Hobbit AU. The dragon never came, the quest never happened, everybody lives. I own nothing.

Just read...and enjoy :)

It was the last time that my father held the woman he loved in his arms. The last time that their eyes met with all the love and respect they held for each other. The last time the breath of the one touched the others face. Their love changed a king and his kingdom. It also changed me.

The Shire

In front of a round green door a Hobbit lass and her fauntling were gazing towards the horizon where the sun was rising, banishing the dark of the night. Down in Hobbiton, mist clouded the fields and meadows and humidity filled the air. It had rained at night and the ground felt cold against the Hobbit´s feet.

Billa Baggins and her son Frodo were turning their backs on Bag End with heavy hearts. This hole in the ground - no nasty hole filled with filth - their hobbit hole had been their warm and safe haven for as long as both could remember. But now, after the death of Billas husband Bodo, their home was no haven anymore. It was a dark hole full of haunting memories. Billa, half a Took and half a Baggins, felt that nothing was keeping her in Hobbiton anymore. Her adventurous soul clouded her mind and filled her body. Her son, Frodo, who had inherited her Tookish blood stood by his mothers side as they glanced back at the green door one last time. They packed their few belongings onto the cart which was pulled by two ponies and sat down on it. Then they hit the road towards the north.

Billa and Frodo arrived at the Lonely Mountain one year later. The journey had been hard and many unexpected things had happened, but Billa did not stray. Gandalf the Grey, an old friend of her late mother Belladonna, had asked her to come to Erebor, the seventh kingdom of dwarves in the north. Durins Folk inhabited the mountain full of riches and wealth and stood against any peril which had tried to invade Middle Earth from the north and east. But the dwarves had lived seclucively for hundreds of years and the diplomatic bonds to them and the elves and men had broken. Gandalf knew that the free folk of Middle Earth could only hold their ground if they were united. As Billa asked Gandalf against whom the free people of Middle Earth had to stand their ground the wizard had stayed silent, much to Billas annoyance. But now she focused on her assignment.

Billa Baggins had been called to Erebor to tutor the family of the king in Westron and the way of life of the people of the West. Erebor was about to reenter the political stage of Middle Earth and preparing them was Billas duty. The Hobbit lass held her breath as she looked upon the Lonely Mountain for the first time. The mountain was impressive and reached the clouds with its whitened top. The city of Dale lay behind them, the last city of men within the borders of the northern kingdoms of men. Now, Billa and her son had reached dwarven territory. The huge and massive gate of Erebor was carved out of the mountains stone and shone in a dark green. Two dwarves carved out of stone guarded the gate left and right and Billa looked upon them in awe. She had never seen dwarves before, but at least the stone dwarves looked quite impressive and stern. Gandalf had told her only little, he had brought her a contract, signed by the king himself and his closest advisor, Balin Fundin, who would await her at the gate that day.

Balin was an old dwarf with a white forked beard and stray white hair. He had friendly eyes and smiled at Billa as she walked forward to greet him. Billa liked him instantly.

'Welcome to Erebor, miss Baggins. Balin, at your service.' the old dwarf bowed deeply.

'Billa Baggins...at yours.' Billa stuttered and bowed back. 'This is my son, Frodo.'

Frodo looked at the dwarf from behind his mothers back and swallowed visibly. But Balin smiled at him, too and walked closer to greet him.

'Young Frodo, I am Balin - at your service.'

Frodo stood there petrified until his mother cleared her throat and looked at him demandingly. 'Frodo Baggins...at your service, master dwarf.'

'I will escort you to your chambers, miss Baggins.' Balin showed them into the mountain. Their cart and their ponies were taken care off and Billa and Frodo followed Balin with wide eyes. Erebor was nothing like they had imagined. Walls of green carved stone and huge pillars supported the dwarven kingdom. The light was golden and warm and reflected from the shining stone. The air was fresh and cold, but everytime they passed one of the mines a warm breeze tussled the hobbits curles. Billas and Frodos chambers lay on the second level, right beneath the royal wing. Billa swallowed as she entered the rooms. They were big and luxurious, but uninviting and decorated scarcely. It was nothing compared to Bag End.

'Are your chambers not to your liking?' Balin asked as he saw Billas expression.

'They are fine, my lord.' Billa quickly reassured him. 'But...is there no window?'

'We are inside of a mountain, lass.' Balin smirked. 'A window would impair our safety. Our ventilation system ensures sufficent fresh air.'

Stunned, Billa nodded. But she would miss the sun on her skin and the smell of freshly cut grass. 'Thank you, master Balin. Please tell me, when does the king permit us an audience? I would like to start with the lessons as soon as I can.'

Balin briefly looked down at his feet and cleared his throat. 'The king has not granted you an audience, yet. He is...preoccupied. I will let you know when you will be granted one. If you need anything, please call me or one of the servants. Have a good day, miss Baggins, young lad.'

'Strange.' Billa worried about Balins worried expression when he talked about the king. But at the moment she had other things on her mind.

'These rooms are depressing.' Frodo complained. 'Everything is green and the furniture is dark. This does not feel like home.'

Billa smiled at her son and took him in his arms. 'We will make it feel like home, sunshine. We will.'

Billa and Frodo spent the next week exploring Erebor and getting to know its inhabitants. The dwarves met them with respect and reservation and Billa understood why the diplomatical bonds had been hard to handle. The dwarves were introverted and their society was strictly classified. The kings head advisor, Balin, explained to Billa how the dwarven society was ordered and Billa listened with big eyes. There was the king who stood above all others in rank and status. His court, the nobles and advisors, as well as his family were the only ones surrounding him and the only ones who did not need to bow when they passed him. Then there was the class of the merchants and miners, the class which ensured the great wealth of the dwarven kingdom. The class of the scientists and healers came right afterwards and last but not least the class of soldiers and mercenaries. The servants did not even habe an own class, they had to fall onto their knees and lower their gaze when the king passed them.

'Under which social class would we fall?' Billa asked Balin and prayed that it was not the last.

'If you were dwarves you would be situated in the class of the scientists and healers. But you are hobbits. There is no class for you, yet.' Balin mused. 'But I beseech you, when you meet the king - bow deeply and do not look at him. Its protocol.'

'Speaking of it - when is our audience?' Billa cocked an eyebrow at the old dwarf. For hobbit standards it was incredibly rude to not greet the guests personally and especially to keep them waiting for so long.

'I have gotten no indication of an audience before the king for you and your son yet, miss Baggins.' Balin sighed. 'Please be patient.'

'How shall I begin the lessons of his family when the king does not grant me an audience? I thought Erebor was eager to take its rightful place in Middle Earth? How so, without any idea of the lifestyle and language of the people of the West?' Billa was irritated. The king under the mountain was a mystery to her.

'The king will see you eventually.' Balin assured her. He did not tell the hobbit lass that the king was sick. Goldsick. He spent half of the day in the treasury and stared at the golden piles surrounding him. His grandfather and his father had succumbed to the goldsickness, but Thorin II Oakenshield had fought it for a long time. Now, at the age of 195, the dwarf had lost the struggle. Balin, who had known Thorin since he was a small dwarfling felt the remorse for the loss of Thorins soul in his heart.

'Is everything alright, master Balin? Is the king not well?' Billa asked the old advisor and frowned worriedly. Balin cursed himself for letting his feelings show so openly and shook his head.

'None of that should concern you, mistress Baggins.' Balin sighed and smiled openly. 'Is there anything else I can do for you?'

'There is one little thing.' Billa said sheepishly as Frodo looked at her expectantly. 'Hobbits have certain eating habbits...very different eating habbits to dwarves. We found the kitchen to be open in the morning, at midday and in the evening...but we actually...need to eat seven times a day.'

'Seven times!' Balin looked both hobbits up and down. 'Where do you put it?'

Billa smiled and blushed. 'We have breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. I understand that your cooks and servants have better things to do than cook for us all day long, but if there was a place where we could get food over the day, that would be perfect.'

Balin nodded and thought about it. 'One of the cooks, master Bombur, his kitchen delivers the food for the king and his court. I will instruct him to have food ready for you during the day. But at night you do sleep?'

'Yes, we do.' Billa chuckled. 'Thank you very much, master Balin!'

'You´re welcome, lass.' Balin bowed and retreated from the hobbits chambers, of course not without noticing the change the chambers. The drapes and courtains had changed from dark colors to bright colors and the furniture was not as dark and uninviting anymore. He saw an armchair and a rocking chair by the fire and remembered seeing them on the cart the hobbits had brought with them. A shelf with many books graced the wall opposite of the bed and a neat desk was placed near the fire for better light. It looked warm and peaceful, an atmosphere which had long been gone from the Lonely Mountain. Maybe inviting the hobbit lass was indeed a good idea.

Two weeks passed and Billa was still not granted an audience with the king. The usually calm and gentle hobbit was furious and stormed towards the throne room. But the king was not there. She decided to follow the kings nobles around until they would lead her to the king and speak to him uninvited. Billa knew that it was rude and impolite, but she had no other choice, she would not stay another day inside of this blasted mountain without a task. She saw Balin disappear behind a pillar, heading down a huge staircase and followed him silently. Frodo followed her, a bad feeling grumbling in his stomach. They soon arrived in front of a sheer endless room shining in golden light. Billa had never seen so much gold in one place. It was more than all the dwarves in this kingdom and probably all other kingdoms would ever be able to spend. Slowly Billa and Frodo descended down the staircase, their hobbit feet stepping lightly and silently.

Billa could hear the king before she saw him. He was giving orders to his guard and Billa could not help but shiver at the cold tone and hoarse deepness of his voice. As she walked around a gold pile she saw him. He was truly majestic and completely different from what she had imagined. Billa had somehow imagined the king under the mountain to be old, well nourished and white haired. But the dwarf standing in the midsts of the gold was athletic and muscular. His hair was black, with only a few streaks of grey and its fell over his shoulders in massive waves. Blue eyes glared in a handsome face and a long and straight nose throned above a dark and trimmed beard. The tip of his beard was braided and fastened with a silver bead, of which some also shone in his hairbraids. His bearing was proud and his aura was powerful. But there was a dark gleam in his eyes which frightened Billa. Nevertheless Billa straightened her shoulders and stepped into the light from behind the gold. Her chin held high she walked towards the king determinately. Balin saw her first and his eyes widened in shock. Before he could react the king turned around and froze.