Title: Sleeping Beauty
Fandom: The Hobit
Rating: G
Length: 538
Summary: Thorin is missing from an important occasion
A/N: An AU in which everyone lives

Bilbo held himself to blame.  He’d been listening to Bard telling a traditional story to Tilda, his youngest, when she had been finding it hard to sleep. When Thorin had complained of a similar problem Bilbo had, in turn, related the story of Sleeping Beauty to his partner.  Bilbo had become aware Thorin had stopped listening partway through, but when he fell silent had been urged to continue.  At the conclusion of the tale, Thorin had smiled, said “That’s the perfect solution” and promptly fallen asleep.

Now they were all gathered in the Great Hall.  Everyone was present; the only one conspicuous by his absence was Thorin.  There had been some debate as to whether they should wait for the King, but Bilbo had said they should begin.  He had no confidence Thorin would turn up at all, so it seemed unwise to delay the ceremony.

The problem had begun some months before, when Tauriel and Kili had announced they were expecting their first born.  Everyone had been full of congratulations for the happy couple, but Thorin had remained silent.  Bilbo hadn’t been surprised; Thorin’s dislike of elves hadn’t altered, even though Bilbo suspected Thorin was actually quite taken with his nephew’s wife.

However, since the announcement Thorin had been morose and nothing that Bilbo could say would cheer him.  Dwalin, too, had tried to rally him, without success.  Balin had spoken to Thorin, but when Bilbo had asked him whether there was anything he could do to help, Balin had merely replied, “There are things he needs to work out by himself.”

They had come together for the naming ceremony.  Elves and dwarves alike had brought gifts for the infant, which were piling up in the corner of the room.  Everyone was laughing and celebrating the latest arrival in the House of Durin.

Suddenly the door was flung upon.  They all turned to see who the late arrival was.  Bilbo saw Thorin standing in the doorway and his heart fell.  He was reminded of the arrival of the uninvited bad fairy, who cast a shadow on the christening of Sleeping Beauty.  Thorin turned and picked something up.  He carried it across the floor and Bilbo could see it was a cot.

As was dwarfish custom the cot was made of iron (it would be cloth lined).  At the head end the metalwork had twisted together the initials T and K inside a heart, at the bottom end the infant’s name had been created, down the sides were beautifully crafted animals.

On seeing the cot, Tauriel pressed the baby into Fili’s arms, much to his surprise.  Then she threw her own arms around an equally surprised Thorin and said, “Thank you so much, it’s beautiful.”

Kili, meanwhile, seemed rooted to the spot, but he was beaming so hard there was no question that he was happy.

The guests crowded round to admire the cot.  Bilbo took Thorin’s hand and said, “No wonder I’ve not seen so much of you, it must have taken you ages.”

“I wanted the best for them,” Thorin replied.  “Once I had dreamed of making such a cot for my own child, but since I shall never have one, I made it for them.”