Agarwaen didn't leave where she hid for quite some time, but knew she had to eventually get back to the company. It took a little while for her to find her way back to the treasure horde, but once she did, she found it empty. Returning back to the old home, she found everyone sleeping. Did Thorin finally decide to let everyone rest? He must have, for even Balin and Dwalin were asleep. Thorin however, wasn't among the group, for which she was glad. She didn't know if she could face him again. Not so soon after rejecting him like that at least.

She quietly made her way to her spot beside Ori and laid down, but sleep did not find her for the entire night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Thorin and felt his embrace. Her mind wandered to thoughts of what a relationship with him could be like. It poked and prodded at her heart, but she knew it could never be.

That morning, Balin approached her as everyone else was eating the breakfast that Bombur had prepared.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"What?"

"Last night, I saw Thorin follow you out of the treasure horde. When he came back...it was almost as if the dragon sickness had left him. He told us all to go rest and keep up our strength. How did you do it?"

"I don't know. We just...talked." She tugged at her sleeves. "He told me that I am always welcome to come back here in the future." Balin scratched his chin and lowered his voice.

"I think the dragon sickness is loosening its hold on him the longer he goes without the Arkenstone." He looked up at her, his face gravely serious.

"What do you think will happen once it is found?"

"I fear it will bring the sickness back. Do us all a favor, lass, and...don't find it." She nodded in understanding. Her plan of finding it and leaving without a word played through her mind once again. Could she still go through with that? After last night? She didn't have a choice. She would have to.

When she saw Thorin later that day, he wasn't in the horde, but rather wandering the halls like she had been doing. She quickly turned around before he could see her, not knowing what she would say to him. It was not even half an hour after that, when Dwalin ran by, telling her that Thorin had ordered everyone gather at the gate.

Upon arriving, almost everyone else was already there.

"The men of laketown have taken refuge in Dale. We must rebuild this wall and fortify the mountain." Thorin said once Dwalin arrived with the rest of the company. "Lest our treasure be stolen." He looked to Agarwaen, his eyes beginning to grow gray again. She had a feeling the good wouldn't have lasted long. His eyes lingered on her, and he seemed to be thinking before he turned away again.

"Shouldn't we bring blankets and the food we can spare to them?" She spoke up, causing him to look back at her again. "It's winter. They need help or many of them won't survive."

"I'm sure they are just fine." Thorin replied. We must focus on fortifying the mountain."

"But we owe them. You promised them enough gold to rebuild their lives." She argued.

"This gold is the birthright of my people. Not theirs. They will be fine." He shifted his gaze to the other dwarves. "All of you, start bringing stone! This wall must be built by morning!" The company looked to Agarwaen, who looked upset, and reluctantly complied with the orders, walking away to fetch carts of rock.

"Can I please bring them at least something? I promised Bard I would help where I could, and there's shops in the market full of blankets and clothes."

"You will not be going anywhere." Thorin's eyes turned darker, and it was as if they'd taken one step forward and two steps back with the dragon sickness.

"What about my fifteenth share? It is mine, is it not? I can do as I please with it." Thorin scowled at her, knowing she had a point.

"You wish to waste your claim on goods for men?"

"I'm trusting my heart." His eyes lightened slightly at the reference to the night before.

"That is not what I meant when I said that."

"Yet it is what I am doing. Yes, I will spend my claim in order to help those in need. I am doing what is right, not what is easy." He squeezed his eyes shut as if he was experiencing a headache.

"Blankets and clothes only. And only what you can carry. I need my men here to build." He gave in, looking to her with nearly blue eyes. "I must insist you return before sunrise as well." She nodded. This was better than nothing.

"Thank you, Thorin." She said earnestly, giving him a small smile. He merely set his jaw and looked back out at Dale before she gave a huff and ran off toward the market.

After finding a two-wheeled wooden cart that she'd seen the other day by one of the market vendors, she began to pillage the shops, throwing in blankets upon blankets, clothes, and bandages. Just what she can carry, hmm? She'd show him just how much she could carry. She picked up what gold pieces lay around, knowing full well they would not be missed, and tucked them into a pouch beneath the growing pile of fabric to smuggle out with her. She picked up the handholds at the front of the cart and lifted up with a grimace. It was heavy, but her determination was strong. It took some time to be able to maneuver the heavy cart down the stairs, but she managed to reach the front gate just as they were putting down the first layer of stone.

Thorin saw her and his eyes widened, but she spoke before he got a chance to get a word out.

"You said just what I could carry. And I am carrying this cart." She ground out.

"When your legs give out halfway there, do not expect me to come and carry you home." He called as she crossed the threshold of the mountain.

"I dhôl gîn lost." She muttered in response.

The cart had indeed grown heavy, and her arms and legs ached as she continued on the overgrown path to the city. She had to put the cart down every so often to calm her reddened hands and pull her fur tighter around her, but the city growing ever nearer urged her on.

The crumbling old stone was illuminated by firelight from torches inside the city, and finally, she was so close she could hear voices.

"Who goes there?" A man posted at the northern entrance to the city asked.

"A friend. I bring goods for your people. I seek an audience with Bard." She replied, dropping the cart again, and it thumped on the old stone beneath her feet.

"You bring goods?" He asked, happiness filling his voice.

"all that I was allowed and could carry."

"I um...wait here." He pointed to her ground before her and ran into the city.

"King Bard!" She heard him yell as he ran. King? They'd made Bard their king? She waited for only a few moments before Bard came rushing out, a small crowd of spectators following him.

"Leithiandes?" He asked.

"I told you I would come help. Thorin, he...he isn't willing to let go of much. But he said I could take you whatever I could carry. Here." She picked up the cart again, her sore fingers slipping a little.

"Let me help you." He stepped forward and took the cart from her.

"Thank you. There's blankets, clothes, bandages, and I managed to smuggle out a few coins." Agarwaen told him as he pulled the cart into the city.

"You're not coming?"

"My king has asked that I be back at the mountain by sunrise."

"Your king?" He asked with raised eyebrows before shaking his head "Sunrise is still hours away. Please, the people will be comforted to know that we have an ally with supplies."

"This is all Thorin will let me bring. I don't think I can get you any more than this, and it will barely do anything to combat the numbers of the ill."

"But it is still something, and for that, we are grateful." She thought about it before reluctantly following him through the old archway. People littered the streets, staring at her as she passed them. Many had significant burns and were grieving the loss of others.

"It's the elf from the dwarven company." She heard a few people mutter.

"That's all she could bring?"

"Where are all the dwarves?"

"There's not even any food."

"What a greedy bunch. They even sent the elf alone to bring us scraps!" Bard looked back to Agarwaen as they neared where the injured were being kept.

"Ignore the gossip. These people practically bathe in rumors and conspiracy." He muttered. Upon entering the makeshift infirmary, she looked around to see that there was little space, even for walking. Bard began handing out the contents of the cart to those administering healing, and they quickly took it and put it to use.

"I'm so sorry." She murmured. "We tried to kill the dragon before he could leave the mountain, we really did. We came so close, too."

"What's done is done." Bard replied. What matters is that he is dead now."

"Was it you?" Bard spared a quick glance in her direction.

"Aye. The last black arrow ever made has been in my family since the destruction of Dale. Now it lies buried in the dragon's chest at the bottom of the lake."

"And your children, are they safe?"

"Yes."

"Thank Iluvatar. What will you all do now?"

"I will claim what is owed to us on the morrow." Agarwaen sighed.

"I do not know that you will be able to. Thorin, he...something is wrong with him. It's as if the gold has placed a curse upon his mind. I fought to simply bring you this."

"Still I must try. Whatever happens, we will find a way."

"I will try to convince him on my end, then. I will warn you though, he is fortifying the mountain as we speak. By dawn, there will be no way in or out of that mountain."

"He's fencing himself in?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I can only pray that he will come to his senses soon." She told him as he finished handing out the contents of the cart. He thanked her again for doing what she could, and then it came time for her to return to the mountain. Feeling a little more at ease, knowing that she did all she could, the trek back was not a miserable one. At least not until she came to find the wall nearly finished.

I dhôl gîn lost- Your head is empty