The wedding day starts next chapter!

Also, I have a quick question. Should I keep this all in one story, or should I split it into two? If I did split it, the journey back to Erebor would start the second one. And I'm thinking about doing a story or collection or whatever it is that you wish to call it, of omakes/outtakes/one-shots.

Thoughts and opinions?

Thank you so much! I hope you all enjoy!

Surprisingly enough, Lobelia stuck to her word and no one in Hobbiton seemed to be aware of her and Thorin's sleeping habits.

Thorin wouldn't tell her where Lobelia had taken him, only saying that it was for the wedding.

The wedding that was tomorrow.

Tonight was her last night, and it was to be celebrated. By herself, in silence.

Tomorrow, both her and Thorin would be woken by their separate parties, and to avoid any awkward situations, they had decided to sleep in separate rooms. It was also something that eased Thorin's mind, as dwarven traditions were very strict on that matter.

And so she stared down the bouquet of flowers in her hand, wrapped in golden wire.

It had been given to her by her aunt, and apparently her sister to be had a hand in it as well. There wasn't any true purpose behind it, only a small comfort.

The flowers kept her thoughts focused on upcoming ceremony, as they were none other than the wedding bouquet that would be tied into a crown on worn on her head tomorrow.

She wondered how it would look with the dress.

She hadn't actually gotten a chance to see her dress, it was meant to be done the same night as the nightgowns, but she doesn't actually remember ever doing it.

However, Billa had a hunch that it was taken care if. If worse truly came to worse and it wasn't, she did happen to have her mother's old dress, hidden away in the wooden box that Kíli had so long ago wiped his boots on.

And now she was crying.

It seemed so far away, but it was really only a few short years.

That's how long it had been since Dwalin had first knocked on her front door, far past the acceptable hour for visitors.

She had been horribly confused as to what he was doing more, and only became more so as even more dwarves arrived. And a wizard.

And to think that it was the leader of that company that she was marrying.

Tomorrow.

It just, it seemed unreal.

She was going to marry Thorin, love of her life, and king of Erebor.

This was definitely much different from how she originally imagined her journey to end. Though, she never really was sure of what she planned on happened if she ever returned to the Shire after the quest.

And it wasn't only Thorin she had grown to care for, it was everyone.

And they were going to stand by her side at her wedding.

Well, not all of them, some would be standing with Thorin, of course.

Thorin would have Balin, Dwalin, Óin, Dori, Fíli, and Dís. A few hobbits had attempted to offer, but had quickly been shot down. What was simply a nice gesture on their part, meant so much more to the dwarves.

Billa was fairly certain that she would have had Dís and Fíli by her side if it weren't for their strong familial relations to Thorin. A sister will obviously stand by her brother, and though hobbits didn't usually place all that much importance in regard to lines of succession, Fíli was still Thorin's heir. So she had Kíli all by his lonesome, though he didn't seem too terribly bothered.

She had been rather upset when she realized she couldn't have the entire company, as that would be unfair for Thorin, and decided to make it up once in Erebor. There had been a bit of a fit, and Thorin had looked so close to caving in, but none other than her Aunt Belba had cleared that up, saying that there should be symmetry in a ceremony.

And so she had received a kiss on the forehead along with a few whispered endearments.

Thorin seemed more disappointed than she had been.

But no, she was quite happy that she had who she did. She had intended for Bofur and Nori to be split up so that they would walk together, but that did not happen. Ori joined her, and would be walking with Dori as he would be betraying his One in a manner if he walked with any other than family. She also had Bifur and Bombur. Her Aunt Belba would be standing with her as well, to make it even.

All in all it was a very happy arrangement.

Thorin was in a very similar situation, but without the crying and the flowers.

He would be making Billa's bouquet tomorrow, and after looking through several books and talking to several hobbits, he had finally chosen the flowers he was going to use.

He was rather disappointed when he saw what they looked like, for while they certainly weren't ugly, they weren't really the best combination.

But then again, neither were Fíli and Kíli.

At the very least, Billa would see that he was placing more importance on the meaning than the appearance. And that was something almost un-dwarven.

But it was definitely Hobbitish.

And well, he was getting married tomorrow. To a hobbit.

Thorin had never expected to find a wife and marry. Possibly when he was young, back in Erebor, with his future so bright and ahead of him. But after? Never.

Their populations were low, and they were only shrinking. It had been years before he had finally managed to settled in Ered Luin, and even then, the numbers were hardly increasing.

There was a reason Fíli and Kíli were the way they are, and while some of their attitude could be attributed to their parents, it was mainly because they had been so terribly spoiled. They were possibly the only children in the entire settlement.

Well, that's not actually true. But for many years, it was.

The line of Ri had been a bit behind, and had finally arrived and settled a few years after his nephew's birth. Ori was older than them. Looking back he did remember when Gíldri was born, as while he did not know the family, he was informed as was everyone else. A little less than fifteen years before his own boys.

But beyond a quick visit to the family, with well wishes for them and the newborn, there had been very little interaction.

It really was odd that he had dropped off the map in such a manner, but when he learned that Gíldri had turned to thievery, it had all made sense.

Even though he knew the line of Ri, he didn't actually know Nori until the quest.

But that was irrelevant, what sort of dwarf was he if he was wondering about anyone else other than his intended on the night before his wedding.

By all rights he should be imagining what Billa will look like walking down the hour, what she'll look like in their wedding bed.

But no, he was thinking about a thief.

That was something his did not want to do.

And so with a quiet grunt, he turned to his side, and continued to think his way into sleep.

It didn't work.

He wanted Billa.

However, he was not the only one in the smial having trouble falling asleep.

His own sister was currently pacing the hallway that the bedrooms were in. She had managed to calm down enough that she was now only pacing about ten feet, where before it had been the entire length of the hall.

She was worried.

Dís was worried about many things.

Little things, like would Billa's bouquet clash with her crown and whether or not she would like her dress. Okay, that was actually a bigger thing, But there were also rather large things, things like the letter she had received from Glóin.

The assassins had tried again.

But they weren't only assassins, as they had hoped. No, there was an entire guild of sorts. There were thieves, spies, and merchants. None of them members had anything against Billa and the royal line personally, but it was believed that they were forced into the situation somehow.

The leaders were strict purists, and apparently had somehow been personally offended by Billa.

There wasn't much more known than that, at least, that was all she knew.

Nori had to know more, Gíldri was no doubt sending him (and Ori) letters through the ravens she saw regularly.

But she needed to ease such worries from her mind.

Her boys, her brother, and her sister were all safe. She was safe. They were in the Shire, there wasn't anywhere much safer than that. Not even the most stubborn of dwarves would leave their recently reclaimed mountain for a mere murder.

A wedding maybe, a birth very likely, but a death? Much less exciting.

And so she tried her best to push the thoughts out of her mind, as the wedding was tomorrow, and though it may not be so to the hobbits, it was a royal wedding. It was going to be perfect, and Billa was going to be stress free and happy, and it was all going to go wonderfully.

But first, first she needed a drink.