By Yavanna's Grace

Summary: After the Battle of the Five Armies, none of the Company dies and the Company's Gold Sickness is cured but it didn't change that Bella Baggins was still banished. The land around Erebor is barren but a child of Yavanna may save it… for a price.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit. The books are owned by J.R.R Tolkien and the creative license for the movies belongs to Peter Jackson. I don't own anything.

Warning: I have not read the literature. Seriously I have not. Everything is based on fanfiction lore and the movies.

WARNING: TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDE

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER! TRIGGER!

As the weeks pass after what is now being dubbed as the Battle of the Five Armies; humans, Elves, dwarves, and a certain hobbit found themselves inside the City of Erebor. The warriors were tended to for their wounds; human refugees from Lake Town were helping in organizing a temporary shelter that was offered to them by the Dwarves. Minor restorations were already being done to the Majestic halls of the Erebor with strict guards checking and rechecking if anyone were to sneak gold not their own.

It was all good. The Dwarves, with Dain and Balin being the current front of the Dwarves along with Thranduil and Bard representing their races, concessions were made until the heirs of Durin could walk on their own strength once more. The King of Mirkwood was still as snide as ever with the Dwarves, he had made effort on behalf of the men that fought with his people and at the urging of a certain Istari, Gandalf the Grey. The talks would take longer still before any kind of treaty is made between their kingdoms but conferences like what had been going on the past days would be enough.

Though it seemed that the peace after the battle was just the eye of the storm passing by for you see the worse come as you hit the eye wall of the storm. That is when everything you'd ever thought solid and which cannot be uprooted, taken from its foundations and rattles everything around it.

Bella Baggins had been helping with the injured around Erebor; she stayed out of the conferences of the leaders, knowing that her input would only add oil into the fire. Even after weeks the battle, after her bartering of the Arkenstone with Thranduil and Bard, the Company of Thorin Oakenshield still looked at her with disdain and distrust. Sometimes she would be able to go near Oin to assist but even the kindly healer would not let her linger around him for long.

The gentle Ori would snub her and coax his thief of a brother, Nori, to scare Bella off and not follow Ori to the library. This broke Bella's heart even further, Ori had promised that she would be the first to see the great library of Erebor aside from him. Bombur wouldn't let her come near any of the cooking fires for the Dwarves and though sometimes she would see a look of sadness when he gazes at her, when their eyes meet his eyes harden with hatred. She had never been afraid of Bifur even with the axe embedded on his head but for the last few days it seems he was being extra menacing to Bella.

Bofur, a good friend that she had thought to have while on her journey, could not look at her and just ignored her completely. Gloin was the one always near his brother and would glare at her like she didn't belong there and should not even be near his brother. Dwalin would sometimes shove her away if they ever meet in hallways while she was doing errands for the healers. Balin would look at her with indifference and would actually smile to another person after giving her a chilling glare. And Dori just supported his younger brothers by scaring her away.

Bella tended to stay near the gates for fear, that at any time she would be chased out of the door with no reconsideration. At night she would look up to the winter moon and pray. She would pray for strength so that she may go on with her friends hating her so. She would pray that the line of Durin would not end and that the two Princes and the King would wake from healing slumber. She would pray that if the day that she was truly pushed away from the people she thought of family, that she would have the courage to save them.

So that she can perform Yavanna's Final Grace.

It just so happens that one of the days she's helping with the wounded where, coincidentally also had Thorin, Kili and Fili in the beds that the Dwarven King awoke.

As Thorin looked around, confused, so sure he had died that his eyes landed on Bella helping a human redress his wounds. Overcome with emotion, he sat up quickly and cried out in pain while doing so. Bella, one of the few that was near the King quickly left the man she was helping and went to Thorin looking to see if she could help him. Kili and Fili also awoke to Thorin's shout; the two Princes have been lucid for minutes at a time for the past few days and could clearly see Bella coming near Thorin to help.

As Bella started fussing over Thorin, with one push of strength, Thorin slapped Bella, sending her to the floor. In the commotion, the rest of the Company had rushed to Thorin and glared at the downed girl.

"What do you think you're doing you traitorous scum?!" Thorin bellowed, his anger was still simmering below his skin at her betrayal. "Hadn't I banished you from my kingdom? Hadn't I thrown you off the ramparts of my mountain?! What are you still doing here you wretch?!" Thorin would not stop as his words stung Bella more and more.

In her mind, a sound of something shattering beyond help and hope resounded in her. She knew what it was, her heart. Her heart finally broke; she thought that maybe Thorin would forgive her. After going after them on Ravenhill and trying to help them. Hadn't Thorin looked relieved at that time? Why had his anger returned? Why does he still hate her so?

"I… Thorin… I just wanted to help. I helped didn't I? I…" She was not able to finish as she was bodily manhandled by the strong Royal Guardsman Dwalin, to be carried out of sight. Out of the mountain, where she doesn't belong. Bilbo's whimpered and cried as she was painfully pulled away from her former company whose eyes held coldness, a sheen of gold reflecting in the dim light. Dragon sickness had not left her family, and now that same sickness is what pushes her to make this decision. Kili and Fili cried out to their uncle begging him to reconsider. "Uncle, please! Stop this! She is our burglar! She is part of our company, of whom brought our home back! Here! Erebor!" Kili shouts out. Fili wincing and trying to get up to follow Dwalin, who already had Bilbo out of the room and probably halfway out of the kingdom by then.

"No!" Thorin bellowed. Unknown strength fueled him, even if just waking from coma, he stood with that same crazed gleam of dragon sickness once more. "She is a traitor! A wretched rat that we should not have taken on our journey! She only wanted our gold! Our kingdom!" As if having never been grievously injured he stalks out of the healing rooms, intent to follow Dwalin to see his banishment fulfilled. All these actions caused a great commotion amongst the current residents of the mountain. Thranduil and Bard were quickly informed of their fellow monarch's rampage and hastened to the gates of the mountain city. Fili and Kili escorted by the rest of the company quickly followed soon after Thorin. Upon reaching the gates, they see Dwalin bodily throwing out the hobbit unto thawing snow. For winter is almost over and spring is about to blow its warmer winds unto the land.

Thorin quickly moved up and bellowed. "Bella Baggins, former Burglar of Thorin's Company, never shall you step foot on any dwarven settlement! Never shall you be bestowed glory in the annals of our glorious history! Shire rats should never have been allowed into our undertaking for my homeland. Your banishment will never lifted! Not for you nor any of your kin or descendants! So mote it be!" And with Thorin's declaration, so it seals Bella's conviction.

Bella stood on shaky legs and suddenly charged at them. Dwalin quickly taking a defensive position with both his axes in front of his King; but Bella stops a few paces before them. Taking off her winterwear, she takes the mithril shirtmail gifted to her by Thorin. "Then, I return to you, your unwitting gift Thorin Oakenshield. You had promised me with protection and a home with this shirt mail and yet, I find myself the enemy of those that I chose as my family." Throwing the shirt mail to them she slowly stepped away from them. Fifty paces before the doors of Erebor, she kneels. "But I shall not abandon my family, as you all callously have. I shall give this final sacrifice to purge this land of Smaug's desolation!"

Quickly drawing Sting, her trusty letter opener of a sword, it glinted ominously with the dawning light. "O Yavanna Kementari! Wife of the maker of dwarves, Aule! So-called Mahal by his children! I, your child, great giving lady beseech thee for your final blessing! Take me and all that I offer and bless this rotten land into purity! Take my blood and let rivers flow! Take my flesh to nourish the land! Take my bones to strengthen the plants! Take my hair to bear many many grains and fruits! Take my final offering, O great mother of blessings! Purify this land of darkness and decay and sickness! Take me and give your final blessing! By Yavanna's Grace! So mote it be!" With a final cry, Bella plunged the elvish knife into her abdomen, slicing up to her throat to freely give the blood she had promised.

In the instance that she had given her life, the last vestiges of the dragon sickness plaguing her family left them. They watch in horror as their burglar gives her life up for the land, a blessing they've never heard of. And as Bella's blood flowed to the ground, so did a wash of power sweep through the valley where the Mirkwood formerly Greenwood, Esgaroth, Dale and Erebor lay. A wave of power so pure, that the darkness and decay of Mirkwood had vanished, as though it had never been tainted. From Bella's pocket vines of grew from and slowly encased the only hobbit east of the Misty Mountains. It grew and grew to surround the little hobbit until a majestic oak tree stood in her place. The little acorn from Beorn's home that would have taken years to grow, that should have been the sign of friendship and maybe love between the King of all Dwarrow and one Hobbit of the Kindly West was what became of the hobbit now.

On its mighty trunk was a burnt golden circle, reminiscent of the golden ring that Bella carried with her to be invisible. It seemed that the purifying power of the Valar was enough to neutralize the evil of the One Ring and redirect its power into life and not unto death. The last frost of winter was blown away with the warmth of spring brought on by the power of the Green Lady and the land enriched with life and ready to be cultivated.

The Dwarven Company of Thorin Oakenshield could only stare in shock and horror as the meagre hold of the One Ring's power over them was gone, along with their precious hobbit burglar. Thorin staggered up to the oak tree before collapsing to his knees to sob and asking for forgiveness. One that he'll never likely to receive, for Bella will not be found in the Halls of Waiting; nor will she come back when the world is remade.

And so seasons pass, Sauron's plans thwarted before it came to fruition as the last piece of his soul purged from the formerly corrupted Ring of Power. The lands surrounding Erebor prospered and gave life, both in fruit of the land and fruit of life. As if the Shire's peace settled into the once turbulent land of the North, so did its people learned the peace of the Hobbits.

In front the gates of Erebor stood a magnificent Oak tree, forever bearing and forever standing. Always and every day, men, dwarves and elves would pay tribute to this heroic and selfless hobbit, whose mothering heart gave them the great blessing of peace and prosperity. The king of Dwarves would be seen every day, sitting under its vast branches, as if talking to himself. And if tears would be seen flowing from his eyes, no one dared mention it. As ages passed and so did the lives of the company of Thorin Oakenshield. As was their tradition, they were returned to stone but parts of them were left around that mighty Oak tree. Battle Axes, Mattocks, the Goblin Cleaver Orcrist, a Bow and Arrow and so on… these items never weathered and never faded under the shade of the Oaken tree.

Maybe Bella has given her forgiveness and now hoards what can be left of her family. Or maybe the stubbornness of dwarves never truly wither away. But nonetheless; the story will go on, of a hobbit maiden who sacrificed too much and received scorn in return; to only sacrifice even more, wanting nothing, indeed, in return.

Author's Note: I am not Romanticizing Suicide. I. Am. NOT.