She woke from her slumber by the screams of the people of Dale. She shot her head up, looking wearily around her. She saw nothing but she could hear the screams of the people still. The dwarves were running around in their homes, saving what they co...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(That's Aleta) ☾
At the abandoned castle fortress of Dol Guldur where the wizard Gandalf had been imprisoned by the Necromancer/Sauron, he was comforted by the words of Galadriel "You are not alone, Mithrandir."
In Lake-town on the shore of Long Lake, As the Dwarves from Bard's home prepared to leave to join the other Dwarves at Lonely Mountain, Kili spoke one final time to Tauriel with a request: "Come with me." She summoned Legolas Greenleaf, who suddenly appeared and urged her to bid goodbye to Kili: "Take your leave of the Dwarf. You are needed elsewhere." Before departing, Kili put his carved talisman (runestone) in her hand as a keepsake ("Keep it. As a promise").
After a long trek, the Dwarves arrived at Lonely Mountain in Erebor, where Biblo approached and warned them: "We all need to leave." He suspected that Thorin was beginning to lose his mind after being inflicted and corrupted with Smaug's 'sickness' and an obsession about finding the Arkenstone. "He's been down there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself. Not at all. It's this place. Ahem. I think a sickness lies on it." Bilbo said.
"Indeed it does" a sudden voice startled the new coming dwarves. "Aleta!" Killi exclaimed and ran up to hug her. "Hey, master killi," Aleta said, and she wrapped her arms aorund the shorter dwarf. "Come, I will show you what he means," Aleta said, and they proceeded down a series of steps to view the massive hoard of treasure inside the mountain, where Thorin was walking and madly mumbling to himself: "Gold. Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief. Behold the great treasure hoard of Thror." Thorin instructed all of the Dwarves to urgently search for the Arkenstone ("No one rests until it is found"). All along, Bilbo had the precious stone in his possession - and as he pondered the situation, remembered Smaug's words to him as he snatched it earlier: "I am almost tempted to let you take it. If only to see Oakenshield suffer. Watch it destroy him. Watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad.".
In Lake-town, Bard supervised preparations for a long march to the ruins of Dale, where the townsfolk would take refuge. He vowed to only demand from the Mountain (and Thorin) the share of treasure-gold that was previously promised to them: "What gold is in that Mountain is cursed. We will take only what was promised to us. Only what we need to rebuild our lives."
➵
Leader Azog the Defiler, with his vast army of Orcs, marched toward the Lonely Mountain at Erebor and threatened war: "Woodland Elves!" His son Bolg reported back to Azog about how Legolas and Tauriel had earlier pursued them into Lake-town and confronted them: "The King's son and a She-Elf - they tracked us to Lake-town." He then lied to his father: "They fled squealing like cowards." Azog was not pleased about the threat of the Elves ("They will return with an Army of Elves at their backs!") and directed Bolg to ride to Mount Gundabad ("an Orc stronghold in the far north of the Misty Mountains") and prepare a second army to join him: "Ride to Gundabad. Let the legions come forth!"
