WPB Chapter 14 – Epilogue.

AN: So, here's the epilogue. :D Hard to believe this little fic I started in March is finally coming to a close. You get to meet the little boy! :D I wanted to do something a little original about his name, though I do love the names Frerin and Thrain. So, let me know what you think! And thank you all so much! You've been wonderful. :D I'm honored that you chose to read my story to the end.

Erebor was not as cold and unfriendly a place as Bilbo had perceived it all those months ago. Its towering walls of bluish gray granite, steeped with cobwebs and the occasional scorch marks, had felt so unfamiliar and foreign to the hobbit that a shiver would pass down his spine whenever he had ventured through them after the initial reclaiming of the Lonely Mountain. Deprived of any life or warmth, the seemingly never-ending corridors, cavernous dining hall, and dangerously open staircases had made Bilbo near desperate for the cozy tunnels, carpeted floors, and warm colored rooms of Bag End. Erebor had seemed like the last place he would ever wish to make a home of or start a family in.

When he had returned to Erebor three and a half ago, dwarf company and five month old baby in tow, he had still had his doubts. However, the dwarrows of the Lonely Mountain had not been idle. The brilliant stonewalls had been polished and evenly decorated with etchings, works of metal or gold, and the occasional tapestry. Candles and light fixtures had been placed liberally in every nook and cranny, making the once chilly and dark fortress warm with the golden light of fire and the reassuring murmur of other inhabitants.

Thorin's sister Dis had also made several aesthetic changes, such as the beautiful carvings on many of the kingdoms pillars that depicted various battles, adventures, and tales. Their own great adventure was depicted quite extensively on the walls of the dining hall, which had seemed impossibly large to Bilbo when he had first been shown it, but considering the amount of dwarrows that lived in Erebor, he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. She had also taken the liberty of destroying the original throne of the king, with completely indifference to her elder brother's opinion, and had begun the construction of two identical seats upon which Thorin and Bilbo could sit together and deal with the day to day needs of the kingdom, of which there were many during that this time.

When Thorin had first seen what she had done, he had been completely shocked and rather angry at her insolence, but he approved the idea as it was one he had been planning to do himself. When Bilbo thought of sitting in that chair and helping Thorin rule over an entire kingdom of dwarrows, he felt as nauseous as he had during his first trimester.

Bilbo had initially been quite worried about meeting Thorin's sister, whom he had heard much about from his dwarf and his nephews. He had heard that she was a stern and fearsome taskmaster that would sooner paddle viciously you with a wooden mallet than she would allow you to neglect any chores or work. When he had introduced himself, his son sleeping in his arms and hair and face a mess from travel, she had laughed loudly at his formality and had instantly begun to engage him in conversation about the many embarrassing things her brother had done in his youth, with many ascertains interspersed in her amusing stories that Bilbo could always come to her when he experienced difficulties with Thorin.

Thorin had flushed bright red, a color the hobbit had never seen his face take on, and had attempted to usher Bilbo and the sleeping babe quickly away from Dis by guiding them to the royal corridor and their private rooms, which had been beautifully furnished. Though it must have been quite difficult to manage, Dis and a few other members of the original Company had banded together and created many pieces of furniture that mimicked those that had been in Bilbo's home.

There were tasteful wooden desks and chest of drawers, bookshelves and armchairs, a finely crafted table and chairs set on the balcony connecting to their living room that looked suspiciously (to Thorin, at least) like Elven craftsmanship. In their bedroom was a bed so large and covered in silken sheets and pillows that Bilbo was quite sure that at least eight dwarrows could sleep comfortably on it. Not that there would ever be eight dwarrows on it. That would be ridiculous and highly improper.

A lovely wooden crib had been set up beside the gigantic bed, a small mattress and collection of soft blankets and pillows resting inside. The sight had brought tears to Bilbo's eyes, which he blamed on the exhaustion and leftover hormones.

In their private rooms, Bilbo felt completely at home and quite content.

There was still one thing that had been a steeple of his life in the Shire that he had truly missed. His garden and the open fields and grass-covered hills, so bright and green and filled with natural light.

Sunlight was rather hard to come by in Erebor, seeing as one had to leave the mountain in order to feel grass beneath their toes and wind through their hair. Only a few of the royal chambers had small balconies and windows, and those were placed in protected fissures along the mountain's rock shell.

It had taken ages for Thorin to pry this secret longing from the hobbit's mouth, as Bilbo had thought his wish was rather selfish and unnecessary, not to mention near impossible. Thorin had put an incredible amount of effort into making this wish a reality, consulting his advisors, touring all of the serviceable parts of the fortress, and learning from Bilbo the necessities of a garden and greenery. And in an unprecedented addition to a dwarven fortress, he had created a small courtyard, accessible through the royal corridor, that was relatively safe, completely usable, and full of sunlight and natural earth. Bilbo, of course, had rewarded him handsomely (and carnally) for his consideration and work, and for days afterward, the King of Erebor had strode through the halls and went about his business with the largest smile on his face that anyone had ever seen.

Bilbo thought about all of this as he stood in that very courtyard, his feet treading blissfully on the grass flourishing there as he watered the tomato, cucumber, and various other vegetable plants he had raised there. He could hear the faint murmurs of activity coming from the recovering city of man, Dale, to the right of the courtyard's placement on the mountain, and he hummed along with the sounds of music coming to him along the wind.

He was happier now than he had ever been as the quiet, scholarly and eccentric bachelor of the Shire, even as he was surrounded by boisterous dwarrows and living in a stone fortress. These days, where he would wake up next to his dwarf husband, cuddling and loving each other until their little son cried to be let out of his bed, have breakfast together with Fili, Kili, Dis, and the Company, teach and play with his son, help Thorin with the daily needs of the kingdom, and then spend the afternoons reading to his son and making snacks for everyone, eating dinner together again, making love and falling asleep beside Thorin…these days were just the best of his life!

And they would be getting even better rather soon.

"Daddy!"

The high childish voice of his son Thrilrin echoed through the royal corridor and through the open doors of the courtyard, and Bilbo could hear the fast pitter patter of his feet on the stone floors. He turned around, a smile automatically appearing on his face at the presence of his little boy, and he could see little Thrilrin as he ran closer, shiny black curls bouncing and cheeks flushed a healthy pink.

His son was, according to Thorin, Fili, and Kili, the fastest little dwarf that had ever lived under the mountain, which Bilbo liked to attribute proudly to his hobbit genes. Though his son had received Thorin's characteristics more prominently, there were a few visible traces of Bilbo in little Thrilrin, like his button nose, curly hair, hazel eyes, and nimble feet, which he rarely covered like Bilbo.

Today, Bilbo had dressed him in the deep blues of the Durin line, though the style of his clothes was more hobbit-like than dwarf. His dark trousers had been rolled up his thin legs to a little below his knees, his matching navy blue vest lined with silver trim was open and exposing the shiny mithril vest beneath, under which laid a light blue cotton shirt with sleeves that ended just below his knobby elbows. Bilbo had insisted that the mithril vest be worn at all times when he was not with himself or Thorin, and though he had been teased for his overprotectiveness, the rule had always been observed. It was not that he didn't trust the other dwarrows or Fili and Kili, who played most often with Thrilrin, but mistakes and accidents could and undoubtedly would happen, and though his son was a dwarf, he was still a child running around in the sometimes dangerous dwarven fortress.

"Daddy! Daddy! Kili and Fili skipped out on their princely lessons to steal biscuits from the Good Behavior jar in the kitchen!" Thrilrin shouted excitedly, panting from his run. He leaned his curly head against his Daddy's hip and looked up with brightly excited hazel eyes.

"That is a blatant falsehood!"

Bilbo turned back to the hallway as Kili and Fili ran towards them, panting much heavier than Thrilrin had. Bilbo's mouth twitched in amusement as they reached the entrance and bent double, Fili holding out a hand to signal a brief rest.

"No, it's not!" Thrilrin laughed loudly, pointing a small finger at the front of their shirts. "You still have crumbs all down your front!"

As one, the twins looked down at their finely sewn shirts and trousers, and wiped hastily at the sprinkle of biscuit crumbs that were indeed all over themselves. For a moment, they both looked a little sheepish, but Kili grinned at his adoptive uncle, slinging an arm behind his head lazily to scratch at a spot on his back.

"Well, we've been studying hard all morning. We deserve a little reward for all our time and effort," He asserted, and the dwarf prince settled himself down onto the ground to relax.

Fili still continued to look rather sheepish, which told Bilbo that the actual perpetrator of the idea to skip lessons and eat cookies had been his brother. As the heir, Fili usually held himself to a much stricter standard than his brother, but it would be a long time before he had to actually take command of the kingdom. Thus, he was occasionally susceptible to Kili's frequent laziness, if only to give himself a break for a while.

"It's well past lunch time, which means you should be learning directly from your Uncle and Balin as he settles disputes of the kingdom in the afternoon," Bilbo replied, looking at them knowingly. "I hope your nap and biscuit break is worth the punishment you will undoubtedly receive from Thorin. He'll probably sentence you to train with Dwalin or read texts with Balin."

Fili grimaced at that as he unbuckled his swords from his belt and sat down next to his brother who waved away the threat of punishment carelessly.

"If it happens, it happens. And anyway, this gives Uncle Thorin a reason to take a break. I have no idea how he sits still and listens to all these complaints every day! It's awful, and I hate doing it…. How long do you think it will take him to find us?" He turned to his brother, dark braids trailing over his shoulder and falling with a small tinkling sound onto the grass.

"Not long at all," A deep voice called from the open door.

Bilbo looked up from the mischievous brothers to see his dwarf, clad in the magnificent finery of the king, his heavy blue robes and furs shifting against the powerful strides of his legs. Thorin wore the dwarven crown on his head regally, the bright gold and jeweled adornment mixing seamlessly with the grey-streaked black hair and beaded braids. His face was as ruggedly handsome as the day they had first met, but now there was a happiness in those icy blue eyes and a thick beard now encased his chin, with silver and sapphire beads holding the intricate braids in place.

"Papa!" Thrilrin shouted happily, and he dashed toward Thorin, jumping easily into his arms and wrapping his own around his father's in welcome. Thorin accepted his added weight easily and chuckled into the curly mass of Thrilrin's hair.

"And how is my dwarfling today? Not been bothering your Daddy too much, I hope. He is a bit more fragile now than before." He looked at his son with a stern but loving eye, casting an amused look over at Bilbo's huff.

"I'm fine! And I just came to tell Daddy that Fili and Kili stole from the biscuit jar again and skipped lessons," Thrilrin leaned closer to his Papa as he whispered, still loud enough for the others to hear, "An' I remembered that I'm not supposed to tackle Daddy anymore. Do I get a biscuit from the Good Behavior jar too?"

He looked up at Thorin with large and hopeful eyes and was rewarded with a grin and a nod. "After supper, you can have two extra biscuits. Good work, Thrilrin."

The little dwarfling beamed proudly and squirmed out of his father's arms to run around the courtyard excitedly.

"Two biscuits, Thorin?" Bilbo looked at his dwarf in playful chastisement, "You know that Bombur is making a ridiculous amount of cakes tonight, don't you?"

"That I do," He affirmed, stepping over his youngest nephew none-to-gently and wrapping a thickly muscled arm around his hobbit. "But we'll need some way to prevent our little dwarfling from becoming like these two here, and the promise extra biscuits seems to be working for now."

Fili looked as if to protest, but at that moment Kili sprung up from his back on the grass and wrestled Thrilrin to the ground, tickling him mercilessly and causing great peals of laughter to rend the air.

"Not so hard, Kili!" Bilbo went to reprimand, only to be ignored as Fili helped Thrilrin gang up on his brother.

"And how are you today, my hobbit?" Thorin murmured in his ear, and he kissed Bilbo soundly when the hobbit turned his face towards him.

To the shock of a majority of the kingdom, Thorin was very open about his relationship with Bilbo. He would kiss him in the hallways, in the throne room, at dinner. He would hold Bilbo's hand as they listened to the daily business of the kingdom on the twin thrones. He would lean out of his chair and whisper things into the hobbit's ear that would turn his face bright red at the dinner table. There had never been a moment where Thorin had tried to hide his affection for his lovable hobbit, even when foreign dignitaries would visit and look upon them with confusion and occasionally disgust.

Nowadays, he often stood behind Bilbo, with his arms wrapped around him tightly, one broad hand placed protectively over the newly burgeoning mound of the hobbit's stomach. After Thrilrin's birth, there had been quite some worry that he would not be fertile any longer, which certainly saddened them both, though they were absolutely blissful and excited over the birth of their little son. A few weeks passed, and Lord Elrond and Arwen (who became annual visitors of the Lonely Mountain) had inspected Bilbo thoroughly and fortunately saw no reason why he could not have another child.

That is not to say that Bilbo had hopped into bed the next second with Thorin, eager to have another child (though Thorin had looked on longingly). He insisted they wait until Thrilrin had grown and their family had settled in Erebor before they would even discuss it. A people highly fertile, hobbits had their own ways of preventing pregnancy while still enjoying physical pleasures, and so Bilbo utilized this for the past few years.

Now, though, they finally felt the time was right, and true to his species, Bilbo had become pregnant barely a week after he had stopped taking the herbal remedies. And they could not be more excited!

"Ewwwww! Uncle Thorin and Uncle Bilbo are kissing!" Kili shouted immaturely from across the little courtyard, and Bilbo turned away from his dwarf to give him an annoyed look. His brother looked equally annoyed, reaching over to shove his shoulder.

Thrilrin just looked at him with confusion. His Daddy and Papa did that all the time, so what was the problem?

Kili noticed this and leaned forward with a sly glint in his eyes. "You know what this means, right? You're going to have a baby brother soon."

"What?" Thrilrin questioned loudly, looking over at his parents. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Kili began taking his little cousin's hand, smiling at his curious eyes, and beginning to walk rather quickly toward the open doors of the hallway, his brother and uncles looking on suspiciously. "Why don't I explain to you where babies come from? You see…"

"What!?" Bilbo shouted after him, attempting to chase after him as he saw Kili hoist Thrilrin onto his pack and begin running away, his voice laughingly chattering away. "Kili! Don't you dare—He's too young for—Why, you!"

"Fili." Thorin gave his nephew a commanding look to which Fili sprinted after his brother to lessen the hobbit's righteous anger. Bilbo's punishments were always worse than anything Dwalin or Balin gave them.

Thorin held Bilbo comfortably as the frazzled hobbit simmered down, content to hold his love in his arms and feel the wind against his face. Bilbo leaned back against him as well, his hands joining Thorin's on the small swell of his belly.

"Good lord, I hope the next one loves to read more then roughhouse with those two," Bilbo sighed wistfully, even knowing he wouldn't change a single thing about his exuberant son or nephews.

Thorin hummed in agreement, completely content with their lives and excited for the future. He would never have believed that when he set out to reclaim Erebor, he would fall in love with a hobbit of the Shire and start a family with him if he had been told this on the eve of his quest. Now he couldn't imagine a single day without his hobbit, his little son, and their child on the way. He hoped that every day until he died would be like this one spent with his husband and children, his sister and nephews. If that meant getting along with the elves and humans, spreading around the wealth and skill of his people, and forming treaties to prevent war, then he would do it without hesitation.

Anything for his hobbit and his growing family.

As he held Bilbo close and thought lazily on the future, he hoped that they would have at least three more children to love and raise. And he rather hoped the next one would be a girl.

So, there's the end! :D I hope you have enjoyed this little story. It's been a great learning experience for me, especially as this is my first real fanfic. I hope you liked this epilogue and little Thrilrin. :3 I hope to write more like this in the future!

Thank you so much for reading and hanging in there through my dry spells. :P