Kida smoothed down the elven gown she had been given after she had cleaned up. It was a dark green long bell sleeved off the shoulder dress with golden flowers embroidered along the bodice, the edge of the bell sleeves, and the bottom of the skirt with golden flower petals embroidered throughout the skirt as if they were carried in the wind.
She wore her hair so it tumbled down her back in loose curls decorated with small braids, charms, and beads that she never took out of her hair and around her neck was a simple gold necklace with an emerald jewel. She then picked up the carved robin Bofur had given her when they first met and smiled softly as she thought of him. He was quit dear to her and had become so in such a short time that she worried that he did not feel the same.
"He loves you." Nerys said as she walked into the room.
She too had changed into an off the shoulder dress that was midnight blue with a silver shimmer to it. There was a silver belt that hung low on her hips, silver trimming on the hem and the hem of the bodice, white satin bell sleeves with silver cuffs on the end. Her hair was parted in the middle hanging free with her braids that sill retained their blue threads and silver beads decorating it.
"I hope so, I have come to love him as well." Kida smiled. "I saw you with Thorin."
"Yes, he was giving me good advice." Nerys nodded then noticed the sly look on Kida's face. "What?"
"You like him." Kida stated.
"So?" Nerys asked not catching on.
"I mean like as in potential love like." Kida expanded and Nerys's face was engulfed in deep red.
"Don't be silly." Nerys waved her off and luckily there was a knock on the door before Kida could speak again. Kida slipped the carved bird that was never far from her into the pocket of the dress and walked over to the door pulling it open to find Lindir smiling on the other side.
"Hello Lindir, can I help you?" Kida asked returning the smile.
"I have come to escort you and Nerys to dinner." Lindir said with a small bow.
"Thank you." Kida said as she and Nerys curtsied in return to his bow. He offered them each one of his arms which they took and led them to where they were to eat.
"It is good to see you again Lindir." Nerys smiled as they walked.
"You as well Nerys and to you to Kida, how have you both faired?" Lindir asked leading her down the halls.
"Oh very well, we have been traveling much of Middle Earth and have seen much of its beauty." Kida said with a wistful smile. "I went to the White City of Gondor, Nerys and I met up in the Golden Hall of Rohan, and we've seen the great Mellon trees of Lothlorien as well as the rolling hills of the Shire recently."
"You have traveled much." Lindir said with a laugh as they entered the dining hall. "And have the ladies found gentlemen yet?"
"If you're going to start those kinds of questions I'll escort myself." Nerys said as she walked ahead of them and walked over to the table with Gandalf, Thorin, and Elrond. Thorin stood to his feet and pulled Nerys's seat out for her. She smiled with a nod of thanks before taking her seat and Thorin returning to his own seat next to her.
"So I see Nerys has, have you Kida?" Lindir teased.
"Oh Lindir, must you ask us such questions?" Kida said with a blush thinking of Bofur.
"So you have." Lindir said with a smirk.
"Perhaps, but I'm not saying anything until it is certain." Kida replied slipping her hand into her pocket wrapping her fingers around the robin as she started to giggle as they entered the dining area. The moment Bofur saw the two smiling together his stomach went sour, they were obviously very close.
The dwarves were sitting around tables in the elven court eating, however they looked less than appreciative of the elves' vegetables. An elf maiden was playing the flute accompanied by another on the harp creating a soft melody that was driving the dwarves crazy.
"Try it, just a mouthful." Dori said trying to persuade his little brother to eat a lettuce leaf.
"I don't like green food." Ori said stubbornly.
"Where's the meat?" Dwalin said as he looked through his bowl of greens. Oin holds up a vegetable with his knife and looks at it in disgust.
"Have they got any chips?" Ori asked as he looked up and down the table.
Kida and Nerys felt truly bad for the dwarves who practically lived off of meat and little else, but there was nothing they could do for them at the moment. Lindir led Kida to the head of the table to sit next to Nerys although she would rather have been sitting with Bofur. Lindir stood next to Elrond who sat at the head with Gandalf across from them as well as Thorin.
Nerys caught Kida's eye and looked over to Kili, following her gaze she was forced to bite her lip as she saw him making eyes at the elf maid playing the harp. Dwalin, who was sitting opposite him, was staring at him until he noticed making his smile fall.
"Can't say I fancy elf maids myself, to thin." Kili quickly tried to cover. "They're all high cheek bones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair for me. Although…" Kili looked up at one of the elves that was walking around with a small harp in hand as he spoke. "That one there's not bad."
"That's not an elf maid." Dwalin said as the male elf turned. Both Nerys and Kida had an awful time of keeping their laughter in, not that the others in the company gave him the same cutesy.
"Funny." Kili grumbled in embarrassment. The flute player stepped closer to the table and Oin who did not like the sound stuffed a napkin in his hearing trumpet and looks happy that he can no longer hear the music. Elrond had started to examine the swords Gandalf and Thorin found in the trolls' hoard telling them the history of the swords.
"This is Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver, a famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West, my kin." Elrond said handing the sword back to Thorin. "May it serve you well." Thorin accepted the sword with a nod then Elrond examined Gandalf's sword. "And this is Glamdring, the Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the goblin wars of the first age…"
Kida noticed Bilbo pull out his sword and examine it wondering if it had a name or history as great as the other swords.
"I wouldn't bother, laddie. Swords are named for the great deeds they do in war." Balin said also seeing him pull out his sword.
"What are you saying, my sword hasn't seen battle?" Bilbo questioned.
"I'm not actually sure it is a sword; more of a letter opener really." Balin said with a small smile. Bilbo drooped at these words and Kida couldn't have that.
"Then it will be up to Bilbo to make a name for his sword for Orcrest and Glamdring were not always called so, once they were just finely crafted swords." Kida smiled to him.
"It is a great honor to name a sword." Nerys added with an encouraging smile to Bilbo who seemed a little happier.
"How did you come by these?" Elrond asked.
"We found them in a troll hoard on the Great East Road, shortly before we were ambushed by orcs." Gandalf said earning a perturbed look from Thorin.
"And what were you doing on the Great East Road?" Elrond asked.
"Excuse me." Thorin said standing to his feet and walking away.
"Thirteen dwarves and a Halfling, strange traveling companions." Elrond commented looking to Gandalf and the girls.
"These are the descendants of the house of Durin." Gandalf said as if that explained everything. "They're noble descent folk." Nori slipped a salt shaker into his jacket. "Surprisingly coincident." Bombur was chomping away with his mouth open, food falling out. "They have a deep love of the arts."
"Change the tune why don't you?" Nori complained to the harpist. "I feel like I'm at a funereal."
"Did somebody die?" Oin asked looking around concerned.
"Alright lads, there's only one thing for it." Bofur said standing to his feet and jumping up onto a pedestal.
There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
One night to drink his fill.
The dwarves stomped in time with the song as the elves looked on in distress glancing from one another. Kida took out her pan flute and took up the tune winking at Bofur who grinned back happy for her accompaniment. She stood to her feet and began to dance around the pedestal Bofur was on as she played and he sang twisting and turning with the tune.
The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
Now sawing in the middle.
The dwarves became rowdy tossing about food some of it almost hitting Elrond. Nerys was clapping her hands and laughing along with the others enjoying every moment of it.
So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said.
Everyone erupted in cheers when the song was over and started to chant for another. After dinner was done Elrond led Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin, Nerys, and Balin to his study leaving the rest free to wonder. Bofur offered to escort the girls back to her room, but Kida turned him down with a mission in mind and wanted it to be a surprise. So when everyone went their separate ways she put her plan into action.
