Toy Horse

This takes place just after chapter 20: Society… Urgh. I don't think you need to read that first.

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Khayl left the market feeling exhausted. Prour practically dragged her along as they went, excited to be home after a long and boring day – well, for him it was at least. Khayl trailed behind, the wooden horse tucked securely under her arm as she went. Kíli was on Prour's other side and leading the little pony which seemed prone to chomping on every patch of grass that they passed.

They reached Aro's home and set the beasts free in the paddock, putting all the gear back in its rightful place and watching as Prour raced across the paddock to greet his other equine friends with a resounding whinny. The pony simply stepped in the gate and dropped its head to the fodder without paying a single thought to the others.

"I had fun today," Khayl said with a sideways look at Kíli who half-heartedly rolled his eyes.

"It was a terrible day, I'm sorry," he looked down trodden as he scuffed his boot in the dirt. "I meant for us to have fun, instead we discovered you had a fear of heights, I nearly got eaten by a wolf and –"

"Kíli," she interrupted him with a smile. "I had fun. Truly."

He simply looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Whatever you say."

"What I say now is goodbye, since there's a little dwarfling whom I have a gift for and I have to go about fixing it first," Khayl wagged the horse under his nose and he noticed it for the first time.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked, running a hand through the figurines soft mane.

"A toy maker, called Bofur. I dropped it, scratched it and said I would buy it in recompense. He kind of lost it at me," she said, half lost in the memory with a small, fond smile.

"Bofur's a good fellow, I've met him several times myself," Kíli told her as he looked back at her. "He's always up for a laugh."

"I do not doubt it. Now off with you, my friend," Khayl grinned, shoving him along the path before she turned towards the house.

"What? No hug?" she heard him call as she stepped inside. Khayl closed the door with a soft expression on her face. The dwarrowdam strode up the stairs, carefully keeping an eye out for Irisa, who was prone to bounding out of nowhere and scaring the living daylight out of one if they weren't careful. She crept into their room wedged the door shut before changing out of her filthy clothes and laying her bow and other weapons aside. Then she took up the horse and turned it towards the light, marvelling at the remarkable workmanship of the figurine.

Then Khayl took out a soft rag and swept it all over the body of the animal, wincing slightly as it rubbed over the deep furrow that marred the otherwise flawless body.

Khayl knew that Ira did some carving in her spare time and swept up the edge of the younger dwarrowdam's blankets to pull the little box out from underneath. Then she took the slightly rough stone and rubbed away the rough edges of the cut before putting some thick oil on the rag and wiping in all over. The mark immediately turned a very dark colour that almost perfectly matched the actual colour of the horse.

Reverently, Khayl then combed out the snarls and dirt in the toy's mane and tail. Once she was done and the horse looked as good as it was going to she slipped it under her own bed where it wouldn't be disturbed while it fully dried and replaced Ira's woodcarving tools.

With a self-satisfied and slightly anxious smile Khayl stepped out of the room with a last lingering look at her bed before closing the door.

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For three days Khayl oiled the horse, morning and night until the oil had dried and the marred wood remained the same dark colour. Then she polished it to a vibrant sheen, finding the whole ordeal amazingly cathartic.

But at long last it was done, and Khayl could proudly present it to little Irisa, who had been wondering for days while Khayl kept locking her out of their room.

"Irisa?" she called stepping into the kitchen with the horse stowed safely under a soft cloth. The dwarfling was standing beside her mother on a little step as she helped to wash that morning's dishes. "I have something for you. Are you done?"

"Yep!" the little one cried, hopping down and flicking her damp hands so that the water sprayed across the floor. Khayl suppressed a snort.

"Dry your hands properly or you're not getting it."

Irisa stuck out her little tongue before vigorously drying her hands on her little apron which caused her mother to sigh and roll her eyes. "Ready now!"

Khayl just smiled at the little one's mother who returned the look in a long-suffering kind of way. "Very well, but you must promise to take very good care of it."

"I will Khayl!" the dwarfling said fiercely, crossing one hand over her heart, or at least that was the intent since she mistook her stomach for her heart.

But Khayl took no notice set the horse on the table with a flourish, cloth and all. This prompted Irisa to leap up onto the nearest chair and reach out with reverent hands. Then in one swift motion she swept of the cloth and gasped as she beheld the horse which stood shining magnificently in the morning light that filtered through the windows.

"She's beautiful!" Irisa sniffled, little tears gathering in her enormous eyes. She ran her hand over the horse's body and straight over the gash without even looking at it. She stroked her fingers through the perfectly straight and clean tail. "Thankyou Khayl!"

Khayl grunted as the dwarfling leapt off her own chair and all but tackled the dwarrowdam who nearly fell backwards from the force of the hug.

"It is magnificent Khayl," Mila said, eyeing the spectacular piece. "Master Bofur's work if I'm not mistaken."

Now it was Khayl's turn to provide the long suffering look. "You know everyone. Is there even any point trying to keep a secret from you?"

"No, not really."

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Author's Note

I hope you like it! If you did, please read and review!