AN: Sorry for the long wait. Moving to college is no joke.
Revan decided that she would speak with Thorin ASAP, warning him about the dangers of Moria. She also knew that they had to start preparing for the battle, refugees or no.
"We need to meet with Gandalf," she said. "The people of Esgaroth need to take refuge here and in Dale."
"Why? What trouble is coming, lass?" asked Balin warily.
"Orcs. Hundreds upon hundreds of Gundabad orcs. Led by the son of Azog, with all manner of abominations and nightmares with them," she said, voice grave. Even with the furnaces burning bright around them, a chill went through the group. Nervously, Dwalin shuffled his mattock from hand to hand, and Hanriel blanched at the thought. None of them had had good dealings with Orcs. Turning to each other, the dwarves started murmuring, building and building in nervousness, with Revan not knowing what to do before Thorin began shouting.
"Itkitî!" he bellowed. "We do not have time for arguments. We need to fortify Erebor and Dale. Word will have spread to the Iron Hills. If we send a rider from Lake Town to Dain, he and his armies will defend the mountain," he said, and Revan could see the gears of thought turning in his head. He turned to her, and asked, "Thranduil knows?"
"Ye-es," she said, drawing out the word, wondering what he was planning.
"Dwalin," he asked, looking up at one of the forges. "Do you think you can convince Dain not to attack the Elves?"
Dwalin scoffed. "You're not thinking of putting me on horseback?" he exclaimed, resting his mattock on his shoulder.
"Who else would you suggest? We need everyone here. If Dain sees you, he'll know the message is from me," Thorin explained. "The Iron Hills are a day's ride to the East. Dain trusts you, Dwalin," Thorin reassured, putting his hands on Dwalin's shoulders.
Revan saw many expressions cross Dwalin's face. Resentment, sadness, and even a brief glimpse of fear troubled the usually stoic dwarf. "If you fall, while I'm out mucking about with Dain, I'd never forgive myself," he said quietly.
A soft smile touched Thorin's face. "Yes you would, and you'd follow Dain in my stead. Still, do you count my prowess for naught?" Thorin laughed, but Dwalin stayed somber.
Eventually, the dwarf shook himself, and with a grim smile, said, "If I'm to make it to the Iron Hills, I need to leave as soon as possible." He paused, thinking for a moment. "I'll need a horse from Lake Town. Food for the way."
"We'll have it ready by morning, brother," Balin said, placing a comforting hand on Dwalin's shoulder. "If Dain already knows the Mountain has been reclaimed, you might only have to meet him halfway!"
"Where's he going to get the horse?" Hanriel asked Revan quietly.
"Probably from Lake Town, dear. If Dwalin's to make time to the Iron Hills, he's going to need all the speed he can get," Revan answered. To the rest of the group, she said, "Gandalf should be arriving soon." To Dwalin she said, "If you see the Elves or Gandalf, send a bird our way. You won't be able to mistake either of them."
She paused, quieting for a moment. Just as some of the dwarves were about to speak, she said, "Oh hells, I might as well go."
"What are you talking about, lass?" Dwalin asked, shifting nervously.
Revan pretended not to notice Hanriel's tightened grip on her arm. "There are things that I need to relay to Mithrandir, Thranduil, and Bard. Also," she said, almost too hard to hear, "I might have to assassinate someone."
Shocked by her words, the dwarves erupted into clamoring.
"You can't go!" Fili barked, at the same time as his brother shouted, "Assassinate?"
Ori, Dori and Nori all looked at each other, before shouting their own objections, then shouting at each other. Rather than bellow as he did before, Thorin simply raised his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing scream of a whistle, and the shouting came to a halt.
"Thanks," she said, to Thorin, then addressed the group. "I don't want to leave you here in the mountain alone, until Dain gets here." Putting her hands up, she said, "I know you still don't trust them, but Elven archers and swords will be indispensable in the coming fight. Also," she paused, "The Orcs will be coming from underground. I don't know what they're called, but they have these… worms that are digging tunnels. They have trolls with giant metal clubs for hands and feet, and Warg-pulled carriages covered in blades. We've already deviated so far from the timeline that I've seen, so be wary of anything. Expect the worst, hope for the best," she finished.
Most of the dwarves had shifted uneasily when she'd talked about her "foresight;" they were still uneasy about psychics and oracles. Still, she knew that they would prepare the best they could for the coming fight.
"Thank you, Revan," Thorin said. "Erebor is the best-fortified place for miles. We will route the people of Esgaroth through Dale, and take as many of their citizens as possible. Still, we have no supplies for that many people. They will have to bring their own."
Revan chuckled wanly. "Thankfully, the Dragon never escaped Erebor and burned the city, like it did in the timeline I knew."
For many long seconds, the roar of the forges was the only sound that troubled the air, "We'll keep them in the lower halls," Balin finally said. "They'll be protected there, and the Were-worms never delve that far deep."
Shuddering, Revan said, "Balin, Ori, speaking of delving, I need to talk to you about Moria. That's all I have. Dwalin," she said, speaking to the gruff dwarf, "I'll meet with you in the morning, and we'll head off to Dale. If all goes well, I'll be back in two or three days with the Elven reinforcements. Dwalin should be back not long after that."
"You still haven't said why you need to assassinate someone though!" Kili blurted out.
"And you haven't said who," Fili tacked on.
Revan stilled for quite some time after that. "The mayor of Lake Town. He needs to be removed so Bard can take charge."
"But there are other ways to do that besides murder!" Kili exclaimed. "We could…" he trailed off, then sighed. "I promise I'll think of something before you leave," he promised.
"I appreciate that. In all honesty, I'm not worried about the Mayor. I'm more worried about his second, Alfrit Lickspittle. While the mayor is corrupt and greedy as can be, Alfrit is the clever one. He holds the real power," Revan answered, giving Kili a warm, thankful smile.
Revan awoke beside Hanriel in their shared bed and immediately wanted to pull the covers over her head and sleep. Still, her internal chronometer knew that it was time to wake up. She could feel Hanriel's warmth against her back, and her slow, steady breathing that let her know that she was still asleep.
Still, it was time to wake up. Being careful to move as quietly and slowly as possible, she extricated herself from the covers sucking in a sharp breath as the cold air hit her skin. Hopping on one foot at a time to keep off of the freezing stone floor, she managed to find her clothes and robe in the darkness. She slipped on her boots, the leather creaking as she worked her feet in. As soon as she was done, she patted herself down making sure all of her things were in place- phone, swords, money, all was in place.
She sighed, frowning. She needed to go, she knew. Magically capable as she was, she couldn't thought-speak like Gandalf and Galadriel seemed to do, and none of the dwarves would be able to understand what she was saying, nor would they easily be convinced to leave their home.
Still, she wished she could stay. She sat down on the side of the bed, wondering whether or not to wake Hanriel up. She studied the elfin features in the light cast by the single lantern she'd lit. Much as they hated to, they'd both decided that Hanriel would stay behind in Erebor, partly to help with the fortifications, but also as a potential ambassador to any elven forces that could show up.
"Hey," she said softly, running her fingers through Hanriel's hair.
"Hey," Hanriel said back, slowly stirring.
"I'm headed out and wanted to say goodbye," Revan said, smiling at the sleepy elf.
Eyes narrowed even in the dim lantern-light, Hanriel rolled over and gave Revan a sleepy smile. "All right. You be safe now, OK? Don't make me send the boys after you," she mumbled.
Revan chucked. "All right. If all goes well, the Elves and Dwarves will be in Dale in less than a week, so I'll be able to come back."
"'Kay," Hanriel said sleepily.
Revan bent down to kiss Hanriel on the cheek, then stood, saying, "See you soon."
"Soon," Hanriel echoed.