Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way it's gotta be according to the lawyers.
Safe With Thorin
Bilbo allowed himself to take a moment to just breath in the scents of his husband, to wallow in the warmth and security of the dwarf's strong arms before he forced himself to push back against Thorin's hold on him so that he could look up at meet his husband's gaze squarely, the information he had to give too important to wait even a moment longer. "The person leading all the other traitors is Roki, son of Duvi. He wasn't here but they were talking about him, and that's what Awl said to tell you. I recognized some of the dwarves that were here, and I got a good look at most of the others. There was another cave in of sorts, the floor gave out while my guards were escorting me back to our room like they were supposed to, and one of my guards was killed in the fall. Narvi and Dulc were both badly injured, you have to send people to go and help them. You just go down that way until you see the huge gap in the ceiling, and go from there up to…hopefully you can see what way we came because I couldn't see anything. You have to help them now."
Thorin's arms tightened around him protectively again. "We will find them."
"I promised. I promised before I left them that I'd get them help and…"
Thorin's fingers brushing over his curls was a comfort, Bilbo closing his eyes for a moment as he pushed back the hysteria and fears that threatened to overtake him and make him forget himself. He'd fall apart later; there were things he still needed to tell them.
Though the next words he needed to speak threatened to choke him.
"Awl…Awl is dead. He…he wouldn't have let them trap me like that and I heard them talking, taunting me with the fact that they'd killed him and it was all my fault. That he wouldn't have had to die if I'd just died earlier like I was supposed to. That I was a plague upon Erebor and everyone who lives here." A hiccup betrayed Bilbo's attempts to keep calm. "I don't know what they did with his body, I didn't see him…the fighting…. he held them off so that I could hide in the crack like he told me. I'd be dead if not for him. He died to protect me."
"Then he died with honor and will be well remembered for his sacrifice."
"He shouldn't have died at all!"
"It was his job, Lad." Dwalin reminded him softly. "Don't dishonor him by taking away from his actions."
Tears threatened to fall, but Bilbo fiercely held them back as he tightened his grip on Thorin's tunic, knowing that if he argued he would lose control of himself and his emotions. So instead he nodded stiffly at Dwalin, who was only trying to help, and then he turned his attention back to meeting Thorin's fierce and warm gaze. "You need to double your guard immediately. The last thing the one said to me, as they were pushing that shield into place, was that I shouldn't cry too much because you'd be joining me in death before the week was over."
"They'll be the ones dead before the week is over." Was Thorin's fierce response to Bilbo's warning. "Now we need to get you cleaned up and seen to. Your guards as well. Dwalin, I leave that in your hands to arrange."
Dwalin inclined his head in acceptance of those duties, though he ordered four of the guards to go and find the gap Bilbo had mentioned in the ceiling as there was no way he was leaving Thorin's side until they'd rounded up every traitor in the mountain and brought them to justice. Or at least until they were somewhere safe with plenty of guards to watch over them, Dwalin verbally amended, and then he'd undertake hunting the traitors with extreme prejudice.
Bilbo was one hundred percent behind that idea.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Little One?"
Instinctively Bilbo's hand went to his left shoulder, Thorin immediately grasping his wrist to move said hand away so that he could get a look at whatever was hidden beneath Bilbo's jacket. It was then that Bilbo becoming aware then that Fili and Kili were also there and had crowded around them, trying to get a look at his injuries as well while cursing the dwarves who had hurt him. Or at least Bilbo assumed that that was what they were doing, since his nephews were speaking their native language. He was glad to see them, especially since he didn't want anyone he loved out of his sight while the traitors were still running around free.
"How bad is this wound?" Thorin demanded to know, the dwarf hesitating to move the makeshift bandages.
"They, they shoved their blades through the crack to try and kill me." Bilbo explained, actually glad for how cold he'd been earlier because he was too numb to really feel much of anything beside relief to be alive. "The shoulder wound is the worst, the rest are just slices that don't hurt much at all. And I bound it up very well so you don't need to worry, its fine. Narvi and Dolc need help more."
"They will be, I promise." Thorin continued to be heartbreakingly gentle as he studied the makeshift bandage Bilbo had made with one of his shirt sleeves and the scarf he'd been wearing around his neck. "And they will pay for hurting you, I swear it."
"Three of the dwarves I saw or heard when they were after us, I know them from the meetings I've gone to with you. I can identify them, Thorin." He wouldn't forget their faces as long as he lived, and talking about making the bad dwarves pay was preferable to thinking about his injuries, as they were starting to hurt now that Thorin had reminded him about them.
"You can do that as soon as you've been looked over by Ori." And so saying Thorin adjusted his hold so that he could pick Bilbo up, Bilbo immediately wrapping his good arm around his dwarf's neck as he cuddled his body into the hold instinctively. He wanted to stay as physically close to Thorin as he could for as long as possible. Forever didn't seem long enough at the moment.
Their nephews jostling to walk on either side of them, the boys took turns telling Bilbo about how the dust bunnies had alerted them to the fact that he was in trouble, the bunnies in question continuing to stay close as they followed Bilbo and the dwarves back down the hallway. Bilbo was glad to hear that they already had two of the traitors in custody, and he was touched when Fili and Kili both vowed to personally tear the mountain apart looking for the rest of the traitors if that's what it took to make him safe again. He didn't want them anywhere near the villains, but it was the thought that counted and he said so.
"Thank you both, but I'd rather you two stay as far away from the bastards as possible."
Both boys gave him shocked looks, but Bilbo refused to apologize for his harsh language. It was warranted in this case, and he'd have used even stronger words if ones had come to mind.
"Quiet, both of you. He needs to conserve his strength."
Liking that idea, especially since he didn't want to talk about what had happened in any more detail, Bilbo nuzzled his cheek against Thorin's chest before calling out to make sure that his guards were going to be taken care of, Dwalin promising that it was so. And yes they'd already promised him that they'd make sure Narvi and Dolc were taken care of, but Bilbo couldn't stop himself from asking again. He hadn't been able to protect or help Awl.
Feeling his throat close up just thinking about what must have happened to Awl before the other dwarves had killed his guard, how scared and in pain he must have been, Bilbo fought and won against his tears once again. He wanted to weep, and he would, but he refused to do it while surrounded by strangers and his nephews. He didn't want to cry in front of Thorin either, but since he didn't intend to let his husband out of his sight any time soon that was wishful thinking on his part. And besides, crying in Thorin's arms would be a lot more comforting than just curling up in a ball of misery on their bed.
He would have a lot of tears to shed.
)
Thorin took Bilbo straight to where Oin was waiting for them in the healer's office, the older dwarf having been alerted to the situation and was ready for them as he motioned them over to the bed he'd prepared for Bilbo. Taking a seat with Bilbo in his lap Thorin kept his arms around his husband, not about to turn his hobbit loose unless he had to. Which he soon had to, since Bilbo needed to strip off his jacket and what remained of his shirt, which was why Thorin had ordered everyone to wait outside until he gave them permission to join them. The dust bunnies would keep them company.
Getting straight to business Oin went straight for the obvious wound, and once the homemade bandage had been removed Thorin could see the stab wound, the sight of it sending new fury coursing through Thorin's veins. Blood still flowed sluggishly from the wound, and even knowing that there was little likelihood that the injury would cause long term damage Thorin wanted to put his fist through rock over it. Or better yet, he wanted to break every bone in the bodies of the dwarves who'd tried and nearly succeeded in killing his consort.
Not even a quick death, but one that would be as slow and painful as the traitors' plan to seal off the tunnel and leave Bilbo trapped behind the shield to die of thirst. To trap him in that small, cramped space with hardly enough room to move, the dust bunnies his hobbit's only comfort as he cried out for help that wouldn't come until his body gave out and he died, a crack in a deserted tunnel his unmarked tomb.
Reminding himself that Dwalin had left his side to retrieve Roki personally made Thorin feel a little better though, especially since he knew the dwarf in question well enough to know that the traitor had too much pride and ego to kill himself rather than face judgement. And while it was entirely possible that they'd get no information from the old bastard Thorin trusted that others would not be so strong willed. And once Bilbo had had a chance to recover a little he'd see to it that every dwarf his halfling had ever encountered in the meetings was brought forth for him to look over and identify. Not a single traitor would be left alive in the mountain by week's end. There would be no forgiving this.
"Thank the gods for your pets." Thorin commented to try and change the direction of his thoughts before he got too angry to stay still. He needed to hold his halfling about as much as Bilbo needed to be held at the moment, and it was true that he would never have a bad thing to say about Bilbo's bits of fluff again after this. The creatures had definitely earned their keep this day.
"I'm feeding them cheese buns for life." Bilbo agreed with a shaky sound of amusement, his halfling trying to sound brave as Oin crouched in to poke and prod at the wound.
Which better be necessary, Thorin silently conveyed with a dark look in the old healer's direction.
"It's a flesh wound, good place to get stabbed if you must." The old dwarf patted Bilbo's shoulder in a grandfatherly sort of way. "It should heal up just fine if you take proper care of it. I'll sew it shut just to be on the safe side."
"And the rest?"
"I'll clean them up, they're just scrapes mostly." And knowing his king well Oin gave Thorin a small smile as he straightened back up to his full height. "If you would put the poultice on his minor wounds I'll take care of the shoulder, Thorin."
Nodding, he hated feeling useless which was probably why his friend had given him the task in the first place, Thorin carefully transferred Bilbo to the bed and then accepted the jar one of Oin's assistants handed to him, the cream a familiar one. He'd had it applied to his own body plenty of times, and it had always worked well enough for him.
Gently brushing the herb concoction over the shallow cuts that had been sliced into his consort's soft skin, Thorin cursing the clumsiness of his big fingers and the fact that he knew he had to be hurting his precious treasure even though Bilbo was trying so hard to pretend otherwise. His hobbit had shown great braver today, and he would tell him so when they were alone.
)
The wounds had all been seen to, and Bilbo's face washed and a very large shirt found for him to wear, when word reached them that Awl's body had been recovered. The dwarf had been found in the dangerous looking tunnel Bilbo and Awl had original chosen to bypass, the guard's body discovered stuffed in a corner to be retrieved at a later time according to one of the two dwarves apprehended in front of the tunnel. Awl had died of multiple stab wounds, and Thorin made it clear that the dwarf's body was to be handled with the utmost respect and would be given a hero's funeral and burial. When he could he would personally speak to the dwarf's family himself to give them his condolence for their loss.
Bilbo wanted to do the same, and Thorin nodded in agreement, knowing his hobbit would need that to start to heal as well.
Shortly after that news another messenger came to inform them that Narvi and Dolc had been found alive and were being transported out of the cavern they'd all fallen into, Bilbo beyond relieved and adamant that he wasn't leaving the healer's until he'd seen the two dwarves for himself. Which was why everyone there, from members of the royal family to their guards settled down to wait while they listened to Bilbo's account of exactly what had happened from start to finish.
Starting off strong Bilbo explained about how he and his guards had been walking towards the royal quarters when the floor beneath them had started to shake and give away, Narvi grabbing him and wrapping his body around him to act as a cushion so that Bilbo wasn't harmed on impact. If the dwarf hadn't done that he wouldn't have survived the fall, Bilbo told them fiercely, wanting to make sure that they knew that he'd be dead if not for Narvi brave act.
"He will be given the best care and richly rewarded for what he did." Thorin promised, Bilbo actually twisting around in the dwarf's arms to make sure he was serious before nodding in satisfaction and going back to his story.
Bilbo spoke of the darkness of the cavern they'd landed in, and how he and Awl had been the only ones conscious after the fall, though Awl had been badly injured with a broken arm and a bad wound that had made him limp. He spoke of Awl leaving him briefly to find a way out so that they could get help, and how Awl had come back and led him to the hole that had led down into the tunnel they'd been found in.
"When we heard the voices I thought we had found help, but Awl told me to be quiet, that we had to be careful. I couldn't understand a lot of what was being said, but he could and…and he said we had to get out of there because they'd kill us if they saw us. We started to back away as quietly as we could but a beam fell and one of them came out to check on it and he…he saw us and called out to the others. Awl told me to run for the crack and hide in there, just me because he wouldn't fit and he was hurt and couldn't…he told me to tell you about Roki and then I did what he said. I had to because I'm the consort and I…I couldn't help him."
Sniffling, Bilbo had to take a moment to rub his knuckles over his eyes before continuing, the hobbit staring down at his hands as his fingers dug into his thighs.
"I only just managed to wiggle my way through, I never would have managed it before I came here, and they tried to reach in and grab me but I wouldn't let them. That's when they started shoving their knives in, to kill me that way. They were really angry that there was enough room inside that I could avoid most of them. They yelled at each other for a bit, they didn't want to leave me alive or stand around waiting for me to come out on my own, you see. Then one of them thought of that shield thing in the other room…they liked that idea."
The hobbit shuddered, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "I'll remember the sound of that thing being rolled over for the rest of my days. It was like it was counting down my death. I knew there'd be no way for me to move it. That I'd be stuck there until I died."
"You're safe now, and they will pay dearly for what they did. They'll never touch you again."
Nodding, Bilbo curled into Thorin again, resting his cheek against his chest as he stated that he only remembered some of what he'd overheard, and understood even less of it, but he'd tried to memorize as much as possible in case he did get out alive somehow.
And so Bilbo repeated as much as he could, the hobbit having no idea that a large portion of what he'd overheard was a discussion about how to go about killing the King Under the Mountain.
