Chapter 21
Twelve days of celebrating seemed a bit excessive to Bilbo. Hobbits liked a good party as much as the next person, but even they had their limits. For them, Yule lasted a week and even that seemed a bit much at times, especially when dealing with unwanted relatives that propriety demanded they be invited to at least one dinner for the holiday. Not that anyone came immediately to Bilbo's mind. No. Nope. Lobelia had absolutely nothing to do with the irritation he'd suffered last Yule. Never mind that she'd invited herself over three times and tried to steal his silver spoons. When she wasn't even married to Otho yet. Barely betrothed to him actually. No. No one. At all.
But that wasn't the point! Twelve days was a lot of partying.
And dwarrow knew how to throw a good party.
Of course, he'd had a hand in most of the preparations, with Dis's help of course. All the ceremonial candle lighting hoopla had gone without a hitch. The decorations were fantastic. Bombur and the kitchen staff had more than outdone themselves. The musicians sounded perfect. The dancers performed beautifully. Everything went off without a single problem whatsoever. It was perfect, even by Baggins' standards.
And really, if he was being truly honest with himself, twelve days of celebrations really wasn't that bad. With so many relatives and so many weddings and birthdays and other so-called special occasions in the Shire, Bilbo used to attend parties on an almost nightly basis, especially right after he'd reached his majority and the lasses had yet to realize that Bilbo had no desire to marry any of them and thoroughly enjoyed life as a bachelor in the large, lovely smial at the top of the hill.
No, the problem came with just how tactile dwarrow were. And apparently, Yule brought the worst out in them. Each night was a new feast, a new party, a new dance to learn, and new experiences for Bilbo.
The first night, Thorin pulled him aside before they left their rooms, stepping out of Dori's earshot as he gathered up the tools he'd used to make final adjustments to their clothing before the festivities.
"You should be aware of what will be expected," Thorin said, his hand on Bilbo's elbow as he leaned close and spoke lowly to him.
"What do you mean?" Bilbo asked, a sense of dread filling him. Had he missed something? Was there yet another dwarrow secret he hadn't been told about?
"Yule is not just a celebration for families in dwarrow culture," Thorin told him. "It is also a time where we honor and publicly exult in our personal relationships."
"Meaning?" Bilbo asked, drawing out the word as that feeling of dread intensified.
"Meaning that it is expected that all couples, especially those that are married, will be quite happy to display their affections."
Bilbo's eyebrows came together. "What exactly do you mean, 'display their affections'?"
"It means there's going to be a lot of snogging going on in public," Dwalin drawled from the doorway. "Get a move on. You'll be late and I don't need my brother blaming me."
Bilbo looked up at Thorin with wide eyes. "We're expected to be physical with each other in public?" he demanded.
Thorin frowned. "We will not do anything improper," he said, taking Bilbo's hands before the hobbit could grab at his neatly ordered curls. "You may always say no to any advances."
"But if I do people will think there is something wrong with our relationship," Bilbo guessed.
"Yes, that is probably true but-"
"Gossip about the state of our marriage is not something we can afford when there's already someone out there trying to kill me for being your husband!" Bilbo took a deep breath, straightening his already immaculate waistcoat. "I'll manage somehow."
Thorin leaned in and kissed Bilbo tenderly. "If it gets to be too much, squeeze my hand three times and we can leave under the pretense of finding somewhere more private to enjoy one another."
"I don't know as that's any better," Bilbo muttered, a blush staining his cheeks as they headed out the door.
"Better for public image though," Nori said cheerfully as he appeared in the hallway. And how did he know what they were talking about? "In fact, maybe you should find a semi-private little alcove in the Hall of Kings. I happen to know a few myse-"
"Have any you news?" Thorin asked, cutting the spymaster off.
"Nothing much, really," Nori said. "Nothing that can't wait. No chatter about attempts tonight, or any night during Yule really, but still stay alert. I haven't been on my best game lately." He frowned and then shook himself. "Just checking to see if you'd gotten any more correspondence from the Shire."
"Not yet, I'm afraid," Bilbo said. "I only sent my reply to Lobelia and the others a week or so ago. Carc won't make it to the Shire for a while yet, especially with how bad the weather's been."
"True, true," Nori said, nodding. "I'll be off then." He ducked into an empty room and didn't walk back out.
"He knows more ways around this mountain than anyone and he didn't even grow up here," Thorin remarked.
"Right pain about it too," Dwalin grumbled.
"Evaded you again when you were trying to arrest him recently, I take it?" Thorin asked mildly as they left the royal wing. Four guards peeled away from the wall to follow them to the Hall of Kings.
Dwalin grumbled something under his breath but didn't bother to respond otherwise.
They met Dis and the rest of the Company and their families just outside the Hall and greeted each other warmly before Thorin signaled for them all to enter.
The golden floor of the great hall was completely covered by dwarrow feet. Massive chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the tapestries around the hall had been cleaned, repaired, or replaced. Almost every dwarf in the mountain was in attendance. Tables lined the hall, loaded with food and drink. They'd be removed later to make room for dancing. Entertainers, jugglers, dancers, and musicians were dispersed throughout the room as well. Dwarrow turned toward the table at one end of the room in waves when word spread that the royal family and the Company had entered.
Thorin spoke briefly, and, though his understanding of the language had increased dramatically, Bilbo still struggled a bit to translate everything said. Overall, he understood the messages of peace, hope, healing, and prosperity for the people of Erebor as well as the strength, temerity, and perseverance of Mahal's children.
Eyes stayed fixed on Thorin as he spoke and Bilbo continued to study the crowds. He recognized the look almost everyone wore. He'd worn it on occasion himself as he'd gazed at the dwarf king beside him. He remembered the feeling of pride in Thorin even as it burned anew inside himself. The fierce sense of loyalty and courage that had inspired brave and, admittedly, sometimes reckless acts (they tended to try to avoid mentioning that time Bilbo had thrown himself at an orc to save Thorin when he hadn't any training with his little letter opener on top of a burning cliff).
Taking in the crowds of dwarrow around them, Bilbo noted that not all were as solemn and proud as others. He smiled to see small dwarflings sneaking around their parents' legs and under tables, tugging at arms to try to get attention so they could complain of being bored or hungry, turning to run away from a parent that wanted them to please behave and listen, that's our king.
Shortly, Thorin finished his speech and a great cheer sounded throughout the room and then there was a scraping of benches as every dwarf in the room hastily took a seat so they could enjoy the feast. Even those meant to entertain that evening took some time to eat before they headed to their places.
"It will be different next year," Thorin remarked as he leaned back in his chair. A roll stuffed with bits of sausage and cheese flew passed his face and Nori reached out to grab it, laughing at Ori's indignation, trying to steal it back.
"Hmm? How so?" Bilbo asked after swallowing his bite of garlic buttered red potatoes. What he wouldn't do for a fresh salad, but that was living with dwarrow. He'd just have to grow his own lettuce in the spring or perhaps consider finding a spot in his greenhouse for it.
"The final caravan arrives this coming summer. It will be far larger than the two that have already arrived."
Bilbo looked out at the veritable sea of dwarrow. "How many more?" he asked. He knew Erebor was huge. It was the Kingdom Under the Mountain, not just a simple city. Still, the population already outnumbered Dale's four-to-one. How many more could arrive?
"All that has arrived so far are those that can aid in restoring the Mountain and most of their families. Stonemasons, carvers, cooks and the like. The bulk of our people have yet to make the journey. Our numbers will at least double before all have arrived."
"Different indeed," Bilbo said. "We won't be able to fit everyone here in the Hall of Kings. Are there any other larger rooms in the Mountain?"
Thorin raised an eyebrow at Bilbo.
"One not currently filled with treasure, I mean. I don't think we could move it all out in time to hold a party in the treasury in five years, let alone one."
Laughing, Thorin leaned over and kissed Bilbo firmly on the lips. "Ghivashel, not everyone is going to expect to feast every night in the Hall in the presence of their King. Most will feast with their families or in their guild halls or with friends. Next year we'll be able to hold smaller celebrations."
"I see," Bilbo said as he resisted the urge to hide his surely bright red face in his napkin.
"Bilbo?"
"It's nothing," he said and turned back to his food.
"It's clearly not," Thorin said. "You're as red as your prized tomatoes. What's the matter?"
Bilbo's nose twitched and he cursed himself silently for not controlling the tic, especially when Thorin's eyebrows rose expectantly. "I'm still not used to being kissed in public," he admitted quietly, being careful to not move his lips too much as Nori had once taught him, to avoid people reading what he said on them. "I'm getting better but almost everyone in the Mountain is here. I'm still not the best at public displays of affection."
Thorin leaned in close to Bilbo's ear and whispered, "Look around you."
Bilbo did as he was told and saw a fair amount of dwarrow exchanging kisses, a few in a way that would be considered quite indecent in the Shire, even if they had been different genders. As it was, most pairs consisted of males, including the pair that was- "Oh my," Bilbo breathed, his face heating again as he quickly averted his eyes away from the pair only for him to see another group wrapped around each other except this time there were two dwarrow kissing a third.
"See?" Thorin asked, unaware of Bilbo's sudden surprise at the trio. "We are all wrapped up in ourselves we don't have time to notice others that are enjoying each other."
"But there are dwarflings present," Bilbo hissed.
"If anyone gets out of hand, they will be stopped and asked to act more discreetly around the little ones or to leave for somewhere more private. As it is, shouldn't our young ones learn how love should appear in all forms as long as the relationships are healthy and consenting?"
Bilbo swallowed. "It's so different," he said, finding the courage to look back up at the tables. Not everyone was wrapped in a romantic embrace, obviously, but for those that were, though some were very close and hands wandered a little, nothing too untoward was happening, he decided. Even the trio seemed content with limiting their touches to hands, faces, or necks. His gaze shifted to a pair of dwarrow, shyly holding hands and staring besottedly at each other. As he watched, she leaned in and kissed him quickly on his bearded cheek before turning away, a bright blush rising behind her own impressive mustache and beard. "But it does seem nice. I wonder how different my life would have been if I'd been allowed to see any form of romance beyond that of seeing the occasional kiss shared between my parents." He looked up at Thorin.
"How different indeed," Thorin said, one corner of his lips tugging up into a half smile.
Gathering his courage, Bilbo leaned in and kissed that corner of Thorin's mouth, placing his hand on Thorin's cheek as he did so. The Mountain didn't come crashing down on them. No dragon descended to scatter the dwarrow again. The earth didn't open up and swallow them whole. Yavanna didn't appear to smite him down in anger. Just like the other times Thorin had kissed him. Somehow it was liberating to be able to kiss his husband wherever he wanted as long as they didn't get carried away.
"That little alcove I was telling you about is right over-"
Bilbo didn't even look away from a smiling Thorin as he picked up a spoon and threw it at Nori's head, hitting him squarely on the side of the nose. Bilbo ignored the laughter around them and leaned up to kiss Thorin again. They ignored the catcalls directed at them from down the table, even as Bilbo's ears tinted red in embarrassment.
The fourth day of Yule brought snow back to the area. Fili, Kili, Tauriel, and Dis all joined Thorin and Bilbo for a quiet day before celebrations started publicly that afternoon.
As they dressed for the party that evening, Thorin heard Bilbo sigh. Glancing up from where he was buckling his belt, thinking Bilbo was enjoying the fine fabrics of his new clothes, Thorin frowned to find Bilbo looking rather morose.
"Bilbo?" he asked, straightening. "Is something wrong?"
Bilbo startled and looked up. "Oh, it's nothing," he said and Thorin raised an eyebrow at him, not believing him for a second. Bilbo heaved a second sigh. "I guess I'm just feeling a bit homesick for the Shire," he admitted and hurriedly added, "not that I don't love Erebor and being here with you. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. There are just… things, I guess. Traditions that I miss."
Thorin settled onto the chest at the foot of their bed and pulled Bilbo over to him. "Such as?" he asked and tugged until Bilbo sat next to him.
Bilbo glanced around the room. "We celebrate Yule too," he said, "just in different ways. Everything is so green in the Shire, even in the dead of winter. We have holly and evergreens and mistletoe to decorate our smials. We have Yule logs and food all the time. And the Yule tree with all the decorations. It was something I did every year with my parents and then, after their passing, I would invite some of my cousins over to celebrate or I would go to one of their homes."
"I see," Thorin said, remembering the book Ori had found so long ago that had detailed some of hobbit life, including their Yule traditions. "Would you like to do some of those things here?"
Bilbo shrugged. "It's a bit late now to be cutting holly and evergreens and mistletoe," he said. "I'll be alright this year." He leaned against Thorin for a moment before giving himself a shake and standing. "Come on, we'll be late and I don't dare think about what all these dwarrow will do if the feast doesn't start when expected."
Three days later, after the feast tables had been moved aside and the dancing started, Bilbo stood with Thorin, Fili, Dwalin, and Kili, watching the dancing as they took a break. The two princes draped themselves over Bilbo's shoulders happily ignoring his irritated glare at their overly tactile nature.
"You should have seen him, Uncle," Kili laughed as they watched Nori and Dis dance around each other, laughing widely. "He pulled Lady Sigrid into the dancing and had taught her our steps within the first few bars. Smitten he is!"
Fili whacked Kili with his cane good-naturedly around Bilbo's back. "She was a quick learner and at least I managed to dance with more than one girl the entire night."
"Why should I dance with anyone else?" Kili asked as he looked up at Tauriel. "I already have the best partner."
"Don't let Nori hear you say that," Thorin said as he pried Kili off Bilbo and wrapped an arm around his husband. "He'll take you to task for insulting Lira."
Kili opened his mouth to protest, thought for a moment and then turned to Tauriel again. "I'm sorry my love, but he's right. Lira really is the best at dwarrow dances."
"Then I can't wait to meet her," Tauriel said with a smile. "It will be a treat to observe a true Master of the craft."
"Nori's not bad himself, is he?" Bilbo asked as he watched the spymaster with Dis as they whirled in a stomping, high-stepping, leaping dance.
Dwalin snorted. "That thief's got more skills than he knows what to do with. He could be a Master in so many crafts and he throws it all away."
"Quit your grumping, Brother," Balin scolded as the song ended. "Go. Dance. No one's going to try to harm our Consort tonight."
Still grumbling, Dwalin stood and snagged Dis' hand before she could return to her chair. He ignored the smirk Nori sent his way as Dwalin led Dis back onto the dancefloor.
"Did I hear someone insulting my lovely Lira?" Nori asked with a wide grin that was all teeth and slightly crazed eyes and suddenly he was flipping a dagger across his knuckles as if it were a coin.
Kili's mouth dropped open slightly before he turned and grabbed Tauriel's hands. "I think we should dance," he said quickly. Laughing, Tauriel followed him amongst the dancers and far enough away from the group that they disappeared, even with Tauriel towering over everyone there.
"Go with them," Thorin told Fili before they were completely out of sight. "Make sure they don't get into too much trouble."
Groaning, Fili straightened before leaning against his cane heavily. "On it," he said. "It'll give me an excuse to not dance anymore. Perhaps I overdid it in Dale." He limped away after his brother and the elf.
The dancing continued for hours, the few members of the Dancer's Guild that were present performed early on so dwarflings could watch before they were taken home to bed. Those dwarrow that remained danced for hours. Finally, Bilbo and Thorin left for their rooms close to dawn.
"I'm so tired," Bilbo said on the tail-end of a yawn. He paused midstretch when he took in the room. An evergreen tree stood in the center of the room with berries strung along its branches as well as small tokens Bilbo recognized as ones often included on the yule tree – pinecones, apples, and small bundles of nuts and dried herbs, little sticks of cinnamon bundled with green, white, red, gold, and silver ribbons. He also found the flash of bright gems and small carved figurines of doves and ravens. Someone had raided his greenhouse and placed flowers amongst the branches. Evergreens hung along the walls and over the mantel. A wreath of it hung on their door with sprigs of holly interspersed. More bunches of holly were arranged amongst the pines around the doorways and on the mantel and mistletoe hung in the doors. A quick dash into their bedroom showed the same decorations with the addition of mistletoe over the headboard. Everything was strung up with white, green, red, gold, and silver ribbons braided in familiar patterns and woven amongst the greenery.
"When – how did you – Thorin!" Bilbo returned to the sitting room where Thorin stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "How did you manage all this?" he asked, still staring around them, trying to take everything in.
Thorin looked around the room. "It seems there is more than one benefit in accepting my nephew's elf as she can retrieve such supplies in the middle of a snowstorm without too much difficulty."
Bilbo stretched up onto his toes and kissed Thorin soundly, pulling the dwarf down closer to his height by gripping the collar of his surcoat and pulling.
"I take it you like it?" Thorin asked when they parted some moments later.
Releasing Thorin's coat and smoothing out the wrinkles briskly, Bilbo smiled and cleared his throat, unable to meet Thorin's eyes for a moment. "Yes, well," he rocked back onto his heels. "I suppose it will do. How did you know what hobbits do for Yule? I don't remember telling you all the details."
"Have you forgotten the book Ori found that detailed hobbit culture?"
"Oh, right," Bilbo said. "That one. It did detail Yule traditions, didn't it?"
"Yes," Thorin said. "We share some traditions, such as the Yule log which we will light the last night of Yule and, of course, all the feasting. Did we remember everything? We couldn't find the book again for some reason. Ori suspects it was just shelved incorrectly."
Bilbo nodded. "It's wonderful, Thorin. Thank you."
Pressing a kiss to Bilbo's hair, Thorin looked around the room as well. "I hope you know we will do what we can to make Erebor feel like home to you as well. You just need to tell us if there is something you would like."
"I'll be sure to let you know," Bilbo said, taking Thorin's hand and dragging him to their bedroom, impatient to show him how much he appreciated his efforts to make him feel at home.
When Yule finally ended, the mountain returned to a state of constant activity as everyone went back to work trying to finish repairs before the last caravan was meant to arrive in the middle or late summer, depending on the weather.
First on Thorin's list of duties was to check with Nori. He found the thief turned spymaster in the little office he'd claimed, pouring over a book, his fingers running along the pages. Occasionally, he'd stop, turn the page back to the previous, write something down, and go back to reading the page his fingers were on.
"Any news?" Thorin asked.
Nori looked up, hands still tucked in the book. "Working on deciphering code from L now." He looked back to the book. "And I hate this code. Why do we use it?"
"And what code would that be?" Thorin asked, looking at the book. It appeared to be a history of battles from the start of the Second Age.
"Not something you need to know," Nori said as he turned the page back again, wrote something down in some strange symbols Thorin didn't recognize, and turned back. "Just know that it's as fiddly as your husband's tea services."
Thorin winced. "You're right. I don't need to know. I don't want to know."
"Good," Nori said and reached the bottom of the page. He looked at the symbols he'd written down. He cursed. "Missed something in there," he grumbled and flipped back a few pages. He paused before he started reading again. "There was one thing," he said.
"Oh?"
"Seems there's a rumor roaming around that your dear consort isn't all that natural as he should be, being respectable and all that."
Thorin's eyebrows drew together. "Meaning?"
"Word around the ale barrel is that his family has fairy blood in it. If I didn't already know better, I'd consider believing it myself," he said and a mischievous smirk crossed his face, "what with how easy it is for him to disappear into thin air, evade elves for months in their own home, keep thirteen dwarrow alive as they crossed the wilds, and outwit a dragon. Stands to reason there'd be something unnatural about him. Might be unlucky for someone to harm him."
Thorin nodded. "I see. Yes, well, it'd be a shame if such rumors were to continue to spread. Take care of that, will you?"
"Do my best," Nori said. "Now out, Your Majestic Broodiness. I've work to do."
"You're lucky you're the best at what you do and that I'd have to replace you," Thorin muttered.
Nori didn't even bother to respond, just flapped a hand in Thorin's direction before returning to his book and the code it contained.
With the early spring thaw, trading caravans returned to Erebor. On a particularly nice day in early spring, Fili came barging into Bilbo's greenhouse without knocking. Looking up to scold him, Bilbo stopped before he made any noise, taking in the massive grin on Fili's face as he lifted both hands and spun around.
"No cane," Bilbo said, a grin slowly overtaking his face. "Oin has finally given you permission to not carry it anymore?"
Fili's smile grew as he danced a small jig. "Says there's nothing more to heal. It'll still ache in the bad weather but I can run and fight and everything without worrying about damaging it again."
"Good for you Fili!" Bilbo said, climbing to his feet. "We should celebrate. Just the Company, their families, and your mum, of course. I'll talk to Thorin about it."
"It's not that big of a deal-"
"Oh, posh!" Bilbo said. "Nonsense! We're celebrating. You've been recovering from your fall for over, what, two years now? I think we deserve a chance to acknowledge the end of the physical signs of The Battle on our persons. Now, off you go. I have a party to plan."
"Yes, Uncle Bilbo," Fili said and practically skipped out of the room, whistling brightly.