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The day that changed your life began like any other.
It was a slow morning, with you reading and bustling around your hobbit-hole finishing the chores. You had just sat down for elevenses when a knock came at your door.
It took you a second to register the noise as you weren’t expecting anyone, but when you went to open the door, there you found the familiar face of Bilbo Baggins smiling back at you.
“My dear, how are you? Let me have a look at you!” Bilbo exclaimed, wrapping you in a hug. Bilbo had been like an uncle to you when you were little, always lending you books about far off lands, and you could see he had immediately resumed his mother hen tendencies upon seeing you again.
“I’m well, of course I’m well Bilbo! But don’t think you can pretend that you didn’t just up and leave one day, you’ve been gone for over two years! I’ve been worried for you!” you chastised, pulling out of Bilbo’s embrace to look him in the eye. “Whatever happened to you for you to leave for so long? You don’t look at all like the hobbit I knew as a fauntling.”
“Well,” Bilbo said, “it is a rather long story I’m afraid...”
Always one for a story, you began to usher Bilbo inside. As much as you love Hobbiton, its inhabitants have been known to be quite nosey and this conversation is likely better had indoors, “Please come in, I was just about to eat but I definitely have enough to share.”
Once seated at your table, Bilbo began the tale of his adventure and you listened, spellbound, not ever having imagined that a simple hobbit of the Shire could see so much of the world.
When he finally finished the story you, of course, had many more questions but Bilbo shushed you and admitted, “As much as I’ve loved seeing you, and you know I’ve missed you too, I did not only back for a social call.”
With that Bilbo revealed his true purpose in returning to Hobbiton: he was moving to Erebor permanently and had come back to wrap up his affairs, taking the important things back to the mountain but leaving the rest to the Sackville-Bagginses. At this you felt a wave of sadness, knowing that after he left, you’d likely never see him again.
“So I’ve only come back for a short time you see.” Bilbo continued before exclaiming, “But oh! I mustn’t forget the important part, I have a proposition for you, my dear!” He began to describe the rebuilding efforts in Erebor, and knowing he would get to his point eventually, you waited patiently. He told you of the once great libraries of Erebor and the efforts to make them great again, all spearheaded by a dwarf named Balin.
Patience finally giving you said, “Bilbo, while all of this is very interesting, how does it concern me at all?”
“Ah yes,” Bilbo said, remembering himself, “you see Balin is a smidge overwhelmed, what with the reclamation and his state duties on top of that, so when he mentioned needing more hands to help about the library and archives I thought of you immediately! I’ve not just come back to collect my things, I’ve also come with an offer to bring you back to Erebor with me!”
You were dumbfounded, you really didn’t know what to say (which was a first for you) and so you just stared at Bilbo. After about a minute had passed and you had given him no reply Bilbo started to look a bit uncomfortable and said, “You know that if you don’t want to uproot your life for this I will not judge you in the slightest. Oh Yavanna, this is too much isn’t it? Just forget I said anything…”
“No! Bilbo!” You exclaimed, having snapped out of your shock, “It is not that I do not want to go, I would love to! In fact, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, but this is a very big decision. Could I take a few days to mull it over?”
Bilbo nodded understandingly, getting up to go. “Of course my dear, take as long as you need. I will be in Hobbiton for another week before I have to depart. If I don’t hear from you by then I will assume you’ve made up your mind to stay.”
You thanked him as you walked him back to the door, but before he left he turned to you and said, “You always were one for adventure, my dear. You had your nose in a book but your mind roved far beyond the confines of the Shire. Don’t let your own opportunity for adventure pass you by.” And with that he left, leaving you to make up your mind on what was possibly the most important decision of your life.
—
After a few days of deliberation you’d come to a decision, though as you walked up the path to Bag End you couldn’t help but overthink your choice. Why in Yavanna’s good name do I think I can do this?!? I don’t know anything about dwarrow! But before you could second guess yourself you gave a firm knock on Bilbo’s door and a voice inside called for you to come in.
When you entered the once pristine Bag End you were taken aback. There were trunks everywhere, most half filled with a random assortment of things spilling out.
Never before had you seen this place in such chaos and when you said Bilbo simply laughed, “You should have seen the state of the place when the Company first arrived, compared to that, this looks spotless!”
His comment did little to comfort you, but you remained steadfast in your decision, saying, “That’s actually why I’m here Bilbo. I’ve made up my mind, I will be coming with you to Erebor!”
At that the hobbit let out a smile, the brightness of which you’d never seen before, and rushed to hug you.
Needless to say the next few days were filled with a flurry of packing and buying supplies but by the week’s end you were finally ready to set out on your journey.
As you sat astride your pony looking back out over Hobbiton you felt a bittersweet sense of sorrow. You’d likely always miss your first home but it had served you well and now had nothing more to offer you. So with a steady heart and a smile on your face you turned forward, beginning your adventure.
—
The journey was truly not as bad as Bilbo’s story had made it out to be. Granted, this time you were travelling on the main roads and were not being hunted by a band of orks, that certainly helped with your overall comfort.
Your first stop was in Bree, where you spent a couple nights in a comfortable inn while you reloaded, getting more supplies in the bustling town than were available in the Shire.
During your nights on the road Bilbo would tell you stories. Nothing as grand as the tale of his journey, but little things about Erebor and, namely, the dwarrow that inhabited it, hoping to make you feel more comfortable when you reached your final destination.
The first night in Bree he told you of the warrior of the Company, Dwalin, and how, while on the road, he regularly shaved with his axe, despite having the proper supplies available. Óin, the healer, ended up having to treat his cuts so many times that he eventually insisted on shaving for Dwalin. This continued for the rest of the journey and, as far as Bilbo knew, even after reclaiming the mountain. Though Bilbo mentioned that based on Dwalin’s smile when Óin was shaving him, he was right where he wanted to be.
When you reached Rivendell you openly marvelled at the sights, it was like nothing you’d ever seen before. The elves particularly intrigued you, never having seen anyone with that kind of unnatural elegance before. There you were treated well and were finally able to bathe, getting the dust of the road off of you.
That night Bilbo told you of Dori’s kindness in making him tea on the long nights when Bilbo could not seem to find sleep and of Balin’s peculiar habit of always carrying an emergency quill behind his ear. The elder dwarf was also known to correct people’s grammar, even in the middle of an argument. “I think you’ll like them.” Bilbo remarked quietly.
By the time you reached the home of Beorn, who had kindly agreed to host the two of you for a night, you were exhausted, wanting your journey to be over already but still apprehensive about what you might find at its end.
It was there that Bilbo told you of the Durins. The two young princes, who were sparks of light, even when times were difficult on the road, always finding a way to make the others smile, even if sometimes that included daring each other to eat a candle. Despite their foolery Bilbo said that he believed Fíli to be the kindest soul he’s met and that he greatly admired how Kíli commits himself wholeheartedly to any endeavor. You could tell from the fondness with which he spoke of them that they were deserving of this high praise.
Though Bilbo spoke rather sparingly of King Thorin, you did remark on Bilbo’s tendency to go from calling him “Thorin” or “the King” to “that daft lump” mid-sentence. You wondered at the nature of their relationship but it was not your place to inquire on the business of a king, so you let it be (for now). And though your apprehension didn’t disappear, the stories did comfort you. You hoped that when you arrived, these dwarrow would show you the same kindness that they showed to Bilbo.
It all came to a head when, after about five months of travel, you crested a peak and could finally see it: Erebor. You could see the men milling about in Laketown and Dale and lights shining from the gates of Erebor. The Loney Mountain, lonely no more.
Once you could see the mountain it felt as if the journey progressed much faster and you could tell that Bilbo was eager to see his friends again. Now that the end was in sight, it all suddenly felt real to you and you steeled yourself riding up to the gates. No turning back now.
As you approached you could see out figures waiting for you. Likely the Company, waiting to welcome Bilbo back. You could make out a dwarf who had to be Bombur, and next to him Nori and Bifur.
And then it felt as if everything stopped.
There, clad in Durin blue, standing to the right of the King Under the Mountain was the handsome blond dwarf you’d given directions to all those moons ago. What was he doing next to royalty?
—
Now that you really stopped to think about it, the strange encounter had been right before Bilbo left. You had been out in your garden one day, on your knees, the crisp evening air cool against your skin, with dirt covering your hands, trying to get those pesky weeds out when–
“Excuse me.” A voice interrupted you. “Would you happen to know where to find the home of Mr. Bilbo Baggins?”
You looked up to see two figures sitting astride ponies on the road by your fence. Dwarrow, they were dwarrow. What were dwarrow doing in Hobbiton?
It was the blond one who had just spoken but the brunet next to him corrected, “Mr. Boggins.”
“I’m quite sure it was Baggins.” The blond said again, starting to pull out a crumpled letter.
But before the brunet could open his mouth to offer a rebuttal you quickly cut in, “I do know Bilbo Baggins. He lives just down that road at Bag End, you really can’t miss it.”
“Thank you, lady, your help is much appreciated,” said the blond, before both of them turned and began to make their way up the road, the direction you had indicated, but you didn’t miss the way that the blond dwarf looked back over his shoulder at you before they crested a hill and were gone from your view.
—
Oh Yavanna, were you really that daft? He was royalty. That was Fíli Durin. It had to be. Who else would be at the right hand of the King? Had you really met the princes without knowing? They must have thought you to be a disrespectful fool!
Then the darker haired one from before, who you realized now must be Kíli, sidled up beside Fíli, nudging him but you quickly looked away before they could catch you staring. How had you gotten yourself into this mess?
When you were finally within yelling range you heard one of the Company give a shout of, “Bilbo’s back!” and everything spiraled from there and you were met with an army of dwarrow rushing forward to embrace their burglar, the King included.
After Bilbo had been sufficiently swarmed by his friends, an older dwarf who must be Balin stepped forward to introduce himself to you, “So you must be the hobbit our Bilbo had spoken so highly about! I am Balin and this is Ori, he also works in the libraries but as a scribe.” You nodded in greeting to the younger dwarf. As the rest of the Company made their introductions the thought crossed your mind that even though you were amid a crowd of strangers, leagues away from the Shire, you somehow felt at home.
—
That evening, after you’d had time to freshen up and explore your new chambers (unpacking could wait for the next morning), a knock came at the door. You opened it to see a nervous Ori waiting for you. “Balin sent me to escort you down to dinner, he also suggested giving you a tour on the way, though it’s fine if you’d rather–”
“No, I’d love a tour!” You said quickly, excited to see all that your new home had to offer.
Ori took you on a winding path through the halls of Erebor, one you were sure you would never remember. He showed you the grand library and the archives, stopping every few feet to show you their cataloging efforts and the successes they’d already had in salvaging some of the tomes that were thought to have been lost to Smaug.
Next Ori was going to show you the gardens King Thorin had planted for Bilbo in the hopes of giving him some of the comforts of home, but as you two were leaving the great library the blond dwarf, Fíli ran up to you.
He whispered something to Ori about Nori and spilt ink and though Ori looked slightly panicked he gave you an apologetic glance, “I’m so sorry to cut this short but it appears that my foolish kin need me. Fíli here can continue the rest of your tour and escort you down to supper.” And with that he ran off.
So that was how you found yourself alone in one of the many great halls of the mountain kingdom with the Crown Prince of Erebor. As you two slowly resumed walking you racked your mind for something clever to say, something that wouldn’t make you seem like a more of a disrespectful idiot than he likely already thought you to be from your previous encounter.
“So, fancy seeing you here.” You said. No not that, for Yavanna’s sake, anything but that!
But to your surprise Fíli let out a laugh, blue eyes shining, “Fancy indeed. When Bilbo mentioned he’d be bringing another hobbit back with him I did not imagine it would actually be the hobbit I knew.”
“Knew?” You exclaimed. “We’ve hardly even spoken more than ten words to each other, I wasn’t even aware you’re a prince!”
As you entered into the royal gardens Fíli answered you with a sad smile on his face, “Fair point, though royalty of a disgraced line with only a lost mountain to lay claim to is not true royalty. Besides, if my brother and I were to have told you my guess is there would have been a lot more bowing involved in our first meeting, and that tends to slow things down a lot.”
“Yes, but Prince Fíli–” You tried.
But Fíli cut you off, “No ‘prince’, no titles, please just call me Fíli. When you are among the Company you are among friends and we have no need for titles.”
You nodded slowly, smiling, “Okay, Fíli.” And with that, you finished exploring the gardens and made the walk down to dinner in companionable silence.
Dinner was a lively affair, the air ripe with celebration, music, and laughter as everyone welcomed you to Erebor and toasted to Bilbo’s return. You mostly stuck by Bilbo’s side though you were often pulled into conversations with the other dwarrow. Curious as they were about hobbit life, they had gotten all their information so far from Bilbo and you couldn’t say he was the best example of a typical hobbit (though, to be fair, you probably weren’t either).
Bofur and Kíli were especially enthusiastic asking all sorts of questions about your home, the food, the music, they wanted to know everything. It was far more company than you’d ever had in the Shire but you couldn’t help but love it and love these dwarrow. You could tell that your previously solitary life was about to look a whole lot different.
Though it was an enjoyable evening, by the end you were thoroughly spent. When you figured it was time to retire to your rooms, Fíli approached you offering to walk you back, which you were secretly glad for, not trusting yourself to make it back to your chambers without getting lost in this maze of a palace.
While you walked, the two of you talked of the events of the night, your impressions of the other members of the Company (“Glóin’s son is so cute!”), and it felt as if no time had passed before you were back in front of your door again.
“Well, I guess this is good night.” You said, turning to enter your chambers but before you could, you felt a warm hand grab your wrist.
Fíli quickly let go, but not before offering, “You know, if you wanted, I could come by your rooms tomorrow morning to walk you down for breakfast.”
You smiled, “Thank you Fíli. That would be lovely. I swear without you I would have no idea where to go.”
“Well, Erebor is a big mountain after all, we wouldn’t want you getting lost.” He teased, beginning to walk back down the corridor.
“What, like how you got lost in Hobbiton?” you called back, and though you couldn’t see his face, you could have sworn you heard a laugh echo down the hallway.
Yes, you think you’ll like it here very much.