Raven: An Unexpected Adventure

Twenty-Two

Thorin

Bag End, Hobbiton

31 December 2958

In Erebor, bringing in the New Year always meant lots of pomp and elaborate celebrations. Thorin had always been obligated to make an appearance. He would dress in elaborately bejeweled robes, eat more than he could stomach, smile and laugh. In truth, however, since the Battle of Five Armies, he had loathed the celebrations. This year, however, it was different. This year, he had Bilba and Raven. Better yet, according to hobbit traditions, New Years was a holiday to be spent with family. Bilba had therefore managed to secure Bag End only for the dwarrow. The Company were all getting ready and the guards staying at the Green Dragon would come up to join them. It was the first time since leaving the smial that it would be only them, and Thorin looked forward to it.

Standing in his guest room before the mirror, Thorin eyed his appearance. He was wearing the blue shirt that Bilba had given him for the Winter Festival. It had quickly become his favorite; the cotton was soft, the embroidery done with care. Still, after the usual pomp of Ereborian celebrations he felt strangely under dressed.

"Thorin?" he sighed in relief as he heard Dís's familiar voice. "Nadad?" Dís pushed the door open and Thorin met her graze through the mirror.

"Well, you certainly look handsome," she said, but entered and closed the door anyways.

"But?" he growled.

"Well, there is an equally nervous hobbit down the hall from you. I'm here to make sure that you drive her just as crazy as she's going to make you." Dís smirked and Thorin did his best to glare balefully at her. In reality, he was fairly certain it came across more as a look of desperation.

"What's wrong with this?" Thorin grumbled as Dís approached him.

"Some things never change, Nadad." Dís retorted. "So, Kíli is on high alert for tonight." she said as she began to brush out his hair.

"Afraid that I'll do something inappropriate with Bilba?" Thorin scoffed, though inwardly he did his best to quell his desire to do just that.

"You two are courting officially now," Dís replied with a smile while Thorin held back a growl. Trust his sister to reiterate the obvious. "That infuriating?" Dís asked, and Thorin had the sinking suspicion that his growl hadn't been as silent as he thought.

Officially courting Bilba Belladonna Baggins was both the best and the worst thing that Thorin had ever done. Making her first courting gift, Thorin had been wracked with nerves. What if she didn't like it? What if she wasn't ready? The days leading up to the Winter Festival had been understandably stressful. Thorin had found himself consumed with nerves, working and re-working her gift. After all, how could any material object ever be perfect enough to present to his burglar?

Bilba Baggins was his Queen, the mother of his perfect daughter and his One. And, that was not to mention everything that she'd already done to prove her worth. Throughout their courtship, Thorin had always felt that he didn't deserve her. Certainly during the early days of the Quest he had not been the first dwarf to notice her charms. Of course back then he had been single-mindedly determined to reach the Mountain. That had led him to mistakenly believe that she would come between him and his goal. Luckily for him, potential sparks with any other member of the Company were long since gone. In those early days, however, Bilba'd had her choice of any of them and things might have gone far differently. For some reason, in spite of his infernal attitude, however, she'd gravitated to him. For that, Thorin could never forget how lucky he was since hobbits didn't have Ones the way dwarrow did.

Adhering to tradition, Thorin had done his best to craft his dedication and respect for her into his gift. In spite of his self-doubts, however, even he had to admit that the flower crown had become a work of pure talent. Never before had he labored so extensively over any one piece. He had simply refused to rest until each flower was perfect. After arriving in Hobbiton, he had been determined to find a forge with which to bring his idea to fruition. It hadn't been hard; there was only one forge in the town after all. Getting in hadn't been easy at first because the smith was worried that Thorin would steal his business. Thorin had been at his wits end, promising to teach him and to help lighten the hobbit's workload. In the end, however, it had been his confession that he was working on a courting gift that softened the hobbit.