Edit: I'm sorry you all. I forgot to give a small waring. There is some implied sex here, so if you don't want to read it please skip the memory.
The zig zag pattern on the dwarven statue could not really be considered stairs. Not when the height of each step was enough that even Dwalin couldn't see over them. And then they had to carry the sick and injured through the whole thing. Kili did try to work his way up the steps without any aid, but his leg was still weak and continued to fail him. He was forced to accept the aid of at least his brother and eventually one or two other dwarves were also forced to help when Fili grew tried. Bilbo, on the other hand, did not even attempt to climb the stairs on his own. Even if he had been in the tip of health, the stairs were too tall for him to reach without standing on his tip toes. Still, he wasn't exactly happy to be handed back and forth between the dwarves like he was on some kind of supply train.
Needless to say, everyone was more than happy to find themselves on the dwarf's axe where they only had to ascend a light incline before they finally reached their destination. Kili was so excited that he even jumped from the axe to the mountainside, though he immediately regretted it only moments after. Bilbo couldn't help but to smirk at that. His dwarves were finally home. Let them have their fun. Though, he would need to scold Kili later about takng better care of his injuries.
"Let all who doubted us," Thorin said, holding up the key, "rue this day!" Cheers erupted all around and Bilbo even managed a small raised fist in his own celebration. They had even been lucky. They had managed to arrive at the mountain top just as the sun was falling.
"Right then," Dwalin said, handing Bilbo off to Nori. He went up to the wall and started feeling around as though it would do him any good. "If there is a key, then there must be a keyhole."
Bilbo sighed. His dwarves were so excited about finally finding the hidden entrance that they forgot to take into account the magic that must be upon it. Dwarf doors are invisible. They were created from a bygone age when dwarves and elves were more than just allies. And elven magic would not be rushed. It would only show itself exactly at the right time.
Still, Thorin and the rest grew restless as the sun began to dip behind the far-off mountain line. "Nori," he said, tilting his head to the mountainside where the light still hit it.
"Right," Nori said.
Thorin made to take Bilbo from Nori's grip, but he had had quite enough of being handed between dwarves for one day. "I can stand on my own," Bilbo said, scrambling down from his place. He could very well stand on his own when they finally stepped through the doors of their homeland.
Still, Thorin's hand came to the small of his back. He didn't want to be grateful for the assistance, didn't want to seem weak in this moment, but nothing compared to the warmth of his One's hand against his back. Even through a layer of cloth.
Bilbo woke naked and contented, though his back did ache a little. His first night with his One had been everything he'd ever dreamed of and more. Thorin was gentle and he kissed often. His hands, rough from all his work, had tickled at Bilbo's skin and pulled pleasure from every inch of him. But it had not only been that that had made Bilbo so happy. Thorin had given him the loveliest coronet made by his own hands of the most precious things he could find. As though he was worth such an amazing gift. Thorin really was an amazing dwarf.
Bilbo reached up to his head and was actually surprised to find the coronet still there. He was sure that even if he had fallen asleep in it, it would have come off at some point in the night. Although, going by the way his hair was weaved around it, Thorin must have taken the time to secure it in place atop Bilbo's head, though his own crown had been cast aside before they even reached the bed.
"Are you awake my One?" Thorin asked. The arm Bilbo wasn't laying on was thrown over his waist to caress his lower back.
"No," Bilbo mumbled, burrowing himself into his new husband's chest.
"Very well," Thorin laughed. He dipped in and kissed Bilbo's neck, allowing his beard to tickle Bilbo's chin until Bilbo was forced to push him away.
"Are you awake now my One?" Thorin asked again.
Bilbo opened his eyes only to narrow them playfully at his husband. "No," Bilbo said.
Thorin grinned. This time when he dipped down it was to give his husband a kiss on the lips. Slow and languid and perfect for a morning like this where they had no other duties to attend to. "What about now?" he asked.
"I suppose so," Bilbo sighed. Even more contented now that he had been awarded his morning kiss. "But I don't see why I should wake up so early when we have the whole day off."
"It's already midday, my One," Thorin said, kissing the crown atop his head.
"Entirely too early," Bilbo mumbled. Though, now that he said so, Bilbo's stomach growled.
Thorin laughed, pressing another kiss to Bilbo's lips. "Then should we have lunch in bed?" he asked. Only, he regretted the decision immensely when he lost the comfort of Thorin's arms as the other worked his way out of the bed. He, at least was wearing some pants, so there was no need for him to put anything on to be decent as he went to the door.
"If you're going to call a servant in, I should at least be decent," Bilbo sighed, pulling himself so that he was at least sitting up in bed. The blankets fell to pull around his waist, exposing his torso. He wasn't normally self conscious of his body, but he also wasn't used to having servants coming in and out of his rooms. He wanted to at least keep some form of privacy.
Thorin immediately turned back to his dressers and pulled out a shirt for Bilbo to put on. He held it up and without even thinking, Bilbo raised his arms for Thorin to slip it over his head. "I can dress myself, you know," he said.
"I know," Thorin agreed, "but I wish to spoil you while we have the time."
The shirt was one of Thorin's, so it was a little big on Bilbo. Enough, at least that it fell off one of his shoulders. Thorin immediately ducked down to kiss said shoulder before kissing Bilbo's lips again and turning back to the door just as there was a knock.
"Be quiet," Nori said, tapping a spoon against the wall with a metal cup held between his ear and the rock, "I can't hear with you thumping." Dwalin had apparently taken to frantically kicking and pushing at the wall, cursing when it was still all fruitless.
Bilbo frowned. This wasn't right. Even for a secret passageway, it shouldn't be this hard for them to find the entrance if they did exactly as they were instructed. Did he lead them up the wrong path? No, this was the only plausible place for an entrance to be. They had to be missing something.
"Break it down!" Thorin demanded, his hand dropping from Bilbo's back as he stepped forward. It was okay, though. The energy that the small amount of contact had given would hold Bilbo over. At least for a little while.
"Wait!" Bilbo yelled, but the dwarves didn't hear him as they took axes to the wall. "I said wait!" he yelled louder. When they still didn't pay him any mind he picked up a rock and threw it straight between their heads. Dwalin, who was closest to the rock, turned suddenly, brandishing his weapon as though he was under attack. The others did the same only to lower them with wide eyes to see Bilbo glaring at them. "The door is sealed. You're not going to get through it with force, so don't waste your weapons. We may very well have to face a dragon later and I have no intentions of facing one with blunt weapons."
"We won't even get the chance if we can't get through!" Thorin growled. He gestured to the last light of the sun dipping under the mountains. "We're running out of time!"
"Calm down!" Bilbo said, turning his glare on Thorin. "Getting frantic is not going to get us in there any sooner. There must be something that we're missing."
"It says that the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole," Thorin said.
"It also says that we should stand by the stone when the thrush knocks and I don't see a thrush here," Bilbo pointed out.
"Did we go to the wrong place?" Thorin asked, his eyes wide and starting to dim with resignation. The other dwarves looked at each other and their shoulders were also starting to drop. After all this time and all these troubles, they were going to fail just outside the mountain.
"No," Bilbo mumbled. "No, I already considered that. There was nowhere else it could have been. 'Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole.' Were those its exact words? Sometimes, the wording matters in these things."
"We've lost the light," Balin said. Bilbo hadn't even realized that the light had already slipped away, and now they stood in darkness. "There's no more that can be done. We had but one chance. Come on lads, it's over."
Now all the dwarves' heads were held low. The dwarves that were so proud only moments ago were now crestfallen. They had failed their people. After all this time. Of course they could come again next year, but who's to say their people would survive that long or that they would even make it back again in a year.
AN: So after writing this chapter, I looked back at this scene and saw that there were actually stairs on the statue, but I really didn't want to rewrite it, so yea, lets pretend there weren't. Lol
Happy holidays everyone!