Bungo Baggins gifted Belladonna Took Bag End when they were married. A brand new smial carved out of the most gorgeous hill he could find, overlooking the green fields of the shire and with a view from the front window that could even see almost all the way to Bywater, across the river. It was as comfortable and cozy a home as one could ask for. But the important part of the gift wasn't the home itself.
A little stone wall surrounding the space and utterly filled with all manner of herbs and plants. Lovely chrysanthemums lined the edges, rosebushes flanked the gateway, peas and beans climbing the trellis and arches for easy picking. Squash and gourds spreading over the ground with beautiful tomatoes growing in neat little rows. The tomatoes donated by the Baggins family, of course, and the pumpkins from the Old Took himself. A few fruit trees lining the property. Everything laid out just so, and with room to grow. A pleasant place indeed to kneel among the plants and tend to the soil.
Hobbits, you see, showed their love through food, from beginning to the end. And what could be more romantic than gifting the promise of many meals worked for together and produced by their own land? Than the promise of countless hours working side by side to produce fruit and food together?
When Thorin proposed to Bilbo, there was no garden. Oh the event was sweet enough. And Bilbo gladly accepted and would not have changed a thing about it, but sometimes, and only sometimes mind you, he did miss digging his toes in the soil, and tending his prize winning tomatoes, passed down from his father.
The mountain held some similarities to a smial, of course. Dwarrow also preferred to live under the embrace of the earth, and there were plenty of cozy places in the mountain. But there was no window overlooking the scenery, and there certainly was not a garden.
"How are the wedding preparations coming along?" Thorin asked Balin as they walked through the corridor.
"Very well," Balin hummed. "The invitations to the other dwarven kingdoms have been delivered, as well as the ones to Dale and the Greenwood." Thorin grimaced at that last one, but Bilbo had put his foot down and insisted that if they didn't invite their neighbors that would completely ruin the work he'd been putting into the new treaty.
"And the local preparations?" Thorin urged.
"Ah yes, well the cake and meal plans are going along swimmingly. I believe Bombour is very excitedly coming up with plans. The decorations are going well, Dori and the weavers guild have been working on a new tapestry for the day of among others. I believe I placed a report on your desk this morning about them." Balin glanced sideways at Thorin who turned his head away, ignoring the gentle reminder that a King should be paying attention to his paperwork.
"And the specific request from Bilbo?" He asked.
Balin frowned. "Ah, yes. The flowers." Balin rubbed a hand across his eyes. "That is a bit more complicated."
Thorin nodded with a frown of his own. "I see, so we haven't been able to find a source?"
"Well...." Balin hummed. "The greenwood is only just beginning to recover, and is not producing florals at the moment. We have reached out to Beorn as well, but the correspondence is slow. He is delighted to come to the wedding, but believes that any flowers he may bring would not survive the trip."
"And what of the wizard?"
Balin shook his head. "No one has heard from Tharkun as of yet," he grunted.
Thorin sighed. "Of course not. He will likely not show his face until the morning of and then say that had been his plan all along."
Balin shrugged but nodded. "Aye, and if that wizard does show up, I'll have a word or two for him about proper timing." He sighed. "Either way, we do seem to be stuck on the flowers. Does Bilbo really need them for the wedding? Can we not have some crafted from gemstones or precious metals in their place? They will last longer?"
"Bilbo has requested grown flowers specifically," Thorin grumbled. "And if I can give him nothing else I will give him those." Bilbo had asked for so little, and already given so much. If he wanted living flowers, as temporary and difficult they were proving to be, then by Mahal, Thorin would see them bloom.
Balin nodded and brought his stylus up to his face, tapping it gently on his chin, his face screwing up in thought. "Has anyone thought to check the old greenhouses? The ones from the reign of Nain II?"
"Those must be ancient by now." Thorin hummed. "But perhaps, if they escaped the wrath of the dragon." He nodded, looking back over at Balin. "Have someone check them. See if anything still functions or grows there."
Balin nodded and turned, taking a different corridor to head back towards his office. Thorin continued on his pace, fingers pulling at his beard slightly. Nodding to himself, he changed course and turned to walk down a different path. He might as well check the old area himself, probably after dinner. He could only hope he would find something other than rubble, and perhaps a spot of color among the stone.
Bilbo enjoyed dinners in the mountain. Though not typically as loud as his first introduction to dwarven frivolity that had been the gathering at Bag End, they were usually joyful and plentiful. His favorite part was how often they would burst into song or dance, belting out a few verses before going back for more food and drink. It made for an entertaining evening every time. Even Thorin, when he wasn't occupied by other kingly duties, would join in the merriment from time to time. Bilbo particularly loved when he would bring out his harp and sing. Every time it would bring him right back to that first night and when he had first heard of the Lonely Mountain.
Thorin had joined them tonight, after a few days of being caught up in other responsibilities, and Bilbo had been looking forward to the possibility of hearing his dwarf sing, but dinner was wrapping up now, and Thorin had been brooding through the whole of the meal.
"You know, I think that chicken will taste much better if you chew it instead of glare at it," Bilbo said and elbowed Thorin's side.
The dwarf startled, knocking the table so hard that some drops of ale spilled out of his still mostly full flagon. Bilbo quickly grabbed a napkin and blotted up the liquid, raising an eyebrow at Thorin as he did.
"Care to tell me what's on your mind?" he nudged.
"It's nothing," Thorin said quickly, a slight pink highlighting the skin under his slowly growing beard. Bilbo raised an eyebrow higher and Thorin sighed, "Just.... wedding details."
"Wedding details that look like they might start a brawl with your dinner?" Bilbo nudges.
"Nothing major. It's just a sourcing issue." Thorin nodded, slowly relaxing himself into his chair. "I'm taking care of it."
Bilbo tilted his head at his fiancé. "Alright. Let me know if I can help with anything."
Thorin nodded and placed his hand over his burglar's. "Of course Zirizkhie."
Bilbo's nose crinkled. "You still haven't told me what these terms mean, you know."
"After the wedding." Thorin promised. "I'll teach you as much Khuzdul as you like."
"I'll hold you to that," he grinned. "Well then, I believe that your dinner has been glared at long enough." Bilbo speared a piece of chicken with his own fork and offered it to the dwarf. "Don't you?"
Thorin chuckled and leaned forward to take the morsel into his mouth. "Of course." Bilbo grinned as he fed his fiancé. Maybe this was even better than the singing in some ways.
The old greenhouses were a wreck. Some of the ancient supports were still standing, but only barely. Great chunks of rock rested around the old space, deep in the mountain where Smaug couldn't touch, but his movements above had obviously shifted things enough that Thorin would need to bring experts down to bolster the stone and make the space safe. It was a project that would need to be done anyway to secure the pathways above, but Thorin mentally moved it to the top of his list.
Picking his way through the rubble, lantern in hand, Thorin could see shattered glass and wood laying among dark soil. The whole area would need to be cleaned and sorted to ensure the safety of his hobbit.
It wasn't looking like there would be much in the way of flowers or greenery to be found. Thorin's shoulders slumped as he continued to evaluate the area.
Something metallic glinted off to the side, reflecting off the flickering lantern light. Thorin moved in that direction, frowning.
A tarnished silver mechanism poked out from the wall, a heavy layer of dust covering the top half of a lever. Gently, Thorin brushed the old dust away and blew it off what he could see of the mechanism. Most of it seemed to be buried in the stone of the wall itself. He pushed slightly against the lever, and with a creak, it lowered.
As the lever moved, Thorin could hear old gears grinding behind the stone, moving slowly as the lever was pushed downwards. He pressed harder, and in the rock above, he could hear a grinding sound, before a slight ray of light glimmered above. Immediately he stopped pushing and let go of the lever. The mechanism froze in place and the small light held steady.
Looking up, Thorin could see a maze of mirrors, directing the light downwards. The light was coming from high up on the mountain through a tiny gap in the stone, moved by the mechanism.
Jaw slightly agape, Thorin's eyes followed the light down until he could see where it rested behind a pile of rubble. Walking over, he pushed away one of the old supports. A cloud of dust billowed around him and he coughed, the taste of old stone and dirt coating his tongue.
As the air cleared, and the light focused, Thorin grinned.
There, growing out of the old soil, was a small green stem.
Thorin crouched down, fingers hovering over the small plant but not quite touching the slight fuzz. The tiny thing was curled slightly, a pale green shoot just poking out of the soil.
"Hello," he said quietly, almost tenderly. "I'm glad to meet you." The slight air from his breath moved the little plant, rocking it in the loose soil. Thorin grimaced at the delicate thing. "For such a stubborn plant you look delicate." he laughed, "Fitting for Bilbo, I suppose."
Carefully, Thorin stood and looked around. There would be much work to do to make this suitable, and it would need to be done carefully so as to preserve the little plant here. But it was something. Not a flower, certainly, but something.
He would need to bring a whole team down here. A delicate team. One that would work with precision and speed. Thorin nodded to himself and stood. It was just a small thing, a tiny little green thing in a world of stone. But as the dwarrow had returned to the mountain, as life returned to the land, and as Bilbo returned hope to a king, so too would this little plant return a garden to the mountain.
And just maybe, they would be able to grow their own flowers for the wedding.
Bilbo had not seen Thorin for a week. Or rather not much of him. He would catch glimpses of him in the halls occasionally, and Thorin still joined the great hall for dinner, but other than that Bilbo could not pin down the king for longer than a second or two.
And Bilbo was tired of it.
They were getting married for Eru's sake, he should be able to have a few minutes with his fiancé a few times a week.
Bilbo huffed as he walked down the hall, hands in his pockets.
"Of all the stupid, dwarven things. Confusticate them." He muttered to himself. "Having to deal with the elvish ambassador by myself. Not that Thorin would be much help there anyway, but it's the principle of the thing."
"You alright there, Bilbo?" a voice asked and Bilbo jumped slightly, turning.
"Oh, Bofur," Bilbo sighed, placing a hand over his heart to calm himself. "Yes, yes, I'm perfectly well. Just a touch startled is all."
"Ya were talkin' to yourself before I 'startled' ya." Bofur grinned. "But alrigh." He walked up and placed a hand on Bilbo's back. "I was asked to come find ya," his grin widened. "Need your help with somethin."
"Oh," Bilbo allowed himself to be turned and walked in step with Bofur. "Well, alright then I suppose. If you need something I would be happy to assist."
Bofur nodded and walked him down the hall, guiding Bilbo down a corridor he'd never explored before. "It's just down here if you want to make your way, there's a lad." Bofur said, nudging Bilbo's back and pushing him gently down the hall.
"Aren't you coming?" Bilbo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Aye, I'll be along." Bofur grinned. "I'll meet you there."
Bilbo pursed his lips, but turned and stepped down the path. The stone beneath his feet felt dusty as if no one had walked it in years until just recently. Ahead of him though, he could see a warm light illuminating the stone just after the curve of the path.
"What in Arda," he muttered slightly as he turned the path, blinking because the light was so strong.
Not lantern light... or torchlight... No, this was sunlight.
Bilbo had to blink the light out of his eyes for a moment, adjusting to the brightness, before he was able to see beyond.
It wasn't much yet, no, but it was very clearly the beginnings of something very special indeed.
Dark, well turned earth began just a few paces in front of his feet. Bilbo couldn't help but step forwards, digging his feet into the soft soil, cool and lush under his toes. He sighed, his whole body relaxing into the feeling. Up ahead of him, he could see a well placed stone walkway meandering across the ground. A lovely arched stone gateway, flanked by a short stone wall surrounded a circle of turned earth. And right in the center, illuminated by a column of sunlight, stood Thorin, hands placed behind his back.
"Thorin," Bilbo breathed, "What... what is this?"
"Well," Thorin coughed into his hand. "It... you see...." he hummed. "It was the flowers."
"The flowers?" Bilbo urged, taking a few steps forwards and through the archway.
"The wedding flowers you want," Thorin nodded. "We couldn't find any growing nearby, and transporting them from afar would be, I'm told, not good for the blossoms."
Bilbo nodded as he spoke. "Yes, I suppose that's true. I didn't think of that when I said I wanted them."
"Yes, well." Thorin continued. "Balin remembered that in the time of Nain II, my forefather, there were built great greenhouses in the depths of the mountain. We... I was able to find the remnants of them, but there isn't much here." He stepped aside, and let Bilbo see beyond him, where the pale little shoot had grown into a small, more vibrantly green stem, now with two little leaves. "This was all I found, and it's not a blossom. But I have sent to our allies for seeds and perhaps starts if they can spare them."
Bilbo walked towards the small plant and reverently stroked a finger down a leaf. "This is a tomato," he said gently. "A tomato in Erebor." He looked towards Thorin. "Why did you set all this up?"
"I thought we could... well, I thought we might grow the flowers for our wedding together?" Thorin grimaced slightly. "I'm no well hand with plants or living things, but I thought you could teach me? I can help lift things at least." Bringing his hands out from behind him, he held out a freshly smithed set of garden tools.
Bilbo stood, not bothering to brush the dirt from his knees, and took the tools from Thorin. There was a small trowel, hand rake, and small spade. Perfectly formed for hobbit hands. Gathering the tools in his arms he looked up at Thorin.
"You built me a garden," he said simply.
"Yes," Thorin nodded. "Does it please you?"
"You built me a garden. And a tomato plant." He reiterated.
"Yes," Thorin bit his lip. "I hope you find it to be satisfactory."
"You want to grow flowers here for our wedding."
"Blast it all, yes you damned hobbit!" Thorin cried. "Do you like it or not, for if you don't tell me now and I will tear down every brick myself and rebuild until it is built perfectly to your standards."
Bilbo cried out and leapt into Thorin's arms, reaching up until he could cup the dwarf's face between his hands, tears streaming down his face.
"I love it you stupid dwarf!" Bilbo said, then crashed their mouths together, pressing into Thorin until his arms came up to cradle Bilbo against him. Thorin sighed into the embrace, hugging his hobbit close to him and allowing Bilbo's tears to run into his own beard.
Bilbo pulled back, his eyes still streaming. "My father gifted my mother tomatoes, did you know that?" Bilbo grinned. "Best tomatoes in the shire and he gave them to her in their marriage garden. Everyone was quite jealous I'll have you know. Completely green with envy."
"I did not know that." Thorin smiled. "The tomato plan pleases you then?"
"Of course it does. But it will take proper care, oh yes." Bilbo responded, wiggling out of Thorin's grasp. He picked the tools off the ground and looked around. "We'll need to properly fertilize the ground here, and I'm sure you can come up with a way to make sure we can get water down here, can't you?"
"Of course Ibine," Thorin smiled. "Anything for you."
Bilbo nodded. "We have much to do before those seeds get here." He said excitedly. "Imagine, growing the flowers for our wedding together? Oh, I can't tell you how my old aunties would swoon at the very idea."
Thorin followed Bilbo as he explored the space, smiling at his excited burglar. He couldn't wait until their wedding. Until he could see him crowned in the flowers they would grow together. And, to be certain, he would ensure that there were tomatoes at the wedding feast.
