An hour into the journey, it didn't seem so different to Agarwaen's lonesome travels. Nobody talked all that much, and her being in the lead meant she didn't have to look at the dwarves or notice their glares. Periodically, she'd realize that she was too far ahead, remember that they have short stumpy legs, and have to slow down a bit, but other than that, she just focused on reaching the mountain pass that took them straight through the middle. The last time she was on that pass was 22 years ago, and just like her encounter with the stone giants, it wasn't a pleasant trip. She'd barely escaped the goblin tunnels alive, but even though they had numbers, each and every one of them was stupid, and didn't know how to properly sharpen their blades. Luckily, now she knew what caves to stay away from, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Behind her, a few words were said every so often, questioning things about the elf. They all wondered what was wrong with her voice, why she didn't dress like an elf, and even why an elf who had a home was wandering the wilderness.

"Well, she's not from Rivendell." Bilbo spoke up at the question.

"How do you know that?" Fili asked.

"She told me?"

"Already making friends, lad?" Bofur asked.

"Well, we did have a conversation while you were all desecrating that fountain." The dwarves around him laughed at the memory.

"What else did you find out?" Kili asked.

"Did she say where she was from?" Fili added.

"W-well not much." He wasn't sure if telling them she was a woodland elf was a good idea, due to the hatred the dwarves held for them. "Just that she, um, understands why you distrust her. I didn't find out anything else though. She was in search of Gandalf when we talked."

"Oh good, she understands. I hope she can't sleep at night knowing what her kin did to us." Dwalin muttered.

"Be nice, Dwalin. She's been in the wilderness for almost three centuries, therefore she couldn't possibly have been a part of anything when the dragon attacked." Kili pointed out. He and his brother didn't truly understand why they should hate all elves. They didn't think it fair to those who had no part in the betrayal.

"Doesn't matter." Dwalin argued. "She's still an elf. Betrayal runs in her blood." Bilbo made a face at the realization of just how petty this grudge actually was. If one hobbit wronged them, would they come to hate his entire race too?

The group took small breaks periodically to catch their breaths and fill their stomachs, but they did not stop moving across the rocky hills until the sun began to dip behind the hills behind them.

"We stop for the night. Set up camp." Thorin ordered loud enough for everyone to hear. They had stopped near some larger rocks that provided at least some shelter from wind. There was not forest nor any shelter-like structure for as far as the eye could see, so it would have to do. Agarwaen made sure to set up her bedroll a decent distance away from the dwarves, and was about to build her own small fire, when Bilbo approached.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked.

"Distancing myself from those who do not desire my company, master Baggins." Agarwaen answered.

"Just Bilbo, please." He replied, shaking his head. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind too much if you joined us by the fire for a little bit." Agarwaen laughed.

"I, for one, am acquainted with the stubbornness of dwarves. You underestimate it. I've been thrown out of taverns because a few dwarven patrons didn't appreciate an elf in a town of men."

"Really?"

"Yes. It would just be better for everyone if I were to remain over here. I do enjoy your company, however. If you don't mind staying, that is."

"Of course not." He sat on the ground beside her. "I don't think they like me very much either."

"They'll come around. I've heard that hobbits are hard not to love."

"Unless you're a Sackville-Baggins." Bilbo muttered as he started filling his pipe.

"Family?"

"Yes. They're determined to take my home from my cold, dead hands." Agarwaen laughed.

"I guess we'd better get this quest done and over with and get you home before they think you're not coming back."

"Preferably, yes." He said before inhaling through the pipe. He blew a smoke ring which then dissipated into the night air.

"You seem very homely, Bilbo. What made you leave the Shire?" Agarwaen asked after a few moments of silence.

"I...don't know. Making my mother proud, I suppose. Trying something new."

"Ah yes, Belladonna." She said fondly.

"You knew my mother?" Bilbo asked, astonished.

"I met her once in Bree, yes. She had quite the spirit. I was with Gandalf at the time, so he introduced us."

"Yes, she was...something." Bilbo said with a smile, now beginning to feel homesick for a former time long ago when his mother would tell him tales of adventure. He supposed that was why he came along. Because her tales always amazed him, and he would go out on childish adventures to capture fireflies and slay imaginary beasts with a stick. Ever since she died however, he began taking more after his father. He took care of Bag End for his parents, and learned to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. When the dwarves had paid him a visit, it was like something had awoken inside him, and the childish desire for adventure returned. Maybe it wasn't as strong as it used to be, but he wouldn't be here if it wasn't there at all.

"I've never been to the Shire. It's one of the few places I haven't ventured to. I always thought it to be too cozy and dull for my liking. That's also why I left my elven home. It was just the same day over and over again, and I needed something to change. I needed to not feel so...suffocated."

"See, I think that's the kind of desire that makes great adventurers. The kind of people parents tell their children tales of at night. The ones who find themselves becoming legends."

"I don't think I want that though. There's many things I've done that I'm not proud of, regrets I carry with me. The worst thing is I shouldn't regret it, but I do."

"It can't be that bad. You're still alive and well, and if adventure is something you've been looking for, then you've certainly found it."

"True." She agreed and tried to change the subject. "Have anyone special you're missing back home?"

"Not really. I'm quite the popular bachelor if I do say so myself." Agarwaen smiled. "What about you?"

"Nope. Always been a lone-wolf myself. I can't imagine settling down right now. But I am still young, so who knows?"

"Young? Aren't you hundreds of years old already?"

"I am seven hundred and twelve. For an elf, it's still relatively young. Lord Elrond is six thousand, I think. So is the king of the woodland realm, Thranduil."

"Oh my. What do you do with all that time?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." She admitted. Her and Bilbo talked for a while longer before he finally decided he should get some sleep and went back to his bedroll by the dwarves. Though he did not fall asleep before asking Fili and Kili what they thought of having Agarwaen sleep far away.

"None of us told her sleep way out there." Fili answered with a shrug.

"Maybe not, but she feels doubly unwelcome. Doesn't want to bother you all with her very existence." He mumbled back after laying down.

"She doesn't bother me." Kili spoke up.

"Then maybe you ought to tell her that instead of letting her believe she's nothing more than a pile of rubbish." The way the dwarves treated her didn't sit right with him. They were fair to Bilbo when he first joined them, why couldn't they be fair to her too?

Kili looked over at his brother for help. He didn't think they made her feel like rubbish. What was he supposed to say to her? 'Hey, why don't you come sleep over by all of us men'? Fili just shrugged, thinking the same thoughts as his brother.