Chapter seven: If the shoe fits

Dahlia woke up to a pounding headache, but the headache was better than the backache she had faced all week. She woke up and stretched and panned her tired eyes around the room. She didn't even remember going to bed. The room was damp and smelled musty, there was three beds on the left on side of the room, and another three more facing them on the opposite. She had gone to bed in the previous days clothing, and as she looked around the beds and the floor, she noticed a lot of the dwarves had too. Stretching Dahlia crept out of bed and tiptoed across the room into the bathroom, it was a small barley lit room. The wood looked damp and worn, the tub, however, looked enticing. It was a tall brass tub and beside it was a fireplace with a large pot of water already boiled on the side. She wondered if one of the dwarves had previously thought to have a bath before going to bed. She shrugged and struggled to pick up the pot and poured it into the bath. She added some extra cold water in from the basin nearby and added some flowers from the potpourri beside the fireplace. She slunk into the bath with a heavy sigh feeling her tendrils of hair float around the water as she shrunk under the water with just her nose and eyes above the water, thinking of her bath at home where they had plumbing. That's when the door unlatched and a shirtless dwarven king waltzed into the room not noticing her, Dahlia let out a small squeak as he started to undress which caused him to pull out a knife from his pants before looking down and seeing her. He flushed a furious scarlet. "Ah I see… not only is bilbo a thief, but we have a bath thief as well" He chuckled before adding "sorry, I'll leave" And he hurried out the door in a flash flustered and embarrassed.

Dahlia was still shocked, next time she told herself she would ask before using the bathroom. She quickly washed her hair and scrubbed the mud from off her feet and body and dried herself in front of the fire and braided her hair. As she left the bathroom, she noticed most of the dwarves were already awake chuckling amongst themselves. She looked at them and rolled her eyes, they seemed to be exchanging sacks of coins and plotting something.

There was a knock at their door, Balin answered it and Gandalf peeped his head under the door frame. "Ah, I see you're all awake. Good." He glanced around the room. "Where is master Thorin?" He asked Balin.

"He went to use the other bathing facilities" He coughed.

After all the company were fed and washed, Thorin had returned with a pair of boots and a thick woollen travelling cloak he looked at Dahlia. "This is to apologise for before," He said a small hint of blush quickly appeared on his face before his emotions went guarded again "You may be brought up as a hobbit, however, it's clear your feet aren't made thick for walking like Bilbos" He also produced another cloak for Bilbo who offered him his gratitude and tried to pay him back for the cloak but Thorin wouldn't accept. "Thank you" Dahlia finally said to Thorin adjusting her shoes and wiggling her feet inside, she wasn't quite sure she liked the feeling of having her feet be encased in something so heavy. But it did feel warm and cosy she not-ed.

The company saddled up their horses and bought more supplies from the town before heading back off on the long journey, as their horses left the town it had just started to rain again causing everyone to moan.