Work Text:
Bilbo jerked awake to the sound of uncontrolled laughter and bit back a groan as his bruises made themselves known once more.
“…so she strolls right up to Bombur, grabs him by his beard loop and promptly drags him out of the room while yelling that it was time for everyone to return home because she was ready for a ‘proper wedding night’!” Bofur howled through his laugher, dodging his brother’s fist as everyone fell into laughter once more.
“Bilbo!” The toymaker called, noticing him as he sat up, “Finally! You’ve been sleeping all day. Bombur made lunch.”
He really did groan this time but the sound of food was too tempting to pass up.
He forced himself out of his bedroll and limped his way towards where the dwarfs had gathered around the fire where a blushing Bombur handed him a bowl of stew.
“Sorry for disturbing you. Gloin was just telling us about his lovely wife and how they met.” Kili said with a grin.
“Then Bofur decided to tell us how Bombur met Mesa, his wife.” Fili added, still grinning. “Apparently he was too shy to approach her so she took things into her own hands.”
Everyone burst out into laughter again.
“Fili is betrothed to a Dwarf from the Iron hills, one of Dain’s nieces but they haven’t actually met yet so there is no story to tell and no one else here has a partner to call their own. You seem to be a hobbit of good standing; surely you have had your share of suitors?” Balin said with a grin as he reclined against a tree.
Bilbo gave a small, sad smile. “I was engaged once.” He told them, taking a bite of stew.
“Oh? Surely there’s more to it than that!” Bofur protested.
Bilbo sighed. “I was just a tween when I met her. She was the loveliest girl in the Shire.” He told them. “Her hair was like sunshine and her eyes as blue as the sky. She was rather bossy and outspoken but I didn’t mind, I didn’t really want a wife who just sat there and kept house all day.” He gave a self-depreciating grin. “I wanted a wife who would follow me anywhere, even if I decided to go on some crazy adventure.”
The dwarfs chuckled lightly at this.
“I honestly thought that she was the one for me. It was a grand courting. I gave her everything she asked for without reserve and more…I was so enamored with her I didn’t even notice that she was taking advantage of me and my family. No one did really except for my mother. She warned me that Lobelia was using me.” He shook his head. “I didn’t believe her.”
He set his bowl aside, mostly uneaten as he continued. “My father had passed two winters ago and so my mother sought out the advice of her own father. As the Thain, he often deals with these sort of matters and he advised her to take away my spending coin. As I was still a year from my majority it was still hers to manage so I had no access to it.”
“I was furious with her and that night I packed a bag and walked out the door.” He shook his head. “She didn’t even try to stop me. She just gave me the saddest look and watched me leave.”
“I made my way to Lobelia’s home where I found her in the garden. I was still so very angry and anxious as I begged Lobelia to run away with me and leave our families behind. I told her that we didn’t need my family’s money. We could leave the Shire and build our own Smial out in the wild and make our own fortune without anyone else to tell us what to do. Needless to say, she didn’t like that.”
He took a deep breath, willing himself to continue when a strong hand gripped his shoulder.
“You don’t need to continue.” Thorin told him. “We understand.”
The dwarfs looked somber and the only sound to be heard was the sounds of the world around them and Bilbo frowned as he realized that he had darkened the mood.
“Well, needless to say I realized that my mother was telling the truth and I broke off the engagement.” He told them. “To spite me she married my cousin, Otho. What she didn’t realize was that Otho had a rather serious gambling problem and was completely cut out of the family money. She was furious.”
Dwalin snorted, setting the others off and they chuckled around him.
“So there is no one else then?” Ori asked, “Surely all hobbits aren’t like her.”
“Indeed not, but I loved her deeply. I was heartbroken by what she did to me and I couldn’t bring myself to risk that sort of pain again. I’m a bachelor for life I’m afraid.”
“So that’s it. You just let her get away with what she did?” Kili gasped, completely outraged on his behalf.
Bilbo grinned. “Well, not really. I’ve been rather unsubtle about spending my wealth in a rather shameful manner. Nearly all of my clothing is made of the finest silks and fabrics and many of them are outfitted with solid gold buttons and clasps. It makes her most angry and she tries to steal my silver whenever she invites herself over to tea.” He told them smugly.
“If we survive this quest then I plan on using my one-fourteenth share to commission a set of gold utensils just to use while she’s around. That is, however, after I make a solid gold door that she has to look at every time she walks by.”
The dwarfs roared with laughter once more.