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A Hobbit's Rescue	By : LadyLaran Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > Hobbit, The Views: 5698 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "The Hobbit" nor do I make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Author’s Note – This will be the last chapter for tonight, and I hope everyone’s enjoyed the updates. I’ve still got loads to go, but I’m so very happy with the directions this story has taken so far. I just hope everyone else enjoys it too.
Disclaimer – I do not own “the Hobbit” nor do I earn money from this story.
Chapter Fourteen – Adamanta’s Choice
Once the four of them returned to the camp, Balin watched the too quiet hobbit for several long moments before approaching her and speaking in a gentle tone of voice.
“Miss Baggins, may I have a word, lass?”
Startled blue eyes looked up, watching him for a moment before rising to her feet. Adamanta headed towards the elder, who gently guided her to the area where he’d had a conversation with Thorin, Kili, and Gandalf just moments before.
When they arrived, he settled the lass on a stone and took a seat in front of her on the ground. Balin had taken the lower position to allow her a chance to feel secure. Given the situation and topic to be spoken of, the last thing the advisor wanted was for the girl to feel uneasy.
“We need to have a bit of a chat, my girl, and it will not be an easy one,” he began. “Please look at me, Miss Baggins.”
The hobbit looked up from her hands, which she’d had clenched together in her lap. He could see the mix of emotions in her eyes and hoped that what he was about to share would ease some of her fear. If this didn’t work, the scholar really wasn’t sure what to do to help her. In his heart, the dwarf sent up a silent prayer to Mahal and His wife asking for help.
“Thank you, lass,” he said softly. “Now, I’m here to listen to your thoughts on what’s going on, Miss Baggins. You’ve had a traumatic time of it, and I want to know what’s going on under that head of curly hair of yours. Talk to me, child. You’ve been too silent lately, and none of us can help you if we don’t know what you’re thinking.”
For a few moments, Balin was afraid she wouldn’t answer but finally, her voice was heard for the first time since leaving their captor’s hideout.
“I don’t know what to think,” she said softly. “I thought I would have a choice, and now I don’t know what to tell Kili.”
“Is this about how hobbits wed, lass?”
She nodded, looking so very worried and unhappy and he gave a slow nod of his own. His voice was gentle but firm as he continued, keeping her attention focused on him.
“Gandalf told us what the full custom is for your people regarding marriage, lass, and this brings a few questions to my mind that need answering before I can present a solution. First off, what are your feelings for Kili?”
“He’s my friend,” Adamanta said to him. “He understands me and makes me feel at peace inside. I’m happier when he’s around, and I enjoy being with him. I’m scared he’s going to hate me for what’s happened because we both lost our ability to choose. I don’t know what I’d do if he decided that I’m not worth his time or friendship.”
“He can’t hate you, Miss Baggins,” Balin assured her. “He admitted something to us when the question was asked who would be the one to lay with you.”
“What did he say,” she asked, fingers twisting tightly in her lap in a way that had to be painful.
“He told us that he was your One and had made the decision several days ago to approach Thorin and Gandalf to ask permission to court you,” the dwarf told her, making her eyes go large in shock. It was obvious to him that his answer was the last thing she’d expected to hear.
“How? I mean…doesn’t his One have to be a dwarf? He’s a prince!”
“Mahal and Yavanna are Ones,” he reminded her. “They may be Valar, but they are completely opposite of each other. Her joy is in the earth and growing things; his joy is in the stone and creating things. Yet they are happy together, and our stories speak of the great love they share.
“Truth is, Miss Baggins, Thorin would be pleased to have you as a niece. You have shown tremendous courage since the moment you left your home; he has seen your strength of will, compassion, and intelligence. We all have and know that you are an amazing person we are honored to call friend. I imagine Dis will absolutely adore you because you are able to do what most people can’t, keep her boys under control.”
Her voice shook, tears in her eyes as she answered him. Some of what he was saying was a balm to her aching heart, and the hobbit lass hoped he was speaking truthfully.
“You think so?”
“I know so, lass,” he replied. “Kili’s family will support the pair of you no matter what. Now, the feelings you speak of are akin to the beginnings of love, and I believe that it will grow as you two spend more time together.”
Adamanta’s hands shook harder while she gave voice to something she’d locked inside of her heart.
“That man wanted to ruin Kili’s life. He knew the hobbit traditions and that Kili would be stuck with me once he lay with me,” she whispered in a voice that was trembling as hard as she was. “I know you all say that I need to pick my own traditions, but some things are hard to shake off. I’m scared of Kili hating me when he finds out about this.”
“He knows, lass, and doesn’t hate you,” Balin said soothingly. “In fact, he was worried you wouldn’t be happy with him and he’s trying to find a way to prove to you that he wants to share your life in every way possible. It’s why I was there to talk to Gandalf, Kili, and Thorin. They wanted to be able to give you a choice on what you want to do.”
“I don’t want to force him to keep me,” she told him in a voice that was almost impossible for the scholar to hear.
“Oh my dear lass,” the dwarf replied, giving her a soft smile. “I think you’d have a hard time getting him to go away. We don’t leave our Ones; it’s just not how we’re built. From the moment we realize who our Ones are, our loyalty is first and foremost to them and to family.
“Now, what if I were to tell you that there’s a way to make this right?”
“How,” she asked, desperation in her voice and in the azure depths of her eyes.
“Kili is willing to acknowledge the hobbit tradition and proudly introduce you as his wife, but we have a way to also give you both a wedding rite. It’s not the traditional one we would use if you married in Erebor as we don’t have access to the ceremonial implements or a priest of Mahal; it’s older and sacred to us even if it isn’t used these days.
“He wants to marry you in the ways of his people, proving to everyone that he is not ashamed of you and desires to show just how much you own his heart.”
She froze, looking at him with a mix of emotion in her eyes and voice. Adamanta replayed his words in her mind for a moment before questioning him.
“He’s giving me a choice?”
“He is, lass,” Balin said. “He is willing to do several things, and it’s your choice as to what path the two of you will follow. One, he can ignore the hobbit tradition and remain your friend, offering you courtship once you reach Erebor and he gains permission to do so from your guardians. Two, he can acknowledge the hobbit tradition and treat you as a dwarf treats his spouse, setting up a home for you both when we reclaim the mountain. Three, if you accept this, he will present his suit in front of the company to show how much he loves and respects his One. If you accept the suit, you will be betrothed and the wedding rites will happen when we reach the safety of the home of the person Gandalf knows.”
“Why does it have to be in front of the company,” the small hobbit asked.
“Because when dwarves travel, the company becomes a family unit to both the suitor and the one being approached. By doing it in public, he declares before Mahal, family, and nature that this person is his One and he would do all he could to ensure her happiness. It’s a sign of respect to both her and the company.”
Adamanta nodded, fingers twisting in anxiety again. He spotted the motion and softened his voice somewhat.
“Lass, answer me this. Can you see a future without Kili in it?”
Her answer was sharp, curls flying free from the messy braid as she shook her head. The immediacy of her vehement response eased some of his worry.
“No, Master Balin, I can’t. It makes my heart hurt to think about it.”
“That’s a good sign, my dear. The question is, how do you want this to work now that you know how important you are to him?”
She was quiet for several long moments, and Balin remained patient. He would not press her into agreeing to do something if she didn’t want it.
“I want to be with him,” Adamanta whispered. “I don’t know if I love him, but my heart aches when I think of him not being there. I want him to be happy, but I don’t know if I want this to be the hobbit way only. The Shire isn’t my home anymore, and I’m trying so very hard to step away from the horrid traditions hobbits have. It’s just hard doing that right now, especially with everything that’s happened and the awful things that man said.”
“What did he say to you, lass,” the advisor asked, voice showing his concern.
“That I was a filthy hobbit and that I don’t deserve to have a choice or be happy,” the hobbit told him, eyes full of pain. “He was happy about taking my choice and dreams from me.”
“He’s wrong,” Balin said firmly to her. “You are a wonderful lass that we all care a great deal about. You’ve brought so much good to our company, Adamanta, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with you. If there was ever a person who deserves joy, it’s you. I want you to try to forget his words and think about what makes you happy. He tried to take your choice from you, my dear, but he hasn’t because we’re giving you one now.”
Tears filled the azure depths for a few moments before she blinked them away. The dwarf could tell that he’d helped soothe part of her pain, and he was glad for that. Kili and the rest of the dwarves would be able to help her get past the rest of the pain.
“I don’t want it to be the hobbit way alone,” she repeated herself. “But I worry about waiting too.”
It didn’t take long for the advisor to realize her concern, and he reached out for her hands. She let him take them, looking into his eyes.
“I don’t think any of us have thought of that concern yet,” he admitted. “I won’t say anything about it until you are ready to do so. The main concern is how you want this happen between you and Kili, Miss Baggins. This decision is entirely yours.”
Adamanta swallowed, looking at the gloved hands holding onto hers. She hadn’t expected to be given a choice, and it helped ease the agony around her heart. She’d been afraid that the decision would be made for her regarding the possible marriage issue between her and Kili. That they had returned her power to make the choice really helped her with her inner pain and worry.
“If he decides to present his suit tonight, I will listen. If he is certain I am the one he wishes to wed, then I will choose this path for us rather than the others you spoke of.”
Balin leaned forward, kissing her forehead. He was proud of her for making her decision and sounding so very committed to it. The scholar knew the core of strength within her had proven to be as strong as mithril once again.
“Just be happy, lass. You deserve that,” he told her, making her give him a small smile. It did his heart good to see that again.
“Thank you for being honest with me, Master Balin.”
“No more formalities, lass. Call me Balin,” he told her. “You are important to all of us, and we view you as family.”
“Call me Adamanta then,” she said. “True family need not be formal, I agree.”
He climbed to his feet, offering her his arm with a bright smile.
“Shall we, Miss Adamanta?”
As the hobbit took his arm and rose, the advisor knew she had a way to go before she would regain her equilibrium but her willingness to listen and make her decision told him that her spirit had not been crushed by the madman’s actions. It was up to Kili now to woo his One and do everything he could to make her happy.
Author’s End Note - I hope everyone has enjoyed the update! Please let me know what you think of it. ~ Laran
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A Hobbit's Rescue