Bard of Laketown

Bonus Chapter: Bilbo's Letter

"There's a letter addressed to you, Ma," Bain says, handing me a creamy envelope.

"Thank you, Bain." It is addressed to me... And sent from the Shire. So far away!

Bard comes and sits beside me. "Could you take the girls and leave us alone for a minute, Bain?" He asks softly.
Bain disappears from the room.

Bard puts his arm around me. "Open it up," he urges.

I slide my finger under the flap of the envelope, and pull out a piece of parchment.

Dear Areya and Bard,

Congratulations on your marriage, first of all. Balin wrote me soon after the ceremony to tell me the good news. I am sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with you, and if I remember rightly, your anniversary is today. Ten years! I should have written sooner. I hope you're doing well, and your children as well.

I think it's time you know what happened with Thorin back at the gates. Oh Thorin. I still miss him every day, as well as Fili and Kili. The other dwarves have come to visit, but there's always that lingering emptiness, that the leaders of the company will never be with us.

Thorin, with all his foolish courage and bravery, ran toward Azog. They fought brutally. I've never seen anything like it. I wish I could tell you everything that went on, but unfortunately I tripped and knocked myself out on one of the stone pillars.

When I came to, Thorin and Azog lay beside eachother. Azog was dead, and Thorin barely breathing. He had a small smile on his face, though, and he was looking above him, to where the great eagles flew, calling out to announce the death of Azog.

I ran over to him, and dragged him to the gates. He was choking on blood. He told me that all of it had been for nothing. His heirs were dead. He was dying. He told me how very sorry he was to have doubted me.

I cried, and he told me to stop. I then told him that being cried over was a great honour for a king to have, as it showed that his company had loved him. He cried then, too, and said he was so sorry for his behaviour with the dragon sickness. And with those last words, he breathed his last.

I sat there and cried. I wasn't sure what to do then. Was I supposed to go back to my home in the Shire and act like nothing of this had ever happened?

Gandalf came up to me as I was closing Thorin's eyelids. The wizard closed his eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply. When his eyes opened again, they seemed wiser.
"Thorin Oakenshield was a good man," he said. "He won't be forgotten."

The rest of the Company found us sitting quietly there. Balin went into Erebor and returned with a small chest, full of gold. And a shirt made of mithril. "Please accept this, Bilbo. It's more than one fourteenth, but there are only eleven of us now." His voice broke, and tears went down his face as he looked at Thorin.

I took the treasure and bowed deeply to the Company. "Come by Bag End anytime," I said, smiling through my tears. They watched me, their eyes sad. "May their memory never fade," I said, and then Gandalf and I turned away and began the journey home.

And I remember it well, because I started writing it down as soon as I got home. I still have the map with the moon runes, it hangs in the front hall.

My nephew Frodo lives with me now. His parents are dead, and I've made him my heir. He asks me about my adventure nearly every day, but I'm not quite ready to tell him about it.

It's been ten years, and it still feels like yesterday. And my invitation extends to you, too. Come by the Shire and there will be warm food and a comfortable chair by the fire, just for you.

Sincerely,
Bilbo Baggins