A Tale of Time

Chapter 4: Strands of Hair

Chapter 4: Strands of Hair

Beorn as a human looks still as mighty as a bear. His large eyebrows almost mould into his hair, accentuating his long strong-boned face. But his eyes. Gailien can see the kindness behind them. They sit at a large table, her elbows resting on it sit level with her chest. Beorn had offered her a drink but after seeing the size of the tankard, she politely declines.

The company (par Gandalf) barely reach his hip bone and Gailien feels even smaller than usual. She stares at her arms which look like they could be his veins. How could she have ever thought she was strong when this man exists?

She scolded Thorin when they awoke as it did take her longer than she would have liked to fall asleep as her body could not settle with the constant buzzing of the bees. But it seems that she will have to get used to it as Beorn has agreed to let them stay for a few nights. They will replenish their stocks and let their bodies recover from the past few hard weeks and in return, the Dwarves will use their skills around the house – mending and crafting anything that Beorn requires.

"Not many travelling tradesmen around here," Beorn had said. It was quite an introduction they had with the man as the Dwarves arrived in pairs – Gailien and Bilbo being the first.

Gailien does feel bad, not proficient enough in any craft to be able to do anything and she fears that if she tries to help, she will only make it worse for whoever she does try to assist. But after expressing her lack of knowledge to the tall man, he asked her if she would be willing to help with the animals – feeding and grooming if they needed it. She readily agrees and he gives her a quick tour of what she will need to do. It is easy enough; hay once a day for the horses, checking them over for any bites or wounds. The larger livestock is fine on its own, but the chickens also need to be fed and couped up at night.

With Beorn ready to patrol at any time, the Orcs stay at bay, lying hidden beyond the tree line which allows the Dwarves to roam the property without worry of being attacked.

The horses are stunning. Black and white paints with feathered hooves and flowing manes. They are taller than the ponies they rode out from Bag End – she hopes Clove made it somewhere safe – but still smaller than a normal horse. Which reminds her to do her own hair.

She spends the morning with the horses, brushing them down and speaking Elvish to them which she finds more soothing to their ears than Common Tongue. Soon, lunch arrives and Gailien makes her way back inside. A few Dwarves are covered in dirt from their work.

"What have you boys been up to?" she asks the princes as they sit on the hay covered floor, eating a bowl of fresh stew. They are both sweaty, dirt smudges on their faces.

"Thorin was showing us how to forge a new lock for an iron gate," Kili says, gesturing to his head to Thorin who is at the table instead. "Haven't seen you all morning? What has he got you up to?"

"I've been helping around with the animals. And the company of horses is refreshing." She may or may not have snuck them out some apples from the small orchard to earn their favour. And she must say, it was frightfully easy compared to some of these Dwarves.

"I'm sure the others would love to hear that," Fili muses. "Preferring horses over them."

"They don't talk back," she smirks, taking a sip of her oversized mug. "And they are much easier on the eye to look at." The statement is true for the majority of the Dwarves, but she will not deny that there are a few handsome Dwarves among them.

"Now I'm just offended," Fili snorts.

"Don't worry brother," Kili sings, running a hand around Fili's shoulders. "It's just because we are so ruggedly good-looking that her Elvish eyes need a break."