Chapter 25: Our Farwell

My eyes slowly opened remembering where I was seeing Bilbo beginning to stir making me turn quickly grunting at the pain. He held his head then looked towards me seeing my arm watching his eyes widened in worry.

"You're hurt… what happened?" he asked frantically while I said, "You were knocked out by an orc but I protected you from them all… then the white Warg came but he is no more."

Bilbo looked around at all the orcs dead as well as the White Warg in the middle of the bodies before turning towards me saying, "We need to get you patched up and check on the others."

I nodded standing up with his help grabbing my daggers from the orc's heads limping towards the entrance to the ruins. Bilbo was the first to notice Thorin lying on the ice with Azog's dead body beside him as we made our way quickly towards him. We both skidded on the ice towards his body seeing him open his eyes staring up at us.

"Bilbo… Los…" he said weakly as I said gently, "Don't move Thorin… please lie still."

I looked over at his wound flinching, it was too deep a wound to heal especially for how much blood he had already lost feeling tears begin to fill my eyes.

"I'm glad you're both here." Thorin said as Bilbo shakily told him to lie still but he reached over grasping both of our hands saying, "I wish to part from you with friendship in my heart."

I saw the tears building in Bilbo's eyes looking towards him trying to keep it together replying, "No you're going to be just fine Thorin just wait and see."

"I would take back my words and my deeds at the gate, you both did what only a true friend would do. Forgive me, I was too blind to see it. I am so sorry... that I led you both into such peril." Thorin said squeezing our hands weakly feeling the tears begin to free-fall down my face saying, "No Thorin, I can speak for both of us saying we are glad we shared in those perils with you, each and every one of them."

"You've given me far more than any Baggins deserves." Bilbo said fondly seeing Thorin smile at the both of us feeling his heartbeat begin to dim.

"Farewell... Lossëa and master burglar, may you go back to your books... and your armchair. Plant your trees together and watch them grow with your children. If more people... valued home... above gold... this world would be a merrier place." Thorin said looking over at the rising sun feeling his hand slowly slip from our grip closing my eyes as the tears flooded out.

"No… no no no no Thorin don't you dare leave us…." Bilbo said trying to shake him awake looking up saying, "Thorin hold on the eagles… the eagles are here… the—"

I grabbed onto Bilbo as he collapsed into my arms both of us weeping over our fallen friend.

Bilbo and I sat together as Dwalin gathered Fili, Kili and Thorin's body to be transported back to the mountain where they belonged. The war over the mountain had been won but at the cost of many lives and I only wished I could have done more than see it come to this.

Thranduil had run off once he felt his services weren't needed anymore learning his son had left banishing himself for wanting to make the world a better place. We learned Bard and all his children had survived the battle but they also felt the loss of all those who perished not only to the dragon fire but orcs as well. I felt Bilbo grip my hand giving it a squeeze looking towards him as he gave me a small sad smile, at least I still had him.

That night we did not celebrate but mourn our fallen as Bilbo and I walked along the stone slabs seeing Thorin, Kili, and Fili all lied out with their weapons almost as if they were simply sleeping. We all quietly walked around each dwarf seeing Balin had taken the heaviest loss out of everyone and I didn't envy him for it. Looking over Thorin's body the Arkenstone laid on his chest since the dwarves decided he deserved to be buried with it and I to felt it was what he would have wanted so no one else could fall into the same madness it once held over him.

Despite our loss sleep came easy feeling the weight of war finally off of our shoulders and giving our much needed sore muscles a proper rest. It was decided that Dain would become the new ruler of Erebor being the only living relative left to Thorin. He made sure to honor Thorin by giving Bard and his people the payment they were promised. I knew that the alliance between dwarves and elves would remain rocky at best but I hoped one day they could look at each other as friends like Thorin and I once did.

Bilbo and I began packing after Dain was crowned the new king under the mountain seeing the dwarves were all too busy with the celebration to notice our disappearance.

"It's crazy to think soon we will be home… we've been on the journey for so long it feels so foreign now." Bilbo said smiling sadly rolling up his bedroll making me smile sadly saying, "It will be a pleasant change to sleeping on the ground and constantly having to worry about enemies at every corner."

I heard him laugh saying, "All you ever wanted was an adventure, so, was it everything you had hoped it would be?"

I was silent for a moment running my thumb over the ring still kept secure on my finger as I smiled saying, "It was not as I expected, always feeling the fear of death and uncertainty for those around me. Even suffering great losses but…"

Bilbo looked towards me as I kneeled beside him saying gently, "Despite it all, I would do it over again because it led me to you Bilbo Baggins."

With the only response he could, Bilbo's lips found mine as he pulled me in close to his embrace running my fingers in his curly chestnut hair.

He pulled away laughing softly saying, "I can only hope I make you happy."

I laughed loudly seeing his face scrunch at my sudden outburst but stopped when my hand touched his face replying, "You already have."

Gandalf decided to wait at the gates for Bilbo and I as we walked beside Balin seeing he was slowly going back to his normal self again.

"There is to be a great feast tonight. Songs will be sung, tales will be told, and Thorin Oakenshield will pass into legend." Balin said proudly making me smile as Bilbo replied, "I know that's how you must honor him, but to me, he was never that. He was..."

Bilbo began to get choked up as I put a hand on his shoulder to ease his sadness seeing him give a heavy sigh saying, "Well, I think we'll slip quietly away, will you tell the others I said goodbye?"

I laughed lightly seeing him look towards me as I said, "It appears we will be telling them ourselves."

We all turned seeing the other dwarves looking over at us sadly not knowing when we'd see them again hearing Bilbo clear his throat, "Uh, if any of you are ever passing Bag End, uh... tea is at four, there's plenty of it."

"You are welcome anytime." I said stepping forward watching the dwarves bow to us hearing a small laugh from Bilbo as he said, "Oh and don't bother knocking."

They all laughed lightly seeing tears begin to fill their eyes making me kneel down feeling them all embrace Bilbo and me for our farewell. They let go as we walked to Gandalf slowly seeing Erebor disappear in the distance. Finally, we were going home.