It seemed to Halien and the others like hours had passed before Bane came back, out of breath as he slammed the door shut.
"Bane, what is it?" Halien asked.
"They're after Da!" he managed to say.
"Why? Da has never done anything wrong!" Tilda said.
"It is alright, child. Your father will be fine. Let us hope that he got away and will come back soon." Halien said, trying to comfort the poor girl.
Tilda nodded and tried to busy herself with helping Oin look after Kili. Halien felt guilty that she could not have done more on her own for him. She looked up and watched as Sigrid went outside onto the porch. Suddenly, there were footsteps on the roof and Halien looked up just as Sigrid screamed from outside before she ran inside and tried to pull the door shut.
Bane ran to protect Tilda as the Orc who had jumped down behind Sigrid tried to push his way inside the house. Sigrid scrambled back as the Orc burst through the door. Oin grabbed some dishes and threw them at the Orc while another Orc jumped down through the ceiling. Sigrid hid under the table and pulled the benches to block the Orcs from reaching them and pulled Tilda in underneath with her as Bane ushered her to their sister's side and grabbed for something to defend himself with against the Orcs. As Bane and the dwarves were trying to defend themselves, Halien drew her dagger and attacked the Orcs as they came at her. She threw bits of magik at them, stunning them before she attacked. The Orcs threw the table over and tried to reach for Sigrid and Tilda, but Bane threw one of the benches at them and Halien threw an ice shard she had formed at the Orcs, splintering it into separate pieces that killed the Orcs.
More and more Orcs came in through the doors, the windows, the ceiling, and Halien was not certain if they would make it out alive, but she had promised to protect Bard's children and to protect herself and her child. When she thought they were going to be overwhelmed by the Orcs, Tauriel appeared in the doorway.
"Tauriel!" Halien called to her former mentor.
Tauriel smiled in greeting, then made quick work of the Orcs in her path as she fought her way into the house. Legolas soon joined them and looked around.
"Sister!" he called to Halien as an Orc came up behind her. He drew his bow, ready to fire, but he watched as Halien summoned the blue flames she had used against the goblins into her hand and turned the Orc into a pile of ash.
Halien fought with her brother and Tauriel, trying to drive back the Orcs. Kili leaped out of bed and threw a knife at one of the Orcs as Tauriel did the same and fell to the floor when the Orc collapsed.
"Kili!" Halien cried, watching the fear play across Tauriel's face.
Tauriel looked up at her for a moment, but then the two elf maidens watched as an Orc ran outside and called to his comrades. Halien heard them say "Oakenshield" and knew that they were hunting Thorin still. They would not find him in Laketown and for that she was thankful.
"You killed them all." Bane said in disbelief.
"There are others. Tauriel, come." Legolas said.
Kili was on the floor, his pain returning. Oin and Fili knelt next to him. "We are losing him!" Oin said.
Tauriel looked from Kili to Halien to Legolas.
"Tauriel," Legolas said, then left the house of Girion's descendants.
Tauriel made a move for the door, but when Kili cried out, she stopped and looked back at him.
"Tauriel, I have done all I can for him," Halien said. "I have used the extent of my knowledge of healing, as has Oin. Please, save him! I will go after my brother and keep him safe from the Orcs."
"But, Halien! You are with child!" Tauriel said, seeing her belly.
"I am, but my brother cannot fight on his own. I know that you care for Kili, even if it is only a slight emotion for him, and he needs you. You have lived more than six hundred years whilst I have seen only two hundred and sixteen. You know more than I will ever be able to learn about healing right now. Please, save him!"
Tauriel watched as Halien ran out of the house and after her brother. She called out to her, trying to stop her, but she was gone before she could do anything more. Tauriel turned back to Kili and the others and began to help them.
While Tauriel was helping her nephew, Halien ran to catch up with her brother. She found him fighting off the remaining Orcs and hurried to join him in the fight. She summoned her water magik and ice magik and threw the water at the Orcs, then froze them and crushed them into dust. She summoned her fire magik and burned the Orcs who were fool enough to try and grab her. She fought her way through the throng of Orcs until she was fighting with her back against her brother's.
"Are you mad, Halien?!" Legolas said, scolding her.
"No more than you brother." She replied with a smile.
They fought the Orcs side by side like they had years and years before her exile. They made their way towards the bridge and were stopped by the leader of the Orcs. Legolas drew Orcrist and handed Halien Fenumë Dagnir. "I brought this for you, just in case I saw you again. Try not to lose it this time?" he told her, a sly smile on his face.
Halien took up her mother's sword and fought off some of the Orcs that had stayed with their leader, Bolg- son of Azog the Defiler. Legolas faced off against Bolg while Halien used her mother's sword to slice down the Orcs that got in her way or tried to get to her brother. She managed to kill all but two and watched in horror as Bolg nearly got the better of him. In relief, she watched as Legolas killed the last two remaining Orcs.
She ran to him when he slumped against the wall behind him and touched his nose, seeing the blood that had been drawn when Bolg punched him. "Are you alright, brother?"
Legolas nodded. "That filth will pay dearly." He said, then looked at her and his eyes softened for a moment. "Halien, why did you not tell me that you were with child?"
Halien looked away. "I knew that you and Father would be ashamed of me for falling in love with Thorin and would not look twice at me if you knew that I carried his child." She said, then looked at her brother with tears in her eyes. "Whatever has happened within our family, my dearest brother, I love you. You are to be an uncle soon and if you are willing to look past what has happened, I would be honored and proud to have you in my son's life. If Father wishes to be a part of his grandson's life as well, whether or not Thorin Oakenshield is his father, then I would welcome him as well."
Legolas searched her eyes. "You really do love the dwarf, don't you, Sister?"
Halien nodded and hugged her brother. "With all my heart. I am his wife and will mother his children and we will rebuild Erebor and Dale once more to their former glory. You must go now, though. I know that the Orc scum has much to pay for, especially when none has ever drawn blood during a battle with you and lived to tell the tale."
Legolas kissed her forehead and ran off after the Orc, grabbing a horse from one of the stables and riding hard after Bolg and his warg.
Satisfied that her brother would be fine, Halien hurried back to Bard's house to make sure that everyone was OK. Tauriel had healed Kili, drawn out the poison, and smiled at Halien when she returned. "He will be alright, Halien. You did excellent work yourself. You nearly drew out the poison on its own without the Athelas. I did not need to do much."
Halien hugged her old mentor. "Thank you, Tauriel. You saved his life. You saved our lives."
Tauriel smiled as she watched Halien stroked Kili's head, checking his fever and making sure that he was OK.
"Kili, how are you doing?" Halien asked softly.
Kili looked over and reached up to touch her cheek. "I am fine, Aunt. Do not worry about me. You should not have run off like that and fought with our cousin. You could have been hurt."
Halien smiled and kissed his forehead. "Do not worry about me, my little nephew. Your cousin and I are both well."
Kili was reassured by that, but then he saw his aunt's face when another rumble came from the mountain. "Halien?"
Halien heard Thorin calling to her.
'Halien, the dragon comes! You must get out of there! Take the others and evacuate the city! Get out there!' He called, warning her of what was to come.
She felt her eyes widen and her heart began to race. "No…."
Another roar, one that sounded like a hurricane wind from the sea, came and Halien stood slowly, looking out the window at the Lonely Mountain. "By the ancestors…" she said and felt fear like no other overtake her. "The dragon comes."
Everyone looked at her. "So they weren't able to stop it after all…" Oin said.
Tilda clung to Halien's gown and held her hand. "Are we going to die, Halien?"
"No, sweet girl," Halien said, looking at her. "We will be safe, I promise. No matter what happens, I promised your father that you, Sigrid, and Bane would all be safe with me and I will protect you."
Tilda nodded and hugged her. Sigrid came to her side as well as Bane and they clustered around her. She was not their mother, but they felt comforted by her presence and knew that she would protect them.
"What about the babe?" Tilda asked, resting a small hand on Halien's belly.
"He will be alright. It seems that he has been lending me some of his strength, even as just a babe unborn. I should not be able to stay standing and not feel faint. My son is stronger than I had anticipated." The elf queen replied.
There was a glow outside and Halien's eyes widened. "Oh no, the dragon is here! Quick, everyone below, now!"
They grabbed nothing as they hurried down to the small boat that sat docked at their house. They quickly climbed in, but Halien was beginning to feel a pain in her belly and she felt wetness run down her legs. She put a hand to her belly and groaned.
Tauriel came to her side instantly and steadied her. "Halien, you have pushed yourself too much. The babe will not wait. He is coming now."
"No… It's not time…" Halien said. "He still has four months left before he's supposed to be born…"
Tauriel helped her into the boat. "He does not wish to wait it seems. We must get you somewhere safe quickly. When we reach safety, I will help you deliver the baby."
Halien nodded and she sat in the boat, wincing as the contractions began. Kili and Fili held the oars and rowed the boat as Tauriel stood at the front to guide it. Oin sat with Halien and held her hand as Bane sat with his sisters in the middle of the boat. As they slowly and quietly maneuvered through the canals, Smaug spit fire everywhere in his path as he flew over Laketown.
