"Here, it's been a long day. You need to eat something." Ori gave Agarwaen a bowl of Bombur's soup and sat down next to her against the cold stone wall of an old noble's home. It was nearest to the treasure horde and had some usable supplies, so the company was camped out there for the time being. They'd spent the whole day searching for the cursed stone, and now all sat around quietly while Thorin remained among the gold.

She stared down at the soup for a few minutes before lifting the bowl to her mouth.

"So what do you think will happen now?" She asked.

"I...I don't know. I suppose we just keep looking for the Arkenstone." Ori replied, fidgeting with the leather binding of a new book he must have found in the mountain. His old one was lost to the elves of Mirkwood. "Will you be staying for a while?" He asked.

"I don't know. I'll stay for as long as Bilbo does I think."

"Would...would it be alright if I included you in my writings?" Ori asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I want to write of this quest, and tell of everyone in it, and I was just...I was wondering if it was alright if I wrote about you?"

"Of course, Ori. You needn't even ask, you know." She smiled down at him as he flipped open his book, which he'd been working on for snatches of the whole day. She caught glimpses of rough sketches of the company members, none of them finished, but each already resembled the dwarves perfectly.

"You're quite the artist." She remarked.

"O-oh...thank you." He said shyly. "None of them are finished, though."

"Good work doesn't just appear overnight. I used to design and craft things as a hobby many years ago. Drawing the design was almost as fun as making some of it." Ori scribbled what she'd just told him down on a page about her. She couldn't help but read small sections of it, seeing bits about her turning on Thranduil's orders and how she fought bravely against the goblins and orcs.

"What kind of things did you craft?" He asked, now curious.

"Oh, many things. Jewelry, weapons, clothes, and I even started designing different armors. Bows were one of my favorite things to make." The two sat and talked for a while, before the hours grew late and the company made makeshift beds with old dusty blankets and such.

The next day, it was back to looking for the Arkenstone.

"Agarwaen." Thorin beckoned from atop a hill of gold. She swallowed hard and approached the king. With this new and powerful lust for the treasure, he became unpredictable, greatly worrying them all. She half expected him to send her away now due to her race.

"Have you laid your claim to a fifteenth of the treasure yet?" He asked, his eyes an even duller gray than they were yesterday. They held no life in them, as if he was a dead man, and it made her heart ache.

"No. I still hold no desire for gold, jewels, or that which would weigh me down." She responded truthfully, not knowing how else to reply.

"Then you have not yet seen the true beauty of dwarven treasure." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a beautiful necklace adorned with over a hundred diamonds and sapphires, bound together by thin mithril chains.

"It is beautiful yes, but--"

"It is yours." He interrupted. "Along with anything else you find in this horde that can rival your elven beauty." His words were unsettling to her, but she couldn't help but feel complimented. To dwarves, elves were written off as ugly. So for him to reference elven beauty was strange.

"I, um...thank you..." She swallowed hard, and took the necklace. At first, she thought it to be fragile and dainty, but after holding it in her hands, it was heavier than she thought, and the mithril made it nearly unbreakable.

"I should like to see you wear it." He looked up at her with a smile, but just like his eyes, it held no life and sent a chill down her spine. This whole situation just felt wrong. The air around him felt heavy and cold, and she was almost afraid to be standing near him.

She swallowed hard, but reached up and clipped it around her neck anyway.

"It's beautiful." His voice was but a whisper as he gazed at the jewels resting on her skin. "I have more things for you, if you would like to get rid of those cheap clothes from Esgaroth. They are much warmer and should fit you. I've just put them with your bow and sword in the old home." She nodded. The clothes from Laketown were indeed cheap, and she knew dwarven clothes were made from heavy, warm material and furs, making that option much more favorable.

"Thank you, Thorin." She said awkwardly, pulling at the hem of her sleeve. He noticed this, and asked her about it.

"You're nervous? Why?"

"Nervous? I am not nervous." She said, pulling her fingers into a fist to stop fidgeting.

"You are safe and respected here, Agarwaen. Thranduil, nor any other elf, will lay a finger on you again. I promise." Fortunately, he misread her uneasiness.

"I know. I never expected to feel so welcomed by dwarves. It is nice."

"I never expected to be so welcoming to an elf. It is nice indeed, and I can only pray that you will remain here for a little while longer. You have not yet seen the rest of these halls, and the wonderful things the mountain has to offer." She felt small under his dead gaze as he looked into her eyes. She couldn't read his emotions, but she was afraid he was beginning to see her as he saw his gold.

"I'm sure I will see it all in time." She nodded. "I will go and try on those clothes, then. Thank you again." She stepped backwards, losing her balance for a second when she stepped on a golden goblet.

"Be careful. You have been marred quite enough as it is." He smiled down at her now as she continued away from him. She gulped and had to restrain herself from breaking into a sprint to get away from him and that foul air surrounding him. She rounded a corner and pressed her back against the wall.

She wished for nothing but the old Thorin back. The Thorin who was brave and selfless, who would do anything for his kin. She wished to see his strong blue eyes again, and smiles that held meaning. She'd even settle for the Thorin that hated her, quite honestly. It was better than the one that scared her.

Upon returning to the home, Balin was there alone, with some old books.

"Balin?" He jumped when he heard her voice, but smiled when he saw it was just her.

"Did you need something, lass? I think Thorin left some things in here for you earlier."

"Yes, he did." She replied, heading to where she left her things. "Balin, is there...is there any cure for this...dragon sickness?"

"Who told you about dragon sickness?" He asked.

"You mentioned it before I came in here after Bilbo the other night. I've also heard the tales."

"I don't think there is one." He replied hesitantly, his face full of sadness.

"So....will he be like this forever?"

"I don't know." He looked back to his books. "His grandfather, Thror...it only got worse with time." His answer hit her with an overwhelming wave of sorrow.

"What of Fili? Will he succumb to this too?"

"I do not have answers for any of this. I fear I never will. I am beginning to think we should have stayed in the Blue Mountains, and left the dragon to sleep."

"The past cannot be undone. When I leave here, I will do my best to find those answers for you. There has to be someone who knows something about dragon sickness. If not Gandalf, then maybe Lord Elrond or the Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien."

"You don't have to do that, lass. I'm sure there's much more important things for you to do out there than find the cure for...for dwarvish greed."

"Thorin is my friend. Finding a way to help him is most important to me."

"You're too kind for your own good, you know that?" Balin smiled.

"I know. I just...it hurts to see Thorin like that. And that's just coming from me. You've known him your whole life. I can't imagine what it's like for you to watch this." Balin just nodded.

"We'll figure something out. I know we will."