I apologize. I meant to get this out a lot faster, but school kicked my butt last week. Luckily, here's a nice long chapter for you!

Chapter 4- The Road's Struggles

This marked the second morning in a row that Bilbo was forced to wake up to the chilling, steady, heavy downpour that was common with Shire autumns. It was the perfect weather for sitting by the fire in an armchair, a good book in hand, and tea and biscuits at the ready. Instead, Bilbo found himself shivering in his receiving jacket, sitting on the back of a pony, clinging to his cousin who was still hashing his complaints from a week ago.

"It's just...I feel like this is overreacting a bit."

The lead to their pony had been removed from his hands and was now tied to the saddle in front of them, as it had every day since the first. Today the saddle they were tied to belonged to Bofur which in Bilbo's opinion was a vast improvement from Dwalin's company the previous day.

"Definitely not overreacting." Bilbo snapped, trying not to yelp as a rivulet traveled straight down the back of his neck.

He pressed a little closer to Siggy, stealing his cousin's body warmth. There were many things about this quest that made Bilbo feel inadequate. He just hadn't thought packing was one of those things that had a right and wrong way. Nonetheless, his companions were quick to hold it over his head every time he even thought to complain about not having his winter coat.

"You should just feel lucky Thorin didn't decide to strap the both of you down to the pony for added measure." Vili was quick to tease.

Ah, yes. Thorin. The dwarf certainly hadn't been gracious when he finally caught up to them all but yanking the poor animal to a stop, and dealing a verbal command on what he 'expects' from them from this point on. Mostly along the lines of stay quiet and out of his line of sight. Bilbo still found himself glaring at the back of his dark head.

Bilbo really didn't know what to think anymore. Clearly it had been the fantasy of a naïve faunt to think destiny would make things easy for him. He just didn't think it would be this hard to get along with Thorin. He tried to make amends a couple of nights ago when he brought Thorin and Frerin their meals only to almost dump the bowl into their lap. Which was an accident...on Bilbo's part. Nori had thought it quite hilarious to stick his foot out at that moment. Frerin didn't do much past roll his eyes, and accept what was left of the meal with a quick nod. Thorin refused to even make eye contact for the rest of the night and the following day.

It could be a family thing. Finding out that they were brothers, he did notice that they seemed naturally serious and introverted. Except, right now for instance, Bilbo watched the leaders riding next to each other. Frerin said something to Thorin that made the dark haired dwarf shove him nearly out of his saddle. Dwalin and Gloin immediately threw their heads back in howling laughter while Thorin tried to repress a fond smirk. So they were capable of being companionable.

A deeper scowl formed its way between his brows. Bilbo was ready to chalk his meeting as a cosmic fluke. There had to be other people out in the great big world with blue eyes and an oaken shield. However, every time he was on the verge to give in to his desires to be back with his books, back with his garden, and back with his armchair, he started to dream again. Even in spite of sleeping on the cold, hard ground surrounded by snoring dwarrows, he dreamt of mounds of gold. He dreamt of fire and desolated mountainsides. He dreamt of Thorin.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knew it had to be him. He didn't just see his blue eyes anymore; he heard his voice in his dream. He heard his laughter, and a soft 'can you hear me'. Not that Bilbo had ever been privy to such tender tones from the dwarf, but he knew they were Thorin's all the same. Bilbo didn't think he had been overly obvious in his objective observations. Vili seemed to know exactly where his line of sight lay anyways.

"Don't take it too hard." Vili patted him on the back. "It's not that Thorin hates you. You're just really...animated, and Thorin doesn't know how to react to that."

Bilbo's nose twitched as he tried to figure out exactly how he had just been insulted by the dwarf. He found he enjoyed the company of the relatively good-natured dwarf, and it helped that Thorin didn't seem too fond of him either for some reason. However, it was moments like these that kept Bilbo from calling him a friend just yet. When Vili was too candid for his own good, and really no one should be upbeat in this miserable torrent. Vili waned as he tried to find a way to revise his words under Bilbo's silent scrutiny.

"You see, Thorin's used to two type of people in his life: those that let him have his way, and those he has to scream at before letting him have his way."

Ah, so Bilbo could now add 'spoiled' to his growing list of character defects for the blue eyed dwarf. Lovely.

"And while he's accomplished what he set out to do, this was by no means his way." Vili continued. "It's been wildly entertaining for us, but makes Thorin a little testy."

"So you're saying I should just let him have his way, and he'll quit acting like I just squashed his prized tomatoes?"

Vili cocked his head as if working through Bilbo's reference. "Yeah, I think that's about the gist of it. But honestly I'm not too sure you can."

Bilbo sighed. "And why exactly is that?"

"Well no offense, but you seem like someone who is used to getting his way as well."

Siggy snorted as he tried to hold back his laughter forcing Bilbo to kick the back of his calf in annoyance. Bilbo found he was torn between throttling the heavily unhelpful dwarf beside him, turning the pony back for the Shire, or just throwing himself from its back.

To be fair, that was nearly an every other hour occurrence. Siggy had been especially mutinous early on in the quest when his request to stop for elevensies was met with eyerolls and a firm declaration that they would only be taking three meals, more than likely pushing towards two. Bilbo and Siggy both made a point to stock up on any berries and nuts in the area to snack from the pony's saddle when they packed up after every meal since.

"You just have to weather the Durin storm. It gets better after that." Vili advised with a large grin that showed he was especially proud of his poorly timed pun.

Bilbo nearly gave himself whiplash as he turned back to the golden haired dwarf to stare at him in shock. Siggy cried out as Bilbo sprayed him with a fresh wave of droplets, but Bilbo ignored him as his mind wandered away. Surely, the Valar were not this unkind. Although, he had to grudgingly appreciate the gods' twisted sense of serendipity if the person he had been running from turned out to be the leader of the thrice damned quest he accepted in the first place.

"Durin? As in the royal family in Ered Luin, Durin?"

"Who else would you expect to lead a bunch of foolhardy dwarrows back into their homeland?" Bofur questioned from ahead.

"Wait a minute! Erebor? That's where we're headed?" Siggy exclaimed, spinning around to fixated Bilbo with an exasperated glare.

Bilbo knew it was just payback as Siggy's wet locks pelted him in the face, but there was an underlying questioning look that begged Bilbo to answer the negative. Bilbo silently reminded the other hobbit that he was under no real obligation to come in the first place. His cousin rolled his eyes in response muttering under his breath about cursed gold and single-minded rockheads. The last of which brought a small smile to his face.

"Not cursed anymore, Mister Took." Balin smirked as he fell back from his conversation with the leaders just in time to hear Siggy's grumbles.

Bilbo's interest was piqued. There may be more to this quest than he originally thought.

"You broke the curse of The Golden Lord?" He asked.

Balin quirked a brow at the name before shaking his head.

"Nay, we did nothing."

Bilbo and Siggy shared a brief confused look before Balin continued.

"I assume with you both being Tooks and Princes of the Shire, that you know the story of Erebor well?"

Bilbo nodded choosing not to correct him that it had nothing to do with his status, but his mother's close personal friendship with a dwarf that kept him well informed.

"Well, when our prince's coming of age approached, we were all waiting in mourning for the curse to come to pass and claim his soul. But when it did not, we figured the Old Worm must be dead, and Erebor ready to be reclaimed. It's taken five years to put together an expedition towards our lost homeland. Yet, here we are."

Bilbo pondered on this. He's never heard of Fae magic, especially a curse, disappearing after death. However, obviously something had happened if the prince wasn't claimed. Maybe Smaug actually had crossed a line with the Nine Laws, and it just took a while for him to be punished? Either way, Bilbo felt at least a little better marching into the mountain without the fear of dark magic hovering above him.

"So if everything is all fine now, what do you need Bilbo for then?" Siggy questioned.

"Well, King Thrain, in his wisdom, had Tharkun lock the doors to the treasury to dissuade looters. We have been told that the doors will only open for a Durin and a Took." Balin explained.

"Which is why you needed to make sure I had Took blood." Bilbo filled in.

Balin nodded his assent.

"Course it worked out to have your cousin tag along." Nori grinned. "Now we have a spare."

Bofur and Vili both snickered at this. Bilbo was not amused. Siggy was only a couple of months younger, but by their laws, he still wasn't an adult. If their journey so far was any indicator, he shouldn't anticipate much trouble if any. It also helped that there was no curse at the end of this as well. Still, Bilbo felt the pressure of not only his own wellbeing, but Siggy's as well. He truly didn't think the dwarrows were cruel enough to leave them fending for themselves if it came to it, but he also didn't like casual disregard to either of their lives. Luckily, Siggy eased Bilbo's tension.

"By that logic, it works out well that you brought a spare Durin." Siggy huffed.

The three of them went through varying degrees of scoffing or shrugging. It was obvious that they put on airs for their loyalties, but they didn't seem too affronted by Siggy's statement.

"Well, certainly not by design." Vili shrugged. "But it's pretty hard to find one brother without the other."

That brought Bilbo back to this new development of the Durin brothers. There was a good chance that one of those two was his betrothed. He hoped it wasn't Thorin. Definitely not. Nope, he would not feel even the smallest prick of disappointment if Frerin was his intended. Any curling in his stomach right now must be relief at the mere thought of not being tied to Thorin in marriage.

He couldn't stop himself from wondering if they even knew about the contract or if they were to be blindsided with the truth, same as him. Would Thorin still treat him the same if he did know? Or did he treat him this way because he knew already? Bilbo resisted the urge to heave a huge sigh. He should make an effort to get to know them in any case. Not that he had any idea how to begin that conversation. Hi, I'm the hobbit that our elders thought would make you a good husband despite having never met and having vast cultural obstacles that couldn't possibly make us an ideal match. So what's your favorite flower? No, it would probably be for the best for Bilbo to play ignorant.

The rain was just starting to let up, showing the orange light of the setting sun when Thorin called for a halt. Needing a break from the chaos of his mind and the saddle, Bilbo wanted to melt into a puddle on the ground and sleep until the day after tomorrow. It would have to wait as Thorin immediately started issuing orders.

"Bifur, firewood. Gloin and Balin, get us a fire started once he gets back. Bofur, you're on dinner duty. Nori, see if you can find fresh water. Frerin and Dwalin, scour the perimeter. Vili...latrine duty."

Bilbo had to wince for the dwarf. That was his third time in a row that he got stuck with what Bilbo deemed the worst of their nightly chores. Bilbo had to be thankful he hadn't reached that level of discord with Thorin. Vili seemed fairly unaffected as he took the shovel without even a glance in the direction of Thorin's glare. Of course, Bilbo had already learned that no one was exempt from camp duties, even if they were 'inexperienced hobbits'.

At first, he and Siggy were assigned cooking duty which was perfectly acceptable to Bilbo. However, what constitutes as a roadside meal to a dwarf was more of a light snack to a hobbit, and he was banned from the cooking pot for fear of leaving them no provisions in a week's time. Since then, he's been put on firewood duty only to have become distracted by a particularly flavorful patch of mushrooms. Bedroll duty resulted in him almost catching the entire camp on fire. Gloin still hadn't quite forgiven him for that considering it was his bedroll. Refilling the waterskins was also not clearly in his repertoire of camping skills, but it's not like he knew that stagnant water was any worse or better than flowing water. He wondered in what way he could prove himself incompetent tonight, and by the look on Thorin's face he was thinking the same thing.

"Hobbits, you're on pony duty tonight."

Bilbo stared at him before turning to the massive animal beside him before looking back at Thorin.

"Yes!" Siggy cheered as he ran over to gather the reins of Dwalin's pony first.

He tugged and tugged without result. Dwalin seemed content to watch him before clicking his tongue. On cue, the pony started to walk forward nearly causing Siggy to trip and fall. However, his cousin bounced back happy to lead the pony off to the stream for water and grazing with most of the herd following his lead.

Thorin was shaking his head, his eyes looking pained. He met Bilbo's gaze and inclined his head as if waiting to lash out once Bilbo messed up this simple chore. Bilbo puffed up at the challenge even as he gingerly took the lead to his pony. He followed Dwalin's lead and gave a small cluck of his tongue. Immediately, she started moving in the direction Bilbo tugged. A bright smile broke out across his face, and when he turned back to Thorin, the dwarf was fighting off a smirk. Bilbo's heart flipped, and his mouth ran away before his mind could catch up.

"What's your favorite flower?"

Thorin's smirk fell and he just stood there blinking at Bilbo. Mounting horror at what he had said burned through his entire body, made worse when he realized the camp had become unnaturally quiet. A quick glance around showed all the dwarrows paused in their work to stare at the hobbit as if he lost all his wits. Bilbo was almost thankful when the pony gave him an impatient nudge in the back with her nose.

"Uh…never mind. I'm just going to…"

Beating a hasty retreat, Bilbo led the remaining ponies towards the valley all too aware of the blue eyed stare boring into his back. Siggy was waiting for him with his arms crossed, a giant grin on his face, and a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up." Bilbo ordered.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Siggy held up his hands. "Except that I would bet he's a lavender kind of dwarf. Maybe hydrangea."

Bilbo glared at him. "No, he's not."

Siggy rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! How can you possibly still be hung up on him?"

"I'm n-"

Bilbo stayed his tongue causing Siggy to glare. Bilbo bowed his head in shame before continuing in a softer tone.

"There's a chance he's the dwarf I'm engaged to."

"Yeah, there is." Siggy finally huffed after a moment. "But Bilbo…you can't have it both ways. We came out here because you were trying to escape your marriage contract, right?"

Bilbo shot his cousin a stricken look. Siggy quickly backtracked.

"I don't think you're a Breaker! Escape was the wrong word."

"No it wasn't." Bilbo whispered.

Siggy didn't have a response so Bilbo finished his errand with a numb detachment. As the mare dropped her head to drink, Bilbo ran his fingers through her mane with soft words of encouragement.

"Good girl, Myrtle. I think I owe you a nice apple after carrying my annoying cousin and I."

Siggy scoffed and rolled his eyes, but amusement and remorse shown through when he spoke up again.

"Myrtle?" He questioned.

"She is rather pushy just like Cousin Myrtle. I thought it fitting."

Siggy chuckled. "More pushy than Minto?"

"Fine, we can name Vili's pony Minto."

"It's a girl."

"Minty, then."

So that's how they finished their task. Finding names of their relatives they only kind of liked to name the ponies. As they discussed their reasonings in their names, they found themselves lost in uncontrollable giggles soothing earlier hurts.

"Ah, and what of Mister Thorin's majestic gelding?" Siggy questioned snickering towards the end.

"This right here is a fine gentle horse." Bilbo declared petting the pony's nose. "After all, to be surrounded by all these mares and still act decently."

Siggy lost it again making Bilbo laugh as well.

"Good point. Do we know any upstanding gentlehobbits?"

"Uh…oh, Longo Baggins?" Bilbo stated.

The hobbit maintained his façade of total seriousness for exactly three seconds before he and Siggy started busting up laughing again. Bilbo had to wipe a tear from his eye, he was laughing so hard.

"No, I would never insult any creature in such a way. Certainly not our noble friend here." Bilbo heaved once he was able to breathe normally again.

"Still for a respectable gentle pony, I think he deserves to be named after a Baggins." Siggy mused absentmindedly. "What about Bungo?"

Bilbo stilled as a sharp ache took all of his former humor. A sympathetic look stole across Siggy's face as he watched Bilbo hesitantly stroke the pony's nose.

"Bungo wouldn't go off on an adventure like this." Bilbo finally stated with a sad smile.

"I wouldn't be too sure." Siggy argued with his arms crossed. "There wasn't a hobbit more fascinated with Aunt Bella's stories…well aside from maybe you."

Bilbo gazed at his cousin with a bitter smile. Siggy continued.

"Besides, I know there's some bravery hidden under all that Baggins huffing and puffing."

Bilbo's smile dropped, and his eyes went far away. Back to a world covered in ice and snow. An erroneous howl rose above the hills, and Bilbo shut his eyes before he could complete the vision.

"Do you think he would be disappointed?" Bilbo croaked. "In me, I mean."

Siggy wrapped an arm around his cousin's shoulders as he shook his head in the negative.

"From what I remember of Uncle Bungo, I don't think there was ever a possibility you could disappoint him. Unless…you know. You married a Sackville…or a Bracegirdle."

Bilbo rolled his eyes as he fought to hide his smile. He finished tying Bungo's reins to the stake they had placed in the ground so that way he had room to graze without straining his neck.

"I'm glad you came, Siggy."

"Well of course." He declared rather importantly. "This is a venture that requires brains after all."

"I guess it's a good thing I'm here then."

"Oi!"

Bilbo took off running with Siggy right on his heels. As the world fell into darkness, Bilbo let the light of the roaring fire guide him back to camp after cresting the hill. He was no more than a few paces away when Siggy tackled him to the ground. More accurately, tackled him into a mud puddle.

"Siggy!" Bilbo complained as he jumped up to take off his staining jacket.

"Is this you admitting defeat?" Siggy questioned.

Bilbo stuck out his foot tripping Siggy and causing him to fall in the same puddle. Siggy spluttered in disbelief as Bilbo stuck up his nose in mock superiority.

"Admit defeat? How dare you! Grandpap would travel the entire length of Arda to box my ears. Try telling me he wouldn't."

Siggy started sniggering again, and coupled with their little display, they were attracting more than their fair share of exasperated and amused looks from the dwarrows.

"Alright you two, now sit right there and supper will be served in a moment." Bofur chuckled good naturedly.

A log lay next to the fire with only one other occupant. Vili gave them a wide grin as he moved to make room for them. Bilbo sat in the middle, and Siggy sat as close as possible to him clearly still in a mischievous mood. Bilbo shoved him back towards his end, and Siggy immediately slid back in pushing Bilbo into Vili.

"Enough, Halflings!" Vili declared shoving Bilbo back over.

The two hobbits were so shocked, they both flew off the end of the log nearly pitching themselves into the fire. Bilbo's jaws was dropped as he stared up at Vili. He made no attempt at an apology though. Just shaking his head with exasperation. Bofur was teasing Vili about being too rough with them, but never once addressed the underlying problem.

Very slowly, Bilbo picked himself back up and perched himself on the log, but not as close to the golden haired dwarf as he was previously. Siggy's eyebrows were drawn in irritation, his fists opening and closing as he fought down his anger in ragged breaths. The dwarf was clearly not as obtuse as Bilbo had been led to believe as he picked up on the palpable tension.

"Oh, don't be like that." Vili scoffed. "You were the ones acting like a couple of excitable pebbles."

"Pebbles?" Siggy spat. "Using dwarvish insults now, Second Born?"

The clearing became dead silent as the rest of the group stared at Siggy. Not sure if they should be surprised by the venom in the usually jovial hobbit or angry at his cruel words.

"Tread lightly from here, Mister Took." Vili all but growled, his eyes hard stones of amber.

Siggy jumped to his feet, and Bilbo moved quicker placing himself between the two as he stared Siggy down. The firelight made the green of his eyes dance with his outrage.

"Are you really just going to roll over and show your belly every time?" He hissed.

Bilbo glared down at him. "Your anger does you no good here, and you know it."

Siggy gave him a bitter smirk. "Perhaps it's a good thing Isengrim didn't make you his heir."

Bilbo flinched, frozen by his cousin's hateful words as he watched Siggy stomp off with a grim expression. He didn't blame him for getting agitated. It was different than with Thorin. He had been naturally standoffish, and Siggy had punched him square in the jaw for it. To hear it from someone who was becoming a friend…but that didn't excuse the hobbit's cruelty. Probably as a result of the Grubb in him on his mother's side. Bilbo's own grandmother, Laura Baggins nee Grubb, could tear a grown hobbit to tears with just five words when she was feeling particularly vicious.

"Now what's got him so twisted 'round?" Bofur mused.

Bilbo's hands balled up into fists as he glared at the dwarf still stirring the cookpot.

"He insulted us!" He snapped pointing at Vili.

They were all staring at him in degrees of bafflement and indignancy.

"Your cousin is the one who offered insult." Gloin spat. "Vili would have been perfectly in his right to draw his weapon in duel over such kafh aglâb (bitter tasting words)."

"And that's how we feel over the term he used."

"What? Halfling?" Bofur questioned.

"Yes." Bilbo hissed wincing at hearing the ugly word again.

"He didn't mean anything by it." Nori scoffed. "Surely, you all know that you're short."

The dwarves all began to laugh, and Bilbo realized in that moment that they didn't know. They weren't aware of why the hobbits viewed 'halfling' as derogatory. He mused on that fact wondering whether he should tell them or not. After all, considering their history, they may not be accepting of the truth.

"That makes little sense coming from a group of people only a foot taller." Bilbo murmured, ignoring their protests. "Besides, 'half-' that word is not an insult to our size...but rather our blood."

He hadn't been too sure they had heard him, but when he looked up, he saw that he had nine sets of attentive eyes. Even Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin were staring at him in curiosity.

"What do you mean, Bilbo?" Vili was the first to venture.

Bilbo stared into the fire as he gathered his wits. It's not exactly like it was a secret, but it also wasn't something his people shared willingly. He looked back up locking gazes with Thorin realizing he wanted him to know. He wanted him to understand most of all. He plopped back down on a log with a drawn sigh.

"Can we eat first? This will be a long story."

Bofur dished up the stew, and Bilbo looked back towards the valley where Siggy disappeared. He shook his head. It was his own fault if he didn't get dinner. Bilbo couldn't remember a time in this company it had ever been this quiet. Only after his bowl was empty did Bilbo start speaking again.

"Just like you dwarrows have your seven fathers, we can trace back our genealogy to three hobbit clans: the Harfoots, the Stoors, and the Fallohides. During the Great Migration, the Harfoots settled mostly in West Farthing in the areas of Michel Delving, Waymoot, and Hobbiton to an extent. They were the more cautious clan and built their homes into the side of the hills for protection and comfort which was eventually adopted by all the hobbits. The Stoors were more comfortable around water, and truly there are very few 'pure Stoors' left that can actually swim and float on their backs. Most hobbits just sink in water you see, and so the Stoors built their homes down by the Marish and inhabited the villages and towns more along the Brandywine. Then there is the Fallohides."

Bilbo thought he would have lost a few of them at this point. However, they were already hanging onto his every word. It's like his father used to say 'Secretive folks love secrets.'

"The Fallohides were adventurous, strong-willed, natural-born leaders. It was the Fallohides who led the clans through the Great Migration, and the two brothers who headed the clan were the ones to approach the King of Arnor. After negotiating the land that would become the Shire from him, the rest of the clans agreed to crown both brothers as Thain of the Shire, our first official rulers. So we had Thain Buck Fallohide and Thain Took Fallohide."

"Took! Just like you and Siggy!" Vili pointed out as if he had just solved a great puzzle.

Bilbo would have rolled his eyes if Thorin had not beaten him to it. Instead, he had to bite at the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he gave the leader a very subtle wink. Thorin's eyes widened before turning his gaze away. Bilbo cleared his throat of any lingering embarrassment from his cheekiness before returning to his story.

"Yes, at this point distinction between the clans are mostly lost to us through all the marriages and relocating, but the Brandybucks can trace their lineage back to Buck Fallohide, just as us Tooks can trace ours back to Took Fallohide."

"So how come the Brandybucks aren't considered royal by your people's standards?" Balin asked, clearly invested in the hobbits' history.

Bilbo gave a small frown as his brows furrowed together. "They still are, I suppose? That is a whole other chapter in the history of my people, but I suppose the short version would be that the Brandybucks, or as they were known back then, the Oldbucks, were dissatisfied with the direction the Shire was headed. They picked up and moved on the other side of the Brandywine settling in what is now known as Buckland and changing their name to Brandybuck. Because they moved out of the Shire, they turned the title of Thain over to the Tooks, but they established a Master of Buckland who is just underneath the Thain in title. So in that aspect, they really didn't lose much prestige."

"As fascinating as this is, what does it have to do with...anything?" Dwalin grunted.

"Ah, yes, forgive me." Bilbo muttered, getting himself back on track while Balin not so subtly slapped Dwalin in the back of the head.

"Took Fallohide. As the younger brother, there wasn't much he had to do in the way of governing, and so he would spend his afternoons exploring. The hobbits had all been warned by the King of Arnor not to mess with the Old Forest for there was a branch of the Summer Court that supposedly lived there. Well, being a Fallohide, this wasn't enough to dissuade Took, if anything, it encouraged him. So he ventured forth into the dark forest pulsing with the magic of the Fae."

Bilbo caught a glimpse of Thorin narrowing his eyes and clenching his jaw which nearly forced him to abandon his courage at reciting this particular tale. However, if they were going to continue to travel together, he needed to know.

"Took never spoke as to what he found in the Old Forest except for giant walking trees that shepherd the forest, and of one particular incident near the streambed that winds through the trees. You see, he had attracted many creatures' attention as something strange and new in their forest, and that included the attention of the faeries. There was one in particular, though her name has been forgotten to time through the many retellings of this story, but she was especially curious about the brash hobbit that had strolled into their sanctuary. She had been following him from up in the treetops and when he stopped to refill his waterskin she leaned in trying to get a closer look. That's when the branch she was standing on snapped. She fell to the forest bottom, and the branch fell on top of her trapping her leg underneath a root.

Took turned when he heard the noise only to be mesmerized by the beautiful creature before him. Seeing that she was stuck, he immediately rushed forward to free her. He expected her to leave the moment the branch was removed, but instead she hovered just as fascinated with him. She told him that because he had saved her, by her laws he was allowed to ask for a favor from her. He didn't put any thought to his wish before blurting out he would have her hand in marriage."

Bilbo let a smile cross his face having always liked this part of the story. He kept his eyes on the fire, refusing to look up and see Thorin's blue eyes on him.

"She didn't outright accept or refuse. Instead, she told him that she would give him the chance to earn her heart. Then her hand would follow. Took returned home that night, and immediately got to work fashioning courting gifts. He carved well into the soft light of dawn making her lovespoons, music boxes, wooden tea sets, and a glory box for it all. Anything that was considered an acceptable hobbit gift. He returned the next day to present his creations, and while she was impressed by his skill, she did not accept his love as true. For sixteen days and nights, he would slave at creating something worthy of her heart, and every time she would turn him down.

Within the passage of that time, they would share pieces of their culture. He told her about hobbit smials and the farming they did and the satisfaction of a good dose of pipeweed at the end of a long day. In return, she shared her people's value in flowers and how each plant had a personality. She came to realize that she was actually beginning to fall in love with Took, and if he came the next day, she would accept whatever he brought."

Bilbo paused to take a breath here and check that he still had the dwarrows attention.

"However, Took Fallohide had learned from his mistakes, and when he went home that day he crafted a gift not as a hobbit, but as someone seeking the hand of a faerie. He went to the field and picked orchid flowers for exotic beauty, magnolias for their shared love of Yavanna's green earth, and heliotrope for everlasting love. He weaved the flowers together into a crown worthy of his future bride. Which, as a side note, flowers became a part of hobbit courting after this. When he returned the next day, she was so overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of his gift, that she accepted his love and his hand with all her heart. Thus, Took Fallohide brought back his Fae wife."

Bilbo let the story sink in for a moment as he lost himself in wondering what flowers he would use for his beloved's crown. Images of Thorin with amaryllis, purple columbine, and red camellia played around in his head before he was even aware of what he had done. He shook his head too appalled to be properly embarrassed.

"Which brings me to the point of this story." He continued hastily. "We are 'half-Fae'. The Took family more than any others, but as I said before, families have married into other families, and as a people we are deemed to have 'half-blood'. It's not anything glamorous or special. I can't perform magic or mesmerize someone nor am I immortal. But the Fourth Law of the Fae states: Fae Blood bleeds true. No matter how miniscule, if you have Fae in your lineage, you are bound to the Laws. So we have to bow to the rules of the Fae, even though they make it apparent what they think of us. 'Halfling' is the Fae's insult that my family even exists in the first place."

The silence that followed his reveal weighed down on Bilbo, pushing his gaze down to his toes. He was scared though. He was scared to see the scorn and betrayal in their faces.

"I've heard of the Nine Unnegotiable Laws from my father who heard it from a hobbit himself." Balin finally admitted in a soft tone. "She seemed rather shocked after hearing about the Durins' curse to find that Smaug was able to cast it in the first place."

Bilbo looked up to see the honest expression on the dwarf's face. Everyone else was unreadable as they digested the information. Well, except for Vili, who seemed to be almost sick with shame. Still, Bilbo's stomach leaped at not immediately being ostracized after claiming to be part-Fae.

"Yes, my mother used to work herself up anytime it was brought up." Bilbo added hesitantly. "The Sixth Law states: Children are a precious Gift, and shall never be the subject of direct harm. It was the 'direct harm' part that gave him the loophole to curse the Durin prince."

Bilbo noticed Thorin gave him a sharp look at this. His eyes widened when he remembered what he was told earlier. Thorin was a Durin. The cursed prince had to be either him or Frerin. Bilbo couldn't help wondering which of them it was able to escape the cruel curse.

"So what happens if you break one of these Laws?" Nori questioned.

Bilbo shrugged. "I don't know of anyone who has broken the Laws in the last two hundred years, but we are warned of soul-sucking evils...shadows darker than night…"

An involuntary shiver racked his body, and Bilbo found he could no longer sit still. He jumped to his feet so abruptly, it startled a few of his companions.

"On that note, I had best go check on Siggy. He's been gone for awhile."

He gave them a nod in farewell before being trapped by Thorin's gaze. The blue eyed leader looked as if he wanted to say something, but with Bilbo's attention he lost the words. He finally gave a shake of his head, looking over at Dwalin and Frerin's animated conversation in rapid khuzdul. Bilbo raised his chin and spun on his heel knowing they would probably start talking about him the moment he was out of earshot if they weren't already.

Part of Bilbo regretted leaving the warmth of the fire's glow, but another part felt freed at his retreat after the heavy conversation. He thought he was going the right direction, but when he was to the point where he only had the moon's light as guidance, he began to call out his cousin's name. He wandered down into the valley where they left the ponies to graze, and that's when he was able to make out a shape that was vaguely hobbit-sized.

"There you are." He admonished. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

He stopped next to the other Took only now able to see the pallor of his skin, and his wide unblinking eyes.

"Siggy?" He questioned nervously.

"Hey Bilbo? You know how we had twelve ponies before?" Siggy whispered.

"Yes?" Bilbo raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's only ten now."

The idea of the Tooks valuing "winning" in fights came from a tumblr post I found, and I read a fanfic once where they used "Second Born" as an insult to the dwarves as a slight towards their creation. Don't forget, the Nine Laws of the Fae are available for viewing in my profile if you get curious. I think we all know what sort of trouble our hobbits are getting into next. ;) Next chapter in Guardian of Kings to come out next week (tentatively).

Thanks for reading, Sunny

Flower Meanings:

Lavender- distrust, Hydrangea- frigidity and heartlessness, Amaryllis- pride, Purple Columbine- resolution, Red Camellia- "You're a flame in my heart"