Once the main issue had been sorted and the contract signed, the dwarrows returned to their loud and boisterous ways. All except for Thorin and Balin, Bilbo quietly asked them to follow him into another room.
The room was some kind of study. Three walls were shelves floor to ceiling and packed with books. The wall on the right of the door had a wooden desk, with parchments and ink pots strewn across. The room looked like it was used often, adding another piece to the puzzle that was Bilbo Baggins.
"What is the meaning of this? What could possibly have to…." Thorin's rant was stopped when Balin nudged him in his side. Thorin spun around to look at Bilbo and was startled to see the scathing look being sent his way.
"As a dwarf, and a dwarrow king no less. You out of everyone should understand the desire to keep the secrets of your people wherever possible. That is the meaning of this."
"What is it that you need us for? It is obviously important as you are telling us something normally kept secret" Balin spoke kindly all the while glaring at Thorin.
"A letter, written and signed by you both, signed obviously as king and his adviser. And I will need you both to accompany me to the Thain so they can be delivered and it can all be seen as fully legal." Bilbo explained, sitting down and waving at two seats, telling them to sit.
"Is this something that all from the Shire must do if they leave for a certain time" Balin questioned, wanting to know more before agreeing to anything.
"No, it isn't. Not many from the Shire ever leave and if they do it's never far or for long. There is one family that has the adventuring trait in them but even when each individual goes it's never a permanent thing. After a few years, if even that long they are back for good."
"Why is this something that only you have to do then? Is it because of what you do ?"
"They don't know what I do or where I go when I leave the Shire. No it isn't what I do it is who I am." When Thorin heard this he became much more interested. "The family I mentioned who are slightly more adventurous then most hobbits would be are the Tooks. The Thain is also a Took, my mother was Belladonna Took. The Thain, Gerontius Took was her father. Things are good with myself and my mother's family, my father's caused such an uproar on the other hand though that it was down to my grandfather to forgo the family connections and act like the leader he is and so it was ordered that I must be willing to take whatever punishment given to me for any crime if found guilty, by those who wrote the letters to the Thain, in this case you, so not to bring hardship down on the Shire. Also all my property, money and belongings go to my father's family after a year and six months if there has been no word from me, even though they rightfully belong to my mother's family should something happen to me. Even after that time if I come back and I had good reason for not being able to send word I am unable to claim back anything." Both Thorin and Balin were shocked that Bilbo put up with something like that. Neither could believe in family treating family in such a way. A prince on top of that.
" The letters will be written, can this meeting happen tomorrow ?" Balin asked pulling out parchment.
" We will go to the Great Smials tomorrow mid-morning, I presume you will have your papers ready for then?"
" Do you need to ask"
" No I don't your right" Bilbo stood " I must go get some things sorted for tomorrow, you may use this room if it makes things easier." and he left.
"Well I have to say I wasn't expecting that now, will we have to watch how everyone is around him? The princes especially. We don't want any problems."
" I don't think so. He didn't seem to want to actually tell us he was a prince. He only told us because he needs the letters and the meeting. He doesn't want anyone else to know." with that Thorin stood and walked to the door " I shall leave you to the letter, call me when they are done and I will sign them" and he walked out gently closing the door behind him.
He looked around and tried to remember which way he came from originally. He couldn't remember. He wasn't going to ask Balin either though.
'alright ….okay…..it's only a house I will get to the others eventually.' picking right he turned and walked. Slowly he passed doors and lit candles, no dwarf to be seen. Just as he was about to turn around and go the other way he heard a noise. It sounded like things being thrown. Deciding to investigate just in case it was Bifur causing a ruckus in their burglars house, he carried on down the hallway. Finally coming to a stop outside a door, slightly open. He could hear pacing and muttering floating out from the room.
Straightening himself up he pushed open the door ready to grab Bifur and bring him back to his relatives.
He stopped short at what he saw, it wasn't Bifur, stood in the center of the room staring straight back just as surprised was Bilbo.
"Is there a reason you are in my room?"
Thorin looked around and realized that he had walked into Bilbo's room. The floor was littered with clothes and things for long travel such as sleeping gear, ropes as well as his leather guards he had been wearing earlier. He looked back at Bilbo ready to apologize and leave when he noticed, in Bilbo's hand was a velvet waistcoat. He was holding it as if it would bite him.
"What are you doing?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.
"I have to look like a respectable Gentle-hobbit tomorrow. That means I have to find everything that goes with this" Shaking the waistcoat, and then throwing it onto the large bed against the back wall.
"Well I will leave you too it then" He turned and left the room, smiling when he heard banging noise again. He knew what it was like to be forced to wear clothes that were for nothing but showing middle-earth your wealth. Mahal save you if something happened because those garments would be no help.
He made his way back to the rest of the dwarrows. Kili noticed him as he walked through the arch and into the room.
"Hey uncle, where have you been?" With that question everyone looked at him and quieted down, waiting for his answer.
"Balin and I have just been discussing some final things, it is none of your concern"
Kili looked slightly downhearted at his answer, but he could not tell what he had been really doing. " We need to be up early tomorrow to discuss with the locals about ponies, we will need them bought now just in case they take issue with us. We will be here for three weeks and you know how hobbits don't like new things or change." Thorin walked over to the barrels and began pouring himself a drink of ale 'it's better to get everything we can from the people of the Shire before Bilbo's relatives find out he will be coming with us, especially if they are as bad as he implied.'
The evening gradually went on and Balin appeared, Thorin signed the parchments and that part of their job was done. The time continued to pass and eventually Bilbo reappeared.
"I have a few rooms for you all but you will have to share i'm afraid. My smial is big but not that big. There are 7 rooms. Each room has two beds, decide between yourselves and I will show you to you rooms."
"Kili is sharing with me" Fili shouted, Kili nodded his head.
"Ori and I will share" Dori told the group. Not that they hadn't already figured that out themselves.
"Bombur and Bifur you two share I will share with Nori" Bofur surprised everyone but Nori with his decision. Bofur and Nori had been getting on well since they met, and they were both from families with three, it made sense.
"Well I guess that just leaves us then. Dwalin and I for a room. Oin and Gloin another and the final for Thorin. That is everything sorted." Balin looked at everyone to make sure they all agreed with the arrangements, when he saw it was all okay he turned to Bilbo.
" Is everything set then?"
"We have it all sorted, if we could be shown to the rooms. Thank you."
"Of course this way" and Bilbo set off down the hall he came from, the dwarves followed after grabbing their bags. He stopped outside the first door.
"This is the first room, they are all the same. That door across from this is the wash-room for this room and the next two so remember it."
"We will take this, if it is okay with everyone else?" Nori piped up from the back of the group. Pushing through them all and entering the room. Bofur followed behind him not before thanking Bilbo though.
The company walked on and the next room was taken by Oin and Gloin and the room after that was taken by Bombur and Bifur.
The remaining dwarves followed Bilbo as he turned a corner and onto another hallway, making them wonder just how big this place actually was. Bilbo stopped again at a door
"Here we are, the wash-room is the room next door and it is for this room and the next two rooms."
"Ori and I will take this one, Thank you" Dori practically pushed Ori into the room telling him that he needed to sleep.
Bilbo brought the last few to their rooms across the hall, Balin and Dwalin took the first and then Fili and Kili until all that was left was Thorin.
"Right well just you then follow me, you have walked past it already today"
They walked around a corner until they came back out to where they had started and carried on walking past the dining room and down another hall.
"Due to the large amount of you and the short notice I couldn't put all seven rooms together I'm afraid."
Walking round a corner they came to a part of the hall that Thorin recognized.
"This is where your room is"
Bilbo smiled "You remembered, yes this is the family section of the smial. Everyone else is in the guest part."
"Why do you have a home so big when you live alone?"
"My mother was the daughter of what is equivalent to the king in other cultures but lived far away from the family home. My father was the head of the Baggins family, a very important aristocratic family in Hobbiton. Due to both their importance they would get many visitors from around the Shire and sometimes further. Having somewhere that the guests could stay that was meeting all the hobbit standards was important. So this was built. When they passed, it became mine."
Thorin was surprised just how powerful Bilbo could be in the Shire if he chose to be. Why didn't he choose to use any of that power. He was a prince. He had the same amount of power that Kili would have, because he has power from his father as well.
"This is your room. The wash-room is that room there" Bilbo pointed towards a door in between the room they were standing outside and the one that Thorin recognized to be Bilbo's own room.
"The wash-room will be shared with me I hope that is okay, On the up side though there is a large bath and running water."
"That is fine. Your help is very much appreciated. You have done much on short the morning I must be up early to purchase ponies,so I must sleep. Good night."Thorin turned and entered his room.
"Good night" he heard just as he closed the door.