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Thorin was not lost.
The young crowned prince of Erebor looked around himself again. The wide expanse of tall trees made it clear he was still in the forest his people owned and not Mirkwood, but that was where the familiarity ended. If anything the spinning only made him more confused.
He huffed and clenched his fists in frustration.
Amad would be so worried. And angry. He winced at the thought. Perhaps he should wait until his father returns with the hunting party to face her wrath first. He could follow the sound of the alarm horn after and show up then. It was un-princely to cower but maybe he'd be allowed just this once.
The bushes near him rustled.
Flinching back, Thorin grabbed his bow. Belatedly realizing he had used the last of his arrows some time ago, and instead held it like a sword. Something he had also lost on the hunting trip.
Not a second sooner a tuff of curls appeared. Their bronze and golden in the light colors giving way to a face with a round twitching nose, pointed ears, and peridot eyes. At first Thorin thought it was an elf.
Until he saw the large feet with tuffs of hair and a tail.
Bewildered, Thorin looked back to their face. They were the same height as him. Wearing a simple loose white top with embroidered plants upon it and green pants that hung loosely down to their shins.
"What are you?" He asked in Westron, still holding his bow up.
The creature. Person? Frowned.
"I'm a Hobbit." They stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Their accent was strange, almost lyrical. Thorin found himself relaxing his hold. Fascinated by the way their ears twitched and tail flicked.
He refocused when said hobbit got into his personal space. Hands full of flowers, herbs, and roots were still clasped tightly together when the hobbit motioned at Thorin.
"What are you then?" They asked with a smile.
Thorin felt heat rush to his face as he stepped back. "I'm a dwarf."
That got them to grin. It was brighter than any diamond he had seen and more joy filled than he thought possible. Thorin couldn't help feeling lost in such a pretty smile.
"I knew it!" They beamed. The hobbit took an exaggerated step backwards and bent nearly in half as they bowed. "Bilbo Baggins, son of Belladonna Took-Baggins!"
Thorin remembered he was a prince. He straightened up and politely inclined his head. "Thorin Durin. Son of Thrain II. Crowned prince of Erebor."
Bilbo looked at him with a funny smile. Thorin was pretty sure the hobbit understood none of what he said. Then,
"Do you want to play?"
Thorin learned quickly that Bilbo wasn't like other people he knew.
Beyond the tail and fur covered feet, Bilbo was spirited but not in the ways of a warrior. He jumped and climbed and spoke freely about everything and anything. Most of which Thorin barely understood since it had to do with different plants. But instead of the elves and man who talked only about it in terms of food and trade, Bilbo talked about their abilities and symbolism.
A secret language he called it.
It was so strange to know completely different things and yet be the same age. Like him, Bilbo was ten. Like Thorin, Bilbo knew multiple languages. And they both thought waiting to turn thirty three seemed like too long to wait for adventure. Especially when Bilbo said his 'ma' thought the same.
Which, turned out to be why Bilbo was here in the first place.
"My ma's been traveling over a hundred years!" He chirped as he jumped up another branch, tail helping him balance. "She says I can play by myself because she could at my age, no matter what pa says."
As Bilbo spoke Thorin forced himself up the tree the hobbit had jumped to, having gotten frustrated with having to crane his neck up. It turned out to be a mistake.
Where Thorin was agile in sparing and sure footed surrounded by stone, he was clumsy in oak. Just as his foot slipped and he was considering what his final words should be, a hand caught him.
"Why are you so heavy!?" Bilbo squeaked. The comment was enough for Thorin to bristle and regain the strength to climb up.
He sat down on the branch, tentatively holding onto Bilbo in case he swayed, and huffed. "M' not. You're just weak."
"I'm not!" Bilbo snapped. Curls shaking everywhere as Thorin was leveled with a fierce glare. "I pulled you up didn't I?"
Abashed, Thorin looked away.
They sat quietly then. The sound of leaves rustling every now and then in the breeze. It was nice being above, Thorin hated to admit. While he liked the safety of stone at home in the mountain, being above nature while in it felt good.
Was this how Bilbo felt?
He sneaked a glance only to avert his gaze upon realizing he was still being glared at.
"Apologize." Bilbo said.
Thorin frowned. "You first."
"Why should I!?"
"You called me heavy."
"Oh."
They fell back into silence. Thorin kicked his boots together as he frowned down at them. When that bored him he began to pluck at the bow string slung over his chest.
"I'm sorry."
Thorin looked over his shoulder to see a sad hobbit. Pointed ears slightly droopy as sincere eyes dug into his soul. It made Thorin want to see it go away as soon as possible. Normally, to mend a relation one was to fix it with gold, gifts, or trade. Thorin realized he had nothing but words the hobbit wanted. How strange.
He kept himself from frowning. A good ruler always mended relations. No matter what.
"I'm sorry too." Thorin said and was surprised when he meant it. He had never apologized before. He had thought it to be below a prince.
The thought quickly weakened when the simple words made Bilbo light up again. An expression Thorin was quickly finding he wanted to keep there forever. Of course that meant the hobbit had to do something unexpected, "I like you!"
The dwarf flushed.
Quickly mumbling in Khuzdul as he searched for the words, Thorin gave up and looked at the hobbit with what he hoped was a serious expression. Quietly, he said, "I like you too."
Bilbo's ears turned red. It was pretty.
"You know what that means?" Bilbo whispered, leaning in.
Thorin looked around and shook his head.
"We have to get married now."
"Oh." Thorin blinked, finally pinning the warm feeling in his chest. It had come from his heart. A smile spread across his face as he realized this is what his adad had meant when meeting his amad. "Okay."
He had found his One.
As it turned out, hobbits were pleasantly simple creatures.
Thorin had let Bilbo walk them around the forest. More than happy to do whatever his hobbit wanted due to the fact he was holding his hand. Bilbo's only left his grasp when his hobbit found what he was looking. Having to use both of his hands as he had fought to yank the flowers out, roots and all.
Thorin had to keep himself from pouting at the plants. It had worked out in the end when the white and purple flowers turned out to be very important in the woven crown Thorin was taught to make.
It meant eternal love and deep devotion. Leaving him with the realization that for the first time the prince had learned he not only had a favorite plant but two. He allowed the crown his hobbit had made to be placed on his head reverently. His own, more fragile one, sitting on Bilbo's.
Thorin far excelled at the braids though. The braid his hobbit's put in his hair was just as fragile as the crown Thorin put on Bilbo's head. Not that Thorin minded when he got to be the one to talk Bilbo through the braiding process. Curiously confused when the hobbit had called it similar to baking but tiny.
The braid Thorin put into Bilbo's hair sat proudly on the right side of his head in front of his ear. Thorin finished tying it off with one of his own hair beads. The symbol of the Line of Durin carefully carved in. A puff of pride filling his chest at the sight. "With this, we are together forever in the eyes of Mahal."
He was tackled into a crushing hug not a second later.
Of course then they had to meet Bilbo's parents.
If Thorin was honest, he hadn't paid much attention. He remembered seeing two figures that were like Bilbo but much bigger and wore colorful clothes. Maybe a small camp that blended with the forest and traveling bags spread out, if he tried hard enough.
He also knew Bilbo had yelled. A lot.
"If you don't like it we'll find people who do!"
Unfortunately Thorin had been too focused on the hand that refused to let go of his. A good thing too, for it had been the reason he didn't trip when Bilbo broke them into a sprint.
Thorin followed with ease. Dwarrow being natural sprinters saving him as Bilbo wove them through trees and underbrush.
"Where are we going?" He asked just as he saw more light than tree canopy.
"To your home!" Erebor showed itself just as the words were spoken.
He loved his hobbit.
Thorin stood at the gates of Erebor. His hand clasped tightly in the hand of his hobbit. Flower crown's askew and yet braids proudly displayed as he held his head high.
In front of him his amad came rushing over. Behind her was his adad rubbing at his ear and looking beyond relieved as he dismissed the guards hot on their tail.
Thorin's mouth twitched when he felt Bilbo wrap his tail around his boot.
"Thorin! Where have you been!?" His amad said in Khuzdul. Luckily they were both prepared for this.
"I have found my One, amad. I ask for you to bless our union." He formerly requested. Bilbo nodded vigorously at his side.
His amad looked at him oddly. Her beard and braids swaying as she shook her head and blinked down at Bilbo.
"Thorin-"
"Do you?" Thorin asked, unable to move on. It was within Erebor custom, if refused he had no choice but to either take back his bead or forfeit the throne. He thought of Dis, barely five.
His foot twitched to turn way.
She'd be fine as queen.
Luckily it was not to be. His amad stared at him for a moment longer before saying, "I? Yes?"
Thorin finally let himself laugh.
Turning to Bilbo he swung his One around in a hug that was fiercely reciprocated. Placing him down so he could, softly, knock their heads together. The slight bruise forming on his hobbit's head having already shown where he had learned his lesson.
Not that Thorin would ever allow Bilbo to be hurt. Never again as long as they were safe in the mountain.
"Thank you!" Thorin turned back to his amad and hugged her tightly. She barely had time to react before he ran past her, Bilbo in toe.
Dwalin was going to be so jealous.
There was a Fae in the mountain.
This was a rumor Dis had grown to learn echoed throughout Erebor. Curly hair and pointed ears. Silent bare feet and a swishing tail. He was called He Who Walks Unseen by their guards. A creature her parents warned her to stay away from. But Dis knew the truth.
It was her brother's One that he was head over boots for.
Bilbo, as she had come to learn the moment she was able to form a clear memory of him, was who Thorin called a hobbit. Secretive people of the Shire that no map could point to and yet full of only gentle folk who loved cheer and good food above all else.
Dis remembered first hand that truth when she had sneaked into the royal kitchens. She had meet the hobbit right as he finished poking at something that smelled delicious. She remembered the way his ear twitched and he looked at her before she even stepped in. He had squinted until she came into the candle light and his face broke into a smile.
"Oh! You must be Dis!" He had said, taking his tray with him from where he left the table. "I was just making these for Thorin but you can have one. Their braided sweet breads made with blueberries. Don't tell anyone else though, your brother says people would steal me if they found out I made food this good from plants."
With that he had laughed and disappeared before her very eyes. Leaving her alone with a warm dessert. She had sniffed it suspiciously.
The moment she took a bite she knew her brother's words to be true.
Yes, there was a Fae haunting Erebor, she had added to the rumors. And anyone who got close enough to find out the truth would meet a silent quick fate.