Beorn met them at the border of the Mirkwood with the sleigh so their journey to his Halls through the snow went easily enough. Bilbo was grateful. He was tired with many reasons and longed to his home. Previous night he had noticed the marks on his wrists and was torn between sorrow and longing. He couldn't say anything to Gandalf who surely had seen his growing distress.
But Beorn wasn't Gandalf and his heart tightened in his chest when he saw the wounded hobbit and his now very cold eyes instead the warmness that he had learned to see in them before the battle. He kept his eyes locked on the hobbit two whole days, letting him relax around him and then he saw it.
"Bunny…"
Bilbo closed his eyes briefly and Beorn couldn't but grin at the act. Bilbo hated the nickname and Beorn used it shamelessly. He lowered himself to watch his friend, as he though Bilbo was, though he wasn't sure what Bilbo himself was thinking. Fast but carefully Beorn took the wrist of hobbit's to his hands and turned them and saw the marks, the green leaves like tattoo all over his skin.
It was quiet before Beorn said anything and Bilbo looked near to panic.
"These are the marks of Yavanna." Beorn said, his tone maybe more serious than ever before.
"It's an honor to be claimed by Her." Bilbo muttered, not meeting the skinchanger's eyes. Beorn didn't swallowed it.
"I haven't heard anyone to be claimed by Her since… well, to be honest, in a very long long time. Why now? Hobbits are not her children, you bow no one. You do not make any promises to Her."
Bilbo flinced and Beorn frowned.
"You do?"
Bilbo hesitated but then seemed to surrender.
"We… We are proud people and we take our promises to our hearts, to our souls, we do them so that we can't go back. And sometimes, we ask some of the Valar their help. Once a life it's permitted to do, to ask. It's not done easily, usually no one ask in their lifetime for anything. It's…dangerous thing to do."
"But you asked something?"
"A vow."
Beorn waited when Bilbo struggled with himself.
"You know about dwarves' Cesti Taerin?"
Beorn nodded, "Their wedding wow. Yes. They marry once in their life, only with their One, like they calls it."
"It isn't easily broken." Bilbo muttered and then Beorn realized.
"But Thorin broke it. You and him… By Valar, Bilbo! You can't do that kind of vow unless…"
"I made a vow. I promised… to Yavanna... If… if…" Bilbo broke then. He started to cry. "It's… it's our… oldest… oath. When… when our people… travelled… Not yet in Shire…"
Beorn took him on his arms and hugged him and Bilbo buried his face to his friend's shoulder.
"I love him, I love him so much and he broke it, broke his promises!" Bilbo howled out his misery and Beorn couldn't do anything but hold him, to give him his support.
#
Thorin's hands shook when he looked at the old text what Ori had found. It had took long time to go through the library to find anything about hobbits, but Ori had done it. Now the result rested in Thorin's hands.
"Is it true?" Ori asked quietly, already read the text.
"If the other breaks their promises, She had all the rights to claim the other part as Her."
Ori hesitated, not sure he wanted to know but asked anyway. "What does that mean?"
Thorin didn't looked the younger dwarf, his eyes filled with tears. "It means that my One is dying."
