Bilba had never been happier to see the valley of Imladris. Her body was aching from her breasts to her stomach and she hadn't managed to keep any food down at all that morning. Gandalf had seemed relatively unconcerned by the whole ordeal so Bilba at least knew that she wasn't suffering from anything serious. The elven guide from Imladris had seemed concerned but shrugged it off after a brief conversation with Gandalf in Elvish.
Lord Elrond met the travelling pair in the courtyard and ushered them inside out of the rain. "A bath has been drawn up for you in the east wing." Lord Elrond smiled down at Bilba warmly. "Take your time. Once you're done I'll see about having a healer sent to you."
"Thank you." Bilba smiled, her stomach rolling horribly.
An elf maiden stayed with Bilba whilst she bathed, helping to wash her hair thoroughly and scrub her back and shoulders. By the time she was done Bilba's hair felt as soft as silk and she felt as light as a feather. The maid helped her dress in a dark blue gown that was truly beautiful, but Bilba had to force herself to shrug it on. It bore too close a resemblance to the dwarven dresses in Erebor that Bilba had found before everything had gone downhill.
"The Lady Arwen has been asked to look over you." The maid explained, leading Bilba to a guest room. "Lord Elrond's daughter has a very good knowledge of female biology."
"Thank you." Bilba smiled, eyeing the bed in the corner of the room longingly. All she wanted at this point was to curl up, sleep for a week and hope she felt a little better once she woke up. Yet all she could do was sit on the bed and wait for Arwen to arrive.
The Lady Arwen arrived shortly after the maid had left, carrying a pot and several small bags of herbs. She smiled as she set them down on a small table near the bed. "It's lovely to finally meet you, Bilba."
"That's a lot of herbs." Bilba commented, her eyes drawn to the small pot. "Is that soil?"
Arwen laughed, a sound that tinkled through the room like water down a brook. "Gandalf tells me you have been feeling unwell. I need to be certain of what I am treating if I am to help you. Now, nausea, yes?"
Bilba nodded and watched as Arwen mixed both peppermint and ginger together in a mug of warm water.
"What else troubles you?"
"I'm tired all the time. I constantly need to wee. Everything aches." Bilba reeled off the ailments that had been troubling her for the last few weeks and Arwen nodded with each one.
"Gandalf tells me that you shared a romance with King Thorin, correct?"
Bilba nodded. "It ended several months ago, just after Smaug perished."
"Was this a sexual relationship?"
Bilba felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she ducked her head. "Once or twice."
Arwen hummed and picked up the pot. "Have you considered that you might be pregnant?"
Bilba's heart stopped for a moment, before roaring back into life as she laughed heartily. "Heavens no!"
"You took precautions then?"
Bilba cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Not exactly, no. I stopped bleeding six or seven months into the journey, just before we became intimate. I didn't see the point in taking precautions if there was no chance."
Arwen frowned. "Just because our bodies lie dormant doesn't mean they have stopped working. You may have needed to find yourself dry for a year or so before you could be certain." She brandished the pot at Bilba. "You must urinate onto the soil in the pot."
Bilba laughed, assuming Arwen was joking. When Arwen remained looking serious Bilba's laugh tailed off. "Why?"
"In this pot there are a mix of barely seeds and wheat seeds. If you are indeed pregnant then the seeds will root and start to grow."
Bilba stared at the pot in horror. Pregnant? Her? With Thorin's child? The room suddenly felt much too large and her head far too light.
"The sooner you do so the sooner you will have your answer." Arwen said firmly, shaking the pot lightly at Bilba. "If you are indeed pregnant then you must know before you return to the Shire." She set the pot down and shook her head, sighing. "It must be daunting for you, but please, you must know for your own sake. Dinner will be served in an hour on the terrace." Arwen dusted her hands off on her dress and took her leave.
Bilba sat frozen for a few minutes, staring at the pot. Was it even possible for her to be pregnant? Of course, she understood the logistics of pregnancy and conceiving, and it wouldn't be the first dwobbit baby, but could she possibly be pregnant? She had been so sure that there had been no possibility, and her mother had always said that a woman knew her own body.
She felt sick. The room was spinning. This was too much. Too much too soon.
You need to know.
Bilba knew she must know. If she were indeed pregnant then there would be no delaying it. With shaking hands and unsteady feet she made her way to the bathroom. She seemed almost disconnected from everything as she crouched over the pot and relieved herself into the soil. It was certainly inelegant.
Once done she stashed the pot under the bed. She didn't want to risk rain water getting in and they wouldn't need light until they started to grow anyway. She also didn't want to risk other people from seeing the pot, although she suspected Gandalf knew anyway.
Bloody wizards.
Bilba thought she did a fantastic job of acting normal during dinner. She entertained Elrond's questions about the quest and the Shire, and she even managed to apologise for sneaking away last time she had been there. In turn Elrond answered her questions about vegetables and flowers and took care to avoid asking questions that centred on Thorin.
After dinner Bilba found herself sat on the floor by the bed, cradling the pot and allowing her mind to wander to what if's. Would she go back to the mountain if she was indeed pregnant by Thorin? She didn't think so, but it wasn't fair to keep this from Thorin. She would have to tell him. Perhaps she could write him a letter, let him know that he had a child? What if he tried to take the child from her? He wouldn't allow her back to the mountain and she wouldn't be parted from her child.
"Oh, bebother." Bilba laughed gently to herself. Here she was worrying about a child that didn't exist! She pushed the pot back under the bed and slid under the covers herself, safe and sound in the knowledge that she most certainly was not pregnant.