Summary: Bilbo arrives in the Shire and Avna tries to get closer to Fili
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is fiction
Home Sweet Home
Avna took a deep breath. This was it. She was going to make her move. She had to be closer to Fili if she wanted to be his wife. She shifted the tray of food to her left hand and opened the door. Fili looked up from his desk. He had started early this morning.
"Avna, good morning. You look well today."
Avna knew she did. She had woken up early to spend time on her hair and her beard and the Queen had new dresses made for her, ones that flattered her figure. She knew she looked good, the stares she got from other dwarves told her that.
"Thank you Fili. I have your breakfast here."
"Thank you. Will you be sharing with me this time?"
For the past two weeks, Fili had been requesting that Avna ate with him,as she had no time to eat breakfast in the mornings.
"Yes, I will this morning."
"Excellent! Set it up on the table please."
With a broad smile, Avna dished out the breakfast, eggs, bacon, bread and honey and tea. Usually Bilbo would cook the Durin's breakfast, but without him, the cooks had to it. A fact Fili was not pleased with.
"I can't wait for Bilbo to come we'll have proper food again."
Avna chuckled to herself. That all depended on whether Bilbo came back to a Thorin in love with his queen or the Thorin he knew and loved.
"See you agree with 's nothing better than a Hobbits cooking. Unless Kili helps him."
The maid frowned. There was the Kili Face. Everyone knew what it was. Fili sighed and got a little, fond smile on his face and looked away into the distance. It was actually quite sweet, except it should be the Avna Face.
"Bilbo is certainly a wonderful cook, however I have no issues with what our cooks can do."
She sat across from Fili and they shared a smile before they started eating. Avna remembered what Bazani had said to her.
"He has to trust you, so you will have to gain his friendship first. Then you may try to gain his love."
And so far, the friendship thing was going great. Fili and her joked together, discovered that they shared the same interest in books and maps and Fili had started training her to fight with a sword. But she had to step things up. Avna knew of only one thing that would capture Fili's complete attention and make him truly happy.
"You must miss Kili."
"Yes, I do. It's odd, waking up without him in my arms."
"He was always my favourite of the Durins. Always smiling and happy, ready with a comforting word for everyone, even the staff. He is missed."
"We all miss him."
"Tell me about him. That may help you feel better."
Fili grinned at his friend and started talking about Kili. Avna nodded, paying no attention to the stories, instead staring at Fili's shining eyes and delighted grin. Valar, but Fili was gorgeous. If only he looked like that when he talked about Avna. He will, se swore to herself. One day she would have Fili's heart and he would smile at her like that. One day, one day soon.
"Finally, I can see the green door."
"Yes Kili, we're here."
"You know, I never noticed the last time, but the Shire smells wonderful."
Bilbo grimaced. Last time he was here, Bofur could see. Without his vision, his other senses were much stronger. That included smell.
"Thank you Bofur. It's the flowers and fields."
The dwarf smiled, inhaling the sweet scent in the air. It certainly smelled better than Erebor.
"Here we are, Bag End."
"Bilbo, why are there lights on inside?"
"That, Kili, is a very good question."
Bilbo clambered off the cart, marching up to his door. He was annoyed, but he was still a Hobbit. With that in mind, Bilbo knocked on the door, foot tapping impatiently. He was slightly surprised at who opened the door.
"Otho!?"
"Bilbo, you're back!"
"Yes I am. Why are you in my house?"
"Well, you see.."
Otho stuttered for an explanation, backing away from a furious Bilbo.
"Well, why are you here? I said in my last letter to the Thain that I wanted Drogo and Primula in here. Certainly not you and that hateful Lobelia."
Otho straightened, always ready to defend his wife.
"Drogo and Primula have travelled to Bree for their honeymoon. They asked us to watch over the place."
"We all know that means you come in the morning to make sure everything is still here and then fill the pantry for when they return. It does not mean you move in!"
Lobelia, who had come into the hall in the middle of Bilbo's tirade, moved to defend her husband.
"Don't you dare Lobelia. This is low, even for you. I expect you two gone within the next 15 minutes. And I swear Lobelia if anything is missing, I will be sending dwarves to your hole to get it!"
The couple paled at the word dwarf. Peering out the door, they could see two dwarves sitting in a cart, surrounded by four more. The dwarf with bow waved at them, a grin on his face. Lobelia scowled.
"Fine Bilbo, we'll be gone. And don't worry, all your precious things will remain."
The Sackville-Baggins quickly gathered up their things, turning up their noses at the dwarves outside Bag End. Kili and Bofur, both laughing, entered Bag-End.
"It's good to be back here Bilbo."
"Yeah, Bofur's right. I actually missed this place."
"So did I. Although Bofur, you'll have to be careful. You were here once, years ago. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Oh it's okay. Kili can get me a branch or something tomorrow and I can use that to get around. The important thing is we are here and you need to send a message to Thorin."
Bilbo gasped, completely forgetting his promise. He called over the raven that had travelled with them from Erebor and told him the message. He advised the raven to get some food from a guard first and then get to Thorin as soon as possible. As he closed the door behind him, Kili asked,
"Where are the guards staying?"
"Oh, they'll be staying with some of the Tooks, my mother's family."
Bilbo led his friends into the kitchen and smiled as he walked past his full pantry.
"Now, who's for supper?"
A/N Done. R&R please. Next chapter, Fili has a moment of weakness and Bilbo's message causes a little snag in Bazani's plans.