‚Bilba.' Thorin mused. ‚I thought that all hobbits bore names of flowers or plants?'
‚This is a story, your majesty.' Basil murmured and lowered her gaze. ‚Nothing more, nothing less.'
Thorin nodded and walked back to the tub, undressing quickly. Basil turned away with a blush and cleared her throat, but not before taking a quick glimpse at her husband's body. The thick muscles clenched and tightened as the king undressed and Basil could not help but take a look at the firm backside before she completely turned away. The physical attraction to Thorin had been there from the beginning, but she had been diverted by his rudeness and his stubborness, traits she found as attractive lateron. She listened to Thorin wash himself and cuddled deep into the sheets. Basil was already half asleep as Thorin's whisper near her ear made her jump.
‚Your name is a weed.' Thorin stated as a matter of fact and made Basil smile.
‚Yes, it is, my king.' she answered and turned around to face him. ‚It is the same weed as kingsfoil or athelas, as the elves call it.'
‚So...you bare the name of a weed which saves lives?' Thorin laid back onto his pillow. His nephew, Kili, had been saved by athelas as an orc arrow had struck him. The king closed his eyes in grief as he remembered his nephews, but then he banished every memory of them. He felt like a coward for doing this, but the grief was too much to take.
Basil did not know how to answer that and decided to engage him in another story. The one about her own family. She did not guess what made Thorin's expression cold and distant all of a sudden.
‚My mother's name was Belladonna. It is a poisonous weed, I do not think that this was an omen, though.' Basil turned onto her side and looked at Thorin as she spoke. ‚My mother was a Took, a member of one of the wealthier and more important families of the Shire. The Tooks are known for their curiosity which reaches far over the borders of the Shire. My great grandfather, Bullroarer Took, was a tall hobbit and he was one of the few who could ride a real horse and wield a long sword. A century ago, a horde of rogue orcs crossed the border to the Shire. Bullroarer Took fought them back and killed their leader. He was also the one who called for the Dunedain rangers for help. He knew that the hobbits are too peaceful and too soft to wield weapons, even if it was for their own protection. He was the first Thain of the Took family and the rule of the Shire stayed in the family since then.'
‚So, my queen is in fact of royal blood.' Thorin seemed pleased.
‚Technically, no.' Basil felt uneasy for comparing the Thain of the Shire with a king, for he simply was not. ‚No hobbit is of royal blood, for we have no royal family.'
‚And again, you do not see your worth...' Thorin whispered and turned to face Basil. ‚Continue.'
‚Well...' Basil swallowed and lowered her gaze as she felt Thorin's blue eyes on her. She had never been able to resist his gaze, not on their journey and not afterwards. The feeling, which the blue eyes awoke inside of her, scared Basil. She fought the nearly overwhelming urge to reach out for Thorin, her husband, and grabbed the sheet instead. ‚My mother was a Took with a strong interest in adventures and the world outside of the Shire. She was always called ‚fool of a Took' by Gandalf. They met on one of her journeys in Bree. He came to her rescue as some men wanted to take advantage of the single female hobbit. My mother always told me that she had everything under control as the meddling wizard showed up, but I guess it did no harm that Gandalf showed up when he did. Gandalf has a distinct timing – probably that is why he disappeared right after our wedding.'
Basil sighed, she would have loved to speak to Gandalf after her wedding, but one of the guards in front of the royal quarters had informed her of his departure. If Basil would not have trusted Gandalf blindly, his departure would have hurt her. He was the one who had brought her here, right into the lion's den. But then again, she had come here voluntarily, to save Thorin from himself.
‚My mother and Gandalf travelled through the West of Middle Earth together and returned to the Shire almost half a year later. Most of the hobbits saw a troublemaker in Gandalf, but he was accepted as my mother's guest and the guest of the Thain. My mother spent most of her time in her study after her travels. She wrote a journal and many books about Elves in Sindarin.' Basil paused as Thorin snorted. ‚One day, at the market, she stumbled over another Hobbit, who was paying too much attention on his waistcoat and his handkerchiefs. She snarled at him and continued to walk down the road, not knowing that the Hobbit looked after her in awe until she was gone in the crowd. That Hobbit was Bungo Baggins, my father. The Bagginses were respectable and down to earth family. I was the first to...fall out of line. Did I tell you that I was called Mad Baggins after I returned to the Shire?'
Basil had thought nothing of it as she told Thorin about her return, but Thorin sat up straight as she mentionned her nickname and made her jump. Thorin looked as if he fought for words and Basil looked up at him in worry.
‚What is it?' she asked quietly.
‚Mad Baggins.' Thorin murmured with disdain. The mixed emotions in this moment scared him and gave him a headache. These halflings dared to call his burglar a mad one. His burglar, who had followed him through all of Middle Earth, through perils and dangers of which those halflings would not even dream. But immediately after Thorin had those thoughts, his doubts started to scream bloody murder in his mind. His burglar, who had deceived him, who had stolen from him and who had lied to him. The hobbit who had held his heart but decided to take sides with the men and elves. Elves. Thorin's handsome face turned into an ugly grimace as he looked down at his wife.
Basil began to shiver, for his expression was the same one he bore as he had nearly thrown her down the gate of Erebor. Pulling the sheet up to her chin, she backed away as far as she could without falling down the bed.
But Thorin did not advance on her, he stood up and started to get ready for the day. It was not yet morning, but he had to get out of this room. He had to leave before he hurt her. Grinding his teeth, Thorin fled his own rooms and rushed down to the treasury, leaving a pale Basil behind. The hobbit queen scolded herself for her lose mouth. She had awaken bad memories in her husband, who she tried to save from his dark mind. Groaning in frustration, Basil hid her face in her hands. At least she was still alive and she would have to continue her story the next night. She would have to be more careful and thought about how she could divert Thorin's dark thoughts. But at first, she had to sleep. With a sigh, Basil fell into the pillows. A mad king and a mad hobbit - what a pair they made.
#
‚Does Thorin ever sleep?' Basil asked Oin as he visited her in the royal quarters. He was one of the few who paid her a visit. Balin and Dwalin had seen her and Bombur and Ori, who brought her food and books. But the old healer tried to avoid Basil's questions, pushing his deafness between them.
‚There are no sheep in this mountain, dear!' Oin yelled at Basil and made her chuckle.
‚Oin, I know that you heard me the first time. Answer me. I am your queen, I demand it.' Basil clenched her small hands to fists as she told him to answer her. If there was no other way, she would order him to answer her again. She highly respected Oin, but she was in no mood for games.
‚The king barely sleeps, my queen.' Oin shook his head.
‚But how can he...?' Basil chewed on her lip. ‚He needs to sleep. How can he even go on without sleeping?'
‚It's the dragonsickness.' Oin sighed. ‚Thorin will not sleep – out of fear that when he wakes up...'
‚What? Out of fear that one of his precious golden coins will be missing when he wakes up?' Basil asked bitterly.
‚Maybe...nobody truly understands this sickness, only the ones who are sick themselves. And they will never be able to tell the tale.' Oin told Basil. ‚Our king should have died on the battlefield, my queen. It would have been better, for him.'
‚I do not want to hear this, Oin!' Basil grinded her teeth. She understood Oin's sentiment and a part of her felt the same way, but this was about Thorin. The leader of their quest, the king under mountain and king of her heart. She would not give him up without a fight. ‚Oin?'
‚Yes, my queen?' Oin looked down at her with a fatherly expression.
‚I need sleeping potion.' Basil alread had a backup plan.
‚Do you not get enough sleep?' Oin asked, suddenly in worry. ‚You are already eating less than you should, the lack of sleep might...'
‚Not for me.' Basil shook her head. ‚For Thorin.'
‚You want to drug the king?' Oin's eyed nearly popped out of his head. ‚Are you out of your mind?! He will kill you!'
‚You all thought that he would kill me after our wedding. He did not.' Basil stated determinately. ‚Thorin needs his strength to fight the sickness. He is still in there, I know it.'
‚Lassie...' Oin shook his head in despair. ‚Is that an order?'
‚I will make it one if I have to.' Basil lifted her chin. ‚But I want you to trust me and help me. Will you do this?'
‚I guess I have no other choice.' Oin mumbled and made ready to leave. ‚The sleeping potion will be ready by tomorrow evening.'
‚Thank you, Oin.' Basil sighed in relief. Only one more night, then she would try to actively heal her husband. She would try or die trying.
