AN: I usually don't do this but there will be notes going around and I decided to use fonts to show the difference between writers. Hope this helps. Bella Fili Kili Thorin Bilbo
Bella smiled as her brother poured over a map he was borrowing from Gandalf. For the past couple of days, Bilbo had been keeping track of their location, sharing tales of the different areas that they passed through, just as he had intended to do when it was just the two of them adventuring to Rivendell.
She had already heard the tales more times than she could count, although it made the tales fresh to actually see the locations. A few of the dwarves listened in interest or out of politeness. There were some, Thorin included, who seemed to ignore him. She was pleased to notice that Fili was among those who paid attention to her brother, though out of genuine interest or politeness she had yet to decipher.
They were currently going over a plain of little historical importance when Bofur tucked a folded parchment into the folds of her skirt. Bella gave the dwarf a quizzical look before she unfolded the paper.
"Bella,
I know that the promise only held if you didn't decide to come. But, aside from your brother's history lessons, it's so boring right now. So, never minding that I was looking forward to wiling my time away writing to you, can we still pass letters around? Please?
Fili."
Bella turned to the sender near the end of the company. He smiled at her, silently pleading. However it was his brother that made her almost laugh and ultimately give in. No dwarf should have the right to make such perfect puppy eyes and pout lips.
"Very well, Mellonnen, we shall write. I look forward to learning more about you. So, I'll ask, is this your first adventure? I'm sure you can at least guess my answer to that."
"Ah, of course. Aside from Bree, this is your first adventure. For Kili and I this isn't our first adventure, but certainly the first of this distance and importance. As you can imagine, it is a great honor that our uncle allowed us to come along. We are both hoping to prove ourselves to him on this journey.
"And what is 'mellonnen'?"
"Sindarin for 'my friend.' Sorry, we'll have to know each other longer than a few days to be called something sweeter or with greater meaning. When we were younger, Bilbo and I studied Sindarin until we were equally fluent in it. We dreamed of meeting the great Elrond Half-Elven of heroic legends and conversing with him in his native tongue."
"Dwarves are no friends of elves. There have been too many disputes and spilling of blood between our races. The dwarves of Erebor especially have reason to hate elves, one elf in particular. Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm. He refused Erebor and Dale aid when Smaug attacked. He did not help us fight the beast. He didn't offer us refuge or help of any kind."
"I am sorry for this tragedy. I hope that you will read the thoughts of an outsider who though a lover of elves is willing to admit that elves are as flawed as any race. For all the tales I know of elves, I have never once heard of them besting a dragon, at least not without extreme loss. Elves are also blessed with the gift of foresight. Perhaps Thranduil foresaw that if his people attacked Smaug there would be too many lives lost, rendering the victory meaningless. Or he saw that all his people were slaughtered and Erebor still in the clutches of the dragon.
"Even if this were the case, that still does not excuse him for not giving your people aid as they fled. That was inconsiderate and unbefitting of a king. And you can be sure that if we meet this particular elf in our journey, I will personally scold him for his deplorable behavior."
"Your words are fair and well-considered, even if my uncle would judge them too biased in favor of the elves. Yet I can see the possibilities of why Thranduil didn't aid in the attack, and I also thank you for not excusing him for refusing to offer any aid.
"But enough about elves for now, though I must ask: what exactly did you say in insult to your relatives when your brother first came?"
"'Go kiss an orc.' A common insult among elves. Now as cruel as it may seem, you must understand that the Sackville-Bagginses are the worst sort of hobbits to meet. It's a wonder I never actually said it to their faces. They have tried every foul trick in the book, and out of the book, to claim Bag End and various items that belong to both me and Bilbo by right. Oh, and don't get me started on how Lobelia has been trying to pair me with her son. She alone can make me want to run away to Bree. But in order to ensure she doesn't steal our home, I simply race home to Bilbo and Bag End."
"Ouch. Concerning the insult and this Lobelia. Shall Kili and I do something to avenge you and your brother against such a monster of a hobbit?
"Oh, and why did Bilbo call you 'Rosa'? Might we be allowed to call you that?"
"As of now, there is nothing to avenge. As tempting as it is to take you up on that offer.
"Rosa is a special name between me and my brother. My full name is Bellarosa, and it is only on occasions when Bilbo is stressing something to me. No, you may not call me Rosa! If that were to ever happen, you have my permission to dance upon the rooftops for that would mean that something special has happened to our relationship."
"Bella, what are you two writing about? I keep asking Fili, but he won't tell me. If he is telling you about all the skirmishes we've fought and won, don't believe him when he says that he did it single handedly. He wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for me!"
"Don't worry, Kili. We haven't started talking about fighting skirmishes or anything like that. Although, I just may ask you a few things about your brother since you know him so well."
"I'd dare to say that I know him better than he knows himself. And for the record, I was the first one to figure out you weren't Bilbo. Don't let him tell you otherwise."
"Dare I ask what lies my brother is telling you? It simply isn't right."
"Well, you weren't sharing, Fili, so your brother took the matter into his own hands. Besides I think that it will be humorous writing the both of you like this."
"Thank you for that bit of clarification, Kili. So, what are some juicy tidbits about your brother that I should know?"
It was shortly after lunch that Bella earned herself a third sender.
"My apologies if my sister-sons are troubling you, Mistress Baggins. Shall I ask them to stop pestering you?
Thorin Oakenshield."
"They aren't bothering me at all, Master Oakenshield. They are actually making the journey more enjoyable, helping to pass the time."
"I see. So you find enjoyment in whittling away the hours in such a fashion?"
"What are you writing Uncle about? Please, don't mention anything about our potential courtship. I haven't said anything about it to him yet."
"Master Oakenshield? How do you view practical jokes? You see, I wish for some minor payback on one of your nephews for some slight embarrassment they set upon me the first day of our journey. Nothing much. He just opened up an amazing opportunity for me to see him squirm. I may or may not let it drop once we stop for camp."
"Ah, for when Fili made you blush crimson? Very well. I shall not ask what he said, but I shall play along. In exchange tell me about yourself and your brother."
"For the most part, we are respectable hobbits. Although I am more Tookish than Bilbo. Wait, that may not mean anything to you so I will try to explain. Tooks are the more adventurous clan. Our mother, Belladonna Took, went on several adventures. Bagginses are the proper, predictable clan. The only thing our father, Bungo Baggins, did that was unexpected was wed our adventurous mother.
"It used to be that Bilbo and I were both very Tookish. We were even planning on an adventure to Rivendell when we were twenty-eight. But our parents fell ill and passed on, so we never went on that journey. Bilbo became the perfect Baggins, and I became more of a Took, even if I never went farther than Bree."
"Oh, Fili, don't look at me like that. It is very unbecoming of a dwarf or a prince."
"It would appear that your brother is being 'Tookish' now. Might I ask about the 'Master Oakenshield'?"
"That is your surname, is it not? Although, come to think of it, yours is the only one I've heard."
"Dwarves do not have surnames. We are known by our mothers and fathers. I overheard Gandalf telling you how I'm known as. Fili is known as: Fili Son of Dis, Daughter of Thrain. Oakenshield is a title that I earned after a battle."
"Ah. So Bilbo and I would be known as, Bilbo and Bella Children of Bungo and Belladonna?"
"We tend to be known by our fathers. The only exception is if the mother is of a higher social standing. So it would honestly depend on which you hobbits considered the higher."
"Well then, among the Tooks and Brandybucks, we'd be known as the children of Belladonna. To the rest of the Shire, the children of Bungo."
"You enjoy learning about other cultures, don't you?"
"When I have a ready interest. Bilbo is more the student than I. I suppose that makes him more of a Baggins from the start."
"How'd such fine 'respectable' hobbits such as yourselves meet an old scoundrel like Gandalf the Grey?"
"We captured him. No, no, we honestly did. Bilbo and I teamed up against him one Midsummer's Eve, battled him, and claimed his hat so that he would be forced to tell us what he knew about elvish secrets.
"Alright, so we were children, and Gandalf merely played along with us. But that was how we first met. Ever since then, we have exchanged mock battles, and I have always managed to claim his hat. Well, the battles slowly stopped as we entered into our late twenties. But, just that morning of the evening you all invaded Bag End, I captured that wizard's hat again."
"I bow before your prowess, battler of wizards and claimer of wizard's hats. Those must have been harrowing battles indeed.
"Forgive me if this goes against all hobbit propriety, how old are you and your brother? You refer to your twenties as though you were adults. Fili and Kili are just now growing out of their seventies and they are barely of age."
"Hobbits become of age when they are thirty-three, and my brother is fifty-one. (We're twins if that removes the rest of the guesswork.) So twenties are when hobbits are supposed to start putting away childish ideas and settling down to home and hearth. For Bilbo and me, twenty-eight was an ideal age for our venture since we were old enough to look after ourselves, and yet young enough to not have our adventurous ways counted against our respectability."
"I see. Now, I know it is your intention to make my nephew squirm, but it would appear that if you do not reply to his latest missive, he'll fall from his pony.
"I am also interested in where you came to acquire such prowess with knives. Doesn't seem to be something much like a hobbit in my understanding."
"Bella! You are putting me in agony! What are you and Uncle writing about? Please, say that you haven't told him!"
"Honestly, mellon, do you have so little faith in me? I suppose this means that you now know what Kili felt this morning."
"I didn't take lessons concerning knives until I was rescued by a ranger from some roadside ruffians. His key weapons were fighting knives, and once I had caught my breath, I asked for lessons. This led to my longest stay in Bree since the rangers training me wanted to make sure that I had the forms memorized correctly before I had only myself to practice with.
"The next time I met with potential bandits I was able to defend myself so well that they believed me to be a disguised boy. Somehow it grew into a ranger hobbit, that sent my ranger friends and I laughing and my brother chuckling. So, though I was horrified later to discover I did so to a king, I wasn't fooling when I showed you how lethal I could be. So far I have avoided killing anyone, but if I truly feel that my life or other lives are threatened. The threat's life is forfeit."
"I will confess I still carry a fading bruise from the incident in question. And I strongly admire the protective fire made clear in your writing. I only pray that you understand if my men and I not allow you too near the fighting. Women are highly treasured and protected among our people. So, forgive us if we overprotect until you prove yourself against the dangers that we face.
"What of your brother? Does he have a weapon he prefers?"
"I have taught him the barest basics of knife fighting over the years. But I am making him do further training for my peace of mind, if nothing else.
"And I shall do my best to be understanding of any protectiveness you exercise."
"Dear sister, it would appear that you have sent this blond rascal into fits. What on earth have you done to him?"
"Nothing, dear brother. Just a touch of payback. I'll explain the details when we stop for camp."
"Very well, but it may be best to draw your torture to a close. I fear he may do something rash, or even simply fall from his pony."
"Don't worry. I'll cease from ignoring his notes and return to the pattern of this morning." Bella chuckled under her breath, as she sent Bilbo's note back and turned to the papers from Fili and Thorin. It would appear that she would be getting one from Kili again soon. She wasn't going to stop answering Thorin's notes, but she would treat all notes with equal attention now.
Fili bolted to Thorin as soon as he could. "What were you and Bella writing about?" he asked. He desperately hoped that she hadn't said anything about their relationship. Well, they were more friends, so not a relationship really. Right?
"Oh," Thorin answered casually, "a bit of everything and nothing I suppose." He gave Fili a nearly imperceptible smile. "Hobbit culture is fascinating, and Mistress Baggins is very interested in our culture. Were you aware that she has actually been battling and defeating wizards since she was a child?"
Fili blinked. This wasn't what he was expecting. "Um, no. I wasn't aware."
"She was also diplomatic when she brought up the subject of elves," Thorin continued. "She made it clear that since we are traveling within reach of Rivendell, that she and her brother would appreciate us staying there a few days. She reminded me that although there is bad blood among our races, any personal grudges should be aimed at the elves responsible for the grudge and not elves who live halfway across the world from Erebor. She even went so far to say that to her knowledge the lord of Rivendell, Elrond Half-Elven, is of no relation to the elves of the Woodland Realm."
"And your response?" Fili asked.
"I agreed to at least consider it since that was their intended destination when she and her brother first made plans of adventuring some twenty years ago," Thorin answered. He looked at his nephew with a keen eye. "Were you concerned about any such conversations?"
"Oh, no, of course not, sir," Fili said, allowing himself to relax slightly.
"Good," Thorin said. His smile widened a touch. "Don't let her slip away from you if you can help it. She's a fine lass. Maybe a touch too supportive of elves, but hobbits have no reason to hate them as we do."
Fili stiffened. "Wh-what do you mean by not letting her slip away?"
"Your eyes spoke before your voice," Thorin said. "Just as for your mother and father." He smiled tenderly. "If you feel that she is your One, don't let her escape over something trivial. Protect her as you would your own heart."
"Yes, Uncle," Fili promised.
Thorin lightly clapped him on the shoulder. "Go on. Enjoy your courtship."
Fili nodded before turning back to the rest of camp, spying his love's curious gaze. He smiled as he headed toward her. Well, she had promised to get back at him, and she had done an amazing job. Now, he just wanted to better understand the Sindarin she had plagued him with in her notes. If this was going to work, he'd have to be willing to better understand her appreciation for all things elven.
As usual it took a few minutes to set up camp, but Bella couldn't deny that she noticed how Fili practically shot to his uncle's side as soon as he could. They talked for a few minutes before Fili slumped, only to jolt to stiffness hardly a minute later. Finally they parted ways much like a father imparting encouragement or wisdom to a son, even if Bella found it difficult to read much in Thorin's mask of a face.
Fili turned, catching her eyes before heading over to where she was laying out her sleeping area. "You, my dear hobbit, have excellent taste in torture and payback methods," he said as he crouched across from her.
Bella smirked. "And one does not make their intended blush crimson in front of an entire company of travelers."
Fili ducked his head. "It was not my intention, I assure you," he said. He brought out the papers still left on his person from their continual correspondence throughout the day. "Will you teach me more of these Sindarin words?"
"If you will teach me those Khuzdul words you tossed at me," she answered.
Once their part of setting up camp was through, they exchanged lessons. Bella struggled with the harsher consonants of Khuzdul, while Fili couldn't quite roll the r's as needed. But all in all, not bad for first lessons.
Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed Bella's bit of payback. We'll see if Fili learned his lesson concerning telling important people about his courtship plans and embarrassing his One. ;-)
Maybe it's because I read quite a few stories about Fili and Kili getting into multiple mishaps that I had Kili allude to that in his notes. But considering they are not only dwarves but of the line of Durin, it's almost guaranteed that they've experienced multiple dangers already.
I'm not a hundred percent sure if this is how dwarven names work, but this is my guess since we never hear the name of Fili and Kili's father. And I am aware, Khuzdul is a secret language meant only for the dwarves, aside from the rare few in Middle Earth who somehow managed to sneak through. However, since Fili knows that Bella is his One, he is certain of her upcoming honorary dwarf status. Dwarven Ones (according to my version) will be explained in later chapters as the importance grows for the characters. Right now, Bella is still sorting things out in her mind as she's interacting with her new friends.
So, any thoughts on this chapter? Do you think Thorin (King of Hate All Elves Club) will be a little more willing to interact with elves after this? Who do you think will mention the courtship first: Fili or Bilbo? Theories about the quest in general. I'd love to hear it all.