When Bilbo awoke from his slumber, the first thing his nose registered was a faint, pleasant incense. He then abruptly opened his eyes to see a ceiling filled with classical artistic flair, not the short, greyish peak of his own tent.
"Where is this?"
Only then did Bilbo realize he was lying on a soft, comfortable large bed, covered by a warm, pristine down comforter, and wearing the pajamas he had brought but never had a chance to wear.
"Hmm? Ah, Bilbo, you're finally awake."
Bofur's surprised voice came from beside the bed, his felt-hatted head popping up from the side of the bed.
However, even though Bofur tried hard to stand on his tiptoes, he could barely show anything above his chest.
Bilbo then realized that he wasn't lying on a large bed at all, but a normal-sized bed for very tall people.
Bilbo couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where am I? How are Arthur, Gandalf, and Thorin?"
Bofur finally gave up on tiptoeing, supporting himself with his hands on the bed to sit up. He replied, "This is Rivendell. You fainted from a fever and have been asleep for a day and a night. If Arthur hadn't been stabilizing your condition with magic, you probably wouldn't have made it to Rivendell. Thorin was also worried about you, so he told me to watch over you here. As for Arthur and Gandalf, don't worry about those two wizards; they seem to be with that Elf, what's his name, Elrond. Oh, by the way, I heard Sir Bernal say that today Arthur and the others are also meeting with Elves or wizards or something from other places."
Wizards? Is he talking about the Prayers?
Bilbo blinked, sorting through the string of words Bofur had said: "So that means we're in Elf territory now? Thorin actually agreed to come here?"
Bofur yawned, "I told you, wasn't it because you were sick, Master Bilbo? Now that you're awake, I'll go tell Thorin and the others, so they don't worry."
Bilbo instinctively raised a hand to stop him, shaking his head, "No, no, no, you don't need to go yourself. I'll just get out of bed and tell them."
He attempted to get out of bed, but found himself feeling lightheaded and his limbs weak, so he sat back down on the bed.
Seeing this, Bofur scooted over, helped Bilbo lie back down on the bed, and carefully tucked in the corners of the comforter.
"Alright, your cold isn't gone yet, you're still a patient. I'll go call someone over. You've been hungry for a day, you should eat something to fill your stomach." Bofur said as he jumped off the bed.
Bilbo comfortably snuggled into the comforter, nodding obediently, "Okay, if possible, please bring me a pork pie and some blueberry cheese…"
Bofur shrugged, "I'll pass on the message, though I don't know if you can eat these things while you're sick."
The door closed, leaving Bilbo alone in the room.
The small figure lay quietly on the soft bed, then boredly turned over slightly, looking out at the sky through the window.
The clear starry river instantly entered his eyes. Bilbo gazed at the boundless starry sky, dotted with stars, shining with captivating light like diamonds.
It was as if he himself had merged into the brilliant starry river; his breathing became slow and deep, and his body gradually relaxed.
Bilbo's lips unconsciously curved upwards due to the beautiful scenery of the night sky, and he forgot the fatigue from his previous journey.
Soon, the door was heavily pushed open by the dwarves, and their boisterous voices instantly broke the tranquility of the room, making Bilbo turn his body back.
"I told you, our Master Burglar wouldn't just collapse from a cold so easily." Kili said, beaming, upon seeing this.
Balin showed a benevolent smile and nodded.
Gloin took over from Kili and said, "You're right, Kili, it's just that our Master Burglar needs some physical training."
Dwalin said in a deep voice, "Then leave this matter to me. I will be responsible for Bilbo's physical training and ensure he becomes a qualified warrior."
Bilbo's eyes widened as he looked at the rather fierce-looking Dwalin, pointed to himself, and quickly shook his head, "Oh, I'm very grateful that you all care about me so much, but physical training is really not necessary. I've barely lifted a sword a few times in my life."
Fili said, "It's alright, last time when you fought the Troll with me, you threw stones very accurately. Since you don't like holding a sword, I'll teach you how to throw throwing knives instead."
Bilbo opened his mouth and looked at Fili; this dwarf, who resembled a small lion cub, was smiling at him, his golden braids swaying with his movements.
"No, no, no, really no need, thank you."
Bilbo felt that the most frequent phrase he had said today was "No, thank you, I don't need it."
"Make way, our Master Bilbo's dinner is here."
Bofur, along with his brothers Bifur and Bombur, carried a wooden low table and exquisite white dinner plates, making their way through the noisy dwarves to the bedside.
Bifur said a concerned greeting to Bilbo in dwarvish, but Bilbo was utterly confused and couldn't understand.
Bofur squeezed over, placed the low table on Bilbo's comforter, and then, with Bombur, placed the dinner plates on it.
"Don't worry about it, Bifur is concerned about your health. Uh, although there's no fruit cheese and pork pie, there's roasted meat and roasted fish, and some vegetable salad, but the only drink is this glass of clear water." Bofur said with a smile.
Then his expression changed, and he raised his hand to swat away Bombur's mischievous hand, scolding, "Hey, Bombur, you can't eat anymore, this is Bilbo's dinner, you've already eaten enough. Didn't you see those Elves looking at you eat with incredible eyes?"
Kili laughed loudly, "Haha, I support Bombur on this! They should eat those Elves out of house and home! They look like they've never seen anything before. Our Bombur hasn't even unleashed his appetite yet."
Fili also nodded in agreement, "Exactly, and they don't even give us good wine to drink, it's all some nasty dew."
"Alright, I know you all care about Bilbo, but give our patient some quiet space." Gandalf's aged voice came from outside the door, and then his tall figure walked in.
Behind him followed Arthur, who also showed a concerned expression, and then the silent Thorin.
Thorin gave Bilbo a brief, indifferent glance, and once he confirmed Bilbo seemed fine, he looked away.
It seemed his mood was a bit off?
Bilbo noticed Thorin's expression.
And the dwarves, seeing Thorin enter, also quieted down, restoring the noisy room to its previous tranquility.
Thorin looked up at the dwarves and said, "Didn't you hear Gandalf? Give the Burglar some quiet space. Go do your own things."
Thorin's words were still very effective for the dwarves. They filed out of the room, leaving only Arthur and the others.
This also made Bilbo secretly breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't dislike the dwarves.
Rather, the dwarves' concern for him deeply moved him, but it was indeed too noisy for his ears.
If it were at a feast, Bilbo certainly wouldn't mind, but he needed quiet rest now.
"Bilbo, is there anywhere else on your body that still feels uncomfortable?" Arthur asked.
Bilbo nodded, then rubbed his hands and looked at the delicacies on the dinner plate. "My head is still a bit dizzy, but I'm fine now. I'm just a little hungry. You know, for a hobbit, the greatest punishment is to only let him eat one meal a day."
Arthur smiled, "Alright, if you have the leisure to joke, it means you're truly fine. You know, when you fainted, you scared all of us. Why aren't you wearing the pendant I gave you around your neck?"
Bilbo picked up a piece of roasted meat that was still warm (Bofur had reheated it for him) and replied somewhat awkwardly, "I left the pendant at home; I didn't bring it. I didn't expect that lack of rest combined with the severe cold would make me faint."
Then he stuffed the piece of roasted meat into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it.
The satisfaction brought by the food made Bilbo feel very comfortable, alleviating his rumbling stomach.
Then he continued with some emotion, "When I read books, I always thought that the scary parts of an adventure were dangerous animals and harsh environments, and I believed I was prepared for everything when I set out. But I never considered the unexpected things I might encounter besides those two, such as the winter temperatures different from the Shire, and the orcs that couldn't harm me but kept me from sleeping soundly."
Gandalf smiled and took over Bilbo's words, saying, "Undertaking a true journey will yield far more experience and knowledge than what's in books."
Bilbo hummed, "That's true. But please let me off the hook for now. How did your talks with the Elves go?"
Then Bilbo secretly glanced at Thorin and said, "It seems it wasn't very smooth?"
Arthur noticed Bilbo's little movement and shook his head slightly. "It's not as bad as you think, Bilbo, or rather, Thorin hasn't even started talking with the Elves yet."
"Why?" Bilbo asked with some surprise.
Gandalf said, "Because Lord Elrond has not yet returned to Rivendell. There have been quite a few orcs near Rivendell recently, and he led a troop of elite Elven cavalry to clear them out. He hasn't returned yet. Although Lindir, the current caretaker of Rivendell, said that Lord Elrond would return tonight, it's getting late, so the possibility of him returning is very small. We might have to wait until tomorrow, so you can rest assured and get some good rest."
So, Thorin's bad mood was simply because he was with the Elves?
Bilbo put another piece of roasted meat into his mouth, thinking to himself.
Just then, in the quiet room, the door trembled slightly, and three short, polite knocks echoed.
As the door panel swayed slightly, a clear and gentle male voice drifted softly through the crack into the room: "Lord Arthur, Lord Gandalf, and Lord Thorin, who have traveled so far, Lord Elrond has returned to Rivendell. Lord Lindir specifically sent me to inform you all."
The atmosphere in the room seemed to pause. A hint of surprise flashed in Arthur's eyes.
Gandalf gently stroked his long beard, his expression a bit awkward, as he had just told Bilbo that Elrond might not return tonight.
Thorin slightly lowered his head. Although his face was expressionless, a subtle hint of displeasure was faintly discernible beneath his thick eyebrows.
Bilbo broke the silence in the room: "Then I'll continue eating my dinner. Will you go meet that… Lord first?"
Gandalf nodded, then looked at Arthur and Thorin.
Thorin followed Gandalf first, and then Arthur gave Bilbo a few more instructions before following them.
After leaving the room, Thorin saw Balin, who was still resting outside the room and hadn't left, and said to him, "Balin, come with me. Let's meet the Lord of Rivendell and see what he has to say."
Starlight and moonlight filtered through the mountain valley, scattering upon the Elven open-air pavilion, as if draping this exquisite structure in a layer of silver radiance.
The pavilion was constructed from the lightest wood, with intricate patterns carved into the delicate bark, and surrounded by transparent, crystal-like gossamer that gently fluttered in the breeze.
A fully armored Elven warrior was in the midst of disassembling his elaborate armor alone. Upon hearing the movement, he turned around, revealing a warm smile—it was none other than Elrond, Lord of Rivendell.
He placed the golden sword from his waist onto the stone table within the pavilion, then raised his right hand, first touching his left chest, then gently waving forward: "Ah, Mithrandir, Arthur, I am very pleased to see you."
Then Elrond paused and offered Thorin a welcoming smile before saying, "I am also pleased to see the King of Durin's Folk here again. Welcome, grandson of Thror, son of Thráin, Thorin Oakenshield. And welcome also, son of Fundin, Balin."
Arthur had known Elrond for a long time, and Gandalf, of course, was no exception.
They knew that the gesture Elrond made represented an embrace among Elves, so they immediately made the same gesture in response to Elrond's courtesy.
Of course, Thorin and Balin did not return the gesture in the same way as Arthur and the others.
The former remained expressionless, while the latter nodded slightly with his kind face.
"Mellonnen (Greetings), Lord Elrond," Gandalf greeted him in dwarvish.
Elrond smiled and nodded, then looked at Arthur with some happiness, patting the golden sword on the stone table and saying, "Arthur, this precious sword you gave me is truly very useful. I once thought it could only be used as an ornament, but I didn't expect its hardness and sharpness to far exceed my imagination. It has helped me a lot, easily cutting through the inferior weapons of those orcs and severing their heads."
Arthur also replied happily, "If you are satisfied, then that is a good thing."
Elrond nodded, then looked at Thorin and Balin again, the smile on his face slightly receding.
He said pointedly, "The reason I returned so late is that I led the cavalry to eliminate a group of orcs that had come from the south. It is very strange that orcs are so close to Rivendell. Something, or someone, must be attracting them."
"That might be us," Gandalf replied.
Thorin silently looked at Elrond, his brows furrowed, still unwilling to say anything.
Gandalf could only say helplessly, "Thorin, give Lord Elrond the map I gave you. He can read the information contained in that map."
Thorin finally spoke, but what he said made Gandalf's heart sink: "Our affairs have nothing to do with the Elves."
Gandalf rubbed his forehead, a headache coming on. "My heavens, Thorin, I beg you, just show him the map."