Chapter Twenty Four

Bilbo woke several hours later feeling slightly sick. He didn't immediately remember anything of the previous few days, and for a few seconds he was completely mystified as to why his stomach seemed to have tied itself in a knot. It couldn't have been anything he had eaten or drunk, because none of the dwarves looked to be at all affected. Most of his companions were sleeping; only Fili remained awake on guard, Kili by his side.

Kili, seeing Bilbo stir, gave the hobbit an exaggerated wink and a huge smile. Both were obviously intended to tease Bilbo, but the knowledge that Kili was only joking with him didn't stop his cheeks from flaring up red. Kili nudged his brother in the ribs with an elbow, and Fili too grinned. The two dwarves exchanged a glance, and Bilbo rolled over to face away from them, tangling himself in his blankets as he did so.

Bilbo nearly gave an audible groan as the memories flooded back into his sleepy mind. He allowed himself the brief hope that he had been dreaming, but even as he hoped, he did not believe it. The sun was just past full height, showing that he had slept from early morning until past midday.

Having turned in his blankets, Bilbo found himself facing most of the dwarves. The only one who appeared to be awake was Thorin, and Bilbo felt even more blood rushing to his cheeks, as well as to other, less convenient, places. Deciding that the need to empty his bladder was more urgent, he sat up. Bilbo couldn't bring himself to unroll himself from his blankets for several more minutes, during which time he thought long and hard about his bladder. This was effective at restoring normal circulation, and Bilbo found himself a convenient tree away a short distance away from the campsite.

The effects of the ale had not completely worn off. When the dwarves had all woken and prepared to leave, Bilbo needed only one attempt to mount his pony, but it was a graceless manoeuvre and caused a round of laughter and cheering nearly as loud as the previous evening. Bilbo ignored this as best as he could, and trotted at the back of the company. Gandalf, for a change, rode at the head of the long, stung out column with Thorin.

This left none but Balin close enough for Bilbo to speak to without raising his voice, which suited the hobbit well. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, least of all Thorin, or to hear Fili and Kili's jokes. Ori rode with the two brothers, and their laughter drifted back to Bilbo with annoying frequency; despite knowing that he was unlikely to be the cause of all of the amusement, Bilbo was displeased.

Balin did not at first bother Bilbo, choosing instead to carry on a conversation with Dori, who rode just ahead. Bilbo could not hear their words clearly, and did not mind. When Dori cantered off to catch up with Nori, however, Balin dropped back to give Bilbo a friendly smile, which the hobbit returned with caution. Balin seemed to take this as an invitation to speak, rather than as the common politeness that Bilbo had intended.

"Are you all right, laddie?" Balin asked.

Bilbo took a moment to compose himself, and no torrent of angry outburst escaped him. "Yes, thank you," he said stiffly, his back straight and his shoulders tall in the manner of an elf in the saddle, although without the supple flexibility of movement.

Balin nodded. His smile faltered, and his face dropped into such an expression of sadness that Bilbo could not miss it. "No, you're not, but you will be," Balin countered.

"Thank you," Bilbo repeated, and this time he was pleased to find that his voice sounded a lot more natural than it had done a moment before.

"You'll get used to the way things are," Balin said. "Just ignore the laughter and the jokes for now. They'll stop soon enough. If you ask Thorin, he would stop it now."

"And for what price?" Bilbo asked. He suspected that what Balin said was true, and this did nothing to improve his mood.

As the company had set out around the middle of the afternoon, they did not ride more than a few hours. Thorin called a halt as the sun was fading behind a bank of cloud on the western horizon, and a cook fire was quickly built. There was little talk and no singing; it seemed that the dwarves were tired, and Bilbo most definitely was.

The earlier effects of the ale had disappeared during the ride, leaving Bilbo with a headache and a dry mouth. He was pleased to hear that Thorin had decided to stop for the night, and more pleased to find that the supplies they had appropriated from the trolls' cave still contained fresh meat.

A small stream supplied ample water, and Bilbo drank thirstily before setting to his task of supervising the ponies. He reported briefly to Thorin, saying only that Nori, Ori and Fili had not cared for their animals in a suitable manner then turning his back on the dwarf king before Thorin could reply. After this, his heart beating faster than necessary, Bilbo headed to the fire, where Oin gave him a steaming bowl of rabbit stew. Torn between staying near to the warmth of the crackling flames and retreating into the safety of the shadows, Bilbo hesitated.

The indecision was enough for Balin to move sideways, clearing a place for Bilbo to sit. Bilbo looked around carefully, and noted that he would be situated between Balin and Bombur. This seemed safe enough; Balin always had Bilbo's best interests at heart no matter how uncomfortable this might be, and Bombur would be too busy eating to pay the hobbit much attention beyond a greeting. Fili and Kili were directly opposite, the fire blocking their view of Bilbo. This suited him, as he was still in no mood for even the most good-natured teasing.

Bilbo sat, the ground hard beneath him but the bowl of stew and the fire warm enough to make up for the discomfort. There was little talk from anybody, and Bilbo thought that he preferred things this way.