AN: Hello! I have brought you more angst and emotional distress! Aren't I nice! And shit starts to go down in the chapter, just do you know. Be prepared. Enjoy!

OOOOO

"I heard you have some new bruises to attend to." Bilbo jumped in surprise and looked over his shoulder at the Elvenking. He hadn't heard his door open, but he was concentrating fairly intently. He was thinking about what happened in the dungeons. How Thorin had changed into a totally different person. A very scary person. He didn't think it was just because of his hatred for Thranduil. There was something very different about this. His mind kept cycling back to the conversation he'd overheard in Rivendell, between Elrond and Gandalf.

Gold Sickness, they'd called it. The thing that got Thror. But, they were still so far from the mountain, and the treasures within. Could Thorin really be suffering this...affliction when they were still so far away? And why did it make him so violent? To his understanding, Thror was never violent, just obsessive and possessive and irrational. But Thorin...if this is what would happen to the King in the future, how could Bilbo continue on?

He didn't want to leave the Dwarves, but he didn't want to be hurt either. And while it was true that he was hurting himself, it was because his inner self hurt. And Thorin inflicting pain on him made his emotions, his soul, tear itself apart. Already he was contemplating how long he would have to wait before being able to use the knife again. He wondered- Thranduil. The king was there, and had said something important. Something that he had completely ignored and lapsed back into his thoughts. What kind of a guest was he?

"They're not that bad." Bilbo murmured, subconsciously rubbing at the long, thick bruises left on his chest from the bars of the cell. Thranduil closed the distance between himself and the Halfling, curiously quirking an eyebrow.

"May I see them?" He asked, fingers already trailing over the collar of Bilbo shirt. The Hobbit looked up at him with impossibly large eyes, still wary of his host, but nodded. Thranduil held out his hand for Bilbo to take and led him to the bed. With Bilbo on higher ground, the Elvenking proceeded to slowly untie the laces that held together his sleep shirt. He'd had to change from his tunic to the shirt after his crying bout. The tunic was currently covered in snot and tears and it was just...icky. The Hobbit was quiet, biting his lip nervously, as Thranduil pushed the fabric of his shirt to his sides, baring his chest to the King.

Surprisingly cold fingers started trailing down his chest, lightly feeling the swollen and sore skin. Thranduil was glad to find that the bruises were all relatively shallow and they would heal in a week or two. His attention caught on the finger shaped bruises that just barely peeked out of Bilbo's shirt on his shoulder. He frowned and eased the cloth away from Bilbo's shoulder, taking note of the darker shade that these bruises held. It filled him with a deep primal anger to think of Oakenshield leaving marks on Bilbo. It just wasn't right.

"Has he ever hurt you before?" Thranduil asked, locking eyes with Bilbo. The Hobbit shook his head adamantly, but Thranduil only quirked an eyebrow.

"Not physically." Bilbo muttered softly, avoiding the King's gaze. A finger slid under his chin and brought his face back up to look at Thranduil.

"Why do you continue to journey with them?" He asked, a bit of disgust in his voice.

"I want to!" Bilbo was not going to mention the contract, or the apology Thorin gave him at Beorn's. He doubted that would help anything. "He never meant to hurt me. He just got...carried away." Bilbo tried to insist, but Thranduil didn't look impressed. "And besides, we're not journeying anywhere at the moment." He added, gaining a smirk from the King.

"No, you're not. Though Master Balin and I have come to an agreement and I have consented to release them tomorrow." He acknowledged, but then his smirk dropped and a solemn look overtook his fair face. "I do have ulterior motives for coming to your chambers tonight Bilbo. There is something we must speak of." Thranduil murmured in such a serious, stony voice that it gave Bilbo shivers.

"Your majesty?" Bilbo had never seen Thranduil's eyes so dark. The King sat next to the Hobbit and gently secured his hand around Bilbo's wrist as if to ensure that Bilbo could not run away.

"The clothes you wore when you entered my Kingdom, they are deeply stained with blood. Of course, they were so filthy that no one noticed the blood at first. But I was informed this morning of the nature of the stains. You have not allowed us to examine you for injuries, but I must insist." Thranduil explained icily.

"P-Please, I am quite fine! I do not require physical care." Bilbo tried to implore.

"It is not my concern that you need healing, as I am quite sure you have conquered the art of caring for your...numerous wounds. My concern is the nature of said wounds. It is my belief that they are self inflicted. Am I correct?" The way Bilbo couldn't seem to meet his eyes said everything. Thranduil swiftly pushed up the sleeve of Bilbo's shirt, his analyzing eyes taking in ever new and old wound. Bilbo sobbed sharply but let Thranduil take in the sight. After a few minutes, during which Thranduil said nothing and Bilbo cried quietly, Bilbo began to fear.

"I-I'm sorry if I've distressed you, King Thranduil." He choked out nervously. Thranduil sighed heavily and slowly stroked his thumb over a few scars, avoiding the numerous fresh wounds.

"I assume you only started this after you joined the Dwarves on their journey." He muttered, somewhat angrily. Bilbo could only nod in answer. "Do the Dwarves know?"

"No! P-Please, you can't tell them! Especially not Thorin!" Bilbo begged, tugging his arm away from Thranduil.

"Of course not. It should be you who tells them." Thranduil said pointedly. "I do not think it wise to let you continue on your journey. Especially not if this is how you cope with emotional distress. You and the Dwarves can deny it all day long, but I know you are going to Erebor. And once you get there, you will see a very different side to Thorin Oakenshield. One even worse than the one you know now." He said solemnly. Bilbo sniffled and looked at him worriedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the moment Thorin steps foot in the treasury, he will begin to change. He will fall prey to the madness that took his grandfather and his father, and which has taken many of his relatives. Gold Sickness will make him someone you do not want to know, especially based on his behavior today." He warned. Bilbo swallowed thickly, remembering the conversation he overheard between Gandalf and Elrond while they were in Rivendell, about Gold Sickness.

"B-But what if it doesn't affect him? What if he doesn't get sick?" Bilbo sounded sickeningly hopeful.

"I highly doubt he will be immune where better men have been vulnerable. His Madness will have a big impact on you, because you feel much deeper than the Dwarves do. And you obviously cannot handle such emotions in a constructive way." Thranduil pressed his thumb down against a scar, and though it didn't hurt, Bilbo still flinched.

"I have to go with them! Why would you want to keep me here?" Bilbo asked scarcely.

"I am not letting you continue on with the company. And that is final Bilbo Baggins." Thranduil snapped and got up, pulling Bilbo along by his wrist.

"W-Where are we going?" Bilbo asked, a little panicked.

"To the healer." Thranduil muttered. Bilbo didn't say anything as they walked, too busy trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. Was Thranduil really not going to let him leave? How would he tell the Dwarves that? They would demand to know why, and he couldn't just tell them about his cutting! And he had to go on! He had come so far, seen and faced so much, and Erebor was so close! He couldn't stay in Mirkwood!

"Are you really going to force me to stay here?" Bilbo choked out. Thranduil hardly spared him a glance over his shoulder and nodded.

"I am doing it for your own good Bilbo." Thranduil tried to sound emotionless, like he usually did, but Bilbo could hear some kind of feeling in his voice. He thought it sounded like hurt.

"B-But I thought I was your guest! Can't guests decide when they leave?"

"Not when they are a danger to themselves. The Dwarves do not know, so they cannot try to protect you from yourself. You will go on with this destructive habit, and you may end up dead from it." Bilbo shuddered at the thought, considering he had come close to such a fate just last night.

"W-What if I told them? What if I promised to stop!" Bilbo said desperately. Thranduil snorted a laugh that just screamed that he didn't believe Bilbo.

"I think you would say anything to me if it meant you could leave. But I know you will never tell the Dwarves. If they ever find out, it will be because they see and confront you." He did have a point. "So you will stay here and you will heal." He said decisively. They arrived at the healing room and Thranduil pushed Bilbo onto the bed so the healer could examine him. "Bind his hands when you have finished bandaging his injuries." Thranduil told the healer before leaving. Bilbo's heart jumped to his throat and he tried to protest. But the healer was loyal to Thranduil, and would not be doing him any favors.

It took nearly an hour for the healer to finish applying salve and wrapping bandages, and then he took out two more rolls of white fabric. He wrapped them firmly around Bilbo's palms and fingers so he couldn't move them. It was like having two stumps instead of hands. Suddenly he felt a teenie bit of sympathy for Azog. But that vanished quickly. The healer made sure Bilbo wouldn't be able to remove the bindings on his hands and then shooed him away. Legolas was waiting for him outside the healing room.

"Legolas..." Bilbo knew that the Prince knew. It was obvious from the way his eyes examined Bilbo intently. And the frown on his face.

"Did he make you do this? Was it Thorin that drove you to this?" Legolas asked, his hostility barely contained.

"N-No!" Bilbo denied. Legolas gave him an unimpressed look. "N-Not just him..." Bilbo sniffled, gluing his eyes to his wrapped up hands. It felt uncomfortable, like he was a child again and wearing mittens so he wouldn't scratch in his sleep. He remembered the mittens his mother made after the first few times he woke up bloody armed. These felt remarkably similar, but they were tighter and thicker and Bilbo couldn't just slip them off once he woke up. And they felt like a visible badge of shame. A sign for everyone to see, so that they would know that he was doing something terrible to himself.

"I'm supposed to take you to your room." Legolas told him. "And I'm not supposed to let you out until the Dwarves are gone tomorrow." He added. Bilbo felt himself tear up and he sniffled wretchedly.

"C-Can you take me to see them? Before you take me to my room? Just so I can tell them." Bilbo pleaded, blinking his huge eyes at the Elf. And Legolas was powerless against it. He sighed and nodded, putting his arm around Bilbo's shoulder as they walked. When they go to the dungeons, Bilbo was relieved to see that only two Dwarves were still awake. Balin and Dwalin were up, discussing something in whispers, and they looked up when Bilbo came in with Legolas. The Elf stayed by the door, but kept a firm eye on Bilbo.

"Bilbo. Are yeh alright? Yeh look white as a ghost. What are those things on yer hands?" Dwalin pointed out, crinkling his brows in confusion. Bilbo sniffled, trying hard not to cry. Crying wouldn't help in this situation, at all.

"I just came to tell you...I can't leave with you tomorrow." Bilbo told them, avoiding either pair of eyes. There was a stunned silence before Balin stood and took Bilbo's shoulder through the bars of the cell.

"What happened?" He asked knowingly.

"I-I...I did something bad. I've been doing it for so long now. And Thranduil found out. He's not going to let me go with you. He says I can't leave." Bilbo admitted, laying his forehead against the bars. Dwalin stood and stormed to the door of the cell.

"Who the hell is he to say whether or not yeh can leave?" Dwalin yelled furiously, and Balin shushed him. A few of the sleeping Dwarves murmured in their sleep, but none woke up. It was amazing to Bilbo, what Dwarves could sleep through. "Yer a part of our company, and yer an adult Hobbit, capable of making yer own decisions." Dwalin added at a quieter tone.

"Bilbo, what is this...bad thing that you did?" Balin asked, sounding much calmer than he felt. Bilbo sniffled and wiped at a stray tears that forced itself from his eyes.

"I...promise me you won't get mad. Or tell Thorin." Bilbo pleaded. Dwalin and Balin looked at each other, and though Dwalin was hesitant to hide something from his leader, and friend, he eventually agreed. Balin nodded as well and Bilbo took a few deep breaths to prepare himself for what he was going to admit. In the end, he couldn't think of what to say, so as best as he could manage with the mittens, he pulled up the sleeves of his shirt. The stark white bandages that went from his wrist to his elbows were like an admission in and of themselves. Balin at least understood immediately. It took Dwalin a moment longer.

"Yer hurting yerself?" Dwalin asked, honestly shocked. He never would have thought...not Bilbo. The Hobbit always seemed far too innocent, too naive, to do something like this. But Bilbo nodded in admission, shame coloring his cheeks. "That's why yeh've been wakin up bloody?" Again Bilbo nodded.

"How long has this been going on?" Balin asked, still sounding remarkably calm. Bilbo rubbed at his dripping nose, cringing at the line of snot on the elvish shirt.

"B-Before the trolls." Bilbo whispered. Balin sighed and wrapped Bilbo in a hug, at least a sort of hug what with the bars between them. "Y-You can't tell anyone. Please." He whimpered. "Just tell them that I got sick, and that Thranduil will send me on my way once I'm better." He hoped the Elvenking would keep his mouth shut as well. He had said it was Bilbo's duty to tell the Dwarves, but knowing Thranduil and Thorin's anger issues when together...it might slip out.

"Bilbo we're not leaving you here." Balin whispered, and with the snores of Gloin and Oin between them and Legolas, Bilbo thought maybe the Prince wouldn't hear this time. "We'll get you out, I promise." He added before letting go. "You need to rest, you look like you're about to faint." He said decisively. Bilbo nodded and sadly looked from Balin to Dwalin and back. He didn't see how it would be possible for them to get him out.

"Good night." Bilbo murmured.

"Night Bilbo." Dwalin sighed patting Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo winced, because it was his bruised shoulder, but Dwalin didn't notice.

"Good night Master Baggins." Balin said formally before patting Bilbo's other shoulder. "Off ya go." Bilbo looked back at them a few times as he walked back to Legolas, but then the Prince opened the door and ushered Bilbo out and he couldn't see any of the Dwarves anymore. Somehow he felt he'd never see them again.

Legolas led him silently back to his room but when he opened the door for Bilbo, who could not really use doorknobs at the moment, he went into the room with Bilbo. The Hobbit sniffled and looked at the Elf curiously. Legolas said nothing, simply went to the closet which had been stocked with a few different outfits for Bilbo, and pulled out a sleep shirt.

"W-What are you doing?" Bilbo asked, a mixture of curious and horrified, because he thought he probably knew what Legolas was doing.

"Helping you dress, Master Baggins." Legolas replied simply, and stiffly. He would not look directly at Bilbo, his eyes analyzing everything but Bilbo's face. For some reason that hurt Bilbo more than anything. Legolas couldn't even look at him now. And it was that guilt and self disgust that lessened the embarrassment he would have felt at any other time, having to be dressed by someone else because he had no use of his hands. When Legolas was done tying Bilbo's shirt closed, his hands remained in the loops of the bow he just made. They rested lightly against Bilbo's chest and if the Hobbit weren't so worried, he might have blushed.

After only a few moment, Legolas shook his head and dropped his hands, taking Bilbo's wrist to lead him to bed. He let Bilbo scramble up by himself, but once again he hesitated at the side of Bilbo's bed, looking down at the fine sheets with a somewhat troubled look on his face. Bilbo was about to ask if he was okay when Legolas sat and finally met eyes with him once more.

"I know you do not wish to stay here Bilbo. I know you wish to continue on with your Dwarves. But you and I both know it is better for you to stay. My fathers order is for your benefit. Before you met this Company, before you left your home, would you ever have put a knife to your skin?" Legolas demanded, and Bilbo could only look down at his wrapped hands in shame. "I do not wish for you to be miserable. You act as though staying here is some punishment, but continuing on could very well be the death of you. Can you really fault my father and me for making you stay, when all we wish is for you to be safe. From yourself and from the horrors you would encounter in the wilds."

"I have faced many horrors already!" Bilbo reminded him with a frown.

"And look what that has done to you!" Legolas snapped, before schooling himself and lowering his voice once again. "You are a Hobbit. Creatures of love and joy and merriment, or so I was told. And yet I see you as nothing more than a shell. A pained, sorrowful being who must hurt himself so he does not cry every night. That is what this journey has done to you! You told my father and me that your mother would be so proud of you going on an adventure. Do you believe she feels pride when you draw blood from your veins to drip down your skin?" Bilbo could say nothing, his throat suddenly feeling much too tight.

Legolas sighed and reached forward to brush his long fingers through golden curls. Bilbo sniffled and tried not to lean into the touch. The fact was, he adored contact and comfort. It was why he missed Beorn so very much. Why he missed his parents... But Legolas was angry with him. He should not seek comfort from someone who was angry with him. As if Legolas could read his thoughts, the Elf trailed his touch down Bilbo's cheek and under his chin, where his fingers applied pressure to turn Bilbo's face up. Once he caught the Hobbit's eyes, he spoke.

"I feared greatly when my father came to me and told me that you were hurt. And when he told me it was by your own hand that you were hurt...I felt like weeping. I have not wept in hundreds of years, Bilbo. I am overwhelmingly fond of you, little Hobbit. The short amount of time I have spent in your company has been more than enough to confirm that. I ache to know that you hurt so much within that you had to make your pain manifest through a blade in your flesh. I wish for nothing more than to put an end to such actions. And the pain behind them." Legolas told him. "I am not angry, I am confused and pained by your actions. I am scared."

"But you are a warrior. I have seen you destroy a nest of giant spiders! You were not scared then!" Bilbo insisted. Legolas allowed himself a small smile.

"This is a very different kind of fear than the kind one feels when facing a dangerous opponent. This fear is because I do not know what to do to help you. Or if I even can. I feel helpless, and that terrifies me. All I want to do is help you, and I do not know how. It is very distressing." Bilbo's brow crinkled in confusion.

"But why would you care so much about me that you would experience such fear. I have only been in this Kingdom for two days now."

"And yet I know much about you. And I know I wish to learn more. I wish to learn everything. And I wish to make you happy. Do you understand what I am trying to say Bilbo?" Legolas asked, suddenly looking shy. Bilbo shook his head, because even if he did, he wanted Legolas to say it in case he was wrong. "You are a friend to me, or at least I consider you a friend. And I...one day hope...that perhaps we can be more than friends. For Elves, sometimes it takes forever to find someone they wish to love and cherish. But sometimes, it takes but a moment to know, without a shadow of a doubt, who they will come to adore above all others."

Bilbo didn't know what to say. And even if he did, he doubted he could say it. He couldn't fully comprehend what Legolas was saying, though it was simple enough. But...why him? It made no sense! And frankly, Bilbo didn't want it to make sense! He wanted Legolas to take his words back. Not because he was in love with someone else (though he was and would not admit it to himself). But because Legolas was immortal and perfect and he deserved someone much better than a damaged, mortal Hobbit.

"I-I can't. I can't be that person." He choked out, once he found his voice again. Legolas looked as though he'd been physically slapped by Bilbo's words, but he cleared his throat and nodded. "I do like you Legolas, very much, and you have been very kind to me. But I do not intend to be anybody's love. I do not intend to ever be cherished or adored. And at the moment, I do not want to be. I do not love myself, and therefore, I do not want anyone else to either." A glimmer of hope for the future lit in Legolas' eyes and he nodded again.

"I do understand Bilbo." He whispered. His hand returned to softly petting Bilbo's curls. "But...would you allow me to be your friend? To look out for you as you stay here? I can teach you many Elf games and I can bring you any kind of book you wish. I can show you the whole kingdom." He offered hopefully. And though Bilbo was still distressed about being forced to stay, he nodded. He had already denied Legolas one thing tonight. Legolas smiled and ushered Bilbo to lay down. "Breakfast and lunch will be brought to you tomorrow. But I will see you for dinner. By then, the Dwarves will be gone."

For some reason, the thought of the Dwarves going without him made Bilbo's stomach clench. He knew he was not important, not really, to them. But he wondered if they would even care that he would be staying. Balin and Dwalin appeared to be very upset over it, but Balin was kind by nature, and Dwalin was most likely more annoyed that the Elves were keeping him than anything. He knew he would miss them, all of them. Even Thorin. They may have been terrible to him in the beginning, and they may still give him loaded glances. But he was not alone with them, as he had been for so long. Though, he supposed, he wouldn't be alone in Mirkwood either.

"Good night." Bilbo murmured, sounding alarmingly emotionless as he said it. Legolas' brow wrinkled in concern, but Bilbo was staring blankly up at the canopy of his bed now. Not looking at Legolas. The Elf sighed, brushed through his curls one more time, and then blew out the candle near the bed.

"Good night Bilbo." He said softly and left with a few backward glances. Bilbo remained awake, staring at the ceiling in a somewhat desolate state, for a few more minutes before exhaustion took a hold of him and dragged him down into unconsciousness.

OOOOO

Bilbo was sitting in the window sill, watching the river run lazily by, and feeling very pitiful for himself. He had finally gotten his clothes back, and they were as spotless as when he left his home. But it was Legolas who had to dress him, because of his hands. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life, and he's been traveling with Dwarves for months! Without the guilt and self loathing he felt the night before, he was now able to take the full brunt of the embarrassment, and his cheeks were very red. He felt like a child, one who no one trusted to take care of himself. He was sulking in his own personal pity party when his door suddenly exploded open and Fili and Kili spilled in. He was given exactly no time to ask questions, the two young Dwarves made shushing motions and beckoned him forward.

"We only have a few minutes. Get on Fili's back, beneath his cloak." Kili commanded, lifting said cloak. Bilbo just sat there, mouth gaping, as he looked at the two. Were they...were they trying to kidnap him from the Elvenking's palace? "Bilbo, come on!" Kili commanded, and the Hobbit jumped at the urgency in his tone. He quickly complied this time, jumping up and pacing over to the pair. Kili gestured to Fili's back again, but Bilbo realized something.

"I-I can't hold on to him." Bilbo looked down at his hands and frowned. Fili and Kili exchanged looks and then Fili unbuckled his belt.

"I'll hold you up, and he'll do the belt around you both." Kili explained. Bilbo was picked up and shoved against Fili's back before he could complain about their tactic. The belt was tight around the two of them, but his mind was too busy buzzing to really notice the pinch of the leather. The Dwarves were going to get him out! Just like Balin promised! He had not really believed the older Dwarf. After all, he was always a liability to the company, the whole time. Why would they now want him around? Had Bilbo missed something along the way?

"Tuck your legs up so the Elves don't see them." Fili told him before they were back in the hallway and heading towards the room where the other Dwarves were collecting their things and preparing to go. Shockingly, no Elves were present to watch them, which Dwalin would find suspicious if he didn't know what a pain the ass Thorin was being to Thranduil at the moment. The King had broke the news about Bilbo staying to the whole company at one time, and they all naturally complained and cursed him. But Thorin...he took anger to a whole new level.

"Dwalin, we got him." Kili hissed when they walked up to the warrior. Bilbo felt a hefty pat on his back, as if to make sure, and then a grunt of content. There was a little more shuffling around before Dwalin started commanding the company.

"Everybody stand around Fili, try to act normal. If yeh can, don't say anything at all, and don't make eye contact with any of the tree shaggers. If any of them get suspicious about the bump on his back, do something to distract the leaf eater, got it?" Dwalin commanded. The Company quickly agreed and did as they were told, making a protective clump around the older Durin. Bilbo felt different Dwarves brush past him, and Bofur even patted him on the shoulder with a quiet 'good luck' under his breath. And then they were all moving, only stopping when the voices of Thorin, Thranduil and Balin came into Bilbo's hearing range. And oh did Thorin sound pleased. Pleased to be infuriated, that is.

"You cannot keep him here! He is not a prisoner!" Thorin was shouting. "He is a member of my Company, and he is dear to us all! He does not belong in some frilly Elven Kingdom in this horrid forest!" Bilbo heard an exasperated sigh, though he didn't know if it came from Thranduil or Balin. If very well could have been Balin.

"Master Oakenshield, it is in the interest of Bilbo's health that I am keeping him here. Not some petty excuse to piss you off." Thranduil drawled, though he did sound more agitated than usual. Bilbo heard a snicker, but again, was unsure exactly who it came from. Though it did sound suspiciously like Nori...

"I don't believe you!" Thorin yelled, and Bilbo could just imagine the eye roll Thranduil must be giving him. He was fighting one himself. Thorin was always so abrasive.

"Thorin, it's true, what he's saying. Bilbo came to Dwalin and myself last night and told us he was sick. But he'll be on his way as soon as possible." Balin told Thorin, sounding remarkably patient for having to deal with Thorin, but the Dwarf King was not having it.

"If he's just sick, then why isn't he here to see us off? I just saw him yesterday, and he seemed perfectly fine!" Here Bilbo heard a tense pause, wherein he could practically hear the judging words Thranduil was thinking. 'He seemed perfectly fine until you got a hold of him.' "He would have told me if he was staying!" Thorin snarled and Bilbo felt his stomach squeeze, because no...he didn't think he would tell Thorin if he was staying.

"Maybe he was too afraid of what you would do to him if he told you." Apparently Legolas was there too. Thorin growled, but Balin spoke up first.

"What are you implying young master Elf?" There was an awkward silence before Legolas scoffed. It was then that Bilbo remembered that none of the others knew about his bruises, which were currently undergoing some serious strain. But he couldn't complain too much, not when the Dwarves were trying to help him escape. Still, it would be an awkward conversation if it ever did come up.

"It is not our job to explain the situation. Bilbo is staying here, and that is that. I suggest you be on your way." Thranduil ordered icily. Bilbo heard Dwalin and Balin whispering fiercely to Thorin, who kept growling like an angry warg, before he apparently gave up and huffed an irritated snarl.

"Fine. We will go on our way without him. But if you do not release Master Baggins the moment he is well, I will come for him myself." Thorin threatened, but even Bilbo wasn't impressed. He could practically feel the condescension radiating off of the King and Legolas, and almost every Dwarf as well. After all, what could one Dwarf, King or not, really do in such a situation? The Elves had all the physical advantage, as well as a mental advantage, as hard as that was to admit. Bilbo was fond of the Dwarves, but they weren't exactly the brightest.

"Naturally, Thorin." Thranduil droned. "My men will escort you to the boarder of my Kingdom, and from there you can take the path to the Lake Town." Bilbo heard a door open, and a cool breeze made it's way under the cloak. Thorin remained for a few minutes before barking out an order in Khuzdul to get the Dwarves to start walking.

Bilbo knew that, based off the view from his window, it would take at least a few hours for them to reach the boarder of Mirkwood. And he had to stay hidden the whole way. If he revealed himself before that time, he would be taken back to the palace and probably placed under heavy guard. Maybe even put in the dungeons. Because even though they were out of the palace, so long as they were within the Elvenking's boundaries, Thranduil had power over whether or not Bilbo came or went. He would only really be free when they left Mirkwood. He only hoped they got out before it was discovered that he was gone.

OOOOO

AN: Well how was it? Did I drown you in my feels? If so, I have some funny fluffy Song Fics if you need a pick me up. All propaganda aside, I hope you liked the chapter and I will see you next Friday for the next! I adore reviews, but don't feel obligated. They just make me feel better about myself. Have a nice day/night/whatever!