Halien and Bard ran through the streets as the townsfolk gathered in front of the Master's estate. Halien saw the sleazy man, Alfrid, peek out the door, then slam it shut. Seconds later, the Master came barging out the door, demanding what was going on.
"Caught them trying to steal weapons from the armory, sire." The guardsman said.
'Oh, no…' Halien thought. She had not yet risen her shield, so Bard heard her.
"How is it that you can do that?" he asked. "How is it that I can hear you in my head?"
Halien looked at him. "I was born with an ancient elven magik that- according to the eldest of my people- has not been seen since the First Age. It grants me the ability to control the elements, to speak to others with my mind, and I can speak to animals. I can heal with and without herbs and have been using my magik and abilities to aid my companions on our journey. I normally have a shield raised to block out the thoughts of my companions, as it got too overwhelming some months ago. I apologize if you felt that I invaded your mind in any way."
'Incredible.' He thought. He had heard of elven magik being wonderful, but this was something else. He shook his head and answered her. "It's alright, I've just never experienced anything like it."
Halien and Bard both looked towards the estate when they heard the Master speak.
"Enemies of the state, then?" the Master asked.
"Eh, just a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire," Alfrid said.
"Bard, I have to help them," Halien said and before he could stop her, Bard watched as she pushed her way through the crowd. Not sure what else to do, he followed her.
"Hold your tongue!" Dwalin said. "You do not know to whom you speak."
"Dwalin, don't!" Halien said as she reached them. "It is not the time."
"Lass, we are so close that it does not matter anymore," Dwalin said to her, then turned to speak to the Master. "This is no common criminal. This is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror."
The crowd gasped and Thorin stepped forward. "We are the dwarves of Erebor." He said. "We have come to reclaim our homeland."
Thorin looked around as the crowded townsfolk began to murmur amongst each other. "I remember this town, in the days of old. Fleets of boats lay at the harbor, filled with silks and gems. It was not some forsaken town on a lake. This was the center of trade in all the North! I would see those days return, I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches once more from the Halls of Erebor!"
Halien smiled as the townsfolk cheered. "Lord Master of Laketown," she began as she come to Thorin's side. "We have traveled from the farthest reach of the Shire through the Misty Mountains, into Goblin tunnels, and through the once great Greenwood of the Woodland Realm. We have faced many perils and have fought through each battle that came upon us so that we may reach the Lonely Mountain. It has been our quest for over a year to come this far and we ask for your aid in helping us to reclaim the once great dwarven stronghold of Erebor."
The Master looked at her. "Who are you, elf? And why do you speak for these dwarves?"
Halien stood straight and looked him right in the eye. "I am Halien Greenleaf, daughter of the Elven King, Thranduil. My father has traded with your town and has given you the wealth you now have. I was an ambassador of the elves for Erebor, Dale, and Laketown and since the days of old, I have traveled the lands, aiding those who fled from the burning lands. I have seen Erebor and I would give anything to help these dwarves reclaim it so that I can once more see the grand halls and gaze upon its beauty as I did in days of old. It is my quest to aid my husband and my kin here in reaching the end of the quest and I would gladly lay down my life for them."
"Your husband?" the Master asked.
Halien put a hand on Thorin's shoulder. "I am the wife of Thorin Oakenshield, the rightful King under the Mountain, and I carry his son. If you can help us succeed in our quest, Thorin and I can promise you that we will bring back the Laketown we knew of old. We will help rebuild the lost city of Dale and we will bring back the wealthy trade of the North and our kingdoms will be whole once more."
Thorin looked up at her and smiled.
"Death! That is what you bring upon us." Bard said as he came forward. "Dragon fire and ruin."
"Bard, please don't." Halien began.
"If you waken that beast," Bard said, looking from Halien to Thorin. "It will destroy us all."
"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this: if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain," Thorin said. "You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"
The townsfolk cheered and Halien smiled. Thorin was already proving to her that he was a great king.
"Why should we take you at your word?" Alfrid asked. "We know nothing about you. Who here can vouch for your character?"
"Me," Bilbo said. "I'll vouch for him."
Halien looked over at the Hobbit and smiled.
"I have traveled far with these Dwarves, through great danger, and if Thorin Oakenshield gives his word, then he will keep it," Bilbo said.
"All of you, listen!" Bard said. "You must listen to me! Have you all forgotten what happened to Dale?"
The crowd grew quiet as they remembered the horrible fires that had taken Dale. Many of them had been there the day the dragon razed the city streets to the ground.
"Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!" Bard asked.
"Bard…" Halien tried to say.
"And for what purpose?" he asked again, ignoring her. "The blind ambition of a mountain king so driven by greed that he cannot see past his own desire!"
"That is enough, Bard!" Halien said. "You do not understand what Thorin has had to go through to get us to this point. You have not seen the strife he has dealt with to rebuild a home for his people. Thorin Oakenshield is as great of a king there ever was and he has earned the right to reclaim Erebor."
Bard and the townsfolk looked at her. "Halien, I…" he said, bewildered.
"Since the day that my father abandoned the dwarves of Erebor, I have fought to push through the damage that he caused. I helped those that I could, those who fled the fires of Erebor and Dale. I could hear all of those poor, helpless people crying and screaming inside my head. Women and children! Men, lying dead in the streets! I ran through the burning streets of Dale, trying to find any survivors, as I did with the plains before Erebor. I helped many people in those times and do you know what I was rewarded with? Exile from my homeland. Abandonment of my family. Outcasted by those I thought were my friends. I am no longer an elf of the Woodland Realm, no longer the daughter of King Thranduil, nor will I ever serve him again. I am the wife of Thorin, King under the Mountain, and the mother to the next Heir to the line of Durin. I battled alongside these brave dwarves through my obstacles and challenges, having to prove that I am worthy to be on this quest, and even through all of that, Thorin never once turned me aside. He hated my father, my people, and he probably hated me too, but he let me prove that I was not my father and after everything we have been through, that this company has been through, it has all led us here."
Halien stopped and looked around at all of the townsfolk and the dwarves. "Thorin Oakenshield is not a greedy man. He has sacrificed everything for his people and has faced many obstacles in this endeavor. When he makes a promise, he keeps it. If he swears to retake Erebor and fire up the ancient forges once more, then that is what he will do. With the skills that these dwarves, our young Hobbit friend, and myself have we will retake the Lonely Mountain, and we will defeat the firedrake, Smaug. Upon the ancestors of old and in the name of Durin, this I swear."
Bard looked at her and suddenly knew why she appeared to be so regal. She was a strong person, beautiful and powerful. She was gentle and kind, always looking after her companions before herself, but if they were in danger, she jumped to the rescue and defended them with all her might. She was a princess of elves who married a dwarf king and carried the son that would forever uphold their alliance and bond. She was going to be the Queen of Erebor and she knew that they could reclaim the mountain, rebuild Erebor, and even promise to rebuild Dale. Every bit of her- her personality, her tenacity, her bravery- made Bard's heart race.
Despite what she said, the townsfolk were still uncertain. They murmured amongst themselves until the Master spoke.
"Now, now, we must not, anyone us, be too quick to lay blame." He said, then pointed to Bard. "Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"
As the townsfolk began to remember, Bard knew that no one would listen. He looked up at Halien, hoping for a sign that perhaps she would understand despite her oath to the company.
"Bard, why did you not tell us?" she asked him. 'Why didn't you tell me?'
"I did not want to remember the failings of my ancestor. That is why I tried so hard to tell the truth of what happened, that if he had not died that day and managed to shoot one final arrow, Smaug the Terrible would have been slain and Erebor would not have been taken." Bard explained, his eyes searching hers.
"Bard…"
"That is a fairy story!" Dwalin said. "Girion failed to slay the beast and Dale and Erebor all paid for it."
Halien looked at Dwalin. "Hush, my friend. It is not a fairy story and at least Girion tried. He did what he could to fight off the dragon and it is not his fault that he failed. Girion and his bowmen were either razed with the fires that consumed Dale or they were knocked off the battlements by the dragon's tail. Girion had fallen when I found him in the streets. He had been hit by the tail of Smaug and his whole body lay bloody and broken. There was nothing I could do for him and he died, fearing that he would be remembered as the king who failed to bring down the beast, and not the king who tried to save his people and allies but fell to the beast whose might was stronger than his own."
She looked around at the townsfolk. "You should not be so quick to judge a man's failings when you yourselves were so fearful and afraid that you ran for your lives before thinking of standing and fighting. The women and children I can understand, but all you men! You should have stood with Girion and his bowmen and done what you could have to help them and fight for your home, the safety of your families, and to prove to Middle Earth that you were the bravest amongst men. Instead, you cowered and ran, leaving your lord and king to fall in your place! Bard is not a bad man, nor was Girion. Whatever Girion had failed to do is not upon Bard and you should not force him to relive the failings of his ancestor. He knows the true story because I was the one who brought it to Girion's family and asked that they pass it down." She looked at Bard for a moment. "I am glad to see that the true story of how Dale's king defended his beloved city until his death still runs strong in Bard's family."
The Master and the townsfolk looked between her and Bard, unsure of what to do. Alfrid, however, knew exactly what to do.
"It's true, my lord. We all know the story. Arrow after arrow he shot." Alfrid said. "Each one missing its mark."
Bard ignored the man's words and walked up to Thorin. "You have no right. No right to enter that mountain."
Halien put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "Bard, please don't."
Thorin glared up at him. "I have the only right."
Halien and all the others watched as he began to ascend the stairs. "I speak to the Master of the Men of the Lake. Will you help us reach the mountain? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?"
The Master thought a moment, looking around at his people.
"What say you?" Thorin asked.
"I say, unto you, welcome! Welcome and welcome thrice, King Under the Mountain!"
The townsfolk cheered and Thorin smiled at his company. He offered a hand to Halien and she took it. He pulled her in close and kissed her.
"We're going home." He said when he pulled away, hugging her.
"Aye, little king. Home." Halien smiled, then turned back to the crowd. She smiled as they cheered for her husband, wishing him and the company well. Her smile faded, though, when she watched Bard slip away from the crowd, his shoulders sunken.
Halien felt an uneasiness in her stomach, not sure what it was from. She watched as the Master invited the company to join him for dinner to celebrate their welcome and wish them well on their journey to the mountain. She followed the company and Thorin into the estate and the festivities began.
