Another family outing that Ovila would much prefer to avoid and she was reluctantly allowing her mother to braid her hair. She was thirty-two and her mother was still braiding her hair - it was just embarrassing. Everyone still considered her a stripling, no more than a little girl, even though she was growing into the body of a woman now and she knew it was because she didn't have a beard. Her eyes narrowed her bare jaw line now and her fingers slid over the unnaturally smooth skin. Thondi had given up on the hair ever growing on her daughter's face and, instead, focused on ensuring that Ovila's long hair was kept in perfect condition. The blonde locks fell all the way down her back to just above her rear now and the hair was always braided to keep it out of the way. She watched the hair being separated and put into a thick braid to fall down her spine. It was fastened with a leather thong and then a green, oval clip was snapped into the top of the braid to match her green dress.
A small smile touched Thondi's lips as she stroked Ovila's blonde hair and Ovila sighed softly. She stood from the stool and left her small bedroom with Thondi. Baltil and the twins were waiting in the hall and Chalrim draped a cloak around his little sister's shoulders. She murmured a thanks, linking her arms with her brothers', and Baltil led his family from their home. Polite smiles were sent to Munon, their neighbour, and her little boy, Nalo, and the smiles were returned wholeheartedly. Calim, Chalrim, and Ovila talked together in low voices and Thondi glanced at them suspiciously over her shoulder. They didn't even notice, far too busy conspiring with each other about something, and Thondi rolled her eyes, because surely her children were too cold for plotting and planning?
It didn't take long for the family of five to reach The Golden Ladle tavern, which was owned by a good patron of the butcher, and the party was already underway for the new year. Bombur was serving drinks with his brother Bofur and Calim and Chalrim eagerly surged towards the bar. After a few words on propriety with Baltil and Thondi, Ovila followed and hopped onto a barstool between her brothers. She flashed Bofur a grin, rather fond of the toymaker that'd given her a few free toys in her childhood when he'd seen her being left out of the games of the other children. He smiled back at her, sliding her a half pint of mead, and she thanked him cheerfully. The boys had to pay for their ale and she just laughed at their protests.
"Good evening, you three," Dis greeted warmly as she approached and gestured for another two drinks. "Where are your parents? I have to drag them into drinking with us," she smiled wickedly and suddenly looked incredibly like her sons, especially the younger.
"I think they're over there, Miss Dis," Chalrim answered with an incline of his head in the right direction and a slight grin on his face. His siblings raised their eyebrows at each other and Chalrim nudged his sister warningly. "I could show you the way, if you'd like," he offered and Ovila and Calim hid their grins by taking long gulps of their drinks.
"Oh no, I think I can find them, thank you, Calim," Dis answered, took her drinks, and left without even looking back at Chalrim's despondent expression.
The second Dis was lost in the crowd, the eldest and youngest laughed delightedly and Chalrim glared at them. Beneath his blonde beard, his cheeks turned red and it just made the other two laugh even louder. Ovila managed to choke out that she thought it was adorable and Calim just shook his head helplessly. Chalrim threw them a final glare, before he stomped over to a group of people he hunted with and left his siblings to laugh until they could only clap their hands like retarded, silent seals. It wasn't as though he went around announcing Calim's fancy for Munon and Ovila's fancy for…her axes. He sent them another sulky glare, but they were still laughing and occasionally doing impressions of what he guessed was supposed to be him to pay any attention to him.
Eventually, the laughter ceased and Ovila had to go over to Ori, Dori, and Nori to stop herself from giggling whenever she saw Chalrim. The trio of brothers did look curious as to why she was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, but she didn't answer any of their inquiries as to what was so funny. Her loyalty prevented her from declaring her brother's new fancy to the world, but that didn't mean it was any less funny that he had a fancy for Dis of all people. It was even funnier Calim's little thing for Munon, but she would not tease either of them in public and she was just glad she didn't have a fancy for any of the idiotic Dwarf boys she knew.
"Ori! Come drink with us!" Fili's voice suddenly bellowed and Ori turned red as all eyes turned to him. "Ovila can come too and drink us all under the table most likely!" Fili declared and Ovila pulled Ori over with a grin at the challenge, ignoring his weak protests.
"He's drunk," Kili announced needlessly, jerking his thumb at his elder brother, and Ovila just raised her eyebrows. "I'm not drunk," he decided, even as he swayed back and forth on the spot, and she laughed.
"Of course you're not," Ovila soothed and waved to Bofur. "Can I have three pints of ale and one pint of mead?" she asked cheerfully and Bofur clucked his tongue at her.
"A pint? A girl your size?" he sighed with mock disappointment, even as he got the drinks, and just laughed. "You just keep them boys on their toes," he winked and she grinned.
"They can't keep up with me, Mister Bofur, don't you worry about me," Ovila replied and Fili and Kili eagerly grabbed their drinks, while Ori timidly took the tankard and gulped slightly.
The other three just gulped the alcohol down quickly and Ori chugged his after some encouragement from his friends. He did squirm when he saw Dori's disapproving gaze and the others just got more drinks. They were young and foolish and were just glad to be out from the stifling thumb of their parents and expectation. Everyone, including the parents, were gulping down the alcohol for the new year and no one paid the four, young, silly Dwarfs any mind. Bofur and Bombur did warn them to take it easy, but they just waved away the concerns confidently and no one was surprised when light bickering started between Kili and Ovila. Fili quickly put a stop to it by suggesting a game of Truth or Dare and the other three stared at him, before shrugging and agreeing.
"Fili, truth or dare?" Kili asked loudly, pointing at his brother, and Fili grinned.
"Dare!" he decided and Kili scrunched his face up in thought.
"I dare you, brother, to declare to the whole tavern that you are in love with Mister Baltil," Kili proclaimed and Ovila stared at him.
"My father? Does it have to be my father?" she protested and Kili slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Fine," Fili agreed and clumsily clambered onto the bar. "Everyone! Can I please have your attention?!" he yelled and everyone looked at him. "I am in love with Mister Baltil our wonderful butcher!"
"My father?" Ovila said weakly behind the giggling Kili's hand and Ori was giggling too, which earned a dark look from Ovila.
"Thank you!" Fili bowed dramatically and the whole tavern cheered loudly. He got off the bar with a lot of stumbling and oaths and he eventually sat on his barstool. "Right, Ovila, truth or dare?" he asked and she thought for a moment.
"Dare," she stated and took a final gulp of her mead. "And no conferring; we didn't confer over your dare," she warned when Fili and Kili leaned closer to each other and they slid away from one another.
"I dare you to hug Uncle Thorin," Fili slurred and Ovila raised her eyebrows, but slid from her barstool and made her way over to the group of adults on rather unsteady feet.
Thorin just stared at the little blonde thing that wrapped its arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Before he could say a word, Ovila had slurred out a 'Happy Durin's Day!' and had started her way back over to the giggling Fili and Kili and the cautiously smiling Ori. She plonked herself back onto her barstool and took a congratulatory gulp of her mead with a grin on her lips. Her hazel eyes flickered to each of the boys sat with her, deliberating which one to choose, and she swallowed the last of her mead. The tankard was set down with a sure thud and the males looked at her expectantly.
"Ori, truth or dare?" Ovila asked seriously and Ori squeaked slightly. "Ori, you are drunk, there is nothing Dori can do to you and, besides, we'll protect you," she promised and Fili and Kili nodded solemnly.
"Oh, well, um, truth, I suppose," Ori answered and Ovila made a thoughtful sound, leaning back against the bar and tapping a finger against her lips.
"Who was your first kiss?" she asked and Ori turned bright red. "You must answer, else you shall face a horrifying forfeit decided by all three of us," she warned and he bit his bottom lip.
"It was Morina," he admitted and three sets of surprised eyes landed on him.
"Isn't she ten years older than you?" Kili asked and Ori nodded, still bright red. "Congratulations mate!" Kili cheered and squeezed Ori's shoulder tightly, while Fili patted him on the back hard enough to make him spill his beer. "Right, your turn to ask," Kili said firmly and waved a hand for another tankard of ale.
"Kili, truth or dare?" Ori asked obediently and Kili grinned.
"Give me a dare," he answered, brown eyes gleaming, and no one was surprised.
"Okay, um, I dare you to, um, get on the bar and tell everyone your darkest secret," Ori sounded rather pleased with that one and Kili immediately clambered up onto the bar.
"Everyone!" he bellowed and, once more, all eyes turned to a Durin's heir. "My deepest, darkest secret is that I know who the phantom of the training grounds is and I've known for ten years!" Kili declared and Ovila stared at him in horror. "It's her!" he announced proudly, pointing at Ovila, and all the attention was suddenly on the female Dwarf.
Aghast hazel eyes stared at Kili and his grin slowly faded at the betrayal that settled deep in those big eyes. He didn't know what to say as Ovila's eyes hardened and any friendship that'd formed between them crumbled. She turned her gaze defiantly to the patrons of the bar and didn't even flinch when both Baltil and Thondi began to shout at her. Dwalin soon joined in about the dangers of training at night and alone, especially for a girl, Ovila took everything in silence. Her brothers tried to speak up about something, but she silenced them with a quick glance and she refused to look at Kili. She'd trusted him with her biggest secret, her only secret, and he'd betrayed her when she'd started to see him as a friend. It hurt more than she cared to admit and she blinked back the tears that filled her hazel eyes. She only looked at him when he grabbed her arm when she was being pulled from the tavern and he stared at her, not knowing what to say and suddenly feeling very sober.
"I trusted you."
The words were bitter and angry and hurt and Baltil firmly pulled his daughter from Kili's grip.
To say Thondi and Baltil were angry was putting things lightly and Ovila could feel her rear end throbbing for two weeks after the hiding she'd received. She refused to let on that her brothers had helped her train and also refused to reveal the hiding place of her axes. It seemed as though no one saw her for months without one of her parents at her side and she utterly refused to even look in Kili's general direction. Ori had apologised over and over again for giving Kili the dare, so earnest and honest that Ovila couldn't be angry at him and she knew he'd probably expected Kili's biggest secret to be something silly to do with girls or kissing. She did have to shake Ori to make him stop apologising to her, but he'd stopped in the end and accepted her apology.
The happiness that Ovila had once exuded was now gone with her night time trips to the training grounds firmly stopped by her parents. She worked at the butcher's, went home, ate, and went to sleep. It was a dull routine that she despised with all she had, but there was no getting around Thondi or Baltil, even with Calim's and Chalrim's help. Her axes were still hidden behind a portrait on her wall and she sometimes got them out at night, just to hold them. Their weight was reassuring in her hands and she loved the feel of them as she curled her fingers around the smooth leather of the hilts. It was a comfort that she still could, that one thing hadn't been taken away from her, and she made sure to pack the axes when she was taken on the annual livestock fair in the town of Men about two days from Belegost.
"Are you ready?" Thondi asked as Ovila left her room and shouldered her pack. The younger Dwarf female gave a brief nod and Thondi glanced over the practical travelling wear and the blonde hair coiled into a braided bun out of the way. "I trust that you'll keep out of trouble," was all Thondi said and Ovila shrugged and left the house.
The meat was all salted and hung in a sheltered wagon, which was being pulled by the loyal, family pony, and Ovila patted the little pony's head fondly. She slipped him an apple, then pulled herself up onto the seat beside Baltil and he nodded silently to his daughter. The journey would be long and tense and awkward with the father and daughter still not talking properly and Baltil glanced at Ovila from the corner of his eye. She was thirty-four, still just a girl, but nearly physically mature and she thought she understood the world. She didn't understand that, if she publicly practiced with weapons, she would be shunned even more than she already was. Women in Dwarf culture were rare and, so, extremely protected by the males. For her to step out of that mould, to want to fight for herself, to not want the protection of her father, brothers, and, later, husband, wasn't to be done and she just didn't seem to grasp that.
Thick silence fell over the father and daughter and no words were spoken as they left Belegost and the journey to Bree began. Baltil had wanted to attempt to mend the relationship between himself and Ovila, which was why he'd brought her along rather than one of the twins. He loved Ovila, loved her more than he could say, and all he wanted was for her to be safe. It wasn't that she looked delicate, but she just looked like a small human girl because she didn't have a beard and people would try to take advantage of her, he was sure. She needed to just understand that she couldn't just do what she wanted and expect no repercussions. She knew that he and Thondi disapproved of her learning to use weapons and she had gone behind their backs. It was that, he supposed, that hurt more than the fact that she was disobedient, because she had never hidden things from them and had always been very upfront and honest. She hadn't blatantly lied, but she had deceived them and it hurt.
Very rarely were words passed between them, only when they stopped for the night to camp, and they settled in the alcove of a rock face. They started a fire to cook over and Baltil took charge of the cooking, while Ovila prepared the ingredients. They were still sat in silence and, as Baltil cooked, Ovila went to see to the pony. She rested her head on his neck as he snuffled at the sugar cubes she held in her palm and he whickered at her fondly. A slight smile curved her lips as she ran her fingers through his scruffy, black mane and the piebald pony snorted when the sugar cubes ran out. That made her smile grow a little and she pressed a kiss to his velvet nose. He butted her in the chest and she chuckled softly on her way back to the fire to eat the finished stew. She sat opposite her father, hugging the wooden bowl to her chest to keep warm on the chilly, autumn night, and Baltil sighed slightly.
Before a single word could pass his lips, a howl pierced the night and ice shot down their spines.
Okay, two things to address. The first, I don't actually know how Dwarves celebrate the new year, or if they even do, but I needed them to for the sake of my story, so they do. The second is whether or not Bree holds an annual fair and I don't know if there is a livestock fair, but as with the new year celebrations, there is in my story.
As always, thank you everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and put this story on alert and favourites ;)