WARNING/S: Implied depression, crack-ish, butchering of Khuzdul
A/N: ALMOST 50K WORDS. WHAT!? And we're not even midway through their journey! Geez, at this rate, this story will reach 100K and we're not at BOTFA yet.
Anyway, this chapter contains my attempt at FLUFF and I'm not good at writing that so please tell me any improvements I might make! Also, we'll be leaving Rivendell two more chapters after this (finally!).
Nullandil raised a point that I should address. While there is romance here, whatever's ailing Bilbo will not be solved by true love's kiss and in just a snap. I mean, I know this is fantasy but I want to keep a certain realism to it. But I do promise it has a happy ending! . . . Uh, somewhat. Probably.
Thank you so much for all the comments, favorites, follows, kudos and bookmarks! I really love reading your comments and actually, I get some of the ideas of the next chapters from you guys. So thank you! I will bring them with me through dark times!
DISCLAIMER: I own a hobbit . . . in my sweetest and most cherished dreams.
"Blah" = said in Khuzdul
Enjoy~
❤•°o.O`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´ ◇ⓛⓞⓥⓔ◇ `•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´O.o°•❤
After dressing into a more appropriate wear and slinging his shoulder once more, Bilbo was led to the same dining hall the Company occupied the night before. The hobbit sat on the only empty seat—one beside Bofur and Balin.
The hatted dwarf gave him a wide grin, which Bilbo returned with a touch of confusion. As if on cue, as soon as the hobbit settled in, the room exploded with activity; elves popped out of nowhere in a practiced choreograph. They carried platters upon platters of food, enough to feed a whole army. Due to previous experience, the dwarrows looked cautiously hopeful about the meal they would get.
"Meat!" one of them bellowed and the others followed with various cries of delight.
Truly, unlike the supper from last night, the feast this morning consisted of plenty of mouthwatering lamb, pork, and chicken. Of course, a scattering of vegetables were still present but there was as much meat as there were greens.
Without further ado, the Company clambered towards the food, spearing this and that. They competed for the grub, using the utensil as swords or some sort of lance. Bilbo attempted to tune out their noise lest he gets overwhelmed again. He was mildly successful because he just recalled a very important thing that needed his focus; he promised a meeting with Lord Elrond this morning.
He glanced around, trying to be inconspicuous, but the lord of Rivendell was nowhere to be found. In fact, Gandalf was missing as well. He contemplated asking the others about it but, in the face of a meaty lunch, Bilbo very much doubted they knew or even care.
No matter. The lord's absence gave Bilbo enough time to think on their future confrontation.
He was a dreadful liar. Furthermore, he loathed lying to anyone; he was taught from a young age that one could easily be caught in a web of lies they themselves spawned. And he sincerely doubted Lord Elrond could be fooled when the elf had already proven to be astute. But that didn't mean Bilbo was incapable of twisting the truth a little; that ability was a must when it comes to dealing with greedy hostile relatives and quarrelling tenants of his land.
He rearranged the words in his head, constructing the truth into something much more palatable yet uninformative.
"Feelin' better?"
Bilbo paused mid-chew, snapped out of his planning. He turned to Bofur who was sporting a friendly grin. Immediately, he felt his cheeks heat at the remembrance of his witnessed breakdown the night before.
The hobbit ducked his head. "Q-Quite. I thank you, Mister Bofur. Last night . . . I apologize that you had to see such a thing."
"Hey," Bilbo looked up as he felt a warm hand settle on the small of his back. "There's no shame in that, Master Baggins." The dwarf said in a strange echo of Lindir's words the day before.
Nonetheless, Bilbo was very much ashamed to have troubled others. "Of course," he said instead, not wanting to argue. A part of him (a rather large one) was innately glad to have been given solace by these kindhearted dwarrows. Bilbo couldn't deny that. And so, he only did what was proper. "It-It would be please me if you and Mister Bifur use my given name," he offered, smiling slightly.
Bofur's whole countenance brightened. "Me and Bifur has been thinkin' on giving ours to ye since my brother has already given his. Seems like the right time as any." The dwarf tipped his hat.
Bilbo's smile grew bigger and more sincere. "I'm glad to have them."
The hobbit and the hatted dwarf spent the rest of the meal conversing about trivial matters. It was the first time Bilbo chatted with the dwarf at length and he learned many things; namely, the fact that Bofur was not only a miner but also a part-time toymaker like his cousin. Bofur educated the hobbit about the different types of stones and how they can be used in efficiently building structures and equipment. The dwarf then boasted about the different toys he invented with Bifur and how they kept their business afloat in the Blue Mountains. Sometimes, one of the Company, mostly Bifur, would join their discussions.
"You're not from Erebor?" Bilbo asked in surprise.
"Nay. We were born and bred in Ered Luin," Bofur replied. At Bilbo's expression, the hatted dwarf's grin morphed into something softer. His gaze went to the head of the table where a certain dwarf king was seated. "Some of us, well, joined this quest for Thorin."
"Master Oakenshield?"
The incredulousness in Bilbo's tone made Bofur chuckle. "Ye may have not seen it yet, lad, but Thorin is a kind and hardworking leader. Whether it is one of his people or one of Ered Luin's, he gives help to those who may need of it." The dwarf looked to his food, face still painted with a warm smile. "Me and Bombur were homeless after we lost our parents. He found us in the streets and gave Bombur a job in the palace kitchens and I in the mines." No small amount of admiration colored Bofur's voice. "For that, he has a lifetime of loyalty in me. Wherever he goes, I follow with a willing heart."
Bilbo didn't know what to say to that so he kept silent. He'd already known Thorin's commendable skill in battle thanks to Balin's tale of Azanulbizar. But these subtle kinds of heroic deeds were, in a hobbit's eyes, much more admirable than anything. Unconsciously, his eyes lifted up to the direction the Company leader'S seat.
And he found himself locking gazes with those scrutinizing sapphire eyes.
Thorin cocked a brow, expression both condescending and questioning.
Bilbo imitated the gesture in mockery.
The dwarf's glare turned fiercer but the hobbit refused to back away. They glowered at each other for a solid minute.
Then, Bilbo was startled into blinking as he heard a loud whack behind him. He turned and saw Bofur rubbing his head with Bifur's hand raised in admission of the deed.
"I didn't—!" Bofur started but was cut off as Bifur scolded him, if one was to go by his sharp tone.
"Zantulbasn . . . uzbadu . . . naishhini . . ." were the few words Bilbo was able to make out.
Bilbo stared confusedly at them before deciding that he didn't want to know. He looked back to Thorin but the leader was already conversing with Dwalin, their previous staring contest seemingly forgotten.
Bilbo let out a huff. No matter how valiant or gallant, in the hobbit's eyes, that dwarf would be nothing short of insufferable.
❤•°o.O`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´ ◇ⓛⓞⓥⓔ◇ `•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´O.o°•❤
"I found a public bath!" Nori exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.
Brunch had come and gone, and it was nearly afternoon. Bilbo wondered where the lord himself had gone. The dwarrows, too comfortable to move, decided to lean back on their respective chairs. Their earlier energy waned but their cheerful anecdotes still filled the air of the dining room. Some, like Nori apparently, had wandered about.
Dwalin snorted. "I ain't joining any tree-shaggers in their baths."
"No, no, no." Nori's expression was almost maniacal as his grin grew bigger, sharp teeth showing. "This one's better."
❤•°o.O`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´ ◇ⓛⓞⓥⓔ◇ `•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´O.o°•❤
Bilbo should have known.
He accompanied the dwarrows out of curiosity. Perhaps it would have been wiser to wait for Lord Elrond in the dining hall.
Contrary to Nori's advertisement, it wasn't a public bath. At all.
The hobbit had only a few minutes to observe the decorative fountain before thirteen rowdy dwarrows violated it.
The fountain stood at the center of a beautiful garden. It was almost as humongous and half as tall as the room Bilbo had been given. It easily contained the whole of the Company.
He had slapped a hand over both eyes when the dwarrows started stripping. Now, he was blushing and mortified enough for the whole Company. Dear Eru, have they no shame? They were naked for the whole of Rivendell to see! From what he knew of them, that was probably what they wanted—to embarrass and to damage the elves' sensibilities. And Bilbo's too, as it happened.
He heard various battle cries as the dwarrows fought in the water, oblivious to Bilbo's secondhand embarrassment. Whenever they bathe in rivers, the hobbit had either washed up early or washed up late. Nonetheless, he always disrobed when he was sure there were no dwarrows around. Now, their clothes lay rumpled at the edges of the fountain, half-wet and half-forgotten. A sprinkle of stray drops hit Bilbo's hair and clothes, forcing him to take a step back.
He treaded on something leathery and he wrenched his hand away from his face to regain his balance.
He got an eyeful of hairy dwarven anatomy before he managed to turn on his heel. Curse the dwarrows' blasé attitude towards nudity!
"Bilbo!" Fili called out. "Come on in!"
"Aye!" Kili followed. "The water's refreshing!"
The hobbit heard a few more dwarrows urging him to join them, splashing sounds mixing in.
"G-Goodness!" he couldn't help but exclaim. "What would Lord Elrond say if he found you—Master Oakenshield!" Because even the usually solemn dwarf decided to join in on the fun. "Should we not—Should you not—Ah!"
Because he had his back turned, he failed to notice that one had sneaked up behind him. The hobbit found himself being hefted up a broad shoulder and dragged towards the fountain.
"No! NO! Put me down!" he screeched.
"As you wish!" Gloin guffawed. Then, he promptly threw the hobbit onto the fountain.
Bilbo didn't even have time to yelp as he was submerged into the admittedly refreshing waters. The dwarrows cheered enthusiastically as he flailed to the surface. The hobbit coughed, having swallowed water in his surprise. Thank Yavanna the water was deep enough to cushion his fall but shallow enough that he could still reach the bottom. Swimming had never been a hobbit's forte.
"Oi! You could have made his arm worse!" Oin scolded the dwarrows, approaching Bilbo.
Gloin looked sheepish but remained unapologetic. The hobbit glared at them all. These were his only clean clothes! Then he remembered they were all still naked and quickly averted his gaze, the tips of his pointed ears turning red.
"It's fine, Master Oin," Bilbo reassured the healer. Surprisingly, after a few hours of not moving it, the soreness earlier in the morning dissipated. Gandalf's magic truly did wonders. He hoped it won't come back with the new abuse it experienced. "I think it's—"
Bilbo sputtered indignantly as Kili proceeded to splash a good amount of water onto the hobbit's face, wetting whatever parts that remained dry. The Durin brothers giggled and started a full-on assault.
"Hey!" Bilbo tried to retaliate but with one hand stuck in a sling, it was quite a challenge. "That's—phah!—not fair!"
Bofur waded beside the hobbit and swung a large wave towards the younger dwarrows. On Bilbo's other side, Dori punched the water so hard, it created a flood that assailed towards the boys. Fili and Kili squawked and the hobbit couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh.
Fili smirked, wiping his face. "Oh, it's on."
At his side, Kili let out a battle cry.
Soon, the rest of the Company began picking sides, doing their best to drown the other opposing group. Ori, Gloin and Dwalin joined in Fili and Kili's team. Meanwhile, Bofur, Bombur, Bifur, Dori and Nori allied themselves with the one-handed hobbit.
"Don't overdo it, Master Baggins!" Oin reminded him and Bilbo just grinned in reply.
Balin and Thorin secured a spot as far away from the chaos as possible. Oin seemed not to care for them all, choosing to properly bathe himself and his ear trumpet instead.
Anarchy quickly descended as the dwarrows wrestled with each other. Bilbo, even with a handicap, tried his best to topple the members of the enemy squad. Whenever he himself was on the verge of slipping, there would always be a hand steadying or catching him. He barely noticed sometimes but whenever he did, he gave them a grateful smile. In fact, he was enjoying himself so much that he almost forgot that the rest of the dwarrows were stark-naked. Almost.
Kili jumped way out of the water's cover to startle the hobbit into slipping. He, therefore, exposed the bits Bilbo rather remain unexposed. The hobbit let out a scandalized squeak. He, of course, couldn't be blamed when his good arm impulsively came up and push the dwarf away with unrestrained force.
Kili yelped as he skidded, losing his footing. In an attempt to regain it, he grabbed onto Ori. The young dwarf was apparently unable to handle the other dwarf's weight and started falling with him. Dwalin grabbed at them both, trying to help. In the end, the three of them toppled into the waters with a large splash, drenching their other teammates.
Bilbo doubled over in mirth. Bofur and Nori clapped the hobbit's back for a job well done. The rest of the dwarrows laughed at the opposing team's state.
When the hobbit controlled himself, he straightened and prepared for a second bout of attacks.
That's when Lord Elrond and Lindir walked around the bushes and came into sight.
The utter shock on the elves' faces would have been comical had Bilbo not been filled with unadulterated horror.
❤•°o.O`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´ ◇ⓛⓞⓥⓔ◇ `•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´O.o°•❤
A/N: Unbeta'ed so all mistakes are because I'm a lazy bum (and also because English ay hindi ang wikang kinagisnan ko ;)).
KHUZDUL TRANSLATION:
"Zantulbasn . . . uzbadu . . . naishhini . . ." – let's just say the word "matchmaker" is in there somewhere.
Next up: The confrontation Bilbo's been dreading and a journey through Rivendell's library!
Constructive criticisms are welcomed! Kindly point out any glaring errors!
Have a brilliant day!
~ Vividpast