Chapter 11 – Fireworks
The farewell feast for the guests was nearly as glorious as the one celebrating the dragon's death had been. Bombur and his army of cooks had been busy at work since early morning hours preparing a feast that left even the pickiest eaters leaving the table comfortably full.
Bilbo spent the dinner chatting with the elves, eager to use the opportunity to speak to them one last time before they leave. He had to suppress a smile when he saw the look Thranduil gave Thorin upon the dwarf's entrance. Thorin had chosen to wear the chain he'd bought from Bilbo after lunch displayed on his chest, probably as a provocation to the Elvenking.
Thranduil's gaze slid from Thorin's chest to Bilbo, the question obvious in his eyes.
"I like giving gifts," Bilbo told him with a benign smile. "I thought Thorin might like the chain, so I gave it to him."
Thranduil's eyebrows shot up.
"Did you."
"I heard about the trade you made with my young cousin," Bilbo said, still smiling. "You were most generous to him. Thank you for that."
Thranduil's expression lost some of its displeasure.
"It was a mutually beneficial enterprise."
"I have been thinking about planting a wine yard here on the slopes of Erebor, once I make enough money to buy some lands," Bilbo said. "The soil here is excellent and I am certain that I could find enough people from Dale willing to help me take care of the plants."
"There used to be a wine yard near Dale that produced very fine wine, but it burned down in the dragon fire," Thranduil said, looking intrigued. "It would be most convenient to be able to buy local wine again. If you are lacking the funds, I would be happy to make an investment."
"It would take a few years before any wine could be made," Bilbo warned him, "but that probably doesn't mean much to you, compared to the centuries you have already seen."
"No indeed," Thranduil smiled, relaxing. "Time does not mean much to the elves and I am more than willing to wait for excellence."
"I'm glad to hear that," Bilbo told him. "I can tell my cousins to send me some saplings with the caravan that will deliver the wine you bought. That should give me enough time to put my plans into motion."
"I will be looking forward to it," Thranduil said, raising his goblet in salute. Bilbo responded in kind, feeling very pleased with the exchange.
He spent the rest of the dinner stuffing himself with Bombur's delicious desserts and listening to the conversations around him. The elves tended to switch to Sindarin whenever they wanted to say something unflattering about the dwarves, so he often had to pretend he was sipping wine to hide his amused grin from them. For a race that liked to present themselves as noble and disinterested in affairs of the lower races, they were surprisingly fond of gossip. The dwarves remained blissfully oblivious, drinking and roughhousing, paying no mind to the whispers of the elves.
Several people requested songs from him, so after dinner Bilbo went to his favourite spot in the corner and sang a few pieces for those interested in listening. He bowed after his last song and stepped down from the stool, heading for the wine barrel. He barely managed to take ten steps before he ran into Thorin, who was leaning against a nearby wall. The dwarf gave him a speculative look.
"Master Baggins. Just the hobbit I was looking for."
"Indeed?" Bilbo had no idea what could Thorin possibly want from him.
"If you are not otherwise occupied, would you be willing to join me for the next dance?"
Bilbo tried not to show how surprised he was by the request.
"No, I'm not occupied," Bilbo blurted. "I mean, yes, I'll be happy to dance with you." He hoped the dwarf would go away soon, so that he wouldn't notice the blush that was slowly staring to spread across Bilbo's face. Thorin gave him a short bow and walked away. Bilbo went to hide in the corner until his cheeks cooled down.
Valar, what was wrong with him? He cursed his traitorous face. A few words from a dwarf and he started blushing like a maiden at her first dance. He hadn't blushed like that in years. He fought the urge to bang his head against a wall and instead used the time to brace himself for the upcoming dance. Even a blind orc would be able to see what he thought of Thorin if he blushed like that at the dance floor.
Bilbo re-emerged from between the barrels a few minutes later, feeling more or less composed. He had faced a dragon, for Valar's sake, he told himself, one dance with Thorin should be nothing compared to that. He spied Thorin standing near one of the tables, talking to his nephews. Since he did not want to appear too eager to dance, he picked up a small pumpkin pastry from one of the large plates and ate it, watching the crowd of dancers.
Thorin walked over just as he was finishing his last bite and waited patiently for Bilbo to finish chewing and wash the pastry down with some wine. Bilbo thought Thorin looked unseemly amused by his eating habits.
"Shall we?" Thorin asked, offering a hand to Bilbo, who took it without hesitation.
They walked over to the dance floor and mingled in with the other dancers, who gave them a few curious glances but did not stop their entertainment, unlike the first time. Thorin wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, the small distance between them making it easier to talk without being overheard.
"You wore this on purpose, didn't you?" Bilbo asked, watching the golden chain in front of his nose sway with each step.
"I may have," Thorin admitted with a small smile. "It does not do much credit to my character, but I find that I enjoy annoying him."
"I suspected as much," Bilbo grinned. "You should have heard what the elves said about you at the dinner. It is a good thing none of you understand elvish, or you would have had a disaster on your hands."
"You listen to elvish gossip?" one of Thorin's eyebrows shot up.
"What else am I supposed to do at the table? All of you dwarves sit too far away and Legolas spends most of his time admiring his reflection on the back of a spoon."
"I could not help but overhear your conversation with Thranduil," Thorin said. "Are you really planning to plant a wine yard here?"
Bilbo made an apologetic face.
"I know I should have asked you first before I said anything to him, but it was as good an opportunity as any to discuss it. Yes, I would like to plant a wine yard somewhere close to Erebor, if you are willing to sell me the lands. The southern slopes of the mountain would be particularly fitting for this breed of wine, if you do not have some other use planned for that piece of land."
"No, I do not have any use for that part of the mountain," Thorin shook his head. "A forest used to stand in those parts before the dragon burned it down. With some work, it could be easily turned into a wine yard."
"We can discuss the price of those lands at a later time," Bilbo said, pleased with the discovery. "Right now I do not have enough gold to consider a purchase of lands, but I hope that with a few months of work, I may be able to start considering the option. I think I might also plant a small field of pipe weed, since you dwarves are so fond of it."
"I believe you would find plenty of dwarves willing to invest in that," Thorin told him.
"I was thinking that the journey from Shire to Erebor is long and dangerous, so it would be better to have a local source of wine and pipe weed. My cousins can start a trade with the Blue Mountains, if they wish and I can supply the local market." He looked up at Thorin. "Do you think it could work?"
"I think you of all people can make any plan work, when you put your mind to it," Thorin said. "You can try discussing your plans with Balin - he should be able to estimate all the costs for you."
The music changed and they fell into step with the new rhythm, but Bilbo barely paid any attention to it because Thorin was leading him with utter confidence.
"I wonder if Gandalf has any fireworks prepared for tonight," Bilbo said, a quick look around the hall confirming that the wizard had indeed disappeared again.
"Fireworks?"
"Gandalf always used to make fireworks on his visits to the Shire when I was a small boy," Bilbo said, smiling at the memory. "They had the most wondrous colours. It would be the perfect way to end the festivities."
A dwarven herald ran into the room not a moment later, stopping a few feet from the king. Thorin released Bilbo from his hold and turned to face the newcomer.
"What is the matter?"
"Master Gandalf wants you all to come outside," the dwarf anounced. "He says that he has a surprise for you."
Bilbo gave Thorin a knowing look. Thorin turned back to the herald.
"You have done well to inform me." He addressed the hall. "Whoever wishes to see the surprise can come with me." He waited for his nephews to fall into step with him, Bilbo trailing a few feet behind. The entire hall emptied, as everyone was eager to find what Gandalf had prepared for them.
The crowd poured out of Erebor's giant gate and down onto the wide stairs, looking around in curiosity. They didn't have to wait long. Soon there was a single bolt of red light rising into the sky from the field below, where it erupted into a shower of sparks. The crowd oohed and aahed, their heads turning skywards to see the changing colours.
Bilbo came to stand next to Thorin, smiling when the next rocket created a field of flowers against the night sky.
"I was right about the fireworks," Bilbo couldn't help but point out, feeling rather smug about his guess.
"So you were," Thorin said. "Come, let us find a nice spot to sit." And he put his hand on Bilbo's lower back, steering him through the crowds towards a place with better view. Bilbo went without protest, too flabbergasted at the fact that Thorin was touching him of his own will to think about protesting.
He quickly realized that he had no desire to put up any sort of protest, because the position allowed him to walk close to Thorin and the hand on his back was pleasantly warm, the touch light, as if Thorin was not sure of his welcome and was prepared to withdraw the hand at any moment.
They found a nice spot of grass on the slope facing the field, where the fireworks could be seen in their entirety. Bilbo spent a moment wondering whether he should risk staining his fancy cloak, or if he should take it off and sit down in his clothes with the cloak folded in his lap. Thorin solved the dilemma for him by unclasping his own cloak and laying it over the grass, which created a place big enough for both of them to sit comfortably.
Bilbo sat down carefully on the cloth, taking care not to stain it. Thorin plopped himself down next to him, stretching his legs to make sure his heavy boots stayed on the grass. Bilbo wondered if Thorin was aware that they were sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch. The dwarf seemed oblivious, his head tilted towards the sky, but Bilbo felt hyper-aware of their position.
The heavy cloth of Thorin's jacket brushed Bilbo's arm when the dwarf shifted and Bilbo froze, expecting Thorin to pull away. When he didn't, Bilbo figured that Thorin probably couldn't feel the contact through his layers of clothing and allowed himself to relax and press back a little. He could always pretend that it had been an accident.
"You mentioned that Gandalf used to make fireworks in the Shire. Tell me about them," Thorin said softly, his eyes not leaving the display on the sky. Bilbo turned his head towards the sky as well, the ray of colours helping to bring back memories from his childhood.
"Gandalf used to be friends with my grandfather, the Old Took," Bilbo began. "When I was a lad the wizard used to visit every year and make fireworks on the Old Took's birthday. It was always a grand celebration, because the Old Took was a Tháin whose authority was respected all over the Shire. The fireworks were much like the ones you see now. All colours you can think off turned into wondrous shapes. I remember that I especially liked the flowers that some of the fireworks formed. The whole Shire was always looking forward to the wizard's visits, because the firework display could be seen from far away."
Bilbo sighed.
"Then the Old Took died and Gandalf never visited again. I nearly forgot about his existence, until he appeared on my doorstep five years ago." He found Thorin looking at him, so he gave him a smile. "I haven't seen these fireworks for twenty five years."
"I have seen them before," Thorin said. "My travels have often taken me through the Shire. I think I happened to pass the celebration once, many years ago. I wondered what kind of hobbit craft the fireworks were, but never got around to ask."
"It's no hobbit craft, as you can see," Bilbo said. "Hobbits have never been fond of machines and mechanisms, but the fireworks are pretty to look at."
"Yes, they are," Thorin said, but he wasn't looking at the fireworks anymore. His gaze was firmly on Bilbo, who suddenly felt like someone had sucked all the air from the space around them and only looking into Thorin's eyes could save him.
"Master Baggins. Bilbo," Thorin said softly.
To his enormous frustration Bilbo did not get to hear what Thorin wanted to say to him, because at that moment Ori came over to them, eyes as big as saucers.
"Bilbo!" he exclaimed.
The moment shattered. Bilbo was forced to break the gaze and look at Ori, who was vibrating with excitement.
"What is it, Ori?" He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
"Bofur and I have started courting."
Annoyance forgotten, Bilbo jumped to his feet.
"Really?"
"Yes," Ori nodded with a wide grin. "He came to ask me just this evening." He suddenly stepped forward and gave Bilbo an enthusiastic hug. "Thank you so much for this."
Bilbo patted his back, feeling pleased with his friend's happiness. He waited for the dwarf to release him before he responded.
"You're welcome, but please don't make me do anything like this again. It was awkward enough as it was. Poor bloke thought I was coming on to him at first."
"Oh." Ori blushed. "I didn't think of that."
"It is no matter now," Bilbo told him. "I am glad everything worked out for you."
"I'm so happy right now, you have no idea," Ori said. He finally noticed Thorin's presence. His gaze slid from the king back to Bilbo. "Did I interrupt anything?"
Bilbo turned to look back at Thorin, but the dwarf's face was unreadable. Bilbo shrugged.
"I am glad you came to tell me, Ori. How did your brothers react to it?"
"Better than I expected," Ori smiled. "Dori grumbled a bit, but Nori didn't seem to mind much. I think it's probably because Bofur is their friend as well and they know he will be good to me." He shot a look over his shoulder. "I think I'd better go before my brothers start looking for me. Come to the library tomorrow and I will tell you all about it." He gave Bilbo one last grin and scrambled away.
Bilbo turned back to the fireworks with a smile on his face.
"I'm so happy for them," he told Thorin. He didn't bother sitting back down, since the fireworks appeared to be near their end.
"Do you know the significance of your gesture?" Thorin asked with a strange expression on his face.
"What gesture?" Bilbo asked, genuinely confused. "That I acted as a go-between for them? Ori asked me for help, so I did my best. Did I commit some terrible social blunder by doing it? I'm not well versed in dwarvish customs."
"No, you did not do anything wrong," Thorin said, "but since you were the one who caused them to start courting, you will now have to officiate their wedding ceremony."
"Oh, goodness," Bilbo sighed. "I should have known there would be something like that." He gave Thorin a look. "Is it terribly hard to perform the ceremony?"
Thorin shook his head with a small smile.
"Not that I am aware of, but there are several phrases in Khuzdul that you will have to learn."
The fireworks had ended, so they both stopped their conversation to join the applause that rose around them. Thorin stood up and shook out his cloak, wrapping it around his shoulders again.
"There has never been a dwarven marriage ceremony led by someone from a different race," he told Bilbo. Bilbo gulped.
"Oh."
"It will be...unprecedented, but I see no reason why you couldn't perform it." They started walking towards the mountain at a leisurely pace. "The king is normally the one to officiate ceremonies such as these, but I will be more than happy to let you do it instead."
Bilbo desperately wanted to ask who leads the ceremony when a king is getting married, but realized that it would be the height of bad taste to ask Thorin that and decided to stay silent. He could always ask Ori, who would be able to answer him without looking for any subtext to his question.
They climbed the stairs in silence and joined the crowd of dwarves that was heading back into Erebor. Bilbo tried to fight down his disappointment when Thorin did not touch him again. The crowd filled back into the Great Hall where the celebrations continued. Bilbo did not get another chance to talk to Thorin that night.
He went to sleep well after midnight, his head full of wine and music and fireworks. As he lay down on the bed, he couldn't help but recall the conversation he'd had with Thorin. The words had been innocuous enough, but there had been an undercurrent to the conversation that he could not pinpoint.
With a frown he recalled Thorin's moment of hesitation. Bilbo was convinced that Thorin had been about to tell him something, but what could it be? He felt utterly at loss. Thorin kept confusing him with his every word, every act. Most of the time the dwarf was perfectly formal and proper, not a hint of anything personal in sight, but there were also moments where he looked at Bilbo with the same look he had given him right before that disastrous proposal.
It left Bilbo swimming in confusion. What did Thorin want from him? Bofur had specifically told him that any interest had to be explicitly stated before any kind of courtship could start. Thorin had done no such thing.
What was Thorin doing then? Was he trying to start an affair with Bilbo without having to do any official courtship? Was he just toying with him as a revenge for Bilbo's refusal of his offer of marriage? It would be incredibly petty, but then the dwarf had already proven that he was capable of holding grudges for decades on end. Or was this just Thorin's own strange way of trying to form a friendship with Bilbo?
Confound dwarves and their odd manners, Bilbo thought as he fell asleep. How was he supposed know what they wanted from him?
°O°O°O°
The elves were scheduled to leave the next morning after breakfast. Judging by the looks on his companions' faces, the dwarves couldn't wait to be rid of them. Bilbo himself marvelled a little at the fact that there had been no fights between the two races. Indeed, the dwarves had behaved themselves with admirable restraint. It made him wonder just what had Thorin promised them all for the behaviour.
The memory of their barely civil visit to Rivendell was still quite fresh in Bilbo's mind. Since he doubted that the dwarves had suddenly developed a liking for the elves, he was convinced that there had to be some special price for everyone. His guess was free ale or extra money.
Thorin and his advisors assembled at the top of the stairs before Erebor's gate to say farewell to the elves. Bilbo was present as well, since he had better relationship with Thranduil than any of the dwarves.
"Farewell, Thorin Oakenshield," Thranduil said, looking all tall and polished in the light of the morning sun. "I thank you for the hospitality you have given us. I would be pleased to see you visit my halls one day."
Bilbo thought it must have taken him centuries of practice to be able to say that with a straight face. Thorin's smile looked a bit pained when he replied.
"Farewell, Thranduil. May you find your stay in Dale as pleasant as you had Erebor. I will consider visiting your forest, if the opportunity ever presents itself." He hadn't quite managed to give his words the same facade of sincerity that the Elvenking had, so the unspoken "when Valinor freezes over" was loud and clear in the subtext.
Thranduil continued smiling politely, looking more amused than offended by the dwarf's reply. His smile became a bit more genuine when he turned his attention to Bilbo, who was standing in the front line between Kíli and Ori.
"Farewell, Elf-Friend. Your company has been most enjoyable these past few days. I sincerely hope that you will visit us again in our forest home."
Bilbo gave him a bow, smiling.
"It would be a pleasure, My Lord."
Thranduil's gaze slid from Thorin, who was still provocatively wearing the Elvenking's chain, to Bilbo.
"You have a generous heart, Master Hobbit," he said quietly. "Far more generous than some would deserve."
Before Bilbo could say anything in reply the Elvenking turned and started walking away, his entourage of elves falling into step behind him. Bilbo just started wondering whether he would be able to visit the treasury room after lunch when Ori latched onto his arm, looking excited.
"Will you come to the library with me, Bilbo?"
Bilbo decided that his exploration of dragon's lair for artistic purposes could wait.
"Of course," he told Ori. "I promised to visit yesterday, did I not?"
From the corner of his eye, he saw Bofur looking at them with a smile, but couldn't acknowledge him because Ori started dragging him away, impatient to get some privacy so that he could tell Bilbo all about his courtship.
"Oh, Bilbo, I'm so happy," Ori exclaimed once the library doors shut behind them. Bilbo sat down into one of the chairs behind the reception counter and Ori sat down beside him, nearly vibrating with excitement.
"So, how did it all go?" Bilbo felt compelled to ask.
"It was amazing," Ori gushed. "I was at the celebration yesterday, just talking to Fíli when Bofur came over to me and asked me for a dance. He bowed to me and everything. And while we were dancing, he just asked me if he could court me. I think I just stammered for a while because I was so surprised and excited, but luckily he seemed to understand that I was saying yes."
He turned a dreamy gaze at the opposite wall.
"We danced three dances together before he went with me to ask my brothers for permission."
"What would you have done if he didn't come to you but I told you that he likes you?" Bilbo asked. "Would you have gone to ask him yourself?"
Ori sighed.
"It's not so simple. With couples who are both male, it's traditionally the older partner who is supposed to do the asking. I could come to him and let him know that I am interested, but the asking still has to be done by him. I think I would have gone to him eventually, but it still wouldn't make anything official."
"Your courting customs sound awfully complicated," Bilbo said. "Anyone can start a courtship in the Shire, unless they are already married. More than one plucky young lady has managed to hunt down a husband who was too shy or reluctant to ask openly. It is not done often, but there are a few cases like that every year."
"That sounds reasonable," Ori said. "Our customs are dozens of centuries old and haven't changed much since the old days. Some of the younger dwarves have been trying to come with ways to improve on the old manners, but the change comes slowly. Until a few centuries ago the courting couples couldn't even kiss until they were married."
"That sounds awful." Bilbo made a face. "Dwarven courtships tend to be quite long, aren't they?"
"At least a year," Ori nodded. "I have no idea how the dwarves of old managed to wait for so long. Bofur and I haven't even kissed yet, but boy, am I excited. A year has never seemed so long."
"I can imagine," Bilbo smiled in sympathy.
"Have you ever...?" Ori blushed to the roots of his hair, but didn't look like he was able to finish his question. It took Bilbo a few moments to understand what he was trying to ask.
"I used to be a curious lad when I was younger," Bilbo told him with a grin. "At the midsummer festivities, there were always plenty of opportunities to steal away into the bushes with a fellow lass or lad. I didn't use those chances of exploration very often, but my limited experience has helped me figure out that hobbit women were not for me. The lads were a bit better, but there was still something missing."
"A beard, perhaps?" Ori asked with a grin.
"Possibly," Bilbo nodded, chuckling. "It's been years since I was interested in someone."
"But you are now, aren't you?" Ori cocked his head to the side, giving Bilbo a searching look.
Since the conversation had been so open until now, Bilbo felt it would be unfair to Ori to start lying now.
"I may be," Bilbo admitted with some reluctance. "But there is no chance of the person ever being interested in me."
"Who is it?" Ori leaned closer in curiosity.
"I'd rather not tell." Bilbo gave him a crooked smile. "The matter is embarrassing enough as it is. I am hoping my interest will go away quietly so that I can continue living here in peace."
"But peace is not the same as being happy!" Ori looked affronted with Bilbo's attitude. "You of all people deserve to be happy. Why do you deny yourself the chance for happiness?"
Bilbo sighed.
"I have already destroyed my chances. There is no way there could be a courtship now." He gave the door to the library a wistful look. "I have already learned to be content with the things that I have. Why vainly dream about the impossible?" He dredged up a smile from somewhere. "But enough about me. I'd rather hear about what you are planning to give Bofur as your courting gift."
Ori looked like he would have liked to talk more about Bilbo's unrequited love, but the topic of his own courtship got him excited again and he was more than happy to tell Bilbo about the scarf he was planning to knit for Bofur.
The two of them chatted well until lunch time. After saying goodbye to Ori in front of the kitchen doors Bilbo made a quick stop to his quarters for a few sheets of paper and his drawing supplies and went on an expedition to the treasury hall where the dragon used to sleep.
He had already seen it briefly on his tour of Erebor with Thorin, but now he finally had the opportunity to explore the hall properly. The few dwarves who were present there didn't pay him any mind, so he could wander around to his heart's content, taking in the sheer size of the room.
All signs of the dragon's prolonged stay had been carefully removed. Even the smell was almost gone, much to Bilbo's relief. The piles of gold were slightly smaller than they had been when he had first seen them, but the treasure was still enormous. When he closed his eyes, he was almost able to imagine that the dragon was still there, watching him from his golden bed.
It took him a while to find the entrance to the hidden corridor, but when he did, he spent long moments just standing in the doorway, looking back at the room. From his vantage point the mountains of gold looked almost identical to what they had been on his first visit here. Paying no attention to the priceless artefacts around him, Bilbo sat down on the floor and started drawing.
Now that he had enough light to see the hall in its entirety, he was finally able to appreciate just how huge the dragon had been. Even though it had been pitch black when he had visited the dragon, he decided to include the room's architecture in his tapestry, to give a better idea of the dragon's size.
He was so focused on his sketching that he almost missed dinner. He only woke up from his trance when one of the treasury dwarves came to politely inform him that it was the end of their shift for the day and they were locking up the treasury.
Bilbo stood up, his legs a bit wooden after sitting on the stone floor for so long. To his surprise he found that he was ravenous. He hadn't noticed the hunger or the uncomfortable position until now, because he had been so absorbed in his work. He stretched a bit and decided to just take his drawings to the dinner, figuring that he could just drop them in his quarters before the evening entertainment.
The dining room was almost empty when he walked in – only Thorin, Balin, Fíli and Kíli sat there. They all looked up when he walked in and Bilbo realized with a start that they were probably waiting for him.
"Where have you been?" Kíli exclaimed the moment Bilbo crossed the threshold. "You've been impossible to find all day."
"I was in the treasury," Bilbo said, sitting down at the table. "I wanted to get a feel of the size of the room. Here," he put his drawings on the table, "you can have a look at this, if you wish." He proceeded to pile his plate high with every foodstuff within reach.
"This is scarily good," Fíli said, picking up one of the dragon drawings. "Was the dragon really so big?"
Bilbo nodded and had to chew a few times before he was able to answer.
"Yes. The mountains of gold haven't changed much since my last visit, so the scale should be more or less accurate. The only thing that I'm having trouble with are the dragon's eyes. There had been a sort of a sinister cleverness in them that I am just unable to portray. It would be a problem if I was selling a painting, but it doesn't matter much in a tapestry."
He pointed to one of the drawings with his fork.
"That should be the final version." He looked at Thorin. "If you want to change anything, tell me now, otherwise I will just use the drawing you are holding as a model for the tapestry."
Thorin shook his head, his eyes still taking in the dragon's image.
"No, this is more than satisfactory."
Bilbo gave him a satisfied nod and went back to his dinner. Only when he had already eaten a mountain of roast with mashed potatoes and was deciding what to have for a desert did he turn back to his companions, who were still sitting at the table, looking through his drawings.
"Unless I am very mistaken, you were all waiting for me here, were you not?" he asked them.
Balin smiled at him.
"Aye, laddie. We have something for you that you might like."
Bilbo decided that he might forgo the pumpkin pastries for once.
"Well, if that's the case, lead on."
To be continued...
There you go. I gave you a hot date under the stars and some heavy shoulder-touching. I hope you're all happy now :D
I am pleased to announce that this story is finally complete, spanning 17 chapters and almost 100 000 words. I have no idea how I managed to write so much, but I'm very pleased with the result. Therefore, I will be again posting two chapters this weekend, so you don't have to wait for so long.
The next chapter will be posted on October 3.