The battle was won, everyone was alive, but that didn't mean anything good. Quite the opposite. It meant that certain hobbit will be punished for stealing from King Thorin.
After the battle was won, Bilbo Baggins, small hobbit from the Shire tried to flee, but Dain's warriors were faster and they seized him before he could escape. Despite the protest of both Elves and Men, the Hobbit was taken back to Erebor and locked in a cell.
He was left there for a few days. He was given some water but no food. After being in the dark and without food, Bilbo Baggins wished for nothing more than death.
His wish came true when he was taken to the court. Thorin and Dain's gold sick advisers sentenced him to be beheaded at the dawn. Only few dwarfs in Erebor had a clear mind that wasn't clouded by greed and those dwarfs couldn't do anything to save the hobbit. Thorin's word was the law and if they didn't want to join the hobbit the next morning they had to remain quiet.
Bilbo shuddered when the sentence was delivered to him, but quickly accepted the fact that there was no way he could escape it. The night before he couldn't sleep, he prayed Mahal that Thorin would be a good king and that he would be fair to his people.
The dawn came too soon for Bilbo's liking. The guards came to get him, tied him up and dragged him outside. Bilbo couldn't look any of the dwarfs in the eyes while he walked past them. Everyone was quiet and stared at him, only Fíli and Kíli were sobbing quietly.
Bilbo took a deep breath, a few seconds more and his life would end, but that blasted wizard had a different idea. Gandalf came at the last moment and announced that Bilbo was with child. Bilbo knew this was possible since he was able to bear children and he and Thorin shared many nights together while Thorin's mind was clear, but this never crossed his mind. Thorin of course didn't believe a word the wizard said, but Balin thought differently. Children were the most precious treasure of the dwarfs and he managed to convince Thorin to postpone Bilbo's beheading.
A month later Bilbo started showing signs that he was with child. Still locked in a dark cell, the hobbit somehow got through his pregnancy without any trouble. He was given water and some leftovers. His light in the dark were the King's nephews Fíli and Kíli who smuggled some extra food, mainly vegetables, to the hobbit.
Bilbo dreaded the moment he would have to give birth. He was worried what Thorin would do with the child, but surprisingly the child was accepted without any questions asked. He, on the other hand wasn't treated that nicely. Few minutes after giving birth and still bleeding, he was thrown out of Erebor into the cold winter. By law he couldn't be killed due to the fact that he gave birth to a child, but no law protected him when the King took his child and banished him.
He somehow managed to get to the city of Dale where he collapsed out of pain and exhaustion. It took almost two months before Bilbo was healed enough to leave the bed. He was still in a lot of pain, but the wish to see his son was too strong. He was certain that Thorin will at least allow him to see his son and stay close to him, but he was never more wrong in his life. The moment he crossed the borders of Erebor he was beaten up beyond recognition.
When he woke up he was in Bag End with one of his cousins was nursing his wounds. He didn't remember how he got there or how long he was out, but now he was on the other side of Middle-Earth, far away from his son.
No one believed him when he told him about his baby and everyone was convinced that he was crazy. A few years later some comfort came in a form of his nephew Frodo who came to live with him after his parents died. Now Bilbo had someone to care about and the heart pain slowly faded away. But he never forgot.
64 years later…
Bilbo lived his almost to the fullest. He lived in Bag End with his nephew Frodo who he loved deeply, but his life was slowly ending. He was old now and he was bound to his bed. Frodo took care of him and Bag End. He could feel everyday how life was slowly leaving him.
When Bilbo least expected someone knocked on the door.
"Frodo, dear lad," called Bilbo, "Open the door."
"Yes uncle."
Frodo opened the door and he couldn't believe who was standing there.
"Hello," the stranger greeted. "Does Bilbo Baggins live here?"
Frodo was unsure what to say to the stranger who was asking for his uncle. "Hmm, yes he still lives here." Frodo wasn't sure if the stranger was a dwarf or a hobbit, but he looked like a mixture of both
The stranger spoke again. "Could I talk to him?"
Frodo looked skeptically at him. "I will have to go ask my uncle. Please come in."
The stranger stepped into the smial and Frodo closed the door before going to his uncle's room. "Uncle, there is someone who wants to see you."
"Who is it," Bilbo asked.
"I don't know. He didn't introduce himself."
"Let him in," said Bilbo with a raspy voice.
Frodo nodded before he left the room. He guided the stranger to his uncle's room. "He is in here. He is old, so go easy on him."
The stranger nodded before entering the bedroom.
Bilbo sucked in a breath when he saw who stepped through the door. It was almost like a young version of Thorin came to see him. "Hello Sir." Bilbo smiled at the young man.
"Come," Bilbo said and pointed to the chair next to his bed. "Sit."
"My name is Thráin," the stranger introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."
"No need to call me Sir. Please, call me Bilbo."
Thráin smiled. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead boy, ask," Bilbo encouraged.
"You see," started Thráin, "I have something and for years I've been wondering about a certain detail." He reached for his bag and pulled out a worn out leather book. It looked like it was read at least a million times. Bilbo's eyes widened when he saw the book. "I got this from my cousins when I was younger." Thráin opened the book. "There and back again. A hobbit's tale by Bilbo Baggins."
"Have you read it?"
"It's my favorite book," announced Thráin.
"And your father allowed you to keep it," asked Bilbo.
"No! He would kill me if he knew I had it. He doesn't know I'm here. The truth is that no one knows I'm here. You see, I was on the way to Ered Luin. I travelled there several times before and every time I had this book with me. I always wanted to ask you something, but there was never the opportunity for me to slip away from the caravan."
"Go ahead boy, ask," encouraged Bilbo.
"Did you write this book?"
"Yes," answered Bilbo. He left out the fact that he was writing it in a prison cell and that Fíli and Kíli smuggled it out.
"You didn't finish it though," said Thráin carefully. "I've read it a million times and I have a feeling that you were there when things happened, but you left out the ending. You stopped after the battle. I know what happened after the battle," continued to ramble Thráin, "But I want to hear you ending."
"I don't know how it ends," answered Bilbo. "I'm sorry."
"Oh," said Thráin visibly disappointed.
Bilbo was quiet for a minute. "It's your birthday today," he said quietly.
"Yes. How did you know?"
"I got lucky, I guess. Can I hug you?"
Thráin nodded before slowly getting up from the chair and hugging the old hobbit. The emotions he felt couldn't be described. He felt so loved and welcome it was hard to let the old hobbit go after a few minutes. He wanted nothing more than to climb with the hobbit in the bed and hold him close. He felt like he could make all his problems disappear.
"Happy birthday, Thráin."
"Thank you," smiled Thráin. "For strange reason this means so much to me." He played with the book in his hands for a moment before speaking again. "I know that it's a hobbit tradition to give presents to others so I want you to have this."
Bilbo accepted the book with shaking hands. "Thank you. You have grown up into a dwarf worthy of his name."
"Thank you," smiled Thráin. "I wish that my father would feel the same."
"I'm sure he does. Thorin just has some trouble expressing his feeling."
"How did you… never mind. I should go now. I don't want to get my guards in trouble. My father would kill them."
"It was nice meeting you, Thráin."
"It was nice meeting you too, Bilbo. Enjoy your day," Thráin said before he left.
"Enjoy your day, son," whispered Bilbo after Thráin left.
It was two months later when Thráin come to Bag End again. The caravan was returning to Erebor and he wanted to see Mister Baggins again. He didn't expect what he found. Bilbo Baggins passed away and Frodo was now the owner of the hobbit hole and he welcomed Thráin in his home. He told him that Bilbo passed away shortly after he left and he took him to his grave.
A Hobbit, Burglar and a Father, was written on the tombstone.
"I never understood why he wanted this written, but I did what he asked me to do. It was his last wish after all."
"It's sad that he is gone," said Thráin.
"I think that his time in this world was over," said Frodo and placed some flower on his uncle's grave before inviting Thráin in for some tea and cookies. "He left you something, you know. He said that if you ever came by again I should give it to you." Fordo disappeared for a minute before returning with a wrapped packet.
Thráin accepted the packet and tore the paper away only to reveal the book he gave to Bilbo two months ago. "It's my book," observed Thráin and quickly went through it. When he lifted it up a note fell out.
Just because we couldn't be together that doesn't mean I didn't love you.
Thráin's heart clenched at the words. He understood the hidden meaning of them. He quickly opened the book at the end and read.
And he lived happily ever after...