Chapter 3:

Iluvatar's mercy

The halls inside of Aulë's palace were filled with finely decorated walls and pillars with engraved history on them. Marble, golden and silver colors gave form to the Main Hall leading to a much broader room. In the middle of the room was a large, wooden table and, laughing and conversing around it were the rest of Bilbo's friends.

Ori, Oin, Dwalin and Bofur approached their friend each one of them wrapping their arms around the smaller figure of the Hobbit. There were laughs and tears, toasts for the reunion of old friends and the mercy Lord Manwë and Lord Aulë had with both races to allow the meeting.

Aulë laughed enjoying the stories that sprung up around his table, he sat contemplating his creations and the secret creation of Lord Iluvatar. Beside him, Yavanna also smiled, her lips curling slightly and her eyes following with delight the Hobbit's gestures and expressions.

"You didn't!" Exclaimed Dwalin while Fili and Kili rolled over with laughter.

"Oh, I most certainly did!" Replied Bilbo grinning broadly. "You should have seen their faces when, out of thin air, I disappeared in front of them!"

Balin snorted drinking a rather large sip from his beer, beside him Thorin fidgeted uncomfortably his darkened stare focused on Bilbo. The rest of the Dwarves were amused and asked for Bilbo to tell them more about what had happened in the world before each one of them departed from it.

Bilbo complied with their request.

Sometimes his voice would taint with sorrow and longing, his mind would bring back the old feelings of loneliness and sadness when he remembered his friends. The Dwarves watched with compassionate stares as Bilbo told them how he missed each and every single one of them telling them there wasn't a day he didn't remember or honor their memory.

"What a story! I bet Gloin is pretty proud of Gimli!" Commented Ori. "The young man was always a little bit…special, for a Dwarf. It's good to know he end up being a good and honorable friend."

The conversation then changed to the times the Dwarves remembered, to those adventures they shared and Bilbo knew some of it. Thorin reclined on his chair observing Bilbo with apprehension; his musings were interrupted when an elbow found its way to his ribs. Turning around, rather annoyed Thorin glared at Balin.

"What?" he hissed lowly, Balin inclined his head and signaled to their little Burglar watching and hearing the others discussing and speaking rather animatedly.

"Please, do not put yourself on any more suffering and free us, your poor companions, of your miserable self." Balin teasing tone was something Thorin desired to pummel out of his friend. He hated it how much Balin knows about him because it usually gave his friend material to tease him.

"Whatever you mean by that?"

"Thorin just do it."

Balin stood up and went to Bilbo whispering something in the Hobbit's ear before moving away to join Fili and Kili in some kind of song. Aulë and Yavanna watched with interested as Bilbo stood up and made his way to Thorin. The both of them sat silent for a while and then Thorin started talking.

"Who would have thought that it would be, Lord Iluvatar's Third Children the ones to move your creation's stony hearts?"

Aulë grabbed Yavanna's hand and kiss it softly, his eyes focusing on his wife for a moment before they went back to the odd couple.

"I never made them stony, my dear. I merely made them difficult to reach for I was afraid of them being quite vulnerable to a world that wouldn't understand them." Aulë watched as Thorin smiled and grabbed Bilbo's hand in his. "Perhaps, that's one of the reasons Lord Iluvatar created the song of the Hobbits? It is not only my children but also yours and the rest of the Children of Iluvatar that had been quite enchanted by the Halflings."

"Perhaps." Said Yavanna with a gently smile on her face; she inclined her head when Bilbo's eyes found hers. The Hobbit smiled widely and repeated the gesture with as much grace as he could muster; Thorin stood up and lead Bilbo to another part inside the room and both Yavanna and Aulë observed how Bilbo would speak and nudged Thorin and how the Dwarven Prince would merely dedicated an entrancing stare to the Hobbit.

"Perhaps, Lord Iluvatar created them because, as Olórin has said before, we sometimes need the smaller things of this world to reminds us what happines and peace really mean."