Chapter Four

Bofur all but drags Fíli to Bilbo's room late the next day. "He's not eaten or spoken since yesterday," the miner tells him.

"That's because I tried to fix things," Fíli protests. "Someone else should…"

"He isn't listening to anyone."

"Then he probably won't listen to me."

Bofur shoves him through Bilbo's door. Fíli sighs, glancing around. Bilbo is sitting huddled by the fire, leg awkwardly outstretched in front of him. He looks up at Fíli's entrance.

"Oin thinks I set it back by walking on it yesterday," he says conversationally.

"It may not have been your wisest decision," Fíli agrees, settling carefully on the other side of the hearth.

Bilbo studies him. "You promised me," he says softly.

"Yes," Fíli agrees.

"You brought him here."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because every other path I could see ended in your death," Fíli says evenly. "You were wasting away up here, Bilbo, and sending you home as you are would be worse. If you wish to be angry at me, or hate me, that's fine."

"I told you I couldn't face him."

"And yet you did. You faced him, and you sent him away."

"You sent him away."

"He was sent away," Fíli amends, and grins victoriously at Bilbo's smile, weak though it is.

The smile falls away, though, and Bilbo murmurs, "He hasn't tried to come back."

"That's because we haven't allowed him," Fíli assures him. "He keeps trying to get around us. He wants to see you, Bilbo, but it will be when you're ready and not before. I did give you my word."

"I'm so angry, Fíli," Bilbo whispers. "I hate feeling this way. Most un-Hobbit like."

Fíli smiles. "You are most un-Hobbit like, Master Baggins."

Bilbo grimaces, sitting up. "I hope not. It is Hobbit like to face what scares you."

"I'm quite sure no people do it better," Fíli says sincerely.

"Mostly what scares Hobbits is running out of food. I will see him. Tomorrow."

"After you've eaten," Fíli agrees. "And cleaned up. I'll ask Ori to help you."

"Oh, is it unprincely?" Bilbo looks away, badly feigning hurt feelings.

"Extremely," Fíli says airily. "Lowering oneself to helping someone else? I thought you knew the House of Durin better than that by now." More seriously, he adds, "I thought you might prefer Ori."

"I don't want to put anyone out. I'm quite able to clean myself."

Fíli looks pointedly at the leg stretched between them. "If I allow you to put any weight on that, I'm quite sure Oin will have me flayed, prince or not. I'll go and make the arrangements. Don't move."

Bilbo makes a face at him for that joke, but he accepts Fíli's help to clean up, and he eats at least some of what Bombur brings. It's a step, a good step, and Fíli's glad of it.

Bilbo quietly asks him to make sure someone else is present when Thorin comes, and Fíli plans to come himself, but as it turns out he's busy. He sends Kíli along instead and makes him promise not to leave Thorin alone with Bilbo. It's the best he can do for both of them.

Bilbo glances up at the knock on his door. Kíli's been showing him a surprisingly complicated Dwarven game of chance, but now he gathers up the tokens and retreats to stand by the fire, eyes dark and watchful. Bilbo sits up straight as Thorin comes in.

Thorin looks as though he's actually in pain as he approaches Bilbo, stopping just out of arms' reach. "Bilbo," he says awkwardly. "How do you fare?"

Bilbo raises an eyebrow. "I fare as well as anyone with a broken leg, I suppose." He deliberately doesn't ask after Thorin's own health.

Thorin glances at Kíli, clearly uncomfortable with his presence, but he makes no attempt to get rid of him, looking back at Bilbo. "I remember little of what you've told me happened," he says quietly. "Balin tells me he and Dwalin took me from the treasury without seeing you. I don't remember, Bilbo. All I can tell you is that if I'd known, if I'd seen..."

"You did see," Bilbo interrupts him. "You watched me fall, Thorin." He's holding his stomach again, though more out of habit, now. "You didn't push me. I will give you that. But you caused it nonetheless; that blasted stone adled your wits until you thought I had stolen it."

"Bard has the Stone now," Thorin tells him. "He and his descendants will hold it as a symbol of the friendship between Erebor and Dale. That does not change what has happened. But know that I will never allow it to happen again."

Bilbo catches the brief movement from Kíli, though the younger Dwarf doesn't speak. "I thought the Arkenstone was your symbol of rule," Bilbo says slowly. "How will you hold your throne?"

"I'll worry about that when someone tries to take me from it. The Arkenstone is a symbol of my failings. I will not forget it." Thorin moves as though to touch him and then draws back again. "I hope that you will stay here, Master Hobbit, when you're healed. But should you choose to go home, you will have what you need, and there will always be a place here for you. And I hope you will remember that I would never knowingly cause harm to you, and I regret very much that this has happened. I will not come to you again unless I am called." He half bows, turning away to leave.

"Thorin," Bilbo says on impulse, and then glances around rather desperately for inspiration. "Kíli was trying to teach me this game, but I'm not quite getting it. Perhaps you could try?" Thorin nods, eyes shining with something that might be hope; Bilbo adds "Please stay," to Kíli, who nods quickly, pulling a table over and beginning to lay out the pieces.

It's a beginning. Bilbo doesn't know where it might lead; but wherever it goes, he will know that he was strong enough to take this step.

Kíli finishes with the pieces and looks up. "You first, Master Boggins."

He makes his move.