Hearing the call from the dwarf, Bilbo felt torn between going home where he would be safe or whether to allow Thorin to speak with him. The hobbit was pretty naive but he wasn't so naive that he didn't see the searching look in the dwarf's crystal eyes. It caused his heart to sing in his chest and butterflies to flutter in his stomach, and Bilbo couldn't help but wonder what this meant.

He remembered the feeling of something blossoming when he had first seen Thorin back at the well. Now, he wondered whether this obviously very important dwarf would be attracted to him. Can someone so powerful and solemn truly love a simple hobbit like me?

"Yes?" Oh please, Yavanna, don't let this be a mistake.

"I was wondering as to whether you are going to attend the ball of the Crowned Prince. All the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes of Erebor have been invited."

The ball? That's what you're asking me about? What about the blossoming love I feel? "Oh, well I haven't had much thought to it. However, I doubt my stepmother will allow me to attend."

"But do you wish to attend?" Thorin pressed.

"Yes. All the dancing, and the elegant costumes. Oh and imagine the food! It would be absolutely brilliant!" Bilbo sighed happily, lost in his thoughts.

Thorin was struck by the beauty of the halfling as he daydreamed. The fading sunlight cast his hair in a fiery light and set a rosy glow to his skin. Even with his bruises and cuts, Thorin had never seen a more beautiful being. He unconsciously reached out and brushed one of Bilbo's curls out of his face, stroking his pale cheek. Thorin had never felt something so soft, softer than any of the furs in the Royal Chambers at the Lonely Mountain.

Blushing, Bilbo felt his heart flutter as he met the unfathomably blue eyes of the dwarf. Deep inside him something told him that Thorin wasn't telling him everything, but in that moment Bilbo couldn't care less. All he wanted was for Thorin to lead him off into the sunset, Primula and his stepsisters be damned! But then the image of Bungo Baggins floated into his mind and Bilbo knew he couldn't just abandon his sisters. They were his family, no matter how horrible they were to him, and he would uphold the Baggins honor and loyalty, even while his Took side wanted him to call them some rude names and leave it at that.

"Yes, it would be brilliant. It would be even more if you were to come, Bilbo," Thorin said.

"Do you really think so?"

"I truly do."

"Then I shall try and come. But only if you will be there," Bilbo quickly added.

Chuckling, Thorin leaned in and pressed a kiss to Bilbo's rosy cheek. "Of course."


Humming along the way, Bilbo quietly entered Bag End. He entered the kitchen and set the basket of flowers on the table. He knew that Primula would be absolutely livid when she found out about what happened to Tigerlily. And from the angry shrieks coming from upstairs, it appears she already did.

Shaking his head, Bilbo started preparing dinner. He hummed happily as he began peeling the vegetables for a pork pie and some salad. As he worked, he didn't notice Primula enter the kitchen. He was just starting to boil some water when she stepped out of the shadows.

"Well you took long enough."

"Oh! I-I didn't h-hear you come in," Bilbo stuttered, turning quickly.

"Tigerlily was horribly attacked by two hooligans in the town today. They invited her to a meeting with the two princes, Prince Fili and Prince Kili, then dared ruin her red dress! She told me that you were the one who gave her the invitation of those two pranksters," Primula said curtly. She began innocently primping herself using her reflection in the shiny silver spoon Bilbo polished a few nights ago. But Bilbo wasn't fooled; he knew that she was absolutely fuming.

"I was just giving her the invitation the dwarf dropped by at the door," Bilbo said in a shaky voice. "I just did what you always tell me to do."

"I see. Well, prepare dinner and then start ironing the green dress for Azaelia and the bright yellow one from Bree for Tigerlily. With the ball tomorrow, I don't have time to go to Master Dori in the capital for a new dress." Primula griped, drumming her long fingernails on the wooden table. "She would be wearing that red dress if you hadn't been so stupid as to let this happen to my Tigerlily. I want all the food to ready in the next thirty minutes. Then you can clean the kitchens and dust the study."

With those words, she headed out of the room. Bilbo took in a deep breath and, somehow, managed to gather up the courage to run after his stepmother.

"Primula, wait! I-I wanted to ask you something," Bilbo said timidly.

The hobbit woman turned slowly, narrowing her ocher eyes in suspicion. In the years since Bungo's death, Bilbo has never asked for anything for himself, and she felt anger over his brashness. How dare he ask me for anything! The ungrateful brat! After everything I do for him! I should have thrown him out when I had the chance!

"What is it?" She said irritably, rubbing her temples as if she was exasperated by sight of the pale hobbit.

"See, tomorrow is the ball and I was wondering-since I've been really good lately-I mean beside the incident today-considering also that all eligible citizens of Erebor-even some elves, I heard-can attend-and I really want to-"

"Spit it out!"

"I would like to go to the ball," Bilbo blurted out. Immediately, he knew it was a mistake.

Primula looked furious. "How dare you. How can you ask me such a thing?! Take you, a no good, nameless nobody to the grandest event since the wedding of Princess Dis? Why, I'd be the laughing stock of Erebor!" Reaching over, Primula grabbed Bilbo by his chin and gripped it painfully, forcing tearful green eyes to look up into her fiery own. "Your father was a foolish hobbit. He filled your head with foolish ideas and daydreams. He let you spend your days without a care in the world. I've tried to get rid of that ditsy, scatterbrained attitude of yours during all these years. And yet you defy me! To think that you're good enough to go to the ball, why, that's preposterous!"

"Why?" Bilbo whispered brokenly.

"Because. You're a Took. Your mother was a Took; her mother was one. You can put on clean clothes and use the name Baggins, but underneath that you're still nothing but a no good adventuring Took. Just. Like. Your. Mother. The idea of you mingling with royalty is laughable. Absolutely nothing but a laughable, preposterous joke." With those words, Primula turned and headed to her bedroom, leaving Bilbo in tears.

Trying to ignore the heart wrenching pain in his chest, Bilbo turned and went into the kitchen. He numbly shut the door behind him and for a few moments stared at nothing but the fire in the hearth. Hearing Azealia's shouts about when the food was going to be ready, Bilbo slid down against the door and wrapped his arms around his knees, crying softly.


"What did you say to the halfling?"

"Nothing Uncle! Really, you have to believe us!"

"All right, all right! What's going on," Dis exclaimed, walking into Thorin's study. She had been told by a rather nervous Ori that loud shouts were being heard from that room after her brother and sons arrival from the Shire. With her mother in a meeting and Balin discussing some matters with Lord Bard, she had been the only one who could handle three arguing Durins.

"Uncle's gonna kill us Amad," Kili said sarcastically. He hid behind his brother at the glare that Thorin sent him a second later.

"Why?" Dis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your sons put a hobbit lass in a barrel and set her down the river. Did I mention that they covered her in all of Bombur's honey supply?"

"So that's why he was so frantic this morning," Dis muttered. She rubbed her temple for a moment before turning to her sons. "You two are going to have a long talk with me. You, Thorin have to go to Dori about your clothing for the ball tomorrow. He's been looking for you all day."

Thorin sighed but gave Dis a nod. "Very well. But you two report to Dwalin tomorrow first thing in the morning. Only after that may you two get ready for the ball. And look well for we have an important guest." At that, Thorin smiled softly. Dis, Fili and Kili all stared in shock at him as he turned and left the room.

"Was he humming?"

"And smiling? While not killing an orc?"

"I haven't seen Thorin smile like that since he was a dwarfling," Dis said in astonishment.

"It's Bilbo that's the cause of that," Fili said. Kili elbowed him and shook his head. Realizing his mistake, Fili tried to cover up his words. "I meant the recent capture of Azog. Oh, and did I mention Bofur made a new toy that cries like Gimli-"

"Who's Bilbo?" Dis asked, turning to her sons.

Gulping nervously, they glance at each other and then try to dart out of the room. Dis reaches out and grabs both their collars in each of her hands before they can even get out of the doorway. As they flail, she puts them both in a pair of arm chairs in front of Thorin's desk.

"Alright, you two, what's going on? Who's this Bilbo and what does he have to do with Thorin?" Dis demanded.

The two dwarves began silently communicating until finally Fili nodded and Kili sighed. "Okay, but you can't let Uncle Thorin know we said this. Or we'll all be thrown off the high point of the mountain. After he guts us with Orcrist."

"Talk, now."


"Aye, he had bruises all over his body. It looked like Dwalin had used him a practice doll," Oin said, concentrating on sewing up the gash that Dwalin had on his shoulder.

Ori had rushed to the infirmary when he heard his One had been injured while on border patrol. He was now listening to Oin's story from his recent travel to the Shire. "And the hobbit lass said he fallen down a hill?"

"A load of Orc shit if I've ever heard it. You may as well tell me that Bombur was going to stop feasting or Kili pranking! Nah, that hobbit lad had a few older scars. Long one on his hip; probably from a thin branch," Oin added sadly.

"When Queen Belna hears that hobbits are being abused, she'll go into a rage," Ori said, shaking his head softly from where he was sitting on the bed where Dwalin lay sleeping in a drug induced sleep. "The hobbits are our main source of agriculture and we even have a few hobbit diplomats that deal with the elves for us. Without them, relationships with Lord Elrond and Thandruil would be beyond repair."

"Hobbits being abused? What's this?" Dori asked as he came over to them. He had popped in to the infirmary for a quick headache aid. His eyes always hurt after sewing, and he had Thorin's fitting up next to see to.

"A hobbit lad I had to treat in the Shire," Oin explained.

"Could it be the one that was almost Orc food? The one Thorin saved when they captured Azog?" Dori asked.

"Do I look like the hobbit's keeper?" Oin said irritably as Dwalin unexpectedly shifted. "Ori, hold him down before he rips his stitching. Daft dwarf is too stubborn for his own good. Don't know why you are letting him court you, Ori. I heard there be a couple of lords who keep glancing at ye."

"Give me their names and I'll have their heads," Dwalin croaked angrily. He opened his eyes and blinked owlishly before he tried to roll over onto his back, much to Oin's chagrin.

Ori smiled indulgently as he stroked his One's cheek. "Oin's joking, Dwalin. Right?" Ori glared at the healer. He hadn't wanted Dwalin to hear about the multiple lord's lustful looks. He knew how protective the Head of Guards was, especially when it came to him and after the incident with the lord from the Blue Hills, he wasn't taking any chances. For Mahal's sake, even Thorin and Queen Belna sided with Dwalin on that one!

Shaking his head, Ori wondered about this hobbit. He had heard Fili and Kili talking about a sweet hobbit who had captured Thorin's eye. Could it be this injured hobbit? And if so, would he appear at the ball tomorrow? With more questions than answers, Ori tried to pay attention to what Oin and Dwalin were bickering about this time. Next time Ori would have Dis stitch Dwalin's wound; at least then he would have something to whine about!


"Oin said the hobbit was more black and blue than Hobbit," Dori chatted as he checked the fit on Thorin's shoulders. He was so busy on fitting the coat on him tha he didn't notice the glowering look on the dwarf's face.

"Do you know the name of the hobbit? I will not have any citizen of Erebor abused."

"Nah, Oin was just travelling through the Shire. Said it was the first time he's ever had to treat such injuries on a hobbit. Peaceful folk, they are."

"With the ball tomorrow and those blasted elves coming, I will put several more guards around the mountain. I am not going to take the chance of anything going wrong."


As Thorin finished up with Dori, he headed down to the forges. There, he spent several hours bending white-hot metal, coiling it around emeralds, topazes, and sapphires. Once he was done, he smiled at the courting beads he made once he proposed to the halfling at the ball tomorrow. I will finally have my innocent Bilbo on the throne next to me where he belongs. After I tell him who I am...


A/N #1: Hallo! So, this chapter didn't go as planned. I was suppose to introduce the ball...but then I got sidetracked. I wanted to include some of the Company in this. But I promise that next chapter will be the ball. That, and every time I try to do something to Bilbo, I get an angry dwarf king after me.