Bilbo hands Gandalf a cup.

"How are my parents in the Shire?" he asked.

"Quite well," Gandalf assured him. "They miss you and are worried they had not heard from you. I suggest writing an account of your journey and wedding after the mayhem is done. It will put your mother's mind at ease at least."

"Well that makes it easier," Bilbo said, sighing. "I'd have written a letter earlier, but I've been sidetracked."

"Because of the wedding?"

"Lately, yes, but earlier it was more two…things named Fili and Kili."

Gandalf smiled.

"You're future nephews. Why am I not surprised? The two of them will open portals to the Abyss if they could do so with the mischief they cause."

"I'm sure they could. Thorin seems to have a firm hold on them."

"And he should. By name he is their uncle, but he is the closest thing to a father they've ever known."

Bilbo lowered the tea cup.

"I didn't know."

Gandalf nodded.

"Their father died soon after Kili was born. Frerin is more politician than Thorin, who is a stern warrior. Both did what they could for the boys. Simply put, Thorin had more time to spare, despite how busy he was. However, they are now old enough to not need the guidance of a father."

Bilbo sipped the cooling tea, deep in thought.

"But his time in Ered Luin…in Hobbiton even—"

"He would go to Ered Luin every two years, stay one, and return."

"Why?"

"Well, I suppose he was looking for you," Gandalf said, lighting a pipe. "It is tradition to the line of Durin that when the eldest son is old enough to travel alone, he is to look to the land and choose a place to go and find his bride. Now, once in a while, a son may not prefer women. It is rare, but not impossible; rarer still that they find their One among another race of peoples."

Bilbo set the cup down.

"So now what?"

"Are you happy with Thorin?"

"Yes."

"Are you really?"

Bilbo frowned. "Yes. Why are you second-guessing me?"

"I do not mean to. You do not seem confident."

"I have left the Shire to live in a Mountain-Kingdom and am to be married to the King of this Mountain. Though I do love Thorin, confidence may be a little hard to come by."

Gandalf hummed, blowing a smoky deer out of his mouth. The stag pranced about the room before ramming into the wall and changing to nothing. "Something ails you, but you've pushed it down. You are ignoring something important."

"The word of a child means nothing to me. I won't hold you to it. Go home where you belong and stay there. I'm done entertaining a brat."

Bilbo shook his head. "It was a long time ago," he said. "It is of no importance."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Because you know," Gandalf sniffed. Smoke poured out his nose. "Words are very powerful. When they are used as a weapon and when they are weapons meant to protect one they sometimes end up hurting the one they try to protect."

"I am well aware."

"Are you? It seems you are still affected by what Thorin told you all those years ago."

"I've forgiven him."

"So I see. However, Bilbo, forgiveness is not easy to give. I don't want you to enter a marriage unless you can say to all who know of that day—and yes, I know it, Thorin told me so do not look so surprised—you have forgiven him."

Bilbo sighed.

"It does hurt, remembering it, and I had been angry for a long time. But I understand why he said what he did. That doesn't make it easier to deal with, but I do understand. If our roles had been reversed, I may have done the same."

Gandalf hummed again.

"So you believe you have forgiven him fully but that won't stop the memory of that day from bothering you."

"Yes. And it may always bother me. But I don't dwell on it. Not even back then did I ever dwell on it. I don't think I'd be here in Erebor today if I let it hurt me. Remembering that I'm here now and to be married in…two days…is good enough. My goodness! I didn't realize it was so close! And to think," Bilbo shuddered. "I still need to get my ears pierced."

Gandalf smiled. "Well, I suppose I speak as a dottering old man, excited as you are for your wedding."

"Clearly."

"You're not supposed to agree Bilbo."

#

Bilbo does not feel nervous.

At least he doesn't think he feels nervous.

And yet he is inattentive. Every five minutes, he feels he must apologize for running into someone and knocking whatever it was they had in their hand out.

He stubbed his toe and forgot to open the door before him.

So he was forced to resign himself to the fact that he was nervous. He couldn't really blame himself for it, though.

Right?

The ceremonial robes were ready and all that was left was for his ears to be pierced.

Bilbo was not looking forward to that, but had sit as still as he could for Dori while he subjected his ears to the pain of the needle threading through the right lobe four times once in the left.

Dori advised him against rubbing the pinched and itching lobes now decorated in sapphire and gold earrings until the wedding when they would be replaced with the jewelry Thorin made for him.

Bilbo made sure to let Thorin know that, after this, he would never wear earrings again.

Thorin had laughed, but agreed when he compromised to decorate Bilbo's fingers, wrists and neck instead.

After that, Dis had shooed Thorin away, swatting him with a handkerchief. When that had failed, she decided to sic Fili and Kili on Bilbo.

Bilbo fidgeted in front of the vanity as Dori threaded beads in his hair.

His clothes weren't restricting on his throat, but he felt a pressure behind his Adam's apple and he was overcome with a ferocious thirst water couldn't seem to quench.

The gold circlet held a dark blue cut sapphire in its center. It fit snuggly around his head, almost resting where it did. Bilbo feared that it'd fall off with a tip of his head, but that proved not to be the case.

The first necklace was wrought of gold, and made to drape around his neck. The second was a gold chain decorated with sapphire and jade beads.

Two gold rings decorated his left hand, one on his index finger and the second on his pinky.

Finally the earrings slid easily through his ears.

The first two were heavy, made of sapphire, jade, and gold. The gold-arrow shaped ends brushed against his neck whenever he turned his head.

The second earring was threaded into his right ear. It was simply a gold ring with a small stem connected by a small chain—which was connected to two gold ear loops which pinched through the third and fourth holes.

Yep, Bilbo thought, after this I'm never wearing earrings again.

"And now you're ready, my lord," Dori said, stepping aside.

Bilbo stood. He felt overdressed, but passed it away. It was his wedding. Being overdressed may as well be quite appropriate.

He turned to Dori and grinned.

"Thank you for all your help," he said. "Any advice for my nerves?"

"Sadly, I think nerves are the least of your problems, Lord Bilbo." Dori stroked his beard. "I can tell you this much: you don't have it easy."

Bilbo frowned.

"Big help you are."

There was a knock at the door.

Dori opened it and stepped aside for Dis. She smiled.

"You look beautiful, Bilbo."

Bilbo wasn't sure how he liked being called beautiful, but he took the compliment anyway with a smile.

"I guess there isn't time for a little whiskey or mead to calm my nerves?"

"Sadly, no," she said. "It'd be best for you to be as sober as possible."

She leads him down to the main hall.

"Too bad. I'm shaking so badly, it's a miracle I'm still able to talk."

"I think you'll be fine."

"Not helping."

Dis stopped him and went on before him, holding herself with the regality of a queen more than a princess.

Bilbo fidgeted with the ring on his index, scared to look elsewhere but his feet and the door.

When the doors opened with a crack, he feared he could not move.

Then he put one foot in front of the other, looking surer of himself than he felt.

He could feel every pair of eyes on him. He tried to ignore them. He stopped beside Thorin, who offered his hand.

Bilbo took it and they turned to Gandalf.