Chapter 11: Pony in the River

"I think it's going to rain later."

Edyth's head is tipped so her face is turned towards the sky. Dwalin shrivels his nose, glancing upwards. "There's not a cloud in the sky," he grunts back.

Edyth shrugs. "I can feel it in my toes."

"Your toes?" Dwalin drawls with disbelief. "What else can you feel with them."

Edyth sucks her lips, squinting as though she is trying to focus intently on her 'toe senses'. "I can feel… annoyance in the air. In the form of a Dwarf." She laughs at Dwalin's unimpressed features. Oddly enough, Edyth has found Dwalin's company comfortable. He's stiff and gruff, yet honest and warm. "Oh, I think it's growing as well."

Dwalin mutters something to himself about her being 'darn right'.

As they continue riding, Dwalin's pony takes faster strides, pushing him up further and allowing Balin to enter Edyth's company instead. Not a bad trade, she thinks. Though wise isn't a word she uses to describe Balin, experienced would be. Balin is quite happy in her company as well as the two talk for quite a few hours, barely aware of where they are going (thanks to the mentality of ponies following the leader). From their conversations, Edyth deduces that Balin is relatively the same age as Thorin, and the only other member to have lived in Erebor.

"Make rest here," Thorin orders, pulling their trail pack to a halt. Mid-day rest is undoubtably Edyth's favourite part of the day besides making camp at night. The Dwarves and the rest of the company got to stretch their legs, eat and refill their water canteens if there is a source nearby. And the ponies got an hour or so of standing in shade and munching on grass.

Today, apparently, has been longer than usual. Edyth unhooks her feet from the stirrups, swinging one over the saddle and slumps to the ground but her knees quake under her and promptly sends her on her backside. Her mouth rounds in a short grunt of pain as the nearby Dwarves turn their heads towards the sound.

The next sound is laughter, from her own lungs of course. A few laugh along with her, agreeing in the hard day's ride and others (such as the beloved Dwalin and Thorin) only shake their heads.

"Still not used to riding?"

Edyth's head tilts up, squinting through the high sun. "It's only been a month," she snorts back to Kili. "You've been traveling most of your life." Kili smirks, holding out his hand which she quickly takes. "Thanks," she breathes once back on her two feet. There is a small river nearby where she spies Dori and Bilbo already filling their waterskins. "Would you like me to fill your waterskin?"

Kili doesn't answer, his attention snapping to something over her shoulder. Before Edyth can even turn, she hears Fili's cry. One of the ponies, Fiddle, is bolting towards the water. Its ears are pinned back, nose flaring. Fili is chasing after him, but barely able to keep up with the spooked mount.

Edyth begins walking forward out of concern as the pony's hooves splash into the water, Fili following shortly after. The middle of the narrow river is such a dark hue that she wonders if one has even ever been able to swim to the bottom. Fili is calling out to Fiddle, urging him to come back but the beast shows little intention to listen, the water now swallowing him up.

Edyth's feet start jogging on the ground, eyeing off the amount of heavy material that Fili wears. He would be dragged down to the depths. "Fili, no!" she warns but just like Fili himself, she is unheard. Heart hammering in her chest, she watches as Fili wades out further into the depths, the ground disappearing underneath him as he tries to reach Fiddle whose head is stretching upwards. The other Dwarves begin making their way to the stream edge, watching on but Edyth doesn't stop where they are. Her own feet break the water's surface, just as Fili reaches Fiddle but it is more than clear that he is struggling.

The horse and Dwarf become splatters of colour through the white of the water, both clambering to stay above its surface.

"Fili!"

Kili's call to his brother makes her arms and legs work all that much faster, forcing her body against the water's body. The ground suddenly disappears underneath her and finally she can swim quicker. She can hear Fili's hard and struggling breaths, one of his hands clenching around Fiddle's reins, the other constantly pushing down into the water and no doubt his feet kicking faster than they ever have before.

"Fili," she calls again to let him know she's there. "Let Fiddle go!"

Fili stares at her for a moment through the splashes of water but let's go of the reins and Edyth snatches them up, tugging hard in the direction of the shore. Fiddle naturally wants to find land and now his desperation for solid ground overcomes whatever fear was spooked into him and begins paddling towards the company and his herd.

Edyth reaches forward, grabbing one of Fili's wild hands and then leans backwards. "Just kick," she instructs, taking his other hand. "And keep you head up, I'll do the rest." Fili's only response is a grunt but does as she orders, kicking hard and holding his chin up. Edyth kicks harder than she ever has in her life, keeping both of them above water and guiding him back to shore. A few times his mouth drops back into the water and Edyth's hands crawl down until she is gripping him by the biceps, forcing his head upwards. Every muscle in her body works for the both of them, burning like Dragon's fire.

Before her own feet touch the gravelly bank, arms scoop under her own arms, hauling her further back. She can hear the relieved cry as Fili also finds the ground of the bank, stumbling to his feet with a continuous cough. Edyth stays sitting half in the water, the soft waves splashing up onto her chest, the arms changing to resting on her shoulders. The air in her lungs slowly being replaced by long draws of air. A few Dwarves have also moved into the shallow of the bank, including Thorin and her own brother.

Fili doesn't sit down until he is fully out of the water and she doesn't blame him one bit. The person who pulled her out crouches down, soaking his legs and bottom of his tunic. Edyth half glances over her shoulder, finding Kili's dark hair over her shoulder. "Thank you," he says, pressing his forehead into her temple. Edyth nods, not yet breathing well enough for words. Hair clings to her forehead and neck, an annoyance, but one that barely registers in her head.

With a long breath, she pushes up, brushing off Bilbo who begins to ask her if she is ok. Of course she is. There was no danger to her except exhaustion. Fili is back on his feet, nodding at something that Thorin is saying to him.

"Layers!" she exclaims, marching towards the blond. "You have layers, Fili! And you need to take them off lest you intend to drown!" Fili stays in a slightly stunned silence as Edyth grabs his tan coat which is dark with the amount of water it now holds. She rips it off his shoulders, circling around him to remove the entire thing. Once the entire thing is in her arms, Edyth herself nearly topples with its wet weight. Standing in front of him, she cries out again. "Strip!"

Here she is, standing in front of a King and his (Crowned) prince, chiding him publicly.

"You're a Dwarf!" she continues mindlessly. "Do you even register how much metal a-a-and armour you're wearing! I"- Her chest is unexpectedly squished against another's, pushing the air that she finally managed to find back out. Her arms are raised over Fili's shoulders, still rounded in soft fists but the coat gone from her hands as Fili laughs. Though it isn't a laugh of humour, more the one heard after a lucky escape – which is exactly what it is. Her arms drop with a sigh to his back which is now just his tunic. Over his back, Edyth glances up towards Thorin.

Thorin watches the pair, his arms crossed over his chest just as stoic as usual. For a moment, Edyth doesn't expect anything from him. But then he nods once, slow and firm. And in that second, she can see an ocean of emotion flooding through his eyes. She never doubted his love for his nephews, but it is a rare thing for him to display it, yet that small moment shared with her the entirety of the concern, relief, and thanks he feels in that moment. It is silent, yet louder than anything she has heard from him before.

Fili releases her, holding a hand on her shoulder as he steps back. "Birashagammi. Nê khuzru."

Edyth swallows, looking over his shoulder to Thorin first, then over the rest of the company. She has no idea what he just said to her, though she can guess with the context, but the fact that he just spoke a hidden language to her is unsettling, yet an honour she never thought would be bestowed.

Fili chuckles at her confusion, squeezing her shoulder. "Sit down, lass. I think you deserve to rest." Edyth nods coyly, bending down to pick up his jacket that she dropped.

"That might have been the water your toes where sensing earlier," Dwalin chortles to himself, seemingly proud of his little joke. Edyth can only give him a smile dripping in sarcasm.

The company returns to a scene of normality, half wandering around leisurely, the other half sitting down either by the bank of on the grass a few yards away. Edyth finds a spot on the grass in the sun, unbuttoning her vest to let her undershirt dry quicker as well. Fili finds a spot next to her, laying his coat out to dry and boots out to dry.

"Bofur was right," he says after a while. "You do have a bit of spice to you."

Edyth raises an eyebrow, resting back on her palms so her front opens to the sky. "Well now I'm beginning to wonder what else is said about me when I do not hear."

"Nothing too bad," Fili responds, smirking through his damp moustache. Edyth huffs, repeating 'too' to herself. "I'm teasing. You're around too often for us to say anything bad."

"Would you like me to go out foraging more often to give you the opportunity?"

"It would be a waste since I don't have anything bad to say."

Edyth's shoulders drop, a bashful smile becoming unavoidable, but she keeps her head set straight. "I'm glad to hear so," she mutters. "And here he finally is!"

Edyth voice raises as Kili saunters back to the pair, their waterskins in his arms. The brunette offered to fill them for his brother and Edyth, but she began to wonder if she would have to swim after him as well since he was taking so long.

Kili rolls his eyes, falling to the ground on Edyth's other side. "Sorry. Got caught trying to talk with Oin. You have to repeat everything twice with him." Edyth chuckles, taking her waterskin with a thanks. The mirthful smile dampens though as the sun is washed away by a dark grey cloud, cloaking them all in cooler air and dullness. It returns slightly as she watches Kili look up towards the sky, pouting but her head hastily returns straight as Kili looks back towards them. "I don't think there's going to be much point in trying to dry off."

"No," Fili agrees with a sigh.

Edyth glances back over to Kili, feeling his presence looming over her side. "Do you want to borrow my cloak?" he questions.

Edyth shakes her head, smiling timidly. "I've got one. But thank you." Kili nods, leaning back to the centre. "Fiddle really is a piece of work, isn't he? Thank you for not giving me him."

"Only the best for our burglars," he grins.

Xx

"Here, Mr Gandalf? Can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori questions.

Every crack and crevice that exists is soaked right down to the bone. Droplets stick on her eyelashes and lips, dripping from her forehead and around the curves of her temple and cheeks. The cloak over her shoulders helped for a while, until the rain started to come so heavily that nothing could stop it from reaching her skin.

Riding behind her brother, she had watched him become soaked and was going to offer her own cloak out of empathy, but soon it became pointless to wear except a bit of warmth that she isn't ready to give up on.

"It is raining, master Dwarf," Gandalf responds. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done! If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard."

"Are there any?"

"What?"

"Other Wizards?" Bilbo questions.

His red coat is now a deep maroon, his hair also turning a dark red-brown, sticking against his forehead.

"There are five of us," Gandalf answers. "The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two blue Wizards. Do you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard or is he… more like you?"

Edyth's bottom jaw drops open slightly, staring wide-eyed at the back of her brother's soaked head. Gandalf gives Bilbo a side-eye, readjusting his seat and holding any commentary on the insult. "I think he's a very great Wizard, in his own way," he answers with candor. "He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forestlands to the East, and a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

And the rain doesn't stop for hours. And though Edyth would much rather be dry, she cannot help but smirk slightly in victory. "Hey Dwalin!" she calls loudly, eager to be heard over the rain. Dwalin turns his head over his shoulder, scowling at her. "You know what my toes feel now?" Dwalin doesn't answer but the annoyance on his face tells her he already has an idea of her next words. "Wet."

The older Dwarf gives her a rather rude gesture that Balin chides him for, but it lightens Edyth's mood all the same.

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