Title: Frodo's Favourite
Summary: When Bilbo returns to Erebor his 7-year-old nephew in tow, Frodo latches onto the pretty blonde dwarf Princess. But no one ever suspects that she is also Bilbo's favourite.
Disclaimer: I do not own. Never will.
A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.
2nd A/N: This is another one of my Bilbo/OC romance fics. Please Read and review.
Bilbo Baggins had promised himself that he would always return to the Lonely Mountain, if only to see his friends again, now no less than a year after Smaug was slain did he return. This time with his nephew, Frodo, in tow. Frodo has lost his parents, Primula and Drogo, in a drowning accident just weeks before. Bilbo felt Frodo grasp his hand tighter as he took in the hall around him. He had been met at the gates by Nori, who had – after hugging Bilbo – sent one of the messengers inside to alert the Royal Family.
"There are two Dwarves who have eagerly hoped that you'd return one day. I'm sure you can guess who." Nori said as he stood to Bilbo's left in the entrance hall.
"I'm sure." Bilbo replied as he saw Frodo's head almost spin on his shoulders due to the sheer expanse of the hall. Suddenly a shout rang out from the top of the stone staircase to Bilbo's right.
"BILBO!" He turned letting go of Frodo's hand as both Fíli and Kíli grabbed him in a hug. Both boys were as Bilbo remembered them though less bloody and torn up. Another voice joined the fray.
"Master Baggins, such a pleasure to indulge in your presence." As a dwarf woman, devoid of beard and her long golden hair pulled back in braids, descended the stairs after the Princes.
"The same is to be said of you, My Lady." Bilbo replied. She waved away the bow he made and instead pulled him into an embrace. Bilbo had met the Princess hen he had helped reclaim Erebor and he had found out that the pretty Dwarf whom held that title was also Fíli's twin. Her gaze fell to the small creature now cowering behind Bilbo's legs.
"Oh, and who is this handsome little hobbit?" She crouched down to Frodo's level, "Hello, little one. My name is Karla." She said softly. Frodo seemed to hesitate for a moment before stepping out from behind his Uncle's legs a holding out his hand.
"My name is Frodo, I'm 7," he said, "and you're very pretty."
Karla pretended to blush, "Thank-you very much, Frodo. You are very handsome if I may say so." She said, tapping his small nose gently with her finger, "now I do believe it must be time to show our two guests to their room." Karla said; she made her way to the stairs, only pausing to make sure the hobbits were following her.
"Where's Thorin?" Bilbo asked as they made their way down several winding halls.
"His Royal Stubbornness is in a meeting. So you'll have to wait til supper to see him. He'll be delighted to see you and I'm sure he'll love Frodo." Karla said with a smile. Bilbo had met Karla only once before but he knew his manners, unless told otherwise she was 'my lady' or 'Highness'. Frodo of course was granted a pardon as he was too young to know.
It was later that night that Karla arrived at the door to lead the two Hobbits down to the dining hall. She told them that Thorin's meeting had finished and he was eager to see his old friend again.
"Uncle? Are you really friends with a King?!" Frodo was excited at the prospect of meeting a king, he'd read about what Kings were supposed to be like in Fairytales and his mother had told him many stories. Frodo was so eager that he wriggled in Bilbo's arms causing his Uncle to drop him, Frodo didn't make it very far though as he passed Karla she lifted him up and sat him up on her shoulders. Frodo giggled and settled as he sat up there. Bilbo smiled at least Frodo trusted her. They entered the dining hall and silence fell as eyes fell on the Hobbit that remained on the stone floor.
"Bilbo!" Ori was the first to regain his voice, Bofur got to his feet followed soon by others who all crowded the hobbit and hugged him or patted his back. Soon enough the dwarves remembered themselves and moved away.
"Apologies, My Lady." Ori said when he caught Thorin's eye.
"It's quite alright Ori. You have not seen Bilbo in over a year so I know seeing him well is very pleasing. This little rascal that is mussing up my hair, is Frodo. Bilbo nephew and my hostage right now." Karla said lifting the small creature from her shoulders and putting him down on her hip. Frodo begged to sit with her for dinner and although Bilbo protested the small hobbit refused to let go of the Princess.
"My eyes and ears do not deceive me, as I live and breathe – Bilbo Baggins." Thorin stood up and embraced the Hobbit tightly; Bilbo sat next to Karla so he could keep an eye on Frodo, and join the conversation with Thorin and the Princes, the other dwarves throwing n questions of the Shire and Bag End now and again.
"You look the same." Frodo's voice suddenly broke through the murmur of deep rumbles. Talk stopped immediately.
"Sorry, Frodo, what did you say?" Karla asked. The small creature pointed at her and then across the table directly at Fíli.
"You look the same." He repeated.
Fíli swallowed before responding, "We're Twins, Frodo that's why."
"Then why do the King and Kíli look the same? They aren't twins!" Frodo cried; he was a little confused.
"No, you're right, Frodo. But our mother is the King's sister and we are his niece and nephews. Now our mother has long dark hair and dark eyes. So Kíli looks like our mother. See?" Karla was able to point to the dwarf next to Fíli who sat just down from Thorin who smiled and waved a little at him.
"That's my mother." Karla said. Frodo frowned slightly but then looked at Kíli who sat on Karla's other side closer to Thorin. He now understood that yes, Dis did looked just like Thorin and Kíli took after his mother much more than he might take after his father, whereas Karla and Fíli took after their father.
Frodo became very attached to Karla. He adored her as she was – in his words – very pretty and super nice to him. She became somewhat of his 'nurse'. She was set the task of keeping him out of trouble and looking after him while Bilbo caught up with the other dwarves and to tour Erebor and Dale with his friends. Karla and Frodo would spend their days in one of the larger rooms playing – Bofur had made several toys for the small being and even Fíli and Kíli had whittled away figurines for him. Most bath times were hard but Karla always said she'd bathe with the small hobbit. As Drogo and Primula had drowned, Frodo was terrified of water. So Karla would bathe with him. Frodo was hardly without her and for meal times, the company would be alerted to their presence with either Karla making swooshing noises (that Fíli and Kíli teased her mercilessly for) like Frodo was flying or Frodo laughing hysterically loudly – and they be greeted with the image of Frodo perched on Karla's shoulders. At least Bilbo knew that Frodo was being cared for even if it wasn't him who was doing it.
"He likes you. You spoil him." Bilbo said one afternoon when Karla had sat Frodo down with Bofur for a story and she got some rest on one of the armchairs in the small 'reading room' that Dis had asked for while Erebor was still under Thror's rule (and the old King could refuse his grandchildren nothing). Karla smiled at Bilbo and nodded.
"It's like having a child of my own. I have never endeavoured to marry and it's no right for a Dwarf woman to lay with a male just to have a child. It's improper for a Princess to do so. I may not wish to marry but I do desire children."
"Why not marry?"
"A marriage for the sake of children may be honourable but it is also not the type that most enter into. Because Dwarves love once and only once. Fiercely and with everything in us. Now I know of dwarves that have never found their one. I also know of dwarves who's One wasn't even a Dwarf. I know Dwarves that have been matched with Humans. But strangely no Dwarves have ever been with Elves…strange that." Bilbo knowing of the distaste most Dwarves had for elves laughed.
"So you've also never heard of a dwarf marrying a hobbit?" Bilbo noticed his mistake as soon as he said it, but Karla answered anyway.
"When would we have chance to meet one?" Karla said, "You, yourself, have said that Hobbit's do not travel far, and if they do it's only to Bree. Most hobbits are very in love with their Hobbit holes aren't they? Dwarves do not stray far from the path we are to travel. So we would pass around The Shire and not to it. But at least we Dwarves have had the pleasure of meeting two very handsome and kind Hobbits. And we wouldn't have it any other way." Karla said.
Bilbo knew from when he arrived in Erebor that Karla was beyond his reach, but for Princesses the one they desired whether they be of another race or realm well it didn't matter. And for Karla, she desired Bilbo and no one not even her Uncle was going to stop her. And she had told Thorin so.
"You can't stop me Uncle. I love him. You cannot stop this from happening. You said you wanted me to be happy and Bilbo makes me happy." Karla argued.
"He isn't right for you. You are supposed to marry someone who can protect you…" Thorin was cut off by her retort.
"Like Bofur? Or Nori? What about Dori? Or maybe Bifur or maybe even Dwalin! Take your pick Uncle!" Karla snapped. Their argument stopped after that, Thorin had no response to her argument. He didn't want her with any of those dwarves. Dwalin was rough, Bofur was a miner and most of his time was taken up in the mines, Bifur and Dori too. Nori wasn't right for her either. Karla had won.
As Bilbo and Karla lay beside one another later that day letting the coolness of the mountain cool their over-heated skin, Karla told Bilbo the one thing she had told her Uncle when he at first had refused their relationship.
"I told him that love does not recognize race or realm. It does now see that you and I are different it only sees the soul that mine must bond to." She said softly. Bilbo smiled.
"I hope Thorin really does see it that way. Because if he doesn't…I believe you've just committed a crime." Bilbo said, Karla laughed.
"Oh my Uncle cares not who I love. Only that he makes me happy. I just think he was shocked it was you after all. He expected it to be Ori, I think." Karla said with a smile as though remembering another she loved before.
"Why not Ori? He's a clever and charming young Dwarf." Bilbo asked rolling onto his side to face her.
"He's also the Royal scribe and he's like a brother to me. He's always been there. We used to play together in the Blue Mountains." Karla said, rolling onto her side and running her fingertips up and down Bilbo's arm. Bilbo smiled at the caress then his smile turned devilish.
"Round two?" He whispered leaning to kiss her softly, Karla grinned in response.
"You're on." She replied.
"I'm never sitting on her bed again." Kíli said turning to Fíli outside the room.
"They're happy. But I agree I'm not sitting on her bed again either." The pair walked away from the room and went to occupy Frodo for the afternoon.
"Karla! Karla! Look what Mister Bofur made me!" Frodo held up a wooden figure that the miner/toymaker had whittled down to make the shape of a small being. Karla took the small figurine from the tiny child and with a smile showed it to Bilbo. It was smaller than the dwarf warriors that Frodo already had (He had Thorin, Fíli, Dwalin and Kíli) this one looked a whole like Bilbo. A smaller being, hobbit sized, holding a small sword out in front of him. Bilbo smiled widely at the figurine before handing it back to Frodo.
"It's you Uncle Bilbo!" Frodo cried taking the figurine back.
"It sure is Frodo. Did you thank Mister Bofur?" Bilbo prompted, immediately the child ran back to Bofur and gifted the miner/toymaker with a hug and thank-you. Bofur was a bit taken aback but he told Frodo that he was welcome and that if he ever wanted a certain toy he had to only ask. Frodo grabbed Karla's hand and dragged her over towards the fire place and they sat and began to play. Fíli and Kíli enjoyed teasing her over her childishness but she was the one who played with Frodo when no one else would. Karla enjoyed the energy Frodo had, she hadn't played with a small child since Kíli was little and that was a long time ago.
"Can you make me a Karla one?" Frodo asked suddenly turning to look at Bofur again. The toymaker seemed surprised, but nodded slowly.
"Do you want her in hunting gear? Or dressed like a Princess?" Bofur asked with a smile. Frodo thought for a moment before grinning wider.
"Like a Princess! Then she can be the Damsel in Distress to be rescued!" He said; Karla fought the urge to laugh out loud. Frodo was a precious treasure.
"Oh child – you are such a joy to have around. I think you are going to fit in perfectly around here and you are going to be loved by everyone." Karla said scooping Frodo up and spinning him around. The child giggled and held onto her tightly. Again Karla hadn't done that for a long time – not since Kíli was little.
8 years later
When Frodo turned 15 he knew he didn't fit in like he used to. When he was little the other dwarf children (of which there weren't many) used to play with him because they thought he was a novelty. But now since they were older it had worn off and he was now just really annoying. But to Kíli, Fíli and Karla he was still adorable because he was still smaller than they were. Karla couldn't carry him anymore but he still welcomed her hugs. Especially when he came back to the mountain in tears after playing with the others in Dale.
"Frodo! Frodo! What's wrong?" Karla would ask when she caught up to him in his room, he would bury his face in his hands and shake his head. She would pry them away and ask him again what had him so upset and usually he would tell her and she'd hug him and tell him that it didn't matter he could always hang out with Fíli or Kíli or her. But even Frodo knew they never had the time. They were Royalty they'd forget him soon enough and he was sure that Uncle Bilbo would want to go back to the Shire. They had stayed for the last 8 years because of Bilbo's affection for Karla. If Bilbo wished to stay then Frodo would have to grow used to the mountain. He adored Karla – no one could say he didn't. But he wasn't sure if she liked him the same. If she adored him like a baby brother.
"Karla?" The dwarf maiden looked up from her book.
"Hi Frodo. What can I do for you?" She said with a wide smile.
"Do you love me?" Frodo asked.
"What sort of question is that? Of course I do! I adore you!" Karla said surprised. Frodo didn't smile in response. Karla frowned, "why do you ask me such questions, little one?" She asked.
"The Dwarven Children – they say it's not real." He whispered.
"Oh, Frodo…Frodo no it is real. It is. I adore you, Fíli and Kíli love to spend time with you. Thorin even fin you endearing…even if he does not show it."
"Karla…I asked Bilbo if I could call him Dad…because he's the best thing I've got now and I know of your relationship with him…so does that mean…?"
"You want to call me Mother?" Frodo looked at her hopefully… "If you really want to little one. It is your choice."
"Thank-you! I have to go and challenge Kíli to an archery contest…but before I go…you were always my favourite."