Chapter Thirty

From an Ember a Raging Furnace

Thorin had been having a fairly uneventful – and boring – day. Nothing remotely interesting had happened during its course. Nothing unexpected had occurred. It had been, as stated before, an uneventful day for the King under the Mountain.

The day had passed like he had come to expect most of his days as King to pass, long hours bent over meaningless paper work that needed his signature and crest and he only read them because Balin made him do so, otherwise he honestly wouldn't have bothered. He wasn't like Fili who seemed to actually enjoy doing paperwork; such a strange and unexpected trait.

Thorin had lost track of how many times he had caught himself not doing his own paperwork and simply sat back in his chair, watching his nephew work through his own mountain of paperwork, keenly taking in every expression his nephew wore as he worked through each paper with care and diligence, noting in his head that they were the exactly the same expressions that he wore when out hunting with Kili. Determined and lethal.

Thorin stretched his stiff back and tried to crush his boredom down as he read over yet another treaty of friendship from Thranduil because of… some reason or another, some benefit that Thorin couldn't really see benefitting his kingdom. They were neighbours, allies in times of trouble but that was really as far as Thorin wanted things.

He liked the working relationship he had with Thranduil and had no desire to change it for any reason what so ever. He saw enough of the pointy-eared bastard and his damnable son as it was, thank you all very much, he didn't want them thinking they could swan on in any time it took their fancy.

He was just forcing himself to get back into his paperwork and seriously focusing (and caring) upon what was actually being written down on the paper in front of him that he needed to sign when a very flustered Dwalin came barging into his study, closely followed by a very confused Balin.

Thorin glanced from the two brothers to Fili who was staring at Dwalin as if the huge muscular dwarf had suddenly grown another head. It would have been less shocking if he had for seeing a flustered and tongue-tied Dwalin was a very unusual and queer sight indeed.

"Ah, good evening Dwalin." Thorin spoke slowly and carefully as he watched the Captain of his royal guard try and composure himself enough to speak.

"Aivion's back."

"Oh?" Thorin said slowly, unsure why this would cause Dwalin to become so utterly flustered. Fili's blonde head was cocked to one side, his blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"Has he got the traitor Bovin with him?" Fili asked and Dwalin huffed.

"I wish." The huge dwarf snorted, "Make things less-less odd. And awkward."

"Eh?"

"Look," Dwalin said now looking more like his usual grumpy and imitating self, "Best if you just came and saw what Aivion has brought with him and what he's got to say, which is a lot and…" at this Dwalin gave Thorin a very strange look, "and I don't know how happy you'll be when you hear what does he have to say."

"Is it bad?" Fili asked in bewilderment.

"Not bad," Dwalin seemed to be struggling for accurate words to describe whatever it was that Aivion had brought back with him to Erebor. "More…it's just complicated. Just come and see for yerselves."

Thorin didn't need to be told twice – if more from the curiosity to see what had flustered Dwalin so than feeling any kind of kingly duty to go and check out whatever it was Aivion had brought with him. As it wasn't Bovin, he didn't really care, but… it did get him out of doing paperwork for at least a little time… unless it was something that required him to do more paperwork which if that was the case he might just pretend that whatever it was the Aivion (depending on what it was) didn't exist and get Fili to deal with it later… once he was done helping Thorin get through his original mountain\s of paperwork first, of course – and quickly followed Dwalin out his study, Fili and Balin moving closely behind him.

They moved quickly through the labyrinth of corridors within the mountain, moving steadily downwards, towards the mountain's roots.

"Dwalin, not even a hint?" Fili was moaning as they marched on through the labyrinth of corridors that made up the grand dwarven kingdom of Erebor.

Thorin had to bite back a grin at how much Fili sounded like Kili only for, in the next moment, he had the humour – and the air from his lungs – knocked out of him as something small and solid collided into his midriff.

Damn children! They knew better than to play in this part of the mountain.

He opened his mouth to give the child a stern chiding for playing where he surely knew he was not meant to but found that words quite failed him when he actually looked down at the child in question.

He vaguely heard Dwalin speaking to him but paid him no heed as he continued to lock eyes with the child.

The child who had collided with him was a very young boy, maybe in his early twenties Thorin would think if not for the simple fact that the lad looked nothing like any other dwarrow child he had ever seen before. The lad looked nothing like any of Bombur's lads though he did look surprisingly like Kili when he was just a very small lad.

The boy's hair was as dark as his own but curly in a way that no dwarrows hair ever would. His eyes were piercing sapphire blue and filled with such fear and uncertainty that Thorin from the very depths of his heart wanted to console and comfort him.

A human child? Thorin wondered but quickly dismissed this thought when he saw the slightly pointed ears sticky out from beneath the boy's thick curls. An Elf? No…

"Who are you then?" His question broke the almost trance like stare that he and the boy were sharing.

The boy's eyes widen and before Thorin could say another word or even have time to try and grab the child, he was off again, sprinting down the hallway, his larger than average bare feet making not a sound upon the stone floor.

"That was a hobbit." Thorin heard Fili dimly exclaiming in shock. "Dwalin! You didn't say there was a hobbit involved!"

"There are five actually." Thorin heard Dwalin reply before he shouted after the child to come back. The child paid him not the slightest heed as he dart out of sight around a corner.

Five hobbits? Five? Thorin could feel his brain starting to shut down.

He could hear Balin talking but couldn't force his brain into comprehending what his old friend and wisest advisors was actually saying.

"Hobbits?" He finally said as he forcibly dragged his eyes away from the direction the hobbit child had disappeared into.

"Five of them." Dwalin said with a nod, "c'mon, ask yer questions when you see them. Told you, you might not like this." He added as a grumble as he continued to lead the way down the hall, passing several anxious guards sprinting up the corridor, presumably after the hobbit child.

"Think they'll catch him?" Thorin heard Fili whispered to Balin from behind him.

"From what I know of hobbits – which is very little I must admit," Balin admitted in a soft tone, a contemplative frown decorating his features when Thorin snuck a glance over his shoulder back at his old friend, "and mostly what I know is from our personal experience with our burglar – I think that they're going to have tough job locating the little lad if he does not want to be found."

Yes, just like her, Thorin thought, thinking back on the few times she had hidden herself away and they had been hard press to find her until she was good and ready to be found.

Entering the Eastern Gates entrance chamber and seeing what was being held inside was one of the strangest sights Thorin had ever seen in his very long and eventful life. And considering the many strange and wondrous sights he had seen in his long and eventful life that was truly saying something.

He surveyed the group before him in a kingly manner while his insides did flips as he hunted – though he would refuse to ever admit it and would quite happily take Orcrist to anyone who might suggest that he was – for golden brown curls.

He found such curls quickly, but they were not hers.

Four hobbits stood out in front of the band of traitorous dwarves, each of them appearing to be exactly the same and yet worlds apart from each other.

He swallowed thickly and moved forward to address Dwalin's most trusted and senior of officers.

"Aivion."

"Sire." The red bearded dwarf bowed deeply before rising again. He looked to be as flustered as Thorin had seen Dwalin to be only a few moments before and quite irritable, obviously due to the loss of the child.

"Would you be so kind to explain why I have four hobbits standing in this hall and another running somewhere around my mountain?" Thorin asked in a cool and collected voice.

"Ah… bit hard to explain that." It seemed that everyone present was at a bit of a loss for words as to how to explain the situation to their king.

"I find the beginning is always best." Balin offered with an amused smile at seeing his brother's best dwarves at a loss for words.

"We're not even entirely sure of the beginning; these lot have been quite tight-lipped about it all." Aivion said with an aggravated look in the direction of the troublesome dwarves.

"How about the hobbits than?" Balin offered as he sent a kind smile to the quiet Halflings, "what is their story? From the beginning to coming to stand here before us?"

"Well Halflings?" Thorin said as he turned his head to the four hobbits, taking in each ones similarities and differences. There was one who appeared to be very old and quite frail, clutching with one hand onto a short stick while the other grasped the arm of young male hobbit with golden brown curls that reminded him so much of… no! He would not think of her! She had been invading his thoughts enough as it was without him seeing her in the face of this young male hobbit who was eyeing him with narrowed eyes.

If he wasn't so confused as to what was going on, he might have laughed for the glare he was receiving from three of the four male hobbits was quite an amusing sight. Hobbits were not creatures gifted with the ability to scowl with any kind of ferocity, not with their chubby cheeks and general pleasant face. But these three, they were giving everything they had to put their great displeasure of their current situation into their frowns.

"What are your names?" Thorin asked arms crossed against his chest as he looked down at them.

"I'll tell you my name Dwarf Master, if you tell us yours." The youngest – he was guessing. He had never understood the aging rate of hobbits – hobbit with golden brown curls spoke tartly as he glared crankily up at Thorin.

"Paladin Took don't be rude." The old hobbit muttered as he gave the young hobbit – Paladin was it? – arm a sharp tug.

The old hobbit looked up at Thorin with an apologetic look.

"Forgive him, please, he is young and we have travelled far and tempers get the best of one when one is tired and far from home." the old hobbit said and Thorin was struck with more thoughts of her as he stared at the old hobbit.

Why would he be thinking of her when he looked upon this old…

"I am Bungo Baggins." Ah… that's why.

Thorin felt his heart stop in his chest and it took several moments to restart again.

He heard a ragged indrawn breath from behind him and knew without looking that Fili had made the same family connection that he had.

He forced his face to remain neutral as he gave the old hobbit a nod to continue.

"This rude lad is Paladin Took," Bungo continued nodding to the lad beside him who gave them a half-hearted glare at them before making a small bow, "the one next to him is Saradoc Brandybuck," the hobbit man bowed without a word, his curls falling into his eyes, hiding whatever emotions he felt towards them, "and lastly my great nephew Lotho Sackville-Baggins." The finale hobbit did not bow or stop scowling at them. He simply crossed his arms across his chest and huffed. But Thorin took little notice of him, though his name did sound familiar for some reason. But he did not dwell on it, not when he had other matters to deal with.

"The little who just ran away," Bungo continued with a tiny worried smile, "was my grandson, Frodo."

Grandson? Thorin wondered. But wasn't he her fa… hadn't she said that she was an only child? How could he have a grandson when she was dead?

A small, tiny ember suddenly lit itself within his stone heart.

"What's brings you here?" he asked evenly, keeping his face schooled despite the tiny ember growing warmer within his chest with every breath he took.

"Not ourselves willingly." The hobbit with brown curls, Saradoc started carefully. "We were taken from our home quite against our will by the dwarves you see with us, though," he glanced back at the dwarves, "these ones have been kinder to us than the others."

"Why did they take you?" Dwalin beat him to the question. The four hobbits – even the scowling one – hesitated for a moment before shrugging their small shoulder and fell into a cautious, collective silence.

"Bit complicated that bit, I do believe." Aivion spoke up as he glanced over the dwarves and hobbits.

"Do you know it?"

Aivion shook his head.

"Only bits and pieces but as I said they've all been tight-lipped about it all. I know that one hobbit is missing though."

"Missing?" Thorin asked and watched as both Aivion and Dwalin shifted uncomfortably where they stood.

Thorin was about to bark at them to cut it out and just tell him when the youngest male hobbit suddenly asked a very unusual question indeed.

"Are you the dwarves then?"

"Pardon?" Balin answered for him as he was still too occupied with wanting to bash Dwalin and Aivion's heads together to get them tell to him everything they knew about what was going on before him.

"Are you the dwarves?" The hobbit, Paladin, asked again, eying them with suspicious, albeit curious eyes.

"Pal, hush up." Saradoc hissed at Paladin who glared crankily back at him before falling silent.

Thorin understood that for the moment he wouldn't be able to get anything out of the two young hobbits or Dwalin and Aivion about what any of them were on about, forced himself to turn his attention back on to the dwarves before him, only now noticing that the youngest looking dwarf in the entire group appeared to be size of a full-grown man. How had he missed that! Oh, yes, the hobbits and… her. Or rather the thought of her somehow being there – despite being dead – and the earth-shattering disappoint of her not being present.

He gave the odd looking lad a strange, questioning look that caused the large lad to blush a deep crimson and ducked his head, his oversized hands twisting the bottom of his filthy tunic between weather-beaten fingers.

"Bovin isn't present I've noticed." Thorin said, stating the obvious after a long, silent pause in the hopes that he might get information flowing more freely instead of this torturous yanking out a tooth by the roots process he was currently being forced to go through to get anything out of anyone.

Aivion nodded his red head somewhat sheepishly.

"Yes, I have dwarves still out looking for him sir. But I have reason to believe these lot are members of his company."

"Why would he split his company up?" Fili asked from behind Thorin. Thorin saw the youngest hobbit opened his mouth as if to answer before he was silenced by the other hobbit, Saradoc with a well placed elbow to his ribs.

"Good question." Dwalin said as he glared menacingly at the dwarves who swallowed nervously.

"Well?"

"You have no proof that we have even seen Bovin, let alone travelled in his company." One dwarf grumbled angrily back at them. "We have done no wrong."

A snort was heard from one of the hobbits and as well as from the large lad, both of whom fell silent under Thorin's searching gaze.

"Alright, then may I ask why you have hobbits in your company?"

"Wouldn't be the first time Halflings have travelled with dwarves, has it, sir?" One of the dwarf sneered at him.

Thorin glared back at him in annoyance and opened his mouth to retort when he heard the hobbits whispering amongst themselves.

"Told you they were her dwarves."

"Yes, well they're not being much help, now are they? So hush up. And you don't have any proof that they are, Dagan just implying that they knew about travelling with hobbits, not that they actually did. Now hush up Pal. The sooner this is sorted, the sooner we find Frodo and get out of here."

"But they could help." Paladin hissed anxiously before blushing when he saw that all were staring at him. "Sorry." The hobbit muttered though he didn't look very sorry but Thorin let it slide for now.

"Why are you travelling with hobbits."

"We're not travelling with them! They took us, quite against our and it is all your fault!" the surly looking hobbit answered him snappily.

"Shut it Lotho!" the two young hobbits hissed at the surely hobbit who was glaring at Thorin.

"Oh and how is it our fault?"Dwalin asked in amusement causing the hobbit, Lotho, to huff impatiently.

"If you dwarves had just left things well enough alone, she wouldn't have gone running out her front door after to you on your mad venture – and leaving the Baggins name in disgrace to I might add – then these dwarves would never have come to the Shire and kidnapped us. Though," Lotho paused thinking, "It's also her fault for following you and then coming back without so much as by your leave. Kick us out of our rightful property!" the youngest hobbit, Paladin let out an outrage cry at that.

"Rightful property! By my foot was it rightfully yours! Only if you had married her, which you didn't, so your claim to Bag End was and still is bogus! Bilbo had every right to kick you out of her home when she came back after travelling with these lot!"

"She should of stayed with them, saved us all a lot of trouble and disgrace!" Lotho cried back.

"Hold on," Balin's clear voice broke the through the hobbit's squabbling and had reminded Thorin's heart that it needed to take a beat or otherwise he will fall unconscious. "Are you speaking of Bilbo Baggins?"

Hobbits gave him incredulous looks.

"Yes, of course we are." Lotho snapped crankily, "she's the only hobbit stupid enough to leave the Shire in over a hundred years."

"Stupid? Bilbo isn't stupid! She's the smartest hobbit in Hobbiton, though given who actually lives in Hobbiton," Paladin was saying as he looked Lotho up and down, "that isn't exactly hard, now is it?"

"She is alive then?" Thorin asks in a soft voice but it's still loud enough to stop the two hobbits bickering. His mind was desperately trying to process this information as he heart beat a mile minute.

"Of course she's alive." Paladin cried looking outraged at the very suggestion that she might not be before pausing as his face fell a little, "Well, she was the last time we saw her."

"And still will be if she's learnt to keep her mouth shut around Bovin." Saradoc mumbled softly.

"Bovin? Bovin has taken her? Where?" Thorin snarled, rage like he hasn't felt in so many years started to swell within his chest. The ember that had been growing in his chest was now a raging furnace.

"Uh, yes." Paladin squeaked, taking a small step back, "But I don't know where. She kept asking him but he never said. They got into quite a few verbal spats about it too."

Thorin's head was spinning.

She was alive. Alive!

And in the hands of Bovin for Mahal only knew what reasons.

"Do you know why you were separated from her?" Balin asked in a collected tone, only a look into his eyes betrayed how disturbed he was by what he was hearing.

The hobbits hesitated for a moment before Saradoc spoke.

"We were slowing them down too much." Saradoc finally admitted, "They, Bovin I mean, needed to get Bilbo to some meeting place by the beginning of autumn or there would be big trouble."

"Any other reasons?" Dwalin asked and Thorin frowned at the odd note his old friend's voice.

"Uh…" the hobbits hesitated again.

"Maybe because of Frodo too, maybe." Paladin muttered, ignoring the exasperated look that was being sent his way by Saradoc.

"Frodo?" Thorin asked before suddenly remembering the little hobbit lad who had run into him before he walked into this huge mess.

"Mmm hmmm, Bilbo's son."

"Her WHAT?" Thorin hadn't meant to shout but of all the things that he had expected the hobbits to say, that certainly wasn't it.

She had a son? A son? A child of her very own…

Paladin cocked his head to one side in confusion while Lotho huffed again.

"Oh, of course, you lot wouldn't know, would you! Just perfect, fine mess she's certainly landed us in."

"Bilbo has a child?" Balin asked slowly and carefully, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ah, yes. That was one of the reasons he was snagged. The other…" Thorin's mind all but seized up as painful theories and possibilities started bombarding his brain. No… no, it could be… she wouldn't…

"How old is he?" Thorin asked through gritted teeth, noticing now that Dwalin and his captain were sharing knowing looks and he realised that they had suspected what has only just now dawning upon him.

The hobbits did not seem to want to answer him however, clearly unnerved by his temper and gathering from the rough treatment they had most likely suffered at the hands of Bovin and his crueller of followers they were not likely to respond well to him losing his temper.

"Nine, sir." Thorin looked sharply up at the tall, disproportion lad. "The little lad is nine; he'll be ten in autumn."

"And you would know this because?" Dwalin asked the lad sharply causing the boy to blush again.

"He told me sir. We're-we're friends." The tall lad scuffed his feet against the stone floor.

Nine. Billanna's child was nine, soon to be ten. It didn't take a mastermind or wizard to figure out the maths.

Thorin ran a hand over his face, trying to force his screaming thoughts to settle into an orderly, coherent fashion so that he would be able to think out his next course of action. Other than the obvious course of action of him hunting down Bovin and impaling him with Orcist.

"I want him found." He spoke slowly, careful to articulate his words precisely and allowing none of his inner turmoil to show in his voice or face, though he was sure if anyone looked him directly in the eyes they would see his panic, his confusion, his fear and hope, "I want him found and brought to me. Once he has been, I'll figure out our next step."

Not the most eloquent or kingly of orders, but they were simple enough and his guards moved quickly to follow them.

"What about us?" Paladin demanded, stamping his large foot against the floor, arms crossed against his chest, his earthy eyes narrowed as he glared up at them impatiently.

"What about my daughter?" Bungo added in a softer tone as his dark brown eyes bored into Thorin. Their eyes met and held for a moment before Thorin was the first to break eye contact, unable to keep looking into the eyes of the old hobbit… her father without his shame near overwhelming him.

How had his fairly uneventful and boring day turned into this!?

He needed a drink, a large one… but not until the child was found and Thorin seen him with his own eyes.

Author's note: So Thorin now, finally, knows that Bilbo is alive. YAY! Only took 30 chapters (and 153 pages) for him find out.
I admit I'm not overly happy with this chapter. It just didn't turn out the way I thought/hoped it would. I mean, I spent hours thinking over this chapter and somehow I just didn't manage to capture the epic-ness and drama that I felt when I spent hours upon hours stewing and plotting this chapter. Granted the amount of rewrites this chapter went through I suppose it would loss some of its epic feeling that I felt when I first thought up how this chapter was meant to go. I just feel that Thorin's reactions (or lack of) weren't quite right and that he was a tad slow with some crucial information in this chapter that he didn't really pick up on until the end. Granted he is having to drag out a lot of the info by its teeth, so i guess him being slow on the uptake of somethings *coughBilbobeingalivecough*, but then you could just put it down that his brain in overload mode and he simply can't process what he's now learned about Bilbo and Frodo (who he suspects is his son but he hasn't quite accepted this just yet. He wants to meet Frodo before accepting that the kiddo is probably his).

Anyway next two chapters will be spent in Thorin's brain and watching how it tries to cope with the new and personal curve ball of hell that the Valar have lunged at him for their own personal amusement. And my own too, hehehe :D
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Bye for now