They made it to Rivendell by the first snow fall. It was eerie being empty of the elves that lived there, but Arwen had been right, it was still a safe place for them to take refuge from the weather. Their ponies were put away in proper stalls. The magic of the elves kept the Last Homely house from deteriorating. Rooms were intact and beds were still soft. The library was still full of books and the small circular table Bofur had stood on to sing dwarven drinking songs still stood in the center of the terrace. There was a supply of fire wood in the bedrooms and Elrond's apothecary room was still filled with dry herbs, which made Hana very happy. She restocked a few of her dwindling supply of useful herbs.
Mailis was growing. She could smile and laugh now. She loved Fili and Hana and always gave them her biggest open-mouthed, toothless grins. Her wet nurse kept her well fed and small rolls of fat had formed on Mailis's arms and legs. Despite having spent more than half of her life on the road, travelling in the cool fall, Mailis was growing and thriving.
The entire company was happy to spend a few days in Rivendell, sleeping in real beds and sitting in warm rooms. By the third day of their stay, the sun had come out and melted all the snow. Fili received a message from his brother. He hadn't yet heard back since sending Kili the note with Hana's news.
"Fili,
Congratulations, you old goat! I am so happy for you both. Tauriel's ready to travel to the Shire the movement you need her. She can't wait to see your baby. The boys are excited. Especially the twins, as you can imagine. Keep us updated on both your little ones.
Things here are fine. About the same. It's good to have Tor here again. He's been inspecting stone and ore for us. We had a bit of excitement in the large market. A fight broke out between two families and one dwarf got thrown into the stall of one of the merchants. The stall sustained damage and there was quite the mess to clean up. There ended up being about twenty dwarves involved in the brawl. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. There will be a trial next week. Guess I had better stuy up on my law. It's times like this I miss you the most.
Truly, I do miss you. Erebor just isn't the same without you. Take good care of your lasses on the rest of your journey. Give Mailis and Hana a kiss for me. Until next time, Mahal bless.
-Kili"
They set out the following morning from Rivendell. The snow was gone, the sun was warm and for Fili and Hana, their trip would be over in a few more weeks. They would rest for a couple of days in Bree before the last stretch of their journey into Hobbiton.
It was good they reached Bree when they did. It had snowed on them for two days and their supplies were low. The Inn of the Prancing Pony was noisy and crowded, but it was warm and they had real beds. They stayed a few days and restocked their supplies.
The last stretch took as long as they expected, but it felt like the longest part of the journey to them.
They were cold and wet when they finally rode up to the Green Dragon, the inn and pub of Hobbiton. The weary dwarves weren't greeted very enthusiastically, but the hobbits were polite and they were made very comfortable in their rooms. Fili saw his people settled into their rooms and Hana and Mailis warm and stomachs full before he headed out to find this Tom Boffins who held the keys to Bag End.
It took quite a few inquiries, but Fili finally tracked down the hobbit.
"Well, bless me, a dwarf," the round hobbit stood on the threshold of the round door.
"Good day, sir," Fili said, "Are you Master Tom Boffins?"
"Prissy!" the hobbit called over his shoulder. "Come and see the dwarf on the doorstep!"
Moments later a round she-hobbit arrived at the door. She let out a squeal. "Oh, he's a fierce looking thing, isn't he?"
"I do speak the common tongue, you know," Fili said slowly.
The female's face turned red. "Well, what is it you're needing Master Dwarf?"
"I'm looking for Tom Boffins. I've got a letter from Sam Gamgee," Fili explained.
"From Sam?" the hobbit looked at Fili. "Oh yes, said he was going off to visit some dwarves. Are you one of them?"
"I am."
"Well, give me the letter," the hobbit said impatiently.
"You haven't told me if your Tom Boffins yet," Fili said.
"Course I'm Tom Boffins. I wouldn't be standing here in the cold talking with ya if I wasn't."
Fili sighed. Hobbits.
"Don't just stand there, come on in," Prissy waved Fili in. "You're making my sitting room cold with the draft."
Fili walked in, removed his heavy, snow covered cape and headed it to Tom, who hung it neatly on a coat peg. Prissy led them into the sitting room, practically pushed Fili into a soft chair near the fire and pressed a hot tea cup into his hands. Fili thanked the lass before pulling Sam's letter from his coat pocket.
Tom took the letter, broke the seal and read the letter. "Well, well, what do you know? Sam and Rosie are expecting another baby. What will this be? Ten children?"
"Eleven," Fili and Prissy answered at the same time.
"Ah, now, this is interesting," Tom kept reading. "Sam wants me to give you the keys to Bag End. Says you'll be staying in Hobbiton as a blacksmith for a while." Fili nodded. "Say's you're been kind to him and I'm to hand over the keys without no fuss."
There was a twinkle in the hobbit's eye and Fili sincerely hoped he would not have to beg or buy the keys off this silly hobbit. Tom laughed, stood up and opened a small chest on the fireplace mantle. He held out a large iron key to Fili.
"If anyone but Sam had wrote me that letter, I would have sent you packing, Master Dwarf, but Sam's a good hobbit and I trust him. He was our mayor for many years, you know." Fili hadn't known. "So," Tom continued, "if Sam says you're a good dwarf and to give you Bag End's keys, then that's what I must do."
Fili took the large key. "Thank you Master Boffins. I'll take good care of Bag End. I do hope you'll drop by soon and meet my family."
"Dwarves have families?" Prissy asked, clearly surprised.
"Of course," Fili was amused. "We don't pop out of stone, you know."
"Dear Kili,
We finally made it to Bag End. The weather was terrible the past ten days of our journey, but now we are here and we are all well. It's odd being here again after, what eighty four years, or so? Much of Bilbo's furniture is still here. New pictures adorn the walls and mantles. My favorite picture is one of Bilbo that Ori drew on our quest. The likeness is remarkable, but Ori was a talented artist. There is another picture of a hobbit right next to the one of Bilbo, looks a lot like him too, but he has darker hair. I'm guessing it is Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's nephew.
Hana loves the house. She is excited about the kitchen, the sitting room and the nursery for Mailis. Beds are crammed into every bedroom of the house, as well as several cots of various sizes. I guess when there are ten children in the house, they all have to sleep somewhere.
Before leaving Bree, we were able to purchase a milking goat for food for Mailis. She is adjusting well. Mailis eats so much and is growing so big. I think she will be happy here. Bag End is a nice place and feels happy. I know that sounds funny, but you can tell these walls have seen happiness, love and family.
I'll be speaking with the Mayor tomorrow about setting up shop in the local forge. I don't know where that is yet. Did you know that our own Sam Gamgee was Mayor in Hobbiton for many years? Just found that out.
Hana is well. I worried the cold weather might make her ill, but she is fine. Her stomach is still flat, but when she lays on her back, I can feel the hard bump that is our child. It's growing and I'm thrilled, but I'm also quite nervous. I worry for Hana's safety. I also worry that I am too old to be starting over. Can I be a good father? Even if Hana weren't expecting, I'm raising Mailis, so ready or not, I guess I'm starting all over again. I've decided that Mailis and the baby will call me Papa. I cannot be Adad again. That name was for Milly and Hrafn. And since I'm not Mailis's father, I think Papa will be a good name. What do you think?
It's so strange to be here and not in Erebor. I miss the mountain and I miss you and your family, but all those meetings, all those duties, all those worries that I carry as king have vanished and I feel lighter, and it's as if all of that was a lifetime ago. I'm sorry to burden you with all of it, but thank you for letting me get away for a while.
Give my love to Tauriel, Torsten, Agli, Iomhar, Keil and Klin. Thank Sam and Rosie for me and give Primrose a kiss from King Beard. Miss you, Kee. Write when you can.
Fili"