"I know all of the edible and medicinal plants in Mirkwood, and most of those in the woods surrounding the lake, but I don't know anything about these open lands." Rhavaniel informed Kili.
"There's a good spot to look." Kili pointed.
They soon found wild leeks, and began to dig.
"I can put this in a stew with some of the venison, and I think you will finally like my cooking." Kili grinned.
Rhavaniel turned to a nearby plant with red stalk and yellow tufts. She rubbed the buds with her fingers, looking for familiarity in the scent.
"This grows in Mirkwood, but I have never seen it used."
"Mugwort." Kili told her, "Leave it. You can spice food with it, if you have nothing better, but mostly it's used to make a strong tea that kills parasites. We don't have any parasites, I promise. I cooked the meat through properly and everything else we've had has been clean and fresh."
"I did not know you were an herbalist." she said.
"I'm not. Not like Óin. But, every Dwarf knows a thing or two about cooking, and keeping healthy with what's handy. One time, when Fili and I were little, we lived a winter away from Blue Mountain. Bofur and Bifur and their near kin had agreed to sign up for stonecutting and blacksmith work in Rohan, and convinced quite a few of us to go along. They were building a grand new stable and needed all the skilled craftsman they could hire, even Dwarves. We thought there'd be good wages, and winter not as harsh as in Blue Mountain.
Not long after we Dwarrows got there, the Building Master decided to pay half our wages in food, and the food was bad. No grocer or butcher would sell to us, because they didn't want to get on the wrong side of the Building Master, or they were already in on the deal.
Snow had already come, so there was no trekking back. Our folk finished the job for half in gold and half in rotten cabbage and moldy bread. Mum had us all drink mugwort tea by the gallon so as not to get sick. We used to joke that's why Fili's so blond - mugwort started growing out of his head."
"I heard they had a good King in Rohan." Rhavaniel said quietly.
"As if a King knows the plight of the average blacksmith among his own people, let along the traveling labor. Did you ever have a chat with your King Thranduil about the outrageous cost of coal for the forge? I think not." Kili pointed out.
"I imagined that if the King was wise and ruled well, the proof was that the cost of coal and bread was reasonable for all." she pondered.
"That's how Uncle Thorin would have had it in Blue Mountain, if he could have. You can't provide for your people while in exile, and that weighs on him. Once we're...if we're ever back at Erebor, and Uncle Thorin was King Under the Mountain, you would not have to imagine what a good King looks like.
But back to Rohan. Uncle Thorin was in a rage the whole winter. 'They feed the horses better than us.' he'd grumble.
The Building Master rode around on a big sorrel, nasty as he was. It bit Fili once. Uncle Thorin got the Building Master back good, though. A well fed horse is pretty tasty, and we were promised food." Kili stood up, having filled the small sack with leeks.
Rhavaniel was almost speechless. Almost. "I see you smiling. You are merely teasing me."
"No." Kili assured her, "I'm smiling because after all these years, it's still funny."