Hiding Myself. A fem!Bilbo Bagginshield fanfic

Chapter 30

     Bella Baggins shut Fili and Kili's door behind her, laughing at the sounds of the boys protesting against Oin's orders. They had never been the ones to stay still, always being the last to retire to their bedrolls at night. Sometimes even Thorin had smiled at their seemingly endless energy.
     The short hallway between their room and Thorin's seemed longer than before. Bella pulled the coat Dori had found for her tighter around her shoulders.
     It wasn't that she was afraid of the dwarf king. Of course not, that would be ridiculous. She was only afraid of what they had yet to discuss. Even if there was nothing sour between them anymore.....
     "Ah, there you are, Bella. " Dis exclaimed.  "I was beginning to consider sending out a search party!"
     Bella smiled hesitantly up at the formidable dwarrowdam. The princess looked so like her brother at first glance, but her eyes were just like Fili's. "I was just visiting Fili and Kili. "
     Dis smiled warmly, nodding towards the bedroom door. "It's getting late and I'm sure you're tired. Bombur sent something up for you to eat, if you're hungry. "
     Once the princess left, Bella made her way through the door and straight to the table across from the bed. A glance over showed her that Thorin was sleeping calmly, the slightly lowered blanket allowing her to see his bare chest freed from some of the bandages the king had been wrapped in since the battle. She smiled, turning to the plate of heavy Dwarven fare before her. She was glad for the small cup of ale brought by Dain's men, after so long without an opportunity to relax with the Company. They hadn't truly spent time together since Laketown.
     Bella trudged over to the armchair she'd been sleeping in for nearly two weeks. Just as she reached it, the sound of rustling bedsheets reached her ears.
     Thorin had barely managed to prop himself up on one arm, watching her sleepily.
     "Have you been sleeping on that? " he asked, voice laden with disbelief.
     When she nodded, he shook his head and sighed. Bella moved to sit down in the chair. From behind her, Thorin scoffed after she visibly winced. Choosing to ignore the knot in her back that had been created by sleeping in the armchair for so long in odd positions wasn't very easy.
     "I'll be fine. "
     "No you won't. "
     She turned towards the stubborn dwarf. "I've been sleeping in it since the battle. I can stand it for as long as i need to. " she stated, chin up in an attempt at disdain. To her surprise, or perhaps not, Thorin grins for a split second.
     "If you won't leave this room to find somewhere decent to sleep, " he began, "You could stay here. Only if you want to. " The last sentence came out in a rush of breath. Bella blinked when he gestured towards the other side of the bed. She stared at him for a moment. For once, the Dwarven king looked oddly embarrassed at the simple thought of sharing a bed.
     The hobbit sighed, forcing her smile to look less nervous. "A-Alright. Just give me a moment. "
     Thorin nodded and fell back onto the pile of pillows Dis had forced upon him. Bella had laughed when the dwarrowdam had marched in with at least a dozen of the things she had found only Yavanna knows where. Thorin had promptly pouted (though he wouldn't admit it) for the rest of the evening.
     Bella scooped up the adjusted tunic she'd been sleeping in and headed into the bathroom. It wasn't functioning yet, but it worked for the privacy she needed to change clothes. As she changed, she reached into her pocket subconsciously. She stared at the ring in her hand. Rather than feel relieved that she had not lost it, there was a feeling of loss instead.
     Shaking her head, she put the ring away in a drawer she had taken for her own use. The seemingly harmless ring lay beside Sting and her mithril shirt, folded up carefully. She fiddled with a few of the small objects she had stashed in the drawer.
     "I am not stalling. It's just sharing a bed, nothing worth acting like a lovesick tween over. " she murmured, hoping Thorin couldn't hear her. Standing up, she slowly made her way over to the empty side of the bed. Luckily, or perhaps not, he was already asleep, curled up under the blankets and holding a pillow in his arms like the stuffed things faunts in the Shire held at night. Bella smiled wistfully. It was odd to see the Dwarven king looking so calm after his constant brooding during the journey.
     Falling asleep took much less time than usual that night.

------------------------------

     Thorin woke to a sharp pain in his arm. He tried to pull his arm away, thinking that it would help. Instead, it felt like something was holding it down to the bed.
     "What- Oh. "
     He must've forgotten.
     Bella had curled into his side sometime during the night, her head resting on his arm. A small smile graced her face as she slept. The light from the window in the ceiling made her face glow and turned her hair into gold. Thorin reached out, wrapping a soft curl around his finger.
     Somehow, he didn't mind the pain she caused in his arm. A part of his mind whispered that he deserved it, that he had caused her enough pain after what he had done to her. The look on her face as he had held her above the ground on the ramparts was not one that he would forget easily. She had looked terrified, yes, but the hurt in her eyes was what haunted him. She had believed in him even when others had not, and he'd thrown her aside for a mere trinket.
     Then, as he wrapped his arm around her as best he could and pulled her closer, Thorin Oakenshield promised himself to make sure Bella Baggins never felt that way again. He refused to let her be hurt like that again. Not if he had any thing to say about it.

-----------------------------

     Warmth. Safety.
     Bella snuggled closer to the source of the comfort, moving in a sleepy haze. It had been so long since she'd felt that kind of feeling. Not since her parents died....
     A soft sounding chuckle brought her back to reality. Slowly, she realised where she was. Bella stared at the fabric of Thorin's tunic in her curled fist for a moment.
     Oh.
     Thorin's arm on her shoulder stopped her when she bolted upwards. "Are you alright, Bella? "
     "Fine. I'm fine. " she mumbled. Thorin winced when she rested her hand on his arm for a second. Her face fell. "Did I hurt you? I didn't-"
     He smiled, stopping her rambling. "I'm not hurt. "
     I think I deserved it, after how much I hurt you.
     The weak swat to his shoulder was a surprise, as was the look on her face. "Don't you ever dare say anything like that again! How can you think that? " she hissed. Thorin looked down. He hadn't realised he'd thought out loud.
     "Why did you forgive me? "
     Bella smiled almost sadly, moving to sit facing him. "Because. You weren't yourself and... I had no right to give the Arkenstone away. " she said, sighed, and finished in a near-whisper, "I should have expected your reaction. "
     "You did what was right. " he said, trying his best to assure her of the fact. Bella had done what had to have been done. Having the Arkenstone in his possession would certainly have led events in the wrong direction. She had been brave when no one else had.
     "It didn't feel like I had. I-"
     Thorin shook his head, reaching out to cup her face in his hand. She froze for a split second before finally leaning into his touch. Her smile was hesitant, but there all the same. He knew that it would take time for Bella to trust him again like she used to, to love him again, but he would wait.
     For her, he would wait a lifetime.

Guess who's back!! I'm sorry about the hiatus, but my old tablet died and was stuck on a restarting screen for days. I finally got a new one with a keyboard so now I can type chapters more easily!
Thanks for staying around until now and I'll get an update in about a week hopefully.