Chapter Three
Bilbo had woken for days previously from an eagle shrieking out his door. He'd gotten dressed and stared at the raven and the eagle in his garden. The raven had told him that his daughter was being taken to Erebor and that there was nothing he could do about it, but come along. Bilbo had no desire to go back to Erebor, but he had less for his daughter too. Ris was a sweet and sensitive child, if Thorin went mad again, she would be hurt, just as Bilbo had been. He was afraid for his daughter, a fear that had never gone away these past fifteen years that he'd raised his child. A child that was so different than any child he'd ever known, he'd tried to encourage that spirit she had to her, tried to understand her need to touch small stones and her love of rocks. He'd even tried to understand how she hated anything he tried to teach her, but found that he and his daughter were so different that he struggled most days to see things the way she saw them. It helped that his daughter was a lovely little girl and that he loved her with all of his heart. Still he knew how she didn't fit in at the Shire and that she always wanted to know more about her Daddy, once she had gotten older.
Bilbo had told her small details, the color of Thorin's hair, his eyes and how strong and brave he was. He had also told her about his adventures with the company. Still he couldn't bear to mention much about Thorin to her. He knew that he'd love that stubborn prideful dwarf until the end of his days, but sometimes love wasn't enough. Thorin had threatened his life once, who was to say he wouldn't do it again? Or that he wouldn't threaten the life of their daughter. Bilbo might have gone back on his own, but never with his daughter. It was one thing for Bilbo to risk being abused, quite another for him to risk Thorin hurting his child.
However things had been taken out of his hand and what few creatures in Middle Earth knew was that there were few things more deadly than a hobbit defending their children. Bilbo stood against a wall, his sword in his hand, his eyes full of fury as Thorin came into the room. "I'm taking my daughter back and you can't stop me." He said and Thorin stared at the hobbit in confusion, who was this creature? It was clearly Bilbo but not Bilbo. "She's not staying with you."
"She's my child as well, the only heir that I will ever have and she's more dwarf than hobbit. How could you understand her?"
"She's my child, I understand her fine, you lost the right to me or anything that's mine, the moment you threatened my life. Who's to say you won't harm her, oh you might not mean to, you might be mad with greed or whatever the Mordor your kind calls it. Still you can't undo harming her, possibly killing her once its done can you?" Bilbo demanded. "She's all I have in this world and I'll do anything to make sure she's safe."
"You really believe that of me?"
"Should I not? What cause have you given me to think otherwise?" Bilbo demanded his eyes wild and Thorin knew that this was not the same hobbit that he'd grown to love. The threat to his child had produced its own form of gold madness in Bilbo.
"I know that I was wrong, but I couldn't think Bilbo. All I knew was the gold, the need to collect more, the need to possess. I've not been back to the treasury since the Battle of Five Armies. Nearly loosing Fili and Kili made me realize that those we care about are more important than any object."
"Wish you would have realized that a little sooner." Bilbo said and a guard tried to step forward, quick as a rabbit Bilbo slashed with his blade. "No closer, I'm getting my daughter and we're getting out of here."
"Even if you wish that I keep my distance, Ris has other kin here, family that have done no wrong by you. Don't they deserve to know their own kin? Think of the lads Bilbo, this would crush them."
"You should have thought about that, before dangling me over the mountain. She's mine, my daughter and I won't have you around her, you can't be trusted not to go mad again." Bilbo said.
"I'll only see her when others are around, please Bilbo give her some time with her family. I promise that she will never be harmed here."
"You can't promise that, she's always getting scrapes and bruises. Every child gets hurt eventually and I don't trust you Thorin. I can't trust you after giving myself to you and then you threatening to throw me from a cliff. I can't let my daughter be around someone I don't trust with her. She's my child, my only child and she's all I have in this world. I can't loose her, I won't loose her and she's not safe here."
"She's safer here than anywhere in Middle Earth."
"She's not safe from you though is she?" Bilbo demanded.
"Thorin has not had an episode in all the time I have worked for him." One of the guards soothed. "Perhaps this discussion would be better served if it were not held at sword point."
"Buggar that, she's my daughter and I'm taking her home." Bilbo said and then stared at Fili who had just come out of his room. The young Prince had changed from the tween he'd been when Bilbo had known him to a strong proud young man.
"Bilbo its not just Thorin that wishes to know her, its me and Kili as well." Fili said. "Though how you got pregnant is beyond my comprehension."
"When a hobbit loves someone, we love them with all our heart, from that love and other things children can be born."
"I'm an adult Bilbo, I know what people do when they are alone in a bedroom, I knew that before going on the quest even." Fili said and Bilbo blushed.
"I'm just not comfortable discussing sex with you." Bilbo said and Fili laughed.
"Put away the sword and we'll have some ale together and this can be settled. Balin will mediate for both of you and I'll watch my little cousin. If Thorin makes any move towards you, you can skewer him with that pen knife of yours." He said and Bilbo hesitated before sheathing his sword and nodding.
"Very well, but I'm not having her alone with him."
"Lad your outnumbered a thousand to one, Ris is staying here and that is final. Of course we could always lock you in one of the royal quarters, if you try to take her from us, but I doubt that you would..." Balin trailed off as Bilbo disappeared. "He's disappeared, guards spread out, glancing blows only!"
"I've got a sword and I will use it, if you don't give me back my daughter!" Bilbo said before quickly moving away, Ris woke and sat up in Thorin's lap, blinking at the dwarves surrounding her in confusion.
"Daddy?" Ris asked.
"Ris, like we talked about." Bilbo said and Ris frowned.
"But its Daddy, Daddy will protect me from danger, I don't need to do that, cause Daddy is here." Ris said and Bilbo stared at his daughter.
"Daddy seem like he won't harm you, I thought he would never harm me, but he dangled me off the mountain Ris and I had you in my belly, your Daddy isn't going near you again."
"He didn't drop you, did you make Daddy angry, that's why I didn't meet him till now? Daddy is going to hurt me? But Daddies don't hurt their little girls."
"Never My precious gem, I would rather die than surrender to the madness again."
"Madness?" Ris asked slightly fearfully.
"Gold madness, dwarves love gold, but sometimes it does not love us."
"Really?" Ris asked and frowned. "Is that why Papa yelled at me, when I played with Grandma's pretty jewelry. I liked the way the stone talked, can you talk to stones Daddy?"
"Stone speech little one? That is not something I can do and it's rare for dwarves to have that ability. Stone speakers have no gift with metal, but can sense gems through rock and are the best crafters of jewelry. They are highly prized for their ability to find stone anywhere." Thorin said and handed Ris a black stone he was wearing.
"Its happy to be worn again, it says it missed being worn." Ris said and smiled. "Do you have more?"
"I'll show you some more later, once you practice you will be able to hear the music stone makes." Thorin said and Bilbo glared at Thorin.
"You will do nothing of the sort, she won't fall to the madness, she's my little girl and I refuse to let that happen to her."
"She's my child as well Bilbo and what if someone were to deny you your gardens, or say that you may never go outside again? To the stone blessed, being away from rock makes you feel half alive."
"I don't care, she needs to be safe, she won't be safe if you give her gems and stones and fill her head about treasure. Nothing good ever came of gold, or gems and I won't allow her to be..."
"To be what Bilbo?" Thorin demanded.
"To be like you! To loose herself completely to the stone, to not determine friend from foe! To hurt the ones she loves! I won't let my baby turn out like you!" Bilbo said and faced Thorin squarely. Ris stared wide-eyed at her parents, before her eyes filled with tears and she ran away. "Come back Rose!" Bilbo demanded but the little girl was already gone, fight forgotten, Bilbo chased after his child, but she had vanished.
Rose ran far away, she hated when people yelled at each other, she felt the stone under her feet like a giant's heart beat. It was leading her somewhere but she didn't know where. She found herself in a large market and stared at all the people in it. She smiled as she was pulled towards a table with many people around her age. She sat down and grinned at them, as they stared at her and started speaking in that strange language again.
"Don't understand." Ris said and they appeared puzzled by her speech, Rose put a hand up to her ear and shook her head and they nodded, she grinned broadly as a little girl handed her a bit of chain and showed her how to add links and beads to it. An older dwarf came to the table and stared down at Ris, who smiled up at him and showed him her chain, she liked the way the stones she was stringing sounded together. He asked her a question in the weird language and Ris frowned. "What you saying?" She said and put a hand up to her ear and shook her head.
"What are you doing here little one, you should be with your guards, not at common lessons."
"Daddy and Papa were fighting, I hate yelling so I just followed the mountain." Ris said.
"You did what?"
"The mountain likes me, it wanted me to go here." Ris said. "The mountain wouldn't hurt me, I'm safe in the mountain."
"You aren't though little one, for all its beauty Erebor is just a mountain and it cannot protect you the way your guards would."
"But why would anyone hurt me? I'm just a little girl."
"And Thorin's heir, it is dangerous for the crown princess to walk through the mountain unescorted."
"That's stupid, I'd rather stay here and play, no one around Daddy is my age and I never had friends before and I'd like em."
"Oh child, you are rather a creature of two worlds aren't you."
"I'm not a creature!" Ris said angrily her eyes glinting fiercely and the old dwarf smiled.
"I suppose not, but you are neither hobbit, nor dwarf."
"I wish I was a dwarf, if I was a dwarf, then Papa would be a dwarf and he wouldn't hate stone. Stone is nice, it makes me happy, but Papa and Daddy keep fighting and I hate it! I want Papa and Daddy to love each other, why don't they?"
"Dwarves only love once, once in love with someone, we never fall out of it. The other races on the other hand are more free with their affections. Do you understand child?" The dwarf asked and Ris frowned and nodded.
"Yes I think so, please can I play some more?"
"Of course, but just until the guard comes alright?"
"Alright." Ris replied. "Can you teach me some funny language?"
"You mean khudzul?"
"That's what Daddy called it earlier, but people keep speaking it to me and I don't understand them."
"Alright Children listen to me now, I'm about to give you a lesson in common."
"What you say?"
"Just told them to listen, the word for listen in khudzul is listening. Listen, listen now you try."
"Listen." Ris said and smiled when the older dwarf nodded and spoke a sentence in khudzul. Then the other children repeated the word in common and Ris frowned. "Neow ou tri." She said and the old dwarf stared at her before repeating the sentence, this time Ris was able to speak it.
"You have a ear for languages little one."
"Thanks, Papa taught me common and sindrian its fun to talk in sindrian with Papa then no one knows what we are saying. How do you say thank you in Khudzul."
"Thank you, the teacher paused. In common thank you is Thank you."
"Thank you." Ris said after considering for a moment and smiled at the teacher. "What about please?"
"Please, to say please in common it's please."
It took Ris a while to say the word correctly and she beamed when she got it. "How do you say Daddy?"
"Adad, or ada, the word for Daddy in common is Daddy."
"How do you say, how do you say?" Ris asked and the lesson continued in this manner, until a frantic Thorin came barreling in with his guards. "Adad!" Ris said and hugged him.
"Don't wander off alone Ris, I swear you will turn my hair white." Thorin said and Ris giggled.
"That's what Papa always says, I like it here, can I stay a bit longer, look what I made! "She said and handed Thorin the necklace. "Its for the nice lady." She grinned up at Thorin's astonished face and hugged him. "Love you Adad."
"And I you, my little stone flower." Thorin said and Ris frowned.
"Not a flower." She said and Thorin laughed running his hand through his daughter's hair. Ris raised her arms and Thorin picked her up.
"Ris you can't wander around Erebor without your guards."
"Why?"
"Because its dangerous and Daddy said so."
"That's not a reason, Papa never told me why either. He just told me to do stuff, with no telling why I got to do it." Ris said.
"Sometimes little girls need to just listen to their parents." Thorin said and Ris glared at him.
"That's no reason, that's just sayin that big people are always right and they are wrong a lot." Ris said and Thorin stared at his angry daughter and couldn't keep back the smile.
"Oh lass, whatever are we to do with you?"
"I'm hungry, can we eat? Then you can play with me." She said and Thorin laughed.
"Of course little one, would you like to try dwarven food, its not like you are used to."
"Okay." Ris said and Thorin smiled, before putting Ris on his shoulders. They walked together to a stall and Thorin bought a leg of mutton, handing it to Ris who took a bite of it and gasped, before tearing off another and another. Thorin chuckled and reached behind him ruffling his daughter's hair. "This is good Daddy what is it?"
"Curried mutton leg, lets get you some alhalar to go with it."
"What's that?"
"It doesn't translate into common, but alhalar is a yogurt soup that is served cold."
"Okay." Ris said and they walked together to another stand and Thorin handed her a cup this time with a spoon. She took a bite and frowned. "It tastes good, but odd, why is fennel in yogurt?" She asked Thorin and Thorin laughed.
"Because that's part of a good alhalar, it cools your tongue after the spice of what your eating."
"Oh, I liked the spicy stuff better." Ris said and Thorin smiled.
"Would you like to see the smithy?" He asked and Ris nodded, before realizing she was on her Daddy's back.
"Yes please Daddy, Papa wouldn't let me go, because I'm so little." Ris said and Thorin nodded.
"As long as you stay on my shoulders and don't touch anything you should be fine." He said and smiled at his child, who was looking all around her excitedly. Soon they were at the smithy and Ris stared at the dwarves making weapons and other metal items.
"Hello Princess." The dwarves said and Ris grinned and waved to them. A young man walked up to her and handed her some wire.
"I have wire already." Ris said.
"One can't have too much wire, thank you lad." Thorin said and Ris nodded.
"Thank you." She echoed her father and continued to watch the forges. "How long before I can try doing that?" She asked and Thorin laughed.
"A while yet my dear, when you can stand with the table at chest height, you can forge."
"But I might never be that tall, Papa isn't." Ris said.
"Your Papa is that tall and one day you will be taller than him."
"Will I be taller than you?" Ris asked and Thorin laughed.
"Perhaps my little gem, perhaps."
"I'm not little, I'm fourteen." Ris said and Thorin smiled.
"You lass are definitely a Durin, your cousins complained in much the same way, when they were young. So how much were you able to learn in a day?"
"The teacher was really good I learned a lot, Papa says that I am too smart for my own good and I really like learning languages and the stories Papa tells about elves." Ris said and Thorin spluttered.
"You like elves?"
"Never met one, but I like their stories, my favorite is about the silly gem wars. Its funny how stupid people can be over gems and gold. I like them but I like having friends more and I like it when no one is hurt."
"You are a very wise lass."
"Thanks Daddy, where can we go now, I wanna see everything!" She said and nearly fell over, before righting herself. Thorin walked away from the smithy and to the book section the Market.
"Don't go very far, alright my gem?" Thorin asked and Ris nodded , looking at the books excitedly. Soon she had a small stack of books for children and Thorin stared at the titles in confusion. "Can you read this?"
"Yes, Papa taught me to read Sidrian and common and I'm learning Quenya too. Can I learn some more khudle too?"
"Khudzul and of course you can." Thorin said and was rewarded with a heart-melting smile. He picked out several children's books in Khudzul and paid for the stack. They then walked to the toy market. "You can pick any three things."
"Thanks Daddy." Ris said and looked around the toy market. She found some practice armor and a sword, as well as a doll that looked like her. "Daddy I got what I want."
"Alright show me sweetheart." Thorin said and laughed when he saw that his daughter wanted practice armor.
"What's so funny Daddy?"
"Its just that you are a lot like your Auntie Dis when she was young." Thorin said and paid for two practice swords, the armor and the doll.
"Thanks Daddy." Ris said.
"Now we need to get you some clothes." Thorin said and Ris nodded, they walked to the clothing market and Ris found a shirt with a dragon on it. "Why do you want that?"
"Papa wouldn't tell me much about you, but you were together because there was a dragon right? I like dragons because with no dragon I wouldn't be born." Ris said and Thorin frowned.
"Is it alright if I don't like dragons?"
"Uh huh." Ris said and smiled up at her Daddy, before finding some shirts with rocks in them. She looked for a shirt that she liked the sound the rocks made and pulled out one that was a yellow and green. She also got some pants and looked at her Daddy. "Can I have these please Daddy, I'll only wear them at home and then I can wear my dresses the rest of the time."
"You want some pants?" Thorin asked before laughing. "You really are like Dis." He said and stroked the top of her head. "Of course little one you can have some pants and you can even wear them instead of dresses if you like."
"Really?"
"Yes really." Thorin said and found his arms full of little girl, as she hugged and kissed him.
"Thank you Daddy!" Ris said and together they picked out several pants and skirts, as well as shirts to go with them. They then walked to where people were selling gems and Ris covered her ears before falling to the ground. "Make it stop, its too loud!" She cried and Thorin scooped her up in his arms and took her away from the gem market.
"Is that better little one?" He asked and Ris nodded.
"It hurt my head to go there, can we go somewhere else?"
"How about we get some stew and then we can go home, unless there is somewhere else you would like to go?"
"No want Papa." Ris said and Thorin nodded, they walked to a stall selling stew, as Bilbo came running through the market and glared at Thorin.
"You could have told me you found her."
"I sent messengers, come join us, we were just about to have some stew."
"Its really yummy Papa." Ris said and held up a bite. "Want some?" She asked and Bilbo took a bite, his face turned red and he frantically gulped at water, as Ris laughed continuing to eat the stew.
"How can you stomach that, I think it burned a hole in my tongue." Bilbo said finally coming up for air.
"Its yummy!" Ris said and took another bite. "Want some more?"
"Who in their right mind would want more of that lava?" Bilbo said and Ris frowned. "I'm sorry sweetheart, Papa doesn't like extremely spicy things." Bilbo said and Ris nodded.
"More for me then, you can have the funny tasting yogurt." Ris said and Thorin laughed, as Bilbo looked at them in confusion.
"That might actually not be a bad idea, do you have any alhalar, I'm afraid that Bilbo doesn't care much for spice." The stall keeper placed a bowl of yogurt in front of Bilbo.
"Thank you." Bilbo said and the stall keeper looked confused.
"No Papa say Thank you."
"Thank you, so my pretty flower, has daddy been teaching you some Khudzul?" Bilbo asked and Ris nodded.
"This teacher was teaching me too, but then Daddy found me and I had to go with him and the guards. I don't like the guards, but it was nice to play with the other kids."
"She'll pick it up in no time, I know you are determined to go back to the Shire, but I'll have to insist that a guard squadron accompany you to protect Ris."
"Daddy said that bad people might try to hurt me, but I'm a little girl and you said that no one should ever try to hurt me. Why do people keep trying Papa, no one has called me names, but Daddy thinks they will." Ris said and Bilbo stared at his daughter and then at Thorin.
"Do you think that people will call her names?" Bilbo asked and Thorin nodded.
"Now that people know of her, I would feel more comfortable if she was guarded, until she learns to defend herself."
"Daddy got me a practice sword and armor and a new doll, the doll looks like me!" Ris said and Bilbo smiled.
"That's great Ris , after we eat, maybe you could show me your new dolly." Bilbo said and Ris nodded enthusiastically.
"Uh huh and Daddy said I don't have to wear dresses."
"You will back in the shire though, alright."
"Why they hate me in the Shire anyway, I want to stay here with Daddy and my family, please Papa." She looked at him using the round-eyed stare shamelessly.
"We are going to stay for two weeks and then we are going back to the Shire."
"I don't want to, if you try to make me, I'll hide in the mountain until you leave and you will never ever see me again." Ris said and Bilbo stared at his daughter in shock.
"Ris that was a very mean thing to say, when we get home, you will sit in the corner for ten minutes."
"No I won't, right Daddy?"
"No little one, Bilbo is right in this, I told you how dangerous it is to go into the mountain by yourself." Ris started to scream and Bilbo sighed, before scooping his daughter into his arms and rocking her back and forth as she thrashed in them.
"Its alright Rissy, its just ten minutes." Bilbo said as she continued to have a fit, he held her until she grew tired and buried her face into Bilbo's tunic. "Is the dragon gone?" Bilbo asked and Ris nodded. "Good now lets go back to where we're staying okay?" He asked and Ris nodded again, one hand clutching at his tunic. Bilbo hefted the little girl, until she was seated firmly in his arms. A moment later she started to snore softly. Bilbo smiled down at the child, before turning to Thorin. "She's a sound sleeper, I don't think I can carry her all the way back up the mountain though, could you hold her?"
Thorin stared at Bilbo in awe, before taking the sleeping child from Bilbo's arms and settling her against his chest. She sighed and cuddled against him, Thorin smiled softly and held her carefully in his arms. Thorin paid for the meal and they walked back to the royal quarters together. Thorin gently set Ris down on the bed and covered her with the blankets, before settling the doll in her arms. She sighed softly and hugged the doll to her. "Sleep well my precious gem." He then left the room and turned to Bilbo as he closed the door.
"What time is it anyway?" Bilbo asked.
"Its half past nine at night, why?"
"No wonder she had a temper tantrum, I try to get her to sleep by eight, otherwise she well you saw."
"I was sort of surprised, she's such a sweet lass."
"Until she's sleep deprived and you threaten her with time out, then I think she's part phantom." Bilbo said and Thorin laughed.
"No just a stubborn headed willful lass, dwarves admittedly are rather hard headed." Thorin said and Bilbo laughed.
"By the mother did you just make a joke?"
"I can joke Bilbo." Thorin said and Bilbo raised an eyebrow. "Actually before the fall, I was considered to be the funny one in my family, my brother and I were fond of playing jokes on everyone. We were actually a lot like Fili and Kili, until the dragon came, then we both had to try to grow up rather quickly. Unfortunately Frerin never got the chance to become a man, his death changed me, made me grow up and I don't think I joked for a long time afterward. Except perhaps with the lads, they have a way about them."
"That they do, Ris loves hearing about how they frightened me with the wargs."
"She said you didn't tell her much about me."
"I told her a bit, just the story of our adventures really, but she didn't know which of the company was her father and I didn't tell her about the stone. I just told her that I decided to go to the shire after the war was over and that I was carrying something very special with me, when I went."
"It makes me feel like shale, to think of you crossing half of middle earth, while you were with child."
"We made it just fine Thorin, though the pregnancy was longer than I expected. Do you mind if I retire early tonight?"
"Not at all and I'll see that you will be given food that isn't as heavily spiced in the future."
"Thank you." Bilbo said and yawned, before going into the room next to Ris' and closing the door. He shrugged out of his tunic and pants, leaving on his under breeches and falling into bed. He fell asleep quickly afterwards.