Author's Note: Happy Australia Day to all the Aussies reading this. And a big Hello to everyone else.
Yes, I know, I promised I would update far sooner than this, actually I believe I said I would update before I went back to work and that, that was three weeks ago! Again sorry.
I would like to first blame that I've been busy, both with work and trying to get my P's - I've had my L's for five years now, I thought it was about time to finally move on to my red P's. That's of course isn't the only reason I want my P's, though having been on my L's for five years is enough incentive in and of itself, I'm also turning 23 near the end of this year, which is getting a tad old to be asking the parental unit to drive me places, even if those places is only work and occasionally the cinemas... I don't get out much.
Second reason (WARNING: AUTHOR'S RANTING - Only venting, don't need to read, just skip ahead to the chapter), I'm been, again, going through a bout of self-doubt about this fic. With the writing of the last few chapters my dyslexia had seriously played up. To the point where there have been full paragraphs where reading back over them I have no idea what I was trying to say and I've made up completely new words because I've stuck in letters, like 't' instead of 'l' and stupid things like. And as to be expected from this, my insecurity over my writing has reared it's ugly head and I've scrapping every new thing I've written for this fic since I last posted. I'm fairly certain that I'm over it for the most part, but again, until I'm entirely sure, updates may again be sporadic.
'Sigh' If you think that that's frustrating for all of you, how do you think I feel? It hurts to delete my writing, even the nonsense crap that I've been currently spewing - For example, this morning I wrote two pages on Bofur simply being bored and had him and Bilbo tossing a wooden ball around. That's, that's the kind of nonsense that is currently swirling around my brain, which then just gets scrambled into unintelligible nonsense when I type it out. It's depressing because I'm finally, finally up to writing the good stuff and all I'm getting out is bloody, bl**ping nonsenses that I can't even read. It's infuriating! I hate it! I really, really hate it.
Okay... deep breaths. Right, I'm done. Please enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Forty-Three
Within A Mountain's Shadow
The Lonely Mountain grew rapidly larger with each passing day. To the point where one morning Bilbo was woken by Nori due to the approach of dwarf guardsman from Erebor, with the intent of escorting them rest of the way to the mountain.
She had half expected to see Dwalin at the head of the group but instead it was lead by a dwarf she did not know, nor did she care to for he looked at her as if she was something that needed to be squished as quickly as possible. He and his guards however did not stay long, sent ahead by Nori to tell Erebor of them of their imminent arrival.
"Can't believe of all the dwarf guards Dwalin could have sent, he sent him!" Nori muttered in disgust.
"Maybe he was all that Dwalin had to spare?" Bilbo mumbled from where she sat near the fire watching the retreating figures of Erebor's guardsman as they marched in perfect time back towards the lone mountain. "Isn't Durin's Day approaching? I remember Balin telling me once that besides from Durin's Day being the first day of your new year, but it is also a time of great festivity and the bringing together of all the neighbouring dwarven clans."
Nori shot her an amused look as he plopped himself back down beside her, stealing her uneaten sausages from her plate as he did so. This was the first time he had done so, stolen food from her plate as this was the first time since he had found her that Bilbo had eaten a reasonable chunk of what food she was given, instead of simply picking at it before handing over her barely touched meal to him to eat. This morning she had eaten all but this one lone sausage and was showing no inclination of having any desire to eat, so he felt no remorse in stealing it, even if she did roll her eyes at him as he tried to be subtle about eating it.
"I forgot how much you were interested in our culture." He commented between bites of the sausage.
She shrugged, looking away from him and turning her attention once more upon the looming lone mountain that was their final destination. She could see the rebuilt Dale from this distance as well as Laketown. Both cities of men looked as if they had recovered from their mutual desolation from Smaug quite well and seemed, from this distant at least, to be thriving.
"You're right." He said after a moment's pause, swallowing the last of her sausage, "that probably is the reason why Dwalin didn't send someone else with, ah, less black and white views of the world. Or himself even. There have been threats against Thorin and the princes. No more than usual," he added when Bilbo shot him a barely concealed look of panic, "but Thorin's counsellors always get their axes twisted into knots over such matters when Durin's Day is approaching."
"He is their king. They should be worried about him all the time."
Nori snorted.
"They do, but at any other time of the year, Thorin would rip their heads off."
"Why is this time of year different?" Bilbo asked as she drew unintelligible marks in the dirt beside her.
"Because it is the end of one year and the beginning of another. He also has other things of his mind during this time of year, certain events that we of the old company all remember." He tried to get her to meet his eyes but she would not lift her gaze from insensible doodling.
"It'll be Frodo's birthday." Bilbo muttered unexpectedly, glancing up at him briefly before looking away again, "Around Durin's Day. He'll be ten." Her lips pinched into a tight smile which quickly grew to a grimace as she began chewing upon her lower lip as she once more glanced towards the looming mountain.
"And you're birthday has passed, has it not Burglar?" Nori asked and she shot him a withering look before returning to her nonsense scribbling.
"Forty-nine, right?"
"Fifty." She muttered darkly under her breath
"Still just a babe." He teased causing her to glare up at him.
"Not by hobbit reckoning."
"You're far from anything that would be within the consideration of hobbit reckoning. You're deep within the land where things are reckoned by dwarves, men and elves."
"Yes and only two of those races would still consider me a babe. By men I would be considered to be entering middle-age."
"And yet you don't look a day older than the day I met you." Nori replied and she turned her brown eyes away from his, "Is that normal for hobbits? I understand that upon reaching adulthood the years pass your kind far slower than they do for man. And the years are far kinder to hobbits than they are to men. It is not until you reach the final years of your life that your kind age rapidly…"
"Or when you fall ill." Bilbo sighed, "When we fall ill, our years catch up to us far more quickly."
"Like your father?"
"Like my father." She agreed and they fell into a comfortable silence.
"We'll throw you both a party," he said as he chewed upon the end of his pipe, "You know that it will happen, whether you like it or not." He smirked as he watched the Halfling lass covered her face with her hands as she moaned.
"I thought all hobbits enjoyed parties." He teased. Bilbo lowed her hands and glowered at him.
"We do! But I've eaten enough dinners with you lot to fear any party you would host. I remember the food fights with just thirteen of you! I can't even bear to think a party of over hundred and the mess that would come with it! The cleanup would take weeks! You do know that Lord Elrond and his kin have still not quite forgiven you all for the mess and damage of property you caused during our stay. Not to mention the disappearance of a good deal of their silverware." She focused a hard look upon him.
Nori chuckled softly under her reproachful gaze.
"Ye of little faith."
"I have a lot of faith," she replied primly, "just not in dwarves and their table manners."
"Still," he chuckled, "a party will be thrown for both of you."
"Or a funeral…"
"Lass…"
"He said that my return would be punishable by death." She hissed at him. "You saw how those guards looked at me. How your guards even!" she waved a hand in the direction of the rest of their party and Nori shot all the eavesdroppers a warning look, motioning with one hand the cutting of one's ear off. "Thorin may not have any…"
"Don't lass…" Nori interrupted her, "Thorin has changed, have I not told you that enough? Thorin is a far different dwarf, a far different king to the one you last saw on those walls the days before the Battle of the Five Armies. And as for the looks, the whispers, they will pass with time. Just give them time. No one is going to put you to death. We won't allow it."
"You would not go up against your King's wishes." She muttered darkly.
"You think?" she gave him a look.
"Lass, we would lay our lives down for you in a heartbeat, just like we would do for him."
"He is your king."
"And you are our burglar. Simple as that. Thorin won't lay a hand upon you lass, no one will. Trust me."
She gave him a small smile.
"I do."
He tousled her curls fondly before returning to smoking his pipe and her to her drawings.
"Nori…"
"Hmmm?"
"I would… I would rather see Frodo before I saw the others. Just to see for myself that he is alright." He looked into her deep brown eyes, the motherly love and worrying making the colour of them appear even deeper.
"So, you would like a quiet entry into Erebor, huh?" He said his mind clicking on to what she wasn't saying; an easy thing really when he saw her fingers playing with her vest pocket as he had seen her do countless times during their quest for Erebor after their impromptu trip threw Goblin Town.
He sighed heavily.
"None of them are going to like you entering that way, you know?"
"I-I don't really care." She whispered as she moved closer to him, "Please Nori, just let me slip in and see my baby before I see anyone else. Then once I have, you can march me out to see whoever is first calling for my head."
"Bilbo." He started in a thoroughly unimpressed tone that the lass waved off.
"Please Nori. Please? Let me see my baby."
"And then what lass? You suddenly reappear when you feel good and ready?"
"Aye, something like that." She said with a mischief grin.
"And a scare a good many of us too, I wager." He replied with a roll of his eyes as her smirk only grew.
"Why, of course." They both grinned at each other before he frowned.
"You're not planning on doing a runner, are ya?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you." he gave her shoulder a gentle poke. She met his eyes and he sighed.
"Fine." He growled, "I suppose you have an idea of how you will slip away unseen without any questions being raised."
Her smirk grew somehow even wider as her eyes became calculating.
"Maybe one or two." She beckoned for him to come closer and in a hushed voice she told him her idea.
Author's Note: You waited all this time for this short-arse chapter. Sorry, honestly I am. This chapter has been in and out of the fic for last month or so. It's basically just a filler chapter, so we know where exactly Bilbo and Nori are at in the story before they come to be in Erebor.
Next chapter we'll be back with Frodo and the new mischief he's landed himself into. And it's some serious mischief. The kind of mischief that will get Thorin into trouble with his counsellor's and Thorin is going to be torn between wanting to be a good parent, a good dad and take Frodo's side and protect him. Another of him just wants to bury his head even further into the rock and last part of him is petrified Frodo is going to end up like him. And that's really all I can say about the coming chapter without giving anything else away. I wish I could have updated with that chapter, the story refused to let me, so yeah, again sorry.
Eleven months - for us Australian's - until The Hobbit: There and Back Again graces our screens. I've put a reminder in my phone so for the next ten months, on the 26th, it will remind how many more months it is until TABA is out... It's rather sad, isn't it?