Bagginshield Fanfics

...is this a bad time?

Credit goes to Fantasyofallforms on AO3

Being king under the mountain came with many perks, free time was not one of them.

Thorin stepped through the gates of Erebor and drank in the familiar smell. It had been almost nine years since they had retaken the mountain, and Erebor was no longer the haunted shadow it once was. The mountain was well on its way to once again being the center for all trade in the north. It was one of those trade meetings that had taken Thorin away from his mountain and husband for three months. They had exchanged letters every week of those months, but letters could never do more than take the edge off of need. Thorin's hands itched to hold Bilbo after so long. He had wasted no time returning from the Iron Hills and made good enough time that he ended up home an entire day early. A day he very much intended to spend locked away with Bilbo in their room. He just had to find Bilbo first.

Thorin got to his apartment and found it disappointingly empty. Wherever Bilbo was, he wasn't here. Still, it was nice to be surrounded by his things again. He had never cared much for having stuff in the past. It was unnecessary on the road or when his people were shifting around. Ered Luin had held no comfort for him, only obligation. Collecting things seemed too close to settling down, and he hadn't been ready to do that. Bilbo was the opposite. Settling down was in his nature, and he pulled Thorin into it easily. The room was a blend of the life they'd built over the last nine long years. He put his things on the bed and chuckled to himself. The sheets were a mess, and he could tell that Bilbo had curled up in his spot on the bed, probably hugging the pillow.

Before he decided to go looking for Bilbo, he opted for a quick bath to get the smell of the road off of him. When he was clean, he pulled on fresh clothes and started heading for the greenhouses.

To his great misfortune, he ran into Balin first.

"Your majesty! I didn't expect you for another day. This is a nice surprise and a fortunate one as well." Balin looked excited; Thorin looked anything but. "...is this a bad time?"

"Yes. If it was something that could have waited till I was back tomorrow, then it still can." Thorin kept walking in the direction of the greenhouses, hoping his lack of pause would be enough to ward the old dwarf off. It wasn't.

"I'm afraid it can't wait. I was going to bring this up with Bilbo in your absence, but since you're here, I might as well bring it up to you." Balin explained while keeping stride with Thorin.

"Where is Bilbo?" Thorin asked, fixating on the one part of the sentence he actually cared about right now.

"I hadn't yet had the chance to check his usual spots. If I had to take a guess, our Mr. Baggins is in his garden, the library, or perhaps the kitchens. I'm sure he'll be very excited to see you." Without skipping a beat, Balin launched into his explanation. "The king of Dale has paid us a visit and is looking to speak to you urgently." Thorin's trust in his advisor and the urgency in Balin's voice was the only thing that caused him to divert his course from the greenhouse to the throne room. Sure enough, Bard was waiting for them just inside. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he seemed to have been pacing. He looked surprised to see Thorin.

"I was told you were still traveling back from the Iron Hills?" It wasn't an accusatory question, only a curious one.

"I was fortunate enough to arrive back just a few hours ago. What brings the king of Dale to Erebors halls?" Thorin wasted no time getting to the point.

"I'm sorry to take your time so soon after arriving home. Things have stirred in your absence. I've been sending scouts to patrol the lands south of Esgaroth along the borders of Mirkwood. Most of the scouts went missing except one who returned last night. He was practically dead on his horse, but was able to report before his injuries took him. Orcs, not just any orcs but orc riders on the backs of giant spiders. I thought him crazy at first before remembering Bilbo's stories of your travels in Mirkwood, where you faced similar beasts. Every year the creatures coming from Dol Guldur grow bolder. The fact that they have aligned themselves with these foul creatures only makes me more concerned." Bard had clearly spent no small amount of time thinking about this. He had bags under his eyes, and his voice was unsettled.