Chapter 11 Ladies and gents! And I have to say…one! One person has made the correct guess as to whom the next dwarf to show up will be and that was: Ruolumen from Ao3. Of course all of the ones you mentioned will also be making an appearance, but not just yet. And on the final note: yes. Thorin will be back, but not for a bit longer; be patient
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Nori has spent a lot of time on the road even before the fall of Erebor. As a young lad his days were occupied by conversing with the visiting travelers and merchants. He has learned the trade of barter and caught up quickly on what was and wasn't worth bartering for. Nori was able to smell the value of certain things, be it jewels, silks, or, as most often was the case, information. And after the reign of the dragon came he had not gone with the majority of his people, but rather slinked out with a company of a few more daring folks heading north, towards Grey Mountains and Weathered Heach.
He spends a few years there, traveling all over the ridge and making contacts, gathering more information, and selling it to those who are willing to pay. Slowly, year by year, his network spreads, and Nori finds himself as a knot in a complicated weave, not at all different from those his brother used to make sitting by the fire of their rooms when they were younger. He hasn't seen either of them in decades, and thinks often that maybe tomorrow…perhaps the day after that, he will get up, pack his bag, and go towards the Blue Mountains in search of his remaining family. But he never does, and more years pass.
Travel has taken Nori to the West most point of the Grey Mountains, close to Mount Gundabad, the Orc stronghold, and he has to take a boat to Rivet Hoarwell in order to get out unscathed. It takes him almost a week, but he reaches the Last Bridge, and finally sets his feet on the Great East Road that leads to the Blue Mountains. On his way the dwarf heard about an interesting prospect. According to rumors, circulating in Bree, there was now an increased presence of dwarfs around Shire; the land of Hobbits that has never really seen any activity from anyone or anything.
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Bilbo looked at the state of his pantry and decided that it needed a thorough refilling. He was completely out of fresh meat, his cheeses were gone, there was a scant number of marinated vegetables, and less then half of a potato sack.
"I need to re-evaluate my expenses…" muttered the hobbit as he stood in the middle of the small room. Feeding three was different then feeding one, or even two, and even though it would not put a strain on Bilbo to feed 10, as he was left quite a wealth by his parents and a few aunts, he needed to make a different plan for his trips to the market.
Getting back into the main part of the house the hobbit went to his room, dressed into his more presentable clothes, and gathered his bag of coins. The grocer would deliver, and so would the butcher, but he might have to haggle with the wine-hobbit a bit. Shimmying into his wool coat Bilbo picked up his sturdy basket and got ready for a day at the market.
"Fili! Kili!" he yelled into the house
"What is it Auntie?" asked Kili as he came through the door into the hobbits bedroom still carrying a silver plate with a bit of copper wire half-inlayed into it in his hand.
"Ah, Kili." Smiled Bilbo as he tightened the belt "Listen, I'm going to the market, it appears my pantry is a bit empty at the moment, so I need to make arrangements to have more things delivered. Did you need me to get you anything?"
Kili's face got a bit glum as he listened to the other man. He and his brother had been living on Bilbo's charity for a month and a half now. They ate his food, drunk his ale and wines, used whatever they wanted in his house, and yet they have not repaid him at all. Yes, Bilbo said that they were family, and Kili fully embraced the notion, being happy to take anything that their Auntie made them, and ask for seconds. But…at the same time he could not help but see that it was taking a bit of a tall on their host. Bag End got steadily less neat then when they first came in, and as much as Bilbo tried to keep it clean and organized, the presence of two young rowdy dwarfs was noticeable regardless. And now it looked like they ate Auntie out of house and home…
"No Auntie…We're good, thank you" Kili forced himself to smile at the other. "You go on, enjoy yourself. Maybe you can get a few more books?" He knew by now the love that Bilbo held for those leafy constructions, and honestly couldn't understand it, but oh well. To each his own. And if it got him out of the house for a bit longer, then maybe the plan that started brewing in his head would actually old a chance of being successful.
"Well, if you're sure, then I'll be off" Smiled Bilbo once more, an went outside, whistling a merry tune, as he trotted among the soft white hills that looked quite like piles of sparkling sugar, ready to be mixed into a pie.
He did not see two shadows slink out of the house after him, and blend in behind those very hills he was admiring.
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Nori, being a dwarf was a lover of all things pretty and rare. Be they gems or jewelry, or an exceptionally made weapon, exquisite food, or a rare wine: as long as it had value in his eyes, Nori would crave it, and want it. So, when walking around the market district of Shire, not far from a place called Hobbiton, that according to rumors housed the dwarfs somewhere in it, he saw a pretty thing he wanted it.
The pretty thing was at least a head shorted then him; with a head full of curls the color of ambers and a smile on his face. The hobbit was dressed in a warm looking wooly coat that went pretty well with his rosy complexion, tan trousers, and had a basket, covered with a napkin in his hands. Why Nori hasn't seen a sight so lovely in quite a while.
Being young and handsome by dwarven standards Nori has never had a problem finding bed partners and he never stuck to just one kind either. Lads or lasses didn't matter to him, but beauty and a spark did. The dwarf had been with plenty of fellows, and ladies, but still he had his preferences. And the fair-haired hobbit in front of him fit just in. So, Nori puffed his chest, straightened his beard and eyebrow braids a bit, tugged down his coat and strutted towards his target.
Unfortunately for the amorous fella, he was intercepted within a few steps of reaching his goal. A pair of hands pulled his coat tails hard and he was tinkered behind a grocer's cart, who could only stare in wonder at the proceedings around him, before a coin glittered in the sun, and his face disappeared on the other side of his wares.
A second later the first pair of hands was joined by a second smaller one, quite professionally flying over his pockets, nooks and crannies, pulling out his knives, pins, needles, bottles, and small stashes of coin. The last straw was when the grabby hands reached into his hair, and then the first pair put his own dagger to his throat.
"You've been a naughty dwarf" was hissed into his ear as a body pressed into his. "Wouldn't you say so brother dearest?"
"Oh absolutely" answered a slightly deeper voice, as the second pair of hands swiftly turned his head to face it in the direction of the pretty hobbit he was intent on dragging to his bed later.
"I think that he decided to take a bite of something that doesn't belong to him" continued the first voice, discontent clear in its notes.
"I think, little brother, that this here…gammer, wanted to take a bite out of our dear Auntie. And we can't have that can we?" supported him the second, deeper voice, filled with false honey.
At this Nori had to blink. He already accepted he was being robbed. It happened a few times in his career, and nobody was infallible, he knew that. Oh he would sell this prick to his pride at a steep price, as soon as he was released, but this situation? This was new.
It was not the first time he was being assaulted by family members of his bed partners, but it was the first time he was assaulted by family of someone he hadn't even spoken to!
"Now look here lads, I ain;t never seen that Auntie of yours. I planned to spend the night in the tight burrow of that there hobbit, and meant no offence to you what so ever" grumbled out the dwarf.
Harsh hands grabbed his coat, and spun him around, making him face, to his immense confusion and surprise a pair of young dwarfs with murderous expressions on their façades.
The darker one looked truly furious, while the lighter haired one had a frozen smirk glued to his lips.
"Now you see, my vile fella, that there hobbit, is our Auntie. And we, that being my brother and I, love him oh so very much. We love Auntie, we protect him, and we do not let molten parasites like you near him." Said the taller dwarf with the smirk becoming cold as ice, and painfully reminding Nori of someone he has seen before. The steely gaze of the second dwarf, and his appearance itself was also tugging at his memory pretty hard, but he just couldn't place it!
"Lads…that is a hobbit. And a male one as well. I dunno what is wrong with your eyes, but clearly something is, for there is no way that he" and at this Nori pointed a finger at the figure, currently bend over, helping a small hobbit child wrap a hanky around a bleeding knee " can be your Auntie!" finished the disgruntled dwarf.
"Oh, but he is." Assured him the shorted lad, as his expression grew stormier by the moment "And if we see you anywhere near him again, believe me; the punishments of old will be soft touches of a lover, compared to what we will do to you."
With this the other dwarf thought Nori sufficiently scared off, released his grip on the other's coat, and with the same frozen smile, pointed him at the small pile of his possessions, nestled at the corner of the cart.
"We trust that a repeat talk will not be necessary Master Tangar?" asked the blond, as he straightened Nori's hair. Nori angrily beat the hands away from his mane, and glared at the offender.
"Clear as a polished diamond" grumbled the dwarf, gathering his bearing and watching as the younger one run towards his "Auntie" and proceeded to grab his basket, filled by now with several purchases. The hobbit blinked at his nephew in surprise and then proceeded to laugh, and ruffle his hair. Nori saw the young'un redden and try to tug his hair away from the smoothing fingers of the Halfling, but be unsuccessful. Desire coursed still through the dwarf with every glance he threw the fair-haired beauty, but the cold press of a dagger to his jugular turned his head back to the taller tangar at his side.
"Now we may be young Master Tangar, but we are not fools. If you come near him again, we will be least of your worries. But our Uncle, the reason we have an Aunt" gestured the dwarf at the smiling hobbit, that was now loading his nephew with goods "will not only have your hide, but will have it on display of the entire court, as an illustration of the dwarven laws of possession and familiarity, and the consequence of breaking, or even attempting to break them. He will make sure your name is shamed until your great-grand-grandchildren will feel shame upon the fact of your relation. That is if you will be able to sire any offsprings after a meeting with him ofcourse. So with that in mind, do take your things, and conduct your business, and pray that we will decide to keep our mouths shut of this endeavor. "
The golden-mane dwarf smiled once more, his grin full of teeth and darker promise, and went around the cart, joining the rest of his family on a nice day out to the market, taking a part of his brother's load, and embracing their short companion with one arm. Said companion squeaked slightly, and proceeded to whack the taller one on his head with a wooden spoon, that appeared out of nowhere in a second's notice.
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Nori spent a lot of time on the road. He had kept company of dwarf, men, and even an occasional something he knew not the species of. He had his fair share of threats, and grudges. Nori was an expert on covering his behind, and making sure it got away still attached to him, and with a relatively little damage too. Nori had a network of informants who constantly supplied him with gossip and news of people from the beaches of Forlindor to the roots of Iron Hills, from Carm Dum to the last markets of Suth Harad. He knew the prices of silk and where was best to buy bear if in a city of men. He knew the angle of a bow one had to give in order to show the recipient of it either the respect or deep loathing, depending on the day of the week, and the position of the sun.
And most of all he knew the face of his King, and his kin. He knew the furrow of the brow right before punishment was dished out at the unfortunate subordinate, and he remembered well the frozen smile on Old Kings face, as he greeted the elven King in his hall, inclining his head just short of a grievous insult. And when his memory finally saw it fit to show him those glimpses of the past, the first thing Nori did, was grab his things, steal a pony and some supplies, and rush out of Shire.
For there was only one dwarf that had nephews approximately this age, with the features of his late ruler. And if he found out even a hint of Nori's thoughts towards the delectable little Auntie… Well, let's just say that Mount Doom was supposed to be really pretty this time of year…
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Chapter 11 dear readers! And for this one I thought I should show the usually unsung protective side of Fili and Kili, directed at someone other than each other. And we all know how kids are protective of their mothers, and try to warn off all the unsuitable men, if an occasion arises. So I made then warn off Nori. Who according to all sources I was able to find, was a rather shady fellow….
Regardless! Thank you all so much for all the feedback you guys are providing, I am so very very very (Very very very) happy to have it, and to continue providing more stuff for you to read.
Thank you once again, wait for the next chapter, it should be done sometime this week, wherever inspiration strikes me, and please, please, please REVIEW!