Chapter 28

Thorin ducked under the sword swinging towards his head and lunged into the opening, slamming his elbow hard into the unarmored chest in front of him, sending Fili sprawling into the dirt and sawdust floor of the training room. He moved to crowd forward and force Fili to scramble back to his feet but his nephew didn't move. Thorin paused, looking down to make sure he hadn't knocked Fili senseless on the dirt floor.

Fili stared at the green stone ceiling far above them, his face a bit pale.

The tirade of always keeping one's head in a fight died on Thorin's lips. He lowered Orcrist. "Fili? What's the matter?"

Fili lifted his arms briefly and then let them flop at his sides theatrically. "I'm getting married tomorrow," he said and Thorin couldn't quite decide on the tone of voice Fili used. It sounded part terrified, part nervous, and entirely sheepish.

Thorin glanced up at Dwalin standing next to him, his eyebrows rising before he looked back at his nephew, his usual stoic expression returning. "I thought that's what you wanted," Thorin said and that same trepidation he'd felt when talking to Sigrid during the tunnel running competition returned.

"It is!" Fili said, lifting his head to look at Thorin. "I'm more nervous than Ori was on his first day as Balin's apprentice."

Thorin looked back up at Dwalin in alarm before turning and whistling. One of the young dwarrow that hung around the training fields looked up and trotted over eagerly.

"Your Majesty?" the dam asked. "Can I help?"

"Yes. Go find Lord Balin and have him come talk to me immediately Newirra."

The young dam bowed again before taking off out of the training yard.

Fili groaned and struggled to his feet. He stepped back from Thorin a bit and shifted into a fighting stance, his swords held a bit too loosely. When Thorin didn't raise Orcrist, Fili glanced at Dwalin who didn't move to attack either. Looking perplexed, Fili relaxed and the three waited until Balin came walking into the room, looking clean and neat as always, despite the fact he normally didn't wake up for another half an hour.

"You sent for me, My King?" he asked with a bow.

Thorin nodded. "I'm sorry to disturb your rest but I need you to cancel all my appointments today and I have a feeling you'll want to start work on that right away. Once you're done with that, take a day for yourself as well."

"Your Majesty?" Balin asked.

Thorin inclined his head toward Fili. "I have a nephew to distract from his upcoming nuptials."

Balin smiled and bowed to Thorin, patted his brother's arm and nodded toward Fili with a wink before leaving the training yard to do as Thorin asked.

"Go fetch your brother," Thorin ordered. "We'll get away from all the preparations for the day, outside the mountain."

Fili stood a little straighter, a bit of excitement starting to give him energy and banishing his nerves. "Are we going riding?" he asked.

"I thought we might," Thorin said. "Hurry. I'll have the rams saddled, or would you prefer pony back today?"

"Rams," Fili said, his grin widening. "It's been a while. Sigrid's too tall for them."

"Off with you then," Thorin said, nudging Fili towards the doors.

"He should be on watch on the ramparts," Dwalin called as Fili dashed away. "You're a great softie, you know that right?" he asked once Fili was gone.

"When it comes to the boys? Absolutely," Thorin said and sheathed Orcrist.

"And your pretty little husband."

Thorin punched Dwalin solidly in the arm without looking at him before heading toward the doors after Fili. "What did I tell you?"

"Can't help it," Dwalin said. "Almost everyone worth chasing is either married or has found their One."

"Go ogle Nori and Lira then," Thorin groused. "They don't mind it. Leave my pretty little husband out of it."

Dwalin laughed as they made their way to the stables where the war rams were kept. "I would, but I haven't seen either of them since the Dowry Debacle."

Thorin cringed a bit. He didn't know how Fili managed the apparent battlefield that was cultural differences between Dwarrow and Human wedding customs. That one instance had been bad enough. Part of him had worried about dragon sickness returning or that Bard had started to feel a bit of the same greed The Master of Laketown had exhibited. When Sigrid had explained Bard wanted to pay him the gold, he'd grown even more confused. Thank Mahal for Dis and her idea to put the money into a fund for the less privileged girls in Dale.

"I haven't seen them either," Thorin realized. "I wonder what they're up to this time."

Dwalin just shrugged as they entered the stables.

Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin spent the day roaming Erebor's slopes and hunting in the plains surrounding the mountain and Dale. They swam in the River Running and napped along its banks, fishing for their lunch and swapping tales from their lives, remembering the best parts of Fili's life, including the embarrassing bits. They kept their distance from both cities, avoiding everyone and all sight of wedding preparations. Finally, they headed back toward Erebor where Kili took over and herded Fili away from all the preparations and toward their rooms, ready to do all he could to keep his brother occupied for the rest of the evening.

Before Kili successfully dragged him away, Fili grabbed Thorin and pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face into Thorin's shoulder. "Thank you, Uncle," he murmured. "I really needed this."

"You have no reason to be nervous about your wedding," Thorin said as he gripped his nephew just as tight. "You may not see it yourself, but I believe Sigrid is your One."

Fili's arms tightened for a moment and Thorin turned his head just a little, brushing a kiss against his nephew's head before letting him go and giving him a nudge to join Kili.

"They grow fast, don't they?" Dwalin asked.

"Too fast," Thorin agreed, somehow seeing both his grown nephews and the two little toddlers he remembered from long ago at the same time. "I can only imagine how Dis feels," he admitted.

"I'd expect about the same as you," Dwalin said. "You more father to those boys than any other living dwarf I know. You worked to raise them just as much as she did."

"I hope I have done right by them," Thorin admitted quietly and tore his eyes away from Fili and Kili.

"I can't think of two finer young dwarrow," Dwalin said, gripping Thorin's shoulder. "You've done more than right by them."

Thorin felt a bittersweet smile tug at his lips. "Enough of this," he said. "Come. Let's find how Bilbo's doing."

"Not there, you clothead!" Bilbo cried and stormed up to the dwarf clumsily placing a large bundle of flowers on a small table. "Put them in the bucket of water over there or they'll wilt before we can even start to arrange them."

"Having difficulties?"

Bilbo whirled around. "Thorin!" he said, his expression going from stressed beyond all belief to absolutely delighted in the space of half a moment. His eyes shifted quickly to the bustling room around him and his face returned to its stressed visage. "Whoever decided I should be in charge of setting up the decorations made a terrible choice," he said despairingly. "We've so much to do and only today in which to do it."

"You're the best person for the job and you know it," Thorin said as he surveyed their surroundings. "Dwarrow have no idea what to do with all these flowers and things."

"Obviously," Bilbo grumbled. "I know Dis meant well with assigning helpers, but I'd much rather do it myself or have people who don't ask me fifty times if I'm sure we don't need more gems in the designs."

Thorin nodded. "I'm sure we can manage to find a solution," he said. He straightened and called. "You are all dismissed. One of you send for any members of my Company that can be spared from their current duties. Don't bother asking their highnesses. They're busy."

The dwarrow in the room bowed to their king and his consort before scurrying away.

Bilbo sighed and patted Thorin's arm. "Thank you for that. This will be much easier without all those ham-handed brutes mangling the flowers."

"Instead you'll have to put up with me," Thorin said as he took off his surcoat and draped it over the foot of the nearest statue of his ancestors. "Where would you like me to start? Dwalin. Come out of the shadows and help."

"Can't protect you if my hands are full of flowers," Dwalin grumbled even as he stepped out of his current hiding spot.

"There are guards stationed at every entrance. We are all armed and I think Fili and Sigrid will forgive us if some of the flowers are ruined in an attack," Bilbo said. "Now quit trying to get out of helping. You can start by moving that table over there for now and then we can work on the banners and ribbons. I'll start arranging the flowers."

"Your pretty little husband is bossy," Dwalin groused even as he went to one end of a long table.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop ogling my pretty little husband?" Thorin demanded, finishing rolling up his sleeves.

"I'm standing right here," Bilbo groused, moving a pile of bright orange alstroemeria into a bucket of water to wait until it was time to arrange them around the room. He'd already done all the work he could in Dale. He'd found many competent helpers there and they'd promised to stay true to his vision of the final product. "And I don't appreciate being called little. I'm perfectly respectable in size. It is the rest of the world that is too tall."
"Of course Dear," Thorin said and grabbed a ladder and a bundled banner to start the process of hanging them off the statues of his ancestors and across the Hall of Kings.

Soon, the entire Company except for Fili, Kili, Nori, Oin, and Bombur arrived. Gloin's wife Breila and his son Gimli came as well. Bilbo set everyone to work, surprisingly, Bifur approached him after it was apparent Bofur didn't really need help with setting up more banners.

"I can help with the flowers," Bifur said gruffly.

Bilbo looked up from his admittedly slightly frenzied sorting of flowers by color. "Really?" he asked, an eyebrow rising skeptically.

Instead of responding, Bifur plucked out a series of the flowers in front of Bilbo and started laying them out in a neat little bundle. He grabbed one of the Durin blue ribbons waiting at hand and expertly tied it in an intricate bow around the bouquet.

A relieved grin spread across Bilbo's face as he met Bifur's steady gaze. "You're hired," he said simply. "There are more flowers in the buckets over there. We need one for every hook around the room." He pointed up to show Bifur the hooks that had been temporarily fastened around the hall where he'd planned to hang bundles upon bundles of flowers. "I'll start on Sigrid's bouquet."

They worked for hours, shouting across the Hall of Kings at each other for more banners, flowers, ribbons, hooks, ladders, and ale or food. Bilbo and Bifur had just about finished preparing the numerous bouquets that would go up on the hooks as well as the flower chains that would go with the banners when Nori and Lira sprinted into the room, slamming the massive doors behind them.

"About time you reappeared," Dwalin groused from where he stood atop a ladder, hanging another banner.

"What is it?" Thorin demanded, striding forward, immediately alert.

"They're coming," Nori said and turned.

"They?" Bofur asked as he stepped off his ladder.

"Jubral and his ilk," Dwalin groused and tossed Orcrist to Thorin. "Hope you all brought weapons. It's going to be a good fight." He grinned wolfishly.

"Try not to destroy our hard work," Bilbo sighed.

"Breila, Gimli, off you go," Gloin ordered, nodding toward one of the side doors.

"Afraid they're stuck in here. We're surrounded," Nori said as he gave Thorin a push toward Bilbo. "In the middle, Thorin. Easier to keep the ruling monarch and his consort alive from there."

"How many are we talking?" Bofur asked and faced another door, his mattock appearing from somewhere.

"Enough that I wish we had the others here," Nori said as he shifted onto the balls of his feet. Instead of his mace, he wielded a pair of long, thin knives. Beside him, Lira held a rapier at the ready, a pair of axes similar to Dwalin's Grasper and Keeper were strapped to her back in easy reach.

"Good!" Gimli and Gloin chorused before grinning at each other before Gloin seemed to come to his senses and pushed his son behind him toward Bilbo and Thorin. The young dwarf stepped out of his father's reach and put his mother between them, hefting the ax he'd been wearing on his back.

Bilbo glanced up at Thorin, Sting held tightly in one hand. "Thorin," he murmured quietly as the company shifted to surround them.

"You'll be fine, Bilbo," Thorin said, his eyes scanning the room, searching for the first breach in the guards posted outside the Hall.

"I'm not worried about me," Bilbo said. "Jubral wants you dead. I've just been getting in the way, remember?"

Thorin looked down at Bilbo and paused. He seemed to search Bilbo's face for something before coming to a conclusion. He pulled Bilbo close to him, bent, and kissed him soundly. "I love you, no matter what may come." He pressed his forehead to Bilbo's, breathing in his scent.

Bilbo nodded, his expression turning grim. "I love you too," he said. "Try not to get killed, please."

"I'll do my best."

"You're sure there's no way for Thorin and Bilbo to get out?" Balin asked.

"Not enough time," Nori said. "Jubral knows where some of-"

Two of the smaller side doors burst open and over two dozen dwarrow charged into the room, slamming straight into Dwalin and Gloin, cutting off Nori's explanation in the sudden chaos.

Bilbo stayed within the Company circled around him. He turned, keeping Thorin's back pressed to his. In front of him Gloin, Bofur, and Bifur fended off swords and axes with their own weapons. Nori and Lira wove in and out of the would-be usurping force, dispatching those around them, breaking up tight-knit pockets that pressed too hard on Thorin's defenders with their shorter knives. Blood slicked the gold floor beneath their feet. Dwarrow boots started sliding in the mess, only to come to a stop as feet hit fallen forms on the floor.

A black-haired dwarf with a scar splitting his beard on one cheek squeezed between Gloin and Bofur. Bofur shouted, desperately trying to free himself from the tall dam swinging her ax into his mattock.

Grimly, Bilbo shifted slightly away from Thorin, ducking the Warhammer in the dwarf's hands. He came up beneath the swing and drove Sting into the dwarf's chest. He angled upward beneath his ribs. The dwarf dropped his hammer and stumbled away from Bilbo. He grabbed for Sting and Bilbo kicked him as hard as he could in the pelvis, pushing the dwarf off his sword before it could be taken from him.

With blood staining Sting's blade and splashed across his hands, Bilbo stepped back until he pressed against Thorin's back again. Bofur smashed the dam's foot with his mattock's haft before driving the top of the weapon up into her chin with all the force he could muster. She fell aside, unconscious, possibly dead, and with her jaw severely broken, blood pouring down her chin, and, Bilbo suspected, a few broken teeth.

Thorin shifted behind him, pulling away. Bilbo resisted the urge to turn and check on Thorin. He trusted his husband not to be killed on purpose but someone needed to protect his back. Instead, Bilbo kept his eyes trained on the area around him, waiting for someone else to break through the circle.

At least a dozen more dwarrow broke into the hall.

Thorin shifted back against Bilbo's back again, tension lining his body. His hair brushed against the top of Bilbo's head and he gave a rattling, caw that sounded remarkably like the crows. He repeated the noise a few times before pulling away from Bilbo again, shouting wordlessly.

A dam shoved around Gloin and Bilbo lunged into her immediately before she could raise her ax. He sank Sting into her leg and jerked his sword up, opening a long, deep gash in her unprotected thigh. Blood spurted out, splashing across his face. He reared back and dove in again, slamming the flat side of his sword into the side of her head. She went down, blood dripping from cuts along the side of her bruising face.

"Bilbo!"

He looked up just in time to roll out of the way of a sword. He used his momentum to bring him back to his feet. He dodged another swing and caught a third on Sting's hilt. He moved to the side and twisted, disengaging before slicing across the dwarf's hip. He drew back again and paused as a knife appeared in the dwarf's throat. He recognized Nori's weapon and pulled it free before it disappeared in the growing piles of bodies on the floor.

Bilbo glanced behind him and cursed. Thorin now stood back to back with Dwalin, Orcrist dripping in blood and the stoic calm Bilbo associated with deep sadness and frustration on Thorin's face.

Dwarrow pressed in around him, cutting off his view. He turned back to the task at hand, trying to maneuver toward where he'd last seen Thorin.

It didn't take long before Bilbo realized more of the attackers targeted him than they did Thorin. It made sense really. Though Jubral wanted Thorin dead, not every dwarf did, even those of the underworld as many of these appeared to be, going by their shabby clothing and often shorn heads or beards.

Mercenaries, Nori had told them a few weeks ago. Dwarrow that had been banished by other kingdoms as well as a few from Erebor of old under King Thror's rule. All of them hired to aid Jubral in removing the current ruling house. Those that lived within Erebor and still wore their beards and hair long and thus hadn't been banished and tried to return to dwarrow society avoided Thorin and came after Bilbo. Killing the king's consort was one thing.

Regicide carried even harsher penalties for those that failed.

Something smashed to Bilbo's left. He glanced over and cursed. "Not the flowers!" he shouted angrily. Of all the things for someone to destroy, it had to be one of the largest tables where bouquets waited to be placed. Geraniums, alstroemeria, comet orchids, and dogwood flowers spilled across the ground to be trampled underfoot. He cursed once more and dodged an ax driving down to split him in two. He tangled in a banner lying across the floor, blood soaking into the Durin blue and burgundy triangles. He swore, cut his way free and struggled up, kicking out with one foot and knocking someone off balance.

He came up next to Nori. The dwarf sported cuts across his arms but little else.

"Lovely day for a scrap," Nori said as he fended off a sword with one of his knives.

"You dropped this," Bilbo said and handed back the knife he'd pulled from a corpse.

"Much appreciated," Nori drawled before grabbing Bilbo's collar and pulling him to the ground.

"Things are getting a bit too lively for my taste," Bilbo said. He stabbed someone in the shoulder and wrenched Sting out. More blood splashed across his tunic.

Nori grunted at something. "Might be time for you to make like the faerie you are," he hinted as he threw a fist into a wounded dwarf's bleeding side. They fell away, giving the two a moment to breathe as those around them tried to fight their way past Lira and Gloin on one side and Dwalin and Thorin on the other.

"How much attention can we draw?" Bilbo panted.

"Get over by Thorin. Lira or I will let someone adequate through. Just be ready."

"If you say so," Bilbo said. He darted away from Nori and over too where Thorin and Dwalin fought. They shifted to form a triangle.

Moments later, a large, shorn dwarf howled in triumph as they pushed by Lira. Rage poured off the dwarf, fueled by his own blood dripping from his face and down his arms. Bilbo gulped, glanced around and saw faces turn toward the triumphant bellow. He took a deep breath, shoved his grime-covered hand into his pocket, and slipped his funny little ring on his finger.

The dwarf in front of him skidded to a halt, rage quickly evaporating into terror. "Faerie!" he shouted and changed direction, scrambling for the nearest exit.

Other dwarrow took up the shout, moving away from Thorin and Bilbo and trying to get away from the main fight only to run into a wall of soldiers streaming into the Hall of Kings. The remaining attackers quickly dropped their weapons at the sight of the heavily armed and armored dwarrow loyal to Thorin and Bilbo.

"Well that worked better than I thought it would," Nori remarked with a grin at Thorin.

Dwalin glared at the soldiers. "You're response time is horrendous. We're going to work on that starting first thing after the wedding tomorrow."

Those not busy detaining their attackers groaned and started moving to check the two or three dozen bodies on the floor.

If there was one thing the aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies had taught the dwarrow, it was how to clean up a battle. After the surviving attackers were carted to holding cells, the rest of the soldiers on duty returned to help remove the fallen and clean up the bloody remains in the Hall of Kings.

Bilbo stood forlornly in the middle of the room, a bundled up, soiled banner in his arms. He sighed and dropped it into a barrel full of other banners and crushed flowers.

"We survived," Thorin said, taking his place at Bilbo's side. "Were you hurt?"

Bilbo shook his head. Thorin moved to place an arm around Bilbo's shoulders and pull him close but paused when Bilbo tensed. Thorin aborted the motion, instead linking his hands behind his back. "Can anything be salvaged?" he asked, taking in the destruction around them. Banners trailed on the floor, only two or three remained hanging in the above them. They'd shoved the remains of every single flower into barrels to be removed. They'd all been crushed underfoot. "The flowers, obviously not, but the banners?"

Bilbo shook his head.

Thorin's shoulders slumped. "I'm afraid I have no idea how to tell Fili and Sigrid their wedding has been ruined."

Bilbo turned sharp eyes on Thorin. "Ruined?" he demanded and then again with indignation saturating his voice. "Ruined?! The wedding is hardly ruined ! Any hobbit worth their pipeweed knows better than to grow only enough flowers for decorating things once over. That's just asking for trouble. No. We'll have to be a bit more conservative, but I have plenty of flowers leftover in my garden. I'm more worried about the banners. I'm pretty sure only one set was made." He turned his gaze up to the open ceiling-high, high above their heads. "It just feels too open."

Thorin looked up as well, taking in the expanse. It did feel too open. They'd never have the feeling of a warm, inviting kingdom with all that open air beneath cold stone above them. He grimaced and grabbed a passing soldier's arm. "Send for Master Dori in the Weaver's Guild immediately." The soldier bowed low before racing off to do as ordered. "Perhaps," Thorin said, "he will have some ideas and materials available."

Thorin called for those already there to gather around as well as Dori who arrived in a whirlwind of irritation, griping about unfinished wedding clothes until he saw what remained of the carnage. He quickly stopped his rant and asked how he could help.

After Thorin informed Dori of what had happened and laying out what everyone needed to do (mostly do exactly what Bilbo told them to do), Bilbo added in the most somber voice he could muster, "Whatever you do, don't tell Fili or Sigrid what has happened."

Thorin nodded his assent. "Fili is already half out of his mind with worry over the wedding. He doesn't need any added stress."

"And no one's seen Sigrid since she and her family arrived this morning," Nori added. "I'd imagine they've holed up in their rooms, doing all they can to keep her distracted."

"Yes, yes, we understand," Dori huffed. "Now is not the time for talking. We have quite a bit to do."

No one protested and turned to Bilbo for orders, except Dwalin, Thorin, and Lira who excused themselves to go question those attackers who had lived, intent on finding Jubral and his remaining group before the wedding. Nori stayed behind and Dori's request, knowing his One could handle the work until he arrived.

It just so happened that Dori did have an idea. He raced back to the Weaver's Guild Hall to get to work while Bilbo led the rest of the available Company as well as Breila and Gimli up to his garden where the rest of the flowers waited, just in case.

"But why grow extras?" Bofur asked as he carefully cut alstroemeria the way Bilbo told him to, leaving plenty of the stem so they could be trimmed to the proper length once down in the King's Hall.

Bilbo's head popped up over the top of a geranium plant, still biceps deep in the bright pink and white blossoms as he carefully cut the little bundles. "More than one wedding has had to be postponed due to weather in the Shire," he said. "Hobbits learned early to have extra flowers in case of high winds and torrential downpours. An unfortunate hazard of frequent spring and summer weddings. Now, hurry, please. We're already looking to be up late into the night if not until tomorrow morning. I for one would like a little sleep before the wedding." He added his flowers to a barrel and bent to cut more.

Soon, every single blossom sat in barrels to be carted down to the Hall of Kings, leaving Bilbo's poor garden looking rather green or outright bare in some places. Instead of feeling upset, Bilbo nodded his approval. "Now I can plant more vegetables and different flowers," he said before leading everyone and their barrels down to the Hall of Kings.

Dori stood in the middle of the gold floor, shouting orders and directing dwarrow all over the room. Young apprentices scurried about carrying massive bolts of cloth in deep burgundy, Durin blue, brightest white, and a lovely dove grey.

Bilbo's worry over the height of the ceiling evaporated. The Weaver's Guild worked tirelessly, running back and forth, hanging enormous lengths of cloth across the area at hip height to the massive statues lining the room, weaving the colors in and around each other. Embroiderers sat off to the side, stitching more of the material with the geometric patterns dwarrow favored. Nori sat a little ways apart, bent over a length of deep burgundy fabric and quickly stitching golden thrushes into the fabric. Bilbo marveled at his speed and skill and decided not to bother him, even if he did sit atop the largest table that he'd planned to use for prepping and arranging flowers with Bifur.

Instead, Bilbo set Gloin and Gimli to moving a few tables into a group and lining the barrels up along one side with enough space for a dwarf to stand between them. Once that was done, he set the father and son to trimming the flower stems to the right length. They then passed them across the table to where Bilbo, Balin, and Bifur bundled them into bouquets and made any last-minute trimmings to them. Once they were done, Dori directed Ori, Bofur, and Breila on where to put the bouquets.

When Bilbo was just finishing up on creating the bouquet Sigrid would hold for the part of the wedding where they actual took vows or whatever it was dwarrow did when they actually followed tradition, Nori gave a triumphant shout and slid off his table. He carefully bundled the cloth he'd been working on up and carried it to Dori.

"Good work," Dori said, eyeing the material critically. "We'll place it over here, above where they'll be married."

Bilbo looked up where Dori indicated. There was an opening, right next to a Durin blue cloth, embroidered in the familiar interlocking diamond design Fili seemed to favor. Workers scrambled to hang the cloth, completing the illusion of a lower ceiling. Bilbo went back to working on the bouquet.

When he finally finished, he stepped back and surveyed the carnage. Discarded leaves and stems littered the tables, barrels, and floor around him but already dwarrow moved in to clear the mess away. He looked around the Hall to take in their hard work.

Dori's flair for design and stuffy attention to detail exceeded all hopes and expectations. The random bolts of cloth being carried about had ended up unraveled and hung overhead as he'd noted before. The ends of the bolts trailed down, hiding the statuary in the room from view. Sparkles from gems catching the lantern and candlelight drew the eye around the room, always searching and finally bringing his gaze up to the two sheets of fabric he'd seen before. Bouquets of flowers hung with the material along the walls, adding splashes of living color to accompany the hard shine of the gemstones.

"This is even better than I had originally planned," Bilbo said as Bofur came to stand next to him. "Why didn't we just hire Dori to do the decorating in the first place?"

Bofur shrugged. "He was busy with the clothes for tomorrow. He still has a little bit to do on Sigrid's gown but should finish up within an hour, or so he claims."

Bilbo nodded and hid a yawn behind one hand. "That's all well and good, but, if I'm not mistaken, it's very late, or rather very early. You dwarrow may be able to stay up for multiple nights in a row, but I'd prefer to get at least a little sleep. I'm off to bed. Thank you for all your help."

"Don't worry about it," Bofur said. "Couldn't very well let the Crown Prince be married in the middle of a battle zone, now could we? Already had one of those happen in the royal family this century, after all."

Bilbo shook his head at the reminder and scurried from the room, afraid of the teasing Bofur was obviously moving towards. Bofur's laughter chased him as he went.