Little Terror's

Ok; a little foreword is in order; I needed to write this out so I could wrap up the darn Hobbit story and go on with the…fluff…coughs… However, this is still not a beta version. I apologize in advance for changing the story of the Hobbit (So everyone did survive) playing around with poor Bard (I always liked him in the original story) and I really hope that J.R. does not come back to life one day to sue me for rewriting his story this way .

And for those fluff addicts under you, there should be enough in this chappy to even sate your addiction for a while!

Sury

Part four,

Gandalf never found the time to 'Talk' with Bilbo in the following day.

The next day they had to break up camp by Beorn early and Gandalf had to leave the Dwarves and one Hobbit shortly after, on the rim of the looming Mirkwood. The next days that followed nipped every romantic feeling or whatever else right in the bud.

If it wasn't hunger then it was spiders as huge as Beorn's bears.

Then… came the elves and an unfortunate ride on barrels for Bilbo, which ended with him falling ill right after.

Bofur looked with a depressed feeling in his gut, down onto the feverishly thrashing Bilbo in the bed in the rooms given to them from the Laketown folk. He looked much too thin and too small in the huge and for humans made bed. Almost as white as the sheets he was, only the cheeks flushed red from the high fever he suffered. Bofur's nails looked a mess, since he had all but gnawed them off to the flesh in his worry about his smallish Hobbit.

Across from his chair on the other side of the bed sat Fili, almost looking the same as Bofur. Both had over the last weeks fought over Bilbo's affections whenever they could.

The prince had not taken well to it that Bilbo had allowed Bofur to court him and not Fili. Nevertheless, all of their rivalry was forgotten once they saw in what state Bilbo was in after their unexpected barrel escape. Fili had even promised to give up his mopping if Bilbo would only open his eyes again and damned say something!

The Hobbit was now out since two days and worried not only the two with his constantly high fever.

Thorin was seen hovering at the door more and more often. Always when he did so, Dwalin wasn't far behind and where Dwalin went, Balin naturally was to find too. Oin had chased them all out of the house for more than one time already in his irritation at their hovering around poor Bilbo. The lad needed peace, rest, and not a bunch of overly fretful Dwarves to smother him!

Bard of Laketown watched the entire event with mirth.

The Major was annoyed at the fact that Thorin run out on him on his feast when Bilbo fainted and left him there gapping like a fish. The archer sniggered at the memory. His father had often told the man how protective Dwarves could become over people or things that they saw as theirs to take care of. The Hobbit unquestionably fell under that category and he luckily knew about a way to lessen the fears of the Dwarven King in exile and his group to loose the Halfling to the illness that had taken hold on the poor small warrior.

Actually, he had just given the medical concoction of his mother to their healer, Oin.

It was an old family recipe against these kinds of sicknesses that affected the lungs and brought out high fever pitches. However, what was more important was that it worked almost every time without doubt. Sure, it tasted awful and was a syrupy draught that was hard to swallow but it did its intended job.

Sitting down to have an ale in the common room, provided by the Dwarves he waited for what he was in no doubt about it that it was soon to come.

He wasn't disappointed, three hours later happy shouts filled the house out. By now, Bard was too drunk to care any longer. Dwalin could really drink one under the table! And while the Dwarves celebrated the down going fever of their small friend, Bard snored away on the table. A blanket tucked around his shoulders from a thoughtfully and thankful Dori when he saw the tall human slumber away there.

Meanwhile Dwalin and Bard had tried to drown themselves in ale, Bilbo's fever broke.

Much to Oin's relieve the medicine of the tall and a little wild looking man had helped better as he would have ever expected it. Currently he tried to scribble down what the archer had told him that the concoction contained. Hopefully he had not forgotten a plant mentioned! This stuff worked wonders on sicknesses like Bilbo's. He made a list of herbal remedies that he knew the archer would like to know about and that would aid his people better as theirs in exchange for the selfless gift of his people.

Checking Bilbo over once more, the healer left the room with the sleeping Bilbo and now equally out of all, Bofur. The Toymaker had curled himself around Bilbo in his exhausted sleep. Oin left him there. Bofur could not catch the illness from Bilbo and his warmth would keep Bilbo from falling into another danger.

That of cooling down too fast.

Fili had in the meanwhile found the ale a level lower in the house in the bar and drowned his rejection in it. His brother by his side and not far behind, as always. The happiness he had seen in the eyes of the Miner and Toymaker when Bilbo's fever went finally down had him stop his pining after Bilbo all at once.

How was he supposed to react otherwise in the face of the realization that Bilbo obviously was Bofur's one and only?

It was just not fair! And Fili slurred out as much when Kili finally hauled his brother up with him to go to bed. Once his head hit the pillow, Fili resolved himself to a strange resolution that had his equally tipsy brother giggle madly when he garbled it out. One finger in the air above his head that was face down in the cushion he slurred in his sternest voice;

"Alwrighf, Iwf Bowur haws gottem Bilbro tfhen I willy go an' get ma' owfn cuty lill' Hobwit!"

Needless to mention that his slur was almost not to decipher by anyone else as his brother…

With that thought in mind, Fili finally shifted in his bed and fell asleep. In the other bed, Kili was already out like a light. Still giggling in his sleep from time to time and drooling on his pillow when not. That was how Thorin finally found both and headshaking at the mumbles of Fili about cute hobbits and Kili's about huge cuddly bears he tucked them both in and left quietly again.

They would have the hangover from hell tomorrow but that wasn't his problem. Both were old enough to not drink each other into coma. He wasn't their babysitter, he was their uncle and no longer responsible for their idiocies. Rubbing his face, he went into his own bed.

Thorin only hoped their words meant not that he had to watch out for strange bedfellows of them in the future!

Bilbo awoke from the feeling of someone's hand combing soothingly through his sweat soaked hair in the next morning.

Bofur's relieved face was the first that his eyes saw when he opened them. The room had been darkened down some by curtains so that the bright morning sun would not disturb his sleep. Once seeing his Hobbit's eyes flutter, Bofur had leaned in so he would not miss the moment when Bilbo opened them.

"Hija! Back under the living?"

His smile was infectious and Bilbo found himself smile weakly back at the cheerful face of Bofur in a mere moment. His voice was raspy from the fever when he croaked out; "Yes, water please?" He was sat up and comfortably leaned against the headboard of the bed and had a mug with tea set upon his lips before he ended his last word.

The herbal tea with honey soothed his sore throat and settled the sick feeling in his stomach.

"Sorry, Bilbo but Oin had me promise that I give ye this mixture once ye awake. It tastes awful and smells bad but it helped to get yer' fever down fast!" Bilbo didn't complain about the taste, actually he tasted nothing right now and smelled nothing either. Both nose and taste buts quite dead and out of working for a while from the cold he had caught. He told Bofur as much what had the Dwarf laugh heartily.

"Lucky chap! If me needed that stuff, I would kill myself. I took a drop to taste it and nearly gagged! But it helps and that's what's counting."

Bilbo just nodded and went on to eat a light breakfast with the help of Bofur. He was still too weak to manage alone. Soon after that and a trip to the privy in the arms of the Dwarf, Bilbo's room was invaded from various members of his Dwarven company. Only to have Oin chase them all out with a broom, of all things and where had he found that old looking thing anyways, after a few minutes again.

The healer huffed once all were out of the room again and mumbled something about foolish Kings and idiotic Dwarflings under his breath before he stomped out of the room to give them a verbal trashing for disturbing poor Bilbo when he was still not well enough for so many visitors at once! Outside, Bilbo could hear him not much later, shouting angrily at the others.

Shaking his head the Hobbit snuggled back under his warm blanked and into his new shawl, courtesy of Ori and fell asleep again soon.

When Bofur slipped inside the room again after a few more minutes, Bilbo was already sleeping peacefully again. Oin had even chased him out in his ire! Told him to take a bath, curse it and get something into his stomach before he fell ill too. Not that Bofur complained about it for once, the healer had been right, Bilbo still needed rest more than anything and rest, he would get.

If Bofur had anything to say about it, that was.

Pressing a soft kiss into the curls on top of Bilbo's head, Bofur tucked the blanked securely around the small Hobbit. He settled back into his chair and begun to work on his latest carving again in utter silence so not to wake Bilbo by chance.

His hobbit needed a sponge bath soon, he thought preoccupied by carving away on what looked to become a beautiful little figurine of a tiny pony and an equally tiny rider with too big feet.

In the evening Oin deemed Bilbo rested enough to first eat something and then have a sponge bath. The Hobbit managed that alone but asked for help when he needed his hair washed. Bofur did that, to Bilbo's utter mortification. Turned out the Dwarf wasn't only good with carving things with his hands, the wash was so pleasant that Bilbo fell asleep in the middle of it!

Much to Oin and Bofur's amusement.

Drying it carefully without to jostle the sleepy Bilbo too much, Bofur was faced with a dilemma. Bilbo's hair had grown a lot since the beginning of their journey. Now it fell constantly in the face of him and already it reached over his ears. Not thinking for long, Bofur wove the strands into two tiny braids before long. The most he left untouched by any braiding but left and right of the face he placed two braids that indicated a courting and who did the courting to Dwarves should they see Bilbo with them.

One was one of his customary patterns of braiding, the stile easily to recognize from each Dwarf in and around Laketown. Marking him as Bilbo's intended.

The other was the typical signal braid of one that was courted by someone else and told any other suitors off once they laid eyes on it. Well, any Dwarves that was, but the humans around here still knew about those braids too and Bofur took a darkly pleasure in the thought that they would now stay away from His Hobbit!

Better not taking chances, the softly humming Dwarf thought and clasped both braids firmly in place with his own iron clasps.

Downstairs Fili nursed the stepmother of all hangovers over a cup of herbal tea, provided kindly by Oin.

Across from the heir of Thorin, Bard and Kili did the same. Equally miserable expressions on their faces as he wore it currently, all three made a wretched picture to the on looking Thorin. Then Dwalin stumbled down the stairs and made the quartet of recovering drunkards complete. He laughed softly at the sight and went to get himself a hearty breakfast.

Still chuckling.

Earlier this morn Oin had given them all, minus the still asleep Dwalin, a tongue lashing about crowding Bilbo's bedside. Well, and minus Bard too who had been woken up from the voice of the healer and had come down from where Dori and Balin had stashed him into a bed upstairs the night before to see what the commotion was about.

Not fully awake and feeling very sick still, he had been hugged near dead from an overly enthusiastic group of Dwarves once he stepped into the room.

What ended with it that he had to use a nearby bucket to throw up rather fast. Dwarven hugs were not healthy for hangover humans in the morning. At least that got them off, of him fast; he surmised and had dragged his sorry self over to a chair and a table as soon as he had washed up.

By now, he felt marginally better.

The tea of that healer could make Oin rich here in Laketown, Bard was certain, if not also in every other town on Middle Earth if the healer ever decided to sell it! It was the best hangover cure Bard had come across so far and that said something, since he was a regular of hangovers in the late, since the Major had been elected.

That man was the pain in Bard's ass!

Not literally, thank the Valar for small mercies, but he made the life of the last heir of the former ruler of Dale miserable wherever he could. Eying the Dwarves, Bard barely hid a smirk. He had the bad, bad feeling that the Thorin fellow would teach the Major one or two lections of his own in the near future and wholeheartedly looked forward to it.

They were going to Erebor, Bard was sure and once they did, he would follow them!

They had to get rid of that Dragon, it was poisoning their lives with its mere presence and Bard wanted his hometown back. Maybe, if he were smart and cunning enough, Thorin would be amenable to the thought of having him help? The nephew of him was their only archer of the group and maybe, they could need a second? If the Firedrake ever woke up and went out of the mountain again, Laketown would burn down to cinders like Dale and Bard could not let that happen, Major or not, Bard was still responsible for his people in the town.

His people still owned the worm a world of pain too.

Setting his jaw, Bard finally stood and sought out Thorin Oakenshield to talk with him about his ideas. About the Major and whatever else Bard knew that would be of interest for the King to be aware about. Thorin had a right to know about it all and Bard had begun to genially like the Dwarves that cared about the small member of their group so much.

Therefore, it came that Thorin found himself with an additional member of his group in the end that actually was useful for once.

Not like that Wizard that had come and gone whenever the fancy seems to take him to do so. He still grumbled about that, even now, riding his new pony. Bilbo had recovered rather fast from the illness what had astounded not only Bard but the Dwarves as well. They were a sturdy little race, and all had taken notice of that.

Once the archer saw the braids in Bilbo's hair, he had made certain to stay the hell away from Bilbo Baggins on their trip to the mountain.

What had pleased Bofur and the others as well and had confused poor little Bilbo immensely. Still clueless what exactly the new decorations in his hair meant to others that knew about Dwarven customs. Bofur had only told him that they signaled that he had given his consent to Bofur's courting and that was that.

He did not know that the one that Bifur had added to the duo of braids meant hands off, to any who knew about the language of braids in Dwarven culture and neither did Bilbo had a clue about it that the entire outfit of his practically screamed ownership of several Dwarven families to the observant observer, like Bard was one.

With one of those families mentioned, being that of the royal line of Durin no less!

Bard made certain to be polite and all but to always stay a step away from Bilbo in the next days.

The major had not been that wise and had earned several growls and barely veiled treats from various members of the company when he tried to come too near to Bilbo for their likening. Dwalin nearly beheaded him with one of his axes by *Cough Accident cough, it slipped soo sorry* when the man didn't get it after the treats and again tried to talk to Bilbo.

Bofur made no attempts to hide his jealously and neither his possessiveness and simply took Bilbo by an arm or sleeve and placed him behind him when Humans approached and tried to get close to the cute little fellow of the Dwarves with the well-mannered demeanor. The only ones that could hug and touch Bilbo without to have to fear for their lives were the children and they had taken advantage of that fact rather fast.

Much to everyone's chagrin.

Bard's son being one of the fastest of that bunch of little menaces that seemingly waited for every opportunity to snatch their Hobbit away from Bofur and co that they could discover. Surprisingly the Dwarves never complained when they did manage to do so again and indulged the children's whims rather benevolently.

Bard, however, wasn't fooled by that for a minute.

He had seen Bilbo scold Thorin for scowling at a tyke that had tried to hug Bilbo and even being fond of children as only Dwarves could be it, he had to tell them off. They all were highly hazardous when it came down to one single Bilbo Baggins and Bard kept that in mind. On the other hand, it gained him a bid trust and acceptance when they saw him keep in the old traditions and honoring their ways.

That he wanted to avenge the deaths of Dale's people had gained him a spot in the Dragon hunting party after many discussions with Thorin and co.

The King only relented when Bilbo pointed innocently out one time that Dale was now a ruin filled with skeletons like Erebor too, that had him and the others older than Fili, Kili and Ori, stop complaining in the end. They all had seen the burned corpses litter the streets when they had to flee the mountain. Many of them being unfortunate children that had played in the streets… Thorin said nothing anymore to Bards wish to help them after that memory surfaced.

Turned out the archer was good in helping them to ponies and new gear for the road too.

Their old one, once more lost and probably now catching dust in Thranduil's halls.

The entire group still grumbled about that all the time. At least Bilbo could grab and stash their weapons before he freed them. Fili however had made a vow to never eat an apple again in his life! He had been stuck with the apple cider barrel and the smell had nearly killed the poor Dwarf on his ride down the river.

Bard had to snigger when he heard that story, madly.

Once they reached the mountain, they waited for Durin's Day to arrive. As an outsider, Bard could only marvel at the observations he made in the following days. The entire group of stubborn Dwarves carved immediately once the delicate creature called Bilbo said a single word. Be it mulishly denying to search for fire wood (Kili could suddenly run to gather it once Bilbo gave him as much as a disapproving look) or be it other mundane tasks that no one wanted to do (like washing their hands before dinner) all could suddenly do so once Bilbo asked them.

Once Bilbo said something, everyone suddenly rushed to do so while trying to not look like they rushed to do so… it was rather funny to watch!

More than once Bard earned a glare for his badly suppressed laughs but no one dared to say something hence Bilbo would get aware of it. So he got away with it unharmed. All the more surprised was Bard when Bilbo went inside to look at the Dragon for them and that the overprotective group let him that was.

Bofur nearly ate his hat in his fretting while Thorin paced and Fili sharpened his knifes furiously. Everyone was suddenly busy with doing something to distract them from fretting over one Hobbit. Balin did not; he went resolutely after Bilbo inside to aid the small and brave creature.

When Bilbo came back, Bard found out that he too had fretted, since his pipe was still unlit and he had tried to puff away and wondered all the time why he couldn't get a smoke out of it.

When the Dragon descended onto them all, Bard didn't think about his pipe anymore. He just grabbed his bow and shoot were Bilbo had said the weak spot was in the armor of the beast. Kili had barely time to tuck the tall human into the secret tunnel entrance with him after Bard had shot the beast before it came already tumbling down and crashed into the mountain side.

Smaug effectively trapped them inside with his body that wound around itself its death throws.

For minutes no one said a word then everyone was hollering in joy and victory, Bard no less as the rest.

When they finally made it outside again through the damaged front gates, all awaited a surprise.

Turned out, Kili had managed to land an arrow too. It had pierced one eye and had sealed it shut what had helped to distract the beast long enough so Bard could shoot it from the sky. Both bowmen grinned at each other rather proudly of their work. No one complained about it, they had earned it to feel smug about it.

The hoard was a shock for Bard and Bilbo.

The latter not so much as Bard, since he had already been here and had seen it but both shared a mutual look of utter astonishment about the unbelieving amount of gold, jewelry, gemstones and all else that they saw.

They exchanged another, now worried look when the Dwarves begun to show the first signs of Gold-sickness around them.

Bofur nearly got drowned in the sudden giddy feeling of seeing such an amass of riches but shook himself out of it when he saw the worried looks Bard and Bilbo shared over the suddenly so weird acting Dwarves. Looking around and seeing the mess that had started to affect everyone, he begun to scream so loudly that all looked shocked at the hollering Miner.

Huffing a tad from the exertion, Bofur waved his arms at the mass of gold and his fellow Dwarves.

"Stop! Just… look at us! We are all about to succumb to that cursed Gold sickness!"

That fast did the trick for the most. It took Thorin a bid longer to shake it off as the rest. What irked him immensely, it needed Bilbo, and his nephew's pleadings to see reason to get though the haze that had begun to cloud his mind to have him get out of its hold again in the end. After that, the king fled the room with a horrified expression and was not seen until the end of the day again.

That long needed Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror to get his bearings back together.

Bard didn't begrudge Thorin that, even he, being human and not dwarf, had to shake the greedy feelings off that preyed on his sanity seeing all that gold. He too left without a word and settled onto one of the balconies over the destroyed gate to sort out his mind. Everyone else did the same as the two in their own ways. Bofur clung to Bilbo for the rest of the day as if the Hobbit was the only thing that kept him from snapping.

Bifur and Bombur soon followed suit and clutched to the two, never leaving each other out of sight for the reminder of the day. The group of four had settled onto another balcony to have fresh air while they did so, to clear their minds from the gold sickness that had nearly gotten to them.

Kili and Fili invaded that of Bard and settled near the man in the end.

Dwalin and Balin settled right outside the old doors to the kingdom together with Oin and Gloin. Dwalin occasionally hitting at the rocks that lay around in his anger to nearly have fallen prey to that cursed ailment of his race. Sometimes joined in by Gloin who muttered darkly curses all the time in Khuzdul.

Ori, Dori and Nori too vanished inside the mountain like Thorin and weren't seen just as long.

"Better now?"

Bilbo had worriedly fuzzed over his Dwarves all the time they needed to get the attack out of their systems again. Finally, he had settled to alternatively comb through Bifur and Bofur's hair while Bombur was a solid weight at his back.

The rotund Dwarf had cried silently into Bilbo's back until the sun went down.

All of them seemed to calm down some since the sun had set. Eying the neighboring balcony, he saw that Kili must have climbed halfway into Bards lap at one point while Fili had settled next to the long-suffering man, one arm around his brother. Bard seems to take the clinging Durin's with dry humor. To judge from the lopsided smile on his lips and the softly patting of the younger of the two on the back.

He looked like a father with his children to Bilbo who had to laugh softly at the thought once it crossed his mind.

Well, he mused, Bard was a father, of to two healthy children from what he knew and such behavior as that of the duo was probably familiar to the man. Their eyes shortly met over the distance and both shared a humorous smile before they went back to tend to their charges. When night fell all went back inside the mountain to search for the others, suddenly wanting them near.

Even Thorin was driven out of his hiding spot from that need and soon was enveloped into the hugs of Kili and Fili.

This night, all of them slept in a pile of limbs, practically nearly on top of each other. No one wanted to let go on the others nor sleep alone. Bilbo slept peacefully in the arms of Bofur and with Bifur in his front. One time that night the leg of Dwalin woke him with kicking at his feet but that was that. The next morning greeted them all with sunlight.

All feeling better now, once they had a descent sleep.

When entering the hoard this time, no one fell prey to the sickness again. Not even Thorin who had feared the worst and had Dwalin promise him to hit him unconscious if the need arose to keep him for that accursed inclination of his line that way. Turned out, he didn't need to hold to that given word, Thorin managed actually rather fine on his own, luckily.

Even when Bilbo found the Arkenstone and showed it to Thorin, the King did not succumb, finding the priceless gem suddenly much less precious in the hands of their tiny burglar as he remembered it to be. Maybe it was the wary look in Bilbo's eyes, maybe the worrisome looks his nephews gave him, Thorin could not really say but suddenly he had the sudden wish to simply throw the stone from his mountain.

If it caused such worry in the ones he held dear then it wasn't worth the trouble!

Taking it rather briskly from Bilbo, he pushed it into a small box and slammed the lid shut with vigor and an ugly curse in Khuzdul that had the ears of his Dwarves ring. After that done, he gave it to Bilbo, for safekeeping. Seemingly, the Hobbit was the only one unaffected from all the riches around here.

The perfect guardian did that make him for the cursed gem in eyes of the King.

Thorin slowly got a bad suspicion about the true nature of the fabled stone. Remembering the greed in the eyes of his grandfather only all too clearly now, without the sickness clouding his mind. Thorin couldn't shake off the feeling that the gem was an equally precarious Bane for his line, as the cursed Balrog had been it in Moria for his ancestor.

Thranduil could have it for all he cared and fall victim to its lure.

Better, the elf King than him, or Mahal and stone forbid, Fili and Kili!

Thorin walked out of the treasure room after that, still cussing up a storm under the awed looks of his Dwarves who had seen the entire affair and heard his mutters about his musings about the gemstone.

No one said anything about it from there on.

"I am just glad that he turned out as wise a King that he seemed to be to me when I first met Master Thorin." Bard lastly told Bilbo and Bofur who stood next to Hobbit with one hand of Bilbo firmly clasped in his much bigger one. At their clueless looks, he elaborated. "I may have killed the beast but he managed to best even that right a moment ago in my humble opinion."

"What do you mean by that, Master Bard?"

Bilbo asked now really confused feeling, the archer and future ruler of Dale. The man shrugged and then turned to face Bilbo and the others who had silently walked closer to hear the exchange. "What I just witnessed is something monumental, I believe. Long since, the line of Durin is said to be cursed to fall victim to Goldlust, it is the curse of them since the fall of Moria as well as you all should know." Here every Dwarf around Bilbo nodded slowly getting what Bard tried to tell them carefully.

Bard looked after Thorin again before he gave Bilbo a grave look.

"Today I witnessed one of that line grow out of that curse and see reason instead to fall under the spell of a gem as the legendary Arkenstone, Master Bilbo! If that isn't monumental, then what is?"

That shut every one up for a while.

The next days Bard went back to Laketown to bring the news of Smaug's demise and promised aid of Thorin, now King under the mountain to his people, while the Dwarves reinforced the broken gates of Erebor and begun to clear the worst rubble out of the way while doing so. And when not working on that, all helped to search all the many bones together to bury them later in a massive grave that their fellow Dwarves would build for their fallen kindred that the Dragon had killed in the past when invading Erebor.

To honor their deaths and give them a decent burial within the mountain.

Bilbo helped with that the most since he was useless in rebuilding the gates or any barriers to keep possible invaders out anyways. Bofur on the other hand was useful in building and repairing and worked night and day on that task now. Only resting when Bilbo told him sternly not to break himself over the task.

Soon a raven brought Thorin message that Ork's were coming and that Bard had been told about it too and was currently assembling an army to aid them.

Even Thranduil was coming to the mountain… the latter news had Thorin throw a fit in his rage.

He sends a message to Dain for help and growled about it until the two armies arrived at his gates. Bard, he let in almost immediately, much to Thranduil's displeasure. Thorin even went so far to greet the man friendly with a warm voice and smile. Seeing the heirs of the Dwarf even hug the man, happy to see him alive and well had the elven King, make a sour face.

But when a Hobbit came out to hug the man too, a hobbit, wearing courting braids of Dwarven stile, Thranduil had to ogle the creature slightly in his surprise.

The Halfling, however, made no notice of him even being there and went right back inside to come to a stop next to the Dwarf with the strange hat that the elf remembered that promptly hugged the tiny fellow possessively to him. A bid flabbergasted the elven ruler had to shake his head at the sight and odd pairing, next to him, Gandalf groaned seeing the exchange.

He had come with them once he had reached Mirkwood and had learned about the Dwarves unfortunate stay in the halls of the elven King.

He had hoped to soothe the waves so to speak, thinking to find Thorin surely deeply locked in the sickness of his kin… what he found instead was surprising the Wizard once again. Not only had Thorin let Bard come with his group, no he now even did greet the man warmly. And to top it all, neither he nor any other Dwarf seemed to have fallen victim to the greed their kin was famous for!

Gandalf was too shocked to utter a word for some moments, than his eyes zoomed in on Bilbo who stood innocently next to Bofur and his mind begun to turn the rusty wheels.

What Gandalf finally concluded together had him arch a brow curiously. Could it really be that Bilbo had such an effect on them all that it turned out like this? He wasn't sure but thought it could be the case. However, what truly shocked Gandalf that badly that he had to keep himself barely from gapping was when Thorin took a box from Bilbo, when Thranduil had the gall to demand reparations from Thorin for the desolation wrought by Smaug, and toss it at the elf unceremoniously.

"Here Elf, that should compensate you for all the good it will do to you, thought I remember clearly who turned their backs on us and who, not. I hope you will be happy with it, believe it or not but I truly hope so, because you will gain nothing more of me or mine!"

The miffed elven King opened the box only to stare at the Gem inside with something akin to stunned surprise and beginning greediness that alarmed Gandalf after seeing what was in the box.

"You gave him the Arkenstone?!"

Thorin only nodded.

"I did, Gandalf. Seeing how greedy he is I believe that the stone will make him happy enough, don't you think so too?" He gave the Wizard a composed look that had Gandalf shut up and evaluate Thorin anew. What the hell had happened since he was away to deal with the necromancer?! Moreover, since when had Bilbo agreed to wear the courting braids of Bofur?

Shaking his head, Gandalf steeled himself for a long night of many talks to get down to the bottom of these miracles.

Beside him, Thranduil did not even hear their exchange, he was too busy to fall under the spell of the Jewel to care and keep track. Thorin on the other hand noticed it and inwardly sighed at the sight. So, he mused, I was right. The Gemstone is cursed. Shaking his head and seeing Gandalf's looks Thorin waved him inside to have their long overdue talk.

Suddenly feeling incredibly tired and old.

The following battle a few days later was horrible for everyone involved.

Bofur nearly died, twice. One time through an arrow that barely missed something vital and another time when he had to rescue Fili from a hit that would have cut the lad's troth open and the head nearly off his neck if Bofur had not reacted fast enough. Kili was nearly killed by arrows and had to shielded by Balin and Dwalin that had, like the rest of them, promised Bilbo to stay near the brothers to protect them.

He had a nightmare before battle, seeing Thorin and the brothers die if they did not stay close together and had them swear to him to stay next to them all the time…

It rescued not only Fili and Kili but also Thorin in the end.

When Gandalf learned about the nightmare later he was sure that it had been a warning of the Valar and Thorin, for once, agreed with him in something. After learning, that it had rescued them all to head Bilbo's foreboding words. He learned later that they all had held off Azog long enough for Beorn making his entrance in the battle and kill the accursed Ork finally. The head was now nailed to the entrance Gate of Erebor.

And if he had his wish, it would stay there until it had rotted off the gate!

Dain had personally seen to it for him to nail it there with obvious glee after hearing Thorin's wish. Not even Bilbo had said something against the barbaric way they handled the reminds of the Ork, to busy with it to glare at it because of Bofur's many injuries from defending his King and Thorin's heirs from the pale monster.

Their normally so peaceful Hobbit had even kicked the head all over the battlefield until Dain rescued it from Bilbo's treatment to nail it to the gate.

Not that he had complained about it that Bilbo had used it as his anger management. He had heard enough about the Hobbit to understand. Still, the look in the eyes of the little fellow had even shaken him and that was actually a feat to archive that wasn't that easy to manage nowadays.

Bilbo had looked, for the lack of a better wording, malicious and scary.

Not a combination that suited the small creature in Dain's eyes but he wisely did not mention that. In contrary to that, the same Hobbit now worried himself sick over the heirs of Thorin and the King and more so over the Miner that had taken a hit meant for Fili and another for Thorin when fighting that pale beast off his King. The malevolent looks were now gone from Bilbo's face in favor of honest worry and fretting.

Oin had to sit the little creature down onto the bedding of Bofur to keep him still!

Hence, he would not accidentally fret himself into an early grave.

Dain had to chuckle madly at the sight.

Because once the healer moved on, Bilbo was up again and fretted away. The Miner finally got him to calm down and take a nap besides him on the sickbed. The exchange had Dain nearly down in tears. The little fella was amusing and obviously devoted to the house of Durin as well as the Dwarf that now held the small creature so lovingly with his good arm as if he was the Arkenstone itself for the Miner. The other arm was broken in several places and would need weeks to heal fully.

The Mattock of the dwarf was leaned next to the bed to the tent plane. Still bloody from the Ork he had fought with it.

To use a miner tool in battle… Dain shook his head and left it at that. The choice had aided the Dwarf in his fight well from what Dain saw. Being able to fight off the metal arm replacement with it as well as to injure the Ork tremendously with it. Oh well, he thought, it gave worse choices as a weapon from what Dain knew about. In addition, that Dwarf had been one hell of a fighter with it.

He would never again underestimate the tool again in his life.