Bilbo loved the water. The fresh smell of wet ground, the warmth in the air in summer and cool breeze in winter. Ever since he was a little boy, if he had finished all his vegetables and brushed his teeth, he would run to the shore of the Bywater, and played elves and orcs with the little wooden figures his father made for him. Sometimes he pretended he'd go to the undying lands after having a big adventure, fighting evil creatures, helping knights and warriors. One morning,his father woke him up earlier than usual.

"Whoot iz it da?"

"It's your birthday,little one!"

Excitement spreaded through Bilbo, sleepiness leaving him with all the never-ending energy 5 years old give you.

"I have a present for you Bilbo" His father smiled to him, all love and amusement at the bouncing little halfling. "Get ready and come down, little one, hurry!"

He left the room after kissing his son, and Bilbo changed (or attempted to) into cleaner clothes. Before he went out his mother came in and after a hugging and kissing attack she helped her small son to change properly. "Are you excited sweet heart?"

"Aye!Am I gonn get zweets ma?"

"Yes honey!" Belladonna laughed, her child's own laughter warming her entire being.

They went out the hobbit hole they owned under a large hill, and met Bungo and Brim, Bilbo's older brother. The eldest son went towards his brother and hugged him tight.

"Happy birthday, ferret!"

"I'm not a fewet, geroffme!" Bilbo giggled into his brother's embrace.

The small family was making arranges, though Bilbo didn't know for what. He was growing restless, his father had said he had a present for him, yet he could see nothing that looked like one and everyone seemed too busy to make this day look like his birthday. Delicious scents came from the kitchen but his ma refused to give him sweets, his father and brother were packing stuff but they wouldn't stop to play with him. Bilbo sat on the bench in their front garden and pouted until Bungo took him in his arms.

"We're ready, little one, are you?"

"I wantz my present da!"

"Let's go for it then!"

The sun was set in the sky already, leaving the night behind while the Bagginses crossed the Shire towards the shore of the Lhûn River. Bilbo was shrieking with excitement when they went out of the Shire and their journey seemed further away than the usual strolls he took with his ma. The breeze was warm and it carried the smell of the food his mom carried in a basket and Bilbo wanted to get in it and eat all of it. Brim covered Bilbo's eyes and they lead him to his present.

"Open your eyes" Bilbo did and he gasped. A boat. A beautiful silver and white sailing boat, with sails the colour or Bilbo's eyes. In golden letters a huge "Bag End" was written in the front.

"Iz mine?!"

"Of course little one!" Bilbo was frozen in the spot with excitement and Brim had to carry him towards the boat. He was laughing loudly and Bungo set everything to sail the boat. It was the best birthday present Bilbo had ever gotten. His family with him, the clear water, whole new sights, Mountains and tall trees, around them. Bilbo felt warm and it wasn't because of the sun above. No,it was his family, his father wrinkled eyes with smiles, his mother's kisses and delicious honey bread, his brother's laughter while playing with Bilbo. He was scarcely 5 years old and Bilbo knew he needed nothing else to be happy. They spent the whole day in the boat, and when the sky was beginning to turn a caramel shade of pink, Bilbo pouting, they returned to the shore and to their hobbit hole.

It had been the most perfect day in Bilbo's life. And they had no day like that in many years.

The world was turning dark, and even if the hobbits were oblivious of the evil forming in the east, said evil knew well of every race in middle earth. They knew of the kind-hearted hobbits of the Shire, and they knew of the small acts of love that could draw evil away. So they would try and destroy the spirit of the hobbits, with evil magic they would make the Thain in turn to divide friendships and family bonds between te Shire inhabitants, they would make negotiations hard and working hours longer. Greed would make its way through the warm hearts of the hobbits. And Bilbo's parents, though never faltering in their love towards each other and their children, lost their bakery to the Thain and had to find whatever job that was available. They had to work for long hours, unable to have breakfast with their kids, or to help them with their homeworks, or to watch them grow up.

Brim and Bilbo had only each other and the brief glimpses of their parents at nights.

Soon, Brim was old enough to start working, so Bilbo was left alone, with his little boat and the Lhûn to cheer him up. He'd go to it when he finished his homework, his vegetables, and had brushed his teeth. He'd pretend he could sail to the undying lands with his family, all warmth and happiness like before, and never come back.

In the morning of his thirtieth birthday, his father's voice broke into his dreams of white sand and salty breeze.

"What is it da?"

"It's your birthday little one"

"It is, so?" Bilbo was used to waking up to find the house empty on his birthday, so his father waking him up this time scared him a bit. His brother had started working at the age of 33, and they money the three were making was little, so Bilbo's father could be here to tell him he had to work too, and he wouldn't be able to sail anymore, he would be deprived of the only happiness he had these days.

"I have a surprise for you, get ready quick!" Bungo kissed his son and left the room, leaving Bilbo confused and with his cheek burning. He hadn't received a kiss in such a long time, and a tiny spark of hope lit up in his heart.

He changed into clean clothes really quick and went out of his room to the smell of honey and cinnamon. His mother was in the kitchen, baking and putting sweet rolls in a basket. Her tired eyes smiled at him, and it even looked weird, for she hadn't done that in years. Brim and Bungo were packing table clothes and water outside and Bilbo couldn't help but bounce happily to help them. They would sail on Bag End, he knew it, and sure enough, when all was ready, they headed to the shore. Bag End sparkled in the sunlight, it looked as if it was happy to see the whole family ready to sail him again too. It's sails caressed Bilbo's cheek and he felt as if his heart would stop.

They went far into the River, laughing and sharing distant memories. Bilbo noticed with an aching heart how old and tired his parents seem. Age had creeped into their once young and full of life features too early. His brother's laughter once deep and substantial, as if you could touch it, sounded raspy and unreal. But he had them, for this once, the Thain ill and not able to punish the hobbits for skipping their jobs, he had them and he would take what he was given. They day was over sooner than later and they went back to their routine.

One day, Bilbo came back from school, he cooked his supper and made his homework, the dull ache in his chest too familiar to pay any mind to it. He brushed his teeth because his mother would never approve his teeth in other state than clean, and went to the shore to his beloved Bag End. He sat on the deck, looking towards the river mouth to the Grey Havens, sighing, trying to make out the smell of salt in the air.

A loud yell came from behind. Bilbo turned abruptly and almost fell because no one ever came to the shore anymore. A dark small figure was running towards him. Loud threats came from far behind and the figure fastened its pace. When it was nearer, Bilbo could make out that the figure was that of a boy, a dwarven boy, with long hair and sharp blue eyes, panting and carrying something heavy in his arms.

"I'M GONNA SKIN YOU WHEN I GET YOU BOY!" The threats were getting louder and nearer, and Bilbo was frozen, fear building inside of him.

"Help me!" the dwarven boy was suddenly next to him and Bilbo could only stare in surprise. The boy growled and mounted into the sailing boat, ducking quickly and pulling Bilbo down with him, covering both of them with the old sails. "Don't make a sound" he whispered, and Bilbo wasn't going to really, so he frowned at the boy .

They heard the man the threats belonged to come nearer, puffing and panting and cursing. They felt him look inside the boat and go away screaming murder to the air. They waited a bit longer until nothing but their breaths and the calm sway of the boat could be heard.

"Pfff that was near" the dwarven boy's voice was deep, and it made Bilbo 's breath hitch. "What are you still doing down there? He's gone!"

Bilbo frowned again and got up, not accepting the boy's hand, he could do it alone, thanks!

"Why was here in the first place?"

"I don't know, people are crazy these days!"

"Men do not come this far normally."

"Nor do Hobbits." said the boy mockingly.

"Well, no, but, that man was obviously angry, if promises of skinning you are proof of it, and I'm sorry if that makes me unwelcoming." Bilbo grunted at the boy, not really liking his tone, as if he was better than any living creature. Sure, he held himself high, even if he smelled strongly of fish and had many soot stains covering his robes, his hair not really helping, looking as if it could command the wind in a perfectly synchronized dance.

"He's a man, those folk are always angry"

"Are they?" Bilbo asked honestly curious and this made the boy laugh."What?"

"Are you serious?"

"I am"

"Well...you are...Have you never seen a man before?"

"In books, I have, why?"

"Have you ever been out of this place, Hobbit?"

"I've never needed to, is that a problem?"

"No, it's just weird" Bilbo frowned, yet again at the boy. "Hey, don't get angry, it's not my fault!"

"What's weird about it?"

"Everyone needs to go out! Even if you don't have a real purpose for it, you need to, to distract yourself, to escape!"

"Escape?From what?"

The boy stuttered."Why are you in this boat?"

"It's mine"

"Why don't you sail away?"

"Sail away where?"

"Oh, then, why don't you sell it?"

"I don't wan to"

"You are weird" Bilbo puffed. He wasn't weird, the boy was weird, with his long hair and his heavy boots.

"What are you doing here, dwarf?"

"Thorin" said the boy proudly, chin up and eyes glinting.

"What are you doing here, Thorin?"

Thorin smiled teasingly, and it didn't make Bilbo blush, it didn't really! "I came to get food"

"You came to fish?"

"No, I don't fish."

"Then?"

"I-" Thorin looked ashamed, and he turned his gaze down. "Well, we have no money! And my siblings need to eat!" He said in a tone that sounded as an excuse, as if apologizing to Bilbo.

"What did you do?" his voice was shaky, Dwarves were known to be violent after all.

"Don't give me that look, I didn't murder anyone!"

"Of course you didn't, but what did you do?"

"I-I stole fish or two, from the market. That man was the owner, and he spotted me."

"Oh" Well that wasn't that bad, was it? Bilbo knew things were hard everywhere, you didn't need to travel much to know it, and there was the dragon legend, that said one of the worms had taken away the Lonely Mountain from the great Dwarven King Under the Mountain. Bilbo didn't know if it was really true, it was mostly to scare hobbit children and keep them from leaving the Shire, but for all he knew, Thorin could be one of the many exiled dwarves living in Ered Luin. "Do you-do you need help cleaning the scales off?"

Thorin looked at him surprised "Yes,thank you"

"I'm Bilbo" he smiled warmly at Thorin, who smiled back looking as if he had been offered a Mountain for himself.

Bilbo went quickly to his house to take the tools to clean the fish. It was getting dark when they were done, and the time had gone so quick, both boys feeling so comfortable around each other.

"Thanks, Bilbo, you saved much work and a mess, my little brother and sister would have wanted to help me!"

"I'm glad I helped"

"I should head back, it's a bit far and they must be hungry and probably burning the house"

"Oh,um, sure" For some reason, Bilbo was disappointed and didn't want Thorin to go.

"Um"Thorin was hesitant and stuttered through his words, which looked weird in the dwarf's demeanor, the majestic Thorin radiated faltering quick under Bilbo's gaze."Do, er, do you, you know, come here much?"

"I do, every day"

"Oh, erm, and, do you think, it's ok if you don't want to, but, may I, come to see you?"

"Oh!" Bilbo blushed and shivered and couldn't help the ridiculous giggle that escaped his mouth."Yes, I would be happy that you did!"

Thorin's smile lit his face in the dark of the night. They climbed down from the boat and walked to the road that took them one to the Shire and the other to the Blue Mountains.

"See you tomorrow Bilbo!"

"Yes, see you Thorin"

Thorin lingered his gaze for a while before starting towards his home. Bilbo stayed there with his heart racing for a while and then left to the Shire. He went to sleep ignoring the heavy environment that settled in his house every night when his family got home. The aching in his chest lessened a little, he was smiling, he had something else to look forward to now.