A Shot in the dark (Bagginshield)

Chapter Seven

Fíli was a thinker.

When they had been children, his mother used to say that Fíli was the brains and Kíli the heart. That if they were to fall in love, Kíli would simply love unconditionally without question while Fíli would question the very meaning of love. As a child, he had not enjoyed being defined as the 'bookish one' by others but as he grew up he came to accept it.

There was no use in lying to yourself after all.

Fíli was the 'bookish one' when it came down to it. He was the one that would obediently practice writing his letters while Kíli fell asleep next to him. He was the one that bothered their uncle with a million questions about swordplay while Kíli actually practiced with the swords. He was the one who sat with their mother and listened to her as she quietly explained how to properly wrap a wire.

He never considered himself very bright or particularly gifted, but he did so enjoy using his mind. He loved to ponder about why things happened the way they did, or what made a person act the way they acted. He enjoyed asking questions and learning the answers. Kíli could be satisfied with life the way it was, but Fíli constantly found himself asking, why?

Why did people die?

Why was the sky blue?

What made his hair gold?

Why did the seasons change?

Why did his body need sleep?

Why did Bilbo Baggins look so sad sometimes?

The last question was his newest mystery.

Bilbo Baggins was interesting for a Hobbit. He loved to eat, knew the raunchiest drinking songs, and could hold his own against an angry Thorin. Kíli adored him for those traits alone, but Fíli liked him better for his dry humor, unnoticed thoughtfulness, and fierceness in battle.

But he didn't like the looks.

Sometimes, usually at night when everyone was eating or chatting, Mister Baggins would get the saddest look on his face. It wasn't like the ingrained look of pain that Thorin would wear whenever he was reminded of Erebor, or even the laughing flinches that Kíli would put on whenever someone mocked him for his appearance. Instead it resembled the quiet grief that his mother would wear whenever the subject of his father was brought up.

He understood that it was a sadness that came from loss. Not the loss of a home or a possession or a legacy, but the loss of a person. It was the deepest type of loss that he knew of, and it was one that he barely understood because his father died long before he could miss him.

Fíli did not know what Mister Baggins could have lost in his life to invoke such a look. He did not even know what it was about their company that reminded him of his loss. But what he did know was that their Hobbit was sad at times and no one could say why. So like with most mysteries in his life, Fíli would discover the reason behind it.

He just hoped he didn't regret it.

They lingered in Rivendell for a week.

From his memory, Bilbo knew that they were waiting for the moon so that Lord Elrond could finish reading the map. He also knew that soon the White Council would gather to question Gandalf about their Company, and Saruman—the bloody traitor—would attempt to stop them. But what he did not know was the outcome of the meeting. Without Radagast and the Morgul-blade there to distract them, he could not think of another way for them to leave without notice. He could only hope that Gandalf was tricky enough to stall for time as they made their escape.