"The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began, now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow it if I can..."
Bilbo couldn't possibly have a better day. He had gotten an invitation from the King of Erebor himself, Thorin Oakenshield. Thorin was holding a feast in Bilbo's honor. True, it was Bilbo's birthday, but he didn't expect anyone to hold a feast for him, especially a King.
But... You might say that the hobbit and Thorin had become friends, albeit in a rather round-about way. Thorin hadn't really ever disliked Bilbo. It had just seemed that way. (I won't get into the details in this story. If you want to PM me, I'll explain.)
Anyway, it took defending Thorin from Azog for Bilbo to realize how much Thorin actually cared. Bilbo smiled as the memory came back to him.
"...The Halfling?"
"It's all right. Bilbo's here. He's quite safe."
Bilbo smiled a bit , but it quickly died when I saw how hard it was for Thorin to stand up.
"You!" Thorin shouted. "What were you doing? You could have gotten yourself killed. Did I not say you would be a burden? That you would have no place amongst us?"
Bilbo hung his head, just as Thorin stepped forward, saying, "I have never been so wrong, in all my life."
What happened next? Let's just say... Thorin invented bear hugs, and Bilbo got the atomic bomb of the bear-hug world!
The hug lasted for about fifteen seconds, then Thorin stood back, and said, "I'm sorry I doubted you."
Bilbo snapped out of the flashback just in time to feel a blow to the back of his head. Bilbo felt a second's confusion, and then his vision went black.
