Epilogue
Being King had turned out to be harder and more tedious than Bard had originally thought. They had survived the winter months thanks mainly to the continued support of the elves. Dale was slowly being rebuilt and renewed. Some of that success could even be attributed to the dwarves. The Battle of Five Armies felt like long ago despite the fact that it had been less than six months. They had come a long way in such a short period of time. The amount of work to do certainly hadn't lessened over that time though.
Bard rubbed at his face and stretched his arms over his head. He could really do with a break. The jobs were endless, and he'd been sitting there pouring over paperwork for hours. Honestly, he would much rather be out in the town physically helping with the reconstruction. Sighing, he pulled the next piece of parchment toward him. He was only halfway through the page when a soft knock sounded at the door. It wasn't one of his children. They would have entered right after the knock. If this was another problem…
Remember, don't kill the messenger.
Problems were a fact of life at this point, and nearly as endless as his work. Dale was far from reconstructed after all.
"Enter," he called out after he'd schooled his features into near expressionlessness.
His assistant stepped into the room and offered a slight bow of his head.
"My Lord, the most recent elven shipment just arrived. This was sent specifically for you."
The aide held up a small clay jar sealed with waxed cloth and string. A strip of parchment had been tied to the seal as well.
"For me?"
"Yes, sir. It's addressed to you and Lord Bain. One of the elves bringing the delivery requested that it be brought directly to you."
Bard looked at the jar curiously. He couldn't imagine what it possibly was or who would have sent it.
"Alright. Thank you, Aldrich."
After accepting the jar and dismissing his assistant, Bard continued examining it. There was no question it was elven made. While not elaborate or decorated, the work was still too fine to have been made by men. The handwriting on the tag was definitely elven as well. It reminded him too much of Thranduil's to be otherwise. In fact, it could very well be the Elvenking's. Of course Bard couldn't think of any reason why Thranduil would be sending him a small jar of… something. Unfortunately the jar itself gave no clue as to what was inside.
Curious, Bard removed the tie and waxed cloth. Inside was a bluish purple substance. A quick sniff revealed it was sweet and fruity. Not a medicine then. His thoughts returned to Thranduil and the conversation they'd had about his children at the end of the Battle of Five Armies. Berry jam? Could it really be? He poked his finger into the jar and removed a tiny amount. It definitely looked and smelled like jam. A lick of his finger confirmed it. Jam! And a delicious one too!
The anniversary of Bain's birth was less than a week away. How had Thranduil known – for Bard had no question the gift was from the Elvenking anymore. They hadn't spoken of Bain's birth beyond the mention of the bread and jam. Awed, Bard shook his head and resealed the jar. Thranduil's resources and reach were truly terrifying at times. Bard had been grateful for them more than once though, as he was this time. Bain would be ecstatic. Once again Bard was faced with the challenge of finding a way to thank Thranduil. A gift such as this, however, was one he could easily repay.
Author's Note: Well, I hope at least some of you enjoyed this despite me not being too sure of it given it's my first foray into Tolkein and it's not my usual type of writing!