A King's Blessing [Married Bagginshield]

A King's Blessing

As Thorin and Bilbo walked together through the great hall leading eventually to the Throne Room, a young Dwarf woman with a baby in her arms and a small child by the hand ran towards them. She stopped in front of Thorin, taking a long bow, then came up to him asking for what Bilbo interpreted as a blessing for her new baby. The first born in Erebor since its relative restoration. Very gallantly, Thorin approached her and bent over the little bundle. He smiled and caressed the baby’s cheek, whispering something in Khuzdul. As well as Bilbo could hear, it was a wish of long life and prosperity.

“What will you name him?” asked Thorin, stepping back at Bilbo’s side, after completing his kingly duty.

“If we may, Your Majesty, we want to name him Frerin, in honour of your brother.”

“An excellent choice,” approved Thorin, then glanced down at the baby’s older sibling, who was staring at him mesmerized. “And who are you?”

“This is Drain,” said the mother proudly.

Thorin crouched to Drain’s level and said hello. The child’s hand immediately went to the beaded cuff at the end of one of his braids. It was a deep-blue round sapphire lined with mithril.

“Drain!” the mother scolded.

Thorin glanced up. “It’s all right. You like this?” he asked, addressing the child. He then reached to his braid and took off the cuff.

“Your Majesty, please,” said the woman, sounding mortified.

Bilbo gave her a slight shake of the head. She relaxed, smiling back, but still appearing somewhat reserved in accepting what was happening as being part of normal routine.

Thorin took the child’s palm and placed the cuff in it, then folded it, both of his own hands closing around it affectionately.

“Thank you,” said the dwarfling, with a little smile.

Thorin chuckled. “You’re welcome.”

He stood up slowly, his eyes having caught Balin coming towards him. “I will leave you with Bilbo,” he said as the white-bearded dwarf approached.

The woman took another ample bow before him. Drain continued to stare.

Thorin received her thanks, and then extended a hand discretely to Bilbo, squeezing his. He was careful with public displays of affection. Bilbo squeezed back and smiled to him for goodbye.

“I will return him later,” said Balin winking and started back with Thorin in his trail.

The proud mother redirected her attention to Bilbo and the two of them huddled together over the newly blessed baby. Bilbo also acknowledged the older child, who was turning the bead that Thorin had given him in his hand, studying it closely. Any child would have been drawn to a colourful twinkling gem, but this was a Dwarf child, and there was something industrious to his scrutinizing.

“Do you want me to put that in your hair?” asked Bilbo. The child nodded, eagerly. “Yes? Well, come this way,” he said and led them into a nook carved into the wall especially for retreating from the traffic on the main hall. The three of them sat down and Bilbo started combing the child’s hair with his fingers as he lacked the proper equipment.

“Dwarven hair,” he muttered, “as stubborn as its owners.”

The mother giggled, but the child seemed taken now with the ruby cuff in Bilbo’s hair. That one was lined with tiny diamonds, much more brilliant than the mithril. Any adult Dwarf would have recognized it as a token of engagement, slightly more ornate than the usual, as it had been given by someone important. Bilbo still wore it even if, in the meantime, he had received something more final. As he began braiding the little boy’s hair, he reached up to it.