Chapter Text
Kili stared in awe at the unassuming bramble bush the little golden creature and his pet rabbit disappeared beneath. The thin branches he was hidden within obscured his view.
He had to bite his tongue to stifle a cheer. They’d done it! They’d actually found one!
The company had been traveling for months in a desperate search for the halflings. Uncle Thorin was running himself ragged searching for even a hint of the hobbits. The pressure of his infamous legacy and their dying people pushed him into desperation. Uncle had gathered a company the moment he’d gotten leave from his father King Thrain with the promise of returning in two years if they were unsuccessful. Kili was sheltered, but he knew the kingdom would collapse due to starvation long before the two-year mark. The curse on their lands and the neighboring kingdoms' hostility left the dwarrow with mounds of gold, but nothing to spend it on.
As the old saying goes: You can’t eat gold.
He had a feeling it was a halfling that said it first.
But now they didn’t have to worry! There was a halfling right there! Surely King Bard and King Thandruil would start trading again when they saw the dwarrow with a halfling. They would prove that they were worthy of protecting a halfling again, then the curse would be lifted and Erebor could prosper again. Now they only had to capture the little miracle and bring it home with them. Or, less likely, convince it to come with them. Kili knew they all preferred the latter, but considering how long the hobbits had been in hiding he doubted one would tolerate their presence; much less travel with them to Erebor.
He scooted back on his stomach, careful to make as little noise as possible. Fortunately, he’d left his heavy armor back at camp this morning after planning on taking a bath in the river Bofur had found. His thick leathers allowing him to move near silently unlike his rattling metal grieves. He committed the bush the halfling disappeared behind to memory and raced back toward his kin.
“It’s too early to be smiling like that.” His elder brother groaned at him from where he sat watch. Most of the company were just stirring, tired after their long journey. Ever the early riser, Kili didn’t pity them and proceeded the kick as many of them awake as he could.
“Kili!”
“Lad!”
“I’m gonna kill ‘em!”
“I found one! Wake up! Come one! Come one! I found one!”
“What’s the lad rambling about now?”
Kili danced around the camp, too cheerful to pay attention to his rumbling kin. He couldn’t believe it! It hadn’t even been a full day since they arrived here! “You should have seen it! All curly and small and practically hairless! It’s smaller than even Gimli! It was walking around barefoot, just like in the stories!”
“Kili?”
He stopped and looked at his bewildered kin, exasperated that they weren’t as excited as he was. Come on! This was everything their people hoped for! The very reason they were out here!
“Kili what are you saying?” his uncle demanded.
Frustrated and excited in equal measure, he ran a hand through his hair and repeated, “I said I found one! It had golden hair and green eyes and a pet rabbit and everything! It looked even cuter than the stories Amad told us!”
His brother jumped up, his mouth hanging open, “You... you found a hobbit? A real live hobbit?”
“Ye-es!” Kili went back to his dancing. Amad would be so pleased with them. They could return home within the year now! “You should have seen it Fili! All soft and small. I think it’s a male hobbit. Hard to tell really when they don’t have beards.”
Hands on his shoulders forced him to stop and face his flabbergasted uncle. “Are you absolutely sure you saw a halfling?”
He pouted. He had excellent eyesight, thank you very much. “I’m sure Uncle! I’ve never seen a man with that big of feet before, or ears shaped like that. A rabbit was following it around, and he was even talking to it in this strange language! Do you think Hobbits can understand animals?!”
“Focus. Where did you see it?”
He pointed south, a grin splitting his face, “Just past the river! I saw him when I was going to bath, and followed him all the way to his hiding place! It’s really clever, if I hadn’t seen him first, I’d never have found it.”
Kili paused as he looked at his uncle. For the first time, he almost thought he saw some hope in those dark blue eyes. His smile softened, he knew how important this was to his uncle, and to his people. Finding a halfling was the only hope for redemption for the dwarrow of Erebor, especially for the line of Durin. His uncle had done his best to shield him and his brother from the ridicule they faced because of King Thror’s actions, but they could see the strain the extinction of the gentle race caused his family. The guilt and shame it brought upon them.
Kili took his uncles calloused hand and smiled at him, “I swear it uncle. At least one hobbit still lives.”
“Well done lad!” Balin praised, patting Kili on the shoulder. As if it was a cue, the rest of the company started cheering and gathering round, demanding information.
“Enough!” Thorin shouted, “Show us where you saw it last.”
“Right!”
_
Bilbo shivered and glanced around his kitchen. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he went back to eating his breakfast. It was a simple meal, with a few fried eggs and bread his cousin made out of the wild growing wheat in the area. It was dry from being stored for so long, but he didn’t’ mind. After breakfast he cleaned up and prepared for a long day of being outside. With spring finally arrived he had a lot to do to prepare for summer harvest.
He threw his light green and brown cloak on, a gift from his father to help him blend in with his surroundings. Bilbo swore he could still smell the pipe weed Bungo favored in the fabric.
He left his smial, as always cautious of his surroundings. The warm sun on his too pale skin was like a caress. He smiled up at the yellow orb, grateful for the nice weather. Winter this year had seemed so long. It even snowed a bit. He turned east, fiddling with his small gardening tool bag. Another gift from his father.
He didn’t see the eyes watching him from afar.
_
“Mahal Kili. You did it.” Thorin breathed, his eyes not straying from the golden halfling that seemed to appear out of a bramble bush. All at once weight fell off his shoulders. They weren’t completely gone. His family hadn’t killed off an entire race of gentle creatures. That soft looking being was the key to redeeming his family and saving his kingdom.
“I don’t believe it.” Balin muttered, his brother grunting in agreement.
“Told ya my info was right.” Nori muttered quietly, “These parts used ta be barren. Only hobbits could make land flourish like this.”
Looking around, Thorin realized the Spy Master was right. It was very subtle, but the land was clearly blooming in both plant and animal life. He’d seen three rabbits and a marmot in just a few minutes they’d been watching. What looked like herbs and berry bushes were growing wild everywhere, including the honeyberry bush they were all hiding behind. What even looked like wheat patches spotted the hills. It was an obvious contrast to the blackened slopes around Erebor. It seemed the legends were true. Nature itself flourished where hobbits dwelt.
“Do you think there’s more of them?” Ori asked hopefully.
Bofur shrugged, “Probably. He looks young. It’d be easy for ‘em to hide in all these hills. Lad probably has kin scattered around.”
All eyes turned to Thorin as the halfling started walking away from them. He looked at his Spy Master, who nodded and silently crept after the small creature. “Let’s return to camp. Nori will keep track of the halfling for now.”
_
Despite the lovely weather and the pleasure of finding his basil plants sprouting already, Bilbo had a bad day. He was twitchy and uneasy. It felt like something was watching him, yet every time he turned around nothing was there. A few times he swore he heard twigs snapping, but every time it was just a rabbit or other critter emerging from a bush.
He decided to head home early for lunch and spend the rest of the day patching up a rip in his trousers. A particularly angry rose bush had snagged them just below his knee. The small light from his candle did nothing to sooth his troubled nerves, even within the safety of his smial.
He took dinner without going outside again, despite his long list of chores to do, and went to bed early, sure that a good night’s rest would relax his mind.
_
“He still in there?” Thorin asked.
Dwalin nodded, not taking his eyes off the entrance to the Hobbit’s hiding hole. They’d taken turns keeping watch all night, unwilling to let the halfling escape before they even had a chance. The dwarrow were gathered around now, blinking away sleep from their eyes. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but none complained of waking up in the early hour. They were all too excited for today.
“I still don’t like this.” Dori muttered, fiddling with Ori’s scarf. Thorin sighed and patted his friend on the shoulder.
“Neither do I. But there is no other way.” The silver-haired dwarf grunted but didn’t disagree.
The prince turned to his company, regret and determination in his eye. His faithful friends and kin nodded back at him. “Wait for my signal. Be gentle and don’t hurt him. If you can convince him to come with us willingly do so. Mahal knows we owe his kind the courtesy.”
He turned back to watch the unmoving bramble. By the time he turned to take his own position the rest of the company was gone.
_
Bilbo woke up with determination. He’d seen what paranoia did to hobbits who were too afraid to step out of their door. The horror stories told to them since they were faunts were enough to convince any one of them that it wasn’t safe above ground.
Even though something still felt off, he shoved the feeling aside and prepared for the day. The sight of his mother’s sword hanging on the wall made him pause, but he bit his lip and walked past it toward the exit. He would not give in to this strange fear. It was safe in the Shire. Everything they did was just a precaution.
It was warm and sunny again today, something that for some reason only made him jumpier. Bilbo went about his morning tasks regardless, and as early morning bled into the afternoon he’d calmed down significantly. He’d caught three fish in the nets and unearthed a stash of potatoes by the river. Pleased with his bounty he started back for the smial for lunch. Bilbo climbed up one of the many hills and headed for home.
It was a small gleam that alerted him first. Like the glaring light the sun made off of a reflection. He twisted his head around to the source, but it was gone a moment later. He paused and looked around, clutching the sack of potatoes until his knuckles whitened.
“It’s alright. Don’t be alarmed.”
He whipped around and stumbled back, tripping over his own feet and landing on the ground. A dwarf (A dwarf!) stood behind him, standing just behind some thick bramble. He had thick white hair and a beard, and had his hands raised innocently. Bilbo looked at him with nothing but terror. A panicked squeak escaped his throat and he scrambled back, abandoning his spoils thoughtlessly.
No. No. No. No!
“I don’t mean you any harm.” The old dwarf said, his voice pitched low and soothing. He stepped over the bush, despite Bilbo mentally begging he’d get stuck in it. He shook his head, his heart battering against his ribs, and flipped around, scrambling to his feet.
He had to get away.
He had to hide!
“No don’t...!”
He ignored the dwarf's call and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He only had a moment to wonder why the white dwarf wasn’t following him when an even larger dwarf was suddenly right in front of him. He yelped and scrambled to change directions, but soon realized that he was surrounded.
They were everywhere! How had they snuck up on him?!
Gasping, he looked around for any means of escape. The white one kept talking to him, but the blood pounding in his ears blocked the sound out. They were closing in fast. Think Bilbo, think! He was on one of the taller hills, one side of which was steeper and rockier than all the others. He’d accidentally tumbled down it two winters ago. A blond dwarf was just reaching the top of it.
He shot straight at the blonde, trying to dodge around him. Just as he thought he’d done it a hand snagged his cloak. His weight and momentum cause the dwarf to slip on the loose rocks and they both pitched over the ridge. The dwarf yelped but didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around Bilbo as they rolled.
He groaned as they finally stopped at the bottom. That hurt worse than he remembered. Didn’t help that a heavy dwarf landed on top of him.
Right, Dwarf.
He tried to roll out from under him, but arms as thick as his thighs were still wrapped around his waist.
“Ow.” The dwarf groaned. He rolled onto his side, thankfully taking his impressive weight off Bilbo before he was crushed. Bilbo twisted around and shoved at the dwarf’s chest, trying to break his grip. The blonde blinked down at him, realization making his eyes go wide. “Are you hurt? Please tell me you’re not hurt!”
Bilbo ignored him, his struggles getting even more frantic as the other dwarves picked their way down the steep hillside. He kicked at the dwarf, but even his thick soles did nothing to the dwarf’s armor. Stupid arms! Why were dwarves so big and muscly!?
“Fili!”
Bilbo had never been so scared in his life. Trapped against this young dwarf while other dwarves approached. Stories of hobbits dying by the thousands at the hands of the oath breakers filled his heart with terror. He had to escape! He just had too!
“Hey. Hey it’s okay!” His captor shifted, using a leg to stop Bilbo’s kicking. Undeterred, he fought harder, even going to far as to bite him. “Ouch! Okay. Okay. I know your freaking out. It’s alright though!”
“Fili! Is he injured?”
“I. Don’t. Think so.” The dwarf panted, doing his best to stop the hobbit from wriggling free. He managed to wrap the hobbit’s middle and arms with one arm, and both of the hobbit's legs with his leg. He used his other hand to smush Bilbo’s face into his chest so he couldn’t bite him again.
Bilbo whined; something he hadn’t done since his parent’s death, trying to jerk his body away to no avail. His entire body trembled, and he dug his hands into the dwarf’s armor but found nothing he could scratch.
“Shhh. It’s okay little hobbit. I won’t hurt you.” The dwarf crooned into his ear, not at all fazed as Bilbo used his entire strength trying to push away.
“Yes! You got him Fili!”
“Well done lad!”
“Look at how small ‘e is! ‘e’s just a little guy.”
Bilbo felt faint at the voices surrounding him. He couldn’t see anyone, with his face pressed into the dwarf’s chest, but that did nothing to calm his panic. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, and that his heart was going to beat right out of his chest.
“All of you be quiet! You’re scaring him!” The blonde shouted, wrapping Bilbo up tighter. “Shhh. Just breathe. None of us are going to hurt you.”
Bilbo squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out of them. He managed to take a deep breath, which hitched at the end. The hand in his hair started lightly scratching his scalp. As terrifying as it was, it helped ground him. “That’s it. Calm down. Your safe now.”
For several minutes he just did his best to breathe, the dwarf holding him captive murmuring reassurances all the while. He eventually stopped whining, but he couldn’t get his limbs to stop trembling. This was bad. This was very, very bad.
“Oin he’s bleeding.”
Bilbo flinched when something touched his leg, the panic started to crawl up his throat again. He renewed his struggle despite his exhaustion. “Easy! You’re okay.” The dwarf soothed.
“Turn your head away laddie.” A rumbly voice requested.
“Do you have to?”
“It ain’t good for him to be so worked up. ‘sides ‘e won’t let me patch ‘im up without a fight.”
The hand holding his head down left. Bilbo lifted his head, blinking in the sudden light. Something was shoved under his nose. It smelled sour, and he tried to jerk away. The hand holding the strange white plant just followed the movement.
All of a sudden Bilbo's exhaustion doubled, then tripled. He blinked, sluggishly aware that he was being drugged. Vaguely he recalled the uses of the Clorodim flower, which his mother always warned him away from when he was young. Just one whiff could knock a grown hobbit out. They used it for surgeries and to knock out animals before slaughtering them. Sneaky dwarf must have found the patch of it growing near the river. Despite Bilbo's effort to stay awake, soon everything went black, and he drifted into unconsciousness.