Chapter 10: Vile Words
"Why are they looking at us like that?"
The eyes of the people in Bree trail on them, like they are the scum on the bottom of their filthy shoes. It baffles her as Edyth has been to Bree before and she did not receive the eyes that she does now.
"They're not looking at you, lass," Bofur sighs from her left. "They're looking at us. Dwarves you see."
Edyth frowns, shaking her head. "No, I don't see." What on earth have they done to the people of Bree? "Dwarves are known for their craftsmanship, why on earth do they look like they would spit on you if you even came near? Are you not a source of business?"
Edyth, accompanied by Bofur and Nori, are making their way through Bree, picking up extra pieces for their travels. Thorin ordered them to make camp outside the boundaries of the town and until now, she has been confused as to why they didn't take refuge in one of the inns.
"We are," Bofur agrees with a hint of sadness. "But after we lost all of our legendary strongholds, we were seen as beggars. We lost everything. And of course, with the stereotypes, they believe us greedy enough to steal. Pathetic lot humans are." Bofur leans in close to her ear, speaking from the corner of his lips. "Though I would watch your belongings around our friend Nori here. He is actually a bit of a kleptomaniac."
Edyth pulls her neck back, raising her brow to the quiet Dwarf on her right. "Well, I'm sorry that people see you that way. The race of Men has always been said to have the weakest minds." Bofur only hums in what she guesses as agreement.
The three of them have been tasked with sourcing some more food that they would not be able to find while hunting and scavenging. Thorin and Dwalin have also wandered off through Bree, but for what, she didn't know. His nephews also came into the town with their own list of things; mainly requests from others that are staying behind at camp. Bilbo also is waiting back at their little spot just a little way off from the back gate.
"I think Thorin was hoping having a female Hobbit with us might make us look more approachable," Bofur muses as they turn down into the main market space. "Don't think it's done much," he adds through a strained voice only meant for their ears.
"Are you their whore?!"
The voice comes from a grungy and foul looking man on the left of the road, leaning against a wooden foundation pole. He has a smoke pipe, which looks older than the man himself between his lips. Edyth is surprised that he isn't choking on the amount of smoke coming out of his lungs. But she is more surprised to find the words being aimed towards her.
"Whore?" she cries to herself. The man smirks gleefully to himself, pleased enough with her reaction but Edyth is barely close to finished with her interaction. "The only whore you'll find in this hole of a town is your mother!"
Pathetic, she knows, but she has never been as witty as her older brother. The foul man pushes off the pole, his smirk gone and replaced with a glower. "What did you say, princess?"
Bofur tugs on the back of her vest, whispering something in her ear but it turns into a small buzz by the time it reaches her mind. "Are you inbred as well? Can't hear me when I'm shouting at you?!"
If the man was glowering before, he manages to find an entirely new level of fury as he begins to stalk forward at a taunting pace. "You get that foul mouth from those Dwarves?" As he comes threateningly close, her hand rests on her waist, the handle of the dagger underneath the fabric.
"We don't want any trouble," Nori speaks up. One of the first times she heard him do so. He sounds strict, yet bored.
The foul man scoffs, looking over his shoulder where Edyth notices a few similar men standing against the wall of a tavern with drinks in hand. Drunk at this early hour? "You bought trouble the moment the lot of ya' stepped into this town. We don't like outsiders." He shrivels his top lip to his nose, scowling down. "And you lot look like outsiders to me."
His right-hand reaches down to his side, unsheathing a blade Edyth hadn't noticed before. It is longer than the one she carries, but the ones that the Dwarves next to her carry are far more suited to battle than his. But that doesn't mean she wants to fight this man.
"Don't have anythin' else ta' say?" the man growls, his words becoming more slurred by the minute. Edyth holds her stance, glaring at him and the short sword resting by his thigh. But her attention is mostly tuned towards the Dwarves on either side of her. "That's not how I like 'em. I love it when they scream in my ear."
Edyth spits at his feet. The foul man growls, baring his yellowing and half missing teeth. The short blade by his leg raises. Edyth's chin lifts as the point comes under it. The sound of metal scratching fills either ear as Bofur and Nori both draw their swords slowly.
The men behind stop their cackles, cracking their necks and take a few steps closer.
Her heart thumps in her ears, never having had a sword pointed at her, let alone having the tip a mere finger width away from her throat. Bofur and Nori also are at lost. Their weapons are drawn but neither have any desire to start a fight against an estimate of seven men.
"I don't think that's a wise move."
Edyth nearly cries in short relief. The foul man now does as she was, retreating his neck and eyeing the blade at it. All eyes trail along the metal, following it to its wielder. Thorin stood to the man's left, his sword pointed upwards, but no less threatening. He makes up the lack of height with presence alone. Dwalin is also there, battle-axe in hand but not yet pointed at anybody in particular.
The foul man weighs up his options visibly. Thorin lacks the patience for that, however. The Dwarf King presses his blade against skin and the foul man drops his own from her neck. Edyth sighs, taking a step backwards. Foul man tips his head in surrender, sheathing his blade. His glare settles on her before flicking momentarily to Thorin and Dwalin. Without another word, he walks backwards and away from Thorin's Dwarvish iron.
Thorin waits until they move well out of range, the foul man stalking back into the tavern with his tail between his legs before he drops his weapon back in the sheath.
A small yelp passes her lips as a hand – not belonging to Bofur or Nori as she can see them clearly – lays on her shoulder. But the hand is friendly, running over the curve of her shoulder and down her upper arm before travelling back up. Kili stands over her back, Fili just off to the side. She hadn't even realised they also have come. No wonder the men felt threatened.
Edyth smiles as best as she can up to Kili but even she knows it barely reaches her eyes. The brunette gives her a soft one in return, nodding once in assurance. She doesn't know whether to say her apologise or thanks. Which one are they looking for?
"Get what you need to get," Thorin orders, marching closer to the middle of their small group. "And let's get out of here before blood is drawn." The Dwarves all nod, sheathing their weapons away. Edyth relaxes her shoulders, making move to go stand with Bofur but Thorin steps in front of her. "Not you."
"What?"
"I'm taking you back to camp. Dwalin, you know what we need." Dwalin nods, already moving off alone. The other four wait to see if anything more happens but Thorin only grabs a fistful of her short sleeve and tugs her along the road. Edyth scuffs her feet along the ground, more so trying to catch up than out of resistance. He mutters to himself, both in Common Tongue and his own. "Do you have no sense woman?"
"He called me a whore," she argues indignantly
"Then you have a taste of what we deal with every day that we're in this type of place," Thorin refutes. "You do not see us spitting at them. Learn to hold your tongue or I will do so for you."
Edyth glares at the ground. She knows she was in the wrong – well, not for defending herself, but the escalation. "I am sorry. I just didn't want him to get away from it." Her mouth keeps running, something she seems to lose control of suddenly. "Bofur was telling me about that. How people think you thieves and beggars. I was angry at them. I hate the idea that you can only ignore it."
"It is not your place to be angry." His tone drops into a low, but yet soft wave.
Edyth stares up at him. "Yet I am."
The rest of the trip is silent, the only good thing being that his grip loosens enough to where he is just guiding her by the arm instead of a father dragging his child through the muddy road. Once they reach camp, Thorin lets go of her with no final words and goes off to talk with Gandalf who is smoking a pipe under a tree.
"Edyth?" Bilbo greets. "Where are the others? I thought you left with Nori and Bofur."
"They're still shopping," she huffs. "We ran into trouble."
"Trouble? Are you hurt?"
"Besides my pride?" she hushes to him, risking a small smile for his sake. "No."
Bilbo expresses his uncertainty through his eyes but eventually decides that it is not worth further investigation. "I'm going to go get some firewood for tonight if you want to come." Edyth nods and the siblings leave the camp and travel into the light forest that they've camped on the edge of.
By the time they return, the Dwarves from Bree are already settled back into camp. Edyth places her woodpile near the makeshift pit. "Sorry," she sighs to Bofur who is setting up their camp stove. "I didn't mean to put you in that position."
"Nah don't worry 'bout it, lass," he waves off. "Honestly I would have liked to see a bit more of that from ya'. You've got a bit of spice on your tongue."
"Or no sense as Thorin put it," she smirks back.
Bofur chuckles, tilting his head in consideration. "I think the two go hand in hand. You should go see Fili and Kili, I think they've got stuff for ya'." Truthfully, Edyth has all but forgotten about Fili's promise to build her travelling supplies back up to scratch. She thanks him for reminding her, making her way over to the said Dwarves who are sorting through their day's purchases.
They are sitting opposite each other, the pile in the middle so Edyth takes a seat between them. "Heard you might have something for me in there," she greets.
"That we do," Fili greets back with a grin.
"So you don't have to steal mine anymore," Kili announces, holding out a large leather sack. Edyth takes the sack, opening up to peek inside which is filled with an assortment of dried fruits and nuts.
"Thank you. I think you were right about wanting to snack through the day, Fili. I've already finished what I had." Kili hands her a few more things that Edyth is already expecting; small sewing kit, leather strips, flint, and a small rope.
"And a hunting knife," Fili says, holding out a sheathed blade. It is no longer than her forearm and slightly curving on one side. "Don't hurt yourself with it."
"I won't," she snorts, albeit taking it slowly. "And thank you. I don't have any gold on me, but I promise to make it up to you."
Fili waves his hand, already half-distracted by another pile of items. "Don't worry 'bout it, lass. Your stuff was easy compared to Bifur's. Had to near punch a man to get him to do a sale with us."
Edyth's humoured smile dampens, reminded of the stigma they are putting up with. She turns the knife over in her hands, wondering where she is going to store it. Her eyes widen, a hand flying to her waist. "Oh! I-uh, should probably give this back." The brothers raise their eyebrows in curiousness as she pulls up her vest slightly and tugs on the black handle. "I…um…borrowed it."
Fili's eyes fill with a wave of relief, taking the dagger from her hand. "I thought I lost it," he laughs to himself. "It's one of my favourites."
Edyth's eyes turn dark, her head switching to Kili. She leans to the side, smacking his knee. Kili cries out, holding his knee and looking back at her with befuddlement. "I told you not to give me one of his favourites," she hisses. Softening her eyes once again, she glances to her other side. "I'm so sorry. I told him not to take one that you would care about."
Fili shakes his head, the smile still planted. "Lass, I'm not upset."
Edyth tips her head forward, squinting. "Then you are too forgiving."
"Oh I've forgiven you, but" – his eyes change to Kili, brows raising –"I haven't forgiven my dear brother here. He's the one that knew."
Kili raises his hands, smirking. "I was just getting payback for my lost food."
Fili scoffs, kicking his boot forward into Kili's leg. Kili retorts back with his own kick, sending the brothers into a puppy scuffle. Edyth smiles slightly but their brotherly nature sends her to the outskirts of the interaction, leaving her quite displaced.
As they roll around on the ground, Edyth dusts off her hands and stands up with the new hunting knife and belongings. She makes her way back to her bedroll where Bilbo is sitting in how own. They find comfort in each other's presence, even if no words are passed between them. Edyth spends the next ten minutes or so repacking her pack, content with not speaking until Bilbo breaks it.
He leans close to her side, an obvious indication that he has no intention to be overheard by anybody else. "Do you think…Do you think it was a mistake?" Edyth frowns at him so he elaborates. "Coming."
Edyth lets her eyes wander over the camp, watching Bombur standing over the cooking stew; Bifur and Bofur breaking up large pieces of wood; Thorin and Gandalf still talking under the tree; Kili and Fili now settled and talking. Eventually, she shakes her head, smiling through closed lips. "No. I don't think it was."