"It's getting dark." Thorin said from behind Agarwaen. "We should set up camp now while we can still see."

"Alright. I assume no fire tonight either?" She nodded.

"No. It's pointless." Everyone then gathered around like usual, huddled to stay warm and safe in this Eru forsaken forest. Thorin sat to Agarwaen's left, and the brothers to her right. They then resumed their conversation about life back at home, and Agarwaen's time in Mirkwood.

"So, you already asked Fili, but what about you? Do you or did you have anyone special somewhere?" Agarwaen bit her lip. She had hoped they wouldn't ask about Belegurion.

"A long time ago, yes." She said sadly. The company tried to keep up the pretense that they hadn't been listening to her and the brothers all day, but they had. Elven culture was very different from their own and some things seemed rather strange, or was a completely new concept to them.

"What happened to him?"

"He chose his duties over me. He could've come with me. To travel, to be with me. But when Thranduil ordered my capture, he fell in line with the other soldiers and...and he turned on me. Set on bringing me in dead or alive." The party was as silent as the forest now.

"We were betrothed, you know. I thought...I thought he was my other half. I thought he loved me." She clenched her teeth, knowing she'd probably cry again if she went any further with the subject.

"That's...that's horrible. How could anyone do that? Especially to their betrothed." Fili exclaimed. She looked up to see the dwarves giving her looks of pity, some with anger written on their faces. Even Thorin looked to be having conflicted emotions.

"Dwarves are brought up to love and respect their women no matter what." Gloin said, upset at the knowledge that someone would hurt Agarwaen like that. "My wife is my greatest treasure, the other half of my soul, and if she chose to leave, I would follow." He crossed his arms. Gloin loved his family, and spoke of them whenever he got a chance. He was especially proud of his son, Gimli.

"Dwarven women are far and few between. The men must learn how to keep their wives, and treat them with the utmost respect and love." Kili said as if he was reciting something he'd been told a million times before.

"Aye, us dwarves have many beliefs about how a woman should be treated. And it would seem that we're the only race that think so." Added Bofur.

"It's just shameful." Ori spoke softly.

"Why don't women just leave the man when he treats her like some of those men do?" Nori said.

"Any woman who is disrespected by her husband should be able to cut off his jewels." Dwalin grumbled.

"Have men no sense of honor these days?" Dori asked. Everyone just went on about how to treat women, all at the same time. Agarwaen could catch snatches of everyone's words, but she mostly just sat there wide-eyed and in confusion.

"What they're trying to say," Thorin spoke up, louder than the group. Agarwaen looked over to him, but could barely see anything by now. "Is that only one out of three dwarves are born female. Therefore, finding one and most of all, keeping one is difficult. A woman should never feel pressured, never trapped or forced into love. A man is supposed to open his heart to her, and only then will she decide if she wishes to be with him. She should not have to ask for love, and should always be able to rely on her husband for anything, no matter the situation." He explained much better than the others could.

"What if she commits a crime?"

"Then he is to allow others and the higher authority to address the situation. I've heard that even some men choose to be imprisoned alongside their wives." Fili then spoke again in addition to what Thorin said.

"For a dwarf to disrespect or beat his wife is oftentimes equivalent to murder. If a dwarf did what your betrothed did, and tried to kill a dwarrowdam, his or not, he might as well have been executed." Agarwaen wasn't sure what to say to all of this. The whole concept was almost foreign, and it felt odd to think that all these short surly men with anger issues were actually the best kind of men when it came to their wives.

"That's...I wish the rest of the world could be like that. Dwarves are...different than I thought they'd be, in all honesty. I'm...I'm glad I am able to know you and call you all my friends." They talked for a few minutes more, about their families and beliefs, before finally settling down to try and sleep. It had been 72 hours now, and they all had a hard time keeping their eyes open, even with the eyes looking down at them from the tree canopy.

"We have to help them!" Leithiandes screamed, her voice strong and clear, as it had been once upon a time. She tried to get as much attention as she could, and saw Thranduil glaring at her from atop his elk. "Their homes are burning, their people dying! And what do we do? Turn our backs? Why? Have we lost all sense of compassion and love for living souls?" The elves that had stopped to listen to her shook their heads, and hesitantly began to rally with her. The other elves tried to pull their fellow soldiers along, and some they managed to, but a few shoved them away.

"There may be a dragon in those halls, but there are dwarven men, women, and children still trapped! Do you wish for them all to perish?"

"Do you wish to perish?" Thranduil approached, fury burning bright in his eyes. "Do you wish for your fellow soldiers to burn to death for the sake of a few dwarves?"

"While I cannot speak for others, I can speak for myself and I am willing to burn for the sake of others, yes."

"And you would dare go against your king's orders?" She knew where this was going, and if she didn't surrender right now, her entire life in Mirkwood was on the line. But if she surrendered, it would be at the cost of lives.

"To save the lives of helpless men, women, and children...yes."

"Then you are a deserter and will serve three hundred years in prison. Seize her." All Leithiandes could see was the world whizzing past her as she ran toward the mountain. All she could hear was her heart thumping in her chest and her ragged breaths as she jumped over rocks down the slope. Then all she could feel was tumbling. Her body collided with the ground when someone knocked her down from behind. She rolled and rammed into the rocky ground, eventually stopping at the foot of the hill.

"You've been charged with desertion. Hand over your sword and your bow." Belegurion said sadly from above her. A group of elves had followed him down as well. Leithiandes pushed herself back onto her feet, and drew her sword.

"Bel. Help me. We can still save some of them, but we don't have much time." She wheezed out.

"Why did you stand against him? Do your king's orders mean nothing to you? You finally found a place where you belong. You belonged in the guard. And now you abandon it all to die in dragon fire! Do I mean nothing to you? What of our union? You've ruined it all!" His voice grew louder and angrier at the end. The other elves just stood, watching the scene unfold. Belegurion took a few steps toward her, his own sword drawn and pointed at her.

"They're people just like you and me! They're trapped and dying!"

"The dwarves are not like you and me! They are but ants in comparison and we cannot waste the lives of good soldiers for the sake of those who will die anyway! You were trying to lead those soldiers to their deaths. My king will not allow that!"

"He's my king too, but he is blind to the value of other lives!"

"That's because there is none!" Belegurion's words made her heart stop. She thought he was better than this. That he actually cared for others besides elves.

"Deciding to marry you was a mistake." She barely felt the tears spill down her cheeks. "I am going in there with or without you." She took a few steps backwards, prompting him to take a few steps forward.

"I can't let you do that. If you come back now, maybe we can work something out with the king. Maybe we can still have the wedding." His steps became faster and faster.

"No. I don't want to marry someone who sees mortal lives as worthless. No, I will save whoever I can." She turned and continued to run towards the mountain, sword drawn and shield at the ready. She heard footsteps behind her, but ignored them and pressed onward.

"Ballineth, stop!" Belegurion cried. She shook her head and ran faster. He caught up quickly and grabbed her shoulders, now digging his heels into the ground. The world seemed to slow, and the sky grew dark as night. He spun her around, causing her to lose her footing and she stumbled. The sound of her sword piercing flesh flooded her mind, and Belegurion gasped. He looked at her, the life already draining from his eyes, and she let go of her sword in shock. He fell onto his knees, reaching clumsily at his side where her sword ran him through. Leithiandes couldn't move. She felt like she was frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch the man she once loved die on the ground at her feet. She remembered finally kneeling beside him, moving his armor to see how bad it was. She had run him through fatally, and not even elven healing could save him now. She remembered his last breath. She remembered how hard he tried to stay awake. She remembered the sounds of him choking on his own blood. She remembered the sound of her cries. She remembered the color of her hands, drenched in his blood. They were, and forever will be, bloodstained.