Dearest Bilbo

Chapter One

The very first raven to peck on his kitchen window nearly had Bilbo jumping out of his skin. He had even opened the window to shoo the large, black bird away, but it persisted. It hovered near the house only to return and peck on the glass even louder than before.

"If you think you're going to sit out there and disturb my peace and crack my window, you have another thing coming!"

Bilbo wasn't going to damage the creature, merely convince it to leave his window alone. Only, on closer inspection, he noticed something tied to the bird's leg. Then, much to his surprise, the raven began speaking.

"Bilbo Baggins?"

"Uhm, yes, that's me. Bilbo Baggins at you're...uhm...service."

"I am Roac. I bring greetings from Erebor."

The words were croaked out at a high pitch but were easily understood. At the mention of the bird's home, Bilbo's hands began shaking. Hurriedly but with some caution, he untied the rolled parchment from around the messenger's leg.

"Food and water!" the raven demanded.

"Yes, yes, of course. Stay right here and I'll find you something." Bilbo had full intentions of doing that very thing, although he was much too interested in what Roac had brought. He hesitated between gathering the food and reading the letter; finally choosing to take care of the raven first, for without his presence, there would be no letter!

Quickly, Bilbo gathered some berries and nuts he kept for baking purposes and placed a pile of them on the outside windowsill, along with a bowl of water. The grateful bird squawked loudly and began pecking away, which gave Bilbo plenty of time to return to his tea and enjoy his unexpected delivery.

Upon unrolling the parchment, the first thing Bilbo noticed was the signature. There were actually three letters, one from Kili, another from Balin, and the last from Bofur. Each had taken turns in writing a short paragraph.

Dear Bilbo,

It's me, Kili! How are you? We miss you! You should come back for a visit! There's so much work to do and I'm so bored! I can't do anything! Not until Oin lets me leave the Infirmary. After that, I'm sure I'll be complaining about being tired. Like Uncle has always said, I'm never satisfied and always running from one thing to the next. I guess that's true. Did you hear? Tauriel has moved into Erebor! At least until Uncle wakes up. After that, I don't know what will happen. You know how he feels about Elves. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that me and Fili are doing okay. Fili sleeps so much he can't write yet, but he wanted me to tell you hello. Talk to you soon.

Sincerely, Kili

Dear Bilbo,

It was Kili's idea to write to you, so I hope that's all right. And I hope you're doing all right as well. Everyone here misses you but we all understand why you returned home. It's where you belong after all. I wanted to thank you once again for everything you did to help us reclaim Erebor. You'll have plenty of stories to tell your heirs someday! You may be the only Hobbit in history to ever face a dragon! I'm working on a song about your adventures already. Perhaps someday you'll hear it yourself. Send word back when you have time. I'd enjoy hearing from you.

Sincerely, Bofur

Dear Bilbo,

I will not pretend that all is well because it isn't. Not as long as the King is suffering. I will not pull the wool over your eyes, Master Baggins. His wounds were terrible. For the longest time, Thorin was but a passing shadow not long for this world and it was a miracle of Mahal's that he did not leave us. No sooner after you returned to the Shire, though, did he finally manage to sit himself up. He has asked about you often, but his pending duties are overwhelming. He is able to move about these days, but very slowly I'm afraid. As you saw for yourself, Erebor is in ruin, and it will take many years to return it to its former glory. We can use all the hands we can get. Therefore, if you do get a little bored with your grassy hills, your gardens, and your books, be sure to pay us a visit. We will put you to good use. Take care, Master Baggins.