Organising the commodities for Bilbo took longer than expected. Seeing as the King of Erebor couldn't be away from his kingdom for so long and refused to part without his newly found nephew, the group of Dwarves separated in two. Balin lead the first half of Dwarves as Thorin's most valued councillor and representative who would guide the kingdom until his return. With him Bombur, Bofur, Gloín, Bifur, Dori and Nori would follow. Seeing as the cook would be absent, Thorin charged Bilbo with the task of feeding the rest of the company whenever they stopped to rest or to set camp for the night.
Three days later than Thorin would have liked, they were on their way. It was hard for both Kíli and Bilbo to say goodbye to the Shire. Bilbo would undoubtedly return – it was his home after all – but as far as Kíli was concerned, this was the last time he would see the plush green hills, the bright blue sky and the friendly faces of neighbouring Hobbits. To his surprise, a lot of Hobbits found themselves on the road headed to the East to bid adieu to Kíli. Their thoughtfulness almost made him cry and he wasn't a particularly emotional person.
Thus the journey began. Kíli and Bilbo traded the landscape of the Shire for sceneries of plains, mountains and dense, eerie forests. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying. They took in as much as they could as they passed by at a leisurely pace on their ponies. Fíli trotted next to them when he could and when the path got too narrow he guided his pony ahead though not by too much so as to keep chatting. The blonde prince talked about a many great deal of things.
He initially began by describing Erebor to Bilbo, highlighting things he thought the Hobbit might enjoy. Kíli noticed how Thorin would strain his ear and occasionally glance back to catch pieces of Bilbo's reactions. It was something he would have to tell Fíli later.
"I noticed you were a fan of geography." Fíli said.
"Aye," Bilbo confirmed, "I do love studying other places. Never felt the need to go, though. I travelled perfectly fine through words up until this point."
"When we get to Erebor I'll have to show you our great murals." Fíli said. "In the palace, we have a huge wall on which a map of the world was carved and decorated with precious gems. It's quite beautiful and actually far more detailed than any of the maps I found in your home. I think you'll enjoy it."
"It sounds like I would." Bilbo smiled and Kíli was happy to see the two of them getting along.
He liked Fíli and he was glad his brother felt the same.
"Have you been introduced to Ori?" Fíli asked.
"I haven't really been introduced to anyone." Bilbo admitted.
"Neither have I." Kíli chimed.
"Well, we'll start with Ori." Fíli said and turned to the front and called out to a short and timid Dwarf who had his nose buried in a book, "Ori!" he looked up and back at Fíli, "Come here!"
Ori seemed visibly distressed by the request but nonetheless complied. He slipped his book in the bag attached on his saddle's left side and guided his pony to them. They walked four of large now that the path was wide enough for it.
"You're not going to make me do anything to make King Thorin mad, are you?" Ori whispered wearily.
Fíli laughed brightly, "Not this time." he leaned back a bit to allow Kíli and Bilbo to look at the Dwarf with greater ease as he formally introduced them, "Ori, this is Kíli and Bilbo." He said and then turned to the others, "Kíli and Bilbo, meet Ori. He's the royal family's personal historian."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Bilbo said with a soft smile.
"What he said." Kíli grinned.
"Likewise." Ori said kindly.
"I was thinking you'd like to discuss some things with Bilbo." Fíli said, "I know how much you love geography and, fortunately for you, Bilbo here might be more suited to indulge you on the topic than anyone else."
Ori raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked.
"Did you not see all the maps and books messily lying around?" Kíli laughed.
"No, I'm afraid." Ori said sheepishly, "The only time I was in your home was when we first arrived looking for Kíli. At the time I was too tense and nervous to take in my surroundings. I reckon I should have though, the details might have been worthy of being noted down for the History books."
"I don't think it matters that much." Fíli chuckled, "No one will care about the colours the walls or how many books, chairs and tables were in each room."
"This'll be recorded in History?" Kíli asked curiously.
"Of course." Ori said, "This is an important moment in the History of Erebor. The exiled Prince is finally returning home, where he belongs."
Bilbo soured at the declaration and Kíli felt pressured by it. He remembered how Fíli told him he had the option to leave if he didn't like Erebor but the way Ori spoke about his return, he felt as though he might have been fed a lie.
Regardless, the moment of temporary awkwardness washed over quickly and the chatting returned to something pleasurable and enjoyable. They learned more about Ori and how he was. By consequence, they learned about his brothers Dori and Nori. Dori was the oldest and a member of parliament. He was part of the group which served the represent the people. Nori, on the other hand, had a far more obscure job. His position was best described as the King's left hand. He was the man who typically operated in the shadows to keep peace by doing things some would deem morally wrong or against the law. Whatever he did, Ori assured was for the betterment of the people before that of the royal family's.
Speaking of Ori, he was given the job of royal Historian because of his brothers. Like many other parliament members, Dori suggested his sibling for the role but Thorin only agreed to it upon making Nori his left hand and hearing the latter's same request. Dori then brought the manuscript for something Ori had written a while ago to prove his skill in writing at which point Thorin found no reason to refuse or hesitate any longer.
Before their life with Thorin, the brothers had lived a far different life. Ori said they lived in one of the worst states of poverty because of the rule of the previous King. He hadn't said much about what King Thrór had done but from his tone of voice and bitter stare, Kíli could only assume it was anything but good. At that time, Dori worked as many jobs as he could and Nori stole when their older brother couldn't make end's meet. Ori was too young to work but he remembered the many nights both of his brothers neglected to eat in favour of maintaining his health. When things got better for them, neither Dori nor Nori had been able to shake their mother hen ways and though sometimes it weighed on Ori, he never complained. He didn't feel like he had the right to. His brothers had given him so much to their own expenses, all Ori could and would do was voice his gratitude.
The group stopped once around noon to eat. Bilbo made them sandwiches with the bread they had and would have made plenty more side dishes to accompany it had Thorin not intervened. He told Bilbo not to waste all of their food so quickly because none of them could eat like Hobbits. Bilbo scowled and begrudgingly agreed with the imposed instructions. It was needless to say that Thorin's sandwich wasn't as beautifully made or likely as good as that of anyone else's.
The ride then on was rather enjoyable. Bilbo rode ahead of Fíli and Kíli to chat with Ori. The two Dwarf princes could hear them bickering and debating on things related to History. It was nice to see Bilbo getting along with people. Kíli knew his brother to be such a recluse and he wasn't sure he would be open to talking with any of the other Dwarves what with the way he spoke to Thorin. At the time, it seemed like he wouldn't even make an effort.
"So how are you enjoying your trip so far?" Fíli asked with a grin.
"You're asking me now?" Kíli laughed, "We're barely six hours into it."
"Well you've had an avant-goût of what is to come." Fíli said, "Does this seem like it will be as fun as you thought or no?"
Kíli contemplated the question and looked back at Bilbo. He and Ori laughed, shaking hands as though making peace in regards to their previously heated conversation. Kíli smiled at that and noticed again how Thorin glanced back at him curiously. "I think…" he said, "I think this will be fun."
Fíli laughed, "Great!" he grinned and clapped his hands together, "So tell me, did you notice—"
"Thorin?" Kíli grinned, "How could I not?"
"You know this begs meddling, don't you?" Fíli smirked, "I'd say Master Baggins deserves it."
"Hold on." Kíli said and he wasn't sure how to feel about the last statement, "What do you mean?"
"I didn't mean to offend or anything." Fíli defended quickly, "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing someone stand up to uncle so boldly. I'm just saying Master Baggins has been a bit harsh with him."
"I guess you're right…" Kíli hummed in tentative agreement. "How do you expect we go about it?"
"We do it like in those romance novels." Fíli grinned, "When Master Baggins or uncle leave to bathe, we send the other in the same direction for an entirely different reason and we watch the magic unfold."
Kíli couldn't help but smile upon imagining the given event. "Bilbo would be so flustered."
"Uncle also always puts someone in charge of guarding the ponies at night." Fíli said, "So when Master Baggins gets tasked with the job, we can tell Uncle he's in danger and needs immediate rescue from Mountain Trolls or something."
"Mountain Trolls!" Kíli laughed loudly, "That's golden!"
"Isn't it?" Fíli chuckled, "It's a bit farfetched but I think we can pull it off. Imagining both of their expressions in such a situation would also be glorious."
"You know," Kíli said, "Bilbo never encouraged me to be mischievous."
"Master Baggins is the good brother," Fíli said with a devious smile, "I'm the rambunctious little Troll ready for a good laugh at a moment's notice."
"I do honestly believe this will be far more enjoyable than I thought." Kíli chuckled, and how excited he was for nightfall to come.