Chapter 3 – Coming Home
Bilbo put off the opening of the letter until morning. His nerves were still jittery from the conversation with Kíli and he wasn't feeling brave enough to find out what Thorin wanted from him. He put the envelope on the night table and spent the next several hours lying in the dark, staring at it.
He had no idea why it should be so important, but for some reason it felt like a turning point. No matter the contents of the letter, something would change after he read it. Thorin had disrupted the status quo by reaching out to him and Bilbo owed it to him to at least read the letter before he tossed it into the flames.
He didn't sleep much that night. The envelope weighted on his mind and his dreams were a jumbled mess. He woke up at the crack of dawn, feeling tired and restless. Giving up on sleep as a lost cause, he put on his dressing gown and padded to his study, which was slowly filling with the light of the rising sun. He sat down at his writing table with the envelope in hands, and gathered the courage to crack open the seal.
As it turned out, the letter wasn't a letter after all, but an invitation. Bilbo didn't know whether he should be relieved or disappointed. The envelope contained a fancy card made out of high quality paper decorated with gold. There was a beautifully drawn emblem of the Line of Durin at the top. Bilbo spent some time staring at it with a vague sense of disbelief.
"Thorin II. Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain", the card said under the coat of arms,
"hereby cordially invites Mr Bilbo Baggins of the Shire to attend the 5th Annual Celebration of the Reclaiming of Erebor, which will take place on November the first in the Great Hall of Erebor; as well as the subsequent Battle of Five Armies Memorial in honour of the fallen, which will be held at sunset on the battlefield on November the twenty-third.
Lodgings and sustenance will be provided. Your reply is required by the first day of October."
It was written in the king's own hand, which Bilbo supposed was Thorin's way of apologising without actually having to apologise. There was a less formal note on the other side, probably written as an afterthought:
"It has been brought to my attention that I might have not treated you with the respect you deserve." Bilbo snorted loudly at that. "By way of apology, please accept this invitation to Erebor. There are many who wish to see you.
Sincerely,
Thorin Oakenshield"
Bilbo re-read the letter twice, torn between amusement and irritation. How typical of Thorin, to make an apology sound like an order. He decided to deal with the matter later and went to make some breakfast.
Kíli walked into the kitchen a few hours later, his eyes lighting up when he saw the table full of food. Bilbo greeted him from the oven, where he was in the process of pulling out a tray of freshly baked scones.
"Help yourself to anything you like," he told the dwarf, turning his attention back to the scones. He swept them onto a large plate a put it on the table, sitting down for his second breakfast.
"I knew I visited you for a reason," Kíli said when he bit into the hot scone, his eyes closing in bliss.
"So that's how this is," Bilbo pretended to be offended. "You only like me for my cooking. I should have known." He shook his head ruefully.
"You got that right," Kíli nodded in perfect seriousness. He didn't manage to hold the face for long and soon started giggling. "Oh, Bilbo" he said fondly, "life in Erebor has been so dull without you. I wish you could come back with me."
"I may come with you yet," Bilbo said quietly. He pulled the card from his vest pocket and handed it to Kíli. "What do you make of this?"
Kíli's eyes skimmed the lines of text, his smile growing bigger with every word.
"So that's what this was," he said finally. "You have no idea how many times I almost opened the envelope and peeked inside when I had it on me all this time."
Bilbo laughed. "I can imagine."
"I think Thorin did it to punish me," Kíli said. "He knew I would be dying of curiosity for months. You know, I was half prepared to give you one of these myself if he didn't, propriety be damned."
"What is this Celebration?" Bilbo asked.
"It's an event we hold every year on the anniversary of the dragon's death," Kíli explained. "We have a big feast in the Great Hall and we invite the people from Dale and Lake-town. The celebrations usually go on for days and there are tournaments and plenty of dancing. Sometime we even have a few elves attending, because they want to show off their archery.
"The memorial will be a much more sombre affair. We only had it once, the first year after the battle, so I suppose this year will be a special event of sorts. The last time we all gathered outside on the battlefield and there were lots of speeches and plaintive ballads."
"Am I supposed to respond to this?" Bilbo picked up the card.
"The best response you could give would be to come in person," Kíli said, looking hopeful.
"I would need to pack my things and make some arrangements with my relatives," Bilbo said, "but I suppose I could be ready to go within a fortnight."
"Yes!" Kíli jumped up from the bench and did a little victory dance. He stopped before Bilbo, eyes shining in excitement. "You will really come to Erebor, then?"
Bilbo nodded, smiling.
"Yes. I am going back to Erebor."
°O°O°O°
"When are we leaving?" Bilbo asked later when they sat together on a bench in his back garden, smoking.
"In a few weeks," said Kíli, "I still need to go to the Blue Mountains and take care of the business there. It takes about a month to travel there and back from here, so you should have plenty of time to find all your handkerchiefs and travelling cloaks." He gave Bilbo a side eye.
"I will never live that down, will I?" Bilbo sighed in exasperation.
"No," Kíli said resolutely.
"And just for that, I won't bake those fruit pies I was planning to make for tomorrow's breakfast." Bilbo stood up from the bench and started walking away with a great feeling of satisfaction.
"You wouldn't!" Kíli cried behind him, scrambling to keep up.
"Oh, I would," Bilbo assured him. They started heading down the hill towards the water. Bilbo decided it was as good a time as any to give Kíli a tour around Hobbiton. They passed a few curious hobbits as they went and Bilbo felt amusement when he saw more curly heads pop behind bushes and hedges, pretending nonchalance.
Kíli seemed to notice them, too, because he stepped closer to Bilbo, whispering: "They really are awfully nosy. I think we should give them something to think about." And with that, he wrapped an arm around Bilbo's shoulders, drawing him closer.
The whispers behind them started like wildfire. Bilbo fought down a smile.
"I see we are having that affair after all."
Kíli snickered.
"Oh, yes. It was too good to pass up. Besides, can you imagine Fíli's face when I tell him about it?" Something suddenly occurred to him. "Mahal, I'm going to get so much gold," he said with wonder. "Everybody kept betting on when you will come back to Erebor, but almost no one believed that I would be able to convince you, when Bofur couldn't do it. Shows what they know."
He was still wearing a very satisfied smile when they came across two familiar hobbits, who were fishing at a nearby pond. The Tooks abruptly abandoned the fishing rods and jumped to their feet when they saw them.
"Bilbo!" they yelled, running to greet them. Bilbo suppressed a sigh.
"Hello, boys."
"You got a new dwarf!" Isembold exclaimed when he spotted Kíli.
"He's much handsomer than the last one," Fortinbras noted, which made Kíli chuckle.
"Are these your cousins, Bilbo?"
"In the flesh," Fortinbras nodded. "You must be one of Bilbo's dwarves. Which one are you?"
"Kíli."
"The archer?" Isembold asked eagerly.
"The very same." Kíli looked pleased. "I heard about your adventure with the warg."
"Did you?" They looked like a pair of overeager puppies.
"Though I don't think Bofur told it quite right," Kíli said, "I believe I will need to hear it again, to see if he left anything out."
"You can come for dinner tonight," chimed in Bilbo, "and chat with Kíli to your heart's content. I believe you were fishing before we came." He gave them a pointed look.
They looked between the pond and Bilbo and then at Kíli's arm around Bilbo's shoulders. Isembold, who had always been a little faster on the uptake, made a little "oh".
"Now that you mention it, I believe we were. We'll come for dinner, then. Bye!" And he dragged away his cousin, who was still looking a bit confused.
Kíli watched them go with great amusement.
"That was downright diabolic of you, Bilbo."
Bilbo shrugged.
"They can see you at dinner. I haven't seen you for five years, which makes me far more entitled to your time. If I know them at all, they will be at Bag-End all the time now that they discovered that you are here. When Bofur was here, I had to send them on a made-up adventure to make them leave us alone."
They started walking back, taking the long way around the hill.
"Can you do me a favour?" Bilbo asked quietly when they reached Bag-End's back garden.
"Of course," Kíli said. "What is it?"
"Don't mention to them that I'm going away. I had no problem coming with you the last time, because I wasn't leaving anyone behind. But these two have latched onto me since I came back and I will have a hard enough time leaving them behind as it is. If they knew I was going to Erebor, they would find a way to disguise themselves in my backpack, or follow a few steps behind."
Kíli chuckled at that. Bilbo gave him a small smile.
"They are good lads, and mean well, but I refuse to be responsible for them on such a long and dangerous journey. If something happened to them, I could never look their parents in the eye." He looked at Kíli. "Please don't mention anything in front of them. The less they know, the better."
"I won't," Kíli assured him.
"Thank you."
°O°O°O°
There was so much to do. While Kíli stayed at Bag-End, Bilbo kept any preparations to a minimum, but once the dwarf left, he threw himself into packing. Bilbo tried to tell himself that it was just a small trip, hardly worth all the excitement, but deep down he knew (hoped) that he probably wouldn't be returning to Bag-End for a long time, if ever.
He went through his rooms one by one, sorting out his things. He packed all of his favourite clothes and books, telling himself that it didn't matter if he ended up with several bags, because he could always buy an extra pony to carry them. In the breaks between inventorying and packing he finished the tapestry and decided to take it with him as well.
Bilbo decided to leave most of his pans at home, but packed away all his embroidery to have something that would help him pass the time on the road. He made a trip to the cellar and emerged with several bottles of his father's old vintage. It would be a pity to leave the wine in the hands of some ignorant relatives, he though, especially since he knew several people who would be delighted to have it.
He left all of the furniture in its place, taking only his mother's small treasure chest with a few family heirlooms and his own writing kit. When he finally finished, he had four decent-sized bags and a rolled up tapestry. All that remained was to write instructions for his relatives and wait for Kíli.
The worst part turned out to be the goodbyes. The young Tooks weren't pleased then they finally found out about his oncoming departure.
"Are you really going to Erebor?" Fortinbras asked when they tore into his kitchen like a whirlwind, the front door slamming after them in their hurry.
"I am," Bilbo confirmed, calmly sipping his tea.
"Why didn't you tell us? We want to come with you."
"You cannot," Bilbo said, putting down his teacup. "The road is long and dangerous and I refuse to be responsible for your well being. I will be lucky if I manage to arrive to Erebor in one piece."
They complained and pouted for a while, but in the end seemed to come to terms with it.
"Are you planning to stay in Erebor for good?" Isembold asked quietly a few hours later.
Bilbo threw him a startled look. Sometimes the young hobbit was more perceptive than he gave him credit for.
"I may," Bilbo admitted. "I think I would like to, if I'm allowed, but it all depends on the king. If Thorin decides I should leave, there will not be much I can do about it." He paused, his forehead furrowed in thought. "Though I suppose I could always move to Dale..."
"You're really not coming back, are you?" Isembold asked with a small sad smile. "Shire hasn't been your home for a while."
"No, it hasn't," Bilbo said softly, gazing out of the window at the green fields beyond.
°O°O°O°
Kíli came back at Midsummer, bubbling with excitement.
"You're really coming with me," he breathed in wonder when he saw Bilbo's bags in the entrance hall. "I think a part of me still couldn't quite believe it."
They went inside to have some lunch.
"I sent a word that I'm coming back, but I made no mention of you," Kíli said between bites of ham. "Boy, are they in for a surprise." Bilbo found his grin very contagious.
They left Bag-End on a sunny morning at the beginning of July with two ponies in tow, waving cheerfully to anyone who happened to see them. The Gamgees had gathered in Bilbo's front garden to wish Bilbo a safe journey and the young Tooks stopped by, each one hugging Bilbo several times before they were able to let him go.
"Do you have all your handkerchiefs?" Kíli asked cheekily when the small houses of Hobbiton shrunk into the distance behind them.
Bilbo made a show of rummaging in his bags, drawing out a small armful of perfectly folded squares of cloth.
"Do you think this is enough?" he asked with a perfectly straight face.
Kíli burst out laughing, clutching the seat of his saddle to keep his balance.
"Oh, Bilbo, never change," he said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
The journey to Misty Mountains was a lot more pleasant than the first one had been. The weather was warm and sunny and there were no trolls or wargs to surprise them. Kíli's small security detail joined them in Bree – they had travelled with him from Erebor and had been instructed to wait at the Prancing Pony while Kíli visited Bilbo. Judging by their enthusiastic descriptions of Bree's famous ale, they hadn't found it much of a hardship.
At Bilbo's request they spent a few days in Rivendell, where the welcome was a lot warmer now that they didn't have Thorin with them to glare mistrustfully at any elf in vicinity. Kíli had sent the dwarves ahead to scout the mountain pass and used the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of Elrond's house. Without anyone there to watch his every move, Kíli got on remarkably well with the elves. Bilbo was glad to see that Thorin's irrational prejudice hadn't rubbed off on the younger generation.
They crossed the Misty Mountains without any major incidents and emerged on the other side in mid-August to find Beorn's house, open and welcoming, waiting for them. The bear-man was more than happy to let them stay for a few days in exchange for new tales of Bilbo's adventures. They decided to take the main forest road, since the secret path still kept bringing up unpleasant memories for the both of them.
"Will you go for a walk with me?" Bilbo asked Kíli on their last day at Beorn's house. The dwarf looked a bit surprised, but stood up nonetheless. Shooting a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one from their escort was in vicinity, Bilbo led Kíli toward the wooden fence where Beorn kept his ponies.
"What's on your mind, Bilbo?" Kíli asked once they were out of earshot.
"I wanted to ask for a favour," Bilbo began. "Could you please keep my real reason for not wanting to go back to Erebor a secret? It is a very personal matter for me and I doubt that Thorin would appreciate it much, either, to have his private business discussed all over Erebor. I know it will not stay a secret forever, but I would prefer to keep the peace for as long as I can." He gave Kíli a pleading gaze. "Will you keep it to yourself?"
"I will, but I'm not terribly happy about it," Kíli said. "You really should talk to Thorin."
Bilbo blew a breath. "As if I could avoid it. That will be one conversation I am definitely not looking forward to. I will be lucky if he doesn't throw me out again."
"Uncle wouldn't do that!" Kíli argued. "He would have a riot on his hands if he banished you again."
"He had no problem throwing me out the last time," Bilbo pointed out. "If it helps, I can promise that I will try not to needlessly provoke Thorin's temper."
"That's not terribly reassuring," Kíli mumbled, "but very well, I will try to keep it a secret. Can I at least tell Fíli? I would feel horrible if I kept something from him."
"You can tell Fíli," Bilbo said with a fond smile. "Just make sure he won't go storming off to give Thorin a piece of his mind the moment he hears about it."
"I will try," Kíli promised. They started walking back to the house. "That reminds me – Thorin and I are going to have some serious words when we come back. What he did to you was completely unacceptable."
"Just try not to hit him too much when you do it." Bilbo gave Kíli's forearm a good-natured pat and went back inside the house, Kíli's startled laughter echoing behind him.
°O°O°O°
Dwalin was waiting for them at the edge of Mirkwood, scowling into the sun.
"It was about time you showed up," he told Bilbo as a way of greeting. "I had to listen to them whine for weeks when Bofur came back empty handed." He turned to Kíli, throwing him a small money pouch. "There. I guess I owe you this."
"It's good to see you too, Dwalin," Bilbo said, grinning.
They entered the forest in mid-afternoon. The trees at the border stood far enough apart to let in a slight breeze. As he looked at the green branches bathing in sunlight around him, Bilbo was almost able to believe that the forest might have been a beautiful place once.
"Those tree-shaggers have finally started tending to the forest path again. Can you believe it?" Dwalin said as they rode deeper into the forest. "They have even deigned to clear out the eastern end to make this road passable."
"Have they done anything about the spiders?" Bilbo asked, looking around uneasily. The memory of those enormous spider-webs was still vivid in his mind.
Dwalin snorted.
"They refused at first. Said it's not their problem. They finally gave in when Thorin threatened to take an army of dwarves into the forest and kill all the spiders himself. And even after that it still took them ages before they actually got to it, the lazy sods."
The rest of their journey through the forest was mercifully spider-free. They managed to avoid prisons of all sorts this time around (which quickened their journey considerably) and arrived to Lake-town at sunset on the seventh of October.
Bilbo watched the mountain grow on the horizon with a mixture of hope and trepidation. On the one hand, he was looking forward to seeing all his friends. On the other hand, he had no idea what his reception would be like.
Will they welcome him with open arms like one of their own? Or will Thorin only suffer his presence for the bare minimum of time before he forces him to leave again?
As their raft sailed closer to the mountain, a horrible thought occurred to Bilbo – what if Thorin had sent the card only out of politeness, hoping that Bilbo would refuse to come, as he had before? What if Thorin hadn't meant to invite him at all and did it only to get his nephews off his back? How will he react when he finds out that Bilbo had taken the invitation seriously?
Well, it was too late to have second thoughts now, Bilbo thought as the walls of Dale came into view, the mountain standing tall and imposing behind it. They had come to Erebor at last.
°O°O°O°
They made the last ascent in silence, their eyes glued to the enormous gate above them. As they came closer, Bilbo realised that the whole Company was assembled at the top of the stairs, waiting for them. It appeared that their arrival wouldn't be as big a surprise as they had hoped.
Bilbo felt a jolt when he saw Thorin standing in the middle of the company, his figure as imposing as the giant statues at the sides of the mountain. In his position at the centre of the door, he looked almost like a guardian of the gate – a master of his dominion who won't let anyone pass unless he himself wishes it. Bilbo fought down the nervousness that had sat in his stomach since Lake-town and climbed the last few steps, Kíli and Dwalin flanking him on either side.
He stopped before the king, making only the briefest eye contact.
"Bilbo Baggins at your service." Bilbo made a small bow.
"You do not have to bow to me." Thorin looked a little pained at the display. He made a visible effort to smooth out his expression. "Welcome to Erebor, Master Baggins."
"It is good to be back," Bilbo said, meaning every word
The others took that as a signal that the formalities were over and pounced on him, talking all at once. They formed a large, very loud group around him and started escorting him inside the mountain, leaving Thorin at the gate with Dwalin.
"We'll get you settled first and then you can have dinner with us," Balin told him.
Bilbo shot Kíli a look, raising an eyebrow in question. Kíli stepped closer to his side, taking Bilbo's bags from Dori.
"I'll take him to his quarters." He turned to Balin. "Are the market overseer's quarters still empty?"
"Well, yes." Balin looked a little taken aback by the question. "But surely wouldn't it be better-"
"I'll take him to his quarters," Kíli repeated firmly in a tone that bore no argument. He nodded at Bilbo. "Come on, I'll show you the way." Over his shoulder, he addressed the rest of the dwarves: "We'll see you at dinner," and walked away, Bilbo's luggage in both hands.
They went up several floors, passing many dwarves along the way. Bilbo barely had time to properly look at all the improvements that had happened to Erebor since he had left, because they were walking fast and his head still felt a little dizzy from passing over the high walkways.
Finally they came to a simple-looking wooden door. Kíli gestured for him to open it, standing back with a small smile. Bilbo turned the knob and pushed the door open to reveal a nice spacious area with a fireplace, a low table and several armchairs. Kíli walked in behind him, slamming the door shut with his foot.
"I know Balin wanted to put you somewhere more luxurious, but I thought you might appreciate this more," Kíli said, putting down the bags. "It's fairly close to the entrance and there's a balcony overlooking Dale outside the bedroom. Bofur and Dori have rooms right around the corner from here, and Bombur lives two floors below you. The royal quarters are at the opposite part of this floor." He gave Bilbo a look. "I know you said you wanted to be far away from Thorin, if possible."
"I think this is perfect." Bilbo gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Kíli. I'm glad that you remembered. Won't you get into any trouble for deciding this all by yourself, though?"
"Oh." Kíli sat into one of the armchairs, looking like he just had a revelation of some sort. "Did I just talk back to Balin?" He looked at Bilbo for confirmation.
"I think you may have," Bilbo nodded. Kíli looked torn between horror and wonder at his own bravery.
"Do you mind if I hide in your quarters for a while? I'm not sure that I am ready to face the music yet." He gave Bilbo a sheepish grin.
"Of course," Bilbo assured him. "Stay for as long as you need. I'm going to look around a bit. When are we supposed to be at the dinner?"
"In about an hour."
Bilbo nodded his thanks and went to explore his new rooms. The door on his right led to the bedroom, where he found a bed big enough to comfortably hold a grown Man. He spent several minutes standing on the balcony, feasting his eyes on the view. Dale lay almost directly in his line of sight, the roofs of the houses painted vivid red by the afternoon sun. He decided to visit the city at the earliest opportunity.
There was an en suite bathroom next to the bedroom with a nice spacious tub. The other doors leading from the sitting room revealed a kitchen, a smaller bedroom and an empty room which could be easily turned into a study. All in all, it was nice and comfortable and he couldn't be happier with the arrangement. He told Kíli as much.
He left the bags in the sitting room and went to refresh a bit, taking with him a change of clean clothes. When he came back, he found Fíli sitting next to his brother with a wide grin on his face.
"I can't believe you talked to Balin like that!" he was just telling Kíli. "You are so much braver than I am."
"I didn't do it on purpose," Kíli protested, laughing. "It just came out." He sobered a bit. "Is he angry with me?"
"He was wearing his 'I-am-displeased' face when I left," Fíli said. "But wait until uncle hears about it. Balin's lectures have nothing on him."
Kíli's face darkened. "That reminds me. There's something you should probably know." He looked at Bilbo questioningly.
Bilbo gave him a small nod.
"You can tell him. But do it later, somewhere in private. I'd like to have my dinner in peace."
Fíli looked between them in curiosity, but wisely decided not to pry.
"I think we should get going, if we want to be on time." He stood up. "You know how uncle gets when we're late to the dinner table."
"Don't remind me."
°O°O°O°
"They wanted to throw a feast to celebrate your arrival, but me and Bofur managed to convince them that you wouldn't like it," Fíli told Bilbo as they walked to dinner. "So we're just eating in our regular hall where we take all our meals. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Bilbo assured him. "It would feel strange to have a feast held in my honour. This is much better."
The company was already waiting for them when they arrived. Balin's face promised Kíli a sound scolding later. When he saw Bilbo, however, the old dwarf's face smoothed out and he stepped forward to welcome him.
"Come, Bilbo. Join us for dinner and tell us how you've been these past years. Everyone is dying with curiosity."
"Where's Bifur?" Bilbo asked as he looked around, counting only twelve companions.
"He built himself a small cottage on the bank of River Running a few miles from here," Bofur told him. "He'll come for dinner tomorrow."
"We only heard that you were coming when you were less than twenty miles from here," Balin looked apologetic. "You took us by surprise."
"That was the plan." Bilbo smiled at him. "I hope it didn't inconvenience you too badly."
"Since we were all hoping that you would show up eventually, it was hardly a hardship," Balin told him. He gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, laddie. We're all happy that you're here." Bilbo noticed that he didn't look at Thorin when he said that.
The king himself hadn't said a word since Bilbo came into the room. Bilbo had no idea if that was a good sign or a bad one. He decided to deal with the situation by looking at Thorin as little as possible, turning to chat with the others instead.
They got seated eventually, putting Bilbo in the middle of the long table, with Kíli on one side and Bofur on the other. The table was overflowing with food – an entire roasted pig, several stuffed chickens, hams, mashed potatoes and meat pies of all kinds. There was even a bowl with some vegetables, which Bilbo guessed had been prepared for him, since none of the dwarves showed much interest in it. He made it a point to serve himself a heap of carrots, feeling something warm in his chest when Bombur smiled at him in approval.
"Do you find the rooms to your liking, Master Baggins?" Thorin asked, causing the entire table to fall silent. "Balin has informed me that Kíli put you in the market overseer's quarters." There was a subtle question mark at the end of the sentence, as if he was asking Bilbo whether he should punish Kíli for his misconduct. It made Bilbo highly uncomfortable.
"The rooms are perfectly comfortable, thank you," he told Thorin, trying not to squirm under the king's gaze.
"I am pleased to hear that." Bilbo breathed a small sigh of relief when Thorin turned his attention to his younger nephew. "How was your journey, Kíli?"
"Mostly uneventful. We had a little skirmish with some orcs near Misty Mountains on our way back, but other than that, there were no problems."
"Good. You have conducted yourself well, Kíli."
The mood in the room eased considerably after that and the talking resumed, as if Thorin had given them tacit permission to enjoy themselves. Ori, who was sitting right opposite Bilbo, leaned over the table, eyes shining with interest.
"Was it hard to leave the Shire again?" he asked Bilbo, ignoring the food flying over his head.
"It was easier than I had expected," Bilbo admitted. "I thought I would miss the Shire terribly, but I found the departure surprisingly easy. Of course, the fact that half the Shire thinks I have gone mad probably helped a lot."
"Why would they think that?" Dori asked.
"Us hobbits put a great deal of importance on our good reputation and respectability," Bilbo explained. "I am afraid I entirely lost mine when I left on the quest with you lot. Some of my relatives were even convinced that I had died and the me who came back was an impostor, who came to claim my possessions. It took weeks to convince them that I was really back."
He laughed. "I do not have the faintest idea what they think about me now, but it probably isn't anything favourable. In fact, I bet half of Hobbiton is now convinced that I eloped with a dwarf."
Kíli started snickering on his right, nearly choking on his roast in the process.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that."
He addressed the general table with a devilish grin: "Bilbo's neighbours think we're having a passionate love affair."
Most of the dwarves roared with laughter, pounding their goblets on the table. Bilbo smacked Kíli's forearm in retaliation.
"It's all your fault. You were the one who had to hug me in my front garden."
Bilbo's pretence of sternness soon crumbled under the force of his grin. "I think you managed to scandalise at least half the local matrons," he told Kíli, laughing.
"Oh, the looks on their faces." Kíli had tears of laughter running down his face. "I will never forget that."
"Even I had the good sense to wait till I was inside the house before I hugged him," chimed in Bofur. "What?" He said to the questioning looks sent his way. "I was happy to see him."
"How come I didn't get any hugs?" Fíli asked him, looking affronted. "I may start to think you like Kíli more than me."
"I'll be happy to hug you later, Fíli." Bilbo told him with an amused smile.
"I want a hug, too!" Ori exclaimed, which made the dwarves start laughing again. Bofur pulled his flute from somewhere and several of the dwarves joined in, playing and singing. Balin sat at the end of the table with an indulgent smile on his face, and even Dwalin joined in the merrymaking, pounding his fist to the beat on the table. Only Thorin sat still, watching the hi-jinks with a pensive look on his face.
Much later Bilbo walked to his quarters with Bofur, who lived right next to him. They walked through the torch-lit hallways, the echo of distant laughter still occasionally carrying to them.
"I am so glad you finally came to Erebor," Bofur told him when they stopped in front of Bilbo's door. "It didn't feel right that you should do so much to help us reclaim our home, only to go back to yours, without being able to enjoy the victory properly with us."
"Well, I am here now to enjoy it. The mountain looks very impressive."
"It is." Bofur smiled proudly. "We've done a lot of work. I can give you a tour tomorrow, if Fíli doesn't beat me to it."
"I am looking forward to it." Bilbo smiled at him. "I believe it is time for me to go to bed. The road has been long and I couldn't sleep properly on the boat."
"Oh, of course. I won't keep you any longer then." Bofur backed away. "Good night."
"Good night, Bofur."
Bilbo opened the door to his new quarters and walked in with a torch in hand. As he felt his way around his bag for his nightshirt, he thought idly that he should buy some candles soon. He washed his face and came back to the bedroom where he belatedly noticed that several pieces of furniture seemed to have found their way into his quarters since the first time he had seen them and that the bed had new pillows and blankets.
Thorin must have sent some servants to bring him fresh linens and more furniture while they were at the dinner. Bilbo didn't know whether to be irritated or amused by that. In the end, he settled for a vague feeling of gratefulness, because he was incredibly tired and the bed was calling him like a siren song.
He crawled in and burrowed into the pillows, pulling the blankets all the way up to his chin. After so many months of sleeping on the ground, the bed felt like a piece of heaven. As his limbs started to feel heavy, he dreamily remembered the dinner he'd just had. It had felt so nice to be back in Erebor, among his friends. A piece of his heart settled back into place with a feeling of rightness.
He was home at last.
To be continued...
A. N. I wanted to write something where Bilbo decides to move to Erebor on his own volition, not because someone orders him to or guilts him into it. I hope the sentiment was believable enough.
I like to think that Bilbo is not as staid and serious as he would like to present himself. I bet that with enough corrupting influence, he could show a more playful/mischievous side.
Also, Kíli is growing up, but doesn't quite know what to do about it.