It was not noon quite yet, but Agarwaen headed toward the gate anyway after having equipped her weapons and stuffed some extra clothes and food into a bag to take with. She'd visited the market, the treasure horde, the forge, and the home where the company had lived before the battle previously, saying goodbye to the mountain one last time.

"We will miss you greatly." Thorin's voice came from behind her as she walked through an empty hallway. "I will miss you greatly." He added as she turned to face him.

"I...I never thought it would be so hard to leave." She said sadly.

"It doesn't have to be permanent." He told her as he walked toward her.

"Thorin... you know why it has to be."

"Explain it to me again so that I may debate each of your reasons." Agarwaen shook her head with a small smile.

"By the time my job is done, the mountain will be filled with your people again." She started.

"And that is a problem because..."

"Because dwarves hate elves." She said slowly and clearly like he was missing the point.

"We grew to like you. So can they. My sister will love you."

"And what about...whatever we have between us? Would we be able to ignore it?"

"Why should we ignore it?" He took both her hands in his.

"Because you could be dethroned if we don't. You've spent your whole life preparing for this, and I...I can't let you ruin it."

"Agarwaen. As long as you are by my side, whether it be as a friend or something more, nothing could be ruined."

"Yes it can." She pulled her hands away and looked away from him. "I don't want you to lose everything just because of me." Thorin was silent, not sure if he should push the subject further. "It's the right thing, or the easy thing." She murmured. "I can't stay here."

"Then let me give you one more thing. To keep as a promise." He pulled yet another object from his pocket, causing her to sigh.

"Thorin, I have nothing to give you in return. Please stop giving me things." He laughed quietly to himself.

"This is the last one. I promise." He held out his silver ring that dangled from a silver chain. "It was my fathers and my grandfathers before him."

"I can't take that." She shook her head, backing up. That was an heirloom of the line of Durin. Fili should have it.

"I want you to keep it as a promise." He insisted.

"What promise?" She asked as he grabbed her hand once more, and placed the large ring and chain in her palm. It was heavy, but the design was beautiful, and whoever made it must have spent hours perfecting it.

"That you will not forget me, or any of us. Even long after we have been set in our graves. May it bring you luck whenever you need it."

"I could never forget you, ring or not." She said. "I love all of you dearly, and will remember this quest fondly for the rest of my days."

"And my ring will be a physical reminder of that. Please, take it with you." She sighed before putting her head through the chain and tucking the ring safely beneath her shirt.

"Why are dwarves so stubborn?" She asked.

"That is a question that has gone unanswered since the dwarves first awoke on Arda." She laughed lightly, before silence filled the air again.

"I...I suppose I should head to the gate then...it's probably almost midday now..."

"Wait." Thorin wasn't sure exactly why he stopped her. Maybe it was because he wanted to see the amber specs in her eyes one more time. Maybe so he could see his beads in her golden hair or the way her eyebrows lowered in concentration whenever she was waiting for him to speak. Perhaps he just wanted to hear her unique quiet and raspy voice for just a moment longer.

She searched his face for any sign of what he was thinking, but could only find sorrow. Part of her was glad he'd told her to wait, but the reason why was a mystery to her. He studied her face as if committing it to memory, convinced that if he were to look away for one second, she would disappear.

"Thorin, I..."

"Let me remember you, men Azbad al Silfdor." He asked softly, and she recognized the words as the same ones written on her right bead. "I fear that one day I might forget the way your eyes glimmer in the starlight or the one stray hair that always sticks up from your hairline." She quickly smoothed down her hair, blushing and embarrassed that he brought that up. "No, leave it." He took her hand and smiled up at her. "It makes you perfectly imperfect. Never change it."

"You're making it so much harder to leave right now." She pointed out in a groan as he stared up at her with a mischievous smirk.

"That's the plan, yes. Glad to see it is working." She shook her head with a smile.

"Penig 'ûr." She muttered.

"Due to history, I assume I should be offended?"

"Due to history, shouldn't I be getting another insult in response?" She smirked as she took a step closer to him, making him tilt his head up further to keep looking at her.

"Men kardunuh bi azamar." He knew it was anything but an insult, but she did not, which he expected to find entertaining. What he was not expecting however, was for her to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull his face to hers in a kiss as she wrapped her other hand around the back of his head.

After overcoming his initial shock, he stood on his toes and did his best to wrap his arms around her neck and pull her closer. She let go of his shirt now, and raised her hand to his shoulder before pulling away and resting her forehead on his, their eyes still closed.

"Don't go." He breathed.

"I don't want to." She sighed back, their breaths mingling. She felt him grab ahold of her shirt, not wanting to let go. She quickly kissed him one last time, lingering for only a moment before pulling away and stepping back, forcing him to release her. "I...I'll think about coming back." She told him, making a small smile spread across his face again.

"I'll be waiting then." He nodded slowly. "I will go gather the others to meet you at the gate." He began to walk away. "Don't leave before I return, because I know you will." She smiled.

"You know me too well, your majesty." She laughed as she headed in the opposite direction for the gate.

Upon arriving, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Balin already stood there, Balin standing apart from the other two.

"You have everything you need, lass?" The dwarf asked when he saw her.

"Yes, I think so." She patted herself down, mentally going through a mental list of belongings.

"It has been a pleasure travelling and fighting with you." Balin bowed with a sad smile.

"As with you." She bowed in return, not noticing Thorin's ring slip out of her shirt until she stood back up and it bumped against her chest.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just a gift." She quickly tucked it back in. Balin had a growing look of concern on his face but didn't say anything. "Are you ready, Bilbo?" She called as she approached the hobbit and wizard.

"As ready as I can be, I suppose. I think I shall miss this." He looked up at the mountain from where he stood on the makeshift wooden bridge that had been constructed after the dwarves destroyed the stone bridge to fortify the mountain.

"I will too. But now you get to go home to your armchair and warm hearth. A long awaited pleasure, I assume."

"You have no idea." He looked to Balin, who had now come to stand with them on the bridge. "If it is alright with you, I think we'll just slip away now. Will you tell the others I said goodbye?"

"You can tell them yourself." Balin smiled, and they turned to see that Thorin had indeed brought everyone.

"Fili, you should be in bed!" Agarwaen cried when she saw the prince being supported by Kili and Dwalin on either side.

"That's exactly what I said." Oin grumbled from down the line of dwarves.

"And miss sending you off?" Fili exclaimed hoarsely. "I should think not!" Agarwaen smiled as she and Bilbo walked up to the group.

"Th-these are for you." Ori stepped forward and held out two pieces of parchment, one for Bilbo and one for Agarwaen. "I drew one for everyone to go along with my writings. I want you to have them" The two smiled as they took them. Ori was quite talented and the drawing looked just like her, save the scar she'd recently acquired across her face.

"Thank you, Ori."

"Yes, thank you. It will look wonderful in my home." Bilbo said as he admired his before tucking it neatly into his bag.

"I'll miss you. All of you." She looked to all of them, a few looking near tears. "This has been quite the adventure. I don't think I shall live to see one better."

"Quite the adventure, indeed." Bilbo nodded. "I am glad to have shared in your perils. It has been far more than any Baggins deserves."

"There is more in you of good than you know, Bilbo." Thorin spoke. "Some courage and some wisdom blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." He smiled. "Farewell, master burglar." He nodded in respect. "I would also like you to take this. In remembrance of this quest that we would not have completed without you." He handed Bilbo his map that held the moon runes and an image of the lonely mountain.

"A-are you sure?" Bilbo asked, and the king nodded.

"A part of the mountain to keep with you." He stepped back to the group with a smile.

"Farewell, Thorin." Bilbo said with a sad smile and tears in his eyes as well. "I...If any of you are ever passing Bag End...tea is at four. There's plenty of it. You are welcome any time." He laughed, and the dwarves bowed with smiles on their faces. "Don't bother knocking." He added, causing the group to chuckle.

"Farewell." Agarwaen waved, her eyes misty as well as she followed Bilbo away, feeling like she was leaving her heart behind. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to look away from the company.

"Are you alright?" Gandalf asked as she passed him to get to their horses and pony. The horses were bought from the woodland elves, and the pony was given to them by the dwarves. She stopped in front of hers, a gray speckled mare, but didn't meet the wizards eyes.

"Yes...I...I think so." She nodded, with a sniff. It felt as if she was shutting a book she had just finished, leaving the world and the people that came to life inside of it. It felt like losing a loved one to the grip of death, quite honestly, but she had to press on. "Quite alright."

Penig 'ûr- You're heartless

Men kardunuh bi azamar- My heart is forever yours