Trip to the Shire

Keldean hasn\'t been terribly social so far on the trip. He spent the first week or so almost completely despondant, wallowing in his own broken heart and misery. Finally he began to come around, at least so far as not ignoring people when they try to talk to him. He\'s been getting his work done, uttering little complaint and focusing as best he can. Torebras leveled some heavy threats about him not causing any more trouble and they seem to have done the trick.

It\'s the end of the day and Keldean is busy tending to Nob\'s pony, rubbing it down and seeing it fed. The boy has grown in the last few months, gaining an inch or two of height, and has a dark summer tan from hours spent out in the sun.

[Conall(#26314)] Walking around the campsite and staring at the sky and smiling comes Conall, pipe already in hand and smoking. He sees the young boy and levels his eyes at him. However, he seems to ignore Keldean by turning his back and looking up at the sky once again.

\"I love the Shire. You can tell why we live here. Hmm...only problem is, I want to see mountains. Next time the dwarves of Erebor come through Bree, I think I will leave with them,\" says Conall after a long pull from his pipe.

Keldean looks over at Connall, frowning. \"They wouldn\'t let you go with them before.. do you think they would a second time? There are trolls along the road, and the rangers..\" He pauses in brushing the animal down, waiting for the hobbit\'s answer.

[Conall(#26314)] \"Rangers are nothing to worry about boy, and you would know that had you stayed on the right side of the law. And as for the trolls, I will deal with them. Also, I don\'t care even if I get to Erebor, just somewhere east. Maybe Rivendell, and speak with Master Baggins, or to the lands of Dale.\" Conall looks sternly at the boy.

\"How would you handle a troll? I got in a fight with one and it could pick me up with one hand!\" Keldean swipes the brush along the pony one more time, then tosses it into the cart with the other supplies and rubs his hands on his pants. \"It was huge. As tall as a tree.\"

[Conall(#26314)] \"You avoid them. Thats how you handle them, plus my little friend, I am a hobbit and we are fairly good at hearing, seeing, and sneaking. You are a tall folk, making you bumbling, loud, and poor sighted.\" Conall smiles and takes a long drag.

Keldean crosses his arms slowly, still frowning but not reacting too strongly to Conall\'s assessment. \"You\'d think differently if you -saw- a troll..\" He mutters quietly, moving to sit down in the grass.

[Conall(#26314)] \"Listen, Keldean, you may not like how we treat you or how I treat you. But atleast I\'m honest and open about my feelings that your a criminal and have gotten off with a slap on the wrist. So do me a favor, if ye have something to say, don\'t mutter.\"

Conall looks back up to the sky and shakes his head as he takes a pull.

\"Have you ever seen a troll?\" Keldean asks pointedly, looking right at Conall now, a challenging expression on his face.

[Conall(#26314)] \"No, but I tell ye, I never plan to. I\'ve heard stories about them, but even if I leave for Erebor and I come across one and it threatens the lives of those around me, I will gladly sacrifice myself to save \'em.\" Conall takes a long pull and blows to smoke rings.

\"I think you would understand better if you saw how big they are..\" Keldean says, not rising to the discussion like he might normally. \"And I\'m not a criminal.\" He adds, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

[Conall(#26314)] \"You stole Nob\'s Wagon, ye went off with that harlot, and you know what, I just don\'t trust ye. There have been strange dealings and a murder in Bree since you and she showed up. So if yer not a criminal, ye aided one, making ye just as bad as one.\" Conall turns around and looks at Keldean, \"You know you should feel thankful that we didn\'t hang ye by yer toes or drown ye in te Brandywine, or even worse, shun ye and ban ye from Bree forever. Then we\'d see who\'d meet a troll.\"

If Conall was looking to get the teen worked up, he accomplished it. Keldean opens his brown eyes wide and gapes at the hobbit. \"She\'s not a harlot! And that murder was before I ever got to Bree! You.. \" He clenches his hands into fists, \"You don\'t even know what you\'re talking about! I\'ve never done anything to you, and neither did Cordelia. It\'s because of people like you that she left!\"

[Conall(#26314)] Finally whipping around, Conall\'s eyes are red and bloodshot, \"Look at what she turned you into! What about the dwarves Keldean? Who taught you te hate them? What about that dwarf that died that got blamed on that man? How about Seeker\'s disappearance? I know more than ye think boy. I see things, I notice things. Cordelia is a strange woman, who is too old for ye in the first place, and I suspect that at times she was involved in some of the weirder things in town. You want to know something Keldean...I wished at times that the Mayor had been more stern with you. You don\'t even seem to recognize yer mistakes. You don\'t even recognize that stealing that wagon was wrong. Ye\'ve learned nothing, NOTHING!\" Conall clenches his left hand into a fist and the unclenches it.

Keldean draws back when Conall turns anger back on him. \"I don\'t hate the dwarves. That dwarf that was killed died before I came to Bree..\" He answers, growing more defensive in tone. \"And I brought the wagon back! It\'s not as if I sold it for money or anything.\" He furrows his brows, growing frustrated, \"What do you mean, \'what she turned me into\'? What are you talking about?\"

[Conall(#26314)] \"She\'s turned ye into a wimp instead of a man. Thats all I have to say about that.\" Conall walks up to a soft patch of grass and sits down with his pipe, which he smokes and pulls angrily. He then lays back and stares at the sky.

You say, \"What?!\" Keldean exclaims, loud enough now that the pony shifts nervously behind them. \"I\'m not a wimp!\" He pushes to stand up, fists still clenched tightly. \"You think that I couldn\'t fight someone if I wanted to??\"\"

[Conall(#26314)] \"Being a man isn\'t beating someone up. Its taking yer punishment with humility and acceptance. Not blamin\' others fer yer lot, or resenting them. Welcome to yer life, Keldean! Either deal with it like a man or go back te yer farm!\" Conall keeps his eyes on the sky.

\"Why am I here now?? I am doing what I\'m supposed to be! I\'m not getting paid for being here. Nob hasn\'t paid me in weeks, because the mayor told me I had to work.\" Keldean suddenly grows quiet, glaring down at the hobbit. \"I don\'t care what you think!\" He finally spits out, frustration and anger on his face. He turns, storming in the direction of the treeline.

[Conall(#26314)] \"And that is acting like a man,\" mutters Conall under his breath as a smile and a chuckle rises in his throat and he begins to laugh and sing, \"Oh where are ye going and what are ye doin, oh tralalalally way down in the valley.\"

Keldean isn\'t waiting around to hear a response. He\'s angry and disappears to take out his frustration on some poor log or stump. The poor pony will be mighty hungry when the teen finally remembers to feed him.

[Conall(#26314)] Thankfully, Conall sees the boy going and walks over to the horse and finds an oat bag and straps it to the horse, \"Here ye go, don\'t worry about te boy, he\'ll learn everntually.\"