Warning Explicit Nature stuff
Chapter Three
It took two weeks for Bilbo to recover from his injuries, but his mind still seemed to be damaged. The company visited him, while he was in the healing halls, but when Oin asked about the visit Bilbo didn't remember anything specific that had happened. He had become close friends with Bifur during that time, the dwarf having patients with the addled hobbit, because he was addled himself. They would converse for hours in made up signs, in order to get their points across, the hobbit and dwarf often laughing happily.
However that particular morning Bilbo woke up with a headache and his sniffling alerted Oin that he was up. "What's wrong my lad?"
"Head hurts." Bilbo said and Oin frowned, hugging the hobbit gently. Bilbo leaned into the contact, longing for the gentle touches Oin gave him. Oin was surprised that Bilbo wanted to touch anyone at all, after he had been attacked.
"Well I think we might try the tonic again, I think I've got the right dose this time and it should ease the pounding your head is giving you."
"It feels like a festival day drum!"
"Well then we'll have to take our medicine like a good fauntling won't we?" He asked Bilbo and Bilbo nodded, as Oin handed him the tonic. Bilbo drained it and sighed with relief. "Other then the headache, are you feeling dizzy, or seeing two images where there is only supposed to be one?"
"Nah uh." Bilbo said and Oin nodded.
"That's very good, does your tummy hurt?"
"I'm hungry, my tummy doesn't hurt, but the badger is inside of it." Bilbo said and giggled.
"The badger?"
"It claws at you, when it wants you to feed it." Bilbo said. "It used to claw at me a lot, but its better now, now that you take care of me. Will you be my Papa Oin?" Bilbo asked and Oin blinked at him.
"You have a Papa Bilbo." Oin said and Bilbo shook his head.
"My Papa went away with my Mama, I remember that." His brows scrunched up and he frowned. "I remember being really sad, but I don't know why. Will Papa be coming back?"
"No little one, you are right, but I can't be your Papa. I'm a dwarf and your a hobbit."
"So Mama always said that it not matter what race you are, it matter what you are inside. She used to say that when I played in the forest, I wanted elves and dwarves to be my friends, but none came, not till later. Then I had friends, but there was a bad elf and bad dwarves and a really scary dragon."
"Yes the dragon was really scary, but its gone now." Oin said and Bilbo nodded.
"Gone like Mama and Papa." Bilbo agreed and Oin nodded, checking the hobbit over gently, he smiled when Bilbo didn't wince once, though he seemed to lean into Oin's touch when he caressed his hair. Oin sighed, the poor hobbit was desperate for kindness after what he had gone through. He continued to stroke Bilbo's hair, his fingers braiding it gently in the knots for friendship. If Bilbo had been a dwarf, the braiding of his hair would have shown how much Oin cared for him. It would also have made him feel safe, it was the only thing Oin could think of to calm Bilbo.
"You're almost better Bilbo, I can't hold you here anymore." Oin said.
"Don't take me back to bad men!"
"Never Bilbo, you will never see those men again, I promise you." Oin said and ran a hand through his hair, dwarves often did that when upset or nervous, as the touching of their hair calmed them. "Remember when you did a bad thing Bilbo?"
"Uh hu." Bilbo said. "I'm really sorry, I won't never do it again."
"I know you won't, but because you did a bad thing and because Thorin is king, certain rules have to be followed." Oin stated.
"What rules?" Bilbo asked. "Mama said rules are good, cause they make you not hurt. Did the bad men come cause of those rules?"
"They did Bilbo, but Thorin didn't want them to come. Still when you were brought back, Thorin had no choice but to follow our tradi-rules." Oin said and Bilbo nodded.
"Cause not obeying the rules gets you into trouble." Bilbo said and Oin nodded.
"Exactly, you are a very cleaver fauntling. One of those rules is that you have to care for Thorin, to help him dress and stay close by him, in case he needs you to get something for him, or to help him in some way."
"Okay, I like helping my friends." Bilbo said and smiled. "I'm feeling better."
"That's good lad." Oin said, though he was unsure of Bilbo's ability to help Thorin. "Now lets get you up for your exercises." He said and Bilbo nodded, he ran Bilbo through a series of exercises that tested his ability to do tasks and ensured that he would gain his strength back. "Very good Bilbo, seems like you'll be helping Thorin sooner then I thought."
"Okay!" Bilbo sounded excited by the prospect. "Why does Thorin not visit me?"
"He's very busy Bilbo, he has to run a kingdom." Oin said and Bilbo nodded, though Thorin also felt responsible for Bilbo being sick. "You can help him do that, after I show you around Erebor, are you alright with walking with me around the kingdom today?" He asked and Bilbo nodded. "Alright then lad, right now we're at the highest peak of the mountain." He said. "This is where the royal quarters are and where the company lives. The floor below us is the Council hall, below that is the Builder's Hall, then there is the Maker's Hall, the Guard's Hall, the Scribe's Hall, the Miner's Hall, the Healer's Hall and finally the marketplace and mines." He said and Bilbo nodded. "The Council Hall is for the council that advises the king and settles petty disputes that Thorin has neither the time, nor the inclination to settle for himself. The Builder's Hall, is the hall that is reserved for those that maintain the tunnels and build our versions of hobbit holes. Then there is the Maker's Hall, hall to smiths, stone setters, gem cutters, inventors and jewelry makers. There is also the Guard's Hall, hall to soldiers, keepers of the peace and the honor guards."
"What are honor guards?" Bilbo asked.
"Those that guard others that have power, or are well respected. Thorin stopped any attempts of giving him an honor guard and the rest of the company didn't want one either. Though you may see them occasionally, when you go to visit the council seat." He said and Bilbo nodded. "I'm afraid that all we have for you to wear for now is dwarven clothing."
"But I want my clothes."
"Your clothes were too travel worn to salvage Bilbo." Oin said and the hobbit started to cry. "Its alright Bilbo, dwarven clothing is warm and comfortable and we can always make you some hobbit clothes."
"I wanna go home." Bilbo said and threw himself at Oin, burying his face into the healer's shirt. "I wanna go home, its too cold here and there's no sun or flowers."
"I know lad, I know, but you can't go home, you did a bad thing remember?" Oin said and Bilbo sniffled into his shirt, Oin stroked back Bilbo's hair. "Everything will be alright, you will see." He promised the hobbit, though he wasn't sure of that himself. "Now you need to get dressed lad." He added and Bilbo nodded, though he still held on to Oin's shirt, drawing comfort from the contact. Oin laid out clothes for him and smiled at the hobbit. "I thought that you might like to dress yourself, I'll be in the other room if you need me."
"Thank you." Bilbo said and smiled at Oin, watching as the dwarf left the room. The hobbit lifted the nightgown off of his shoulders, before putting on the simple shirt and trousers Oin had left for him. He fastened the four buttons that held the trousers, before he put on the silver coat trimmed in fur over the shirt he had been given. He tied it around his shoulders, giggling at his arms and hands, which the sleeves of the coat completely covered. He tried to roll them up, but found he was unable to do so without help.
"Oin!" Bilbo called and Oin came into the room. "They are too big Oin, I'm swimmin' in em." Bilbo said and Oin smiled.
"These were the smallest clothes we could find on such short notice, tailors don't stock children's clothes as their mothers often just buy them bigger and let them out as the child needs." Oin said and Bilbo nodded. "Unfortunately, although we gave them your waistcoat for measurement, it is not finished yet." He said and Bilbo frowned.
"Wanna wear my clothing! I look stupid." He said and Oin laughed.
"No, you don't, though I agree dwarven clothes don't seem to suit you. You don't look stupid Bilbo." Oin said.
"I'm too old for dress up!"
"How old are you then?" Oin asked, he had wondered that before, but there had been no polite way of asking. He didn't want Bilbo to become upset or confused.
"You know silly, I'm ten." Bilbo said and Oin stared at him, he hadn't really considered before how hobbits aged differently then his folk. A dwarven child of ten would have just have gotten out of nappies and would be completely dependent on those around him. While Bilbo seemed fairly self sufficient, he was not like the children of the Big Folk either who would have been much more mature than he acted at the age of ten. Therefore Oin could place his age somewhere between that of a dwarfling and that of a man, the two races that he was most famillar with.
"Your very grown up for ten, lets get you fed." Oin said and Bilbo nodded.
"My Mom said that too, can we play after we eat?" Bilbo asked.
"First we need to play a game called lets find our way around? How does that sound?" Oin asked.
"Sounds boring, can we play outside?"
"Maybe if we have time, before we need to go see Thorin." Oin said and Bilbo nodded, he trustingly put his hand in Oin's.
"Okay, then lets play your game really fast, cause I wanna go outside." Bilbo said and Oin nodded.
"That would be fine with me Bilbo." He said, though he doubted that they could make it through Erebor all that quickly. He thought that the hobbit would not want to, after witnessing the wonders of the dwarven city. He smiled at the hobbit and took his hand. "Now don't let go of my hand, alright?"
"Alright." Bilbo said cheerfully and to walk with Oin. They left the chambers of the healing hall together and found themselves in a corridor.
"The company sleeps in those chambers and the kitchen, gardens and elevator are over there."
"There's a garden here?" Bilbo asked and Oin nodded.
"Thorin replanted it, it was one of his mother's favorite places in the mountain. We can go see it later if your good."
"I'll be good." Bilbo said and grinned. "I get to play in a garden!" He said and Oin chuckled.
"Yes, indeed you do." Oin said and walked with the excitable hobbit to the kitchen. "Now if you eat your bacon and eggs, you can have a scone." Oin said, feeling guilty for treating Bilbo like a small child, for all that it was necessary. Bilbo nodded and was served a heaping pile of bacon and eggs, as well as toast. Bilbo dug into his breakfast, as Oin ate at a more sedate pace. He smiled as Bilbo got some of the jam on his chin. "You need to wipe your face Bilbo." He said and the hobbit wiped the jam off his face. They finished eating and went together to the elevator shaft. "The councilor's halls are fairly dull, but Thorin should be there around this time of day, with Fili, Kili and Balin."
"Fili and Kili?" Bilbo asked excitedly and Oin smiled.
"Yes lad, but they won't have time to play with you, they will be busy." Oin said and Bilbo frowned before nodding.
"I get to see em right?" He asked and Oin nodded.
"Yes, you get to see them." He replied, as they found their way to the elevator. Oin pressed a button and Bilbo held on tightly as they started to descend.
"Why's the floor movin'?" Bilbo asked and Oin laughed.
"Lad, this is called an elevator, it will take us to see our friends, don't you want to see our friends?" He asked and the hobbit nodded.
"But why it gots to be so scary?" Bilbo asked and Oin patted the hobbit gently on the shoulder.
"The ride will take forty five minutes lad, I can't make it go back up, now its going down." Oin said and Bilbo nodded. "Why don't we play a game, I'm thinking of a thing that starts with the letter J and is pretty."
"Juniper?" Bilbo ventured.
"No lad, something else."
"What starts with a letter J and is pretty, besides Juniper." Bilbo demanded.
"Dwarves like them."
"Jewels, its jewels isn't it?" Bilbo asked and Oin smiled.
"Yes lad, your very cleaver." Oin praised. "Now you think of one..." So the forty five minutes passed with Bilbo and Oin attempting to stump each other at guessing objects. By the time the door opened, Bilbo had quite forgotten that he had been afraid.
"Now we get to see Thorin and Fi and Ki and Balin!" Bilbo said and the hobbit nearly dragged Oin out the door.
"Bilbo slow down lad, I know your excited, but your going too fast." Oin said and Bilbo reluctantly slowed down. They headed for the council chambers and Bilbo stared at the forty dwarves and his friends sitting in seats, with Thorin at the head of the hall. To the hobbit it looked like they were all yelling at Thorin, because they were talking in Khudzul. He didn't realize that the dwarf that bellowed the loudest often got his topic seen to first and the council voiced their agendas accordingly. He thought that they were yelling at his friend and that was something Bilbo couldn't stand.
"STOP IT, STOP YELLIN' AT EM!" Bilbo said and forty dwarves turned and stared at the hobbit, as Thorin glared at Bilbo for a moment, displeased with the interruption. His glare was short lived, when he saw it was the hobbit that had yelled.
"Bilbo, they aren't yelling at me, or my nephews, we are simply discussing which agenda to see to first." Thorin said and Bilbo frowned.
"It sounded like yellin' to me." Bilbo said and a few people laughed at that statement. "Its not funny, no one yells at my friends." He said and crossed his arms, that got even more people to laugh at the disgruntled hobbit.
"Its alright Bilbo, we're alright." Fili said and smiled at Bilbo. "Dwarven politics are just very loud, it startled Ki as a babe."
"Did not." Kili interjected.
"It did too brother and you know it." Fili said and more dwarves smiled at the interaction between their princes.
"You have no excuse to act like children, Fili and Kili Vilison." Thorin said and the boys nodded, before resuming their stiff expressions. "Now if your going to stay Bilbo, you need to be quiet and soon you will have to stay beside me."
"Okay, but Oin said he'd take me to see Erebor and I wanna see it first." Bilbo said and Thorin nodded.
"Very well, return here once you are done, traveling through my kingdom." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded.
"Okay, see you later friends, do we have to ride the elevator Oin?" Bilbo asked. "Cause its really scary."
"Unfortunately we do Bilbo, the stairway is broken in places and it would take three hours to reach the next hall." Oin replied and Bilbo nodded.
"Okay, but you gots to hold my hand and play the game with me." Bilbo said and Oin nodded very seriously.
"Very well, we will do that." He replied. "I will bring him back, once he has a better grasp on what's about the mountain." He said and Thorin nodded, together they left the hall and went back down. "Other then the council hall, there's only the council quarters on this floor." Oin explained and Bilbo nodded. They played the guessing game, on the way to the next hall and Bilbo was very relieved to get out of the elevator once it stopped. He stared at the builders hall, here the walls took on the shape of spirals, going ever upward and outward. "They are pretty, but delicate and need frequent repairs, its impractical for the other halls to have them, considering the amount of maintenance they require. The builder's hall is slightly dangerous, though most of the work is done in tunnels, small things that are easier to complete are first made here like a puzzle, then the various pieces are placed where they need to go in Erebor." He explained and Bilbo nodded. "So stay close by me alright, I don't want you getting hurt and we'll only peek into this hall. There's a meal hall, beyond the common workspace and quarters beyond that." He said and Bilbo nodded, entranced by the stone colums and wood beams the dwarves cut and shaped.
"They are pretty." Bilbo said and Oin smiled.
"Yes they are pretty, very pretty." He agreed. "These will be going to refit the throne room, which was damaged in the dragon's attack. Thorin insisted that we saw to other repairs first, before those of the throne room and so finally they are underway." He said and Bilbo nodded. "See how large those pieces of stone are, they are going to be carved down and fit into the stone archways that are being rebuilt for the throne room." He said and Bilbo smiled.
"It looks hard."
"And it is very hard, it takes a lot of skill and determination to be a builder." Oin said and Bilbo nodded. "Are you ready to continue down in the elevator lad?" He asked and Bilbo nodded, they went back into the elevator and down to the maker's hall. "This Hall is divided into five main sections one for each of the dwarven disciplines, we'll be avoiding the inventor's and smith's hall as their work is considered to be the most dangerous of the Maker's disciplines."
"Okay." Bilbo said and they walked back to the elevator, riding down in it again. Bilbo had grown used to riding in it by now and didn't find it nearly as scary as he had before. The doors opened and Bilbo darted out staring disinterestedly at the dwarves cutting stone. He walked further into the hall and found the stone laying to be more interesting. The dwarves in this room heated metal and beat on it with hammers, until it reached the desired shape, they would then apply stones and other precious metals in elaborate patterns. Bilbo stared fascinated at them, before an older dwarf smiled at the hobbit.
"Come here, you can watch me lad." He said and for once Oin was glad that news spread fast throughout the various halls of Erebor and someone had the courage to be nice to his charge. Bilbo went over and watched as the older dwarf beat on the metal shaping it.
"Do you write on the metal?" Bilbo asked and the dwarf nodded.
"Sometimes we engrave the metal, or we spell out simple words with gold wire, which melts into the steel." He explained and the hobbit nodded. "For the most part, we make jewelery to be sold at market, most of my guild is comprised of several dwarven families that own different stalls and businesses. It gets more technical then that, but I think we'll keep it at that and have done." He added and smiled at the hobbit.
"Its pretty." Bilbo said. "But metal is cold. "Not to dwarves, although we value stone more than metal, metal still sings to us, the song not as strong as when we commune with the stone, but a song all the same." The dwarf said and Bilbo nodded, not really understanding what he was saying. "Now this piece is nearly finished and I'll need to start on a new one soon."
"Okay I'll go." Bilbo said and smiled at the dwarf. "Thank you Mr. Dwarf." He then scampered back to Oin, as the dwarf smiled at him and watched him leave. "He showed me how jewels are laid in metal."
"I saw, do you want to see the jewelry makers?" He asked and Bilbo nodded,they walked together to a final hall and Bilbo saw people boring small holes into stones, then stringing them on necklaces. Most of the people in this hall were quite young, even some children who played with boxes full of beads in the corner. "For the maker families, the first discipline a young dwarfling does is that of bead stringing, the work gets more elaborate from there." He explained and Bilbo nodded, bored.
"I'm hungry."
"We'll eat at the scribes hall, Ori said that he would like to meet us there for an early lunch, would you like to leave now?" Oin asked and Bilbo nodded. "I think we'll stop with the scribes hall, I think you'd find the healers hall to be boring and the miner's hall is just a dining hall and sleeping quarters really, as most of their work is done at the mines."
"Okay." Bilbo said cheerfully. "How long will it take to get there?"
"We will have to go down three levels, so about two hours and twenty five minutes, give or take." He said and Bilbo nodded.
"Okay, the elavador, don't, scare me no more." He said and Oin smiled at him.
"You are a very brave hobbit Bilbo." Oin praised and Bilbo grinned as they got in the elevator. Oin told a story to Bilbo when the hobbit grew tired of a guessing game. Oin was relieved when the doors opened to the Scribe Hall and grinned as Bilbo's mouth dropped open. The Scribe Hall was impressive, it went up for four stories and each story had a staircase leading up to the next, the stone platforms and railings had been carved from the rock of the mountain, hallowed out as the library expanded year after year.
"So many books!" Bilbo said excitedly and Oin chuckled.
"The library of Erebor used to be one of the most famous in Middle Earth. We are standing in the Khudzul section, but the rooms beyond contain books with Westron and Sindarian."
"I can read Westron, can I read some books, can I Oin?"
"When Thorin doesn't need you, I see no reason why you can't read some books." Oin said and smiled at the halfling and the excited look on his face. He saw Ori bent double over some old tomb, with ink on his face and a wide grin. Ori was never more at home, then among his ink and paper friends. "Hello Ori." Oin said and Ori's head shot up and he stared confused at Oin a moment, before grinning.
"Hello Oin, hello Bilbo." Ori said.
"Oin said that I could take a few books with me!" Bilbo said.
"As long as you take good care of them Bilbo and make sure they don't get damaged."
"Okay!" Bilbo said and grinned. "I'll be really careful." He added and smiled at Ori. "I love to read, its the best!"
"I think reading is great too." Ori agreed. "Now I'll just put that I have this book on the ledger and then we can go have lunch together, how does that sound?"
"Great!" Bilbo said. "I'm reeaallly hungry, we skipped second breakfast and elevensies." He said and Ori laughed.
"You hobbits and your food." He said and clapped Bilbo on the back. Bilbo stiffened a moment, looking frightened. "I'm sorry Bilbo, I forgot."
"Please don't hurt me." Bilbo said and almost crumpled in on himself, before Oin wrapped his arms around the hobbit.
"Did Ori hurt you lad, it was just a friendly clap on the back and we're getting food right now." Oin said gently. "No one here will hurt you, or they will hear from me."
"No one?"
"No one." Oin replied and Bilbo sniffled, his hand going to an empty pocket and not finding anything, before he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Bilbo needs people to be gentle with him, he's still on the mend." He explained to Ori and Ori nodded. "It wasn't your fault lad." Oin added and took Bilbo's hand. "Now lets get you some food lad." He said and Bilbo nodded, they walked together through the library and Bilbo tried to stop at the Westron and strangely to the dwarves the Sidarian rooms. There were fewer dwarves in the Westron section and none at all in the Sindarian section.
"Can you read this Bilbo?" Ori asked and Bilbo nodded.
"I want to...I wanted to travel, so I learned elf writing, I couldn't learn dwarf writing, but I wanted to." He said and smiled at Ori.
"We keep our writing and language separate from the other races, because of all races we are most closely tied to our tongue. Mahal himself created our language for us and it is one of our most precious possessions." Ori said. "I could give you some books on dwarven history and customs if you like, in addition to some of our tales and legends and a few books of tall tales."
"Please can you?" Bilbo asked and Ori grinned.
"Of course Bilbo, your our friend. Although our language is only shared among dwarves and those that come from the same stone as a dwarf, there is no reason why you shouldn't learn more about our society."
"What does come from the same stone mean?" Bilbo asked.
"Dwarves believe that in Mahal's realm before we are born, Mahal cleaves us from soul stone. He then sends the stone that he mines to dwell on this plain in dwarven bodies. Those that are split from the same stone are half of a whole set, together they make one of Mahal's soul stones. Sometimes Mahal in his eagerness cleaves too much rock and those souls must be put into other bodies beside those of dwarves." He said. "Regardless if they are dwarven or not, a dwarf would not deny his One the ability to know all of him."
"What's a One?"
"It is the one person that makes us feel the most whole, we find them by..."
"He's a bit young for that Ori." Oin interjected hastily and Ori nodded.
"For what, I wanna know!" Bilbo said and Oin and Ori groaned.
"Well when two dwarves like each other very much, they do a special dance to see if they are each other's One." Ori said.
"What kind of dance?" Bilbo asked. "Is it like the naked dancing Mom and Dad used to..."
"Yes, yes its like that." Ori said blushing bright red.
"Oh, okay." Bilbo said and frowned, were the dwarves that kidnapped him trying to see if he was their one? There were always only two of them and they asked Bilbo to suck their diddles. Bilbo didn't understand why they wanted this, but he did it and when it felt wrong and he refused he was beaten by one of them for it. He had done it whenever they asked after that and dreaded when the two had watches right after each other. They always seemed to be happy afterward and then fall into a deep sleep with smiles on their faces. He frowned, why had they made him do that to them? He wondered before his thoughts returned to the food he was about to have, he didn't like thinking about the time he spent with the bad men.
"Are you hungry Bilbo?" Oin asked when Bilbo had been quiet for several moments, he knew that Bilbo's silence most likely meant that he had been abused in some way. The hobbit was never usually quiet for this long, unless asleep or something reminded him of those that had taken him to Erebor.
"Uh huh." Bilbo said and grinned up at Oin. "Can we stay here a while, I wanna look at the books."
"Of course we can Bilbo, though I'd say we should only stay here for two hours after lunch. By the time we return it will be seven thirty."
"Okay." Bilbo said and walked to the dining hall with the other dwarves. He sat down and Oin and Ori got the food, pointing out that Bilbo might spill it on himself if he tried to help. They then ate the thick slab of beef, potatoes and gravy together in near silence. They finished and Bilbo nearly jumped to his feet and dashed for the elvish texts. He grinned scanning the titles of what appeared to be children's tales for elvish children. He picked up one of the tombs and smiled, he had always liked the tale about twin brothers Hilardar and Jilardar, it was a story of how the brothers built a ship that could fly and sailed it to the moon. They brought back a gift for the Valar and the Valar blessed them by allowing them to always be together, as they moved around the earth, making sure that the seasons changed and the moon and sun danced around each other in the sky. He hugged the tale tightly to his chest, before Ori called him to get several stories, histories and cultural books that were about dwarves. He then examined the Westron section for himself, picking up the books that looked interesting, until he had quite a tall stack and it was time to leave. "Can I come back soon Ori?"
"When Thorin can spare you, you can come here if you like." Ori replied and smiled at the hobbit. "I'll see you around Bilbo, I don't live with the rest of the company, as its too far of a journey to here from the royal quarters." He said and Bilbo nodded.
"I'll see you when our paths next cross." Bilbo said and grinned, as Oin took two sacks full of books from Ori.
"Return those when you can Bilbo, alright?" Ori asked and Bilbo nodded, they left on the lift and Bilbo spent all the journey riding back up reading. He read his fairy tales mainly enjoying the stories of daring and cunning and of little males and females triumphing against great odds. Finally they were back at the royal quarters. "Now we should get something to eat, the others should be arriving soon." He said and Bilbo nodded, indeed another elevator opened soon after theirs and a tired Fili and Kili got out with Thorin. "How did it go?"
"We got some things done today, I'll be glad when the repairs are over with." Thorin said and both boys yawned. "Fili and Kili were great today, they even directed my thinking a time or two, by their questions."
"I'm glad that they are learning their lessons well." Balin said.
"Can we not talk about the council Uncle?" Fili asked and yawned again. "All I want is some food and my bed, I thought it would never end." He complained and Thorin chuckled.
"Ah there's the lad I know, I was begining to think that an elf had stolen you and somehow replaced you with a copy of yourself." Thorin said and smiled at his nephews. "Being a ruler is never easy boys, but its worth it to see our people well." He said and Fili and Kili nodded. "How was your day Bilbo?"
"I went to the library and got books! Ori didn't want me to read elvish, but he got me a bunch of books to read in common." He said and grinned. "They are really good!"
"I'm glad that you are enjoying them." Thorin said. "Now lets go get something to eat, Bilbo you will be spending the night in my quarters."
"Okay." Bilbo said and smiled. "I like sleepovers." He added and smiled at Thorin.
"That's good because you will be staying in my room for the next while." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded. They walked to the dining hall together and sat down at the table. The meal was fairly quiet as everyone was tired from their various duties. They finished and Thorin stood up, with Bilbo following him, the sack of books hung over one shoulder, as they walked to Thorin's room. A bed had been set up at the end of Thorin's and Thorin gestured to the closet. "My night things are in there, will you help me to undress?" Thorin asked and Bilbo nodded. He got out the night pants and shirt which was a tad longer then Thorin usually wore, before going over to Thorin. Thorin had shrugged out of his outer coat and Bilbo could see the black inner robes Thorin had worn to the council. They had buttons all down Thorin's back, in a way that was impossible for Thorin to undo himself. Thorin sat on the bed as Bilbo worked slowly, concentrating on each button as he slipped it through the hole. It took half an hour to free Thorin from the cumbersome clothing and the dwarf seemed much more patient then Bilbo remembered as Thorin let out a snore. Bilbo laughed softly, before pulling the robes off the now sleeping dwarf, surprised when Thorin didn't wake. He then settled the nightshirt over Thorin's head and tugged one arm through then the other, Thorin's arms were like lifting lead. He still somehow managed to get Thorin's arms into the sleeves. He then untied the dwarf's boots and took them off having to pull hard to do so, Thorin stirred, though he didn't seem to wake completely
"I'm almost done, you've just got your pants left." Bilbo told him and Thorin muttered something, before standing, pulling off his trousers leaving him in his undergarments.
"That's fine, I'm too tired to deal with the pants right now." He said and Bilbo nodded, as Thorin got under the covers. Bilbo took off his own shirt and pants and climbed under the covers and fell asleep.
It was the moaning that woke Bilbo, Thorin tossed and turned on the bed. Bilbo went over to him and tried to shake him awake, but Thorin was too deeply asleep and caught in a nightmare. Oin had said that Bilbo should help Thorin and Bilbo remembered how happy the bad man had been, after he had sucked them. He wanted to help Thorin, so he sat on Thorin's legs and pulled back the covers. He took off Thorin's undergarments and sucked on him, slowly Thorin's thrashing stopped and now he was moaning for another reason entirely. He was still asleep , but as Bilbo sucked him, he felt a curious warmth surround him. Thorin's eyes flashed open, but they were blank and unseeing, Bilbo didn't notice or care as he was surrounded by the blissful warmth. Thorin grabbed the hobbit and turned him over on the bed, stripping off his undergarments, before burying himself inside of Bilbo. Bilbo gasped surprised at the intrusion, but he found it didn't matter, because the warmth was there, filling him up to overflowing all he could see, all he could feel was Thorin, as he spoke words in Khudzul. Bilbo didn't know or understand the words, he didn't care what Thorin was saying, as long as the warmth and peace stayed, he didn't care about much of anything. Suddenly a bright light filled the room and there was a sound like cracking stone, as liquid pooled inside of Bilbo. As the sound came, Bilbo's world cracked apart and reformed with Thorin suddenly being the most important part to it. Thorin pulled out of Bilbo and held him tenderly in his arms, whispering soft words in Khudzal to the hobbit, before dragging the blanket around both of them. Bilbo fell into sleep feeling safe and more complete then he ever had in his life.