An Unexpected Addition (Thilbo - Bagginshield)

Introductions

The halls of Erebor were just as large and grand as Bilbo remembered them, every little nook and cranny decorated with a craftsmanship that was unlike any other on Middle-Earth. Frodo was equally enchanted, blue eyes flittering all over the place as Fíli and Kíli tried to answer every question that flew out of his mouth. The brothers' friendly nature had won the little hobbit over, his excitement fueling their own excitement with every hall or chamber they passed. Frodo still wasn't quite comfortable enough to walk on his own in a very strange place, but the child was reacting much better than Bilbo had anticipated upon their arrival.

"What's a sapphire?" asked Frodo when Fíli started to list all of the different gems and stones that could be found in the mountain. "And a lapis..."

"A lapis lazuli," corrected Fíli. "And they're two types of gems that come in more shades of blue and green than you can ever hope to count. Erebor's mines have the finest lapis and sapphires in all of Middle-Earth."

"We can take you down to see them once you've -"

"Uhhhhh, no," snapped Bilbo. "There will no mines for this little hobbit. Maybe a very safe and protected view from above, but no authentic mines. None. At all. And don't you even dare try to argue with me, Kíli."

"But Uncle Bilbo -"

"No, I won't have it," stated Bilbo. "And that's final. Now, what were you saying about the new tunnels, Fíli?"

Wary of the parental fury that Bilbo might unleash upon them, Fíli wisely changed to a more benign subject. "What's your favorite food, little one?"

"Mince pies!" answered Frodo immediately. "My mama always made..."

At the desperate look Bilbo threw his way, Fíli quickly said, "Oh, yes, that's a fine choice, Frodo! Erebor's got some of the tastiest mince pies around!"

"And cheeses!" added Kíli, hands gesturing in the shape of a cheese wheel. "We'll stuff you so full that your poor Uncle Bilbo will be able to smell you for a week. Easiest way to track a child, we dwarves say."

That got a few giggles out of Frodo. "That's silly. I don't wanna smell like cheese. It's stinky."

"We dwarves happen to pride ourselves on our stinkiness," said Fíli with a pout. "And I'll have you know that I won the Stinkiest Stinker to Ever Stink Contest as a wee lad, young hobbit. And it was by a landslide, too."

"Or a stink-slide," added Kíli with a smirk. "Our poor mother wouldn't hug him; he was so stinky. Smelled like blue cheese."

"Ewwww," groused Frodo. "That's gross."

"You didn't have to share a bedroom with him," said Kíli. "My poor sniffer didn't work right for months. Cows smelled like daises, washroom mold like apple pies. It was a very trying time."

"You're hilarious, Kíli, you really are."

Bilbo watched the brothers speak and flail about, both of them seeming to be enchanted with the small child their burglar had brought with him. In contrast, Bilbo was subtly eyeing the oldest prince's legs, already having noticed the slight limp Fíli still had on his right side. It had become less pronounced since Bilbo's departure last year, but the hobbit couldn't help worrying about the lad's recovery, both physical and emotional. He suspected that Fíli was still wearing a brace until his trousers to support it, something the prince had been quite embarrassed by when Bilbo last saw him.

For a few moments, Bilbo was disappointed that Azog hadn't died a more horrible death. The white orc certainly deserved it.

"And see these murals right here," said Fíli as they walked down a long hallway. "They're all made from little pieces of marble. They show Mahâl creating the first dwarves, and all of the hardships and achievements that our people made in the First Age."