the house. His eyes had trailed over to Ori, who was walking along the walls, looking at the array of drawings she had pinned on the walls.
Ori didn't realize it was he who was being talked about until he heard the plaited pigtail dwarf come up behind him.
"She's got quite the skill…I've seen you do similar fancy scratches on paper."
Ori blushed, mumbling something about how his scratches weren't fancy.
"I'll bet she'd love to chat with you about drawing…you could be quite the pair…" Ori sputtered at Bofur's suggestion. The latter dwarf laughed and slung an arm around the younger dwarf's shoulder.
"I'm only teasing lad."
Eywn, thus far had ignored the exchange, feeling a smile tug at her lips.
"He's right, Ori," Fili called as he brought Eywn a third pail of water, "I'm sure the two of you have loads to talk about."
It was Eywn turn to be caught off guard. She had dealt with her brother's teasing for years, but never before had she been subjected to such teasing by anyone outside her family and the caravan. She exchanged her discomfort for laughter and played along.
"If Ori wants, he can borrow some of my supplies for your journey. I'm sure all the grand adventures you all have will need to be documented. I'd be happy to oblige"
She was happy to see the small smile creeping on Ori's face.
"I'm sure he would be thankful for such an offer," Dori spoke, as if it were common for him to speak for his younger brother.
A moment passed before her eyes snapped back to the work waiting on the counter.
"Help yourself, Master Ori," she turned and went back to working on the meal. Conversations struck up again and the moment of silence was long forgotten. She set work to the biscuits. Laying them under a cloth to rise, she went outside to the small hen coop, checking the nests for any more eggs she could fry. Kili had worn Avel out and the two were lying in the tall grass. Far off, she could hear chopping and new Oin and Gloin were still at work. They would get a pie all to themselves for their kindness, she decided. As she ducked out of the hen coop, she heard someone approach her. Recognizing the footsteps, she turned to see Gandalf approach the small fenced in space.
"How are you faring, Ms. Eywn?" he asked, a smile forming.
"I wish I had known there would be fifteen of you…I was expecting a few guests, not a company of hungry dwarves." Gandalf had clearly not expected such a short response. He had seen her interact quite well with the dwarves, but now, the reality she hid so well was being revealed.
"Often the best things in life are the unexpected things."
"I have to agree, but in this case, I should've been at least given a day to prepare. There are dwarves running around everywhere. I am happy to offer you and your companions all the shelter and food they want, but I would've liked to have known before they arrived."
"You sound much like Master Baggins…I am most thankful for your generosity though. The road ahead is long and harsh."
Eywn shifted her hold on the basket of eggs. "I am happy to help. However, Gandalf, the next time you ask for the hospitality of others, be sure to give them some notice before you take up your offers in the most unsettling way." She was about to leave, but his voice stopped her.
"Has this anything to do with your past? Why you are so insistent on separating yourself from others?"
She turned to him, forcing to keep her gaze as steady as possible.
"It has everything to do with that," her voice was low and thinly veiled the anger she was experiencing, "You established early on in our meeting that there is a reason for my being isolated out here. I don't like large groups of people. I can hide it pretty well, but even when I'm around groups smaller than your company, it's just as stifling as..." she stopped herself.
Turning back towards the house, she began to walk briskly away. She ignored Gandalf's calls for her to come back. She ignored Kili's calls to have her join him and Avel. With eyes looking straight ahead, she made her way to the porch, pushing back the pain she knew was boiling in her mind.
Thanking Oin and Gloin as they set new blocks of wood into the wood pile on the porch, she blinked tears out of her eyes and stormed into the house. However, she had completely forgotten about the large group of dwarves waiting on the other side.
Thank you for reading! Many Blessings! ~Eylanan