MASQUERADE

Chapter 1

Bilbo Baggins, hobbit of the Shire, was currently seated in a low rocking chair on the porch with his pipe, lazily blowing smoke rings. The ever present twinge in his side gave a particularly nasty throb and Bilbo winced, muttering a few curses under his breath. Such a shame for a nice, pleasant day to be marred by physical pain. Muffled footsteps behind Bilbo caught his attention and he looked up into the dark, beady eyes of Beorn. The skin changer offered him a serene smile and sat down beside him, depositing a scroll of parchment in his lap.

Bilbo raised an eyebrow. "It's not even my birthday" he said lightly.

Beorn laughed. "It's not from me, have you seen the seal my young friend?" he said, tapping the parchment. "That is from the house of Durin"

Bilbo's mouth went dry. "House of . . . Durin?" he squeaked. What would Thorin want with him now? To slice his throat open? Hang him for high treason? Was it a summons to his own demise? Beorn's hand landed upon his shoulder and he shook Bilbo thoroughly.

"Take a deep breath lad; you look like you might pass out there" he soothed.

"I cannot imagine what the house of Durin would want from a hobbit like me after my actions" Bilbo muttered, once he had ample oxygen in his lungs. "Except to punish me for the betrayal I laid at their doorstep"

Beorn snorted, folding his large arms. "Any betrayal – which I may point out, is non-existent since you did the right thing – has surely been rectified when you gave your life to save the King Under the Mountain" he pronounced, fixing Bilbo with a hard glare. "You have spent the last five moons under my care young hobbit and you are still not fully recovered, that is more than enough payment if you ask my opinion"

"What could they possibly be summoning me for then?" Bilbo asked.

Beorn smirked, heaved himself to his feet and tapped the scroll once more. "I know not, young hobbit" he said cheerfully. "Here's a tip though, perhaps you should read it?"

Bilbo sat there for another hour before the parchment in his hands was drawing too much attention from his smoking and – to be quite honest – it was unnerving him. He would much rather know what the parchment contained and yet, all the same, he did not want to. Perhaps it was a summons to his death? Or maybe a warning to stay away from Erebor for the rest of his life? Despite disliking the way a certain dwarf had allowed gold to take over his mind, body and soul, Bilbo still cared about the stubborn king and would rather live in denial then read the words upon this parchment.

It appeared though that he could not help himself for Bilbo found himself tearing through the ornate wax seal and spreading the parchment wide across his lap and reading the following words;

The House of Durin respectfully requests the presence of:

Bilbo Baggins,

At the great city of Erebor to celebrate the day of birth of Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain and Orc-Slayer.
Please note that this celebration will be a masquerade banquet and each guest is required to come wearing a mask.

Please send word by the next moon.

And at the bottom of the note, scrawled in two separate handwritings and barely legible as though they had been written hastily before the messenger was sent out was;

Please come Bilbo, we miss you! Uncle misses you and needs you, even if he won't admit it – Kili, son of Dis.

Yes do come, Bilbo! We are sure that at the celebrations Uncle's mood will be greater and he will listen to reason and you can re-join the Company once more – Fili, son of Dis, Heir to the line of Durin.

Bilbo couldn't help but chuckle at the small postscript the boys had made to such a formal invite. He sobered a second later when he reread the invitation. Knowing dwarves, as he well did, parties were a loud and rambunctious affair with plenty of ale and hoards of food. Knowing Thorin, as well he did, the gruff king would not have approved of a masquerade banquet. Bilbo chuckled with laughter and got to his feet, ambling into Beorn's home – did Thorin even know what masquerade implied? This was, no doubt, a plan of those rambunctious brothers.

"Ah" Beorn sighed gleefully, having read the invite from afar where he sat at the table cutting vegetables for their next meal. "A party huh? Masquerade as well hmm?" he added, stroking his chin. "Well you best send word and get to work on that mask of yours immediately"

"I am not sure if I am even going!" Bilbo blustered, waving his hands about.

Beorn chuckled. "There is no 'if' my dear Bilbo" he said, waving the knife in his direction. "You will be going to that party"

"I do not owe Thorin anything" he maintained stubbornly. "An explanation can be sent via letter and has been, on several occasions; by the Valar I doubt he has even opened a single one!"

This caused the skin changer to frown but he otherwise said nothing. Beorn had nursed Bilbo, when he was not in pain from the full moon himself, for the last few weeks and had sent every letter that Bilbo had requested he send. And every day he had watched the hobbit eye the skies hopefully, waiting for a raven to bring Thorin's reply, one which never came. It seemed that the hobbit had given up on the dwarf king. Well, Beorn was no fool and had seen the way said dwarf king had protected Bilbo, he was sure there was more between the two than either of them thought.

Bilbo and Thorin only needed a push to admit it. And Beorn was only too happy to help them along.

"Come" he said, standing up and laying down the knife. "It would do you good to celebrate and I am certain the other dwarves have missed you too my young friend"

"I suppose" Bilbo sighed, laying down the invitation. "It would be nice to see everyone again, especially Fili and Kili, silly dwarves though they are"

"You see, it is only right that you go" Beorn boomed, lifting Bilbo up for a hug. "Come, we must send a bird with your reply and I will help you with your mask"

-x-

Late that evening found a certain dark haired dwarvish prince running at top speed through the halls, a piece of paper clasped firmly in his hands and a wild grin on his lips. Kili reached the foot of the stairs and bounded up them, arriving in the royal wing and sprinted off down that too until he reached a doorway at the end of the hall and wrenched the door open, flew over the threshold and shut the door tightly behind him. The occupant of the room had little time to react before Kili had thrown himself on top of the occupant and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"Good news brother!" Kili crowed, waving the paper in Fili's face.

"Ki . . . can't breathe!" Fili managed to gasp out and when his brother, looking half scandalised for nearly killing his elder brother and half put out that his news had been delayed, released him he smiled. "Well, spit it out already!"

"I just got word from Bilbo!" Kili said excitedly, bouncing up and down on the bed and waving the paper again for emphasis. "He's coming to the party Fili; he's coming to the party!"

The blonde haired dwarf broke into a large smile, snatching the paper from his younger brother and skimming the words. When he had finished that large smile had morphed itself into a wicked grin. Kili echoed his brother's smirk and sat back on his knees thoughtfully, twisting his fingers into the quilt.

"What mask do you suppose he'll be wearing?" Kili asked.

Fili shrugged. "Maybe a mouse?" he theorised. "He is very timid"

"Not when he's facing off against trolls he's not"

"Fair point" Fili said thoughtfully, playing with his braids. He had a habit of fidgeting with them when he was deep in thought. "Maybe an Oliphant? They are fairly gentle but can be fierce"

Kili snorted. "I rather think an Oliphant is not our dear Bilbo" he pointed out, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "We'll be able to find him quick enough, you can't hide those feet for ever you know" he added, winking at Fili.

The blonde chuckled. "You speak the truth brother" he said, leaning down onto his side and beginning to run his fingers through his brother's matted hair. "Must you always have such knots in your hair?" he asked.

Kili smirked cheerfully. "It's nice having you fuss over them every now and then" he teased, sticking his tongue out at Fili. "I don't do it deliberately – well, most of the time"

Fili snorted and leaned over to flick Kili's nose.

"Ow!"

"Go to sleep Kili"

"I don't wanna"

"We've got the party preparations to finish tomorrow and we need to inform Bombur of numbers so he can plan the menu accordingly, remember?"

"Fine, but I'm sleeping here"

-x-

Dis was hard at work, her nimble hands crafting a hand stitched mithril shirt – a present for Thorin on his day of birth. She was not the only one in the spacious work rooms, little Ori sat across the table and was sketching feverishly on a piece of parchment, muttering under his breath every so often. Balin was at Dis' right, deep in thought as he perused a heavy tome on who knew what. Dwalin was sitting to her left and next to Ori, the tattooed dwarf wanting to be near the young scribe but content to sit there napping.

"Tell me Balin, what say you of this masquerade party?" Dis said, smiling openly at her old teacher.

The older dwarf looked at her over the top of his spectacles and lowered the tome. "It is not something I expected that much is true however, it is never too late to start trying new things as I told Thorin last night" he said wisely, readjusting his spectacles.

"It's the sort of things those two rascals would enjoy, parading about in masks" Dwalin snorted. "Do not take offense please lady Dis"

"None taken" she replied easily. She laid down her work with a thoughtful smile. "I quite agree that they are rascals, they're my rascals though" she chuckled. "Have you got your mask ready Ori?"

The younger dwarf let out a squeak at being addressed so directly by the princess but squared his jaw nonetheless and smiled weakly. "Almost" he replied, lifting his eyes from his sketch. "I just have to add a few finishing touches"

"What mask are ye going to be wearing little scribe?" Dwalin asked curiously.

"Well I . . . I'm not allowed to say"

"Why not?!"

Balin inclined his head and laid down the tome. "I too have received the same instructions my brother" he admitted with a content sigh. "It appears Fili and Kili intend for us to guess who is to be wearing what mask"

Dwalin scoffed at that. "Sounds like some kind of trick to me" he commented.

"Trick or no, I think it will be interesting to see what masks each dwarf will be wearing" Ori admitted.

"And hobbit" Dis broke in, taking up her work once more. "I have it from my sons that they invited Bilbo"

"Do you think he'll come Mister Dwalin?!" Ori asked excitedly, dropping his charcoal.

"Possibly, it would do Thorin good if he were to make an appearance" Dwalin grunted, patting Ori on the head.

"He will be here" Balin said. "Of that you can be sure my friends"