Chapter Text
“If any of you are ever passing Bag End, uh… tea is at four. There’s plenty of it. You are welcome anytime. Uh… don’t bother knocking.”
The dwarves chuckled. Bella gave them one last smile, before turning and joining Gandalf to go back to the Shire.
It had been forty-nine years since Bella's magical journey across Middle Earth with her beloved companions. Oftentimes she found herself reminiscing while in the middle of some project or another, and she would give a sad smile, wonder about the fates of her friends, and then continue with her project. Back then, there was never a dull moment, but now… well.
Bella puttered around her smial, looking for her nephew. Frodo’s chores were done, and as per usual he had disappeared, probably to go read a book under a tree. That was a few hours ago and now it was nearing tea time, so Bella stepped outside the back door to call him home.
“Frodo! Time to come home!”
Bella stepped back inside and set the water on to boil when she heard the bell ring. Curious, she went to the door. she wasn’t expecting any visitors, and she wondered who it could be. Opening her door, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Dwarves.
There were ten dwarves on her doorstep. And not just any dwarves. Oh no. They were her dwarves. Besides a few grey hairs on some of them, and more wrinkles on others, they hadn’t aged a day. Bella's face lit up as she saw them.
“My friends! Come in! Welcome! You’ve come just in time for tea.”
“Mistress Baggins! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Bofur exclaimed.
The dwarves all piled in, and Bella ran about furiously to get more cups and to boil more water for tea. She may be ninety-nine years of age but she was still spry enough to be a proper host to some old friends. The dwarves all filed into the sitting room having conversations with each other, this being the first time in a few years that they all gathered together again.
“Oh it is so wonderful to see you all again! Tell me, tell me. What has all happened since last I saw you?”
The dwarves all started talking again, nearly shouting over each other, each one telling of their own adventures in the years since Bella left. Bella was very attentive, and although some things got mixed around, for the most part she caught it all. Thrown in the mix of stories was talk of the guardians of Middle Earth gathering to perform some new powerful spell just after Bella returned to the Shire. Bella excused herself to get the tea from the fire, filling the cups before bringing them to the awaiting dwarves, along with some cookies and little cakes on a tray she and Frodo made just the other day. Which reminded her…
“Oh! I nearly forgot! Wait until you meet Frodo! He’s my nephew and heir. I adopted him one year ago after a tragic accident and his parents passed on. He’s quite the adventurous little thing, I'm sure you’ll just adore him.”
“Oh! Set out a few more cups for tea, would you lass? There are some people we’d like for you to meet. They left later than we did, although they should be showing up anytime.” Balin asked.
The front door opened then and she heard the unmistakable soft pad of Frodo’s feet on the floor, along with some heavier thuds behind him.
“Oh! That’ll be him now. Frodo! In here! Although I do wonder who that could be coming in with him…”
The dwarves all looked at each other, but it was Balin who spoke up.
“Ah, lassie. That’ll be the newcomers we want you to meet.”
Bella turned around as Frodo led the newcomers through the smial into the sitting room and for the second time that day, she froze in her tracks.
“Bella Baggins of the Shire, may I introduce you to Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain, and his heirs, Fili and Kili, sons of Dis.”
Bella dropped her teacup, the glass shattering and tea spilling everywhere, and her hands flew over her mouth.
“Thorin… Fili and Kili… what…”
Bella was in shock. How were they alive? What happened to let them come back? They looked like they aged more as well, giving rise to the thought that it had been several years since they came back. Which led her to another thought. Why hadn’t they come to visit her sooner? Why did they wait forty-nine years to tell her this? All of this ran through her mind in the few seconds since she dropped her teacup and it shattered everywhere. Which reminded her….
Bella dropped to her knees as she scrambled to pick up the broken shards of teacup, ignoring the tea seeping into her skirts. If she focused on the triviality of a broken teacup, ducking her face as she hid behind her hair, maybe she’d be able to focus her racing thoughts and gather some semblance of self control.
“Bella…” It was Thorin's voice. Hearing his deep baritone caused her breath to hitch and she started rambling as she scrambled to clean up the mess. Valar, she wanted to stop but her brain seemed to short-circuit and it seemed all she could do was stutter out an apology. Her hands were shaking as she gathered the broken pieces, and not from old age.
“I-I’m sorry, I’ll get this mess cleaned up right away. Just… be careful where you step. Oh, and I should bring out more chairs for you. I can get Frodo to assist with that, don’t you worry.” During her rambing, Thorin had knelt in front of her, placing his hand softly over her own trembling ones. This sent her into even more of a frenzy. “And the spilled tea! Oh I am ashamed for being such a poor hostess, especially for my friends. I am terribly sorry. It won’t take me but a moment to clean this all up, and I-”
“Bella.” He said, cutting her off. Slowly, he lifted her chin so she could look in his face. As soon as their eyes met, it was as though a dam broke, and she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck while sobbing. She no longer cared about the tea soaking up into her skirts, nor the broken glass on the ground. Thorin, for his part, embraced her just as fiercely, and the other dwarves watching all had tears in their eyes as well. Fili and Kili knelt down next to them.
“Bella… we missed you.” Fili said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the brothers, before extending an arm out and dragging them into the hug as well.
All the dwarves started cheering at the reunion.
“I-I don’t understand. What- how- when ? When did this happen and why did you never tell me?”
“Oh Bella, that’s what we were telling you earlier!” It was Ori this time who spoke. “After you returned here to the Shire, the guardians of Middle Earth gathered together for a new spell. It was a protection spell against the growing darkness. Only, instead of just a physical barrier, it also returned a few of the greatest warriors of each of the good races. Elves, dwarves, and men alike. As there aren’t really any warrior hobbits, none of your kind was returned, sorry.” At this, Ori looked apologetic. Bella gave him a reassuring smile.
“It’s okay, Ori.” She turned her focus back to her dwarf king and his nephews. “So you’re now back as a guardian?”
“It’s more of, we’re back now to help our kingdom keep the darkness at bay from Gundabad. We are the first line of defense, and I guess the Valar decided my nephews and I were the right choices for this. We were restored to the state of when we… passed on.”
“But without the fatal wounds, of course.” Kili chimed in.
“We will live out the rest of our original timespan leading the kingdom to greatness, building it, and the lands around it, up as a stronghold against the forces of evil.” Thorin finished his explanation. Bella furrowed her eyebrows; there was still one question she needed answered.
“Why… Why didn’t you come back to me sooner? Or at least send word of your return? I can understand a couple years to get erebor back on its feet, and to sort out the mess of reinstating you as king, and then a couple more years to make it a stronghold again. But that is only a few years.” She fixed them all with the stare she perfected over the years to make others squirm in guilt. “It’s been forty-nine years, Thorin. Forty-nine . I’m not a young hobbit anymore, and had you waited any longer to come, I may very well have already passed on to Yavanna’s gardens.”
Her dwarves all looked to the floor, feeling guilty. All except for Thorin, that is. He held her gaze, and spoke with so much sincerity that it made her heart hurt.
“When we first returned, we had no memories of the past, beyond the fact that I am the king of Durin’s folk, and they are my heirs. It took us several months to regain our memories of the others, and in the first few years following the return, we slowly remembered the quest to reclaim our homeland, but still we did not remember you. The others would talk about the brave hobbit lass who came with us and was vital to the success, but we could not remember you. It took several years before you came back to our memories, and as soon as we remembered the full extent of your purpose in the quest, we knew we needed to come visit you in the Shire. We could not come yet, and not for several years more as we were fighting against more forces of Gundabad orcs on one side, and goblins on the other. Because of the battles, we could not even send word by raven or messenger to you of our return, for fear it would be intercepted.”
Bella nodded her head, and adjusted her position on the ground. Noticing this, Thorin stood then helped her off the ground and into her father’s favorite chair before taking a seat across from her, Fili and Kili and either side of him.
“We knew the fighting would go on forever if we didn’t do something drastic. Somehow, the enemy’s forces never ran out, although our own armies were starting to dwindle. So, we decided to hit them at their heart. Fili, Kili, and I had been brought back by the Valar to help protect Middle Earth, and as such we had been blessed with extra protection from Mahal himself. So, we infiltrated Gundabad and struck them where they could never recover.”
Bella’s eyes had widened, and she realized she had been holding her breath throughout the story. Composing herself, she asked them, “And after? What happened after you stopped the orcs. What of the goblins?” Thorin smiled at her, and her heart started beating faster. After all these years, he still had that effect on her.
“After we stopped the orcs, we sent the rest of our forces towards the goblins and wiped them out. The new goblin king wasn’t nearly so repugnant or big as the last one we encountered, and he was easy enough to get rid of. We had to rebuild parts of the kingdom again, and help those who had been forced from their homes to find residency again. After it was finished, it had already been nearly fifty years since we last saw our dear hobbit, and I refused to go another minute without making the journey to see how she was faring.” His words made Bella suddenly blush, and she gave him a smile. She looked down at her hands, and her smile turned sad. She looked back up at the dwarven king.
“I am not as young as I used to be, Thorin. I have grown old, and weary, and even though I still have life in me yet - more so now that I have seen you again - I know my time on Middle Earth is coming to a close. I cannot bring you the same joy and life as I might have once been able to.”
At this, Thorin knelt in front of her and took her hands in his again. He lifted them both to his mouth and pressed a kiss on the backs of each.
“Bella, my dear amralime. It does not matter to me. In my eyes, you are as young and beautiful as you have always been. I have made my mistakes in the past, and surely not coming to see you sooner is a big one, but nevertheless I am grateful to you and what you have done for me and for my kin.” His words brought tears to her eyes. “I always have, and always will love you, my dear, sweet hobbit. If you are willing and able, I would be honored to bring you back to Erebor with me to live out the rest of your days as my queen.” Bella’s eyes teared up again.
“Oh, Thorin…” She sniffed, and gripped his hands, leaning forward to press her forehead against his. When she pulled back, she had more unshed tears in her eyes. “I would love to go back with you more than anything, but…” Here, she looked towards Frodo, who had taken up residence in a chair in the corner so as not to come in between the reunion. “I cannot leave Frodo alone here. He is my responsibility, and this is his home, for all intents and purposes. Not yet, at least. I must help him, so I fear my place is in the Shire, with my nephew.”
Thorin’s face fell, and the disappointment clouded the room from all of her dwarves. Bella quickly placed a hand upon his face, cupping his cheek.
“I promise you this, Thorin Oakenshield. My love. This will not be the end for us. We will see each other again, even if I have to threaten the Valar themselves. We will be together again. I give you my word, and you know I don't like to make a habit of breaking that.” She smiled at him with a determined look in her eye, and he smiled back. She then spoke again. “And this goes for the rest of you, as well. I will see you again, and we will go on another adventure.”
The dwarves all grinned at her, and she nodded, feeling pleased with how this unexpected tea party turned out.
Several years passed, and as Bella rested in Rivendell after her eleventy-first birthday party, she reminisced on the first time in nearly fifty years she had seen her dwarves. Had seen her love and his heirs whom she thought to be gone forever. Her nephew and his friends joined her for a short while in Rivendell, and after the Council of Elrond she had a surprise visitor in the form of Gloin, who informed her his son Gimli was going on the quest to destroy the One Ring. He was so proud of him, even if he had to work alongside the pointy-eared princeling who had insulted them through his photos so long ago, in the dark of Mirkwood. Bella laughed slightly, before bidding him farewell as he had to travel back to Erebor soon. He promised he would tell the others she said hello.
Four years after the fellowship destroyed the ring, Bella finally felt her strength leaving her for good. As she lay in her bed in Rivendell, Frodo, Gandalf, lord Elrond, and a few elvish healers surrounding her, she gripped Frodo's hand tight and stared into his eyes.
“Do not be sad, Frodo. You must continue on without me. I will be alright. I am finally moving on to Yavanna’s gardens, where I can wait for my love to return. And it will be there that I will be waiting for you, my dear Frodo.” She gazed at both Gandalf and Lord Elrond, before looking up at the ceiling, until her breath finally left her. She passed on to the beautiful gardens with a smile upon her face, awaiting the day when Thorin would return to her and they could go on another adventure together.
When Bella awoke, the wind was rustling the grass around her, and she felt a strength in her bones as she had not felt for years. She looked down at herself and noticed that she was younger as well, and wearing her favorite dress, Durin blue in color that had always reminded her of Thorin.
Speaking of…
She wandered the fields and flowers until she came to a grand mountain kingdom. The gates were wide open, and she walked through them, feeling the cool air wash over her. As she wandered the halls, marvelling at its strength and beauty, she came upon a great hall where a party was being held. Dwarves and hobbits alike were dancing together to the lively music, and at the far end of the hall she could see two thrones, where sat a dwarf and hobbit holding hands, crowns upon their heads. Mahal and Yavanna, Bella realized with a start. Glancing around the mountain hall again and then back the way she came, she realized she had woken up in Yavanna’s realm, which was connected to Mahal’s halls. She knew she had to introduce herself to her Lady and her husband, so she moved toward the great thrones.
She curtsied once she got the front, being as respectful as she could to the creators of dwarves and hobbits.
“My child…” A melodious voice sounded, and she could sense Yavanna moving closer to her. As Bella looked up into the face of her creator, Yavanna smiled down at her, before opening her arms and embracing Bella warmly. “It has been a long wait my child, but they have been patient. You must be patient a bit more, but for now, I believe there are some hobbits who have been waiting for you.”
Bella turned, her eyes wide, and ran into the open embrace of her parents. Belladonna and Bungo Baggins both hugged her back as fiercely as she did them. Tears were streaming down their faces, but not for sadness. Instead, the tears were joyful, and soon the three were walking around the party, Bella filling them in on her life after they passed on. They were pleased to hear about her adoption of Frodo, as well as naming him her heir. While she told them about the quest for Erebor, and Thorin, they shared knowing glances.
Bella did not know how much time had passed, although there really was no need to keep track of time in the halls, but soon she heard a familiar voice and turned to see the grinning faces of Balin and Ori joining her. They had come earlier, but did not see her until then, or so they said. One by one, the rest of the company joined them, until there were only three missing from the reunion, yet still Bella introduced them to her parents, smiling all the while. After a time, Bella looked to the doors of the party hall anxiously, wondering where Thorin was. Then, she would shake herself and feel bad for wanting him to join her soon, as he still had a life in Middle Earth.
“It’s alright, lass. He’s just taking care of some last minute things, then he will be here. He needs to make sure the boys are prepared to lead the kingdom.” Balin said to her knowingly, Dwalin behind him with a smirk on his face.
After some more time had passed, she was called up to the thrones again, but when she got there, neither Mahal nor Yavanna would tell her why they summoned her. Instead, she was left feeling anxious as she stood in front of the thrones awkwardly, her dwarven companions and her parents off to the side. They were there for moral support, but she really only needed one dwarf’s support to feel calm.
As though sensing her turmoil, Yavanna gave her a small smile, while Mahal merely grinned at her.
“Bella Baggins of the Shire, may I introduce you to-” Yavanna began, but Bella had heard that line before, and she spun around as she heard the party crowd behind her parting ways for the one dwarf she had waited nearly her entire life for. As soon as they made eye contact, she sprinted towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. He gripped her just as tightly, and for a moment they enjoyed one another’s embrace, before she suddenly pulled back, tears of joy on her face, and kissed him. She heard the whoops and cheering from everyone else but she could not care less about having an audience, for in this moment, they were finally reunited. When they broke apart, both were wearing matching grins, and she laughed in joy at the sight of her dwarf.
“Come, my dear dwarf, we must join the others. And my parents have been anxiously awaiting your arrival so they can finally meet you.”
“And what of you, amralime? Have you been anxiously awaiting my arrival?” He had a twinkle in his eye, and she laughed before replying.
“I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival for longer than you know. And you must also meet Mahal and Yavanna. They called me here so I could finally see you again, you know. We must pay our respects to them.”
“Of course, my love.” Thorin kissed her hand, and she smiled a bit wider, remembering when he would do that often as they walked during the quest, and again after he came back from the dead.
“And, you know…” Bella began, as they caught up to the others. “I do believe it is time for our next journey.”
“Anywhere you go, amralime, I will follow.” Bella paused, looking into Thorin’s eyes, and for a moment it was only them. She gave a blinding smile to her beloved dwarven king.
“Well then. Let’s go on an adventure!”