Bilbo, most of the time, felt extremely disappointed with himself, usually finding the eternity of the waters of the shores prettier than the buildings, gardens and places in Valinor, the land of the Valar. It was an honor to be able to live there, but no honor in the world was able to make Bilbo forget.
He would never see his friends again, for he was told that dwarfs, upon their deaths, did not come to Valinor, but went to the great halls with the one they called Mahal, and would stay there until the end of time. Only at that, the Valinor residents would meet the great hall ones and finally Bilbo would be able to reunite with them.
But the end of time seemed far, far away, and he did not want to wait. After all, days and nights passed just like in Middle Earth there, even if they did not grow old. The days came and went and after he had gotten used to all of it, he couldn't simply pretend he felt fine there.
Sometimes – and he knew the Valars could sense it – he wished he had stayed in Middle Earth and died there as a common hobbit, or in a great adventure, filled with honor and pride, to be remembered.
He knew he had another part in the whole story that was life, but he resented it.
Bilbo did not tell Frodo. After all, Frodo was all fine with the life he had. He loved the elves they had met, the Valars, he learned something every day and got even happier when Legolas and Gimli arrived after a few years. So, the older hobbit approached the Valars one day, with a wish. He did not feel worthy, and if they thought the same, they would say so.
"That, my dear hobbit, is a very serious, no turning back wish" Este, the Gentle, said softly, staring down at Bilbo with the sweetest eyes that he had ever seen. The others agreed, staring down at the small creature.
"No one has asked this to us, ever before" Namo, the Judge, added, voice firm and as deep as the darkness. Bilbo nodded to them, his hands and legs shaking.
"I know, I know. I do not wish to disrespect. This place is more than any hobbit or creature deserves, and I am blessed. However, I cannot be happy here, away from my dearest friends. If you cannot attend my wish, then please allow me to die as any other" he asked, kneeling in front of the Valar and bowing his head. "I cannot handle more of this pain"
"We will see what we can do" said Manwe, the king of the Valar, after a moment of silence. "If Eru authorizes, we shall grant your last wish. But keep in mind that it will be the last. One of us cannot undo what fourteen once did"
"I will. I will. Thank you" he said, bowing once again before rushing away from the great halls of the castle. He sat by the shores once again, wishing that he could return, and waited for his answer. For three days or so, the Valar did not speak of it. In the fourth day, they called him, and he met them by the tree of the sun.
"Eru made the decision. We are allowed to do as you please" Varda, the Queen, said with a sweet smile on her lips. Bilbo swallowed thickly and nodded to her. "Are you sure you wish for this, Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit?"
"More sure than anything, my lady" he said, and with a soft laugh, she raised her hands. The other thirteen did it as well, quietly whispering in a language that Bilbo would never comprehend. Suddenly, he felt his body becoming light, and everything disappeared in front of him. When he blinked his eyes, and looked around, he was somewhere way darker than Valinor, with wooden floors, walls made of stone, ceiling made of stone, and torches that lit it all up.
He felt as if he was back at Erebor again.
Suddenly, one of the Valars appeared. Aule was his name, and he was huge. Bilbo's height barely reached his knees. The Valar kneeled in front of him, smiling, and gently placed one finger over Bilbo's head.
"Hello" he said, and Bilbo swallowed thickly, nodding. "Welcome to the place for the people I created. These are the Great Halls of the dwarfs. But you are no dwarf. You lived in Valinor, with my brothers, and now you are here. I wonder why" the Valar said, and Bilbo just sighed.
"I was unhappy in Valinor. All my friends are here" he said, and Aule laughed, deeply, before nodding slowly and tilting his head.
"Tell me, who are your friends?"
"The company of Thorin Oakenshield" Bilbo said, with no hesitation, and the Valar laughed deeply, loudly, the sound resonating on the walls of the Great Halls. Then, he nodded for Bilbo to follow, which he did, the faster he could, trying to accompany his steps. They soon reached a huge wooden door that read 'Durin's Kin'. Bilbo was told to stay outside as Aule walked in and talked. He could hear several people talking, laughing and yelling inside. His insides growled in excitement and anxiety, and only then he realized he was back to his old body, when he was fifty, and no longer one hundred and thirty. It felt great, to be young again.
He was admiring his old body when Aule walked out, followed by a dwarf that resembled Thorin in many ways. He seemed older, however, so Bilbo had the decency to wait for the man to introduce himself. The dwarf and the Valar talked in front of him in what he could only guess was ancient dwarvish, before the dwarf gasped and ran to him, hugging him tightly.
"Bilbo Baggins, my boy!" he said, and Bilbo hugged him back awkwardly, smiling a bit. "I have heard so much of you, my lad! Never thought I would see you so soon. I suppose you are, like my son said, unpredictable"
"T-thank you, sir" Bilbo mumbled, and the dwarf moved away, gasping once more, a smile on his face.
"Sorry, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! I am Durin, the first of the Longbeards!" he said, and Bilbo's eyes widened. He was face to face with one of the most important dwarfs that ever stepped in Middle Earth. "Well well... While I am surprised to see you, it seems only fair that you are the first non dwarf to enter this realm, after one of my own left to Valinor with his best elf friend. Come, come! We are feasting! My sons will be so happy to see you!" the king of the kings under the mountain said, pulling Bilbo with him inside the huge wooden doors. Aule watched in silence with a smile, and soon the hobbit found himself inside a place that reminded him a lot of Erebor, with a huge table where several dwarfs – more than thousands – sat, drinking and eating like there was no tomorrow. At Durin's entrance, nothing changed, but the dwarf pushed Bilbo behind his back and yelled just like Thorin had in that first dinner at the hobbit's house.
All the dwarfs got quiet and stared back at him.
"I, Durin, the father of the Longbeards, am here toannounce the arrival of a new member of this kin, this halls and this lifetime" he said, and all dwarfs cheered for a few moments before getting quiet again to receive their new member. "I think several of you know him here. Say hello to Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit" he said, stepping aside and letting Bilbo be seen by all of the dwarfs on the table.
Silence filled the hall.
Then, yells of joy, as two dwarfs jumped up from their chairs.
"UNCLE BILBO" they yelled, running all the way as the others started cheering again. Fili and Kili ran to him, each from one side, and jumped over him, making him gasp before he started laughing and hugged them back. It didn't take long for the rest of the company come forward, all of them hugging Bilbo as tightly as they could, sometimes leaving him breathless. All of them were there, and Bilbo was both happy and sad for it, but he understood. It had been probably a very hard life without their king and princes. With no heir, a throne cannot continue.
The last one to arrive was Thorin, walking slowly from the edge of the table, where the old kings sat, closer to Durin himself. He came to the hobbit, seeming confused but very, very happy. He stopped in front of Bilbo and stared.
"You were in Valinor" he said, slowly, quietly, in a way that Bilbo hadn't heard in a long time. Thorin's voice was soothing. "Why are you here?"
"Valinor didn't feel like home" Bilbo said, slowly, giving Thorin the most honest smile he had ever given to anyone. "This feels like home. You feel like home"
And no lifetime of goodness in Valinor could ever be worth the smile that crept up in Thorin's lips, as all the dwarfs from all the ages cheered in his name.