Chapter Two

Bilbo smiled as he heard a knock at the door, the last three weeks had passed quickly even with Bilbo having to pack up his studio and load it into his cart. He grinned when he saw Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur at his door and opened it wide. "Well met, thank you for coming."

"Its not every day you meet your kin lad." Ori said and Bilbo laughed. "I'm glad you decided to introduce yourself to them."

"Dain is getting on well with my cousins he went over to Tooksburrouh this morning, I managed to finish my other commissions just in time. I was just about to make lunch, are you hungry?"

"Could do with a bite." Nori said and Bilbo grinned.

"Coats on the coat rack and I'll whip something up in no time." Bilbo said and went to the kitchen. He pulled out the roast from last night; he was going to make shipyards pie for dinner, but it could just as easily be for lunch. He started making the mashed potatoes and cooking the peas and carrots. "Lunch in thirty minutes." Bilbo called out and set the roast into the oven. He drained the vegetables, mashed the potatoes and added the gravy from the night before to the casserole, before pulling the meat out of the oven and slicing it. He added the meat in and put it back in the oven while he set the table. He got two casks of ale from his cellar and added them to the table before pulling out the roast, putting out the extra gravy in a gravy bowl he sat down himself and smiled. He fixed himself a plate before turning to his friends. "Help yourselves." He said, they needed no further encouragement, Bilbo laughed as they caught dinner rolls and small pieces of food in their mouths as he ate his own dinner. He had been shocked by how well mannered the dwarves he had been hosting were in comparison to his friends. He laughed along with them as they took it in turns to belch and see who could belch the loudest. Once they had finished, Dori and Bofur helped Bilbo clean up while Nori and Bofur took in their saddlebags.

"I'm going need to run to the market for dinner, Dain, Dwalin, Lorin and Orin should be back in time for dinner."

"I'll help you find supplies, we can cook together."

"Aren't you tired Bombur?"

"Not now I've got a full belly, we'll leave the others behind to rest, lets go to the market Bilbo."

"Sounds fine to me, possibly make some of those turkey turnovers even, the ones you showed me how to make in the Blue Mountains."

"That sounds like a very fine idea indeed and perhaps some apple, we can eat them on the road."

"Are you sure you want to leave tomorrow?"

"I'm sure that your cousin is eager to be off." Bombur said and Bilbo nodded, together they went to the market and Bilbo took out his coin purse.

"Thank you for coming with me and watching my back."

"I know you would do the same for us, though you aren't exactly skilled with that letter opener of yours or the axes, if we drill you every morning and every night, you should be alright if we get into a skirmish." Bombur said and Bilbo nodded, together they bought what they needed as well as traveling supplies. Bilbo bought a new traveling cloak so he could have a spare in case he needed one, mittens and a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. He also bought yarn and thread to keep his fingers occupied on the journey. He smiled as they walked back to his house together. He cut the vegetables first before adding them to water and put in the turkey in the oven. He then turned to making pastry while Bombur watched the vegetables and took care of the turkey. Bilbo finished making the pastry and measured the apples putting them into small turnovers with brown sugar and cinnamon, he had discovered a fondness for the spice while staying in the Blue Mountains. What dwarven cooking lacked in vegetables it made up for in spicing, he'd not had properly spiced meat since he left the Blue Mountains. The spices were hard to come by and he always added a bit too much, or too little, messing up the spicing in some way or other.

"You even have coriander." Bombur said pleased and Bilbo nodded.

"I still can't spice it as well as you do." Bilbo said and Bombur laughed.

"I should hope not, its much like your ability to make good sauces and pastry, I can't seem to get the knack no matter how hard I try." Bombur said and Bilbo laughed as well. He set the apple turnovers into several muffin tins and started mashing the potatoes, he then took the vegetables off the stove and mixed half of it together, setting aside the other half for dinner that night. He then made bread dough, before Bombur pulled out the turkey and sliced it.

"Keep the meat juices to make the gravy." Bilbo said and Bombur nodded, he gave Bilbo the meat juices and half the meat, as Bilbo made the gravy pouring some into the bowl with the mixed veggies and tearing off bite sized chucks of meat. He then put the mixture into what was left of the pastry and stuck it into the muffin tins before putting it into the oven along with the apple turnovers and bread. Just as he had finished the Durins returned and his friends moved out of the two rooms Bilbo had given them and into the dining room.

"They have come then?" Dain asked and Bilbo nodded.

"My friends have come from the Blue Mountains, they will be ready to leave tomorrow."

"An extra day wouldn't be any hardship."

"We're traders, we're used to stopping in a place for a night, but no more than that." Bombur said and smiled. "Its glad we are of the extra dwarves and Bilbo, usually we carry his wares alone."

"Indeed, these are the merchants you mentioned?"

"Yes, I wanted to return to the Shire after my apprenticeship, when they are unavailable to make a trip, I hire others." Bilbo said and smiled. "Dinner is ready, it just needs to be pulled from the oven." Bilbo said and pulled the bread and the turnovers from the oven setting them on the stove. He sliced the bread and put it on the table along with butter, as Bombur added the turkey vegetables and mashed potatoes to the table. Bilbo smiled as he devoured his food, it was hard for him to eat three meals a day and he hadn't had time to snack on anything. He'd managed to buy large quantities of jerky at the market that day, but he knew that it wouldn't last all the way to Erebor, hopefully with stops along the way it would be enough. He finished eating and set out a quarter of the apple turnovers for desert taking three themselves and eating them, before going back to his bedroom to sleep.

The next day they set out and Bilbo was prepared for the journey to be tiring and have something go wrong at least once. He was pleased to find that it passed without incident, they had apparently picked a good time to travel, as they didn't run into any orcs or goblins along the way. He stood before Erebor four weeks after setting out, tired but glad to be able to rest in a real bed.

"Lets go introduce ourselves to cousin Thrain and he will settle us in quarters worthy of our station and those of your friends." Dain said and Bilbo frowned, he didn't like the big deal that Dain was making of this. Barlis had been a daughter and more over a daughter who's sons stood no chance of inheriting, that was why Farlin had attempted to marry her off for political position, something that Thror had insisted on as a young king. Rather than marry the dwarf she was promised to, she had run off in the middle of the night.

"You had better get any thoughts of me being the proper noble dwarf out of your head, first off I'm not a dwarf and secondly I'd be terrible at attempting to be a noble one." Bilbo stated. "I am quite content with being a respectable hobbit, thank you very much."

"I never thought such cousin, you weren't raised to be so and I wouldn't expect such of you. I am very fond of you and my cousins but we have no right to that side of our family." Dain said and Bilbo nodded.

"Good I am glad we are in agreement about that." Bilbo said and smiled at Dain who returned the smile. Bilbo walked with him to the throne room and Bilbo stopped dead in his tracks, staring at one of the dwarves that sat at the high dais. He was just past being a youth and was staring back at Bilbo in no little shock. Bilbo smiled suddenly and stepped forward to before the dais, as Bofur did the same. Two young men stared in confusion between their family members and the newcomers. It was Bilbo who found the words first and took off his hood. "I am Bilbo son of Belladonna, daughter of Geronitus, son of Bilris of the line of Durin. I have come at the request of Dain of the line of Durin to present myself before the King of Erebor and explain what happened to my line in the years between my Grandmother's flight from an objectionable marriage to the present day."

"How did you find him?" The dwarf demanded.

"I went looking simply for a commission he is an excellent potter, but while there I found him to be in the possession of two ravens and insisted that he accompany me back to Erebor."

"I insisted that my friends come with me, as I had no desire to go to Erebor alone and the rest of my family is content to remain in the Shire. I thought that I might visit through next winter and return in the spring."

"You will not return!" The young man said and Bilbo frowned.

"I must return, all my family is in the Shire."

"But you are my One!"

"We might be soul bound, but that doesn't mean we have to be together!" Bilbo returned angrily tossing his hair back. "You cannot dictate to me what I can or cannot do, I think that you will find that I'll respond to such as well as Balris did!" Bilbo said and spun on his heel angrily marching from the room.

"Bilbo wait!" The dwarf demanded, but Bilbo continued to walk back the way he had come. How dare they demand that he spend the rest of his life here? He wasn't some servant or prisoner! He kicked a stone angrily and groaned as he received a headache in return. Of course now would be the time that his spotty stone sense would make an appearance.

"Mahal blast you." Bilbo said rubbing at his head, even the stones of this place were working against him. He found that he was quite lost in the tunnels that surrounded Erebor and that he hadn't run into anyone since getting away from the entrance hall. His green sense was only slightly better than his stone sense, but nothing green grew down here. He was hungry and cold, he glared at the rock before continuing to walk on. He finally let his stone sense lead his way, rather than relying on his horrible sense of direction. He found his way to a place that had several miners in it and frowned. Why his stone sense would lead him to mining tunnels was beyond him, but he continued to follow it, even going so far as to go down into the pits. He had no idea why his stone sense was leading him in such a direction, nor did he care overmuch about the particulars, he just knew he needed to follow it now or it might not be there when he needed it. Taking up a pick he hammered into the rock, four blows were enough to unearth the stone, another three pried it from the earth. He stared at the shining hunk of rock in shock, it was the same color and quality as the Arkenstone, only this one shone with a blue light rather than a white light. He put the rock inside his cloak finding that the stone sense had abandoned him, just as quickly as it had come. He tugged on the rope securing him and was let up covered in rock dust from head to foot. He stared at another miner in shocked surprise. This dwarf looked a lot like his Father and Grandfather. "Do you know of someone in your family line named Balbo?" Bilbo asked and the dwarf looked shocked.

"He found the Arkenstone and became a merchant, he'd send money back to us sometimes." The dwarf replied and Bilbo grinned.

"I am Bilbo Baggins, my grandfather moved to the Shire and married a hobbit lass there." Bilbo said and laughed. "Well met cousin."

"Cousin? Who's to say you are who you say you are?" The dwarf demanded and Bilbo took the stone from his pocket and shrugged.

"It seems that the mountain likes our family." Bilbo said and the dwarf's eyes widened and Bilbo smiled. "I'd love to meet you and my other kin, I don't plan to stay longer than a year, but you are welcome to come to the Shire for a visit anytime you like."

"Thank you." The miner said with no little awe.

"Now if you could perhaps direct me to the market, or the dining hall?" Bilbo asked and was taken to the dining hall, where everyone stared at him. Bilbo grinned and settled himself at the lower tables, pointedly avoiding the spot they had saved for him. He'd much rather dine with his friends and crasser family members than the nobles. Dain was a decent enough dwarf once you got enough drink into him, but the stick that was always up Dwalin and Dain's asses needed to be removed. Bilbo wiped the coal dust from his face and hands with a napkin and grinned at Bofur.

"What have you been up to? Letting your abysmal stone sense directs you again?"

"Of course it takes me interesting places, when it works at all." Bilbo said and took out the stone with a cheeky grin. "Apparently I get more than my eyes from my Great Grandfather." Bilbo said and the hall fell silent. "Don't think this rock means I'm staying more than the year I agreed to." Bilbo said and crossed his arms and lifted his chin. An elderly dwarf laughed from the high table.

"You are truly sister kin to me Bilbo Baggins." Fundin said. "I am glad to know she lived, was she happy?"

"From all accounts she was, I never got to meet her, and by the time I was born she was long dead." Bilbo replied and shrugged. "We can't all have dwarven lifespan."

"What are your lifespan then my boy?"

"No one knows how many years they will have, but I suspect that it will be longer than most of my people. Most hobbits live eighty years or so, my maternal Grandfather lived to be one hundred and thirty, my paternal Grandfather died at eighty three, how much dwarven blood one has does not guarantee them years." Bilbo said and took a sip of his ale. "I'm forty, I should live to be anywhere between one hundred and thirty and two hundred, if I don't get some illness or have some sort of lethal accident." Bilbo took another gulp of the ale. "Not that it's any of your business."

"The mountain welcomed you, it declared you fit to rule."

"Not interested more over I don't have more than a child's understanding of dwarven culture. I'll tell you what I told my Grandfather, I'd make a very poor king indeed and I have no interest in politics. I'm happy enough with a ball of clay in between my hands and a pipe of good pipe weed." Bilbo stated and laughed. "I have no interest in being a noble, so you can put such out of your minds. My cousin invited me to meet my family and spend some time among my dwarven kin, right now I much prefer my Father's side to my mothers. Give me an honest man any day, over someone who's trying to manipulate you into doing what they want. The bonds of kin are strong, but they can be stretched thin, as my patients is being with such topics." Bilbo said and took another gulp of ale.

"You should eat some food as well." The miner said and Bilbo nodded.

"I suppose you are right, but they vex me." Bilbo stated and the miner laughed.

"I'm sure we'll vex you as well, given half the chance. I'm glad my Uncle paid for me to learn Westron, most of the family only talks in Khudzul, I'll introduce them to you once your in a better mood."

"I'd like that." Bilbo said and grinned and gulped down more ale. "This is pretty good, not as strong as what we make in the Shire, but good enough for dwarven ale."

"What do you mean by that? I'm Boudo by the by."

"Simply that you don't make your ale as strong, don't have as quick as a metabolism as hobbits I suppose, but few do. My mother drank several elves under the table, drinking elvan wine and I repeated her feat some fifty years later." Bilbo said with a grin. "Though I'm considered a light weight by my people."

"Oh really, have you ever tasted fire water cousin?" Boudo asked and Bilbo grinned.

"I wasn't old enough to drink when I got my master's coin, I'm of age now." Bilbo stated flatly. "By seven years." He added and Boudo laughed.

"It's strange to think of a youngling of forty being of age, but you must be to have been aware of the bond between you and Prince Thorin." Boudo said and Bilbo groaned.

"Can I try the fire water cousin, I don't wish to be reminded of that, or this day. Except for meeting you, I liked meeting you."

"Of course." His cousin said and grinned, handing him a bottle of something out of his cloak, Bilbo uncorked it and took a long swallow, before he grinned.

"This is great, as good as Farmer Gamgee's moonshine." Bilbo said and took another long swallow before passing the bottle back.

"Keep it." Boudo said and Bilbo nodded.

"My thanks." He said and gulped the moonshine as the food was served. He ate and drank liberally filling his belly with both food and spirits. He was laughing by the middle of the meal, his arms wrapped around Boudo and Bombur. "You are Buhel Bombur." Bilbo said and grinned. "You are Father kin, I am happy to be with my Buhel and Father kin."

"Aye lad, I am happy to meet you as well, though you might want to slow down on the drink or you might do something you regret."

"I don't think so, I liked the Blue Mountains better." Bilbo said and frowned. "I never did anything there that I might regret." Bilbo said and took up the jewel put it in his cloak, before he continued to eat.

"Well things are expected of you, now people know who you are."

"I'm my Father's son, just as much as my Mothers. I just wanna craft and be done with it. Let someone else yell themselves silly." Bilbo said and one of the young nobles laughed.

"What's hobbit politics like then?" The young dwarf demanded from the high table.

"Kili!" A dwarrowdam likely his mother said and Bilbo laughed.

"Lot the same, never went to dwarven court never was inta inta, liked my clay better, I like my clay. Lot of yelling, lot of arguing, lot of drinking an no one listening to anyone else unless they got grey hairs on their feet. Got drunk with cousins mostly." Bilbo said and smiled at the young dwarf. "So what's dwarven poly..poly courtly thingies like?"

"Boring but I have to go, even though Fi is next in line after Thorin, we will have to be kings next."

"Not if I stay and have little ones, but I don't know if I wanna stay." Bilbo pouted. "Want little ones."

"You can have babies Bilbo?" Bombur demanded and Bilbo nodded.

"Mama gives us lots of babies, she's a good Mama of Earth."

"Yavannah lad?" Bombur asked. "I remember you went to her temple every free day you had, as well as Mahal's."

"Yeah Mama made me and Papa made me." Bilbo frowned, he'd drunk too much and said too much. "I wanna dance."

"After we finish eating." Thrain said and Bilbo frowned but nodded.

"So you can have children?"

"Mama likes us, we take care of her and she helps us." Bilbo said and smiled. "Plant lots of pretty flowers, give her blessings and she gives us babies. I like my little cousins."

"We have about a hundred or so hobbits that are kin in the Shire." Dain said and grinned. "So that's how you do it?"

"Yes and ritual, you gotta mean it with all your heart." Bilbo said and smiled. "I was taught it when I got my mastery."

"In clay?" Dain asked and Bilbo nodded.

"Next is cooking, if I have the time." Bilbo said and yawned, rubbing at his eyes and looking a lot like a fauntling.

"What was in that fire water?"

"Just regular fire water." Boubo said and frowned. "How much did you drink."

"Stronger than I thought and sleepy." Bilbo said and yawned again. "Can I go to bed."

"Of course, we hardly expect you to sleep at the table." Thrain said and Bilbo nodded, he stood rather wobbly on his feet and smiled as Bombur steadied him. He walked with Bombur and Thorin.

"No you stay, I can find room." Bilbo protested.

"You won't let me speak to you."

"You don't speak you order." Bilbo replied and Fili, Kili and a fair-haired dwarf all laughed.

"Oh you are not going to have it easy brother."

"Thank you for that comment Frerin." Thorin said and Bilbo looked confused. "I doubt you will have an easier time of it."

"At least mine is dwarven and will speak with me, I'll take you to your rooms before you fall over Bilbo. You shouldn't argue when either one of you is drunk, that's what mother always said." Frerin said and Bilbo looked around and frowned.

"Where's your Mama?"

"She died sixteen years ago, got sick suddenly during a bad winter." Frerin said. "Our Grandfather got sick too and died the same winter."

"You lived why?" Bilbo asked.

"She was not my One, I grew fond of her but she was not my One." Thrain said and Bilbo frowned.

"Better to know and be friends if possible, have little ones but no binding, binding is bad." Bilbo started crying.

"Its alright lad, come on. His parents were each other's ones and died the same winter the Princess and King were lost." Bombur said and Bilbo continued to cry, he was helped to a chamber and they left him to undress. Bilbo took off his hat and traveling cloak, but didn't bother with his shirt or pants, he covered himself with blankets and fell asleep instantly.