Once Upon A Contract

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 10: 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋 𝖆 𝕸𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖑

"How did you even have time for this?" Bilbo muttered to Lobelia as he stared through his study window at the spectacle his front yard had become.

At some point in the night, Lobelia must have gone out and contacted at least half the Hill and told them all to arrive at this ungodly hour in the morning. How anyone had managed to drag in a handful of benches without Bilbo noticing was beyond him. That wasn't even to mention it was hardly first breakfast and it looked like most of Bagshot Row, let alone the Hill had made an appearance. And to think, this had all been managed without waking Bilbo or his guests.

"You are certainly not leaving Drogo without some form of ceremony. What would the Men think of a young lad like him taking up the mantel without any markings?" Lobelia sniffed in disdain; her arms folded protectively over her stomach as she stared out at the chattering hobbits lining Bilbo's front yard. "Besides, at least if there are witnesses aside from your Gamgees then I shan't be accused of knocking you off and burying you under the compost pile."

Ah, there was the Lobelia Bilbo knew and loved. Ever so kind and forgiving.

"I also suspect I might be able to convince Jenny Waterrow to give up the last of her peach jam recipe. It has to be something she does during the canning, I've tried everything else."

Bilbo threw his hands up in the air and shook his head as he marched his way back to the kitchen. "I do hope you haven't forgotten about Drogo. He does need to make an appearance."

Had Bilbo been thinking further then the outrageous display in his yard, he would have given thought to the fact there were thirteen dwarrow and one In-Betweener who would soon be awake and ready for first breakfast. As it was, the fact there were three dwarrow already in the kitchen, raiding his pantry, was a bit of a surprise.

Lobelia, in a fashion typical to a Sackville, gave a loud shriek even as she bustled into the kitchen and all but threw the dwarf out of the pantry. "I'll not have a guest cooking in my smial, Master Dwarf. You sit right there and wait your turn or there will be no first breakfast for you!"

"Your smial?" Bilbo said mildly, his eyebrow raising even as all three dwarrow sheepishly took their seats. "I don't remember signing the deed over to you last night."

Lobelia took the opportunity to whack his knuckles with the flat of her spoon as she walked by. "Temporarily my smial." She corrected with a smirk. "Drogo is hardly old enough to manage this place on his own."

Leaning back in his seat, Bilbo had to fight a smile. Good old proud Lobelia. Efficient to a fault and a force to reckon with when worked up to a frothing anger. He had been up half the night, sorting through papers and contracts in an attempt to smooth the transition of Master to Drogo, never mind how temporary the appointment may be.

In the end, long after even the most rambunctious dwarf had succumbed to Shire ale, Bilbo had all but collapsed onto the bed roll he had to wrestle out from Lobelia's clever knots. For the first time in his memory, all the guestrooms had been filled, leaving Bilbo to settle for the floor of the master bedroom. It was lucky both Lobelia and Bilbo were early risers or the morning would have been far too awkward a moment to fathom.

"Do you have the mantle?" Lobelia suddenly asked, the kettle whistling heavily as she passed out the morning china.

Bilbo pulled his cup close as a force of habit, wary of letting Lobelia kill him through a hefty dosing of sugar and milk. "What do you take me for?" Bilbo grumbled as he dunked a teabag into his empty cup. "An ill prepared Chubb? I've had the boy's mantel ready since his 25th birthday."

"Mantle?" Asked a sleep heavy voice from the doorway. "What's this about a mantle?"

The kettle dropped the last two inches onto the table with a heavy thump, spraying a fine mist of boiling water into the air. "Oh, you're worse than the Bounders. Sneaking up on poor unsuspecting hobbits." Lobelia shrieked as she scrambled about for a tea towel to mop up the mess.