Chapter 10: Mourning Dwarves
"Uncle?" Fili started stepping in front of the little hobbits, who were scanning all the faces to find Bilbo's. There was a sinking feeling in Fili's gut. "Where's Bilbo?"
"He," Thorin swallowed, "He is not with us." He told his nephew before turning to Aragorn and the elf. "Balin will show you to your rooms." He turned to the rest of his men. "You have your jobs, please get to them." His men scurried off, almost regretfully. Balin led the man and the elf to the royal halls.
Only Thorin, Fili, Kili, and the boys were left.
The return of the king had gathered some attention from some of Thorin's council, some of servants, and a few onlookers.
"Come here little hobbits." He kneeled down to talk to them at eye level. "Aragorn is going to check to make sure you're healthy, and then we are going to explain where Uncle Bilbo is. Okay?" they nodded, and Thorin stood up.
Thorin looked down again when there was a little tug on his hand.
"Can we hold your hands?" Sam asked for them both. Thorin smiled at them, offering each a hand.
"Always little ones."
"Fili, what's going on?" Kili whispered worried to his brother.
"I don't know, but I don't like it." He whispered back, following his uncle to the royal wing.
~space~ (back in time)
All of his men sitting around the fire wore the same weary look. Bifur was watching the ponies and horses. Bombur was making diner.
Thorin sat brooding, watching Gandalf, Aragorn and the elves work.
Aragorn moved over to Bilbo, with the bowl the other elves had been working on in hand. He applied a grey paste to Bilbo's chest as the elf sat Bilbo up. One of the other elves handed Aragorn a dish of green liquid. Aragorn poured it over Bilbo's lips, letting it dribble into his open mouth.
Bilbo coughed slightly, still limp against the elf.
"Thorin." Gandalf called the king over to them. Thorin took the place of the elf, holding Bilbo up against his chest.
"Keep him up right." The ranger instructed him.
"Will he recover?" Thorin asked, unsure about how he felt if the hobbit was to die in his arms.
"Yes. If we had arrived hours later and he would have not made it." Thorin relaxed with relief. "I must know. How did Bilbo come in contact with this powder? Even the elves of Mirkwood dare not make it given its potency."
"Someone had laced his sleeping pillow with it." Gandalf said grimly, "They did not intend for anyone to find him till it was too late."
"And what of Frodo and Sam? Are they sick as well?"
"As far as I can tell they are fine. They showed none of the symptoms Bilbo did."
"I would like to see for myself, if you do not mind." Aragorn spoke to Thorin.
"I would prefer if you did."
"I would like Legolas Greenleaf to accompany Me." the ranger gestured to the elf who had given up his position to Thorin.
Only then did Thorin recognize the elf as Thranduil's son, one of the princes of Mirkwood. Almost reluctantly Thorin nodded; the elves had helped save Bilbo, he could a least welcome one into his halls (with great caution).
~space~
What worried Thorin most was something Gandalf had said the next morning.
"If someone had tried to kill the burglar once, then they will again." Bilbo was still sleeping against Thorin. The king had just gotten Bilbo back, he would be damn sure that no one took him away again.
"We can not let anyone know Bilbo has survived." He told the wizard. "As you said, they will not stop, and we may not be as fortunate as this time."
"What shall we do?" Nori asked, "We cannot leave him within Mirkwood with the elves, or in Dale with the men."
Thorin knew Nori was right; Bilbo would be under threats of kidnapping if the men knew of how much Thorin had risked to save the hobbit. An idea dawned on him.
"Durin's day approaches again." He said to his men, fishing the key from around his neck. "We cannot let Bilbo walk around unprotected. We sneak him in the same way he got in the mountain the first time."
It was decided that as Thorin and the others went to Erebor's gates, Gandalf and Bilbo would head to the door.
~space~
Bilbo woke the day they started their return. The ex-burglar was fed and explained the plan. He did not like possibly tricking his boys (Fili and Kili included) into thinking he was dead, even if it was only for a few hours but, getting to see them safe and sound is what he needed.
~space~
As Thorin entered the royal wing, he was pleased to see that Gloin and Dori had already taken over the guard duties. Bifur and Bofur were most likely in their places in the treasure room.
~Space~
Entering his room with his nephews, Balin, and the little hobbits, he was surprised to find the rest of his company (not including Bilbo, Gloin, Dori, Bofur, or Bifur, of course) waiting for him. Aragorn and Legolas were also there.
He let go off the little hobbit hands ushering them on to a bench next to Ori.
The elf was staring at a wall, eyes far off someplace else, until he blinked; then he nodded to
Aragorn.
"No one is listening."
"What in Durin's name has happened to Bilbo?" Dwalin exploded, worried about the hobbit.
"He is fine." Thorin started cutting off his nephews from even starting to question. "Bilbo is alive and healthy. He currently waits with Gandalf on our back door." Dwalin, Balin, and his nephews understood. It was not safe to have Bilbo return through the front gates.
"Why?" Frodo asked, he was sitting in between Sam and Ori.
Aragorn was the one to answer. "Because he is playing a game."
"A game?" Sam asked.
"Yes, he doesn't want any other dwarrows to know that he has returned, so he can surprise them later." It made no sense at all, but somehow the little hobbits understood.
"So no one can know Uncle Bilbo is back because it would ruin da surprise?"
"Yes, but don't worry, he's coming back in the mountain tomorrow. Then he's going to stay in here, with you boys and myself." Thorin jumped in.
"Okay." The others seemed to be surprised at how easily Frodo and Sam believed them.
Fili, Kili, Ori, Frodo, and Sam had fallen asleep on the many pillows that had been stolen from the other rooms and brought into Thorin's. It was an adorable sight to see them all cuddling. Balin was sitting next Thorin, watching the princes and Ori cuddle with his newest students.
Aragorn and Legolas had returned to the chambers that Balin had shown them to earlier.
Dwalin and the others had gone to receive the hobbit. They were due back any minute now in fact. Thorin looked to the door. He did not like having his hobbit out of his sight.
"What will you do when you find who attacked Bilbo?" Balin asked him.
Thorin said nothing.
"If Bilbo asks to spare them what then?" Balin understood what Thorin's silence meant.
Thorin looked over to the grey dwarf next to him. "You think Bilbo would not want his attempted murder dead?"
"I think that Bilbo is a simple hobbit. He has never been one for unnecessary violence. Even if it is unavoidable, he has been uncomfortable with. His actions with the Arkenstone where clear enough. I think that he would be merciful."
Thorin couldn't help agree, Bilbo was a gentle creature; however he is not. Even if Bilbo asked Thorin to spare them, the one who hurt Bilbo would not leave his mountain unharmed.
~space~
There was a knock at the door. Thorin had not even realized he had dosed off. He stood from his chair, going over to the door. He smiled when he saw who was waiting for him.
"Hello burglar." He let the hobbit into his room. Balin looked up from the book he had been reading, shoulders relaxing at the sight of the healthy hobbit.
"Where are Frodo and- ah…" Bilbo saw the pile of pillows, dwarrows, and little hobbits.
"They've missed you dearly laddie." Balin said closing the book.
"And I them." Bilbo said watching all of the boys sleeping.
"Bilbo, you can sleep in the spare room in my quarters. For tonight we can leave the boys here." Bilbo nodded deftly eyes still following the soft rise and fall of Frodo's chest.