The streets in the Town of Bree were narrow winding dirt paths with adjacent ally ways filled with garbage and clutter. The sent of animal waste filled the air from trampled horse and cattle dung. Despite this, people of many races milled about from building to building for Bree was a center of business and a way station for weary travelers looking for rest and food.
Many of the businesses catered to all travelers, Men, Dwarves, elves and hobbits alike could find their needs tended to in inns to clothing shops. Bree was far from a center of culture like Gondor, for there were no kings in Bree, just merchants, tradesmen and farmers peddling their merchandise in hopes for cooper, silver or gold. Still, it was a very important place to Dwarves because they did good business.
To a young dwarf like Fili, The dull brown wood buildings and the dung covered streets of Bree were a welcoming place. There were no suspicious looks, or questions concerning his dwarvish nature. Dwarves were a familiar accepted sight in Bree, even in the inns and markets.
The Markets themselves were pleasant loud gatherings of booths with colorful tarps and flags filled with toys and tasty sweet treats that any child could want. They even had a puppet show put on by a hobbit from Buckland, who was a masterful story-teller.
But he wasn't a young child anymore, Fili had to remind himself of that. He was twenty now, though in human years, it was little more than 15 or so, he was considered capable of pulling his own and help out with adult responsibilities and chores, Though he wasn't old enough to fight in war, he would have to wait until his 80s for that.
A young human girl and boy ran by them, giggling merrily as they waved two painted carved dragons. Fili couldn't help but watch and wonder where they had bought them. The workmanship looked familiar, perhaps Bifur the toymaker was in town that day, and that mean they Kili would insist on visiting and beg for a toy.
Fili couldn't help but notice Kili looking after the kids and nudged him with his elbow. "Ma says there is no money to buy toys today, do you understand?"
At the human equivalent of 12 Kili pouted. "Mister Dwalin never buys toys anyway. Why can't we be with Mister Balin he always goes soft for the big eye trick."
Mister Dwalin was the tall, sturdy, older, muscular,dwarf with a raven black Mohawk,a beard and a angry face, escorting them though the market. He dressed in furs and leather and was menacing with all sorts of weapons hanging over his body. In the past, Fili debated if the dwarf was scarier than Uncle Thorin, but after careful consideration, decided, Dwalin had a soft spot for them because he played with them when they did well after morning sparing.
"I heard that laddie, focus on what we are here for, no toys, pastries or puppet shows, we're here for camping supplies." Dwalin's gruff voice reminded them.
Fili nodded in understanding. Today's market trip wouldn't be any fun, thought Fili as they passed by a stand were there was custard filled pastries on display. His stomach grumbled but not as loudly as Kili's.
"I'm hungry." Kili said predictably while he stared at the passing pastries. He jogged up to Dwalin's side. "Can we have a custard bun? Please…. You can get one too…. I know you love ma's!"
"No." One gruff word sent Kili back to his brother's side behind Mister Dwalin.
"It was worth the try." Fili told his brother. "And very cleaver to remind him of his stomach. He does like them, but Ma probably bribed him with an entire batch if he gets all the supplies and us out of the market before lunch."
Kili's gaze followed another group of children running by, they were about 12, and taller larger than both of them. The boy huffed and folded his arms. "We can't even play today."
"They'll just tell you to play with the toddlers again." Fili reminded him. "And then you will get mad and start another fight, Kili."
"Maybe this time it will be different. They know I'm a dwarf now. Once they get to know me, they don't mistake me for a human."
It was unfortunate for Kili, who had no beard, and was slender as a whip for dwarf standards, was often mistaken for a human child. Fili felt sorry for his brother, and hopped it wouldn't continue, he couldn't imagine the embarrassment of it happening when Kili was Dwalin's age. Fili often admired his brother though, the boy sported the long dark haired their deceased grandfather and very much took after their Durin ancestors, well save for the slender facial features and lack of beard, but that could change in time. Fili already had his facial fuz, faint as it was and he was just twenty.
"So what kind of supplies will we need?" Fili asked, aware Dwalin expected them to treat the trip to the market as one of his lessons.
"Rope, dried and salted meat, bread, some cheese, sleeping rolls…"
"Meat pies?" Kili ventured as he craned his neck to see another vender putting out some mutton pies with potatoes. "They keep pretty well."
"Meat pies are not for camping out in the field." Dwalin said with a hint of regret in his voice. "And stop trying to tempt me lad, you're mother will have our hides if I spoil your lunches."
Fili jumped in. "Pardon me, Mister Dwalin but it is a bit distracting to be in the market, and you know how difficult it is for Kili to pay attention and not think of his stomach, he is a child after all…"
"But I can pay attention perfectly well with this… It's out first real grown up task brother, I'm all ready to focus." The dark haired dwarf wrinkled his smooth brow and gave Fili a glare. "I'm not a baby anymore." His signed in iglishmêk.
"Aye, it is distracting though." Dwalin admitted, ignoring Kili's defense. "Can't say I blame you. All the pies have my belly grumbling…."
"But mother will have our hides." Fili reminded. "And it would be unfair if you bought some and we couldn't have any."
"We could always not tell mother and eat all our lunch." Kili ventured. "Than she'd never know."
For a moment, Fili considered that Kili was on to something, but it was short lived when Mister Dwalin grunted. "And that would be lying by omission. "
Kili puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. "Guess so… Just that I'm still starved and keep being tempted by all the cakes I am now seeing…"
To say his younger brother was persistent was an understatement. Fili covered his face with a hand and sighed into his fingers, ahead of him, Mister Dwalin grunted. "You're gett'n nothing, so deal."
With that, Mister Dwalin, continued his trek though the market, to various booths in search of flint and tinder boxes as well as other snare building and camping supplies.
It was going to be a long, boring, and miserable morning.
"So, you're tell'n me you'll be out on yer own for the first time on a hunting trip lads?" Said Mister Bofur as he sat in front of his cousin's toy booth looking down at the two dwarf children.
It was a colorful booth painted red and blue with a matching tarp over the roof. Displayed on the stands were tucked under the tarp, with an opening so children could enter and handle the toys. Displayed were a variety of toys, some were lions, knights, horses, and dwarven warriors, and other wonders of the forest but most were monstrous frightening things like Orcs, olifants, dragons and trolls.
Sitting on a stool at a workbench sat a grizzled black haired dwarf with a whittle and wood in hand and the head of an axe imbedded in his head: which you never ever asked about because it was rude. He was frightening to look at, but Fili never really cared. Bifur made the best toys.
Bofur, Bifer's cousin, sat at the entrance of the booth. He was a miner by trade, but often helped his cousin run toy booth because of his affable nature and Bifer's lack of a verbal vocabulary.
With a pipe in hand Bofur puffed away at a sweet scented tobacco. Unlike his cousin, Bofur was a talkative fellow and sometimes told stories to children in the market. He always wore a smile, and wore a funny fur lined hat with earflaps that stood stiffly up on end. His long brown hair was braided into two pigtails in the front, a third braid in the back and his cheeks were pink and always full with a wide grin.
Mister Dwalin asked Bofur to watch over the brothers while he went to the pub to fetch what he said was some provisions for the camp. Fili was certain it was a barrel of ale. They were still brewing their own since they ran out a week a ago, and grownup dwarves drank a lot of ale so it was best not to wait or go without until it was done. All the best songs came from ale according to Mister Dwalin and Mister Balin. It loosened dwarves tongues and opened them to the heart of Mahal.
"For the week." Added Kili, the raven-haired dwarf sat on a barrel beside the toy booth and played with a carved warg. Bofur's cousin Bifer created some of the best toys, monstrous as they were, both Fili and Kili loved to pay with them. "And we have to make our own snares and traps with branches and twine, I'm the best at that because I have tiny skinny fingers."
He made good traps too, but instead boasting, Fili studied the toys, and tried to tell himself how he was too old for such things but couldn't help but study one of the treelike men sitting near a dragon. It was an ent with willow like branches and a carved face formed by carefully whittled bark. Fili always wanted an Ent to play war with, but they just hadn't enough money to spend on toys in the past. Instead Uncle Thorin provided them with wooden swords to learn to use for future battles. "I get to bring my sword too." Fili said absently. "Kili is too young yet to use a real one."
"But I am bringing my bow, maybe we can bring home a deer, that would feed the camp for a few nights. Or better yet, a bear."
"We are to bring home rabbits, weasels, and quail, no bears Kili, we would need a grown up to hunt bear." Fili reminded his younger brother.
"Aye, there is no need to impress me lad," Bofur added. "I've known you since you've been a wee little one, and you'll always be the imp who locked the goats in Mrs's Orchard's fruit stall."
"But it was hungry and I was very young." Kili explained. "I wouldn't do it again."
"I would imagine not after the beating your father gave you." Bofur replied. "Couldn't sit for a week I remember and you had to clean out the goat stalls for Mrs's Orchard too."
Fili repressed a laugh at Kili's perplexed expression. "Kili? No, he's a perfect little dwarfling, never gets into any trouble I say…"
" You helped brother." Kili replied.
"But it was your idea." Granted, they both did think the animal was hungry, but it was a small goat and neither thought it would decimate the fruit stand the way it did. Despite the pain of the lashing, thinking about it in hindsight amused Fili. Though it appeared Kili disagreed. Fili blamed it on age, these things got funnier as you grew up and looked back on how fool hearty you were as a child.
"Now, since neither of your have gotten into any trouble, how about I tell you a story while you are waiting?"
Behind the work bench Bifur looked up and grunted. He signed to his brother with hand and arm gestures in iglishmêk, and Fili only caught part of it. Bifur requested a story he thought appropriate for the boys.
Bofur grinned at that and leaned over the counter. "Bifur wants me to tell you the story about the forging of Nauglamír and the great war between dwarves in the elves."
Fili had a feeling there was a moral to this one, Bofur never told stories with out them and sometimes his stories were as twisted as Bifer's toys, but always fun nonetheless.
"Once upon a time there was a most beautiful jewel that captured the light of the stars and was forged by greatest elven artisan that ever lived, not to be compared to any Dwarvish artisans who, by the very nature of being dwarves make greater crafts by nature. Now this jewel being so beautiful caused all sorts of strife for the elves. For anyone who saw it wanted it or would go great lengths to keep it."
Bofur drew a breath and meet the gazes of the two boys. Fili just nodded, what sort of jewel caused so much trouble? It almost reminded him of the stories Uncle Thorin told him about the Arkenstone, the great treasure of his great, great grandfather Thror. Eager the boy moved closer to the miner to hear what was next. "Now, over the years, this jewel was stolen by the evil one himself, and obtained with great cost by a man and his bride to be, daughter of the great elven lord Thingol."
"You mean the fallen one?" Kili asked in awe. "This is an old tale indeed. We've not heard tales of elves and their dealings with the dark lord. Uncle Thorin says there is nothing good of elves."
"Aye, you're uncle don't trust elves, but the truth is, not all of them are bad, and most of them fought against evil in those early days. I'm not saying your uncle is wrong to distrust them, they all suffer from the same pride and greed that ails us and but like there are petty and evil dwarves there are good and fair elves like the daughter of Thingol, but this story is about the Dwarves and their dealings with Thingol, and how blind greed can lead anyone astray." Bofur confirmed but hesitated. His attention drifted to the streets beyond.
Frowning, Fili followed his gaze and recognized Dwalin lumbering though the crowed market carrying a large sack over his shoulder and a barrel under his arm. "I trust they've been behaving themselves?" He asked when he arrived.
"Aye, like wee little angels they've been. Though it might be difficult to part Kili with that there warg." Bofur gestured to the toy.
"Mister Bofur was telling us a story." Kili added. "And yes, I can part with it, Ma said we had no cooper or silver and won't until we get to market and sell some crafts." He carefully placed the warg on display next to the other creatures and jumped to his feet.
This down right puzzled Fili, because Kili often asked at least twice when he wanted something and Fili knew he wanted the warg because Fili wanted the Ent and they were still young and liked toys.
Dwalin lowered the sack and reached down to scruff Kili's hair. "Good boy, I suppose it will do no harm to stay till the end of the story, would it?"
A grin split Kili's young face. "Hear that Fili, we can hear the rest of the story because we're behaving."
Hearing a story was better than nothing, and this one was about elves too, Fili thought. Was it possible Kili was being cleaver in that way? He knew there would be no toys, but staying long enough to hear a story would make their trip to the market worthwile. Fili could not argue with the logic.
Mister Bofur appeared delighted. "Well then, where were we?"
"The elven king." Both boys said in unison and waited eagerly for the rest of the story to begin.