Chapter One

It was all the fault of that hobbit, his family had nearly all died because of the creature! His younger cousins and Thorin might still die. Dain Ironfoot paced back and forth from the makeshift tent, not creature stolen from the Line of Durin, he had betrayed them to their enemies and his cousin sent him off with a slap on the wrist? No Dain knew precisely who was resposible for his family's condition, had it not been for the hobbit, his cousin would have let the men, goblins, elves and Orks finish each other off, but Thorin had been actually worried enough about the small creature to join the battle. Of course Thorin would never admit to such a thing, but Dain knew it to be true. After all Thorin was a sensable enough dwarf, despite being a dreamer and he knew that Thorin would never risk his lives or the lives of his family with such blatent disregard, unless someone he cared for was in trouble and despite everything Dain belived that his cousin still cared for the creature. He would see that thing punished and the people would be behind him in this, as betrayers to the royal line should be fully punished. His cousin was yet to wake, as Dain sent out word that there was a reward that would be given to whoever brought the hobbit back alive.

After Bilbo had attempted to save the lives of his friends, by trying to make them see reason and got banished in return for it, he decided that there was nothing left there for him in the lonely mountain. A decision that could not have come too soon, as he heard the clash of battle behind him and had to wear his magic ring and get by on the wayfarer bread the elves had given him for most of the journey. He had just arrived back home at his comfortable hobbit hole, when quite unexpectedly he was grabbed in the middle of the night and tied up by several dwarves. They forced something down his throat and he remembered the rest of the journey being very hazy as they drugged him throughout it, they also beat him repeatedly and one had almost raped him, before the others said that such a betrayer wasn't worth the bother. That confused Bilbo, as to him he hadn't seen the taking of the Arkenstone as a betrayal, he had only been trying to help everyone after all.

Still as the days dragged into months and Bilbo was dragged across the length and breadth of Middle Earth, he decided that it didn't matter anymore, that nothing mattered any more. For the dwarves had broken the small creature, he begged for any kindness and they looked at him with even more disgust, as he tried to do little things for them. In essence in becoming their punching bag, the hobbit lost himself.

It was a bedraggled and pitiful creature that arrived at Erebor, so pitiful that he was unrecognizable. "Who is this creature, I'm looking for Bilbo Baggins, not just any hobbit. This creature looks nearly starved and is silvered haired, not honeyed!" Dain told the kidnappers, Bilbo meanwhile sat hunched in on himself, uninterested in what was going on.

At that moment Thorin burst into the room. "What is this about you putting a warrant out for Bilbo?" Thorin demanded. "I handled the matter as I saw fit Dain."

"You treated the creature much too gently, he needs to be properly punished."

"This matter is done with!"

"The people wouldn't agree Thorin, they take the betrayal of a dwarven house seriously, unlike you seem to." He said and Bilbo huddled in on himself.

"Just please don't hurt me, don't let them hurt me either!" He pleaded.

"His mind is clearly gone Dain, whoever this is."

"I don't want to go back to sleep, please, no more beating, no more pain." Bilbo said curling in on himself, hobbits were delicate creatures. He felt Thorin's arms wrap around him and gently hold him.

"Its alright, they can't hurt you any more." Thorin said gently and Bilbo buried his face into Thorin's chest and started to sob.

"I'llll bee goood froom now on I promise, I won't go off on adventures and I'll stay in my hobbit hole and ignore sad dwarves." Bilbo said. "Just don't hurt me anymore."

"Sad dwarves?" Thorin asked.

"They were really sad and I wanted to help them." Bilbo said. "But they sent me away, I was only trying to help them, but I hurt them and they hurt me. I didn't want to be near them, cause it hurt, but then the bad men came and they hurt me. Don't let the bad men get me!"

"He's obviously faking." Dain said and Thorin stared at his cousin.

"How could someone fake these bruises Dain, or his hair changing from golden to silver?" Thorin demanded, staring at the hobbit.

"What about our reward?"

"There will be no reward!" Dain said. "This isn't Bilbo Baggins, whatever this creature is, whatever you turned him into this isn't Bilbo Baggins."

"I'm Bilbo Baggins, I'm not a creature and why is that man shouting?" Bilbo asked and Thorin hushed the hobbit.

"Its alright Bilbo, we will get you to Oin and he'll give you something to eat if your good."

"Food?" Bilbo asked looking up hopefully with big brown eyes. "The bad man didn't let me eat, only enough to keep me alive." He said and hunched in on himself. "To keep a bad man alive, but I only ate once every three days, I'm going to go to the green lands, Mama says its nice there and I'll get to see Grandpa again, right?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it, do you hear me Bilbo?" Thorin demanded, picking up the thin emaciated hobbit and walking quickly to the healer's hall with him. Oin stared at the creature in Thorin's arms.

"Set him down on the bed."

"Not until he stands trial, crazy or not that's still Bilbo Baggins and he deserves to be punished for what he did." Dain said.

"He's been punished enough Dain, look at the state of him and its your fault he's like this." Thorin said as Oin fed Bilbo some broth and examined him.

"Not good, not good." He said and Bilbo laughed, holding onto the cup.

"You're funny, funny man." He said and Oin stared at him.

"His mind has shut down to protect himself, I'm not sure if I will ever get him back to normal. Though I can stop him from starving to death." He added and continued to feed another mug of soup to the hobbit, Bilbo whimpered when it was taken away. "Its alright lad, I'll give you more food soon, just rest."

"Don't wanna, not sleepy." Bilbo said though it was clear he was exhausted.

"Its alright Bilbo, you are safe." Thorin told him gently.

"I can't believe you would treat your betrayer like that!" Dain said.

"Bilbo was my friend, to his mind he was only doing what was best for me." Thorin said. "I realized that as I healed and even when I was most angry at him, I couldn't kill him. Hobbits are different then dwarrows Dain, they believe in different things."

"I was bad, I'm sorry, no more hurting?" Bilbo asked plaintively.

"No one will hurt you Bilbo, not ever again, now sleep."

"Don' wanna sleep, cause the bad men will come back."

"No they won't." Thorin said. "I'll keep the bad man away, they wouldn't dare come near you, as long as I hold you." Thorin said and Dain stared at his cousin as he wrapped his arms around the hobbit and the hobbit nuzzled against his chest. "He's been punished enough Dain, but if you and the people insist upon it, I will enact the right of the Blood kin debt."

"This creature saved your life?" Dain demanded and Thorin nodded.

"On more then one occasion, as someone who saved my life and hurt me, you are going to help me now."

"Help Thorin?" Bilbo asked and Thorin nodded.

"Lets try to get you better first, alright?" He asked and Bilbo nodded snuggling closer to Thorin. The hobbit clearly craved kindness and touch after being denied it for so long. He held Bilbo until he started to snore and wondered what had happened to his Burglar.