Queen Under The Mountain

Deals to be Offered

  As Thorin had ordered, the wall was finished by sunrise, but that didn't stop us from working.
   Weapons were taken from the weaponry in the mountain and we took them to the front gate to be sharpened.

  "Come on." Thorin walked past us to go up the steps that led to the overlook on the top of the wall.

We followed in a line with our weapons and stood at the top to see Woodland Elves lining each wall of Dale, watching us.
  "As if this couldn't get any worse." I mumbled.

  Our attention was turned to Bard, who was galloping his way to the front gate on horseback.

  "Hail, Thorin son of Thrain. We are glad to find you alive beyond hope." He called up to us.
  "Why do you come to the gates of the King Under the Mountain armed for war?" Thorin asked.
  "Why does the King Under the Mountain fence himself in?" Bard asked. "Like a robber in his hold?"

  He wasn't wrong.

  "Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed." Thorin replied.
  "My Lord, we have not come to rob you, but to seek fair settlement." Bard said. "Will you not speak with me?"
  Thorin nodded and made his way down the steps and Bard dismounted his horse.

  "Whatever they are discussing, Thorin will disagree, he's stubborn, more yet he's sick." I said to Bilbo as we walked down the steps and waited behind Thorin.

  After they talked quietly through a break in the stone, he turned with his back facing the wall and shouted to Bard.
  "Be gone! Let the arrows fly!"
Bard hit the wall with his fist before riding away.

  We went back to the top of the wall and watched as Bard rode back to Dale. I stood with Bilbo, he seemed to be one of the only of the company to be against war.
  "What are you doing?" He asked Thorin. "You cannot go to war."
  "This does not concern you." Thorin said.
  "Excuse me but just incase you haven't noticed there is an army of Elves out there." Bilbo said.
  "And not to mention several hundred angry fishermen with harpoons loaded at the ready." I said.
  "We are in fact out numbered." Bilbo finished.
  Thorin turned to face us. "Not for much longer."
  "What does that mean?" Bilbo asked but Larewen had already guessed.
  "It means Master Baggins, you should never underestimate Dwarves." Thorin said. "We have reclaimed Erebor, now, we defend it."
Thorin went back down the steps leaving Bilbo to ponder.
Larewen and Balin exchanged worried looks.

  "Collapse the bridge." Thorin ordered from below.

  Dwalin, Bomber, Bifur, and Oin position sticks under the cracked head of a statue, and pushed down on them, letting the head fall and crush the bridge leading to our front gate.

  We then took to the armory and got all the weapons we could, and the Dwarves put on armor. The only thing to fit me was a chain link tunic.

  "Larewen," I turned to face Thorin who was holding a sword in it's sheath across his hands. "Here." He held it out to me.
  I picked it up by the handle and pulled the blade out, there was no point in looking at it, the ring of the blade already had me remembering the delivery I made to King Thror.

  "It's- It's the sword that I delivered to your grandfather." I said.
  "Yes." Thorin nodded.
"It's still here." I said staring at the blade.
  "Yes." Thorin repeated. "You are lucky I found it."
"I suppose I am." I said, looking at Thorin. His eyes were soft for a moment before he walked away.
  I put my father's sword back in it's sheath and attached it to my belt.