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[ringoffire]

I knew Uncle Bilbo had accomplished great deeds, but seeing it for myself is far different! That dragon was frightful, though I think his gold frightened me more. For treasure to have such power...

It is a sickness. It reminds me of...foul things that I would rather forget.

[A darkness enters the small Hobbit's eyes.]

Will I be able to meet more Dwarves? I am fond of Gimli. And what of the Elves? Prince Legolas and Lord Elrond give me a good impression of them.

Comments

[onewhodares]

[A rare chuckle.]

Your uncle has not told you about his adventures enough yet?

[Far be it from Thorin to turn away an eager hobbit looking for stories about dwarf history. He's told this story before after all.]

Long ago in my grandfather Thrór's time, our family was driven out of the Far North, and came back with all their wealth and their tools to the Lonely Mountain. It had been discovered by my far ancestor, Thráin the Old, but now they mined and they tunneled and they made huger halls and greater workshops. My grandfather was King under the Mountain again, and treated with great reverence by the mortal men, who lived to the South, and were gradually spreading up the Running River as far as the valley overshadowed by the Mountain.

[Thoughtful] Altogether those were good days for us, and the poorest of us had money to spend and to lend, and leisure to make beautiful things ...... So my grandfather's halls became full of armour and jewels and carvings and cups, and the toy market of Dale was the wonder of the North.

[ringoffire]

[He tilts his head, eyes dreamy. Truly, he could never hear enough.]

I asked him for the tale many times and he never refused. But there are inevitably parts that are outside of his knowledge or notice.

[Silence follows. The sort of silence that any experienced story-teller would cherish. It isn't an empty silence; it is a silence filled with curiosity.]

It sounds wonderful. If the Mines of Moria are poor compared to Erebor, I cannot imagine how ornate even the smallest of toys had to be in those days.

[And little Dwarf children... His features soften.]

Children are cherished amongst Hobbits too. They would love Dwarven creations and cherish them no matter how many years pass.

[But it had been lost. To Smaug. To Orcs. Frodo shivers.]

I know of Orcs and Trolls. I am glad to say I have never encountered a Dragon, though I saw a Balrog once.

[onewhodares]

[Thorin does like having a rapt audience. Perhaps he had gotten a bit soft in his old(er) age.

However, mention of the Balrog is enough to shake him visibly. Thorin gripping Frodo's shoulder to look at him in amazement.]

...Durin's Bain...surely not.

[ringoffire]

[He is pale and solemn as he meets Thorin's gaze. Hobbits are skilled at moving silently and unseen, but they are terrible liars. He will not lie.]

Gandalf the Grey perished in his battle with it.

[onewhodares]

[Words cannot describe the loss felt by Thorin at that news. Shaking his head, a grim look on his face.]

Wizards...always finding such trouble where they go.

[He means it in the best and fondest way.]

[ringoffire]

He more than most! [Frodo gives him a comforting smile.] He was reborn as Gandalf the White. We didn't expect that - nor did he, I think. Once he vanquished the Balrog, he was...sent back.

[onewhodares]

[Well, that is a relief at least. Not completely gone for good.]

If anyone could defeat such a beast, it would be Gandalf. I knew when he found me in Bree, he had intentions he would never share fully.

[ringoffire]

He frightened us. I did not see him again until after the battle in Mordor.

[That is said lightly - too lightly.]

[onewhodares]

Master Baggins, if you have seen Mordor and survived, then you have done your uncle's lineage proud. [Hobbits never cease to amaze. Gandalf was right about them after all.]

[ringoffire]

I...was not alone. I was never alone. I had support from...Elves, Dwarves and Humans. But a friend of mine...another Hobbit...was always by my side. He went to Mordor with me and ensured I did what was right.

[onewhodares]

[Actually, come to think of it, Frodo is alive also because of Thorin's gift to Bilbo, the mithril shirt.]

A good company indeed. One should not adventure alone.

[Take it from a loner.]

[ringoffire]

[A well used gift! In fact, it might be peeking out from under his shirt.]

It was...more than adventure. Sauron had to be defeated for good.

[onewhodares]

[Good that it got some use instead of sitting in Erebor doing nothing. Thorin smiles to himself as he sees the corner of the shirt. Bilbo could have sold it but instead he kept it and passed it on.]

Ahh, that would explain why so many came together. Were you victorious?

[Doesn't matter telling him, he's already finished his own story.]

[ringoffire]

[Bilbo has never sold a single item he received on that journey. Even the bit that smells like Troll.]

Yes. His Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. He fell with it - as did most of his army.

[The only reason Frodo hesitates to tell the story is so that he doesn't upset Thorin. So many died... Some of them Dwarves and his friends.]

[onewhodares]

[Fair enough, he won't ask for details. Sufficient to hear that the day was won in the end.]

One of the few more evil than the dragon in Middle Earth.

[ringoffire]

Did you know... Uncle Bilbo had it? Through almost your entire journey, he had it in his pocket.

[onewhodares]

[Confusion crosses his face.]

Had what in his pocket?

[Um, that would be a no.]

[ringoffire]

The Ring. Sauron's Ring of Power. He found it, but he didn't know what it was.

[onewhodares]

[Muttering in Khuzul, shaking his head.]

Nothing would surprise me. Had he not told you of how he stole the Arkenstone from under the nose of the dragon and told no one?

[ringoffire]

[There is a fond smile at that mention.]

He did not steal it out of greed or pride. The more I think about it, maybe that's why he was able to find it so easily. It is a special stone, isn't it?

[onewhodares]

[Thorin is...less amused at remembering that particular story. Which is an improvement over how he felt at the time.]

Thief and burglar...that was a difficult time for us all.

[He nods] The King's Jewel. The heart of the mountain....a great white gem, like a globe with a thousand faces...silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon... [That was as good a description he could make of it. He speaks fondly of it in remembering.]

[ringoffire]

[Considering the circumstances, he would rather be called a thief too.]

It isn't more important than you or any other Dwarf. [Hobbits are simple. Jewels and other finery do not matter to them.] You are a King without it.

[onewhodares]

[A difficult truth to accept for the proud dwarf. He puts a hand on Frodo's shoulder.]

I was no King at the time. But I did not realize it. It is different for us who had seen the stone embedded in the throne for so many years. To have the chance to reclaim it...

[It was too important a task to ignore. Or dismiss easily.]

[ringoffire]

[He hesitates before laying his hand on top of Thorin's. His index finger is missing on that side.]

You are a King. It is in your blood. What changes is if you are a good King or not.

[Thorin has the heart to be a great King, stone or no stone.]

Uncle respected you from the beginning.

[onewhodares]

[Thorin had thought very little of Bilbo at their first meeting.]

I did not.

At the beginning, I did not think him capable of surviving just outside his front door.

[Smirk. How wrong he was.]