FICLET: Lord Mandos' Unexpected Party
Title: Lord Mandos' Unexpected Party
Relationship: Thorin/Bilbo
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Aule, Mandos, Thorin's Company
Fandom: Hobbit
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Word Count: 680
Summary: The Lord of the Halls of Mandos finds himself reluctantly hosting a celebration to end all celebrations.
Note: A coda to Slumbers Deep and Dreams of Gold.
The smell of sausage had chased away the scent of incense, and the sacred silence of the Halls of the Dead was filled with sounds of singing and laughter.
The Lord of the Halls of Mandos, watching invisible, pulled a disapproving face.
"Come now, brother," said Aulë, giving him a friendly buffet on the back. "A little harmless fun never hurt anyone."
Mandos turned on his brother in exasperation. "They've strewn breadcrumbs everywhere! They used the holy incense burners to play ninepins! They burned my wife's tapestry of the death of Turin to toast marshmallows!"
"Never did like that tapestry," mused Aulë. "So morbid."
"It took her two hundred years to make!" hissed Mandos.
"I have made sure they had enough kindling since," Aulë pointed out.
Mandos sighed and gazed disconsolately at his guests. Time was difficult to measure in his halls, but it seemed they had been there a very long time, going from head-smashing to raucous laughter to tearful embraces and right back to the head-smashing. The ones wearing heavy armor had pulled it off so they could dance and carouse more freely, and right now they had settled down to yet another meal. Why must Aulë keep providing them with food? Sausage flew through the air and mead stained the floors, and Mandos resisted the urge to bury his head in his insubstantial hands.
"Come brother," coaxed Aulë. "Take some pleasure in others' happiness."
Mandos had to admit that happiness was perhaps rather an understatement for the amount of sheer joy he had witnessed since the dwarves had been awoken from their stony slumber. Perhaps none seemed happier than Bilbo Baggins, who had not stopped smiling and dancing and hugging everyone. However, Mandos noted that Thorin Oakenshield, while less effusive, seemed to radiate a quiet and peaceful joy as he watched his company together again.
It was an easy matter to observe the two of them, as they were never far from each other. Thorin usually had one hand on Bilbo's shoulder, as if he were afraid the halfling might vanish away. For his part, Bilbo's gaze kept returning to Thorin with a sort of wondering amazement, a stunned delight.
They all seemed, in fact, happy enough to make up for nearly a century of lost time.
There was a shriek of glee, and Fili went sailing by on the polished floor, using Balin's discarded heavy breastplate as a sled, with Kili in hot pursuit: "My turn next!"
Mandos ground his teeth and felt a twitch beginning at the corner of one divine eye. This was definitely the last time he let Olórin talk him into having guests, he thought as the party raged on.
A deafening metallic sound dragged his attention back to the table, where a few of the dwarves were bashing their cutlery together.
"Wait!" cried Bilbo Baggins. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" He ran to the head of the table and frantically jumped up and down until he had everyone's attention. "All right," he said. "Are you ready?" Beaming at the dwarves, he sang out: "Can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"
Then he looked expectantly at them, grinning.
A roar of approval went up from the dwarves. "Did you hear that, lads?" called Bofur gleefully. "He says we'll blunt the knives!" At that they all launched into a singsong litany of improbable desecrations that made Mandos shudder.
"My people," Aulë murmured beside him. He was looking at them fondly. "Such souls they have."
Mandos watched the dwarves roaring out their song. Thorin had hoisted Bilbo onto his shoulders; from his perch, the halfling was waving his arms as if to conduct them, laughing and singing louder than any of them. Tears were running down his cheeks unheeded, and his face was radiant with joy.
"I suppose they have a certain charm," said Mandos as he turned to go back to work, the strains of the elated song following him down the long and solemn halls.
"THAT'S WHAT BILBO BAGGINS HATES!"
---
Final Note: I know Tolkien felt strongly about the Secondborn leaving the world after death, but...if the human Tuor can dwell forever in Valinor with Idril, and if Luthien can pass on to be with Beren, I'd like to think there's a little statue of a hobbit in the Halls of Mandos, forever at Thorin Oakenshield's side.
Relationship: Thorin/Bilbo
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Aule, Mandos, Thorin's Company
Fandom: Hobbit
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Rating: PG
Word Count: 680
Summary: The Lord of the Halls of Mandos finds himself reluctantly hosting a celebration to end all celebrations.
Note: A coda to Slumbers Deep and Dreams of Gold.
The smell of sausage had chased away the scent of incense, and the sacred silence of the Halls of the Dead was filled with sounds of singing and laughter.
The Lord of the Halls of Mandos, watching invisible, pulled a disapproving face.
"Come now, brother," said Aulë, giving him a friendly buffet on the back. "A little harmless fun never hurt anyone."
Mandos turned on his brother in exasperation. "They've strewn breadcrumbs everywhere! They used the holy incense burners to play ninepins! They burned my wife's tapestry of the death of Turin to toast marshmallows!"
"Never did like that tapestry," mused Aulë. "So morbid."
"It took her two hundred years to make!" hissed Mandos.
"I have made sure they had enough kindling since," Aulë pointed out.
Mandos sighed and gazed disconsolately at his guests. Time was difficult to measure in his halls, but it seemed they had been there a very long time, going from head-smashing to raucous laughter to tearful embraces and right back to the head-smashing. The ones wearing heavy armor had pulled it off so they could dance and carouse more freely, and right now they had settled down to yet another meal. Why must Aulë keep providing them with food? Sausage flew through the air and mead stained the floors, and Mandos resisted the urge to bury his head in his insubstantial hands.
"Come brother," coaxed Aulë. "Take some pleasure in others' happiness."
Mandos had to admit that happiness was perhaps rather an understatement for the amount of sheer joy he had witnessed since the dwarves had been awoken from their stony slumber. Perhaps none seemed happier than Bilbo Baggins, who had not stopped smiling and dancing and hugging everyone. However, Mandos noted that Thorin Oakenshield, while less effusive, seemed to radiate a quiet and peaceful joy as he watched his company together again.
It was an easy matter to observe the two of them, as they were never far from each other. Thorin usually had one hand on Bilbo's shoulder, as if he were afraid the halfling might vanish away. For his part, Bilbo's gaze kept returning to Thorin with a sort of wondering amazement, a stunned delight.
They all seemed, in fact, happy enough to make up for nearly a century of lost time.
There was a shriek of glee, and Fili went sailing by on the polished floor, using Balin's discarded heavy breastplate as a sled, with Kili in hot pursuit: "My turn next!"
Mandos ground his teeth and felt a twitch beginning at the corner of one divine eye. This was definitely the last time he let Olórin talk him into having guests, he thought as the party raged on.
A deafening metallic sound dragged his attention back to the table, where a few of the dwarves were bashing their cutlery together.
"Wait!" cried Bilbo Baggins. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" He ran to the head of the table and frantically jumped up and down until he had everyone's attention. "All right," he said. "Are you ready?" Beaming at the dwarves, he sang out: "Can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"
Then he looked expectantly at them, grinning.
A roar of approval went up from the dwarves. "Did you hear that, lads?" called Bofur gleefully. "He says we'll blunt the knives!" At that they all launched into a singsong litany of improbable desecrations that made Mandos shudder.
"My people," Aulë murmured beside him. He was looking at them fondly. "Such souls they have."
Mandos watched the dwarves roaring out their song. Thorin had hoisted Bilbo onto his shoulders; from his perch, the halfling was waving his arms as if to conduct them, laughing and singing louder than any of them. Tears were running down his cheeks unheeded, and his face was radiant with joy.
"I suppose they have a certain charm," said Mandos as he turned to go back to work, the strains of the elated song following him down the long and solemn halls.
"THAT'S WHAT BILBO BAGGINS HATES!"
---
Final Note: I know Tolkien felt strongly about the Secondborn leaving the world after death, but...if the human Tuor can dwell forever in Valinor with Idril, and if Luthien can pass on to be with Beren, I'd like to think there's a little statue of a hobbit in the Halls of Mandos, forever at Thorin Oakenshield's side.