Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin were the first ones to take watch, and soon wished they weren't. Those who had fallen asleep tossed and turned, whimpering and occasionally crying out into the night. It made their hearts clench, knowing that nothing could be done about it. The company needed to sleep for once, and that meant sleeping through the nightmares that the forest brought upon them. After about an hour, most of them had quieted down, and began to sleep slightly better, but Agarwaen was just beginning to mumble in her sleep. Thorin heard her gasp and cry, and tried to ignore it.

"Blood.....blood...there's so much blood." She murmured. "No...I'm sorry....I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." He looked down at where he knew she laid, and though he could not see her, he could very easily imagine her face, contorted in fear and distress. "Stay awake...please....so much blood....blood everywhere....don't leave me..." Thorin gritted his teeth. Whereas most of the nightmares he'd had to listen to were of monsters or a dragon, this one held meaning. Almost as if it was a memory. It reminded him of the nightmares he had every night for months after the battle of Azanulbizar. He saw the death of both his grandfather and his little brother over and over, and it left him broken for a long time. "I'm sorry." She cried softly, her voice broken and weak.

"Wake up." Thorin leaned over and shook her.

"Thorin, what are you doing? She needs to sleep." Balin said, sounding heartbroken as well.

"I cannot listen to this anymore. Wake up." He shook her harder. She gasped as she sat bolt upright, staring down at her hands in the dark. Sweat rolled down her back and she tried to calm her breathing, but she couldn't see, which only frightened her more.

"Belegurion..." She muttered, "All the blood... He's gone..."

"It's alright, you were dreaming." Thorin assured her. "You're awake now."

"But....oh, Iluvitar....the blood." She swallowed hard and tried wiping the tears from her face.

"This forest...It plagues our sleeping minds."

"Was I talking in my sleep? I'm so sorry." New fear wracked her body. She was afraid that he'd heard too much. She couldn't tell them what she did. That she killed her own betrothed. Most of all, she wished that she hadn't tried to save the dwarves. If she could go back and do it again, she would have turned her back on them because then it meant that everything would have been okay and she could have gotten married and lived a normal life. She couldn't tell them that. It would make her no better than any other elf. That's why she hid the fact that she was there when the dragon attacked.

"A little, don't apologize. I just...I couldn't let it go on. Not when it sounded like someone important to you died." She looked down at her hands again, still seeing images of her hands coated in blood. She took a deep breath and laid back down.

"The forest never used to be like this. It was brighter, more full of life. I...haven't had that nightmare in years."

"It's uprooting everything it would seem."

"Will you all be okay? With us nearing the mountain and all? Dreams can be powerful, and dreams of dragonfire..."

"Only us three were there that day." Thorin said.

"And we will not be so easily swayed by dreams." Dwalin spoke up.

"Then you are strong willed." She said quietly. A few more minutes of silence went by.

"The worst part of this darkness is that you don't just see your worst memories when you close your eyes. You can't escape them." Her voice was quiet, and she wasn't sure anyone else had even heard her, when she felt Thorin rest his hand atop hers, to offer what assurance he could. He knew first hand what it was like to see your loved ones die every night and have no one to comfort you. Dis grieved in her own way, and Thorin was left alone.

"Then think of the good things you have instead."

Night after night, it was the same thing all over again. No one wanted to sleep, yet they couldn't stay awake. During the day, they all felt dead, stumbling as they walked, and bumping into each other. Nothing anyone said made sense, and they had to constantly remind each other that no, they cannot leave the path. Their food and water began to run low, and they were worried that it might not last them. Kili shot a squirrel one night, but it was bitter and nasty to the taste. So they shot no more squirrels.

"How many days has it been?" Bofur asked, his words slurred and tired.

"I...I think it's somewhere around nine? Ten? I don't know." Agarwaen answered. She'd been more resilient to the lack of sleep than the dwarves, but it had started affecting her as well. She missed the sun and blue sky. All she wanted was some air. Some actual, fresh air.

She was about to take another step forward, as she had been blindly stumbling along the stone path, when Thorin grabbed the back of her cloak.

"Stop!" He called. Everyone rammed into the person in front of them. Agarwaen looked down to see she had almost stepped into the enchanted river. Had Thorin not noticed it, she'd have been well asleep, most likely along with a few other dwarves.

The river ran black, or at least it looked like it in the dim light. It looked thick and dirty, yet the sound of flowing water made everyone's dry mouths begin to water. They had to save what water they had, and had been dehydrated for quite some time.

"The bridge..." Agarwaen pointed to what rotting wood was left on the bank.

"There must be a way to get across." Thorin insisted.

"Is that a boat, over on the other side?" Bilbo asked, squinting and leaning forward.

"It's probably just your mind playing tricks on yo--that is a boat!" Her eyes widened.

"But it's on the other side." Fili pointed out.

"How far is it?" Thorin asked.

"No more than twelve yards, I'd say." Bilbo came to stand at the front of the group.

"I agree, it's not very far at all. Has anyone got any rope?" The elf asked.

"Wouldn't it be tied up?" Thorin looked up at her.

"It doesn't look like it."

"I've got some." Dori came forward with a length of rope.

"Here, let me try." Fili took it and tied a hook to the end of it.

"If you miss, and it gets wet, you cannot touch it again. Are you sure?" Agarwaen asked.

"Maybe Kili should try. His bow has given him aim." Thorin suggested.

"Will you be able to throw it far enough?" Fili asked his brother.

"Of course I can." Kili huffed.

"Now is not the time to compete. One of us has to throw it far enough, and precise enough." Agarwaen said seriously.

"Then how about you throw it? You can aim, you have the strength, the best eyes, and you're higher up." Fili held out the rope to her. She was hesitant to take it, afraid that if she failed them, they would be upset with her. Thorin took the rope himself and shoved it into her hands, knowing she still had doubts about them trusting her. He then stepped back to give her some room to swing.

She took the end of the rope in one hand, and the hook with an estimated twelve yards of length in the other. She squinted to see the boat better, and kept her eyes on it, focusing on where she wanted the hook to land. With a deep breath, she tossed it, and it landed farther, on the other side of the boat.

"Careful, pull it up slowly." Bilbo said from beside her. She did, and it soon fell into the boat, catching on one of the seats. She then pulled the rope taut before it could sag into the water. The dwarves cheered, and Kili punched her arm lightly.

"I told you." Fili smiled as she started to pull. It was stuck in the mud on the other side, as it had likely been there for years. She pulled and pulled, and the dwarves soon joined in. Thorin, who was on the other side of the rope from Agarwaen, grabbed it behind her hands, and they pulled together, with everyone else tugging behind them. Finally the boat came loose with a snap, sending everyone flying backwards on top of one another. Agarwaen groaned at the sudden heavy weight across her middle, and looked down to see a surprised Thorin looking up at her. He mumbled an apology as he quickly pushed himself off of her, and offered a hand to help her up as well.

"The boat!" She cried, scrambling to her feet, forgetting about Thorin's hand. When everyone fell backwards, they'd let go of the rope, and the boat started to float downstream.