Chapter 11

The First Night in Rivendell

Chapter Notes:

{...} elvish

[...] Khuzdul

/…\ Iglishmek

((…)) telepathy

oOoOoOo

"Would you like refreshment or to refresh yourselves first?" Lord Elrond asked them after welcoming them to Rivendell.

"Food," several of the dwarves agreed.

"If it is not too much trouble, I would like to bathe before eating," Bilba requested from the center of the group where she had been pushed when the elves had arrived on their horses.

"Can't ye wait 'til later fer that? We have na' eaten since super last night!" Bofur asked.

"It's been longer than that for some of us!" Fili said. Kili nodded in agreement.

"I am covered in troll snot. I would rather not remain like this any longer than I have to."

Glancing at her Thorin acceded, "We would like to wash before eating."

Bilba would have sworn she heard Bombur whimper.

"Of course. Erestor will show you to a male bathing chamber. I will escort the halfling to the Maidens' Quarters where she will be taken care of."

The dwarves scowled at that.

"Here now, ye'll not be taking the lass away from us ta be all on her own," Dwalin objected.

"She will not be alone. I will place her under the care of my own daughter. No harm shall befall her here," Elrond soothed.

"We are to just take your word for it?" Thorin demanded.

"I will go with her," Ori offered.

"I am afraid only females are allowed to enter the Maidens' Quarters," Erestor said.

"Good thing I am a female then," Ori said.

Erestor's eyebrows rose. Dori and Nori could be heard groaning their disapproval of her revealing her true gender to elves. Thorin and Dwalin both looked disapproving at the younger dwarf as well.

"Very well. Mistress Dwarf, Halfling, if you would follow me." Elrond said leading the way from the courtyard. There was more grumbling from the males as the two women followed.

"Your home is very lovely, Lord Elrond," Bilba told him.

"Thank you, Halfling," he smiled.

"We prefer hobbit, or our own names, if you don't mind," she informed the elf.

"And that would be, Mistress Hobbit?"

"Bilba Baggins, at your service."

"And yours, Mistress Dwarf?"

"I'm Ori, daughter of Vori," she said. Hesitantly she added, "At your service."

"A pleasure to meet you both. I hope that you may find peace and rest in my halls," Elrond replied. "Forgive me for any offense I may have caused. I did not know of your preference, Mistress Baggins."

"You are forgiven, Lord Elrond. We find it distasteful because, though we are a short race, we are not half of anything. We are not half an elf, or man, or dwarf, but whole people on our own. And just Bilba will be fine."

Elrond nodded, "Thank you, Bilba. You have educated me."

"I have heard you are very wise. I imagine there is not not much you do not know," Bilba laughed.

"Perhaps. I am always interested in learning something new, however. Maybe I shall study Hobbits next since my knowledge is obviously lacking."

"We are not all that interesting. We like food, drink, good company and all the comforts of home. Not much more to us than that."

"Yet here you are, traveling with dwarves, far away from your comforts. I am curious to learn your motivations for such a journey, one that seems very different than what you just informed me was the preference of your people."

"That is a bit of a story."

"I hope you stay here long enough to tell it, should you choose to share your tale with me."

"I doubt you will find it entertaining, but if you wish to hear it I will tell you."

"What about you Mistress Ori? I had believed it was rare for women folk of your kind to leave their halls."

"It is, but my reasons for traveling are not my tale to tell."

"Is it Thorin Oakenshield's tale then?" inquired the Elf Lord.

"Um, yes."

"Then I shall inquire after the tale from him."

They reach a set of doors and Bilba gasped. They were ornately carved as a tree with fruit in its leaves, flowers growing around its roots, and birds flying around its branches. They were the most beautiful doors she had ever seen.

Elrond knocked on one and it was answered by a golden haired elf maid.

"I need to speak with my daughter, please."

"Of course, My Lord," she curtsied and closed the door.

A few minutes later it was reopened and a very beautiful dark haired elf maid stepped out, followed by two more.

"{Ada! How was your hunt?}" the first said giving him a hug.

"{We slew an orc pack not far beyond our borders.}" Elrond returned the embrace gently, still mindful of his armor.

"{Orcs! So near?}" she asked pulling away to look him in the face.

"{There is nothing to fear, Arwen. We have taken care of them.} But, that is not why I have called you out here." He turned to his guests. "May I introduce Bilba Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire, and Ori, daughter of Vori."

"At your service," Bilba and Ori curtsied.

"This is my daughter Arwen," Lord Elrond continued.

Arwen curtsied, "I am at yours."

"I leave them in your care, Arwen. They expressed a desire to wash before they and the rest of their party join us for dinner."

"Of course, Ada. I will see to their needs."

Lord Elrond bowed to his guests and departed.

Arwen smiled kindly to her charges. Opening the door she said, "You must have traveled far. Come let us get you cleaned up."

Inside Arwen introduced the other two dark haired elves as her ladies-in-waiting, Harneth and Laegil.

The elves led their guests to a large chamber that contained a pool that Bilba thought was about half the size of Bag End. The first waterfall poured into the pool on one side while a second waterfall emptied from it on the opposite side and cascaded all the way down to the bottom of the valley where it and many other waterfalls formed a river leading away from the elven home. Gulping, the hobbit hoped the pool was very shallow.

One wall of the chamber was covered in small wooden basins, jars, and bottles that Bilba guessed contained soap while another held shelves full of folded towels and large baskets. Sets of curved padded benches formed a semicircle around the pool several yards away.

"There are steps right here leading down into the pool," Arwen gestured to one area, "and there is a bench running around the rest of the edge about a foot below the water. Also, the near side of the pool is more shallow than the far side. Do you have clean clothes to change into? If you do not, I am sure we can find something for you to borrow until your own clothes can be washed."

"I have a dress that should be clean," Bilba nodded.

"I have another set of of clothes," Ori added.

Arwen's two handmaidens brought two of the large baskets along with two sets of towels of various sizes over to the nearest bench. These turned out to be paired chaise lounge chairs that coiled around each other at the head to form a table.

"Place anything you wish to have washed in these baskets and they will be returned to you cleaned sometime tomorrow. This wall over here holds soaps, lotions, and hair oils of many different scents. Many of which are derived from plants. Do you have a preference?"

"Do you have one that smells like orange blossom?" Bilba asked. "That has always been my favorite."

"We do indeed," Arwen said taking one of the wooden bowls from the shelf and removing a small bar of soap from it. Replacing it she removed the jar and bottle next to it. "Here is the soap and this jar is the the lotion, and this bottle is the hair oil if you should have need of them." She handed the bar to Bilba and placed the glass bottle and jar on the table between the two long chairs.

"What about you Mistress Ori? Do you have a favorite scent?"

"Do you have a sandalwood scented one?" Ori asked shyly.

"Yes, we actually have two. Do you want the plain sandalwood or would you like to try the one mixed with rose?"

"I-I don't know."

"Here," Arwen said pulling two jars off the shelf. "Why don't you smell them and see which you like better."

Ori ended up picking the plain one while Bilba thought that the mixed one smelled rather nice. She hoped they had another chance to bathe here so she could try it out.

Bilba was thrilled to have the opportunity to finally remove the rest of her snot encrusted clothes. She felt a slight pang of pity for whomever had the misfortune to wash her laundry when she placed the filthy coat in the basket.

"Uck! It is going to take an age to get all the knots out of my hair! It would probably be easier to cut it off," Bilba exclaimed.

"No!" the other four occupants in the room gasped.

"Do not cut it off, please!" Arwen said. "I would be more than happy to assist you in removing the tangles."

"I do not want to inconvenience you."

"It is no inconvenience."

"Thank you," Bilbo smiled.

Once disrobed Bilba, Ori, and Arwen entered the bath. The elf sat on the bench and scrubbed the hobbit's hair. She actually washed it three times before she was satisfied. Bilba enjoyed the luxury of having someone else do the work on her hair as she used the soap and a small cloth to scrub the dirt from her skin.

The females had a merry time over the next hour getting to know one another. Ori, Harneth, and Laegil joined Arwen in combing the tangles from Bilba's hair. They ended up using the entire bottle of oil, a fourth washing, and part of an additional bottle of oil to help her hair recover from the damage acquired on the road, and to keep Bilba from carrying through on her thought to cut it off.

The end result amazed Bilba. She had no idea her hair could look like that! The hobbit wondered if she could convince the elves to part with some of the oil when she left.

oOoOoOo

When his lord departed with the two females, Erestor was abandoned to the scowls of twelve angry dwarves and the jovial smile of a wizard. The elf was sure Mithrandir was laughing at him on the inside. Hopefully he was cursing the dwarves, too. Resigned, he led the guests to one of the bathing chambers.

"Place anything you wish to have washed in a basket and it will be returned to you tomorrow. The wooden bowls on this wall contain soap, the jars and bottles next to them contain the lotion and hair oil of the same scent."

"Whatcha need that many scents fer?!" Bofur exclaimed.

"Personal preference," stated the elf. "Is there a scent you are interested in?"

"How's about no scent?" asked Nori.

"I am afraid not. Most are flower or fruit based scents."

"Ye got anything that doesna scream 'elf maid'?" scoffed Dwalin.

"There is a sandalwood scent," Erestor offered.

"That sounds as if it might acceptable. Pull it out," Thorin ordered.

Turning to the wall Erestor smirked slightly to himself and pulled the rose-sandalwood mix off the shelf.

The soap was passed around so the dwarves could smell it.

"I suppose it will have to do," Thorin growled.

"I will take the tea scented soap, I think, Erestor," Gandalf requested.

"Tea?" Dori asked in interest.

This was passed around as well. Most of the dwarves chose it for its milder scent. Thorin decided to use the sandalwood soap. He disliked smelling like food. It just made him hungry the whole time.

When the dwarves started stripping Erestor made a hasty retreat. He was sure they were going to make a terrible mess of the room. He was also sure remaining would not make that much of a difference and he really did not want to see naked dwarf.

Gandalf washed quickly and left to speak with the lord of Rivendell.

After they had finished washing, and had a water fight, some of the dwarves moved to investigate the 'Wall of Scents.'

"Flowers. Flowers. Why would you want to smell like grass? Flowers. Oh! This one smells like honey!" said Fili.

"This one smells like chocolate!" Kili said and placed a small bit on his tongue. "Bleh!" he pulled a disgusted face. "Doesn't taste like it though!"

The dwarves roared with laughter.

Bifur brought a jar over to Bofur and they both smelt the jar the other had been holding. Looking a little rueful Bofur held up the jars and said, "I think we have been had, lads. This one smells like a campfire, and this one smells like leather."

"And this one smells like the first one that elf pulled off the shelf without the flowery part," frowned Kili.

"Elves," growled Thorin.

"Maybe he donna' know the difference between 'elf maid' 'n 'no' elf maid'," said Gloin. "They all look like females."

Most of the dwarves nodded in agreement.

oOoOoOo

After delivering the hobbit and her dwarf companion into Arwen's keeping in the Maiden's Quarters, Lord Elrond journeyed to his own rooms to bathe and change his armor out for more appropriate clothing. Once there, he gave one of his attendants special instructions on readying rooms for the dwarves' stay.

"Please remove all the valuable furniture and fragile decor from the suite. Let us give them as few opportunities to be destructive as possible," the Elf Lord said.

The attendant bowed and set off to do his lord's bidding.

Lord Elrond of Rivendell had a reputation for being a gracious host and that would not change for the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, but this was not the Elf Lord's first experience with dwarves!

oOoOoOo

An hour after Erestor had left, he returned to see that his expectations had been met. The dwarves were all dressed, thank Varda, but there were piles of damp towels and water all over the floor. They had moved jars and bottles around on the shelves. None of them appeared to be broken though.

The elf first led the dwarves to the rooms that had been allotted to them. They entered from a walkway that had a low wall on the right with many arches going up to the ceiling that bordered a large garden. Inside the suite was a large circular common area in the center that had four doors on each side. Opposite the garden entrance was a large balcony that looked over the valley. Next to the balcony on the right side was a landing with stairs leading up and down to two other landings where the staircase twisted out of sight.

"You may leave your packs here. All the rooms in this suite are for your use during your stay," the elf told them. He also informed them that Gandalf had claimed the first room on the left, so all the dwarves placed their packs together in the first on the right.

"What of the other two members of our party?" Thorin asked.

"I suppose they may choose for themselves whether they wish to stay in the Maidens' Quarters or join you here," the elf offered, then led the group to the dining hall.

They were not the last to arrive. Looking around Thorin noticed that the two young women of his party were not present. He hoped that it was not a trick of the elves but just because of the seemingly universal need for females to take an eternity to dress.

The dining table was U shaped with a stone pedestal in between the two prongs. A small group of musicians were playing in the open area opposite the head table which formed the bottom of the U. Thorin was led to a seat at the head table while the other dwarves were led to one of the side tables. He had been given the place to the left of the large chair reserved for the lord, which was still empty. As was the chair on his other side.

Thorin caught sight of Gandalf entering with Lord Elrond on the other side of the room. The Elf Lord had replaced his armor with gold colored tunic, trousers, and robe. They both nodded to Thorin in greeting as they took their seats.

"I see we are still waiting on the ladies," Elrond sighed.

"They are ladies. No doubt Bilba has lingered over comforts she is unused to doing without and Arwen is being an accommodating hostess. I'm sure they will be along soon," Gandalf said.

Sure enough several minutes later a group of females entered the hall. One of the serving elves stopped them for a moment. After a few words were exchanged he led Ori over to where her brothers were sitting. They immediately pulled her down onto the bench between them. She was looked over for any injury and then questioned.

Thorin watched to make sure the brothers were satisfied with their sister's condition. He wanted to be prepared if there were any wrongs to be avenged. His attention was drawn away when the other males at the high table stood. Seeing the group of females were moving to fill the empty seats at the table, Thorin stood as well. The two seats to his left were still empty so it seemed he would be sitting by some of them. He hoped one was the hobbit. Looking for her he thought he caught a glimpse of brown curls between the elves heading in his direction.

Thorin was speechless when he finally got a clear view of the hobbit. She was wearing a blue dress with white pinstripes and lace. The dress was accented with a dark blue collar as well as a matching panel down the center of the bodice and matching ribbons on the hems. The collar and bodice were both embroidered with white flowers, and he wondered if it was her own work. The dress was pretty and for some reason brought to mind the dream he had had of her being in Ered Luin. This made him wish very much to see her in clothes crafted by his people.

It was not her dress that had amazed him though. It was her hair! It had been washed and combed into many shining ringlets. The curls on the top front of her head had been shaped into waves, while the sides had been pinned the back under more ringlets, and when she turned her head he saw ribbons that matched her dress had been woven in here and there. It was a very elvish style for her gleaming curls, though that did not detract from her beauty. He was sure his sister's maid could come up with something more elaborate, similar to how dwarf ladies wore their hair, that would show off her curls better.

Realizing he might be staring at the burglar, the King-in-Exile cleared his throat and looked the other way. His heart was racing, his breathing was irregular, and he had to fight down a blush. Thorin didn't know what was wrong with himself! However, he could not resist looking back.

Thorin had never wanted to touch anyone's hair this badly before. The hobbit had been beautiful even when she had been covered in troll snot. Now? Now. She. Was. Stunning!

Bilba smiled at him and took the seat to his left. She thought Thorin cleaned up well, even if he had re-donned his armored tunic and the blue velvet Dori had made. They did look slightly cleaner though. What was that? Bilba took a deep breath in through her nose. Had he used the rose-sandalwood mixture? It smelled that way. She surprised herself by wanting to pull his locks to her face and smell them to find out!

The table where the rest of the dwarves were sitting had quite a bit of elbowing and smirking as more than one dwarf enjoyed watching their King's reaction to Bilba.

Elrond introduced the Dwarf King to his daughter, Arwen, a dark haired elf maid that took the seat on the other side of the hobbit. Thorin took little notice of her, most of his attention still claimed by the beauty at his side, though he tried not to stare.

"I am sorry we are late, Ada," the elf maid said.

"I am afraid our tardiness is my fault, Lord Elrond," Bilba admitted. "Your daughter, her maids, and Ori were all helping me untangle my hair. It was quite a bird's nest!"

"She was talking about cutting off!" Arwen said sounding appalled.

Those in earshot, including Thorin, gasped in horror.

"I could not let such a tragedy occur, and thought you would forgive our tardiness for such a good cause," she continued.

"Rest assured you are all forgiven. Truly it would be a tragedy if you were to cut your hair, Bilba."

'Well, it seems the elves have some sense,' Thorin thought.

"My hair has never looked so fine before. I am truly grateful for their efforts."

"You look very nice," Thorin told her.

"Thank you," Bilba blushed and smiled shyly up at him through her eyelashes. Her hands reached up to play with one of the curls on her right side. Thorin's hands itched to join them.

Neither saw Gandalf and Elrond look at each other and roll their eyes. Both thought he could have picked a better word than 'nice'!

Elrond leaned over and whispered in the wizard's ear, "You have your work cut out for you."

The Grey Wizard nodded.

Arwen had also noticed the dwarf's response to her new friend's appearance and her response to him. Looking at her father and Mithrandir she passed a quick and pointed glance over the dwarf and hobbit then raised her eyebrows at the two tall males in silent question. The wizard smiled and her father reluctantly nodded.

And so, two elves joined Gandalf in his effort to bring Thorin and Bilba together.

During dinner, Thorin and Gandalf both let Lord Elrond examine the swords they found in the troll hoard.

"This is Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West, my kin. May it serve you well," Elrond said handing it back to the Dwarf King.

Thorin nodded in thanks. He was genuinely surprised the Elf Lord returned such a famous elven blade to him. He had expected him to claim it back for his people.

"And this is Glamdring, the Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the goblin wars of the First Age," Elrond informed them.

Bilba also told her story to Elrond and Arwen. Both were horrified. Thorin was too, especially as he was hearing it from her own mouth this time, but he was also impressed that nowhere in her tale did she mention the dwarves' objective on their quest.

As the meal proceeded the dwarves grew more restless when no meat appeared, though Bilba saw that they were having fun at Kili's expense somehow. She was confused when she saw Oin stuff his napkin down his hearing trumpet. She was appalled when the food fight broke out, as were the elves. The musicians even stopped playing.

"I'm glad I asked Gandalf what dwarves like to eat if this is how you behave when you don't get any meat!" Bilba leaned over and scolded. "Your lot made enough of a mess in my home as it was!" She breathed in and out harshly through her nose. 'Oh, yes he had definitely used the rose-sandalwood soap.'

Thorin snorted but did nothing to try to curb their behavior. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself! It really was unfair that he was so attractive yet so inconsiderate!

That was when Bofur jumped over the table and up onto the stone pedestal in the center of the room and proceeded to sing. It was a merry song Bilba had written a few years before to cheer her father. She'd taught it to the dwarves on their journey. They were very enthusiastic in their enjoyment of it both then and now. Bilba just wasn't sure this was the best way to go about sharing it with the elves.

oOoOoOo

After Gandalf convinced Thorin, despite Balin's objection, to show his map to the elf, Lord Elrond was able to tell the dwarf it contained moon runes. However, the moon needed to read them would not rise for five more days.

"You are welcome to rest here in Rivendell and I will read the runes for you when the time comes," Elrond offered.

Taking a deep breath Thorin reluctantly told him, "We accept."

"Bilba," the Lord of Rivendell addressed her, "you may choose to stay in the Maidens' Quarters or you may stay with your companions in the rooms they have been given."

The small growling noise Thorin made at the first option told Bilba his preference.

"I think my companions would feel slightly more comfortable were I near them. Who knows? Maybe it will help improve their behavior!"

"You are not responsible for them," Elrond told her. "That said, any help you can provide in that regard would be appreciated."

The dwarves were, of course, less than amused.

oOoOoOo

After they had destroyed some of the furniture to cook a dinner that was more to their tastes, i.e. meat, the males had dragged the mattresses from six of the rooms out into the common area to sleep and, though they hadn't said it, to guard the two females. They were surprised when Lady Arwen appeared with her two handmaidens and asked to speak with Bilba.

"Why do ye want ta do that?" demanded Dwalin.

"Because she is my friend," Arwen answered him.

"The friendship of elves," scoffed Thorin.

"Lord Elrond has offered you food and a safe place to rest and you would call us unfriendly?" asked Harneth.

"It is alright, Harneth. One meal and a bed are not enough to change their opinions," Arwen admonished.

Bilba and Ori had heard the voices of elves and popped their heads out their door. Seeing who it was the hobbit invited them into the room she and Ori had decided to share. Arwen and Harneth entered and shut the door. Laegil took up a place just outside it.

Kili couldn't resist trying to make conversation with the now lone elf. Fili followed and Thorin stayed nearby to keep an eye on his nephews. Dwalin stayed nearby to keep an eye on the elf.

Inside the bedchamber Bilba greeted her guests, "This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you again tonight."

"I wanted to make sure you are alright," Arwen told her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Bilba inquired confused.

"I was concerned after hearing your story tonight. Intimacy is one form of marriage for elves, so being forced in such a manner is one of the most horrifying things that could happen to us. It is one reason we have Maidens' Quarters where no men are allowed. It is some place we can go where we can be assured of safety."

"That occurs among the elves?" asked the hobbit.

"It is very, very rare for an elf to attempt such a thing, it is true, but it has happened before. No race is immune to evil's call. You may have noted I do not go anywhere outside the Maidens' Quarters without my ladies-in-waiting. They are many things to me, including chaperons and bodyguards."

"If it did happen by force would you still be married?"

"Yes, though if it can be proven, and there are elves with the ability to find out such things, the elf who forced another would forfeit their life, freeing the victim," Arwen informed them. "It is the only circumstance I am aware of that allows an elf to marry twice. Similar to dwarves, we only love once in our lives."

Bilba knew she was ignorant in much of the ways of intimacy. What had happened that night with Willoughby Boffin was the extent of her personal experience, and her father's library had not contained any books that were explicit about such things. Not that he would have permitted her to read such literature. She didn't know what it all entailed, but if Dwalin had not arrived when he did, Willoughby perhaps would not have stopped. Were she an elf, he may have forced her into that sort of marriage. That had been what he had wanted isn't it? Marriage to her. And wasn't that a terrifying thought?

Bilba looked up into Arwen's eyes and seeing the compassion in them was too much. She had been distracting herself with the dwarves and their adventure, but no more.

Seeing the dam breaking, Arwen sank to her knees and, letting out a cry, the hobbit threw herself into her arms and sobbed.

Bilba's cry had carried through the door to the dwarves. Alarmed they gave a shout and quickly all twelve protective males and the third elf ran into the room.

Dwalin had both axes drawn, ready to strike. The two ladies-in-waiting stepped between the dwarves and their charge, each dual wielding daggers that had been concealed in their robes.

"Lass, are ye injured?" Dwalin asked.

She shook her head no.

"What did you do to her?" Thorin demanded.

Surprisingly it was Ori that stepped forward. "They aren't hurting her." Laying a hand on one of Dwalin's arms, she encourage him to lower his axes.

"Then why is she crying?" Thorin pressed gruffly.

Bilba sobbed harder, in part now due to embarrassment.

"All due respect, Your Majesty, GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!" Ori yelled.

Shocked at the shy dwarf yelling at them, they actually obeyed. Ori and Harneth followed. The elf took up the place next to the door.

When they were all back in the common area Ori explained. "Now, Lady Arwen is helping Bilba deal with what that beardless cur back in the Shire did to her. She is not hurting her. She is helping her heal."

Gandalf and Balin nodded in understanding.

"But," said Fili, "that was more than a month ago. Bilba's been just fine!"

"That's because she has been focused on you lot, your quest, and all the new things she has been experiencing," explained the wizard.

"She has been trying to forget, or at least not think about what happened, but she does need to deal with it," Balin pointed out.

"Let the women folk help her with that, even if they are elves," Gloin said. Bomber nodded in agreement.

"Why them? Why can't we help?" pouted Kili.

"When was the last time you were worried about being raped?" Ori asked.

"Oh. Right," conceded the archer looking uncomfortable.

All the dwarves had flinched at her blunt language.

"There may be a way you can help," said Gandalf. "Bilba may be a little jumpy for a while. Just make sure you respect her space. You don't want to overwhelm her. She might need time to acclimate herself to traveling in the presence of so many males again."

The dwarves nodded and most sought their chosen places on the mattresses. Ori returned to her room, and the elves stayed through the night.

oOoOoOo