Walking In Starlight

23

"Da!" Bane exclaimed "I tried to stop them-"

"How long have they been gone!?" Bard demanded

It is night at Laketown, the members of the Company are sneaking through the town toward the armory, hiding from watchmen, behind a boat as two of said watchmen walk by,

"Shh!" Dwalin hushed "keep it down"

"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain" Thorin said quietly "go, go, go!"

With the watchmen gone, Thorin points to Nori, who gets a running start and runs up a pyramid of dwarves who have pressed themselves against the walls of the city armory. He is able to get high enough that he can reach a second floor window and dive through,

"Next" Thorin said

Bilbo does the same thing as Nori, and soon, several dwarves are in the armory, and they begin collecting the weapons stored there. Ryneela struggles under a load of several different weapons, and normally she is much stronger than she was now, and Thorin hands her another weapon,

"You all right?" Thorin asked

"I can manage" Ryneela lied easily "let's just get out of here"

Thorin looks at Ryneela, then lays another sword on the pile she had been holding, allowing her to start walking down the stairs, but her wounded leg suddenly gives way and she falls with a pained cry. The weapons make a terrible clanging noise, and the dwarves both inside and outside look around warily, Ryneela covering her face with her hands, cursing at her idiocy. In the distance, the watchmen cry out, and running footsteps approach,

"Run!" Dori said

The dwarves still outside begin to run, but are stopped by two watchmen pointing pikes at them. Bilbo and the dwarves in the armory grab weapons, but several other guards point pikes at them too, Braga, the captain of the guard, is holding Ryneela with a dagger to her throat, Ryneela looks sadly and guiltily at Thorin.

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Alfrid pokes his head out of the door to the Master's mansion to see the commotion, seeing the soldiers dragging the dwarves to the mansion, with multitudes of townspeople following behind, a light trickle of snow falling from the sky,

"Get off of me!" Dwalin shouted

Lots of indistinct muttering and yelling, Alfrid closes the door and goes to get the Master, Braga arranges all of the dwarves under guard in the town square before the doors of the mansion. As guards open the doors of the mansion, the Master storms out, still putting on his coat,

"What is the meaning of this?" The Master asked

"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire" Braga informed

"Ah, enemies of the state, then" the Master replied

"This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire." Alfrid said

"Hold your tongue" Ryneela demanded "you know not to whom you speak"

"This is no common criminal" Dwalin added "this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!"

Dwalin gestures at Thorin, who steps forward, the crowd murmurs in amazement,

"We are the dwarves of Erebor" Thorin said

The crowd whispers in shock and recognition, and some people crane their heads to see better,

"We have come to reclaim our homeland" he continued "I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North. I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"