Chapter 12: Scowls
Buckland TA 2943
That evening Bilbo and Allie dined with a couple of the Halflings who had already arrived at Brandyhall. Bilbo had taken his chance to properly introduce all of his relatives to Allie, but she was having some difficulty keeping them all apart. This was the first time that she had seen this many hobbits together in the same room after all.
They had retired to the guestrooms shortly after that because they were weary from their travels. It wasn't that long until they had both drifted into a peaceful sleep.
When Allie awoke it was around dawn and it was because she had heard one of the children screaming down a nearby tunnel. Allie assumed that it was one of Mirabella Baggins ' her grandchildren since she has seven children of her own. She had witnessed the wild spirits of some of those grandchildren the other day.
"Allie, come back to bed," Bilbo pleaded with a cranky voice as he reached out to grab her wrist as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She began to laugh as he instead wrapped and arm around her waist and pulled her flat against him. His mouth was by her ear and he placed tender kisses against her neck. "Where on earth did you think you were going?"
"I wasn't sure," Allie replied as she eased down under his touches. Bilbo sure knew what she needed to relax. "I just thought that I would get out of bed before I would accidentally wake you."
"You didn't. I heard one the children scream too. Still there are no activities planned until this afternoon so we've got a ton of time for ourselves," Bilbo made clear, placing more kisses against her neck.
Allie turned her head so that she could see Bilbo staring up at her. "Did you have something in mind, dear husband?" she asked, biting her lip as her hands traced circles on his abdomen.
"A thing or two. The world can wait," he affirmed lovelingly. "I just want to slowly wake up with my beautiful wife."
That was enough for Allie to bring their mouths together. Even after all this time it was almost impossible for Allie to stay away from Bilbo. There was just something about him that constantly drew her to him. It was as if he truly was that last piece of the puzzle to make her whole. Her world didn't make any sense when she didn't have Bilbo there with her.
They did their best to be quiet in case these walls were paper-thin and they didn't want to hear Bilbo's kin to hear their activities and think something improper about them. That was why when Bilbo gently slid into her shortly after that Allie buried her head into the crook of his neck so that her moans went into his sweaty skin. Even Bilbo tried not to make any noise as he sped up and climaxed.
"Are you in the mood for breakfast?" Bilbo asked once he had regained his breath and kissed her nose.
Allie laughed at that. "Of course the first thing you think about after sex is food. I shouldn't be surprised really," she replied contently. "But yes, I could use some breakfast."
They took their time to put on their clothes and Allie was wearing the same dress that she had worn the other day. Bilbo was holding onto Allie's hand as he leaded her down the tunnels. By now most of the young children were already awake and there were a couple of them playing a game Allie didn't recognize in a separate corridor.
They had made it to the dining hall where lots of breakfast food already had been placed on the large tables. Some of Bilbo's relatives were seated their and were quietly talking with one another. Bilbo was gracious enough to help Allie in her seat.
"So is that the dwarf woman?" Allie heard a woman on the opposite side of the table ask her husband. There was a frown between her brows as she adjusted her blonde curls. "It's rather scandalous that she's here."
Allie wasn't sure if she was foolish enough not to realize that Allie could perfectly hear every syllable that she uttered or perhaps she simply didn't care and she wanted Allie to hear her loud and clear.
Her husband scoffed, tugging on the cuffs of his frog coat. "Apparently she's here as his wife, dear."
"How absurd," the woman continued. "Dwarves are known for their lack of manners and they are a wild folk. It's unheard of that hobbits wed outside of their race. Bilbo Baggins has surely lost that respect of his after he decided to leave for this foolish adventure of his. Respectable hobbits have no reason to leave the Shire or Buckland."
"According to the stories he left with a group of dwarves and a wizard. He was gone for more than a year," the man said with a disapproving tone in his voice.
"And then he decided to ruin his reputation even further by marrying a dwarf." She let out a loud and booming laugh. "She looks ridiculous dressed like a hobbit. Especially with those feet of hers."
This was the final straw for Allie who slammed her fists on the table as she stood up. "If you are going to talk slack about a person then at least have the courtesy to do so in their face instead of talking behind their backs like a shriveling coward!" It didn't bother her that they had been talking about her, but she thought it was rather disrespectful that they were talking about Bilbo in that way.
"See," the women went on. "This is exactly what kind of behaviour I was referring to. She doesn't know how to behave."
"I know perfectly well how to behave. I'm not the one who talking crap about other people where everyone can hear it," Allie snapped back. "This has nothing to do with the fact that my father was a dwarf. At least I have more manners than you do."
"I scarcely doubt it. You're a dwarf after all. Why don't you go back to those mountains of yours?"
She could hear some of the hobbits who were present inside the dining hall gasp in shock at this confrontation.
Allie grimaced. "You're a pathetic excuse of a woman."
"Maybe so," the woman replied indifferently. "But at least I'm not pretending to be something that I'm not."
Bilbo chose that moment to finally speak out. "I will not allow you to talk to my wife that way, Gilly Brownlock," he said, making the venom in his voice hearable. "Personally I don't care for one second about your opinion regarding me. My Allie is ten times the woman that you are. Why on earth should it matter that her father was a dwarf? She is the kindest and most wonderful person that I know and she would do anything for others. Let's not forget the courage that Allie possesses. She was able make the dwarves win the Battle of the Five Armies by letting them fight alongside elves and men against Azog's forces. She was crowned a Queen for crying out loud and she was amazing at it. Allie doesn't deserve to be treated as if she's worth nothing because she's worth everything. She gave up everything that she had to move to the other side of Middle-Earth and she is trying her best to fit into a place which is unfamiliar to her and she should be appreciated for it."
Once again gaps were being heard as Bilbo finished his emotional speech. There was a look of horror mixed with shock on Gilly's face.
"You let your heart getting in the way of your head, Bilbo Baggins," Gilly responded. "You should've never left your door."
"Leaving my door and going on this adventure was one of the best decisions that I ever made," Bilbo made clear with a steady voice. "It brought me to Allie and I'm beyond thankful for that. It changed me into the hobbit that I am today and I'm a much better person mainly because of Allie. I don't regret leaving Bag End. At least I'm not as bitter about my own life as you are about yours."
Allie felt a kind of pride settling in to hear Bilbo talking about her and defending her honor like that against one of his kin. Of course she knew that Bilbo loved her more than anything but there was just something about hearing him talk like that which caused a warmth to spread inside her chest.
"Darling, come with me," the husband suggested as he got onto his feet. "Let's go for a walk." It was clear that Gilly's hands were shaking with rage as she followed her husband out of the dining hall.
"Allie, love," Bilbo gently called out. "Are you alright?"
In an instinct she threw her arms around his neck to let him know how much she appreciated what he had just done for her. Bilbo was more than glad to return the embrace when he saw that she wasn't shaken up by what had just happened.
"I'm sorry about this, Allie," Bilbo said sincerely. "I had no idea that someone would talk about you in such a disrespectful manner."
"It's not your fault, Bilbo. I feel flattered that you were willing to defend my honor like that."
"I had no other choice. You are my wife and no one in allowed to talk you like that. Gilly went too far and she knew it. Still I would appreciate it if you wouldn't pay this much energy. Gilly is a known town gossip and is of little use. No one in the family actually values her."
"I wasn't going to," Allie assured him. "I was just angry at first when she said that you lost all form of respect when you decided to marry me."
Bilbo leaned back and gently grabbed Allie's chin to make her look him in the eyes. He could see a certain glint in them. "I need you know that I never regretted marrying you, no matter what anyone else says. The only opinion that I value is yours."
"I'm aware of that fact, my zinlaz." She took her time to kiss him there in front of the all of Bilbo's remaining kin to see. "The feast has even started and so far two people are disapproving of me so far. I wonder who's next."
"Let them," Bilbo said with a chuckle. "I just want to show you off to everyone out there and who disagrees with us can kiss a donkeys backside."
Dictionary:
Dorzada: Someone that you love
Zinlaz: My star
