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“That’s a waste of a perfectly good coin!” Gloin shouts, watching as the piece twirls in the air before dropping down into the depth of the well. There’s the thump of it hitting bare ground, unfortunately there’s no splash of water. They’ve stopped at an abandoned farm for the evening and Bilbo couldn’t help but toss a coin in, he’s been down on his luck, afterall.
“Do Dwarves not have this custom?” Bilbo asks, watching as the company looks on at him in confusion.
“Throwin’ perfectly good money away? No, I don’t think we do.” Gloin huffs.
“Oh, it was just a little piece, nothing to be missed.” Bilbo insists, “It’s a ‘wishing well’. If you throw in a coin and make a wish there’s a chance it will come true.”
“Yer sayin’ it’s witchcraft? Don’t like that stuff all too much. Think it should be left up to the wizards.” Bofur says, leaning in over the side of the well to look, “What do you know! There’s coins at the bottom! Gloin, lower me i-”
“You will not! If you remove the coins the wishes won’t come true.” Bilbo shoos Bofur away from the edge of the well, “It’s not real magic, just… superstition, I suppose? I think it’s good to have some wishes, with hope that they will come true because you offered something for it.”
“Or you can work for what you desire instead of hoping for magic to intervene.” Thorin scoffs, breaking up their conversation, “There is a camp to set up, enough time has been spent on magic tricks.”
A grumble runs through the company and they disperse, forgetting about the well. All except for Bilbo, who hopes that his wish for ‘home’ will come true.
In the dead of night, on Thorin’s watch, it is clear he had not forgotten the well either and tosses in a gold coin. Then another. Another. One more for luck. He has a lot he wishes for in life and he’ll take all the help he can get. There is still a long road ahead for the company.
----
“Thorin, Thorin, look at me. Hey, you’re okay, look at me-”
“I tossed four coins into the well.” Thorin coughs, staring up at Bilbo. The pale sky frames his soft curls like a halo and Thorin smiles. At least Bilbo is here in these final moments. His last wish came true.
“Do not speak, do not waste your strength, Thori-”
“I wished that you would stay. I knew you did not plan to. I thought my wish meaningless when in the Goblin tunnels you made to leave… then on the carrock you promised to stay. I knew that my wishes would come true from there, Bilbo, I knew that they would. There is magic in this world, there is hope.”
“... what else did you wish for?” Bilbo asks, clutching Thorin’s hand in his own, hoping to hold Thorin to this world until help arrived.
“... I wished for the safety of my company, through all of our hardships. I wished to see Erebor again…” Thorin’s eyes begin to flutter shut and Bilbo gasps.
“What was the last wish, Thorin? Keep talking. Tell me, please.”
“I wished to find home.” Thorin gasps, holding Bilbo’s eyes, “I think that I have, and I took it for granted.”
Bilbo feels Thorin’s grip on his hand weakening.
“I found it in my company and in you .”
“Thorin, I wished for the same. At first I thought it was my home in Bag End, but no, it’s more than that. I have found so much more, Thorin.”
“Bilbo- I am sorry to have lead you into such peril-”
----
“The plans do not show a well having been here previously, Thorin.” Bilbo points out, looking at the schematics of the courtyard they are currently rebuilding. Bilbo had noticed a few workers laying the foundation and was confused.
“Oh, I changed the plans a bit.” Thorin says, sliding the new blueprint in front of Bilbo.
There is a crude drawing on the blueprints and it was labeled ‘wishing well’ and Bilbo looks up at Thorin with an enamoured little smile.
“Thorin… you big sap.” He says affectionately, “Will Dwarves not faint at the sight of people so needlessly throwing away gold?”
“Not when they hear the story of the King’s wishes and how the old farmer’s well brought him so much joy. So much happiness. So much meaning in his life.” Thorin steps forward, closer to Bilbo with each statement. Bilbo blushes, looking up at him.
“I do not think any soul could resist throwing in a coin after such a tale.”
“No, I do not believe so.” Thorin murmurs, leaning down to rest their foreheads together.
Thorin knows something that he can’t resist, and it’s the Hobbit standing right in front of him.
Thorin goes in to kiss him but Bilbo pulls away, “No! You will not have me distracted again. There was already much to do and now you’ve changed the plans, so we have to redesign the courtyard bricks before the layers get here at noon. You make so much work for me, my dear. Honestly, you’re lucky I have the mind for planning these things because you’d be lost without me, I swear -”
Thorin just smiles dopily as Bilbo berates him and rambles on, fixing the plans as he does so. Wishes do come true, even if they’re in the form of a rowdy little Hobbit. It’s more than Thorin could have ever asked for.