Finally! After five months I finally could write down another part. I still would be glad for any suggestion on what could happen next.

Part 3

Balin let the little hobbit led him into his library. It wasn't very big library, yet the bookcase occupied the whole wall. When Balin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur came closer to examine the books, they spotted very odd titles from almanacs to the cookbooks. There was an armchair in the middle of the room. Bilbo released Balin's hand and quickly climbed on the armrest, making four dwarves scared. Bofur even ran to the hobbit, ready to catch him, just like rest of dwarves. Bilbo didn't take notice of their shocked expressions, nor the fact that when he leaned his bum on the back of the armchair, the lounger swung a bit, threatening to fall. The boy was too preoccupied by his bookshelf to recognize it. His eyes was slowly reading every title on his eye-level.

"Tom Bom-ba-dil Sto-ryes… No, it's not that… Grr-and Aaalma-alma-nuk of Mayd-del-Eah-rt… No… One zero zero dayn-ner-rs for Toh-oks… No…"

Bilbo already knew how to read (daddy taught him a year ago), but he wasn't used to it. That's why every read out loud word sounded so odd. And dwarves giggled few times at it, looking at each other. Still they were afraid that poor creature will lean too far and the armchair with him will fall on the cold, wooden ground. So they were observing with tension his every move, ready to save him from the potential fall, while he was looking for the right book.

"Hays-torey of Shayr-eh… No…"

"What's 'Shayr-eh'?" Bofur chuckled, but he didn't received an answer.

"Oh, I'm such a dummy!" Bilbo suddenly said and even hit his head with his palm. "Of course, it's on higher shelves." He raised his head and quickly spotted the right book and exclaimed with joy: "There it is!" However, he dropped his smile. "But how I will get there?"

"Maybe I will be of some assistance." Balin caught the hobbit child by his sides and raised him up to the highest shelf.

"Wee, I'm flying!" Bilbo screamed with glee and extended his arms like a bird.

Balin smiled at these words. For a moment he was considering playing along and moving him in the air, pretending that Bilbo was really flying, but then he thought that library wasn't the best place to do so, due to its lack of space. Nevertheless, holding little Bilbo in his arms was a weird feeling for the dwarf. He was holding many children that way lots of times, but none of them were a hobbit child. Hobbit children were smaller than dwarven ones. After a moment of being still in the air, Bilbo's big eyes looked down on Balin, lowering his arms, and then the old dwarf remembered that not long time ago this little boy was flying on the back of an actual eagle and fighting alongside with them. There were a times, when Balin thought that Bilbo was fragile and needed protection from many dangers, but now – as a little boy – Bilbo Baggins was more fragile, than ever. If suddenly goblins were attacking Shire, Balin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur would have to protect him, because Bilbo – the way he was now – couldn't do it for himself.

"Are you alright, mister dwarf?" The boy asked, concern in his green eyes.

"No, I'm fine." Balin smiled and, still holding the hobbit, lowered his arms. Now their gazes were on the same level. "I was just… thinking." He smiled even wider and once again raised the boy to the highest shelf. "Come on, you were going to show us some book."

"Oh, yeah!"

Bilbo turned his gaze on the shelf and quickly took the book with red leather cover that was so big and heavy that the boy had hard time pulling it out. Afraid that he may drop the book, Balin decided to put him down and take it himself. The title was: Dwarves and their culture. There was no author, so Balin presumed it was an anonymous work.

"So," Balin started, sitting in the armchair. "let's see what's written here."

He positioned Bilbo on his lap and opened the book. Other dwarves stood behind the armchair and were watching everything over Balin's shoulder. The child quickly turned few parchment pages and stopped on one with his favorite illustration – a picture, showing a massive, muscular dwarf in full armor, leaning on his axe. Next to the illustration was a neat, calligraphic text that Balin was going to read out loud, but Bilbo put his little finger on the drowning and looked at the dwarf on laps he was sitting.

"Are there dwarves like that from where are you from? Actually he resembles a bit you." He pointed at Bifur. "Is this you?"

"No, it's not him." Bofur said. "But he looks a bit like his great-grandfather."

"It doesn't say who's that." Balin started. "It's only a brief description on dwarven armor crafting."

"And look at this." Said Bilbo eagerly and turned another few pages.

There was another illustration of dwarf, but this one wasn't anonymous at all. Maybe Bofur, Bifur and Bombur were too young to remember this particular person, but Balin knew this face too well. Even if the person on the picture was younger than when the old dwarf saw them last time, he quickly recognize the King Under the Mountain, Thror, in his prince years. This book was older than he thought.

"Daddy says his son is a dwarven king now." Bilbo informed, pulling Balin out form his deep thoughts. "What's his name?"

"Well…" The oldest of dwarves started.

Actually he didn't know what to say. He looked at Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. They were clueless too. Balin turned back on Bilbo, who's eyes were lit with curiosity and waiting. The old dwarf wanted to explain to him, who is their king right now, but sudden wave of sadness overwhelmed him, as he remembered what happened to Thorin and his two nephews – the rightful heirs to throne of Erebor. It was too painful to talk about it. It was too fresh in his memory. And he knew that Bifur, Bofur, Bombur… and even Bilbo, if he was his older self… They all felt the same way.

"Well?" Bilbo looked at them impatiently.

Also Balin didn't know if he should talk about the king who ruled them back then, when Bilbo was five, or the one they had now. Technically both of answers could be considered truth… and both could be considered lies. Maybe he should start with Thror and then move on to later kings, leaving the gory parts. Yes, Bilbo would like it very much.

Bored by such a long wait for an answer, Bilbo reached his little hand and pulled Balin's beard, calling:

"Hello?! Is somebody there?"

Balin caught Bilbo's hand and put it down.

"You know that was uncalled for, little one. You don't pull one's beard like that."

"I'm sorry, mister dwarf." Bilbo looked at him apologetically, however, a moment later he said: "But you didn't answer my question. And daddy says that you should answer if somebody is asking you a question. Like, mommy asks me if I washed my hands after playing hide and seek, and I must answer: yes or no, because mommy made dinner and if I won't have clean hands already, she will drag me into nearest stream to clean them herself."

"You have really harsh mommy." Bofur pointed out.

"Yeah, kind of." Bilbo looked down, but then his eyes once again gazed at dwarves and with wide smile he exclaimed: "But mommy can defeat anyone! Once she scared my far cousin, Drogo Took, who was very mean to me and said that I'm stinky poo."

All four dwarves looked with astonishment at what they just heard. Of course, they knew kids could call each other worse, but still… little children shouldn't use such words to describe their peers. Or anyone for that matter.

"Yes, that was mean." Bifur nodded.

"So mommy took him by his collar, "Bilbo continued his story. "and she told him that he had to apologize or she will throw him into woods so goblins could eat him!"

"You have goblins in Hobbiton?" Bofur asked, a little worried.

"No, of course not!" Bilbo waved his hand dismissingly. "But Drogo didn't know it, so he apologized and was nice to me for the rest of the day. But you know what? Mommy once fought goblins, like you, misters dwarves. She was also fighting with trolls, dogs… and humans too! No one can match with mommy! She's very strong and very brave!"

The more four dwarves were hearing about Bilbo's mother, the more curious they were. After all, generally the one, who's supposed to be strong and brave in kid's eyes, is either father or elder brother. Mother should be gentle and loving, not fearsome. Like one man they decided that later they will ask Gandalf about 'mommy'. Still Bofur wondered…

"And what your daddy said when he heard about it?"

"He was mad at mommy for scaring Drogo, and she got mad at daddy that he spent all day in library and didn't know what was happening, but in the end they said sorry and kissed each other."

"Was he fighting with trolls and goblins too?" Bifur asked.

"No, he says that we should run if we see one of those."

It seemed that Bilbo's father wasn't a warrior type. To be fair Balin suspected it since little hobbit mentioned that library belonged to his dad. It wasn't so strange, considering the peaceful and home-bird nature of hobbits in general, and the fact that Bilbo himself was that way, when they first saw him, but in comparison to Bilbo's mother, who acted all tough and strong, it still seemed to be odd.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Bilbo exclaimed suddenly. "Let's go to the garden and play hide and seek!"

This sudden change of topic was unexpected, but before dwarves could say anything against it, Bilbo jumped off the Balin's knees and started to pulling him towards the exit. They decided to play with him. So Balin put Dwarves and their culture back on its place and let himself be led by little halfling to the garden, just like earlier he let himself be led to the library. Bofur, Bofur and Bombur were coming after him, and there was even some kind of excitement on their faces. It was long time ago since they were playing hide and seek, and they actually wanted to do some of it with Bilbo, at least until Gandalf call them for dinner. After all what could have go wrong with such a simple game like this?