A Shot in the Dark (Thilbo - Bagginshield)

Chapter 11

He stayed awake long enough to watch Dori and Gandalf finally fall asleep, and for Dwalin to switch with Thorin. The king clasped the other Dwarf's hand tightly and the two shared a look that said more than words ever would. Bilbo found himself rather envious. He couldn't do that with his eyes. The envy quickly died away when he realized that, instead of going to his bedroll, Thorin was instead making his way to Bilbo's corner. He felt his heartbeat begin to pick up and tried his best to ignore it.

Thorin quietly took a seat next to him and made himself comfortable against the boulder. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out his long dark pipe. The Hobbit watched him light it and wondered what type of pipe-weed he was smoking. Knowing Thorin, it was something cheap and tasteless. He always had horrible taste in pipe-weed and wine.

"You were very brave today," the king finally said, taking a long puff and letting the smoke out slowly. "Very quick to think and very resourceful with the traps. We owe a good portion of our victory to you."

Bilbo snorted. He was hardly the reason for their victory. Everyone had done their part to win the battle. "Hardly. I wouldn't have made it through the fray if I didn't have all of you there to watch my back."

Thorin shrugged. "Say what you like; the rest of us know who won us the battle in the end."

"I will," he declared, raising his chin, "and while I'm at it, I would like to add that both Ori and Kili played a big part too. Make sure the others know that."

The Dwarf nodded slowly. "True. They did well today. We're all very proud of them."

I am too, he admitted to himself.

"But I owe my thanks to you in particular," Thorin continued calmly. "You saved not only my nephew today, but my heir and crown prince. Such actions... I cannot even begin to think how to repay them."

Bilbo frowned and scratched at one of his wounds on his elbow. "I don't need anything. I could hardly sit by and watch an innocent person die. It wouldn't be right."

"So noble," Thorin remarked with the faintest hint of mockery in his tone. He took another long puff of his pipe before blowing the smoke out through his nose. "Regardless of your wants, I still owe you a debt. So, name your price, burglar."

Against his will, Bilbo felt a twinge of hurt pierce his heart at the Dwarf's remark. He honestly didn't want anything other than to see his Dwarves live through the journey. But Thorin obviously didn't know that, and thought he was angling for something. He understood the reasoning behind it, but it still hurt to be regarded so lowly by someone he held so dear.

"I don't need nor want anything from you, Master Oakenshield," he said quietly, turning away to stare back at their sleeping companions. "All I wanted was to see Fili live. That he and the others are alive is enough for me."

Thorin was quiet for a long time. He continued smoking his pipe but made no move to leave the Hobbit. Bilbo wondered how long he was going to stay before the king finally spoke again.

"I have offended you," Thorin announced, setting his pipe down. "My apologies. That was not my intent. I wanted to... Hmm. I'm making a rather large mess of this whole thing, aren't I?"

"Pretty much," he agreed, rolling his eyes.

"You certainly don't hold back with your words," the Dwarf grumbled but without any real heat. "There has been a misunderstanding here. I did not mean to insult you by implying that you saved Fili simply to gain something."

Bilbo turned back to the king with both brows raised. "Really? Then what did you mean to imply?"

Thorin scratched his beard and seemed to think deeply over how to phrase his words. "What I meant was... Well, with Dwarves, we have a certain code we follow. If a Dwarf were to give another gift or perform a favor, then it is expected that the recipient would return these actions. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but that's another story."