The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 1099 Bilbo's Crush?

“Doesn’t he look like King Shire?” Roland asked, pointing to Bilbo Baggins.

"???" Aragorn stared at Roland in shock, his expression saying, "Are you fucking drunk? Do you think this guy has any kingly aura? Wearing a dragon robe doesn't look like a prince, right?"
“What? I think he should be able to be a good king!” Roland said, looking at Aragorn’s shocked expression.

“I have no objection, but I have my doubts…” Aragorn’s lips twitched, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

"Don't worry, the people of the Shire will soon be yearning for a king! After all, the rangers of Dúnedan no longer protect the borders!" Roland shook his head. People always forget their mistakes; the Shire will learn their lesson after being elbowed a few times by your orc uncle! Since the harsh winter of 2912 in the Third Age, the Shire hasn't fought a single battle. The last war was between the hobbits and the ice wolves of the northern ice plains! (The hobbits love life; like the Kingdom of Lagrange, they experienced a great famine. Fortunately, Roland overextended himself, and with the help of surrounding kingdoms, no one starved to death. But the Shire truly saw hobbits starve to death!)
"Alright, we'll talk about this later. Let's get down to business!" Roland shook his head. Even if the orcs came over, they wouldn't be able to harm Bilbo. After all, he had the One Ring in his possession and was a Tier 3 thief! With low-level killing moves like backstab and gouge, even a knight of the same rank could be taken down in one go. The orcs posed virtually no threat to a prepared Bilbo Baggins!
"Hey! Annie!" Bilbo's eyes lit up as he started flirting with a beautiful female hobbit.

"What's going on?" Roland asked, leaning closer to Thranduil. After all this time, Mr. Bilbo had finally struck up a conversation with the female hobbit.

“This is a maid from the Green Dragon Inn. Our Lord Baggins seems to have a thing for her…” Thranduil said, glancing at the bashful Bilbo Baggins.

"So, has this woman's background been thoroughly investigated?" Roland asked.

“Thorin is doing this! His height is just right to blend into the hobbits!” Thranduil raised his head, gesturing for Roland to look at the tavern bar. Thorin was currently chatting with others while holding a wine glass, while Bilbo was resting his chin on his hand, listening to the female hobbit speak.

“He’s probably not very old, and hopefully he’s not married!” Roland said.

“It’s good for him to eat well!” Bard said sourly.

“Don’t let your wife hear this, or Baiin will inherit the throne!” Roland teased.

"Why?" Bard was confused, not understanding what his son had to do with it.

"Oh, he probably means you're going to get killed!" White Wing whispered.

"..." Bard's lips twitched, but he didn't refute it for once. After all, the two of them had a really good relationship and were a true couple who had been through thick and thin together. Bard was very loyal and loving to his wife.

"Tsk!" Roland clicked his tongue softly, drawing the attention of Marquis Al-Tegran Franz.

"Is there something wrong with Your Majesty?" asked Marquis Al-Tegran Franz with concern.

“I miss Nyx…” Roland said softly, his eyes filled with longing and worry. He knew that Nyx must have known he had run away long ago. So much time had passed, and his wife wasn’t stupid. As one of the most qualified nobles in the kingdom, Nyx’s quick wit was comparable to that of Al Tegrand Franz! So Roland had no doubt that his beloved wife was also worried about him.

"..." Marquis Al-Tegran-Franz's lips twitched. "If you put it that way, I'm out of options! I can't conjure it up for Queen Nyx, can I..."

“How about I find you one…” Al-Tegran Franz looked around and, noticing that everyone’s attention was on Bilbo, whispered to Roland.

"...Get out! I swear to be faithful to my wife! Don't mention this again. If Nyx finds out, you'll be relegated to being a lake depth surveyor!" Roland said, rubbing his head in exasperation. He wasn't a nobleman, nor did he need the sordidness of nobility. Deep down, Roland still possessed an egalitarian side rooted in Earth, and he didn't want his last vestige of will to be corrupted by this world. Although having lovers was a common practice among nobles, Roland truly loved Nyx deeply…

"..." Marquis Al-Tegran Franz shuddered. Your Majesty, you're being rather literary. What lake depth surveyor? That's called a sinking pond!
……

"Ahem!" Thorin coughed lightly, giving everyone a perfect signal.

“Bilbo! Who was that girl just now? She looked pretty, didn’t she?” Roland asked Bilbo instead of Thorin.

“That’s Anne Boleyn, the maid at the Green Dragon Tavern. She’s a famous beauty around here, everyone loves her!” Bilbo’s eyes flashed, then he said nonchalantly.

Anne Boleyn? After hearing this, Roland really wanted to ask her if her neck felt itchy; the name was a bit unlucky! It could easily make someone look like a flying head... "So, do you like her?" Roland asked casually.

“Of course I like it… uh, I mean I like beautiful things!” Bilbo nodded in confirmation.

“Okay! Then I’ll take you to get engaged!” Roland said, extending his hand.

"No, no, no! I'm not crazy! Roland! Calm down!" Every cell in Bilbo's body was resisting, and he desperately retreated, as if Roland were some kind of man-eating beast.

"Alright, time to go back for afternoon tea!" Roland clapped his hands, as if to let Bilbo off the hook.

"Let's execute Plan B!" Roland whispered to everyone as he walked past them.

……

“Are we really going to do this? That beautiful girl, we can’t treat her like this… She’s only twenty…” Thorin said hesitantly.

"Should one of us be a coward?" Before Roland could speak, Aragorn's voice rang out first. Aragorn was eager to learn from everyone's success stories; after all, he also had a sweetheart waiting for him to bring home!
"..." Thorin.

“…” Bard.

"..." Roland.

"So what's the action plan?" Thranduil covered his head, unable to believe that he, the dignified Elven King, was actually going to have to act out a scene with these lords to snatch a commoner girl.

“I’ll go with Aragorn this time, after the tavern closes!” Roland said.

"What about us?" Bard asked, taken aback.

"Wait for my signal, then you guys pretend to be rescuers and come out to save the damsel in distress!" Roland nodded.

"What is the signal?" Thorin asked seriously.

“My staff will tell you!” Roland pointed to Marquis Al-Tegran Franz.

“Yes, Your Highness! I will convey His Majesty’s will!” Marquis Al-Tegran Franz nodded.

“That’s settled then. Everyone, don’t give anything away, or we’ll be in trouble if Bilbo finds out!” Aragorn said cautiously.

“Shouldn’t you two be the ones who are really careful? If you are exposed… the lords of the North will lose all face!” Thranduil murmured.

"Don't worry, the two of us will disguise ourselves as orcs!" Roland gave everyone a reassuring look.

"How do we disguise ourselves?" Aragorn asked, taken aback.

“Come on! Follow me!” Roland glanced at him and nodded.

(End of this chapter)