Beyond the Dreams of Avarice by Dreamflower

[dreamflower]

B2MeM Prompt and Path: Purple path; Prompt--a verse of the "Misty Mountain song", quoted below (Square 7)
Format: Drabble
Genre: Gapfiller
Rating: G
Warnings: n/a
Characters: Bilbo
Pairings: n/a
Creator’s Notes (optional):
Summary: "Bilbo went to sleep with that [song] in his ears, and it gave him very uncomfortable dreams. It was long after the break of day, when he woke up."-The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"-

Beyond the Dreams of Avarice

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.
-The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"-

Bilbo woke, sitting straight up in his bed. His heart was pounding, his breath caught in his throat. He'd had no such disturbing dreams since he had been a young tween, fever-dreams during the Fell Winter. The songs of the Dwarves were haunting, melancholy and strange.

But what disturbed him now was not the dragon, horrible as it sounded. Death and destruction were things of horror and sorrow; but the beauty frightened him, visions of gems, bright as the Stars and Moon, and a feeling of yearning. Such things as treasures were not for hobbits and could only bring trouble.

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed this.

[dreamflower]

Thank you, dear!

[shirebound]

I love Bilbo's innate wisdom. This gap filler seems to fit seamlessly into the Professor's Tale.

[dreamflower]

Bilbo is a very wise hobbit, I've always thought. And thank you--that's a very high compliment! (((hugs)))

[hhimring]

Bilbo's right here, isn't he?
And later he manages to give the Arkenstone away...

[dreamflower]

Bilbo's very much right! Hobbits as a rule (with a few exceptions) are not subject to greed, and from what Gandalf said of them in UT, they are also exceptionally compassionate as a race. But Bilbo is, I think, a cut above most hobbits. I think the true quest to destroy the Ring began with Bilbo's mercy to Gollum.

And to Bilbo's way of thinking, if the Arkenstone could be used to buy peace that was of more value than simply being a shiny bauble.

[foxrafer.livejournal.com]

I love that it's his desire for the treasure in his dream that frightens him, not the possibility of having to face a dragon. That fits the character so well.

[dreamflower]

Thank you! It's what I hoped to show. I believe Bilbo knew himself well enough to know that sort of desire was unnatural to him.

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

You actually made me shudder. Like Bilbo, I found that dream unsettling. I like the way you used that prompt.

[dreamflower]

Thank you! I find the idea of a Bilbo acting out of character (such as wanting a vast shiny treasure) to be extremely unsettling and shuddersome.

That verse of the song was about the pretty things that the dragon coveted, so it seemed to lend itself to this sort of thing.

[independence1776]

Psst… Your lj-cut is broken.

[dreamflower]

Fixed now! It wasn't exactly broken, I just forgot to move the "uncut" to the other end of the story, and accidentally left it at the end of the title, LOL!

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Dear Bilbo - so practical and so grounded. It is those qualities, along with his ability to think on his feet, that made him such an asset on his "journey".

- Erulisse (one L)

[dreamflower]

"Practical and grounded" describe him very well. He is also singularly lacking in greed and is a very generous person to boot.

Would anyone else have thought of surrendering the Arkenstone to gain peace? That, and his mercy to Gollum are the two most defining "Bilboish" moments in the whole story!

[periantari.livejournal.com]

Such things as treasures were not for hobbits and could only bring trouble.
Such is the difference between hobbits and dwarves. I think that is why deep down Bilbo wouldn't want anything to himself and that is why he sacrificed the Arkenstone in order to use as a bargaining chip. He could've kept a lot of jewels from the Quest but that isn't how hobbits are in terms of desiring treasure as much as dwarves. This drabble captures that perfectly.

[independence1776]

Wow! Chilling. Bilbo is absolutely right.