A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews, follows and favorites! My heart beats faster every time you send me a wink!
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The sight of Erebor hit an inner chord in Bilbo, who felt without taking notice that that place meant more to him than he wanted to admit. Besides his feelings, it was huge, and overwhelming by its own nature.
"What a view!" He said under his breath, glad he was seeing it again with all the comfort of riding a pony instead of a barrel.
"It's good to see home." Kíli's smile was as big as Bilbo's eyes to the enormous mountain, even if it was still far away.
"Aye, laddies, we're almost there." Dwalin piped in, considering the height of the sun in the sky. "If we ride a bit harder we may reach Lake Town and sleep in proper beds for once."
"Wasn't it burned by… by Smaug?" Bilbo half feared to say the dragon's name. "I thought everybody moved to Dale."
"A lot of people, aye. But not all of them." Corrected him Kíli. "They rebuilt it even better than it was before the dragon came first time, out of good stone from the Mountain. The King of Dale is also King over Lake Town, but their people elect their own mayor, who answers the King."
"We hobbits elect our mayor, too, albeit the Thainship runs through the Took family line. It was given by the King of Arnor and Gondor, and only the King can take it back."
"I see." Kíli nodded, understanding. "Lake Town is what it is because its location allows easy trading of goods from Dale and Erebor in the North, Forest Kingdom in the West, Dorwinion in the South-east, and the Iron Hills in the East. We don't even count the South route, because Gondor is really too far away for good trading, despite some merchants dare to take the long routes for rare and exquisite items."
"If ye don't shut up the ponies will believe it a lazy day and take their time; I want a warm bed tonight, if ye take my meaning."
Bilbo didn't take Dwalin's meaning, and would be scandalized if he did, but thought it better not to anger the dwarf. Both him and Kíli shut up their mouths like good laddies and off they rode.
-x-
When the Mountain was close enough to be reached after a day's ride there was no soul able to keep Kíli and Bilbo from riding non-stop, even if said soul was Dwalin's, followed by the ponies' souls, if ponies have souls at all, but this is a philosophic question that won't be addressed here.
"I can't wait to be there. Can you believe it's been almost two years since I've seen my brother?" Said Kíli, in a happy anxiety.
"This is hard to believe." Bilbo answered. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you and Fíli are that kind of twins who even create a particular language to use amongst themselves. I've heard about a pair of Proudfoots who are this way."
Kíli blushed and Dwalin informed.
"They had it, until Dís found it out and prohibited them to use it. She said anything that wasn't right to be said in Khuzdul shouldn't be said at all."
"It was just a childish play, we didn't mean anything wrong by it."
"This I'm sure." Bilbo crossed eyes at Kíli. "Just like you didn't mean anything by mentioning night orc raids with, what were the words? Oh, yes, no screams, just lots of blood."
"Oh, come on, that was only a joke."
"A joke your Uncle didn't take well, by the way."
"He never gets a joke well."
"Not when the joke is on him." Dwalin chuckled. "But he was quite all right with joking when he scared you atop the Carrock."
Bilbo breathed deep and closed his eyes, recalling what he felt then, both the good and the bad part. He was so anguished at the sight of Thorin laying still on the bear-shaped stone outcrop, and then the relief of seeing him breathing and…
"Were I some inches taller, I'd push him over that border, for sure!"
"What?" Bilbo was stunned by Kíli's comment.
"It was not fair. I was already angry at him for shaking himself from me and Fíli, we were just helping him to stand up after what we deemed to be his end, and then he yelled those… those obscenities at you! Frankly, my blood boiled."
Bilbo looked at the young dwarf with new eyes. The two brothers had been friendly to him since the Shire, but to imagine any of them standing against Thorin in his favour… The only moment he really saw it happening had been when Thorin found out he stole the Arkenstone and wanted to throw him down the rampart. If it weren't for Fíli, he would become hobbit jelly at the Mountain's feet, he was sure. But by then Thorin was not himself anymore, sick with gold sickness, heritage of a dragon who slept on that treasure for too long.
But at the Carrock… He couldn't recall the faces of anyone but Thorin, and angry Thorin yelling at him and making him want to jump down the stone outcrop by himself, no need to be thrown down. But then… the change in the dwarf's words and tone… the unexpected hug… and that smile…
Thorin's smiles were so rare, and because of its rarity, so precious. Bilbo could recall his smile when he understood his plan with mentioning parasites at the Troll Shaw; that moment in the Carrock; when he saw him with the keys of Thranduil's dungeons; when…
It was kind of embarrassing to himself to acknowledge he knew by heart every occasion Thorin smiled his precious smiles, but it was true. Bilbo couldn't say the same about Dís, who had the same sapphire eyes, the same stunning smile, and the same sexy beard.
No, wait, beards are not sexy, at least amongst hobbits, so how could he…
But Dís was not a hobbit, and her beard was sexy, even if it reminded him so much of Thorin's.
Or exactly because of this.
Bilbo heaved a sigh, knowing the dilemma he just fell into would keep his mind busy for hours, to no result. It had been heaven when he got to know Dís, who looked every inch of Thorin in a female as one could wish for, but then her personality, as strong as her brother's, had also a sweetness and an understanding only someone who faced motherhood could have. Of course one could say Thorin had qualities only someone who faced war could have, and it would be true. Yet, Bilbo suspected to be mother of Fíli and Kíli was some special kind of war, too. He was very fond of those two, and wouldn't mind to spend more time around that family. To know Kíli had been angry at Thorin atop the Carrock… Warmed his heart to the Durin sons even more.
"Well, I suspect my first impression on Thorin wasn't exactly the best, to say the least."
"To say the least!" Agreed Dwalin, chuckling.
"Aye, to say the least!" Kíli laughed too, and so they hurried to reach Erebor before dusk.