/ / / Stitching Up The King \ \ \

When Thorin awoke Bilbo was working on something at the table that had been placed at the end of Kíli's bed. Thorin watched as the hobbit repeatedly pushed his hair away from his eyes while he worked.

"Come here, Halfling," Thorin said. Bilbo jumped and Thorin was surprised at his own gruffer than normal voice.

"My name is Bilbo, dwarf." Bilbo said, when he had turned around.

Thorin laughed causing him to cough. "Very well, Bilbo, come here."

Bilbo washed his hands in a basin and then walked over to the King and sat on a small stool between the two beds.

"Does your hair annoy you?" Thorin asked, smelling something heavy and earthy on Bilbo. Now that the hobbit was close he could see that Bilbo looked tired and was still wearing the same rumpled clothes from the day before. "You have not slept."

"Later this afternoon I will be able to sleep. I have more to do before I can rest." Bilbo pushed his hair from his face again.

"Come closer," Thorin said, and lifted himself slightly so that his shoulders were just off the bed. Bilbo pulled a pillow from somewhere and pushed it beneath Thorin's shoulders. When Bilbo was close Thorin clutched his chin and pulled Bilbo's face closer still. "Sit still, little one, and I will make it easier for you to do your work."

Bilbo frowned at him but did not move as Thorin ran his fingers carefully through Bilbo's hair. Thorin moved Bilbo's head again and began to twist and tuck the front section of his hair away from his face and into a braid. Bilbo was surprised that Thorin had found the strength but the King's hands moved with all the assurance of a greatly repeated task.

"Why do male dwarves plait their hair?" Bilbo asked, looking up at the fingers moving near his forehead.

Thorin frowned at him. "Male hobbits do not plait their hair? Even when they are working?"

"No, we keep our hair groomed short enough not to bother us in the fields or in our own gardens."

"For dwarves we braid our hair to keep it out of the way while we work but it has more meaning for us, for instance a dwarf without a partner rarely wears plaits in their beard for their chosen will braid them as a sign of their affection and as a claim against other dwarves. We have few female dwarves, only one in every three children born are female and as such they are often courted quite excessively before marriage. Once a female dwarf has chosen her partner she will defend their relationship to death. As will any dwarf that is bonded to another. We are a possessive and protective race. All dwarves braid, to increase the dexterity of their hands, we braid the hair of our kin to show affection and we braid the hair of our comrades before a battle so that each and every one will know they will be missed if they fall." Thorin pulled one of the beads from his own hair and twisted the end of Bilbo's new plait. "There you go, Bilbo. It will not get in your way now."

There was a small cough from the door and Thorin looked up to see three dwarves holding the tent flaps open and staring at him strangely. Thorin understood why they were looking at him as they were but he did not bother to offer them an explanation for his actions; it was none of their business if he had neglected to explain one final reason for braiding someone's hair. Though now that he was done he felt an acute ache in his limbs.

"Master Baggins, we have your needle and the stitcher's cotton you asked for."

"Thank you, Gluna," Bilbo said, and took the package from the dwarf's hands. "Stitching up the wounds is important and allows the flesh beneath to heal more quickly as I am sure your healers know but by soaking the cotton in the steeped leaves of the cordeus tree the infection that can set in around the stitches holds off for longer."

Thorin watched as two of his female kin stepped forward to watch Bilbo carefully as he unravelled the cotton and dropped it into the bowl Thorin had seen the hobbit at when he woke. The third dwarf, Gani, was standing at the entry to the tent and still staring at Thorin. Thorin raised an eyebrow at the dwarf who dropped his eyes and slipped from the tent.

"Are Bilbo's skills so foreign?" Thorin asked the two female dwarves - Gluna and her sister, Glona.

"No, my King," Gluna said. "The same things we do but, Master Baggins," Thorin noticed Bilbo flush a little at the name and resolved to ask about it. "Uses plants we do not, plants we have not had in the Blue Mountains."

"How do you know of these plants then, Bilbo?" Thorin asked.

Bilbo swirled the water in the bowl and then turned to Thorin. "We have many of the same plants in the Shire. There is a story, an old story, of Tooks who took to wandering around the land, leaving the Shire and coming back with stories and gold and many skills they had not had before. My mother taught me all the plants and the ways of the healing Tooks but my father, a Baggins of repute, encouraged a desire to heed the call of hearth and home."

"So, I would have your mother to thank for giving me my burglar?"

Bilbo smiled at him. "My mother would have probably come along," he paused and looked down at his feet. "Except, I lost her many long years ago."

"I think she would have been well worth meeting then."

Bilbo looked back at the cotton in his bowl. "I find it odd that the Blue Mountains, being so much closer to the Shire than the Lonely Mountain, does not have similar plants."

"Please," Thorin said. "Now that it has been reclaimed in the name of Durin and his descendants, call it by our name; Erebor."

"Of course, I suppose there are more to the tales of Tookish adventures than most give credit to, they must have carried the plants back with them."

"Apparently."

"You are right," Bilbo pressed his hand to his forehead. "It is much easier now."

"I am glad."

Bilbo turned to Gluna and Glona and started to pull the cotton from the water. "You can see how it is slightly green now; you will need to wait for that before you start stitching."

"Yes, Master Baggins," they said, before turning and leaving.

"I have been talking to your healers," Bilbo said, pulling the fur off of Kíli. "They are so good with burns. I have been taking notes to send back to the Shire. But so few of your injuries come from burns and you have not had access to the same plants and herbs for treating them. We have been teaching one another. I will just be a moment."

Bilbo ducked out of the tent and came back with a steaming pot of water. Thorin watched as he started to gently and quickly, but still firmly, wash Kíli, not simply the wounds but all the skin he could reach.

"Last night when I returned," Bilbo said, as he worked. "I sat with the healers and we talked about all the items I had collected. They told me about Fíli, I had not had a chance to check on him. He was injured in the same fight as you and Kíli but unfortunately there is nothing that I can do for him. Fevers and cuts and infections I can help with but Fíli was hit on the head so hard he was knocked out, he has not woken up yet. I checked his wounds but the female healers have done an amazing job, with far more patients than I have."

"Do you think he will live?" Thorin asked. If he did not make it past his own injuries he would have no heir to take over his Kingdom and claiming Erebor from the dragon may have been for naught. Dwarves were a strong race, more so than any other but they liked having a King to follow, there were good leaders among his dwarves and it might be wise to name a Regent in the case he did not survive. Thorin thought of the telling off Bilbo had given him yesterday and decided not to tell his Halfling about that decision.

"I have hope; your nephew is strong and I believe he will fight."

"Bilbo," the hobbit turned to look at him. "Why do you dislike my kin calling you Master Baggins?"

"I do not dislike it, but, they said you would give me an earned name when you were well."

"And I shall," Thorin said.

"I do not think I should like to have one," Bilbo said and turned Kíli on his side to wash his nephew's back.

"Why not, little one?"

Bilbo looked over his shoulder. "I hid during much of the fighting – I do not deserve one."

"You saved my life from Azog, that filthy beast, and have assisted my dwarves in returning them to their rightful seat deep within Erebor. You shall be sung about in song and poem and all dwarflings of Erebor from this day forth will know your name and the things you did for us. Fear in the heart of battle, against such foes, is nothing to be ashamed of, Bilbo."

Bilbo turned to Thorin and grabbed his hand; Thorin was surprised at how warm it was. "I ran and left my friends to fight. Please do not give me a name. I have not earned it."

Thorin held tight when Bilbo started to pull away. "Bilbo Baggins, you have proven yourself so much more than a hobbit or a grocer or a burglar, you stood in front of a pale orc and saw the only weakness of our enemy Smaug. You faced a dragon, trolls, and the giant spiders you feared to help your friends. You will be given a name Bilbo Baggins of Bag End."

Bilbo ducked his head.

Thorin gripped his chin and lifted it. "Why did you hide, Bilbo?"

"I was scared."

"See, my burglar, it is much more impressive than you know to admit to being scared."

Bilbo pulled away. "I have to tend to Kíli."

Thorin rested back; tired and sore from moving so much.

"Oh," Bilbo said, and stopped to pour Thorin a mug of tea. "This is a different brew, though I cannot say it will taste any better."

Thorin accepted the mug and watched Bilbo who began to stitch up Kíli's injuries.

"Why did you not stitch the wounds last night?" Thorin asked, hoping to change the subject and take the idea of a name earning act out of Bilbo's mind.

Bilbo looked over his shoulder and smiled. "The salve I put on yesterday was to stop the bleeding but also to clean the wound, you cannot know what is on an orc blade and I did not want to sew that into your wounds to breed."

"You have stopped calling them goblins," Thorin noted, quietly.

"I am in the land of dwarves, so I call them what dwarves do."

"Very well, did you find all you wanted last night?"

"Mostly, I found all the items for your tea and the other things I will need if you enter a fever," Bilbo said, but Thorin could tell his focus was on Kíli.

Thorin was silent and watched Bilbo not realising he had fallen asleep until he felt the wet, hot swipe of a cloth over his shoulder. Thorin reached a hand out and gripped the wrist that was moving over his skin. He opened his eyes and found Bilbo watching him carefully.

"I had hoped you might sleep through this. It will be very painful and I cannot give you anything that will help." Bilbo said, tugging on his hand.

Thorin released him and looked over at Kíli who was once again covered by a thick fur. "How long did I sleep."

"A couple of hours," Bilbo said. "I stitched Kíli up and redressed his wounds and then checked with the other healers."

"Have you rested?" Thorin asked.

Bilbo shook his head. "When I have stitched your wounds I will rest."

Thorin nodded and Bilbo went back to washing him down. Thorin stared at the roof of the tent and thought on things that were not the firm swipe of cloth or the soft press of fingers that skirted over his skin occasionally. He was uncomfortably aware of the small towel covering his dwarfhood. He had to assume that Bilbo had seen it but Thorin had no interest in showing himself off in all his glory if he could do nothing about it and was not sure of its reception.

As soon as Bilbo was finished with his front and moved on to cleaning his back Thorin hissed at the pressure of his body pressing on the wounds along his side.

"I am sorry, Thorin, but I need to cleanse your wounds and skin before I stitch you up." Bilbo said, pressing a comforting hand to Thorin's shoulder.

"It is fine, Bilbo, I can withstand the pain."

"Of course you can," Bilbo said, and went back to his work.

When Bilbo was finished cleansing the wounds and had slipped a clean sheet beneath Thorin he produced a stick of wood and pressed it between Thorin's teeth so he could start stitching his wounds. Thorin bit down hard on the wood and felt every press and slide of the needle and cotton. When Bilbo had stitched all the wounds on Thorin's front he handed the dwarf another cup of tea and wiped at his brow. Thorin's teeth ached as he drank his tea. While he drank Bilbo covered each wound with a goo that smelled of mintand then covered them with clean, white bandages before he turned Thorin to work on his back.

Thorin felt himself falling asleep as Bilbo again covered his body with a fur, all of his healing work done. "Will you rest?"

"Yes, go to sleep, Thorin," and Thorin slept.

He did not see the little hobbit wash himself quickly in the now cold water, nor did he see him slip into a large dwarf shirt and curl up in the space between Thorin's and Kíli's beds to sleep.

/ / /

Let me know if anything is in complete contradiction to the books, I'm working from memory, movie and the LoTR wiki :)
Thank you so much for the support so far!