Kili's Journal, 3rd Entry (Translated from Dwarven Runes)
Continued from last entry.
I was very late getting up the next morning, so late in fact, that Fili had already dealt with the needs of the ponies and Hilda's horse by the time I entered the common room. Fili and Nori were sat at the same table from the night before. Hilda was nowhere to be seen. A glance out of the window was all I needed to know that were weren't going anywhere today. Both Fili and Nori looked like they had finished eating breakfast, a cold, lumpy porridge along with a mug of some foul tasting tea which the innkeeper's wife brought over when she saw me. I thought from the night before that the food in this place couldn't get any worse, but apparently, I was wrong.
I was just about to start when Nori asked me a question. "Late neet, last neet, was it?"
"Ah saw thee sneaking into the lassie's room last neet," Nori replied.
Fili looked at me gone out, so I thought I'd better explain.
"Nothing happened. We just played a few games of Hnefetafl," I replied.
"Sure tha did," Nori said.
"That's all we did," I said.
Nori laughed. "Ah'll believe thee, but the rest o' Ered Luin wouldn't."
Unfortunately, the innkeeper's wife over heard Nori's comments and she wasn't very happy about funny goings on under her roof. I guess it was pay back from catching him the day before. I was glad, for once, that Uncle Thorin wasn't around.
Later that day, Hilda and I went out to the stables. She wanted to see Crowberry, (I had learnt that was the name of the horse) and I needed to check on the ponies.
"I feel that I must apologise," I said as we were walking over to the stables. Trotter was running around in front of us, trying to catch the snowflakes that were falling.
"I'm not sure what you mean," Hilda said.
At least that meant that the old snap dragon (the innkeeper's wife) hadn't spoken to Hilda about last night.
"Nori saw me when I went into your room last night and couldn't keep his big gob shut about," I explained. "So I must apologise for bringing your virtue into question."
"But we really didn't do anything," she said.
"I know, but it just doesn't look like that," I said.
"We'd best not linger out here, then," Hilda said.
"Agreed," I replied.
"But it is Nori whose got the wrong idea," Hilda said.
"He's just having me on. It's payback for making him give back that money he tried to steal."
When we got to the stables, Hilda's horse whinnied at her. Trotter followed us in and laid down in the straw, looking like he belonged there. Hilda insisted on seeing to the ponies and I watched her.
"They appear to like you," I said.
"What are their names?" she asked.
"Mine is called Bungo and Fili's is called Rowan," I replied.
She went over to the strange horse which flattened its ears back and kicked at the door to its stall. Hilda backed away.
"He's not friendly," she observed.
"Let's finish up here and get back inside the inn," I said. I didn't like the way the horse was behaving and thought that the quicker we finished up the sooner the horse would be left in peace.